Mamasita's Quest for Financial

Even my 2nd grader commented on how the rest of the year went so fast, but it has been January for a looong time!
Ah well, I'll just keep trucking along. As I've said before, just doing what I'm supposed to be doing is pretty encouraging by itself, and eventually I'll get out of this boring, slow patch. Sometimes boring and slow is good! I remember when I was finishing up my last few classes and working full time, I would have done anything for a "boring" and "slow" month!
I'm contemplating if I should venture into a side business. If I have to admit to myself, I don't really "need" the money. It's more as a creative outlet, a way to brainstorm and produce something of my own. Either that or I need to discover a new hobby!

This time of year is always tough for me. I haven't been outside in weeks and I'm craving some sunshine. (I'm a summer girl at heart). Regardless of the temperature, the next day that the sun is out I'm going to force myself to walk in it! I'm not going to cave in and book a spring break vacation somewhere warm. I've worked too hard to build up my savings. There is so much to do in my city when it's warm, I'll just hang in there till it warms up.

I'm using this time to perfect my weekly routine of cooking, child rearing, working, etc. It's funny how good I can feel when I'm just doing what I should be doing! I guess it's all in how you look at things. I've been making a conscious effort to be more positive.

Although I've been making a conscious effort not to eat out, I always planned on eating out at least once or twice on the weekends. This weekend SO and I cooked instead, and it was so much fun. Saturday nmight we finished cooking early, enjoyed some wine, and still had the whole night ahead of us. Much better than spending $30-$50 out to eat, to arrive back home much later, full and sleepy.

Eating out on the weekends was a habit for us, and changing habits always involve some degree of discomfort. It felt awkward at first, but then we started to enjoy being home cooking instead of fighting the Saturday night restaurant crowds. By Sunday afternoon we already were looking forward to what we would make for lunch, and mentally pocketed the lunch money.

I started mailing in rebates in October. I realized I'm going to buy the food anyway, might as well get a few bucks back for it. I've been depositing the checks in a savings account dedicated only to rebate checks. The account is now up to $129.00! How did that happen, when most rebates are for $3.00-$6.00? I'm just sticking to it, it's as easy as that. And it's working! Finally!

I officially have no shame at the grocery store! Last night I used 24 coupons for pasta along with a bunch of other coupons, saving $36 on my grocery bill. We bought our regular groceries, stocked up on meat and of course pasta. Spent $62 and will be getting $10 back in rebates. I consider that a victorious shopping trip for a coupon newbie!

After discovering that we had a 2 hour delay this morning due to weather, I figured I had some time to think more in depth about my goals. I had fun with this one!

Long-term Goal(by 2021, I'll be 45)
( )relocate somewhere tropical (seriously!)
action plan:
* need career that can transfer to new location (got it)
* money in the bank to "get by" while getting situated in new home
*stay debt-free so that my financial obligations are minimal
* continue to build net worth through investments

Ok, early Monday morning again. Would you believe instead of crying in my pillow I'm a little bit happy? I don't really spend money during the week, so I'm looking forward to a bunch of "no spend" days! How sad is that?!

Seriously, though, I have been doing a good job staying to a planned menu, so I don't need to buy anything during the week. I find that I enjoyed my dinner out Saturday even more after I had "earned" it from sticking to my plan the rest of the week.

Here's to Monday through Friday, working hard, and enjoying your off time even more!

Lately I've been contemplating purchasing a home to use as a rental. My SO bought the house we live in now, and we all love it here. Yet I don't have any property in my name anymore, and I feel like I'm "missing out" on benefits of real estate.

I've been browsing the home sale listings, and there is a lot more in my price range now. I still haven't decided to do this. For one thing, taking on a mortgage that we don't need automatically increases my vulnerability. One more thing that will keep me shackled to a job. At this point I could actually work just part time, but if I took on a mortgage I would need the security of a full time job in case of vacancies, non-paying tenants, etc.

The other thing keeping me from taking this plunge into rental property ownership is the extra stress. I have always been a "worrier". I'm already worrying if I could find a tenant, if the neighborhood will keep it's value, etc. and I haven't even made up my mind. I have the feeling that making the home purchase will not be worth the sleepless nights and headaches that I bring to myself.

I think what I am going to do is continue to save that extra money each month, continue to invest in my retirement funds, etc. so that I feel that my money is still working for me. In a few years, when we relocate due to SO's job, we will turn our current home into a rental. That really makes the most sense.

I need to practice patience. My kids don't need a mom who is always thinking and worrying about a rental property, they deserve a mom who is living in the current moment and really there for them. I must admit that I have issues with anxiety and I need to start making decisions that are better for my health, including not getting myself overwhelmed with expensive responsibilities.

$69.72.
1/2/11A little higher than my intended goal of $60.00, but I'm happy with it, because we purchased a lot of personal products for the upcoming months.

$61.07
1/8/11 Again a little over, today was a nightmare shopping trip! Lines to the other side of the commissary, in the chaos of trying to get out of there I didn't use all of my intended coupons. Grr!

Food is by far the easiest line item to save on in my budget. I used to average $80 a week for four. My SO and I started using coupons and really taking our time to find deals in the grocery store. Took lots of time, but dropped our average bill to $60 a week, without any difference in our eating habits.

The past month of so, because of holidays and parties, the food bill has not been anywhere near $60 a week. NOw that 2011 is here, though, I'm recommitted to getting our grocery bill average to $60 a week once again.

Today will be our first grocery trip of 2011, I'll post the damage later!

In the meantime, I'm patting myself on the back for eating in last night, despite just returning from a weekend trip and coming home to an empty fridge. Using freezer chicken and our pantry stash, we ended up having a tasty dinner that didn't cost a dime! That saved us a lot of cash,and loads of calories, too.

Reading my author biography, I realize I already have achieved the most important things: I am raising my girls in a happy, safe home, and I have lots of time for my family. I know that these things can change in an instant, and each night I am thankful to God that I have these blessings.

In 2011 I have to be honest, really, I'm satisfied with just raising happy, safe children, that I can spend lots of time with, and do what I am meant to be doing on this earth. The rest is just numbers! Of course I'm going to be smart about work and money, but always keep what is really important at the front.

Wow, I can't believe I haven't updated my blog in a couple years. This is going to be the year I hold myself accountable!

A very bad habit of mine is that I get intimidated easily and don't follow through with my intentions. For example, when it comes to running, I'll be on track to make my miles for the month, but I always let something get in the way of my success. Why?

Inside of me, I have some sort of hunger to create a business of my own, a creative outlet. Yet when I get started on an idea, I never follow through. I think about negative things others could be thinking, or I worry that I'm not qualified enough to provide a service. Why?

Is my self-esteem that poor? I hope not. I think I need to work on positive self-talk and build up my self confidence.

So in 2011, I vow to NOT BACK DOWN! Do what I say I'm going to do!!! The ocean of fear I feel like I'm floating in sometimes? Embrace it, dive into it. Once I am fully submerged, it's so freeing. I welcome the chilly feeling of fear, I'm not going to dread it. I'm going to reframe my thinking. Ooh, it's spine-tingling, that means I am growing and about to embark on more adventures. I'm too young to give in to fear! Who knows what can be out there if I open myself up to it??? Why set limitations on myself?

Happy New Years, everyone, many blessings to you all!

Right after Thanksgiving I brought out the decorations. The past 4 years we've been doing Christmas "military style", either on leave visiting home, in a hotel awaiting housing, or making do in base quarters. So I never noticed that our artificial Christmas tree was, well, lacking. Now that we are settled in our "real" home, our puny 4 foot Walmart special from eons ago looked a little pathetic to me. I was seriously thinking about waking up at 4 a.m. on black Friday to pick up a deal. (Fortunately, I'm too darn lazy for all that nonsense).

When my kids came home and saw my mess of decorations laying around the house, they immedietely got to work turning our interior into a winter wonderland. I was contemplating out loud whether we needed a bigger tree.

My 9 year old decided for me. She looked around the house at our handiwork and then at our little 4 foot tree (boosted up by a cardboard box so it wasn't dwarfed by the couch). She said, "We're lucky to have such a beautiful tree. We're lucky we even HAVE a tree." And you know what? She's right.

We ARE lucky we have a tree. We are lucky we have a safe place to live, we are lucky we have our family all safe and healthy. I could go on and on, with what blessings we have been bestowed. And none of them have anything to do with a bigger tree, a fancier house,more money in the bank, or more presents under the tree. I'm just so touched that my 9 year old daughter realizes this, with her innocent eyes. We are blessed and I am so thankful for anything and everything.

Our family has recently started participating in extracurricular activities on some school nights. While it would be understandable for us to drive through for fast food on these nights, I don't want to start this habit. I have always taught my children that fast food is a "last resort" meal, not a treat.

That being said, we've still got to eat. On nights with kid activities scheduled, we don't have time to prep a meal and eat at home. I've realized that with a little planning I can feed my family healthier, cheaper, and faster than drive through.


Some solutions that work for us:
1. The old standby of leftovers. We do have enough time to heat and eat leftovers.
2. Crock pot meals. Usually if we are home the night before I can prep this meal. I turn on the crock pot in the morning, so that when we get home a hot meal is waiting for us.
3. Picnic dinners. My kids LOVE this! I have enough time in the morning to make a stack of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, bag some baby carrots, snag a few pieces of Halloween candy, and toss a bottle of water in a tote bag. When I get home from work I grab the bag from the fridge and we eat on the way to or from our activities.


It is my responsibility to find 10 minutes to prepare a healthy meal for my family. It takes a little planning, but now it's a habit for me.

DD has been on the waiting list for riding lessons for over a year, and I got the call that there is an opening for her! She is so thrilled, it is an early Christmas gift! Her dad is pitching in on it as well!

I don't mind dipping into the fund for something like this. It's an activity for DD to love and enjoy, and if I can support it then I will. They rarely ask for toys or junk, and they never throw fits when I tell them "no".

I can put the money back next paycheck. I guess I could have put it on my credit card and then paid off my credit card next month, but for me, I do spend less when I use cash. Once you break out the credit card for one purchase it's easy to tack on another, then another...

I consider the holiday season to start in November. I don't want to look at Christmas decorations before Halloween, but on November first, I start to get excited.

As for my own house, I made a deal with myself. I cannot decorate my house for Christmas until I have finished the painting I started. Even with prepping, it's really only a few hours of work. I'll just keep telling myself that until the painting gets done!

I wish I had hired someone to paint my house. I've been working on my vaulted ceiling, open living/dining/kitchen since last Spring. If I had forked out some money I probably would have gotten everything done within a week. Well, coulda, woulda, shoulda- I'm doing it now!

I erased all of my entries because I was afraid one of the millions of anonymous readers would recognize me through my blog. Umm, ok. I have officially lost my mind!

Why am I having such a hard time putting my financial goals and concerns in writing, where others might see them?

I have been on my own for a year now. I don't have credit card debt, but I don't have much in savings, either. I guess I'm shy about how far I still have to go financially. I mean, I'm 32 years old and I only have $1100 in the bank? That's embarassing. Yet I have to start somewhere.

I spent the last 9 years basically getting my education, managing our house and raising my kids, not making money.

I have looked out for myself, though. Even though I didn't make much money these past 10 years, I made contributions to our family. I do have half of a house, and half of my ex's military retirement, should he choose to retire in 4 years. So I'm not totally starting from scratch, it just looks that way in my checking account!

I need to stop censoring my entries and just come clean. It's like lying to your doctor- you're not going to get better if you don't fess up!