Dollars and Sense

I found this great article on thenest.com (a newlywed staple):

4 Smart Spending Tips for Couples

As you all might know, Matt and I merged into the world of joint checking back in March and have been somewhat successful thus far in communicating with one another about money.  I liked this article a lot because it highlights one of our favorite ways to stop from spending money... packing a lunch instead of having meals out.  Matt and I both have individual amounts of "fun money" we are budgeted to spend each month.  Let's not talk about how I have $5 left for May and am def going to be going over my allowed amount (isn't moisturizer a grocery item??).  My point is, the majority of Matt's fun money goes toward lunches out.  Then at the end of the month, he's like "where did all my fun money go?"  Meals out are typically the culprit.  I have tried to be more conscious of having deli meats, breads, cheeses etc. and the kind of apples he will eat (only golden delicious, which I do not enjoy) on hand at all times so he can actually pack lunch.  By my estimation, this has really made a difference.

Seems like a small change, but definitely one worth making!

Shoo, Jimmy Choo!

Matt and I have spent many hours in the past two days talking about our finances.  What a drag, right?

Financial speak and I have not always had the most fruitful of relationships.  Let me put it to you this way... I consider myself to be a pretty good student, yet found Family Financial Management at Tech to be one of the most difficult courses of my undergrad career.  Not kidding.  Money market mutual funds, compounding interest, blah blah blah...  Maybe it had something to do with it being on a Friday morning, too...

The dreadful course aside, I finally found the book at Barnes and Noble that is speaking to me in all the right ways.  It is called Shoo, Jimmy Choo: The Modern Girl's Guide to Spending Less and Saving More by Catey Hill.  This book gives easy to understand instructions for those of us who didn't major in finance on how to lessen/eliminate debt, save money and stay our fabulous selves.  It emphasizes the importance of giving yourself little allowances in spending.  However, it also helps you identify why you spend and seeks to teach you how to sacrifice a little.

Why buy this book?

Because, I'm sorry, I'm not scrimping on skin care and drinks out.  But at the same time, it is very important to my family of two to start growing, rather than just sustaining ourselves pay period to pay period.

So I put my big girl panties on and made my first real budget with my husband.  $100/month of fun money... do you think I can do it?

XOXO,

Aud