Budgeting

Hoping my accountant husband decides to work on our budget soon.  I've put all the numbers down on paper and it does not look pretty.  My style of a budget is pretty archaic.  I listed out all of our monthly expenses (which add up quickly - especially with child support, daycare, debt, and outrageous charges for cable).  Then I put the average date of the month they are due.  The next thing I did is I listed out our income based on a 4 week month.  Then I put what gets paid each pay period (based off of the average date things are due and how much we are taking in on that week).  It leaves us with a grand total of $224 a month.  Yuck. (I estimated high end charges for everything - I want to be prepared)

There are some solutions thankfully.  As the debt gets paid off that will be more money left over.  Also I need to look in to our cell phone and cable bills to see if there are cheaper options.  Our water and electric are even higher now then they were when we lived in the exact same floor plan 1 block over.  Not sure what is up with that?  So bizarre.  The AC is as old as the house (15 years) so I am sure that's a huge electric expense.  We don't have sprinklers or anything weird so not sure why our average water bill jumped from around $80 to over $100.  Water in Lehigh is notoriously high cost low quality. 

The biggest fix would be to upgrade our poor AC.  But that will cost between $4000 and $6000.

And I don't even want to get in to the student loan debt I have.  Who goes to law school (which I loved) and gets in deep debt when your goal in life would really be to be a housewife?  This girl.

Although - what I need to do is get my butt in gear to get in to teaching classes at undergraduate college level.  That could be more flexible scheduling, income, and make use of my degrees. AND if we moved to Orlando someday I could try to teach there (or online - I think I'd like to teach online classes).  I have to look at the bright side of my schooling :-)

And I can't forget that said Brilliant Hubby graduates in December. I'm hoping he can get a good job pretty quickly.  I have no idea how that will go.  I also know there are way more opportunities for him in Orlando so I have to get my office here in tip top shape and a plan B for myelf ready in case the next few years bring a move for us. 

We also have some items I want to sell on E-Bay.  Little creative ways to both make and save money will be so helpful.  We bought Keegan awesome toys the other day at a second hand shop - it felt so good to get great quality toys at a fraction of the price.  I think I will bring old stuff there too to get some credit. 

So anyways, budgeting it is.  I think Hubby is going to put me on a cash budget.  I think this is a good idea ;-)  He wouldn't force it on me.  He knows I am stressed and we both know things are going to be fine (and we are so much better off than the majority of people in this world). We also both like to spend and need to rein it in.

And we need money to hopefully go to Disney soon ;-)