Well, I have finally had it! I recently had to go through my finances to figure out where our money is going. You see, with the impending birth of our son, Camden, Eric and i decided to save as much money as we could just in case I had to be away from work longer then we planned. I was making 2/3 our household income so the thought of me no longer receiving my cushy pay checks was kind of terrifying. We were glad to be well prepared because, sure enough, I had to leave work a month earlier then we expected. I was placed on bed rest.
This actually worked out to our advantage. We were able to figure out how to make it on just Eric's income and I hardly had to touch my savings (I did spend some on Christmas tho). Then, I don't know what happened, I received my income tax return and I guess between that, getting board sitting around the house on bed rest then recovering from the c-section and Eric not being able to work for almost a whole pay period (the time he took of for the baby's birth happened to land in the same pay period as the death of his sister Laurie. It was a crazy and emotional two weeks for us). i started to see our savings dwindle. Some of it was out of my control, but other factors were well within my control! I have been spending too much. After looking over where the money had gone I was able to see that about half went to bills, the pay period Eric did not work also happened to be the one we pay rent with. And sometimes i will pay the bills with the savings before payday with the intent that we will put it back when the paycheck comes in. This did not always happen. Some went to baby stuff and clothes for me since my maternity clothes are becoming to big and much of my regular clothes are still too small. But a larger chunk then i expected went to fast food!
It has been so easy to succumb to the temptation of the drive through when I am finally able to get out and about. But it is something I need to get under control for several reasons.
1) It costs much more then eating at home.
2) I am trying to loose this baby weight and all that fatty goodness is not helping.
and 3) While nursing, it is not good for a growing baby or a 4 yr old boy!
I have decided to put a stop to it! It is my goal to stop eating fast food and here is how I am going to do it. You see, I have been spending approximately $100 a month on eating out. That is $50 every two weeks! So, for every 2 weeks I can go without going through a drive through I will reward my self with a $25 credit toward shopping for new clothes, shoes, or treating myself to a trip to the salon. As with many of us, I love shopping! And now that I am able to be a stay at home mom and I don't have to wear a uniform to work every day, it is nice to make my self look good. If I go through even one drive through, or order one pizza I do not get that credit. I can then spend those credits when ever I feel like going shopping. This will help me save half of what I was spending on junk food!
Here is how I am going to accomplish it:
1) I have bought healthy snack items for us, I places some in the diaper bag and some in the car so if we get hungry when we are out we have something to hold us over
2) I am not leaving the house so often. I found that by leaving the house every day we are tempted to spend more money where ever we go. By combining trips and keeping a list of what we need and errands and then only leaving the house once or twice a week I am limiting my exposure to that temptation to spend anywhere.
3) Make sure we eat before leaving the house. Sometimes i get in such a hurry to get out and do what I need to do that I end up relying on the drive-through as a time saver.
Well, I started this Monday and so far so good. Lets hope I can keep it up, Wish me luck!
This actually worked out to our advantage. We were able to figure out how to make it on just Eric's income and I hardly had to touch my savings (I did spend some on Christmas tho). Then, I don't know what happened, I received my income tax return and I guess between that, getting board sitting around the house on bed rest then recovering from the c-section and Eric not being able to work for almost a whole pay period (the time he took of for the baby's birth happened to land in the same pay period as the death of his sister Laurie. It was a crazy and emotional two weeks for us). i started to see our savings dwindle. Some of it was out of my control, but other factors were well within my control! I have been spending too much. After looking over where the money had gone I was able to see that about half went to bills, the pay period Eric did not work also happened to be the one we pay rent with. And sometimes i will pay the bills with the savings before payday with the intent that we will put it back when the paycheck comes in. This did not always happen. Some went to baby stuff and clothes for me since my maternity clothes are becoming to big and much of my regular clothes are still too small. But a larger chunk then i expected went to fast food!
It has been so easy to succumb to the temptation of the drive through when I am finally able to get out and about. But it is something I need to get under control for several reasons.
1) It costs much more then eating at home.
2) I am trying to loose this baby weight and all that fatty goodness is not helping.
and 3) While nursing, it is not good for a growing baby or a 4 yr old boy!
I have decided to put a stop to it! It is my goal to stop eating fast food and here is how I am going to do it. You see, I have been spending approximately $100 a month on eating out. That is $50 every two weeks! So, for every 2 weeks I can go without going through a drive through I will reward my self with a $25 credit toward shopping for new clothes, shoes, or treating myself to a trip to the salon. As with many of us, I love shopping! And now that I am able to be a stay at home mom and I don't have to wear a uniform to work every day, it is nice to make my self look good. If I go through even one drive through, or order one pizza I do not get that credit. I can then spend those credits when ever I feel like going shopping. This will help me save half of what I was spending on junk food!
Here is how I am going to accomplish it:
1) I have bought healthy snack items for us, I places some in the diaper bag and some in the car so if we get hungry when we are out we have something to hold us over
2) I am not leaving the house so often. I found that by leaving the house every day we are tempted to spend more money where ever we go. By combining trips and keeping a list of what we need and errands and then only leaving the house once or twice a week I am limiting my exposure to that temptation to spend anywhere.
3) Make sure we eat before leaving the house. Sometimes i get in such a hurry to get out and do what I need to do that I end up relying on the drive-through as a time saver.
Well, I started this Monday and so far so good. Lets hope I can keep it up, Wish me luck!
3 comments:
Don't get me wrong, if Eric decides to bring us home Mc Donalds, or if we ever get a chance to go out to eat alone I won't turn it down. This is just my goal to not go to a fast food place or to ask for him to bring it home.
You can do it! It's really hard at first, but then treating yourself to a family night or a date night (even if it's a quick trip to McDonalds) makes it fun.
i too suffer the fast food syndrome. McCdonal;ds is my emotional rescue ice coffee addicted and while i'm there the kids like fries, story time is there twice a month, and the playground in the winter. errrrrr. and the baby weight keeps packing. when i started staying home i always packed a lunch, and snacks it was healthier, a money saver, and wonderful to eat at the park. you're inspiring me.
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