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Just the Essentials


As we get ready to turbo-charge paying off our debt, it gets obvious that we either need to cut costs or increase our income - or even better, do both!! Ben's willing to pick up extra shifts and I've been looking into what I can do from home, while also homeschooling. If you have any ideas on that - let me know!!

For cutting costs, we went through our bank statement to see what exactly we're spending our money on, where we can spend less, and what we can completely stop throwing money away on. We came up with a list of essentials and non-essentials. This will be especially helpful when there's a good deal ("but it was such a good deal!" I'm not the only one who falls victim to this mentality right?). If it's not on the essentials list - we ain't buying it!

Here's our list:

Essentials                                                                Non-Essentials
Tithing                                                                      Restaurants
ORMC breakfast                                                     Fast food
Car maintenance                                                    Lotions/sprays
Home projects appraisal                                       Home projects non-appraisal
Gasoline                                                                   Soda
Utilities                                                                     Candy
Insurance: car, life                                                  Cookies
Car Registration                                                      Kid classes/activities
Pet food                                                                    Pet toys
Haircuts for the girls                                               Toys
Medical/Dental Bills                                                Books
          Homeschool Supplies (try to find and use free when possible)

Is there anything we missed? What are some of your essentials and what are some things that you would cut out of the budget?
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