Saving money.

I'm going to try to save more money through Christmas. I actually decided to start saving money on grocery bills, utility bills, etc when we first got married. Then I discovered who I married! People always said that no matter how long you date, you still learn a lot more about who that person is after you are married. Well, I discovered that I married a high-maintenance man!

The following are Steven's responses to my common money-zapping issue complaints.

Me: "I just spent $50 on gas, and the car isn't even full."
Him: "So. Why didn't you just fill it up?"

Me: "Why can't our dog just be normal and eat the cheap food?"
Him: "Even if she could, I don't want to feed her bad, cheap food."
Me: "Why can't the outside dogs eat cheaper food?"
Him: "I don't want them to get the bad food. The other stuff is better for them."

Not only does he not care how much money we spend on certain things, he insists on having a few certain high-priced, brand name items.

• ice cream (Ok, I admit it. I agree on this one.)
• liquid fabric softener AND fabric softener sheets (Can you say, 'Laundry Snob'?)
• toilet paper
• bread
• expensive sheets (nothing less than 400-450 thread count)

Oh, and did I mention that he doesn't blink an eye at the thought of his wife buying her make up at a department store counter? Or that his idea of a night at home lately involves going to Wal-Mart to buy a DVD (or two or three!), even though we have Netflix? He also makes sure we keep a constant supply of treats for our dogs.

Add in the fact that we rarely eat a meal other than breakfast at home, constant home improvement projects, and we end up spending a lot of money every month. While we do have money put away in a savings account, it isn't nearly as much as it should be according to our income.

Steven has been blessed with a well-paying job in a field that he loves. God works in crazy ways. We are so amazed by His blessings in our lives everyday. We live comfortably as a stereotypical, middle-income couple. However, if we plan to ever have kids (and we do), we need to figure out how to make that income stretch past more than two people!

I have identified three ways that I could decrease our spending.

• Eat more meals at home.
• Un-spoil my husband.
• Be creative.

Well, the first two are out - at least for now. In the meantime, I'll go straight to the last option. If you have any ideas or good web sites, pass them my way via the comments option!