Week 14 on the jars

I think, right now, the amounts I have put in the grocery/household jar fits the needs we currently have. Or better, the needs we have during regular months. The summer always changes things up a bit. Routines are blown. Schedules are non existant. Sometimes we have more players around the table. Sometimes we don't have a full house.

Say this weekend, for example...it's just me while the other three are experiencing 'adventures with aunty' at the lake. My mom packed more than enough food, as that is her happy place, and I only needed to send up some beverages and some chips for the downtime.

That means I have spent less on groceeries so perhaps this is a week to stock up on things like toilet paper, cleaners etc. Or, if I have enough of those items, then it is the week I have money leftover in the jars.

I took some of the unused jar money and bought some wicker baskets for DS2's room and for the living room. I have no furniture with storage space in the living room so a few pretty wicker baskets with lids give a place to put things like the 'other' remotes, my tealights and candles etc. Psychologically, it's amazing what a few lil baskets did for my mood and how I feel about the room. Uncluttered room = uncluttered mind maybe? lol

In my first two weeks on this new budget, I have had $50 left each week in the food/household jar. I have taken that money and tucked it away in what I like to call the 'back to school Costco' run. I will go somewhere in the last week of August before school starts and do a big grocery /house run. Things for the boys lunches, for my lunches, ziplock baggies, cleaners...all kinds of stuff that we will need (and I have used up over the summer) to start the school year off right.

It feels good to know that even if I don't have an extra cent left over in the jars for the rest of the summer, I already have $100 to put towards this big shopping event. Anything I can do to ease the inevitable and costly back to school expenses, helps me very much.

As for the rest of the jars?

 I spent $40 on gas, so that was another $10 leftover to tuck aside for maintenance /repair or gas for a longer road trip.

I spent all my spending money this week. I went out for lunch with a friend.

I have not yet touched the monthly clothing/gifts money.

I spent $20 out of the $40 for entertainment. I gave the boys $10 each for icecream for the lake, though grandpa usually likes to buy that for them.

I think the biggest trick in having the combined food/household jar (which is new to me)  is to really think about all the different items that come out of that jar. It isn't just the money to feed my two teen walking stomachs. It's the household items and the personal care items. I keep a little list each week. 5 things I should buy to stay one ahead on the non food items, just so I don't forget that they are also coming out of the same jar.  I also hate running out of an item when I need it. For example this week I had on the list " TP, toiletbowl cleaner, plastic wrap (for my EZ Wrap dispenser), shampoo for DS2 and soap. I rank them in order of how quick I will need to replace them. Then I can keep them in mind when the flyers come out to see if they are on sale. I might only be able to get one or two of them, depending on their cost and my expenses for the week. Those that I can't get, move to the top of the list for the following week.

And that was my week :-)

Today I am getting some cleaning off the list before the campers come home. Grass to cut. I want to go spend an hour at the school doing some copying for fall. I need two more baskets for under the sink storage and I will curl up and read for awhile.  DS1 just texted to say they are quadding right now. Aunty is making them learn the names of 10 new plants/grasses/birds while they are out. She's a science teacher. When they come up next time, she'll quiz them. DS2 was frantically looking up one name the night before he left because he wanted to show her he remembered all of last visit's plants :-)