I tend to mix emotions with money. When the account is full, I’m happy and feel carefree (do I sense a spending spree coming on?). Time to acquire the extras I’ve done without a few months: make-up, new shoes, Basa fish at Hen House or steaks, clothes for the kids, a few fat quarters from the quilt shop, a massage… the list is different each time. When the purchases have cleared, or not, feelings of guilt descend and the mad scramble begins—borrow from the LOC - just enough to cover each purchase as it comes in. I had not considered the automatic payments, i.e. utilities, student loan, car insurance; hefty amounts when added together, seemingly small when viewed individually. Once again, I had let Willy Nilly guide me (he gets me in so much trouble).

Having financial coaches Rachelle and Randy set guidelines for me and sorting out the numbers (which don’t shift with my emotions) has given me a solid ground. My mind still thinks “the old way” but the numbers on the paper show a new way, a prepared, planned way. A new habit is forming, but my mind is slow to catch on. I find myself thinking in the familiar groove of the past.

Rachelle has divided my monthly bills to pay some the first half of the month, the rest on the second half, with half of the mortgage being set aside each time. Groceries are allotted, as is Costco and spending for Jerome and myself. (I’ve spent mine already!)

Willy Nilly is behind bars. Prudence Planner is gaining control. 

Willy Nilly constantly appeals his sentence and asks for parole.

Prudence Planner shoves him back into his cell. I wish he wouldn't clang his tin cup so loudly!

After several months of tracking expenses, our coach Rachelle and my wife decided on a dollar amount per week for groceries. And as our daughter Natalie mentioned last week, we came in under our goal by being conservative in what we selected. I did let each of them pick out one thing to get.

However, half-way through the week we ran out of juice, milk, meat, and you get the idea. This weekend Candy and I went shopping with our daughter Georgiana and we bought considerably more. We purchased the things that were on sale in larger quantities. But we came in just under the target amount, not leaving any money for further food purchases this week, including eating out. With the excellent cooking skills of my wife, we won’t need to eat out!

I like the challenge of a dollar amount and trying to make choices so that we don’t exceed it. It’s like a game, and the goal is our financial well-being. To spend less than we earn and have some money left for savings, for emergencies, and for entertainment and hobbies is simple when we think about it, but we have to learn specific skills to actually carry it out. I feel like the rubber is starting to hit the road.

Recently, I went shopping with my dad and little sister for groceries, and realized a few things: a) I hate being in the grocery store. I don’t think I’ve actually been there on a real shopping trip with a parent in a few years, and now I know why. It’s way too cold. b) Young children slow down the shopping process considerably. And c) those Ice Breakers mints at the checkout are actually relatively expensive. However, we did find almost everything on the list and managed to stay under our goal for the trip. We tried not to buy anything extra this time (such as Pop Tarts and bags of candy) but we got some good snack foods which will hopefully last for the rest of the week.

Family life gets hectic sometimes. Last week was particularly busy for us. And all activities seem to have some relationship with money. Our children are appreciating this even more than I expected they would. They have been voluntarily opting out of drinks when we go out to eat and they have been willing participants in making their own lunches for the weekdays. Both of these decisions on their part have saved us substantial money each week.

While we save money on the daily items which add up, we are facing new challenges for the summer months. Wood is rotting in a couple of places on the front of the house, and the garage doors need painting. The big pear tree in the back yard needs to be trimmed before dead branches start falling on us. Some money is going to be spent, but we don’t have to paint the entire house and we don’t need a perfectly manicured tree. We could decide on a dollar amount and then see what we can get done for that price.

We are also looking at our television and movie-watching habits. It is looking like NetFlix for $9.00 per month is sure better than Blockbuster for $4.00 per movie. Even basic cable may not be worth the extra cost added on to phone and internet. That money could be saved and used to purchase a new 40-inch LCD TV so that we could have more enjoyment in watching movies.