During times like these, when the economy is bad and we have to start watching our money, it forces us to stop and do the things we've been putting off for so long.
Money has been tight and we're in the process of budgeting. Severe budgeting, requiring us to eat at home, not go out for a night out on the town, watching movies at home rather then seeing 2 or 3 a week at the theaters and the hardest one of all, putting a hold on buying clothing or glass, which seems to be our two biggest weaknesses.
It sucks. We're two people who enjoy all of those things. We enjoy a nice dinner out, a few drinks with friends and of course, shopping until we collapse. We're not happy about having to penny pinch, but by the end of May, we both should have almost all of our credit cards paid off and money saved for our June trip to San Francisco for Pride. If we play our cards right and be good little boys after that, we might even be able to afford our yearly trip to Disneyland in October for Steven's Birthday. You get in the park free on your birthday this year.
To pass the time at night and on weekends, we're going to start back to the gym. I'm digging out old canvases and paper for some painting and drawing that I've been meaning to do. Hopefully during this time, my portrait site will get some traffic and business. We have well over 500 DVD's, so it's about time to start watching some of them rather then having them gather dust. Add all the TV shows we record weekly and we have enough to keep us busy and not want to go postal because we aren't getting out of the house as much.
It's not easy finding cost effective things to do.
But the rewards a few months down the road will be so worth it.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
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5 comments:
Budgeting is easy. You take the money you have after paying bills and spend it until there's none left. Then you do with whatever you have left until the next money comes in. I do that every month. Towards the end of each month, I eat and drink and watch movies on tv at home. When I get real poor, I read books. When I get desperately poor, I write about the character I'm forming by suffering the indignity of poverty. When I get even more desperately poor, I remind myself of all of those Russian nobles who had to exist in Paris, France during the Great Depression with nothing more than determination and good taste.
I have both good taste and determination, and while I'm not in Paris, I am in San Francisco, and those Russian nobles have nothing on me. I am a queen, and sugah, goddess will save the queens.
I've never known what it's like not to budget. Kids will do that to you!
You will have such fun as a reward for your efforts. It WILL all be so worth it.
I <3 Houston! Best smile of the day after reading his comment.
I've been prepping a lot more meals at home... And not going out as much... Ya just gotta!
Everytime that I spend a little more than I planned on I just turn and say oh I am helping the economy. Budgets suck and I have never really been able to live under one. But, in my defense my mother lost her job in 96 I believe and she filed for unemployment and we had to be on a budget then but she turned around 9 months later and got a new job that paid over twice what she was making. So, see! It will get better you just have to wait.
Wecome to my life.
The only clothes shopping I do is the sales rack at Old Navy every other year. As for eating out, McDonalds dollar menu with a limit of only two items.
Other than that all my money goes for mortgage, utilities, house upkeep and gas to get to work and back. Oh and a 30 pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon for 15 bucks wish I make last for 3 weeks.
I never thought I'd be living on cereal and ramen at 42. Ain't life great. LOL
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