Month End Money Recap: August Splurge

I know I've said it before but some months are better than others :) And some months you just need to enjoy it. This past weekend was my birthday and we splurged. It was hard for me to add up the dollars and cents - to realize how much each meal cost - how far that money could go for to feed our family but sometimes you have to let it go and enjoy. It's not easy but life is meant to be enjoyed and every once in a while you need to let go and live a little.

But, no matter how much you spend life isn't meant to be lived that way (unless, of course, you can afford it and if you could why would you be reading this blog?!) - the next day you have to pay for it :) And in this case, literally.

So, how did the rest of the month go in general?

1. Spend $100 or less on groceries each week. Almost.

I spent: $503.33
And saved: $655.94
And earned: $76 in ECB's and other money back

- obviously more than $100 a week but we went away for a week and I set aside extra money for that and that's included in this total so it's not as bad as it sounds :)

2. Pay down debt and not acrue new debt. Done. Despite the splurge NONE of it was on a credit card.

3. Budget, budget, budget. Okay, sort of. Summer is just bad but the beginning of school is like the beginning of a new year - you get to start over and stay more on task :) Actually with the kids gone during the day it's easier for me to plan and stay on budget.

4. Make a price point book. Nope, still not done - some goals may never actually be realized and right now, I'm okay with that.

5. Get rid of stuff. No, but I will be getting rid of a lot in September since I have 3 consignment sales in October to prepare for so I'm not too concerned with the lack of progress in August.

6. Organize. Again, I think summer will be helpful in getting things done - no school schedules, no homework but it translates into no schedules and me home with 7 kids so nothing gets done. September SHOULD be better.

7. Make extra money. Summer is the only time I babysit so I get a weekly paycheck unlike the rest of the year - I guess that's extra :) But I did turn in some Swagbucks for $25 in Amazon gift cards. You are doing Swagbucks aren't you?

8. Still buying good kids clothes. In August I concentrated more on uniforms than other clothes so the brand name doesn't matter :) September will be different as I begin to prepare for cooler weather.

On a positive note - I got extremely stocked up in August for school snacks so I plan to cut back on my grocery bill for September. I didn't even do any major grocery shopping in the last week. I am hoping for better sales at HT come Wednesday morning but for the most part I plan to eat out of the pantry for as much of September as I can :) Make up for the over-spending in August!

Thus the lack of meal plan this week - it's mostly spaghetti or meals I didn't use last week. Very simple.

Splurging is always good within reason - like eating a cookie while on a diet - wets the appetite so you don't feel like you're depriving yourself - but you can't do that forever or all your hard work will be for naught. So, September will be better and my budget will be tighter but we had a great time in August and I don't regret it :)