We're Half-way!

We are around the half-way point of Project Money and time to check in.

On the big picture we are really making changes that are making a difference. We’ve accomplished our top four goals out of ten and we are still working on the other goals, too. We have a little more breathing room, too. For example, we now have $1000 in our checking at all times – so we can now start to put a few bills on auto pay. In the past we didn’t want to use the auto pay because we needed to check and double check the amounts to be sure everything would be covered. Last month we were able to pay bills 2 weeks early and still put some away into savings – small amounts, but every little bit adds up!

We are still focused on reducing our spending. The motto “don’t go there” is really helpful – if we don’t go to a store that has temptations, then it is out of sight and out of mind! We try to keep Max from going there, too – the more toys and treats he sees, the more he will want. We really lucked out with his back to school (or START of school for this 4-K kid)  We used a book bag his Aunt Kathy made for him last year. It’s not a back pack, which is what he really wanted, but it has his name on it and a cool ‘Cars’ character on it, so he is now excited about it. He also was the one that remembered that we had a lunch box, so we dug that out and used that to pack his lunch. We are choosing to do packed lunches – it’s only a fraction of the cost of ‘hot lunch’ and I have more control of what he eats. We’ve cleaned out his closet and found plenty of nice outfits for school without buying new.

Our garden is going crazy. We’ve put up as much as we can and still keep our day jobs. We’ve been eating fresh and green as much as possible. We hope the food we put up with help keep food costs down all year.

So, at this half way point we want to make sure we stay on track. We know there are areas that we can still improve. For example, it’s taken us four months to cancel HBO. It wasn’t because we were addicted to the shows. It was because we kept putting it off, not finding time or expecting each other to actually do it. Even small steps take time. This week we are meeting with our financial coach, Jenna. I think our emphasis will be how to keep moving forward, challenging ourselves and taking the time that it takes to make changes that will last. 

 

Comments

[Sarah]

Keep up the good work!