Can We Survive on $eventyFive?

 Is someone sitting on a cloud with a calculator, adding up how much we have all saved? Then when the dollars start mounting up, do they order a disaster to befall and take all your hard earned cash away? This disaster could be in the form of an unexpected tax bill, major car repairs, job loss, an uninsured accident, forced expensive travel or a major appliance melt-down. Anyway it has just happened to me in the form of $11,000. Am I gutted? Yes, a little BUT on a positive note, I am also grateful to the budgeting skills I have developed over the last 9 months because I know they will see us right.

It is amazing to me that I can even contemplate paying a bill of that magnitude.  Last year it would have spelt certain financial ruin, mainly because my money was all slipping through my fingers.  Tight fistedness at the supermarket has certainly seen my bank account swell amazingly since January and it is a wonderful feeling to know you have got something to fall back on in hard times. We are managing just fine on the $75 a week grocery budget. Our meals are simple and the basic shopping list doesn’t vary much from week to week.  Staple items are bread, cheese, eggs, spuds, tinned fruit, creamed corn, tuna, fresh fruit and veges, pasta and butter.  Danni, Stevie and I argue our way around the supermarket trying to buy as little as possible – more on that next week.

 Another unexpected occurrence in my life is that I now have seven franchisees teaching MAKE cleaning products and cosmetics classes around the country. Colleen (Levin/Horowhenua ), Lynn (Coastal Taranaki 7524033), Niki (Hawera 06 2786715), Maria (Wanganui 06 343 2784), Janice (Palmerston North 06 35807222), Suzanne (Whangarei 09 438 5385) and Danni (Waitara 754 8600). Who would have thought my quest to save some money would result in a popular brand. One thing is for sure in life – you never know what is around the corner!

Next week:  Do we buy the caramel creams or not?