Feeling the pinch

It's no secret that I would love to be able to blog full-time.  What would be more fun than doing series, craft projects and blogging all day....and get paid to do it??  Until that happens, I'm going to keep dreaming....and I'm going to start some of those series.  My post a few days ago addressed my unhappiness and discontent in several areas of my life.  A huge issue is moving back to Etown.  When Marty and I married, he worked in Bardstown and our house search in the Etown area wasn't turning up anything promising.  On a whim, we decided to check out houses in Bardstown.  Our price range in Etown was getting us older, fixer-upper homes that would have required quite a bit of money to get it up to par.  The same price range got us a brand-new, three bedroom home in Bardstown that was still in the process of being built.  At the time, the decision was a no-brainer.  Now, fast-forward three years, job changes and a new baby later, and we're spending a ton of money on gas schlepping back and forth to jobs and babysitters and appointments in Etown.  Frankly, it's exhausting.  Every day, I dream about getting back to the city that we both grew up in.  Part of those dreams include this perfect house plan I've found.  Perfect size, perfect layout, perfect, perfect, perfect.  Unfortunately, we don't have the funds available at the moment to make that home more than just a piece of paper.  So I've decided to do something about it.  I'm tired of spending money on things that are completely unneccessary.  I'm tired of talking about budgeting and never doing it.  I'm tired of watching money fly right out of my account after payday and not being completely sure how it all adds up or where it's all going.  Enough is enough.  That's when the "Penny Pinching Summer" series was born.  I will stop spending money on things that are unneccessary.  I will stop being lured into the clearance section in Target, forcing me to buy things I don't need.  I will start saving money at the grocery.  I will start finding ways to make a little extra money.  I'll share the tips that I find and that are successful for our family.  I hope you do the same.  If you know brillant ways to curb your spending or save more at the grocery, I would be more than happy to hear them all.  With this plan, hopefully our dream home will be more than just a dream....it'll be a reality soon.