Getting Closer . . .
So today I dropped my NetFlix down a level for a savings of $4/month. I realize that's not much, but every little bit helps. The Tour de France is over, so I dropped my DirecTV down to the lowest level, which is a savings of approximately $23/month (in addition to the plan being $20/less, I will no longer have the $3.63 monthly charge for regional sports). I'll see what it actually shakes out to when I get the next bill. I checked on the HotSpot on my phone - I thought I was paying extra for it, but apparently I'm not. It's included in my data plan.
I did have a "cut and color" on Saturday and I've determined that I will color it myself going forward but still have my stylist cut my hair. That's a savings of $50 every time I go, which was usually every 5 weeks (10.4 times a year). So, now, I'm going to go for a cut every 8 weeks (that will be 6.5 times a year), and color it myself. Color costs anywhere from $8-$10, so the savings there is actually a net of about $40/month. It still helps. Plus, I returned the Moroccan Oil products I purchased the last time I was there. I gave them a good try (3-4 weeks) but I really did not like them. They gave me my money back! Hot Dog! That was $60 bucks, which meant that I did not pay much at all for my salon services yesterday :-)
I've created a separate page here on the blog for awhile to track the changes I've been making. You'll see the tab just above. So far, just by making relatively painless changes, I'm within $71 of getting the new budget to balance :-) What it will be like in actual practice is anyone's guess. It could be more painful than I realize, but I'm keeping a positive spin - after all, I'm brushing up a rusty talent - because believe me, I was a master at this back in the day.
I did have a "cut and color" on Saturday and I've determined that I will color it myself going forward but still have my stylist cut my hair. That's a savings of $50 every time I go, which was usually every 5 weeks (10.4 times a year). So, now, I'm going to go for a cut every 8 weeks (that will be 6.5 times a year), and color it myself. Color costs anywhere from $8-$10, so the savings there is actually a net of about $40/month. It still helps. Plus, I returned the Moroccan Oil products I purchased the last time I was there. I gave them a good try (3-4 weeks) but I really did not like them. They gave me my money back! Hot Dog! That was $60 bucks, which meant that I did not pay much at all for my salon services yesterday :-)
I've created a separate page here on the blog for awhile to track the changes I've been making. You'll see the tab just above. So far, just by making relatively painless changes, I'm within $71 of getting the new budget to balance :-) What it will be like in actual practice is anyone's guess. It could be more painful than I realize, but I'm keeping a positive spin - after all, I'm brushing up a rusty talent - because believe me, I was a master at this back in the day.
Comments
You mentioned on an earlier post that you're going back to cash system for some things. Do you mean you'll pay for lunches, etc. only with cash? Do you find that helps you stay within your budget?
Personally, I'm terrible with cash and seem to be terrible at keeping track of where it all goes. I use my credit cards for just about everything (but pay them off every month) because I can see my transactions in Mint and make sure they are captured correctly. It helps me look at trends and figure out my budget.