Saving Her Life

Good-bye $491.65 and Size 18

2012-02-13T10:00:00.001-05:00

It's a good morning at casa de SHL.

Thanks to a good chunk of extra income AND our tax return, I have eliminated one of our "small" balances on a debt we did a balance transfer on. I just paid the balance of $491.65 in full... and it feels pretty amazing. Before I made this payment, our debt balance was $2,609.87. After this payment, we're just $2,118.22 away from having NO credit card debt (our credit card debt came from transferring medical debts to no-interest cards). It feels good to see that number whittling away. And I'm thanking for zero percent interest cards to do balance transfers with.

AND...

I've been working out diligently and being more aware of what I eat, and I am currently weighing in at 225 pounds (as of my weigh-in this morning). I started the year at 232 pounds (after gaining some weight I loss and then some), and I'm thrilled to see this number dropping as well. I also can say "Adios!" to my size-18 pants. I bought two new pairs of dress pants for work yesterday and discovered that 18s were too big for me. I was shocked when I went to a size 16 and they fit.

I feel like I'm getting back on track to getting this debt and weight gone. Huzzah!

Fitness Update: DVDs and Dancing

2012-02-04T15:50:00.000-05:00

I have been concentrating on eating well and exercising during the month of January. I'm happy to report that I am down to 226 again, which means I have dropped the weight I gained from Thanksgiving and Christmas.

I think my biggest struggle is with the food, but I often have a difficult time motivating myself to workout. I have introduced a few new "tools" to getting me moving more and they have definitely made a difference.

I bought Just Dance 3 during an after-Christmas sale, and I have been regularly "playing" it since. Here's my secret: I love to dance. I may not be the best, but I do love to move to a good song. I didn't use our Wii as much as I'd like to (and I didn't use my Active kit for the longest time), and this game has allowed me to want to get my butt up and have fun.

I have 30 Day Shred checked out from my library right now, and if I keep up kicking my rear end with it until it's time to return it, I may invest in the $10 to have my own copy. I really like the challenge of keeping up with the workout. I like the circuit training, and I like that you have no time to get a break. It's only 20 minutes but I am sweating like a man when I'm through. I feel so accomplished when the workout is over. And Jillian isn't as scary as I thought she would be.

I'm mentioned that I own a few Biggest Loser workout DVD, and I scored the above title at Goodwill last weekend for a whopping $2. I have tried it out yet because I'm trying to get maximum usage out of 30 Day Shred while I have the chance. My focus on sculpting is to get rid of some of my tummy pooch. It's just not cute.

I also religiously use My Fitness Pal to track what I'm eating and get extra motivation.

Have you incorporated any new fitness "tools" or routines into your life lately?

No-Heat Challenge: December/January

2012-01-26T18:15:00.000-05:00

I thought this winter would provide a challenge in keeping our heating costs down. Nope! I'm not complaining about our milder winter, but the challenge simply has not presented itself. I don't know what kind of weather February will bring. I feel positive that the bulk of winter may be over (famous last words, right?) and the challenge may have been moot. Regardless, I'm thrilled with our electric bill over the past few months.

The latest bill we just paid? $69.94.

I may blog about our January/February bill when that comes around if the weather does start to feel more like winter. I guess we succeeded in this challenge, but most of the thanks goes to Mother Nature.

Anybody care to share their electric bill triumphs/woes?

This Evening's Dinner

2012-01-17T18:07:00.000-05:00

While I have blogged about a recipe or two that I have personally made, I generally don't cook. I don't find enjoyment at it, and honestly, I really don't know how. I'm OK with this. I like salads and sandwiches very much. These are the types of dishes I'm attracted to when it comes to preparing food for myself (I also make a mean black-bean-and-cheese quesadilla and can prepare very basic meals).

Hubby is the cook in this family, and he rocks it out in the kitchen. The man is fearless. And I feel very blessed to have a kitchen-savvy spouse. With him not being home during the week, I'm on my own for food. When our families heard this, they all wondered how I'd feed myself.

I could pick something up at a fast food restaurant, but that costs money and isn't a very attractive option. I could pick up premade meals at the grocery store, but I don't like the cost. We keep our kitchen pretty stocked with easy-to-prepare meals - I haven't screwed up spaghetti yet.

So guess what this girl is having for dinner tonight? A bowl of generic Cheerios.

We have four boxes of cereal in the pantry, and I bought a quart of milk over a week ago that I'd hate to see expire. Wham, bam, and dinner is served. It's tasty, it's healthy, and it's frugal to boot.

Now if you'll excuse me, my dinner is calling.

Shampoo at the Salon? No Thanks!

2012-01-14T18:31:00.000-05:00

You know those common sense money-saving techniques that you just seem to overlook? No? Well, I overlooked a major one and corrected my behavior yesterday. Here's the story.

A lesson in "trimming" my hair-maintenance budget. Hardy har!
I am religious about getting hair cuts. I have a lot of curly hair, and it's just a hot mess if I don't get it under control every six weeks. My cut is a curly bob (shorter in the back, longer in the front - what I like to refer to as a reverse mullet), which helps to keep maintenance pretty low. It's the one beauty "procedure" I feel is a necessity... and there is no way my husband will ever come close to my hair with a pair of scissors.

But I digress.

My hair salon moved to a larger location recently, and with that move the prices of its service were slightly raised. (Hmm, larger location means higher prices? What a shocker!) I'm happy to continue my business with the salon because I have a great relationship with my stylist and she knows exactly what I want and how my hair behaves. When I arrived for my appointment yesterday morning, she had noticed that I washed my hair that morning and asked if I wanted it shampooed again or just wet. I opted for the latter, and so the process of lowering my ears began.

Now, before the move, I was paying $25 for a shampoo and cut (not including tip). As my stylist is wetting down my hair, she informs me of the price changes: non-shampoo cuts were going from $20 to $22; shampoo cuts were going from $25 to $27. Two dollars isn't a big difference in price, but I never thought to not get a shampoo because it was just a habit I always had.

I'm glad I had a morning appointment yesterday since I had shampooed my hair less than two hours before. I will continue to have morning appointments so I can go from paying $25 (the former shampoo/cut price) for a haircut to $22 (the current no-shampoo/cut) for a haircut (again, not including tip). My habit will gladly be broken if it means I'll save roughly $30 a year.

Have you ever missed a painfully obvious opportunity to save money?

Frugal Happenings: Free Cappuccino

2012-01-07T12:15:00.000-05:00

As geeky as this sounds, I love when The Non-Consumer Advocate posts about her frugal day-to-day activities. I like learning new frugal tips, and I have every intention of pouring through my copy of The Tightwad Gazette throughout this year. As inspired as Katy's frugal posts are to me, I'm starting to focus more on the frugal actions I take on a daily basis. For example...

- I brought my lunch to work every day, and for three days, the only driving I did was to work and home (a round trip of 8 miles).

- On Thursday, QuikTrip offered its Facebook fans a coupon for a free hot or cold beverage. When I got off work Thursday afternoon, I stopped by QT (which is on my way home) and picked up a 16 oz. almond amaretto cappuccino. I practically drooled over my coupon because I hadn't had coffee for almost a week.

While nothing too earth-shattering, it's a start. By practicing more frugality, I hope to reign in my unnecessary spending to put towards debt and savings.

What are your favorite frugal living practices?

No-Heat Challenge: November/December

2012-01-02T16:40:00.000-05:00

The temperatures have dipped considerably this billing period. We hosted two sets of guests twice in November, and we used the heat for their visits. We have been turning the heat on in the evenings right before bed to keep us warm throughout the night, and we promptly turn the heat off in the morning. I'm all for saving money on our electric bill, but we'd rather not be miserable.

Our bill for this billing cycle (November 10 through December 13)? $75.14

We're still under our "limit" of $80/bill. I'm thrilled about this! For this next cycle, we have spent a considerable amount of time away from home. Two cycles from now, I'm looking forward to seeing the bill because there will only be one of us at home during the week. That one person will be me, and I am planning on testing out some extreme frugality tactics. More on this later!

How is your electric/heating bill doing this winter?

Hello, 2012!

2012-01-01T09:58:00.000-05:00

January 1st snuck up on me. Since my last blog post, I have been in full-swing holiday mode: work, gatherings, a trip out of town, cleaning up from all the fun. This Christmas season has been one of the best ones I've had in my adult life. And now it's the first day of a brand new year! Where does the time go?

I started this blog two years ago, and I have reached goals and failed at goals in that time. Like most everybody today, I am reflecting on my past and have lots of grandiose goals/resolutions for this new year. While I haven't created a list of goals for the year yet, I have been focusing on two lifestyle changes that I'd like to implement.

1. Live healthier.
2. Live more simply.

I can't do all that I want to do without taking care of myself. I've also been struggling to keep a sense of calm in my life. When things get too crazy, I have a hard time dealing with everything and I just melt down. My solution is to live more simply and intentionally.

I guess for this new year, I hope to move into different directions in most areas of my life. This blog may very well move into a new direction. I like this medium of achieving goals and being part of a community of like-minded goal-setters. Whatever happens, I will continue to document my successes and failures to see how far I've come and to reevaluate where I'm going.

Let's do this, 2012.

2011 In Review: Part 1

2011-12-13T19:56:00.000-05:00

I'm beginning to reflect on this year just 12 days before Christmas. This year has gone by so swiftly, and I feel like my eyes have been spinning around in my head the entire time. There was nothing too stellar about this year. I feel like this year has been more about advancing in my job (since it was my first official year) and just getting through each week. I lost much of my concentration on the goals I established at the beginning of the year, but what can you do?

This is the first post in a two (or three) part series of my reflections on 2011.

Lose 30 pounds. I started the year at 230 pounds, and I’m ending the year at 230 pounds. 2011 was a big year for me in my job (it was my first summer in my position, and summer is my biggest season of work). I have no real excuse for why I didn’t lose more weight, but I’m happy that I didn’t gain anything. I have repeated tried to completely eliminate soda with great failure. On the upside, I find myself being more mindful of what and when I’m eating which is a good practice.

Save $2,000 and pay off remaining medical debt. Nope, not even close on either one of these.Our savings account at this point in time is at the bare minimum of what we’d like to have in savings. I have also consolidated all of our remaining debts (medical and otherwise) onto no-interest credit cards to get this debt gone! Something will have to give (i.e. my frivolous spending habits) in 2012 because continuing to carry this debt is driving me insane.

Take the GRE. Aaah, the highlight of this list. I didn’t take the GRE because the graduate program I am in the processing of applying to does not require the GRE. Yay! I dread standardized tests, and the cost associate with this test made me very unhappy. I have to do more in the application process since the test in not required, but I’m fine-and-dandy with that.

What type of progress did you make on your goals in 2011?

Lessons from Kid Lit: Stuff

2011-12-03T18:33:00.000-05:00

Stuff by Margie Palatini

Stay calm, my decluttering spirit! I was so excited to read this book, and it has such an excellent message for children AND adults (if A&E's Hoarders hasn't scared you enough).

A bunny named Edward is essentially a packrat. He has lots of STUFF, and his friends are quick to point this out. But Edward can't imagine parting ways with his things. It takes a disaster for Edward to realize that his stuff was taking over and eliminating all the good things in his life (his friends, his pets, and his home). The outcome of the story is predictable, but Edward's lessons of the value of friendship and how material possessions mean nothing are kid-friendly and realistic.

This book could be used to explain to children that holding on to toys they haven't played with in years doesn't make much sense. This book could also help children understand that cultivating friendships and relationships is what's important in life, not acquring new video games or whatever else they may be interested in. The overwhelming amount of STUFF that Edward accumulates may look like the bedrooms and playrooms of many children. This book could encourage parents and children to begin decluttering their spaces and putting those old toys to good use, such as selling in a garage sale or donating to a thrift store or shelter.

I also really enjoyed Noah Z. Jones's illustrations, especially the two birds that provide short commentary every few pages about the story.

Review copy provided by my local library. I receive no compensation for reviewing this book, and there are no affiliate links in this post.

Why I Love Apartment Living - Water Heater Edition

2011-11-29T12:51:00.000-05:00

When I first became hyper-interested in personal finance, one of the topics I kept stumbling on was whether it was better to rent or buy your living arrangements. After a year of marriage, Hubby and I were discussing buying a home one day because "that's just what you do."

We'll be celebrating our fifth year of marriage in May, and now we have absolutely no interest in buying a home.

There are many reasons why we have no desire to purchase a home. For example, about two weeks ago both of us noticed that our hot water was running out very hot. A few days later, I went to take a shower and had absolutely no hot water. Hubby had done several loads of laundry earlier in the day and thought that he had used it all (we wash our linens in hot), but he hadn't washed any linens. A quick call to the maintenance man in our apartment complex was in order, and about two hours later our problem was solved.

The problem? The reset button kept popping out. The solution? A new reset button was installed. And we didn't have to spend a single penny.

While I'm not sure what this would have potentially cost us if we had called someone in (neither of us are particularly handy), I've gathered that water-heater issues aren't the cheapest.

I love our maintenance department in our apartment complex.

Lessons from Kid Lit: Born and Bred in the Great Depression

2011-11-27T18:53:00.000-05:00

Born and Bred in the Great Depressions by Jonah Winter and Kimberly Bulcken Root

The recessions of today have brought up stories and research from the Great Depression in the 1930s. Born and Bred in the Great Depression is a timely book that illustrates a good history lesson to children and hopeful feelings for weary adults (such as myself). The text of this book is made up of stories Jonah Winter's father shared about his own childhood in the 1930s. No money to feed a family, hard work for low wages, and the fun children had without a cent are just some of the topics touched. In our technological soceity, I think children would be blown away by entertaining one's self by playing in the woods and not having gifts at Christmas. While times were hard, life was lead as simply as possible - a concept many families are embracing today.

I enjoyed this book because it was a reminder to me of all that is around me and how much I take things for granted. We have our debts, but we also have food in the kitchen and a roof over our heads. Our savings account is slowly growing again, and we are able to purchase new shoes (when necessary). This book could be a great conversation starter for children who don't understand why Daddy has lost his job or why Mommy can't buy the latest gaming console. The illustrations have that old-fashioned feel to them, which makes them appropriate for the text. This book is also an excellent reminder to record your family history by interviewing older relatives.

Review copy provided by my local library. I receive no compensation for reviewing this book, and there are no affiliate links in this post.

No-Heat Challenge: October/November

2011-11-21T19:08:00.001-05:00

Hubby and I are geeks when it comes to our electric bill. We look forward to seeing the bill because we're both a tad OCD about lowering the bill each month. When the bill is posted online, we estimate what it will be and see who is closer. Losers, aren't we?

In keeping with our no-heat rule this winter, we have been diligent about not using it... and for us, it's not difficult. For this billing period (Oct. 17 through Nov. 10, our bill comes to $69.17. I like this number.

Remember, we live in a one-bedroom, bottom floor apartment. The apartment is just over 1,000 square feet.

I am anticipating a higher bill for the November/December billing period. We had a guest from 11/10-11/13 and we will have guests for Thanksgiving. After our hosting is completed, I expect us to continue to bundle up as needed.

Are you watching your energy usage this winter?

Lessons from Kid Lit: Wallie Exercises

2011-11-20T13:51:00.000-05:00

Wallie Exercises by Steve Ettinger

This is the story about an overweight dog named Wallie. Wallie enjoys lounging in front of the TV and would prefer NOT to fetch a ball. One day, when Wallie gets dressed, he noticed that his clothing doesn't quite fit. The young boy who calls Wallie his own decides that it's time for Wallie to be introduced to exercise, and who better to help him in this endeavor than an exercise-instructing elephant?

The book is simple in it's concept: Get up and get moving. There is also the message of perseverance when Wallie contemplates giving up his new exercise routine. I like that this book doesn't focus on how exercise will make you look good, but rather focuses on the fun of exercise. There are four highlighted keywords in the story that children can look up in a glossary in the back, as well as questions to get children thinking about exercise. Ettinger also provides instructions for fun exercises children can perform on their own or with their friends. The illustrations by Pete Proctor are fun and eye-catching.

I wouldn't be surprised to see more books like this being published for children.

Review copy provided by my local library. I receive no compensation for reviewing this book, and there are no affiliate links in this post.

New Series: Lessons From Kid Lit

2011-11-17T08:41:00.000-05:00

As you may or may not know, I work in the children's department of a public library. I adore my job for a variety of reasons, but one of the things I love the most about my job is reading children's books. Whenever a new batch of children's books comes in that I've order, I get first dibs at reading them.

And let me tell you, there are some fantastic children's books being published.

In the most recent batch of books I received, I discovered a few books that deal with adult issues (thrift, clutter, money, weight loss, etc.). And that's when the light bulb went off: Why not mention some of these books here?

I know many of us read adult fiction and nonfiction, but have you stopped to read a picture book lately? My hope in featuring children's books here is to provide reviews of books you probably never would pick up (unless you have children - and even then, there's lots out there to choose from) AND it gives me the opportunity to spread the love I have for children's books.

Welcome to the Lessons From Kid Lit series.

My first book highlight will be here by the end of the weekend.

Article Love: Crafts and Clutter

2011-11-07T17:52:00.000-05:00

My bookmarks tab is getting a bit populated. That means it's time to share some goodies I've found in the past few weeks through my blog reading and general link browsing. Enjoy!

Freeze Yer Buns Challenge 2011 @ Crunchy Chicken - I like how popular the idea of using as little heat as possible is. We still haven't turned ours on, but we have company coming this weekend and for Thanksgiving. I'm sure we'll be heating things up then.

The Question on Everyone's Mind - "We may understand that money does not buy happiness, but over the past few decades that notion has been competing against a message that at every turn tells us we can't be happy without it. This dichotomy has slowly disconnected the American dream from the idea of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and attached it to one's ability to move up the ladder."

50 (More) Ways to Leave Your Clutter - We started doing number three on the list, and it's insanely helpful in getting things out of the house.

Dollar Store Crafts - Found this resource recently and can see myself using it a lot for work. Who doesn't love the dollar store?

Do you have an article/link to share? Please share!

November Goal

2011-11-02T18:52:00.000-04:00

November is always an insane month for me. My birthday is this month, along with Thanksgiving, and my work hosts a lot of holiday festivities that kick off in November. I love this month. One of my very best friends is visiting with us for three days next weekend, and my family from out of state is spending three days with us for Thanksgiving. Yes, this month will be insane.

Because of the insanity, I am only setting one goal for myself: track our spending.

This time of year gets expensive, and it doesn't necessarily have to be that way. So I am making a concentrated effort to pay extra attention to our spending this month. Because I know November is insane, but December is even crazier.

What are your goals for November?

Weekly Goal Update: 10/24 - 10/31

2011-10-31T08:42:00.000-04:00

The end of the month is always a little more spendy because that's when I get paid (have I mentioned how much I hate getting paid once a month?). And while I have worked out, the workouts haven't been the most challenging. But hey, October wasn't too bad of a month. I'm very much looking forward to November (my birthday month).

Here's a recap of this last week.

1. Stop the “little” purchases. $105.46 is what we've spent this last week. This does include a grocery trip. I'm happy I did this exercise this month to see how much is going out and where we can correct our behaviors.

2. Get the ball rolling on my grad school applications. Sadly, I have let this goal fall to the side this week. And I'm continuously having doubts of whether I want to apply right now because I will, most likely, have to take out student loans to do this. Grr.

3. Exercise at least 3x/week every week. I did this for three days... and then it got cold. I think I will be moving my workouts indoors for November.

4. Bring my lunch to work every day. I did this for four days. I went out to McDonald's on Friday with a coworker. I spent $3.73 during the visit for a grilled chicken wrap, a yogurt parfait, and a drink.

Did you accomplish your goals for October?

Frugal Food: 15-Bean Soup

2011-10-27T16:01:00.000-04:00

A staple in our home is 15-bean soup. Hubby makes this once a month, even during the summer months. It's low cost, tasty, super easy to make, and provides plenty of leftovers.

15-Bean Soup

Ingredients
1 package of 15-bean soup (see below)
1 large can of diced Italian-style tomatoes
1 bag of frozen seasoning blend
Salt and pepper, to taste

First, soak the dry beans over night. The next day, drain and rinse the beans.

Place the soaked beans, the can of tomatoes, and the seasoning mix in your crockpot. Fill the crockpot almost to the top with water. Turn your crockpot on low and let cook for at least 8 hours. Serve.

Yes, it's just that easy.

When Hubby makes this, he starts the soup around 8 a.m. and we're ready for dinner between 5 and 6 that evening. If you find that the beans are still hard, you can turn your crockpot up on high. Just be aware that the liquid may start to bubble over. We eat it on its own or with grilled cheese sandwiches.

We purchase these beans, and omit the ham seasoning. But you could add that seasoning packet in for your tastes.

The beans cost around $2, the can of tomatoes is $1, and the seasoning blend is about $1.50. For the two of us, this recipe makes enough for dinner (we'll often have seconds) and at least four lunches. This is a great meal to invite others over to enjoy. And who doesn't love a comforting bowl of soup?

Weekly Goal Update: 10/17 - 10/23

2011-10-24T10:30:00.000-04:00

This past week has been the quietest week of the month for us. Nothing special went on this week. I enjoyed it simply because this last full week of October will be a brutal one, and November is going to be absolutely insane. Is anyone else ridiculously busy during fall?

1. Stop the “little” purchases. I said last week that I wanted to keep the spending under $100... and we did! We spent $87.08 last week on stuff. Not great, but an improvement.

2. Get the ball rolling on my grad school applications. I'm paying the application fee later this week, and I have contacted individuals who have agreed to write me recommendations.

3. Exercise at least 3x/week every week. I did four days this week.

4. Bring my lunch to work every day. Yep, did this, too!

Having tracked the small spending has really opened my eyes. I think Hubby is a little shocked at how much we spend on little stuff. We have one more week of October to track things, and I think we're both motivated to really pinch pennies in November for all that we have coming up.

How are you doing with your October goals so far?

Thrift Find: "The Office" Board Game

2011-10-22T14:31:00.000-04:00

My favorite part of thrift-store shopping is never knowing what you'll find. (The prices are a close second.) Hubby and I stopped by our little town's thrift store this morning to drop off a few things and pop in for a quick look around.

It's been a few months since I have been in this particular store. It's not one of my favorites, but I have found some excellent home decor items on occasion. I don't bother looking at clothing or any other apparel because the quality isn't what I look for - I have other thrift stores that I go to just for the clothing selection. But I digress. Once we walked in, we headed to the home area to see if there were any treasures.

For myself, I found an adorable latte mug with a black cat on it for $1 that I quickly snatched. A cat? A mug for hot beverages? Yes, you shall be mine. I continued to walk around, minding my own business and looking for other goodies, when Hubby came up with a ridiculous grin on his face. Suspiciously, I asked him why he was so excited.

Our latest addiction, thanks to streaming Netflix, has been The Office. He was checking out this game a few weeks ago on Amazon, but didn't buy it because of the price tag. We have talked about expanding our board-game collection because we enjoy playing and would like to have friends and family over more often for games. We agreed to keep our sights set on finding games at thrift stores or on clearance at retail stores to keep our bank account happy.

This game is currently selling on Amazon for $19. What did we pay?

And every game piece is included!
Coupled with the two Redbox movies we rented for this evening, I think tonight is going to be a fun and frugal one.

Have you found an exciting (to you) thrift-store treasure lately?

No-Heat Rule for Winter

2011-10-21T11:48:00.001-04:00

When I left for work this morning, frost was covering our car. Winter is quickly approaching.

I enjoy the fall and winter months - the cold, the snow (when there's not much of it), the food, the holidays. But the thing I enjoy the most? Sweaters and blankets. I love bundling up in a sweater or snuggling under a warm blanket on a chilly evening.

Last night was my first evening of bundling up. I had a cup of hot cocoa, a book, and a fleece blanket that kept me company until I turned in. There were moments when I really wanted to kick on the heat because I had some difficulty warming up, but I resisted.

Why?

In our last apartment, we had awful insulation. The entire apartment was like one big open window in the winter time. We could never get warm. When we'd turn on the heat, it would help some but most of it would just escape out. So we learned to just manage without the heat unless we absolutely needed it. The highest our electric bill was last winter was $160. That hurts, especially when living in a small apartment. So this winter, we will be using no heat unless absolutely necessary to warm our bones.

And again, you might be asking, "Why?"

It's simple: We're two adults living in a well-insulated, one-bedroom apartment. There's really no need for it. We can bundle up, we have plenty of blankets, and we're always stocked with the makings for hot beverages. The rule will be broken if we have guests over, if the temperatures drop below 30 degrees for an extended period of time, or if there is some other circumstance where the heat is necessary.

Of course, no heat will mean a better electric bill. We haven't had our air conditioner on for almost a month. Our bill for September was $94. Our bill for this month? $62. Yes, I'll take those savings and put them towards a debt. I would love to have our electric bill get no higher than $80 for the duration of the winter.

Have you ever instituted a no-heat rule?

Weekly Goal Update: 10/9 – 10/16

2011-10-17T13:27:00.000-04:00

This past week was chock full of productivity at work. I had no special programs or assignments, so I was able to get caught up on a lot of things that had fallen to the side. However, my spending wasn’t too hot – in my defense, Hubby’s birthday was yesterday and I had planned a fun weekend for him.

1. Stop the “little” purchases. This week’s spending was even more than last week! The grand total? $134.14. This does include birthday purchases for Hubby and a hair cut for me, but still. My goal for this upcoming week is to get this figure below $100.

2. Get the ball rolling on my grad school applications. I did research for this and got confirmation of all of the requirements necessary.

3. Exercise at least 3x/week every week. I worked out five times this past week. Yes!

4. Bring my lunch to work every day. I did this!

All in all, it was a good week. I just have to reign in the expenditures.

How did the second week of October treat you?

How I Exercise

2011-10-16T13:52:00.000-04:00

I told my coworkers that I'm getting into the habit of working out early in the morning because doing it after work just isn't successful. I'm not the biggest fan of dragging my butt out of my bed at 6 a.m. to get in a workout, but 30 minutes later, I feel good. They asked me what I did at 6 a.m. for a workout because I don't belong to a gym and it's too dark to go walking.

So here's my breakdown of how I exercise.

Walking
Our apartment complex is a large oval. If you walk the entire oval, it's one half of a mile. I try to walk the oval at least three times when we go walking. I normally go walking in the late afternoon/early evening with Hubby. I swear we have some of our best talks while walking.

DVDs
I have a small collection of workout DVDs that are my primary resources for a workout. I like being able to workout at home at any time (like at six in the morning). I have three Biggest Loser DVDs (cardio, aerobics, and yoga) that I love because they're still challenging for me, and they each have three levels of difficulty.

EA Sports Active for the Wii
I don't use this as often as I should... but I do like the workouts. I don't feel very challenged with some of the workouts. I do these workout when I want to do something fun that doesn't feel like exercise. I'm entertaining the idea of purchasing another exercise-activity game for my Wii (maybe a dancing game?) just for the fun of it.

I aim to exercise five days a week at 30 minutes each time. I log my exercise into My Fitness Pal to get a rough idea of how many calories I've burned. I try to keep my routine simple because otherwise, I don't stick with it.

What are your favorite ways to get a workout in?

Gratitude (Read: Me Being Philosophical)

2011-10-13T18:25:00.000-04:00

It is so easy to lose sight of what’s important. It’s even easier to recognize all the little things that we are blessed with every day. Since the passing of my grandmother, I have been trying to “count my blessings” every day. Each night at the dinner table (or when we’re getting ready for bed because I often forget at the dinner table), Hubby and I tell each other what five things we are grateful for at that moment.

What have I noticed so far from this habit?

We both take a few seconds to think about our respective days instead of rattling off something obvious. This forces us to slow down, be in the moment, and have the opportunity to really reflect on our days. With each of us listing five gratitudes, we’re blessing our home with 10 gratitudes. .. and I’m all about good karma, juju, or whatever you’d like to call it. Personally, I try to look at my day for the things that I would normally forget about and see what positives outcomes there were.

How does this help in my journey towards debt reduction and weight loss?

I’m forced to recognize that my life is more than just working to pay off the debt or watching the calories I’m consuming. Sure, getting out of debt would take a lot of worry from my brain. Losing the excess weight will help me achieve my long-term goal of a healthier lifestyle. But there’s so much more that fulfills me, and being grateful for all the good in my life helps me to stay focused on these positive changes rather than letting the negative thoughts (“OMG! You’ll never get out of debt!” or “OMG! You’re so fat!) consume me.

Here are five things I am grateful for at this very moment:
1. Having this blog as an outlet to improving my life.
2. Seeing lots of family and friends this weekend as we celebrate Hubby’s birthday.
3. Being employed in a job that I love with plenty of room for growth.
4. The little meows from my cats when I come home from work.
5. The dark chocolate a co-worker shared with me.

What are you grateful for in this very moment?

Article Love: Dumpsters and Bracelets

2011-10-09T16:00:00.000-04:00

This is a random assortment of links. I have found some little gems that have either inspired me or have been added to my to-try list.

How To: Jersey Knit Bracelet - This may be easiest enough for me to make.

DIY Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Latter - Yes! I want to make this when I try to make this. Because I believe you can never have too much pumpkin.

When Money Ran Short, This Dad Started Dumpster Diving - I recently read American Wasteland by Jonathan Bloom and it has totally changed my way of thinking on food and how I waste it. I highly recommend.

This is Your Day to be Awesome - Just to make you think.

Have you read a good article lately? Please share!

Weekly Goal Update: 10/1 – 10/8

2011-10-09T11:30:00.000-04:00

It’s been an odd week in my life. Work has been busy, and we have been housesitting for a family friend since Wednesday. The housesitting gig ends today. We’re both looking forward to getting back home and back into our normal routine. Fall is always a busy season for my personal life, but I love it. Sadly, I haven’t been very focused on my goals so far this month.

1. Stop the “little” purchases. Yes, I’m struggling with this. I just did a tally of my purchases for the past week. Grand total? $102.51. This number was actually smaller than I had anticipated. I did not include some of my spending on Hubby’s birthday gifts, but I get a pat on the back for using Amazon gift cards for his “big” birthday gift. And $45 of this number has been for groceries. Not too bad, but I hope to be more disciplined this upcoming week. My biggest expenditure this week will be a hair appointment ($30).

2. Get the ball rolling on my grad school applications. I have done nothing this week for this.

3. Exercise at least 3x/week every week. I worked out twice.

4. Bring my lunch to work every day. I didn’t bring my lunch on Thursday. I had a special program to present that day, and I treated myself to lunch for my hard work paying off during the program. This upcoming week at work should be a bit calmer, so there’s no reason for me to go out to eat.

How has the first week of October been for you?

Weight-Loss Update

2011-10-01T17:52:00.000-04:00

Excellent news on the weight front!

I stepped on the scale this morning to see the number 225.

Since my epiphany at the end of July, I’ve lost 5 pounds. I’m pretty impressed with this since my week away from home left me eating lots of junk and getting no exercise. I’m excited about this number and my motivation is renewed to keep going.

Extra Expenses in September

2011-09-29T12:46:00.000-04:00

In setting one of my goals for October of stopping the "little" purchases, I decided to examine our checkbook entries for September to find all expenses that are not bills or auto costs (we had an oil change a week ago, plus regular gas expenses). This includes the "little" purchases, along with grocery purchases and any other miscellaneous shopping (clothing, pet supplies, etc.).

The grand total? $346.03

I don't find this to be too extreme of a number when one considers all that I've included in there. However, a good $40-$50 of that money is just the little, unnecessary spending. That money could be going towards (in order of importance) our debt, our emergency savings, or as a cushion in our checking account.

With stopping the "little" purchases in October, I'm hoping to funnel more towards our debt in November.

October Goals

2011-09-27T19:01:00.000-04:00

My goals for September tanked, but given the circumstances, I'm not beating myself up. Instead I'm going to look forward to October and what I hope to accomplish.

1. Stop the "little" purchases. I'm afraid to see how much I/we have spent in the past month on the little things because I know it's all going to add up to some ridiculously high number. I want to reign in my "desires" to buy a cappuccino a few more each week when I have coffee and creamer here at home or snacks when I go out shopping when I could just through a granola bar or two in my bag. You get what I'm going for.

2. Get the ball rolling on my grad school applications. I have chosen the program I want to apply for. I have contacted former professors and employers for recommendations. And then I just stopped. I can't have that.

3. Exercise at least 3x/week every week. This is absolutely attainable. With the weather getting cooler, I look forward to walking more in the evenings after work.

4. Bring my lunch to work every day. This one goes along with my first goal, but this will also help me to save gas and get more accomplished. I have an hour for lunch each day, and I would like to make my lunch hour more productive (read, pay bills online, work on this blog are examples of things I could do).

What are your goals for October? And where the heck did September go?

Lessons Learned

2011-09-26T08:46:00.000-04:00

Things I’ve been reminded of in the past two weeks:

1. Life is what you make of it. I spent a week in my hometown with my family after my grandmother passed to grieve and take care of family matters. During that time, my mom and I reminisced a lot about my grannie (she was my mom’s mom). One of the best memories I have of grannie is that she was always positive. I cannot remember a time when that woman was angry or upset – she always saw the silver lining in every situation and season in life, and she focused on the positive. She lived an amazing life, and I think much of her success in life was because of her positive attitude.

2. Exercise does much more than help you lose weight. I haven’t worked out in two weeks, and I feel like crap. While I was away, my eating habits were terrible. My body is telling me it’s time to get back into the workout routine I had going and put better food into my system. Does anyone else use My Fitness Pal and would like to be friends? If so, find me! My username is savingherlife (shocking, right?). Another benefit to working out? I sleep so much better, and I have been so tired lately.

3. Our emergency fund really needs to be at least $1,500. Right now, it’s at $550. I used $150 for my week-long trip to visit family, plus I put my airplane ticket down to visit them on a credit card. Yuck! I’m eager to build up that emergency fund and get that airplane ticket paid off.

4. This blog really helps me stay focused and accountable on my goals. I just have to stop slacking and be more diligent in my blogging.

This is where I'm at right now. I'm working on posts about our debt and my goals for October. I hope to get at least one of those up today.

Hiatus

2011-09-12T13:52:00.000-04:00

I've mentioned have epiphanies where I have realized that it's time for me to lose weight or ramp up my savings or pay down debt faster. But then when something punches you right in the gut, you really pay attention.

My grandmother passed away Friday night.

It was expected. And honestly? I'm glad she's no longer suffering. But my life is on hold right now. That's what death does. Death puts life on hold.

Thanks to my emergency fund and a credit card, I have booked a flight to my hometown this week to be with my family. I will return home next week and get back to "normal" in my everyday life.

To anyone who may read this: I thank you now for any prayers and/or kind words your share. And if you still have your grandparents, call them. Visit them. Hug them.

Article Love: Finances and Febreze

2011-09-05T10:57:00.000-04:00

I bookmark a lot of articles and blog posts each week that I want to read or reference. Since I am trying my hardest to stay on track with my spending, reading articles with a personal finance edge helps me to focus. So why not share a few links with anyone who may be reading this to help someone else stay focused?

Here's what I've read the past couple of weeks.

Here's How to Make a Financial Diet Work

There's Beauty in Your Ugly Stroller

Fake Febreze (so want to try this!)

Have you read a good article lately? Please share!

September Goals

2011-09-01T12:43:00.000-04:00

It has been a very long time since I have posted goals at the beginning of the month. I'm going to start September off with just two goals.

1. Lose 5 pounds.

2. Be more mindful of our spending.

I lost three pounds in August (yay!), and I am determined to not have our budget come up short at the end of the month. I'm feeling focused and determined to accomplish these two goals.

What are you goals for September?

A Profitable Workout

2011-08-31T13:53:00.000-04:00

For the past month, I have been very dedicated to working out. After my moment of clarity at the end of July, I haven't given myself the choice to slack off.

I alternate between doing workout DVDs at home and walking/jogging with Hubby around our neighborhood. Neither of us were feeling up to exercising yesterday evening, but we sucked it up and went out for a walk. And guess what we found on our walk?

A whopping 50 cents in change.

Oddly enough, most of that change was in pennies with a few silver coins mixed in. We were complete dorks about it and snatched up every loose coin we could find. When we got home, we seperated the coins into the respective jars we keep for spare change.

Fifty-cent profit on a workout? I'll take that!

Finding the change felt like a Non-Consumer Advocate moment for me. Katy has often mentioned the change she has found on the ground while running errands and doing her thing. I hope to attain her level of frugal living one day. For now, picking up loose change will be my step closer to that.

Discouraged

2011-08-29T12:33:00.000-04:00

I've hit that wall of discouragement.

You know that one I'm talking about. You don't feel like you'll ever get out of the debt you so easily put yourself in. When your budget is as tight as you can make it, you're scrambling to figure out how to make it just that much tighter. You're feeling overwhelmed with life in general, and then you realize that there's no food in the house and you feel like throwing a temper tantrum.

Oh yeah, I'm totally there.

But I'm glad I'm here because it helps me truly appreciate the positive. I am putting as much as I can towards debt. Sacrificing the "fun" now to save more and pay down debt faster will reap a greater reward in the future: financial security. I can pay the rent, buy the food, and drive the car - I'm OK.

We're doing just fine.

Sure, Hubby is still looking for steady employment - but he has been called in to subtitute teach two days this week, plus he's working a side job this Friday night. Sure, we spent way more than necessary on groceries yesterday - but we did that because we literally had no food in the house. I did such a poor job of budgeting last month that we came up ridiculously short right before payday. Sure, I'm tired of the medical debt - but we're both in excellent health now. We're working out at home, eating homecooked meals, and spending time together.

Yes, we're a little worse for wear at times, and the discouraging feelings come and go... but we really are doing just fine.

Frugal Food: Refried Beans

2011-08-25T07:13:00.000-04:00

It's no secret that Hubby and I are fans of Budget Bytes. We love Beth's site because she breaks the recipes down and includes pictures. It had been some time since we had tested out one of her recipes, and when her (Not) Refried Beans recipe popped up on my Google Reader, there was no question about whether Hubby should make it. Mexican food is its own food group in our family.

We didn't use jalapeno because we didn't have any. Also, I'm not a big fan of super spicy food. Hubby kept the recipe to the absolute basics, but I still needed some heat. I spiced it up with some mild hot sauce to suit my tastes. A jalapeno may be necessary next time.

Yeah, it doesn't look quite tasty here. I took the picture too early, and by the time the beans had thickened up, I was excited about eating them and forgot to take another picture.

This recipe is AMAZING. These were the best tasting "refried" beans I've had. Hubby made these last Friday night and we had leftovers for days! I've had bean burritos, taco salads, and bean-and-cheese quesadillas with the leftovers.

I made a layered taco salad with the beans.

Thanks Beth for keeping us fed cheaply and deliciously! And thanks again to Sarah for introducing me to Budget Bytes!

My Craigslist Table

2011-08-21T09:57:00.000-04:00

When Hubby and I moved to Georgia at the end of 2008, we had just about nothing. We literally moved with just our clothing, books, personal mementos, and cats. When we moved out of his parents' home last year, we furnished an apartment thanks to the generosity of friends. We received a couch, a bed, a washer AND dryer, a TV, a TV stand, and a bookshelf. We have since bought two more bookshelves, a desk (which we'll most likely sell later this year), and a coffee table.

We never scored a dining room table though. Our last apartment really didn't have a space for a table, so we just went without. We ate our meals at our coffee table - no big deal. When we moved into our swanky, pretty, much-more-modern-than-the-last-apartment current apartment, we had a dining room. And darn it, I wanted a table.

Do you know how pricey dining room sets can be?

I didn't want much. Just a table and four chairs. And I wanted the set to be black. My bookshelves are black, my coffee table is black, most of my picture frames are black - I'm partial to black. It's clean, it's easier for me to decorate around, and it's simple. But finding a black dining table with four chairs in my budget was a challenge.

I could have purchased a thrift store set with any color and painted myself, but let me be real here: I am not a handy person. I don't take on big home projects because I don't have the patience. I've never painted a wall in my life, and I probably won't because it's just not my thing. So my mission was to find a suitable table within my budget, and I was willing to just sit (not at a table) and wait until I found the perfect table.

And guess what? My patience paid off, thanks to Craigslist.

I found a black table with four chairs for sale via Craigslist one evening while looking at furniture listings. Hubby called the number that evening, we made an appointment to look at the table the following day, made arrangements to pick up the table (because I LOVED it), and two days later we had a black dining room table in our actual dining room. The guy who sold us the table takes old furniture and refurbishes it. I asked him to let us know if he ever refurbishes a dresser and paints it black. A dresser is my next find.

I assure you there are four chairs.

All I paid for the table and four chairs was $150. Sweet find, in my opinion. And to add to the thriftiness, our plates and the fake roses in the picture I scored at Goodwill.

Tell me about something you've scored via Craigslist.

Undergrad Decluttering

2011-08-18T16:19:00.000-04:00

Lat week I tackled a project I have been dreading for years: purging what was left of my undergrad years. I saved syllabi, notes, tests, papers... everything. All of the work was neatly organized in various binders and folders. Observe.

I have moved this stuff around at least three times. It has been taking up precious space on a bookshelf. I knew during my time off from work last week I wanted to do some cleaning and organizing around our apartment, and I knew I needed to tackle these binders.

Amazingly, it took me maybe 20 minutes to go through it all.

In 20 minutes, I managed to accomplish what I had been meaning to do for years (I graduated in 2007). I did keep some of the work - mostly papers that I swear I put blood, sweat, and tears into. However, all the work I did keep conveniently fits in ONE binder. Two binders are going to be donated to the thrift store, and three of the binders are going to be re-purposed to hold all of my genealogy research.

So what's going to happen to all of what I did get rid of?

It's currently in the process of taking a trip through our paper shredder and eventually getting recycled. That's a lot of paper. I held on to it most of it thinking I would refer to it at some point. However, I haven't since I graduated and don't see the purpose of it hanging around.

I love purging and decluttering!

Daily Digits: 8/15/11

2011-08-15T19:46:00.000-04:00

Today was my first day back to work after my vacation. I was a champion this morning and plowing through the work that needed to be caught up on. Once 2 p.m. hit though, I was wiped out. I did great at avoiding the goodies in our break room. And I made the effort to walk for 30 minutes around the neighborhood. I'm even more wiped out from the walk.

Workout time: 30 minutes

Money spent: $1.40 - Bought a drink at a gas station.

Frugal Vacation Spending Round-Up

2011-08-13T14:25:00.000-04:00

I'm not counting this weekend as part of my vacation, per se. I'm mentally getting ready to go back to work Monday morning and thinking about the week ahead. I'm really looking forward to going back to my library. This week off has proved to me how much I love the work that I do. And for this, I am grateful.

I'm looking forward to getting back into my routine, but the time off was absolutely needed. I needed to recharge my batteries, do other things, and just be lazy for a bit. However, I'm getting bored with myself and want to throw myself into work. This fall is going to be insane for me, and I am looking forward to jumping into the craziness!

The total spent from last Saturday to yesterday (Friday) is $110.43. The most spectacular thing we did all week was visit the zoo. While I'm cringing at this number because we're coming up short again this month, that number is insanely good for a staycation. If we had gone somewhere for a few days, this number would cover the cost of a hotel room for one night (depending on the destination).

But was my vacation a success? Absolutely!

Frugal Vacation Days 6 and 7: Relaxation

2011-08-12T18:06:00.000-04:00

Yesterday and today have been filled with a whole lot of nothing. Yesterday morning Hubby and I did a major cleaning of our apartment and finally finished hanging things up (we moved in to our current place in May - I'm lazy when it comes to home furnishing). After that, we spent the afternoon either reading or watching TV shows via Netflix.

Today was just as simple. We went walking/jogging this morning. We donated blood at a local blood drive this afternoon and picked up a few small things at the grocery store. I cooked dinner tonight (black bean burgers!), and here I am now. I'm feeling very relaxed, but I am really looking forward to getting back to my regular routine come Monday morning.

Total spent for both days? $15.73 - this is from two grocery trips. I did pay two bills today: our car/renter's insurance ($104.49) and Netflix ($10.69). And I hate to admit it, but I must: I borrowed from our savings account again this month. Erg!

Daily Digits: 8/10/11

2011-08-11T13:58:00.000-04:00

Workout time: 3 hours (All that walking we did at the zoo yesterday is what I consider my work out. Trust me, I walked and in this heat, I sweat.)

Money spent: $38.63

Frugal Vacation Day 5: A Trip to the Zoo

2011-08-11T13:56:00.000-04:00

I know the title of this post doesn't sound very frugal, but Hubby and I saved $42 yesterday when we went to the zoo.

How in the world did we do that?

While I don't like getting into the specifics of where I live, I have never mentioned what state I live in. I live in the glorious state of Georgia. Here in Georgia, the public library system has a program through Zoo Atlanta where you can check out a DVD from your local library, view it, return it, and received a pass that allows two adults and two children into Zoo Atlanta for FREE. There are rules and stipulations, of course.

The difficulty with the program is that it is rare to actually see the DVD available - the program is insanely popular here. However, the DVD was in last week and I couldn't help but check it out. I returned the DVD a few days later and received my admission pass, and Hubby and I ventured to Atlanta yesterday to visit the zoo.

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from our excursion.

Meerkat!

The lion - aka what my cats think they are.

A red panda.

We spent three hours walking around and taking lots of pictures. Afterwards, we explored Atlanta and went out to a late lunch. It was such a fun trip! My only complaint was the heat. I'm so very ready for fall.

We bought lunch out and put gas in the car (again!). Yesterday's total spent was $38.63.

Daily Digits: 8/9/11

2011-08-11T13:54:00.002-04:00

Workout time: 30 minutes (30 minutes of walking AND jogging)

Money spent: $7.98

Frugal Vacation Day 4: More Sun and More Family

2011-08-11T13:24:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday, my mother-in-law came over in the morning to go swimming with us. She had never visited our community pool. We spent about two hours swimming and lounging around before she and I decided to get cleaned up and go thrift-store shopping. She spoiled me and purchased two skirts and a blazer for me, plus a shirt for Hubby. One of the skirts and the blazer were 50 percent off, and we happened to go on Senior Day, so she received an extra 25 percent off!

When we returned to our home, my father-in-law was over. The four of us had dinner - which was cooked by my very-talented-in-the-kitchen Hubby. We spent the rest of the evening talking around the dinner table. I like those moments.

Hubby spent $7.98 this day at the grocery store to make sure we had enough for all of us at dinner. I spent nothing, but that's thanks to my mother-in-law and her generosity while we were out shopping.

Daily Digits: 8/8/11

2011-08-08T22:04:00.000-04:00

Workout time: 30 minutes (30-minute DVD)

Money spent: $22.25

I think I may start condensing these posts to once a week, although I do like the daily accountability. Any suggestions

Frugal Vacation Day 3: Sun and Family

2011-08-08T22:00:00.000-04:00

Waking up this morning at 8 felt very scandalous - I felt like I was playing hooky from work. And then I remembered that I'm getting paid to take this vacation. So I figured I owed it to myself to make these paid days fun.

I did a 30-minute workout as soon as I got out of bed this morning. The workout left me feeling invigorated, and it was a beautiful morning, so I went to our neighborhood pool for a few hours. Did a little swimming and mostly soaked up the sunshine while reading a magazine. Afterwards, we ran a few errands and spent the rest of the day with my in-laws. We had dinner, sat around and talked, went out for ice cream, and just relaxed. We enjoyed the time together so much that my in-laws are coming over tomorrow to go swimming and have dinner. And knowing my mother-in-law, we'll probably go thrift-store shopping together.

All we spent today was $22.25 for gas in the car. My father-in-law treated us to the ice cream.

Daily Digits: 8/7/11

2011-08-07T20:41:00.000-04:00

Workout time: 30 minutes (15-minute DVD, 15-minute walk)

Money spent: $25.84

I lost one pound this week! *happy dance*

Counting calories is getting very tedious for me. A tedious task = aggravation for me. I don't want weight loss to be aggravating. I won't be counting calories strictly. I often estimate, which can be good or bad. Instead I will be watching what I put on my plate. And reading labels a lot more often.

Frugal Vacation Day 2: Thrift Store Shopping

2011-08-07T20:33:00.001-04:00

My mission today was to find a Goodwill store that had eluded me last year. This particular Goodwill was much farther than I had realized, hence why I never found it last year. But I persisted, and I finally found it! And the best part? It was HUGE! Finding the store was totally worth the effort - sadly, I didn't find anything on the trip. Start donating your good stuff, people! I had lots of fun searching for treasures, and I'm looking forward to a repeat trip in a few weeks.

Here's what else we accomplished today: We went out to breakfast this morning, hit the aforementioned Goodwill and a couple of retail stores (Hubby was on the hunt for a new chopping knife), and then drove around the county we live in to discover new places. We did a lot of driving today. But finding new places is always worth a trip.

I also made another visit to the library today; this time, I wanted to work on some genealogy research. I hadn't touched my family research since April, and I have been itching to do some searching. I spent two hours this afternoon in my library's special collections room - the geek in me had a very good time. I'm hoping to do more research later this week.

Total spent today: $25.84

Daily Digits: 8/6/11

2011-08-06T21:34:00.000-04:00

Calories consumed: 1,800 (estimate)

Workout time: 30 minutes (30-minute walk)

Money spent: $1.20

The $1.20 was for two drinks when we rented movies from the Blockbuster kiosk.

Along with this super relaxing day, I spent an hour on the phone with a friend this evening. During the conversation, I made it a point to walk around on while talking rather than just sitting. I didn't include that in my workout time, obviously. I'm taking a cue from the various health articles I've read about those who fidget often burn more calories in a day. Worth a shot, right?

Frugal Vacation Day 1: Free Movies

2011-08-06T14:04:00.000-04:00

For the next nine days, I'm hoping to blog my plans each day of what I want to do with my vacation time. I'm looking to spend as little as possible during my week off, but still have a good time.

Here is what we've done so far:

- Walked for 30 minutes around our neighborhood this morning because it was overcast and not brutally hot.
- Watched a rented movie from a Blockbuster kiosk that we had a free rental code for ("The Lincoln Lawyer" was our choice - excellent movie!).
- Stopped by the library for Hubby to return a book and pick up a few more. Since I work at the library (yes, I know I should be staying away), I greeted my coworkers who I didn't see yesterday and returned a few items of my own.

The rest of the day will most likely involve another movie and some reading. I have three YA books to start, and I'm in the middle of two adult books right now. I would love to have all five books completed this week.

Daily Digits: 8/5/11

2011-08-05T23:09:00.000-04:00

Calories consumed: 1,900

Workout time: 45 minutes (15-minute DVD, 30-minute walk)

Money spent: $0.00

Did a 15-minute workout via Netflix this morning because I couldn't muster up the energy to do more than that. When I got home from work today, I had some steam to blow off and decided to throw in some jogging with my walk. Hubby pushed me to jog longer than I ever have - it hurt at the time, but I felt so much better. My phone date with Sarah was the highlight of my evening.

Oh, and I am officially on vacation! I'm hoping to blog, get caught up on lots of reading, and lounge by the pool for the majority of my time off.

Daily Digits: 8/4/11

2011-08-04T21:10:00.000-04:00

Calories consumed: N/A

Workout time: N/A

Money spent: $81.76

I'm considering day my "free" day this week when it comes to eating and working out. My day started at 6 a.m. and I didn't get home until 8:30 this evening. I'm estimating my calories to be between 1,800 and 2,000 today, but I just didn't keep track. For such a long day, I'm hoping I got a good "workout" from all the running around I did. Tomorrow I will get back into my routine.

Hubby went grocery shopping and put gas in the car today. He bought two weeks worth of groceries. Aside from buying essentials along the way, we should be good. I had a free hour in my day for lunch, so we went out to lunch on the cheap (Taco Bell!).

The real test will be starting Saturday. Come tomorrow at 5 p.m. I will be off work for NINE days. I'm a little scared by this, but this will be a much needed break from work. I've never taken this much time off from a job - I feel a bit rebellious!

Daily Digits: 8/3/11

2011-08-03T21:49:00.000-04:00

Calories consumed: 2,000 (estimating)

Workout time: 30 minutes (30-minute cardio DVD)

Money spent: $0.00

I'm estimating the calories because I did really well for breakfast and lunch, but I blew it at dinner. Hubby came home today after being away for 8 days, and we went out to eat with family. The dinner was totally worth it.

Daily Digits: 8/2/11

2011-08-02T20:09:00.000-04:00

Calories consumed: 1,620

Workout time: 30 minutes (30-minute cardio DVD)

Money spent: $0.63

I had every intention of getting up earlier this morning to workout, but instead I had to discipline myself to work out after work. I got four hours of sleep last night, and when I dosed off again around 4 a.m. this morning, I knew I wouldn't get out of bed for a workout at 6 a.m. The 63-cents I spent today was for a diet Dr. Pepper from a gas station that's on my way to work. Yay for cheap fountain drinks!

But when I got home, I did my workout and it felt good to sweat and get some frustration out. Another mentally-taxing day at work. It's not my actual work that stresses me out - it's my coworkers and their behaviors. Working in a small environment with only women is dangerous.

Daily Digits: 8/1/11

2011-08-01T20:53:00.000-04:00

Calories consumed: 1,940

Workout time: 30 minutes (30-minute cardio DVD)

Money spent: $4.23

Today was a mentally brutal day at work. My mantra this week is to stay focused so I can truly appreciate my time off next week. The highlight of my day was scoring an amazing deal on laundry detergent after work. Oh, and coming home to kitties who wanted lots of attention.

Exercise in Frugality: Being a Bachelorette

2011-08-01T10:00:00.002-04:00

Hubby has been housesitting for family since last Wednesday. He’s not too far away, but we don’t travel to see each other often because gas prices have been going up. It’s no secret to our friends and family that he is the chef in our relationship. I’m more of a cereal-for-dinner kind of gal. When he leaves for an extended period of time, I’m on my own to come up with my meals – and let me tell you, I don’t eat a lot of variety.

Since he’s been gone, and we’re trying to save up, I’m eating whatever we have in the kitchen. We have a mess of tortillas, which is great since I like to make quesadillas. I also end up eating sandwiches and pasta quite a bit. Yes, I’m a carb addict. Yes, I like things to be simple and easy.

And this week of living like a bachelorette has also illustrated that I don’t do laundry, dishes, or general cleaning as often as I do when Hubby’s home. I don’t exist in filth, but I get very lazy with the household chores. I made the effort on Sunday to give the place a nice cleaning and get caught up on all that needed to be done around here.

My goal is to make it to Thursday without spending any money on food. I know there is plenty in the house for me to eat. I just have to fight the demons that tell me that whatever I’m eating is boring, so go pick something up at the store. This should, hopefully, force me to get creative and get myself more involved in the kitchen. I am looking forward to Hubby’s return on Wednesday night – his food is infinitely tastier than anything I make for myself.

Daily Digits: 7/31/11

2011-07-31T21:15:00.002-04:00

Calories consumed: 1,730

Workout time: 40 minutes (30-minute cardio DVD, 10-minute walk)

Money spent: $0.00

I stayed home today to tackle my to-do list. It feels nice to be starting a new week with an empty to-do list. This week at work is my last week of work before vacation. My vacation next week is the first paid vacation I’ve ever had! I’m nervous to take that much time off (I am a workaholic), but I know it is absolutely necessary for my mental health. My goal this upcoming week is to make sure I get as much accomplished at work and at home so I can truly enjoy the time off.

I. Have. Had. It.

2011-07-31T16:26:00.000-04:00

You know those moments where suddenly everything because clear, all the pieces fall into place, and you have this amazing epiphany of where you’re going and what you’re doing?

I had TWO of those moments yesterday.

The first moment was when I was trying on a top at Goodwill and was totally disgusted by the image reflected in the mirror. That’s me?!

The second moment was when the button on my size-18 jeans came off just an hour after the Goodwill epiphany. They’ve been a bit snug recently, and the jeans had something to say about it.

I’ve put on six pounds this summer. I’m not happy with this. And my reflection in a dressing-room mirror and the button popping off my jeans was just the icing on this fat girl’s cake.

I can’t continue on with my horrible eating habits. I can’t keep making excuses for not working out. I worked hard to get away from my size-22 jeans, and I don’t want to go back to that size ever again. I’m depressed about my weight and my appearance, and beating myself up all the time isn’t going to help. What will help? Change.

I’m making my resolution to make changes TODAY. This blog was a fabulous accountability tool for me in 2010, and I have let it fall to the side this year. I will make it a priority to bring this blog back to life – if nothing else, blogging will (hopefully) bring me to a more positive place. And it’s not just about my weight – our finances need to get back into control.

I'm not paying down debt as fast as I'd like to. We're not saving as much as I'd like to. I've been spending frivolously on little things lately, and those little things are definitely adding up at the end of the month when I release we're coming up short.

I absolutely believe that when I struggle with money, I struggle with my weight (and vice versa). “Oh, look at that, we’re broke. Oh wait, have some comfort food!” Or, "If you stay at home when you're bored, you know you'll eat. Go to the store and walk around. And if you spend a little, that's OK." That’s me.

I have to stop this vicious cycle - if not for myself, then for the sanity of my family. I have an amazing husband who is 150 percent supportive of me, no matter what I do. I have to be driving him insane with my ranting, raving, crying, and general moodiness surrounding our finances and my weight. And my mother, God bless her, lets me go on and on about things, and she’s there to listen and comfort me. The people in my life deserve a better person than I have been in the last few months.

I deserve a better me.

The Value of a Good Mechanic

2011-07-07T20:21:00.000-04:00

If I didn't have to own a car, I wouldn't. We have been a one-car family since 2008, and I really don't want the responsibility of another car. Planning who gets the car gets tricky at times between the two of us, but we manage to work things out.

I have been horrible at budgeting for repair bills. I will begin to save up for the unexpected, then casually NOT switch money into savings, then bam! Something happens. We have taken our car to the dealership for repairs and maintenance, as well as local shops. I have found out in the past eight months how crucial finding a good mechanic is... and how awful a dealership can be.

We took our car into the dealership back in November to get something repaired with the front passenger tire (it had something to do with alignment of the tires, if I remember correct). We get the repair, go on our way, and a few weeks later there's a funny noise with the front end. We take our car to a local mechanic who a family member uses. And guess what? We find out that our front brakes need replacing (something the dealership should have caught) and whatever the dealership did for the alignment issue caused some problem with the brakes. The brakes work, but they make a noise when you use them. The mechanic mentioned that he has seen this issue with other vehicles, and the issue takes a little time to work out.

Long story short (and apologies for the lack of mechanical details), we have been bringing the car to the mechanic every few weeks to make adjustments to correct the problem... and he hasn't charged us a dime for parts or labor. Hubby has offered to pay, but the mechanic refuses. Maybe it's because we live in a little rural town in the South where the people are so darn friendly (they really are). Maybe we're just blessed to have found good, competent people to work on our car.

The moral of this blog post? There are amazing mechanics out there. Find yourself one.

Do you have a good mechanic in your life?

Resolutions + Projects Update

2011-07-05T19:58:00.000-04:00

While I'm bringing things back to life around here, how about an update on those resolutions and projects I have posted?

Resolutions
1. Lose 30 pounds - Yeah, this isn't happening at the moment. I've gained two pounds from my weight loss last year. My eating habits haven't been the hottest lately, but I am still making an effort to go walking around our neighborhood on a regular basis.

2. Save $2,000 - This one has been a struggle. Hubby's income is very sporadic right now, so I've had a hard time with throwing more into savings. On top of that, I have been borrowing out of savings to cover things because we're still making not-so-hot financial decisions (frivolous shopping and dinners out - we admit it!).

3. Pay off remaining medical debt - Slowly, but surely, there's progress. We have moved an interest-earning debt to a no-interest credit card. I'm not a fan of the credit card, but I'm also not a fan of interest.

4. Take the GRE - On hold. The master's program I intend on applying to has removed the GRE as a requirement. However, I may continue to study and take the test just in case to apply to other programs.

Projects
1. Participate in The Compact - Yes, for the most part. I haven't bought a single stitch of clothing that hasn't come from a thrift store this year, as well as shoes!

2. Eat @ locally-owned restaurants - This has been really fun. We have tried out different restaurants not only in our area, but in other towns and cities when we're out and about. We have found new favorite Mexican and Chinese restaurants by doing this.

3. Compile a family-health history - I need to do some more researching and question-asking, but I have a basic outline.

4. Work on family trees - I have stalled on this some. In March and April, I was going to the library almost every weekend to do research. Summer is my busy time at work, so I don't believe I'll get back to doing any research until August. But it's so much fun getting lost in documents and books (obviously, I'm a HUGE geek).

How are your resolutions and projects for 2011 coming along?

My "Extreme Couponing" Moment

2011-07-03T20:57:00.000-04:00

I am not an "extreme couponer" by any means. Frankly, I don't see the point in dedicating that much time to couponing when most of what you're buying is pure junk and wasteful. However, I do clip coupons and I do monitor sales to see if there's anything that's worth the effort (i.e. products we'll actually use).

This past Friday night, I made a trip to the grocery store and did something I've never done before.

Can you spot the excitement here?

Granted, I planned that checkout just to get these three items to see what the receipt would look like. I got the school-girl giggles when I saw the 100-percent savings. Was this grocery trip out of the way? No, I bought other groceries in a previous transaction. Did I waste time finding out these deals? No, I simply looked at a sales ad and went from there. Was it worth the thrill? Absolutely! Will I do it again? Not for a very long time.

But it's fun to "oooh" and "aaah" over.

Do you use coupons? How regularly?

July 2011 Financial Update

2011-07-01T15:14:00.001-04:00

Here's how our finances shape up for the month of July.

Rent: $600/month - paid
Electric: $65.21 this month - paid
Phone: $85.01 this month - paid
Internet: $51.74/month - paid
Care Credit (medical #1): $50 payment - paid

I still have insurance (car and renter's), Netflix, and medical #2 to pay. This is the first time I have disclosed what I pay each month for bills - and honestly, it's kind of liberating. I'm not afraid to disclose the amount of debt we owe, so why shouldn't I disclose what our bills are each month?

I get paid once a month (around the 26th of each month). I pay the bulk of our bills for the next month once I get paid. Our insurance is due at the end of July, so I tend to wait until the middle of the month to pay it. This bill averages to $105 per month for car and renter's coverage.

Netflix is automatically withdrawn from our checking account towards the end of the month. We pay $10 and change per month.

Hubby has been researching companies to possible switch our insurance coverage, and I'm hoping we'll make a change in companies within the next week. Medical #2 we just transferred to a no-interest account and I'm waiting to find out when the due date for that bill is. I try to pay between $125-$150 per month on this debt.

Our savings balance is $843.57 right now.

I have also updated our debt balance here on the blog. It's about time!

When do you pay your bills? Beginning or end of the month?

Blog Overhaul

2011-07-01T13:54:00.002-04:00

It's been over a year since I have made a design change to SHL.com. Heck, it's been quite some time since I've made major updates around here. My goal this weekend is to overhaul much of this blog and get back to blogging on a regular basis. Please excuse any broken links or glitches you may find this weekend.

Frugal Food: Black Bean Burgers

2011-06-12T10:15:00.000-04:00

I’m making an effort to get in the kitchen more and learn more about cooking. Having a husband who is a whiz in the kitchen has made me very spoiled. Often times, I’m intimidated to get in the kitchen because he’s so amazing and I’m so... not. But every Sunday I am concentrating on making something for us to eat.

Three Sundays ago, I made pizza casserole for the second time. This time last week, I made the sour cream pound cake. So what did I make two Sundays ago? Black bean burgers.

I may or may not have mentioned here that I don’t eat red meat. Hubby makes a mean turkey burger, and I’m not a huge fan of handling raw meat. I offered to make dinner that Sunday and had been holding on to a black bean burger recipe that I found in an issue of All You magazine. We had all the ingredients in the kitchen (sans the celery) and we had a few hamburger buns leftover from a previous meal.

The results were tasty! Of course, my version doesn’t look as pretty as the recipe’s original picture. I dressed my burger with taco sauce to keep a Mexican feel to the dish (I love Mexican flavors). Next time, I want to add guacamole and cheese, or do as the recipe suggests and serve with lettuce and tomato.

Frugal Food: Sour Cream Pound Cake

2011-06-05T16:00:00.000-04:00

It’s a lazy Sunday in the SHL household. We’re minding our budget and sticking close to home so we don’t spend unnecessarily (and it is beastly hot outside). I went to the neighborhood gym this morning while Hubby went swimming at the pool. We came home and racked our brains as to how to occupy ourselves today.

Rewind to last night when I was searching the refrigerator and found a container of sour cream that was two days past its “best by” date. In an effort to not waste food, I went searching on Allrecipes to find something that I could make that would utilize the rest of the sour cream. And I found this gem: Sour Cream Pound Cake.

Hubby adores pound cake. However, I don’t like the price of it whenever I see it at the grocery store. My boredom turned into an experiment in making my first homemade pound cake – and to not waste food, of course.

I don’t own a loaf pan, so I used my trusty 9x13 cake pan. I plan to look out for a decent loaf pan in my thrifting adventures because this pound cake is delish! I added some vanilla extract to the mix, and next time I want to experiment with a glaze for it. I consider this frugal food because I had all of the ingredients (all very basic ingredients) on hand - no trips to the store necessary!

Checking My Checkbook

2011-06-03T19:02:00.001-04:00

I didn't start keeping a checkbook until two and a half years ago. I started it because I switched banks and didn't have immediate access to online banking. I thought my dad was insane for keeping a checkbook - I would watch him balance it each week and get very irritated. When I got my first checking account when I went to college, I enrolled in online banking and didn't see the necessity in keeping a written record of my expenditures (gee, maybe that's why I'm in debt now?) until two and a half years ago.

Now, it feels odd not to record my expenditures every few days.

I hadn't paid much attention to the checkbook for a few days now and figured tonight would be a good time to do it since I have two more bills to pay this http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifmonth. Imagine my shock when I realize that my checkbook is off by $100. Fortunately, it was off in my favor. I spent 15 minutes reviewing my statements online and cross-checking everything that I had written down for the past few weeks... and then I discovered my error.

I had switched $100 from savings to checking a couple of weeks ago out of fear that we would come up short. Guess what? We never came up short during that period. I simply forgot to write down in the register that I made the transfer. I was very happy to put that money back into savings. I'm working on getting our savings account back to $1,000 (I've been following Dave Ramsey's baby steps plan for a few weeks), and that extra $100 helps me breathe a little easier.

Do you keep up with a checkbook?

Previously Cut Expenses

2011-06-02T21:31:00.004-04:00

While we are concentrating on trimming our budget even more, here is what we have done in the past few months.

We moved (again). We knew when we moved in October that it would be a temporary situation. And it definitely was. When we had the opportunity to move in May, we took it. While the move did cost some money, and we moved into an apartment that has slightly higher rent than where we were, we’ll be saving money in the long run. Where we lived before, my round-trip commute to work was 42 miles a day. Now, my round-trip commute is just 7-8 miles a day. I love this!

We cancelled our subscription to XM Radio. I loved it, and it was amazing to have with my previous commute. But now that I’m spending significantly less time behind the wheel, I see no point in having the bells-and-whistles radio options.

We cancelled cable – but picked up internet. We’re not saving too much, but the company we deal with had us over a barrel for cable. Hubby justified having cable for sports, but then saw the error of his ways and gave in to my logic to get internet. And while most TV shows that we watched before can be watched online, we just don’t watch them anymore.

I look forward to seeing a little bit more padding in the checking account each month as time goes on.

Regaining My Frugality Mojo

2011-05-29T19:36:00.000-04:00

I just sat down to pay our bills and realized that we’re going to come up short this month. I put a good chunk towards a medical debt, but we also had some extra charges on our cell phone bill this billing cycle (I take full responsibility for those charges). We also moved earlier in May, so we don’t have as much carrying over into June as we may have.

I’m not thrilled about coming up short. I don’t want to dip into savings at all – we’ve borrowed enough from there and haven’t fully replenished it. I now want to go full-steam ahead in finding areas to save in our budget. Hubby and I have discussed some options already:

- We are gathering quotes for auto and renter’s insurance. We are waiting for a reply from one company in particular that his parents deal with – they switched to this company and saved $40 a month on their car insurance.
- We have reduced one of our medical debts by $35 a month.
- We will continue to be energy-conserving fiends to keep our electric bill done. We’ve been paying close attention to our energy usage for the past few months, and it has really helped. This first month in our new place should yield interesting results; we moved to a new city and now deal with a different electric company.

Frugality will become my middle name again.

Saving Her Life is Back?!

2011-05-24T19:15:00.000-04:00

I'm a little bummed and disgusted that I haven't blogged in two months. Since we moved from my in-laws's home in October, we haven't had regular internet access... until now. And goodness, I feel like I have been missing out!

In the past seven months, I have often felt lost without having an internet connection at home. However, the disconnect from technology was a welcomed surprise. Hubby and I have discussed bringing the internet back under our roof - and since our budget allows for it, we have treated ourselves to the luxury of instant access to the world. But this time, I know I can keep my internet usage in check.

Now that I have this connectivity back, I want to resurrect this blog. Having this blog through 2010 helped me so much in staying on track and achieving my goals. I like the routine of writing, I like being a part of the PF community, and I like the accountability. The latter is a big draw for me to get back to blogging: I have been more successful in my finances while keeping this blog than I have without it. I'm still young enough to work on my money habits, and this blog will be a tool to cement those habits into my lifestyle.

I hope to be welcomed back with open arms. I miss this place and any readers who may still be around. Look forward to regular postings, a blog face lift, and just overall newness to Saving Her Life.

Full Disclosure on Medical Debt

2011-03-19T11:30:00.000-04:00

In being more aware of our finances and recommitting that I will be honest to myself about our finances, I have updated our debt amount on the right-hand side of my blog.

My husband needed to begin his dental work. I accomplished all of mine through 2009 and 2010, and boy, it was expensive. Sadly, my husband is in the same boat I am. We’ve both learned very valuable and expensive lessons about our dental regimens. Needless to say, we’re ninjas about brushing and flossing now. At the beginning of this year, we went full-steam ahead on his dental work. So far he has had: one wisdom tooth removed, a root canal and crown, and eight fillings. We both have had similar procedures done to our mouths to the tune of about $3,000 out-of-pocket each.

All of my dental procedures we paid through Care Credit. I managed to pay off all of mine, but now we’re paying off his. While we now have dental insurance, it only covers $1,000 worth of work for a year. Hubby’s $1,000 limit has been exhausted, and the remainder of his work is now a balance through Care Credit. In an ideal world, there’d be no balance to worry about. However, there is, and I would much rather have a balance for our health care versus a balance for frivolous expenditures. The current balance of our medical debt is now at $3,326.00.

So again, I reiterate from what I wrote last year: Take care of your oral health.

Into the Confessional

2011-03-19T11:15:00.002-04:00

It sounds odd, but the desire to return to blogging has been weighing on me. Since we don’t have Internet access at home, regular blogging has been a challenge… hence my hiatus. However, since I haven’t been blogging regular, I have noticed a few things.

1. I am not on top of our finances as I should be. Since we’re living on one income, I should be more aware of our spending habits. However, I notice we’re coming up short right before pay day. That’s not acceptable anymore if we’re going to get out of debt and save more. We absolutely need to work on staying more in tuned with our spending.

2. I miss reading personal finance blogs on a regular basis. I feel I stay better on track if I read other blogs and know I’m not alone in this PF journey.

3. I miss blogging. I haven’t felt like I’ve had much to say lately, but then out of the blue I will come up with what seems like a million things to write about.

I guess I could continuing blogging on a semi-regular basis. I am able to access the Internet on my lunch hours and on the weekends; I could write at those times (such as now, where I’m at my in-laws). So I guess I will take this blog out of hiatus. Blogging helped me out so much in 2010 to achieve the goals I/we did. It is essential that I regain my focus on personal finances and debt reduction. Otherwise, we’re going to continue to struggle. And who wants to struggle?

Hiatus

2011-02-25T13:36:00.002-05:00

It's not that I've forgotten about the blogosphere. Since I don't have regular internet access, blogging is a challenge. Plus, my life is incredibly boring right now. Boring is OK with me.

I guess SHL will be on hiatus until a) something of interest happens, or b) I get the spark to blog about personal finances again. The spark is extinguished right now, but I am confident it will be reignited.

Be well, my friends.

How We Spend Valentine's Day

2011-02-13T15:17:00.003-05:00

Hubby and I are on a major quest to reduce expenses and live as frugally as possible (and comfortable) with one income. We don't talk about our financial situation with others (except for family and the two girlfriends of mine who read this blog - hey ladies!). So when talk of Valentine's Day came up at work this week, the ladies I work with got to talking about how they'll be celebrating with their significant others and complaining about the expenses of celebrating. Eventually, someone asked what we'd be doing. My answer?

Nothing.

Yeah, yeah, it's cliche to hate Valentine's Day. I hated it when I was a teenager because I was single. The only relationship I've been in to have survived to see a Valentine's Day was with Hubby - and yes, our first Valentine's Day together back in 2006 was the first Valentine's Day either of us had celebrated. And we did celebrate - cute gifts, dinner out, the whole shebang. And then we made a conscious decision to stop celebrating after that first one. It was fun and thrilling to celebrate together because it was something neither of us have observed, but when the next February 14 rolled around, we couldn't be bothered.

Why?

Because at the end of the day, it's being with my husband that makes me feel loved all year round. We celebrate our wedding anniversary, we observe our dating anniversary, and we spoil each other silly on our respective birthdays. But when it comes to Valentine's Day, it's just another day.

I will go to work tomorrow and celebrate with the kids who come in for my craft project in the afternoon. It is fun to celebrate Valentine's Day with kids, I will admit. I'll come home and Hubby will be preparing a delicious casserole for dinner. And we'll spend the evening how we typically do: reading, watching our Monday night TV shows, and just enjoying each other's company.

The ladies I work with were shocked that we don't observe Valentine's Day. I'm not sure why it's shocking that a married couple doesn't do anything on February 14th. I have nothing against celebrating, but it's just not for us.

Do you celebrate Valentine's Day? How do you celebrate it?

Declutter Challenge: 53 Total Items Gone!

2011-02-09T16:36:00.005-05:00

I am participating in Ultimate Money Blog's 365 Decluttering challenge!

On Sunday I was itching to do some rearrange and decluttering in the apartment. I focused on our second bedroom/office/reading room. We have a little corner desk that seems to attract anything that I doesn’t find its immediate home. I set to finding homes for some items and simply removing the rest. I also concentrated on the big bookshelf we have in that room. Here are the results.

The bag has 15 items in it that I am bringing to work to use in gift baskets. The nine children’s books will also be going to work with me to place on the for-sale racks. The five books on the left will head to the thrift store (I’m finally parting ways with college textbooks that I haven’t looked at in years!). Hubby found some miscellaneous electronic items that will also be donated – including a phone charger for a phone he had four years ago. This haul will removed 35 items from our living space. That’s 53 total items removed from our apartment.

This is definitely challenge. I thought the same way Mrs. Money did about declutter 365 items: that I would be done with this challenge in the first month. That couldn't be further from the truth.

Bye-bye BlackBerry

2011-02-05T12:00:00.001-05:00

While it has been fun to own a BlackBerry, the three months we have each had a BlackBerry has been expensive and counterproductive. And with the reduction in our household income, it’s just smarter to save the money.

In about an hour, we’ll be making our way to AT&T to switch our SIM cards to our old phone. Adios data plan – you were very handy while out and about, but I got sucked into social media and wasted too much of my time. I thought I could be more productive with a BlackBerry; I’d have a central place to keep my lists and notes and everything would be right there. Nope. I carry a planner that I make notes and lists in, and I couldn’t break myself from my planner. We’re also getting rid of text messaging – this one will probably be the most difficult thing to get used to because we text A LOT. Getting rid of the data plan and texting will save us $60 a month. Who knows? Maybe we’ll call people more often.

I will miss regularly tweeting though. The BlackBerry allowed me to stay very connected to the PF blogging world. :)

Project Progress

2011-02-03T13:35:00.000-05:00

Well, I lied. I can update you on my projects for 2011.

1. Participate in The Compact - So far, this is a cinch. I haven't had a need for anything that I couldn't find secondhand, so I have avoided purchasing new items. I even snagged a nifty, brand-new gift bag at the thrift two weekends ago. The original price was $4.95 - I snagged it for 25-cents!

2. Eat @ locally-owned restaurants - This is going OK. Hubby and I have only eaten out two or three times this year. One of those times was at a chain restaurant. Sadly, a locally-owned mom-and-pop cafe right down the road from my library closed up yesterday. It was seized by the IRS. :/

3. Compile family-health history - I have done some work on my maternal side. My mom has told me what should could; she doesn't speak with much of her family, and my grandmother has Alzeimer's. I have yet to start on my paternal side. The only person I can talk to is my dad's sister, and we don't have much of a relationship. Must start working on that.

4. Work on family trees - I haven't gotten around to this project yet. I hope to get back into researching soon!

A Very Boring January

2011-01-30T17:23:00.001-05:00

It’s the end of the month. Normally I would post a recap of the month, but nothing big or exciting has been going on.

I’ve been feeling pretty blah lately about finances. My once-a-month paycheck has made for very interesting budgeting for our one-income household for the time being. We are making changes to our budget and lifestyle to free up more cash for savings and debt repayments. One of those changes is to do away with our smartphones (which include a data plan and text messaging).

I have had to scale back on how aggressive I was planning on saving and paying down our last medical debt. And I have found out that our dental insurance won’t be covering all of Hubby’s dental work this year, so we’ll be incurring more medical debt this year. But, to keep it all in perspective, some dental debt is better than useless consumer debt (at least in my mind).

How did the month of January treat you?

Declutter Challenge: 347 Items To Go!

2011-01-24T15:15:00.000-05:00

I signed on to participate in Ultimate Money’s decluttering challenge for 2011. I made an introductory post earlier this year. I am keeping track of everything I am removing from our home, and I just made a drop-off at the thrift store this morning. Here is what I have decluttered since I last posted:

A travel guide
A reusable bag
Sweater
A skirt that was too big (Yay!)
Six clothing items of Hubby’s (he chucked some old restaurant clothes)
An old cookbook
A pet-health book
An old laptop bag

This haul netted 13 items out of the house.

So far this year, I have decluttered 18 items from our home. Not bad, so far!

Frugal Food: Pizza Casserole

2011-01-21T14:35:00.001-05:00

Earlier this week, I cooked dinner all by myself. Under our roof, I am kitchen-phobic. I get anxiety when I cook something that takes more than 10 minutes. Thank God for Hubby or else my diet would consist exclusively microwavable meals and sandwiches. We don’t even own a microwave, so I am very fortunate to have a man who can cook.

But I know I should learn how to cook. On Monday night, I ventured out of my comfort zone and prepared a casserole from The Complete Tightwad Gazette (affiliate link). I figured a casserole would be easy for me, and the ingredients were very budget friendly.

I pulled it off. It was delicious! And very easy. I still had some anxiety though, especially when I didn’t read the directions all the way through and thought my flour mixture was too dry. Once it occurred to me to read the directions through and realize I would add egg and milk to the dry ingredients, the anxiety calmed down.

Fresh from the pan, as evident by the steam.
I recommend this recipe if you’re like me: You want to prepare something that’s easy and tasty, and you love pizza. Hubby and I are pizza fiends. He really enjoyed the casserole, so much so that he had seconds and thirds. We had plenty left over for two more days worth of meals.

The recipe comes directly from The Complete Tightwad Gazette (p. 772).

Pizza Casserole

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef (I used ground turkey – I don’t eat red meat)
2 14-ounce jars pizza sauce
3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1.5 cups Bisquick-type mix (1 ¼ cups flour, 2 tsp. baking powder, ½ tsp. salt, ¼ c. oil)
2.5 cups milk
3 eggs

Cook and drain meat. Spoon meat into a 9x13 baking pan. Top with pizza sauce and cheese. Combine dry mix, milk, and eggs. Beat until smooth. Pour batter over casserole, covering evenly. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.

I added green peppers on top of the cheese. Next time, I plan on adding more vegetables. It’s delicious reheated, and Hubby enjoyed it cold the next day (to get that cold pizza effect). If you make this, please let me know how it turns out for you.

Demographics

2011-01-19T12:30:00.003-05:00

I thought it would be interesting to look at demographics of the area I live in. While I haven’t disclosed the state I live in (yet), it is in the southern U.S. and part of Appalachia.

As of 2000, The estimated population of the COUNTY I live in is 40,000. The median household income is $34,330, and the median family income is $41,805. What I find disheartening, and not surprising, is that 23 percent of the population is below the poverty line.

(Just for informational purposes, the poverty line for a family of two in the U.S. in 2010 was $14,570.)

It's an interesting exercise to research the demographics of your area. For me, I wasn't surprised by the level of poverty in the area. I was surprised that the median family income is what it is. I haven't seen the 2010 Census figures yet for my area, but I'm interested to see the changes.

Have you ever research research demographics for the area you live in?

Back to Working Out

2011-01-16T16:05:00.000-05:00

We are 16 days into the New Year. It took me day 14 to get back into a workout routine. That’s not too bad, right?

Friday’s workout was 30 minutes using our Wii. Yesterday’s workout was 30 minutes using our Wii. I was sore this morning when I got up, presumably from the two workouts. It has been weeks since I last worked out, so I knew this soreness was inevitable. I wanted to squeeze a workout in today because I knew I wouldn’t be able to get one in tomorrow (I have a dentist’s appointment in the morning; both of us have eye appointments in the afternoon – I love long weekends from work). But I just wasn’t feeling doing the Wii workouts or one of the various workout DVDs I own.

And then Hubby asked, “Would you like to go for a walk?”

Since we moved into our new place, we haven’t been walking. Where we were living, we walked regularly. Our old neighborhood had very little traffic (it was out in the sticks) and plenty of hilly terrain to up the intensity of a walk. We discovered a route that allowed us to walk a little over two miles.

Where we live now, we live within the city limits of our little country town. We live within walking distance of grocery stores, banks, post office, etc. We have walked to a grocery store once because we were iced in and couldn’t drive to it. When Hubby was working at the restaurant, he would walk to work on days I couldn’t take him.

Today’s walk took us almost two hours and we covered five miles. It hurt, especially when we walked up the hill to our neighborhood to come home, but it was such a fun experience. We walked through the downtown area to see what stores were still open. We enjoyed watching snow melt along one of the rivers that runs through the town. We talked about lots of things and got plenty of fresh air and sunshine (since it has finally warmed up above freezing). It was fabulous!

And according to my pedometer, I walked 10,534 steps. Just from that walk! I enjoy my indoor fitness resources, but a walk/hike outdoors is what I’d love to do all the time.

Do you prefer to exercise indoors or outdoors?

The Positive Side of Snow and Ice

2011-01-13T15:25:00.001-05:00

Thanks to Old Man Winter, I haven’t been to work since last Friday. If you follow me on Twitter, you know I’m quite over the snow and ice. Having grown up in Florida, winter weather and the headaches associated with it are still new for me. We have been able to get out of our neighborhood, but we’ve been sticking close to home and driving on roads that we know are passable.

But there are some benefits (many financial) to being snowed and iced in:

1. You don’t have the opportunity to go out and spend.
2. You can’t drive anywhere, thus saving gas.
3. You can’t go out to eat, thus you concentrate on using up what’s in your pantry.
4. You get to spend copious amounts of time with your family.

Number four is debatable, depending on who you’re snowed in with. While it has been nice to hang out with Hubby for days, we’re both getting sick of each other and our apartment. I am looking very forward to going back to work and getting back into my normal routine. However, my unexpected “vacation” has been a great one – I just wish it was warmer.

How is the winter weather treating you?

Decluttering 365 Items

2011-01-12T09:00:00.000-05:00

Ultimate Money Blog created a challenged for 2011: declutter 365 items from your home. A decluttering challenge? Yes, please!

I went through a huge decluttering kick at the beginning of 2010. We were living with family and didn’t have much space of our own, so I figured decluttering would help us make the most of what little space we had. And it did! I purged quite a bit of our belongings – so much so that we moved out of that house with less than what we moved in with. While having less made moving into our new place easier, our new place has become home to new clutter.

Since we moved, we have received a lot of hand-me-down items from friends and family. I turn NOTHING down. I will accept just about anything from anyone. And if I don’t have a use for something? I do my best to pass it along to someone else or donate it to the local thrift store. We moved here in October, and I’m amazed at how much stuff we have accumulated already.

I am participating in the 365-items challenge not only to purge a bit more from our living space, but to remind myself that just because I purge something doesn’t mean I have to go out and buy something to replace whatever thingamabob I’ve purged. This challenge goes hand-in-hand with The Compact for me (which, for the record, I have bought nothing new so far this year – will blog about my rules soon).

Here is what I have decluttered so far:

1. A shirt
2. A blouse
3. A pair of pants
4. A picture frame
5. Pair of slippers

Five down, 360 to go!

Do you actively declutter your home/work space/etc.?

Nothing To Read Here, Folks

2011-01-09T14:30:00.000-05:00

It's rather sad that my first post in 2011 is on January 9, but I have a good reason for that: Nothing exciting or even remotely interesting is going on in my world. And I'm OK with that.

There's nothing to report on my resolutions and goals. Work has been keeping me very busy. And I have the feeling I won't be going to work tomorrow (and possibly Tuesday) due to the impending snow/ice storm that should arrive this evening. I was born and raised in Florida, and preparing for a snow storm is very similar to preparing for a hurricane (except for boarding up windows).

How's the weather where you are this winter? I'm ready for spring.

2011 Resolutions

2010-12-31T13:35:00.001-05:00

With the success of 2010, I am looking to use that momentum to carry me into 2011. I have two sets of resolutions this year: personal resolutions and project goals. So, without further ado...

Personal Resolutions
1. Lose 30 lbs. – I lost 20 lbs. last year, and I still have a good amount of weight to lose. I will continue to my weight loss in a healthy way: watching what I eat and exercising as often as healthfully possible. My weight-loss efforts have slacked since Thanksgiving, so I am teetering around the 230 number. I would like to see 200 lbs. by the end of 2011.

2. Save $2,000 – Our savings account has saved us a few times in 2010, and we are currently have a savings balance of under $1,000. Reaching $1,000 is my main priority (ala Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps), and then I want to continue to save once we reach $2,000. And I want to MAINTAIN that $2,000 for as long as possible.

3. Pay off remaining medical debt – The current balance on this debt is $944. It WILL be paid off this year.

4. Take the GRE – I have been studying for the GRE off and on for the past year. I am tired of having the intentions to take it without taking any more action. I will take the GRE this year – I will go back to school.

Project Goals
1. Participate in The Compact – I love the idea of buying nothing new, with my own personal rules in place. I have all that I need, and most of my wants can be purchased second-hand with some patience and hunting around. By participating in the Compact, I hope to save money, save space at home, and be more aware of my purchasing habits.

2. Eat out at locally-owned restaurants – Hubby lost his job in December. He worked at a locally-owned restaurant. Why did the restaurant close? No business. Along with that restaurant, four other locally-owned restaurants closed in the same month. So we have made a commitment to only eat out at locally-owned restaurants when we decide to go out to eat. While we have discussed amendments to this (we’re still hashing out such amendments), we will also do our best to eat at locally-owned restaurants while out of town.

3. Compile a family health history – This is something I have wanted to do since my dad passed away in 2009. I want to compile my own family’s health history as well as one for Hubby’s family. It’s important so we know for ourselves, but if we ever have children, it’s important for them.

4. Continuing working on my family tree – I started this earlier this year, but never continued. Genealogy research fascinates me, and I want to do more work on my family. I want to keep working on my research, and I’d like to do research on Hubby’s family.

I also have a list of professional goals to achieve, but I won't be posting them here yet. When I entered my position in October, I was still implementing a lot of programs that were planned by my predecessor. January will begin everything that I have planned, so I am looking forward to a fresh start in what I do (and so are my coworkers - they're so supportive and encouraging!). I am still working on the list of what I want to accomplish at work this year.

Bring it on, 2011!

How We're Entering 2011

2010-12-28T13:45:00.000-05:00

Plenty of things have happened in 2010. I am incredibly excited to see what the new year will bring. Here is an update on where we are in our life at the moment. This is a quick update from the myriad of posts I first posted on this blog at this time in 2009.

1. I am working full time. Full-time work means benefits and more money! Of course, the money disappears just as quickly, but it’s nice to have a little extra wiggle room.

2. Hubby is currently unemployed. He had landed a job at a brand new restaurant in September – sadly, the restaurant closed its doors two weeks before Christmas. The business just wasn’t there. Hubby isn’t beating himself up too badly – nothing was his fault, but he’s been bummed out because he really enjoyed the job. So he’s back to square one on looking for work.

3. We are living on our own.

4. My health has improved. Of course, I am continuing on my weight-loss journey to get even healthier.

I have a list of resolutions I would like to accomplish in 2011. Most of the resolutions continue to be about weight loss and debt reduction. I’m feeling pumped with what I’ve accomplished in 2010, so I’m sure 2011 will be just as successful. Resolutions coming soon!

P.S. - This is the 175th post at SHL. I first posted here one year ago yesterday!

The Year In Review

2010-12-18T20:15:00.001-05:00

This will be my final post of 2010. However, I would like to return to blogging in 2011, real-life schedule permitting. I miss things around here!

I want to do a quick wrap-up of my goals for the year and how I did with them:

1. Lose 20 pounds – This goal was achieved on September 3, 2010. November and December have knocked me around nutritionally. The delicious holiday foods and the plethora of events this time of year make it difficult to maintain weight loss. I started 2010 at 250 lbs. and was a size 22. I am hovering around 230 lbs. now and wear a size 18. I will continue working on my weight loss in 2011.

2. Pay off credit card debt – This goal was achieved on February 18, 2010. This was a surprisingly easy goal to achieve, most likely because I had stopped using my only credit card over two years ago. I still haven’t used it and have no plans ever to.

3. Pay off medical debt – This goal has not been achieved in 2010. Our medical debt is from our dental work. It has fluctuated throughout the year, and we’re still working on knocking it out. However, with my new position at my library, I now have dental insurance, so I hope we don’t rack up any more dental debt.

4. Get a place of our own – This goal was achieved on October 8, 2010. After almost two years of living with my in-laws, my husband and I became financially stable (again) enough to move back out on our own. And we have absolutely no plans on returning to that lifestyle. Why? Because we’re a heck of a lot smarter now about our finances and are working on saving enough to save ourselves if things ever become as bad as they did for us in 2008.

At the beginning of 2010, we had $4,565.39 in debt (credit and medical). As of this very moment, we have $944 left of medical debt. That’s it! We have paid off $3,621.39 in debt this year. I hope to never have to do that again – until I pay back my student loans. I have never factored in my student loan debt into my debts that I have discussed here, but I hope to start paying off those this upcoming year. And it’s an embarrassing total (in my opinion). But that’s another story and a whole other blog post.

It has been a whirlwind year. I’m going to toot my horn because I’m darn proud of where I’ve come within a year. And I’m so incredibly proud of my Hubby for his efforts. He’s encouraged me with all of my crazy plans and ideas and has participated right along with me. We’re patting ourselves on our backs for our achievements.

So what’s in store for SHL for 2011? I’m still working on that. I want to continue with my weight loss. I want to continue paying off debts. I’m entertaining the idea of participating in The Compact. Hubby and I are making a personal resolution to only eat out at locally-owned restaurants. I want the next year to be just as successful as this past one.

I want to thank all of you who have followed me this year. I hope you will continue to follow me in the new year. I wish you all a very happy holiday season, however you celebrate. I wish you all a very happy New Year. And I wish you all the best in your continuing journeys of debt repayment, weight loss, and everything else you are working to accomplish. :o)

See you in 2011, another year that will be mine!

And don't forget to follow me on Twitter!

Twitter Reminder

2010-11-30T18:47:00.001-05:00

I just wanted to remind you all that I am active on my Twitter account. If you'd like to remain in contact with me while the blog is on hiatus, please follow me on Twitter.

@savingherlife

Hope you all are doing well!

State of the Blog: On Hiatus

2010-11-09T19:51:00.000-05:00

It’s obvious that I haven’t been around for some time. My focus has shifted to concentrating on my personal life and professional life for now. Not having home internet access also hinders one’s ability to update a blog on a regular basis. And while I could compose a bunch of blog posts while I’m in an area that offers free wi-fi, I just have other things to do with my time.

Saving Her Life will be on hiatus for the rest of 2010. I want to get settled into my new position (I’ve been in it for almost a month), get through the holidays, and just enjoy everything I have going for me right now. I hope to not abandon this blog completely – I have achieved so much this year thanks to this outlet. I have so many more goals I would like to accomplish, and I would love to continue using this blog to record my progress. But for now, this blog is better off being silent.

If you would like to continue following me, please do! If I decide to return before 2011, I will make an appearance here and there. I wish all of you well on your personal journeys. Thank you for your support. I love my few readers very dearly.

Weekly Update

2010-10-25T13:35:00.003-04:00

Here's an update on life at the moment. Apparently weekly updates will have to suffice for the time being.

Today is my second week of working full-time. I am loving the job! The unfortunate side, however, is that the woman who held the job before me was horribly unorganized, so I have been struggling to balance my everyday duties with getting things organized. But I'm not complaining - the job is fun, and I welcome the extra responsibilities.

Hubby is now the kitchen manager at his restaurant. Much like how I moved into my position, the previous kitchen manager just wasn't doing what they were supposed to do. He is really excited about his extra responsibilities and his more normal working schedule. I work from 8 to 5, he works from 8 to 3 - this is the first time in our marriage where our work schedules are similar. It's nice to have dinner together just about every evening.

This weekend will be my first weekend with a new budget. I pay most of our bills on the first of the month, and since we moved we do have a few extra bills. Still no Internet though. I miss having the constant Internet access, but I can't justify the cost when we are hardly home. And when we are home, we're vegging out.

I stepped on the scale one morning last week - the number read 228 pounds. I've lost two pounds this month! Moving into a new place and transitioning into a new job has left my eating habits in shambles. This week I am trying to get back on track with eating healthier. I worked out yesterday for the first time in over two weeks. I am ridiculously sore today, but it felt good. I would like to lose three more pounds by my birthday, which is next month. It's possible!

How are YOU doing?

Miscellaneous Thoughts for Oct. 18

2010-10-18T14:32:00.000-04:00

Thoughts from the mind of SHL.

1. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: Not having regular Internet access when you’re trying to keep up with a blog stinks. However, since I don’t have Internet access at home, I am very productive. Since we just moved a little over a week ago, we’re already unpacked and settled in. Highly doubt that would have been possible if I had Internet.

2. I don’t plan on getting Internet at home. Why? Because I am more productive at home – and my personal and professional lives are much more important than my Internet existence. Plus, it’s $50/month for Internet in my area. I work at a public library with free Internet. E-mails and such can be checked on my lunch hour.

3. Today is my first full day at my new position at the library. I’m working a split schedule today (four hours in the morning, four hours in the evening) to accommodate for a program we’re having tonight. I’m blogging right now during those four-hour shifts and hoping to get other Internet-related things accomplished.

4. I still haven’t had the opportunity to play around with a budget with my new position. I won’t get my first paycheck from this new position until the end of November.

5. Remember my participation in Health Month? Yep, that’s out the window. Since I won’t be completing it, I will stay true to my word on the site and donate $10 to a charity. Now to figure out which charity to pass along an Alexander Hamilton...

6. I’m maintaining my current weight of 230 lbs. Once I get settled into my new routine at work, I want to revamp my workout habits. I can’t wait for life to settle down for a little bit, although the excitement is... well, it’s exciting.

Gosh, am I really this boring?

Using Our Emergency Fund

2010-10-15T11:15:00.000-04:00

The time has finally come to understand the importance of an emergency fund.

Hubby and I took our car in yesterday for an oil change. With my new job, I will be commuting a lot more and wanted to make sure the car was in tip-top shape to perform. Everything on our car is working beautifully... except for a problem with the front, right-side tire.

I'm not a very mechanical person. The man who explained the issue to us yesterday broke things down for me to understand, and I understood it. Could I explain things here? Absolutely not. It has something to do with the camber of the tire. Or is it the caster? See? We have an appointment to bring our car back on Tuesday morning to fix this thing that's going on. The repair should take no more than two days, but they gave us the two day window to make sure they ordered any necessary parts in time and to do the job right. I trust this mechanic, and I'm confident the job will be done well.

For those two days, we'll be getting a rental car through the dealership at a cost of $30/day. Small price to pay, in my opinion, if it means taking care of this issue while it's still a minor issue. The actual repair could cost anywhere from $150 to $1,000. Ouch!

But this is why we have an emergency fund. If we didn't, I would be having a panic attack. But we do, so I can breathe easy and work on our budget to replenish the fund once everything is taken care of.

Do you have an emergency fund? Have you used it?

More Exciting News!

2010-10-13T19:15:00.000-04:00

In my previous post I alluded to some other big news in my life.

I am now working full-time at my library.

This past week has been an absolutely whirlwind of positivity. I'm still trying to absorb everything. My full-time position doesn't officially begin until Monday, but I have been doing little things here and there to prepare for it. I will eventually go into more detail about what I'll be doing. First, I have to hit the ground running and get into a routine so I know exactly what I'll be doing. I am filling a position that hasn't had someone new in it for over 10 years. Things should be interesting.

Of course, now that I'll be working full-time I'll have a pay increase. And even better, we will finally have health benefits! It has been over two years since we have had employer-provided health insurance - we had COBRA for a while in 2008, but the cost was ridiculous. And being the dork that I am, I'm excited to fill out the paperwork for the benefits because I've never had a full-time job that has offer me benefits. Isn't that insane?

Thank you for reading about all the positivity in my life. If you've read this far, I want to know about something positive going on in your life right now.

Brief Thoughts on Moving

2010-10-10T14:39:00.002-04:00

I seriously forgot how expensive moving is. It's not the actual moving of your possessions that is expensive (unless you hire a moving company). We've been eating out because we hadn't bought groceries. Since we are starting off fresh again, we've had to buy the little, everyday stuff (sponges, towels, etc.). It has all really added up.

However, it is so nice to be on our own again. And we have such amazing people in our lives who have given us furniture and dishware to get us started again. As expensive and stressful as the process is, I'm really enjoying it. For the time being, I'm at my in-laws house using their internet until we find a internet/cable package we like. Hubby likes his football, and I like my internet.

My blogging with be sporadic until I get back into the rhythm of life and have regular internet access again. Stay tuned for my next post - I believe I will be revealing some more exciting news. (No, I'm not pregnant.)

Another Big Goal Achieved!

2010-10-07T17:53:00.002-04:00

I can't keep this cat in the bag any longer. Plus, I won't have regular Internet access for the next week or so and want to tell you all this.

Tomorrow morning Hubby and I will be signing a lease on an apartment.

We are unbelieveably happy about this. We are scheduled to move in tomorrow afternoon. We have a lot of work ahead of us since we are basically starting from scratch. We sold and gave away most of our possessions when we moved in with his parents at the end of 2008. While it's a bit overwhelming to be starting from scratch, I'm pretty excited. I've already found fabulous thrift store items to decorate our new place. I'm beyond thrill to have a place of our own again to call home.

So please continue to bear with me as so much of my life away from the computer is in transition. As always, please feel free to e-mail me or follow me on Twitter.

Hiatus

2010-10-04T10:45:00.000-04:00

Saving Her Life is going on a week-long hiatus.

There is so much going on in my life right now, and I don't want to leave this blog hanging without putting up a proper message. I will be returning, hopefully after this week. This week is a busy week in our family, and I want to give everything my full concentration.

I will periodically update my Twitter account, so feel free to follow me there. You can also e-mail me if you feel so inclined: savingherlifeblog@gmail.com

Have a wonderful week!

October Will Be Health Month

2010-10-01T10:30:00.000-04:00

October will be a busy month. Our budget for miscellaneous expenses demonstrates this. But there are so many other things to do this month. I am participating in a charity walk. I am preparing for National Novel Writing Month (my third year participating) in November. I have books that need to be read before November, or else I won’t remember what I’ve been reading. We may be moving. There may also be some job changes (for the better) on the horizon. October will be slammin’.

Yes. I said slammin’.

Now I know me. I know that when I get busy, I will completely overlook the good habits I should continue to cultivate – good eating, drinking lots of water, getting in exercise. The scale has remained at a constant for the past month. That’s good because I’m not gaining weight. However, I want to continue to lose.

Thanks to Trent at The Simple Dollar, I have signed up for Health Month. I want to stay on track with my health goals, but I have been terrible at doing them lately. So Health Month will hopefully provide more motivation and accountability for October. Plus, with my goal of limiting my time on the Internet, I can hopefully tackle all the projects I want to complete and tie up loose ends that have been hanging for some time. Darn you, Internet, and your addictive ways.

If you are participating in Health Month, let me know!

Budgeting for October

2010-09-30T14:00:00.000-04:00

Now that it’s fall, our budgeting will get more interesting. Hubby’s birthday is in October, our dating anniversary is in October, and my birthday is in November. As much as I should think about the holiday season, I simply don't want to. But this will be the first fall where I’m actually going to BUDGET for these activities. What a concept.

Here’s my budget for all the miscellaneous things going on in October.

Hair appointment for me: $25
Birthday dinner for Hubby: $20
Anniversary dinner-and-movie: $40
Overnight trip out of town: $40
Medicine for me: $25
Oil change: $50

I’m also planning on scheduling the GRE test ($160 - ouch!). We also may be (finally!) getting a place of our own. October is going to throw us some curve balls, but I think we're well prepared.

Do you have anything exciting going on in October?