Family Budget Update - Days 5 & 6

We are out of paper towels, swiffers, sponges, trash bags, and plastic wrap. We are using rags to wipe down the floor and other surfaces and considering buying a mop next month instead of parting with nine precious dollars for swiffers. To top it all off we have guests coming in today, and I am trying to figure out how to get my $20 daily budget to incorporate two more people. The upshot is - the self-righteousness of “Mom’s Family Budget Challenge” is over, and the reality is hitting that the $20 dollars we have to spend each day doesn’t go that far. This isn’t necessarily causing us to have a “pity party” as we realize how blessed and fortunate we are and that others are far, far worse off than us. But we are realizing how little attention we paid to what we were getting for our money before our family challenge. I would walk into a grocery store, hand over that debit card, and almost always bought $50 or more in groceries. Now times have changed and if we spend $50 that is two and half days money! We are not even half way through the month and I already can’t wait until payday. We have talked about giving ourselves an extra “bill” from Costco at the beginning of next month to see if stocking up on items like milk, cheese, and bread would help the $20 go further (i.e. we might need a bit of a head start each month), but we know sometimes walking into stores like Costco means walking out with far more than we might need. The major lesson we have learned in the last few days is that we are returning to the way my mother used to clean the house - with a broom, mop, hot water, vinegar, and lots of elbow grease - why? Because it is way cheaper!