february finances update (day 6)

This is harder than I had anticipated…and we’re only 6 days in. What we didn’t account for in our budget was all the unexpected spending that comes with being an grown up. For example, today we had to pay $45 for an Air Care inspection for our car. Something that wasn’t a luxury, something that HAD to be done, but something that also wasn’t in our budget. It was no big deal because we’re just pretending this month – but if this was not just a pretend exercise, but real life, I really don’t know where that $45 would have come from. But I can tell you where it would have ended up: on our credit card.

Ugh. I understand that credit can be a very useful and necessary tool, however, I just really hate it. I’ve learned my lesson on being fun and fancy free with credit and that’s a lesson that I don’t NOT want to have to learn again.

So, I guess it’s back to the spreadsheet to figure out how to incorporate an “unexpected expenses” category for each month. This is a good thing though, and just another reason why it’s such a good idea to test this new budget while we still have a safety net. I’m going to say it once: Hubby, you were right (that almost killed me).

february finances

2013 seems to be the year of finance.

Today, January 31, 2013, Hubby and I are starting a month long financial challenge.  We're cutting my income down by almost half (53% to be exact) and putting the remaing 47% into savings/paying off credit (we don't have much debt, so most will go into savings).

I know, we're nuts - but in a good way.

We're challenging ourselves to see how little we can really live on.

Can we really go with only eating at home, and not spending money on entertainment?

Can we really be disciplined enough to stick to our budget and not over spend?

We'll see, I'll let you know how it goes...

2013 budget tips

Welcome to 2013!

Yes, I do know that 2013 started 13 days ago, however, it seems that I'm just now getting back into a healthy, regular routine again.

Back to the gym.  Back to eating healthy dinners.  Back to not drinking every day.  Back to not spending money like we're millionaires.

I never really make New Year resolutions.  I find that they too often get broken before we even hit February.  So, I usually just mentally list out my goals for the year.  

In 2013 I want to:

keep living a healthy, active lifestyle

lose the last 15 lbs (always the hardest, see above)

save money so that when then time for a baby comes, we'll have a little bit tucked away

Pretty standard goals, right?

Hubby and I have had a budget for a number of years now, and, as with all good budgets, it's constantly evolving.  I mean, what's the point in having a budget if you don't actually follow it?

We were notorious for spending hours perfecting our budget in our Excel spreadsheet, however, we still always seemed to be living paycheque-to-paycheque.

Just recently, Hubby and I  recognized that the majority of our over spending was happening in the restaurant and entertainment categories in our budget.  It would start with us going out for sushi on a weeknight when we didn't want to cook, or had nothing in the fridge for dinner.  Then we'd go out and have dinner and drinks with friends over the weekend.  Before you knew it we were regularly spending three times our budget each month.  Not very productive in saving money.

In order to keep our spending in check, we implemented a system that goes something like this:

• we created three envelopes (labelled groceries, entertainment, and restaurants) 
• each time Amanda gets paid (twice a month) we put $100 into each of our restaurant and entertainment envelopes
• each time Amanda AND Trevor get paid (works out to once a week) we put $100 into our grocery envelope
• ANY spending we do on restaurants, entertainment, or groceries has to come out of our envelopes - period.  We're not allowed to use our debit/credit cards for spending in the categories
• we are allowed, however, to use money from one envelope for another category (example: we can use the money from our entertainment envelope to pay for groceries that we're buying to host a dinner party
• any money left over in the envelopes stays in the applicable envelope and we can take it out and use it for whatever we want

I cannot even begin to tell you how well this system in working for us.  We usually end up with money left over in the envelopes before we replenish them.  Plus, it's actually become a little bit for a challenge for us.  Do we really want to go out for dinner and spend they money, or can we just whip something up at home and save the money?  More often than not we end up just saving the money.  Plus, eating at home usually means that we eat healthier (which will also help with my first two goals).  

Do you think this might work for your budget?  Maybe give it a try!

how to: survive nablopomo

I have to be honest.  I'm kind of really happy that November is almost over.  Not that I don't love it, but by the end of the month, blogging every day gets a little challenging.  Ok, a lot challenging.  So, I figured that I'd share with you my tips on how to survive NaBloPoMo.  Here it goes:

1.  SCHEDULE, SCHEDULE, SCHEDULE.

Before November even started, I started scheduling my posts.  You know how whenever you would have to write a paper in highschool or university, you'd always start with an outline?  Well, this is no different.  I like to see what the plan it - what I'm going to be writing about for the month.  It's still organic though; not written in stone.  The outline is just a guideline, it's constantly changing.

2.  HAVE "THEME DAYS"

Sunday Suppers.  Wordless Wednesdays.  Follow Fridays.  These are the "theme days" that I use during NaBloPoMo (and the rest of the year!) and I find that they really help me out.  They take the pressure off of deciding what to blog about that day.  Plus, the Wordless Wednesdays are a nice way to let your pictures do the taking.  It's an easy blogging day.

3.  USE THE "SCHEDULE" FEATURE

Here's my secret: I don't blog every day.  Sure, there's a new blog post each day in November, but I don't sit down and write every day.  I write in chunks; two or three posts at a time.  It's what works for me.  It allows me to have days "off", yet still get all my posts done.  I just schedule the posts to auto-post on the days that I want.  I don't think I could do NaBloPoMo without this.

4.  HAVE FUN!

The whole idea behind NaBloPoMo (and blogging!) is to have fun!  Don't take it too seriously.  If you miss a post, don't worry about it, it happens to the best of us.  Relax and have fun!

saturn return

"Saturn return is...an alleged phenomenon which is described as influencing a person's life development at 27 to 29 or 30-year intervals. These intervals or "returns" coincide with the approximate time it takes the planet Saturn to make one orbit around the sun. It is believed by astrologers that, as Saturn "returns" to the degree in its orbit occupied at the time of birth, a person crosses over a major threshold and enters the next stage of life. With the first Saturn return, a person leaves youth behind and enters adulthood. With the second return, maturity. And with the third and usually final return, a person enters wise old age."

Source: Wikipedia

I feel like I'm in a really strange stage of my life right now, as I'm entering my 27th year.

I'm at a really strange point in my career.  Outgrowing my current position, but not yet quite ready for the next.

I'm not sure if I'm ready to take on the challenge of being a parent, but I ache to be a mom.

I'm on the precipice of my first Saturn return; I'm moving from childhood into adulthood. But right now I don't quite fit into either stage; I'm in between.  There are so many changes on my horizon, but I'm not sure if I'm ready for them.  I'm. Scared. To. Death. I'm scared of the unknown.  I guess this is all just part of growing up.

eight days

Only eight more days.

Only eight more days until the 'mo gets shaved. #movember

Only eight more days until I no longer have to blog every.  Single.  Day. #nablopomo

Only eight more days until a new David's Tea shop opens right beside my work. #obsessed

The countdown is ON!

america, eff ya

Oh, America.

The land of the free.  The land of the brave.  And the land of the discount shopping.

This past weekend, my mom and I went on a girls' shopping trip down to the states.  This usually consists of shopping until we're exhausted, eating at the olive garden, and searching for new and fun foods to bring back to our boys in Canada.

It was a great weekend filled with quality mother/daughter time.  I needed it.  It was nice to re-charge with my mommy.

homemade cleaning supplies

For a while now I've been wanting to try my hand at making my own, natural cleaning supplies. Something about clenaing our home with chemicals and cancer-causing ingredients just didn't sit well with me. So, when I needed to mop our floors this past weekend, and I realized that I didn't have any floor cleaner on hand, I decided that now would be a good time to give this a whirl.

I found a recipe on Pinterest for a "heavy duty floor cleaner". Perfect. Thanks, Pinterest!

I found that this worked so well that I wanted to try other stuff.  So I tried a tub/shower cleaner recipe that also works great.  Both recipes are below if you're interested.

HOMEMADE FLOOR CLEANER

I love this recipe.  I found that it didn't give my floors that nice shine (my tile turned out dull), but they just feel so clean underfoot that I'm willing to live with dull, but super-clean, floors.

1/4 cup bakings soda
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon dish soap
2 gallons hot tap water

Combine all ingredients in a bucket.  Mop away.

HOMEMADE TUB/SHOWER CLEANER

This takes not time at all to make, and it's so easy to use.  I keep it in my shower and just clean in while I'm in there on the weekends.  That way, it takes no time at all to keep our showers and tub looking spotless!  Note that the wand you buy should not be one with an abrasive pad, otherwise, you'll ehnd up with scratches on your tub and/or shower.

1 soap-dispensing dish wand
white vinegar
dish soap

Fill the wand half and half with vinegar and soap.  To use, wet the surface, scrub, and rinse.  It's that easy!

how to: organize

I'll be the first one to admit being a total organization freak.  Seriously.  You have no idea how excited I was when I recently bought some under-bed storage bins from IKEA.  They basically made me as happy as I was on my wedding day.  I. Am. A. Loser.

Hubby went away for a weekend a little while ago and left me home all alone; what did I do?  I organized our office/guest room.  It was one of the best weekends of my life. 

all the clothes from my dresser - in a large pile

While thinking about my love and appreciation for organizing, I came to the realization that not everybody shares my love for this wonderful thing.  I know, it really shook my world too.  How could somebody not love organizing?!?  I think that people don't like it, or find it annoying, because it can be very overwhelming.  I get it.  There's a lot of stuff.  Where do you even begin?  Let me break it down for you!

obsessed

Hello, my name is Amanda and I'm an addict.  Yep, that's right.  I'm completely, 100% addicted to tea; David's Tea to be exact.

The other day David's unveiled their new, winter collection of teas; and, like any good addict, I was there.  I was on the hunt for something that I knew would change my life: cookie dough tea.

Yes, you read that correctly.  It's tea.  Flavoured like sugar cookie dough.  With no calories.  See why I'm addicted?

go lions go!

Yesterday afternoon, I was fortunate enough to watch Vancouver DESTROY Edmonton in the CFL Western final.  It was such a great afternoon.

hubby and i at the game  

wordless wednesday - home sweet home

[Alright, NaBloPoMo, here we go...]

nablopo..what?

This November I'm trying to decide if I want to participate in NaBloPoMo.  What the heck is NaBloPoMo, you ask?  It stands for National Blog Posting Month.  It's easy, all you have to do is post every day during the month of November.

Sure, it's easy in theory, but I have a hard enough time trying to find things to write about when I don't have the pressure of writing each day, nevermind when I actually have to.  However, maybe this will push me to actually start posting more; to spark my creativity.

So, I'm still on the fence...stay tuned!

wordless wednesday - book box kitty

PS:  Thanks to my Sister-In-Law for the wordless wednesday inspiration :)



secret single behaviour

One of the small things in life that makes me really happy is being alone. Not that I'm not completely in love with Hubby, but if he's out of the house for the night or the weekend, there are certain things that I look forward to. You know what I'm talking about: Secret Single Behaviour.

What's Secret Single Behaviour, you ask? Well, clearly you haven't watched nearly enough Sex and the City. Secret Single Behaviour is the stuff that you only do while you're home by yourself.

my love of Pinterest

I should be writing about our weekend trip to Victoria, but I can't stop thinking about one thing:  Pinterest.

Have you heard of Pinterest yet?  It's pretty awesome!  Pinterest describes themselves as:

"a virtual pinboard that lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes."

summatime

It's Saturday afternoon and I lay down on the grass, letting the sun kiss my bare arms and legs; such a nice change from the rain and clouds.  I take in a deep breath and smell the mix of clean laundry and warm grass.  I close my eyes and listen to the sounds of this summer day; the waves crashing against the shore, the children running and laughing, and the sound of the leaves rustling in the sweet summer breeze.

I start reading the pages of my new book, reading the words, my mind is transported into another world. I'm calm, finally at peace after an emotional and draining month. Eventually I drift into a half sleep/half meditation. I soak up this time. This pause in life, this moment to relax and enjoy the quiet peacefulness of the day.

heartbroken

Last night, after the Canucks lost, my facebook status was "I'm heartbroken".

Little did I know that I wasn't even close to being heartbroken in that moment.  For me, the real heartbreak came when I watched our city get trashed, looted, and burned.

I'm so deeply saddened by these events that I can't find the words to describe how I'm feeling.

Upset.  Heartbroken.  Devastated.

These words just don't seem to fully convey how utterly hurt I am.

i need a slide...

Okay, so I need to buy a slide.  Oh, and adopt another kitten.  Seriously.



six little loves

The other day I took a second to read through all my old blog posts. It's neat to see how my little blog has grown and changed in its short life on the web.  But, man, can my posts ever be long winded!  So today, you get short and sweet!

I wanted to share with you the small things that I love. My little treasures, if you will. Enjoy.