This week, I decided to start trying to do something to motivate myself to be better about getting stuff done.
I decided to start writing on my little white board in my office. I decided to write out a few - has to be less than 5 - goals for the day.
It's not always easy. But even if it's something that I do every day or week, or on some kind of schedule, it goes on there. This is so that I don't get overwhelmed (hence the "less than 5" rule), and so that I can accomplish what I set out to accomplish - every day.
On Wednesday, I had 6 goals. This was too many. Even though I don't really work outside the home anymore. It's incredible how much I have to do in a day. Granted, I nanny, teach piano lessons and work on the computer. There is something to be said for the domestic engineer: we are ALWAYS busy!
I'm working on refining my list of goals. Even if it's as simple as "make dinner" or "clean laundry room." I know those don't seem like difficult goals to accomplish, but for me, I am kind of starting from scratch. I always have this huge plans of what I want to do, or think I ought to do during the day, and then the end of the day comes, and it's like I'm always surprised things didn't get done how I planned or wished they would have.
Sigh.
I'm working on this. It's helping. I challenge you guys - my friends and family - to try this, too. Especially if you've been feeling like I have been feeling. And pray for me. I'll be praying for you.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Green thumb much?! (This is for Keri)
So, my friend Keri posted something nearly identical to this....and I was laughing about it.
I woke up this morning to find the SAME THING in our kitchen!
I woke up this morning to find the SAME THING in our kitchen!
Friday, April 22, 2011
How We Save Money - and have lived to tell about it {Part 7}
I cannot believe the final part of my saga will be complete tonight! It's crazy how fast this week has flown by.
This post is focusing on tying up loose ends - in more than one way :)
Tip #18: The Most Productive People Only Touch Something Once. Whether you want to admit it or not, you know what I'm talking about. If you're going to take care of that pile of clothes in the spare room you intended to fold and put away two days ago, it usually goes something like this: (example only) You start by moving it (in two trips!) from the spare bedroom to the master bedroom or living room to fold it. You notice the darks are still wrinkly. Well, the natural choice is to toss that load back in the dryer for 20 minutes for a quick fluff while you fold the whites. But no sooner do you get that load of darks in the dryer than the phone rings, and you get distracted. It's now been 45 minutes, and that load is barely warm from the dryer. You figure, what could another 10 minutes hurt? I can get those whites finished in that time! And you do. When you go back for the darks, you decide just to fold them on the dryer. But you don't notice the lint attaching itself stubbornly to the towels and sweaters. So you carry it down the hall to the bedroom(s) to put away. Now, you've wasted 30 minutes of energy (with the dryer), and 45 minutes of your own time. Isn't time money? What a waste! And let's say it's a far less productive activity than I just portrayed: you don't even get that last load folded before it's laundry day again!
As you can see, if you purpose to only touch something once to put it away or take care of it, you'll save yourself your valuable time, and money, too! Someone recently told me, "When God created time, He created enough of it." Enough said. If you know me at all, you know that I scarcely feel I have enough time in a day to do everything I want to do. I always have plenty to do, and lots planned for when all of that is done! But I need to remember this, too.
So the next time you go to tackle that unruly pile of paperwork in the den, remember: If you think you might need it later, make a file folder, label it, stick it in and forget it! If not, shred it or recycle it. Immediately.
Tip #19: Don't Let Your Priorities Go. For some of you, I realize this means you'll actually have to spend time prioritizing. But for everyone else, this means that you already knowwhat your priorities are, and how they're ordered. Thus, my point: Just because something happens or occurs that holds you up, or forces you to put down what you're doing - that doesn't mean everything goes out with the bathwater. Really and truly, emergencies happen. But if you're finding that you have several little "emergencies" on a daily basis, re-evaluate. Are they really emergencies? Doubtful. Is it more likely that you are making excuses to escape reality? Harsh, but probably.
All I'm saying here is, if your daily priorities look like this: make bed, get ready for day, laundry, vacuum, work, prepare dinner, finish laundry, devotions, put away laundry, bed - KEEP it that way! For the sake of your own sanity, if the priorities get interrupted, understand that if you pick up NOT where you left off, EVERYTHING will go haywire! If you leave off on vacuum, and pick up on devotions, you've missed working hours, preparing a meal for you and maybe your family, finishing the laundry, and you're going to get overwhelmed. You know why? Because everything you CHOSE to leave in the dust of your whirlwind will catch up to you before you catch up to it! There are PLENTY of nights that I stay up 5 minutes past bedtime to finish a small task that I know will take me twice as long if I leave it for the next day. There are also days I choose to sleep in 5 minutes more just to not be groggy during the day! (This is a personal choice; not a recommendation for everyone! I also cannot really nap during the day, as my anemia makes my core temperature drop when I do that, and it's hard to regulate, so I'm uncomfortable all day when I nap).
Tip #20: It's the Little Things. In high school, my friend Anna suggested that - even for me, MISS organization! - I make myself a "To-Do, Doing, Done, and Appointments/ Other" poster. She helped me purchase a poster board, divide it evenly into four sections, and label each one as aforementioned. She showed me how to use brightly colored post-its to write down everything - in order of priority, by color - and move them around as I needed to, in order to accomplish tasks, and FEEL accomplished. She suggested leaving something on the "done" column for at least 24 hours after I move the post-it there, as a means of keeping myself motivated. You know what? Even for someone with a day planner, online calendar, and regimented schedule no high schooler has had before - you know, ME - it HELPED! It made me far more productive, and I was even able to squeeze an extra 7 hours of sleep in each week! CRAZY! (Is it crazier that I still have that board - and I still use it??!)
I say, everyone needs one of those. Despite what you may already have in place. Especially if you struggle with being content. I could see a goal, reach for it, and even if I didn't get everythingdone, I could see what I did accomplish. I saw on one of the Duggar's first hour-long specials, Michelle saying, "This is our goal list for the day." (She then pointed to a TD, D, D, A/O chart that was about 40 times the size of mine, and took up their whole wall!) The narrator said how overwhelming it looked, and how could they possibly do it all?! She said, "We may NEVER accomplish everything here. But - there's a goal! At least there's a goal!" Couldn't say it better.
That's it for my 7-day journey, friends. Thank you SO much for reading. And if you have any questions, or want help putting one of these tips into action, please don't hesitate to reach out to me! I'd love to hear your feedback on this 7-part post, too. :)
This post is focusing on tying up loose ends - in more than one way :)
Tip #18: The Most Productive People Only Touch Something Once. Whether you want to admit it or not, you know what I'm talking about. If you're going to take care of that pile of clothes in the spare room you intended to fold and put away two days ago, it usually goes something like this: (example only) You start by moving it (in two trips!) from the spare bedroom to the master bedroom or living room to fold it. You notice the darks are still wrinkly. Well, the natural choice is to toss that load back in the dryer for 20 minutes for a quick fluff while you fold the whites. But no sooner do you get that load of darks in the dryer than the phone rings, and you get distracted. It's now been 45 minutes, and that load is barely warm from the dryer. You figure, what could another 10 minutes hurt? I can get those whites finished in that time! And you do. When you go back for the darks, you decide just to fold them on the dryer. But you don't notice the lint attaching itself stubbornly to the towels and sweaters. So you carry it down the hall to the bedroom(s) to put away. Now, you've wasted 30 minutes of energy (with the dryer), and 45 minutes of your own time. Isn't time money? What a waste! And let's say it's a far less productive activity than I just portrayed: you don't even get that last load folded before it's laundry day again!
As you can see, if you purpose to only touch something once to put it away or take care of it, you'll save yourself your valuable time, and money, too! Someone recently told me, "When God created time, He created enough of it." Enough said. If you know me at all, you know that I scarcely feel I have enough time in a day to do everything I want to do. I always have plenty to do, and lots planned for when all of that is done! But I need to remember this, too.
So the next time you go to tackle that unruly pile of paperwork in the den, remember: If you think you might need it later, make a file folder, label it, stick it in and forget it! If not, shred it or recycle it. Immediately.
Tip #19: Don't Let Your Priorities Go. For some of you, I realize this means you'll actually have to spend time prioritizing. But for everyone else, this means that you already knowwhat your priorities are, and how they're ordered. Thus, my point: Just because something happens or occurs that holds you up, or forces you to put down what you're doing - that doesn't mean everything goes out with the bathwater. Really and truly, emergencies happen. But if you're finding that you have several little "emergencies" on a daily basis, re-evaluate. Are they really emergencies? Doubtful. Is it more likely that you are making excuses to escape reality? Harsh, but probably.
All I'm saying here is, if your daily priorities look like this: make bed, get ready for day, laundry, vacuum, work, prepare dinner, finish laundry, devotions, put away laundry, bed - KEEP it that way! For the sake of your own sanity, if the priorities get interrupted, understand that if you pick up NOT where you left off, EVERYTHING will go haywire! If you leave off on vacuum, and pick up on devotions, you've missed working hours, preparing a meal for you and maybe your family, finishing the laundry, and you're going to get overwhelmed. You know why? Because everything you CHOSE to leave in the dust of your whirlwind will catch up to you before you catch up to it! There are PLENTY of nights that I stay up 5 minutes past bedtime to finish a small task that I know will take me twice as long if I leave it for the next day. There are also days I choose to sleep in 5 minutes more just to not be groggy during the day! (This is a personal choice; not a recommendation for everyone! I also cannot really nap during the day, as my anemia makes my core temperature drop when I do that, and it's hard to regulate, so I'm uncomfortable all day when I nap).
Tip #20: It's the Little Things. In high school, my friend Anna suggested that - even for me, MISS organization! - I make myself a "To-Do, Doing, Done, and Appointments/ Other" poster. She helped me purchase a poster board, divide it evenly into four sections, and label each one as aforementioned. She showed me how to use brightly colored post-its to write down everything - in order of priority, by color - and move them around as I needed to, in order to accomplish tasks, and FEEL accomplished. She suggested leaving something on the "done" column for at least 24 hours after I move the post-it there, as a means of keeping myself motivated. You know what? Even for someone with a day planner, online calendar, and regimented schedule no high schooler has had before - you know, ME - it HELPED! It made me far more productive, and I was even able to squeeze an extra 7 hours of sleep in each week! CRAZY! (Is it crazier that I still have that board - and I still use it??!)
I say, everyone needs one of those. Despite what you may already have in place. Especially if you struggle with being content. I could see a goal, reach for it, and even if I didn't get everythingdone, I could see what I did accomplish. I saw on one of the Duggar's first hour-long specials, Michelle saying, "This is our goal list for the day." (She then pointed to a TD, D, D, A/O chart that was about 40 times the size of mine, and took up their whole wall!) The narrator said how overwhelming it looked, and how could they possibly do it all?! She said, "We may NEVER accomplish everything here. But - there's a goal! At least there's a goal!" Couldn't say it better.
That's it for my 7-day journey, friends. Thank you SO much for reading. And if you have any questions, or want help putting one of these tips into action, please don't hesitate to reach out to me! I'd love to hear your feedback on this 7-part post, too. :)
Thursday, April 21, 2011
How We Save Money - and have lived to tell about it {Part 6}
I can't believe tomorrow is my last post on this series already! I'm already dreaming up my next blogging adventure, though this one has been rewarding, fun, and such a blessing!
To begin wrapping up in anticipation of tomorrow's final post, I'm going to post about some very personal attributes of our lives, and I'd appreciate it if all my readers kept an open mind, open heart and tried to just put aside any previous thoughts - good or bad - about this series. It will better help you understand where I'm coming from; trust me.
Tip #16: Boldly go where you've never gone. If you know me at all, you know I'm not a huge fan of major upheaval. But, if I had run from the significant changes I've had to make in my own life in the last year or so, I can promise you I would be in a much worse place! I had to be willing to change, or else we wouldn't have survived the trials we went through. But, we prayed, we discussed, and we tried new things. Not everything worked; for instance, shopping at Winco gives me anxiety like no other experience in my life. YES, they have decent and low prices on many goods, but it's not WORTH the money savings to deal with the anxiety to me. It's not a trade-off in my book. So for the nay-sayers, I never claimed to be the "best" saver or the "best" shopper; I was not a story on Extreme Couponing! (And I never will be!) I don't set out to be the best of the best; I set out to do mybest. Yes, my sacrifice of not shopping at Winco costs me an extra $5.50/ week on groceries or something like that, but it's low on my list of importance compared to my sanity. Which brings me to my next point!
Tip #17: Set Goals and Standards - then live by them. We try not to be tempted away from our goals and standards. Even if everyone in the family is going out to eat, we sometimes say, "no, thank you," or we wait until we have coupons (yes, you CAN get them for restaurants!) and/or gift cards. Also, this may seem a bit shallow, but if we have awful service, we ALWAYS let the manager know, AND submit online reviews. We feel that people are lucky to have jobs right now, and that if they were a terrible server and didn't do their job, their company should know. Most often, we end up getting gift cards in the mail. NOTE: We do NOT do this every time we eat out. Because Robert works for a high-end restaurant, our standards are high for service. We do tip generously, but if our hard-earned money is spent eating out, we ought to always have full water glasses (we don't order anything BUT water anymore), hot food cooked correctly, and friendly service. It doesn't necessarily have to be FAST, just quality. Just this week, for example, we chose to spend our entire entertainment budget for the month in 2 days. It was a personal choice. No one else can judge us for it. We'll know who to be angry with if, on April 30th, we want to go see a movie - ourselves. But we made that choice.
Anyway, that's it for this post. Tomorrow, we wrap up! :)
To begin wrapping up in anticipation of tomorrow's final post, I'm going to post about some very personal attributes of our lives, and I'd appreciate it if all my readers kept an open mind, open heart and tried to just put aside any previous thoughts - good or bad - about this series. It will better help you understand where I'm coming from; trust me.
Tip #16: Boldly go where you've never gone. If you know me at all, you know I'm not a huge fan of major upheaval. But, if I had run from the significant changes I've had to make in my own life in the last year or so, I can promise you I would be in a much worse place! I had to be willing to change, or else we wouldn't have survived the trials we went through. But, we prayed, we discussed, and we tried new things. Not everything worked; for instance, shopping at Winco gives me anxiety like no other experience in my life. YES, they have decent and low prices on many goods, but it's not WORTH the money savings to deal with the anxiety to me. It's not a trade-off in my book. So for the nay-sayers, I never claimed to be the "best" saver or the "best" shopper; I was not a story on Extreme Couponing! (And I never will be!) I don't set out to be the best of the best; I set out to do mybest. Yes, my sacrifice of not shopping at Winco costs me an extra $5.50/ week on groceries or something like that, but it's low on my list of importance compared to my sanity. Which brings me to my next point!
Tip #17: Set Goals and Standards - then live by them. We try not to be tempted away from our goals and standards. Even if everyone in the family is going out to eat, we sometimes say, "no, thank you," or we wait until we have coupons (yes, you CAN get them for restaurants!) and/or gift cards. Also, this may seem a bit shallow, but if we have awful service, we ALWAYS let the manager know, AND submit online reviews. We feel that people are lucky to have jobs right now, and that if they were a terrible server and didn't do their job, their company should know. Most often, we end up getting gift cards in the mail. NOTE: We do NOT do this every time we eat out. Because Robert works for a high-end restaurant, our standards are high for service. We do tip generously, but if our hard-earned money is spent eating out, we ought to always have full water glasses (we don't order anything BUT water anymore), hot food cooked correctly, and friendly service. It doesn't necessarily have to be FAST, just quality. Just this week, for example, we chose to spend our entire entertainment budget for the month in 2 days. It was a personal choice. No one else can judge us for it. We'll know who to be angry with if, on April 30th, we want to go see a movie - ourselves. But we made that choice.
Anyway, that's it for this post. Tomorrow, we wrap up! :)
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
How We Save Money - and have lived to tell about it {Part 5}
Eek! Another SUPER-late post! Can't believe I did that two days in a row. Well, okay, yes I can! It's been just a busy couple of weeks for us, and when I thought things would slow down, they just haven't.
Anyway, this post is primarily focused on self-discipline and self-control. Again, I just want to say that this is how we do things. It may not be right for everyone! But please, don't hesitate to ask questions! :) I'm doing this series to share what we do and how we do it, and hopefully help someone else along the way!
Tip #14: Differentiating needs and wants. This may seem like a "no-brainer" type of suggestion, but I want to explain a little further. If you've never had to go without anything (like Robert and me), and you've never had to worry about where your next meal was coming from (again, like us), it can be extremelydifficult to train yourself to think that way - even if your circumstances don't cry out for necessity. But for us, frugality became a must, as we suddenly could not live on what we used to have! It simply was not available to us! Granted, we made plenty of sacrifices for me taking a job that was beneath our standards: cuts in pay, horrible stresses, long hours, etc. BUT, there were perks, too: close to home, lunches at home, no commute, etc. Give and take. However, when that job was ripped out from under us, we just had to deal. That meant that I immediately re-focused our budget. And it's changed and evolved a lotsince then. But we were still able to have a very generous Christmas celebration, as well as nice clothes to wear, great food in our fridge, and have our bills paid. What I started with was very simple: Figure out what we absolutely cannot live without, and subtract everythingelse. That list included: food, shelter, clothing. Period. Of course, that wasn't allthere was to it. I had to add in electricity, gas, fuel for the vehicles, etc. It was not a fun - or easy - task. But I had to do it. Once I'd crunched numbers as far as I could, and then added some give into the budget, I showed it to Robert. He was shocked. He thought there was noway we'd make that work. We were used to SO much more!
But the truth is, learning and discerning a need versus a want became essential to our lifestyle. At the grocery store, this has meant that I will put something back if I don't think we need it, or if it's not in the budget.Yes, that does mean that we feel frustrated at times! But it's worth it. We're being grown and stretched through that process. This also means that if I don't think we absolutely have to have something, we simply don't get it. This year our softball coach changed the color of our team, and advised us to purchase new t-shirts. Since we just purchased new jerseys - really nice ones, too! - less than a few years ago, I emailed the coach and explained that we'd be wearing our old jerseys, but that I hoped it didn't take away from what his plan was for the team. He said it was fine. He understood. And that's important: Just because someone may not understand why you're making budget cuts or how you're choosing to do it, does NOT mean you shouldn't! Which brings me to my next point.
Tip #15: Make your own decisions - and stand by them. We don't let other people tell us what to do. We figure, as long as we pray about how and what we spend, we are accountable only to God. Many people have opinions, and those are GREAT to share with each other, but unsolicited or sage advice doesn't always help us out. I had plenty of people telling me not to make my own laundry soap for a plethora of reasons, but because I am so stubborn, I just HAD to do it myself. And it worked! It may not work great for everyone else, but we love it. The same goes for deciding the difference between wants and needs - everyone has differences. Don't think for a second that Robert and I agreed on every want and need, either. Some things I feel are wants, he definitely feels are needs. And visa versa. Figure out what works for you, and stick to it. All the coupons in the world, advice from friends and/or judgment from family won't help you if you take them ALL into consideration! Do what you need to, be confident in your decision, and move. Don't sit still - MOVE!
Basically, we're plan for the worst and hope for the best people. Truthfully, the bottom line here is you never know! Job today; gone tomorrow. Need today; want tomorrow. Re-evaluate as often as you need to. It's worth the time and effort to better your future, prepare, and save money in the process.
Anyway, this post is primarily focused on self-discipline and self-control. Again, I just want to say that this is how we do things. It may not be right for everyone! But please, don't hesitate to ask questions! :) I'm doing this series to share what we do and how we do it, and hopefully help someone else along the way!
Tip #14: Differentiating needs and wants. This may seem like a "no-brainer" type of suggestion, but I want to explain a little further. If you've never had to go without anything (like Robert and me), and you've never had to worry about where your next meal was coming from (again, like us), it can be extremelydifficult to train yourself to think that way - even if your circumstances don't cry out for necessity. But for us, frugality became a must, as we suddenly could not live on what we used to have! It simply was not available to us! Granted, we made plenty of sacrifices for me taking a job that was beneath our standards: cuts in pay, horrible stresses, long hours, etc. BUT, there were perks, too: close to home, lunches at home, no commute, etc. Give and take. However, when that job was ripped out from under us, we just had to deal. That meant that I immediately re-focused our budget. And it's changed and evolved a lotsince then. But we were still able to have a very generous Christmas celebration, as well as nice clothes to wear, great food in our fridge, and have our bills paid. What I started with was very simple: Figure out what we absolutely cannot live without, and subtract everythingelse. That list included: food, shelter, clothing. Period. Of course, that wasn't allthere was to it. I had to add in electricity, gas, fuel for the vehicles, etc. It was not a fun - or easy - task. But I had to do it. Once I'd crunched numbers as far as I could, and then added some give into the budget, I showed it to Robert. He was shocked. He thought there was noway we'd make that work. We were used to SO much more!
But the truth is, learning and discerning a need versus a want became essential to our lifestyle. At the grocery store, this has meant that I will put something back if I don't think we need it, or if it's not in the budget.Yes, that does mean that we feel frustrated at times! But it's worth it. We're being grown and stretched through that process. This also means that if I don't think we absolutely have to have something, we simply don't get it. This year our softball coach changed the color of our team, and advised us to purchase new t-shirts. Since we just purchased new jerseys - really nice ones, too! - less than a few years ago, I emailed the coach and explained that we'd be wearing our old jerseys, but that I hoped it didn't take away from what his plan was for the team. He said it was fine. He understood. And that's important: Just because someone may not understand why you're making budget cuts or how you're choosing to do it, does NOT mean you shouldn't! Which brings me to my next point.
Basically, we're plan for the worst and hope for the best people. Truthfully, the bottom line here is you never know! Job today; gone tomorrow. Need today; want tomorrow. Re-evaluate as often as you need to. It's worth the time and effort to better your future, prepare, and save money in the process.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
How We Save Money - and have lived to tell about it {Part 4}
Whew! Barely made it in before midnight! We had a long day today. Anyway, here's the 4th installment of my 7-part series.
This post is going to be somewhat brief, because I decided to split its latter half into a different post entirely. Thus, the following is the one and only tip of the post:
Tip #13: We live beneath our means. What an adjustment this was for us! Seriously. I always worked hard to, but when we had two disposable incomes, we could spare that $50 for me to go to the mall. Or that $25 for bowling with friends. We completely and radically changed that thinking in October. That includes no Mariners games this year (it's just a luxury that's not in our budget), and no sooner had I talked to Robert about this, than he won tickets to a Mariners game at his work. Yes, we still had to pay for parking, and yes, we still had to pay for gas to drive there. BUT - we packed our own food in a re-usable cold food bag, did not spend anything on food or drinks at the ballpark, and had a fantastic time - on 60% less than what we usually spend going there! We also do not go to concerts, or spend money on traveling much. Camping trips were pretty much non-existent last summer, and we are only going to Oahu this spring because our family has graciously paid for our trip. We only have to use our own spending money - the airfare and lodging are handled. Believe me - we'd never be going if we had to pay for everything. And we are SO thankful for our family doing this for us!
We don't go out and buy stuff just to buy it or just to have it. Michelle Duggar said that, "Probably the reason most young people go into debt is because they see what their parents have, or their peers have, and they want it now." Instant-gratification driven purchases are virtually non-existent in our home. It's the reason our master bedroom isn't really even decorated. We have furniture and linens, a few pictures sitting on the dresser, but otherwise, it's bare bones. I don't even go to Starbucks anymore without gift cards. Period. I make coffee at home. $9.99/ bag of Starbucks coffee lasts me a lot longer than a $4.50 mocha. Must-read books are put on hold at the library instead of being purchased, unless we have an unbeatable deal. I only got Kate Gosselin's, "I Just Want You To Know" because we paid $3.99 for the hardback copy at a discount outlet Christian bookstore. I'd asked for it for Christmas, but my parents said it was too expensive, and Robert had already bought me another book. I waited until February, and there it was. :)
The bottom line is, we know that God is providing for us - completely - and if we are faithful to and believe in Him, He will be faithful to provide for us. For any need we may have. Also, Psalm 37:4 says, "Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart." We fully believe in and adhere to this! It's sometimes hard to say, "no," but more on that in tomorrow's post. :)
This post is going to be somewhat brief, because I decided to split its latter half into a different post entirely. Thus, the following is the one and only tip of the post:
Tip #13: We live beneath our means. What an adjustment this was for us! Seriously. I always worked hard to, but when we had two disposable incomes, we could spare that $50 for me to go to the mall. Or that $25 for bowling with friends. We completely and radically changed that thinking in October. That includes no Mariners games this year (it's just a luxury that's not in our budget), and no sooner had I talked to Robert about this, than he won tickets to a Mariners game at his work. Yes, we still had to pay for parking, and yes, we still had to pay for gas to drive there. BUT - we packed our own food in a re-usable cold food bag, did not spend anything on food or drinks at the ballpark, and had a fantastic time - on 60% less than what we usually spend going there! We also do not go to concerts, or spend money on traveling much. Camping trips were pretty much non-existent last summer, and we are only going to Oahu this spring because our family has graciously paid for our trip. We only have to use our own spending money - the airfare and lodging are handled. Believe me - we'd never be going if we had to pay for everything. And we are SO thankful for our family doing this for us!
We don't go out and buy stuff just to buy it or just to have it. Michelle Duggar said that, "Probably the reason most young people go into debt is because they see what their parents have, or their peers have, and they want it now." Instant-gratification driven purchases are virtually non-existent in our home. It's the reason our master bedroom isn't really even decorated. We have furniture and linens, a few pictures sitting on the dresser, but otherwise, it's bare bones. I don't even go to Starbucks anymore without gift cards. Period. I make coffee at home. $9.99/ bag of Starbucks coffee lasts me a lot longer than a $4.50 mocha. Must-read books are put on hold at the library instead of being purchased, unless we have an unbeatable deal. I only got Kate Gosselin's, "I Just Want You To Know" because we paid $3.99 for the hardback copy at a discount outlet Christian bookstore. I'd asked for it for Christmas, but my parents said it was too expensive, and Robert had already bought me another book. I waited until February, and there it was. :)
The bottom line is, we know that God is providing for us - completely - and if we are faithful to and believe in Him, He will be faithful to provide for us. For any need we may have. Also, Psalm 37:4 says, "Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart." We fully believe in and adhere to this! It's sometimes hard to say, "no," but more on that in tomorrow's post. :)
Monday, April 18, 2011
How We Save Money - and have lived to tell about it {Part 3}
This part of my 7-part series is a particularly difficult one to post. Not because I don't know how to articulate myself, but because it took me so long to determine exactly what to include in it.
This post will focus primarily on our choices in day-to-day life.
Tip #10: Everyday Sacrifices pay off. We sacrifice for what we have. Before we had only one disposable income, we used to eat out ALL the time! Olive Garden, Red Robin, Applebees - you name it; we ate there at least once a week. Now, we're lucky to get to go once a month, if that. That money goes SO fast! We instead re-channeled it into our grocery budget. Also, we don't buy anything just because we have a sale on it. That goes for food, clothing, etc. We wait, and maybe sacrifice the meal we REALLY want on Wednesday for the sale that saves us 35% next Sunday! (As mentioned in my previous post about meal planning). Sometimes, it's hard to reluctantly say that we will not be joining our family for a dinner out, or our friends for bowling and a movie, but there's always a compromise. Instead of declining 100% of the time (this would be no fun at all!), we try to set aside a very small fund for things that come up such as this. (Note: This is not our primary savings). This would include gift cards and coupons as well. If the family is going out somewhere, and we'd like to go, we sometimes will say yes, and agree to share an entree. That cuts our bill literally in half. Sure, we have different tastes: I don't like meat, and Robert can't tolerate alfredo sauce. Since we both love Italian food, you can see that this is difficult sometimes! And sure, it would be great to come home with leftovers all the time! But here again, everyday sacrifices DO pay off - if you let them. If all of our friends are going bowling AND to a movie, we may decline the movie offer and attend the earlier bowling session.
I know that several of you who are reading this blog have recently emailed or asked me in person how it is that we do what we do day in and day out on the budget we have set. It's not really that difficult - now. However, when we had to make strong - and sometimes tedious - cutbacks, it was stressful and it didintroduce us to a new way of living. But I can assure you that it's paid off. We spent hours in prayer and discussion over what changes to make. Primarily, I did most of this because I'm home when Robert's working. But do not be fooled; this was a TEAM effort!
Tip #11: Save What You Don't Spend. What we don't spend, we save. Literally. We very much follow many of the Duggar's principles, including, "Buy used, save the difference!" Most of our belongings, clothes, and home furnishings are from second-hand stores, garage sales, etc. If we can look up retail price on an item we purchase, we subtract what we actually paid and the difference goes into our savings account. Also, when grocery shopping, if we WOULD have paid $150, but we saved $100 on sales/ coupons (not uncommon at all), then $150-$100 = $50 is what we paid, so $100 goes into our savings. We don't even really see that money. That is our savings plan in its entirety.
To put it simply, it helps when you actually don't see the money you're saving. So, we have an automatic savings plan. As soon as I come home from the store, I write down what we saved, and add it up (I usually shop at a few different grocery stores). Once a week, that money gets transfered to our savings account. We don't use it.
Tip #12: Purpose to Know All About Your Budget. I started writing down and keeping track of our monthly expenses so that I'd be better aware of where every penny was going. Dave Ramsey said on his radio program a few weeks ago, "A budget is your money working for you." It's important that I keep track of all monthly expenses. From grocery shopping to bills. So, we now know basically what our monthly budget is - for food and everything else. I know what my weekly allowance for grocery shopping is. So when I go to the stores, I never go over. Also, during my shopping trips, I use a calculator and subtract from my starting amount (full grocery budget for the week). If I end up negative before I hit the cashier, something gets put back. Plain and simple.
The most important part about this post is that this is something I enjoy, and my husband supports my efforts in. :)
Sunday, April 17, 2011
How We Save Money - and have lived to tell about it {Part 2}
Well, here it is, day 2 of my 7-part journey. I've been struggling with what exactly to post today, but I think I've finally got everything all scheduled and laid out the way I want it.
I'm going to again encourage each of you who read this to remember that this is just what works for us. It may not work for you. I would hope and pray that it might, but this is just how I'd like to encourage each of you. Please, ask me any questions you may have! I have already felt so blessed in doing this, and hope each of you enjoy my sharing.
Which brings me (through means of a less-than-smooth segue), to how we run our home. This part will be dedicated to explaining how we live day-to-day and save money in the process.
Tip #6: Scheduling of Jurisdictions. We have laundry days designated. Robert knows if that pair of work pants doesn't make it to the hamper on Wednesday night or Saturday night, it won't get washed on our laundry days, which are Sunday and Thursday. Those days were chosen specifically to fit our needs and schedules. Basically, Sunday is the start of the week for us, so starting off with everything clean is very handy. Also, Wednesday is Awana night for us, and since our church's softball team plays on either Tuesday OR Thursday nights, Thursday's laundry ensures that jerseys and Awana uniforms will ALWAYS be clean for the following week. Even if they get missed on Thursday, they'll get washed on Sunday. I vacuum every Monday and Thursday. Dusting happens on Thursdays, usually. Bathrooms get cleaned most every Tuesday. Etc.
We call chores "jurisdictions." (Again, that's kind of a Duggar-ism). I remember growing up and if our chores weren't done, we couldn't do anything. Reasonable, but the title left a bad taste in my mouth. It seems to me that something titled a jurisdiction rather than a chore leads to a feeling of personal responsibility, and not just something to drag your feet to accomplish.
Tip #7: Designated Use of Resources. Our dishwasher runs only one time per week. That means, I volunteered to wash everything by hand. Robert's official home jurisdiction is now no longer the kitchen. Most of the "inside" chores are my jurisdiction, while his is the yard/ house maintenance. Please don't misunderstand us though; we BOTH help each other a lot! If he comes home and notices that I've had too much to do during the day, and something didn't get accomplished, he asks what he can do to help me. Sometimes, the answer is nothing, but I also take him up on his offers as much as I can. We enjoy making this home ours - together.
Tip #8: Homemade is cheaper. We make our own laundry soap. It costs us approximately $12 for 4 batches, so about $3 per batch. (It makes 10 gallons). It does a fantastic job getting our clothes clean, and smells great. Plus, a batch lasts us about 5 months. :) We estimate the savings to be approximately $175 per year for us. The recipe can be found here. Also, we make our own breads. I sell artisan breads here. But we have 4-cheese bread, Italian dinner bread, and plain wheat or white bread - whenever we want, for less than $1 per loaf! Also, I do buy 15 apples every other week and make homemade applesauce with it. It's a recipe from Kate Gosselin's latest book, and it makes plenty for 2 weeks, and/or enough to freeze for later. (It keeps really well).
Tip #9: Lights out! Always. We use natural light all day long. We don't turn on lights unless we have to. We make it a habit to turn out lights when we don't need them on. Even if I put away laundry in our walk-in closet, if the bedroom window blinds are open, I really don't need the overhead light. If Robert is working in the yard with the garage door open on a Sunday afternoon, and I'm doing laundry, we keep the garage door open and open the laundry room door that connects to the garage to let the natural light in the hall way and laundry room. We unplug things that aren't in use. That includes TVs and DVD players in the guest room and office, turning off the strip that has the office's computer and other things plugged into it, and anything else we aren't really using.
Also, it's a good idea to not run the vacuum, hair dryer, or iron all the time. I know I touched on this point earlier, but I'm going to expound on a little bit more of it now. I don't blow-dry my hair every day. More like every-other day. It's better for my hair (bonus!), and it uses a ton of electricity. I iron one day a week. I don't walk away and leave the iron plugged in, even if I intend to come right back. The iron is so powerful and uses so many kwh, that when I have it plugged into the same circuit as the television and surround sound in the family room, the surround sound fails, and the lights flicker! Yikes! When I realized that, I moved my ironing location to the kitchen, and stopped leaving it on for long periods of time. Not to mention the fact that it's not safe, it saves electricity. Plain and simple. When I iron (it's on Sundays), I iron the sheets I pulled off our bed to wash, and any of our nice clothing that hangs and needs to be ironed. All at once. When I vacuum twice a week, I also do all that at once. Additionally, I do it as early in the morning as possible. That allows for maximum light in all areas of our home (which faces west).
Saturday, April 16, 2011
How We Save Money - and have lived to tell about it {Part 1}
I've been getting a lot of questions regarding how Robert and I get by on what we do, and how we run our household. So, I thought I'd post something quick about it. Then, after praying and thinking more on this idea, I decided I should maybe do a week-long series (parts 1 through 7) on this, so it's not one huge long blog post.
To begin part one, I'll start with a very brief introduction on the reasons behind why my husband and I do what we do, and explain exactly how I was led to do this series.
I've worked since I was legally old enough to do so. I worked my way through college, and lived on my own. It's all I've ever known - self-reliance and independence. Losing my job last October was a huge blow to my self-confidence, and our financial stability (or so we thought!) All we had known was a two-income lifestyle. Basically, we learned through reliance on God, and faith in Him, that He would provide for and supply all our needs. We have been (and are still able) to make ends meet. We don't have an over-abundance, but we have just enough. It became a necessity to change our lifestyle, and we did. Immediately. We've been blessed throughout this process in many, many ways! (I hope to expound on just a couple of them throughout this series). Trust me; we've also been humbled. But more on the details later.
After several friends encouraged me by telling me they are encouraged by me, and always feel motivated when they talk to me (you know who you are), I tried to deny it. I wasn't trying to be a martyr; I was just in disbelief that I could inspire even my friends like that! Eventually, I started seeing that this is where the Lord is calling me: To learn, to inspire and to encourage. Please let me humbly state that I do not wish to say my ways are the best or only ways to do things; instead, I just want to let this be something for people to read and maybe take to heart.
So here we go! Part 1 of my 7-part series "How We Save Money - and have lived to tell about it."
When we were first married, I learned that Robert likes to read comics of all kinds. Even those in the paper. So, in an effort to make the most of our paychecks (remember, I was working full-time when we got married), and please my hubby, I did some research on subscribing to the Sunday paper. We found that it wasn't much more to subscribe for the whole weekend, so we did that. Robert was happy with his funnies, and I was happy cutting a few coupons.
Tip #1- Invest: in a Sunday paper. We did away with Friday & Saturday, because we weren't really reading them, even though it was a fantastic deal. The Herald (which contains coupons and sale fliers on Sundays) costs us $21 for 3 months of Sunday morning delivery. That breaks down to $7/ month. I guarantee that our grocery savings is always at least $175/ month. Therefore, that investment pays off in about 1/4 of our shopping cost. We also purchase one extra one, so that the manufacturer's coupons (and some store-specific coupons) can be utilized more than once. Also, friends who cut coupons for items we use give them to us. (Ever heard of a coupon co-op and swap?)
After I lost my job (fast-forward to 7 months into our marriage), I started planning our meals according to the sales fliers we were getting weekly in the Sunday paper. We sometimes use the sales fliers we get on Tuesdays in the mail as well, but the Sunday paper is where the best deals are at (for us).
Tip #2: Meal Planning. We plan our meals according to the sale fliers and coupons we have on hand. If there's a sale at Fred Meyer for Pasta Roni $0.79 each (limit 10), and we have a coupon for $1.00 of 10, That means we're getting at least one free. We use that coupon right away on that sale. I immediately plan for that to be a side dish for whatever we plan to eat that week. If Tyson Chicken is on sale for $5.99/ bag, and we have a coupon for $1.00 off a bag of it, we use that right away. We then plan for roasted or brined chicken with Pasta Roni for a side dish, and homemade applesauce for dessert. The leftovers can be used for lunch, or a chicken tortilla soup, or whatever else we can imagine up. We still eat like kings on $30-$35/ week for our food budget. Trust me; it's do-able. Even if it seems to be a daunting task.
I spend hours preparing for grocery shopping trips throughout the month. I do this in the comfort of my own home. I started doing something I call coupon cataloging about a year ago, and I'm even more involved in it now. Please, don't assume I'm one of the nuts on the "Extreme Couponing" shows. I do not steal other peoples' papers or circulars to get the ads they've ignored. And I don't spend every waking minute coupon cutting, cataloging and/or meal planning. But I learned a valuable lesson when I first embarked on this endeavor: 2 hours in planning at home saves me a stressful, drawn-out trip to the stores, and saves me hassle, time and money.
Tip #3: Coupon Cataloging. I cut coupons. I then organize them in my physical catalog by expiration date.
All the months are together, in order by days 1-31 of expiration on each coupon.
They are divided into sections in each month, paper-clipped together. My sections are as follows: Non-Perishables, Dairy, Produce, Refrigerated, Frozen, Cleaning Supplies, and Toiletries. I don't put a physical label on the divisions, because seeing the first coupon on top will tell me what section it is.
Once that's done (and it's an on-going task; I'm always recycling expired coupons and adding new ones),
I type a categorized list of the coupons, arranged by the same sections the coupons themselves are organized by. I print one list per month of expiration, and tuck it into the physical catalog at the front of the month for which it coincides. As I use the coupons I have, I check it off my cataloged list. I know exactly what I have, when it expires, what the coupon specifies, and where it is - all at a glance! Coupons I'm planning to use are clipped together in the very front section of my organizer. That way, I don't have to check them or anything while I'm shopping; they're already there and ready for me to hand the cashier. Also, this cuts down on impulse-purchasing.
That leads me to shopping lists. I create those lists for each store prior to actually visiting the store. I am willing to pay a little $ for the ink and paper I use to print my categorized lists (organized by layout of the store's areas) to not be confused by my sometimes sloppy penmanship when I get to the stores. (I print on the "Fast Draft" option, and I use the back of my lists again).
Tip #4: Creating Shopping Lists in Advance. This typically happens Sunday evenings or very early Monday morning. As I mentioned previously, I use my coupon catalog, the sales flier and my best planning and coordinating skills to plan our menu for the week. Generally, nothing is purchased without coupons and/ or sales. Produce is an exception, but barely. If broccoli and carrots are on sale, that is the vegetables we eat that week. I'll probably be creative about it, and make broccoli-cheddar soup, and dice the carrots in a salad or something, too. But creating those nice, neat lists means I never spend longer than 35 minutes in a grocery store; regardless of how much I'm purchasing.
Lastly, I don't make a trip to any store without consulting with my hubby on what he'd like to eat, or a luxury purchase that we may have a coupon for.
Tip #5: Teamwork. We each look over the sales fliers and coupons before we recycle the remnants of what's already been cut up. For instance, I got a deal on Hillshire Farms Sausages - 2 for $6 on sale + $1 off two coupon + $1 off two store coupon = 2 for $4 - and I had no idea my hubby liked them so much! He was so appreciative that I thought of him when I cut those coupons. That prompted us to start letting the other person look over the ads after they've already been gone through - just in case. When I was sick for a week, Robert had to do the shopping. I had 100% confidence in him, and it was very easy for him, as the list was all made, he was armed with the coupon catalog and organizer, and he did a fantastic job!
Well, that's it for Part 1 of this series. Stay tuned for more!
To begin part one, I'll start with a very brief introduction on the reasons behind why my husband and I do what we do, and explain exactly how I was led to do this series.
I've worked since I was legally old enough to do so. I worked my way through college, and lived on my own. It's all I've ever known - self-reliance and independence. Losing my job last October was a huge blow to my self-confidence, and our financial stability (or so we thought!) All we had known was a two-income lifestyle. Basically, we learned through reliance on God, and faith in Him, that He would provide for and supply all our needs. We have been (and are still able) to make ends meet. We don't have an over-abundance, but we have just enough. It became a necessity to change our lifestyle, and we did. Immediately. We've been blessed throughout this process in many, many ways! (I hope to expound on just a couple of them throughout this series). Trust me; we've also been humbled. But more on the details later.
After several friends encouraged me by telling me they are encouraged by me, and always feel motivated when they talk to me (you know who you are), I tried to deny it. I wasn't trying to be a martyr; I was just in disbelief that I could inspire even my friends like that! Eventually, I started seeing that this is where the Lord is calling me: To learn, to inspire and to encourage. Please let me humbly state that I do not wish to say my ways are the best or only ways to do things; instead, I just want to let this be something for people to read and maybe take to heart.
So here we go! Part 1 of my 7-part series "How We Save Money - and have lived to tell about it."
When we were first married, I learned that Robert likes to read comics of all kinds. Even those in the paper. So, in an effort to make the most of our paychecks (remember, I was working full-time when we got married), and please my hubby, I did some research on subscribing to the Sunday paper. We found that it wasn't much more to subscribe for the whole weekend, so we did that. Robert was happy with his funnies, and I was happy cutting a few coupons.
After I lost my job (fast-forward to 7 months into our marriage), I started planning our meals according to the sales fliers we were getting weekly in the Sunday paper. We sometimes use the sales fliers we get on Tuesdays in the mail as well, but the Sunday paper is where the best deals are at (for us). 
Tip #2: Meal Planning. We plan our meals according to the sale fliers and coupons we have on hand. If there's a sale at Fred Meyer for Pasta Roni $0.79 each (limit 10), and we have a coupon for $1.00 of 10, That means we're getting at least one free. We use that coupon right away on that sale. I immediately plan for that to be a side dish for whatever we plan to eat that week. If Tyson Chicken is on sale for $5.99/ bag, and we have a coupon for $1.00 off a bag of it, we use that right away. We then plan for roasted or brined chicken with Pasta Roni for a side dish, and homemade applesauce for dessert. The leftovers can be used for lunch, or a chicken tortilla soup, or whatever else we can imagine up. We still eat like kings on $30-$35/ week for our food budget. Trust me; it's do-able. Even if it seems to be a daunting task.I spend hours preparing for grocery shopping trips throughout the month. I do this in the comfort of my own home. I started doing something I call coupon cataloging about a year ago, and I'm even more involved in it now. Please, don't assume I'm one of the nuts on the "Extreme Couponing" shows. I do not steal other peoples' papers or circulars to get the ads they've ignored. And I don't spend every waking minute coupon cutting, cataloging and/or meal planning. But I learned a valuable lesson when I first embarked on this endeavor: 2 hours in planning at home saves me a stressful, drawn-out trip to the stores, and saves me hassle, time and money.
Tip #3: Coupon Cataloging. I cut coupons. I then organize them in my physical catalog by expiration date.
All the months are together, in order by days 1-31 of expiration on each coupon.
They are divided into sections in each month, paper-clipped together. My sections are as follows: Non-Perishables, Dairy, Produce, Refrigerated, Frozen, Cleaning Supplies, and Toiletries. I don't put a physical label on the divisions, because seeing the first coupon on top will tell me what section it is.
Once that's done (and it's an on-going task; I'm always recycling expired coupons and adding new ones),
I type a categorized list of the coupons, arranged by the same sections the coupons themselves are organized by. I print one list per month of expiration, and tuck it into the physical catalog at the front of the month for which it coincides. As I use the coupons I have, I check it off my cataloged list. I know exactly what I have, when it expires, what the coupon specifies, and where it is - all at a glance! Coupons I'm planning to use are clipped together in the very front section of my organizer. That way, I don't have to check them or anything while I'm shopping; they're already there and ready for me to hand the cashier. Also, this cuts down on impulse-purchasing.That leads me to shopping lists. I create those lists for each store prior to actually visiting the store. I am willing to pay a little $ for the ink and paper I use to print my categorized lists (organized by layout of the store's areas) to not be confused by my sometimes sloppy penmanship when I get to the stores. (I print on the "Fast Draft" option, and I use the back of my lists again).
Tip #4: Creating Shopping Lists in Advance. This typically happens Sunday evenings or very early Monday morning. As I mentioned previously, I use my coupon catalog, the sales flier and my best planning and coordinating skills to plan our menu for the week. Generally, nothing is purchased without coupons and/ or sales. Produce is an exception, but barely. If broccoli and carrots are on sale, that is the vegetables we eat that week. I'll probably be creative about it, and make broccoli-cheddar soup, and dice the carrots in a salad or something, too. But creating those nice, neat lists means I never spend longer than 35 minutes in a grocery store; regardless of how much I'm purchasing.
Lastly, I don't make a trip to any store without consulting with my hubby on what he'd like to eat, or a luxury purchase that we may have a coupon for.
Tip #5: Teamwork. We each look over the sales fliers and coupons before we recycle the remnants of what's already been cut up. For instance, I got a deal on Hillshire Farms Sausages - 2 for $6 on sale + $1 off two coupon + $1 off two store coupon = 2 for $4 - and I had no idea my hubby liked them so much! He was so appreciative that I thought of him when I cut those coupons. That prompted us to start letting the other person look over the ads after they've already been gone through - just in case. When I was sick for a week, Robert had to do the shopping. I had 100% confidence in him, and it was very easy for him, as the list was all made, he was armed with the coupon catalog and organizer, and he did a fantastic job!
Well, that's it for Part 1 of this series. Stay tuned for more!
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Recent musings
I've been doing a lot of thinking (and praying) lately. Mostly about where Robert and I are at in life, and how we got to where we are, and where we'd like to be in 5, 10, or even 20 years from today.
One thing that we've learned is to bloom where we're planted. On October 19th at 10:30p.m., I made my first sale in my Etsy Shop, to someone I don't even know, and have never talked to. We rejoiced, and praised God for His provision, and just for me to be happy with that! On October 20th at 7:07a.m., I was dismissed from my day job. While I was numb for about a week, and we were scared to death trying to figure out how we'd get by on one income, the feeling subsided. I was able to gain enough composure to set up my yearly appointment for the doctor, and get in before my insurance ran out. I'd already been to the dentist, so that wasn't a concern, either. I applied for unemployment the same day I lost my job, and that helped out a lot. Then, within two weeks of us being a single-income family, God provided 3 new piano students for me! Additionally, in December, I called H&R Block (where I'd worked for 5 previous tax seasons), to see if they needed me back for even just a couple shifts per week. I was asked to come in one night a week, for a few hours. God was providing! A few weeks later, I was asked to take over another shift, and I've also picked up about 8 extra shifts throughout the season, which has provided us just enough money to get by. I'm still nannying for the same family, which gives us a little more income as well.
Frankly, that employer did me a favor. I couldn't stand the stress of being there. I hated how I felt about myself, because my work was never good enough for anyone there. In a short amount of time, Robert and I - through prayer and constant communication with each other - learned that my new occupation was to be at home, providing however I could with what God had given me to take on. My job searches post-grad from UW were fruitless - all 86 applications. Same with everything while I was collecting unemployment - all 37 applications. We learned that God would have provided me with employment if that was what He wanted for us, but He was holding back on our account. He wants us right where we are.
We've faced many people passing judgment on us, making us feel lousy about our decision to have me home now. But we know better than to listen. We only have to answer to God. And we're doing just fine. I'm also working a little bit from home, selling on eBay and working with Scott (a friend from a previous company), to get his business off the ground. We have just what we need.
Something else I've been thinking a lot about is to be thankful in and during the trials we face, not just after them. It's a discipline that we've been having to learn over this new season of life.
Also, I've tried to be as frugal as I possibly can be. We save money as much as possible. And by "save" I don't mean that we don't pay as much for stuff, and spend the extra. I mean, we put the money we've saved into our savings account. At the grocery store, from our household bills, etc. Also, Robert's been driving my car to work a lot, so that we don't have to go through so much fuel in the TrailBlazer. Lights don't get turned on in the house during the day. Laundry is done on two specific days only. Dishwasher gets ran once per week only. Robert thanks me every day for all the efforts I've put in to make all this possible. :)
I've also been growing a lot, just in learning about myself and my husband, and in my walk with God, and in learning who true friends are. Something I think about frequently is how we always have enough to get by, and don't have to go without anything. People around the world do. But we don't. We're blessed. Additionally, we are where we're at for a reason. It's not circumstantial or coincidence.
Anyway, that's what's been on my brain lately. :)
One thing that we've learned is to bloom where we're planted. On October 19th at 10:30p.m., I made my first sale in my Etsy Shop, to someone I don't even know, and have never talked to. We rejoiced, and praised God for His provision, and just for me to be happy with that! On October 20th at 7:07a.m., I was dismissed from my day job. While I was numb for about a week, and we were scared to death trying to figure out how we'd get by on one income, the feeling subsided. I was able to gain enough composure to set up my yearly appointment for the doctor, and get in before my insurance ran out. I'd already been to the dentist, so that wasn't a concern, either. I applied for unemployment the same day I lost my job, and that helped out a lot. Then, within two weeks of us being a single-income family, God provided 3 new piano students for me! Additionally, in December, I called H&R Block (where I'd worked for 5 previous tax seasons), to see if they needed me back for even just a couple shifts per week. I was asked to come in one night a week, for a few hours. God was providing! A few weeks later, I was asked to take over another shift, and I've also picked up about 8 extra shifts throughout the season, which has provided us just enough money to get by. I'm still nannying for the same family, which gives us a little more income as well.
Frankly, that employer did me a favor. I couldn't stand the stress of being there. I hated how I felt about myself, because my work was never good enough for anyone there. In a short amount of time, Robert and I - through prayer and constant communication with each other - learned that my new occupation was to be at home, providing however I could with what God had given me to take on. My job searches post-grad from UW were fruitless - all 86 applications. Same with everything while I was collecting unemployment - all 37 applications. We learned that God would have provided me with employment if that was what He wanted for us, but He was holding back on our account. He wants us right where we are.
We've faced many people passing judgment on us, making us feel lousy about our decision to have me home now. But we know better than to listen. We only have to answer to God. And we're doing just fine. I'm also working a little bit from home, selling on eBay and working with Scott (a friend from a previous company), to get his business off the ground. We have just what we need.
Something else I've been thinking a lot about is to be thankful in and during the trials we face, not just after them. It's a discipline that we've been having to learn over this new season of life.
Also, I've tried to be as frugal as I possibly can be. We save money as much as possible. And by "save" I don't mean that we don't pay as much for stuff, and spend the extra. I mean, we put the money we've saved into our savings account. At the grocery store, from our household bills, etc. Also, Robert's been driving my car to work a lot, so that we don't have to go through so much fuel in the TrailBlazer. Lights don't get turned on in the house during the day. Laundry is done on two specific days only. Dishwasher gets ran once per week only. Robert thanks me every day for all the efforts I've put in to make all this possible. :)
I've also been growing a lot, just in learning about myself and my husband, and in my walk with God, and in learning who true friends are. Something I think about frequently is how we always have enough to get by, and don't have to go without anything. People around the world do. But we don't. We're blessed. Additionally, we are where we're at for a reason. It's not circumstantial or coincidence.
Anyway, that's what's been on my brain lately. :)
Saturday, April 2, 2011
More on savings
Recently, I've been trying very hard to save money in every way we possibly can.
This has included everything from grocery shopping to keeping lights off as much as possible to watching bank accounts very closely.
Some things that I have learned while doing so:
1) Spending one hour per week doing coupon cataloging and meal planning according to sale fliers will always benefit me, as I never spend more than 30 minutes in the grocery store - even when I fill a cart completely.
2) If I'm going to put laundry away, I need to do so during daylight hours, so the light in our walk-in closet doesn't need to be on.
3) It really doesn't take much effort to turn off lights when you're not in a room. (Although I forgot the hall lights when I left for coffee with Tiffany this morning, and didn't notice until I came home 5 1/2 hours later after the ladies' brunch at church. Whoops! First failure in 3 months I think is allowable).
4) Making sure that I ask Robert to look through the ads and sale fliers after I have on Sunday evenings saves a lot of hassle when we get to the store and he pouts because he knows there was a coupon for some yummy treats he wanted, and I say no because we have no coupon cut for it.
5) I shower in our master bathroom now, without the light on. The window in there is opaque, so you can't really see through it (plus, our bathroom faces the woods and you'd need a 10-foot ladder to see in). The sun provides enough light (even earlier than 7am) to shower. When it doesn't, or when I have to wake up earlier, I light some candles instead. Free, and smells fantastic! Then the only electricity I use is the fan. :)
6) Monitoring our bank accounts is essential. One institution attempted to try to weasel their way out of paying me back the $ (no joke) they've taken from our joint account over the course of a month. The first problem was 3 bogus "NSF" charges. I wrote 3 checks, each for single or double-digit amounts. Since we had well over 4 digits worth of funds in there, and nothing else out, I thought it would be fine. Nope. Logged on to see $75 in NSF fees. When I called to get them reversed, I immediately got a lecture on not spending more than I have, etc. I was unhappy with this and threatened to write a letter to management, so they finally (after an hour) gave me the money back. Same institution 1 week later: I notice while balancing the checkbook, that $4.60 is not working out one way or the other. I asked Robert if he'd purchased anything, and he said no. So we waited for the charges to clear (they were pending for 3 days). Saturday morning at 9am, (3 days later), I got online and saw it had cleared. It was for a purchase outside of Florida, (like, NOT in the US), and when I called to report fraud, I got a lecture on keeping track of where I spend my money. 2nd time in 2 weeks, I was VERY unhappy. I told them so. After I forced them to research the charges, they confirmed it was from a bogus business outside the Florida Keys, as well as the fact that whoever used my card had only obtained mydebit card numbers; not Robert's. How they did it, I will never know. It took 2 full weeks to get my new debit card. The final blow was one week after thatwhen I saw a charge for $150 on our account that neither one of us made. I called and they very casually said, "Oh, that's for your line of credit payment, Mrs. Crombie." I was completely short of fuse after all this, and I said, "We don't even have one of those! Give me my money back immediately. We're taking our loyalty elsewhere." The associate confirmed that another customer had called to make a payment on their line of credit, and the representative had "transposed numbers incorrectly." When I asked about a double-checking, or heck, even a NAME-MATCHING system, they told me they didn't have anything like that. Today, I logged on to a different account (that I don't really use anymore, except to pay for my YMCA membership), to see that I had $85 in overdrafts and fees. Since I don't use the account, I was freaking out. I called them, and they've been charging me $6.95 for who-knows-how-many months for a "bill pay service fee." I don't use bill-pay there. Additionally, they had to refund the charges, fees, and money taken from my savings account to pay for it all. Lesson learned: ALWAYS pay attention!
7) I do laundry twice a week: Sundays (when I was our sheets) and Thursdays (after Awana, so our uniforms are always clean for the following week). It saves water and energy. I know Fly Lady suggests "a load a day keeps the CHAOS away," but I disagree with this.
8) We save the difference - always. Like the Duggars do. If we save $16.50 at the grocery store, I transfer that to our savings account. Yesterday, while at work (so right next to Costco - didn't have to use extra gas!), I took a 15-minute break to re-new our Costco membership and pick up some Brie that Robert requested. I was happy when I saw the price on it - $5.33. A little cheaper than usual! But when I went to the self-check, it rang up $5.99. I asked for help, and they said that I was getting the cheese for $5.00 because it was a mis-representation of prices. :) Apparently, they are super friendly for that kind of request! Of course, I messed up (big shock) and left it in the fridge at work. I hope it's still there when I go in on Monday!
9) Driving the Focus is almost always the best choice. Robert has become more comfortable driving it, and even though the battery died on Tuesday night after I got off work (long story; it's fixed now with a brand new battery), it's worth it. We now choose which cars each of us drive based on who drives further. Whoever drives the farthest from home on on any given day takes the Focus. Sometimes, it's me (since I'm working at H&R Block this season), but usually it's Robert. Some days we don't worry about it, but the fact is that it gets way better gas mileage than the Trailblazer (although the Trailblazer doesn't do too badly).
10) I love sharing how I save money with others, because I've been blessed to have others share with me money-saving tips. Just Thursday at Ladies' Bible Study, Mommy Kelley shared with me that not running the dishwasher will save some, too. :) Even though it's just the two of us here, we use a lot of dishes. As a result, I'm now doing the dishes by hand as much as possible. Which means we have to find a different jurisdiction for Robert, since I promised him that it wasn't his job to keep up with my money-saving ideas. :)
11) I feel like such a good steward of what we have.
The fruits of my efforts have paid off, too. I successfully got our PUD bill down to $49.57/ month. :)
This has included everything from grocery shopping to keeping lights off as much as possible to watching bank accounts very closely.
Some things that I have learned while doing so:
1) Spending one hour per week doing coupon cataloging and meal planning according to sale fliers will always benefit me, as I never spend more than 30 minutes in the grocery store - even when I fill a cart completely.
2) If I'm going to put laundry away, I need to do so during daylight hours, so the light in our walk-in closet doesn't need to be on.
3) It really doesn't take much effort to turn off lights when you're not in a room. (Although I forgot the hall lights when I left for coffee with Tiffany this morning, and didn't notice until I came home 5 1/2 hours later after the ladies' brunch at church. Whoops! First failure in 3 months I think is allowable).
4) Making sure that I ask Robert to look through the ads and sale fliers after I have on Sunday evenings saves a lot of hassle when we get to the store and he pouts because he knows there was a coupon for some yummy treats he wanted, and I say no because we have no coupon cut for it.
5) I shower in our master bathroom now, without the light on. The window in there is opaque, so you can't really see through it (plus, our bathroom faces the woods and you'd need a 10-foot ladder to see in). The sun provides enough light (even earlier than 7am) to shower. When it doesn't, or when I have to wake up earlier, I light some candles instead. Free, and smells fantastic! Then the only electricity I use is the fan. :)
6) Monitoring our bank accounts is essential. One institution attempted to try to weasel their way out of paying me back the $ (no joke) they've taken from our joint account over the course of a month. The first problem was 3 bogus "NSF" charges. I wrote 3 checks, each for single or double-digit amounts. Since we had well over 4 digits worth of funds in there, and nothing else out, I thought it would be fine. Nope. Logged on to see $75 in NSF fees. When I called to get them reversed, I immediately got a lecture on not spending more than I have, etc. I was unhappy with this and threatened to write a letter to management, so they finally (after an hour) gave me the money back. Same institution 1 week later: I notice while balancing the checkbook, that $4.60 is not working out one way or the other. I asked Robert if he'd purchased anything, and he said no. So we waited for the charges to clear (they were pending for 3 days). Saturday morning at 9am, (3 days later), I got online and saw it had cleared. It was for a purchase outside of Florida, (like, NOT in the US), and when I called to report fraud, I got a lecture on keeping track of where I spend my money. 2nd time in 2 weeks, I was VERY unhappy. I told them so. After I forced them to research the charges, they confirmed it was from a bogus business outside the Florida Keys, as well as the fact that whoever used my card had only obtained mydebit card numbers; not Robert's. How they did it, I will never know. It took 2 full weeks to get my new debit card. The final blow was one week after thatwhen I saw a charge for $150 on our account that neither one of us made. I called and they very casually said, "Oh, that's for your line of credit payment, Mrs. Crombie." I was completely short of fuse after all this, and I said, "We don't even have one of those! Give me my money back immediately. We're taking our loyalty elsewhere." The associate confirmed that another customer had called to make a payment on their line of credit, and the representative had "transposed numbers incorrectly." When I asked about a double-checking, or heck, even a NAME-MATCHING system, they told me they didn't have anything like that. Today, I logged on to a different account (that I don't really use anymore, except to pay for my YMCA membership), to see that I had $85 in overdrafts and fees. Since I don't use the account, I was freaking out. I called them, and they've been charging me $6.95 for who-knows-how-many months for a "bill pay service fee." I don't use bill-pay there. Additionally, they had to refund the charges, fees, and money taken from my savings account to pay for it all. Lesson learned: ALWAYS pay attention!
7) I do laundry twice a week: Sundays (when I was our sheets) and Thursdays (after Awana, so our uniforms are always clean for the following week). It saves water and energy. I know Fly Lady suggests "a load a day keeps the CHAOS away," but I disagree with this.
8) We save the difference - always. Like the Duggars do. If we save $16.50 at the grocery store, I transfer that to our savings account. Yesterday, while at work (so right next to Costco - didn't have to use extra gas!), I took a 15-minute break to re-new our Costco membership and pick up some Brie that Robert requested. I was happy when I saw the price on it - $5.33. A little cheaper than usual! But when I went to the self-check, it rang up $5.99. I asked for help, and they said that I was getting the cheese for $5.00 because it was a mis-representation of prices. :) Apparently, they are super friendly for that kind of request! Of course, I messed up (big shock) and left it in the fridge at work. I hope it's still there when I go in on Monday!
9) Driving the Focus is almost always the best choice. Robert has become more comfortable driving it, and even though the battery died on Tuesday night after I got off work (long story; it's fixed now with a brand new battery), it's worth it. We now choose which cars each of us drive based on who drives further. Whoever drives the farthest from home on on any given day takes the Focus. Sometimes, it's me (since I'm working at H&R Block this season), but usually it's Robert. Some days we don't worry about it, but the fact is that it gets way better gas mileage than the Trailblazer (although the Trailblazer doesn't do too badly).
10) I love sharing how I save money with others, because I've been blessed to have others share with me money-saving tips. Just Thursday at Ladies' Bible Study, Mommy Kelley shared with me that not running the dishwasher will save some, too. :) Even though it's just the two of us here, we use a lot of dishes. As a result, I'm now doing the dishes by hand as much as possible. Which means we have to find a different jurisdiction for Robert, since I promised him that it wasn't his job to keep up with my money-saving ideas. :)
11) I feel like such a good steward of what we have.
The fruits of my efforts have paid off, too. I successfully got our PUD bill down to $49.57/ month. :)
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