On Friday night, Mr. Money and I sat down and went over our budget.  We’ve gotten a little lax over the past few months to say the least.  I totaled up our monthly spending for the month of August (since we weren’t on vacation at all that month) and it was pretty surprising.  After viewing the totals on some of the categories I wanted to throw up.  However, that isn’t really very productive, so we decided to be a little more strict with our budgeting and try to work a little more at staying in line.  It will help us reach our goals, and enable me to stay at home with the baby.

Because I’m crazy, and I think it will help keep me accountable if I post the actual numbers of our variable expenses here, I’m going to do it.  Feel free to shame me if you want; I deserve it.

Groceries, including household items= 371.76
Clothing (work shoes for Mr. Money)= 42.39
Gas= 298.20
Eating Out= 369.95

I wasn’t too surprised about the grocery category, because we try to buy grass fed local beef and other meats from a farm close to our house, as well as purchasing many organic items. I knew that our grocery total was going to be more than I wanted it, but there’s little I can do unless I want to compromise the quality of food I’m eating. With me being pregnant, that’s not something I really want to do.

The eating out part of our spending? Is completely ridiculous and I can’t believe that we let ourselves spend that much on eating out. I know part of the problem was that I was still experiencing “morning sickness” and when I had a craving for something that actually sounded pretty good, we indulged. Apparently I had a lot of cravings during the month!

We’ve decided to cut back on the expenses that we can control. Of course, the fixed expenses we have we don’t really have much wiggle room, so we’ll have to leave those how they are.  Here’s what we’re proposing for the new budget:

Food= $350
Dogs= $20
Netflix= $8
XM= $25
Gas= $300 (I’d like to make this lower)
Eating out= $120
Retirement=$50

Here are some of the things that I know we’ve been slacking on, causing us to spend so much money: not meal planning, not having things for lunches for me, and being lazy.  I guess it all boils down to being lazy.    I have now realized that I can’t afford to be lazy, so I’ve got to change.

Of course, I decide to do this right before Christmas!  And then after Christmas, I’ll be quitting my job, and then we’ll be having the baby!  It’s more necessary now than ever, so I’m going to have to suck it up and not have any excuses.  Any freelancing income I get will have to be used for monthly expenses, but I’m happy with that.  If it needs to be done, it needs to be done.

Have you ever realized you’ve gone way over budget and had to change it?  Any advice for me?

When I first learned I was pregnant, I decided that I would be ahead of the game and start looking for some fall/winter maternity clothes, since that’s when I would be pretty big.  I went with a friend to a few stores, including Motherhood Maternity, and scoped out prices.  Old Navy’s maternity line seemed to be pretty reasonably priced.  I learned that I loved all the clothes Motherhood Maternity offered, especially their petite pants.  They fit perfectly length-wise, and that never happens!  Unfortunately, they were also priced around $35 a pair, and holy cow. I couldn’t bring myself to pay $35 for a pair of pants.  Luckily, I waited and was able to come up with a pretty nice maternity wardrobe without spending a ton of money.  Here’s how I did it:

-Went to yard sales.  When I went up to Michigan to tell my family I was pregnant, my mom and I hit up some yard sales.  She noticed one advertised on Craigslist to have maternity clothes, so we made sure to go there.  I got a pair of the petite Motherhood Maternity pants for fifty cents!  They were in great shape and are my favorite maternity pants today.  Love them!  I also got a few gender neutral sleepers for the baby for a quarter each.

-Went to many thrift stores.  Some thrift stores were much better than others, but I’ve been able to pick up a few pieces here and there, making my wardrobe more expansive.  Thrift stores weren’t my best source of clothing though, to be honest.  I think the quality of clothing at thrift stores varies depending on where you live.

-Borrowed clothing from friends.  One of my friends brought me over her whole maternity wardrobe when she found out I was pregnant.  I was able to borrow quite a few shirts and pants from her, saving me a bunch of money and shopping time!

-eBay and Craigslist.  When I learned that I loved the Motherhood pants, I started searching eBay for them.  I was able to pick up a couple pairs of dress pants for a really good price!  Even better, I didn’t have to leave the house.  My mom kept her eye out for maternity clothes on her local Craigslist, and she found someone selling maternity clothes.  She went over and bought a few pieces, and then told him to give her a call in a few days if he still hadn’t sold the clothes.  He called her later in the week to tell her she was welcome to pick up the rest of the clothes for free if we were still interested.  Awesome!

Being pregnant and thinking about how much pregnancy and babies costs can be overwhelming.  I am trying to take things one day at a time to avoid being overwhelmed.  I’m thankful I was able to put my whole maternity wardrobe together for not too much money.  I can’t imagine paying retail for all those clothes, especially when they are worn for approximately six months!

I think having and raising a baby is as expensive as you make it.  I’m going to do my best to enjoy my pregnancy and baby and not blow my budget.

Some of you may have noticed my absence over the past few months.  It’s been a busy summer, and I’m so happy to announce that we are finally pregnant!  We are so thrilled, and I am looking forward to being a mama sometime in February.  The first trimester was really rough, but now that I’m past it, I’ve felt a lot better and much more confident.  I’ll start sharing more ideas on how we’re saving money throughout my pregnancy, what baby items we’re choosing, etc.  The next chapter of our lives is pretty exciting, so I hope you’ll stick around to enjoy!