It is so empty. And I am so excited! My pantry is pretty bare bones too. We could probably survive on PB&J for another couple days if we needed to, but tomorrow is grocery day. I've been trying to do a monthly meal plan, and these last two weeks we have actually stuck to it! I planned it out to use up as much stuff as we already had, and combined meals (ie roasting chicken one night, chicken quesadillas the next, soup with the chicken broth later that week) and this is all that is left. I did have to go out and get a few things the other day like a head of lettuce and more milk, but for the most part this has been the most successful meal planning month so far! Only a lone Cornish game hen and some frozen corn left in the freezer, and a few odds and ends and condiments in the fridge.
Tomorrow's shopping trip is going to be a big one and the fridge will once more look full. But my goal is to only buy stuff we *need* and is a part of our plan for the week. It has really been helping to keep our grocery budget in check!
Speaking of budget, our snowball hasn't been that big these last few weeks. A lot of the overtime we normally count on has not been happening, so we've been scraping by to make ends meet, but we haven't had to dig into our baby emergency fund at all, so we're making it. I keep dreaming about what it will be like to not have $1000/month in debt payments. Between credit cards, medical bills, and our van payment, it just eats such a huge chunk. Our goal is to have it all gone by spring of 2018. Feels like an eternity away.
But it will be worth it, right? All that freedom? Not having to check the bank account every time I need gas or groceries. Not having to budget for going to McDonalds or field trips. Lately I've been feeling really down about the opportunities we aren't able to provide for our kids. The last few weeks a lot of our friends have been talking about summer camps. It's all over the advertising space in town, local magazines have it on their front covers, *everyone* goes to summer camp, right? Or at least that's how it seems. My oldest has been pouring through those magazines picking out which ones he wants to go to. I'd love to send him to the fancy acting camp he wants to go to ($250/week), or the overnight cub scout camp ($150 for 2 nights). But it's just not in the budget. I tell myself there will be plenty of chances for summer camp in a few years. This is a sacrifice we all have to make so we can reap the benefits later. But it feels so wrong to make my kids suffer for financial mistakes we made. It's not fair for them. (Neither is the $100/month I am paying for my oldest to go to Occupational Therapy once a week either. But healthcare costs is a whole different post.....)
We just gotta keep on keeping on.
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