Measuring Progress

Someone asked me recently how we would know if this was really working if we were not keeping an actual budget.  Not to laugh (hard, that is) but it will be sooooo easy to know because if it is working there will actually be a little money at the end of the month.  Guess what?  My husband finally balanced the checkbook last night and SUCCESS!  We are not as broke as we usually are.  This might even motivate him to look at the finances a little more often - after all, who wants to go through a checkbook every few days when you know it is just going to depress you?  It is also surprising how many fewer receipts there are floating about the table, in my purse and shoved into my husband's wallet.  The trips to the store are SO much shorter.  And, we have survived without the usual extras, just fine in fact.  So, we are approaching the end of our first month shopping thin and glad to say that so far we are not suffering or barefoot or threadbare or ... you get the idea.  One down and eleven to go - wish us luck!