| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| natesgirl |
Posted - May 02 2012 : 07:54:04 AM
I'm tryin to regain control of my life. In that effort I thought I should reform some old good habits and form a few new ones.
I have put toegether a weekly 'plan', with one big chore and one little chore for each day of the work week except tuesday. That's my try new things and bake for fun day.
I am not bein too picky. The job doesn't have to be perfect and if something important comes up it can be skipped.
I also have a monthly menu planner and have put together a months worth of meals and the shoppin list for it. I did the shoppin yesterday. I only got 2 grocery bags that weren't on the list and only one item was junk food, so I marked it down as a success.
I have made a meal from the menu (which actually started on april 29 cause the menu sheet started on a sunday) for three days. I have the ingredients for tonights meal laid out as well. I will have checked off the first four meals tonight, but not in the order they should have been.
Is that still a success or does it allow for too much playin around and possibly losin the good habit?
I have a good habit check off sheet that I am usin too. I want lots of reinforcement and lots of repetition to insure that it takes hold properly. I'm bad about not doin somethin if it's not kinda involuntary.
I'm startin with these two habits, then I'm addin in some more complicated financial ones. I think I will add them in a week or two.
I want to be able to follow a budget tightly, track a savings account, have all the bills paid one week early, and not miss a single birthday. I'm the one who is always late by at least a week.
I am aimin to be organized and on track enough that my Christmas decorations will actually be up by december 1st, instead of 3 days before like last year.
I also do not want to be buyin last minute gifts on Christmas eve ever agian. I hate that.
I gotta say, my turnin point came just a few weeks ago. I was tryin to plan my middle DD's birthday party and I realized I was gonna have to really crunch hard to pull it off. I was plannin well in advance, but had allowed the finances and the house to fall so far behind it was gonna hinder or stop the party alltogether.
I grabbed ahold of the two things I knew I could wrestle into submission easiest first. I put the spendin into hubby's hold and told him what was goin on. He negotiated a few things with the bills and got us a little breathin room for this month, but I have to get a more permanent hold of this.
I'm lookin for suggestions and advice.
How have you kept control, or gained it?
What was your anchor, the thing that kept you grounded?
Did you find anything that makes formin good habits helpful?
I'm willin and able to try nearly anything.
Thank you for readin this and for any suggestions and comments!
Farmgirl Sister #1438
God - Gardening - Family - Is anything else important? |
| 14 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| HepKitten |
Posted - May 04 2012 : 7:39:04 PM
Aw, I hope your day got better after you posted! Meatloaf and potatoes would lift my mood. lol
Let me know if you have any questions with Mint, and hang in there!
Kristen - Farmgirl Sister #3858
www.farmgirlsister.blogspot.com
www.rustymoonhomestead.blogspot.com |
| natesgirl |
Posted - May 04 2012 : 1:35:25 PM
Well today sucked!!! I wasn't able to get the bills dropped off cause hubby forgot to unhook the trailer and it's got a lock on it. He has the only key of course! Then I tried to do my laundry and the dryer belt snapped! I can't even get another one with no vehicle and it rainin. I would walk the 12 blocks if it weren't for the kids would have to go with me. He won't be home in time to make it to the store, so I guess I get to spend tomorrow doin laundry.
I did get good news this mornin. He won the company safety bingo game. Yea! $300 prize! Thank You God!!!
I just need to get the dryer belt fixed and start over agian next week. I'm havin a very good dinner tonight and it was already planned as a comfort food night! I love meatloaf and potatoes!
I'm just gonna soak in the tub after a good dinner and go to bed early. A little pamperin and I should be ready to try agian tomorrow.
Kristen...I'm gonna check out mint.com monday mornin. I just felt the frustration today would make the stress of finances too much. I want to be in the right mindset when I tackle the really stressful stuff for the first time. Thank you for the site! I don't seem to do well with budget paperwork, so I tend to lose track of it. On purpose? Accident? Not really sure. I think the computer is way too hard to lose, so it will be better! LOL!
Jenn...I wasn't sure how long it would take to form habits. I know bad ones form overnight it seems, but good ones take a little longer. I made a sheet with 30 days per column for each habit I want to make and I check it off daily. So I should be good by the end of it! Yea!
Farmgirl Sister #1438
God - Gardening - Family - Is anything else important? |
| Bornagainfarmgirl |
Posted - May 03 2012 : 11:13:08 AM
Try to go easy on yourself and not beat yourself up if it doesn't work at first- one step at a time, after all as the old adage goes- "Rome was not built in a day". At least that is what I try to tell myself! :-)
I had a psychologist one time tell me that to begin to form a new habit, it takes at least two weeks of continual work on that habit.
Try to remember you are not alone either, you have many farmgirls out there cheering you on!
Raised on a farm, and getting back to it! |
| HepKitten |
Posted - May 03 2012 : 10:56:26 AM
So glad that the Cozi recommendation worked out for you. I have one more recommendation, though: mint.com. You said you needed something for bills and reminders and budgeting things, and that's what I use. You link up your bank account and enter the dates for your bills, and it reminds you when to pay. Plus, you can look and see if you're overspending in any areas, and it's FREE, which is crucial for me. I love it almost as much as I love Cozi. Good luck - you're doing great. :)
Kristen - Farmgirl Sister #3858
www.farmgirlsister.blogspot.com
www.rustymoonhomestead.blogspot.com |
| natesgirl |
Posted - May 03 2012 : 09:53:58 AM
Well, I was feelin pretty low after last night ruined my fairly good streak. The a/c in our apartment wouldn't work and it was 87 in the house. I gave up and spent the evenin at my mom's, so it was take out for dinner.
Then I checked in here this mornin and decided to look into Cozi. I love it!
I spent about 4 hours on it readin everything and settin up my account. I have all my appointments logged, my shoppin list for next month started, most of the families birthdays posted and even set up the text message alert thingy. I am so in love!
I was carryin 3 notebooks and had my papers tacked up in the hallway. I left the papers in the hall, I like the visual reference, but ditched the notebooks for Cozi. I can't use it on my phone, but there's a Cozi for Kindle app that I downloaded. I take my kindle with me everywhere anyhow. It even lets you pull the shoppin list up and hold it for takin with you. It is so perfect for me.
I just wish Cozi had budgetin and bill organizin programs. Their system corrects my spellin and makes my appointment info so much easier to read than any other thing I've used before. If they had financial programs I could only imagine they would take alot of the stress and confusion out of that as well.
I made my grocery list and menu plan around what I had on hand first, then added a few things in that we were out of. I have a basic pantry list of what I always have on hand, so that has to be restocked too, but I still came out for the month on what I usually spend for the week. That leaves me a lot to use for sale items each week to be prestocked up for the next menu plan.
I was really shocked at how much I was overshoppin before. I didn't realize all the stuff I actually had on hand because it was pretty jumbled up. I have it organized now and a list of all the overflow that wouldn't stack nicely in my cabinets and now resides in my basement on a shelf. I was kinda mad about throwin out half a trash can worth of really expired canned goods and rock hard mixes and stuff. It just reaffirmed my need to get a grip on things better.
Julie and Kristen...Thank you for pointin me to Cozi!!! I sent an email to both my sisters and my oldest DD. They are all settin up their accounts right now. My whole family is pretty excited about it!
Marianne...I've been readin about the grocery store sale cycles, what's in season and what is typically on sale when. I'm gonna use my saved grocery spendin from plannin meals to stock up on all our favorites when they go on sale. I forgot about the Cinco de Mayo stuff! We love mexican and I remember our local Kroger's puttin the excess on bigtime sale last year. I bought a ton of seasoning mixes and taco shells, which freeze nicely. The seasonings just have to go from freezer to pan in a few minutes, so as not to clump, and the taco shells just need popped in the oven on low to thaw and crisp a bit. It was so nice to have them last year. Thank you so much for the reminder!!! I will be at the store on the 6th bright and early! They go fast around here!
I'm startin to feel a little like this whole thing just might happen. You ladies are the greatest! I love havin somewhere to ask for help without havin to feel like I'm about to be treated like a child or an invalid. MJF ROCKS!!
Farmgirl Sister #1438
God - Gardening - Family - Is anything else important? |
| rough start farmgirl |
Posted - May 03 2012 : 06:31:31 AM
Angela, Planning meals ahead and shopping less often will really help you control your food bills. Incorporating what is on sale for the week will be helpful, too. This time of year is great for picking up meat for the BBQ or even more recent, mexican food for Cinco de Mayo. Many stores will honor other stores specials. That can be very helpful on produce especially.
best of luck, just don't let FlyLady make you feel guilty. Celebrate your successes don't linger on what you didn't get done.
Marianne |
| HepKitten |
Posted - May 02 2012 : 1:29:49 PM
Ooh - I use Cozi, too. Forgot to say that. :)
Kristen - Farmgirl Sister #3858
www.farmgirlsister.blogspot.com
www.rustymoonhomestead.blogspot.com |
| FarmDream |
Posted - May 02 2012 : 1:25:39 PM
Another thing I just set up to try is the Cozi app. Or find it at www.cozi.com. What this does is make a central calendar and to-do list that the whole family can check into from anywhere. We can also add things to the calendar, etc. on the go. Also has grocery/shopping lists, meal planner, and recipe section. DH is not organized so this might be a big help.
~FarmDream is Farmgirl Sister #3069
Live Today, Cherish Yesterday, Dream Tomorrow
http://naturaljulie.etsy.com
http://julie-rants.blogspot.com |
| HepKitten |
Posted - May 02 2012 : 12:41:13 PM
You sound like me with your organizing efforts - I wish you the best of luck! :) I've been slacking a bit in the menu planning department, but I find monthly shopping really helpful and I save a lot of money when I'm not running to the store every day. I also buy a "meat bundle" from our local butcher, plan out what to make based on that, and put it all into a spreadsheet like this (scroll down below the picture of my fat baby): http://rustymoonhomestead.blogspot.com/2011/12/menu-plan-monday.html. It comes out much cheaper in the long run.
Kristen - Farmgirl Sister #3858
www.farmgirlsister.blogspot.com
www.rustymoonhomestead.blogspot.com |
| natesgirl |
Posted - May 02 2012 : 12:26:08 PM
Roxanna...I am tryin to be flexable without bein so flexable that I have no structure. That's why I left the weekends open for whatever and tuesdays are for me. I'm hopin that the meal plannin, which I used to always do, is small enough to be easy. I did it before as a financial control and really liked the structure it gave me. The chore each day is new, but seemed simple enough. I tend to clean in waves and then the house gets out of control and it really wears on me. I hate a messy house and I hate spendin days to get it all straight agian. I stress too much with the money stuff, so I thought if I could get a few wins under my belt I'd be more confident.
Julie...I signed up for flylady. I am gonna use it some and use my schedule some. I am a writer big time. I have some plans and the monthly menu tacked in my hallway. I like the binder thing. I have a bunch of recipes wrote out on scrap paper and stuck in the pockets of a binder marked 'cooking'. I think organizin them into note cards and havin the pocket pages would be neater than my jumble. Then I could have everyone rate the recipes so I'd know what they really liked and what they don't so much.
I think tryin to break things down to small stages would help. I also like the idea of a bill due date calander and only openin the bills on friday. I always stress over the bills. Only fussin over them on one day a week sounds good.
Thank you for the info!! I'm gonna keep lookin everything over and see what I come up with. I'm just feelin kinda like I'm driftin through and I don't really care for the feelin. I prefer to have things kinda mapped out and a workin plan for life.
Farmgirl Sister #1438
God - Gardening - Family - Is anything else important? |
| FarmDream |
Posted - May 02 2012 : 11:14:26 AM
Forgot to add how I do the bills/mail. I only open mail on Fridays, unless it's a Farmgirl letter, of course! I only pay bills on payday (Fridays), so it doesn't do me any good to open those bills beforehand. I made a list according to their due dates. Now I know which bills have to be paid on which paycheck/payday so they will be paid a week early. Hope that helps.
~FarmDream is Farmgirl Sister #3069
Live Today, Cherish Yesterday, Dream Tomorrow
http://naturaljulie.etsy.com
http://julie-rants.blogspot.com |
| FarmDream |
Posted - May 02 2012 : 11:08:11 AM
My friend takes her big projects and divides them up into a series of small steps. Before she knows it she has completed the big project. Do you do better writing things down or using the computer? I am finding that I do better using the calendar on my phone. I schedule things like laundry, vacuuming, etc. A huge help was using FlyLady. That taught me to use a timer. She also has a running schedule on her site that will tell you what to clean for every day and it will keep your whole house clean all the time. For menus I have a binder with a paper calendar. I used the baseball card plastic sheets in the rings. I write down main dish, vegetables, breads, desserts, etc. on small cards and then file them in the sheets. When planning I pull cards from each section and write it on the calendar. I file the card in a section I labeled "this week." That way I know we won't eat the same thing each week. I hope that doesn't sound too complicated. I can post pics if you want to see it.
~FarmDream is Farmgirl Sister #3069
Live Today, Cherish Yesterday, Dream Tomorrow
http://naturaljulie.etsy.com
http://julie-rants.blogspot.com |
| rphelps4 |
Posted - May 02 2012 : 08:15:20 AM
Also set small goals at first, when you have reach those, your bigger goals will become easier. Roxanna |
| rphelps4 |
Posted - May 02 2012 : 08:13:51 AM
Sounds like a great plan, just don't be so strict on yourself that you can't achieve your goals, I think sometimes that is why people fail with their plans, then they just give up. Good luck kept us posted, I think you have a great start! Roxanna |
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