Budgeting, my struggle

Budgeting is something that I struggle with constantly.  I love playing on Pinterest and whenever I see budgeting tips I usually give them a read (though I never save them to look at again later).  And I have found some pretty good tips.

Things like buying deli ends from the deli department instead of fresh cut.  You can usually get a large Styrofoam plate (our local metro cuts them up and puts them on a Styrofoam plate) of good meats (I always skip the ones with loaves or baloney on them) like the Cajan chicken, roasted turkey and salami.  I have gotten enough ham (the yummy black forest kind) for a week of sandwiches for 2 people and a quiche for about $3.00.

I also try to follow a cash budget.  By taking out cash for all of our needs each week I find that we are much more conscious of our spending.  I also find that this really helps up distinguish between "needs" and "wants", something both the Hubs and myself struggle with.

But even with all of my little tricks and knowing that I like having a buffer in our bank account I find that they are too many times where I just say "F** the budget" and I over spend.  My guilty pleasures are takeout food and shopping.  (Both of which I have a weekly budget for so as to not completely deprive myself).  But I find that after a couple of months I get annoyed with constantly having to be cautious about my spending and I like to go a little crazy.

This of course does not help the budget and it really doesn't help our bank account.  Plus then after the fun I have of shopping I end up feeling guilty and down for a couple of weeks for spending the money.

But even knowing this I struggle with breaking this cycle.  Which makes me feel like I am stuck to continue this annoying cycle for ever.

For now I guess I will just have to keep working at staying on budget maybe after some time it will feel more like second nature and not like a bit of a chore.  And truthfully I do get really excited when we have money leftover at the end of the week or I am able to get something I really want at a fabulous price. 

Does this happen to you?  What are some of the strategies that you have  to help yourself stay of budget.

Canada Supports and Remembers...

Today was an awesome (though extremely early starting at 530am) day.   Today was the first time that Hubs (and myself in spirit) participated in the Canada Army Run.

The boys all ready to go

This is an annual event with proceeds going back to the Armed Forces.  The event is a big deal here in the capital with over 25,000 people participating this year (largest turnout ever) including Vets, soldiers and civillians.  If you want to find out more about the event and keep tabs so you can sign up next year (I think this might be a yearly event for our family) then click here.

That's our Ottawa mayor beside the solider

The hubs and myself signed up to participate in the 5K run together with our goal to be completing the run in under 35mins.  However the Hubs hurt his one leg a few weeks ago in volleyball and then on his birthday he hurt his other foot.  Both of these injuries were still bothering him so he elected to walk.  And much to my sadness I was not able to participate but our good friend Mike volunteered to step in and do the walk for me.

Unfortunately for Mike it was too late to change my bib over so he was stuck participating under my name, but I think he represented me pretty well.

Look closely and you can see my name on Mike's bib

The boys did very well, they were able to complete the course in just under an hour, and I am am super proud of both of them for participating in this very worthy cause. 

I can't wait until next year when hopefully I can also participate and finish the course in under 35mins. 

The Hub's Birthday (a late post)

This summer has been such a great summer.  An old friend of mine got married, we bought our first home and have really been able to enjoy the summer (something I don't think I have really done in a while).  However with it being a great summer it has also been a really busy summer and that has meant that I haven't posted as much on the blog that I would've liked.  But with the September here and cooler weather approaching I think things will slow down a bit and I will be able to post more often again :)

This post is a few weeks late, but I really wanted to write something about the Hub's birthday that happened at the end of August. 

I have a great husband, he is pretty laid back and understanding, he accepts me fully (all my crazy faults and everything).  So when his birthday comes around I really like to do something special to show him just how much I appreciate him.  

This year the hubs wanted to do a paintball outing with some friends.  He looked around and found a great place.  They went to Commando Paintball just outside of Ottawa and they had a blast. 

 It was a complete outdoors course, with multiple fields to chose from.  They ended up playing 2 of the courses and that took up 5hours. 

Since I wasn't playing I sat around with a friend (who also wasn't playing) and we chatted and found some pretty awesome turtles to entertain us.

We didn't give them the pizza

 After paintball everyone came back to our house for some drinks and BBQ.  I hope that the Hubs had a great time and realizes just how awesome he is.