Hellobee Boards

So we have regular check ins about how to spend our money, and once we had some extra (we’ve shared expenses since right after college) those conversations have definitely included a fewer, better, local focus. I’ve always kept a good budget, but having the resources to direct towards fewer, better things has definitely helped DH get on board with planning purchases, as we consider value and not just filling a gap.

I will say, for us, this sort of budgeting hasn’t saved money, but more redirected where our money goes. For example one of our priorities is supporting local businesses and local, sustainable agriculture, which means we spend more on food (particularly meat) than the average household, but we also eat vegetarian ~3 nights a week, and the meat we do buy is extremely high quality and delicious relative to what a lot of the commodity meats out there. One of the ways we offset that is by buying fewer clothes, particularly for me and DH, who don’t outgrow/wear out things often.

Ultimately, I feel like having conversations about how you spend your money and getting on the same page about why you’re spending the way you are is always a good thing. Approaching it from a place of hard data (ie what you actually spent in a month or year) and value was really helpful for me in getting DH on board. It’s easy to say “I don’t spend much on X” when you try to remember, but when it’s there in black and white there’s no denying.