Monday, January 19, 2015

Life Unscripted - Pulling out of No Spenduary

There is nothing like getting out of bed and realizing your dog has puked on your bed unbeknownst to you.  You have apparently laid in it, and now you need to wash the bed sheets and yourself...Yuck!

My daughter has what I suspect is some kind of viral rash or something but we have waited it out a few days, and prayed and there hasn't been any improvement for her.  It seems to be getting worse.  So we are going to the doctor this morning....I want confirmation that I shouldn't worry, and I am curious if there is any cream or something that could alleviate symptoms.  We did eventually make it to the doctor and she has fifths disease, which despite it's name is not a disease it is a virus....and once you reach the rash portion you aren't contagious anymore, but the doctor says the rash could last for up to two weeks.

There has been two deaths within about a week of each other in an extended branch of our family.  At this point, we are going to attempt to travel back to Delaware to show those that are hurting some love later this week.  So I am officially pulling out of the No Spenduary Challenge, it isn't going to be a month of saving much for us at this point.  Gas prices are the lowest they have been in a long time, so it should cost us much less to travel then it has in the past. I also hope to pack most of the food we will eat.  There won't be funds to go out at all.  We will have funds for gas, and that is about it.  I am open to any ideas that you guys might have for easy foods to take on the road.  I figure I can make egg salad and tuna fish for the ride, as well as pb and j.  Might take some cereal for snack. 

I carefully spent the grocery money we had for the month and am keeping careful track of what we are eating to see how i can improve on our spending and menu planning.  My budget was 129.00.  I spent 131.00.  Not too bad.    To save money this week we had a free lunch at the local senior center, and participated in the bread basket giveaway at a local church.  This helps our food in the house go further.  I will also later this week be able to get WIC items because my daughter is eligible for the program until she is 5.

My daughter and I went on a small road trip yesterday to Tallahassee with Aunti L to see her daughter perform in a gymnastics event.  We were treated to lunch at Wendy's and had a very nice dinner at a place called Harry's, which is a New Orleans' themed restaurant.  That was an unexpected expense, but I drank water, and the food was really good.  Unexpected things do happen in life, and you never now where a day can take you.

I am sorry I have no photos to share, I accidentally deleted them all when I was reformatting an SD card for use.  I hope everyone had a great week.  I won't be posting anything else this week as I have some work to do with the unexpected travel and what not.  Thank you for hanging in there with me.


Monday, January 12, 2015

2015 Goals

Well i decided it might be nice to have something to work towards and pray about and see where we end up...

In 2015 I.....

want to pray more, and find what works for us to ensure my family gets devotional time(I can't keep waiting on my husband to lead but I hope to pray him to have that desire) and me personally too...

would like to learn to knit or crochet

learn to sew...something....anything......

Read through the First Place 4 health books

Though I know there may always be things to declutter I would like to be done with the bulk of our decluttering and have created a space we love!

Spend more intentional time with my husband and family

Grow something edible

learn about taking better pictures 

Decide about virtual school or continuing allowing my son in public school.  He feels he is not being challenged enough, and the day just takes to long (his words, he feels he could do more with his time.)  We home schooled before but life was so out of control it was difficult for me.  Two years later, things are better, but we need a lot of prayer regarding my son's schooling.

I can't commit to losing weight, I am never successful, but I would like to at least get my health under control...so for the health part

I need to....
*see an endocrinologist
*gastroenterologist ?
* GYN (we all need those check ups ladies)
* a dermatologist. ( I have not had a skin check in a few years and I should have one yearly)
*cardiologist. (gotta have a check up, but i know they will be disappointed, I have not regularly exercised or lost any weight...no perseverance...I struggle, i want immediate results, and often give up when i don't get them)


Oh and I need to remember to take my pills everyday...I just realized a bottle of pills that should be empty every month, I have not filled since October...I have to do better.  It is medicine I should take every day.


My bottom line is to learn to live well, (very well would be nice) on less.  I want to do better, and it would be nice if the savings account wasn't empty at the end of the year.  We did budgeting for a bit and it it worked somewhat but then it was like so many unexpected things happened, I could not keep up.  I don't want my life and relationships to be just about surviving....but THRIVING! 



Verse of the year for me to remember : AND MY GOD WILL MEET ALL YOUR NEEDS ACCORDING TO HIS GLORIOUS RICHES IN CHRIST JESUS.  PHILIPPIANS 4:19

I chose this verse, which I have shared before because sometimes circumstances arise, and I have forgotten this truth.  So this is how I am beginning.......


What will you be working towards in this New Year you have been blessed with?
 


Saturday, January 10, 2015

Sharing Ways We Save

Here is our week:


*Accepted a free box spring for my son's bed.  He decided he did not want the smaller room with the bunk bed, so he accepted the bed frame my husband got from a customer instead that we were originally going to use for our daughter.  I was blessed when my best friend had one in her attic.  With the bunk bed he had not needed a box spring for his mattress.

* My husband was given a sack of snacks from a coworker that had like 8 or 9 bags of chips that my daughter and I can eat during the week for snack or lunch

* I inventoried our cupboards and freezer and I made a MEAL PLAN!  It is just a little two week one....but it's a start.  We are just using up what we have for a bit, but I have already made a shopping plan for our tiny grocery budget for the month ( I won't shop till the 15th)

* We continued to make some home made dog food out of stuff we have on hand.

*Collected a few feathers from the chicken pen to use on craft projects


*Made homemade stain remover using blue Dawn, and peroxide.  It did a decent job.  I rubbed it in with a toothbrush and put a little baking soda on top and let it sit for an hour.

*Have gotten my daughter to drink more water...she always says she hates it but here is what we did.  One day she was throwing a fit about how she didn't want water...well I always stick a glass in the freezer cause I like mine as cold as it can get....it froze some and I told her that Elsa must have snuck out of her room and froze my water.  So now we pretend and call it Elsa water.  She likes the thought, and she will drink it.




Frugal Flop:  I fell off the No Spenduary band wagon and bought two little Ceasar's Pizza's the other night....I was disappointed in myself, but here is my confession in an effort to "keep it real."  Even though this happened, if this is the only thing we do it's still a huge difference compared to what we usually might spend.

Things to consider.  I also belong to a group where we are doing a declutter challenge....and I usually just donate the stuff to get it out of the house, but I can't decide if I want to try and sell any of it to make extra cash....it's not always easy....the kids see stuff of theirs and they want it back etc...so is it worth the hassle, or should I just donate it to the church thrift store where they sell each bag for $1.00 and let it bless someone else.

How was your week?

Saturday, January 3, 2015

Sharing Ways We Save



Used coupons to get a bogo on train rides in St. Augustine saving us about 27.00.  The coupon was from an entertainment booklet we bought from a fundraiser earlier in the year, so the use of one coupon paid for the book.  There is another set of coupons to do the same thing again, and we will later in the year.


I am very proud of us...we went to St. Augustine and walked our favorite shopping street (St. George's) looked at the shops and spent nothing.  We purchased only consumables at meal time, and the kids had gift cards that covered all but 8.00 of it,(it was at McD's) and because of the wait we got free ice cream.


I was given a bottle of J.Crew shampoo

Used grocery points to ear .25 cents off per gallon of gas.



 Made dog food

I did check the Christmas clearance isle at Walmart...and spent 5.50.  4 items are for gifts next year, and 4 are to use to decorate my daughter's room.  I also bought a Christmas scented thing of wax things that you melt for scent in a warmer.  I was sure to put the decorations to immediate use...so they wouldn't just be sitting around...here they are with the pictures I made my daughter for Christmas.



We went on a date....i traded with another mom time when i would watch her kids for a date if she would watch mine.  We paid for the date with our Christmas money from my mom mom and pop pop...(I know it could have been used in other places, but we needed it...we went on our date during the day while my husband was off for the week.



On our date...we did stop by a local Salvation Army thrift store that has 50 percent off on Wednesdays....we had fun...it's the first time my husband has gone to a thrift store with me in a while...he had an eye for things I would not have seen.  That was our last thrift store run done on Dec 31st.  Now we have joined Danielle in the No Spenduary challenge over at http://www.blissfulanddomestic.com/2015/01/starting-year-off-right-with-no.html

I hope everyone had a great new year...my post is lagging behind...I rang in the New Year from the E.R. I just needed treatment for a kidney infection apparently.  I thought I just had some symptoms of a UTI but as the day went on, I got through our date, and once the kids went to bed...I was in so much pain I couldn't sleep.  I am happy to report that $30.00 in prescriptions later, I feel much better.  We are still working to recoup our "Pig Sty" but one thing, one day at a time.  How has the New Year been for you so far?