Introduction 10/12/2006
Posted 05-21-2008 at 07:20:06 AM by Macaela25
This looks like fun!
An introduction...
My name is Mary, and I live central Florida (born and raised). I'm 32, and I'm married to Dmitri (whom I can't say enough good things about) and we are the proud parents of almost 6 month old Jared. DH and I were married two years ago and plan on having two more children in the next 5-6 years. I am a preschool teacher and DH works for Walt Disney World in reservations. Due to his job, we get many free/close to free mini vacations and dinners out. I love "the mouse"
My family has always been somewhat frugal, and my mother has been stockpiling for years. I have five sisters and one brother, so she certainly needed to. DH is from Ukraine from what I call a "poor but cultured" family. His father is principal bassoonist with a symphony, and his mother a former school principal who retired early due to health issues. They have never had much, so DH is naturally thrifty and could squeeze a dime and make it scream. He's very supportive of my addiction and will happily follow me through stores, cut coupons and deal right along with me.
When DH and I first got married, we were a mess. Literally! I brought some credit card debt into our marriage, and we racked up a couple thousand more for wedding extras and our honeymoon. Because DH was in Ukraine for almost a year before we were married, we racked up MAJOR credit card debt with phone cards. Now, I say we because even though I was buying the phone cards, I was talking to him, so he's responsible too :). Overall, we had about $13,000 in debt, which is NOT a nice way to begin a marriage. We got a very cheap apartment ($495 a month), shared a car for a few months, and couldn't make ends meet on $3500 a month.
I know. It boggles my mind to this day.
We had two major problems...eating out and buying whatever the heck we wanted. In the beginning, DH was ridiculously cheap and drove me up the wall. I swear we would be eating beans and rice every meal if he'd had his way. I retaliated by spending money like crazy, especially trying to dress up our cheap, dark, ugly, old apartment. Bed Bath & Beyond was heaven for me. DH gave up after a few months and adopted the "If you can't beat 'em, ignore 'em" tactic...he wouldn't spend money himself, but usually wouldn't complain about my spending either. We ate out at least 3-4 times per week (I hated my tiny kitchen, which was the size of a small bathroom) and basically did what we wanted. We generally spent at least $100 per week at the grocery store and $100 eating out.
My mind is still boggling.
Fast forward to Christmas 2005. I was five months pregnant, very tired, and commuting 2 hours each day (round trip) to a nearby city to teach kindergarten. I was also working 10-15 hours a week as a bookkeeper for both my family's businesses. My family owns a large preschool and an afterschool tutoring program. Due to poor planning, I was yet again using credit cards to pay for Christmas, which was really beginning to hack me off. Even with what seemed to be a great deal of income (I was working two jobs and DH was doing lots of OT and making good bonuses at work) we STILL were making no inroads on our credit card debt...instead, it was growing! How were we going to handle the financial stress of a new baby as well? I was also extremely frustrated with our tiny one bedroom apartment that had no room for the coming bundle of joy. I just couldn't figure it out...where was our money going??
Man...the folly of youth.
I got a notebook and starting recording. Thanks to online banking and debit cards, I was able to track our spending exactly (we rarely use cash). Of course my column was WAY lengthier than DH's. In short, I was floored. I threw our money away faster than we could make it...and we had nothing to show for it. Let me tell you, the pregnant hormones made the subsequent crying and wailing guiltfest even lengthier.
I pulled the emergency brake and screeched my spending to a halt. We needed a bigger apartment, which was going to cost us about $300 more per month. Work was exhausting me, and I really wanted to leave work in the beginning of April ( I was due 4/28) and not go back until the next school year. I would be able to work full time at our business during the summer, but April-June would be very difficult without my paycheck. I was so tired, and the thought of dragging my pregnant self working to the very end was a huge motivation for me to get things under control. We moved to a brand new two bedroom, light, airy, and beautiful apartment and stopped eating out. Cold turkey. That was tough, but a nice big kitchen with new appliances eased the withdrawal. I set a budget cap of $50 per week for groceries and $20 for "fun stuff" - that included eating out, movies, activities - which was a major cut from what we'd been spending before. We became creative...if I needed a "eat out" fix, we'd go to Applebees after 10PM when their appetizers were 1/2 off and we could eat dinner in a "real" restaurant (i.e. not Taco Bell!) for $10. I also began to concentrate on tithing 10% of our income, which I very strongly believe in. Suddenly we had a extra money each month. I started working on paying off a small credit card.
One day in March I was surfing the net looking for tips on frugal living, budgeting, etc and found DAGG. I'd always browsed through the coupons in my mom's Sunday paper and clipped a few I thought I'd use, but I mostly saved money on the grocery bill by buying generic at Walmart and eating a lot of cheap stuff. DAGG was such an eye opener for me - it had never occurred to me before to get extra coupons and combine them with sales.
DUHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! I felt so stupid! I started small, trying to build a stockpile of HBA, baby stuff and food before my due date. I made mistakes at first, overblowing our budget because I thought $2 was a good deal on deodorant and I would buy 10...I mean, when you're used to paying $4+ for it, $2 looks good. It took me awhile to learn how to get things for free, and I've just learned how to get serious overage at CVS and Publix in the last few months.
The moral of this story?
We're eating better than ever before, (steak on the grill every Sunday, since we stockpile when it's on sale) and we no longer use generic HBA crap. DH is thrilled, and he smells good. I spend roughly $250 per month, which includes groceries, diapers, HBA, formula, stockpiling, and incidentals. The rest of my family "shops" in my stockpile when they run out of something. I've converted my mom to my addiction, and together we have stuffed the pantry and larger freezer of my sister's new house with free food for her family of six. When my inlaws come to visit from Ukraine in a few weeks, they are bringing empty suitcases for me to fill with HBA stuff. My Christmas shopping is 75% done, paid for in cash and many gifts are makeup bags and shaving kits made up of my nicer "freebies" or items purchased with ECBs. Anything we decide to do for fun is planned for in advance and paid for with a set amount of cash. We have, amazingly enough, paid off a car since February and several thousand dollars worth of credit card debt.
The biggest payoff has been an emotional one. Once my son was born, I knew I couldn't leave him to go back to work. Even though I had free child care at my family's preschool (what a blessing!) I just couldn't stand to be away from him 10-12 hours per day. I decided to leave my old job and began working full time at business in June, teaching preschool 3 hours per day and managing the office the rest of the day. My son stays with me in the office, next to my desk, which is the greatest! I took an $8000 per year paycut, but due to our new lifestyle we have not even noticed. We still have a nice chunk of change left at the end of the month to pay on our debt, we live well, and have the adrenaline rush of having stores pay US to take their products. How awesome is that????
Oh my heck. I can't believe how long this is!!!!!! I really should be doing laundry!
So here's my life story...if you've made it this long without your teeth falling asleep! It was actually very therapeutic :).
An introduction...
My name is Mary, and I live central Florida (born and raised). I'm 32, and I'm married to Dmitri (whom I can't say enough good things about) and we are the proud parents of almost 6 month old Jared. DH and I were married two years ago and plan on having two more children in the next 5-6 years. I am a preschool teacher and DH works for Walt Disney World in reservations. Due to his job, we get many free/close to free mini vacations and dinners out. I love "the mouse"
My family has always been somewhat frugal, and my mother has been stockpiling for years. I have five sisters and one brother, so she certainly needed to. DH is from Ukraine from what I call a "poor but cultured" family. His father is principal bassoonist with a symphony, and his mother a former school principal who retired early due to health issues. They have never had much, so DH is naturally thrifty and could squeeze a dime and make it scream. He's very supportive of my addiction and will happily follow me through stores, cut coupons and deal right along with me.
When DH and I first got married, we were a mess. Literally! I brought some credit card debt into our marriage, and we racked up a couple thousand more for wedding extras and our honeymoon. Because DH was in Ukraine for almost a year before we were married, we racked up MAJOR credit card debt with phone cards. Now, I say we because even though I was buying the phone cards, I was talking to him, so he's responsible too :). Overall, we had about $13,000 in debt, which is NOT a nice way to begin a marriage. We got a very cheap apartment ($495 a month), shared a car for a few months, and couldn't make ends meet on $3500 a month.
I know. It boggles my mind to this day.
We had two major problems...eating out and buying whatever the heck we wanted. In the beginning, DH was ridiculously cheap and drove me up the wall. I swear we would be eating beans and rice every meal if he'd had his way. I retaliated by spending money like crazy, especially trying to dress up our cheap, dark, ugly, old apartment. Bed Bath & Beyond was heaven for me. DH gave up after a few months and adopted the "If you can't beat 'em, ignore 'em" tactic...he wouldn't spend money himself, but usually wouldn't complain about my spending either. We ate out at least 3-4 times per week (I hated my tiny kitchen, which was the size of a small bathroom) and basically did what we wanted. We generally spent at least $100 per week at the grocery store and $100 eating out.
My mind is still boggling.
Fast forward to Christmas 2005. I was five months pregnant, very tired, and commuting 2 hours each day (round trip) to a nearby city to teach kindergarten. I was also working 10-15 hours a week as a bookkeeper for both my family's businesses. My family owns a large preschool and an afterschool tutoring program. Due to poor planning, I was yet again using credit cards to pay for Christmas, which was really beginning to hack me off. Even with what seemed to be a great deal of income (I was working two jobs and DH was doing lots of OT and making good bonuses at work) we STILL were making no inroads on our credit card debt...instead, it was growing! How were we going to handle the financial stress of a new baby as well? I was also extremely frustrated with our tiny one bedroom apartment that had no room for the coming bundle of joy. I just couldn't figure it out...where was our money going??
Man...the folly of youth.
I got a notebook and starting recording. Thanks to online banking and debit cards, I was able to track our spending exactly (we rarely use cash). Of course my column was WAY lengthier than DH's. In short, I was floored. I threw our money away faster than we could make it...and we had nothing to show for it. Let me tell you, the pregnant hormones made the subsequent crying and wailing guiltfest even lengthier.
I pulled the emergency brake and screeched my spending to a halt. We needed a bigger apartment, which was going to cost us about $300 more per month. Work was exhausting me, and I really wanted to leave work in the beginning of April ( I was due 4/28) and not go back until the next school year. I would be able to work full time at our business during the summer, but April-June would be very difficult without my paycheck. I was so tired, and the thought of dragging my pregnant self working to the very end was a huge motivation for me to get things under control. We moved to a brand new two bedroom, light, airy, and beautiful apartment and stopped eating out. Cold turkey. That was tough, but a nice big kitchen with new appliances eased the withdrawal. I set a budget cap of $50 per week for groceries and $20 for "fun stuff" - that included eating out, movies, activities - which was a major cut from what we'd been spending before. We became creative...if I needed a "eat out" fix, we'd go to Applebees after 10PM when their appetizers were 1/2 off and we could eat dinner in a "real" restaurant (i.e. not Taco Bell!) for $10. I also began to concentrate on tithing 10% of our income, which I very strongly believe in. Suddenly we had a extra money each month. I started working on paying off a small credit card.
One day in March I was surfing the net looking for tips on frugal living, budgeting, etc and found DAGG. I'd always browsed through the coupons in my mom's Sunday paper and clipped a few I thought I'd use, but I mostly saved money on the grocery bill by buying generic at Walmart and eating a lot of cheap stuff. DAGG was such an eye opener for me - it had never occurred to me before to get extra coupons and combine them with sales.
DUHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! I felt so stupid! I started small, trying to build a stockpile of HBA, baby stuff and food before my due date. I made mistakes at first, overblowing our budget because I thought $2 was a good deal on deodorant and I would buy 10...I mean, when you're used to paying $4+ for it, $2 looks good. It took me awhile to learn how to get things for free, and I've just learned how to get serious overage at CVS and Publix in the last few months.
The moral of this story?
We're eating better than ever before, (steak on the grill every Sunday, since we stockpile when it's on sale) and we no longer use generic HBA crap. DH is thrilled, and he smells good. I spend roughly $250 per month, which includes groceries, diapers, HBA, formula, stockpiling, and incidentals. The rest of my family "shops" in my stockpile when they run out of something. I've converted my mom to my addiction, and together we have stuffed the pantry and larger freezer of my sister's new house with free food for her family of six. When my inlaws come to visit from Ukraine in a few weeks, they are bringing empty suitcases for me to fill with HBA stuff. My Christmas shopping is 75% done, paid for in cash and many gifts are makeup bags and shaving kits made up of my nicer "freebies" or items purchased with ECBs. Anything we decide to do for fun is planned for in advance and paid for with a set amount of cash. We have, amazingly enough, paid off a car since February and several thousand dollars worth of credit card debt.
The biggest payoff has been an emotional one. Once my son was born, I knew I couldn't leave him to go back to work. Even though I had free child care at my family's preschool (what a blessing!) I just couldn't stand to be away from him 10-12 hours per day. I decided to leave my old job and began working full time at business in June, teaching preschool 3 hours per day and managing the office the rest of the day. My son stays with me in the office, next to my desk, which is the greatest! I took an $8000 per year paycut, but due to our new lifestyle we have not even noticed. We still have a nice chunk of change left at the end of the month to pay on our debt, we live well, and have the adrenaline rush of having stores pay US to take their products. How awesome is that????
Oh my heck. I can't believe how long this is!!!!!! I really should be doing laundry!
So here's my life story...if you've made it this long without your teeth falling asleep! It was actually very therapeutic :).
