A Year of Living Frugally-A Common Goal

Doug had a day off yesterday, and I have to admit, having him home on a weekday throws me off, a bit. Don't get me wrong, it's great having him home. But I sort of have my weekday routines and it is a little disconcerting to have him here during the week, especially on a Wednesday, which you all know is my grocery planning day. Still, it was nice to have his input, and also good for him to see what all goes into planning our grocery budget for the next few weeks.

For the first time we looked through all the ads together, and made out our lists, and looked for coupons at the same time. This week was especially critical because we wanted a little extra money to put towards extras, like a trip to Des Moines to visit my niece and her family, and a night out to celebrate our 3 year dating anniversary. We crunched our numbers, and thanks to a few of our other frugal living adjustments, I think we can eek these things out of our budget.

I think one thing that Doug and I have going for us, is that we communicate. We talk about money, and neither one of us are frivolous spenders-at least, not anymore. We put thought into where our money goes. We have made a very concentrated effort to live within or below our means and not take on any more debt. I think we are doing a great job, but could be, and will be, better. Right now, our game plan is to be in our own house within a year. To get to that goal, we need to make some sacrifices. Thus, our year of living frugally, which is quickly turning into a frugal lifestyle. It has been eye opening for both of us, to really think about what we are doing with our money. To not be going out every night, to live sensibly so that down the line we aren't stressed over the amount of debt we owe. Having common goals helps. I know that it would be easy to just whip out credit cards and buy what we want, now. But the stress of debt is not worth it, in the long run. So we set little goals for ourselves, we make do with what we have and improvise to get what we want. What we are recognizing is that we are a team, and we are playing on the same side to get what we both want-a home of our own. I know we will reach our common goal, together.