Ten Thousand a Year

 The children and I are fresh off of yet another viewing of Pride and Prejudice. To me, this film never gets old.  Every time I watch it--and I've watched it a lot!--I pick up new phrases, nuances, or tidbits.  And of course, it's rich for the quoting.  If someone is coming to our house unexpectedly and I'm unprepared, we may run around crying "Hill! Hill!"  My son does the best Mr. Collins impression ever.  We have parts of scenes fully memorized.  If ever a character is shady, we speculate that he may be "a very demon from hell sent to ruin us." Oh, Mrs. Bennet! she is such a character......

You get the picture.  Anyhow, as you may know, Mr. Darcy is a man of great "consequence," as Charlotte Lucas says.  We're reminded, more than once I believe, that he has ten thousand a year!

Anyhow.  I recently saw a very shocking thing. Here's the thing!

Of course I had to do the math to be sure. It IS true!  Literally $28 a day adds up to ten thousand a year.  Let that sink in.  For the children and I to eat at Chick-Fil-A (a rare treat we indulge only while traveling to South Carolina), we spend almost exactly this much money.  And how easy is it to toss an extra $30 of junk into the cart at Target? 

I am currently staring into the face of what may prove to be The Most Expensive Year Yet (except for maybe that cancer year).  

Full bathroom remodel: check. 

Lots of travel back and forth to South Carolina when gas prices are as high as I can remember: check.

Hotel stays while in South Carolina (not every time, but sometimes): check.

A child in full-on orthodontia: check.

Aging cars that need a lot of repairs and maintenance: check.

High school classes for Finn (we are outsourcing nearly everything next year): check.

Children who are growing out of all their clothes and shoes faster than I can think about purchasing new ones: check. (And I have a boy and a girl, so there are NO hand-me-downs here, except the occasional pair of winter boots.....)

Truly, it's a privilege to do and have all these things, and so I try to never complain about these expenditures!  But ouch.  

Seeing this meme gave me renewed vigor in thoughtful spending.  

What if I tried to thoughtfully avoid spending an extra $30 each day?  If I could look for ways to save that money?  How quickly it could add up!* To a Mr. Darcy-level of ten thousand a year! :) We won't talk about inflation.

So I am taking a fresh approach to my pocketbook. I'm going to work with an eye toward avoiding spending about $210 per week, or $30 per day.  This feels so much more manageable than saying I'll save ten thousand dollars in a year.  Perhaps I'll share some ideas in the next few weeks, or an update on how that's going.  If you have good ideas too, do share!

Off to enjoy The Prudent Homemaker's blog: one of my very favorites for her gorgeous photography, gentle spirit, and determination to live beautifully even during economic downturns.  Her garden is a dream!  I know I'll get fresh inspiration from her.....

*It's the same principle as calories.  If you want to lose a half pound a week, just avoid 250 calories each day.  That's not a lot of calories at all!  But over time, it makes a difference.....