monday and money

Money is one of those things that rears it's ugly head in life and just comes up a lot. There are all different opinions on how to manage it, spend it, save it, enjoy it, avoid it, attempt to ignore it. I am currently using a cash envelope budget for a lot of my expenses. I take out a predetermined amount of money from my checking account every month after getting paid, and carefully divide it up into different envelopes, labeled with food, clothing, gifts, discretionary. This system has been helpful in keeping me from spending more money than I want to each month. The problem with the system is that it dosen't stop me from spending some of the cash in one envelope for things that should come out of another envelope, hence the problem this month. This month was the Art show in Mt Gretna. It was also the birthday of both Mom and Kelly. It was also the Elizabethtown fair where I bought milkshakes and a pumpkin funnel cake and paid my church for parking in the dusty back field. I also went out to eat about ten times. None of those things should come out of my food budget. Eating out comes from discretionary, but discretionary died quickly this month, hence Food literally paid the price. So I am getting creative for food this week. One more week until payday. I am digging out the food in the corners of the cupboards and cooking and combining so that I have leftovers to take to work for lunch. Tonight, a can of baked beans and tater tots and some little frozen veggie corndogs purchased sometime in January probably. So glamorous I know.
But I am intrigued by the challenge. Thankfully, I also have brownie mixes :-)