15 Nov - Payday

The most exciting day of the month - PAYDAY. The husband gets paid once a month, this actually is not a good thing in budgeting. It is hard to budget if you get paid once a month. Companies do this to cut costs on their end, having less workers to process payroll. Why should I complain, I do not even work. Budgeting is no biggie if there is enough money to budget, however, it gets challenging if there's less. Sometimes, unnecessary and unexpected expenses could messed up the budget. Saving a portion of what's earned whether it goes to your retirement or emergency funds is a good thing.

If we spend uncontrollably we face the greatest dilemma of budgeting. We do not budget pennies for pennies. We must have the discipline, otherwise, we lose in the end. Take advantage of sales, coupons, buy one get one free, or buying in bulk especially when we are buying items that are necessary. Sometimes we think we get a good deal but then we end up not fully utilizing what we saved to begin with.

Nowadays I do not buy a branded name laundry detergent and fabric softener. We shop at Costco and use their brand. I used to buy Tide but the cost is twice as much as the brand I get from Costco. I still smell and feel the freshness scent of my laundry using the non branded name with the price that is much less than the ones I used to get. Good savings on my budget.

Splurge. Depends on what suits my family for dinner is where we'd go, usually on weekends. I am a home mom and cook for my family. I do not cook everyday, ehem.... (need a break). The husband is flexible enough and make me decide on what to cook for the family. They eat what is being served. If I know I cooked too much, I freeze it in portions so my college kids can bring it to their dorm (they miss mommy's cooking).

Budgeting is fun to do. Don't crunch the numbers everyday. You just have to make sure you have x number for food, utilities, mortgage, property taxes, car insurance, garden maintenance, clothing (not so much here), tuition fees and many extra curricular fees and the list goes on and on.