Living on cash

I've cheated this week. We ate out using the debit b/c I was too lazy to stick to my meal plan.  However we have been good of only shopping once a week and not buying coffee everyday at a shop.  It's not easy cutting out things.  

I know we will get there but it seems like it will take forever.    Really nervous about groceries because school starts Tuesday. Lunch items seem sooooo expensive. I will continue my price matching and coupon as much as I can.  Hoping to find some ideas on Pinterest to help lower food cost.  

Will keep you updated. 

Heidi

The start

This week has been an interesting one.  I have made a budget and started using cash.  It's not as easy as the tv shows make it out to be however I am really excited to see how things will go.

I am using a a budget planner pro app on my iPad & iPhone.  I am used to using Quicken on my laptop however my computer crashed so I needed to start new.  It's a learning curve but being able to budget for 3 months is fantastic as I know that what I spend now will impact my bank account in October.

Pretty pumped about my couponing and rebate apps.  I did up a meal plan with most of the groceries I already had, worked on my list and shopped for an hour and a half.  Couponing and price matching takes a lot of work but it is sooooooooooo worth it.   Overflowing grocery cart for under $70 made me very very happy.  I've gone from $120.00 bill to $70.  My goal is to get it to $50.00 a week, however with 5 mouths to feed, I am not sure I am going to figure this out.

What am I doing?

I am price matching using my ''flipp'' app, which is amazing!!!   I am also using coupons on the sale price items as well as rebate apps, which you load your receipts too.  My hopes is to get each item under $1.00 or even free.  Free is so much better then $1.00 ;) 

My friend yesterday shared on Facebook how she price matches.  It's such a fantastic, organized way to do it.  I find the more orderly your order is, the happier and nice your cashiers are.  If you are a ''mess'' and aren't ready with your flyers or your ''apps'', the process can become very stressful and embarrassing.   Here is her chart to help get us started in the organization progress.

''How to use the chart!  Basically, you just write a little detail in the box about the item you 'clipped' (either in the app or with actual flyers).  I organize my grocery cart by each row (group items together as well as you can) and when shopping you go by the columns (get everything from all the flyers at once). That way you're not forgetting things and have to go back to a section.  Once you get to the checkout you take out groceries & group by the flyer as it goes through (to show one flyer at a time).''

I know that this is the start of something exciting.  Saving and teaching my children is such a passion of mine.  It all begins with teaching ourselves first. 

Why now?

Why am I choosing now to ''wake up and smell the coffee''?  Great question to ask.  Could it be because I look at our growing children and realize my daughter is not that far from University/College, which means either are our 2 sons?  Could it be that due to Student loans we started our lives together in debt, and just continued down this path and I am tired of it?    Could it be because I want to be a great example to our kiddo's and right now I know we/I are not doing that at the moment?  Could it be I am sick of feeling trapped in an ugly pit, that I (yes I) have created?   Could it be All the above?

If you answered all the above, you are correct.    We are almost finished paying our student loans, but STILL have ''stupid debt'' that we have created over the last 13 years.  Why?  It started with a few little purchases here and there, then it grew.  Then we went through a time where my husband was without a job and I was working in retail, so we used our cards to help us ''survive''.   THEN we got to a place where I again would make stupid little purchases and it just started to add up.   And now I find that I am paying the banks way too much for pure stupidity.  

I am a Christian and in the last few months have felt great conviction that it is time to get my families finances in order and become ''Good Stewards'' with the money that we are given.

What are my Goals?

Save DRASTICALLY on Groceries- less prepackaged, coupons ,rebates, meal planning

Snowball the debts

Earn more income

Live on Cash

I am sure there is more.. But this is where I will begin.   Hope you enjoy this journey as much as I am sure I will.