Ah, May. This was a great month. Mother Nature was a little bipolar at times, but I think our warm days are finally here to stay. Which is a mixed blessing because OUR CENTRAL AIR WENT OUT THIS WEEK. I was super bummed when it happened, but I’m done complaining because #firstworldproblem. We’ll make it work. Which leads me right into my five favorites for May 2018…
1. The Local Swimming Pool
Because, no a/c at home. Need I say more?
2. Paying cash for groceries
We’re working on paying off debt via Dave Ramsey’s system. Kind of. We’ve never gone through his Financial Peace University, but I do have the kit. So we’ve been doing the debt snowball a while now, which has been great.
One thing I hadn’t ever tried was his cash envelope system. I have a pretty strict grocery and gas budget, and it just seemed easier to use my debit card…I didn’t see the need to move toward a cash budget for food and gas.
I’m currently listening to all the audio sessions that come with the financial peace university, and started rethinking the cash budget thing. I felt the urge to give it a try for our food budget.
OH MY STINKING HECK. It has been amazing. I’m so ticked that I avoided it for so long.
Here’s how my meal planning and grocery shopping used to look: I’d plan meals for two weeks at a time (Mr. Cozy House gets paid every two weeks), and buy ALL the groceries for that period of time using my debit card. This was great for the first week, but we would typically run out of fruit/perishable items by the end of the first week, leaving the fridge and pantry pretty bare expect for the essentials.
So I’d buy “a few” extra things at the grocery store using my debit card to get us by until pay day, and before long, I’d have spent $40-50 over my budgeted amount for that pay period.
Here’s how it looks now, after trying out the envelope system this month. I get my grocery budget in cash from the ATM for groceries. I meal plan a week at a time, and buy groceries a week at a time. I can easily see how much money is left in my wallet until the next pay day, so I am way more picky about what gets thrown into the cart.
For instance, I recently had $20 left for groceries. We needed some essentials like milk and bread, plus just some other staples for quick meals. I was determined to get as much as I could using only the cash in my wallet. This is what I ended up getting.
It isn’t the healthiest haul, but it got us through until pay day.
If I’d still been using my debit card, there is no way I would have been so conscious about price. I’d have thrown some random stuff in my cart and paid whatever the total came to without blinking an eye, probably spending more and getting half as much. Knowing I stayed on budget is SUCH A GREAT FEELING. I’m totally sold on the cash system. Forgive me for doubting the envelope system for so long, Dave Ramsey.
3. Dot Journaling Book
I LOVELOVELOVE this book. If you use a traveler’s notebook or bullet journal planning system, I highly recommend it. I’ve been using a traveler’s notebook for a while and needed some fresh ideas for layouts, so I bought this book on a whim. Worth every penny. I highly recommend it if you use a TN.
4. Lara Casey
If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen me mention that God is placing the theme of “cultivating” everywhere in my life right now. Lara Casey has been such an encouragement to me. I came across her site through an online Bible journaling conference I participated in, and I’m so glad. Her words are beautiful, refreshing, and super motivating. Also, her products are lovely – I want them all. So glad I came across her. Check her out if you need some encouragement.
5. Poldark on Amazon Prime
I’ve been DYING with impatience for season three of Poldark to be available on Amazon Prime, and I noticed last week that IT’S FINALLY AVAILABLE!! All the praise hands! So my evenings have been composed of binge-watching all the drama unfold. I’m on the last episode now…I’m thinking about not watching it just to prolong it as long as possible.
How was your May? What were some of your favorite things this month?
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