A few little changes...

           Since the last blog post, I have been busy working on little way I can cut back here and there. A BIG part of this I feel is our grocery bill. I think everyone would say that they feel they spend too much on groceries, but with a 3 and 1 year old and a husband who likes to eat as much as I do, we have been way overspending.
         

          Last week while I was at the grocery store, I saw a roaster chicken on Manager's Special for really cheap! I wish I could have wrote down the exact amount, but it was around $3.50. I tried to upload a picture of the meat that I got off of it, but I'm not sure where on the post it will show up. Anyway, it was MUCH more than I had expected. I bagged up the meat in little freezer bags and stuck them into a big freezer bag together and stuck it in the fridge. I used one of the little bags in homemade chicken noodles and they were delish! I love having shredded up chicken in the fridge to toss in casseroles, stir-fry, chicken salad... so many options. This was a CHEAP, easy way to stock up on quality chicken without paying $7.50 for a package of chicken breasts to get the same amount of meat. I think I actually ended up with more!
        

            I have also stopped buying the Dora and Mickey Yoplait yogurt for my dd. She loves them, but the price per ounce was way out of line. Instead, I have been buying a big 2 lb container of Yoplait strawberry yogurt and giving her some in a small snack cup. It last 3x as long and for cheaper than buy 1 4pack of the other!

           What are some ways you cut cost on your grocery bill?

Pay Day

     I have a love/hate relationship with pay day. I get a strange satisfaction from paying bills. I would even go as far to say that I LIKE making payments. Weird, I know. It feels good to me to pay a debt. I like knowing that I am a real adult, able to pay for the utilities that I use and repay student loans, credit card bills, car and mortgage payments.... on and on it goes.
     Now comes the hate. I HATE paying bills. Why? Because at the moment, we are behind. I can't make payments on every bill that is due. If we are going to continue to keep a roof over our heads and have something to eat (really, I'm not talking about a steak dinner, I just mean food, of some sort to keep our bellies full and give us enough energy to get through our day) I can NOT make a payment on every bill. This is the most frustrating thing EVER. I want to pay my bills. I want to keep my credit in good standing. The bad thing is that it is not always feasible.
     I know what you are thinking... stop complaining and get another job so that you can pay your bills. News flash... DH works 40+ hours a week. I work 10-15 outside the home at a part time job AND run a direct sales business. Short of spending more money that I bring in at said part time job to hire a babysitter, there is no way for either of us to work more hours. I work evenings when DH can be home with the kiddos (DD age 3 and DS age 1).
     The good news... W2s are in. That means tax return time is right around the corner. I've been working on tax prep some this week and I am praying for a great big return this year. Energy credits for new HVAC and having a baby in 2013 should make a difference. Prayers for that to be the case would be awesome. Thanks!

Starting off

       Where to begin? This year marks the beginning of a journey that I have been toying with for a long time. The purpose of this blog is a place to document my ideas, thoughts, successes and failures... everything that comes a long with the goals of this year.
       You see, for the last several years, my DH and I have been struggling financially. We have never been the best stewards of our money. A few months ago, it all hit the fan after several unexpected car and home repairs maxed out our credit cards and we were left with literally no way to pay our bills, buy groceries, put gas in our cars, etc., etc., etc. That was the major push that we needed to get our act together. That is sparked the birth of 2014, The Year Of NO!
       Sounds scary, right? It is. We decided together that this year would be NO vacation, NO extra spending, NO more charging anything to our credit card. Absolutely NO way we will end 2014 in the same financial state that we entered it.
       I am tired of living paycheck to paycheck. I am tired of having no say on where our income goes. I am tired of being a slave to debt. SO tired. It is time for a major change and I am SO ready. We spent January catching up on late bills the best that we could. With our tax return we will finish catching up and then it is go time.
      The thermostat is lowered to save on propane. Cash envelopes are waiting to be filled. Our garden plot is picked out and I am reading up on the best ways to preserve all types of produce. New year, new way of life.