Small Changes - Big Difference

[mrsltg]

Hi All-

I posted last week about taking the by the horns and paying off my credit card debt. I realized that I needed to change my mindset about money to truly rid myself of the burden.

I took some of your advice and would like to share my progress (barely a week, but still!!!)

-This week I made a grocery list and STUCK TO IT
-This week I took my biweekly cash ($150 and put $60 away right off the top) the rest went into my wallet. While this may seem the opposite of what I should do, it will work better for me this way. Here's how-
-Yesterday I went to pick up my dry-cleaning. While I would normally think nothing of handing them my visa, I used cash instead. When the cash is gone, the spending is done.
-I am brown-bagging!!! I also packed snacks. This doesn't seem like a big deal but it adds up to about $10/day for me. I don't plan to do this everyday as I don't want to feel punished, but I do want it to be something I REALLY want as opposed to something I am just mindlessly doing.
-I made my own coffee this morning instead of going to Starbucks - Imagine!!! Coffee from my own kitchen...
-I made dinner for Monday on Sunday and dinner for tonight last night. Tuesday's and Wednesday's are late nights in my house. Tomorrow night will be "breakfast for dinner." Thursday night will be something easy - broiling fish from the freezer. Friday is up in the air but may be something fun like a make a pizza (we have everything we need at home.)

And, finally, the most difficult step - I let the cleaning lady go. She only came every other week but it was $150/mo. Instead, dh and I worked out a schedule where one thing gets done by each of us each day so it's not overwhelming to me on the weekend. The $150 we are saving is going right to the consolidation loan we took. I figured out that just by sending them this $150 extra/month, we are knocking 17 months off of our payments and about $3500 off of our interest.

Anyway, I am very proud of this LONG AND HARD look we have taken at our budget. It's not a lot of fun to do but it needed to be done. We are not punishing ourselves just changing the way we treat money. As you can see from my counters below, we're still going to go on vacations (different money) we're just shifting our priorities.

I appreciate everyone here as you are so supportive and a VERY positive influence. Thanks!!!

 

[PlaneJoy1]

Good for you! This is awesome and exactly what we had to do in our family. As far as the vacation .... no flames here! It's a break from reality of daily stress.

Keep it up!

 

[DisNae]

Wow, you're off to a great start! Those are a lot of good changes. You'll be amazed how quickly they'll make a difference. The lunch thing and the Starbuck's thing *are* big deals, by the way--they both add up REAL quick if it's something you do every day. I know lots of people who do it and claim they "just can't" give it up--so kudos for you for doing so! And the occasional lunch out will seem like a nice treat now.

The cash thing is a great idea, actually. It's probably something I should implement myself--it's so easy to lose track of what you've spent when you're simply handing over the debit card for every purchase. Using cash forces you to stop and think about what you're buying.

 

[MyGoofy26]

Sounds like you're doing a great job! Keep that momentum up!!

 

[Braque]

WTG! Nicely done.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Good start. Personally I MUCH prefer coffee at home. I love the smell in the morning, and I hate having to get dressed to get a cup of joe.

Perhaps over time, you'll find that you actually prefer some of these changes, too.

If you eat healthier lunches, then brown bagging is actually quite a bit better than eating out every day. If you think of it that way, you might come to prefer it. For me and DH, it was the only way to go to lose weight. Too many places around here have inexpensive lunch buffets, so it's really easy to pig out and overeat.

 

[SleepyatDVC]

Keep up the good work! Thanks for sharing. I'm sure your experience will inspire others.

 

[Newfie2000]

Just had to say Congratulations and Keep Up the Good Work! If you stick with what you call the "small" changes you have already made - you'll be surprised to see what a difference it makes in a few short weeks! My challenge to myself and now to you is to see if you can find one new small corner to cut a week! I have found this to be incredibly rewarding and by challengeing myself weekly I kind of "keep myself interested" and don't forget about what I am doing and why I am doing it. And it also allows me to set realistic goals rather than pile a bunch of stuff on my plate that I will never be able to achieve! I am sorry... I did not mean to put myself on the soapbox...it just excites me to see someone starting a process which has worked wonders for me and my household! Good luck and keep it up!!

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

Good start. Personally I MUCH prefer coffee at home. I love the smell in the morning, and I hate having to get dressed to get a cup of joe.

Perhaps over time, you'll find that you actually prefer some of these changes, too.

If you eat healthier lunches, then brown bagging is actually quite a bit better than eating out every day. If you think of it that way, you might come to prefer it. For me and DH, it was the only way to go to lose weight. Too many places around here have inexpensive lunch buffets, so it's really easy to pig out and overeat.

This has happened with DH and I. Once we started cooking at home and eating out less we found that we can't stand fast food at all and we actually have to have a microwave/fridge in our room on vacation because we get tired of eating out.

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

Hi All-


And, finally, the most difficult step - I let the cleaning lady go. She only came every other week but it was $150/mo. Instead, dh and I worked out a schedule where one thing gets done by each of us each day so it's not overwhelming to me on the weekend. The $150 we are saving is going right to the consolidation loan we took. I figured out that just by sending them this $150 extra/month, we are knocking 17 months off of our payments and about $3500 off of our interest.

You should check out www.flylady.net to help with this step.

Good job , you've made alot of postive changes to work toward your goal!

 

[SplshMtn99]

GOOD FOR YOU!!!!
In the long run, the stress about debt that you eliminate will be SOOOOO worth it.

I did it a couple of years ago. Only debt we have now is a 30k home equity line. I was actually able to walk away from my job in Feb after too much crap from my boss after 12 yrs. I didn't plan it. I just up & left. (NOT like me at all...but he went 1 step too far this time) It felt soooo good to actually not freak out about the bills even without my pay.

I now spend the time making dinner & shopping sales; instead of running for take out after a long stressful day.

STILL trying to get DH to take coffee from home instead of stopping at Dunkin Donuts each day. Some things he won't change. lol

 

[Plantlady]

Way to go!

Good luck sticking with the plan!

 

[neatokimmo]

-I am brown-bagging!!! I also packed snacks. This doesn't seem like a big deal but it adds up to about $10/day for me. I don't plan to do this everyday as I don't want to feel punished, but I do want it to be something I REALLY want as opposed to something I am just mindlessly doing.

Good for you! You've accomplished something I've not been able to do steadily, take my lunch. I spend $10 a day too and I'd much rather do something fun with that $ than to just eat it, I just don't have the time management skills or something. It's my Nov resolution (why wait until Jan?)!

Keep up the good work!
Kim

 

[mrsltg]

You guys are great!!! This is why I love this board. Thanks for the encouragement. I really appreciate all of you!!!

 

[minnie1928]

If you eat healthier lunches, then brown bagging is actually quite a bit better than eating out every day. If you think of it that way, you might come to prefer it. For me and DH, it was the only way to go to lose weight. Too many places around here have inexpensive lunch buffets, so it's really easy to pig out and overeat.

I started re-thinking my lunch. I was buying the Healthy Choice type lunches at about $2 each thinking "hey, it's cheaper than McD's and probably better for me". Then I started looking at packing sandwiches. I can get lunchmeat, bread and chips for the whole week for a LOT less than what I was spending on the microwave lunches. I'm guessing that the sandwiches are better for me than the microwave lunches (less sodium) and they seem to fill me up more.

Congrats on all the great steps you've taken so far, you're on the right track!!

 

[jenr812]

Congrats on a great start! We need to get back on track...

 

[tinaluis]

Way to go!!! Doesn't it feel great when the "small" changes start to add up so fast? And cutting so much time off of your loan and saving so much $$$ in interest is so worth getting rid of the cleaning lady.

I've been brownbagging my lunch for awhile now and this is what works for me -- I always bring my lunch but if I have a taste for something in particular, I treat myself. I usually end up getting Chinese at Panda Express near my office 1-2x a month. I then just put my lunch in the fridge for the next day.

Keep up the good work!!!!!

 

[Pixiedust34]

Hi All-


-I am brown-bagging!!! I also packed snacks. This doesn't seem like a big deal but it adds up to about $10/day for me. I don't plan to do this everyday as I don't want to feel punished, but I do want it to be something I REALLY want as opposed to something I am just mindlessly doing.
-I made my own coffee this morning instead of going to Starbucks - Imagine!!! Coffee from my own kitchen...

I'm a full time mom now, but when I was working I almost always packed a lunch and brought my own coffee from home. This is a HUGE moneysaver! Many of my co-workers ordered out a couple days/week and nearly everyone brought in Starbucks/7-11/store bought coffee every day. Just the coffee alone (figuring $3.00/cup, depending upon where it's from and what type & size you get) would be $15.00/week.

It sounds like you made some great budget changes!