I love using cash for some reasons and then I hate it for others. I love knowing that I am done spending when the cash is gone, but then it makes me sick because I feel like I didnt use it wisely. So my goal is this year knowing where my cash is going and really thinking about what I am actually spending money on.
The other great thing is that I only put in my bank account what is going to actually come out of the account so my bills all get paid through the bank account so I have a record or reciept of the payments, the rest of our paychecks are going into savings except for the grocery money and the little reserved fund for the small things we still like to do.
Its way easier to not overspend on groceries if you use cash.
Some like to record in a little notebook what they spend their cash on so they know what they are spending to much on..... I have really thought of using this little system. My husband rarely has cash and he knows he cant use the debit card because there is no money in it. So occasionally he like cash to grab lunch on the go and thats ok because he works out of town alot and its hard to always take your lunch and its a nice little treat.
Think of how you can use cash and not your debit card for the year of 2012.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Debt
Some how I always have some sorta debt since I was about 19 Ive had thousands of dollar in credit card bills, we,ve gone through the vicious cycle of pay off recharge and I would always be sick of how much debt we would have, 3 1/2 years ago I ended that cycle for ever by cutting up our credit cards and never reopening another, we currently have no debt except for our car payment.(which we just reduced by $200 a mth by getting an older car) we currently owe for monthly living expense food housing and insurance, I would like to reduce all this as well we shall see. I thought it would be impossible to survive without credit but I proved to myself and my family that was not the case, we have done just fine. The winter mths I always wish we had one for the time work is slow because the one thing I have not done is start saving but that is change for the last mth of December 2011 we actually put money in a savings and my hope is not to withdrawl no matter how hard it is. I am pretending like its not there.
SO January 2012 we will be saving all year and putting money away for our rainy days when work is slow next winter and then still have a savings, my hardest things for my family is that when we actually have money everyone thinks we need to buy that new wanted item even though what we have does the tricks just fine they are not broken or worn out they just want the latest coolest feature so my hopes and goals is to get them from thinking they always have to the newest item out there.
I will let you know how that goes in the future.
So if your someone who thinks they cant live with out credit think again, its truly the best thing that happened to us. If we don't have the CASH we dont buy and that means now we have to have all our needs taken care of and the savings needs a little funding then maybe we can purchase an item. Dont try to set a forever goal start off with using no credit cards for a day and this may even mean your debit card to get you through use cash and when its gone its gone.
Then try not using credit for a week then a mth you get the idea and then that way when you pay the payment your actually paying the payment not paying and recharging what you just payed off. if you really take a look at how much interest you pay it will make you sick most of the time you pay more in intrerest than you do for the balance that you actually charged makes you sick uh.
I dont even like having to owe my monthly houseing expenses. The next thing on my list is to start paying off our car with adding more money to each payment instead of just paying the monthly payments.
Hope this gives you some motivation to start your debt free lifestyle and to quit using your credit card and be one less penny out of debt.
SO January 2012 we will be saving all year and putting money away for our rainy days when work is slow next winter and then still have a savings, my hardest things for my family is that when we actually have money everyone thinks we need to buy that new wanted item even though what we have does the tricks just fine they are not broken or worn out they just want the latest coolest feature so my hopes and goals is to get them from thinking they always have to the newest item out there.
I will let you know how that goes in the future.
So if your someone who thinks they cant live with out credit think again, its truly the best thing that happened to us. If we don't have the CASH we dont buy and that means now we have to have all our needs taken care of and the savings needs a little funding then maybe we can purchase an item. Dont try to set a forever goal start off with using no credit cards for a day and this may even mean your debit card to get you through use cash and when its gone its gone.
Then try not using credit for a week then a mth you get the idea and then that way when you pay the payment your actually paying the payment not paying and recharging what you just payed off. if you really take a look at how much interest you pay it will make you sick most of the time you pay more in intrerest than you do for the balance that you actually charged makes you sick uh.
I dont even like having to owe my monthly houseing expenses. The next thing on my list is to start paying off our car with adding more money to each payment instead of just paying the monthly payments.
Hope this gives you some motivation to start your debt free lifestyle and to quit using your credit card and be one less penny out of debt.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Awesome
As I have been sorting, cleaning, trashing, making sell piles and donation piles, my 8 year old daughter has been noticing and on her own Cleaning and trashing and putting stuff into sell piles makes my heart rejoice with Joy that she is on her own doing it and I am not saying a word.
Yay for SIMPLICITY!!!
Yay for SIMPLICITY!!!
Dreaming Big
Ok so as you have read I already live in a small place, but secretly I wanna live out of a suitcase and that be all I own that way I can pick up and move place to place so freely. Maybe travel to another country or just even travel around the US a little. I dream about all to often. Eventually that is my plan, I am working on my self emotionally to detach my self from the things I actually think I need, I am my biggest obstacle!!!! My husband is ok with what ever he doesnt have much personally anyway, he has cloths and a few books, and some tools but he does use them, so really he is already there the only piece of furniture he wanted was our sectional couch and his flat screen t.v other than that everything else is mine. So now its up to me to work on my share its not that we have much anyway but its the unseen that seems to clutter my mind and so now I am working on getting rid of all of that. He doesnt spend money and if he does it for super big purchases that we need like a car or computer not outa of want so far.
So NOW its me and me keeping all of that a bay. I am trying hard. And so far its working but I have to keep on myself, I am my biggest obstacle.
I know I can do it. I just have to remind myself of why I am doing it.
So NOW its me and me keeping all of that a bay. I am trying hard. And so far its working but I have to keep on myself, I am my biggest obstacle.
I know I can do it. I just have to remind myself of why I am doing it.
Paper Clutter
It amazes me how fast papers can accumalte it doesnt take long at all and we are right back where we started. I am always going through and getting rid of papers this past summer I shredded and threw away 15 trash bags of papers. Crazy huh where had I been storing all those papers in my 500 sq foot apartment not sure. But then the past week I have shredded 4 bags of papers with still another filing drawer to still hit up.
So its a constant battle with trying to keep all our papers at bay. I was an emotional keeper of things for so long like if I parted with them I would then need them but to be honest theres not that much that I have missed and really its not something I even really need its more to just prove a point kind of thing.
The best thing to do is to is the second you walk into your home with mail, papers, give aways is to walk straight to the trash can and throw away what you absoutly don't need then file the rest of whats important.
Also do not print something unless you really need it, better yet file it on your computer then you have it when you actually need it.
This is what I am working on at the moment is not printing but putting all the things I need in a PDF file.
Great job on keeping all the paper clutter at a bay. :)
So its a constant battle with trying to keep all our papers at bay. I was an emotional keeper of things for so long like if I parted with them I would then need them but to be honest theres not that much that I have missed and really its not something I even really need its more to just prove a point kind of thing.
The best thing to do is to is the second you walk into your home with mail, papers, give aways is to walk straight to the trash can and throw away what you absoutly don't need then file the rest of whats important.
Also do not print something unless you really need it, better yet file it on your computer then you have it when you actually need it.
This is what I am working on at the moment is not printing but putting all the things I need in a PDF file.
Great job on keeping all the paper clutter at a bay. :)
Sunday, December 25, 2011
500 sq feet
So since we aquired bigger because we thought bigger was better, we have slowly gone back down to now what we have which is 500 sq feet in this area we have a bedroom with a bathroom to small closets and I mean small.
We have a living area with a small kitchen there is two small areas of counter tops that we prep food on and lay our dishes to dry a small figid and a half size oven that is along one small wall an arms lenghth, then we have the living area and a murphy bed which is where my daughter sleeps, again two small closets and another bathroom and I have to say I am thankful for both bathrooms. I love our small space its easy to keep clean but I have to say the clutter follows us in every single day its a non stop struggle to keep the clutter out I am everyday cleaning to get rid of more. Then I have my daughter who loves to save every thing so thats another battle. With our lil place it perfect but if one thing is out of place it seems cluttered, since we have moved in I have constantly kept cleaning out I do a solid cleaning about ever 90days because if I dont it over takes me again.
To list our furniture we have a small sectional to provide seating for when we do have company we have a sofa table for our tv and yes we still have tv at this point but probably not to much longer. 2small end tables a small kitchen table with three barstools and a lil island that we can move around thats our living room furniture.
Living Room
Sectional couch
sofa table
2 small end tables
Island bar
kitchen table w 3 barstools
Bedroom
king size bed
ladder shelf
bedside table
Desk
Treadmill
Thats it for the furniture we own.
Then we have all our stuff to fill it and its time that we go through that again.
Like I said I am always taking stuff out to sell or to goodwill
I am always selling bags of clothes on craigslist especially my 8yr olds
I have sold several bags of my clothes and I am always taking my husbands to goodwill.
I will post pics of our lil place soon.
We have a living area with a small kitchen there is two small areas of counter tops that we prep food on and lay our dishes to dry a small figid and a half size oven that is along one small wall an arms lenghth, then we have the living area and a murphy bed which is where my daughter sleeps, again two small closets and another bathroom and I have to say I am thankful for both bathrooms. I love our small space its easy to keep clean but I have to say the clutter follows us in every single day its a non stop struggle to keep the clutter out I am everyday cleaning to get rid of more. Then I have my daughter who loves to save every thing so thats another battle. With our lil place it perfect but if one thing is out of place it seems cluttered, since we have moved in I have constantly kept cleaning out I do a solid cleaning about ever 90days because if I dont it over takes me again.
To list our furniture we have a small sectional to provide seating for when we do have company we have a sofa table for our tv and yes we still have tv at this point but probably not to much longer. 2small end tables a small kitchen table with three barstools and a lil island that we can move around thats our living room furniture.
Living Room
Sectional couch
sofa table
2 small end tables
Island bar
kitchen table w 3 barstools
Bedroom
king size bed
ladder shelf
bedside table
Desk
Treadmill
Thats it for the furniture we own.
Then we have all our stuff to fill it and its time that we go through that again.
Like I said I am always taking stuff out to sell or to goodwill
I am always selling bags of clothes on craigslist especially my 8yr olds
I have sold several bags of my clothes and I am always taking my husbands to goodwill.
I will post pics of our lil place soon.
Friday, December 23, 2011
This is me!
In April of 2009 I discovered who I was and didnt know if for almost 12 yrs I was striving for something that actually had a name a whole community behind it.
This is me.
Living Simply is what I need to do to be happy that means giving up what I dont need and being happy with what I have.
All I need is a suitcase and a few meaningful things.
The most important thing is that my family~ my husband and daughter understand me and why we need to live simply.
This is me.
Living Simply is what I need to do to be happy that means giving up what I dont need and being happy with what I have.
All I need is a suitcase and a few meaningful things.
The most important thing is that my family~ my husband and daughter understand me and why we need to live simply.
2012 Goals
So as we approach 2012 I am listing some of my goals for the year,
1rst is to eliminate my personal possessions to a minimal and know what I have. This will include clothes, shoes, toiletries, jewelry, books, accessories.
2nd start a nice savings for my family(more to come on savings)
3rd think about every item I want and why and every item I am about to purchase asking myself
How will this item fulfill my need and make me and my family happy.
1rst is to eliminate my personal possessions to a minimal and know what I have. This will include clothes, shoes, toiletries, jewelry, books, accessories.
2nd start a nice savings for my family(more to come on savings)
3rd think about every item I want and why and every item I am about to purchase asking myself
How will this item fulfill my need and make me and my family happy.
Ending 2O11
As I am ending 2011 I am on a greater journey of selling what I own and living a more complete and fulfilling life. I am in search of a greater need to be free and have a feeling of suffocation from clutter not worrying about my stuff and who's doing what with what I have.
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