Isn't it nice, to do the things you want to, without hurting your budget?
By ljcapps
@ljcapps (1925)
United States
February 25, 2007 5:54pm CST
My wife and i, when we first lived together, made very little, money wise. To be honest, we were actually very poor. Our budget was very tight leaving little room even for the food budget. And it stayed that way several years, because as we began to claw our way up, our son was born. A surprise to say the least, and so any extra we had and scraped out, went towards him and his comfort and well being. Now, several years later, we're doing better. We went to wal-mart today (boo, i know, boo to walmart) and spent substantially more than we had planned. We bought a new trash can, and more groceries than was on our list. We bought a little entertainment center for our son's room. We bought rechargeable batteries, and a new set of sheets that even on clearance still cost quite a bit. And it didn't hurt us. We didn't have to save for months and months to be able to buy a 20 dollar entertainment stand or a pair of 40 dollar sheets. And my wife and I were just sitting here smiling at each other over how nice it is to be able to afford to do that. Now, we can't do it on a regular basis, and can't randomly drop a couple hundred on nothing, but how nice and simple is it that we're smiling over fresh flowers in the house and a new trash can that we didn't have to budget in? How about you? do you have experiences like this, where something so simple makes you so grateful?
7 people like this
21 responses
@Blazing15 (333)
• United States
26 Feb 07
I think that is awesome that you are spending some money on yourselves and feeling good about it. I used to buy a lot of things for the children all the time and didn't leave much money for me and my husband to do anyting. Now I don't buy them as much because they have so much and me and my husband try to go out to eat every week just to spend some time together and just to get out. It feels so nice to have some extra money every now and then.
3 people like this
@ljcapps (1925)
• United States
27 Feb 07
It is nice. Actually it's almost a giddy feeling. Not the one where you go to the checkout and then stare at each other thinking, My god, how are we going to pay for this? It's a feeling of wow, we've paid our bills and there's enough for us to get a little something extra.
1 person likes this
@maddysmommy (16230)
• United States
26 Feb 07
I'm always grateful for the simple things in our lives - we can't afford much either, living on one income and a child to take care of, and pretty much trying to establish a new life here in USA. Every now and then i like it when my hubby says, ok, lets plan an outing today or lets go out for dinner, im always asking can we afford it and when he says just this once, makes me excited and happy at the same time.
3 people like this
@ljcapps (1925)
• United States
27 Feb 07
My wife is the same way. We're trying to plan a trip to take our son to the aquarium, which we've saved a little here and there to do, and we're so excited. Even if it's just going out for ice cream, we still appreciate it. Because we couldn't always afford ice cream. Keep at it, there comes a point where it has to get better.
1 person likes this
@kgwat70 (13387)
• United States
26 Feb 07
That was a wonderful story of you and your family and how you managed to budget your money wisely and be able to support yourselves and your son. It is definitely nice to be able to do the things I want and not hurt your budget. You certainly know how to make money go a long way. I certainly do not need all the best things in life to make me happy. I am sure your son appreciates everything you and your wife have done for him. :-)
2 people like this
@ljcapps (1925)
• United States
27 Feb 07
Thank you for that. I hope he appreciates it, but him being four, LOL, we might have to wait a little bit for gratitude. We don't need the best things in life either. Actually, my wife gets upset when she walks past some cover of a magazine where some starlet has paid 2,000.00 for some shirt they'll wear once. she'll get started on how many homeless you could feed for that much, and how many people could use that money for better things than a shirt to wear once.
1 person likes this
@brokentia (10389)
• United States
26 Feb 07
First let me say, I am very happy for you!!! It is very nice to be able to pick up those extra few things you need that you did not budget for.
I can say that we also have struggled. We have seven children, so...it is expected.
But then a couple years ago, I got a job and it became very nice to have that extra income where we could purchase things that we did not plan for.
We didn't go crazy spending all over because we didn't have that kind of budget either...but it was nice to be able to buy things here and there that were not planned for.
But...sadly...we moved with his job to another state and we are back to struggling because I can not work here. The school hours in this state does not give to a two parent working household. So, I am staying home and things are tight again. But I know it will get better later on. We always find a way of making it through. :)
2 people like this
@ljcapps (1925)
• United States
26 Feb 07
we're the same way. we always make it through the tough times, and those have been numerous. I can't imagine trying to make it with seven children so i have to stand up and give you kudos on that, repeatedly. right now, my wife is able to stay at home with our son which is another big bonus for us, with my schedule being so off it'd be hard to spend time together otherwise, and our son is learning at a much faster pace than he was. We still save money and put it away, because there's always something around the next corner waiting to break, LOL
2 people like this
@ljcapps (1925)
• United States
2 Mar 07
LOL that's what my wife says. She says, i might bring home the paycheck, and toyota is hard, (granted, she knows that because she worked there for two years) but she's the one doing all the hard work. Being on call 24/7, in charge of food, play time, house cleaning, and it goes on. I wouldn't want her job. I'm REALLY bad at keeping up with housework. All I can think in my head is "Dad is great, he gave us chocolate cake..." I love being with my son, but i have to say, i don't thank her enough for what she does for me. So, to my wife, and all stay at home moms, THANK YOU. LOL But mostly my wife.
@avonrep1 (1862)
• United States
26 Feb 07
Yes I know that feeling all to well. It is a wonderful day when you can do that. I too have went through this, things in the last 5 years have changed for me. I remember it like yesterday to, that feeling.
My dryer went out. I bought the dryer along with my washer years before from a place that fixes them. I only paid $100.00 for the pair. When it went out, I was able to go buy a new one. I did have to put it on a credit card, but the year before I didn't even have that. I was also able to pay it off with-in two months. Yes I did need it, I have three kids and the laundry mat would have been more expensive in the long run, but the feeling of being able to buy something you can't afford at the moment but can get by without loosing everything it a great feeling. Hold on to it and it will keep coming. Thats the power of Attraction.
@ljcapps (1925)
• United States
27 Feb 07
I'd be the last person to dispute needing a washer and dryer set when you have children. LOL we've only got one, but we love ours. they're used, but they work, so who cares? My wife jokes that our dryer is older than she is. Which, actually, might be true. LOL We recently had the starter go out on our car, and it's a mitsubishi so we were dreading the bill, but had to have it fixed. It cost us about 250 with the tow bill but we were able to juggle and pay for it in two weeks. It was great. We were tight, but we weren't selling our stuff to pay for it.
1 person likes this
@paidreader (5143)
• United States
26 Feb 07
I've been married for almost 23 years and most of them have been spent trying to budget well enough to cover the groceries. There were a few years that I would have to clip coupons & shop the sales to get enough food for the 3 of us with the $25 that was left over after the bills got paid. It's not so bad now, but I'm still a frugal shopper. :) My walmart grocery shoping is a lot nicer now that I found a free game site that pays out in walmart cards. LOL, It takes me 3 weeks to earn them but only one day to spend them.
@ljcapps (1925)
• United States
27 Feb 07
LOL that's the way it is with us. I get paid on fridays, and between paying bills, groceries, and what we pay in to our savings, and gas, it's normally gone by monday or tuesday. but we sit back and it's okay because the bills are paid and there's groceries in the house. I remember having 25 dollars for the food budget. It was always hard that when something had to be paid it came out of the food budget and whatever was left over is what we had. what's the site that you use? that would be very interesting to do!
1 person likes this
@paidreader (5143)
• United States
27 Feb 07
Since you're in the US, you can sign up. :) It's a really cool quick pick game at http://beam.to/netwinner My hubby likes to get the occasional quick pick for the lottery when it gets gets up there pretty good, but I prefer playing this one anytime I want for free. LOL, I do play alot too. I warn you now that it's pretty addictive! I've been playing since the end of August and have already redeemed for $175 in wally world cards. I've had a few people signup under me that really like playing too, so when they win, I get 10% of their win too. One of my friends has already had Three seperate $25 wins. The best I've done was 5000 points in one spin, but thats $5! Hope you'll check it out & play a while. Then let me know what you think.
@ljcapps (1925)
• United States
27 Feb 07
I hope you do. We've decided that we're doing fine on our budget now, so anything extra that we make, like bonuses or raises, will go straight into savings. There's still things we want, like, oh, a house. LOL We were so excited this year when we found out we're middle class. Although we were kind of torn when we found we didn't get the EIC in our taxes for our son because we had made too much.
1 person likes this
@juliocstryfe (2019)
• Brazil
26 Feb 07
One thing Im used to doing, even though Im not on a tight budget or anything, is to buy clothes at the reject shop, and second-hand furniture.
Its amazing how a new pair of Levi´s cost 1/20th of its price, just because of a wrngly-sown button, and how expensive mohagony deskes can be bought cheap.
2 people like this
@ljcapps (1925)
• United States
27 Feb 07
We buy a lot of our stuff either on sale, or from clearance/second hand shops. Especially clothes for our son, he grows so fast that it would impossible to buy him a brand new wardrobe every time he goes up a size in clothes. Although the one thing we don't scrimp on is good shoes. We're firm believers that good shoes are a must have. Now, not fifty pairs of shoes, *laughs* but at least one. otherwise, i have no problem buying secondhand.
1 person likes this
@mom2chriskel (1060)
• United States
26 Feb 07
Oh I hear ya! When my husband and I first got married, he was an E-2 in the Navy....poor is all I have to say...lol. It was awful.
Now he is out of the Navy and he makes decent money in his civilian job. It is so great to be able to go out and get what you need without worrying about what you will cut out of your budget to get what you need.
It was tough but we stuck with it and never let money get us down too much. Well, it got us down but we never let it effect us as a couple like a lot of people do :(
2 people like this
@ljcapps (1925)
• United States
27 Feb 07
My wife and i had plenty of problems due to money also, but i was never willing to let it get so bad that we lost each other. Out of everything losing each other would have been the worst, especially due to money. And it is nice to be able to just pick up something that wasn't in your budget without worrying about what you'll have to cut out to pay for it.
@Starline (681)
• United States
26 Feb 07
Itäs so nice to hear that you were able to work your way out of poordom. I donät think that people that are born rich can appreciate things like fresh flowers the way you do, who have struggled hard to get where you are today. Iäm happy for you and wish you luck!
@ljcapps (1925)
• United States
27 Feb 07
LOL thank you very much. and i like that, Poordom. we always used to joke that we'd have to find someone to take care of us in the method that we've gotten used to, and my wife would joke that poverty wasn't hard to attain. We've been there, so we can joke about it. Our new years resolution has always been to be better off financially and emotionally than we were this time last year. And so far, we've achieved that.
1 person likes this
@retardedrugrat (4791)
• Canada
26 Feb 07
I know the feeling all too well.
Things have been tight for my partner and I for quite a while now.
However, my partner has just recently gotten a new job, and the money is substantially more than he was earning from his last job, so we too splurged a little more than we usually would,just because we can.
It's a wonderful thing to know that we can make rent, pay the car insurance, pay the bills AND have a little bit left over for a rainy day at the end of it.
Our relationship too is getting better and better because we're not as stressed over the financial side of it any more.
2 people like this
@ljcapps (1925)
• United States
27 Feb 07
Isn't it strange how that works? the more stressed you are over finances, the more you tend to fight with your partner. My wife and i were similiar, and truly, we've worked through almost all of our issues, but i think it helps too not wondering if there's going to be enough money to put gas in the car to get back and forth to work. We're easier with each other. Even when there's only ten bucks left in the checking account, we know it'll be okay because there's groceries in the house, the bills are paid, and another paycheck isn't too far away. We're trying to stay out of our savings.
1 person likes this
@jayanvarkala (489)
• India
26 Feb 07
Iam also having a tough time in my life. I dont have enough money to meet my expenses even for my kid's studying. The only income is my wife's salary. I did some business and it went huge loss. So iam trying to recover from that. Now i have to plan every thing I don't have even a single pai to waste. As like to I hope tomarrow my time will change and every thing will be come favour for me
@liranlgo (5752)
• Israel
26 Feb 07
oh yes i know what you mean
my profession is a writer and somtimes a freelanser at the theater and i have a very very poorly budget
but i thaught myself to enjoy things
i only buy siple things but i appreciate it and i do know how to enjoy other things life has brought me without spending any money
ofcourse i would have been happy to have an extra budget but yet i find myself satisfied and happy from the little things:)
@ljcapps (1925)
• United States
27 Feb 07
That's really what matters. We had gotten a free dryer from a friend, it's uglier and older than dirt, but it works. And we bought a used washer, LOL my wife practically did a happy dance around the house that we wouldn't have to go to the laundromat anymore. Other than that, we're pretty happy with the small things, too. A new book, some candles, having the gas to go for a drive without any destination in mind. Those are good things for us.
1 person likes this
@redhill_07 (11)
• Philippines
26 Feb 07
I do share the same feelings. I dont have a regular job and the money I am earning is just enough to feed myself and buy my personal stuff. My mon is with me for a vacation for a month now. I have to stretch my budget so I can support the two of us. I seldom bring her out because of limited funds. I feel upset and depressed everytime I keep on thinking for another resources. I frequently experienced headaches.Last weekend, even with a tight budget I surprised my mom. I together with my boyfriend, brought her to a place where she has never visited for the last 7 years. Its not only my mom who enjoyed her weekend but also me who was able to unwind and had a stressfree day for a while.
2 people like this
@ljcapps (1925)
• United States
27 Feb 07
And i bet it felt good to be able to do that for her. And to be able to do it for yourself a little bit. I understand stressing over money, and worrying and worrying and worrying. But it's nice to be able to do nice things for the people you love, even if it's just for that weekend. I hope you guys have good memories from that, and hang onto them a long time. That's what gets us through the bad times, is looking back on the happier times, and looking forward to those times again.
1 person likes this
@cutepenguin (6431)
• Canada
26 Feb 07
I'm happy with most things nowadays, although I can't afford to buy anything right now. But I will, with hard work and some time.
Right now I'm happy when I cook a meal and my husband likes it. Or when I make a gift for someone and they like it and wear/use it. It makes me feel accomplished, even though I know that being able to cook and knit is a pretty normal thing.
2 people like this
@ljcapps (1925)
• United States
26 Feb 07
Actually, if i were you, i'd be proud of the cooking and knitting. Not everyone can do either of those, much less with the thought of someone else in mind. So i think that's a great thing, and i hope your husband compliments you a lot. We've still got our "tight money" times, but thankfully, it's not a constant broke month after month.
1 person likes this
@Shelite (212)
• Canada
25 Feb 07
Most definately. It's a wonderful thing to be financially stable. I think that it gives you peace of mind and you can live a healthy life. I love walmart! It's the simple things that I enjoy also. A new outfit for each of my children, new sheets are always a comfort and just to go and pick something off the shelf without having to look at the price. The last thing we bought at walmart was a new tv for our little girl...it was pink...enough said! haha. It was a must buy! :)
2 people like this
@ljcapps (1925)
• United States
26 Feb 07
LOL our son has a tv in his bedroom. We had a long debate over it because it was the 27in that we had before buying a new 32in last year. We weren't sure about putting that size tv in his room with him being a four year old, but it worked fine, and meants we didn't have to buy a smaller one for him. We recently got him a VSmile gaming system he adores. And it is nice to buy something simple without breaking yourself. Reminds you that yes, you're working for the bills, but you're working for yourself also.
@SouthernRain (59)
• United States
26 Feb 07
I'm proud for you!! In my house, we are very thankful for the small blessings in life. We feel like we are blessed beyond what we deserve. I am a stay at home mom/photographer and my husband works to pay our few utility bills. We don't really "budget" any more but there was a time when I wasn't sure if we would all eat. We don't "do" loans (except a home loan) and we don't "do" credit cards. I firmly believe that the decision to do away with these things is why we are financially solvent now. I can remember one week of a particularly bad year where I wondered if the 20 dollars for groceries would get us through. I still can't believe that I fed the three of us on 20 dollars.
I would have to say that I am very grateful for all of our blessings.
2 people like this
@ljcapps (1925)
• United States
26 Feb 07
We're the same way. We're waiting till we're a little more stable before we buy a house, and we stay away from credit cards, or anything that smacks of payment plans right now. And again, i understand completely. there were times where 20 was our food budget too. Thank god at the time our son was an infant and living on formula and baby cereal, cause my wife and i lived on mac and cheese! I appreciate my wife's money skills very much, if it hadn't been for her, i don't think we'd have made it.
1 person likes this
@d4deepaksurya (72)
• India
26 Feb 07
thats really nice about you..that today you are a t a gteater level!!
keep on growing..
all the besttttttt
@vokey9472 (1486)
• United States
26 Feb 07
I know exactly what you mean. Ever since the bottom dropped out of the internet/computer business, my husband and I have been struggling just to survive every month. Right after he lost his job and I was laid off, we found out we were going to have a baby. Well, there went all our savings. We had to sell our cars, our house, everything. We even lived with my sister for a couple of months. We have spent that last 5 years just struggling to keep ahead of the disconnect notices for our utilities. Well, this last payday, my husband worked a lot of overtime and for the first time in years, we have everything paid current and aren't the least bit worried about anything. We were just talking about it too because this paycheck will cover our rent, our credit card bills and that is all we have to pay because all our utilities are paid in full. So for the first time in years we will actually have some money to put away in savings.
The funny thing is that we went wild last payday and bought new sheets ($25 on clearance) two new pillows and we went out to eat THREE times!! We almost never go out to eat because we think it is just too expensive. The best part is that we still had money left over to put in the bank. Going from have a lot of money to having almost no money really makes you appreciate the simple things in life. I started making things from scratch and discovered that I not only like cooking/baking, but food made from scratch actually tastes better than most of the store bought options. I even bake my own bread now. :)
2 people like this
@ljcapps (1925)
• United States
26 Feb 07
That's awesome that you guys are getting to that point again. We were the same way. In the state where we lived when our son was born infant childcare was around 800. a month, and it was cheaper for one of us to stay home with him. Well, my wife made more than i did so at that time i stayed home. Now she's staying home, LOL. But its nice to pick up something and not freak because that 2.00 or whatever threw off your budget. We used to budget down to the penny. We don't eat out often either, even fast food. First, it's not healthy, and we're trying to eat healthier. Second, it adds up very very quickly to eat out alot. i hope your bills stay paid and that you get to keep buying that little extra stuff!
2 people like this
