In an conscious attempt to keep food waste to a minimum, I join The Frugal Girl and many other bloggers each week and participate in Food Waste Friday. I clean out my refrigerator, line up any waste on the counter, (usually) take a picture and post it on my blog. After doing this for a while, I can honestly say that I work throughout the week to eat (or feed my children) what's in the fridge so that I don't have it to post on Fridays!
When my in laws came to visit last week they packed a cooler with sandwiches and drinks for their 11 hour car ride to get here. I think this is a great idea! When they got here they had sandwiches left over and put them in the fridge. Six days later they left to head back home, taking with them the same bag of (leftover) sandwiches to eat on the way home.
What do you think? Would you eat six day old sandwiches to avoid wasting them?
Friday, May 14, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
things to do
Today is a boring post...I know. I've got lots to do today, so I'm posting my list to motivate and encourage me to get it all done by 2:20 when I get the boys from school.
Take tent to friends house
Go to Home Depot to order screen door for my pantry (another story for another post!)
Check out Weight Watcher times/meetings
Call for kennel/trainer for our dog during June
Get 3 poster boards to paint sample wall colors on
Log spending
Send card to my grandmother
Write cards for kids Sunday School teachers (Sunday is teacher appreciation day)
Laundry - wash son's baseball uniform for tonight
Clean/Clorox boys bathroom
Vacuum upstairs
make fruit tray for...
son's class play at 9:30
baseball camp info - send $ to MIL
sign up for youngest Adventure Camp
sign both up for football camp
Send card to my grandmother
Write cards for kids Sunday School teachers (Sunday is teacher appreciation day)
Clean/Clorox boys bathroom
Vacuum upstairs
baseball camp info - send $ to MIL
sign both up for football camp
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Operation Jiggly Bits - FINAL summary
Today is my final summary for Operation Jiggly Bits (a bit of a repeat from last week...sorry!). Thank you Carla for creating this challenge and keeping us motivated and holding us accountable. I think accountability counts for so much when working towards meeting my goals! I must say that I didn't rise to the challenge as much as I thought I would when OJB began, but here are several changes that I've made that I plan to continue even though the challenge is over.
Drinking more water.
Before OJB there would be days that I would go without drinking water. Drinking Diet Cokes has always been a bad habit with me and I would tend to only drink my water when I was playing tennis. However, there were many days when I'd show up to the tennis court with a Diet Coke in my hand. Not good...I know. Now I'm trying to only drink my Diet Cokes first thing in the morning and switch to water for lunch, afternoons and with dinner. When I'm really craving a soda in the afternoons, I've found a natural diet soda...Zevia that I will drink instead. Zevias are sweetened with Stevia instead of artificial sweeteners AND they are caffeine free. My goal is to eventually stop drinking Diet Cokes and switch to Zevias when I want a soft drink.
Drinking less wine.
Instead of sharing an entire bottle of wine each week night with my DH, we are drinking only ONE glass of wine after we put the kids to bed.
Veggies & Fruit.
Unless I could count my wine as a fruit, before OJB I was definitely not getting in my fruits and veggies most days of the week. I think out what I'm going to eat throughout the day and if I don't have enough fruits/veggies incorporated in my meals, I'll make myself a Green Monster. With the Green Monsters I can load all my F&V's into one drink.
Exercise.
I am working on this still. I play a lot of tennis...about 8 hours a week. And while it's great cardio and I know it's good for my body, I need something more than this to lose weight. I really need to be running and lifting weights as well. I'm still working on incorporating this in my daily/weekly routines!
Clean Eating.
Before OJB I hadn't heard too much about eating "clean". In the past 6 weeks though I've done my research and realize just how easy it is to eat clean. This is definitely an area that I've opened my eyes to and am slowing weeding out processed and man-made foods and adding more and more clean foods. I look forward to getting to where we're eating the majority of our meals and snacks as clean foods.
The bottom line.
More than anything else, over the last 6 weeks I've developed a new attitude. One where I realize when I'm making healthy choices, and one where I realize when I'm making choices that if I made even the slightest change, I would greatly benefit from it.
Here are my final, final numbers...
Weight: 142....141
Chest: 37.5....37
Waist: 31.5....30.5
@belly button: 34.5....32
Hips: 39....38.5
Thighs: 22.3....21
Biceps: 12.25....11.5
I haven't said goodbye to all of my jiggly bits, but at least to 6+ inches of them! Thanks again Carla...it was a FUN challenge!
Drinking more water.
Before OJB there would be days that I would go without drinking water. Drinking Diet Cokes has always been a bad habit with me and I would tend to only drink my water when I was playing tennis. However, there were many days when I'd show up to the tennis court with a Diet Coke in my hand. Not good...I know. Now I'm trying to only drink my Diet Cokes first thing in the morning and switch to water for lunch, afternoons and with dinner. When I'm really craving a soda in the afternoons, I've found a natural diet soda...Zevia that I will drink instead. Zevias are sweetened with Stevia instead of artificial sweeteners AND they are caffeine free. My goal is to eventually stop drinking Diet Cokes and switch to Zevias when I want a soft drink.
Drinking less wine.
Instead of sharing an entire bottle of wine each week night with my DH, we are drinking only ONE glass of wine after we put the kids to bed.
Veggies & Fruit.
Unless I could count my wine as a fruit, before OJB I was definitely not getting in my fruits and veggies most days of the week. I think out what I'm going to eat throughout the day and if I don't have enough fruits/veggies incorporated in my meals, I'll make myself a Green Monster. With the Green Monsters I can load all my F&V's into one drink.
Exercise.
I am working on this still. I play a lot of tennis...about 8 hours a week. And while it's great cardio and I know it's good for my body, I need something more than this to lose weight. I really need to be running and lifting weights as well. I'm still working on incorporating this in my daily/weekly routines!
Clean Eating.
Before OJB I hadn't heard too much about eating "clean". In the past 6 weeks though I've done my research and realize just how easy it is to eat clean. This is definitely an area that I've opened my eyes to and am slowing weeding out processed and man-made foods and adding more and more clean foods. I look forward to getting to where we're eating the majority of our meals and snacks as clean foods.
The bottom line.
More than anything else, over the last 6 weeks I've developed a new attitude. One where I realize when I'm making healthy choices, and one where I realize when I'm making choices that if I made even the slightest change, I would greatly benefit from it.
Here are my final, final numbers...
Weight: 142....141
Chest: 37.5....37
Waist: 31.5....30.5
@belly button: 34.5....32
Hips: 39....38.5
Thighs: 22.3....21
Biceps: 12.25....11.5
I haven't said goodbye to all of my jiggly bits, but at least to 6+ inches of them! Thanks again Carla...it was a FUN challenge!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
planning for guests
One my list of 210 Things to Do I challenged myself to plan ahead for guests and to not only know what I was going to feed to them each and every meal, but to also have all the ingredients on hand beforehand. Failing to have a plan before guests arrived set us up to spend more time and money deciding what we wanted to eat and by eating out meals that we could have had at home.
My in-laws arrived last night for a 5 night stay. I'm pleased to tell you that I have each meal planned and almost all of the ingredients on hand before they got here. The only thing I'll need to purchase is fresh bread and fresh veggies for a couple of weekend meals. While I like having a plan, we're always flexible to go out to eat if that's what everyone wants to do. My in-laws aren't big eaters and normally only eat 2 meals per day (max...), so something light for breakfast and lunch is all they want. If I make too much food it'll just go to waste.
Here's what we've got planned:
Last night: They got in late, so we had soup, salad, bread
Today
Breakfast: fruit, muffins
Lunch: turkey sandwiches (smoked the turkey yesterday), chips, fruit
Dinner: crock-pot spaghetti, salad, bread
Friday
Breakfast: Grandparents Day Breakfast at the school
Lunch: turkey sandwiches for my FIL. I'm planning on taking my MIL to lunch at a tea room
Dinner: Lasagna, mushrooms, salad, bread
Saturday
Breakfast: fruit, cinnamon rolls
Lunch: Leftovers or Sandwiches
Dinner: Steaks, sweet potatoes, asparagus
Sunday
Breakfast: fruit, breakfast bread
Lunch: at the golf club for Mother's Day
Dinner: Hamburgers & Hotdogs, potato salad, beans, chips, fruit
Monday:
Breakfast: I'm not sure if they'll want to eat before they leave, but I'll have same type of light morning food ready for them.
My in-laws arrived last night for a 5 night stay. I'm pleased to tell you that I have each meal planned and almost all of the ingredients on hand before they got here. The only thing I'll need to purchase is fresh bread and fresh veggies for a couple of weekend meals. While I like having a plan, we're always flexible to go out to eat if that's what everyone wants to do. My in-laws aren't big eaters and normally only eat 2 meals per day (max...), so something light for breakfast and lunch is all they want. If I make too much food it'll just go to waste.
Here's what we've got planned:
Last night: They got in late, so we had soup, salad, bread
Today
Breakfast: fruit, muffins
Lunch: turkey sandwiches (smoked the turkey yesterday), chips, fruit
Dinner: crock-pot spaghetti, salad, bread
Friday
Breakfast: Grandparents Day Breakfast at the school
Lunch: turkey sandwiches for my FIL. I'm planning on taking my MIL to lunch at a tea room
Dinner: Lasagna, mushrooms, salad, bread
Saturday
Breakfast: fruit, cinnamon rolls
Lunch: Leftovers or Sandwiches
Dinner: Steaks, sweet potatoes, asparagus
Sunday
Breakfast: fruit, breakfast bread
Lunch: at the golf club for Mother's Day
Dinner: Hamburgers & Hotdogs, potato salad, beans, chips, fruit
Monday:
Breakfast: I'm not sure if they'll want to eat before they leave, but I'll have same type of light morning food ready for them.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
mother's day gifts
I'm curious to know what kinds of gifts you give your mother's and MIL's for Mother's Day?
I always try to find things and give things that I would enjoy receiving as a gift, and things that are fairly inexpensive because we don't budget a whole lot for gifts. Our gifts for our moms this year are Janie's Cakes. And they are delicious! But I kind of feel guilty that I'm not buying something expensive because I know many people who give their moms very nice and very expensive gifts. It makes me wonder if I'm in the minority on what people spend on their mothers.
I'd love your input. What do you give your mom for Mother's Day?
I always try to find things and give things that I would enjoy receiving as a gift, and things that are fairly inexpensive because we don't budget a whole lot for gifts. Our gifts for our moms this year are Janie's Cakes. And they are delicious! But I kind of feel guilty that I'm not buying something expensive because I know many people who give their moms very nice and very expensive gifts. It makes me wonder if I'm in the minority on what people spend on their mothers.
I'd love your input. What do you give your mom for Mother's Day?
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
operation jiggly bits - check in
We're in our last week for OJB! I must say that I haven't risen to the challenge as much as I thought I would 6 weeks ago. But here are several changes that I've made that I plan to continue even after the challenge is over.
Drinking more water.
Before OJB there would be days that I would go without drinking water. Drinking Diet Cokes has always been a bad habit with me and I would tend to only drink my water when I was playing tennis. However, there were many days when I'd show up to the tennis court with a Diet Coke in my hand. Not good...I know. Now I'm trying to only drink my Diet Cokes first thing in the morning and switch to water for lunch, afternoons and with dinner. When I'm really craving a soda in the afternoons, I've found a natural diet soda...Zevia that I will drink instead. Zevias are sweetened with Stevia instead of artificial sweeteners AND they are caffeine free. My goal is to eventually stop drinking Diet Cokes and switch to Zevias when I want a soft drink.
Drinking less wine
Instead of sharing an entire bottle of wine each week night with my DH, we are drinking only ONE glass of wine after we put the kids to bed.
Veggies & Fruit
Unless I could count my wine as a fruit, before OJB I was definitely not getting in my fruits and veggies most days of the week. I think out what I'm going to eat throughout the day and if I don't have enough fruits/veggies incorporated in my meals, I'll make myself a Green Monster. With the Green Monsters I can load all my F&V's into one drink.
Exercise
I am working on this still. I play a lot of tennis...about 9 hours a week. And while it's great cardio and I know it's good for my body, I need something more than this to lose weight. I really need to be running and lifting weights as well. I'm still working on incorporating this in my daily/weekly routines!
Clean Eating
Before OJB I hadn't heard too much about eating "clean". In the past 6 weeks though I've done my research and realize just how easy it is to eat clean. This is definitely an area that I've opened my eyes to and am slowing weeding out processed and man-made foods and adding more and more clean foods. I look forward to getting to where we're eating the majority of our meals and snacks as clean foods.
More than anything else, over the last 6 weeks I've developed a new attitude. One where I realize when I'm making healthy choices, and one where I realize when I'm making choices that if I made even the slightest change, I would greatly benefit from it.
Now - I'm not sure if today ends the challenge or if next week is the end of the challenge. So, I'm going to post below my beginning numbers (from March 22) and my numbers from this morning.
Weight: 142....142
Chest: 37.5....37
Waist: 31.5....31
@belly button: 34.5....32.5
Hips: 39....38.5
Thighs: 22.3....22
Biceps: 12.25....11.5
I haven't said goodbye to all of my jiggly bits, but certainly to some of them!!!
Drinking more water.
Before OJB there would be days that I would go without drinking water. Drinking Diet Cokes has always been a bad habit with me and I would tend to only drink my water when I was playing tennis. However, there were many days when I'd show up to the tennis court with a Diet Coke in my hand. Not good...I know. Now I'm trying to only drink my Diet Cokes first thing in the morning and switch to water for lunch, afternoons and with dinner. When I'm really craving a soda in the afternoons, I've found a natural diet soda...Zevia that I will drink instead. Zevias are sweetened with Stevia instead of artificial sweeteners AND they are caffeine free. My goal is to eventually stop drinking Diet Cokes and switch to Zevias when I want a soft drink.
Drinking less wine
Instead of sharing an entire bottle of wine each week night with my DH, we are drinking only ONE glass of wine after we put the kids to bed.
Veggies & Fruit
Unless I could count my wine as a fruit, before OJB I was definitely not getting in my fruits and veggies most days of the week. I think out what I'm going to eat throughout the day and if I don't have enough fruits/veggies incorporated in my meals, I'll make myself a Green Monster. With the Green Monsters I can load all my F&V's into one drink.
Exercise
I am working on this still. I play a lot of tennis...about 9 hours a week. And while it's great cardio and I know it's good for my body, I need something more than this to lose weight. I really need to be running and lifting weights as well. I'm still working on incorporating this in my daily/weekly routines!
Clean Eating
Before OJB I hadn't heard too much about eating "clean". In the past 6 weeks though I've done my research and realize just how easy it is to eat clean. This is definitely an area that I've opened my eyes to and am slowing weeding out processed and man-made foods and adding more and more clean foods. I look forward to getting to where we're eating the majority of our meals and snacks as clean foods.
More than anything else, over the last 6 weeks I've developed a new attitude. One where I realize when I'm making healthy choices, and one where I realize when I'm making choices that if I made even the slightest change, I would greatly benefit from it.
Now - I'm not sure if today ends the challenge or if next week is the end of the challenge. So, I'm going to post below my beginning numbers (from March 22) and my numbers from this morning.
Weight: 142....142
Chest: 37.5....37
Waist: 31.5....31
@belly button: 34.5....32.5
Hips: 39....38.5
Thighs: 22.3....22
Biceps: 12.25....11.5
I haven't said goodbye to all of my jiggly bits, but certainly to some of them!!!
Thursday, April 29, 2010
slowing down to see the awesomeness
Do you ever have days where you feel like your eyes are wide open to the world around you? I am having one of those days.
My morning started with my son waking me up at 7:11 a.m.! 7:11...YIKES!!! We usually leave the house at 7:20 on school mornings. This was definitely not the way to start an awesome day. I ran downstairs and made myself a Diet Coke...because, can any of us truly function without some sort of caffeine first thing in the morning...even when running late?!? I told the boys that as long as we got out the door by 7:30 we'd be fine and that none of us need to panic. I made them a fast breakfast (i.e. poptarts) and told them that I'd make their lunches later and deliver them up to the school. As they ate, I prepped their morning snacks and decided to go ahead and get a head start on their lunches, and I was actually able to finish them! I couldn't believe the way this was turning out. We were rockin' and rollin'! In less than 20 minutes we got up, my oldest son showered, I got breakfast on the table, prepped snacks/water bottles, made two (healthy) lunches, and got them to school with 5 minutes to spare before the tardy bell rang. What had the makings of being a rough morning, really was turning out just fine.
Once I got back home, I finished my Diet Coke, made myself a Green Monster, and then started noticing what was going on outside. Stuff that happens everyday, but that I am too busy doing busy work and/or chores to notice and truly appreciate.
These are the things that I've stopped and noticed today, and that I've appreciated oh, so much more.
*Each morning my dog walks along our back fence. Our house backs up to a lot of woods and there are a lot of smells first thing in the morning. She loves to walk all along the backyard and fence to sniff around. I sat and watched her and wondered what animals had been in the yard or near the fence last night.
*Hummingbirds coming to my feeder on the back porch
*Lots of chirping in the trees
*Playing tennis with great friends on a beautiful day
*Going to our golf/tennis club with same group of friends and eating outside
*Appreciating the fact that our waitress was exceptionally busy (and slow) which meant we had more time to spend outside with good friends
*Watching the (very) senior citizens "made the turn" playing golf and hoping that when I'm that age that I'm still active and having fun with friends
*Impromptu play dates for my children
*Taking the cover off our golf cart and feeling like I'm driving a convertible
*Popsicles
*The boys (7+ of them...) are outside hooping and hollering and sounding exactly like little boys are supposed to sound
And the list continues...I've got 7 more hours until bedtime!
So - I challenge you to "open your eyes" today and share in comments some things you "see". Sometimes the most mundane and routine things in our lives are what we'd miss the most if they were not there anymore.
My morning started with my son waking me up at 7:11 a.m.! 7:11...YIKES!!! We usually leave the house at 7:20 on school mornings. This was definitely not the way to start an awesome day. I ran downstairs and made myself a Diet Coke...because, can any of us truly function without some sort of caffeine first thing in the morning...even when running late?!? I told the boys that as long as we got out the door by 7:30 we'd be fine and that none of us need to panic. I made them a fast breakfast (i.e. poptarts) and told them that I'd make their lunches later and deliver them up to the school. As they ate, I prepped their morning snacks and decided to go ahead and get a head start on their lunches, and I was actually able to finish them! I couldn't believe the way this was turning out. We were rockin' and rollin'! In less than 20 minutes we got up, my oldest son showered, I got breakfast on the table, prepped snacks/water bottles, made two (healthy) lunches, and got them to school with 5 minutes to spare before the tardy bell rang. What had the makings of being a rough morning, really was turning out just fine.
Once I got back home, I finished my Diet Coke, made myself a Green Monster, and then started noticing what was going on outside. Stuff that happens everyday, but that I am too busy doing busy work and/or chores to notice and truly appreciate.
These are the things that I've stopped and noticed today, and that I've appreciated oh, so much more.
*Each morning my dog walks along our back fence. Our house backs up to a lot of woods and there are a lot of smells first thing in the morning. She loves to walk all along the backyard and fence to sniff around. I sat and watched her and wondered what animals had been in the yard or near the fence last night.
*Hummingbirds coming to my feeder on the back porch
*Lots of chirping in the trees
*Playing tennis with great friends on a beautiful day
*Going to our golf/tennis club with same group of friends and eating outside
*Appreciating the fact that our waitress was exceptionally busy (and slow) which meant we had more time to spend outside with good friends
*Watching the (very) senior citizens "made the turn" playing golf and hoping that when I'm that age that I'm still active and having fun with friends
*Impromptu play dates for my children
*Taking the cover off our golf cart and feeling like I'm driving a convertible
*Popsicles
*The boys (7+ of them...) are outside hooping and hollering and sounding exactly like little boys are supposed to sound
And the list continues...I've got 7 more hours until bedtime!
So - I challenge you to "open your eyes" today and share in comments some things you "see". Sometimes the most mundane and routine things in our lives are what we'd miss the most if they were not there anymore.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
a half.com sale and things to do today
I did pretty good with my to-do list yesterday and having it posted on-line, I think, encouraged me to work harder to get things crossed off!
Here's my list for today:
Drink 64 oz water
any kind of exercise - tennis for 1.5 hours
Eat 5 servings of fruits/veggies - 4 so far w/my Green Monster
Clip coupons for The Grocery Game
log my spending for April
vacuum upstairs
get snacks/drinks for son's baseball game
Prep movie to mail for half.com sale
In the past I've always listed my things to be sold on e-bay. I've read that many bloggers use half.com to get rid of stuff. Last week I posted a Danielle Steel book, but haven't had any takers yet. Yesterday I listed (and priced to sell!) 2 movies that I watched over the weekend. (At Blockbuster I bought 3 movies for $20. One if for my son and he loves it and wants to keep it. The other 2 were for me and I didn't like the movies well enough to want to watch them again in the future. I started to put the movies in the donations box and remembered half.com!!!) Anyway, I listed the movies for $4.99 each and have already sold one! So, that'll be about $5 to add to our Family Fun Fund when the $$ comes in! We should have a nice little amount in the fund by the time fall rolls around!
Last week my youngest son and I weeded out his baby books that he doesn't want anymore. Several of them are hardbacks and in great condition. I think I'll check half.com and see if there is any demand for children's books. It may be worth it to list a couple just to see if anyone wants to buy them!
Here's my list for today:
Drink 64 oz water
Eat 5 servings of fruits/veggies - 4 so far w/my Green Monster
log my spending for April
Prep movie to mail for half.com sale
In the past I've always listed my things to be sold on e-bay. I've read that many bloggers use half.com to get rid of stuff. Last week I posted a Danielle Steel book, but haven't had any takers yet. Yesterday I listed (and priced to sell!) 2 movies that I watched over the weekend. (At Blockbuster I bought 3 movies for $20. One if for my son and he loves it and wants to keep it. The other 2 were for me and I didn't like the movies well enough to want to watch them again in the future. I started to put the movies in the donations box and remembered half.com!!!) Anyway, I listed the movies for $4.99 each and have already sold one! So, that'll be about $5 to add to our Family Fun Fund when the $$ comes in! We should have a nice little amount in the fund by the time fall rolls around!
Last week my youngest son and I weeded out his baby books that he doesn't want anymore. Several of them are hardbacks and in great condition. I think I'll check half.com and see if there is any demand for children's books. It may be worth it to list a couple just to see if anyone wants to buy them!
Monday, April 26, 2010
ojb updates and a list of things to do...
I should officially be "out" for the Operation Jiggly Bits challenge. I'm not sure how many servings of fruits/veggies I ate this week, and I know that I for sure didn't get all my water in each day. Exercise was only playing tennis and that just doesn't cut it for me unfortunately. So - I measured myself this morning and everything was pretty much the same. I'm VERY PROUD of my fellow OJB challenger at Nutrition 101 who has made it below 140#!!! I know what she means about working and working and working only to see a couple of pounds come off. The older we get the harder we have to work to see results.
So - this is my challenge for the week. My in-laws are coming in 1 1/2 week. I've got stuff I need to get done to prep for them. I also need to pay attention to these jiggly bits...although on my body, it's not so much jiggly bits as it is a "baby bump" for a non-existent baby. If you know what I mean...
So, my challenge is to write my to-do's each day and work towards meeting my daily goals. My goal overall is to get to 140# by the end of the challenge along w/a waist measurement of 30". Am readjusting my beach vacation goal to be at 135 pounds.
My Monday To-Do's:
Drink 64 oz water
Eat 5 servings of fruits/veggies - only got 3 servings in today....
Exercise - anything...just something (played tennis for 2 1/2 hours)
Replace generic picture in "the boys" frame. (I still have the picture that came with the frame...2 1/2 months later)
Mail my Rx refill
Make my Grocery Game List
clip coupons - will move to tomorrow's list!
Mail birthday cards to M & V
Send baseball pictures to GG, G&G, B, & J
take clothes to cleaners
go to grocery to get veggies for dinner
Flex Spending for J's visit to doctor
Make bank deposit
So, that's it for now! My Monday posts are starting to have a recurring theme of how many excuses I have and/or what I didn't do to more forward on the OJB challenge. But, to follow Carla's thought line of not beating ourselves up...I am DOWN from when I began the challenge and have just maintained the last 3 weeks. So, it's not all bad, right?
So - this is my challenge for the week. My in-laws are coming in 1 1/2 week. I've got stuff I need to get done to prep for them. I also need to pay attention to these jiggly bits...although on my body, it's not so much jiggly bits as it is a "baby bump" for a non-existent baby. If you know what I mean...
So, my challenge is to write my to-do's each day and work towards meeting my daily goals. My goal overall is to get to 140# by the end of the challenge along w/a waist measurement of 30". Am readjusting my beach vacation goal to be at 135 pounds.
My Monday To-Do's:
Eat 5 servings of fruits/veggies - only got 3 servings in today....
clip coupons - will move to tomorrow's list!
So, that's it for now! My Monday posts are starting to have a recurring theme of how many excuses I have and/or what I didn't do to more forward on the OJB challenge. But, to follow Carla's thought line of not beating ourselves up...I am DOWN from when I began the challenge and have just maintained the last 3 weeks. So, it's not all bad, right?
Sunday, April 25, 2010
it's usually never as bad as I think it's going to be
April has been such an off month for me on so many levels. My main computer is seriously acting up and isn't saving any documents. So, in order to update my spending/budget spreadsheets I have to go use the basement computer which is s....l....o....w....e....r.... than Christmas. My spending this month has been much like my eating. I'm trying to keep all in moderation, but really couldn't tell you how many dollars I'm spending or how many calories I'm eating.
One of the things I didn't do this month is get cash out of the bank at the beginning of April to put in our envelopes. I like to spend cash on things like groceries, eating out, my fun money, entertainment, etc. Things that if not watched closely, could quickly get out of hand and add up.
This has been in the back, front and all over my mind for the entire month. Yes, I know I'm in total control of this situation, but I keep wanting it just to go away. To turn the calendar over to May and to start fresh. Since I haven't been using cash, I've been putting everything on my American Express card (to be paid off at the end of the month). Well, last night I had a "nightmare". The American Express bill came and it was, to be perfectly honest, more than $10,000. In my dream my stomach was in knots. How could I let this happen? I'd assured my husband that I wouldn't need to ask for any money to be transferred from savings to checking in order to pay for day-to-day expenses. I'd given him my word that what was in savings would go (100%) towards meeting our financial goals...not towards pizza delivery! And not only did the American Express bill come with a $10,000 balance, but also we received our electric bill and it had a $900 balance! Ugggg....what a way to spend a night's sleep!
Well....it's past lunch now and I just sat down to the computer to look at the real life damage at American Express. And what a relief! I don't have an outstanding balance of $10,000!! In fact, it's not even close. To be perfectly honest, (eyeballing it...) it looks like we have been spending just slightly more than what we would if we were on the cash-system this month. So, while I'm thankful that it's not as bad as it was in my dream, it makes me realize that when I let up from monitoring our spending, I worry about it. I worry about it big time. I'm thankful also that in less than a week I'll be able to turn the calendar over to May and start the month with my cash and a "clean slate".
One of the things I didn't do this month is get cash out of the bank at the beginning of April to put in our envelopes. I like to spend cash on things like groceries, eating out, my fun money, entertainment, etc. Things that if not watched closely, could quickly get out of hand and add up.
This has been in the back, front and all over my mind for the entire month. Yes, I know I'm in total control of this situation, but I keep wanting it just to go away. To turn the calendar over to May and to start fresh. Since I haven't been using cash, I've been putting everything on my American Express card (to be paid off at the end of the month). Well, last night I had a "nightmare". The American Express bill came and it was, to be perfectly honest, more than $10,000. In my dream my stomach was in knots. How could I let this happen? I'd assured my husband that I wouldn't need to ask for any money to be transferred from savings to checking in order to pay for day-to-day expenses. I'd given him my word that what was in savings would go (100%) towards meeting our financial goals...not towards pizza delivery! And not only did the American Express bill come with a $10,000 balance, but also we received our electric bill and it had a $900 balance! Ugggg....what a way to spend a night's sleep!
Well....it's past lunch now and I just sat down to the computer to look at the real life damage at American Express. And what a relief! I don't have an outstanding balance of $10,000!! In fact, it's not even close. To be perfectly honest, (eyeballing it...) it looks like we have been spending just slightly more than what we would if we were on the cash-system this month. So, while I'm thankful that it's not as bad as it was in my dream, it makes me realize that when I let up from monitoring our spending, I worry about it. I worry about it big time. I'm thankful also that in less than a week I'll be able to turn the calendar over to May and start the month with my cash and a "clean slate".
Thursday, April 22, 2010
a more productive day!
I've had a much more productive day today! As soon as I dropped the kids off at school at 7:30 this morning, I started my errands! I know today is Earth Day and I really wish that I contributed something positive to our earth, but didn't. Or should I say...I haven't yet! As I was running errands though, I recognized that I was saving money almost everywhere I went! That is a good thing, right?
Here's what I've been doing today.
*I went to Kroger's "Meat Madness" sale. We LOVE rib eyes and have one almost every Saturday night along with sweet potatoes, asparagus and a bottle of red wine. I bought a whole 16 pound rib eye (the butcher sliced it for free...14 steaks) for $82. I SAVED $65.72! And while I waited for it to be sliced, I bought 2 Mother's Day cards!
*Got the oil changed and saved $6 by remembering my coupon! I usually forget to take it with me!
*Bought a 5 month supply of Zyrtec at the grocery store and saved $40 with coupons.
* I got my hair cut and colored. I didn't save money and this took 2 1/2 hours out of the day. The energy was "off" at the place where I get my hair cut, so it wasn't quite as enjoyable as normal, but I got to read the last 3 weeks of People magazine!
* I have been needing to get a Hole-In-One shadow box made for my husband. He made a Hole in One in December and wanted his ball, scorecard and course map framed. There are several places on the Internet that will do it, with the cheapest being around $130 + S&H. I really didn't want to spend that much money unless I had to. I went to Michael's and found a shadow box frame and felt that I can use. I went to a trophy store and ordered a plaque plate to go inside of it. Total cost for my DIY shadow box project is $32!!! Once it's complete I'll have to show you my DIY vs. Professional ways to do it and see what you think.
*Next stop was to get a golf bag organizer that was on sale at Bed Bath & Beyond. I had a $5 coupon, but a fellow customer noticed me using it and gave me a 20% off coupon to use instead. Instead of saving $5, I saved $12!!! Thank you to my fellow Southerner for the random act of kindness!
*Fabric was next. I am wanting to recover the cornice boards in my kitchen and found some swatches that I LOVE for $35/yard. I found out about a shop called Frugal Fabrics with equally awesome fabric for $7.99/yard. So, I returned my swatches and will go to the FF store on another day!
Now...for other things on my to-do list for today:
1.Help son with book report
2.Put wall tape/velcro on the back of frames so they'll quit shifting
3. Put away my sewing machine that I used on Tuesday
4.Change light bulb in basement that's been burned out for a week
5.Plant ferns in pots
6.Call and request 2nd recycling bin
7. Order Rx refill thru Home Delivery company
8.Take boys to both of their baseball games
9.Write letters, mail pictures for 7 different people
10.Watch NFL draft tonight with boys (hubby is out of town!)
I'll update my post while watching the draft tonight and mark of what I got DONE!!!
***Edited to update to-do's. Can anyone tell me how to do a "strike through"? I wanted to strike-thru what I'd done, but can't figure it out!!! Thanks!
Here's what I've been doing today.
*I went to Kroger's "Meat Madness" sale. We LOVE rib eyes and have one almost every Saturday night along with sweet potatoes, asparagus and a bottle of red wine. I bought a whole 16 pound rib eye (the butcher sliced it for free...14 steaks) for $82. I SAVED $65.72! And while I waited for it to be sliced, I bought 2 Mother's Day cards!
*Got the oil changed and saved $6 by remembering my coupon! I usually forget to take it with me!
*Bought a 5 month supply of Zyrtec at the grocery store and saved $40 with coupons.
* I got my hair cut and colored. I didn't save money and this took 2 1/2 hours out of the day. The energy was "off" at the place where I get my hair cut, so it wasn't quite as enjoyable as normal, but I got to read the last 3 weeks of People magazine!
* I have been needing to get a Hole-In-One shadow box made for my husband. He made a Hole in One in December and wanted his ball, scorecard and course map framed. There are several places on the Internet that will do it, with the cheapest being around $130 + S&H. I really didn't want to spend that much money unless I had to. I went to Michael's and found a shadow box frame and felt that I can use. I went to a trophy store and ordered a plaque plate to go inside of it. Total cost for my DIY shadow box project is $32!!! Once it's complete I'll have to show you my DIY vs. Professional ways to do it and see what you think.
*Next stop was to get a golf bag organizer that was on sale at Bed Bath & Beyond. I had a $5 coupon, but a fellow customer noticed me using it and gave me a 20% off coupon to use instead. Instead of saving $5, I saved $12!!! Thank you to my fellow Southerner for the random act of kindness!
*Fabric was next. I am wanting to recover the cornice boards in my kitchen and found some swatches that I LOVE for $35/yard. I found out about a shop called Frugal Fabrics with equally awesome fabric for $7.99/yard. So, I returned my swatches and will go to the FF store on another day!
Now...for other things on my to-do list for today:
1.
2.
3. Put away my sewing machine that I used on Tuesday
4.
5.
6.
7. Order Rx refill thru Home Delivery company
8.
9.
10.
I'll update my post while watching the draft tonight and mark of what I got DONE!!!
***Edited to update to-do's. Can anyone tell me how to do a "strike through"? I wanted to strike-thru what I'd done, but can't figure it out!!! Thanks!
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
ojb updates and more
What a week...what a month this has been! I feel like I'm just turning my wheels trying to keep up. We've had lots of unexpected visitors and it seems as if we should just put a revolving door on the front of the house, along with a sign that says, "Food and laundry services not included." Just joking...but it feels good to vent a bit. Our budget and routine are completely out of whack.
For the OJB challenge...I'm not excelling at this challenge! I truly expected to be all over this and getting into swimsuit shape. The good thing is that I'm not backtracking and there is still about 7 weeks away before we head to the beach.
Here are my numbers for the week. Everything has been the same now for 2 weeks straight.
STATS: Beginning....Current
weight: 142...142
Chest: 37.5...36.75
Waist: 31.5..31.0
@belly button: 34.5...33
hips: 39...38.75
thighs: 22.33...21.75
arms: 12 1/4...12
My husband left today for his annual golf trip with friends and will be gone for 5 days. I'm really wanting to get some of my stuff taken care of, to-do's crossed off the list, eat healthy meals, drink all my water, and get some good cardio in (something in addition to tennis...). I need to get my head and mind cleared and back to my "old self" of feeling in control and on top of things.
So, instead of allowing myself to get overwhelmed, I'm going to clean the clutter up from my house and my mind and start enjoying this beautiful weather. As it is, I'm letting this gorgeous Springtime get by me.
I'm signing off and spending a solid 8 minutes clearing kitchen clutter/papers before it's time to get the kiddos from school!
Ahhhhhhh...I already feel better!
For the OJB challenge...I'm not excelling at this challenge! I truly expected to be all over this and getting into swimsuit shape. The good thing is that I'm not backtracking and there is still about 7 weeks away before we head to the beach.
Here are my numbers for the week. Everything has been the same now for 2 weeks straight.
STATS: Beginning....Current
weight: 142...142
Chest: 37.5...36.75
Waist: 31.5..31.0
@belly button: 34.5...33
hips: 39...38.75
thighs: 22.33...21.75
arms: 12 1/4...12
My husband left today for his annual golf trip with friends and will be gone for 5 days. I'm really wanting to get some of my stuff taken care of, to-do's crossed off the list, eat healthy meals, drink all my water, and get some good cardio in (something in addition to tennis...). I need to get my head and mind cleared and back to my "old self" of feeling in control and on top of things.
So, instead of allowing myself to get overwhelmed, I'm going to clean the clutter up from my house and my mind and start enjoying this beautiful weather. As it is, I'm letting this gorgeous Springtime get by me.
I'm signing off and spending a solid 8 minutes clearing kitchen clutter/papers before it's time to get the kiddos from school!
Ahhhhhhh...I already feel better!
Friday, April 16, 2010
unplugged...
...until Monday. I'm setting myself "free" from distractions from the computer for the weekend. Anyone care to join me? I'll let you know on Monday what fun things (or things that I've been putting off...) that I do over the next 3 days!
Ciao!
Ciao!
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