Test Run

We went grocery shopping last night, practicing for next week. We tried to stay away from the aisles, and stuck pretty much to the front of the store (fruits/produce).

We tried to start small. At first, we had grand ideas of all the "healthy" things we were going to cook, and our cart was getting full of produce. But - with fresh fruits/veggies - they'll go bad if you don't use them. So, we stopped to discuss what types of meals we would be eating in the next couple of days.

Next time- we need a list. I think since we are using so much "fresh" that we should plan out the meals. I bet I can still use some of my freezer meals, too. I'll have to go through the recipes.

Anyways - the total at Walmart was $111. Then we went to Sams and spend $88. Which is WAAAAY WAAAAY over our budget. Brian says, "We're spending money like we have it." LOL I've heard that the Wednesday circulars can have some good deals. Maybe I'll base our meals on that?


Then we went to Goodwill. We have a NYE party with an 80s theme. We walked in and I sang to Brian, "Welcome to your life..." (it's our theme song...) We did end up finding an AWESOME outfit for Brian to wear at the party. (seriously cannot wait until I see this outfit on him! lolololol!!) And I was looking through the women's stuff and found a brand new pair of running shorts for $1.99. They still had tags!?! I decided that looking through all this stuff (although it made me sneeze and kind of itch a little bit), could bring us some treasures. You just never know. Brian's pretty adamant that this is the only time he'll wear anything from Goodwill. But, my frugalness has rubbed off on him so much already ... who knows? ;)

I get to go back this week and find my outfit. I'm holding out for finger-less lace gloves. Wish me luck.


Then we went to the mall to spend gift cards. That was definitely more fun than Goodwill. ;) And we saw Seven Pounds (with movie gift cards, of course). It was our very first movie together. Brian's not really a movie-guy... more of a rental-guy. Unless we get more gift cards, we probably won't see another one for at least a year. But we have a RedBox down the street - which we enjoy more anyways. Who doesn't like a $1 movie?

We have 3 more days before The Year Without begins. I'm fighting the urge for one last shopping spree!

Why budget?

Why not?
Budget is not a bad word!

We are always hearing about the dreaded BUDGET. A budget is not scary. A budget is not constraining. It might reveal a weakness or two, but we shouldn't be so proud that we hide that.


Why budget?

A budget is:
Control
Communication
Organization
Opportunity
Awareness


Why the Thompsons budget

The bible has many many many references to money, contentment, and debt. This is our main reason. Our finances are a blessing from God. We choose not to take advantage of that. We make (sometimes hard) choices regarding what we *need* and what we *want*. And we make really really hard choices about what we think we *deserve*.

Also, we are a one-income family. It's important for us to be aware of our finances and our spending habits BEFORE anything bad happens. We'd rather be pro-active than reactive.

We want to be an example. It's important to us that -as parents- we show them that money isn't a four-letter-word. It's a blessing from God! And - just like there is an order to making sugar cookies - money can be handled in an organized, logical, and non-threatening way - and it can still be fun. :)


Budget Myths

You don't have to be poor to budget. A budget doesn't mean that you are so broke that you have to count your pennies to make sure the utility bill gets paid. Even multi-million-dollar companies need a budget.

You don't have to be in debt to budget. What a great way to stay OUT of debt!

You don't have to spend hours doing budget spreadsheets and keeping up with all the numbers. There are so many options to do this. Store-bought computer programs, websites, even some checking accounts offer to categorized spending. Find the way that works for you.


How we budget

We have an excel spreadsheet that some friends gave to us. We have categories, and a money amount allotted for each category. As we spend, we can see how much we have left in each category - and the number turns red if we go over. It's a clear visual for us.

Hair Salon

Cutting hair was never a dream of mine.

But-- seeing that expense in our budget was getting to me. I suggested to Brian that I try it and - lo and behold - he gave the okay! I love his easygoing personality.


Brian typically goes every 2 weeks. That's 26 hair cuts a year. After payment and tip, these average between $15-$20. That's a yearly expense of $390-$520!

ZZ goes about once a month. His cost is $15-$20 because the kid's places charge a small fortune. That's a yearly expense of $180-$240.


Our family could save an average of $624 a year. That's $8736 by the time our son leaves for college.


I started out on Z. Better he end up with a buzz cut than the man who we depend on for his sales commission.

I used a "2" guard and shaved around the bottom half of his head. I used scissors to trim the top all the way around. I never cut straight acros the scissors - rather I made slanted cuts to prevent visible cut-lines all over his head.

But that left me with the weird transition between the top and bottom.

I decided to try to blend them like I had seen the stylists do it. I took a comb, held it at an angle, and ran the electric shaver over it.

It did not work like I thought.
After creating a bald spot on the back of his head (again - GLAD this was not our breadwinner's head), I learned not to try that again.


Then it was Brian's turn. Again, I trimmed around the bottom half with the 2 guard, and trimmed the top with scissors.

But, this time, I had armed myself with a plethora of YouTube videos on how to blend the top and bottom. I used scissors instead of the shaver and the results were perfect!