Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Heart/Mind Connection

I'm about week into this blog and I'm beginning to make connections that I knew in my head, but these connections are now sinking in to my heart. I think it's the fact that this is somewhat of a "confessional" for me...and the ability to share my financial situation allows me to really come to terms with a few things in regards to my money and my spending.

 It's June 12th...and I've met my grocery budget. Yikes. I have been reviewing the numbers and purchases and guess where the biggest drain has been in this area? Nope, it's not my teens and their non-stop hunger...nope, it's not the recent purchases of higher quality produce...it's...ummm...well, it's alcohol. <running behind the couch> Yeah...and hubby and I have been having Happy Hour at home...which, technically, it's cheaper...but, yikes. Remember my earlier blog about wanting to lose weight...well, I could easily attribute weight gain to drinking...and the weight makes me sad and so I drink...it's crazy. 


 I feel like I should clarify...because I don't want us to come off as alcoholics...because we are not. We like wine, hubby loves beer, and cocktails are just divine...and we drink responsibly. It's just that if hubby and I are having 1-2 glasses of wine 4-5x a week...or maybe 1-2 nights out of the 4-5x we have margarita's or mojito's...well, you get the drift...it adds up calories and MONEY wise. 


 So, here's another donedittydone moment...I'm so over spending $200-300 on social drinking.


 Hubby is on board...and it provided us with a real heart to heart talk on the role we want this to play in our life. We've agreed to cut back, allow "x" amount of dollars to buy wine/beer/drink mix a month from our monthly food budget. Anything over and above that must come from our personal "blow" money. We are only drinking on weekends. 


 So back to grocery talk...I have about $100 in cash, that I was going to use for misc., but will now have to use it towards food. I'm very resourceful when it comes to food and can stretch items out. I will probably need to buy produce by the weekend...I'm going to try to come up with a myriad of ways to make use of the carrots I have on hand...pretty much the only fresh veggie left. 


 On a positive note...I'm been exercising every day...20-45 minutes. Today, I think I will try for an evening workout as well... 


 ...since I won't be sitting on the patio with the hubs having a glass of wine.... 


 ...can't do that until Friday... Progress, right?

4 comments:

  1. Nice blog you have here. I was really into drinking "snob beer," more so than I am now. Well, I only developed the habit within the last few years. But we've cut way back just because of the expense! It was just 1 (for me) 5 nights a week, I guess, and 1-2 for him, but that runs into some money! Currently it's around one per WEEK, if that. Also, I think it was making me fat.

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    1. Thanks! Glad to know we aren't alone in this area! :)

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  2. Oh, I read more carefully now and I see that you cut back from "outside drinking" to "drinking at home." We've been doing only the latter but still cut back (to a day or two per week.) I may ramp that back up again, LOL - people have to have some vices/pleasures in life, right?

    We really don't go out so drinking "out" isn't a problem but I balk at the price whenever we have a chance. Here's a great perk - my husband is a musician. Last Friday his band played and we were given three free drink tickets. We had two drinks each, so he finally had to pay for my second one - but that was $4.50 for four drinks - not bad, eh? That's cheaper than the $1.50 per bottle "snob beers" we drink at home!

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    1. If we drink out, it's happy hour...but, still, $5 is a lot knowing you could make drink for half that...we justify it as $5 being better than $10, which it is...but, you know what I mean! :)

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