Budgeting--Again!!

I'm getting a little worried. In our ten years of marriage we have had some hard times financially. Right after we got married and bought our first home, my husband took a job transfer to Arizona. My son and I stayed in Utah to sell our home--which we did--4 times! Unfortunately, all but the last one fell through. We were finally able to sell our home after 7 months--but during that time we struggled to pay our mortgage as well as the rent on his apartment in Phoenix. It was rough!

So we sold our home, and bought a new one in Arizona--all was well, except that in the hopitality industry in Phoenix everything shuts down in the summer (honestly, it would be cooler to plan your party on the sun than in sweltering Arizona!). But then business boomed in the winter. So during the winter with all of his overtime we had not only a mortgage payment in each paycheck--but nearly half left over after the mortgage was paid. But then we'd hit the summer, and my husband would take all of his vacation time--just to get paid. Then, he took a job promotion where they left him at the same dollar amount, but put him on salary. This now meant that we had the same paycheck year-round, but one paycheck couldn't cover the mortgage amount. So we get the mortgage paid, but with no overtime--there wasn't any money for the rest of the bills. It was awful!

So then, we move here--and we live rent and mortgage free for the past 5 years, and had gotten quite used to the fact that we didn't need a budget--until my husband was injured on the job. 1 year he was unemployed with scant income coming in. Yep--we were right back in the financial pit! It's been 3 years since then, and we are doing well again--no need for a budget--until now! In two weeks we are moving into a home that does have a mortgage payment--a really, really big mortgage payment--and all of the stress I felt during the hard times is welling up in my stomach again. We are in a different place financially with this new house, but I definitely need to sit down and figure out a working budget. And if there is a budgeting software that can help me stay on track--I want it! I NEED it!!

For any of you readers out there--how do you find ways to save money and still enjoy the extras like Tivo and DSL--I'm not willing to give those up!! I guess I just need to sit down and crunch the numbers!!