Eew...finances.

Anybody else HATE dealing with finances? Somehow I (the worst person with money) got the responsibility of handling it in our home. I dread dealing with it each time I have to. I don't mind spending the money...I just hate balancing the check book, keeping track, being accountable and mostly being the one who knows the bottom line.

I'm sitting here with a sick feeling in my stomach b/c this whole"economy issue" is really bugging me. I don't know enough about it to really discuss it at all, but I do know that my bones are telling me just exactly what my husband has been telling me for years which is to "cut back the spending!"

So, here I sit with my list of things to cut back on, making phone calls. The first change we're making is selling one of the children. They cost waaay too much. Hee hee...just kidding. The first change is not eating out for a month (at least.) We noticed that a big chunk on our Visa bill is out to eat money and it's those small $10-$20 amounts that are adding up to hundreds so quickly. So, there's that.

Next is the cable and phone. We have both talked in length about cutting out the cable, mostly for parental reasons before though. There's no need for our kids to watch SO much T.V. and it's definitely an energy waster here b/c usually it's on as background noise. So we're just gonna do it. No cable and we're gonna go ahead and cancel the home phone too since we both have cell phones. Usually it's just our parents, closest friends and Abby's friends who call on the home phone and they all know our cell number anyway. Of course, that's gonna force me to keep my phone charged and with me at all times. I'm terrible about leaving my phone in the car, unplugged and usually half dead. That change alone will cut our monthly bill from $110 to $26.00 (maybe lower if we get a slower internet.)

And, not without a small burn, I'm gonna cut out the gym membership. I have convinced myself that it's my sanity at stake, being able to get away from the house and burn off some energy while getting away from the kids for a bit. BUT, if I'm being honest with myself, I really need to be spending more one on one time with my kids anyway (being on the floor playing, involving them in my own chores, reading to them and going outside more) and my sanity and spiritual safety is NOT wrapped around the gym membership. It IS wrapped around my alone time with Christ and I know from experience that I have a much better day and can handle most of what the kids throw at me (usually poop and tantrums) with ease when I am opened up to the holy spirit and spending time reading the Bible. So, I'm gonna keep my eyes focused on that and enjoy the $50 savings each month. Scott's also gonna take less tennis opportunities this Winter. The Winter months is when we have to pay for him to play and now his smaller group has been absorbed into a bigger group of players at the club, so he'll be rotating chances to play instead of being a sure thing. He'll be able to bow out of matches that are clear across Columbus and save money by not playing the match and the gas it takes to drive all that way, and that'll circle back to my sanity being intact. :)

And the next thing is our Sams Club membership. I've always figured that I spent waaaay more there than I saved and now I'm sure of it. So we're gonna cut that membership and solely buy at the grocery stores or Gordon Food Service (only if need be), which I've heard is just as cool as Sam's but requires no membership. There's also an Aldi Foods opening up right here by my house, so my plan is to shop there for as much as we can and only get the necessities or couponed items at the other stores.

This is all in an effort to live smaller. We've been thinking about doing it for so long but never really had the courage to do it. This uneasiness in the air regarding the economy and this billion dollar payoff and the fact that we really feel like we have no control over how our government affects us has been just what we needed to push us into smaller, more controlled and ultimately closer and happier living. I don't see that this will be easy and I'm SURE it'll take a lot of getting use to. Our hope is that this will cause us to be a closer family and happier in the end. God willing we'll see some improvement in our savings and the economy very soon.

Any tips on saving, coupons, cheap recipes, ways to live smaller/poor - send 'em my way! I'll keep you as posted as I can about how we are doing!