What do your household budgets look like? I need help!!!!

Yes... we have made the move to foods that are not prepared. Dh has had some medical conditions in the last two months and well ah... let's say prepared food is not good for you.. So I have been preparing it all... it takes a little more time but taste so much better.... his health reasons is another reason I need to stay home so that I can plant a huge garden and make all the food....(this takes alot of time) and when I work all week and come home to help kids with homework and do laundry and clean... I am just plain exhausted so i usually go with prepared but not anymore.....also with staying home I would be able to pick out all the deals etc... I love shopping at goodwill however that is over an hour away from our home and I really really need to cut down on the gas. We probably use $300 a month for gas... ugh... one of our biggest expenses and that comes out of the $900...again sorry for the ramble.....

Not a problem....you go ahead and ramble. I wish I had space for a garden. I would love to grow my own vegetables. Our yard has many trees in it and the landlord frowns upon removing them. I have thought about having a garden at one of the local public gardens, but was exhausted after work. Having to drive to the spot, work the garden and drive back....I would have been pooped.

Good luck to you....I am so trying to be very good...because i want to be a sahm...because i feel my children will benefit from it greatly and If I can't figure this out then I will not be having another precious bundle of joy as it wouldn't be fair to the child.. I or my husband did stay at home with our three children until they went to school...This meant that one of us either took a day or night shift. We did this for about a year and a half... Last year youngest was only four however I was lucky to get a job in a preschool and they had a slot available for her so my job consisted of helping two high need children however I was there with her also. It worked out really well. This year she is in kindergarten and I work at the same preschool until noon and then I go over to her school and work until her and her brother get out of school at 2:30... I guess I have been really lucky...sorry for the ramble.. he he.. so anyhow...my budget looks really good on paper.. after paying all the bills and taking out $900 for gas and toiletries, cat food and blow money... I am seeing a surplus of around $400 a month on paper. But at the end of the month well ah its not there... The $900 is spent plus the $400 and I didn't buy anything. We don't drink or smoke... I pay the bills etc so I know for a fact that dh isn't spending it elsewhere ugh...I do buy things at thrift stores etc and very rarely ever buy anything new...so I am trying to figure out what I am doing wrong...