Setting a household budget the simpletons style. Go ahead, read and learn.
So we did the amazing transfer from being homeless for five months into a four-bedroom house.
While this transition was fabulous, we had warmth and private bedrooms and a bathroom!
Oh my!
We also had delivery options.
Yes, my friends, we can now have pizza or cheesy bread or whatever we desire delivered right to our doorstep pretty much any time of the day or night.
It’s a little tempting and we got suckered into it.
That is until we realized that our household budget was taking a hit.
What the heck, why is that bill so hard to pay for?
What is the reason that two adults who make a full-time income are slacking financially?!
Oh.
It’s that damn cheesy bread with that extra garlic dipping sauce delivered right to our front door for a small tip.
That did us in!
So then, we had to discuss the situation.
Be homeless again? Nah, that’s not an option!
We had to admit that our delivery service addiction was strong and we had to get it under control!
I had to give up the cheesy bread and that oh so yummy but bad for you garlic dipping sauce.
He had to give up his delicious but oh so bad for you calzones.
Le Sigh.
If you’re out there fighting with yourself and/or your spouse over those extra expenses and not quite sure why you’re failing to pay bills on time, then I wanted to share a few simple tips that got us out of the hole in about three weeks.
We Stood Firm – Our Household Budget Plan
I’m not going to go all out and tell you that you need some fancy-schmancy template or that you have analyze every last detail of your spending. Even though some of you out there may have to do that, instead I’m going to tell you what us simpletons did over here to set a household budget!
Held an Intervention
We held an intervention. Sitting down and having a chat about that delivery addiction was the first step to admitting we had a problem. Yes, I know you love that 50 cents a cup garlic dipping sauce from Dominos, but it’s costing us our electricity bill.
Yes, I agree that the calzones from Tremont as so delicious, but it’s starting to dip into our monthly internet bill. You know, the bill that helps this adult make that other full-time income in this house?!
We discussed. We pouted. We agreed.
No More Delivery
The obvious first step to our food delivery addiction problem was to stop getting delivery. Yes, I said it. I gave up my favorite cheesy bread and garlic dipping sauce addiction from Dominos and he gave up his Tremont Pizza calzones.
We made a pact that we wouldn’t get delivery because it was simply put – killing our household budget and making us fluffier to boot!
Twice-Weekly Grocery Trip
Instead of going our lazy or addiction fueled route for dinner, we started doing a twice-weekly grocery trip. Now, instead of spending anywhere from $30-$55 on delivery Lord knows how many times a week, plus tip for the driver, we’re spending about $100 – $130 per week on food that lasts about 7-10 days.
We save so much money and we are healthier, no more fluffy belly!
Just kiddin’ we still have the fluff, that doesn’t go away in a few weeks 😉
Setting a Household Budget Outcome
This ultimately has worked to save us a significant amount of money. We’ve started paying up to current the electricity, internet, and trash bill.
So you see with ONE simple change, removing our food delivery addiction, we were able to take just a few weeks to start catching up on bills to ensure that we will achieve our ultimate goal this summer/fall season!
So that’s it – if you want to start a household budget and start paying off some of those bills, then you MUST, I say you MUST give up that one spending or eating addiction that’s causing a ruckus to your financial situation.
*music plays*
“Hip Hop Hooray Ho, Hey, Ho .. Hip Hop Hooray” …
Okay, my job is done here.
What do you do to establish good spending habits in your household? Do you have a Dominos cheesy bread addiction like me? Come on, do tell, we’re all friends here.
Ugh, we could probably use a weekly budget. This post will be great for us as we get started!
This is so important. My husband is addicted to buy things online, so we do need a budget for sure
Having a budget is so important. I think it’s also a good idea that you do a twice weekly grocery shop. Saving is so essential.
It’s amazing how even the smallest charges can creep up on you and make paying for actual necessities difficult. You guys did a great job by talking through all of the items you could save on and then making better choices to help in the long run!
xoxo
Lisa | @occasionallyluxe
https://www.occasionallyluxe.com
Ours is a fast food addiction. With travel basketball, and the regular school team, we are in the car a LOT and it’s so easy to swing through a drive-through. Truth is, we are getting fluffier and our budget is taking a hit, and we do have to stop. Period. It’s a terrible habit to get into, for sure.
I desperately need to set a household budget. Every year we say we are going to and we get off track.
This is so hard to go but if you stick to it the rewards is great. Eating out and take-aways are not only unhealthy but very costly as well. We do order a take-out once in a while and need to stop this
We have a pretty rough outline for a budget for us too that we do after all bills are paid. We look at the money left after necessities, mind you it’s not a lot, and then we talk about what our month will look like and set money aside for savings and dedicate 1-2 date nights or times we go out to eat as opposed to delivery which costs way too much these days just to sit at home. We’d rather that money go towards going out
Oh gosh, this is real! We have set a household budget too because of the same reason. I wonder why delivery food is addicting. lol!
I am learning the importance of establishing a budget also to get better results. Optimize them.
Love your post and seriously…. It is so important to have a household budget as having a backup fund is so important. I only learned this recently…. LOL so I understand and I too really try not to have food delivered to my home as it is seriously wasteful and adds up without you even realizing it…. besides the fact that that food being delivered is unhealthy and you are simply better off cooking for yourself. After a health scare about 2 years ago I check all foods in the grocery store and my favorite restaurants for levels of sodium, total calories, etc…. and what is on those menus out there is terrifying. You also ave to be wary of the instant foods at the grocers as they are loaded with garbage too…..Cooking food at home saves money and is the healthier option for sure so thank 😉
These are all really great tips! It is so important to set a budget and stick to it! It makes such a difference!
These are really awesome tips!! Setting a budget is a challenge but it’s really worth it! Thank you so much for sharing these!
A budget goes a long way. I do a lot of food planning which helps me a lot or I go way over budget every time.
It’s amazing how much you can save when you give up delivery and eating out. Eating at home is so much cheaper and so much better for you!
Yes! It’s all about groceries and making things at home. I’ve spent an embarrassing amount of food on take out and delivery and once we stopped that, it’s made a huge difference in our household’s budget.