T.G.I.F.

Thank goodness it's February!

Russ and I are back on the cash only system for our budget. We took a class at church about a year and a half ago. We used Dave Ramsey's book- Financial Peace. We learned a lot from it and have been trying to apply what we learned to our financial life.

I am blessed to be married to a man with a very financially-conscience mind. He keeps us on track with our money. I don't do a bad job, but it's very easy to overspend at Wal-Mart when you use a credit card.

We have used a Discovercard for over 10 years. (It's the card that pays you back!) We feel like Discovercard hates us because since we pay off our balance every month, they are having to pay us to use their card. Win, win for us, right? Well, not when you buy things you don't need.

So we set up our budget over Christmas and I went to the bank to get lots of cash to make it through January. I am proud to say I only cheated twice. That is-using my credit card. Once, it was an honest mistake- just habit- at a restaurant. The other, I found a $65 toy that we almost got the girls for Christmas on sale for just $20. I didn't have any budget left, so I was weak and used the card.

As of LAST Tuesday, I only had $8 left in the grocery budget. Enough to buy two gallons of milk. That's it. So I made it almost 10 days without getting groceries.

And as far as my personal budget. I saved $20 of it. I really want to have a 3D or 4D ultrasound with this baby. I didn't have one with the girls, and I think they are so neat. So I am saving my money. It's not easy. I have to get my hair cut this month, I'm out of my face make-up and I need new undergarments. (things get bigger when you are pregnant!) So I am going to try really hard to not buy anything else.

We are doing this again because I really want a new house. But we have no down payment saved up for it. So that is what we are going to be working on. So now I think, "new pair of shoes, or new house?" That helps me stay on track. I'll let you know how it goes!