Monday, March 1, 2010

Money Saving Month!

Today is the first day of March. Bob and I have decided to challenge ourselves to see how much money we can save for the next 31 days. I know that we live pretty frugally right now as it is, but there are also things that we blow money on, i.e. sodas, candy, "I don't feel like cooking, so let's buy something pre-made at the store", food that goes to waste in the fridge, pizza pockets from Amboy Market...you get where I'm going with this right!?

Our plan:
*We each carry with us/in the car a composition book for writing down what we bought, how much, and what we saved. Plus we will save the receipts of our purchases.
*When we "feel" like eating out on a spur of the moment, we will choose to wait and eat at home instead.
*For example: if Bob is driving by the AMPM he will choose not to buy a pizza pocket and Mt. Dew for $4.00, and instead buy a package of crackers and a water for $1.50. He will then write down what he purchased and how much he paid for it, then what he normally would have bought and how much he would have normally spent.
*For example: if Heather is at home and really doesn't feel like cooking and would rather get chicken & jojos from Amboy Market, she will say "NO", and then make something from home. She will write down what she would have paid to buy from A.M. and what it cost her to make dinner at home. Then how much she saved from not making the lazy choice!
*We will cash in every week our "Savings" column and put it into an envelope to then get a grand total for the entire month of "Good Choices" and see how our jaws drop when finding out how much we truly saved!
*Yes, we are going to write how much we saved to eat at home instead of eating in a restaurant. That means we technically spend the money on paper, but don't get the food. Normally we spend around $17.00 at a fast food place, if we don't all order from the dollar menu. That's $68.00 for once a week for one month, or 4xs eating there. WOW! If we just saved that every month, that's $816 a year. It adds up fast doesn't it?
*To be better stewards of our money. God has given us much more than we "need", and we'd like to use it to the best of our ability.

So, to keep me/us accountable I am choosing to document our struggles and successes through out the next month. I know it's silly, but I'm always up for a challenge...especially if it saves me money!

-The bonus in all of this besides what I have listed above? Well, we are curious to how much weight we'd loose by making healthier choices. Bob right now is 238 lbs, Heather is 157 lbs. Bob would like to get to 200 lbs, and Heather at least to 144 lbs (my pre-pregnancy weight). Don't freak out! I know we won't loose this in one months time, but this is our goal weight, however long it takes.

I guarantee you will laugh at our stumbling blocks...can you say "sugar addicts?!"

1 comment:

  1. We did fantastic for the first week...then we went down hill sprinting. I think we saved around $40 that first week. The other 3 weeks we did better than normal, but it very well could have been much better. I lots 5 lbs that month, Bob 3 lbs. Not bad considering all we did was change a few things we ate. Maybe one day we will be disciplined enough to stick with it! But for now we'll just be thankful that we have the funds to purchase food. :)

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