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Goals for March 2012: The Food Budget

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Photograph Credit: Flickr (Angie Torres)

As I review my February goals, I cringe since I fell flat on my face on most of these goals. It was a tough month.

After being away from home, grieving, and returning to a mountain of responsibilities, I am getting back on track. With a clean slate, I am ready to start again and make progress on my goals.

My goals stem from Crystal Paine’s book The Money Saving Mom’s Budget, where Crystal breaks down the steps to reach your financial goals. I have included my financial and other goals as I seek to change and improve.

Though I do not meet every goal, I love that I am not where I was at the beginning of February. Progress, no matter how small, is still moving closer to my goals.

Physical

Drink 2 glasses of water per day.  I did not meet this goal every day, so I will be keeping this same goal for March.

Eat breakfast each morning. Good, but I still need more work. When I got a cold, I did not eat much, but I am making progress.

Exercise for 20 minutes at least 3 times a week. Exercise? What’s that? I need to find a consistent time in my schedule to fit this goal. Keeping this goal though I have not succeeded yet.

Family

Plan at least one family outing/activity each week. Accomplished! I love this goal! Our family enjoyed  building projects at Lowe’s and Home Depot, participating in a Kidgit’s event, playing putt-putt golf, jumping in inflatable bounce houses, eating free pancakes at IHOP, and spending lots of family time on our 12-hour trip to and from my mom’s home. Keeping our family relationships close remains a top priority.

Spend 10 minutes with each child each day. Better this month. My preschool daughter has learned to write her name. (Woo Hoo!) How exciting to watch her enthusiasm increase with her accomplishments!

Allow children to help with a household task each week. My kids enjoy this goal. They continue to ask how they can help. By working in extra time for training, we cook, clean, sort, stack, decorate, and pickup throughout our day. My children love contributing to our family while I enjoy using time wisely with them.

Financial

Follow Crystal’s year-long plan to reach my goals. On Track. The main rooms of my home are clutter-free. I still have 2 closets and 2 storage areas to organize, but the bulk of February’s task is complete.

For March (Month 3), Crystal has chosen tracking food purchases. I use this spreadsheet which helps me budget all my household purchases. With the formulas commuted, I only need to add the numbers from my receipts which saves me energy and time.

Our food budget remains at $80 per week for our family of 5. (If you are just starting, Crystal recommends $40 per person per week. As you track your spending, you can adjust as needed.)

Purchase dressers for my daughters’ room. This goal is ongoing. We saved $20 for these dressers in February. 🙂

Purchase upgraded computers for hubby and me. This goal is also ongoing. We saved $30 towards this goal in February. 🙂

Business

Write posts one week in advance. Fell short AGAIN on this goal. Not only am I not ahead, but I also fell behind.  (Bummer!) To help with a framework, I printed this calendar and have planned my posts for March. This plan helps focus my time at the computer which, hopefully, will help me get ahead. I will keep this goal for March.

Follow Blogelina’s daily/monthly tasks. Failed. Found these tasks on her Facebook page. However, I do not check often enough to keep up with the tasks. I completed 3 of the 4 sessions of the on-line course and will complete the 4th session in March.

I am changing this goal to “Making one improvement to Using Time Wisely this month.” For February, I participated in Blogelina’s 100 comments event. Though I did not get 100 comments, I did get 76 unique comments which thrilled me. Thank you for participating and encouraging me along this blogging journey.

Read two chapters of blog book each month. Accomplished! Finished 2 more chapters, but I have not applied what I have read . . . yet.

My goals are working for me. With some easy goals and others challenging, the balance works. By plugging along slowly and steadily, I am making progress. If you are struggling with your goals, then adjust. Small steps are still steps in the right direction. Keep going!

Question: How are your goals coming along? 

Using Time Wisely: Counting my Blessings (35- 48)

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Photograph Credit: Flickr (Amelia Thornton)

Having had a very difficult week, I really need this post. My 81-year-old Grandma suddenly passed away last weekend. In an effort to help my Mom, our family traveled the twelve hours home.

Though hanging out with my Mom was fantastic, the emotional strain was hard to endure.

On top of dealing with my spunky Grandma’s death, I had committed to Blogelina’s 100 Comments Event which began during my visit home.

By the time our family traveled back to our house, I was behind on everything and tired.

Having taken a couple of days to fulfill my commitments and get some extra rest, I am gaining momentum. As I relax and reminisce on the events of the week, I am, continuing where I left off, counting these blessings:

35. A Grandma, who loved the Lord, served others, and lived what she taught.

36. The time I got to spend with my Grandma, talking to her via Skype these last few months.

37. A dependable van, with lots of space, that made the trip as comfortable as could be.

38. My husband’s employer that allows 3 days of bereavement and support during this time.

39. A loving family that came together to celebrate my Grandma’s home-going.

40. Blunt questions from a child’s perspective.

41. My toddler withstanding long periods of quiet and relative-stillness.

42. Hugs from family and friends who understand my loss.

43. Fantastic funeral home directors that handled all elements of the viewing, funeral, and burial with class and professionalism.

44. The comfort of my bed and comforter.

45. Extra rest to recover from the emotional exhaustion.

46. The almost 150 comments from the Blogelina event (half of those are my responses back to the commenters).

47. Connections made through the Blogelina event.

48. Patient readers, who continue to amaze me with your support.

Counting my blessings encourages my heart. No matter how tough life gets, there is always someone who would love to change places with you. We have much for which to be thankful!

Question: For what are you thankful?

2012: Happy Leap Year!

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Photograph Credit: Flickr (Youth Services Web)

The unique day, that occurs every four years, has arrived. As a way to make up the extra time of the past three years, we get an extra day on our calendar this year. In using time wisely, we are getting more time today. Woo Hoo!

After a late evening last night due to a family activity and long wait at IHOP for our free pancakes, I need a day to regroup, organize, and prepare for the rest of the week.

By scheduling a slower day in the week, I can take a breath, enjoy the break, and try to snag a nap.  Staying rested overcomes frustrations. Taking short naps revitalizes my energy as I serve my family.

Heads Up

One of my business goals for this year is increasing readership. As a loyal reader, I want to let you know when I participate in events marketing Using Time Wisely. In January, I wrote a review of Crystal Paine’s book, The Money Saving Mom’s Budget. In February, I offered a giveaway of the book I received from Crystal for posting my review. Coming on March 1, I have entered tomorrow’s post into Blogelina’s 100 Comments event.

This event with Blogelina aims to get 100 comments on tomorrow’s post by grouping blog authors in groups of 100. I will be posting comments on 100 blogs this coming week like my fellow bloggers. My participating focuses on generating awareness for Using Time Wisely.

As you see the comments, please feel free to chime in with your ideas. I will be interacting through the comments and Facebook and would love your input.

As I engage in more activities, events, and guest’s posts, I will keep you updated. Thanks for reading, spreading the word,  and sharing your tips and tricks. Enjoy your extra calendar day while using time wisely!

Errands: Adding Breaks to your Schedule

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Photograph Credit: Flickr (Seenu)

After spending a few days last week sorting through the mound of paperwork that “appeared” on my desk, I had a day full of errands to run. With little ones in tow, adding breaks to my schedule is a must.

Errands

My list of errands included:

    • Bi-Lo – grocery store
    • CVS – drugstore
    • Credit Union
    • Publix – grocery store
    • Post office
    • Eye doctor appointments

Breaks

These errands are necessary, but boring for little ones. To keep the outing a fun adventure, I just added in breaks and treats along the way.

    • Bi-Lo – accepting the free cookies – yes, it was before lunch. 🙂
    • CVS – scanning extra care card, searching for sale items, and walking without the cart. (These activities are big deals for my little ones.)
    • Credit Union – choosing lollipops and a toy from the treasure box for making deposits into their accounts
    • Publix – receiving another free cookie for the girls
    • Post office – running around in the play area while waiting to send off a few packages
    • Lunch – purchasing $.79 cheeseburgers and $.49 hamburgers at our local McDonald’s. The girls loved the special lunch, and mom enjoyed the under $5 price.
    • School – climbing on the playground before brother’s class ended
    • Eye doctor appointments – playing with electronic toys (brought from home) while waiting for the doctor
    • Snack – redeeming coupons for free cookies at Zaxby’s. Yep, another free cookie before dinner.

Though our day was full of errands and sugar, we enjoyed the special time together by adding breaks to our schedule. If you have a long list of errands that include little ones in tow, then go for it. Schedule your day around the fun at your errand locations. (If you prefer, limit the cookies and include more errands with playground activities.)

Life is full of obstacles. Embrace them, plan extra time for breaks, and enjoy your little ones while using time wisely. Happy planning!

Question: What errand does your little one enjoy because of the fun?

Goals for February 2012: Removing Clutter – Part 2 of 2

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Photograph Credit: Flickr (Angie Torres)

With the ups and downs of executing the goals set, I am learning that my bite-sized goals from January were not so bite-sized.

Instead of breaking down the goal into weekly or monthly bites, I just made a glorified to-do list. Starting where I was comfortable was a start. Now, I need to fine tune and adjust.

Last week, I shared my February physical and family goals. This week, I will continue with my financial and business goals.

Financial

Follow Crystal’s year-long plan to reach my goals. On Track. I completed writing out my bite-sized goals for January. In February, I need to finish removing clutter from my home. I began this project, and have completed my downstairs. I need to finish my upstairs during the month of February.

Purchase dressers for my daughters’ room. This goal is ongoing. We will be saving for these dressers, but we made no headway this month.

Purchase upgraded computers for hubby and me. This goal is also ongoing. We saved a little in January to add to this fund.

Business

Write posts one week in advance. Fell short on this goal. This past week, I made a little progress with 2 scheduled posts. I will keep this goal for February.

Follow Blogelina’s daily/monthly tasks. Failed. I am not sure where to find these tasks. Scheduled to take her on-line course, I chose to delay the start date until February. When I take the class, I will learn the process and plan to complete these tasks in February.

Read two chapters of blog book each month. Accomplished! Finished 2 chapters, but now I have lots of items to tweak, define, and adjust in my business plan. This goal will remain for February.

As you can tell I am learning as I go. Realizing that this process is new for me, I am willing to jump in and try it. As I learn, I will fine-tune my goals. In the meantime, I am enjoying the process, focusing on what is important, and remaining accountable to you. Thanks for following along on this journey. Happy goal completing!

Question: What are you learning about setting goals? Please add your answer to the comments.