Trim The Fat Tuesday: The Entertainment Budget

Ok, so after last week's crazy, math-intensive post, I have the world's easiest fat trimming this time.

Lop $20 a pop off our entertainment withdrawals at the ATM.

 Let me explain. All of our fun money for stuff like movie and theatre tickets, eating out, playing mini-golf, drinking, etc. is known in our house as "The Entertainment Money." Every two weeks on my payday, I hit the ATM and take out the allotted, previously budgeted entertainment funds as cash, put it in an envelope (for real), and that's it for that two week period. We can spend it however we want, but when it's gone, it's gone.

The cash makes it real, and is also a good way to work with the kids on making smart family decisions on how to spend it together.

But I don't think anyone will really notice if I just take out $20 less every two weeks, right? That's just one large pepperoni pizza, plus a sizable tip for delivery. We make better pizza than that anyway. So maybe we can think of this as a laziness tax. As in, don't be so lazy — go make your own pizza, dummy.


There. That was an easy one.

Savings per month: $40

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