So the Poverty Party idea over at bossy's couldn't be more timely. I could use a little helpful advice because our house economy was in the tank way before Wall Street took a dive.
We went from one kid in braces to two. And the beauty of that is that kid #1 was supposed to be OUT of braces in June but since we're exceeded our 2 year mark, we get to pay an extra $50 a month for her...and kid #2 is $100 for the next 10 months. I am seriously thinking about getting some wire cutters and being done with it myself. So then there's tennis lessons for kid #2 - a new development...and cost. And then there's the swim team Board that I serve on - voted away our free swimmer deal (because the swim team economy is also in the tank...or better - it sank to the bottom of the pool!) and now we have to cough up an additional $90 a month for kid #1 to swim. And I'm betting that $90 monthly dues (actually a bargain for the return she gets)are going to go up in order to get the team budget to balance for next year...and that's because the school district is also searching for revenue and will undoubtedly come around and say, "Hey - swim team - you should pay $80 an hour for the use of that cold water and dirty pool deck and no toilet paper in the bathrooms and for the privilege of dealing with snotty bureaucratic administrative types that hold the power to withdraw your permit on a whim. Don't cha think?"
Yep. Timley. Money is tight.
So here's what I've done so far to be help to my house economy. I've started (last week) making a menu and a list for the grocery store for the entire week. That means I have to know what I'm fixing for dinner every single night and get the ingredients for said meals in advance! Once upon a time, pre-motherhood, I used to do this - it was based on my hatred of the grocery store, not because I was organized or was trying to save money. I just hated going to the store. But when I had a baby, the store became more appealing because I could go ALONE! Thus, weekly menu and shopping - not so much. Ok - so last week it worked out pretty good. I only made 2 extra trips to the store and I think I spent about $50-80 less than a normal week.
So that's option number one for now. Spend less on food. Anyone else have any good saving plans?
Monday, October 13, 2008
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5 comments:
I suppose not eating is not valid? It sounds like the weekly menu is going to work well. I used to do that when I lived in Savannah, GA. That doesn't work so well now as I live in Brooklyn and space is precious. Not to mention you walk your groceries home from the market so stocking up is not cool at all. It does help me not store up as if a squirrel preparing for winter. I get only what I can carry which at this point is becoming equivalent to what I can eat. It works well for us NYers, I think.
Lord, Bossy forgot about the possibility of braces for kid number two. Off to fashion a makeshift set of braces out of heavy-duty foil.
Except heavy-duty foil is too expensive.
A good reminder to start planning the meals. I'm notorious for bopping into the store for one thing and leaving with $67 worth of impulse.
Every Sunday I go to the grocery saying this is it for the week; I'll only have to pop in for milk on Thursday. The plan usually falls apart on Monday or Tuesday, because I'm missing one item. By Saturday, I've seen my friends at Publix at least 5 times. Ugh!
Meal planning is a great idea. Looking for deals and buying items on sale should also help.
can you put ads on your blog?
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