Crunch Time!
This summer Dave and I made some decisions to whittle a few things down in regards to our budget. I realize we aren't the first to take these measures, but I also think sometimes it helps to know there are others out there feeling the crunch, too. Add to the mix two teenagers and a ten year old and you soon find your grocery budget that has worked for so long is no longer cutting it! So here are a couple of things we've done to make the ever-shrinking dollar go a little bit further...
First of all, with gas prices as crazy as they were up until a few weeks ago (So thankful for a little relief for the time being!) we consolidated as many trips as we could...common sense, not drastic. However, we did say no to a couple of local outings in order to save in our gas budget. Saying no to fun is not something we do well in the Kush home! But we're learning...
Next, after a lot of research, we dropped DirecTV. Yep, you read right! Just in time for football season (Dave was such a trooper)! Since August 1 we have been running purely off of an old fashioned antenna! With the lack of decent programming on the local networks we've experienced a huge decline in visual entertainment in our home! The thing I miss the most is the ability to record the few shows we do like and skip past the crazy commercials. We did get push-back from one child in particular, but she (a bit of a give-away if you know our family!) is adjusting and has a new-found favorite channel--Qubo, go figure! Another bonus...we've started a Monday night Bible study with the kids!
We've also buckled down on food consumption. I've always been a menu planner, but I've gotten more frugal in my meals. We are eating a lot more casseroles, soups and other one-dish meals...big money savers when you're feeding four adults and one growing adolescent! And eating out is a big no-no!
Another big change we made was losing our "land line". We've gone totally cellular. That, too, was an adjustment and required adding a line for Mollie (a bit of a trade off for her with losing satellite tv and all!). Honestly, I have not missed the grating ring of a cordless phone echoing through my house!
All in all, the timing was perfect. The savings on these items isn't huge, but every little bit helps during sad state of our country's economy. Oh yeah, and I can now brag that I don't have to endure an endless parade of political phone calls and television ads!
posted by Kushmama @ 2:59 PM
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