So, a couple of weeks ago, I checked out a book called America’s Cheapest Family because I’d read something about it when looking up ‘frugal’ or ‘thrifty’ or something on Amazon. (I do that occasionally: look up keywords that appeal to whatever is interesting me at the time, then I see if the library has the books so I can read them.) After reading the first couple of chapters, I asked Toph to give them a glance because I really thought they were interesting. They were about grocery shopping and budgeting, which are both things Toph and I have said we need to do a better job of.
Now we’re starting the adventure of better managing our finances. My personal hope, and one that Toph has agreed with, is that we’ll get things to where I don’t HAVE to get a job outside the home in order to stop the slow leak out of our accounts. If we can eke out an existence on what we have and let me concentrate on ways to earn money with my writing, I’d be happy. So, it’s become a goal. And what am I doing with goals this year? FiNiSHiNG them!
Truthfully, a lot of what the Economides say in their book is nothing new. We’ve heard it often all of our lives. We both come from thrifty families, so it’s not in our nature to be exceptionally extravagant. We haven’t always made the wisest choices with our money though. The book was helpful in reminding of us of all the ways to save money, all the little ways that spending adds up.
The budget section has been especially helpful. It had several ideas that were fairly new to us (or at least that we’d never tried) and so we’ve chosen one to work with. An adventure! I think the best reminder, in my mind, was that a budget is not something you set up and forget about…it takes reviewing and revising as time goes on, which requires sticking with it! heh. Sticking with it….didn’t I mention in the past how terrible I am about staying the course to goals?
Along with making better choices when grocery shopping for money’s sake, we know we need to make better dietary choices. We both have weight to lose. So, today’s shopping trip will be focusing on saving money and eating better. Go Go Gadget New Year’s Resolutions, right?!
We’re also working on exercising more, of course. The other day was fun…we dragged the kids on a walk in the neighborhood and then played ‘soccer’ in the backyard.
I guess our family has made some resolutions, whether we meant to or not. They are, again, ones we’ve made every year! This is my 30th year though, and it’s my finishing year, reach my goals year, so I’d say we have a better than average shot of succeeding this year! (Gotta give myself a pep talk, you know… before grocery shopping.)
