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I revealed in my first post about budget busters that eating out is my biggest weakness. We normally go out on Friday evenings, so the trick for me is to make it to Friday without wasting money on restaurants. I’ve noticed that there are three triggers that make me want to cave in and scream, “I need to go out!”
Here they are and they aren’t in any particular order, because honestly, they all make me want to eat out:
1. I’m too tired to cook. I get up around 6 a.m. My son doesn’t catch the bus until 7:30, but I need to have about an hour of time to myself to drink coffee and read sports news. After Grant leaves for school, I work really hard all day. And often I have deadlines. And there’s stress. And…get the idea? By dinner time, I’m flat-out tired.
Solution: Trader Joe’s is your friend. I keep my freezer stocked with simple-to-prepare frozen entrees. One of my faves is the Orange Chicken. Add rice, a side of raw baby carrots or a salad, and you’re done. I keep my pantry stocked, too. Love the simmer sauces, especially the Thai Green Curry sauce. I could go on and on professing my love for all things Trader Joe’s. But some of y’all would get bored and leave. So check out the link I provided and see for yourself.
One more thing: TJ’s Ciabatta bread. If you’re a bread lover, you’ll swoon after one bite of this bread. Toast a few slices and top with leftovers or tuna salad for a quick dinner.
2. I want to work out. I once wrote an article for Better Homes and Gardens about working out according to the best time for your body clock. You love getting up at dawn and working out? You’re a lark. You love the night hours for working out? You’re an owl. I’m a hummingbird, which means I like to work out in the late afternoon around dinner time. So I’m stuck with a body clock that makes it very inconvenient to cook dinner.
Solution: I have a file folder of recipes I’ve collected over the years that have very few ingredients and that can be made in less than 20 minutes or so. I also plan ahead and use my Crockpot on my workout days. The key here is planning what you’ll make so you have the ingredients handy. I’ve also become a good enough cook to “freelance” while cooking. If I’m crunched for time, I’ll see what I have and throw it all together. Sometimes it’s not pretty, but I’ve also created some great dishes this way. Keep dried pasta and rice in the pantry and go from there.
3. I did something special today and I want to celebrate. Well, this is a happy excuse, but I’m a glass half-full kind of gal so I can put a positive spin on just about everything. I almost finished my to-do list and it was really long! I deserve a peach mojito! A dead-beat client finally paid me. Let’s spend the money at our fave seafood place even though that check was ear-marked for last month’s utility bill!
Solution: Identify what really deserves a celebration. If I get an important new client and the contract’s been signed, that’s celebration material. If my son comes home with all A’s, that warrants a night out. When my daughter gets more scholarship money, that’s a big-time celebration!
So think about what makes you vulnerable to your budget buster. And then come up with ways to take away that vulnerability. If you need help brainstorming, let me know.
I live in Johns Creek, Georgia, which is a northern suburb of Atlanta. On the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s website this morning, a headline read: “Snow to be an all-day thing.”
If you’ve never lived in the South, then you don’t know what this means. This is like waving a red cape in front of 4.9 million bulls. It means a mad dash to the grocery store. You can see people in the store gathering supplies and doing a mental checklist: Milk? Check! Bread? Check! Brownie mix? Check! How do I know this? Because I was at Publix at 9 a.m. this morning trying to beat the crowd.
Most people who aren’t from the South find this behavior wildly funny. But there’s one thing you really should know. We don’t run to the grocery store because we’re scared. No, we sprint to the store because we’re excited! That’s right, we’re looking forward to staying home all day and playing hooky. This snow-induced house arrest is like Christmas all over again, but without being stuck in mall traffic.
The hardest thing I have to do when I’m on one of my “snow runs,” is restrain myself. No, not from knocking people over to get to the last box of brownie mix, but from overspending. I suddenly get the urge to buy every snack that’s ever been made. This time, I made a list so I wouldn’t go overboard. The only snack I picked up that wasn’t on my list was popcorn. I figure we’ll need it for all the movies we’ll watch this weekend.
Now, if the electricity goes out, it won’t be as much fun. So far it’s all snow and no ice, so hopefully, we’ll escape any inconveniences. Sure, you can always crank up the fireplace to stay warm, but it’s really hard to bake brownies that way.
Did you make a New Year’s resolution to stay on a budget this year? If so, how’s it going so far? It’s only February 8, so maybe you’re still sailing along on budget and pleased with yourself. If you’ve already fallen off the budget wagon, though, you have plenty of company.
Research shows that the reason most people go off their budgets is overspending. This is obvious, of course. You spend too much, and by golly, you’re over your budget. But how do you fix this problem? Like all of you, I face these same issues. This year, I’m going to focus my blog on all things budget-related. I think budgets really are the most important aspect of money management. Your budget is your road map to financial success. In the words of baseball great Yogi Berra, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you might wind up some place else.” And that some place else may not be what you had in mind when it’s time to retire.
Okay, your first step to living on a budget successfully, is to identify the one thing that gets you every time. This is your personal “budget buster.” Mine? It’s eating out. I love dining out. I love being waited on, perusing menus, and reading the luscious descriptions. I love being able to select a glass of wine without having to buying a whole bottle. Did I mention I simply love food?
Some go crazy over electronics. For others, it’s clothes. There are no wrong answers here. You love what you love and you don’t need to apologize for it. And just so you know, I don’t intend to tell you to quit splurging. I think we all need some splurges now and then. All we’re going to do is identify your budget buster and then look at some ways to bend your personal budget buster to your will.
So what’s your personal budget buster?
Anyone else going nuts planning your child’s graduation party? My daughter, Ashley, graduates on Sunday and we’re having an Open House at our home tomorrow afternoon. If any of you are still looking for ways to keep the costs down, here are a few tips that might save you some cash:
Get creative with your computer. Ashley and I created the invitations in Word and printed them out. Then we rolled them up like diplomas and tied them with ribbons in her high school colors. Clever, huh? Well, you can use your computer to come up with all kinds of decorative touches for your party. Print out personalized decor such as “Congrats, (insert your child’s name here)! ” or “Good Luck at Penn State!”
Decorate with childhood photos. I have a big kitchen with lots of countertops. I’m gathering Ashley’s childhood photos from around the house and placing them in the kitchen on one of the long countertops, overlooking the dessert buffet. I’m calling it Ashley’s Walk of Fame.
Don’t make everything from scratch. Ashley is going to Berry College, a private school in Northwest Georgia that looks like Hogwart’s. No, really. Take a peek: Berry College. I’m planning to serve cheesecakes accompanied by a Berry Bar. I’ll have assorted berry toppings for the cheesecakes. More cleverness, huh? I’m telling you, my cleverness quotient for this party is sky-high.
At Trader Joe’s yesterday, I bought some NY-style cheesecakes for $5.99. It costs more to make them from scratch. So I bought five and I’m planning to make just a few from scratch. This saves money, gives me more time to focus on other parts of the party, and still gives me an opportunity to say “I made that!”
Plan an afternoon gathering. My Open House is from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. At this time, I can serve light appetizers and yummy desserts. It’s easier on the wallet and on my stress level, too.
Don’t forget to have fun. In the end, it doesn’t matter if you need new furniture or if you burn the brownies a little. Relax and enjoy. You’ve earned it.
My 12-year-old son is on a travel baseball team. And like the name says, it involves some travel. Yesterday, we had a tight schedule and had to head out the door almost as soon as he got home. On the way to the park, my husband and I started brainstorming on how to feed the three of us as inexpensively—and quickly—as possible.
Little league parks usually have pretty cheap fare so I wondered aloud, “Do you think the recession stand is open? Um, I mean the concession stand.” Wow. I spend so much time writing about the recession, it’s creeping into my everyday vocabulary. Well, I have an excuse because thinking about all this stuff is part of my job. But if you’re finding that you’re worrying too much about paying the bills, think about using a free, online money management tool.
The one I use is called Mint, but there are others as well. You can set up log-in information that Mint uses to access your bank accounts and credit card accounts. Mint tracks your spending and places the expenses into categories. Then you can request a variety of cool graphics so you can literally “see” your spending habits. It’s much easier to curb credit card spending when you keep track of what you’ve recently spent.
Can this really put your mind at ease? It helps, for sure. Just knowing where your money is going will relieve stress and help you make better decisions. For example, you can see pie charts that show how much you’ve spent this month (or week) by category. There’s nothing like finding out you spent $342 at Chili’s this month to help you rein in your restaurant habit. And if you check your pie chart daily or weekly, you’ll know when you’ve hit your budget and that it’s time to eat at home.
Want to read more about Mint? Their Web site, Mint.com, is a good place to start. And here’s a review of Mint by Zach Rosenberg of TrustedExpertNetwork.com. I think you might find it helpful.
No, not the Red Sox (or the White Sox). I’m talking about about real socks. Thick, warm, fluffy socks. Yes, I know it’s springtime. But now’s the best time to get deals on winter stuff. I got five pairs of socks at Target (or Tar-zhay, as we say in the Atlanta suburbs) the other day for $9. Even the pricier mall stores have deals on sweaters and boots. Isn’t it too bad you can’t accurately predict what size your kids will be in one year? But you deserve clothes, too, so if you went into “budget lockdown” over the winter, now’s a great time to stock up for next year.
What’s budget lockdown, you say? This is what I do when the economy is a roller coaster and I can’t predict my income. My husband and I are both self-employed, so our income isn’t a sure thing. When the stock market really hit the skids and the recession became official, we went into budget lockdown until we were sure our businesses were surviving the turmoil.
When you’re in budget lockdown, you don’t spend money without thinking about it. You spend money on groceries, but you don’t eat out. You get your old car repaired, you don’t buy a new one. It’s just a way of reining in spending during a rocky time. If you’re in credit card debt, by the way, spend some time every month in budget lockdown mode. Even if you just make it one week every month, you’ve saved some money you can put toward your next credit card payment. Honestly, the more you practice staying on budget, the easier it gets.
And just for the record, I’m an Atlanta Braves fan. But all baseball fans are welcome here. Even Sox fans–both red and white!
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