Summer Project

I've sort of made a challenge for myself over the course of this year, and have decided to REALLY get into it this summer. I'm trying very hard to make 2014 the year that I learn to settle on a budget. I have a feeling that 2014 may not be the year I get it all under control, but I want it to be the year that I start getting a better grip on my finances. Being a single mom with one paycheck that isn't a whole lot with a job that has so much unpaid overtime that I can't get a second job, has been a reality shock. (For those of you who don't know my whole story, I quit a career that I made double in to follow my passion and then got knocked up unexpectedly and baby daddy is nowhere to be found.) Here are some of the money saving goals that I've set for the summer (and a few that have been year long).

SUMMER PROJECT

1. Begin to read through the Couponing to Disney guide on how to begin "couponing to Disney" aka figure out a budget and stick with it. 

2. Read and follow these blogs for ideas and inspiration on how to live on a budget: 

 - Money Saving Mom

- Couponing to Disney

- Living Well Spending Less

3. Institute one or two No Spending months. I have deemed May a no spending month, but that's turning into less of a reality since I realized just how much I had going on in May (two concerts, two baseball games and a family vacation). May has been more of a month of sticking to the spending budget since all of those events were planned prior to May (tickets already purchased) and now it's more me sticking to a set amount to spend while at those events. 

4. Master aps such as Shopkick and Checkout 51. I've been using Shopkick for about a year now, and have used it for earning gift cards to support my pizza addiction. I just started using Checkout 51, but already have $4.50 in my account, and can't wait to hit $20 request my first check! 

5. Savings Jar. My Pinterest has been blowing up with people and their "Save $1 a week jar!" This sounds great in theory. You begin with $1 a week and then add $1 per week to the amount from the week before. I knew that would be a little tough for my budget, so I began with a quarter a week and have gone from there. So far I've got $69 in my jar! (I usually just put the amount for the weeks during the month in at the beginning of the month to make sure I don't spend them!) 

6. Menu plan based on what items I have, what items are on sale, and what items I have coupons for. This is the bulk of my summer project. It will probably be a new 6 month project because it will take me a while to get fully used to shopping this way. I don't have much storage space, so I can't purchase too many items at a time. 

So there you have it! I may be using this blog to work through the process of my summer project. With my rent increasing, kiddo's school tuition going up, and our cable bill going up, it's time to get serious about saving money. I'm already a master at frugal entertainment, but I'm about to get Jedi Master status over the next 6 months.