Hey all—we didn't mean to take a break from blogging, life
just got in the way. Here is a snapshot of what we have been up to:
-We didn't pay any extra payments towards our loans in April (the extra thousand-some that we usually do). We decided that we are staying another year in our apartment, so we (ahem, I) wanted to get some new décor. We got this really cool antique wood trunk that Nate is refinishing. When we get that done, I’ll be sure to post some pictures. Aside from getting some new décor items, we also got some miscellaneous items that didn't fit into our normal strict budget.
-We both have been busier than normal. Nate has been studying for his CPA exam, so that takes away a couple hours each night. I’m also taking an online grammar class, watching my nephew once a week after work, and assistant coaching a dance team. Some days I feel like we are both so busy getting things done that we barely have time to spend together. I’m looking forward to summer, that’s for sure.
-I got another paid in full notification a couple weeks ago. That was exciting. It wasn’t for a huge amount, but even these small moments are successes for us.
I thought that “taking a break” from paying extra on student loans would be helpful and fun, but in the end, I discovered that I actually kind of regretted it. Yes, it was nice to get a new shower curtain and what not, but it’s not like I’m any happier. Toward the end of April I started to think that all this money we were spending on stuff could be going toward the loans, contributing to our goal. It made me more anxious because now that is one more month that we have to pay on loans. I know I’m probably over thinking it, but when you want something so bad, it’s difficult to not get obsessed with it. Now I feel like I’m more motivated than ever to scrimp and save.
We went grocery shopping tonight and ended up being $21.39 under budget. I’m starting to accept the fact that in order to do this, I can’t make the meals that I really want to. Mainly, I want to be a good wifey (is that word annoying?) and make yummy dinners for Nate to come home to. But he has made it clear that anything I make he is happy with. He isn't a picky eater, and for that I am grateful. So there we were, in the frozen food aisle, realizing that we were under budget. We were debating whether or not we should get some gin and tonic. Literally, it was a tough choice. The angel on our shoulders won; we decided to not get it.
While that choice might not seem like a big deal at all to some, it is for us. I get that it’s not life or death, but it’s more of a lifestyle change that I think we are more willing to accept now. I was talking to Nate last night about how I feel defeated by how much we still owe, and he reminded me that we can’t focus on that. Instead, we need to focus on spending as less money as we can each month so that more can go towards the loans. So, in the big picture, I’m willing to sacrifice the little things in order to get what we want. Delayed gratification. It sucks, but it’ll be worth it. No shortcuts, work for it.
3 comments:
Shaina,
How do you keep your grocery bill so low? Do you end up buying a lot less meat? I dont know your dieting habits but most of our meals involve meat and that ends up being the most expensive part. What do you use to find recipies and plan out your meals? We tried meal planning and noticed that a lot of recipies include spices we dont have which got really expensive at $5 a spice.
Thanks!! Your blog is so helpful!!
Hi Amanda, it's tough! Like I've mentioned, I've learned that if we want to stay within our grocery budget, I can't make the recipes that I really want to. Here are some things that we do for keeping the budget low:
1. I guess we don't eat a lot of meat. I'm not a vegetarian, but I don't like eating tons of meat. Nate LOVES meat, but we don't have a grill and I don't really know how to cook a lot of it, so we just don't buy it, haha. We do buy chicken and hamburger though for certain meals.
2. For our $110 budget every two weeks—this only includes food for dinner and breakfast. We rely on leftovers or whatever else we have to make our lunches. And it doesn't include meals on the weekend. We just figure out those meals as we go along (but I don't mean eating out).
3. We take full advantage of when our parents invite us over for meals... :)
4. I think the main thing is that I plan dinners that just don't have a lot of fancy ingredients. Like you said, we don't have the money to buy one ingredient that we need for one recipe that we will probably not use again soon, or ever. Once a week we have a "breakfast" type of dinner, like pancakes/french toast, or egg burritos, for example. Those things are inexpensive. And I've just figured out what kinds of foods are less expensive, and I tend to make those meals over and over (like my homemade chicken enchiladas, stuffed shells (from Aldi), sandwich/chips/veggie, etc. It's trial and error.
5. Another thing that helps is that we don't really buy snacks. The only snack things we buy are granola bars, chips, and like pretzels and hummus. Very rarely do we ever buy any other snacks. It kind of sucks when sometimes we just want to munch on something, but I guess it helps us with our weight? Haha.
I guess most of it boils down to sacrifice. I don't necessarily love what we have for dinner sometimes, but I'm willing to do it because it'll help us reach our goals. Hope this helps?!
That helps a lot!! Thanks for your reply!! I think we are just going to have to get used to repeating meals and like you said not completely loving what we have for dinner each night. Thanks!
Post a Comment