I am feeling it....

I am feeling the economic crunch finally. Why?

My personal business is going great. I can't ask for better. My numbers are even to last year's. But everyone else around me in my business is tanking, and honestly, it's not the business. It's the people around me giving up that this business can bring in an income before they have even tried. But that's another story....

But where I am really feeling it is in our budget. Suddenly, the utility bills are higher, food is higher, everything is not just a few cents higher. I am not kidding, when gas fell this last week so much, I sighed a huge sigh of relief. Suddenly filling up my minivan is under fifty bucks for the first time in over a year!

I am finding myself thinking of ways to cut back, and here is what is on the chopping block in our budget:

**BH's preschool. It is $130.00 a month. That is dirt cheap for preschool, but that is also $1300 out of our annual budget.

**Me not going to my company's annual training conference next summer. I have gone ever since I started this business eight years ago, and the training and tools are unmatched that I get when I go. It is also a $1000 expense to go, and I anticipate that being higher because of airfare.

**JM's piano lessons. Right now, we love them! I love that he is getting it and he is actually trying to read music out of the hymnals on Sunday. It is $82 a month, which is just under $1000 a year.

**One nice thing that has already been cut. My husband's annual winter trip to the east coast to visit his doctorate advisor. That is going to be done differently this year, so that trip is already gone. That was about $500 each winter to do that.

**I know my hubbie will need to make one or two more trips to Europe for his doctorate. Honest to goodness, once that expense is gone, it means two things. The $1200-$1600 cost of that trip will be gone. PLUS, it will mean he has his doctorate, and his pay will hopefully increase.

**Eating out. My hubbie's birthday was yesterday, and we had a coupon to Red Robin. It didn't make a drop in the bucket. Most of Red Robin's menu items are $10 a plate. We also won't be ordering what used to be our favorite pizza anymore, Pizza Hut. The last time we ordered it was icky pizza and it was expensive. Eating out won't be happening as much anymore. If we can cut out $100 (two trips to a restaurant a month at Red Robin's prices), that is a $1200 annual savings.

**We also rediscovered the library this last week. Got the kids a library card. Did you know they let you borrow books for free? No more of my $12-$15 paperbacks, again times out two books a month times twelve months, the library saves me $360 annually.

Okay campers!! Give me your input! What are you cutting!