Young, Fabulous, and...broke?

We are not actually broke, but some days it feels like it.  When I switched jobs, we knew I would have to take a drastic pay decrease.  I crunched the numbers and decided that having to limit our spending a little (ok, a lot) was worth loving my job again.  Things started out ok and A took on some side jobs to help make ends meet.  We have, however, incurred some additional expenses that we had not planned on.  These things can never be planned for, but it can make for some scary and stressful times (I am sure some of you can relate to the stress finances can cause).  And with the holidays, side jobs for A are pretty much non-existent...Anyone need a painter? ;)  So 2012 is starting out a little on the difficult side financially.

Last year, I was set on bringing our debt down and creating an emergency savings account.  Let's just say that didn't happen.  I had the best of intentions, but was unwilling to give up the quality of life A and I had been accustomed to.  The choices we made brought us to this point and so only we can make the changes necessary to improve it.  In order to be comfortable in the future, we are going to have to make some sacrifices in the present.          

This year, one of my challenges goals will be to find ways to live more simply and cut costs to help us improve our financial situation and our lives overall.  We took the first step this year by growing a garden, and I froze some salsa and tomato sauce with our harvest.  I plan on attempting this again this year and hopefully learning how to can even more items.

I am currently looking into homemade laundry soap and household cleaners.  I like this idea not only because it will save us money, but because it is better for us and the environment.  It seems like a win, win.  I will be sure to keep you posted when I try these out in case you are interested in trying them out yourself.

Let me know if you have any other ideas to help us live more simply (and fiscally responsibly) over the next year.   

Living Within Our Means

Now that our financial situation has drastically changed, we are trying to be strict about our budget.  This is much easier said than done.  A and I have had a budget since we first got married but we were never good at following it.  We spent what we wanted and figured it would all work out.  And it always did. 

The time has come for us to actually follow a budget.  It is paramount to our financial survival and we need to ensure we have enough money to cover all our bills.  On paper, I have been able to figure out how we can makes things work and perhaps even save a little.  The biggest hurdle now is to follow it.

It is a challenge to learn to live within your means in a society that focuses on getting you to spend in excess.  In the next year, we won't want for food, clothing, housing, heat, water, or any main necessities.  For that we have much to be grateful for.  But I know it will be challenging to give up the "extra" spending for awhile so we can work towards our future.

I can't thank A enough for allowing me to take a job that is in my best interest, but puts us in a bit of a financial strain.  I hope this year will help us grow in our marriage and learn what we truly need and to be thankful for what we have.