Sometimes I wish I could leave the budgeting up to my husband, let go and not think about the money situation, but if we switched back and forth like that, the whole plan would be destroyed.
For example, let's say our electric is $500 this month (and it is because we have electric heating... living in the northeast of good ol' America has it's drawbacks - namely winter) and I budget our plan for it, but next pay check I tell my husband to do it. Sure, I'll have a break from the money, but I might not realize the way he budgeted our following month's electric was he split it between two checks... So when it's my turn to budget the next check I have an unexpected bill I wasn't counting on and I somehow have to find a way to squeeze it in!
So this is why one person doing ALL the budgeting is important in my family. The problem is, the other person (my husband) is completely oblivious to what I'm doing. Even if I show him the budget plan for the month, he's not in charge of the money, I am, so unfortunately life can be chaotic between us.
Every couple has their ups and downs, their pros and cons, there is NO SUCH THING AS A PERFECT RELATIONSHIP! Our relationship has problems with budgeting. I can have every little thing written down, 'unexpected' funds set aside, but something still always ends up getting in the way... and that is my husband and his spending habits...
Cigarettes - a huge and unnecessary expense! Millions of people smoke - Newports, Marlboro, Camel, etc... but there's one thing that I, as a non-smoker, have never been able to understand.
- Why smoke if you can't afford it?
From day one of my husband's habit, he was scrounging for pennies to a pack of cigarettes. Everyone is naive, sure, but don't think for a minute that 'one pack' will get you hooked. At almost $6 - $10 a pack (and that's just around here, New York is practically $20 for a single pack of cigarettes!) you'd think you'd be able to do the math and figure out from day one, if you're already dead broke, that you can't afford to keep up such a habit, so better not to. Some people start when they already have a job and a decent income, but then come to realize that the cost is extraordinary every month, then there are others who just would pick cigarettes off their friends and eventually started buying their own here and there... but you don't really notice the cost because it's just a few dollars for a pack here or there...
The people I'm talking about are the ones who try to chain smoke, who smoke at every event, after every meal, to keep awake while driving, after sex, every time a friend does... before you know it you've smoked 2-3 packs in a single day! That's $15 up in smoke!!
Multiply that by 30 days and you end up with a $450 expense every month!!
As a mother of 3 children, $450 is not something I want to just throw away to cigarettes... I'd rather spend it on milk through the month or new clothes, shoes, something other than cigarettes!
So this is something my husband and I have worked through... It is difficult to quit, I've seen many people try and fail and try again, but while you're trying and failing, instead of spending that money, you can look for alternatives....
In order to lower the budget on his cigarette problems, we compromised and found a cigarette store that sold bags of tobacco and tubes and a roller... The roller was about $50, but if you think about it, that $50 is a ONE TIME CHARGE and far less than all those packs a month so well worth it... and then two large bags of tobacco only equal about $25! Add in the $5 for few boxes of tubes and you're spending a mere $30 compared to that nasty $450!!
One day I hope to get him to quit entirely, but in the mean time, while he tries and tries again... he can at least eliminate a huge expense from our budget plan, freeing up room for the needs of our children!
I'm sure you all have your plans, or that one cost you wish you could get rid of... but while you try and figure out how to remove it completely, why not look into how you can just lower it?
Your Cell Phone Bill - I was trying to lower our bill and when I found out there was no way without putting us in danger of overages the representative offered a full year discount - for no reason but being with them as a 'valued customer'. It's the first time I've ever heard of such a thing, but apparently Verizon has a customer appreciation discount! We've now got $20 off our bill for the next YEAR!!! And I'm sure if Verizon has it, there are many other companies out there that also carry this deal!!
Also if you don't think you can find such a deal, still call your company, you might find that your company has lowered the price of certain plans, plans you already have! And if you don't call or go online and change it to the lower bill, it won't go down. I know that might seem very odd, why would they make you pay for $50 for a plan they're now only charging $40 for, but it's all about their computers, they need to take off that old plan and replace it with the new one. You won't lose anything but you will save $10!
Cable - I used to have it, now I don't. Why? Because I found another way of watching TV, free normal local channels and Netflix! I'd rather pay the $7.99 a month than the $200 cable bill for channels I don't even watch....
And want to know another trick - Do you have access to YouTube? You might be surprised but if you go onto YouTube you can now search for your favorite shows right on there! You can watch them on your computer, TV or PlayStation for FREE! So ask yourself the next time you get your cable bill, do you really need it or can you do with something lower?
I could go on and on all day about other options, but the bottom line is, there is need and then there is want, you 'need' to figure out where you can cut back to give you more relaxation.
The key to it all is wondering 'Am I paying too much for this?' If you're asking yourself that question, than the answer is yes! You can find better options out there!
Please feel free to leave comments below about your experiences, show how you were able to cut back your bills because word of mouth is almost the most reliable tool out there! If someone else was able to do it, you can too!
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