Mmmm, minty

I have heard about Mint.com several times and only when Jon came home one day and mentioned it to me again did I finally look it up. Now a month later...I am stuck on it. For the good and the bad.

So it's a budgeting site, yeah, sounds exciting right? Well, YES! If you know me at all you know I like to crunch numbers and see how far a dollar goes (you do recall I lived on 20 euro a week in Finland). This ridiculous crunching obsession began with my first job as a hostess (Need the Weed at Tumbleweed!) and continues to this day.

During the last 2 years of NY living my budgeting skills dulled as my shopping skills flourished. I blame that on Anthropologie and Filene's Basement, they are a blessing and a curse (and Anthro is opening in Sept, one mile away from my house, ah!).

Well nothing like a good wake up call to get your budget back. Thank you Grand Rapids job market and generally Michiganian living. So back to the numbers with mint.com.

I am shocked and appalled about how much a family of 2.5 can spend at Meijers grocery store. Appalled. I need some serious lessons in couponing or something because I do NOT want to eat all of my expendable income. But also, who wants to spend days clipping and carrying around that file-o-fax of coupons?

So after analyzing the past month's expenditures I am ready to tackle this month with a renewed vigor (and smaller income...on summer vacay for a month). Can it be done without clipping and toting a fanny-pack of coupons? Please oh please let it be so!