Planning for reduced income
Since my wife and I are planning to try living on one income, we’re trying to do it intelligently. There are a few things we’ve been wanting to buy for awhile, but haven’t gotten around to just yet. Things like a pair of nightstands for a our bedroom, curtains for the living room, and a decent vacuum cleaner. With a drastically reduced income, these purchases would have to come directly out of our savings - something I’m not comfortable with.
The solution is simple
Since we’re already on our new, frugal budget, our answer is easy. My wife will continue working through the end of September. Rather than spend her income on the usual things, we’ll use a portion of it for these purchases. Curtains in the living room will sure help keep the glare off the TV. Since we have a nice TV ( 65″ DLP ), it keeps us away from the movie theater. Reducing that glare will make it more enjoyable during the day.
The new vacuum cleaner has been a long time coming. We have a Hoover that’s been limping along for awhile. We’re still up in the air between a nice Kenmore, another Hoover, a Dyson, or even a Kirby. Huge price ranges, and we haven’t made a decision. We will, however, be purchasing one within a month - and it won’t have to come out of our savings account.
Planning is the only way to survive
With a reduced income and a super tight budget, planning carefully is the only way this will work out. Raiding our savings account month after month simply won’t do, and will leave us in a terrible place financially. To avoid that, we’re delaying our goals - and doing so gladly.
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August 30th, 2008 at 7:25 am
Sounds like a great plan! The Dyson vacuum is really nice. It’s amazing to watch all of the debris being taken in and stored. It probably gets a lot of material that other vacuums don’t.
Though this is a personal finance blog, so I probably shouldn’t be encouraging you to spend money : )
August 30th, 2008 at 10:17 am
I’ve heard great things about the Dyson, and that’s why it’s still in my list. A lot of cash for a vacuum, but I’m willing to pay more for a tangible benefit.
Spending more isn’t usually a popular target around here, for sure
But I think it’s OK to spend more ( reasonably ) for quality.