about 3.5 hours

That's how long it took me to clean the house yesterday.    I pretty much got all the furniture dusted, bathrooms clean, carpets vacuumed, floors swept, vacation/suitcases unpacked and everything put in its place, laundry sorted and started (didn't finish...), kitchen counters cleaned, dishes done, changed the sheets on all the beds, and swept the back porch.  It seems like I'm leaving something out, but you get the picture...basic cleaning stuff.

What did I not do?  Any of the boys chores.  I cleaned my son's bathroom floor, but saved the cleaning of the actual bathroom for him.  The dusting on the main floor is left for my youngest along with cleaning the bathroom down in the basement.  I tidied up the boys bedrooms when I changed the sheets on their beds, but the actual cleaning is being left for them.  And then there's the laundry....it really never is finished.

So, it took less time to do everything that I expected it to and it was really nice getting it all done in a day.  I think I'll keep doing it this way as long as I have a day to devote to it.  It's nice knowing that except for general cleaning and laundry that I'm done for the week.  Maybe by Friday I can sit and do some scrapbooking!

how long does it take to clean your house?

And I mean really clean?

I really don't like cleaning my house and always dread it.  I usually do a little bit every day just to break it up, but I'm wondering if I just did it ALL in one day how long would it really take? Sometimes dreading a project is much worse than the actual project itself.  Maybe if I just cleaned the entire house in a day and saw how long it took, it would actually be better than cleaning the bathrooms one day, doing laundry one day, the floors another day, etc.

So that is my project for today.  I'm going to clean my house from top to bottom.  I'll truly get after it and not mess around on the computer or stop to watch Good Morning America.  I want to see how long it takes me and I'll let you know!

Do you like cleaning?  Do you clean all in a day or do a little bit each day?

sunday night chit chat

Hello everyone!  It's nice to be HOME from our vacation!  I'm looking forward to getting back to my blog this week and think I'll start by joining Carla in her Sunday Night Chit-Chat!  Feel free to join in the fun -- check out Carla's blog for more details!

I'm starting with a picture from the fire I built last night with my 13 year old (I wish I would have moved my chair for the picture!!)  We love hanging out here!

What am I....

Reading?

Georgia Master Gardeners Handbook (Chapters on Communication/Leadership and Vegetable Gardening).  My class tomorrow is 65 miles away from my house...yeck!! 

Watching?

Not watching anything at the moment, but I watched these movies over the weekend while I scrapbooked!  

 

Listening to?

I'm loving the "Genius" on my iPod and love to see what sort of playlist it'll create for me!

Cooking/Baking?  

Tonight we had a Roast with carrots, potatoes, onions, a salad and peaches. Delicious!

Happy you accomplished this week?  

Besides completing having a great time in Washington D.C. with my 13 year old, I had a very nice weekend relaxing before Mr. Steady and my 10 year old got home from their trip!  I was able to finish my 2010 scrapbook and complete the boys 3rd grade/5th grade scrapbook pages for their School Days albums!

Looking forward to next week?

A week of normalcy!   It's going to be busy, but I'm glad that 2 of our trips have been taken (what was I thinking planning 3 vacations within 6 weeks of each other?!?) and I can just focus on normal things for a couple of weeks! 

Thankful for today?

To have everyone home and under the same roof!  I haven't seen Mr. Steady or my youngest in 6 days!


***

I hope everyone has a great Sunday night!  Now, if you'd like to "chat" with us...it's your turn!  Just let us know what you're:

Reading?
Watching?
Listening to?
Cooking/Baking?
Happy you accomplished this week?
Looking forward to next week?
Thankful for today?

 

be back this weekend!

I'm on vacation with my favorite 13 year old! Will be back this weekend...

i've been tagged

I've been tagged by Out My Window and  Q and A Debt and am ready to pass along the fun!

Here are the rules! 

1.  Post these rules!

2.  Answer the 11 questions from the person who tagged you.

3.  Create 11 new questions for the people you tag.

4.  Tag 11 people and link them to your post.

5.  Let them know that you tagged them.

Hmmmm...I'm changing rules 3, 4, and 5.  ALL of you are tagged.  Feel free to play along!  And you can answer the same 11 questions that I'm answering below.  So much for following rules!

1.  What one money lesson do you think all parents should teach their children?

To live within your means and not purchase anything on credit

2.  What is your one indulgence?

Getting my hair done often enough so no one ever sees my gray roots

3.  Is your spouse a saver or spender?

Mr. Steady used to mostly a spender, but has changed.  He and I are pretty similar in the belief that we save as much as we can and budget the rest.  If it's budgeted then we're free to spend!

4.  Who is your favorite movie actor?

Johnny Depp

5.  Are you a left or right brain thinker?

I have the heart of a right brain and the "thinker" of a left brain.

6.  If applicable, what college did you attend?

Stephen F. Austin State University

7.  Next book you'd like to read?

Mockingjay

8.  Coupon clipper nor not?

not for groceries, but I am for larger purchases

9.  Favorite genre of music?

Depends on the time of day and my mood, but I love listening to music and would take my iPod over a TV any day of the week.    I tell ya what...I'll shuffle my iPod and see the first 10 artists/groups that come up (I promise not to skip over any!):  The Black Crows, Kurtis Blow, Robert Earl Keen, Lady Antebellum, Scorpions, Van Halen, Deana Carter, Rod Stewart, Josh Gracin, and Nickelback.

10.  Best money saving vacation?

I'm going to Washington D.C. next week and expect that to be fairly inexpensive.  Also, this past year my youngest and I took a trip to the mountains where we hiked just about the entire time we were gone.  The only expense was food and lodging.  If you enjoy camping, that can be a huge money saving vacation! 

11.  Favorite current TV show?

Modern Family, The Middle, Cougar Town and The Biggest Loser

So - there are my 11 questions and answers!  Remember that you've all been tagged and can play along!  Have a great day!!!

hello again

Goodness!  Where have I been?  I feel like I've been dragging myself through life the past couple of weeks.  I was gung-ho participating in Carla's 2 Challenges, started decluttering my Craft Closest, and then just stopped.  Seriously...just stopped.  Half the stuff from my closet is now sitting on the floor on the Craft Room screaming out to me, "come back!!!"  I stopped tracking/logging $$, stopped decluttering, stopped blogging.  I think my mind needed a break from thinking and doing all of the things I felt like I was supposed to be doing. This week, I've slowly been coming back to "life".

I saw a great quote today that I want to incorporate into my everyday living.

How we spend our days, is of course, how we spend our life... (annie dillard)

I saw that and totally loved it!  I feel like I'm sometimes so wrapped up in doing it all just right, that I'm not doing "it" at all.   Does that make sense?    Anyway, I'm kinda back and slowing re-entering my challenges.  I haven't been reading any blogs and can't wait to read through my favorites to see how everyone is doing with their challenges!

So, that's all for today.  Just wanted to say HELLO to everyone and that I miss writing and miss reading all of your blogs!

a great haul from the library

Before December 2009 unless I received a book as a gift, I only read books that came from the library.  Then I received a Kindle for Christmas and all of that changed!  I loved that little device so much and only bought e-books.   I ended up spending about $200 in books during 2010.

This past summer I that decided unless I was going to be on vacation and simply wanted the convenience of reading an e-book that I would go back to borrowing books.   I was simply spending too much money on books.  About the same time, our library started lending e-books that are compatible to the Kindle and through my amazon.com Prime membership I started being able to borrow books from Amazon.  So....I'm back to borrowing about 90% of the books I read!

The past week I ran through the library to find a new book and found so many (see picture above)!  So many that I'm pretty sure I won't be able to read them all before they're due.  So many choices...so little time!

Because they were quick reads, I already read Homemade Home and Guide to Home Empowerment.  I think Mockingjay will be next on my list!

The library is sometimes like the thrift store.  Sometimes I walk out with only one book and sometimes I find a bunch that I want to read!

What are you reading?  And do you purchase or borrow your books?

february challenges

Happy February!  I mentioned last week that I'll be participating in Carla's Challenges for the month!  It's time I sit down and figure out what I want to accomplish from the Low (no) Spend Challenge as well as her Decluttering Challenge!  She's made it easy and outlined some "rules" for us, so all I really need to do is fill in the blanks.

Here it goes!

Low (no) Spend Challenge:

1. Choose a financial goal for the month!

I want to spend 5% less in February 2012 than I did in February 2011.  This will be a tough challenge because last February was a very low-spend month!  Looking at my figures we only spent about $650 on food for the month, which is about $500 less than normal.  So that I have a solid number to stay under, my total spending needs to be under $4117 for February. 

2. How will you achieve your goal this month?

Eating what is in the freezer and pantry will help keep food costs low.  I've got 3 full sized turkeys, tons and tons of venison, as well as some chickens, Cornish game hens, fish and sausages.  Enough meat, where with careful planning, I will just need to purchase vegetables, fruit and stuff for lunches and breakfasts.  I will have to be diligent with the way we make our lunches so that the lunch food doesn't get eaten for snacks!  And some low cost, homemade snacks are in order as well!  

We're going on vacation at the end of the month, so keeping that in mind, our eating out and entertainment expenses should be minimal.  And it'll be much easier to say "no" because I can simply remind everyone that we need to save our money for vacation where we'll be saying "yes"!

3. How will you allot your spending this month?

I want to keep our food expenses under $700 this month.  I'll go to the bank tomorrow (payday) and withdraw cash for this.  Also, I will get $75 out for my "blow" money.  Let's see...I will also need to get cash for the boys (potential) commissions and my son's school lunches.  Any other expenses that come up (clothing, house maintenance, etc.) get put on our American Express card and is paid at the end of the month.

4. Track your purchases!

I have a notebook where I write down each and every expense.  

5. Are there any “exemptions” for the month?

Yes!  We have some maintenance and repairs that need to be completed on the house (fill dirt, a window replacement, replacement of rotten window sills, and pine straw are all needed), our vacation expenses, and our mortgage payment are all items that will not be included in the $4117 figure. 

Now for how the Decluttering challenge will work:

1. There will be 4 main challenges for the month. Carla picked the theme and I picked the challenge!

• Week One: Personal Space Challenge - I want to purge and clean out my craft closet.  While it's not a total mess, I have several craft supplies in there that would just be "happier elsewhere".

• Week Two: Family Space Challenge - For this challenge I want to declutter the basement.  There aren't many extras in the basement, but I know there are video games and some NERF toys that the boys just don't play with anymore.  These are all things that can give us a bit extra storage space and that can be donated.  And I believe I can take the videos up to Game Stop and sell them.  A definite win/win!

• Week Three: Productivity Challenge - This week I'll be in the kitchen.  I want to prep and freeze enough casseroles for Monday night dinners to last through the end of March.  Since I'm out of the house all day on Mondays for my Master Gardener class I like to have a casserole prepped and ready to put in the oven as soon as I get home.  If I'm counting correctly, I'll need to prepare 5 casseroles.  And since I'm trying to keep my food costs under $700 this will be a double-challenge. I'll need to come up with some frugal but tasty casserole ideas!  

• Week Four: The “Dreaded” Challenge - My office's desk drawers!  I have files in my desk that are no longer needed.  I want to sort through and purge/recycle all the old stuff so that finding files that I need will be so much easier!

2. Bonus Challenges!

- Carla will be giving us 4 *bonus* mini challenges throughout the month! They should be fast & easy to accomplish!

3. Purging!!

- Toss, sell, or donate 29 items! One item for every day of the month in February.

4. The Proof is in the pudding!

- I'll be sure to take before & after photos of my decluttering projects and post along with my updates!!

I'll keep you posted each week on the progress that is being made on each challenge!

january update

I know, I know!  I'm a day late.  My computer wasn't working yesterday so everything is getting pushed back by a day!  Tomorrow I'll post February goals!

So, how did we do in January?  All things considered, not too bad!  My goal was to spend 10% less in January 2012 than we did in January 2011.  But between going to Texas for Mom's funeral and helping our friends whose husband was just diagnosed with colon cancer, we had about $650 in unexpected expenses .    We did not meet my goal of spending 10% less, but even with these unexpected expenses we still spent less!  In fact, we spent a whopping 0.5% less in January 2012 than we did in January 2011!  

And that is why I love these challenges!  Life happens and we have to spend some money.  But, because I was participating in the challenge, I'd already cut back spending in several areas which made up for the extra that was spent! 

And now for my other goals for the year and progress (if any...) that's being made!

Lose weight.

I lost 4.6 pounds this month!  (I have had a "munchy" week though and am not sure if I'll see a loss/gain/maintain on the scale for this week!)

Exercise.

Exercise was minimal at best.  I ran about 4.5 miles and exercised only 3 or 4 days.  2 days were spent doing solid running/cardio and 2 days were spent doing some serious yard work.

Volunteer.

no hours logged for January.

Build and strengthen relationships. 

check!  I wrote my weekly letters to special friends.  And we did invite a couple over for dinner last weekend, but they had to cancel at the last minute so we ended up back at "0" for hosting friends at home! 

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

Reading - My goal is to read 20 books in 2012 and I finished 2 in January!

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. - fail...I only added to my project list!

Gardening - Am going to my Master Gardener classes and keeping up with the homework.  (It's hard!!)  I need to make some flashcards and start studying for the mid-term which is on February 13th.

Rosetta Stone

I completed 7 lessons this month.  Still have a long way to go before April.

So, that's it in a nutshell!  I'll be back tomorrow to talk about February!

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!