So, I'm sure of my readers (all ten of you) are on some kind of budget or spending plan. Right? :) We all have good intentions, that's for sure! Jonathan and I have always been pretty good about making a budget on Excel. We do really well for a couple months, then...slowly by slowly we start overspending. Me on groceries, Jon on Home Improvement. Neither of us are big spenders on "stuff". We just like good food and a nice home. Both come at a cost, even with coupons.
So, we are at a point in our marriage where we should be saving big time, cause we are in a position with extra cash flow. But wouldn't you know? The money still gets spent! Well, last night we sat down with Quicken, our good little buddy, and looked at where all the money went in July. gulp. Wow. We really spend that much on groceries, and home improvement?? So, out came the wallets. I handed over my 2 best friends, JCPenny Credit Card and Kohl's Credit Card (both of which I pay off in FULL every month). Then Jon made me hand over my debit card. WHAT?!?!?!?! My debit card?!?!?! How can I survive dear husband?!?!?!? His calm response was, well, you can buy what you want/need if you have c-a-s-h. :( Hmmmm...lovely, this may seriously put a damper on getting a Coke at McDonald's whenever I feel like it.
So, the Indy Fuge's have gone card free. Except at Gas stations. We can pay for those with CC b/c I can't go in with both kids. unsafe and difficult. :) So, if a McDonald's Coke mysteriously shows up on my Discover Jon will know why. ha!
No, seriously, we have done cash for a while. I like it. However when it's gone, I just pull out the trusty debit card and keep spending. bad, bad Shelley. Totally missing the point of cash!!! :P
So, we're gonna go for it in August! Hopefully at the end our savings will be fatter and my checking out will be super duper easy to balance. ha!
Have a great weekend folks!
Count me in as one of your followers!!! Good for you, Shelley!!! We do the cash system. It's SO DIFFICULT, but it is rewarding, too. I never realized how easy it was for me to whip out the CC and use it until we started using cash and were able to save so much more!
ReplyDeleteHere's a hug to get you started. We had to do that last year. It was a hard wake up call. I didn't like carrying all that cash...and we're controlled now so "allowing ourselves" to use the debit card but it can be "rough" and "cokeless." I'm proud of you for your transparency!
ReplyDeleteI must just be the opposite of everyone in the universe - if I have cash I SPEND IT, but if I don't have cash, then I think twice about those little purchases because I don't want to use my card for, say, a coke at McDonald's. Good for you though - hope it helps fatten your savings account!
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