Making Ends Meet
It’s getting harder and harder to make ends meet these days, isn’t it? I recently purchased a used, “good gas mileage” vehicle to help offset some of the high gas prices we’ve been paying. It seems to be a good investment so far because I was spending $70 to $80 per week, and I’ve about cut that in half. But I feel that carpooling is not out of the question as me and my wife are both driving a vehicle in to work each day.
This past weekend, I found that I needed to purchase new blades for my lawnmower and the belt for the cutting deck was slipping, so I figured a new one was in order. The mower is going into it’s 3rd summer of usage, so it was time for some maintenance. So I drop into a local Lowes and walk out having spent almost $90 for new blades and a new belt!?!?! Then I had to go spend $18 to fill up my 5 gallon gas can to put gas into the mower.
And I don’t know which is worse…a gallon of gas or a gallon of milk! Actually, I think the milk is more expensive at the moment.
Sometimes when I look at all this, I just want to sell out, head for the mountains, raise animals and fresh vegetables and just take care of my family! As an alternative to that idea, (an idea my family certainly wouldn’t approve of), I’ve started paying very close attention to everything I spend money on. If I can put a purchase off or figure out a way to do something myself instead of paying for it, thats what I’m doing. Lets face it, our salaries aren’t going up to match the rate at which prices are rising, so you’ve got to do something.
It’s been a good exercise for me anyway. I’m the “not so frugal” one in our family, and I needed to cut back anyway.
So what are your thoughts? Are you experiencing the same pains as I am? How have high prices affected you and your spending habits? I’d love to hear from you!
