Making Things Balance

I love making our budget balance.  I think that using that as a guide gives me peace of mind.  I know that I can do something, spend something, take care of a need when I know everything is balanced. Quicken and Quickbooks are excellent for the daily planner like me.

But planning long term doesn't seem to be my forte.  I can save up for something in the short term, but long term goals seem lost on me. It seems that something always comes up that prevents me from saving for that big trip or big ticket item.  I always relied on making payments.  It's an easy way not to sacrifice and scrimp.  I need to figure out a way to save and not be able to touch it.





This week in review:  Costco has become my favorite place to save.  I usually stick to my list and come out with items we use at a much lower cost.  I have been comparing per ounce sizes of many items between Costco and Pavilions and I'm pleasantly surprised at the savings.  I've been able to stock up on toilet paper, paper towels, kleenex, shampooo/conditioner, razors, etc.  In addition, I find deals on cheese, milk, eggs, bread, etc.  I stay away from pre-packaged foods for the most part except maybe for the frozen pizzas!

I've been using a new app on my Android phone (sorry, iPhone users), called Grocery Tracker.
 It is amazing.  I've completely stopped using my grocery list spreadsheet.  I can enter the items I'm out of for either the grocery store or Costco and also my menu for the week.  I know it has saved me money and time.  It keeps track of how much all the items in my cart cost so I can see at a glance how much I've spent so far.

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