I have begun organizing and cleaning around the house lately and wait till you see all the different projects it's giving me!  Here's what I did to the kitchen "Things and stuff" drawer!

I started by removing EVERYTHING and sorting into piles of like items: Pens, Pencils, Erasers, Scissors, Paper Clips, White Out, Sharpies, etc.   Then I made sure to pitch everything that was trash and I also tested out each pen and trashed all the ones that were dried out.

Then I wiped down the trays and the inside of the drawer and then began filling each tray compartment with a different type of item.  Overall it took about 45 minutes but let me tell you, the drawer is much lighter and easier to open and shut!!  

I have soooo much more to do in all the different parts of the house, so prepare yourselves!   

I'm on the Right Financial Track for 2013 Thanks to The Budgetnista

Back in the beginning of Fall, I read a book called The One Week Budget by The Budgetnista.  I thought I knew a lot about my finances...until I read that book.  It put everything into perspective in an easy, realistic way.  I immediately took Tiffany's advice and began writing out my monthly budget.  She has great templates to give you inspiration for setting up your own budget.  I did mine in Excel, and then (and this is my favorite thing I learned to do from this book) I had to categorize each expense as something I couldn't change, I could change, or I could DRASTICALLY change. It really helped me break everything down and minimize my costs, and then I had to account for every dollar that I could and even set some aside for savings. I ended up cancelling a tanning package to save some money.  I have no clue how I was getting by before.  

Also, Tiff sent me this awesome Budgetnista pack below, it came with bracelets, a note from her, her book, business cards, some Budget tips, and these little stickers to put on your credit cards so that you stop yourself from using them!!

Financial peace is 20% guidance and 80% work and this book gives you the full 20% guidance you need to get on the right track. I love the simple, easy to use forms that inspired me to create my own and use formulas to get totals. I read this book in October and since then, I made my final car payment in December after getting the motivation from this book! I will have all of my (extensive) debts paid off within the next 18 months. Tiffany wrote a great book and puts everything into perspective, even how she has had financial struggles. I seriously LOVE this book and I will read it again and again and I consider it a very important financial tool. If you read this book, you will have the basic layout and motivation to go ahead on your path down to budget-friendly, debt free living!

You can literally get this book for under $5 on a kindle, or for under $10 hard copy!

My Budget Envelope System

photo by boxchain	via PhotoRee

I promise that you WILL want to save this post after you read it.  I have always thought I would be okay with money but what I lack is a routine, self-control, rules, discipline, and proper guidance.  I think I have all of these things but I don’t.  I recently learned a lot from Dave Ramsey and his books. 

I have started an envelope system that I’ve been using over the past few months.  I take my necessities, which are things that I spend money on each month, or every couple of months.  Yours may be different but mine are this: Groceries, Doctor copays and prescriptions, Vet, Dogs (food and pee pads), fun, restaurants, Car, Clothing, Gifts, Misc. 

I went to my budget and I figured out what I take home each month, then I took out all of my bills.  Then with the money I had left I decided how to divide it up each paycheck among the categories listed above.  To do this, you may need to look at your  bank statements and see how much of your money goes to each of your categories.  

Then, I went to Wal-Mart and found a coupon organizer (those little mini plastic expanding envelopes) and I purchased one for $0.97.  I labeled each pocket in it with a different category.  Then, I figured out for the upcoming paycheck (your amounts will vary each month depending on bills), how much money to take out in cash on payday and put in each envelope.  Then once I spend those amounts in that 2 week pay period, I can’t spend anymore and I can’t take from other envelopes.  After about a month of doing this, I quickly learned to be more careful of how much I spend.  Sure I thought $75 a week on groceries was a must but when you have to go through the store and you put items in your cart, you stop and say, WELLLLL I could save the $3 that I would spend on this for something better because this really isn’t worth it.  It hurts way more to spend cash than it does to swipe your card and scientific experiments have proven that.

I also track where my money goes and I save my receipts.  I enter all of them into an excel spreadsheet I made and if I leftover money in each category I decide whether I should roll it into a different category, save it in that envelope to build up over time, or put it towards my debt or in my savings.

So far, this has proven to be a great disciplinary budget system for me.  Try it and see what you think!! And if you have any questions along the way PLEASE let me know!

Budgeting for Vet Bills (It's easier than you think)

photo by MaureenShaughnessy (aka MontanaRaven)	via PhotoRee

Being an owner of 4 dogs and having a love for shopping and clothes is very tough.  You never know when, just like a child, one of your pets can get sick and you HAVE to take them to the vet. 

 Unlike kids, there’s not really insurance for pets and the insurance that’s out there only covers certain things.  Recently, I’ve learned to master my budget which I’ll blog about at a later time, but now that I’ve been doing that, I was able to make a separate budget just for the vets!I literally have an envelope for Vet money and every paycheck I take $20 out in cash from the bank and place it in that envelope.  I am not allowed to tap into it for anything other than a vet payment.  In one year that’s $480.  

 This system helps in 3 ways:
1. I don’t have to put off yearly check ups and shots.
 2. I don’t freak out when an emergency happens and it will never be a factor whether or not I should help them.
3. I can budget other parts of my life with this same envelope system so it gets me in a good habit.  So, are you going to try this?