Trying to Save

I've been feeling this pull to simplify things lately.  It started before Christmas.  Originally, I just chalked it up to the holiday buzz, but it hasn't let up in the last week.  In fact, it seems stronger.   There's a good possibility that I'm still simply reeling from the havoc that Christmas can reap, but maybe it's more than just the Christmas clutter that's getting to me.  Either way, simplifying is a good idea.  The fact of the matter is that we spend too much money, and we have way too much stuff.  I need to get rid of some of the junk that is cluttering our home (and thereby my mind), and tighten my wallet as well.

I feel like I have a pretty good grip on how to get my home in order.  In fact, there's not a whole lot that I need to do in that area.  There are some places that could be a little better organized, but I'm fairly certain that my house would beat at least 75% of the population as far as organization goes - and I'm not being cocky.  I like order, and I keep things orderly.  I don't neglect things for long, because I expend more energy fretting about undone tasks than than it takes to just fix it!   So, I have the skills necessary to tackle the first step in my simplification goal, but I'm not so sure I have the skills I need for the second part.

I have never considered myself to be frivolous with money.  I feel like I budget well.  I plan for the future and put money aside for upcoming events on a regular basis.  Still, money somehow has gotten tight over the last year.  Part of the problem is just the economy.  While prices have increased, our income has not.  We pay more for utilities, groceries, gas and childcare than we did when we got married 6 years ago. Nonetheless, I know people who pay much less than I do for those same services, and who live on much smaller incomes than we do.  So how do those people do it?  I must be missing something.

Clearly, the first step in saving money is to spend less, but how do I spend less without compromising our quality of life?  I could do less, but that's not really the direction I want to go.  I would sacrifice activities if I had to, but as much as the "Go! Go! Go! Do! Do! Do!" lifestyle exhausts me, I also enjoy it.   I don't feel like we do anything that is unreasonable.  We have host a good many gatherings, and we attend a lot of get-togethers too.  We go on a decent vacation once a year.  We take the kids to their activities.  We spend a lot of time with family and friends, and frankly, that's the way we want to spend our lives.  We always have something going on, but those things are rarely extravagant.  But even humble gatherings can be expensive.  How do I whittle the money spent on gatherings without compromising the quality?

Even things that are seemingly very low-key can be pricey.  Take going out on the pontoon boat, for example.   Really, what's simpler than a day on the lake?  Nothing!  Boating is definitely not on my list of items to eradicate, but it's also not cheap to run that big boat, to feed us (and hydrate...or dehydrate, depending on which of us you are talking about) for the day, not to mention the gas to get to the lake and back...you see what I mean?  What can I budget differently, so that we don't necessarily feel the pull of a tighter wallet?  Here's another example of the frustration I am feeling: I can't get my grocery bill under $200 a week to save my life.  I am a planner.  I make meal lists.  I make my grocery lists from my planned meals.  I cut coupons, but the bill is nearly the same amount ever single week.  What gives?  There has to be a better way, and I'm betting at least some of you who read my blog have some good suggestions.

Here's what else I do to try to save:

• I make my own laundry detergent
• I use plain bleach and water to clean a lot of things (I know, bleach is really bad for you, but it kills germs and is super cheap).  I have a bottle of ecologically safe, highly concentrated cleaner that I use for almost everything else.  It's not very expensive and it lasts forever (and I hope that the "green" factor in that cleaner offsets the copious amounts of bleach I have been using).
• I try to buy non-food items at Target when I can, so that I have stock-piled things like shampoo, razors, toothpaste, toilet paper, etc.  Buying those things at the grocery store is a sure way to jack up the bill!
• We put plastic on our windows this year to help with the heating bill.
• I try to drive reasonably.  We need the car, but I don't let it idle, and if I have a lot of errands, I calculate the most efficient order in which to run them, so that I save time and money.
• Andrew has practically no new clothes aside from shoes.  I have saved everything of Jake's for him.
• I rarely buy myself new clothes either.  I shop for a few things once or twice a year.  (Yes, that explains my appearance.)

I don't know what else to do.  If we had a smaller mortgage, if I didn't have all those student loans, we would be a lot more comfortable.  Unfortunately, those two debts aren't going anywhere, so I need to learn to save with what I've got.  I'd love some suggestions on how to save money!

Did I mention that I'm looking for suggestions?  Help!  I know there's a wealth of knowledge out there!  Please share!