Cutting Corners

One of the most challenging and motivating things to do is scale-back financially. My husband and I have tried not to live off of my salary the last 8 months. We've done pretty well, but when the money is there, it is easy to blur the lines and use a little here to cover this and a little there to cover that. And, in addition to using it to cover daily expenses, we have used a portion of it to do things like build up a savings reserve, fix up our back yard, buy furniture, travel and eat out. I must say, we've enjoyed living "high on the hog" but now we're buckling down and getting serious about transitioning to a single income. I'm already half-way through this pregnancy and we want to have our financial plan in place and active before the baby is born. That means, we need to act NOW.

Being given the title of family financial manager, I sat down last night and analyzed every last penny we've been spending. I may be weird, but I get a strange sort of thrill from looking at our financial portfolio and figuring out ways to cut corners. I like knowing exactly where we stand.

I am so thankful to have a husband who is a hard and skilled worker. I know he puts in 100% at work, even when his co-workers don't. I think God is very honored by that and I know that I am proud to be the wife of a man that really tries to work "as unto the Lord." And, I am also thankful that with the money he earns, he desires to manage it in a way that glorifies God.

After analyzing every spending category, I brought my findings to the attention of my husband and we tried to brainstorm some ideas. The easiest "corner" to cut would be our giving, but under his direction (and I heartily agree), that isn't an option. So, we're figuring out other creative ways to trim away our spending and continue to build our savings. It's a fun challenge and I'm looking forward to it.

All I can say is that I'm glad we bought our airline tickets to Prague BEFORE we decided to buckle down and get serious!