My husband pays the bills so I really didn't know what we spend our money on. Boy did I get a wake up call. I happen to see our Bright House bill. ( home phone, cable, and internet ) Lets just say it was up there near the two hundred mark. And the bad thing is we don't watch a lot of TV. Maybe a hand full of shows. We also haven't used our home phone in forever. The only time it's used is when someone calls us on it when they can't get us on our cell.
My husband keep a log on what we spend and where. This was my next shocker! We eat out way to much! Then you add in the things we buy that we really don't need. It's amazing how much we waste.
I spend a lot of time looking at blogs that talk about living a simpler life ,not to mention you tube videos. I love all the homesteading shows like Alaska the last frontier, Ricking it all ( off grid living ) and Pioneers . I have 3 garden spots , chickens and I even raised a pig. But somewhere down the line I am still not getting the whole idea of a simpler life style.
No, I don't want to live with out water or lights. I do how ever need to get away from the idea of consumerism. I love cooking ( hate washing dishes ) so why not just stay home and cook.
I have so much fabric for quilting ,yet if I see a fabric I like I buy it. Then I turned around and sold 3 big tubs of fabric at a yard sell this summer. What's wrong with this picture? I can't remember half the stuff I bought last month, so I really didn't need it.
I am making a goal for my self. I am starting out small and going from there. First thing is to get rid of cable. We have Net flix and Hulu Plus ( which we also rarely watch) that total 16 dollars a month. I will keep them. They do have some of the shows I watch. Second, now that Christmas is over, I will not buy anything I don't REALLY need. I am going to write down what I normally would of spent eating out or shopping and see just how much I have saved. I may shock my self.
The next step is my food bill. I will buy something planning to make it only to have it go bad in the frig. Or I will buy meat ( on sale) and stick it in the freezer in the garage. Only to forget about it and it get freezer burned. It's time to think about a weekly menu. Using up all the food I have stored in my two freezer. The small one does have a lot of veggies from the garden in it. See I am not all bad LOL.
The first part of my journey begins. Don't worry ladies I will be posting my bragging and complaining and even ratting along the way for your enjoyment. Be warned you will hear my pain.
We dropped satellite a couple of years ago and stream with our Roku, which is great. We dropped our land lines, using our cells and Google Hangouts (like Skype) on our Nexus tablets, no credit cards-debit card only, and we buy meat in bulk when on sale or process our own if we buy a pig from our neighbors. I shop thrift shops in upscale neighborhoods and I do check the very small mom and pop stores after Christmas because they sometimes clearance items. I got all my co-workers $20 Christmas table decorations for $1 each during the 2013 Christmas closeout. I watch the internet for fabric closeouts, buying only the super sale items if it is something I really love. We go to dinner rarely and mostly pizza or fast food if we are doing errands. We don't go on vacation, I have enough to do here. You should also put something away in a separate bank or credit union if you can espeically if you can direct deposit. I do $100 per paycheck ($200/month) and it adds up after a few months when you find yourself tight on money. If I could only pay off the house! That won't happen so we're sort of stuck there since the market is not good here. I am looking forward to see what you are doing now.
ReplyDeleteFirst thing on my list is to call our cable company. We don't have a land line due to cost here, so I will be spending time seeing what we can cancel off our bill. Their costs are really going up every year. It's crazy. We too like Netflix.
ReplyDeleteGood for you taking a good look at how you are spending. There are many blogs here in the UK with people taking stock of their spending too. To precise the mountains of advice written and as a plan to start to simplify your life and be frugal.... 1. Shop around for the best deal on ALL your bills.; Menu plan for cooking from scratch and use a list made from this plan and stick to it when you go shopping. Reuse and recycle all you can (this includes food) This could be a start for the new year. it sounds as though you have lots of skills (and a stash of fabric to make beautiful presents) I could go on and on, so I will shut up and just wish you the very best of luck in the new year.
ReplyDeleteGill (Farmgirl chat group)
Chuck and I are living proof that you can live comfortable and not spend a fortune. That's what it is a lifestyle. We don't have smart phones, we do still have a land line because I want it that way. I don't do well with cell phones, guess I'm a leftover from the past..I have one but only take it with me on trips. We grow what we can and buy in bulk. The prices are so much better. I store in freezer and actually do use the food in the freezer. I used to throw away so much and found it was such a waste..(I had to work on that one for sure). When we moved to Hibiscus House in 2006 we hooked up a digital satellite but found out the installer took our check in his own name..he was fired and I told network to take me off...We have watched free digital over the air for over 9 years. My Catie has Netflix which I am going to take over it is so reasonable...
ReplyDeleteThe girl's deceased father was a penny pincher and when I say penny pincher I mean it! The entire family were not poor people but lived as if they had not even a dime. Well they did live in an historical plantation home that was fit for Gone With The Wind... I learned a lot from them even though I won't go as far as they in living everyday too strictly but still learned a lot about how to save money on most anything and still not live like a pauper...Rambling on but all of this to say if you get used to living and doing things to save you money it is an easier way to live and saves money...whether to save or enjoy..Great post Michelle!
I know what you mean about the wake up call. We waste so much here - we take for d what we have. But since I am on disability for another couple weeks, we will have to be more mindful! My go to is frugal meals. And it helps to call your phone carriers - lots of times they will offer you a good deal to keep you. I got my AT&T bill slashed in half. No lie. And I have learned to throw catalogs away and stay out of stores - no temptation is a big helper. Good luck!
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