This business of writing down where every nickel goes is an education. Whew. Because we've had enough funds around here during the past ten years to do pretty much as we pleased, we've gone hog wild.
Just when I think I've listed every expense we'll have after retirement, I think of something else.
Like Cliff's XM radio. $14 a month.
In the last two months, Cliff has put $250 worth of diesel fuel through various tractors. No biggie now, but it has to be budgeted in somewhere, somehow. There won't be an envelope for this one; he has to use a credit card to buy diesel close to home, so we'll have to keep that amount in the bank.
I'm dropping subscriptions to a couple of magazines and a local newspaper. I won't really miss them that much.
I'm very careful with my grocery shopping now, because once the money in that envelope is gone, I'm done shopping.
I stay under my grocery budget most weeks, so I'm building up a little extra. That means before long we can go to Sam's Club.
Walmart at Richmond has a tent sale going on, with some excellent buys on bedding. Then there was a nice set of T-Fal for $50 over which I salivated for a minute. A month ago, I would have bought it. The truth is, my old set is serving me well. I stop to think about every purchase now, and most of the time I walk away from those fleeting temptations empty-handed.
I love tulips; you can get fifteen bulbs for $5 at Walmart, and I had enough in my grocery funds to get a couple of packages this week.
But I just couldn't. I may get them next time.
In practicing for retirement, I'm no longer asking Cliff to use his pocket money if we eat out, because he won't have so much pocket money after he retires. Eating out has to come from our "fun" fund, and so far, I haven't wanted to eat out badly enough to deplete that fund.
I know I tend to get on certain bandwagons for awhile and then jump off (some of you might remember my on-again, off-again alliances with Flylady); but this is something that is for keeps, because there's really no choice.
And to tell the truth, all this budgeting is rather addictive.
Some of you may notice I haven't made mention of a certain bovine creature lately. That's because I'm ignoring her existence until she does something useful, like having a calf.
We dropped all magazine and news paper subscriptions. They are all available online free of charge. That alone saved a bundle. We bundled our internet and phone, we now have unlimited long distance plus another $40. a month savings. I coupon like crazy and am the discount queen. Things get pretty tight 'round the Ponderosa with planting costing 17,ooo for this field, 10,000 for that one. Feed bill are in the tens of thousands etc. I make the whole savings thing a big game. Hey a girl's gotta have fun ya know!!!
ReplyDeleteBest of luck to you in the savings game.
God bless ya and have yourself a glorious day!!! :o)
It's a good thing you have some time to get it all together. Even now I still find something that I hadn't counted on. Somethings around here are just never going to happen because it's not in the budget so I'll live I'm sure...
ReplyDeleteI know we end up wasting a lot of food around here. I even once found a prime rib in the freezer that was too old to use. phhht.
ReplyDeleteAlso, i'm with you on the okra but we forgot to plant any this year. I won't allow it in soups however.
ReplyDeleteI want to do the evelopes like you did. I'm just afraid that I waste too much money. Right now, I'm in denile. lol
ReplyDeleteWe've budgeted our entire married life. That's how I managed to basically be a stay-at-home mom except for a few part time jobs thru the years, and most of those were in the evenings so either Dear Hubby or I were with the kids. I come from old New England stock...both my parents were born just before the Great Depression hit. I was always taught to be careful with my pennies, to never live beyond my means. Somehow or other we've always managed to have what we need, with the good Lord's help. I have no clue how we're going to face retirement. My hope is the Lord will come beforehand and we'll never have to worry about it...but that is a BIG 'if', isn't it? Oh well...maybe Dear Hubby and I will be Walmart greeters or something. Or I'll do outside-of-my-grandbabies day care. Whatever. We'll be poor as church mice. We'll survive.
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