Goal Update and New Goals for the Week

Our goals for this week were rather simple...and I am soooo happy to say that, as of today, we MADE IT!!!

Of course, "living like no one else, so that later we can live like no one else" is sometimes rather difficult. It would be so easy to go out to McDonald's for dinner, or to buy that special something that I or the kids "need".

Our kids have been on board with this completely. When I wanted to give in, they reminded me of our ultimate goal. I can't begin to tell you how much easier it is to stay on the right track when the whole family can see the end result!

So, here is a recap of last week's goals:

1. NO eating out this week.
We made that easily, I think...even though it took some "habit breaking" on my part to do this. I think that I am my own worst enemy when it comes to this frugal habit. ;)


2. Stash $50 into emergency fund
Believe it or not, this was the easiest part of all. We simply took the money away before we could spend it! We just transferred it into our ING account as soon as my hubby got paid.


3. NO spending any cash unless agreed on (we took allowances away so that we would become more disciplined ourselves)
This required us talking and communicating more about money than we ever have in our past. And it was sooo worth it! It made it easier to NOT get those blueberries on a "great sale", or to "stock up" on other stuff we didn't need right now. Walking away from some deals has been almost a relief. I haven't had to worry about getting in on this deal or that deal. I simply couldn't do it. I had to follow that old adage, "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without".


4. Stay within our $15 budget at the fair (we get in free, and are going to allow the kids to either ride 2 rides, or have an "elephant ear") and STAND BY THEIR CHOICE.
I cannot believe HOW MUCH the rides at the fair cost! It was $15 just for 3 kids to ride ONE RIDE EACH!!! We spent the day looking at the animals, vendor booths, and having fun. It rained on us most of the time we were there, but the cooler weather made it easier to NOT buy drinks at $2-$4 a pop. We had lunch at home just before leaving, so that tided the kids over. All in all, I think we had more fun this year, not spending much money, than we have before!

Our goals for this week are pretty much the same:

1. Stash $50 into the emergency fund

2. No eating out this week

3. No spending cash at all without talking and agreeing on it

4. Being August budget writing

Baby steps to freedom!!!