There have been some awesome suggestions on this thread. I totally agree that your phone/internet seems high. Also, do you really need a cell phone? We have prepaids that have zero balance on them. When we go on a trip we charge one up (still no service) so we can dial 911 if need be. That's free and you need a service to do it.
In terms of saving with food, I think you could probably save if you cooked using the cheaper cuts of meat - ground meats, bone in meats (tastier and healthier anyway), stewing cuts. For example, I bought 3 lbs of "soup bones" (was about $9 total) which was actually beef osso bucco but my farmer didn't know it, LOL. I made a big, hearty stew/osso bucco with lots of veggies including an entire rutabaga (v cheap). The first night we had that on rice, second night with sweet potato mash, last night I watered it down with stock to make a "stew-p" (not enough left to have as stew for all of us) and added some orzo. Today for lunch, DD and I had the leftovers. So that was 3+ meals, all meat based. We could have used quinoa or something else if we'd wanted to avoid gluten.
I also make sure I use *all* of the animal we are eating. I hardly ever buy prime cuts (steaks etc). If I roast a chicken, I throw the bones into a bag in the freezer until I have enough to make a good stock/broth and then I freeze that.
All the activites, adults and kids seem high to me. could you enrol your kids on say, a swimming program run by the city? Ours is only $50 for 8 weeks. There is a whole book of such activities run by our city council and they are v affordable. Also, could you do more free activites or do something like buy a croquet/bocce set and play that in the backyard?
The probiotic supplement does seem expensive to me. I know you need an allergen free one, but does your DD really need to take it? Could you try lacto-fermented veggies instead?
Also, if you still have a car payment (I'm presuming on a new car) then is it still under warranty? Is the $50 necessary for maintenence every month? And gas sems very high to me, though we do not live in the suburbs. We fill our car once a month or so. Could your DP and kids do some biking for errands which would be an activity too?
In terms of saving with food, I think you could probably save if you cooked using the cheaper cuts of meat - ground meats, bone in meats (tastier and healthier anyway), stewing cuts. For example, I bought 3 lbs of "soup bones" (was about $9 total) which was actually beef osso bucco but my farmer didn't know it, LOL. I made a big, hearty stew/osso bucco with lots of veggies including an entire rutabaga (v cheap). The first night we had that on rice, second night with sweet potato mash, last night I watered it down with stock to make a "stew-p" (not enough left to have as stew for all of us) and added some orzo. Today for lunch, DD and I had the leftovers. So that was 3+ meals, all meat based. We could have used quinoa or something else if we'd wanted to avoid gluten.
I also make sure I use *all* of the animal we are eating. I hardly ever buy prime cuts (steaks etc). If I roast a chicken, I throw the bones into a bag in the freezer until I have enough to make a good stock/broth and then I freeze that.
All the activites, adults and kids seem high to me. could you enrol your kids on say, a swimming program run by the city? Ours is only $50 for 8 weeks. There is a whole book of such activities run by our city council and they are v affordable. Also, could you do more free activites or do something like buy a croquet/bocce set and play that in the backyard?
The probiotic supplement does seem expensive to me. I know you need an allergen free one, but does your DD really need to take it? Could you try lacto-fermented veggies instead?
Also, if you still have a car payment (I'm presuming on a new car) then is it still under warranty? Is the $50 necessary for maintenence every month? And gas sems very high to me, though we do not live in the suburbs. We fill our car once a month or so. Could your DP and kids do some biking for errands which would be an activity too?
