Financial Fitness

Well now that it's near the end of the month, I think it's time to share an update on how my January resolution is going. Bear with me... this might get long. I have lots of info to share!

So, here are a few things I have done to help save my bucks:

• Set a budget, and stick to it! I can not reiterate how important this is. Cory and I were always good at piecing together a weekly budget, but we weren't good at actually following it. Earlier this month we actually sat down and looked at a month as a whole. Once we changed to my expensive health insurance, we knew we needed to make some changes in order to keep our head's above water. Now we try to sit down once a week to discuss the next week's needs in order to budget and plan ahead. 
• Learn to say "no." As much as we love hanging out with our friends and wish we could do everything we're invited to, the simple truth is, it doesn't fit in the budget. Just this last weekend, our friends were getting together for dinner and night of bowling. We decided to do dinner, but skipped out on the bowling knowing we still had other purchases that needed to come out of our account. It might be hard to say no, but we both felt better knowing we hadn't blown a bunch of money in one night. 
• Mind the groceries. This has been the biggest one for me. I downloaded an app recently that has helped me immensely. It's called "Out of Milk" and it's really just an extensive grocery list. The best part about this app, however, is that I can list prices with each item. That way, as I'm shopping, I can tell about where my bill will fall. There will be no going over budget! An added bonus is that this has also helped me cut down on junk food purchases. (Which is hard for a pregnant lady) :) 
• Don't be afraid to use coupons.The Omaha World Herald does wonders for my tight budget. I couldn't believe how many coupons come each week! Every little bit counts.
• The last thing I did to help us organize our finances was to create a place for all of our bills that need to be paid. We needed a place where we could see the bills everyday without having to leave a pile on the kitchen table. (Pure tackiness.) So, I spent $6 on a few pieces of corkboard from Menards and combined it with the inside of my kitchen cabinet. 

{Four sheets for $6}

{I had to make a few adjustments to fit my cupboard}

{Fits perfect!}

{Finished!}

For those of you who know me, of course I'm not going to pin just bills to this board. And you should know that I put this board on the inside of our coffee cupboard. You can bet this one opens each morning. :)

Well that's all on my January resolution for now! I think with the budget changes we've made we should hopefully be able to afford diapers. And wipes. And formula. And clothes? Babies are expensive!