A Day In The Life Sunday: No Nice and Easy For Me

My husband and I are absurd savers of money.

Truth be told, I get nausea when I spend chunks of cash. Even though we are virtually debt free, we've ramped up our quest to keep our money close to home in response to his job loss.

Some things have to go. So, we are:

  • Very regrettably parting ways with the cleaning lady;
  • Bundling our internet, phone, television services;
  • Switching from boutique to bulk as I say goodbye to Alice and hello to Sam;
  • Eating at home more and out less; and
  • Reevaluating home and auto insurance rates.

Some things have to stay - family vacations, hair salon color and designer frames.

We are not into deprivation so are scaling back intentionally and not without some thought. I know that this will carry us much beyond our current situation.

How do I know this?

By my own irritation at myself when I look back over the years and realize just how much money I've blown. I spent it because I had it and now, I want it back. Hmph.

If you've cut costs in your household, what made the biggest difference for you? And what was your non-negotiable? You had a non-negotiable, didn't you? I do.

There is simply no Nice and Easy for me.

Cell Phones and Parental Controls: A Day In The Life Sunday

A few weeks ago, week the kid was pining for a cell phone. Actually, it's been a few months now but she kicked her efforts up a few notches recently with Christmas and her 11th birthday in sight. Today, she has a metallic blue phone of her very own - fully personalized the way she likes it.

What gives? No, it wasn't slide show she put together on "Why I Need a Cell Phone" <although it was a nice touch> that changed our minds. We started swaying that way after I lost the kid and just last week, it became the right time for us. She's swimming 3 nights a week at a local high school pool and is involved in early morning school activities.

Now that she has the phone, I am finding that I like the piece of mind and the cute texts I get from her before and after school. I will have to take a closer look at the 50 text messages to that one friend though . . .

So, she has the phone with unlimited texts but no internet connection <yet> and I am looking at parental controls for now and for when she get greater access.

I am going for controlled independence. Is there an app for that?