I don't really have anything to post about; I just hadn't done it in awhile and thought I should update. With important information like... I painted my downstairs bathroom last week. I feel really good about it. It needed to be done. And I love Benjamin Moore paint and may never go back to Home Depot paint. Now all that needs to be done in there...besides touching up a few corners and caulking a few spots... is to patch the gigantic hole in the bathroom ceiling. But in order to do that, first we need to figure out what caused the leak that caused the hole in the ceiling. And in order to do that, we would have to have some energy, time, and motivation. So, maybe sometime. Maybe never. Maybe when we sell the house eventually...
What else? I am having a hard time upping my game at saving money. Every time I sit down and really think about it and try to troubleshoot the problem, I end up at the conclusion that we kind of have too many kids to save very much money. A long time ago I used to laugh when people said it was expensive to have kids, because come on! Well, it's not expensive to have one or two healthy babies that breastfeed. Beyond that... Kind of expensive. Well, I guess only expensive if I do what I want to do with them, which is feed them lots of fresh food and give them piano lessons and swim lessons and swim team and various therapies for Theo and other things that are technically "extra" but don't feel like "extra." Or you know, if I want extra stuff for myself like an iPhone or various streaming services or premium ice cream or premium haircuts. Can I imagine my life without Spotify, Netflix, or Ben & Jerry's? Yes, I guess I can. Without my hairstylist? Well... probably not.
But seriously, while I've never been a big spender or had expensive taste at all, I've also never been super budget-conscious, and budgeting has always sort of been on my list of things to get better at when I grow up--you know, like making my own bread, sewing my own clothes or keeping a decent vegetable garden. (Apparently my grown-up list is similar to Ma Ingalls'.) But I guess when I think about it, I have ticked off a few things on my grown-up list. I do plenty of things pretty well that I wasn't always able to do. I have made my own bread a handful of times. (Shrug) My vegetables die but I've figured out how to keep other plants alive. I do not make any clothes... for anyone... but I have a very small and functional wardrobe. A long- and closely held bad habit of stress-shopping has shriveled away to almost nothing. Or if I do stress-shop, I nearly always return what I buy once the feeling passes. (My stress-shopping returns pile in the back of the van drives Matt crazy, but I never said I was PERFECT at my grown-up list.)
Anyway, I'd better sign off here before my first-world-problems post gets any first-worldier. Also, I want to have time to watch the last episode of Victoria before Polly wakes up from her nap.
I was a good saver as a young woman - I would save for the things I wanted - but the older I got, the more things it seemed were necessary - as in stuff for your kids or your house or for school - so saving seemed harder. Sometimes I find it easier to designate certain funds for certain things - like saying "This week's tutoring money will go to - you will in the blank." That sort of works for me.
ReplyDeleteThis would make an excellent conversation the next time I see you! So much to say about money, budgets, kids, and saving.
ReplyDeleteI was also surprised by how much I liked Victoria!
Yesssss Victoria! I dare say I enjoyed it more than the 3 episodes of The Crown I managed to get through. So romantic (swoon)
ReplyDeleteIf it wasn't for Justin, I wouldn't have learned how to budget which doesn't mean I do it well, but I'm aware of its importance ;D