The Chronic Consumer

Although I have a general household budget that I try to follow, I’m usually not too strict about it unless times are tight. Since that pretty much explains how things are now, I’m now stuck trying to figure out if my budget even works or not.

For example, is it enough just knowing exactly how much I have to pay every month for my mortgage, cable, life insurance, and cars? Shouldn’t I actually be trying to save money on those things by shopping around for lower rates and cheaper premiums?

As I look over my monthly budget, I see that I have very few variable expenses that can be adjusted downward to squeeze out a little extra cash here and there. So how exactly am I supposed to make positive changes in my finances? The only thing left to do is start canceling services like my cable and Internet, which actually isn’t a viable option at all.

At any rate, I guess what I’m trying to say here is that I hate not having any money to go shopping!! I can’t wait for my check from the economic stimulus plan to get here!