A change in my then fiancé, now husband :)

I wrote this back in February 2014 and May 2013 but never posted it, which I don't know why? I absolutely love going back and reading old posts-I think I need to show this one to Tim to see if he'll start making food again now that he is finally done with school and working full time at the same place, but as their Web Master :) I swear, he's the smartest guy I know.

FEB 2014: Tim is now working (at his "dream" job YAY) and going to school; however, since back when he quit his previous job nine months ago, he's been a completely different person. I wrote this post back in May, but Tim is still acting the same way. It's awesome. I'm so happy! 

MAY 2013: It was Tim's idea when he quit his job that he would clean the house and cook dinner each day while I work to pay the bills. When he quit, I was seriously worried we wouldn't have enough money-really, could we live on only my income??? I'm happy to say its been almost five months since he quit, and we're way better off than we were before.

Tim's had a complete mood change. It's amazing! He was so unhappy at his job-we just didn't realize how much it affected his mood. He's so much more optimistic, which is HUGE, because his family are pessimists. He's able to put his full attention on school; and in his free time, he can drum and play video games :) A weight was lifted off his shoulders, and he's been able to look forward to the future and how great ours will be.

I'm strangely able to save money-I'm saving more money than I was when Tim was working...that shows how much money I wasted on worthless crap.

Tim and I plan our meals for the week on Sunday, and I grocery shop on Monday by myself. This helps us stick to our small budget of $50/week on groceries-we try to make food with what's on sale for the week. It also helps me get rid of my urge to shop, since I am still spending money. I just have a list to stick to, unlike before :)

homemade taco seasoning :)

I wasn't feeling well; and when I got home, Tim was at school, but he had put out the pan with water in it and chicken noodle soup for me to make :)

The most amazing stromboli with homemade marina that you'll EVER have. He used to work at a pizza restaurant, so he knows how to make pizza. Oh my, it's so good (I made the marinara-he's not that advanced yet lol).

Another stromboli, but with MANY added veggies. I normally have carrots, celery, zucchini, squash, and peppers with feta cheese on my pizza. I have to say I like stromboli with pepperoni and onions the best. All those added veggies make it taste kind of weird. Not bad, but not awesome.

Delicious homemade chili :)

White chicken chili-this was so good! Tim's really good at following recipes, so all I do is find what we should have for dinner, write it out, and he makes it. I had never made this before-he did awesome.

He slaves away cooking, cleaning, and doing his schoolwork...

He's actually suggested going on walks, something we are still doing. It's been fun exploring where we live.

He's fixing people's xbox's, ps3s...etc. Seriously. So smart.

There's so many little pieces. Crazy.

Update FEB 2014: I'm so happy we decided back in January for him to quit his job. It was SUCH a risk knowing we could make ends meet and not much else, but we have now realized that it changed our lives forever. Tim is SO much more optimistic, which is great for our relationship. We've figured out things to do for fun without spending money. We are better with saving money, which is obviously better for us since we plan to do a TON of traveling in the upcoming years. 

Update: MAY 2015: We have since this was written bought a home, got married, and change careers. It's amazing how much can change in just two years! And wow, $50/wk on groceries? We spend anywhere from $75-150 depending on what we need now, I need to get back to $50! Yes, we make a heck of a lot more money now; however, reading this has really made me notice how much extra money we spend when we should be saving it. 

How much do you normally spend on groceries? How many are in your family? Any best tips on saving money? For sure mine has been to set aside cash when I first get paid. I keep it completely separate from my bank account. I think for saving money on groceries, I need to not only continue to make a list, but maybe I should start making a more detailed list of approximate costs and make sure it's under $50 before I go to the store. Any other ideas?