I calculated everything last night, into the wee hours of the morning. As soon as Michael wakes up, he'll get the good news.
I saved us $308 by being more selective at the grocery store. However, I felt convicted that we not trade expensive fresh foods for less pricey processed ones, lest we compromise our health. Good eatin' equates to good livin', I think, and I didn't want that to change. And while I wish I could tell you that I cut coupons, I didn't. The logistics of doing so still baffles me, so if any of you moms have a time-saving suggestion, I'm all ears. To save us money, all I did was choose my recipes more carefully. I made sure to make us meals that would last us two or three sittings instead of just one, and I interspersed them so that we wouldn't be eating leftovers every night. That single change in behavior saved us so much change in the piggy bank! Thank you, Mom, for the great suggestion.
We saved $95 by not going out to eat with friends. Family, remember, is an exception we decided we'd always make, but holding back on quality time spent with friends was...hard. I often found myself nearly forgetting, then remembering to explain to friends that if we hung out, it'd have to be doing an activity that didn't involve spending. Thankfully, more exercise, stroller walks, dog walks, and errand completion came of this. (Going out to eat with Britta was the only exception, since she and I had that booked before the Lockdown Freeze began.)
Lastly, I saved us $70 by just curbing my own frivolous spending. I made wish lists instead, then scouted out thrift stores in the hopes of finding what I was looking for. Retail therapy is best done at the racks that only cost $2, and one must remember that not all thrift stores are the same. When you find a good one, you just keep going back. And find one, I did!
It feels good to finish the month with an extra $473 in our pockets. And I'm on a roll. Today I'm going back to Marshall's to return the skirts I bought last night because I want to save a little more. :)
