So I went grocery shopping yesterday. I am going to keep track of everything I spend on household supplies (i.e. paper goods, cleaning supplies), pet supplies, and food. I am going to try and stay under $500 per month, but I hope that as the year goes, I can lower that amount. I am going to try and list what I buy and how much I spent. It will be an arduous task, but I am going to try.
So I spent $171.44 at Winco Foods and Target yesterday. Of that, $27.84 were on pill boxes to keep our vitamins under control and a container so hubby can take his lunch to work with him. They are one time purchases that will not occur again.
Now for grocery items:
Cleaning Supplies: $3.24
Meat (fish, chicken and beef): $27.54
Honey (our sweetner of choice): $7.28
Dairy (cheese, yogurt, eggs): $15.97
Canned Goods (broth, beans): $1.78
Nuts (sliced almonds): $.72
Fruits and Vegetables (huge variety): $31.81
Sparkling Cider for New Year's Eve: $1.98
Protein Bars (our huge expense): $53.28
Since one of my/our goals is to eat healthier, I know that adjustments are going to be needed. The protein bars are for inbetween meal snacks. I hope to be able to do some research and make our protein bars, but for now I bought them. The price on them range from $2.50 each down to the ones I bought for $1.48 each. I did price them at several different stores, so for protein bars (not energy bars or the sugary meal bars) I thought I did pretty well.
On to work on some of my other goals. (Like climb back into a warm bed and read.)
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Thursday, December 30, 2010
New Year's Resolutions
So it is now December 30, 2010 and just two days away from 2011. I know that it is said NOT to make resolutions because all you will do is disappoint yourself because you do not keep them. Well I am going to make goals, knowing that even if I only complete 1/2 of them, that is a 50% success rate. I am not necessarily happy with only 50%; I mean in school that would be an F, right? I want an A for sure, but I am also realistic that life happens and we have to adjust our earthly life to fit. I mean, your life gets sidetracked in many ways and we have to deal with changes that must occur because of those new things. Sometimes they are just short jaunts to the side and then you are back on your original journey. Other times, it changes the journey in a whole different direction and you start on a new path for your life.
So I am going to list my goals for the year here and try and keep up my progress. Some of my goals are items that I just want to see if I can really do it and others are for my spiritual growth and life health. I know goals must be specific, so I will try my best in that endeavor.
2011 Goals
So I am going to list my goals for the year here and try and keep up my progress. Some of my goals are items that I just want to see if I can really do it and others are for my spiritual growth and life health. I know goals must be specific, so I will try my best in that endeavor.
2011 Goals
- Lose 32.2 pounds
- Read 52 books
- Put away 3 months of expenses
- Keep track of all grocery spending
- See how much I can save by keeping all $1 bills and coins in a jar.
- Deposit money bi-weekly
- Keep my house clean using a weekly chore list
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Halloween (NOT!)
So we are doing our normal hiding in the back of the house. The thing is, no one is even trick or treating. It is kind of nice that this "holiday" doesn't seem to be that big any more. Oh, sure there are the parties at different places, but people just don't go door to door much any more.
So we are sitting here watching game 4 of the World Series. O.k. I should say that hubby is watching it and I am in the same room. It is not that I dislike baseball, but I am just not much of a sports fan. I have spent time watching tennis and gymnastics, but that was because I was involved in those sports because family played. I will go to an occasional game, but really I could probably live the rest of my life not watching sports.
So tomorrow starts a new month. I have only gotten to post one other time this month. I have such good intentions, but life just seems to happen. This thing is, I notice that when I get busy I tend to forget about doing the important things in my life like my Bible reading, time to pray, and spending time with family.
This last week our son and I went to Disneyland for the day. Hubby had a class nearby, so we met him for dinner, stayed over night and drove home the next day while my husband went to class. It was a nice relaxing day. I made sandwiches, took chips, and water. We spent $4 on a frozen lemonade, but that was our expense for the day. (We have season passes, so the entrance and parking we paid for in September.) We hope to go again in November with dad along this next time.
November is already starting to fill up with meetings and a planned weekend to visit my sister and mom. It will be nice to get away from the hectic life going on around here. I love to be busy, but it does get a little crazy. Even though I don't work outside the home for pay, there is a lot to running a home on a tight budget, volunteer commitments, and family things that continually come up.
Living simply comes in many flavors I have come to realize. I have yet to figure out what my simple living is, but I am going to figure it out someday. I just have to keep trying.
So we are sitting here watching game 4 of the World Series. O.k. I should say that hubby is watching it and I am in the same room. It is not that I dislike baseball, but I am just not much of a sports fan. I have spent time watching tennis and gymnastics, but that was because I was involved in those sports because family played. I will go to an occasional game, but really I could probably live the rest of my life not watching sports.
So tomorrow starts a new month. I have only gotten to post one other time this month. I have such good intentions, but life just seems to happen. This thing is, I notice that when I get busy I tend to forget about doing the important things in my life like my Bible reading, time to pray, and spending time with family.
This last week our son and I went to Disneyland for the day. Hubby had a class nearby, so we met him for dinner, stayed over night and drove home the next day while my husband went to class. It was a nice relaxing day. I made sandwiches, took chips, and water. We spent $4 on a frozen lemonade, but that was our expense for the day. (We have season passes, so the entrance and parking we paid for in September.) We hope to go again in November with dad along this next time.
November is already starting to fill up with meetings and a planned weekend to visit my sister and mom. It will be nice to get away from the hectic life going on around here. I love to be busy, but it does get a little crazy. Even though I don't work outside the home for pay, there is a lot to running a home on a tight budget, volunteer commitments, and family things that continually come up.
Living simply comes in many flavors I have come to realize. I have yet to figure out what my simple living is, but I am going to figure it out someday. I just have to keep trying.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Starting Over AGAIN
I can't believe I totally missed all of September on blogging. Life just seems to fly by these days. We have added so much into our weekly schedule. We are hosting a small group in our home on Mondays and coordinating a Financial Peace class on Tuesdays. That means every Monday I have to make sure my house is at least in order and the kitchen is clean for our meal together. Then on Tuesday I have to make sure dinner is ready early so we can take it with us and eat during the video at the class.
Also in my weekly schedule is a women's Bible study on Friday mornings. We are going through the book of Philippians right now, having just finished up Galatians and Ephesians.
I have also taken on the task of volunteering at church to help with some of the financial computer work. I do love to work with numbers, so it is a true joy for me to do that kind of work and to be doing it in service to my church and God makes it that much better. Of course, everything we do should be "as if for the Lord", but I do tend to forget that much of the time.
We are in the process of painting the outside of our home. It has needed it for some time now. We have been saving for a while and finally were able to come up with the amount we needed. I'm not sure what color. I would probably go with white again, but we may go with a light shade of gray. We really need to figure it out soon, since a lot of the prep work will be finished next week and the painting to start the following week.
Off to do more work around the house.
Also in my weekly schedule is a women's Bible study on Friday mornings. We are going through the book of Philippians right now, having just finished up Galatians and Ephesians.
I have also taken on the task of volunteering at church to help with some of the financial computer work. I do love to work with numbers, so it is a true joy for me to do that kind of work and to be doing it in service to my church and God makes it that much better. Of course, everything we do should be "as if for the Lord", but I do tend to forget that much of the time.
We are in the process of painting the outside of our home. It has needed it for some time now. We have been saving for a while and finally were able to come up with the amount we needed. I'm not sure what color. I would probably go with white again, but we may go with a light shade of gray. We really need to figure it out soon, since a lot of the prep work will be finished next week and the painting to start the following week.
Off to do more work around the house.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Deep Cleaning
So my son and husband left yesterday for a men's retreat in Yosemite. It is strange in a couple of ways. First, the fact that my son is actually an adult male that can go on a men's retreat. Second, that fact that there are no men in the house. It is not that there are always a male here, but while they may have been out at during the day working or such, they were here at night.
Anyway, with everyone gone, I decided that I should do some cleaning. I started on my kitchen and cleaned half of my wood cabinets, wiped down counters and backsplash, washed dishes, rearranged things on the walls, and inside some of the cabinets. I put some caulking stuff in the casement window that I don't open to help with air leaks. There is so much more that I want to do in there. The problem is I don't have a direction.
So here is a list of things I want to do in there:
Tomorrow is church and then in the afternoon I will tackle more of my kitchen. I plan on wiping down the rest of the cabinets, cleaning the stove and oven, and rearranging what is out on the counters. It seems like every horizontal surface tends to gather stuff. The only way to keep this from happening is to get out of the habit of saying I'll put something away later. I need to just put things away when they come into the house. If it doesn't have a place then I need to make one or not keep it at all.
My goal is to clean the carpets sometime this next week. And then start on the office/dining room area. Wonder if I will actually be able to do it.
Anyway, with everyone gone, I decided that I should do some cleaning. I started on my kitchen and cleaned half of my wood cabinets, wiped down counters and backsplash, washed dishes, rearranged things on the walls, and inside some of the cabinets. I put some caulking stuff in the casement window that I don't open to help with air leaks. There is so much more that I want to do in there. The problem is I don't have a direction.
So here is a list of things I want to do in there:
- Inventory pantry items
- Clean out all the drawers
- Clean cabinets out and get rid of excess items
- Clean the carpet
- Clean the other half of the cabinets on the outside
- Clean the oven
- Clean the stovetop
- Clean all the windows and window sills
- Put up new items on the walls
- Put in new flooring (which would include a hallway, laundry, and bathroom too)
- Paint walls
- Put up new curtains
- Replace windows
- Re-do counter tops
- Refinish cabinets and drawers
- Get a new dishwasher
Tomorrow is church and then in the afternoon I will tackle more of my kitchen. I plan on wiping down the rest of the cabinets, cleaning the stove and oven, and rearranging what is out on the counters. It seems like every horizontal surface tends to gather stuff. The only way to keep this from happening is to get out of the habit of saying I'll put something away later. I need to just put things away when they come into the house. If it doesn't have a place then I need to make one or not keep it at all.
My goal is to clean the carpets sometime this next week. And then start on the office/dining room area. Wonder if I will actually be able to do it.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Growing Up
Life just seems to be happening before my eyes. Our son turned 18 on the 3rd. He will always be our baby boy, but wow, he is 18!! When we brought him home from the hospital he weighed 4 pounds and 2 ounces and I never could even dream of a time when he would be a legal adult, but it has happened. Our daughter will be 20 next month and officially out of the teen years. Where did the time fly?
I am so very lucky to have my family. I praise God for them, even if I have had some heartache concerning them. My life would not be where it is today without them. I thank God for bringing my husband and then my children into my life.
I attend a Bible Study on Friday mornings and we just started the book of Ephesians. All we talked about today was the first chapter. For two hours we talked and could of talked more. God has given us so much already, we just need to take the time to realize it and to allow Him to work through us. He is so powerful and could do it all, but He wants us to feel that power too. What a powerful message that first chapter has.
I am growing up in my relationship with my heavenly father. I know he wants the best for us and has promised that to us. What a way to see everyday, as a gift and a promise. A promise that we have been redeemed and that what we see here on earth is only a glimpse of His glory.
I am so very lucky to have my family. I praise God for them, even if I have had some heartache concerning them. My life would not be where it is today without them. I thank God for bringing my husband and then my children into my life.
I attend a Bible Study on Friday mornings and we just started the book of Ephesians. All we talked about today was the first chapter. For two hours we talked and could of talked more. God has given us so much already, we just need to take the time to realize it and to allow Him to work through us. He is so powerful and could do it all, but He wants us to feel that power too. What a powerful message that first chapter has.
I am growing up in my relationship with my heavenly father. I know he wants the best for us and has promised that to us. What a way to see everyday, as a gift and a promise. A promise that we have been redeemed and that what we see here on earth is only a glimpse of His glory.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Where does the time go?
So another month seems to have just flown by. Last month was filled with the regular daily activities, a trip to Stanford for my husband's health, and buying a new to us car.
Daily activities seem to change daily, but there are so many things that are just routine. I do not even think about them, just do them. Straightening up messes, cooking meals, and the never ending pile of dishes that I think breed when I'm not looking. I can wash every dish that I can find in the house and within 30 minutes there is a glass or spoon or plate or all 3 in the sink again waiting for my next round of dishwashing. An amazing fact of life.
Our Stanford trip was eventful in that we now know what is going on with hubby and what they want to do to help him. He has always been a person who snores, but it has gotten worse and put that with his asthma, he is a walking miracle. Apparently the part of his anatomy where air goes in and out is about the size of a drinking straw. Put that with the genetic fact of him having a small jaw, throat, and all the structures around that area, the doctor wants to perform 2 different surgeries. They are major surgeries that I won't go into detail about, but the recovery period of the first is 6 months to a year. And that is the "easy" surgery. The second one involves the breaking of bones and adding titanium to lengthen out his jaws. The recovery period of that one is at least a year. Not at all what we were expecting. We pray that the surgeries do what the doctors say and he can breath again and not be at such a high risk of heart attack or stroke.
The new to us car was totally unexpected. We have been putting money aside for a couple of years to replace our 1997 Plymouth Voyager. Well, our son was driving our 2004 Prius when it overheated. This car has been a money pit for us since we got it. We repaired it again, to the tune of another $500, and then decided we needed to start looking to replace the newer car. So we went out after hubby got off work and looked at a couple of places. I was not expecting to buy anything, but we came home with a 2007 Lexus RX 350. We got it for $12,000 off their asking price and paid cash with the money we have been saving. It is a type of car I never ever considered owning, much less paying cash for it. Makes me so very thankful for following Dave Ramsey and his teaching for financial peace.
I bought Dave Ramey's book in the fall of 2007. We started following it in October 2007. We are now out of all consumer debt and have 4 months worth of expenses saved in an emergeny fund. We are saving for retirement, helping our daughter with college, and paying off our house as fast as we can. We still have a ways to go with the house, but we're making progress.
I need to be better about posting on my blog. I also need to get back to clearing out my house of clutter. I have a bag in my room ready to go and a few things stacked, but also ready to go out the door.
Today I will plan my week and start the ball rolling again on the simplifying road again. There are going to be changes in the plan, there always are, but moving forward is always a good thing.
Daily activities seem to change daily, but there are so many things that are just routine. I do not even think about them, just do them. Straightening up messes, cooking meals, and the never ending pile of dishes that I think breed when I'm not looking. I can wash every dish that I can find in the house and within 30 minutes there is a glass or spoon or plate or all 3 in the sink again waiting for my next round of dishwashing. An amazing fact of life.
Our Stanford trip was eventful in that we now know what is going on with hubby and what they want to do to help him. He has always been a person who snores, but it has gotten worse and put that with his asthma, he is a walking miracle. Apparently the part of his anatomy where air goes in and out is about the size of a drinking straw. Put that with the genetic fact of him having a small jaw, throat, and all the structures around that area, the doctor wants to perform 2 different surgeries. They are major surgeries that I won't go into detail about, but the recovery period of the first is 6 months to a year. And that is the "easy" surgery. The second one involves the breaking of bones and adding titanium to lengthen out his jaws. The recovery period of that one is at least a year. Not at all what we were expecting. We pray that the surgeries do what the doctors say and he can breath again and not be at such a high risk of heart attack or stroke.
The new to us car was totally unexpected. We have been putting money aside for a couple of years to replace our 1997 Plymouth Voyager. Well, our son was driving our 2004 Prius when it overheated. This car has been a money pit for us since we got it. We repaired it again, to the tune of another $500, and then decided we needed to start looking to replace the newer car. So we went out after hubby got off work and looked at a couple of places. I was not expecting to buy anything, but we came home with a 2007 Lexus RX 350. We got it for $12,000 off their asking price and paid cash with the money we have been saving. It is a type of car I never ever considered owning, much less paying cash for it. Makes me so very thankful for following Dave Ramsey and his teaching for financial peace.
I bought Dave Ramey's book in the fall of 2007. We started following it in October 2007. We are now out of all consumer debt and have 4 months worth of expenses saved in an emergeny fund. We are saving for retirement, helping our daughter with college, and paying off our house as fast as we can. We still have a ways to go with the house, but we're making progress.
I need to be better about posting on my blog. I also need to get back to clearing out my house of clutter. I have a bag in my room ready to go and a few things stacked, but also ready to go out the door.
Today I will plan my week and start the ball rolling again on the simplifying road again. There are going to be changes in the plan, there always are, but moving forward is always a good thing.
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