Tuesday, November 15, 2011

The Money Saving Mom's Budget - Review

I was given a preview copy of The Money Saving Mom's Budget book to review.  I've decided to read one chapter at a time and do what she suggests before moving on to the next chapter.  And so far, it's AMAZING!  Chapter 1 which deals with setting goals, and this is something I/we need to write down again as we have slacked off lately.  I know how important setting goals are, but lately, I've earned an F grade.  I loved how Crystal points out that you should pick a large goal, but break it down into little pieces so they don't seem so huge.  So, here are my goals...
  • Save $15,000 by May 31, 2012 for a new home.
    • Follow me every week in Financially Fit Friday as I show you exactly how we are saving every week for this goal!
    • This amounts to $500/week we need to save.  A pretty big stretch, but it is what it is.  And tax return time is coming, which will hopefully have some extra $ for this fund. 
      • Spare change, extra shifts, selling toys, selling clothes, keeping the heat lower in the winter, taking shorter showers, etc will all help in earning and saving us some money.
  • Organize my home, one room at a time, per week.
    • My goal is to always have the main level clean of clutter.  I want my husband to be able to walk into our home and not be bogged down with immediatly seeing clutter. 
    • I also want to take one box per week of clothes and toys to Once Upon a Child and sell them.
      • Christmas is approaching, my kids will get more toys and clothes.
      • This extra cash will go into our House Fund :D
    • This week, I want to organize our bedroom.  I want to fall asleep in peace, not walking into an extra storage room that it has become.
      • Give away clothes, by either donating them or on Freecycle
        • My clothes
        • Hubby's clothes - he already bagged them up!
        • Tubs of baby clothes that have infested our room
      • Hang up mirror I got for Christmas LAST YEAR that's still sitting on our floor
      • Sell jewelry at Encore downtown along with some clothes and shoes.
    • Always have the dishes done before I go to bed. 
    • Fold and put a load of laundry away every day.  Otherwise, we end up with 8 loads of 'clean' laundry that piles up on the floor in front of the washer and dryer
    • Make chore charts for kids. 
      • I started this, but never finished them.  Our household runs a lot smoother when the kids pitch in, and they know 330pm is chore time and they can't play or anything until the chores are done.  Nor will they get their $1 at the end of the week :D 
  • Continue to eat healthier and work out 3 times per week.
    • I've now lost weight finally!  I'd like to average 2 pounds per week, except a holiday week, which I hope to lose 1 or at least break even :D  My goal is to be down a total of 30 pounds by May 31, 2012. 
      • Currently have 26 to go :D
    • I've been very good about buying food lately.  Hardly any prepackaged items, making most of our food from scratch.  Which sounds impossible to some, but it's really easy once you start. 
  • Crystal says to pick 3 goals, but I need to add this one to it:  Spend quality time with Ryan and also each child, especially Eve.
    • Eve is my twin.  Which means we butt heads 99% of the time.  I'd like to take her out for 30 minutes and bond while buying hair flowers for the two of us :D  OR, teach her how to wash the dishes.  I don't know why, but I have refused to teach her, and this way I have to learn patience, and it will be one less chore for me to do :D
So, there are my goals.  Ready, Go!  lol  What is one of your goals you want to accomplish?  How are you going about accomplishing that?

A fun way to keep track of your goals AND earn some free gift cards is by using Daily Feats.  Go check it out, it's free to sign up!

If you'd like to pre-order your own copy, head on over to Amazon and do so!

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