When I set out to make a strict budget for the first half of the year, I had no idea my family would be buying a new house. That change has made a difference on our financials, which I will go more in to later but I'm thankful I have this post to keep me accountable. I haven't done a great job about budgeting, but this monthly reminder keeps me focused on trying to do better and not going in to a dark hole of debt.


CLOTHING
Budget: $200
Spent: $235

I thought I was going to spend a lot of money on clothing for the Mom 2.0 blogger conference I attended in April, but I only ended up buying 3 dresses. 1 dress was from H&M and it was free because I had a gift card, and the other two dresses were pricier but I had PayPal credit so I only ended up paying around $100 out of pocket. My mom did buy me this set from FreePeople which I also wore to the conference. The other clothing expenses were matching swimsuits for Whitney and I, and dress clothes for Turner and Alex for a wedding.

EATING OUT
Budget: $375
Spent: $929

"WHOA!" That's what I said when I saw our total spend on eating out in April. I mean I knew it was going to be high because of our move during April, but dang it's crazy to think we spent almost a $1,000 eating out. Think about how much we could save if we ate at home for every meal?! We are moved in and unpacking but we're still not eating at home as much as we would like. We have the kitchen of my dreams, but it doesn't change the fact that I am NOT a fan of cooking. I'd rather scrub a toilet than cook. I would love your go-to recipes that are simple and yummy! What are your weeknight go-to meals?

I'm contemplating starting to use HEB Curbside for groceries as the store is HUGE and I hate walking around because I always forget something that is on the opposite side. Do you use a grocery delivery service or go the traditional route and shop yourself in store?