Up for the Challenge... tight budget for the next 2 weeks

DH (Dear Hubby) just got paid last Friday. I always pay the bills and then create a budget from what is left over. I have it down to a science and our budget is pretty consistant... until I get tossed a curve ball.

Sat. a long lost car registration bill was found. Already 3 days overdue, late charges were incurred. So her come some HARD decision making. Do I rob our savings to pay this bill or try to work it into the budget... which admittedly seem impossible.

You KNOW how expensive car registration bills are. After paying it and the late fees. I will be left with less than $90 to get through the next 12 days with IF I don't rob the savings.

I'm committed to trying not to take any funds from savings. I do have a few tricks up my sleeve.

Since couponing has led to healthy stockpiles of everything there is little that we absolutely NEED. The short list of necessities for the next 2 weeks includes, gas for my car, fruit, bread, milk, sand. bags, cold meds (as 3 out of the 5 of us have been sick) and contact lens solution. I also have 2 $25 gas cards that were gifts to us last Christmas. While those gift cards won't fill my gas guzzeling SUV's tank, they will give me enough gas to get through the next 2 weeks as long as I stay in town and don't go bee bopin' all over So. California.

My Mom's Bday was last Friday. She came through town on Sunday (on her way to Vegas) and we had already planned to take her out to a local breakfast brunch she wanted to try. That took a healthy bite out of that $90, but I did have a B1G1 Free coupon. YEAH!

The only thing we needed for this week's groceries was fresh fruit, so we picked up banana's (a staple in our house) and then I bought a huge bag of apples as they were on sale for 49cents. (nothing else was under $1 a pound)

Then I went to CVS and Walgreens were I had worked out scenarios for very little out of pocket for the contact lens solution, cold meds, sandwich bags and a few freebies. I'll share those in their own post.