She's putting her 'lunch money' — about $250 a month — towards her emergency fund
, and paying close attention to excess spending on credit cards. I decided to draft a firm budget at the start of every month and make sure I did what I could to stick with it.
But after the coronavirus shook everything up and I found myself sheltering in place I decided to make big changes to my budget to refocus where I was using my money. Since I was spending less, I decided to spend more on myself and the financial goals I want to tackle in the future.Whena few months ago, I realized that I spend way too much money on food. I was eating most meals out of the house, splurging on mid-day snacks and coffee, and still somehow running up a large grocery bill.
Since sheltering in place, I've taken away the takeout budget line item and added $30 extra to my weekly grocery budget. I decided to stay lean with my food bill because it's easy to overspend when browsing the aisles at the grocery store or feeling panicked by the thought of having to eat every meal at home these days.
To stick to a grocery budget of under $75 a week, I've had to rigorously plan and design menus for myself before entering the grocery store. That way, I know exactly what I need and can hunt for deals to help stick to the budget. I had a weeknight fun budget line item that I used to pay for movie nights, happy hours, comedy shows, or other outings with friends during the week.
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