Money is the root of all ???

"What, did you buy dog food?"  That's the question my mom asked me the other night when I was sharing that I had managed to buy two weeks worth of food for under $50.  (And while I did buy enough food to have three well-balanced meals each day for the next two weeks, dog food for Cooper was included in that total!)

A few weeks ago, I decided that I was going to keep a MUCH closer eye on my budget.  Partly because I want a larger emergency fund, partly because I want to pay off all my ridiculous school loans, and partly because I like going on shopping sprees!  So, when all the stores were having back to school sales, I went out and bought a binder, lots of paper, a calculator, and pens with five different colors of ink.  Yes, being the school supply junkie and OCD list maker that I am, I went out and spent $20 on random supplies so I could write out my budget and all my money saving ideas each week. 

Most of my money saving ideas are pretty run of the mill: use coupons (but not in a crazy way!), keep the lights turned off, turn up the thermostat, conserve gas by limiting extra trips out, etc.  I stopped eating out and I quit drinking pop.  Having a fairly strict budget also works as a convenient excuse when trying to get out of ridiculous health department sponsored fund raisers.  Shhh...don't tell my supervisor I said that!  

I think I made myself look bad this week at Publix.  I had a set budget for my groceries, but I wanted to cut it in half and save some money. I think I literally jumped for joy when the cashier told me my total, which was a few dollars below what I had anticipated it being.  I looked at her and just smiled, saying, "It's the little things in life, right?"  Her half smile makes me think I was probably one of her "crazy grocery people" stories that night.  

Well, originally I thought I had a lot more content for this story.  That being said, I'm now faced with the reality that I have no more compelling words.  Oh well, better luck next time, right?  Have a good evening everyone.  It's a crisp 55 degrees right now, the coldest it's been since May.  It feels so nice!