All right, I'm breaking all the rules. I want to talk about something we are all always thinking about, but we are not allowed to talk about, money. To be completely honest I'm not in direct contact with anyone that is completely without, but I've also never met anyone that has said, "You know, I sure wish I didn't have all this money!" I'm not looking to lay in a bed of $100s or even buy ridiculous things. I just want to be able to not cringe every time one of my girls rips a hole in her jeans and know there's another $15 down the drain or feel like crying each time I pick up my car from the repair shop.
I would say Brandon and I are pretty thrifty. We rarely eat out and I pack our lunches everyday. We don't go to shows or concerts. We don't buy the latest and greatest electronics, and I'm pretty sure other than my running shoes and my flip flops all the shoes and purses (2) in my closet were purchased pre-children. We constantly review our budget to see how we are doing each month and see if there is anyway we can cut spending. I clean my own house, care for my own lawn and repair anything myself within reason.
If you pay attention to Dave Ramsey he says the only thing you should ever been willing to finance is your home and your education. We don't buy anything unless we have the cash up front. Brandon has been driving the car that I bought when we graduated college for years, but it allows us to have no car payments so our only debt is our home and our lovely new bundle of joy, the student loan. If we use our credit card it is only for the cash back bonus and it is paid off in full every month.
When I started staying at home we had planned on a hit to our budget, but really with 3 young kids it's not worth paying a daycare 80% of your salary when you could be building a very important foundation in your children's lives. We tightened our belt buckles and try to cut way back. I clip coupons and constantly try to search for the best deals on food and clothes. I even started a garden to grow the more expensive produce that we constantly eat to try to cut expenses there. Sure, we could get rid of our cable and our cell phones, but if that is your only form of entertainment I feel like those minimal.
This has been a tough year for us. Thanks to Bella and myself our medical bills are off the charts, our house had termites, the cars needed major repairs, the roof was damaged in the tornado, the water heater bit the dust, and I think I am trying to mentally block all the other small issues that add up. It seems each month Brandon and I review cash flow and each time say, "We would have met the budget if it wouldn't have been for........." It's never a fun reason because we have something new and shiny to enjoy, but usually due to something breaking or someone being sick.
Brandon works so hard and has provided our family with a home and the ability to pay our bills, but it just never seems like we can get ahead. Don't get me wrong, I don't need "things" to feel fulfilled. However, I would like to be able to give my kids the things they need, save for their college, and pay for their weddings (yes, all 3) one day. With Brandon working all day and in school in the evenings and weekends it's not like I can go out and just pick any old job to earn some extra cash when someone must care for our children. I tried to find a family looking childcare (but apparently no one is). I've tried to come up with things I could sell with no avail. What am I missing? How do others make it work?
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