Thursday, March 26, 2009

Now it is time to pay the piper

Okay, so I love my new car, but it is time to figure out how to make it fit in the ole family finances. This is the part that my dear hubby doesn't waste any sleep over. Why would he when he knows I'll work it over in my head until I've come up with a solution?

So, $3600. Where am I going to get $3600? Hubby "found" the money to pay the car dealership by stealing all the funds in my short-term accounts (x-mas savings, savings for car insurance payment, saving for our 15 year anniversary trip to Maui, saving for the basement construction). Now I must figure out how to find the funds to pay for things like the car insurance payment that will be due very shortly.

$3600.

Well, that is 13 years worth of kids birthday parties (3 kids x 100 bucks a party x 13 years). Do you think the kids will mind no parties for 13 years? Netflix costs us $10 a month...$120 a year...that would take us 30 years...that won't work. Renting out our basement is an option to consider, but we would have to find just the right person to make that work...someone who is rarely around, has no objectionable habits and who pays on time. The easiest way to find the cash is to hire out my husband for construction work or OT shifts at the firehouse, but those opportunities are harder to come by in this economy. I will be able to put our tax refund check (assuming we get a refund) towards it, but I already had that mentally committed to paying for the kids swimming lessons.

Maybe I'll just shoot for finding ways to trim the budget by about $50 - $100 a month and then try to get OT shifts to pay for the rest. Given how often my furnace breaks (broken again today...brrrr), there ought to be some savings in my gas bill...oh wait...running the gas fireplaces non-stop probably eats that up!

Got any tips for how to shave $50 - $100 bucks a month out of my budget? I'm listening!

2 comments:

  1. Oooh, sorry about your furnace. Maybe your mom will let you guys crouch at her place for the day to soak up the warmth :)

    David and I talk about where to save money in our budget all of the time, especially since I don't plan to work outside the home once the baby is born. If we get desperate we'll get rid of internet and cable TV but it's a sad state when we both feel like we need it to live ;) My only suggestion is when you drive somewhere, try to coast as much as you can :)

    ReplyDelete

Leave a comment! Let me know what you think.