After time to think: TV

My brain feels alittle like MUSH... I have an EGGPLANT for a BRAIN.. And honestly I am quite ashamed.

I would say..
MY NEW YEARS RESOLUTION IS TO WATCH LESS TV.

However, so far in my past, i've not been very successful with my new years resolutions, SO i have a new idea.  I will be turning off the TV.  I have 3 "shows"  (Parenthood, Revenge, and Grey's Anatomy).  That equals out to a total of 3 hr per week.  Not bad... BUT not good.  Ok now time to put it down.  That pretty much equals 30 min a day.  Well.. thats ok? RIGHT...
Well this is my challenge to myself.  I HATE to work out.. I have never enjoyed exercise, but it is no longer a choice i get to have for myself, I NEED to exercise. So my goal for THIS WEEK ( I do better when I do short term goals) for EVER minute of tv I watch.  I must Exercise that amount.

However I DON'T plan to do them both at the same time.  

Along with this, I will also challenge my son to do something similar. He gets to watch up to 30 min of TV a day. (YES this means I have to be a more entertaining parent) And then it is homework, color, etc.  More then anything BOOK READING time.

I hope this will work :(

WISH US LUCK!!!

I challenge you to unplug and try this out! 


AND to add insult to injury I came across this link

6 Shocking Ways TV Rewires Your Brain
#6. It Changes You, Even if You're Too Young to Know What You're Watching
#5. Yes, TV Lowers Your Attention Span
#4. It Alters Your Dreams

 

 So there you have it.  I guess TV needs to be much more limited in my life!

 

 

 

 

 

 

TV

I had great intentions of posting this yesterday..... and well... Life happened! :)
And I got engrossed into my book again! Yes it is an addiction. I LOVE to read! which doesn't really go well with a FT job and kids and hubby to care for!
I have starting listening to the Dave Ramsey show again at work.  I have alot of time where I just sit in my office, looking at paperwork, and I enjoy listening to things. I also have a 30 minuet commute each way to and from work, not including dropping off the kido's to daycare and school.  That being said, a few weeks ago he was talking about telivions.   Even more then that I have been listening to the book on tape, "the secrets of the millionaire mind" Which got me thinking... Maybe I should look into this.

I am the first to admit that I LOVE me some good TV.  It is relaxing and mindless.  It is nice to come home and escape.  That being said,  I do get sucked in.  My son (6 yr old) LOVES TV too.  Amazing how children mimic their parents.  However it is now time to fix this.

Im pretty sure  this is one that he was referring to on his show. 

"20 Things the Rich Do Every Day
13. 67% of wealthy watch one hour or less of TV every day vs. 23% of poor.
14. 6% of wealthy watch reality TV vs. 78% of poor."

I have read the book "Rich Habits" and between the combo of the 2 books and the one radio show, and like FOREVER to think about it.  With reading START.... well it is time to START!

As I do my daily google searches, I decided to search for "the rich don't watch tv"
and WOW a million responses came up.

 Report

8. DON'T WATCH BIG BROTHER

We all know that watching reality TV will turn your brain to eggplant or possibly mashed zucchini. Either way, you are indulging in the number one activity which keeps nobodies from becoming somebodies. Corley found that 67 per cent of wealthy people watch an hour or less of TV each day - and that just 6 per cent watch reality TV. Yes, just 6 per cent, compared to 78 per cent of poor people.

 Report

19) People love to be comfortable. Rich people find comfort in uncertainty.
Average people don’t want to do any damn thing except eat snacks and watch tv. Wasting your days at a 9-5 and wasting your nights in front of the tv on a La-z-boy recliner with a bag of chips is comfortable for some, I guess, but it always made me miserable. Personally, I hate relaxing. It’s such a damn waste of time.
WOW!!! well there are some strong statements.  I am letting it sink in for a bit..... HUM makes me wonder about my nightly TV shows... :(

You reap what you sow

How to pick what for who?

Trying to decide who to buy for and who not to buy for is a CHALLENGE!! I don't care who you are but it is DIFFICULT!!
Over the past few years we have been able to get together with our siblings to agree to buy for the kids and NOT for the adults.  We have also worked to lower the amount of things we buy for friends and neighbors.  We will get a few small gifts for close friends. 
There are many blogs out there that work on how to limit the gifts for your children.  I have to say, that is something I really SHOULD look into.  I feel it will be alot less stressful,... HOWEVER I don't know if I could really do it.

We normally don't get our kids much for their birthdays, and other then christmas we try not to buy them much of anything.  Mom and dad get the kids clothes for christmas so that Santa can focus on the FUN stuff! but here is an idea.
My sweet sister texted me this link this morning and I SWEAR this is TRULY how a baby/toddler feels about christmas! READ THIS!!!(it will make you SMILE!) http://theuglyvolvo.com/2013/12/10/a-ten-month-olds-letter-to-santa/

One idea that worked well for me this year is, I normally try to get something fun and thoughtful for my employees at work. However I have 20 of them, and Chris has 40.  That makes for ALOT of little presents.  So I decided at my work christmas party (only 13 total people were there).  However they were the ones that took time out to be there.  I picked up the tab.  I hadn't really planed on doing it, however it was MUCH less stressful and difficult then trying to find a Simple in expensive meaningful gift.  (I asked hubby before I did, that is ALWAYS a good idea.) but it was less expensive then what I would have spent for the whole office, and I was happy I did it. It was low key, and I loved the feeling I had after.  It was the true feeling of christmas to me. Giving to those who you care about.  Chris is working with his supervisory staff to make soemthing fun for his employees and I look forward to seeing what they decide.


I love this idea that I took from Yahoo Voices

Gifts to People Other Than Family

Limit the gifts you give to people other than immediate family. You might suggest that you and your friends meet for a nice holiday luncheon rather than exchange gifts this year.

An evening of Caroling with your friends is another great idea. Spending time together over the holidays may mean more to all of you than a gift would mean.

There are always people on our shopping list that we feel obligated to give a gift to, such as teachers, the postman, and other people who provide a service for us through out the year. Instead of buying a gift for each of these people considering doing one of the following:

Make a big batch of cookies, muffins, or candy, and divide that up as gifts to these kind of people on your list. Many times you can give a food gift for a dollar or two per person thus saving a good deal of money for these kinds of gifts.

Other homemade gifts such as jams, jellies, and homemade ornaments are often appreciated when they come from the heart and are cheaper than buying something that the receiver may not even use.

Instead of buying separate gifts for coworkers why not bring in a big plate of cookies and present them to everyone. This will not only save money but will brighten a normal work day for everyone and help all to get in the holiday spirit.

I think that is a great way to lower the expectations of things people really don't want. 

 

Also I want to close with the idea of Rather then spending MONEY spend TIME.  Make time for those who are important to you, and that Will make a difference. 

DRUM ROLL!!!!!!!!!

YEAH!!! Yesterday was Payday Friday! Yes i'm sad like that!! I am SO SO SO excited to transfer the extra money over $2,000.   Sad to say it is not as much as I had hoped.  But my handsome hubby transferred just over $500 into our savings!
Since this is the first paycheck we are doing this, and we are still paying some final bills from moving.  Hopefully from here on out the amount will get higher and higher!!

I do have to admit, that after saving this money, we purchased a few pre Christmas presents, and I got the boys new clothes to get their photos taken in.  It was more then I would usually spend on one outfit each, we even got socks lol ;) but it was well worth the investment.  the photos turned out AMAZING.

I took my mother-in-law to see a house in the city north of us, it was beautiful... however an older home, so not exactly what we are looking for, but I am CONSTANTLY looking for "OUR HOUSE"  I'm really hoping that it will pop up soon! :)

Good is Enough

A few years ago, my aunt posted about a blog she had found.  I tried to find it, but no such luck.  The post discussed the expectation of women in today's world.  From facebook to pintrest to blogs (yes I do agree) we have so many things we feel we should be.
I came across this post last fall I when I went to school full time, I started 1 week before I gave birth to my second child.  I took 1 week off from classes and only took off 7 weeks from work.  By week 7 I was half way though the semester, taking 15 credit hours, nursing and caring for a brand new baby and my beautiful 5 yr old, trying to be a wife, and working 40 hours a week.  I was EXHAUSTED!!
Come December, I was still holding strong, but gratefully with a responsible and caring husband he said "NEVER AGAIN".


Since this time I have reflected alot about who we are as women. As a woman I feel that many of us have an unreal expectation of ourselves.  I also have this assumption due to a few posts from others.

I will admit that in my years I have learned that Women are just sometimes CRUEL!!! and beyond that there is alot of pressure we put on each other.  I remember a while back, I was dolling myself up to just go somewhere simple (it is very rare for me to wear makeup, so it was a change) he asked why I was doing it.  I said "to look nice for you" he smiled.  What i didn't quite understand at the time was, I did not need to doll myself up for him, he doesn't mind but it is not a necessity. However I see so many women obsessed with looking perfect, because of who might see them.

As my son has started school I have noticed it even more, I tried for a few days to have the perfect packed lunches, but quickly realized it was more then I could handle right now, as long as he had lunch he was good.

 

I agree they are super fun and cool, but for me, too much effort that really doesn't change the world for my son.

My sister shared a blog with me.  It talks about what I have posted here, "mommy wars"  " I think deep down many of us are just a little bit afraid that someone else is doing a better job at this whole thing than we are."

I also have been feeling quite overwhelmed with putting our house on the market so I decided, to do alittle blog stocking and found alittle bit older post.

"a more experienced Mom from church gave me these comforting words and I’ve clung to them ever since.  “It was God who gave you only so many hours in a day.  Who are you to expect more out of yourself than God does?”

Last night when I got home, I knew the house needed alot more work before our open house today.  I picked up my boys, and got home.  As I was driving home I was putting a to do list into play.  I picked up my son, and he wanted to go get a drink.  Since we are keeping to the budget I told him no, but we decided we could do something else fun insteed.  I informed him that he had homework to do as well.
DADDY TO THE RESCUE! (my sweet hubby is VERY VERY VERY sick) but he sat by my little man to help him get his work done. 

When I was finishing up vacuuming at bedtime, my son really wanted to pull out his train track, I told him no, and he got upset and hid.  I sat on the floor had him come and sit on my lap.  I have been so overwhelmed with so many things right now, it was wonderful to sit down and take a moment to talk with my son!
Those sweet moments make it all worth while and I know that no matter what, HE is why i do it all, and nothing else matters.

WEEK!!

Yes it has been a WEEK. I swore i would never do this, but I have!!

In the past few days my BABY BOY turned 1,

We also decided to go to snowbird for Octoberfest!!! 

AND my hubby and I are looking at buying a new house.

 

We LOVE IT.  Once we know alittle more I will share it, but for now we are day dreaming of a REAL BACK YARD!!

However I can't make a post without talking about the BUDGET!

Our budget has been at the forefront of our minds at this time.  As we prepare to put in an offer on a home, we started by running all the numbers.  We talked with a Loan officer who is AMAZING EVERY OTHER ONE we have ever worked with SUCKED, but this lady, so far is TOTALLY AMAZING!

Because I have been using a google doc for along time, it was easy to plug in a few other options to the budget. Also with this I have been learning about amortization in my current College course.

 I will add it once I figure out how, but I am alive, I will be BACK SOON in more detail, and I hope you will all join us on our fun adventure!!

Budgeting for Birthdays!

This week is the last week I will have an official "BABY" on Sunday he will turn 1!
Man how time FLY'S!!! lol

With the wonderful creation of pintrest.  There are so many out there with BIG FANCY ideas for their child's birthday.  

  

There is a blog (that I cant think of right now, but I hope to add it later) where there is a mom who feels so overwhelmed because her child does not have 

the perfect lunch.

Or the Perfect Bed

Or the Perfect Planned out Crafts

I am NOT one of these moms.! 

When my Liam turned one.  I was SO EXCITED We went ALL OUT.  We bought every Baby's 1st! birthday thing we could, and we went crazy at the toy store.  We finally had a kid to buy for.  Then he turned 2 and to say that birthday #1 was big.  #2 was BIGGER...

Then, we started to learn.  We were on a SUPER TIGHT budget for his 3rd Birthday, SO I took him to the store and we looked at cakes, he didn't seem to be interested, however when we got to the bakery aisle he was in HEAVEN!! So I bought him the cake of his choice, and he and I make it and decorated it together.

Now as we prepare for our second sons birthday, I remember all the HOOPLA that we did for my first.  However, what difference did it make?  NONE 

So for my little Ewan, we decided to Save our pennies for something that will make a DIFFERENCE,  (getting out of debt and becoming financial free) and keeping his Birthday simple.

Do you have any ways of saving your budget?

School!

School is one of those necessary evil's right? lol

I love school.  I love to learn and push myself.  However now that I am in my last semester of college for my Bachelors of Science Degree I can't wait to be DONE!!

I feel that it is slightly ironic that my oldest Liam started Kingdergarden a few weeks ago.

School is something that really will hit a budget hard.  It can make either little bumps and buses or HUGE divets, or it can make the whole thing come CRASHING DOWN!!!!

At this point, I MUST admit that my son is in private school.  We are not the predominate Utah religion and at this time we are trying to decide what is the best way to work with this.  
ALSO, he is in full day kindergarten, so by having him there I save money by not having to pay for daycare.

I do NOT believe in student loans, for the sake of student loans, Eventhough we do pay monthly on my hubby's.  We are not adding to our school debt. 


What do you feel is the most important part of education?  How would you decide to handle kids education?

The WHOLE SHABANG!! Part 2!

I hope everyone got a good night sleep and DIDN'T think TOO much about how to break down the budget.

When we left off we had $695 per 2 weeks to use and divide up! for pay check 1 and pay check 2.
I just kinda played around with what I have, along with looked through what we spent on average and added that in.  Hoping for alittle left over in the end
Remember how I said this is a living document, this is where that comes in. BIG TIME

Food	Food	200
	Dining Out	50
Other	Boys	45
	Church	220
	Clothes	20
	Dates	50
	Gifts	20
	House	20
	Personal	20
	Shady (dog)	10
	Spending	40

The spending is $20 Cash each for myself and my hubby to do ANYTHING we want with. No need to report or explain.
The boys money is split into both of their accounts as an automatic withdrawal along with the church money that is just pulled out of our account.  We "don't ever see it".
The other ones are the hard ones.

I recommend starting with the ENVELOPE system. IT IS HARD!!! trust me it is, but if you want your money to grow on tree's it takes some work.
This is where you need to break them down, put the correct amount in each and see how it goes.
BEFORE you decide to take money from one category to the other you MUST talk to your spouse.  You MUST take your envelopes with you when you are spending money! WATCH IT LIKE CRAZY!!!
Find out what you need to barrow from where and build your next budget.

I choose to use the system and breakdown what is being taken out, and it is hard, really it is.

I will attach my docs that I use.  I choose to use Google docs, because I can view them on my phone, on my computer at home, at work (during lunch), or anywhere else there is the internet.  But I will be adding them as excell Docs.

This budget gives me an extra $250.  I choose to keep that in the account, because this is just a GUESS I have no idea how the budget will go, and hopefully it is left over and that goes STRAIGHT to debt!!

Well HONESTLY this is my favorite thing.  Building my budget working with it and addressing it.  Hopefully you all agree and can learn from this!

The WHOLE SHABANG!!

 There are MANY different ways to build a budget.  I have shown already my 3 basic categories!
Bills 
Food
Other

Now we have a few steps we should take.
Something to remember: a BUDGET is a living breathing document.  It changes more then anything else out there.  It is necessary to work on it, and there is no such thing as a perfect budget, because it CHANGES!
 
1: Get rid of the Credit!!!
When working on a budget you need to take a Leap of Faith.
-Hebrews 11: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

I will discuss a few things in the future about His money Her money, but NOT today!! So stay tuned.  The readers digest version I DO NOT believe in separate money.

With this leap of faith, it is time to cut up all the cards. EVERY ONE OF THEM, even if it saves you 2%.  YOU NEED THEM GONE!!!

2. Have everything in ONE account.  It is really easy to lose things when there are many accounts you need one.

3.  Now you need to decide a time frame.  There are a few options

   a. Monthly

   b: 1st and 15th

   c: weekly

   d: biweekly

   e: MIS.

This is how you will break down your budget.  For my family for all of 2012 and prior I did it monthly.  While working on our budget for 2013 we decided to mix it up.  We have changed our budget to biweekly.  My husband and I get paid every other week, so we used that as our framework.  The once a month budget wasn't working so we needed to change it.  

4. Decide what form you will use a spread sheet, a Google doc, or a plain peace of paper.

5. Now the fun part :) Well if you are me.  

Start by working with your time frame.  If you choose 1 month, put all your bills and the dates they are due.  

I do mine biweekly (since my bills are due the same day every month, but my paychecks are not on the same days)

 This is MY budget for Aug 2013

We get paid on 8/2, 8/16, and 8/30 (a 3 check month!) 

Bills

Daycare (1)

HOA (1)               Check 1

Power (1)

Mortage (15)

Gas (23)

Cell Phone (23)

Insurance (24)         Check 2

Student Loan (25) 

Internet (26) 

Netflix (28)

Debt

I have 2 debts take those and split them in half.

Now that I know what bills go where this is what I do next.

 

	Check 1
	Income
Bills	Daycare
	HOA
	Power
Debt	Car
	Credit Card
Food	Food
	Dining Out
Other	Boys
	Church
	Clothes
	Dates
	Gifts
	House
	Personal
	Shady (dog)
	Spending
	Check 2
	Income
Bills	Mortage
	Gas
	Cell Phone
	Insurance
	Student Loan
	Internet
	Netflix
Debt	Car
	Credit Card
Food	Food
	Dining Out
Other	Boys
	Church
	Clothes
	Dates
	Gifts
	House
	Personal
	Shady (dog)
	Spending

Build this!! Now we need to put money into it.  

This is REALLY the hard part!

	Check 1	Money	Amount Left
	Income	2200
Bills	Daycare	600	1600
	HOA	110	1490
	Power	100	1390
Debt	Car	133	1257
	Credit Card	125	1132
Food	Food		1132
	Dining Out		1132
Other	Boys		1132
	Church		1132
	Clothes		1132
	Dates		1132
	Gifts		1132
	House		1132
	Personal		1132
	Shady (dog)		1132
	Spending		1132
	Check 2
	Income	2200
Bills	Mortgage	1200	1000
	Gas	100	900
	Cell Phone	25	875
	Insurance	120	755
	Student Loan	130	625
	Internet	100	525
	Netflix	9	516
Debt	Car	133	383
	Credit Card	125	258
Food	Food		258
	Dining Out		258
Other	Boys		258
	Church		258
	Clothes		258
	Dates		258
	Gifts		258
	House		258
	Personal		258
	Shady (dog)		258
	Spending		258

From here you can see we have quite a few blanks, ALONG with having an extra amount. 1132+258= $1390 to still work on. And this is the challenging part.  We have all the food and others to break down now.

This is when I recommend you pull out your previous bank statements and find out an average of what you spend, or just break it down.  Take what we have and use your best guess as to where to put it.  For ME I would take the 1,390 and divide it by 2.

Giving me $695 for 2 weeks.  Then time to break down.

Time to continue to think about this.... This is a LONG Enough post for one day.  We will meet back here tomorrow to finish building this budget!