awww...baby's first mohawk
my child has 4 teeth, all on bottom, all at the same time. fer funsies! and he got 2 shots today, and he has a booger nose. the aforementioned booger nose equals up to a violent struggle with mr. bulb sucker about 3 times a day. for an infant who's major technical skills include mass pooping and drool production 101, he sure puts up a wicked fight. in spite all that junk he's still about 80% pleasant and 120% yummy. i'm lucky. he's an absolute gem, a chubby, mooshy gem. homeboy clocked in at 20 lbs 10 oz today. goodness i love me my fat baby!
people, i have been working on this dumb post for the past two hours. i can't seem to make it through the first paragraph. what is my deal? i am devoid of any useable content other than waxing gooey about my nublet and trust me, i could do that for days. i'll spare you and save it for a rainy one. you're welcome.
here's a topic i do want to broach: remember all of my fluff talk about needing a budget and cutting back on spending and maybe, possibly needing to end the twice daily trips to the holy land {target}? yes, mmmm hmmm? well, game time party people. i deem 2009 the great budget implementation/we can do it/ get out of debt/ time to get a grip trip. change, it is a coming folks. i am for serious this time and for lack of a better excuse, because i have to.
you know what's amazing? once you start to be aware of how you spend your money, you realize pretty quick where it all goes and how much you can do without. not gonna lie, major light bulb moment for me right there. too bad everyone else had that same light bulb moment a long time before i did.
here's a truth for you: i haven't majorly grocery shopped in almost 3 weeks thanks to my freezer full of meat and stuff and my pantry full of everything else. oh, and the connie who lets me grocery shop in her food storage wonderland for everything inbetween. i love my mom, i really really love my mom. i really love my dad too. basically if i were the tattooing type i would ink their names on my arm and wear sleeveless shirts everywhere so that everyone would know that I LOVE MY MOM AND DAD. but i'm not so i'm just going to tell the internets instead. maybe i'll make the hub get another tattoo instead since he already has three other ones {chalk it up to youthful lack of brain function} he could use an awesome tattoo like that to redeem the other three from total lameness. what? yes i just said that. sorry hubby dear, it is the truth. but not like you don't know that already. love you!
lest we forget the in-laws, i adore them too. no really, i won the in-law lottery in so many more ways than one. twice in the past two weeks i've raided their fridge to satisfy my rumbling tummy. i can always count on them for pringles and diet coke. mmmm... pringles, mmmm... diet coke.
i'm getting off base here.
back to the point, it pays to pay attention.
i will close on this, have you guys discovered kid to kid? i've been there a few times with my sil, but just barely internalized what a gold mine that place is. i scored a whole butt load of practically new stuff for the nub, but not before i sold a few gently used things of my own. i'll be honest, the return on that end is not so great but it sure beats nothing at all. the one in my town is brand new and pretty nice. plus it doesn't have that gross "other people's stuff" smell like some other consignment shops i know, and i hope it never does. i have problems with scent associations.
i'm a little bit more than curious about your money saving tips and ideas. do you use budgeting software? if so what kind and how complicated is it? how do you allot your monthly budget? what is a "doable" savings goal for you, meaning how much money do you actually set aside for savings each month? where do you find the best grocery bargains? are you a wal-greens or rite-aid specialist and if so how did you get started? what blogs and/ or sites am i missing out on that talk about this stuff? do you coupon? do you buy in bulk? what about menu planning, what's your strategy?
where do i even begin?
please,
do share.
and three hours later this post is finally finished.
people, i have been working on this dumb post for the past two hours. i can't seem to make it through the first paragraph. what is my deal? i am devoid of any useable content other than waxing gooey about my nublet and trust me, i could do that for days. i'll spare you and save it for a rainy one. you're welcome.
here's a topic i do want to broach: remember all of my fluff talk about needing a budget and cutting back on spending and maybe, possibly needing to end the twice daily trips to the holy land {target}? yes, mmmm hmmm? well, game time party people. i deem 2009 the great budget implementation/we can do it/ get out of debt/ time to get a grip trip. change, it is a coming folks. i am for serious this time and for lack of a better excuse, because i have to.
you know what's amazing? once you start to be aware of how you spend your money, you realize pretty quick where it all goes and how much you can do without. not gonna lie, major light bulb moment for me right there. too bad everyone else had that same light bulb moment a long time before i did.
here's a truth for you: i haven't majorly grocery shopped in almost 3 weeks thanks to my freezer full of meat and stuff and my pantry full of everything else. oh, and the connie who lets me grocery shop in her food storage wonderland for everything inbetween. i love my mom, i really really love my mom. i really love my dad too. basically if i were the tattooing type i would ink their names on my arm and wear sleeveless shirts everywhere so that everyone would know that I LOVE MY MOM AND DAD. but i'm not so i'm just going to tell the internets instead. maybe i'll make the hub get another tattoo instead since he already has three other ones {chalk it up to youthful lack of brain function} he could use an awesome tattoo like that to redeem the other three from total lameness. what? yes i just said that. sorry hubby dear, it is the truth. but not like you don't know that already. love you!
lest we forget the in-laws, i adore them too. no really, i won the in-law lottery in so many more ways than one. twice in the past two weeks i've raided their fridge to satisfy my rumbling tummy. i can always count on them for pringles and diet coke. mmmm... pringles, mmmm... diet coke.
i'm getting off base here.
back to the point, it pays to pay attention.
i will close on this, have you guys discovered kid to kid? i've been there a few times with my sil, but just barely internalized what a gold mine that place is. i scored a whole butt load of practically new stuff for the nub, but not before i sold a few gently used things of my own. i'll be honest, the return on that end is not so great but it sure beats nothing at all. the one in my town is brand new and pretty nice. plus it doesn't have that gross "other people's stuff" smell like some other consignment shops i know, and i hope it never does. i have problems with scent associations.
i'm a little bit more than curious about your money saving tips and ideas. do you use budgeting software? if so what kind and how complicated is it? how do you allot your monthly budget? what is a "doable" savings goal for you, meaning how much money do you actually set aside for savings each month? where do you find the best grocery bargains? are you a wal-greens or rite-aid specialist and if so how did you get started? what blogs and/ or sites am i missing out on that talk about this stuff? do you coupon? do you buy in bulk? what about menu planning, what's your strategy?
where do i even begin?
please,
do share.
and three hours later this post is finally finished.
**just an afterthought, if you'd rather email me than talk about that kind of stuff on here...please do. i am in need of your expertise.
many thanks
kallikverb@gmail.com
and also, maybe i will collect everyone's ideas and do a follow-up post so that we all can partake in the money saving genius of our peers.
Posts
23 notes:
Because we are entirely and utterly DEBT FREE (YAY!) other than our mortgage, I feel I am qualified to help you out here.
First, "budgets" don't work. Setting aside certain dollar amounts for each task or activity fails everytime because bills are so liquid. We finally figured this out, and made a few changes.
1. We pay the Lord first, like always.
2. We pay ourselves with auto transfer into savings accounts a predetermined percentage of the income. Scheduling the transfer automatically with the bank takes the temptation away to use that money for something else. It's gone off the top, we never see it.
3. Pay the bills. Pay down the smallest credit card first by putting the most you can toward it until it's gone, then go to the next one. Pay the minimum on the others until it's their turn to be paid off.
4. Whatever is left over is YOURS to do whatever with. You've already paid the Lord, yourself, and the bills, so the rest is for groceries, the doctor visits, Rio and The Holyland.
The trick, if there is one, is making what's left over last until the next paycheck. We do that by taking chunks of cash out each Monday and not using the debit card unless we have to. When the cash is gone, it's gone until next Monday. Unless there is an emergency, and then of course we grab some extra.
We've done this for the last few years, and it has worked well for us. Living debt free is the best feeling ever, and we have found that we actually save more than we plan to because we're being more careful and conscious by spending just cash. Our two kids have fat college savings 529s now where we didn't have anything before, and we have over six months of reserves saved up which we continue to add to.
I hope this helps you some. A GREAT book to read is The Automatic Millionaire by David Bach. It's a short read, and his financial advice is easy to understand and easy to implement.
Good luck!
natalie,
color me IMPRESSED, to be debt free is a tremendous accomplishment. thanks for the advice.
i am headed to the library to check that book out, i hope they have it.
i'm going to e.mail you :)
Kid to Kid is awesome. But you do have to watch out on their prices when it comes to toys. They don't usually mark them down too much, so you'd get a better deal at a garage sale.
Garage sales. Ahh. Trash in a driveway. Hit and miss.
Freecycle.org. Love it! I get crap for my kids from here all the time. Clothes, shoes, books, and it's all totally free. I've given away a ton of stuff too, which helps with the Karma thing.
Home made laundry detergent and softener. Seriously. Take a container of softener, dump into a bucket. Add two more of the same containers full of water to the solution and mix it up. Then get some cheap sponges from the dollar store, another great cheapo store, cut them into thirds, and when you put your laundry into the dryer, soak up some of the softener solution with the sponge, wring it out to a good dampness, and voila! Reusable dryer sheets. And seriously, they make the laundry smell so good, and you can call yourself "green" for saving on waste. If you want the actual detergent recipe, email me, or look it up, there's a ton of them out there.
Whew. Good luck.
Kalli,
I agree wholeheartedly with Natalie. My budget is scarily skimpy, but we live good and even have food storage! I also have a weekly allowance for everything associated with diapers, tp, soaps, food etc. and when it's gone, it's gone.
Good luck!
beingfrugal.net and mytwodollars.com have good things to say.
i've found that taking out a predetermined amount in cash for my spending (whether it's eating out, shopping, whatever) works for me, 'cause when it's gone, it's gone.
I do the auto transfer to savings as well. then, as soon as i get paid i pay my tithing, my bills that i have determined should be paid by this check (even if they aren't due for a week or two) and then portion out the rest to food, entertainment, etc.
that way i don't have the option to spend more money and wait for my next check to pay the bills, ya know?
i'm not an expert by any means... i'm still getting used to having a full-time job! but i'm trying to still live as if i made the same amount when i was going to school and only working part-time. it's definitely hard to do knowing i have more money to spend on fun things, but it's worth it {to me}...but i also don't have a husband or child that i have to include in my expenses, so sorry if none of my techniques are applicable to someone who is more advanced in life's stages as you are.
love yer guts.
Follow up post please. I need tips too. My problem is my husband. He's the spender, I'm the saver. What can you do about that? Nothing.
Will be looking forward to the follow up post... Budgeting? Me? Um. Notsomuch.
I totally agree with the comments that Natalie made. The Automatic Millionaire is a great great great place to start. I might even have a copy of it. I will look!! I agree with her order too. I don't have a credit card for a reason!!! Played that game and luckily came out alive. Besides the house, trailer and new truck we have no other debt!! Yeah. I believe in menu planning. Use the meat in the freezer and then shop around that. I plan at least 5 meals and make extra and do leftovers. I know you don't like leftovers much but as your family grows (or take night classes like me) you will learn to love them!!!! Good luck with the budget. I have heard that it doesn't work. I take money and set it aside for what I need and when I have the cash, I can go buy it. It works really well. Love ya, Jamie
this is obviously why i am so bad with money, there is another natalie running around with all the money smarts, so i'm left with whatever is left, and that is a burning need to shop myself into oblivion.
seriously, when you figure this out let me know. until then, what works best for me is just not going in stores. ever. and not surfing the internet, also. oh, and not doing anything that makes me think of things to buy. so, sleeping. sleeping is usually safe. oh gosh.
p.s. we are going to green ant when i'm in town. see? see what i just did there? oh gosh.
Um, people budget?
Natalie's advice is good. We take money off the top for specific things we want to spend it on (travel/vacation, car, house repairs, charity) and let that money accumulate in each fund until we want to spend it. Then we pay the bills, and spend the rest on whatever we want, like she does.
The first thing to do is commit to stop using going further into debt. Don't use a credit card, don't buy on credit. Then you're well on your way. Dave Ramsey's book Total Money Makeover is one I recommend. Easy and clearcut and doable.
One thing I do when I really want to get something that we haven't planned for is to wait three days and see if I still feel the same about it. Most of the time, I don't or I've talked myself out of it.
I'm addicted to makeup, candles and new cleaning products. I'm constantly making myself wait! I really wanted the new Swiffer with the vacuum on it, but it was $30. So I waited the three days, and I definitely still wanted it, so I got it, and I love it. I'll adjust the cash for the rest of the week.
During the holidays, my husband and I take the credit card (we only have one) out of our wallets and leave them in the kitchen cupboard since we tend to get a little "generous" around the end of the year! In general, we only use the card for big stuff like car repairs or the urgent care center (kids...).
Even if when you stop using the credit card, don't cancel it. You need it open to keep your credit rating up.
I will email you my few tips. hope they help
Natalie is my HERO! When you figure this out will you come over and impliment it in my life too? umm.thanks
pinchingyourpennies.com nuff said!
Very much looking forward to a follow up post for this one...but for us, we do shoppingsmart.com. Yes, it costs money to get the emails with all the deals, but except for the staples, like milk and eggs, we try to only buy stuff at the grocery store that are 4 star items (aka really really cheap) P.S. Macey's right now is having a killer sale. Check it out.
I love that nub, oh, and I love you.
We of course pay the Lord first, but last year we also began paying 10% to savings and then we give give give when ever the opportunity presents itself, including a generous fast offering, and money continues to come out of nowhere. We were broke and swamped with debt until we started doing this. With the exception of one car payment, we will be debt free in 2 months with a substantial savings. Laws of faith are powerful
Kalli! Lady, I am going to chat with you big time about this!! As a recovering spendaholic-- from "live at home so I don't have to care about money", "I should buy it because I will get my Nordstrom points" and "its on sale so I'm practically saving money" to pay with cash, check my budget worksheet everyday and actually earn interest on my money instead of pay interest type of womam-- I have figured this one out.
1.My advice is USE A BUDGET!! (no matter what anyone says). You have to start somewhere so you know where your money is going and what "in theory" your monthly "ins and outs" should be. You have to treat it like your WW points. You only have so many to use each day to get to your goal so you better chose carefully. If you are careful for a couple days then you will have some splurge points at the end of the week (go w/ the analogy...it helped me)
2.Allow 3-5 months to figure your budget out (yes there will be things that change...but you will realize that the basics really don't change that much from month to month and the other categories are generally ones you have more control over.
3. Use the worksheet that I will send you to get started. It totals all your categories-- tells you estimated cost, actual cost...its awesome.
4. a cool website is mint.com you put all your accounts into it (totally safe...jared checks everything) and it tracks where all your money is being spent. Pretty crazy when you can have everything broken down for you to look at.
Ok more later
Um..my "budget" right now is also No Target! and No shopping at all. I keep 20 bucks in my wallet from my paycheck and that is my 'fun' money for the next couple of weeks whether it be lunch or a shirt at Target(don't tell Clint I went there! haha). I am not great and at the moment, a budget isn't really a help, at the moment it is just buy what you 'need' not what I am used to, ya know?
Love ya, praying for you too!
found this post that you might like. Just to make you feel good that you are probably already doing these things.
http://www.amotherinisrael.com/2009/04/20/raising-large-small-family-breaking-bank/
I also liked the comment that said "socialise with the same type of people" That makes great sense to me. Have a great day!
-automatic bill pay for all fixed bills. See if you can make utility bills be the same all year too; some companies will do this for you so you can plan on the same amount each month.
-case lot sales, Buy Low for meat
- plan meals on a monthly calendar and make a shopping list that matches it. Then you can rotate the calendars (and allow for substitutions just cause your change your mind). This also helps with doing food storage.
-Check out Marie Ricks website, houseoforder.com
Post a Comment