Jon's truck is from the 90's. It is not in superb condition. But it runs. He likes it. And if we want to replace my Jeep for something larger(soon) we need to keep his truck. But today I hate the thing.
Jon is great at fixing vehicles most of the time. He fixes my Jeep as well as his truck 95% of the time. There are some things he can't do and those we turn over the a mechanic. Like today, the truck needs some front end work. Jon isn't able to fix things involving steering so we dropped the truck off last night. Jon took my jeep to work and I am home with the boys. Being the one at home means I get the phone call about the truck. And the moment the mechanic started off by telling that the good news is the front end parts will cost a little over $300, I started to hate the truck.
After talking to the mechanic I called Jon at work pulling him away from teaching. But when the parts of the truck add up to more than the value of the truck I pull Jon out of class to deal with it. It turns out he knew about the more extensive (and expensive) pieces but plans to fix them himself. How I wish he would have told me before I heard from the mechanic. It will still be expensive to fix, but not nearly as expensive as if the mechanic fixes it!
Our mechanic is great and knows that Jon fixes many of the issues our vehicles encounter. He was very understanding when I called and said to just do the front end and Jon would fix the rest. He even agreed to write down everything he had found wrong with the exhaust. The downside, is that even though Jon can fix the truck it is still going to cost money.
We plan for things like this to happen, although we always hope they will not. We don't spend every penny we earn every month. We save and live under what we can afford. And on days like these I am glad for that. Because we are able to save, we will not be maxing out a credit card. And we don't have to borrow money from others for things like this. We are able to plan for things to break and need repair. Because of that, while paying for the repairs isn't fun, it isn't as stressful as it could be.
Showing posts with label budgeting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label budgeting. Show all posts
Friday, October 7, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Grocery shopping
I did much better this week with stayin on budget! I shopped at two stores and only took one child this time. Shopping took a lot less time this week! The downfall was that my Sunday paper never came today, so I may have missed out on a few coupons. I still managed to save a lot and I am happy with the total for the week.
Store 1:
organic bananas
organic pears
organic apples
dried pianeapple snack bag
two packs of oscar mayer hot dogs (buy one get one free)
1 lb of sliced american cheese
creamy peanut butter
4 twelve packs of pepsi (on sale 4 for $11)
2 dozen eggs
three celeste frozen pizzas
4 Lean cuisine frozen meals
Total before coupons and savings:$77.65
Total after store sales and coupons: $50.97
Store 2:
32 ounces shredded chedder cheese
organic grape tomatoes
organic baby carrots
1/2 gallon of orange juice
1 gallon of 1% milk
mayonnaise
4 boxes of cereal (on sale 4 for $6)
bodywash
sour cream
Total before savings:$47.31
Total after coupons and store savings: $25.73
Total for the week: $76.70
Under budget by $8.30
The difference makes up for going over budget last week. I may be on track to stay within my grocery budget this month.
Store 1:
organic bananas
organic pears
organic apples
dried pianeapple snack bag
two packs of oscar mayer hot dogs (buy one get one free)
1 lb of sliced american cheese
creamy peanut butter
4 twelve packs of pepsi (on sale 4 for $11)
2 dozen eggs
three celeste frozen pizzas
4 Lean cuisine frozen meals
Total before coupons and savings:$77.65
Total after store sales and coupons: $50.97
Store 2:
32 ounces shredded chedder cheese
organic grape tomatoes
organic baby carrots
1/2 gallon of orange juice
1 gallon of 1% milk
mayonnaise
4 boxes of cereal (on sale 4 for $6)
bodywash
sour cream
Total before savings:$47.31
Total after coupons and store savings: $25.73
Total for the week: $76.70
Under budget by $8.30
The difference makes up for going over budget last week. I may be on track to stay within my grocery budget this month.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Money Saving Tuesday
Budget, budget, budget.
For Jon and I having a budget is one of the most important things when it comes to saving money and living within our means. Sometimes the budget feels restrictive becuase it tells us the things we cannot afford. But most of the time I feel like my budget is freeing.
Does that sound wierd? Well it is freeing because without my budget I wouldn't know if I could afford to go out to dinner an extra time this month. I wouldn't know what bills were due, how much I usually pay on them, what I needed money for, etc. But because I have a budget I can see that yes I planned to spend $xxx on electric this month but hey it was a warm month and that means my electric bill is going to be lower. That means I have extra money. And that can either go into savings or we can do something fun with it.
During the majority of the year Jon and I have salaries so we know how much we will make each month. Neither of us is payed hourly so our paychecks are always the same. During the summer Jon gets a little more in his paycheck becuase they only take out insurance during the school year, and his summer teaching job is hourly. However his hours are garunteed so we know exactly how much he will make each week for the whole summer. Becuase of this it is easy then to sit down and figure out how much we can spend each month.
I use Quicken to manage my bills which I love. I keep a seperate file for our checking and savings accounts as well as for each of our credit cards (I have one, Jon has one and we have a few store cards that we use to get extra savings). Paying off credit cards is extremly important to us and we never carry a balance. so having the file that says how much I owe on each card is also important. We use the cards to buy things that are in our budget, and by using the cards we build credit as well as earn freebies (for me it is points on Amazon and for Jon it is money to use at REI).
When I first started staying at home, and even before that, we did not have a budget. We were not huge spenders and never spent more than we could afford but we also never seemed to really get ahead at all. Once we sat down, okay once I sat down and figured out a budget we were better able to save. Sometimes it feels wierd that Jon earns the bigger paycheck and I technically spend it all. BUT it is not like that at all. I am better with organization and so managing our accounts and paying bills is something that I do well. Jon on the other hand is not as organized and while he could do a competent job of paying the bills on time it woudn't be as smooth sailing as it is when I do it. Plus since he works all day this is something that I can do to help our family.
There are some non-negotiables in the budget- mortgage (tried to get it lower and failed), insurance (I do shop around each year for the best rate but it is a must have) for cars and home, heat/electricity, water are all things we must have. Groceries are a must but this is the area that I try to watch the most. I also budget for gas for the cars, car repair, home repair (usually this goes into savings since we don't repair something every month), clothes for all of us, babysitting the night I work and Jon has class, entertainment money (so we can go out at least once a month), mad money for Jon and I, gifts that need to be bought, money to go to savings, etc. Just this year we had to begin budgeting for college courses again after not needing that money since I graduated. Jon started his masters (I am so happy for him!) and we are going to be paying for that each semester for the next five years. And in the fall I need to readjust to make room for Madeline's preschool tuition (its there just not sure where yet). This means that some areas need to be cut back, but that is okay. Right now my plan is that we will not hire a babysitter in the evening, rather I will work on days that Jon does not have class. That will save us about $50 a week which is almost exactly what I need for preschool tuition. The other option is for me to work more hours and for Jon to take on another job. So far we have avioded that and hopefully with careful planning will continue to avoid doing so.
For Jon and I knowing where our money is supposed to go and comparing it to where it actually goes is important for us if we want to continue to live on one income. It has been trial and error each year and we adjust the budget as it needs to be adjusted. Taking from one area to make sure another is paid for. But doing so ensures us that we can build a healthy savings account and continue to live debt free.
Do you have a budget? How does it work for you?
For Jon and I having a budget is one of the most important things when it comes to saving money and living within our means. Sometimes the budget feels restrictive becuase it tells us the things we cannot afford. But most of the time I feel like my budget is freeing.
Does that sound wierd? Well it is freeing because without my budget I wouldn't know if I could afford to go out to dinner an extra time this month. I wouldn't know what bills were due, how much I usually pay on them, what I needed money for, etc. But because I have a budget I can see that yes I planned to spend $xxx on electric this month but hey it was a warm month and that means my electric bill is going to be lower. That means I have extra money. And that can either go into savings or we can do something fun with it.
During the majority of the year Jon and I have salaries so we know how much we will make each month. Neither of us is payed hourly so our paychecks are always the same. During the summer Jon gets a little more in his paycheck becuase they only take out insurance during the school year, and his summer teaching job is hourly. However his hours are garunteed so we know exactly how much he will make each week for the whole summer. Becuase of this it is easy then to sit down and figure out how much we can spend each month.
I use Quicken to manage my bills which I love. I keep a seperate file for our checking and savings accounts as well as for each of our credit cards (I have one, Jon has one and we have a few store cards that we use to get extra savings). Paying off credit cards is extremly important to us and we never carry a balance. so having the file that says how much I owe on each card is also important. We use the cards to buy things that are in our budget, and by using the cards we build credit as well as earn freebies (for me it is points on Amazon and for Jon it is money to use at REI).
When I first started staying at home, and even before that, we did not have a budget. We were not huge spenders and never spent more than we could afford but we also never seemed to really get ahead at all. Once we sat down, okay once I sat down and figured out a budget we were better able to save. Sometimes it feels wierd that Jon earns the bigger paycheck and I technically spend it all. BUT it is not like that at all. I am better with organization and so managing our accounts and paying bills is something that I do well. Jon on the other hand is not as organized and while he could do a competent job of paying the bills on time it woudn't be as smooth sailing as it is when I do it. Plus since he works all day this is something that I can do to help our family.
There are some non-negotiables in the budget- mortgage (tried to get it lower and failed), insurance (I do shop around each year for the best rate but it is a must have) for cars and home, heat/electricity, water are all things we must have. Groceries are a must but this is the area that I try to watch the most. I also budget for gas for the cars, car repair, home repair (usually this goes into savings since we don't repair something every month), clothes for all of us, babysitting the night I work and Jon has class, entertainment money (so we can go out at least once a month), mad money for Jon and I, gifts that need to be bought, money to go to savings, etc. Just this year we had to begin budgeting for college courses again after not needing that money since I graduated. Jon started his masters (I am so happy for him!) and we are going to be paying for that each semester for the next five years. And in the fall I need to readjust to make room for Madeline's preschool tuition (its there just not sure where yet). This means that some areas need to be cut back, but that is okay. Right now my plan is that we will not hire a babysitter in the evening, rather I will work on days that Jon does not have class. That will save us about $50 a week which is almost exactly what I need for preschool tuition. The other option is for me to work more hours and for Jon to take on another job. So far we have avioded that and hopefully with careful planning will continue to avoid doing so.
For Jon and I knowing where our money is supposed to go and comparing it to where it actually goes is important for us if we want to continue to live on one income. It has been trial and error each year and we adjust the budget as it needs to be adjusted. Taking from one area to make sure another is paid for. But doing so ensures us that we can build a healthy savings account and continue to live debt free.
Do you have a budget? How does it work for you?
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
The Need to Save
We need to save money. In this house we live within our means. By that I mean that the credit card bill is paid in full each month (a must for us) and all other bills are paid as well. However even though I have a budget it is not often I have enough left over for savings. I am supposed to put away a set month each month. However, it is more like every other month and about half of the monthly goal at that which actually gets saved. I often say to Jon "all the bills are paid but we didn't save this month." or the one I hate more "all the bills are paid and I had to borrow from savings until your next paycheck." And more often than not the savings does get returned after the next paycheck comes, but it is far from reaching my savings goal.
In August we begin paying preschool tuition (yikes!) and even though the addition we are expecting in June will not cost much in the beginning (thanks to cloth diapers, nursing and hand me downs) there is a point where the little one will require things that are bought. And then our budget will being to squeak.
So I need to rework my budget and actually stick to it for once. We are not big spenders by any means, for instance Jon wants a projector and screen for the new playroom. This is something which is extremely extravagent in my mind and he agrees. Therefore it is not in the household budget. Rather he is collecting his weekly money (I really hate the word allowance for adults) as well as all overtime he works (he gets paid when he subs during his prep time at school) and gift money until he has enough.
To explain the weekly money- when I began staying home we decided together that we would each be alloted a specific amount each week as mad money, use it for anything you want (mine is usually shoes that I don't need but want, a spa day or a girl's night out while Jon tends to save up for larger items like his Wii or the projector he now wants and the occasional guys night out) without worry about the budget. Some people find this arrangement odd but it works for us and feels very fair. Together we designate what is household expenses (nights out together, activities as a family as well as the regular bills) and what is not.
Back to the budget- I have followed all the advice when it comes to writing one. Start with the non-negotiables like mortgage, insurance, heat, groceries, etc. See if you can trim any of them by switching companies, finding lower rates, etc. This has been done to the extreme. But what throws us off is holidays, school tuition (Jon's masters) and other little things. I even tried using excel to track our actual spending versus our budgeted spending. It didn't help becuase I wasn't dedicated enough and I don't think I involved Jon enough.
I am working on a new plan. This one (hopefully to begin by mid-January at the latest) will involve also setting aside at least half of Madeline's monthly tuition now so it is not such a shock to the system come September. Currently the bulk of our savings comes from tax returns. We use this for large house projects and also just to bulk up our savings. However I really want to allot a specific amount each month from our paychecks to go to savings regardless of what comes out for house projects.
Join me on my journey into better budgeting!
In August we begin paying preschool tuition (yikes!) and even though the addition we are expecting in June will not cost much in the beginning (thanks to cloth diapers, nursing and hand me downs) there is a point where the little one will require things that are bought. And then our budget will being to squeak.
So I need to rework my budget and actually stick to it for once. We are not big spenders by any means, for instance Jon wants a projector and screen for the new playroom. This is something which is extremely extravagent in my mind and he agrees. Therefore it is not in the household budget. Rather he is collecting his weekly money (I really hate the word allowance for adults) as well as all overtime he works (he gets paid when he subs during his prep time at school) and gift money until he has enough.
To explain the weekly money- when I began staying home we decided together that we would each be alloted a specific amount each week as mad money, use it for anything you want (mine is usually shoes that I don't need but want, a spa day or a girl's night out while Jon tends to save up for larger items like his Wii or the projector he now wants and the occasional guys night out) without worry about the budget. Some people find this arrangement odd but it works for us and feels very fair. Together we designate what is household expenses (nights out together, activities as a family as well as the regular bills) and what is not.
Back to the budget- I have followed all the advice when it comes to writing one. Start with the non-negotiables like mortgage, insurance, heat, groceries, etc. See if you can trim any of them by switching companies, finding lower rates, etc. This has been done to the extreme. But what throws us off is holidays, school tuition (Jon's masters) and other little things. I even tried using excel to track our actual spending versus our budgeted spending. It didn't help becuase I wasn't dedicated enough and I don't think I involved Jon enough.
I am working on a new plan. This one (hopefully to begin by mid-January at the latest) will involve also setting aside at least half of Madeline's monthly tuition now so it is not such a shock to the system come September. Currently the bulk of our savings comes from tax returns. We use this for large house projects and also just to bulk up our savings. However I really want to allot a specific amount each month from our paychecks to go to savings regardless of what comes out for house projects.
Join me on my journey into better budgeting!
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Bills and Budgeting
I. Hate. Budgeting.
I. Hate. Bill Paying.
By default I am the one in this house who takes care of paying the bills. It was never really stated that I would, but Jon never really has needed to watch bill due dates and make sure they get payed and make sure there is enough money in checking to do so and I had before we got married. So I took it on.
And I hate it.
I hate it mostly becuase I know where the money is going and I am the one who worries about how much will be taken out of savings to cover things that come up. I try to keep certain bills down in order to save more and struggle sometimes to do so. On the other end I am the one saying that we or cannot afford this or that and I hate that as well. I feel like I tell Jon what he can and can't have. And when a large bill comes in that I didn't expect I have to corner him for the reciepts that he forgot to give me. Again.
Jon is not a bad guy. And he is not bad with money. He is just very disorganized. Very. To give you an idea. I once asked him what would happen if he were now in charge of bills. His answer? Most likely nothing would get paid for a month while he tried to sort through everything. Things would get shut off due to not being payed. That would be his wake up call. Then he would figure everything out and get on tract. Wonderful! With that lovely thought in mind I prepaid MANY things before Owen was born in case something happened and I couldn't get to the computer to get things done. And I sat Jon down and showed him how to use our bill paying with the bank and how to use Quicken (which I LOVE LOVE LOVE for balancing our checkbook)
Jon is a disorganized procrastinator. Just ask the cop who pulled Jon over for an expired inspection sticker. I'm sorry, an expired rejected inspection sticker. So that means a $50 ticket plus the cost of another inspection (in MA if you fail inspection but fix the car in an allotted amount of time then you don't have to pay for the second inspection) which means a grand total of $80 we now pay extra becuase he didn't fix the car soon enough (on top of parts for the car). And that happened in August. Now ask me if the ar is fixed yet. NO. The car didn't get fixed bot becuase we didn't have the money or the time. But becuase Jon put it off.
Sometimes I feel like I worry over money more than Jon does for that very reason. I see the numbers, what we have and what we owe (I try to really keep tract of credit card spending as well) and know how much will go into savings, or come out if need be each month. He does not. He knows the roof stays over our heads, the electricity stays on, water keeps coming and the pellets for winter heat are in our driveway. He knows his credit card has not been rejected and that it does not carry a balance. And he knows that I really try very very hard to stick to a budget.
Jon shoulders the responsibility of making sure we have enough money to do all those things by going to work each day and keeping his job. He wants to switch school distrcits both for a better district and bigger salary. He works before school doing breakfast watch for extra as well as picking up afterschool activities and occasional weekend workshops when he can. So he does make sure that the money is provided and I love him for that. I also appreciate that he originally left a job he loved when I got pregnant a little sooner that we expected (we weren't preventing but had ready MANY places that it could take several months. not so.) so that he would have a larger salary and I could leave work once M was born. He does his part, more than his part.
But every once in awhile (usually on bill paying days when BIG bills are due) I wish I could be one of those 1950's housewives who were given their money for the house each week and didn't worry their pretty little heads over the rest. I hope that doesn't sound too awful. I just mean that I would like to not have the responsibility every once in awhile. It would be a nice change for a few weeks!
For now I pay the bills. We all worry less and our credit score is happier for it.
I. Hate. Bill Paying.
By default I am the one in this house who takes care of paying the bills. It was never really stated that I would, but Jon never really has needed to watch bill due dates and make sure they get payed and make sure there is enough money in checking to do so and I had before we got married. So I took it on.
And I hate it.
I hate it mostly becuase I know where the money is going and I am the one who worries about how much will be taken out of savings to cover things that come up. I try to keep certain bills down in order to save more and struggle sometimes to do so. On the other end I am the one saying that we or cannot afford this or that and I hate that as well. I feel like I tell Jon what he can and can't have. And when a large bill comes in that I didn't expect I have to corner him for the reciepts that he forgot to give me. Again.
Jon is not a bad guy. And he is not bad with money. He is just very disorganized. Very. To give you an idea. I once asked him what would happen if he were now in charge of bills. His answer? Most likely nothing would get paid for a month while he tried to sort through everything. Things would get shut off due to not being payed. That would be his wake up call. Then he would figure everything out and get on tract. Wonderful! With that lovely thought in mind I prepaid MANY things before Owen was born in case something happened and I couldn't get to the computer to get things done. And I sat Jon down and showed him how to use our bill paying with the bank and how to use Quicken (which I LOVE LOVE LOVE for balancing our checkbook)
Jon is a disorganized procrastinator. Just ask the cop who pulled Jon over for an expired inspection sticker. I'm sorry, an expired rejected inspection sticker. So that means a $50 ticket plus the cost of another inspection (in MA if you fail inspection but fix the car in an allotted amount of time then you don't have to pay for the second inspection) which means a grand total of $80 we now pay extra becuase he didn't fix the car soon enough (on top of parts for the car). And that happened in August. Now ask me if the ar is fixed yet. NO. The car didn't get fixed bot becuase we didn't have the money or the time. But becuase Jon put it off.
Sometimes I feel like I worry over money more than Jon does for that very reason. I see the numbers, what we have and what we owe (I try to really keep tract of credit card spending as well) and know how much will go into savings, or come out if need be each month. He does not. He knows the roof stays over our heads, the electricity stays on, water keeps coming and the pellets for winter heat are in our driveway. He knows his credit card has not been rejected and that it does not carry a balance. And he knows that I really try very very hard to stick to a budget.
Jon shoulders the responsibility of making sure we have enough money to do all those things by going to work each day and keeping his job. He wants to switch school distrcits both for a better district and bigger salary. He works before school doing breakfast watch for extra as well as picking up afterschool activities and occasional weekend workshops when he can. So he does make sure that the money is provided and I love him for that. I also appreciate that he originally left a job he loved when I got pregnant a little sooner that we expected (we weren't preventing but had ready MANY places that it could take several months. not so.) so that he would have a larger salary and I could leave work once M was born. He does his part, more than his part.
But every once in awhile (usually on bill paying days when BIG bills are due) I wish I could be one of those 1950's housewives who were given their money for the house each week and didn't worry their pretty little heads over the rest. I hope that doesn't sound too awful. I just mean that I would like to not have the responsibility every once in awhile. It would be a nice change for a few weeks!
For now I pay the bills. We all worry less and our credit score is happier for it.
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