Negotiating the Non-negotiables

by Erik for Flickr

I am an avid reader of a blog on simple living called "Small Notebook"http://smallnotebook.org/. The author Texas mom Rachel Meeks often shares good tips on living frugally and making the most out of a small living space (they live in an apartment.)

Rachel recently intrigued me with a blog "Breaking the Frugal Rules" (http://smallnotebook.org/2009/03/03/breaking-the-frugal-rules/) about non-negotiables in her budget- which includes a $40 a month coffee allowance. It got me to thinking about my own non-negotiables- Wal-Mart's French Vanilla Instant Cappucino, Soda, and $5-$10 a month of personal fun money.

But with more job layoffs on the horizon, I see our "non-negotiables" becoming that little bit of wiggle room that can be cut in an emergency. My husband Andy and I sat down this week and carefully evaluated other "extras" that are important to us, but could be cut in a crisis- those include preschool, saving for vacations, and seminary costs.

"Non-negotiables" make an everyday budget liveable over a long period of time because they help us not feel deprived. What are your non-negotiables? I couldn't live without...