I think we
were both surprised and relieved at the information that came out. When I analyzed our joint spending for the
past 7 months, we saw that a huge chunk of the overspending was related to the
new apartment (moving costs, furnishing the extra space etc.) and the kids (we
set them up with clothes and pretty much everything they need at our place so
that they don’t have to have luggage when they come and see us.)
The good
news about that is that it was 95% one-time expenses. The apartment is furnished and decorated, and
neither of us are the type of people who are constantly repainting and
redecorating. My old apartment stayed
pretty much exactly the same for 6 years.
As for the kids, thanks to some help from the people around us and some
bargain hunting on my part, they are fully equipped for at least 2 more growth
spurts.
The other
main areas were food and hygiene products.
The funniest part of the conversation was when we realized that we had
been buying a lot of stuff individually that we could have been buying the
same. We both thought the other was
brand specific when it came to shower gel etc., and it turns out neither of us
are, so right there we can start buying bigger sizes and common products.
As for
food, we decided to make an effort to eat together more often, we would buy a
lot of ready-made stuff, and different stuff, and we realized that it would be
much cheaper if we would just plan a bit.
We also
made a pact to rein in spending. We
decided that we would discuss all spending, and track all spending, it may seem
extreme, but in just the past week I know I have reduced impulse spending a lot
just by having the thought of having to justify it to someone. We don’t plan to do this forever, just long
enough that we can discipline ourselves a bit better and become more aware of
our, and each other’s spending habits.
So that’s
the plan, I think it’s a good one, here's hoping
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