Sometimes I spend money, then I think to myself, “Crap, I’m a frugal living blogger, how am I going to let my readers know I’ve spent so much money?” Well, I’m here to tell you that even though I know all the right things to do to save money, sometimes I don’t do it. That’s life, right? Don’t we all have those moments where we are equipped with the knowledge, but don’t have the time or energy to follow through? That’s been me lately!
I’ve been spending so much time coming up with easy ways to save money for Christmas, that I’ve neglected to save money on Thanksgiving. I know all the things I should have done this past week. I should have checked out the Public BOGO items, looked up coupons, and put together a menu out of items I already had on hand. I just didn’t get around to it, and now I’m way over budget.
Not only did I go way over budget on groceries, Tom and I both spent a lot of money on personal items. I finally got my MacBook Pro! Check out my new workspace (here’s a post about my old desk):
Tom finally went to Brooks Brothers and bought two new suits. He’s been wearing the same 3 suits to work everyday for the last 5, maybe 6, years. They’ve held up well, but it’s time to retire them. All of them had rips. They’d been patched multiple times! As much as it pains me to see Tom spend such a huge amount on clothes, I know he needs them. His livelihood depends on how professional he looks. No one wants to hire an unkempt lawyer!
I was feeling a bit guilty about the price of my MacBook, but my livelihood depends on it too. Well, sort of. I’m getting more and more paid posts each week, and a good computer makes blogging easier and faster.
We also bought this outdoor table a few weeks ago.
We don’t usually make so many large purchases in one month. My heart still kind of hurts. We financed the table because the store offered 0% interest for one year. We will pay it off by the end of the year to avoid interest. My computer was put on our credit card, but it will be paid off by December 1st. Tom’s suits were put on a store credit card that will be paid off ASAP to avoid interest. Our policy is usually to put no more on credit than what we have liquid in our savings account (not retirement account), however, we’ve gone slightly above that in the last month. Just in time for the holidays, right?
[bctt tweet=”Always try to keep the amount on your credit card lower than the amount you have in savings. “]The bonus is that these three items count as our Christmas presents. They are pretty good presents if I do say so myself! Who wouldn’t be happy with a new MacBook? Y’all, I’m so in love with it, it isn’t even funny. I’m calling it my new baby.
Okay, on to this week’s budget. You know that I usually try to only spend $150 for the week. That did not happen this week. On the plus side, I did manage to make this chalkboard from an old frame and cardboard. Cardboard! These entire craft was free because I already had everything from previous purchases. I just painted chalk paint onto it. If you do this, make sure to treat the paint with chalk all over it before writing on it. Then wipe it off and it’s ready.
Did you notice that I keep trying to distract you from the amount I spent this week? I’m not proud of it at all. Here it is:
Trader Joe’s: $144.73
Publix: $101.01
Walmart: $58.07
Total: $303.81 DOUBLE the amount I usually spend.
We are hosting Thanksgiving dinner, but it’s only for 4 people! Surely I didn’t need to spend double what I usually do for one meal. I blame Robert a little bit since he’s starting to eat more. He’s also drinking more milk. He is still slightly dairy intolerant so we do coconut and almond milk for him, which is not cheap! I also blame Thanksgiving appetizers. I may have spent $8 on truffle oil brie from Trader Joe’s. I couldn’t resist.
Anyway, I’ve learned a lesson. I need to stop focusing on Christmas savings, and put more energy into saving during Thanksgiving.
Do you go way over budget on holiday meals too? Please tell me I’m not alone!
Congrats on the new desk and items that you needed– your blog is great cause it’s real. Your struggle is everybody’s struggle! It’s fun to read :)
Just a thought — since you use credit cards wisely do you have one that gives back? My CITI thank you gives me points to cash in for gift cards or airline tickets. Used it to get a free ticket in October. Husband’s card deposits money directly into our retirement IRAs. We actually fight over who gets to pay :) We put all our purchases on them and pay them at the end of the month, no interest accrued. Have been very happy with this!
So Happy Thanksgiving in your new home!
My husband is very interested in the IRA credit card. How cool!
That chalkboard is so cool! There are ups and downs with budgeting, but you’re good with your money…it’ll pan out fine. Have a great Thanksgiving!
Thanks! I hope my budget evens out soon!