5.7.16

Bad with $$

  Okay, so as most of you probably know, my husband has to work away from home in order to make ends meet.  I am and always have been bad with budgeting money.  Having 3 growing kids in school doesn't help matters.  We are trying to save money to buy another car, as ours is nearly 20 years old, guzzling gas, and starting to have mechanical issues.  We also need/want to  add onto our house.  Our kitchen is maybe 20 sq.ft., and only accessible from outside.  Our plan is to add a large "L" shaped room onto the back of our house.  This would include a large living room and the kitchen, which will be accessible from inside the house.  Unfortunately, I am NOT the best at budgeting money.  I try, I really do, but, there always seems to be something that comes up; mainly the old car; that eats into the money.

  Marius (husband) is stuck away from us working his butt off, and for what?!? For me to screw it all up, evidently.  It hasn't been all bad though.  In the last few months, I've gotten our firewood for the winter, renovated our hall/entrance way, as well as our bedroom.  I've had people tell me I should write a book about my experiences as an expat, but hello, I have a blog and I don't even have 100 followers, so really, a book is gonna help?!?  That's a pipe dream, but I guess I won't know till I try????

  If anyone out there has something a chart or what have you to help me better budget my money, by all means, PLEASE send it to me.  Cause seriously, I'm awful at budgeting and saving.

3 comments:

Gorges Smythe said...

Is your budget on paper or in your head. If it's not on paper, the old saying is that it doesn't exist. Not trying to be a smart-alec, but that's what I was taught.

andrei said...

Hi don't be too harsh on yourself , seems Romania is some kind of a finance black whole neither the politicians nor the populations seems to be able to get their money on track , I struggle from paycheck to paycheck even though I'm well above the middle income ( but still earning less than half my work real value in EU) same thing here except the bad car cause I down own one instead have a good rent to throw money on so instead of the land of the brave here is the land of the rave and rants about the money ...... btw I have enjoyed o much the Romania through their eyes so much ,especially since you talk about my birth city and our opinion are somewhat convergent on many points so please count me one of you less than one hundred followers.
Have a great day.
Andrei

Anonymous said...

I stumbled upon your post and was really amused by your torment. Here is my advice to you:
1. Use an Excel file to record all your monthly expenses (approximate if it varies from month to month)
2. If the expense is not monthly, divide it so that you have the monthly amount (for ex., if you invest in an appliance that is 500 lei, and you know it is supposed to last 2 years, divide the 500 lei to 24)
3. Once you are finished, now you have a clear idea of WHERE and HOW MUCH OF your money is going.
4. Here comes the hard part: start selecting those expenses that are unavoidable and then you are left with the avoidable ones.
5. Have a family meeting and tell everyone that avoidable Expense x and y and z will either have to go or be reduced.

Only then you have a chance of reducing your expenses.