new chores for commissions

It was this time last year that my family made the switch from giving the boys an Allowance to giving them Commissions.  You can read the original post here but basically we were tired of handing over money to the boys each month when they'd done nothing to earn it.   We came up with age appropriate chores they could do in order to earn money and they did an exceptional job for 8-9 months of keeping track of what they did and I normally had their commissions ready to give them on Sunday nights.  

Around the time of their birthdays (in the Fall), they were extra busy with football and they were receiving money as birthday gifts.  It was then that they lost some momentum and motivation to get their chore charts completed.    I have to give them credit though, even without earning commissions they did an exceptional job helping out around the house and doing their regular chores.  I keep thinking that one of them is going to give me a "bill" of what I owe them for taking out the recycling bins for the last 3 months.

It's a new year though and they're each another year older.  It's time to get back into our routine of regular chores and commissions.  And since they are older, I want them to each learn a new skill.  

For my 10 year old, I want him to learn how to sort and wash his own clothes.  Last year he was responsible for bringing his laundry basket to the laundry room for me to do the wash.  This year I want him to simply learn how to start the wash.  Also, he knows how to dust, but this year I want him to get even better at it! (ha, ha!)  So, he'll be dusting the furniture on the main floor of the house.

For my 13 year old, he and I both had the same skill in mind that we wanted him to learn and practice.  Cooking.  He'll be responsible for planning (with my help at first) and preparing a meal one night each week.  He's pretty good at grilling burgers, so that will probably be his meal of choice, but I want him to learn how to slice the onion and tomatoes, shred the lettuce, and prepare the side dishes.  It doesn't have to be complicated.  I'll be happy for him to heat up a can of beans or cut up some fruit (or even open a can of fruit...).  He could even make a pot of spaghetti and serve it with garlic bread and a bagged salad.  Easy stuff.

Also, my chore charts aren't fancy.  Just something printed from the computer and taped to the refrigerator.  Here is a sample of what I do:

for my 10 year old...   

CHORE	Earning Potential	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Total Earned
Take out/bring in trash & recycling on Mondays	$1
Clean, dust, vacuum your room	$2
Dust furniture in the den, dining room, living room, guest bedroom	$3
Clean the basement bathroom	$2
Wash & your laundry (I’ll dry, fold & hang it)	$1/load

^{for my 13 year old...}

CHORE	Earning Potential	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Total Earned
Plan and prepare 1 dinner	$5
Clean, dust, vacuum your room	$2
Clean your bathroom	$2
Wash & dry your laundry	$1/load
Fold, hang & put away your laundry	$1/load

My main goal is to teach them to be responsible and to have some basic skills that will serve them well when they are living on their own and for when they have a family of their own.  The bathrooms aren't always going to be cleaned perfectly, but I know they'll get better at it as they get older.  Also, not all chores are tied to money.  There are several things that we expect them to do just because they are a member of the family and we all pitch in to help one another.  Things like feeding the dog, setting the table, putting their clothes away, keeping their rooms tidy, etc. are just normal things they do each day.  As much as they can annoy me sometimes, they're really pretty good kids!  :)

They use the money they earn to pay for concession stand snacks, movies with friends, video game rentals, songs from iTunes.  Normal 10-13 year old boy stuff.

Anyway - have you found a system that works for your family?  How do you handle spending money with your children?

weekend update

It's been another crazy and unpredictable week, but that is a-okay!  Weeks/months like this one are teaching me the importance of keeping my priorities in check and remaining flexible.  My youngest was sick at home Monday and Tuesday and we found out early in the week that a very good friend of ours has colon cancer.  The prognosis and outlook of everyone involved is extremely positive.  The week has been spent sitting with our friends at the hospital and doing what we can to help them at home by preparing meals for their children.  My "normal" goals for the month haven't been my top priority for the week, instead it's been that of friendship, but I am certainly glad that I have the goals in writing.  My blog is a positive distraction and when my head and mind are all a jumble, I can look at my written to-do's and have some direction on what needs to be done.

Sealed Pot - I had a jar of loose change in our kitchen that was earmarked for our sponsored child in Liberia.  We found out he has moved to a different village and no longer needs us to sponsor him, so that money has gone into the Sealed Pot.  It was about $10 in change.

Exercise/Weight Loss -Once again it was on auto pilot and  trying to make good and sensible decisions.  My goal was to exercise twice this week and I exercised once.  You can track my weight loss goals here.

52 Letters in 52 Weeks. -  This week's letter went to my sister.  She celebrated her "half birthday" and I sent her a letter and some fun, silly socks.

Reading - I finished reading the Half Broke Horses and loved it!!  It is about the grandmother in The Glass Castle and wished that I would have read Half Broke Horses before reading The Glass Castle.  After reading the 2nd book, I had so much more understanding and patience for the Mom in The Glass Castle.  Both are great books though and I recommend reading both no matter which order you read them!

Rosetta Stone  - I completed 4 lessons this week!  I have a hard time making myself sit down to do it, but love it once I'm doing it!

 

No Spend Challenge -- We're doing pretty good.  With some unexpected expenses (going to Texas and making some purchases to help our friends) I know that we will not meet our original goal of spending 10% less this month than we did in January '11 but that's okay.  We have to know when it's okay to spend and when friends and family are more important than staying on budget.  I'll know the final numbers for sure next week!  I'm looking forward to our February Challenges and will finalize my specific goals for the challenge this weekend.  Will share them on Wednesday!


But seriously, Mr. Steady and I really would like to put January 2012 out of our minds and are considering having February 1st be our New Year!

february challenge(s)

Just a week ago I was beginning to think about February and wondering if there would be any challenges going on!  I didn't have to wait long to find out that Carla at My 1/2 Dozen Daily is hosting not one but TWO challenges next month!  Woo Hoo!  Count me in!

The challenges for the month are to have a Low (No) Spend Month and to Declutter the home a bit.  You can read more about it here.  I am super excited!  January has been a good month so far (financially speaking) and I'd love to carry the momentum forward into the next month.

I need to think about my specific goals and what I want to accomplish exactly with the challenge.  I'll put some thought into it and let you know! 

I hope that you'll take a look at the details for the Challenges and consider joining!  I think there will be several of us supporting and encouraging each other during the month!

an extra 9 hours

Today is Monday which means I am scheduled to be away from the house from 8-5 for my Master Gardener class.  Yesterday I made my lunch and prepped a casserole for dinner.  So, both lunch and dinner are already taken care of and are in the fridge.   The house is even tidy so that when I get home at 5pm I get to walk into a clean (enough) house. 

But, my little one is home sick and is too sick for me to leave him by himself.

So....I have an extra 9 hours today!

It's dark and raining outside and we have threats of tornadoes coming our way.  I'd LOVE to get back into my pajamas, cuddle up with the little guy and watch movies all day, but I'm going to tackle some projects that I'd planned doing later in the week.

And if I hurry and get them done, then I bet I can snuggle up with "el sicko" and watch a movie afterall!

Here's what I'd like to get done!

• Clean out the basket on my kitchen counter.  (You know the one....the basket that collects all the stuff so that the stuff doesn't pile up on the counter!)
• Sweep, mop, vacuum
• Research 2 destinations for Mr. Steady's company vacation
• Send e-mail to older son's chorus teacher
• Read the 3 chapters in my Master Gardener book that are being covered today
• Bible Study lessons
• Catch up on laundry
• Check to see if WooLoot has credited the watch that I returned
• Mail shirt back to Hot Chillys for a return
• Send link to Mr. Steady to see what he needs me to order for him from Hot Chillys
• Make/freeze at least one casserole
• Do at least one Rosetta Stone lesson
• Update $$ log
• File papers in the in-tray of my office
• Organize folder for 2011 taxes
• Go through Plastics (cups, containers, etc.) in the kitchen and donate what isn't needed 
• Pick up a book at the library that's on hold for me

Whew!  That's a lot.  So....I'm going to jump off of here and get to work so that hopefully by lunchtime I can cross off a bunch of this stuff and have some downtime with my favorite 10 year old!

What are you doing today?

weekend update

First of all, I want to say thank you all so much for your kind words that you've left for me this past week.  It's been a bit of a rough week and it seems like the more days that go by, the reality of my mom being gone is really sinking in.  Anyway - I don't want to get into it too much here, but wanted you to know just how much I appreciate all of your thoughts and prayers.  Thank You!

Now - for something to distract me for a bit.  My blog!  Just another week and a half and it'll already be February!  woo hoo!

I didn't focus on my goals at all this week, but I want to see where we stand.

No Spend Challenge -- Still on track to finish the month by spending 10% less this month than we did in January 2011.

Sealed Pot - I found $4 in the pocket of my jacket this week and dropped it into my Sealed Pot.  

Exercise/Weight Loss - This was just on auto-pilot.  I didn't exercise at all and ate whatever meals were brought to us by friends and family.  You can track my weight loss goals here.

52 Letters in 52 Weeks. -  I've written several thank you notes this week, but the letter that I'm counting towards my 52 letters/52 weeks is a letter that I wrote to my very good friend Christi.

Reading - Am still reading the book Half-Broke Horses.

Rosetta Stone  - I completed three lessons last week before going to Texas.

So - that's my short update!  My goals for next week will be simple.  To keep my spending down, to exercise at least 2 days, and to write a letter to someone special.  With February just around the corner, is anyone having a February Challenge of any sort?

mid-month update

I got home from Texas late yesterday afternoon and am (kinda) glad to be back home.  It was very hard to leave my sister and dad, but it was time for me to get home to the boys, my sister to get back to work and my Dad to begin what will be his "new normal". 

I've spent this morning just trying to get organized around the house.  Mr. Steady drove the boys home from Texas over the weekend (15 hour drive) all by himself and he has been Mr. Mom for the past 3 days.  On the way home from the airport yesterday (I flew home...) he told him that he was so sorry if he'd ever taken me for granted.  :)

I decided it would help clear my mind to sit down and look at my finances for the month since I lost track a bit over the past week.   I did forget for just a bit when I drove by my favorite thrift store that I am in the midst of a No-Spend Challenge.  I ran in to see what was on Sale and found a fireplace tool set for $3.  We've been needing a poker for our backyard fire pit and I was thrilled to find something used!  Since it's going to live outside the fact that it's white, brass, and a tad ugly really doesn't matter.  Although, I may spray some paint on it if I get motivated!  And I'm afraid that I may have gotten something to add to my Unfinished Project List!   Our guest bath is small with very little counter space and I've been wanting to get a small table or vanity to go in our guest bedroom so that my Sister and my Mother-in-Law have a place to put their makeup and hair stuff when they come to visit.  I found a nice sized vanity with drawers for only $20.  And, let's just say that it needs to be painted.  I'll wait and show pictures to you when I have both Before and After pics to share!

So now to my update on spending. 

My goal is to spend 10% less in January 2012 than I did in January 2011.  I've taken our house payment out of the calculations because we refinanced and our new payment is 15% less than 2011's payment.  In January 2011 we spent $4721, so this month I want my spending to be below $4249.  I'm thrilled to say that even with the $500 we spent traveling to Texas for mom's funeral included in the totals, we've spent $3135 so far for the month.  This leaves me with just over $1000 for the rest of the month.  I know that I still have about $800 in miscellaneous expenses (cell phone bill, AAU registration, gas, guitar lessons, hair color, etc.), so that leaves me with a cushion of about $275 that I'll earmark for food.  13 days to go...

I've been out of town for the past week and would love to hear how everyone else is doing on their No Spend (or Low Spend) Challenge!

my (non) weekend update

Wow...what a crazy past few days!  The boys had 4 basketball games this weekend, we went to the Duke vs. Georgia Tech basketball game (a Christmas gift for the boys), my youngest had Scouts, we all had church, throw some homework projects in there too and that was our weekend!  

Then yesterday I left the house at 8am and got home at 5pm.  It was the first day of my Master Gardener class.  Wow!  Tons of material covered that left my head spinning.  It's been many, many years since I had to think about the Periodic Table and Logarithms.  I spent the day taking notes of what I'll need to know for our tests and taking notes on Action Items that I need to do in our own garden.   Anyway - it has been a whirlwind of the past 3 days!

Which takes us to my "weekend update".  My goal is to check in each weekend to see how I'm doing in reaching my goals and challenges.  It's a few days late, but I want to keep myself accountable and see what I need to do!

I'm participating in Carla's No Spend (or spend less...) Challenge.  That's going very well so far!  In fact this morning it was really nice and easy updating my spending log because there wasn't too much I needed to write down!  I'm a little high on the Food that I've spent so far.  My budget for the month is $1000 (groceries, eating out, household items included) and I've spent $485 so far.  This includes a $60 lunch at the Duke basketball game which is a bit out of the ordinary.  That leaves me with $515 for the next 20 days.    With carefully planning I expect to be inside this amount.   Besides food and normal utilities we really haven't spent too much and I plan to meet my original goal of spending 10% less in January 2012 than we did in January 2011.  

I'm also still adding change to my Sealed Pot.  I've been using cash only for food/groceries and so every few days I'll empty the coins that I have in my wallet into the sealed pot.  I added about $2.50 to the pot last week.

As for my non-financial goals.  You can read my update on weight loss and exercise here.

and other goals...

Build and strengthen relationships. 

Mr. Steady and I sat down and made a list of friends we knew we wanted to entertain in 2012.  The next step is planning our first get together!

52 Letters in 52 Weeks. - My first letter is going in the mail today.  I'm writing a letter to my friend Amy Jo.

Volunteering - No volunteer hours this week but I expect to have several next month for a Scout banquet that our Den is hosting.

Photography - Haven't yet completed any of  the 12 Weeks to Better Photos homework.

Reading - I finished reading Catching Fire and have started reading the book Half-Broke Horses.

Craftiness - I finished one unfinished project! I painted the lamp and have it sitting on my desk in the office!

Gardening - First class was this week!  I need to re-read what we went over yesterday and read ahead the chapters that we'll discuss in the next class.

Rosetta Stone  - I completed one lesson this week!

{this moment}

I've always been impressed by fellow bloggers who can commit to doing a 365 Project.  I hope someday to participate in that but know that I don't have the discipline yet to post a picture everyday.  But what I can do is post a picture once a week!  So,  I'm joining SouleMama in her Friday series, {this moment}, where I will share a favorite picture from the week. 

{this moment} - A Friday ritual.  A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week.  A simple, special, extraordinary moment.  A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

. . . . . . . .

a finished project!

Thanks to Carla's encouragement yesterday I completed a project that had been pending since September.  Four months ago my favorite thrift store was selling everything at 50% off.  I spied this little lamp for $7 and got it on sale for $3.50!  It's been needing to get painted ever since then.  Yesterday Carla encouraged her readers to "get that little 'something' you’ve been meaning to do forever & a day, finally DONE!"  Knowing that it wouldn't take long to paint the lamp I chose it as my project to complete!  It's not perfect...I didn't tape off the underside so there is a bit of paint splatter underneath where the light bulb goes.  But, it's finally DONE!!!


 

BEFORE

AFTER

 

 

 

I love our Blogging Community!  You all are a great inspiration and motivation!

financial goals for 2012

So yesterday I shared my personal goals with you for the new year and today I'll share my financial goals!  THANK YOU to everyone who left a comment on How Much Do You Spend on Groceries?  That was a huge help.  We've decided to combine our Eating Out line item with our Grocery line item and have just a single budget for Food.  I think this will help keep our spending in check.  Last year we were just shy of spending $16,000 on food and household items.  Doesn't that seem extreme?  No wonder I'm gaining weight!   Our goal this year is to spend $1,000 month on all food and household items/toiletries. 

Not to get off track too much but I didn't write an official post of a 2011 "Recap".  Our family was pretty close to reaching our financial goals last year though.   We began 2011 with our main goal being to save 15% of our income.  In March though our plans changed when we had to replace my car.  Financially speaking, I'm very proud of the fact that we paid cash for the car but at the end of the year instead of saving 15% towards retirement we continued at a 6% savings rate.  I have to keep reminding myself and Mr. Steady that instead of extra money in the retirement account, we have that "money" in the garage.   Also we had a few unplanned expenses (dog surgery and son surgery) and went way over budget on a few things, but overall we stayed close to our budget.  We went over budget by 3%.

But now to my 2012 goals.  We have our budget for the year in place and Mr. Steady and I are both very pleased.  We continue to strive to keep costs low on things that are unimportant to us so that we can allocate money to the  areas that we think are important.  

So - here are my goals for the year:

1.  Stick to a budget.  This will require a lot of discipline.  I'll need to say "No" sometimes to certain things, but I also will need remember that I can say "Yes" to things that are in the budget.  Oftentimes when my boys ask for something my knee jerk reaction is to say, "No...we don't have the money to do that."  But a lot of times we do have the money budgeted and we can do what they're asking as long as we're smart with our choices.  Know what I mean?

2.  Continue to log expenses.  I have a very fancy way of doing this.  I track all of my expenses on paper and at the end of the money I add them up with a calculator.  Then...I transfer them on the an Excel spreadsheet!  I've tried many other ways that promise to be more efficient, but this is the only thing that works for me.

My elaborate accounting system.

3.  Use cash only for food purchases.  My plan is to get cash out at the beginning of each month and use only it for trips to the grocery store and for eating out.

and the main goal of the year...

4.  Save 26% of our gross income.  Both Mr. Steady and I are at a place in our lives right now where we are very motivated to save money.  To do this, we will have to be diligent with #1, #2, and #3.  Blogging certainly helps to keep me focused and reading everyone's blogs helps keep me motivated also.  Things like Carla's January Spend-Less Challenge really help me stay on track with my spending!

So, those are my financial goals for the year.  The key is to remembering them and holding myself accountable!  My plan is to do this my posting a Weekend Update where I review my goal and what steps I'm taking to accomplish them.

personal goals for 2012

I want to share my Personal Goals for 2012.  I'm still working on the 2012 Budget and will post my 2012 Financial Goals as soon as we finish that!  THANK YOU for sharing comments yesterday about how much you spend each month on groceries.  That was a huge help to me!

Personal Goals

Lose weight.

I've rejoined Weight Watchers and will blog my weight loss journey here.  I'm not sure how much I want to lose yet, but know I'd like to get at least to 135.  From there, I'll decide how much more I want and/or need to lose.

Exercise.

*Log at least 4160 minutes of exercise in 2012.

*Log at least 350 miles of running in 2012.

Volunteer.

I want to continue volunteering at the boys schools, with their sports, Scouts, Church and the Master Gardener program.  I want to keep it all in balance though and not do too much, so my goal is to volunteer 100 hours this year. 

Build and strengthen relationships. 

*Last year Katy at The Non-Consumer Advocate had a goal to write 52 Letters in 52 Weeks.  I want to do that this year.  Whether is a long letter or a short note, I want to intentionally sit down, think of a special person, and write a note to them.

*Mr. Steady and I always say, "We should have them over some time..." and "Why don't we do anything with them? They're a lot of fun!"  My goal this year is to do something about that!  I want to get together with friends who we like and/or people who we want to get to know better every 6-8 weeks.  Whether it's dinner or simply Happy Hour on a Friday afternoon, I want to host something at our house.  I've even put $ in the budget to do this so that money can't be an excuse not to do it!

Hobbies.

While I don't want my house to become a wreck while focusing on hobbies and not on housework, I want to designate time enjoying what I like to do.  Things like...

Photography - I want to complete the 12 Weeks to Better Photos homework by Two Peas in a Bucket.

Reading - My goal is to read 20 books in 2012.

Craftiness - I want to complete my unfinished projects from 2011.  I'd also like to finish my 2010 and 2011 scrapbooks and bring my boys school albums up to date.

Gardening - I was accepted into our county's Master Gardener Program which will begin next week.  I'll have class each Monday from 8-4 for 3 months.  I'll have to pass a mid-term and final exam.  Then, I'll have an Intern Project to complete and finally, will need to volunteer 50 hours.  My goal is to graduate from the program and apply all my new knowledge to making our own yard gorgeous!

                                                                    and finally...

Rosetta Stone

These two words have been lingering on my mind since I bought the software this past summer!  In fact, I've blogged about it at least 12 times in the last year.  My goal is to complete the lessons before traveling to Italy in April!

So that's it in a nutshell!  My goals for 2012.  I'll add them to my tab that's at the top of my page and update them as I can!  Financial goals will be coming soon!

how much do you spend on groceries?

A quick post/question for you...

What is a reasonable amount to spend on groceries each month?  It seems like my family spends an ungodly amount on food and household items.  We have 2 boys who seem to always be hungry (ages 13 and 10) and when they have friends over a couple of times each month which adds a small amount to the bill.  I also have my household goods in my grocery budget as well too (things like toilet paper, light bulbs, shampoo, soap, etc.)  I'm embarrassed to say it but in 2011 we spent just over $13,000 in Food/Household items.

Anyway - I'm sitting here at my desk wrapping up our 2011 books and starting to work on the 2012 budget.  I don't want to budget $13,000 on Groceries in 2012 just because that's what we spent in 2011.  So, I'm wondering what my readers spend on average for Food/Household items each month.

Please share if you're willing!  And, if you do, please let me know if you have children at home too (and how many...)!  Much thanks!