Over Budget

(Yes, my blog looks different. I decided to play with the other templates. Maybe this one is too dark, or colorful, or something....I can't decide)

Anyway...

Mike and I are a little weird when it comes to budgeting. We categorize everything we spend, down to the penny. Every receipt is hand entered and accounted for in our wonderful computer program created just for this purpose. It has made me slightly obsessed. My nickname around here is the Budget Nazi. Maybe it is not such a good thing.

Now, just because we scrutinize our spending constantly, doesn't mean we always stick to the budget. Every month we seem to go over in grocery spending, usually due to our ridiculous spending on fast food. And when I say over, I am talking hundreds, not ones. Really, it is out of control.

Always there is an excuse. We had meals to take to the sick or newly babied. There was nothing to eat for lunch after church so we had to drive through Wendy's (funny when my grocery shopping day is Saturday...). Thomas must have organic baby food, name brand diapers and special formula, for what parent would deny their heart patient son such luxuries?

Well, soon he went to generic diapers, for what parent paying for heart surgery can afford LUVS? It helped, but it wasn't enough. Then he started eating off our plates, instead of from the expensive reusable organic baby food plastic containers. Also helpful. And finally this month he started whole milk. It was huge. I had been concerned, fretted even, that we would have so start toddler formula. So many kids I have read about with Thomas' syndrome have eating issues. Whether it be because of extreme pickiness, texture defensiveness or out right refusal, some of the boys were still being supplemented with formula.

Now, Olivia never took to milk. She just wouldn't drink it, from a bottle or sippy cup. I had reason to fret. Thomas is barely on the growth chart, like 3rd percentile. There is little wiggle room here when it comes to the scales. More reason to fret.

Well, I met with the dietitian and we devised a plan. Guess what? The plan worked! In two weeks Thomas was on whole milk only, drinking it like a champ from a sippy cup, and later a straw cup. Yea! Go, Thomas, Go Thomas. Really, it has been so great to have an area where he is completely age appropriate.

Now back to the budget. Did whole milk save us? Was formula the culprit all along? As of today, I am only $9 over budget. That is amazing. The only problem is we have 3 diapers left in the drawer. Ouch. Guess we are going to have to start working on potty training that boy.