Well, one thing that I have learned recently, that I am going to hold myself to next month, is making sure that when I get paid, I buy EVERYTHING I will need for that month in advance! I cannot express how frustrating it is when I am doing the budget calculations again and again on my tiny little calculator, and realizing that I have to budget for a basic toiletry, and how that negatively affects my budget. 
So, next month, I want to do something different, and stock up on certain food items....I want to stock up on multiple cans of beans and bags of rice. Right now, I usually buy only 2 or 3 cans of beans at the same time, and only 1 bag of rice at a time. Next month I want to double that. Just so that when the cupboard is a bit bare (a little bit like now), I will know that I always have enough food to last the remaining week or two.
I will also go back to my previous patterns, and buy all the toiletries I will need for the entire month, at the beginning of the month (I go through at least 1 bottle of hair stuff per month). I am also going to see about putting my money for washing clothes into a separate envelope so that I am never in the situation (as I am in now), where I have to weigh washing clothes, over buying food. While it is in no means a sob story, it is a bit embarassing.
My bf has been more helpful to me lately. He really changed his tune of each of us buying our own food, to offering to buy me food stuff that I need. I am going to start saying yes more. We talked yesterday, and the stuff with his family is really hard and stressing him out. I really feel for him because some of the stress his family puts on him isn't always appropriate, ya know? All I can do is just offer support and maybe different ways of interacting with the family for more positive results.
Things are ok, I am just a bit bummed about my coffee budget (see......shows how spoiled I am!) and how there really isn't room in my budget to be buying coffee made from a cafe (or even McDonald's---don't laugh, it really isn't all that bad). I hope to work on my coffee skills this week.
I will admit that I notice that the way I am acting now with my money, is very similar to how I was raised. We did the same thing of being over excited when first getting money at the beginning of the month and eating nicer food, to eating the left over animal parts (it sounds gross, but hey, it is true---those parts of the animal were cheaper because people don't like to use them....and why do we eat ox tails, but not any other part of the ox??) at the end of the month and having the cupboards be bare. I really don't like that I am repeating that, so I want to work on that. I also want to state that while I have cabinet space, I don't have much, it is cluttered, and there is no semblance of a true pantry to store food like when I was a kid. The cabinets are directly over the stove, so I worry about putting cans there that may get too hot from all of the cooking. Suggestions are welcomed. 
Hope everyone is doing well. Thank you for taking the time to read my little musings.
2nd Half of the Month
October 20th, 2009 at 03:55 pm
October 20th, 2009 at 05:08 pm 1256058505
One suggestion, as you stock up on rice, beans, pasta, spaghetti sauce, oatmeal, etc., try purchasing coffee beans, grinding them yourself and freezing what you don't use right away.
Also, try online shopping for some of the items above. You may find some great deals. God bless and good luck.
October 20th, 2009 at 06:50 pm 1256064657
October 20th, 2009 at 07:57 pm 1256068667
We installed the shelves and then when we moved out we filled the holes with spackle. And took the shelves with to the next place, they are hanging in our garage now!
October 21st, 2009 at 01:27 am 1256088436
Another food storage idea - take a corner or alcove and put in your mini pantry and hide it all with a curtain.
October 21st, 2009 at 02:57 am 1256093820
And please think of this. Is he the guy you see yourself with in 20 years? 60 years? If not, and I say this because I know you want to start a family, why are you still with him? If he is the guy you want to grow stoop backed and wrinkly with, and he feels the same, then you guys need to work on not taking advantage of each other. Things don't magically get better.
October 21st, 2009 at 03:07 am 1256094466