@Anonymous wrote:
I'm living on a very restricted budget right now, so I understand where you're coming from. Of course, our situations will be different in many ways.
One suggestion I have is Amazon prime should be the ONLY source of entertainment. They have so many movies, TV series, etc included.
Eating out shouldn't be more than $40 or less a month. My eating out budget is probably more like $5 a month these days. I just can't afford it.
If you don't already do so, check out budget grocery stores like Aldi or Save a Lot (if they are in your area) because they're pretty good and so much cheaper. I am now spoiled by Aldi's prices and cannot fathom why anyone pays so much for brand-name food at regular grocery stores. I used to think Aldi was kind of depressing and shabby (and maybe it is in some areas still) but where I am right now they've been renovating the stores and it's quite nice, and the prices are still pretty low. If you don't have an Aldi or Save a Lot near you, good old Walmart's store brand items are pretty competitive.
It must be very frustrating that your mom is not on board with some of this budgeting. I know what it feels like to feel constrained by not being able to buy whatever you want (I was just like that not too long ago) but now I'm getting used to my "new normal" which is to tell myself, "YOU CAN'T AFFORD THAT." I'm not starving, I eat quite well, and Amazon prime has so many different forms of entertainment that I am not really suffering. I wish I could eat out a little more, but I am getting used to not doing that now too. If your mom can finally comprehend that this MUST be done, she may eventually adjust. It's really not that bad after you get used to it. And when you don't have any other choice, you just don't have any choice...
tenaya, thank you for your response!
I personally love Amazon Prime Video! I watch it a lot. I feel like it is user easy to use. My Mom on the other hand? She's so used to regular Cable/Satellite that I'm not sure if she will give it a chance. I have YouTubeTV for a bunch of current TV Shows that I like to watch and YouTube Originals that I like to watch. I purchased a Roku and my plan was to get my Mom used to watching YouTubeTV on the Roku because she doesn't like the idea of watching TV via the Computer or her Cell Phone. She hasn't given the Roku or YouTubeTV a chance yet since she is still able to watch TV via DirecTV.. She says she will once we move in a couple of weeks, though I would have preferred that she started using the Roku/YouTubeTV now so she would be comfortable with it by the time we move. In the past we did watch TV via an Indoor Antenna. I thought we got by just fine with that. Since I knew my Mom loves Cable/Satellite TV so much, YouTubeTV was my alternative for her instead of traditional Cable/Satellite. It's way cheaper compared to Satellite/Cable with all of the ridiculous fees that they charge. I just figured it was a great alternative if she MUST have TV. She doesn't need it, but she wants it. I'm sure she wouldn't care about TV if she had a hobby or something.
As far as groceries are concerned.. We have two Grocery Stores in the neighborhood, so my Mom shops there because they are within walking distance. We do not own a car, so that makes going to other Grocery Stores like Aldi an issue. I'm sure she wouldn't mind going to Aldi or other Grocery Stores if we had a car.
I really hope that my Mom will get on board with budgeting. I think she's just so used up purchasing whatever she wants at the store spur of the moment that she doesn't stop to think. Like recently, she purchased $200 worth of food for a Holiday Party that she never had in the end.. I was so mad! She never said a word to me about wanting to have a Holiday Party... If I had known, I would have tried to talk her out of it, even if I failed.
I almost think the best course of action would be to purchase Grocery Store Gift Cards and let her spend one or two of those per month instead of the Credit Cards, but I'm not sure if that will help any.
