Alright I have decided to try new things for 2015

For 2015 we are trying a budget binder in our home. I found one that another blogger put together and I fell in love with it.

Here is the link to that information and I am glad she shared it.

Just a girl and her blog budget binder

I also found a few other pages I am thinking of maybe adding to it that is on my pinterest under the finance board.

So far last night we have already spent grocery money, and had to add an extra expense called misc. We couldn't decide where to put the things we tend to buy when were out and about like soda's and stuff from the gas station.

Since my boyfriend works on the river he stops at the gas station everyday and purchases a few odds and ends on occasion. I didn't want to make it come from his play money but its not really grocery money either because if he would take those things from the house it would save money, so in order to see where our money is actual going we have to show everything. So that is an unneeded expense so hopefully we will see we spend too much and find ways to eliminate doing it altogether.  Maybe I can start packing him a lunch each day like I did several years back if he lets me.

Another thing we are doing is putting away a certain amount of money each month toward our house. Our house is a fixer upper we moved into over 2 years ago. We love our home but never have the money put aside when my boyfriend has the time to do it. So not only are we putting the money aside each month, any extra money made goes to this account and we are dedicating at least 1 day out of every other weekend to the house. We ended 2014 with a bedroom half way done, a bathroom demoed (there is a toilet on my back porch and has been for a while) and a living room. So this weekend we are starting back on our home. Some supplies we have already bought and have leftovers from some of the other rooms.

Another thing we are trying is to actually plan meals ahead. I never did this last year or stuck to it should I say. I found a bunch of sheets to print off and help me with this from other bloggers and they are also on my pinterest page. It gets annoying when I want to make a meal and don't have the stuff here or I have stuff here and don't realize it makes a meal. So if I plan ahead that will minimize the going out and grabbing something needed that isn't on sale and spending a lot of money on it or eating out. Which is another thing we are trying to cut back on.


If your like us you probably eat out a few times a month, well that adds up. Why not just find something similar to that fast food that you want to make at home? For us we love smithfields chicken dinners, until I realized I can get the drumsticks and thighs for $.99lb at foodlion very often and I can always make my own sides to go with it. Now if we have to do something and stay out super late instead of purchasing 2 chicken platters I will purchase a chicken box and come home and make some quick veggie sides and there is dinner. Still not spending nearly as much as I would for 2 platters.

These are just the few ways we are trying to save more and budget better this year. Remember savings no matter how much is always helpful. Never feel like others can do it when you can't. You don't have to coupon to save money you can always do it just by cutting back on things you really don't need.