This week has been such the fun week! Wednesday was my birthday. I was a little sad at first because in the past few years I have been going out of town on my Birthday.But this year we just couldn't afford the cost of the hotel, travel, and then all the extras that go with traveling. I know there are ways to save money on hotels, and I know that eventually I will master that aspect of thrifty living, but for this year we were at home.
As Sunday draws to an end, and I look at returning back to work, I have to say that this Birthday was by far better than the times we went out of town. I feel so much more relaxed and rested. Plus I honestly feel like we got to do a lot more stuff and didn't go broke doing it. On my Birthday we went to Hot Springs. My husband and I had never been to Oaklawn, and so we were both able to get $10 in free play. Plus since it was my birthday I was able to get an extra $10 in free play. We did spend money on gas down to Hot Springs, but it was much less than going to Tunica and we didn't feel like we had to stay there longer and gamble.
Also this week I got a binder and supplies to create a coupon binder/receipe/grocery list binder. I am very excited about that. I am planning on really tracking how much money I am able to save from couponing and finding other discounts. I will share as I go. Plus I am determined to go cook more at home, and make healthier meals.
I know that week by week, I will learn more and more tips as far as how to save money, make the best use of time, and get healthier. I am more excited then I have ever been because my approach feels a lot more fun, and I know have already made progress. My husband and I ended out the week by creating a budget, and for once I feel like it is a very realistic budget. It is going to be exciting to see how much we can accomplish over the course of the year. For now here are five tips or websites that have helped me get started in my goal to get out of debt and save money.
1. ) Plan ahead-as much as possible I am learning to plan ahead regarding where we are going and what we plan to do. This gives me time to check the websites of the places we are going and hunt the internet for discounts. Sometimes planning ahead just means before we walk out the door checking really quick the places we are going.
2) Being flexible. Staying open to trying new brands, new places, and new ideas is crucial. I am a person of habit, so this is a little bit of a challenge for me, but I am learning trying new things can also be a lot of fun.
3) Not being afraid to ask. I have in the past not wanted to bother people. But one thing I decided when things go tight for us financially was that I wasn't going to just stick my head in the sand and pray things were going to get better. I became proactive. I am not afraid to ask or an extension, call and let somebody know what the situation is, or simply just ask if there are any special promotions or discounts. I still have my comfort zone, but I am learning ways around it.
4) Being realistic! As I said above my husband and I set a budget this week. If I think about the big picture of where we want to be and where we are now, I get totally overwhelmed. We based our budget on reaching to goals. 1) By the end of the month we wanted to be caught up on everything, and paying everything/everyone on time. 2) By the end of the month we wanted to have an emergency fund. Our budget wasn't for the entire year, but for the next four months. We set small goals.
5) Budget fun! I almost didn't type this one because I know that anybody who really knows us would say that we definetly eat out and do things. At times it is to our detriment. I think what I realized, however, is that when we tried to set any type of financial plan we didn't budget fun in. We always ended up rebelling. I know that the budget we set for ourselves is not going to be easy, but we both walked away excited because we actually budgeted money each week for us to do something fun.
These are the biggest things I have learned so far. I look forward to hearing anybody elses comments on what works for them. Together we can create the lives we have always wanted.
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