Although many people don't like budgets, I find them to be helpful guides. I like to see exactly where my money is going. Scaling back when needed gives me a feeling of responsibility and self control. This month I was hoping to go see the touring company of Jersey Boys one last time, but I decided not to go. It was not in the budget. I'm so glad that I took the opportunity to see the show when I had the money and the travel time. I really fell in love with it. It is one of the most exciting and brilliant productions that I have ever seen. I cherish the memories I have of auditioning for the creative team when they came into town.
When I am feeling like I have to make cuts in my spending, I usually do a few things. The first one is to reduce my driving. I take advantage of taking the bus, combine errands into one trip, and also make use of my bicycle. Rather than driving to a hiking trail to hike my dogs, we just walk through the neighborhood. This really helps save on gasoline. For exercise, I do pilates and yoga in my living room. I enjoy going to the gym, but I am just as happy exercising at home. I also get a great workout trimming my trees, working in the garden, and cleaning the cottage.
Rather than buying more yarn, I knit projects from my stash. Right now I'm working on a sweet and simple shawlette. I'm using some lovely yarn that a lady in a local knitting group gave to me. She bought it to make socks, and decided that she wasn't going to use it. It's very nice quality. It's a mixture of cashmere and merino wool. I just love it. She also gave me some linen yarn that she's had in a drawer for years. I knit up some lace washcloths with it, and I just love them. They make really nice gifts with a bar of handmade soap. There's nothing like 100% linen, and it's expensive! She gave me a few skeins, and I am so excited to work with the rest of it.
I also try to cook from the cupboard to lower my grocery bill. Tonight I'm going to make a tuna and noodles casserole using a recipe that my mom used to make us when I was a child. It's very economical, and it tastes delicious. I don't have to buy any of the ingredients; they are all in my stockpile. This will give me lunch and dinner for the next few days. It's a good feeling to have meals prepared and ready to eat. All I have to do is make a white sauce, boil the noodles, add a can of tuna, season with white pepper, and combine.
The photos here are all of projects that I made with yarn that was given to me from the lady in my local knitting group. I gave the socks as a get well gift to my vocal coach, and the washcloths have been selling well in my Etsy shop. The shawlette will be nice to wear with jeans. It feels so good to use other people's leftovers.Quality yarn is such a gift. I am really pleased with how nicely the yarn knit up; it's very soft.
I too track all my expenses and like you I'd like to know where my hard earned money goes.
ReplyDeleteWhenever I need to reduce spending further, I buy vegetables that are $2/pound or less. I always combine errands and do grocery shopping every other week. Sometimes I can stretch it to three weeks unless I need fresh produce.
Wow, three weeks! That's a long time. I would like to grow more fruits and vegetables. That really helps.
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