Lets Talk about Budgets

12 May 2016

Hi every body,

Yes I have been MIA for a bit, and there has been a couple of reasons why.  I have been trying to manage my DD's medical condition,work and be a Cub Scot leader at the same time as try and keep the house running and all of my other commitments.  So long story short I have gone back to working 4 days a week at work so that I can breathe and feel like I do have a bit of time to catch up on things. I am off today because I had to take DD to the Orthodontist - luckily we don't have to get braces , but he wants to see her again in 15 months to see if it is all still going well.

As you can see by the title of this post we are going to be talking money, now this is one topic I find hard to discuss due to the fact that I spend money like it is water, and that I was always told you never discuss Money, Politics and sport because it always ends up getting heated and somebody will end up in ED.

Our household finances have taken a beating with me going back to 4 days a week and with a down turn in the industry my DH works in.  So today I have decided that I am going to start a budget and I am not going to tell anybody else ( other than you, because I know you are not going to tell anyone......are you?).  I am going to take control of what gets spent and I want to see if I can save enough money to put a dent in the credit card.  I did consider going back to Tupperware and then it occurred to me that I gave it up because I didn't enjoy it and why would I go back to something I didn't enjoy.

So hence the budget, now I am going to start small and do things like keep receipts of when I go and do food shop, make a menu plan, go to the thrift store and see if I can replenish my wardrobe from there - it needs to be updated so badly but I have a problem spending the money on new clothes.
Also it will be a case of being strict on take-out, it is pathetic how much they charge for a meal at the take-out places and when you can make it yourself and have it taste much better and it be more healthy for you.
So my question is how do I budget for Fun stuff, and if it is on the spur of the moment without looking like a complete tight-ass?  The same goes for a spur of the minute dinner with friends?  Do I start putting money aside for a Emergency fund and what the hell do I do with all of the $1 & $2 coins because they make the purse heavy and they are so easy to spend.

So if anybody has some tips please leave a comment because I need help getting this sorted, budgeting or even sticking to one hasn't gone well for me in the past.

Toodles XXXX