The thrill is gone.... already?!

Wish DH was on same page as me with this.  I am irritating him, and fights get picked.  Worse than picking scabs, if ya know what I mean.

This. is. a. test.

Today there was another test: shopping with somewhat of an enabler, my dear d-i-l.  After our Red Hat luncheon, we headed for Wegmans because she needed to do her weekly shopping.  We have fun shopping together, especially in the big international  Weggers.  She tells me of wonderful things that she has tried and I want to just try them all, whether I need to or not.  BUT!  I will use them!  I will, I will... Brussel sprouts, fresh asparagus, mmmmmm, but they are a total waste if we don't eat them!  That is one of my former wasteful trends... looks wonderful in the store, cart, in the  p. c. reusable grocery bag, then gets jammed in the vegetable drawer, never to be seen again until being slowly lifted, pinched between thumb and forefinger, as a slimy UFO (unidentified food object), to be flung quickly into the garbage.  Must use!.

First test, and some insight from the daughter

So today I ventured out of my safe zones. Jess and I went vintage/used-clothing shopping for her. I requested her help in buying nothing but the the necessary groceries. Ritzy Rags and AmVets were easy - I just stayed away from my size clothing. Target was a bit more challenging, but the fresh resolve continues.
When I told Jess of the intense guilt I felt yesterday from buying $10 more in cat tunnel toy than I had planned to, she pointed out that the last time I set my mind to discipline myself to control my spending, I did so too harshly, and wasn't able to maintain the resolve. So now I must find a means to relax my rigidity some. Perhaps the idea of setting aside an allowance weekly to be spent on non-necessities. Not sure how much to set aside, and exactly what will fit in the category for which I will use it....
And, btw... the extra cat thing, the tunnel, was supposed to fasten to the two houses that I purchased to replace old broken ones. It didn't match up right with the houses and went back to Target for a refund. Yeah! Also, they had forgotten to take down a sale sign, so I got a Super Refund of nearly $12. More yeah!

Here I am, and here's the problem

gaillardiaJan 24, 2012 07:33 PM

So here's the deal. 2011 was not kind to me. There were lots of medical expenses. Due to several of them in a perfect-storm kind of combo, my teeth began breaking apart at an alarming speed. The end result? A $7K debt to my darling dentist. Actually, that's not sarcastic, in spite of all appearances. He is sweet, kind, gentle, humorous, and EXPENSIVE! These expenses are compounded by some rather entitled and very impulsive self-gratifying spending. I created huge amounts of lovely jewelry without having any clear plans on how to profit from it. Do you have any idea how small a bag of $150 work of lovely glass beads can be? It's quite deceiving! I ate into the inheritance I have left from my mother, and my determination to replenish that account by at least $5K (preferably $10K) means this is going to be a LONG endeavor!
So. To be paid off:
Dentist: approx $5K
Podiatrist: $660 that he told me would be completely covered by my insurance. Grrrrr.
Inheritance: at least $5K.
Minimum amount in order to achieve this goal:
Approx $10,700
Current plan: 1) Keep rigid, itemized specs of ALL expenses.
2) SPEND LESS! MUCH LESS! via...
a) no impulse buys
b) avoid all areas of Target except for grocery department
c) avoid any and all department or clothing stores until spring.
d) rarely use credit card. Can be used for Target (5% discount), gas stations (%5 return).... and maybe that's it.
e) as little unnecessary spending as possible, like massages, craft supplies, novels, jewelry.
OK, that's all the commitment I can bear for now.... I look forward to vulnerably exposing my foibles to you all!

LET THE BUDGET BLOGS COMMENCE

Your hosts:

]

Jessica - 28 years old.  Downtown renter.  Single.  No Roomates.  One cat, rabbit, and a penchant for impulse purchases and travel.

Gail - lovely mother of Jessica.  Suburban homeowner - 3 more years to mortgage free. Married.  Two adult children.  Two cats.  Penchant for gardening, knitting, and jewelry marking.

Together, we are BUDGETING BABES.  We have made a pact to get our finances under control.  As a brazen mother-daughter team, we know each other better than anyone and can whip our bodacious butts into shape.

We will both blog about with tips, successes, failures, insights and gnashing of teeth.  Let the blogging begin.