I don't even know what day it is. The only hint to the approximate date would be the snow on the ground and the cold wind in my face.
Unbelievably December. Really??
The past few months have been survival of the fittest, and I fear that I'm at the end of that list. I'm not sure which way is up anymore.
Current house building is at electrical rough-in. My poor (and dear) hubby has been pulling wires and hooking up receptacles for almost 2 weeks. No heat or insulation in there yet. Brrrr!!!! He graciously has let me stay inside for most of the wire working. It gets so cold!! Most mornings start at 7:00am and run until around 12:00am. Then they start all over. Christmas season with our business has filled in the cracks of our time (but not our sanity) and day to day events have become exhausting.
While my hubby works on the new house the past 2, I'm working on the current house. Painting baseboards, hemming curtains that I've been intending to deal with for a long time, cleaning out the laundry room (that was the lifesize version of Jenga) and tackling the "small" things that should be updated to sell the home.
I'm having more grumpy days than not lately. I blame it on the lack of sleep and the constant demand for our time. My hubby and I have had 2 dates in the past 4 months and that is never a good thing for cultivating relationship.
The one thing I just have to keep returning to is:
WE ARE BLESSED
Most people don't own a home, and we currently own one and are building another. We are blessed. Our home is going to be beautiful with a fireplace, large kitchen, ensuite, fully finished basement, guest room, double garage. While some people might consider those "normal", we are fully aware they are not. We have lived 4 years with 1 bathroom between 4 people (we did put another one in the basement this past year). We live in a 900 square foot home and our cold garage can't even fit our car in it (although honestly - it's too full of stuff to really try. I think when it's clean, you can fit our car in there if you don't intend on opening the doors to get out). And we are ALREADY blessed to own our humble 900sq ft home. VERY blessed. Let alone move into the house we are building.
So while I rub my burning, angry eyes and I massage my aching, hard-working muscles, I am counting my blessings. And when I grumble about how little time I have and what I'm NOT accomplishing I'm remembering:
We are building a freakin' house!
What a journey. I didn't realize how much I would actually be able to do, and it's been a lot of fun (in some areas) and a lot of learning (and angst) in others. For example: the grade beam. This is what your garage walls sit on. I would never do it again. Ever. What was so bad about it? I couldn't tell you besides the rebar, the leveling and the logix forms we used were all working against us. But framing? I would totally do that again in a heartbeat. We framed all our exterior and interior walls. That's a rewarding job!!
Sigh. I'm looking at the blowing snow outside. I have the day to myself today while my hard-working man is out at work. I have a pile of stuff to do and I'm not sure what I should tackle first. I believe hubby is booking an appraisal for this house mid-December, so I have to finish a few things by then. But I also have a lot of Christmas stuff to take care of!
Priorities.
I figured I haven't been on here in months so I would drop a line. We have been doing our Advent Activities again like we did last year! I will try, try TRY to post them, but quite honestly, I don't know when I'll have another few minutes to spare. But here is my small "hello", and I hope to post again soon. And post something that isn't full of ramblings and jumbled thoughts, but actually a brain-filled post and not a vomit all over the blog.
Soon.
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Super excited about this house project! Already it's been hours of work put into it. When we completed the paperwork, we became locked into a August 15 start date with a 9 month finishing window. After we signed (on August 14), we scrambled to get things finalized (drawings, excavator scheduled, permits opened, inspector booked).
Over the weekend we began to fell the trees in our lot (correctly stated: my HUSBAND started to fell the trees). He got SS involved with it, and that was some good quality man time. My hubby worked for several hours in ridiculously hot, humid weather on Saturday. Hubby and SS worked solid from Sunday 10:30am-3:00pm (minus a shower break, a lunch break and a quick cool down). And then I helped in the evening carrying the limbs and branches to hubby while he used the wood chipper. We ran out of daylight and into the noise curfew before we finished, so Monday evening, hubby felled several more trees, while I carried the excess into piles. Tuesday, hubby marked out our property line with the surveyor stakes and his dad came down so they could map out the house walls for the dig.
The last picture is us having a few drinks on the deck while we waited for the hole to be dug. Took longer than we thought. 11 hours in total. Yikes! 8:30am to 7:30pm. After the operator left, Mark's dad popped by and they re-marked the lines and made sure everything was square (an excavator digs 4 feet around the house walls to make room for weeping tiles and such).
We had a few surprises including the RM deciding our garage elevation was a few feet lower than we had anticipated which is scary with our high water table. But we were able to dig 6 1/2 feet down (we had only wanted to dig 4) without hitting the "bad soil". We nicked it and knew that's where we needed to stop. The concern was if we couldn't dig down far enough, our house could be a few feet higher than the garage (messes up the drawings and trusses). But thank the Lord (He most certainly had our back this week!!! As always :) ), we are now only out 6 inches. Which means we can simply build up our garage 6 inches with the studs, and keep the same trusses.
That one had us sweating. Our permit came through on Tuesday afternoon, just in time for our Wednesday morning dig, and that was by the skin of our teeth (what a funny saying).
But here we go!! Today is insane for my wonderful husband as we have rentals, and he is balancing a promotion (which is great, but currently has him working his old position AND his new position while the switch is being completed and makes for a VERY stressed out hubby), AND he wants to get the footing formed tonight so he can pour tomorrow morning.
#1 - this man I married has the strength and stamina of an ox (that's a compliment)
#2 - I have no idea how he does it
I'm going to keep updating the blog with house updates. FUN FUN FUN!
I'm off to the city today to do some shopping. I have things in our current house to finish up before selling time. And that time is ticking.
Over the weekend we began to fell the trees in our lot (correctly stated: my HUSBAND started to fell the trees). He got SS involved with it, and that was some good quality man time. My hubby worked for several hours in ridiculously hot, humid weather on Saturday. Hubby and SS worked solid from Sunday 10:30am-3:00pm (minus a shower break, a lunch break and a quick cool down). And then I helped in the evening carrying the limbs and branches to hubby while he used the wood chipper. We ran out of daylight and into the noise curfew before we finished, so Monday evening, hubby felled several more trees, while I carried the excess into piles. Tuesday, hubby marked out our property line with the surveyor stakes and his dad came down so they could map out the house walls for the dig.
So exciting!! And then yesterday was the highlight so far. Digging the hole!!!
We had a few surprises including the RM deciding our garage elevation was a few feet lower than we had anticipated which is scary with our high water table. But we were able to dig 6 1/2 feet down (we had only wanted to dig 4) without hitting the "bad soil". We nicked it and knew that's where we needed to stop. The concern was if we couldn't dig down far enough, our house could be a few feet higher than the garage (messes up the drawings and trusses). But thank the Lord (He most certainly had our back this week!!! As always :) ), we are now only out 6 inches. Which means we can simply build up our garage 6 inches with the studs, and keep the same trusses.
That one had us sweating. Our permit came through on Tuesday afternoon, just in time for our Wednesday morning dig, and that was by the skin of our teeth (what a funny saying).
But here we go!! Today is insane for my wonderful husband as we have rentals, and he is balancing a promotion (which is great, but currently has him working his old position AND his new position while the switch is being completed and makes for a VERY stressed out hubby), AND he wants to get the footing formed tonight so he can pour tomorrow morning.
#1 - this man I married has the strength and stamina of an ox (that's a compliment)
#2 - I have no idea how he does it
I'm going to keep updating the blog with house updates. FUN FUN FUN!
I'm off to the city today to do some shopping. I have things in our current house to finish up before selling time. And that time is ticking.
Saturday, August 24, 2013
*peeking out from beneath the covers*
is it over yet?
Well another summer is nearly complete. June is pure insanity with the side business. Every festival, fair, birthday party and church picnic we can be a part of physically, we make all effort to make a show.
I face-painted many excited children creating them into butterflies, tigers and dragons; among other creatures. We set up and took down many bouncers to fill children with joy and exhaustion, while simultaneously filling parents with relief and the ability to get their children into bed at the end of the day.
June was as June is. Every moment is filled with survival, schedules, driving, sweaty weekends, catching up weekdays. We even pulled an (almost) all nighter with a midnight to 4am graduation party rental. Whatever comes, we take. It's always an adventure! My dear hubby worked his full-time job and then worked the full-time side business.
July trickles to a slow and we were able to celebrate the kids' bdays (2 days apart) in between rentals. We rediscover what it means to have a house and bashfully mow our lawn, weed our garden and clean up our yard while the neighbours stand, watch and slow clap.
July kept us busy into August, and finally, we have had some breaks. Today we have 3 rentals, but tomorrow is a "day off". I use quotations because I'm sure many other people are like us. We love the idea of days off but apparently have no desire to make them a reality.
Our house plans have all been approved and so we will be building a new house in our "spare time". hehehe...quotations. So Sunday will be filled with taking down trees, chainsawing and woodchippering (I realize that's not a word. But I like it.)
This past week was actually a break though. While SS was at his mom's, DD (dear daughter) was at church camp. 5 days without children. What to do?! I realize for some people who don't have children, this is a normal day to day routine. DH and I were confused and a little bit alarmed when we had a spontaneous date. I kept feeling like I was forgetting something.
We have kids for the weekend, and then I'm shipping them both off to another camp on Monday. Another week without kids? I have to say that this last week when I dropped DD off at the church to go to camp, my heart was sad and filled with the usual mom concerns (will she be lonely, will she get homesick, will she make friends, will she eat enough), but I have to also admit that I enjoyed the fact that on Monday and Tuesday I gave my house a good clean....and it stayed that way.
Besides my Lucy dragging her blankets from her kennel from room to room and sleeping on the cushions on the couch (random re-fluffing was necessary), the house stayed...clean. Minimal dishes, vacuuming, tidying, de-cluttering.
So while on one hand I missed my sweet girl, and also enjoyed getting things done and a remarkably clean house.
We got the kids last night. I'm already looking at my house remembering the good ole days. Last week. 2 days ago.
Sigh.
But all in all, a successful summer. We didn't get to do everything we wanted to do with the kids, and the summers are slipping away. SS only has 2 more summers before the law declares him an adult and responsible (seems too early in my opinion). We looked at our business and are thinking we may be more picky about which rentals we take next year so that we actually get a summer. Kids are growing up way too fast. I'm thankful I have 6 more with DD, but that too will go fast.
In less than 2 weeks, school begins again and routines will become part of life. The leaves will change, the kids will be busy with school, homework and lives. I cannot believe how quickly the summer disappeared. It felt like we had so much time and then poof, it was gone. We didn't make it out to the lake at all. We didn't take a road trip. We just worked, and planned, and did meetings with lawyers, bankers and surveyors. Summer was a little sad this year. I'm hoping that next year will be better and filled with more memories and less missing moments.
But now it's fall, and I'll grab the moments where I can. School supply shopping, signing up for extra curricular activities and planning healthy lunches. Buying new clothes for the new school year and watching DD make new friends and reconnect with old ones.
I have always found it strange to make New Year's Resolutions in January. I find more of a connection to resolutions in fall. In September, when the school year begins. It feels like a fresh start for everything and everyone. It's saying goodbye to the Summer...the leaves change colour and die and get ready for their new start. I'm looking forward to this September New Year.
Here's to the 2013-2014 year! Cheers
is it over yet?
Well another summer is nearly complete. June is pure insanity with the side business. Every festival, fair, birthday party and church picnic we can be a part of physically, we make all effort to make a show.
I face-painted many excited children creating them into butterflies, tigers and dragons; among other creatures. We set up and took down many bouncers to fill children with joy and exhaustion, while simultaneously filling parents with relief and the ability to get their children into bed at the end of the day.
June was as June is. Every moment is filled with survival, schedules, driving, sweaty weekends, catching up weekdays. We even pulled an (almost) all nighter with a midnight to 4am graduation party rental. Whatever comes, we take. It's always an adventure! My dear hubby worked his full-time job and then worked the full-time side business.
July trickles to a slow and we were able to celebrate the kids' bdays (2 days apart) in between rentals. We rediscover what it means to have a house and bashfully mow our lawn, weed our garden and clean up our yard while the neighbours stand, watch and slow clap.
July kept us busy into August, and finally, we have had some breaks. Today we have 3 rentals, but tomorrow is a "day off". I use quotations because I'm sure many other people are like us. We love the idea of days off but apparently have no desire to make them a reality.
Our house plans have all been approved and so we will be building a new house in our "spare time". hehehe...quotations. So Sunday will be filled with taking down trees, chainsawing and woodchippering (I realize that's not a word. But I like it.)
This past week was actually a break though. While SS was at his mom's, DD (dear daughter) was at church camp. 5 days without children. What to do?! I realize for some people who don't have children, this is a normal day to day routine. DH and I were confused and a little bit alarmed when we had a spontaneous date. I kept feeling like I was forgetting something.
We have kids for the weekend, and then I'm shipping them both off to another camp on Monday. Another week without kids? I have to say that this last week when I dropped DD off at the church to go to camp, my heart was sad and filled with the usual mom concerns (will she be lonely, will she get homesick, will she make friends, will she eat enough), but I have to also admit that I enjoyed the fact that on Monday and Tuesday I gave my house a good clean....and it stayed that way.
Besides my Lucy dragging her blankets from her kennel from room to room and sleeping on the cushions on the couch (random re-fluffing was necessary), the house stayed...clean. Minimal dishes, vacuuming, tidying, de-cluttering.
So while on one hand I missed my sweet girl, and also enjoyed getting things done and a remarkably clean house.
We got the kids last night. I'm already looking at my house remembering the good ole days. Last week. 2 days ago.
Sigh.
But all in all, a successful summer. We didn't get to do everything we wanted to do with the kids, and the summers are slipping away. SS only has 2 more summers before the law declares him an adult and responsible (seems too early in my opinion). We looked at our business and are thinking we may be more picky about which rentals we take next year so that we actually get a summer. Kids are growing up way too fast. I'm thankful I have 6 more with DD, but that too will go fast.
In less than 2 weeks, school begins again and routines will become part of life. The leaves will change, the kids will be busy with school, homework and lives. I cannot believe how quickly the summer disappeared. It felt like we had so much time and then poof, it was gone. We didn't make it out to the lake at all. We didn't take a road trip. We just worked, and planned, and did meetings with lawyers, bankers and surveyors. Summer was a little sad this year. I'm hoping that next year will be better and filled with more memories and less missing moments.
But now it's fall, and I'll grab the moments where I can. School supply shopping, signing up for extra curricular activities and planning healthy lunches. Buying new clothes for the new school year and watching DD make new friends and reconnect with old ones.
I have always found it strange to make New Year's Resolutions in January. I find more of a connection to resolutions in fall. In September, when the school year begins. It feels like a fresh start for everything and everyone. It's saying goodbye to the Summer...the leaves change colour and die and get ready for their new start. I'm looking forward to this September New Year.
Here's to the 2013-2014 year! Cheers
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Kind of a gloomy day. Supposed to warm up, but the rain is threatening. Not that I mind. I have no plans today other than trying to get my house to resemble a home.
Sometimes I get unsettled. I get impatient. I get...squirrelly. I get jealous. I want what other people have. I want more things. I want less stress.
Yesterday as I was cleaning up my kitchen after supper, my husband was making noise and a mess in the basement as he worked diligently and faithfully on our future 2nd bathroom. My daughter was watching an episode of Glee at top volume (to hear over the noise of her daddy's workmanship), and the dogs were chasing each other around our 950 sq foot home, knocking over chairs, pillows and growling like they meant it. And I was just thankful in that space.
I have a home that my hubby gives me free reins to decorate as I like. And even though I can fall prey to the lures of Pinterest and Houzz and long for things that take a lifetime to be able to afford, I am still very happy with what I have.
We live in a beautiful space. We have a huge backyard with a large deck. We have trees. And we have work. I'm blessed that my husband loves to have me at home rather in an office (though if I wanted to be in one, he would never think twice about supporting me). I get to sit on the deck during nice days and think, dream and ponder.
I take my role as stay at home wife seriously, and aim to make sure clothes are washed, and folded and supper isn't just made, but homemade and fresh and on time. But I'm so thankful I get to do that! I'm blessed to be loved, and loved well. I know what it feels like to not be loved well, and now understanding that my husband deems me worthy of more love he can give (but tries his darndest), messes with my head somedays.
I have good kids. My stepson works hard and appreciates me. My daughter adores me and is simply lovely. My dogs...well...I have dogs. And they are ridiculous. But I always wanted dogs...and now I have them.
I fear sometimes that the hope of something more, can create a gaping hole of wants and false needs.
But I also don't want to get stuck where we don't think we are worthy of better. I don't believe in settling and I do believe in working hard for what you want.
I just need to learn to say "look where I've come from", and then say "I love where I am" without compromising when I say "and that's where I'm going".
Sometimes I get unsettled. I get impatient. I get...squirrelly. I get jealous. I want what other people have. I want more things. I want less stress.
Yesterday as I was cleaning up my kitchen after supper, my husband was making noise and a mess in the basement as he worked diligently and faithfully on our future 2nd bathroom. My daughter was watching an episode of Glee at top volume (to hear over the noise of her daddy's workmanship), and the dogs were chasing each other around our 950 sq foot home, knocking over chairs, pillows and growling like they meant it. And I was just thankful in that space.
I have a home that my hubby gives me free reins to decorate as I like. And even though I can fall prey to the lures of Pinterest and Houzz and long for things that take a lifetime to be able to afford, I am still very happy with what I have.
We live in a beautiful space. We have a huge backyard with a large deck. We have trees. And we have work. I'm blessed that my husband loves to have me at home rather in an office (though if I wanted to be in one, he would never think twice about supporting me). I get to sit on the deck during nice days and think, dream and ponder.
I take my role as stay at home wife seriously, and aim to make sure clothes are washed, and folded and supper isn't just made, but homemade and fresh and on time. But I'm so thankful I get to do that! I'm blessed to be loved, and loved well. I know what it feels like to not be loved well, and now understanding that my husband deems me worthy of more love he can give (but tries his darndest), messes with my head somedays.
I have good kids. My stepson works hard and appreciates me. My daughter adores me and is simply lovely. My dogs...well...I have dogs. And they are ridiculous. But I always wanted dogs...and now I have them.
I fear sometimes that the hope of something more, can create a gaping hole of wants and false needs.
But I also don't want to get stuck where we don't think we are worthy of better. I don't believe in settling and I do believe in working hard for what you want.
I just need to learn to say "look where I've come from", and then say "I love where I am" without compromising when I say "and that's where I'm going".
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
I'm such an all or nothing person. I'm in or out. I'm up or down.
There is no middle ground. There is no moderation. Oh, I preach moderation, because I know it's always for the best...
But I'm not like that at all.
Go on a diet? Okay. I'll never eat chocolate again. Ten days later...CHOCOLATE!!!! And then it's all shot. The diet is over. I'll never go on another diet.
Keep up with chores? Okay. I'll spring clean once a week, and maintain the heck out of my house. Five days later....SCREW IT! It's going to get messy anyway. I can't keep up!! That's it. Spring cleaning is for over achievers.
Anyone relate?
I'm working really hard (honest!) on changing my attitude.
When my hubby wanted to start eating better to slim down in time for summer, I, as per usual, went nutso. Out go the unhealthy foods, and only the good stuff is allowed.
Well, I blogged about my latest falls into the ground. I'm pretty sure I could have just been digging my own graves during that entire time in anticipation of my sure-to-fail, high-achieving, impossible quests.
I'm the best person to create goals that I simply can't reach. I want to push myself. I want to achieve what can't be achieved. Yet, for 31 years, I can't meet the goals and expectations I set for myself. I know this. I really do. I just keep doing it.
I am doing better. I'm recovering. I'm nursing the only thing that really got hurt in that fiasco. And that would be my pride.
I have in the past couple weeks created 5 weeks of meal plans and grocery lists. All with healthy (not impossible) eating. Heathy eating is a challenge for us because we like to celebrate. We celebrate everything. And we celebrate everything with food. So the day to day eating isn't the unhealthy part. My recipes are all from scratch and contain a good combo of veggies and meat and starch. It's the after supper eating that we are the worst at! And that actually is just a habit to break.
It took a lot of work. Over 2 days of work actually. I set aside everything else (all or nothing), and got the meal plans done. Summer is on its way and, our business, which works primarily on weekends is picking up. Weekend meals aren't something I can be bothered with during our season. So my meal plans contain:
-premaking meals Monday-Wednesday for the weekend
-baking bread on Thursdays for the weekend
-more labour intensive meals Monday-Thursday (labour intensive is an exaggeration)
-1 protein, 1 starch, 2 veggies in each meal
We are in the middle of Week 2 on the list and it's going very smoothly. I have other plans I want to implement but I'm really holding myself back. I want to:
-keep my house up to date
-exercise regularly not to lose weight (read previous post. That's over), but to enjoy it
Remember how I'm all or nothing? Right. So I'm going to master this meal plan thing first. Then I'll start tackling the exercise. Then I'll start tackling the house.
So far what I've discovered when I'm all or nothing is:
-I get stressed out beyond all reason
-my husband pays the price with my stress
-my kids don't have a clue why I'm stressed
-I don't get done what I want to and then I get depressed
-the journey isn't one anyone wants to join me on
So what's my payoff? I don't know! I obviously am getting one because I keep doing it. Over and over again. Maybe I get a high off of my lists that I make. And then when I make some progress (ie 2 days of success), I get excited. My husband gives me sympathy when I fail...maybe that's like a narcotic for me.
We don't do things that we don't get a payoff for. Maybe the sense of failure is reassuring to me. Maybe it's just assurance of what I knew when I made the list. Hm.
It's a disease and a habit. It drives my hubby crazy. He always says "stop over committing yourself" or "you are one person" or "stop making those crazy lists with the timeframes".
And I always say "oh, it's not that much" or "I can do it!" or "wwaaaaah...I'm SO stressed!!!"
Yeah. Something has gotta change. So I'm going to work very hard on reining myself in.
I did start running again (hush you. I'm not overcommitting. I just have started running because I missed it. No pressure to do it everyday or maintain a schedule. Meal schedules only right now), and I think I'll end this post with a couple of my latest additions to my running list:
Walk the Moon - Jenny (seriously check these guys out. I really love their music. I also have their Tightrope on my running list. Good album all around.)
Michael Franti - I'm Alive (my hubby downloaded this and it ended up in my running list. When it came on I figured I'd run through it, and now it's a song that makes me smile every time.)
Have a wonderful Wednesday!
There is no middle ground. There is no moderation. Oh, I preach moderation, because I know it's always for the best...
But I'm not like that at all.
Go on a diet? Okay. I'll never eat chocolate again. Ten days later...CHOCOLATE!!!! And then it's all shot. The diet is over. I'll never go on another diet.
Keep up with chores? Okay. I'll spring clean once a week, and maintain the heck out of my house. Five days later....SCREW IT! It's going to get messy anyway. I can't keep up!! That's it. Spring cleaning is for over achievers.
Anyone relate?
I'm working really hard (honest!) on changing my attitude.
When my hubby wanted to start eating better to slim down in time for summer, I, as per usual, went nutso. Out go the unhealthy foods, and only the good stuff is allowed.
Well, I blogged about my latest falls into the ground. I'm pretty sure I could have just been digging my own graves during that entire time in anticipation of my sure-to-fail, high-achieving, impossible quests.
I'm the best person to create goals that I simply can't reach. I want to push myself. I want to achieve what can't be achieved. Yet, for 31 years, I can't meet the goals and expectations I set for myself. I know this. I really do. I just keep doing it.
I am doing better. I'm recovering. I'm nursing the only thing that really got hurt in that fiasco. And that would be my pride.
I have in the past couple weeks created 5 weeks of meal plans and grocery lists. All with healthy (not impossible) eating. Heathy eating is a challenge for us because we like to celebrate. We celebrate everything. And we celebrate everything with food. So the day to day eating isn't the unhealthy part. My recipes are all from scratch and contain a good combo of veggies and meat and starch. It's the after supper eating that we are the worst at! And that actually is just a habit to break.
It took a lot of work. Over 2 days of work actually. I set aside everything else (all or nothing), and got the meal plans done. Summer is on its way and, our business, which works primarily on weekends is picking up. Weekend meals aren't something I can be bothered with during our season. So my meal plans contain:
-premaking meals Monday-Wednesday for the weekend
-baking bread on Thursdays for the weekend
-more labour intensive meals Monday-Thursday (labour intensive is an exaggeration)
-1 protein, 1 starch, 2 veggies in each meal
We are in the middle of Week 2 on the list and it's going very smoothly. I have other plans I want to implement but I'm really holding myself back. I want to:
-keep my house up to date
-exercise regularly not to lose weight (read previous post. That's over), but to enjoy it
Remember how I'm all or nothing? Right. So I'm going to master this meal plan thing first. Then I'll start tackling the exercise. Then I'll start tackling the house.
So far what I've discovered when I'm all or nothing is:
-I get stressed out beyond all reason
-my husband pays the price with my stress
-my kids don't have a clue why I'm stressed
-I don't get done what I want to and then I get depressed
-the journey isn't one anyone wants to join me on
So what's my payoff? I don't know! I obviously am getting one because I keep doing it. Over and over again. Maybe I get a high off of my lists that I make. And then when I make some progress (ie 2 days of success), I get excited. My husband gives me sympathy when I fail...maybe that's like a narcotic for me.
We don't do things that we don't get a payoff for. Maybe the sense of failure is reassuring to me. Maybe it's just assurance of what I knew when I made the list. Hm.
It's a disease and a habit. It drives my hubby crazy. He always says "stop over committing yourself" or "you are one person" or "stop making those crazy lists with the timeframes".
And I always say "oh, it's not that much" or "I can do it!" or "wwaaaaah...I'm SO stressed!!!"
Yeah. Something has gotta change. So I'm going to work very hard on reining myself in.
I did start running again (hush you. I'm not overcommitting. I just have started running because I missed it. No pressure to do it everyday or maintain a schedule. Meal schedules only right now), and I think I'll end this post with a couple of my latest additions to my running list:
Walk the Moon - Jenny (seriously check these guys out. I really love their music. I also have their Tightrope on my running list. Good album all around.)
Michael Franti - I'm Alive (my hubby downloaded this and it ended up in my running list. When it came on I figured I'd run through it, and now it's a song that makes me smile every time.)
Have a wonderful Wednesday!
Friday, April 26, 2013
The first thing I did when I signed in today was clean out the cobwebs. I know. It's been forever. I fell off the wagon into the Great Depression.
Well, okay, it wasn't that bad. But it felt like a lot of things were going wrong and instead of blogging about it and getting it out of my over-congested brain, I instead left it in there to bounce around and cause more damage than good.
Instead of talking in vague terms, I'll update you on my wagon-escaping adventure.
Last May we started subdividing our lot. We have a double sized lot, that until recently (when some RM regulations got changed) we weren't able to cut in 2. There are regulations regarding how close lots and house get to be to each other. They are more stringent than in the city where I'm always appalled at neighbours being able to pass a cup of sugar between their open windows.
Our goal was to obviously subdivide and then build a house on there. Both my husband and I have owned houses before (we moved into his latest one when we got married), and they have always been solid houses, but they have always been old houses. All of our houses required renovations and it's always a process.
Seriously. When we got married, we worked it out so that while we were away on our honeymoon (part one), the mudding and taping would be done in our master bedroom, so between part 1 and part 2 of our honeymoon, we would paint and get it ready to move in to. It didn't get done as planned (as most renovation plans go) and we slept in the dining room for the first few days of marriage...with our kids walking in and out. Oh yes. Renovations have been a small thorn in our side.
A dream of ours would be to build a house from the ground up and have something that is new, and untouched.
Another desire of ours would be to have a house that we both created together. With only our memories in them, with nothing else attached. The Lord has been so faithful in providing finances to pay off old debts, and situations that helped us move from our past. It's been amazing. And we really feel that building a new house would be the final closure of the past.
So that's the background, and we were able to move the subdivision along slowly but surely. By the beginning of January our subdivision was complete and our new separate mortgage was on paper.
We began the task of pricing out a wonderful house and planning and designing it. Near the end of designing it, I needed to send the subdivision papers over to someone and on closer inspection I discovered they had our empty lot and our current lot mixed up! We had our mortgage on an empty lot and according to the papers our house had nothing owing.
Funny...but not funny. We were told the process in getting the lots corrected would take 2 weeks. Well, 2 months and counting later....we still haven't received the papers.
I lost heart and I lost heart quickly. We were on a tight time frame because 1) we had all the quotes that people had given us and they were on tight time frames 2) our busy season with our business starts in May, goes hardcore through June and September and tapers off as the weather gets colder. My husband works diligently at his full-time job, and then works so hard with our business which is mainly on weekends and building a house in there didn't seem like a smart choice. So we wanted to get the basement in (which he would take care of), and then get a framer in (which my husband could do, but we would time it over the busy season so it would be getting done) and then when things were calming down with the business, we'd finish the puppy up.
So a few weeks went by, and a month went by, then a month and a half. It just got so depressing. There was a mattress sale I was banking on to buy a new mattress, but we couldn't because nothing was moving forward (seriously...a $3000 mattress on for $1500. I cried. Really I did.). I watched as the appliances I had picked out came and went with their sales. All the preparation I had done, and all the time my husband had spent working out costs and labour...all were for naught.
Set that disappointment aside. There were 2 weeks in which my SS and I weren't happy with each other. SS and I had a disagreement over text that got misinterpreted on both our sides and fixing that took a bit of time and a wonderful husband and father to steer the ship back on course. That occupied my brain and wounded my heart for a couple weeks. I'm a touch OCD and so when something is on my brain...well, it's on my brain. It is beating the tar out of it and eating it mouthful after mouthful until I'm a touch zombified.
Then I was making progress in my weight (something I really struggle with). I worked out 2 hours 4 times a week. I was running 3 miles, and lifting weights like no one's business. Slowly the scale moved down. Very slowly. Painfully slowly. But it was moving! I got down to 145lb which is a comfortable weight and I feel decent. I would like to be back at my 135lb (my husband says that's too skinny because all the good (defined "jiggly") parts are gone), but at 145lbs I can survive and slow down my working out.
Well one weekend my husband decided he was going to start dieting come the Monday and if anyone is a dieter, you know that the weekend before is considered a going-away party and it's an all you can eat affair. I joined him with drinks and food (though I did tone it down because I was so happy with my weight) and lo and behold what happened the next week? Put ALL MY WEIGHT BACK ON. I was so mad. SO mad. Actually mad doesn't even begin to describe it. Livid would be more like it.
I worked my BUTT off for 4 weeks; watching what I ate, choosing my food carefully, saying no to cheesecake. I took one weekend off and boom, I was back to my old weight? Ridiculous, I say! So I said "no" to diets. I stopped exercising, and I stopped eating right. I was officially off any wagon I have ever touched.
Then about 3 weeks ago, I started having this feeling like I was missing the boat. I'm 31 and I haven't done anything in my life. It was like a mid-life crises. Probably spurred on by the other things going on. I was standing in the headlights with my eyes wide open saying "what have I done with my life?!".
Probably bad timing in the midst of things. Probably? No. It really was bad timing. It was probably magnified to be a bigger deal than it was. Instead of a fleeting thought it was like a train busting through an apartment.
I have amazing friends. Amazing friends who are doing amazing things. Watching their Facebook statuses, talking to them on Skype, and sitting and listening to them over desserts (I'm catching up on my cheesecake from my 4 weeks of denial), has made me jealous. Not jealous in the bad way where you start wishing bad things or thinking bad thoughts. But the good jealousy. The one that starts stirring your heart to be better. To be more. To offer something. To find something that means something.
My mom once told me that when you hit your 30's you start sorting out your identity. You separate from your parents in a different way than you once had. You find that maybe you don't know yourself as you once did. And I'm there. I'm looking at myself going....what kind of eggs do you like?
Actually, I know the kinds of eggs I like. I was just reminded of Pretty Woman (I love that movie and my hubby cheered me up the other day by watching it with me) where Richard Gere's character exposes Julia Roberts' character with her lack of self-knowledge. She liked what everyone else liked. She hadn't taken the time to discover those things.
I consider myself pretty well-versed in all things Bonnie. But there is more. And to get to the point where I can delight in things and not get upset at myself for not dealing with a situation like my ever-patient husband does, or like my gracious best friend does.
I'm passionate, and intense and learning to use those things to my advantage is something I haven't ever focused on.
I love superhero movies. I love Marvel characters. You know what they have in common? They have traits and powers that they have honed. They all aren't good at the same things. Why must I think I must master all the traits and skills that everyone else is gifted with? It's nonsense!
So as I have been wrestling through that personality test, and upset oceans, and sinking building plans, and weight disasters, I have not been blogging.
I have no smart plans on how to save money, or projects to be completed. I have zero wisdom on how to get through this bumpy, bumpy road. I do, however, think that blogging is the best medicine.
Next to more cowbell. (I've got a fever....)
Well, okay, it wasn't that bad. But it felt like a lot of things were going wrong and instead of blogging about it and getting it out of my over-congested brain, I instead left it in there to bounce around and cause more damage than good.
Instead of talking in vague terms, I'll update you on my wagon-escaping adventure.
Last May we started subdividing our lot. We have a double sized lot, that until recently (when some RM regulations got changed) we weren't able to cut in 2. There are regulations regarding how close lots and house get to be to each other. They are more stringent than in the city where I'm always appalled at neighbours being able to pass a cup of sugar between their open windows.
Our goal was to obviously subdivide and then build a house on there. Both my husband and I have owned houses before (we moved into his latest one when we got married), and they have always been solid houses, but they have always been old houses. All of our houses required renovations and it's always a process.
Seriously. When we got married, we worked it out so that while we were away on our honeymoon (part one), the mudding and taping would be done in our master bedroom, so between part 1 and part 2 of our honeymoon, we would paint and get it ready to move in to. It didn't get done as planned (as most renovation plans go) and we slept in the dining room for the first few days of marriage...with our kids walking in and out. Oh yes. Renovations have been a small thorn in our side.
A dream of ours would be to build a house from the ground up and have something that is new, and untouched.
Another desire of ours would be to have a house that we both created together. With only our memories in them, with nothing else attached. The Lord has been so faithful in providing finances to pay off old debts, and situations that helped us move from our past. It's been amazing. And we really feel that building a new house would be the final closure of the past.
So that's the background, and we were able to move the subdivision along slowly but surely. By the beginning of January our subdivision was complete and our new separate mortgage was on paper.
We began the task of pricing out a wonderful house and planning and designing it. Near the end of designing it, I needed to send the subdivision papers over to someone and on closer inspection I discovered they had our empty lot and our current lot mixed up! We had our mortgage on an empty lot and according to the papers our house had nothing owing.
Funny...but not funny. We were told the process in getting the lots corrected would take 2 weeks. Well, 2 months and counting later....we still haven't received the papers.
I lost heart and I lost heart quickly. We were on a tight time frame because 1) we had all the quotes that people had given us and they were on tight time frames 2) our busy season with our business starts in May, goes hardcore through June and September and tapers off as the weather gets colder. My husband works diligently at his full-time job, and then works so hard with our business which is mainly on weekends and building a house in there didn't seem like a smart choice. So we wanted to get the basement in (which he would take care of), and then get a framer in (which my husband could do, but we would time it over the busy season so it would be getting done) and then when things were calming down with the business, we'd finish the puppy up.
So a few weeks went by, and a month went by, then a month and a half. It just got so depressing. There was a mattress sale I was banking on to buy a new mattress, but we couldn't because nothing was moving forward (seriously...a $3000 mattress on for $1500. I cried. Really I did.). I watched as the appliances I had picked out came and went with their sales. All the preparation I had done, and all the time my husband had spent working out costs and labour...all were for naught.
Set that disappointment aside. There were 2 weeks in which my SS and I weren't happy with each other. SS and I had a disagreement over text that got misinterpreted on both our sides and fixing that took a bit of time and a wonderful husband and father to steer the ship back on course. That occupied my brain and wounded my heart for a couple weeks. I'm a touch OCD and so when something is on my brain...well, it's on my brain. It is beating the tar out of it and eating it mouthful after mouthful until I'm a touch zombified.
Then I was making progress in my weight (something I really struggle with). I worked out 2 hours 4 times a week. I was running 3 miles, and lifting weights like no one's business. Slowly the scale moved down. Very slowly. Painfully slowly. But it was moving! I got down to 145lb which is a comfortable weight and I feel decent. I would like to be back at my 135lb (my husband says that's too skinny because all the good (defined "jiggly") parts are gone), but at 145lbs I can survive and slow down my working out.
Well one weekend my husband decided he was going to start dieting come the Monday and if anyone is a dieter, you know that the weekend before is considered a going-away party and it's an all you can eat affair. I joined him with drinks and food (though I did tone it down because I was so happy with my weight) and lo and behold what happened the next week? Put ALL MY WEIGHT BACK ON. I was so mad. SO mad. Actually mad doesn't even begin to describe it. Livid would be more like it.
I worked my BUTT off for 4 weeks; watching what I ate, choosing my food carefully, saying no to cheesecake. I took one weekend off and boom, I was back to my old weight? Ridiculous, I say! So I said "no" to diets. I stopped exercising, and I stopped eating right. I was officially off any wagon I have ever touched.
Then about 3 weeks ago, I started having this feeling like I was missing the boat. I'm 31 and I haven't done anything in my life. It was like a mid-life crises. Probably spurred on by the other things going on. I was standing in the headlights with my eyes wide open saying "what have I done with my life?!".
Probably bad timing in the midst of things. Probably? No. It really was bad timing. It was probably magnified to be a bigger deal than it was. Instead of a fleeting thought it was like a train busting through an apartment.
I have amazing friends. Amazing friends who are doing amazing things. Watching their Facebook statuses, talking to them on Skype, and sitting and listening to them over desserts (I'm catching up on my cheesecake from my 4 weeks of denial), has made me jealous. Not jealous in the bad way where you start wishing bad things or thinking bad thoughts. But the good jealousy. The one that starts stirring your heart to be better. To be more. To offer something. To find something that means something.
My mom once told me that when you hit your 30's you start sorting out your identity. You separate from your parents in a different way than you once had. You find that maybe you don't know yourself as you once did. And I'm there. I'm looking at myself going....what kind of eggs do you like?
Actually, I know the kinds of eggs I like. I was just reminded of Pretty Woman (I love that movie and my hubby cheered me up the other day by watching it with me) where Richard Gere's character exposes Julia Roberts' character with her lack of self-knowledge. She liked what everyone else liked. She hadn't taken the time to discover those things.
I consider myself pretty well-versed in all things Bonnie. But there is more. And to get to the point where I can delight in things and not get upset at myself for not dealing with a situation like my ever-patient husband does, or like my gracious best friend does.
I'm passionate, and intense and learning to use those things to my advantage is something I haven't ever focused on.
I love superhero movies. I love Marvel characters. You know what they have in common? They have traits and powers that they have honed. They all aren't good at the same things. Why must I think I must master all the traits and skills that everyone else is gifted with? It's nonsense!
So as I have been wrestling through that personality test, and upset oceans, and sinking building plans, and weight disasters, I have not been blogging.
I have no smart plans on how to save money, or projects to be completed. I have zero wisdom on how to get through this bumpy, bumpy road. I do, however, think that blogging is the best medicine.
Next to more cowbell. (I've got a fever....)
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Money Saving Tuesday (cheap wine)
Vegas was good. The only thing that would have made it better would have been staying a couple extra days so we could spend the time as we saw fit.
As it stood, it was a work week for my husband and I got to take along as well as help schmooze the wives of my hubby's clients. But that being said, I got some pretty fantastic meals, good wine and an amazing helicopter ride over the Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon.
So I can't really complain.
And I got 2 pairs of shoes, a pair of jeans and a new shirt for $64.
I would say I'm pretty close to making out like a bandit.
There were 2 things we discovered about ourselves in the process of spending the last evening and last day out in Las Vegas.
1) We are not party animals
2) We are okay with that
We were told (forcefully at times) that we HAD to check out Freemont Street. Apparently that is old school Las Vegas, it's where the drinks are cheaper and....well everything else seems to be a little cheaper there too.
Ahem.
My hubby and I walked down the street one way. Then we turned around and walked the other way. And then we looked at each other and without further adieu, hailed a cab.
We like the drink. There's no mistaking that. A good rye and coke, a good vodka or rum or HELLO Pina Colada or Margarita, and we are IN. However, we discovered that our favourite time to drink is when we are at home or in our hotel room, where we can just be goofs together and take in a lovely bit of alcohol, and somewhere we are close enough to crawl into bed when we are done, with someone we love.
Yes it's safe. Yup, it's predictable. And, absolutely, we have a hoot.
We also like to be comfortable. Hotel rooms. Our own bed. Our own house.
No, I don't want to stay up till 2am drinking alcohol with someone I don't know, down a dirty street I can't navigate and in a strange city I have no loyalty to.
So on the ride back to our hotel, I asked my hubby "are we old?"
And he replied "no. We just aren't these types of people".
I was satisfied with his answer. Because it's true. And I have friends who LOVE Freemont Street. They absolutely love it and want to go back every year. It made their trip. That is GREAT! But it's very interesting to me that I'm still learning about myself at 31 and learning that it's okay to not love Freemont Street.
The boxes we put around ourselves, around who we think we are, are pretty constricting. And to conform to something just because you think that you should is rather silly. It's been a very freeing experience this past year as I'm discovering little things about myself that I never would have believed.
Anyway, I digress. I can talk about some things forever. Which means you start out reading, and end up skimming. I know how that works. I'm a blog reader too.
Okay, my quick Money Saving Tuesday tip is (since we are on the topic of drinking and having a good time) buy cheap wine.
I'm not talking about visiting cousin Steve who makes it in his basement and pretty much gives it away because even he doesn't want to drink it. I mean, don't let the wine connoisseurs dictate what you like.
The best quote I ever heard in regards to picking out wine was actually by a well known connoisseur. I don't know any connoisseurs so unfortunately his name escapes me and and I can't give him credit. But his quote went something like this "if you find a wine you like, then drink it".
Price doesn't mean that it's the best wine for you. It just means that it's in a good year, or it's a branding thing. Some high wines are delicious. And some taste like someone peed in the barrel. Sorry, but that's just me.
I had an amazing Italian wine while out in Vegas (trust the Italians to make amazing wine!), but when I'm back in the real world, an Australian wine is delicious and is always my first grab.
My husband laughs at me because when we go into a store he says I can pick out the most expensive item in the store because it'll be the first piece I fall in love with.
I say I have good taste. He doesn't say much but slowly pickpockets my credit cards out of my wallet.
However, that being said, I might have expensive taste, but I also have a nose for finding replicas (and good ones too) of the expensive items I fall in love with.
Wine is a delightful thing to share with a friend, companion or mate. Try different kinds and let your tongue tell you the bottle's worth; not the price tag.
YellowTail is my usual fall back (and they make Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon as well), but I've heard New Zealand and South Africa have good bargain wines too.
So, while this isn't a typical Money Saving Tuesday tip, if you are asked to bring wine to a party, you want to give a gift of wine, or you want to have a quiet evening at home, don't be intimidated by the wine prices. Enjoy that $12.99 bottle!
Don't tell anyone the price, and most times....they won't be able to tell.
So when you're going to splurge, splurge smart!
As it stood, it was a work week for my husband and I got to take along as well as help schmooze the wives of my hubby's clients. But that being said, I got some pretty fantastic meals, good wine and an amazing helicopter ride over the Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon.
So I can't really complain.
And I got 2 pairs of shoes, a pair of jeans and a new shirt for $64.
I would say I'm pretty close to making out like a bandit.
There were 2 things we discovered about ourselves in the process of spending the last evening and last day out in Las Vegas.
1) We are not party animals
2) We are okay with that
We were told (forcefully at times) that we HAD to check out Freemont Street. Apparently that is old school Las Vegas, it's where the drinks are cheaper and....well everything else seems to be a little cheaper there too.
Ahem.
My hubby and I walked down the street one way. Then we turned around and walked the other way. And then we looked at each other and without further adieu, hailed a cab.
We like the drink. There's no mistaking that. A good rye and coke, a good vodka or rum or HELLO Pina Colada or Margarita, and we are IN. However, we discovered that our favourite time to drink is when we are at home or in our hotel room, where we can just be goofs together and take in a lovely bit of alcohol, and somewhere we are close enough to crawl into bed when we are done, with someone we love.
Yes it's safe. Yup, it's predictable. And, absolutely, we have a hoot.
We also like to be comfortable. Hotel rooms. Our own bed. Our own house.
No, I don't want to stay up till 2am drinking alcohol with someone I don't know, down a dirty street I can't navigate and in a strange city I have no loyalty to.
So on the ride back to our hotel, I asked my hubby "are we old?"
And he replied "no. We just aren't these types of people".
I was satisfied with his answer. Because it's true. And I have friends who LOVE Freemont Street. They absolutely love it and want to go back every year. It made their trip. That is GREAT! But it's very interesting to me that I'm still learning about myself at 31 and learning that it's okay to not love Freemont Street.
The boxes we put around ourselves, around who we think we are, are pretty constricting. And to conform to something just because you think that you should is rather silly. It's been a very freeing experience this past year as I'm discovering little things about myself that I never would have believed.
Anyway, I digress. I can talk about some things forever. Which means you start out reading, and end up skimming. I know how that works. I'm a blog reader too.
Okay, my quick Money Saving Tuesday tip is (since we are on the topic of drinking and having a good time) buy cheap wine.
I'm not talking about visiting cousin Steve who makes it in his basement and pretty much gives it away because even he doesn't want to drink it. I mean, don't let the wine connoisseurs dictate what you like.
The best quote I ever heard in regards to picking out wine was actually by a well known connoisseur. I don't know any connoisseurs so unfortunately his name escapes me and and I can't give him credit. But his quote went something like this "if you find a wine you like, then drink it".
Price doesn't mean that it's the best wine for you. It just means that it's in a good year, or it's a branding thing. Some high wines are delicious. And some taste like someone peed in the barrel. Sorry, but that's just me.
I had an amazing Italian wine while out in Vegas (trust the Italians to make amazing wine!), but when I'm back in the real world, an Australian wine is delicious and is always my first grab.
My husband laughs at me because when we go into a store he says I can pick out the most expensive item in the store because it'll be the first piece I fall in love with.
I say I have good taste. He doesn't say much but slowly pickpockets my credit cards out of my wallet.
However, that being said, I might have expensive taste, but I also have a nose for finding replicas (and good ones too) of the expensive items I fall in love with.
Wine is a delightful thing to share with a friend, companion or mate. Try different kinds and let your tongue tell you the bottle's worth; not the price tag.
YellowTail is my usual fall back (and they make Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon as well), but I've heard New Zealand and South Africa have good bargain wines too.
So, while this isn't a typical Money Saving Tuesday tip, if you are asked to bring wine to a party, you want to give a gift of wine, or you want to have a quiet evening at home, don't be intimidated by the wine prices. Enjoy that $12.99 bottle!
Don't tell anyone the price, and most times....they won't be able to tell.
So when you're going to splurge, splurge smart!
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Viva Las Vegas!!
I think I have given up on Project Friday. I believe it was 3 weeks ago that I gave myself a project and I just have not gotten to it. My meal planning abilities are occurring weekly as it's dependent on what I actually have in my fridge as my grocery budget still remains at $100/week. January ended with $2 and some pennies left in my Grocery Cash Envelope.
Well done, Bonnie. Well done. I made it. I survived!!
However, meal planning for 6 weeks (though I have some plans from the old days) hasn't really landed as top priority the past few weeks.
Anyway...in other things.
This next week there will be no Money Saving Tuesday. Because....
I'm going to Vegas, BABY!
Actually my husband has a work thing out there. Something small called World of Concrete. I lie; it's huge. It's a big deal.
Anyway, his boss is sending him and another guy out there to schmooze (defined: wine and dine) their customers. My husband's favourite customers are those men that include their wives, adore their families, and aren't excited about getting hammered and visiting strippers. No, that's not just what he tells me; it's what he actually believes.
He connected with some of his customers who are bringing their wives, and organized some activities with them and is now bringing me to tag along (and I get to enjoy the company of these men's wives, plus take in some free meals).
WOOHOO!
So of course, I'm still in charge of my costs (flight, extra meals, extra drinks), but I get to tag along to enjoy some of Las Vegas' fun shows and activities. SO MUCH FUN!
Plus, it's been -44 Celsius out here for too long, and even 15 Celsius will feel like summer. Mmmm, jeans with a light sweater? Yes please!
I'm very thankful for this opportunity to get away from the cold for a bit, spend some one-on-one time with my husband (though 70% will be with customers), and get a break from the daily grind. I love my life, but I'm especially fond of it when I get a little break from it and get to come back to it.
This year I've been a little sad about not getting away. We've been super blessed over the past few years, and we have been able to do so much. November 2009 we went to Mexico, January 2011 we went to Disney World, November 2011, we went back to Mexico. It feels like we've gotten a break every year. This year we just couldn't swing it, so a few weeks ago when my husband's boss informed hubby of Las Vegas, we just knew we had to make the most of it.
I feel like God heard our hearts that we wanted to just get some time away, and has blessed us with a mini-vacation.
I think so often we get stuck in a religious mind-frame about the Lord and what He wants to bless us with and what he doesn't. A lot of people get stuck on the finances. I really believe that God loves to pour out His gifts in financial form and He loves to see us delight in aspects of life.
We put a cap on God. I remember a Word from the Lord given to us by an amazing servant of God. One part of it just had a blessing about the Lord providing the means for vacations and time together. Funny, hey? What a bizarre prophecy! When we think about getting Words from God, or blessings, or prophecies (or whatever you would like to call them), I usually think about things for the heart. Areas of healings, areas of enlightenment, things God specifically would like to use us for. And those are all true and good. But, He also delights in what we delight in. And He knows my husband and I cherish and treasure our time away together.
I don't know if I'm being clear at all, but I do know that this was a little nugget from the Lord. A little bit of "here ya go" to help our hearts and to remember that ALL His promises are YES and AMEN.
So next Monday, I'll be on a plane, beside my wonderful husband and thanking the Lord for the little piece of Get-Away.
Well done, Bonnie. Well done. I made it. I survived!!
However, meal planning for 6 weeks (though I have some plans from the old days) hasn't really landed as top priority the past few weeks.
Anyway...in other things.
This next week there will be no Money Saving Tuesday. Because....
I'm going to Vegas, BABY!
Actually my husband has a work thing out there. Something small called World of Concrete. I lie; it's huge. It's a big deal.
Anyway, his boss is sending him and another guy out there to schmooze (defined: wine and dine) their customers. My husband's favourite customers are those men that include their wives, adore their families, and aren't excited about getting hammered and visiting strippers. No, that's not just what he tells me; it's what he actually believes.
He connected with some of his customers who are bringing their wives, and organized some activities with them and is now bringing me to tag along (and I get to enjoy the company of these men's wives, plus take in some free meals).
WOOHOO!
So of course, I'm still in charge of my costs (flight, extra meals, extra drinks), but I get to tag along to enjoy some of Las Vegas' fun shows and activities. SO MUCH FUN!
Plus, it's been -44 Celsius out here for too long, and even 15 Celsius will feel like summer. Mmmm, jeans with a light sweater? Yes please!
I'm very thankful for this opportunity to get away from the cold for a bit, spend some one-on-one time with my husband (though 70% will be with customers), and get a break from the daily grind. I love my life, but I'm especially fond of it when I get a little break from it and get to come back to it.
This year I've been a little sad about not getting away. We've been super blessed over the past few years, and we have been able to do so much. November 2009 we went to Mexico, January 2011 we went to Disney World, November 2011, we went back to Mexico. It feels like we've gotten a break every year. This year we just couldn't swing it, so a few weeks ago when my husband's boss informed hubby of Las Vegas, we just knew we had to make the most of it.
I feel like God heard our hearts that we wanted to just get some time away, and has blessed us with a mini-vacation.
I think so often we get stuck in a religious mind-frame about the Lord and what He wants to bless us with and what he doesn't. A lot of people get stuck on the finances. I really believe that God loves to pour out His gifts in financial form and He loves to see us delight in aspects of life.
We put a cap on God. I remember a Word from the Lord given to us by an amazing servant of God. One part of it just had a blessing about the Lord providing the means for vacations and time together. Funny, hey? What a bizarre prophecy! When we think about getting Words from God, or blessings, or prophecies (or whatever you would like to call them), I usually think about things for the heart. Areas of healings, areas of enlightenment, things God specifically would like to use us for. And those are all true and good. But, He also delights in what we delight in. And He knows my husband and I cherish and treasure our time away together.
I don't know if I'm being clear at all, but I do know that this was a little nugget from the Lord. A little bit of "here ya go" to help our hearts and to remember that ALL His promises are YES and AMEN.
So next Monday, I'll be on a plane, beside my wonderful husband and thanking the Lord for the little piece of Get-Away.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Money Saving Tuesday - Sell Your Junk
This money saving one is a no-brainer to some, and a difficult one to others. It's not a sustainable way to get some (or save some) extra cash, because eventually you'll run out of stuff to sell. Unless you're a recovering hoarder. Then good on you for having the never ending closet to start selling.
When my husband and I got married, we essentially had 2 households merging which also means 2 households of junk, boxes and duplicates. (think toasters - although his always set off the fire alarm so we just trashed his and used mine...which died a month later and he thought was poetic justice for the loss of his.)
We also had things that we just never used anymore. We had an popcorn machine, some old tools, board games, clothes the kids long grew out of, an ice cream maker...
You get the picture. Our laundry room/pantry room was a hideaway for everything that we didn't use. Out of sight out of mind.
So, last December, we started taking pictures, writing happy descriptions and posting online onto Kijiji. It took some work, and we also discovered the benefit of delivery fees. We live outside of the big city of Winnipeg, and the majority of our "clients" lived in Winnipeg. They didn't want to drive (most city folks think that the world falls off into an abyss at the perimeter), and my husband drives in every day.
Very easy way to tack on $5 for delivery. It's not that convenient to deliver (organizing drop off times and such), and this was a nice way to compensate and get a bit more cash. Win win.
We paid for our garden door from our bedroom onto our deck with Kijiji cash. Seriously. $600 worth of stuff was in our basement. We sold an old dresser that was in the basement that we'd painted red for $30 (the lady who bought that was SO excited), my husband sold his Assassin's Creed games after he finished the games, I sold my Sims 2 PC collection. We sold stuff that even though there were happy emotions attached, we didn't use anymore.
Oh, sell your old exercise videos. The best time is now: January. People love to work on those New Years Resolutions with Tony Horton.
We sold a large garbage bag of brand name boy clothes for $35. Jeans, tshirts, sweaters - it was a fun bag of stuff!
Get creative. Look around and see what you can live without. Decluttering helps keep your head and mind clean, so see what you can do without and earn a little cash.
In 2011, we bought our garden door (like I mentioned), and this year we did another spurt of purging and we are currently up to another $500 earned.
My husband had an old boat motor in the shed, I had some more exercise videos (don't judge me), more video games, toys, small appliances...it adds up.
One note, don't overprice your goodies. You might think that even though you bought that couch 10 years ago for $1500 and it's in great shape, it's not worth $1000 now. It's worth $50. If you had it wrapped in plastic wrap and didn't let anything sit on it for more than 10 seconds, then go for $100. Let's not get ridiculous.
Look online to see what certain items sell for new (video games/board games), and mark it down accordingly. Also look at grouping items together, but prepared to sell separately.
Be prepared to compromise, but don't sell yourself down the river unless you packed a raft. What I mean is you'll be selling a beautiful lamp at a reasonable price ($20) and someone will email you and say "I'll give you $5".
To that I often say to the person "what's wrong with you?!" out loud, then I check myself and email back "give me $15 plus $5 delivery and it's yours".
I have given deals and have been willing to compromise, but if it's more work for you and you're spending more time working out delivery times or pick up times, it's not worth it. No deal is worth the hassle of someone who doesn't know buying/selling etiquette.
Remain positive, in touch, and personable. I don't recommend the "what's wrong with you?!" approach unless it's just to get it out of your system before you act rationally.
A lot of people will offer you half price. Be prepared for that and decide early on what you're willing to settle for. A good bargain is one both sides are happy with.
So that is this Tuesday's Money Saving Tip!
When my husband and I got married, we essentially had 2 households merging which also means 2 households of junk, boxes and duplicates. (think toasters - although his always set off the fire alarm so we just trashed his and used mine...which died a month later and he thought was poetic justice for the loss of his.)
We also had things that we just never used anymore. We had an popcorn machine, some old tools, board games, clothes the kids long grew out of, an ice cream maker...
You get the picture. Our laundry room/pantry room was a hideaway for everything that we didn't use. Out of sight out of mind.
So, last December, we started taking pictures, writing happy descriptions and posting online onto Kijiji. It took some work, and we also discovered the benefit of delivery fees. We live outside of the big city of Winnipeg, and the majority of our "clients" lived in Winnipeg. They didn't want to drive (most city folks think that the world falls off into an abyss at the perimeter), and my husband drives in every day.
Very easy way to tack on $5 for delivery. It's not that convenient to deliver (organizing drop off times and such), and this was a nice way to compensate and get a bit more cash. Win win.
We paid for our garden door from our bedroom onto our deck with Kijiji cash. Seriously. $600 worth of stuff was in our basement. We sold an old dresser that was in the basement that we'd painted red for $30 (the lady who bought that was SO excited), my husband sold his Assassin's Creed games after he finished the games, I sold my Sims 2 PC collection. We sold stuff that even though there were happy emotions attached, we didn't use anymore.
Oh, sell your old exercise videos. The best time is now: January. People love to work on those New Years Resolutions with Tony Horton.
We sold a large garbage bag of brand name boy clothes for $35. Jeans, tshirts, sweaters - it was a fun bag of stuff!
Get creative. Look around and see what you can live without. Decluttering helps keep your head and mind clean, so see what you can do without and earn a little cash.
In 2011, we bought our garden door (like I mentioned), and this year we did another spurt of purging and we are currently up to another $500 earned.
My husband had an old boat motor in the shed, I had some more exercise videos (don't judge me), more video games, toys, small appliances...it adds up.
One note, don't overprice your goodies. You might think that even though you bought that couch 10 years ago for $1500 and it's in great shape, it's not worth $1000 now. It's worth $50. If you had it wrapped in plastic wrap and didn't let anything sit on it for more than 10 seconds, then go for $100. Let's not get ridiculous.
Look online to see what certain items sell for new (video games/board games), and mark it down accordingly. Also look at grouping items together, but prepared to sell separately.
Be prepared to compromise, but don't sell yourself down the river unless you packed a raft. What I mean is you'll be selling a beautiful lamp at a reasonable price ($20) and someone will email you and say "I'll give you $5".
To that I often say to the person "what's wrong with you?!" out loud, then I check myself and email back "give me $15 plus $5 delivery and it's yours".
I have given deals and have been willing to compromise, but if it's more work for you and you're spending more time working out delivery times or pick up times, it's not worth it. No deal is worth the hassle of someone who doesn't know buying/selling etiquette.
Remain positive, in touch, and personable. I don't recommend the "what's wrong with you?!" approach unless it's just to get it out of your system before you act rationally.
A lot of people will offer you half price. Be prepared for that and decide early on what you're willing to settle for. A good bargain is one both sides are happy with.
So that is this Tuesday's Money Saving Tip!
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Money Saving Day (One Day Late) - Thrift Store
Things are still nutso at our house. Still trying to get things to calm down. I'm think that by this Friday, things will have settled (at least the first part of the stress and deadlines is caught up) and then if everything goes through, I'll have news by next week.
Yikes!
So, Friday I did NOT finish my project with recipes and meal plans and shopping lists. Not that I didn't try. I wrote out recipes, and wrote out all the ingredients, and matched pricing and tried to make economical choices per week.
It was all taking forever to put together between life.
Then last night I had another moment. I really want things to be reasonably healthy, easy, and decently quick. I don't have a problem with some meals taking extra prep work, but I really don't like wasting my entire day cooking.
Yesterday, today and tomorrow I've cut carbs out of my diet, so last night I made a FANTASTIC stirfry. I would share the recipe, but I don't know how I did it exactly. It was a Mongo's mashup in my kitchen. (those of you who don't know the restaurant Mongo's - it's a Mongolian style restaurant where you scoop different flavours: oils, ginger, garlic, premixed sauce; onto your personally picked veggies and meat). Mongo's is one of my favourite restaurants because you can eat as clean as you'd like.
Anyway, the recipe consisted something of hoisin sauce, soy sauce, dark sesame seed oil, coconut oil to fry in....sea salt...ginger, garlic...all things I always have on hand. It was a smashing of flavours and fun.
But anyway, last January, my husband and I went on a carb free diet. If you've ever been on a carb (and sugar) free diet, you understand the agony of trying to find food that isn't just good for you to eat, but tasty enough for the rest of the family to indulge in. The most brilliant idea we had was to create a Mongo's in our kitchen once a week. We bought beef, pork, and chicken. We sliced and diced and froze the meat. Then once a week we would chop and julienne our veggies and store them in containers in the fridge.
It was glorious. Once a week, we'd pick a meat to fry up, pull out the veggies for the kids to fill their bowls with, and threw together stirfrys with little prep time. We spent hours several weeks before prepping all our meat, and every week was simply topping up our veggie containers.
So my moment yesterday, was why not do that again? Have a day of the week where it's just a empty-the-fridge-of-veggies day?
While that moment of insight is no excuse to my delay on getting my meal plans done, I really liked the thought of it. Vegetables are not all that expensive, but they do add up. I'm rethinking some of my meal plans so I can incorporate the veggies into the other meals without any waste.
And yesterday was my cheap day....er, money saving day. :) I ended up driving into the city impromptu due to my husband forgetting his wallet. I had some errands to run anyway, but it consumed my day and I was disappointed that I missed Project Friday AND Money Saving Tuesday.
Here's my tip that was due yesterday:
Visit A Thrift Store Once and a While
Yes. I am serious! I currently own the best pair of BONGO jeans I have ever owned. They fit really well, are so comfortable, and are very stylish...and I bought them for $6 at a Thrift Store.
Offering this suggestion kinda makes me laugh because 1) the song Thrift Shop is now popular and is currently running through my head, and 2) I used to scoff at the idea.
I used to think I was above Thrift Stores. I was like "ew, someone else was wearing it" or "I make enough money that I don't need to go there", or "only certain types of people go there".
All of the above statements are true. Yes. Someone else farted in those jeans. Gross? Yes. Irrational? Yes. Put them through the washer 10 times if you want. I only needed to do once because I trust my detergent and I blasted them with hot water.
If you're a germaphob?
Yes. I do earn enough money that I don't need to go there. I also don't earn enough money that I get to be snobby about it.
And yes, only certain types of people do go there. There are people who can't afford anything else, and then there are smart people who figure that getting a brand name at a hair of the cost is probably worth it.
One of my closest friends introduced me to this "sport" and actually I'm currently sitting here, wearing an awesome wrap around sweater that I picked out there. Or maybe she picked it out for me. I can't remember now.
I recently went shopping for my husband who wears out jeans like it's a competitive sport, and spending $100 on jeans every few months just wasn't working anymore. We picked out 2 pairs of jeans, 3 sweaters, 2 pairs of shoes and some other items for $60 . I had a frequent flyer card which helped pay for half of it I think, but in the end it was $60.
A few tips:
1) Set aside a few hours. If you don't, you'll get stressed out and overwhelmed. Finding nice things takes time and patience. Remember what my motto is? "the effort has to equal the savings" For me, I'll make a day out of it with a friend. I'll meet up with my friend for coffee, and then we'll head over to the store and look for things for ourselves, our families, and for each other. It's a social event. I have done it by myself, but it's harder for me to stay focused and not get frustrated with the 50th disco shirt I've had to move aside.
2) Get to know your store. Walk around each of the aisles and familiarize yourself with what they have and the areas to find it. It cuts down on frustration as well.
3) Be realistic. I have sometimes come across prices that I could get in a store selling new clothing. Just because you're in a thrift store, doesn't mean that everything is a good deal. If a shirt is selling for $10, it should be a shirt that is hard to find, one that you can't live without, or a matter of convenience. Don't just assume it's a good deal because it's on the rack.
4) Check the product out. Check the zippers, check the hems, check for stains. It's used. Be smart.
5) Have a plan when you go in. I will often make a list of the things I want. For example: white tanktop, longsleeved sweater, blue jeans. Otherwise the sea of clothes may make you temporarily forget why you are there. And if the sea of clothes doesn't do it for you, then the flipping through shirts one by one certainly will. Daydream land is not a place you need to visit when shopping.
So that's my Money Saving Tip one day late. I don't shop for my kids there a lot, as I find things are reasonably cheap for kids clothes at Old Navy and such (and my SS is very Brand-Name oriented so he would be HORRIFIED that I got anything besides West49 and DC for him). I have picked up sweaters for my daughter as she could care less about such things and could potentially be a future Thrift Shop partner herself.
It's good to be smart about everything. It's also good to go and buy yourself a new shirt, or new dress as well. This isn't a way to a poverty mentality. It's just a way to help shave some bucks off here and there. I don't do all my shopping there, but I do when I'm in between sizes, or I just want something "new" and feel like splurging without splurging.
Yikes!
So, Friday I did NOT finish my project with recipes and meal plans and shopping lists. Not that I didn't try. I wrote out recipes, and wrote out all the ingredients, and matched pricing and tried to make economical choices per week.
It was all taking forever to put together between life.
Then last night I had another moment. I really want things to be reasonably healthy, easy, and decently quick. I don't have a problem with some meals taking extra prep work, but I really don't like wasting my entire day cooking.
Yesterday, today and tomorrow I've cut carbs out of my diet, so last night I made a FANTASTIC stirfry. I would share the recipe, but I don't know how I did it exactly. It was a Mongo's mashup in my kitchen. (those of you who don't know the restaurant Mongo's - it's a Mongolian style restaurant where you scoop different flavours: oils, ginger, garlic, premixed sauce; onto your personally picked veggies and meat). Mongo's is one of my favourite restaurants because you can eat as clean as you'd like.
Anyway, the recipe consisted something of hoisin sauce, soy sauce, dark sesame seed oil, coconut oil to fry in....sea salt...ginger, garlic...all things I always have on hand. It was a smashing of flavours and fun.
But anyway, last January, my husband and I went on a carb free diet. If you've ever been on a carb (and sugar) free diet, you understand the agony of trying to find food that isn't just good for you to eat, but tasty enough for the rest of the family to indulge in. The most brilliant idea we had was to create a Mongo's in our kitchen once a week. We bought beef, pork, and chicken. We sliced and diced and froze the meat. Then once a week we would chop and julienne our veggies and store them in containers in the fridge.
It was glorious. Once a week, we'd pick a meat to fry up, pull out the veggies for the kids to fill their bowls with, and threw together stirfrys with little prep time. We spent hours several weeks before prepping all our meat, and every week was simply topping up our veggie containers.
So my moment yesterday, was why not do that again? Have a day of the week where it's just a empty-the-fridge-of-veggies day?
While that moment of insight is no excuse to my delay on getting my meal plans done, I really liked the thought of it. Vegetables are not all that expensive, but they do add up. I'm rethinking some of my meal plans so I can incorporate the veggies into the other meals without any waste.
And yesterday was my cheap day....er, money saving day. :) I ended up driving into the city impromptu due to my husband forgetting his wallet. I had some errands to run anyway, but it consumed my day and I was disappointed that I missed Project Friday AND Money Saving Tuesday.
Here's my tip that was due yesterday:
Visit A Thrift Store Once and a While
Yes. I am serious! I currently own the best pair of BONGO jeans I have ever owned. They fit really well, are so comfortable, and are very stylish...and I bought them for $6 at a Thrift Store.
Offering this suggestion kinda makes me laugh because 1) the song Thrift Shop is now popular and is currently running through my head, and 2) I used to scoff at the idea.
I used to think I was above Thrift Stores. I was like "ew, someone else was wearing it" or "I make enough money that I don't need to go there", or "only certain types of people go there".
All of the above statements are true. Yes. Someone else farted in those jeans. Gross? Yes. Irrational? Yes. Put them through the washer 10 times if you want. I only needed to do once because I trust my detergent and I blasted them with hot water.
If you're a germaphob?
Yes. I do earn enough money that I don't need to go there. I also don't earn enough money that I get to be snobby about it.
And yes, only certain types of people do go there. There are people who can't afford anything else, and then there are smart people who figure that getting a brand name at a hair of the cost is probably worth it.
One of my closest friends introduced me to this "sport" and actually I'm currently sitting here, wearing an awesome wrap around sweater that I picked out there. Or maybe she picked it out for me. I can't remember now.
I recently went shopping for my husband who wears out jeans like it's a competitive sport, and spending $100 on jeans every few months just wasn't working anymore. We picked out 2 pairs of jeans, 3 sweaters, 2 pairs of shoes and some other items for $60 . I had a frequent flyer card which helped pay for half of it I think, but in the end it was $60.
A few tips:
1) Set aside a few hours. If you don't, you'll get stressed out and overwhelmed. Finding nice things takes time and patience. Remember what my motto is? "the effort has to equal the savings" For me, I'll make a day out of it with a friend. I'll meet up with my friend for coffee, and then we'll head over to the store and look for things for ourselves, our families, and for each other. It's a social event. I have done it by myself, but it's harder for me to stay focused and not get frustrated with the 50th disco shirt I've had to move aside.
2) Get to know your store. Walk around each of the aisles and familiarize yourself with what they have and the areas to find it. It cuts down on frustration as well.
3) Be realistic. I have sometimes come across prices that I could get in a store selling new clothing. Just because you're in a thrift store, doesn't mean that everything is a good deal. If a shirt is selling for $10, it should be a shirt that is hard to find, one that you can't live without, or a matter of convenience. Don't just assume it's a good deal because it's on the rack.
4) Check the product out. Check the zippers, check the hems, check for stains. It's used. Be smart.
5) Have a plan when you go in. I will often make a list of the things I want. For example: white tanktop, longsleeved sweater, blue jeans. Otherwise the sea of clothes may make you temporarily forget why you are there. And if the sea of clothes doesn't do it for you, then the flipping through shirts one by one certainly will. Daydream land is not a place you need to visit when shopping.
So that's my Money Saving Tip one day late. I don't shop for my kids there a lot, as I find things are reasonably cheap for kids clothes at Old Navy and such (and my SS is very Brand-Name oriented so he would be HORRIFIED that I got anything besides West49 and DC for him). I have picked up sweaters for my daughter as she could care less about such things and could potentially be a future Thrift Shop partner herself.
It's good to be smart about everything. It's also good to go and buy yourself a new shirt, or new dress as well. This isn't a way to a poverty mentality. It's just a way to help shave some bucks off here and there. I don't do all my shopping there, but I do when I'm in between sizes, or I just want something "new" and feel like splurging without splurging.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Money Saving Tuesday
It's been nutso at our house lately and I'm expecting it to stay that way for the next couple weeks. I'm looking forward to announcing why it's so busy (if it all goes through), but in the meantime, I have to come up with a saving tip for my typical Tuesday.
This week I didn't do any homemade soaps, detergents, or anything really frugal.
I'll just share the biggest tip I have when it comes to money. It's not a fun one, but it is one that can change habits FAST.
It's simply this:
go on a CASH system.
I'm a fiend with my debit card. I don't use my credit cards much (mostly because they were maxed, and since they were in that position for a while, I broke that habit), but my debit card...well, I treated it LIKE a credit card.
I tried leaving my cards at home, or saying "I'll only spend this much on such and such", but I tell you, there was ALWAYS something that came up.
In my wallet I currently have all my credit cards, and all my debit cards. But, I now have envelopes at home that contain my cash. Every time my husband gets paid, I get to put a set amount into different envelopes.
The envelopes I have at my disposal are labelled as follows:
Groceries
Gas
Dog Food
Kid Allowances
Kid Hot Lunches (once a week they can buy pizza or a sub at school)
When the money runs out, the money runs out. That's it. There is no more. This has cut out some fun (unfortunately), but it's also helped us rediscover how to use the things we have in our own home.
Instead of taking the kids out for ice cream, movies, or an outing to get family quality time in, we have been pulling out the old board games.
Our kids LOVE that time. I may even venture to say that they might like it more than the gobs of money we dropped on them to have family time. We currently have a Sorry battle going on. Last night there was tons of screaming, hollering and tabletalk (all good) going on during the wild and crazy game of Sorry.
Yes. Wild and crazy game of Sorry.
I actually didn't think Sorry could get so wound up, but apparently our family brings it to new heights.
Because we are working hard on cutting costs so we can enjoy bigger things in our future, there is currently no Entertainment envelope. If you're in a different space than us, I would strongly suggest having one. However, because there is no envelope, we don't spend money on it. In a few months, we will create one, but right now it is one thing that has to be cut out.
So far the most difficult one has been Groceries. I've discovered that the things we took for granted actually cost us the most. Having friends over for delicious meals, the luxury of buying nice face moisturizer, filling our water jugs for drinking...all things that should come out of the grocery budget but never really have. They were always "extras".
My husband has a spreadsheet made out for the budget and has been recording "extras" that happen during the month. So far we've spent $200 on extras. $200!! Of course, $120 of that was for our Rottie's ear infection. But it's still something we wouldn't have accounted for.
Groceries have been helped by having meat in the freezer (we recently purchased half a cow of meat and that should tie us over for a few months), budgeting meals and carefully planning grocery lists. It's also helped that we are identifying what are needs and what are wants. What we can live without and what we can downsize.
Gas money has been good to budget. I've been lumping my errands into days of the week, and instead of driving to the city 2 times a week, I organize my errands around my appointments. Tomorrow I'm driving to the city for a dentist appointment. While I'm there, I'll do my errands and the rest of the week I'll stay home.
Dog food. You might laugh that we have such an envelope, but we spend a lot on dog food. We have 2 dogs with medium and large genes and we buy good food. I don't believe in corn fillers and by products. Food colouring and other chemicals don't only make our dogs shed, and have more gas, but they have bigger poops. Trust me, you do not want to be in our bedroom when both the dogs are gassing us out. It's like poison. It's rancid. We've had to open windows and doors. We were buying top of the line "blue buffalo" for almost 2 years, but just can't stand paying the price anymore. I found that PetSmart has their own store brand, and it is $15 cheaper than our regular brand. Considering we buy 2 bags (puppy and adult) a month, that's $30 savings. I still feel good about the food I'm giving them, but I also feel better about not digging our way into the poor house.
So, my tips for this week.
1) Be honest about what you're spending. Yes, that coffee at Starbuck's does count. Yes, you should still have a coffee at Starbuck's once and a while but put it into your budget.
2) Withdraw cash on payday and allot it to your expenses. Resist the urge to use your debit. Cash hurts more because you can see it leave your hands.
3) Debit is not imaginary money. There is a cost to it. And that cost could be embarrassing when you're somewhere and you don't have real money.
4) Take a look at what you buy. Brand names are great, but can you get them cheaper? If you sacrifice brand names, sacrifice it in areas that don't matter. I always buy no name baking soda, cream soups I use in meals, and such. I buy brand names when I'm serving a soup straight from a can as a stand alone. That difference I can taste. I can't taste the difference when it's mixed in with my casserole.
Get real. That's the first step to making differences in cutting your spending. See what you can improve on.
My biggest number one tip though? It's to work on this gradually. Yes, you might be able to cut down on EVERYTHING for a month, but you'll feel so deprived that you might spend twice as much in entertainment and food the next month.
Find an area, improve it, make it a habit, and then move on to another area.
Good luck on your money saving!!
This week I didn't do any homemade soaps, detergents, or anything really frugal.
I'll just share the biggest tip I have when it comes to money. It's not a fun one, but it is one that can change habits FAST.
It's simply this:
go on a CASH system.
I'm a fiend with my debit card. I don't use my credit cards much (mostly because they were maxed, and since they were in that position for a while, I broke that habit), but my debit card...well, I treated it LIKE a credit card.
I tried leaving my cards at home, or saying "I'll only spend this much on such and such", but I tell you, there was ALWAYS something that came up.
In my wallet I currently have all my credit cards, and all my debit cards. But, I now have envelopes at home that contain my cash. Every time my husband gets paid, I get to put a set amount into different envelopes.
The envelopes I have at my disposal are labelled as follows:
Groceries
Gas
Dog Food
Kid Allowances
Kid Hot Lunches (once a week they can buy pizza or a sub at school)
When the money runs out, the money runs out. That's it. There is no more. This has cut out some fun (unfortunately), but it's also helped us rediscover how to use the things we have in our own home.
Instead of taking the kids out for ice cream, movies, or an outing to get family quality time in, we have been pulling out the old board games.
Our kids LOVE that time. I may even venture to say that they might like it more than the gobs of money we dropped on them to have family time. We currently have a Sorry battle going on. Last night there was tons of screaming, hollering and tabletalk (all good) going on during the wild and crazy game of Sorry.
Yes. Wild and crazy game of Sorry.
I actually didn't think Sorry could get so wound up, but apparently our family brings it to new heights.
Because we are working hard on cutting costs so we can enjoy bigger things in our future, there is currently no Entertainment envelope. If you're in a different space than us, I would strongly suggest having one. However, because there is no envelope, we don't spend money on it. In a few months, we will create one, but right now it is one thing that has to be cut out.
So far the most difficult one has been Groceries. I've discovered that the things we took for granted actually cost us the most. Having friends over for delicious meals, the luxury of buying nice face moisturizer, filling our water jugs for drinking...all things that should come out of the grocery budget but never really have. They were always "extras".
My husband has a spreadsheet made out for the budget and has been recording "extras" that happen during the month. So far we've spent $200 on extras. $200!! Of course, $120 of that was for our Rottie's ear infection. But it's still something we wouldn't have accounted for.
Groceries have been helped by having meat in the freezer (we recently purchased half a cow of meat and that should tie us over for a few months), budgeting meals and carefully planning grocery lists. It's also helped that we are identifying what are needs and what are wants. What we can live without and what we can downsize.
Gas money has been good to budget. I've been lumping my errands into days of the week, and instead of driving to the city 2 times a week, I organize my errands around my appointments. Tomorrow I'm driving to the city for a dentist appointment. While I'm there, I'll do my errands and the rest of the week I'll stay home.
Dog food. You might laugh that we have such an envelope, but we spend a lot on dog food. We have 2 dogs with medium and large genes and we buy good food. I don't believe in corn fillers and by products. Food colouring and other chemicals don't only make our dogs shed, and have more gas, but they have bigger poops. Trust me, you do not want to be in our bedroom when both the dogs are gassing us out. It's like poison. It's rancid. We've had to open windows and doors. We were buying top of the line "blue buffalo" for almost 2 years, but just can't stand paying the price anymore. I found that PetSmart has their own store brand, and it is $15 cheaper than our regular brand. Considering we buy 2 bags (puppy and adult) a month, that's $30 savings. I still feel good about the food I'm giving them, but I also feel better about not digging our way into the poor house.
So, my tips for this week.
1) Be honest about what you're spending. Yes, that coffee at Starbuck's does count. Yes, you should still have a coffee at Starbuck's once and a while but put it into your budget.
2) Withdraw cash on payday and allot it to your expenses. Resist the urge to use your debit. Cash hurts more because you can see it leave your hands.
3) Debit is not imaginary money. There is a cost to it. And that cost could be embarrassing when you're somewhere and you don't have real money.
4) Take a look at what you buy. Brand names are great, but can you get them cheaper? If you sacrifice brand names, sacrifice it in areas that don't matter. I always buy no name baking soda, cream soups I use in meals, and such. I buy brand names when I'm serving a soup straight from a can as a stand alone. That difference I can taste. I can't taste the difference when it's mixed in with my casserole.
Get real. That's the first step to making differences in cutting your spending. See what you can improve on.
My biggest number one tip though? It's to work on this gradually. Yes, you might be able to cut down on EVERYTHING for a month, but you'll feel so deprived that you might spend twice as much in entertainment and food the next month.
Find an area, improve it, make it a habit, and then move on to another area.
Good luck on your money saving!!
Friday, January 11, 2013
Project Friday Edition 3
Today is a no school day. Blizzard warnings abound and the roads are super icy. I was going to go grocery shopping, but instead, I'm staying in with my girl. So far we've played 2 hours of Just Dance 4 on Kinect and I think I'm skipping my cardio for the day.
Pretty awesome day off!
Aaaaand:
Nope, haven't forgotten about my Project Fridays. I pretty much took all the time my husband was at home off (because I could, and who wants to immerse themselves in projects when the love of their life is available to hang out with?!).
But I will say that I'm caught up, and up to date with my projects, but I do need to assign some more for this week.
Meal Planning.
Yup. That is my goal. I've always done meal plans because it's way easier to do one shop once a week, than be stressed out over what to make at 4:00pm and there is nothing in the house.
About 3-4 years ago I had 6 weeks planned out. I had a pre-made shopping list and every week I simply printed out my list, added on new items that I needed (soap, hair gel, etc) and went shopping.
Easy peasy.
The past couple weeks I've been working on cleaning out my freezers with meals and staying within my $100/week budget. I'll be doing that until I actually have the freezers bareboned and I can start over with soups and meals to freeze.
But what I really want to do is create another 6 week meal plan for when I'm done demystifying my freezers. Why don't I just use the ones I used 3-4 years ago? Simple. Those were less healthy than I like to eat now. I was working full time, and I needed fast meals.
Fast doesn't always mean unhealthy, but in my case, I didn't have the time to sort them out to either make them healthier or nix them completely. I needed to feed my family and never wanted to eat later than 6:00. However:
Now I have the time!
So my goal this week is to prepare a 6 week meal plan, including shopping lists for each week. The goal is to keep the meals low-cost and within a budget (not sure if I'm sticking with the $100/week or upping it slightly) as well as provide a relatively healthy plan.
I'm not all about brussel sprouts and soy. Actually, that's a bad example because I hate both those things. But if I have a high carb meal, the next day should be clean to help minimize the damage.
I'll share my plans when I'm done. I realize that my tastes aren't always other people's tastes, but my kids and husband love my cooking and that's good enough for me. Plus, I've given out a few of my recipes to my mom-in-law, and that is a huge compliment seeing as moms cook the best food.
Cheers to PROJECT FRIDAY!
Pretty awesome day off!
Aaaaand:
Nope, haven't forgotten about my Project Fridays. I pretty much took all the time my husband was at home off (because I could, and who wants to immerse themselves in projects when the love of their life is available to hang out with?!).
But I will say that I'm caught up, and up to date with my projects, but I do need to assign some more for this week.
Meal Planning.
Yup. That is my goal. I've always done meal plans because it's way easier to do one shop once a week, than be stressed out over what to make at 4:00pm and there is nothing in the house.
About 3-4 years ago I had 6 weeks planned out. I had a pre-made shopping list and every week I simply printed out my list, added on new items that I needed (soap, hair gel, etc) and went shopping.
Easy peasy.
The past couple weeks I've been working on cleaning out my freezers with meals and staying within my $100/week budget. I'll be doing that until I actually have the freezers bareboned and I can start over with soups and meals to freeze.
But what I really want to do is create another 6 week meal plan for when I'm done demystifying my freezers. Why don't I just use the ones I used 3-4 years ago? Simple. Those were less healthy than I like to eat now. I was working full time, and I needed fast meals.
Fast doesn't always mean unhealthy, but in my case, I didn't have the time to sort them out to either make them healthier or nix them completely. I needed to feed my family and never wanted to eat later than 6:00. However:
Now I have the time!
So my goal this week is to prepare a 6 week meal plan, including shopping lists for each week. The goal is to keep the meals low-cost and within a budget (not sure if I'm sticking with the $100/week or upping it slightly) as well as provide a relatively healthy plan.
I'm not all about brussel sprouts and soy. Actually, that's a bad example because I hate both those things. But if I have a high carb meal, the next day should be clean to help minimize the damage.
I'll share my plans when I'm done. I realize that my tastes aren't always other people's tastes, but my kids and husband love my cooking and that's good enough for me. Plus, I've given out a few of my recipes to my mom-in-law, and that is a huge compliment seeing as moms cook the best food.
Cheers to PROJECT FRIDAY!
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Some Running Songs
When we set up our Christmas Tree December 2nd, we plugged it in, and we plugged out the treadmill.
I then decided it was Christmas and I deserved a break.
Here is a hint to anyone exercising: you never deserve a break around Christmas time. Maybe you deserve a break in summer when you're at the beach, but if you are surrounded by refined sugar, you do NOT need a break nor deserve one.
After my jeans let me know that either they were disallowing my legs into their fabric or I had to get my butt in gear again, I picked up working out again. Best decision so far of 2013.
My husband also threw out a ridiculous amount of baking. We just had to. I was working on financials for the company with brownies and cookies by my side and then I had no idea who ate them. That's bad!
Anyway, for anyone who is getting into running again after the floury massacre called Christmas baking and overindulgence, I have some more songs that I added to my running playlist and you might find them fun to run to as well:
Gangnam Style - PSY - as you know, my kids are ridiculous with this song, and I was actually totally sick of it. I had my playlist on shuffle the other day while running and found this song was actually soothing and inspiring (funny word to use I know). Something about the way the verses all pull into each other I guess. Weird. But effective.
Stutter - Marianas Trench - I just like this song. The beat is all wrong when running, but it seems to take my thoughts elsewhere and that's the point.
Daylight - Matt & Kim - I heard it first on my Sims 3 game while my Sim was making supper with the radio on. Very catchy. Warning - this song sticks in your head even if you aren't familiar with the lyrics yet. I catch my husband whistling it or singing "and go down Grand Street in daylight" and that's it for my brain thinking about anything else but the tune.
Little Talks - Of Monsters & Men - Nothing to say except very good song.
Some people can only run to the rhythm they are listening to. I find it's refreshing to have a break with a song that I'm not running the beat to. Sometimes I'm inspired to push myself to meet that beat and other times I just fade into the song and forget I'm running.
And as for progress report for running, I have run 5K (3 miles) a few times, hurt my ankle (I think I run funny), and now stick to running 1.5-2 miles so I don't overextend my ankle abilities before I put muscle on them to help with the injuries. It keeps my cardio time low, but allows me to stretch out my legs.
I'm also weight lifting which is ESSENTIAL for a woman. And no, you won't bulk up like a female version of the hulk. You need more testosterone to do that. But you will develop tone, and that's the point. Put down those 2lb weights and start lifting real weights. I just started and lift 25lbs for my bicep curls. That's not a lot, but once I discovered that the "girl" weights don't do anything but make you look like a wimp, I moved up.
Also skinny is not the point. Healthy is. Building muscle helps your bone mass. Do yourself a favour and stay away from the goal of getting skinny.
My goal is to be in shape. I know several women who are "bigger" and can outrun, outlift, and probably outlive some "skinny" ones. My goal is to refine my body into what I'm happy with. That and keep some fat on for my husband. The census is men actually like to be able to grab onto something.
I've heard from several women that their husband's favourite parts are the parts that "jiggle". Funny, I know. I don't get it, but my husband often warns me that I shouldn't lose too much weight.
So anyway, progress report completed. Those who are running to get themselves into shape, I tip my hat to you. I know it's not always fun and sometimes motivation is hiding in the back of the fridge (ok, it's not, but sometimes I look anyway).
I then decided it was Christmas and I deserved a break.
Here is a hint to anyone exercising: you never deserve a break around Christmas time. Maybe you deserve a break in summer when you're at the beach, but if you are surrounded by refined sugar, you do NOT need a break nor deserve one.
After my jeans let me know that either they were disallowing my legs into their fabric or I had to get my butt in gear again, I picked up working out again. Best decision so far of 2013.
My husband also threw out a ridiculous amount of baking. We just had to. I was working on financials for the company with brownies and cookies by my side and then I had no idea who ate them. That's bad!
Anyway, for anyone who is getting into running again after the floury massacre called Christmas baking and overindulgence, I have some more songs that I added to my running playlist and you might find them fun to run to as well:
Gangnam Style - PSY - as you know, my kids are ridiculous with this song, and I was actually totally sick of it. I had my playlist on shuffle the other day while running and found this song was actually soothing and inspiring (funny word to use I know). Something about the way the verses all pull into each other I guess. Weird. But effective.
Stutter - Marianas Trench - I just like this song. The beat is all wrong when running, but it seems to take my thoughts elsewhere and that's the point.
Daylight - Matt & Kim - I heard it first on my Sims 3 game while my Sim was making supper with the radio on. Very catchy. Warning - this song sticks in your head even if you aren't familiar with the lyrics yet. I catch my husband whistling it or singing "and go down Grand Street in daylight" and that's it for my brain thinking about anything else but the tune.
Little Talks - Of Monsters & Men - Nothing to say except very good song.
Some people can only run to the rhythm they are listening to. I find it's refreshing to have a break with a song that I'm not running the beat to. Sometimes I'm inspired to push myself to meet that beat and other times I just fade into the song and forget I'm running.
And as for progress report for running, I have run 5K (3 miles) a few times, hurt my ankle (I think I run funny), and now stick to running 1.5-2 miles so I don't overextend my ankle abilities before I put muscle on them to help with the injuries. It keeps my cardio time low, but allows me to stretch out my legs.
I'm also weight lifting which is ESSENTIAL for a woman. And no, you won't bulk up like a female version of the hulk. You need more testosterone to do that. But you will develop tone, and that's the point. Put down those 2lb weights and start lifting real weights. I just started and lift 25lbs for my bicep curls. That's not a lot, but once I discovered that the "girl" weights don't do anything but make you look like a wimp, I moved up.
Also skinny is not the point. Healthy is. Building muscle helps your bone mass. Do yourself a favour and stay away from the goal of getting skinny.
My goal is to be in shape. I know several women who are "bigger" and can outrun, outlift, and probably outlive some "skinny" ones. My goal is to refine my body into what I'm happy with. That and keep some fat on for my husband. The census is men actually like to be able to grab onto something.
I've heard from several women that their husband's favourite parts are the parts that "jiggle". Funny, I know. I don't get it, but my husband often warns me that I shouldn't lose too much weight.
So anyway, progress report completed. Those who are running to get themselves into shape, I tip my hat to you. I know it's not always fun and sometimes motivation is hiding in the back of the fridge (ok, it's not, but sometimes I look anyway).
Money Saving Tuesday - Homemade Dishwasher Detergent
Alright. A few weeks ago I talked about homemade laundry detergent and how that was an easy way to save a few bucks.
Now I'm going to do the math on if homemade dishwasher detergent passes the grade as well. I bought the ingredients yesterday and mixed it up this morning.
Here's the blog I snatched the recipe from:
http://www.thriftyniftymommy.com/2012/12/homemade-dishwasher-detergent-recipe.html
Alright here are the ingredients:
Borax ($6.99)
Washing Soda ($6.97)
Epsom Salts ($6.29)
Lemi Shine ($4.49)
Total out of pocket: $24.74
I mixed:
5 1/2 cups Borax
5 1/2 cups Washing Soda
1 1/2 cups Epsom Salts
3/4 cup Lemi Shine (it was half a bottle and the bottle was 12 oz)
I used almost half the box of Borax ($3.50), almost half the box Epsom Salts ($3.49), 1/5 the Espsom Salts ($1.26) and half the Lemi Shine ($2.25).
One batch = $10.50.
With my measurements, that gave me 13.25 cups of dishwasher detergent. At 1 tablespoon per load, it should make me approximately 212 dishwasher loads. Shnikeys! That's a lot of loads.
I'm used to spending $5.47 on Finish. That has 1.6L in it = 6.76 cups. I fill up my dishwasher dispenser and to be generous to Finish, I'll say I only use 2 tbsp dishwasher detergent per load. That's 54 potential loads I can get out of it. I would say that is pretty accurate, if not on the high side.
Homemade dishwasher detergent = $0.05/load
Commercial dishwasher detergent = $0.10/load
Another win for homemade detergent!
A bonus is I use Washing Soda and Borax for the laundry detergent, so I can either make another batch of dishwasher detergent, or another batch of laundry detergent with my leftovers. That makes me a happy camper.
Now I'm going to do the math on if homemade dishwasher detergent passes the grade as well. I bought the ingredients yesterday and mixed it up this morning.
Here's the blog I snatched the recipe from:
http://www.thriftyniftymommy.com/2012/12/homemade-dishwasher-detergent-recipe.html
Alright here are the ingredients:
Borax ($6.99)
Washing Soda ($6.97)
Epsom Salts ($6.29)
Lemi Shine ($4.49)
Total out of pocket: $24.74
I mixed:
5 1/2 cups Borax
5 1/2 cups Washing Soda
1 1/2 cups Epsom Salts
3/4 cup Lemi Shine (it was half a bottle and the bottle was 12 oz)
I used almost half the box of Borax ($3.50), almost half the box Epsom Salts ($3.49), 1/5 the Espsom Salts ($1.26) and half the Lemi Shine ($2.25).
One batch = $10.50.
With my measurements, that gave me 13.25 cups of dishwasher detergent. At 1 tablespoon per load, it should make me approximately 212 dishwasher loads. Shnikeys! That's a lot of loads.
I'm used to spending $5.47 on Finish. That has 1.6L in it = 6.76 cups. I fill up my dishwasher dispenser and to be generous to Finish, I'll say I only use 2 tbsp dishwasher detergent per load. That's 54 potential loads I can get out of it. I would say that is pretty accurate, if not on the high side.
Homemade dishwasher detergent = $0.05/load
Commercial dishwasher detergent = $0.10/load
Another win for homemade detergent!
A bonus is I use Washing Soda and Borax for the laundry detergent, so I can either make another batch of dishwasher detergent, or another batch of laundry detergent with my leftovers. That makes me a happy camper.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Learning How to Budget for Groceries
Okay, as I stated in a previous post from this morning, my grocery budget is being chopped. It's being chopped maliciously, brutally, and painfully.
Actually, it's not that bad, but it is definitely a learning curve.
How I started this heinous task, was I started off by writing down our toiletries and such things that sprout up once and a while, often causing me to go over my budget as I've allotted more for food, than things like toilet paper. On my list I have things like:
dish soap
shampoo/conditioner
toothpaste
hair gel (for the boys)
face wash
face moisturizer (for me)
Bounce
paper towels
garbage bags
toilet paper
Borax (for homemade detergent)
Washing Soda
Ivory Soap
Lemi Shine (for homemade dishwasher detergent I have not yet tried)
Epsom Salts
I found a recipe for homemade dishwasher detergent, and looking at the costs associated with creating the mixture, I will be better off making it myself. Plus, the chemical smells when the dishwasher goes off is enough to make me nauseated.
So beside each item I priced out what I normally would pay for the items if they are not on sale. I added them up and discovered that per month I am paying approximately (and rounded up) $120 for the things we use and need, but don't account for.
What I ALWAYS do, and would advise anyone to do, is inflate your prices when you're writing them down. Not anything super crazy, but for example, take dish soap. I can probably pick up the store brand for around $2 or $3. I know that's what the tag says, but there is tax on top of that, and I don't like going to a register with only cash in hand and being surprised there. I have had to take things off the belt because I can't afford them, and that is neither fun nor good for the pride.
So on my list, I wrote down dish soap for $5. I don't inflate everything so high, but I always round up. I also like numbers without decimals. Toilet paper is usually $8 something. I round it to $10. So on and so forth.
Then I took my list total ($120) and divided it by 4. So now I have $30 to spend off my normal grocery list. That's $70 left to spend on food. Uh oh. I decided to put that aside for now.
Moving onto the next task. Figuring out what I need for kids' lunches. Sandwiches, juice boxes and snacks are the usual staples in kid lunches. They eat at school for hot lunch once a week ($4/kid/lunch) and that amount does not come out of my groceries. That's factored into my husband's budget. It does however give me 4 instead of 5 school lunches to provide for. That's good!
At my first glance, I figured I usually spend $6 on bread, $7 on meat, $5 on cheese (condiments are in the fridge already and bought for other uses), $4 on juice boxes, and $10 on snacks. That's $32 a WEEK on kid lunches. I don't think so. Not anymore anyway.
I bought a huge, and I mean ridiculously huge, bag of sub buns from the store the other week. It cost about $6 and there are about 24 buns in there from my remembrance. That's $0.25/bun. That would then be $2/week on bread. $4 savings from my previous spending. Cheese I only buy every 2 weeks, so that is then $2.50/week. (let's round up. I hate that $0.50 lingering) I still spend $4 on juice boxes, but we don't always have SS. We only have him every other week. So my weekly spending on juice boxes goes down to $3.
And meat? Well...I have a hard time trimming down meat unless it's on sale. Sandwich meat isn't the healthiest option to start with, and I really don't want to feed my kids complete garbage.
Snacks. Oh, snacks. The kids each take 2 snacks to school. I'll take into account that we have SS half the time. It's 20 snacks per week on the weeks we have SS, and 10 snacks a week when we don't. Granola bars come in packs of 8 ($4), puddings in packs of 4 ($2), and raisins in packs of 8 ($4). That's $10 a week on the weeks with SS.
New lunch total: $10 (snacks) + $2 (bread) + $7 (meat) + $3 (cheese) + $3 (juice boxes) = $25
I for one, cannot believe I'm spending $25 a week on lunches. It's those darn snacks. Let's see. I could cut up carrots or other veggies, and give them ranch dip. Then I'd buy a bulk box of chips. I bet I could get that down to $5/week. Much better. $20/week max for school lunches.
I wrote down a whole whack of meals that I make and the prices associated with them (cost of ingredients). I then created my Meal Plan 1 assuming I didn't have any ingredients currently:
Mon: Beef roast with mashed potatoes and gravy
Tues: Chicken Fingers and Fries
Wed: Chili with Garlic Bread
Thurs: Beef Roast Sandwiches (leftovers from Monday)
Fri: BBQ Chicken with cucumber salad
Sat lunch: Kraft Dinner (CHEAP and easy. I try to avoid cooking on weekends)
Sat Supper: Sloppy Joes
Sun Lunch: Grilled Cheese
Sun Supper: Fish Burgers
Monday to Friday Breakfasts (oatmeal, texas eggs, bf quesadillas, muffins, fruit)
I tried to use similar ingredients within my week as well as leftovers. I have a lot more carb consumption this week than normal, but the next week should be better.
Anyway, that's just a sample week. I then wrote down the costs per meal and added it up: $122.
I took out the ingredients that I already have on hand and got it down to $65. However, that won't happen every time. I won't always have beef roasts on hand. So I haven't figured that part out yet.
Now my totals are:
$65 (meals)
$20 (kid lunches)
$30 (toiletries)
Total: $115
My budget is currently $100, so that won't do. Hopefully my process is going to help you, but it's back to the drawing board for me! My thinking is that I don't need to spend $30/week on toiletries. If I cut that amount in half to $15, I will just have to run through my list and check on supplies weekly and buy as needed. If nothing is needed, then I buy something that would be needed next. If I do that, I'm golden!
Now to plan week 2, 3 and 4, seeing if I can budget happier meal plans while saving more money and finding a way to replenish my roasts.
Actually, it's not that bad, but it is definitely a learning curve.
How I started this heinous task, was I started off by writing down our toiletries and such things that sprout up once and a while, often causing me to go over my budget as I've allotted more for food, than things like toilet paper. On my list I have things like:
dish soap
shampoo/conditioner
toothpaste
hair gel (for the boys)
face wash
face moisturizer (for me)
Bounce
paper towels
garbage bags
toilet paper
Borax (for homemade detergent)
Washing Soda
Ivory Soap
Lemi Shine (for homemade dishwasher detergent I have not yet tried)
Epsom Salts
I found a recipe for homemade dishwasher detergent, and looking at the costs associated with creating the mixture, I will be better off making it myself. Plus, the chemical smells when the dishwasher goes off is enough to make me nauseated.
So beside each item I priced out what I normally would pay for the items if they are not on sale. I added them up and discovered that per month I am paying approximately (and rounded up) $120 for the things we use and need, but don't account for.
What I ALWAYS do, and would advise anyone to do, is inflate your prices when you're writing them down. Not anything super crazy, but for example, take dish soap. I can probably pick up the store brand for around $2 or $3. I know that's what the tag says, but there is tax on top of that, and I don't like going to a register with only cash in hand and being surprised there. I have had to take things off the belt because I can't afford them, and that is neither fun nor good for the pride.
So on my list, I wrote down dish soap for $5. I don't inflate everything so high, but I always round up. I also like numbers without decimals. Toilet paper is usually $8 something. I round it to $10. So on and so forth.
Then I took my list total ($120) and divided it by 4. So now I have $30 to spend off my normal grocery list. That's $70 left to spend on food. Uh oh. I decided to put that aside for now.
Moving onto the next task. Figuring out what I need for kids' lunches. Sandwiches, juice boxes and snacks are the usual staples in kid lunches. They eat at school for hot lunch once a week ($4/kid/lunch) and that amount does not come out of my groceries. That's factored into my husband's budget. It does however give me 4 instead of 5 school lunches to provide for. That's good!
At my first glance, I figured I usually spend $6 on bread, $7 on meat, $5 on cheese (condiments are in the fridge already and bought for other uses), $4 on juice boxes, and $10 on snacks. That's $32 a WEEK on kid lunches. I don't think so. Not anymore anyway.
I bought a huge, and I mean ridiculously huge, bag of sub buns from the store the other week. It cost about $6 and there are about 24 buns in there from my remembrance. That's $0.25/bun. That would then be $2/week on bread. $4 savings from my previous spending. Cheese I only buy every 2 weeks, so that is then $2.50/week. (let's round up. I hate that $0.50 lingering) I still spend $4 on juice boxes, but we don't always have SS. We only have him every other week. So my weekly spending on juice boxes goes down to $3.
And meat? Well...I have a hard time trimming down meat unless it's on sale. Sandwich meat isn't the healthiest option to start with, and I really don't want to feed my kids complete garbage.
Snacks. Oh, snacks. The kids each take 2 snacks to school. I'll take into account that we have SS half the time. It's 20 snacks per week on the weeks we have SS, and 10 snacks a week when we don't. Granola bars come in packs of 8 ($4), puddings in packs of 4 ($2), and raisins in packs of 8 ($4). That's $10 a week on the weeks with SS.
New lunch total: $10 (snacks) + $2 (bread) + $7 (meat) + $3 (cheese) + $3 (juice boxes) = $25
I for one, cannot believe I'm spending $25 a week on lunches. It's those darn snacks. Let's see. I could cut up carrots or other veggies, and give them ranch dip. Then I'd buy a bulk box of chips. I bet I could get that down to $5/week. Much better. $20/week max for school lunches.
I wrote down a whole whack of meals that I make and the prices associated with them (cost of ingredients). I then created my Meal Plan 1 assuming I didn't have any ingredients currently:
Mon: Beef roast with mashed potatoes and gravy
Tues: Chicken Fingers and Fries
Wed: Chili with Garlic Bread
Thurs: Beef Roast Sandwiches (leftovers from Monday)
Fri: BBQ Chicken with cucumber salad
Sat lunch: Kraft Dinner (CHEAP and easy. I try to avoid cooking on weekends)
Sat Supper: Sloppy Joes
Sun Lunch: Grilled Cheese
Sun Supper: Fish Burgers
Monday to Friday Breakfasts (oatmeal, texas eggs, bf quesadillas, muffins, fruit)
I tried to use similar ingredients within my week as well as leftovers. I have a lot more carb consumption this week than normal, but the next week should be better.
Anyway, that's just a sample week. I then wrote down the costs per meal and added it up: $122.
I took out the ingredients that I already have on hand and got it down to $65. However, that won't happen every time. I won't always have beef roasts on hand. So I haven't figured that part out yet.
Now my totals are:
$65 (meals)
$20 (kid lunches)
$30 (toiletries)
Total: $115
My budget is currently $100, so that won't do. Hopefully my process is going to help you, but it's back to the drawing board for me! My thinking is that I don't need to spend $30/week on toiletries. If I cut that amount in half to $15, I will just have to run through my list and check on supplies weekly and buy as needed. If nothing is needed, then I buy something that would be needed next. If I do that, I'm golden!
Now to plan week 2, 3 and 4, seeing if I can budget happier meal plans while saving more money and finding a way to replenish my roasts.
Advent Activity Day 21-24
As promised in my last post, here are the Advent Activities for the last days before Christmas:
Advent Activity Day 21:
Activity Day 24: Unwrap new pajamas and wear them to bed
Advent Activity Day 21:
We watched MIB 3. I realize that isn't a Christmas move per se, but we enjoyed it! My poor daughter caught the flu the night before, so snacks weren't exactly that tantalizing, but I'm pretty sure my husband and I took care of her cookies for her. Have no fear. No cookie was left untouched.
Activity Day 22:
In Winnipeg, there is a beautiful light show put on, and we had never gone to it. What a great excuse to take part in it!
Activity Day 23: Pool Party!
We got SS early for Christmas, so we all headed out to the pool! It was a good time. Yes, my husband and I swam with them, but no, there is no way there were pictures to be had of that.
Activity Day 24: Unwrap new pajamas and wear them to bed
Who doesn't like getting new pajamas? Also, I found out SS never had received official pajamas. It's always been shorts or whatever was around. I thought that was strange (as I come from a pajama loving family), but he is now integrated into the pajama day society!
And then the activity for Christmas was, well, Christmas! We had fun and will do this again next year!
Happy New Year!
Well, that was a wonderful holiday.
My husband was able to stay at home for almost 2 weeks, and it was glorious. I got nothing done, but had a really great time having him around. I am going to miss him now that he is gone back to work. Boo.
I think I have 2 Advent Activity Days that I didn't post, so I'll do those right away.
New Year's Resolutions. Do you do them? I'm generally not a fan because I have a short attention span. I actually prefer making changes in my life around September. That's always the month that feels like the start of the year. Probably because I have kids, and that is the start of the school year after a long summer of entertaining.
This year, it's actually worked out to have our changes land in the way of the New Year Resolutions. My husband and I kicked exercise butt from September (see? best time to start!) to the beginning of December where I didn't just jump off the bandwagon, but I actually dismantled it into little tiny pieces.
Currently the muscle that I had built and toned is hiding in the shadows due to a fat apocalypse. There's a lot of screaming happening at the midsection.
So of course, after indulging in baked goods, fantastic family gathering meals and deep fried ice cream, getting back on track is a good move. Not because it's New Years, but because I'm fat (again).
The second "New Years Resolution" is getting back onto financial track. Ahhh, another popular one. Actually, my husband threatened to take the reins on this bad boy back in November, but he actually found the time to go through the accounts at the end of his holidays.
The reason for the hostile takeover has nothing to do with me or my abilities, it simply has to do with having a fresh pair of eyes. I budgeted and did the finances in my first marriage, I scrimped and scrounged when I was a single mom, and I've been scratching my way through the last 4 years of our life together. I'm tired, and I'm done. I'm getting sloppy and tired of being the Debbie Downer when it comes to money talk. Also, my husband doesn't see the day to day, so swiping his debit card isn't a big deal for him. That's not his fault, it's just we haven't been on the same page.
He could tell the whole budget and debt thing was weighing on me for the past few months, so he decided to take it off my plate on put it onto his. This, let me tell you, is a very hard thing to release control of. I've always done it, and I know what needs to be paid when. I know what goes into what account, what needs to be transferred by when.
It's a huge thing to give up control in that!
But this is what we are doing. We are also tightening our bootstraps and getting into a better financial position. The banks like us, and our credit rating is high, however I fear the credit cards enjoy our business more than they should.
So my part in the puzzle, is to not look at the whole picture anymore. That isn't my job anymore. If something breaks down, or someone needs something, it's not my job to figure out where the money is going to come from.
My new job is going to be focusing on 2 areas:
1) Groceries
2) Car Gas
My husband is going to give me $400 per month for groceries and $160 for gas. This will be a challenge!
I love to cook GOOD meals. I try to spend smart and I try to plan smart. However, this is going to stretch me to new bounds. Things like finding ways to do things differently like the homemade laundry detergent are going to come in handy (I currently have 3 months supply of detergent downstairs).
We also live about 5 minutes away from town, and 45 minutes away from the city. So going to the city a couple times a week, or even once a week, will have to be cut down. The trip costs about $15 to make, so if I only have $40/week, I'm going to have to get smart about this.
$100/week for groceries for a family of 4? Bring it on. I'll blog my meal plans and my discoveries along the way. I think I'm starting to tackle this one today.
My husband was able to stay at home for almost 2 weeks, and it was glorious. I got nothing done, but had a really great time having him around. I am going to miss him now that he is gone back to work. Boo.
I think I have 2 Advent Activity Days that I didn't post, so I'll do those right away.
New Year's Resolutions. Do you do them? I'm generally not a fan because I have a short attention span. I actually prefer making changes in my life around September. That's always the month that feels like the start of the year. Probably because I have kids, and that is the start of the school year after a long summer of entertaining.
This year, it's actually worked out to have our changes land in the way of the New Year Resolutions. My husband and I kicked exercise butt from September (see? best time to start!) to the beginning of December where I didn't just jump off the bandwagon, but I actually dismantled it into little tiny pieces.
Currently the muscle that I had built and toned is hiding in the shadows due to a fat apocalypse. There's a lot of screaming happening at the midsection.
So of course, after indulging in baked goods, fantastic family gathering meals and deep fried ice cream, getting back on track is a good move. Not because it's New Years, but because I'm fat (again).
The second "New Years Resolution" is getting back onto financial track. Ahhh, another popular one. Actually, my husband threatened to take the reins on this bad boy back in November, but he actually found the time to go through the accounts at the end of his holidays.
The reason for the hostile takeover has nothing to do with me or my abilities, it simply has to do with having a fresh pair of eyes. I budgeted and did the finances in my first marriage, I scrimped and scrounged when I was a single mom, and I've been scratching my way through the last 4 years of our life together. I'm tired, and I'm done. I'm getting sloppy and tired of being the Debbie Downer when it comes to money talk. Also, my husband doesn't see the day to day, so swiping his debit card isn't a big deal for him. That's not his fault, it's just we haven't been on the same page.
He could tell the whole budget and debt thing was weighing on me for the past few months, so he decided to take it off my plate on put it onto his. This, let me tell you, is a very hard thing to release control of. I've always done it, and I know what needs to be paid when. I know what goes into what account, what needs to be transferred by when.
It's a huge thing to give up control in that!
But this is what we are doing. We are also tightening our bootstraps and getting into a better financial position. The banks like us, and our credit rating is high, however I fear the credit cards enjoy our business more than they should.
So my part in the puzzle, is to not look at the whole picture anymore. That isn't my job anymore. If something breaks down, or someone needs something, it's not my job to figure out where the money is going to come from.
My new job is going to be focusing on 2 areas:
1) Groceries
2) Car Gas
My husband is going to give me $400 per month for groceries and $160 for gas. This will be a challenge!
I love to cook GOOD meals. I try to spend smart and I try to plan smart. However, this is going to stretch me to new bounds. Things like finding ways to do things differently like the homemade laundry detergent are going to come in handy (I currently have 3 months supply of detergent downstairs).
We also live about 5 minutes away from town, and 45 minutes away from the city. So going to the city a couple times a week, or even once a week, will have to be cut down. The trip costs about $15 to make, so if I only have $40/week, I'm going to have to get smart about this.
$100/week for groceries for a family of 4? Bring it on. I'll blog my meal plans and my discoveries along the way. I think I'm starting to tackle this one today.
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