Every month I.......

**julieb** · 04-12-2007, 06:25 PM

sit down with my bills and spending journal and I evaluate where the money is going. Almost every month I find a leak in my budget. My self evaluation has really helped alot. This month I realized that I spend way to much at gas stations or convenience stores to get a drink or snack on my way home from work in the morning. Now I freeze small container of juice, take it with me and it is thawed in the morning hours when I drive home, a small container of dry cereal and I have breakfast.

Has anyone else had a ahhhhhhh ahhhhhh moment and changed what they were doing? and ohhhhh I lost five pounds since I started doing this. woooooo hoooooooo.

JulieB

**guest56464** · 04-12-2007, 06:34 PM

I'm trying to get my husband to stop that... but he has befriended all of the workers at the gas station that's on his way home from work so he stops in just to say hi and ends up spendnig money.

...drives me crazy.

**paintedsky** · 04-12-2007, 07:11 PM

I have been doing that but very recently I've started REALLY evaluating it instead of a brush over. I'm going to try to save even more and really look at what I'm spending because before even though I tracked it I JUSTIFIED it but then I really looked at it and was like spending 200-300 of "fun money" isn't really justified and just hit a sorta duh moment where even if I spent 200 or if possible 100 a month on myself I'd be saving over an extra thousand by the end of the year. I still save around 400 a month but realized that extra hundred really adds up and I could be doing so much better in the long run. I also need to spend less money on junkfood I decided.

**FrugalMomof3** · 04-12-2007, 07:27 PM

We used to do that until we made it a once a week thing, Dh's get a morning coffee and I get a pack of reeses peanut butter cups, we didnt realize how much money we were wasting till I sat down and figured everything out.

**Jill B.** · 04-12-2007, 08:49 PM

I sit down every month and tally up the budget figures but I don't look for budget leaks. I find it hard to tell everyone "when its gone, its gone" with the envelopes. I think most of my leaks are in sudden food/entertainment binges by Dh and me.

But, I think I will sit down and look at it and try to plug the leaks. That is a very good idea.

**Marie78** · 04-13-2007, 01:34 AM

I need to stick to my envelope system more. I tend to borrow from them to take care of other expenses. I will borrow from the food envelope to buy a birthday gift for a family member.

**autumnlynn** · 04-13-2007, 07:50 AM

I'm a lot like Marie. I borrow from the envelopes and I need to stop that. I write down everything, and I know exactly what I need to cut down on.

**julieb** · 04-13-2007, 08:27 AM

My most recent plugged leak was a 50.00 charge on my mastercard. They charged me a late fee. I sent the payment in 8-days before it was due and I paid it off.

I called them. I was soooooooooooo sweet on the phone and they were so nasty. I asked to speak to a supervisor and told her I would be cancelling the card if this charge remained on my account and if they ever did anything like this again....I would cancel this card.

The charge was dropped. That 50.00 is a weeks worth of groceries and they can't have it.

Sometimes I think companies count on people not looking at their statements. What do you all think?

**mcphlips** · 04-13-2007, 10:08 AM

I think I need to look at my budget more closely too.
I know that my DH will grab a drink or something when he stops for gas, but I never look at the end of the month to see what it totals.
I sneak from envelopes too.. a habit I need to break!!

**tigo** · 04-13-2007, 10:37 AM

For me the ah ha moment was after reading "More than Enough" by Dave Ramsey. There is a section on single parents and some of the traps we fall into - like trying to maintain the same standard of living after a divorce or buying things to ease hurts (theirs or mine). It was like someone flipped a switch for me. I had been doing that for months and it wasn't making anyone feel better or really changing our circumstances. Now we have budget meetings and everyone has goals we are working toward.

**Ani** · 04-13-2007, 11:22 AM

One of my biggest budget leaks is gifts for others. I tend to go overboard, when something smaller would suffice. I've been practicing stockpiling presents and spending less per person. That helps my budget out a lot, as I'm not stealing from other categories in order to buy gifts.

Another budget leak is eating out. Grabbing a meal "here and there" doesn't seem like a big deal, especially when we're soooooo tired, but it totally adds up. I'm getting better at this this month, I hope.

**Backtoreality** · 04-13-2007, 02:17 PM

Tigo - I can relate. I was trying to keep up with the standard of living, after DH lost his job. Instead of tightening the belts, we kept up (yeah right).

Now I write down every dime I spent to show DH when he gets home to show him how much $$it takes to maintain. We went thru the budget and changed a few things, tightened the belt, discussed with the "adult" children their spending habits.

I discovered that I "lent" the kids way too much $$. Plus they never pay it back! So I have stopped, and if they talk me into it - I'm like a dog with a bone - they pay me back!:surprise: