Taking things for granted.

Oh man our washing machine belt broke and we do not have a washer right now. I am going to have to go to a Laundromat for a few weeks. I really depended on the convenience of having a washing machine and now I have to take the time to take our laundry out. I take lots of things for granted until they are not there.

John is taking the bus!

John decided to start taking the bus to work since we live about 50 miles from where he works. In the past, his commute was costing us between $60 and $80 in gas a week, and 6 dollars a day in parking. Now he is riding the bus for $2.50 a day. He does have about a half hour more in travel time, but it is actually working out really nicely. Now that he has done it for a few days, I think he is enjoying it or at least happy with the money we are saving. I am proud of him. I know that he was not totally comfortable with this decision. He is giving up convenience and time to save money. However, it does make a lot of sense. The bus stops only about 4 blocks from our home and only one block from his work.

I have also been walking to work which is really close and then I come home for lunch. We have really been making a lot of life changes to try and save money. The walking is doing us a lot of good too. We are now considering selling our truck for now.

Camping this Summer.

Well, we put down a deposit on a seasonal site at Hejamada Campground. My oldest daughter is really excited and she helped me to clean the camper out this week. We took out all of the sheets and bedding to wash. We also made a list of supplies that we need. She even promised to help do the dishes more, so that we are not wasting money with paper products. Our family is trying to cut down and save money in a few different ways.
Actually, take this seasonal site is one of the ways that we hope to be able to do some fun things this summer but still save some money. Last year, we spent over $600 to camp for just a few weekends. So this year we are paying for the season and we can decide when to join in the activities or just get away. I actually believe this will help us and take the stress out of planning when to go, where to go, and all of the time driving and set up a site.
Another way we are talking about saving is getting a car instead of our truck. Gas prices are killing us. I have been walking to work and so even with the truck I have only been spending about $30 in gas a week. However, the truck payment is also costing us more than a car payment. This summer we will need to decide for sure what we are going to do.

I did it.

Okay, I have been reading a few blog written by family and friends. So, I decided that it was time to give it a try since we have family living all over the country. I am actually surprised at how easy it has been so far. Now I am going to try to personalize things.