Replying to Comments/ $24 a day

I have tried to reply to comments lately and I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong.
Blogger isn't letting me reply...

In response to these two comments:

Then why not make your goal $20 a day? Children are expensive (even I as non-parent realize that!) and even with just one in 2014 you were spending $18.40. Or are you better aiming for the nearly impossible? I used to enjoy your "the numbers are in" posts.

I agree with frugally challenged. $20 seems like a decent starting point. Maybe you should consider a range of between $20-$25( $7300- $9125). That would keep you in the under $10,000 range.

Before I settled on an $18 a day average goal for this year I took several things into consideration.
1.) It would be impossible for me to average $12 a day like I shot for nine years ago
2.) We have two additional people in the family now
3.) We had three pets in 2011
We've had to witness the passing of all our furry babies and no longer have any pets
4.) Inflation has made it impossible to try and spend comparable to 2011 spending

To answer the first question: I'm really, really, really bad at hitting where I aim. I've found, over the past five to ten years, that whenever I set goals for myself I fall just short. Its true. Its probably a mental thing but I am not good at hitting my mark.

I thought that if I set my goal at $18 a day (hoping to at least come in for the year under $20.01) I'd most likely come really close to $20 a day.

After having read and pondered the second comment I'm realizing I didn't factor in many additional things.
1.) My son is eating more and more.
2.) I mostly cook from scratch now which is considerably more expensive than eating raman noodles and easy cook meals. Fresh foods cost more than processed.
3.) We will be getting a puppy in the spring time so having no pets isn't accurate.
4.) When I finally incorporated all my kiddo expenses into the average daily spend tally for little Abe we hit $18.40 a day average for the year
5.) I'm mildly crazy and always too hard on myself

Working it out:

$4380 is $12 a day. I never hit that target.
$5000.50 is $13.70 a day. That was my actual spending the year I started this blog.
$6570 is $18 a day. Where I'd originally set this year's goal.
$8760 is $24 a day. That's still considerably under $10,000 spending for the year and I think I really like that number.

I'm definitely going to change the goal for the year to $24 a day.
Since I started with a $12 a day goal (as the blog is and will remain named) and we've added two family members since then, cooking mostly from scratch now and inflation aside, doubling $12 a day after having doubled the family size is really VERY practical.

And yes, I'm still really long winded.
LOL