Return to cheapskatatude

Until I again have a regular income we have gone into Supa Careful Monies Mode. It's not too difficult. When I was in school I worked part-time, and Fernando's position was a little less than full-time, so we've always tried to live at a lower standard of living. We don't own a home or a car and schooling in Quebec for residents is unbelievable inexpensive, and I had a bit of monies from my grandfather, and my parents sometimes sent nice gifties--so we've never gone into "good debt." And we pay off the credit card every month, so we have no other type of debt either. But I want to keep it that way!

In January I finally knuckled down and hauled out the half-finished budget I'd worked on earlier in the year, and with Gail Vaz-Oxlade's tools I finished it up. Fernando wanted to go on her jar system, and he chose out spice jars for it. Aren't they cute? Don't bother robbing us, you'll be very very disappointed at our weekly spending monies. And half the jars have fake money because I mostly spend online. So I made up little "Mabel dollars." Whenever I buy something online I withdraw Mabel dollars from my jar so that I'm conscious of SPENDING. It's worked so well that I've become a cheapskate. I like seeing my little fake dollars accumulate.

I also made little I.O.U. dollars cause I know the little Fernando sometimes likes to ahem borrow ahead of himself. And me too sometimes, for gift items.

Anyway. One way Fernando has helped cut money is to let me make lunches for him, and to come home for supper instead of eating at work. (He has a very physical job, so he was often so tired he preferred to stay there and relax and eat.) Which means I get to use all my bento boxes and rume bags! Weeee!

 

Fernando likes 1 jelly bean.

I purposely didn't tidy my bento drawer for you. Here it is in its messy glory. monotone lunch slow and healthy time.

 

lunch bags

Shakespeare bottle

The other thing I did this year was Family Calendar on the Cheap! I like calendars that come with stickers and stuff, but I used to work somewhere with a staff discount. No more! So this year I bought a dollar store calendar...

attached it to the pocket from last year's calendar, where I can keep handy notes and stuff...

 

gathered up all the unused stickers from my last three calendars...

  

And voila! I have a fancy calendar again.