The Frugal Apprentice

I've made it a goal this year to be more frugal. I have a lot to learn in this area, especially since I've resisted the concept for a long time. I've incorrectly claimed that extra effort involved with saving money wasn't worth the actual savings. God has been working on my stubborn heart in this area, and has been convicting me of my... let's call a spade a spade... irresponsibility. I need to be a better steward of the resources and time that God has given to me and to our family.

My sister Sharyne is a frugal genius. I have watched her learn to stretch her grocery budget in the face of some extreme circumstances, bringing honor to her husband and demonstrating incredible ingenuity and resourcefulness. She puts me to shame, and I have a lot to learn from her hard-earned skill in this area.

Part of my problem is my dislike of accountability for my spending habits. God has shown me that I must change my way of thinking about our finances. I've been arrogant, thinking that I knew how to do this and had it under control. God has convicted me of this and called me to humble myself and ask for help.

So this week, I asked Scott to spend an evening with me to review our finances, make some goals together, and plan a budget to accomplish those goals. He has asked me to do this with him many times over the past few years, but I've forgotten or postponed or otherwise avoided this. As we worked through a record-keeping system and the budget, it became very clear to me that two heads are better than one and that I had been foolish to think that I could (or should) do this on my own. (It's surprisingly difficult to figure out which month to record each bill or receipt when things come due at different times!)

We agreed that we need to keep much closer tabs on our spending. A friend gave us a great idea: put your monthly meeting on the calendar! If we don't put a monthly review of our finances on the calendar, it's too easy to let it slip. This provide me the necessary accountability and helps us both keep our goals in mind.

I expressed my desire to work on my spending, particularly for groceries. Scott fully-supports this, and understands the system I'm following, which is important since he prepares meals sometimes! The last few days, I've been reading and learning about frugal shopping, menu-planning, and using coupons. Everything I've read says that it takes time and practice to get a good system down and to start small, so I'm trying to take that to heart.

Here are some tips I've picked up to work on for the next few weeks.

1. Look at the food you have in the house as you make your grocery list. (Duh - but I honestly have to remind myself to check everything and not just assume I know what my inventory is!)
2. Look at what is on sale at your area stores this week.
   
3. Plan what you will serve at each meal for a week, based on what you have in the house and what's on sale. I've always planned meals, but I've never based those meal choices on the combination of what I already have and what's on sale.
   
4. Make a grocery list.
   
5. Only buy what is on your list. If your budget allows, stock up on the things that are on sale.
   

Your ultimate goal is to never pay full-price for anything. Items typically go on sale once every 2-3 months. So the idea is to stock up a 2-3 month's supply when it's on sale, so you don't have to buy it again til it goes on sale again.

It takes 1-2 months, from what I've read, to get this system fully in place. Until you've been through a complete cycle, you won't have an adequate stockpile and your expenses will be a bit higher. So you have to allow about 3 months to gradually work your spending down.

More to come, as I learn how to use coupons and spend virtually nothing at CVS for non-perishables and toiletries.

If you're interested in learning more, "Money-Saving Mom" has an excellent tutorial and daily shopping tips. Check the sidebar for "Beginners Start Here."