Financial Diet

So..since we can't do anything about my expanding waist line...we've put our family on a new sort of diet. 

A financial diet.

With lots of changes on the way and some uncertainty about where we will be and cash flow... we were LONG overdue for a major overhaul of our spending habits.

Here's the thing. I have big shoes to fill.

My parents are living the dream. Retired young. Traveling. Financially secure.

I mean sure growing up we all called my Dad a "cheapskate" and I used to tease him that  he never saw a penny that he didn't pick up and put in his change jar. But the fact of the matter is....they made smart decisions and are reaping the benefits.

So our first step was to reduce our cash going OUT. Our biggest sinking expense was a car payment and maintanence on our Subuaru. Who in the world invented car payments? Dumbest thing ever.

So we traded in THIS.

Subaru Tribeca

For THIS

Toyota Prius

We've managed to cut our car payment by 33%. And we get between 50-60 mpg...cutting our gas consumption per month by more than 75%. That's HUGE savings over the life of our car. And immediate cash in our pockets. PLUS we tested the car with two strollers, two car-seats and my 6'3" husband and we fit just fine. Not even like sardines!

Our next step is to sell some of our useless crap. In fact, i'm holding a yardsale in a few weeks. It will help us trim out the excess and bank a little extra cash! And BONUS...My husband's expensive medical school books can be traded into Amazon for store credit ( where we can bank money to buy diapers, wipes, and anything else in the world you can buy on Amazon).

And finally....i've recently taken up the obsession with.....coupon-ing. It used to seem like such a waste of time to me...but now i'm obsessed.

Did you know that you can PRELOAD coupons on your store rewards card?  I just go to Kroger.com and add coupons to my rewards card.....no clipping, no envelopes, no cashier's getting annoyed.

Anyhoo....enjoy those gas price increases...we'll be tooting around on our one tank for the rest of the month.