Well, Josh & I attended our first FPU class the other day. Our first goal is saving up money. I learned that there are 3 reasons to save:

• for your emergency fund
• for future purchases (to avoid going into debt)
• wealth building

In doing a quickie budget last night, I think we were both quite surprised. I had been keeping track of recent spending but hadn't yet totaled it. Whoa!!! I spend way too much money on eating out and way not enough money on groceries! You should all (hopefully) know that you save money by cooking your own meals, eating at home or packing a lunch, rather than eating out at a restaurant. Therefore, my immediate goal is to severely cut back my eating out.

Already today - I resisted the urge to walk downtown to pick up a bagel for breakfast and instead just had a fruit bar from my desk drawer and waited til lunch for more. And then after lunch I wanted ice cream. Instead of hitting the DQ, I dug around in my freezer to find an old Weight Watchers Smart Ones ice cream mini dessert. It was chocolate mint, and it was delicious! I had gotten it awhile ago on sale, and was surprised to discover it actually has 2 servings in the box! They're on sale again this week, so I just may have to get a couple more.

My goal is to also brew coffee at home, rather than buying it from my downtown cafe. I got up early enough today to make that happen. I'm learning what a difference it makes if I'm organized and plan ahead so that I don't have to go buy things from restaurants and cafes simply due to convenience. If I prepare the coffee the night before and/or get up early enough to make it in the morning... If I buy groceries and specifically purchase things I know I can take with me to work when I have the munchies... If my house is organized and clean, I can cook for friends instead of going out and spending more money.

I know these are obvious things, but it's time I started putting them into practice! Woo hoo!