I Need a Kick in the Butt With Your Frugal Foot!

**Ani** · 08-28-2007, 05:08 PM

Please, please kick me in the butt with your frugal foot. Pretty please?

The Confession:

Over the last 4 months, since the birth of baby Oliver, we have not saved a DIME. We've even dipped into our savings and took out a couple hundred dollars for a WANT. We have had a surplus, and we've just spent it all. I stopped paying such close attention to what we were spending, was too lazy to go take cash out of the bank for our budget envelopes, and just have behaved badly in general. And where did our money go? It "ran off like a spoiled child", as Dave Ramsey would say. I did some serious account updating today in my tracking spreadsheets, and I'm appalled with us and how much money we've wasted. It's like as soon as Oliver came into our lives, all common sense went out the window. I budget $1000 a month for groceries, gas, baby stuff, health & beauty, entertainment, basically anything except general bills...and we've gone OVER that and used up our surplus that should have been going to savings. Even the $1000 a month that I budget is too much, but it was still allowing us to put a good chunk into savings while living comfortably. I should easily be able to stay under that.

I am really, really disappointed in myself. Thankfully we still are debt free (but the mortgage) and our FFEF is still intact plus some...but yeesh! We have been so blessed and should be doing so much better than this.

Help me to feel motivated to be frugal again, and please scold me for being so irresponsible! I deserve it.

*bends over and awaits frugal feet*

**always2busy** · 08-28-2007, 05:19 PM

Don't be too hard on yourself. Babies change everything, especially budgets. You've learned a hard lesson, now you'll be more carefull. It is just so much fun buying stuff.

**DAAC3DEC** · 08-28-2007, 05:25 PM

Ease up on yourself!!!! Having a baby takes a lot out of everyone, and I am sure due to my own experiences that it saps the brain.....hahaha!!

You know it now, just get back on it!!!!

**Its_Donna** · 08-28-2007, 06:29 PM

Considering you could have blown your EF and started up with CC's again I say you didn't do bad...we are only human and we make mistakes...at least you know what went wrong and know how to correct it.

**claimsgirl66** · 08-28-2007, 07:02 PM

Sounds like it could have been a lot worse. As the other folks said, babies do change things!

So dust yourself off, adjust your frugal belt, put a smile on your face, and start over again. What's done is done! Welcome back!

**DixieJ** · 08-28-2007, 07:32 PM

Doesn't sound like to really did too much damage! As least you realized it before it got more out of hand.

Dixie Jean

**freyadog** · 08-28-2007, 07:38 PM

Ani
Dont beat yourself up. Your home is full of joy over the birth of Oliver so take the money that you spent in stride. Enjoy the little things in life and dont sweat anything else too much.

**Luv2BeFrugal** · 08-28-2007, 07:47 PM

Doesn't sound like ya went overboard to me...you've got a new baby...that's reason to splurge a bit!

But, we're all here...waiting for you to climb back on the frugal wagon (reaches out hand)...c'mon...jump on!

**autumnlynn** · 08-28-2007, 10:01 PM

Don't be too hard on yourself. Having a new baby is a wonderful thing and so what if you fell off the frugal wagon for awhile. You haven't used ccs and your FFEF is intact, so you're still on track. Just jump back on the frugal wagon. I have you a seat saved!!

**Darlene** · 08-29-2007, 09:14 AM

Scooch over & make room, Ani's climbing back on the FV wagon!

More importantly, hows that cute baby of yours doing? Love your avatar, those are some beautiful eyes & kissable cheeks!

**Ani** · 08-29-2007, 11:51 AM

Thanks guys. I'm glad that I started visiting this board again. Even in the last day or so I've been able to get things a bit more back in line. I asked my husband for some figures of what he wanted for pocket money this month and he said "Oh no, the sheriff is back in town." hee hee He was enjoying my inattention to our finances a little too much, I think.

Thanks for welcoming me back on the frugal wagon. *hops on*

**Ani** · 08-29-2007, 11:54 AM

Originally Posted by Darlene

Scooch over & make room, Ani's climbing back on the FV wagon!

More importantly, hows that cute baby of yours doing? Love your avatar, those are some beautiful eyes & kissable cheeks!

Oliver is doing great, he's such a sweetheart. He's just the cutest, sweetest thing in the world. I'm so happy to have him here finally.

**fizzie** · 08-29-2007, 12:53 PM

Hi Ani. Congrats! We have a new baby too and we almost named him Oliver! Then we realized that it sounded funny with our last name. In any case, we're having the same problems. There was more "stuff" to get than we thought and we bought things the baby didn't really need, like an expensive swing that he doesn't even like. Then there've been too many pizzas ordered, socializing with mommy groups at lunch spots, and long showers & hot baths. I even used the dryer when I could've hung the clothes out. And my library books are way overdue!

**mbell0817** · 08-29-2007, 09:47 PM

I haven't read all of the replies, so I'm sure I'm being redundant, but I went through the same thing when I had my son. I prepared a lot of OAMC meals beforehand, but I seriously have no idea what we ate or how much we spent at the store during those first few months. We ended up getting cable TV b/c I was so bored nursing 24/7 w/o anything to do (I can only read so many library books!). And I know I made a few spontaneous trips to BRU for nursing supplies and other things I had no idea I'd need (like a $60 Baby Einstein play gym that saved my life, but I'm sure if I worked harder, I could've found it for much cheaper at a yard sale or on ebay). Just be thankful that you were smart enough to start saving before the baby was born so you weren't going into debt! No one expects you to be organized and thrifty when you're getting 3 hours of sleep and have a baby in your arms all day.