This is just quick blog today. It's more of a reaction to my girlfriend's blog about budgeting (check out Meagan's blog on my list). I commented on her site but I think this is something we are all thinking about it. Especially with Christmas coming on. How do we handle the money we have as well as that which may start coming in more slowly. Please respond here with any great ideas you have for making Christmas special not spendy!
Part of me, admittedly a sick part, has always had this romantic notion of the depression from the 1930's. Having to be scrappers and hardworking. I love movies like The Cinderella Man, Annie, etc. I use to ask my grandparents about what it was like for them when they were growing up during the bottom of the depression. And I liked how creative they had to be to accomplish their needs let alone their wants.
I was listening to NPR the other day and there was a story of a woman who is married with three kids of their own and the guardianship of her sister's three who has passed away. Her husband is in construction in Las Vegas, and business is slowing down, and she recently has lost her job. They were featuring her because with her hair down in a clean ponytail and clean clothes she was panhandling on the freeway off-ramp to pay their, $650-something, electric bill. I really don't believe severe tragedy is our determined future. But I do believe that now is the time to be smart with our resources until this is worked out.
I'm a mom who's trying to stay-at-home. When I'm done with school I won't be above working midnights at a care home or taking care of kids in my house to stay here until the youngest is in kindergarten and I go back for a masters. But as a SAH I realize that my job is not to bring money in, but to utilize all of my talents in keeping it. I pore over grocery ads, and coupons, doing a little shopping all the time with where my driving routes take me. I also have been very thankful this summer that I live in walking and biking distance to just about anywhere I have to go in town. I try to not have the t.v. and computer on at the same time and am vigilant with lights (energy efficient of course) and heat/AC that's what clothes and windows are for! I'm realizing how hard it really can be. I think about our budget all the time. The first things I'd like to get rid of would be our cable. I hate how much time is suffocated by the t.v. I'd like to be better about utilizing our library for movies. If it wasn't for keeping in touch with you guys I frankly would do away with the Internet as well. Of course...hmmm....well I'll come back to that. Who would like to start writing letters with me? It's fun to get snail mail sometimes, right?!
As I was reading Meg's blog and thinking about this topic Jacob came up to me, "Mom, what's for dinner?" Phil's in So.Cal. and I've been trying to keep the kids occupied. Swimming at the YMCA yesterday (free and in walking distance)/Halloween specials on cable ($3.87/day) tomorrow a trip to the pumpkin patch for games and pumpkin buying/painting (approx. $8 plus gas) and dinner at Grandma's. Tonight I planned on a trip down the frozen crap aisle with a movie rental, not big money but bigger than we usually do on an average friday night; especially frozen food which I think is pure garbage and in someways worse than drive-thru. Kid Cuisine? Are you kidding me? It has more fat and sodium than a plain hamburger at McDonald's with apple dippers which my kids, LOVE! Of course that's why Jacob thinks Kid Cuisine is so wonderful.
I digress, when I offered the frozen aisle this was his reply. "I KNOW! How about PBJ's?!" Ahhhh, I love that kid, and I think we'll be taking a little trip to the library as well.
Just a little stream of consciousness for you this morning, not really so quick. :-)
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