For me, it’s important to have a bottom line. A bottom line keeps things in perspective. This is what guarantees the “And Loving it part of my journey.

The bottom line for me is do not charge. Anything other than that is just “Oh Well“. This kind of thinking keeps a smile on my face no matter what happens. Some Oh Wells that I have faced recently are:

Washer repairs (Oh Well)
Chimney repairs when I thought it only need cleaned. (Oh well)

Little truck car repairs. (Oh Well)
Couldn't put any extra on the focus loan (Oh Well)
Had to use part of our EF (Oh Well)

Because of having established a bottom line it’s easier to say Oh Well.

Do you have a bottom line in your money journey?

I have tried for ever to get my DH to help me with the finances, but it just does not seem to be his thing.

Pre starting my "Living Beneath our Means and Loving it Journey",my DH would use his credit card for lunch every day. Since I have started us on this journey, he has only used it a handful of times.......so he is NOT fighting me. He just does not seem to want to live it and breath it, with me.....LOL....But then on the other hand maybe I should not live it and breath it quite so much. lol

BUT I think I have found a trick that has brought him on board. A few weeks ago I started putting up on the fridge a running tally of where I was spending his weekly check. This weeks Looked like this

$687 Week of 8-1
-87 snowmobile account
$600 left
-30 DH's allowance
-25 Wife lunch with sis
$545 left
-21 wiper blades little truck
-38 little truck gas
111 walmart groc + round up
-20 cash 10 adams birthday
-42 big truck gas +ice
$258 left
-10 adj ( not sure what happen
$248 left
-20 lake cruise tickets
-25 stevia order
$203 left
- 60 grand daughter school clothes
-17 wife walkman
-25 deer tag
$101 left
-17 grand daughter toy/flowers for wife
$ 86 left

This system has brought him on board...I just heard him the other day talking to DSIL about how he and DD might want to do it. The down side to this is he sometimes now........questions one of my expenditure. lol

I have noticed I have control issues. I sometimes use "my getting the money in order" as an excuse to control my dh. He's not big on taking care of the money, he's happy to let me make most of the decisions. But once in a while he has opinions about what should be done with the money and I find myself fibbing

and making excuses as to why we have to do it my way. I have heard admitting something is half the battle and at least I'm will to admit I have control issues.

I have never felt like I feel now about money. Everything about money use to have me tied in knots.

I think money caused most of my achy body too. Since starting my Living Beneath my Means journey most of my body aches have miraculously disappeared.

I use to think I would end up using a walker by the time I was 65 and that was only 10 years away. Now I feel like I could dance all night every night until I'm at least 100.


We seem to have tons of money. I am certainly revelling in all this. I feel better now then when we had refinanced our house 5 years ago and took out a few Thousand to play with.