The Art of Budgeting

Good Morning Eydie!  We recognize you and will happily over charge you for a cuppa coffee. 

Have you ever read an article or heard Suze Orman (Who I think is WAY over caffeinated.  She is way too intense about ROTH and IRA accounts.  I'll start worrying about that after I retire, thank you very much!) telling you to save hundreds of dollars a year by denying yourself a morning latte?

In my case it isn't a latte, but a dark roast Starbucks coffee with a splash of cream.  (For those of you wondering why I am not frequenting a local coffee shop, it is because my community has two locally owned coffee shops and neither brew strong enough coffee for this Prairie Gal.)   I tried drinking "work coffee" for awhile, but ended up in a decaffeinated rage.  My anger and deprivation was definitely NOT worth the $2.22 I was saving four or five times a week.

Instead, I have found other ways to save money, and budget, that do not involve limiting coffee drinks of any kind.   

Did you know - Aunt Bee was 58 when she started appearing on the Andy Griffith Show.  Apparently she was difficult to work with and often clashed with Andy Griffith.  No word on if she clashed with Don Knotts.

  
1.  Wait until you look like Aunt Bea on The Andy Griffith Show before getting a cut and color.  Added bonus?  Everyone will comment on how FaBuLoUs you look after your salon splurge.

2.  Bring your own nail polish to your next pedicure.  That way you can touch up polish chips yourself and prolong your pedicure. (This is a tip from Prairie Sherry that I have never tried.  I am too embarrasses to get a pedicure since my feet look like hooves after the harsh Wisconsin winter.)

3.  Plant a square foot garden in May, by the end of July you'll be harvesting baskets of cucumbers, tomatoes, kale, bean . . . (NOTE: Don't think you will save money by canning your own tomatoes. Instead, befriend Prairie Sherry and she will can your tomatoes for you.)  You will find that you rarely need to buy anything in your grocery store produce section.

4.  Let all your magazine subscriptions run out and dust off your library card.  Magazines only encourage you to spend more money. Oprah's magazine will have you spending your paycheck on a quest to find the best dry shampoo.  Dry shampoo is a time saver, not a money saver.  Plus, Prairie Friends, I have already done the dry shampoo quest and the answer is :

HGTV magazine will send you scampering to buy a new light fixture for your entry way or an indoor/outdoor rug for your deck. A more economical way to spruce these areas up is with a broom. If you must have magazine subscriptions, I would suggest Reader's Digest.  

I bet beautiful Raquel has had this dress since 1957. 

  5.  Invest in leopard print clothes and accessories.  It seems like every year leopard print is a trend.  And even if it isn't - you will look both retro and cutting edge.  (Prairie Sharon read in a magazine that women over 30 shouldn't wear leopard print.  I say cancel the subscription to that dumb magazine.) 

6.  If you are a teacher, stake a place by the garbage can in the school cafeteria.  You will easily score complete, untouched lunches for your own children.  Cha-ching! 

7.  Do not find yourself in a TJ Maxx or Marshall's parking lot with twenty-five minutes to kill.  You do not need a new "lettuce green" handbag or a lemon zester.  If you do find yourself in this dangerous situation, drive to the nearest Starbucks to regroup with a grande Pike Place, light on the cream.

Prairie Eydie