How Exciting... A Price Book

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I am extremely disorganized in my everyday life. I wasn't always like this, it justs seems with each kid that I birth I lose grasp on organization a little bit more.

This equates into me losing things, missing out on coupons/rebates and in general just spending more money. Due to the fact that I am transitioning over to buying higher quality meat and more natural foods my grocery bill has gone up. I need tp pull myself together to try a wrangle it to a more acceptable amount.

Things are easing up a bit at home because the baby is getting older and is starting to actually enjoy playing on the floor instead of having me hold her 24/7. At night she has been taking a nap from seven or eight to around ten so I actually have time to get things done and sit sans baby in my lap or attached to my boob.

I am going to begin to make more of an effort to plan my shopping trips and be more mindful of what I am buying. I also would like to eventually get back into the drugstore game when I feel that it won't take too much time from other aspects of my life.

Right now, I am going to start a price book for the stores I shop at. It is not going to be anything fancy but it will help me to see who has the best prices on things I buy.

Even if I don't end up lowering how much I spend, I at least want to know that the money I spent was well spent instead of knowing that the things I bought were dumb impulse buys. Good luck to me because I will need it.

Revisiting My Budget

I am not one for being told what to do- I still feel like I am a rebellious teenager sometimes and when I am told to do something one way I automatically do it the complete opposite way.

This craziness also applies to me telling myself what to do.

I tried making a budget with separate categories for groceries, household items, diapers and pet stuff (not including vet appointments) because I told myself that it would be better for keeping spending in check. I tried listening to myself but now I am rebelling. I hate having all of those categories- some weeks I need more money in some categories and less money in others. I don't like entering in what I spent into my spreadsheet and having the numbers taunting me because I spent  too much on groceries while there is a small nest egg in the household or diapers category.

In an effort to streamline my life and get rid of little annoyances I am going to have a blanket amount for the above mentioned categories. As of right now it will be $100 per week- I think based on what I've been spending that this amount will suffice. If not I can always lower or raise it (most likely raise it because I have been a terrible deal stalker lately) because amongst other things, I am the CEO of my household and can do whatever I want.