Budgeting 101

It's a quiet Saturday afternoon-all the boys are asleep so I thought I'd have some fun with a post about budgeting! ☺️

Before we had kids and especially before we were married-the word "budget" didn't exist in our vocabulary. If we wanted new clothes, sure why not. Out to eat every other night, you bet. But as soon as our first was born, a magic budget button went off in our brains and suddenly we started to get it. 

Live off what you make, and not any more than that. 

What a concept! 

When you have a little tiny being you're responsible for (and now two tiny beings), guessing if you'll have enough money at the end of the month becomes a little more scary. 

So we put into action some simple ideas:

1. We cut up all of our credit cards (I know, right?!) Paid them all off within a year and have never gone back. We don't have payments every month plus we aren't paying extra (or interest) on anything we buy!

2. We actually MADE a budget. We've done this before, but we made it strict this time around and made sure to include everything we ever spend money on. (Are we perfect at sticking to it-not always, but it sure helps!)

3. We found areas we could cut costs and lower bills. (Lower phone data plan, no cable package, open all the blinds and keep lights off, switched car ins companies)

4. Recently I have started making our own baby food. (Was adding up to over $100/mo just for jars of food!!)

5. Also recently started cloth diapering both kids (investment at first but will save us about $80-$100/mo)

6. We mostly only buy extras like clothes, toys, etc. when we find things on sale (again not always but it has made a huge difference)

7. I cut mine and my husbands hair! (Not a huge expense, but I never have to put it in the budget!) And we've been doing this for years now. 

8. Buying discount meat (don't worry it's still good to eat ha!) for a few weeks and freezing it. Having meals ready to go avoids extra trips to the store or going out as often. 

9. Limiting our going-out-to-eat. We have weaknesses like anyone else-we'll go out because it sounds good or it's fast, but we have really paired down from what we used to do. 

10. Our biggest expense is my hubby's student loans so I find extra ways every month to throw $ at thoseby doing odd jobs online at a website solely for the purpose of paying off student debt. 

Every household is different and every couple is unique, so I'm not preaching that our ways are the only ways-but they sure do work for us!! 

A little nugget of information to think about :)

Blessings!

Perspective

This past Saturday night, my hubby and I laid in bed talking about this and that. Our weekend conversations usually go late into the night, as he doesn't have work the next day and our topics bounce from one to the next.

A topic that doesn't get focused on enough by our society, and yes us included, is how blessed we are to have what we have. We went into a discussion and reflected on all that God has given us.

(just to name a few) People in less fortunate countries are putting their babies to bed hungry, and we are able to feed our two babies three+ meals a day. Others risk their health just to drink the only available water, and not only do we have clean faucet water, but we use it to make coffee and ice just for convenience. We mentioned how we had two sweet, healthy and growing babies soundly asleep in the next rooms over and how we were cozied into a warm bed.

We are so blessed daily by God's presence, His word and works in our lives. So often we get caught up in the newest of new everything and don't step back to realize how lucky we are to even have the items we do.

I feel beyond blessed by the gifts of love, safety, and health that I have daily-and knowing that anything can change in a moment, I will strive daily not to be taking these wonderful gifts for granted.

Jump into a conversation or ponder this for yourself-it really puts your life in perspective.

Blessings!

Everyone Else Has 3pm Coffee Time Too-Right?

oh my-I think I used to start drinking coffee because I liked the taste. Then college hit 6 years ago and I would be at Starbucks at 9pm sipping it to stay up and study. THEN I HAD BABIES. Newborn stage = whenever I could get it, just to keep my sanity. Then it goes into having it all day long. Now-a-days its right as I wake up and again about this time of day.

I digress-this wasn't the reason I got on to blog this afternoon :)

SO many new things going on in this house of little men (and one regular sized man and me).

*Our pediatrician informed us that Roman is consuming too much milk....(I didn't know that could be an issue-enter mom learning something new every day quip) So now instead of giving him milk whenever he requests we peddle h2o like crazy which he is less than thrilled about. We have decided that milk at nap is a must for naps to continue-and let me tell you, they must continue.

*We changed from disposables (on Roman) to cloth diapers over the weekend and it went GREAT! Like my previous post stated, I think people make too big a deal about all the muss and fuss. I've been through it start to finish-including laundry-and no blunders to speak of. Dominic will be getting his in a couple of weeks and I'm excited for them both to be transitioned.

*Little Mr. Dominic has become mobile (eek!). Following in big brother's footsteps, he doesn't get up on his hands and knees to crawl, he pulls himself with his forearms and propels with one foot to get to where he wants to be. He can make his way around a room in no time and I feel like he was my tiny newborn just yesterday.

*I got a promotion at work (yes-I work from home!) at the end of last week and this weekend I dove headfirst into incorporating my new responsibilities with my existing ones. I'm excited about my this new adventure in my job and hope to keep expanding!

*My hubby (and I) decided we're going to start a farm, with a cow named Lucy............not tomorrow ;) But it HAS always been a dream of ours to live on a farm-so we started actually talking about it late Saturday night.

It was a fantastically relaxing weekend with our little family. And I'm so excited about all of the blessings God has brought our way. Constantly showing us His grace and mercy and showering us with love. We are undeserving, but oh so thankful.

Blessings!

Cloth Diapering (CDing???) Here.We.Come!

Guess what is apparently all the rage right now in baby land? Cloth diapering!

I didn't jump into this because it's "the new thing". When we decided to make the switch, we did it to cut the cost of $80+ in diapers each month and make a one time investment that will last until every one is potty trained. But when I began my research, my goodness all the information! The terminology, the different types, the different brands, the different reasons why certain ones are better at night and others are better for grandparents to attempt. Yep-it's all in there. I thought I would be reading "how to put on a cloth diaper" then buy them and POOF! ready to go. (Why I thought it would be that easy I guess goes to show how little about this topic I knew...I also think people make it a tad more complicated than it really needs to be...) I can't even go into the laundry aspect of it-but let's just say I read some people do seven SEVEN washes of one load of diaper laundry...did I mention some are a tad intense about this? 

After processing everything and talking it over with the hubby (I didn't even mention the seven loads of laundry part), we decided just to buy some up and give it a shot-and they are arriving today! So we will officially be "CDing" parents by this weekend. unless we fail miserably and return all of them. We won't be washing seven times, dancing on our hands, walking backwards or any other odd tricks to make this work for our family. We will just make it work for our family. Makes sense, right? Do what works for YOU. Researching on the internet can only get you so far. 

I'm excited to try something new and to hopefully make a great transition into this side of diapering! (who knew this topic could get me so excited!)

So wish us luck and pray we don't wake up with horror on our faces after cloth diapering our children over night. 

Happy Friday!

Blessings!

Holiday Weekend

This past weekend we drove back to Oregon to celebrate our smallest niece's 1st birthday! (We have 6 nieces and 1 nephew-with another unknown baby on the way from my SIL-making this the 7th 1st birthday party as Uncle & Auntie status) 

We had two celebrations and we had so much fun spending time with family. Our big little got to run and play with his cousins, bounce on the trampoline, zip-lined with momma (!), eat to his hearts content and received so many snuggles and kisses from everyone-I wouldn't have it any other way. 

Little little was passed around and loved on, got to enjoy his first swing session and played and slept (which is not really a big change up for him) ;) None-the-less, I think he enjoyed his time too. 

I know I did-my family is a big part of our lives, and even though we live far away we still make it down about once a month and seeing them is even more sweet since we know our time is limited to a few days. 

Now, tis Labor Day and the hubby is home with us! It may be a day for errands and cleaning, but everyone is currently napping and there's a coziness over our house. I'm enjoying this life I have been blessed with-from the busy to the calm-I love it all.

Happy Labor Day!

Blessings!

Organizational Blunder

Some days my house looks like a tornado hit it-and I simply walk over the piles of dirty clothes in our room and the 100th toy in the living area and just want to relax and not worry about everything being in its proper place right.that.minute.

Then other days, I get on my husband for not putting dishes directly in the dishwasher instead of just leaving them in the sink...

(I have a very patient husband) ;)

What's wrong with me??? I wish I was either completely Type A, where everything has an order, a place, a function, a cubby to fit into --OR--there's a mess and some day I'll clean it up. I'm totally and completely in the middle. I feel like that makes me more narcotic than if I was uptight about everything being put away! (Am I making sense here...? No... ?)

I know I am much happier when I can have a full day of cleaning and then after that it's just picking up after the kids or a load or two of laundry here and there rather than letting it all pile up for a week. But with two babies some days I DO want to just sit with them and not clean or think about the ten loads of laundry sitting in our rooms. AM I THE ONLY ONE? I'm assuming not.

Sometimes I think, maybe we have too much "stuff" and if we didn't, "stuff" wouldn't just be laying in my hallway. But then I look around and think, well what could we get rid of........................................and then that thought ends.

I know it will all get put away eventually-and then get dirty eventually. It's the circle of life people. The circle of a beautiful, messy life :)

At the end of the day, I have healthy kids who have a plethora of entertainment that doesn't involve the TV ; and clothes on their backs that they can dirty up all they want ; and a husband who makes me desserts with dishes that end up getting dirty ; and a warm place to live that is some times a mess.

That could've been THE most pointless post to date, but that's alright with me!

Blessings!

{His direction, His calling}

I don't know if it's having two babies to think about now, or maturing in my own life-but decision making these days seems to be under a microscope for me. I don't consider myself an irresponsible person, but long gone are the days where I flippantly make a decision and hope it works out. I've gotten more involved with giving God my decision making over the years and waiting to see His response of where we should be going. Let me tell you, even for a strong believer in the Lord it is still a scary process. My human mind says "TIME OUT-this can't happen" while God is clearly saying "let me worry about the logistics, you just follow my lead". Phew. Easier put into words on a blog than possibly living out in my day to day life. 

But let me tell you-the decisions He has called us to make that didn't make logical sense in the moment have been the greatest decisions and brought us to this amazing place in our lives. It's a daily commitment, that I will admit I don't always hold up my end on, to talk to God and ask for His direction in our lives. But I find a peace when I call on Him. 

I'm blessed daily. And thankful for all He does. (even when I don't want to give it up and let Him sometimes)

***Today I'm starting a devotional alongside my sister (via text because we live 200 MILES AWAY from each other) and I'm excited to see what this new aspect will bring to my daily life. Check it out here! 

Blessings!