DIY Budgeting

Well, I am all set to start my trial of the Grocery Game, ready to save big on our grocery bill. I even printed up some online coupons to augment the ones from the Sunday paper that I have been assiduously stopping and buying at our local gas station. I was READY to save!

Then I sat down and balanced our checkbook. Oh. Dear. *sigh* Hmmmm...mortgage payment...ACS dues which are overdue and they are threatening to wipe out my "years of service" so I'd better pay up...HELOC...student loan payment...hmmmmmm. Well, that left us with the princely sum of $61.25. Woohoo! Em, not exactly. That is not the stuff which grocery lists with about twenty bazillion items are made of, or more accurately, paid from. Which sucks.

Don't get me wrong, we aren't starving. In fact we have a pretty well stocked pantry and fridge/freezer, so we will be just fine. I have a grocery list of "nice to haves", you see. I used up all our chocolate chips & cocoa powder baking for church last week, so it would be nice to have some more in case I want to bake something chocolate-y. Not this week. Likewise, DS's bouncer is almost out of batteries and I would like to get some more at Costco. I'm out of birdseed--sorry birdies. You'll have to wait a week.

It is just a week. I will lament the lack of powdered sugar and of course now that I know I *can't* bake anything with chocolate I am wanting to bake something with chocolate! I do have to go and buy some Mother's Day cards for my mom & grandmother & great-aunt. Hmmm, I think I might make some with DD's crayons! *LOL* Hey, use what you have, right? Maybe I will let her do the family cards and they can enjoy her artwork. Even better. Needs must, and I must resist the temptation to spend money on the credit cards. We're learning that lesson for the second time, yep, and will be paying for it for 2 years, by my calculations. No more!! I have taken control of the family budget & pocketbook, and we CAN resist the "I wants" when we're down to the dregs. Thank God we have enough coffee to get us through the week, otherwise I'd be getting real cranky. *sigh* I do wish money would magically grow in our garden, but I don't think it will. Oh well. At least I know how much we actually have.