Wow, the kids go back to school next week and I can hardly believe where the time has gone! The beginning of the month is always the most challenging and August is certainly no exception. A good portion of what I refer to as our “big bills” is due at the beginning of the month, mortgage, line of credit, vehicle, etc. This month the beginning of the month has been tougher due to the addition of Red’s medical supplies (insulin, glucose strips, etc), last minute back to school items, pre-paying Sydney lunch account and vehicle registration for both cars. I am not going to lie, it is going to be tight for us the next two weeks but I know if I just follow our budgeting rules, we will be okay! I have to admit, I struggled a little this past weekend when we were in Target. Target always has an end of summer toy clearance because they need to make room for the “hot” toys that are coming in for the upcoming holiday season. You can get great deals on toys during this time, in some instances saving up to 70%. I was in the toy clearance aisle and was greeted by a sea of glorious red clearance tags. I started putting things in the cart and realized, I was totally not sticking with my own budgeting rules….just because it is on sale does not mean I have to have it. When I looked at my cart, I started to ask myself, “Who are these for and for what occasion?” When I could not answer that question, back on the shelf the items went! The excuses of “Well I can use that as a stocking stuffer,” or “This would be good to have just in case I don’t have time to shop” just were not cutting it! I left with the three items I originally came in there for and left feeling proud of myself to resist the temptation of a sale.
