H54F

It's that time of the week again!!!

Happy Friday Everyone!!!!

1. Love taking walks in the neighborhood!

2. Deodorant wipes??? Um. Yes. 

3. Blanket tents are the best!

4.  Air popped popcorn in our Jammies!!!

5.  Sleeping babies. 

Have a great weekend!!!

H54F

1.  LOVE shopping with my family.  And LOVE that this guy is dating my sister!  What a trooper

2.  This is what happens when KA lets her hair air dry.  (Yes I am speaking about myself in the 3rd person)

3.  How can you not love this little guy?  

4.  The art of a 5 year old boy.  How can we forget about the art of a 5 year old boy?

5.  So grateful that God produces a means for our earth to replenish, but also grateful that we got out of this storm safely.  

High Five Everyone!!!!

Week 7 Update......

Getting closer.....and closer.......

Well this week has most definitely had its challenges.  I started my new job a week before last but had my first overnight shifts this week.  Holy moly.....My husband has been great with the kids and letting me sleep.  But my house looks like it exploded.....Clothes....dirty dishes...you name it.  

The upside is that I have already gotten my first check.  Yay!  Playing catch up is really nice.  In spite of the "extra" money, we did not shop for any extra stuff or go out to eat a ton.  We did eat out once this week as a family and I had lunch with my sister.  Other than a pedicure, which let me tell you, was necessary (can you say sore, cracked heels?), nothing extra. 

Can I tell you how huge this is for us, for just a moment?  It is really huge.  The hubster and I are both shoppers.  We shop when we are happy, we shop when we are sad, we even shop when we are mad. One HUGE gain for the Smith family.  I think I already said it was huge.  But really....It was huge.

So to give the gory details....Still no money in savings.  This will change next week.  It has to.  We paid off another $321 dollars in debt.  We didn't add any new debt and kept our spending under control.  As tiring as this week has been with the new schedule, it was a satisfying one for sure.  

    

                                      

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Week 6 Update......

Well week 6 is over.  Finally....This week has had some added stress with the fires close by our house. We are so fortunate as over 400 homes were lost in this fire alone.  So very sad....

All of that to say, I start my new job tomorrow.  I am happy for that.  FINALLY, I can start bringing in some money.  We have still done really well this week as far as buying extras.  We have only spent money on bills, food and gas.  That is a big step.  I don't think we've gone quite this long without caving in the past.  We are doing well, sticking with our budget too.  Now if we could just get that $1,000 in savings....... Soon.

We are waiting for payment on the odd jobs that we recently took and the money for selling things is no longer coming in.  Once my husband gets back from his business trip, it will be time to set down again and reevaluate priorities.  We still have some catching up to do.  About 4 more weeks and we will be at water level, instead of below.  Can I get an AMEN????

The Cut Up Party Hostess..........

This week too, I pulled all of my department store credit cards out of my wallet and had a cut up party. I was surprised that when I pulled them out, I was actually hesitant.  I know that we have not been disciplined with them and I know that they needed to go.  But, honestly, a part of me struggled to pull them out and cut them up.  That may sound strange.  To have some sort of attachment to my credit cards. I would venture to say that I am not the only one who feels this way.  If I was, we wouldn't have the debt that we do in this country.  Not only do the cards give us some imagined buying power, but they are also almost a status for some people.  I know that in years past, I have thought how "LUCKY" some of my friends were for having as many cards as they did.  WOW.  Now that I have them, I see how easily they can take control of your life.  You get trapped into thinking that you will only use them "once" or "just for this sale" or "just until next payday"......Well, many a payday has rolled around and many a cards have been left with a balance.  NO MORE!!!!!  Here are my before and after shots of my credit cards.  This week, I am going to call and actually cancel them.  But for today, while I had the guts, my scissors and I had a party.  And then a glass of wine.........

                        

Before........

                        

After.....

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High 5 For Friday.......

1. There's nothing like being upgraded on a flight.....A little more leg room=One Happy Traveler!

2.  Loved that my cab driver from the Toronto Airport had was a closet Disco Man!

3.  My new travel hair care routine......Let's just say the Ottawa water and lack of good hair products did not make for a very pretty week.  Thankfully, Toronto was much better in the hair department.

4.  This was my snacking material for the last three days in Canada.  I was lucky enough to have a market with a fruit and salad bar just around the corner from my hotel.  YUMMY!!!

5.  Strawberry, banana Jamba Juice.  I think I will.  

High 5 Everyone!! 

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Week 5 Update...

Well, we are in the delayed gratification stage of our debt payoff.  We have worked a ton of hours, sold a bunch of stuff, gotten more jobs and now we wait.  We wait for the money to start coming in from the jobs, the reimbursements to come in from the things that we sold to pay for the trips that made us some extra money and for the new jobs to start.  OH!  But before I forget, I did make $118 dollars this week with my direct sales company.  Yay me!  That was really helpful.

    *Me working in the hotel.  Loved this lap desk by the way.........

It is a bit of a struggle this week.  I have been in a different country and wanted to shop, shop, shop.  But I didn't.  Part of me feels really good about it and another part of me REALLY wishes I could have just bought some stuff.  Not a lot of stuff, but stuff none the less.  *SIGH*  Like I said in the beginning, it is what it is.

Another thing that was a bit different this week was how we handled our food bill.  We did shop a little for necessities {milk, bread, T.P.; Can we please not discuss the catastrophe that happens when we are out of T.P.? Thank you.}; but have been using the stuff that we have to make it through the next several weeks.  We have had 2 of my husband's second job paydays go by now without a paycheck as he is on hiatus for the summer and man does it hurt.  You don't realize how much you depend on that money until it's gone.  

All of that said, we are still in a pretty good place.  Still doing better, not creating any more debt, and looking forward to paying off some in just a couple of weeks.  I think the best thing that's happened in all of this, is that our attitude has changed.  SIGNIFICANTLY.  We are both working on the debt now, neither one of us is in the corner trying to hide from it.  I can not even express in words how much this has changed our relationship and our bank accounts.  It still isn't pretty, but it's definitely headed in the right direction.

We still do not have any money in savings.....Ugh....But maybe by next weeks update I will have better news in this department!  Wish us luck. 

                                 

  *Traveling 31 Style.  I am exhausted, but the outcome will be well worth it. 

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H54Friday

What a great week!  I have been in Canada all week on business.  I feel so grateful that God has blessed me with an education that I can use to feed, clothe and make my family feel secure.  Canada is a beautiful country.  Thank you for this opportunity, Lord. Feeling Blessed.  :)

1.  Who knew two little chocolates could make a person feel so warm and fuzzy.  

2.  Keurig??? I think I will......

3.  This little guy is going to become a part of the Smith family sometime soon.  I can not tell you how easy it made posting on the blog and other places.  EVERYONE should get one. Now to find out where.....

4.  The beautiful view that God created, from my hotel room window.  Breathtaking.

5.  The sweet man that looked like Santa in the airport on the way to Ottawa.  It makes me want to be a kid again and believe in the pure, little things.......

Happy Friday everyone! 

Week 4 Updates................

Two steps forward.......Four steps back.

This has been a rough week.  We have had do postpone paying some of our bills due to an issue that came up.  It is so frustrating.  I start work this week, so as of June 7th, we will be bringing in some more money.  

Next week, I will be out of town on business, but it is one of those, reimbursement situations.  I pay for the hotel, food and plane ticket up front and get reimbursed.  The ONLY reason we decided to do this at this time, is because I will make $1,000 for 4 days worth of work.  After babysitting clears, I will still have a chunk to put towards our debt.  

We also had to buy more than our normal amount of groceries this week.  We were out of every meat possible.  Meat is really expensive.  I mean seriously people----EXPENSIVE!  We were in the habit of buying a half a cow and a full hog when we lived in Iowa, which saved us a TON, but we haven't found anyone here yet that sells live stock for butcher.  We also TRY to have one day per week where we do not eat meat, {difficult to do with my Iowa born and bred husband} and one day is left overs.

But the good news is that the week finished strong!  We got an extra little bit of money--going towards debt--and the opportunity to make an extra $1,000 between the two of us on another job that came up.  It's going to require traveling a bit, but that can be exciting---aaaannnndddd, it isn't on our dime.  Yay!!!  I also had a good show with my direct sales business this week.  It won't be a ton of money, but definitely worth the effort.  It worked out to be around $42 per hour.  Not bad, people.  Not bad at all.

We have been so blessed this week.  Even though it originally started out rough, God AGAIN has provided for us.

In the last 4 weeks that leaves us with a total of:  $316,849.62   This is $1,400.00 less than we started with a month ago!  Baby Steps.  Have a great day!

Not Working.........Yet

So one of the tasks that I have been trying to check off of my list is getting a job.  We have been in Colorado now for 6 months and no luck yet. Until recently.  Don't get me wrong, working in the home is just as rewarding emotionally, if not more so, but this Momma needs to bring in some money to put towards our debt.

With our budget, if I could clear $1,000 per month, we would be golden.  I can do that in various ways and have been getting creative in doing so.  Let's be honest "bringing in" $1,000 per month, can mean many different things.  For example, I have started clipping coupons religiously. {See my coupon clipping video from 5/5/13} and we plan trips to the "city" so that we are running errands in all one trip to save on gas.  My just now 5 year old and I rarely drive anywhere during the week except to pick up the girls from school {they are too far to walk home and their school does not offer a bus}.  We save a ton on gas by planning our trips accordingly and not spending time in stores window shopping. {Can you say IMPULSE BUYING!}  So we pack a picnic and walk to the park instead.  Just as fun, so much cheaper and gets some pent up energy out of the little guy.  I calculate that this saves us at least $100 per month in gas alone. 

$900 to go..........

I started an at home business via a direct sales company in February.  This has helped some as well.  I can work around my husband's work schedule doing home parties and don't have to pay for child care.  When I do have to pay for child care, it is minimal.  I am making about $30 per month right now.  Not a ton, but at this point it is 3/4 tank of gas.  Something is better nothing, right? Plus, as I go, I book more shows and the money will follow.  

$870 to go..........

Back to the coupon clipping......... I didn't address how much this saves us per month but talked about it above.  Honestly, it varies each month.  And it's not just about clipping the coupons.  I also have to plan out meals and plan our shopping trips more carefully.  Not that I didn't do this when I was working, we owed less and were making more, but I was a bit more lax with the "rules".  When I stayed home before, I would shop once every two weeks.  I planned out meals and still used my crockpot as much as I could.  But.....if my husband was craving steak one morning, I would accomodate this craving.  Immediately. Now I am not trying to be dramatic.  And I don't mean to say that my husband would say "jump" and I would say "how high?", but I was much more accomodating to his or my, for that matter, last minute grocery requests.  Now, we do without until the next shopping trip.  For example, if we run out of milk for cereal in the mornings before I go shopping on Friday, then we run out.  It is not the end of the world.  I no longer panic.  It just is.  So then we eat something else. Our cupboards are NEVER bare.  In fact I often have a small stash of regular staples.  But we are NOT good about running to the store and buying the one thing that we need.  So now, we put it on the list and wait.  We are fine.  We are not starving.  We do not eat black and white boxes of macaroni and cheese for weeks on end.  And we are fine.  But this planning and coupon clipping saves us easily, $200 per month.  Again, some months are better than others.  Some months, I cave.  But mostly, this helps considerably.

$670 to go..........

Alright, now I am getting to the nitty gritty.  We keep our house at 68 degrees in the winter and well over 75 degrees in the summer {no air conditioning}, so I don't feel as though we are wasting a bunch of money on utilities.  Keep in mind, we do have my husband's grandmother living with us and she keeps her apartment in the basement at 75 year round.  This does cause a rise in our utility bills, but it is what it is.  She is 94 and has skin as thin as tissue paper.  We have also gone around the house and changed out all of our lightbulbs to more efficient lightbulbs.  We turn lights off when we leave the rooms {most of the time, we have three kids still at home} and don't leave things running that are not necessary.  I don't feel as though we are wasteful, but always try to be as efficient as possible with our utilities.

Still $670 to go.......

Ok....Now for the wasteful utilities.  We have decided that cable is in our budget to stay.  We are a t.v. and movie watching family.  While my husband and I disagree on whether or not cable is necessary, it is in our household expenses.  This could save us some money.  Around $100 per month, in fact.  I am still working on that.  For now, it stays.  We also have a subscription to Netflix.  Honestly, they should make us pay more.  We use the heck out of Netflix.  $7.99 per month stays too.  The other thing we have is the internet.  Since my husband has a second job teaching online, this to is a necessary wasteful expense.  I always try to get the best deals with these types of things.  For example, if I see that a particular company is offering new customers a certain deal, then I call and ask for a better deal too.  This works more often than not.  I may not get the deal that new customers will get, but often they will offer me $20-$50 off per month.  This takes effort and you have to be on top of it, but it never hurts to ask.  I do try to avoid resigning a contract to get the deal.  I think this is just a money trap and if we ever have to move, or do finally agree that cable is not a "necessity", then I do not want to have to pay a huge fee to get out of it.

Still $670 to go..........

I have been able to get a part time gig teaching, which I enjoy.  This isn't consistent however.  It depends on enrollment of students and what is currently going on with college funding and the government.  Which is a hot mess right now.........But I do get to teach some and I try to teach when my husband can be home so that I do not have to pay for child care.  I am teaching a ways from home right now and so I am having to pay out for child care this coming term.  I do make sure that I teach more than one class to make it financially feasible for our family.  This brings in around $500 per month, but only when I am teaching.

Still $670 to go.........

I NEED TO START WORKING PEOPLE!!!! It will come.  In God's timing.  

Next time, I will post more about how I am working to bring in money by decreasing our outgoing debt each month.  Thank you for reading!  

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High 5 For Friday

                            

High 5 For Friday!!

This week I have a theme; Family.  I have been reminded more than once this week that this is what is most important in life.  More important than money, bills, what people think, ANYTHING else.  My family doesn't always get along and can be stubborn when it comes to forgiving one another.  But deep down we love each other.  We would walk across hot coals for each other.....As long as it doesn't ruin our pedicure, of course. :)  Happy Friday!

1.  Our youngest Elliot.  Always ready for the camera with a smile.  Gives the best kisses. And is always willing to watch a good movie, in his pajamas, eating popcorn.  I love you sweet boy.

2.  The oldest of the Littles.  Sweet Emma is our emotional one.  She feels more deeply than all of our other children.  She is very funny and super smart.  I love you and am so proud of you my lovely daughter.

3.  This week our 3rd grandbaby was born.  Welcome to the world Saphira!  I can't wait to get to know you.

4.  Oh Addy Kathryn......This lovely, has the challenge of being just like her momma.  Spunky, funny, caring and LOUD!!  Please, dear child, become an attorney or hostage negotiator.  I wouldn't want one of your biggest talents to go to waste!  I love you.

5.  The handsome guy in the glasses is my baby brother Kit.  He is my hero.  He is also the most selfless person I know.  We are so blessed to have him.  I love you Kitter Bug.

I linked up with Lauren Elizabeth for High 5 for Friday! {My computer and I are still in couples counseling} http://www.thelaurenelizabeth.com/

Week 3 update.....What a week...........

Holy smokes!  What a week this has been! I started the week with a part time job and ended the week with four jobs.  How did that happen, you ask?  Well let me tell you......

I got a full time job in my field that I will begin mid June.  I will be working three, 12 hour, 3rd shifts.  Not the best hours, but it will keep the most amount of money coming in as day care costs will be minimal. {We will only need two days of day care so that I can sleep, the other times my husband can be with the children}.  I was also offered a couple of classes to teach in the evenings at another college.  While these classes will only last 11 weeks, it will be a great way to boost the income coming into the house to pay off some serious debt over the next 2 months.  I am also a part of a direct sales company and have had several opportunities come in over the last week that will continue to make that a lucrative option to bring in extra money too.  Lastly, I was offered a position to do some program evaluations for a few technical colleges.  This will not be a regular gig, but will allow us to bring in some money a few times a year.  Either way, the extra money is really helpful.  Woo hoo!

As many of you may know, we have been selling several things that are just sitting around, with the hopes of paying off some debt.  Well, SUCCESS!  We have brought in almost $1,400 thus far and this has allowed us to pay off a debt that was costing us $600 per month.  I can not even tell you the huge weight that was lifted when I paid that debt on Tuesday of this week.  

This week was tough as far as temptations to spend money is concerned.  We did eat our 4 times; the first time in weeks.  And we did buy t-shirts for Memorial Day as we have a special American Legion event on Monday to attend.  Otherwise, we did a great job keeping our expenses at a minimum.  We continue to stay caught up on our regular bills each week.  It will become more difficult over the next several weeks as my husband's second job is on hiatus during the summer months.  It will pick back up in August, but that will mean an $1,800 deficit for the next 2 and a half months.  Not the end of the world, but definitely an adjustment.

I was in the shopping mood this week also.  I did really well and other than the t-shirts and a lipstick, did not buy anything "extra".  My sister and I did make tutu's for the girls to wear to the Memorial Day festivities as well.  I did not go over my "blow money" budget for this week and in fact have saved some money over the last few weeks.  

We continue to get calls a few last items on our garage sale and plan to put that money towards our debt as well!  

Have a great week and happy budgeting!

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Week 2 Update.....We're Getting Serious People!

So the last week has been really interesting.  I applied for, interviewed and got a job!!! Yay me!  This should help considerably put real dent in our debt.

We also cleared out our garage and some other miscellaneous spots in the house, in order to sell some things on Craigslist and have a yard sale.  So far so good!  We have made enough that I will be able to pay off a debt that currently costs us $603.56 per month.  This will allow us to make our other payments on time an start to put a dent in other small debts that will add up to more savings per month.  Our plan is to then put that money towards other debt.  We paid off $362 in debt this week.  Again, this isn't anything "extra", just our normal payments.  Wish us luck!!!

We still do not have any money in savings.  This needs to change SOON!  Our plan, since we are most closely following Dave Ramsey's plan, is to quickly get $1,000 dollars in our savings accounts for emergencies.  He does say to catch up on any bills that you are behind on first.  So that is the plan for now.  CATCH UP!!!  We aren't super behind, but enough that we get a couple of calls per week.  Nothing is going over the 30 day mark, but it is really stressful none the less.

So BIG win this week with the debt!!! Got a job-CHECK; Made some extra money to go towards debt-CHECK; Didn't add any more debt-CHECK!!!

Gotta get help from the Hubster!  He's the tall one.  

My Cleaning Look.  Scary I know.  And no I will not do a tutorial on this look.  :)

Almost done!! Again, thank you HUBBY! You're the best. 

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Week 1 Update

We have been able to get rid of around $500 of debt this week.  We haven't done anything "extra" to bring in any money and have nothing in savings.  This decrease is just in regular payments we have made like we would any other month.  While the progress is small, it is still progress.  

I am currently looking for work so that I can help to bring in some money too.  This has been an ongoing battle for the last 6 months.  I am stuck between jobs that I have the experience for but not the license and jobs that I have too much experience.  Frustrating to say the least.

Anyway, I AM excited that we are chipping away, however small that chip may be at our debt.  Yay!  Freedom is on the way!!!!!

I will update you all each week as to our progress.  Thank you for reading!!

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