Day 1

So here we go! It's the first day of our adventure, it's the first day of the New Year and it's the first day of a new way of thinking.

I'm guessing there are a lot of people feeling this way today.

My husband and I sat down a couple of nights ago and wrote out all of our monthly expenses. We divided them into two categories; Expenses that are stable and reoccurring (mortgage, cell phones, utilities, car payments, etc.) and things that are variable (groceries, household supplies, gas). We added up what we expected our yearly income to be and subtracted our estimated cost of living. To be honest, we were a little surprised by the numbers. Just cutting out the "extras" and doing nothing more will not get us to our goal of paying off our mortgage in a year. That's OK! We thought that might be the case. It may take us a little longer, or we might have to be a little more savvy in cutting costs. Maybe both. I'm fine with that. Like I have said before, this has turned into a bit of a game in my head. I think I can trim down our "variable" expenses, it's just going to take some work.

We also talked about how it's going to take at least two months for us to really know and understand the new system. We'll have residual bills coming in from the cable and land line that are being disconnected which will affect our monthly savings in the beginning. We'll need to learn where to find coupons, and the best way to use them. We'll have to re-examine what we feel we can further cut back on, or maybe we'll find something we thought we could live without isn't.

We sound like we've got a solid plan, huh? Yep, we've really got it all figured out! (Is your sarcasm sensor blinking?) I'm sure that my frustration and miss-steps in the next year will serve as great fodder for you. I'm sure I'll be posting later about how I think I was so stupid to agree to this. I'm sure at some point I will want to give up. Nothing worth having comes easy, right? Isn't that what New Years Resolutions are all about?

Great, now I'm a cliche. To me that's the worst. Ever.

But, I haven't spent any money today!