My husband and I try to live as frugally as possible while still maintaining a feeling that we enjoy ourselves and our lifestyle. We don't buy clothing, basically ever. And if we do, we head to Goodwill first. We rarely purchase alcohol or drinks when going out. We haven't bought movie tickets in years (thanks to Boeing for giving us a never ending supply), and luckily my mom enjoys buying lots of Lucia's clothes and little toys. My grocery budget for our family of 3 is $200 a month. Lentils, beans, rice, veggies, and fruit are all pretty inexpensive. We typically go over this, but not by too much. Message: We live frugally. I should make a note that these decisions are not just about money. We try to live less cluttered lives. Not shopping, not focusing on consuming more and more allows us to appreciate what we have in the moment.
So with all my frugality, I love going out to dinner. Or lunch. Or breakfast. With family and with friends. So, my gift is to continue to allow myself this luxury by budgeting for it and then ordering reasonably so I don't spend the whole budget in one sitting. Yes, I have done this on several occasions ($60 rack of lamb anyone?). I love the Passport Dining Card because it allows us to eat out more regularly. If you like to eat out, and like saving money, I recommend looking into this card here.
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| Lucia and Stiv eating at Saffron, our favorite place. |
