What in the world are we doing? For some reason, this–the month that Shane and I have our emergency fund completed– is the month that we’ve spent a ton of money beyond our budget.
I’m not quite sure what’s going on, but we need to put the brakes on before we really get out of control.
It seems that shopping leads to more shopping. If we go to Target for a small list of items, normally we stick to that list. Lately though, more items that we suddenly “need” are creeping into our basket.
Even though I’ve had some success in freezer cooking, we’ve been eating out quite a bit lately.
And, in preparation of our new arrival at the end of this year, we’ve been buying things to help us with home organization and such.
Bit by bit, it adds up and starts to get a little out of control.
To top it off, we’ll be traveling to Indiana for a long Labor Day weekend. Even though gas prices have dropped, we can expect to spend at least $150 on gas. We’ll probably go out to eat a few times then as well.
Fortunately, our spending hasn’t caused a budget crisis–yet. If we keep this up though, we’ll be in trouble.
How we hope to get back on track:
- We track our expenses in Mint.com and I tend to monitor our bank accounts on a daily basis. We’ll be able to take a closer look at our purchases so we can evaluate them. Did we really need that item? If so, then I’m not going to worry about it. If not, I might return it to the store.
- With September approaching, we’ll have a new month where we can just start fresh. We can regain our focus and stay committed to our budget.
- When we get back to Pittsburgh, we can institute a “no spending” weekend and avoid eating out, trips to Target, thrift stores, and anywhere else unnecessary.
Can I let you know I understand?
As soon as we got over a milestone ourselves- paying off all our debt besides the house- we got hit this month with a car repair, a speeding ticket, house projects, and eating out more (due to being down to one car, so I’m not able to get home & cook before DH is home) Your plan to get back on track sounds like one we could follow, too!
Joanna’s last blog post..Brain dump.
Oh, and we had to replace a dead computer. Forgot about that one. Yeah, it’s been a bumpy month.
Joanna’s last blog post..Brain dump.
Oh my! Do I know how those months can be:) It seems sometimes that we can save really well and other months (like this one) we have a million things to spend money on.
Such is life:) Have a good trip,
Trixie
Oh, I have soo been there! The thing that helped us get back on track was to set a new goal to save for, which was a house at the time. I am sure you’ll be back on track in no time. Wishing you the best!
Let me add myself to the list of people who know exactly how you feel. It is so tempting to celebrate financial success by spending money, isn’t it? Such a weird part of our culture, I think. It’s a tough habit to break. What’s important is that you’re able to catch yourself and get back on track! Good luck!
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Ug…every time we pay off the credit cards (nearly every month if I can help it) we feel “rich” and start spending again. :( I really hate it and have been trying VERY hard to curb this.
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Hubby and I were just having this conversation…it seems like we ALWAYS run into one major expense every month that eats up our budget. Some are planned (weddings, birthdays, Insurance renewals, etc) but then there are the car repairs, the medical issues, the replacement of stuff we thought would last a WEE bit longer….it’s frustrating! I was thinking of starting two accounts - one for the big emergency stash, and one smaller one for expensive surprises.
Do you feel safe putting all your credit card and bank information in the hands of mint.com ? It seems like a great idea but it scares me to give an interet company all my vital information. I would love to use it but just don’t know if I could trust in it.
Don’t be too hard on yourself. Transitions in life often lead to times like you describe. Just get back on track. Have a safe trip “home.”
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Target is also my Achilles heel!
Those sound like excellent steps for getting back on track. Best wishes to you!
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