A lot harder than it seems ...

I've been trying to work on getting my budget in check. You'd think by this point in my life I wouldn't have this problem. With work, kids, a new car, broken things around the house, home improvement projects we want to do and so much more I knew we needed a plan in place. Our financial situation will look much better once we have our "other" house sold (our rent to own property that will be sold by October, but I'm hoping a whole lot sooner!). 

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Last night we went through all our monthly/weekly bills and figured out just how much we have going out the door. Bad news is we have a lot more going out the door than we thought. Good news is we aren't exceeding the amount we are bringing in so we do have a cushion, but not nearly as much of a cushion as we would like. 


I've focused a lot more on couponing and shopping on a budget lately so that should really help out. I've also begun carpooling to work more often (90+ miles round-trip each day is hard on the pocketbook!). Our utilities aren't out of control so I don't feel like we need to cutback on how many appliances are plugged in or take any additional money saving measures there. But I'm still looking for other ways to cut costs. We've talked about seeing if we can refinance our house even though we've only lived there 2 years. The rates are so low it's worth a shot. I've decided to set up an appointment with a financial adviser to see what tips and tricks he has up his sleeve for improving our situation. 


What changes do you suggest to help cut your costs around the house? We are open for ideas!