My January Goals for 2014

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This year I have decided to list my goals for 2014 on a monthly basis.  By doing this I hope to make more of them a reality because I will be able to not get overwhelmed.  Also, I know I can do anything for 30 days.

Although I haven't been seen by a doctor because of my symptoms and family history I believe I have hypothyroidism tendencies.  That being said I am hesitant to see a general practitioner because I am against big pharma companies and believe in whole foods.  After doing my own research I have decided to incorporate more raw foods into my diet through juicing.  I eat a lot of whole foods and an abundance of fruits and veggies as a vegetarian, but I really want to work on incorporating more raw foods.  Raw foods are obviously not cooked which means that the nutrients are not denatured and therefor super potent.
I love my new Omega Juicer so I have decided that a juice a day will be the best way for me to incorporate a large amount of nutrients into my diet.  Juicing is truly wonderful because it allows you to get the health benefits from fruits and vegetables without your body having to work to break down the fiber contained in most plants.  I have also found that if I were to attempt to just eat the veggies and fruits I am juicing that it would be too much food.  I would never be able to make it through a meal.  My jaws may even get sore from the chewing (giggles).

I am going to do my best to post my juices on a weekly basis so you can see what I am eating and I can be held accountable.

Last year at this time B and I decided to do a Spending Freeze and we did an awesome job.  We not only were able to save more money, but we are now more aware of our bills, excessive expenditures, and know what is coming in and going out of our accounts.  We are wanting to move closer to the city and shorten our commute times (about 3 ish hours daily) and that means that it is time to cut back on our not necessary expenditures and work on ways to save.  I love feeling empowered and honestly who doesn't?!  We are in full swing and ready to take on the challenge and further explore what works for us.

I feel like when my health and money are in order everything else becomes less of a struggle.  After all, when I am fit I feel more confident and stress less and when I know what is going on in my bank account I feel even better.

I am also going to get our wedding save the dates out, further plan the bachelorette weekend and Nashville, and work on the ceremony decor.

Here's the short list...

January Goals 2014

  • Juice everyday 
  • Spending Freeze
  • Wedding Details

Spending Freeze Report: Weeks 2 & 3

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I've been slacking, yes I know but I have been kinda busy with other things.  I painted the house for three days straight last week and somehow I forgot about my duty to post my spending.

Monday 3/11:  $36.37 Gas/Fuel

Tuesday 3/12:  $9.41 Panera Bread (emergency dinner)

Wednesday 3/13:  $88.48 Trader Joe's (groceries)  $27.60 USPS (stamps for resumes)  $123.56 Half.com (textbooks)  $219.75 Vet (Chloe's yearly exam/monthly shot/yearly vaccines)

Thursday 3/14:  NO SPENDING DAY

Friday 3/15:  NO SPENDING DAY

Saturday 3/16:  $43.14 Walmart (resume supplies and toiletries)

Sunday 3/17:  NO SPENDING DAY

Monday 3/18:  NO SPENDING DAY

Tuesday 3/19:  $12.15 Exxon (gas/fuel)

Wednesday 3/20:  $80.93 Walmart (groceries)  $10.59  PETCO (Chloe)

Thursday 3/21:  NO SPENDING DAY

Friday 3/22:  NO SPENDING DAY

Saturday 3/23:  NO SPENDING DAY

Sunday 3/24:  NO SPENDING DAY

Spending hasn't been too bad in general, but things are starting to get a little tighter as I feel the pressure of still being unemployed.  I managed to mail out 50 resumes over the past two weeks and so far have only heard from two firms to say they are not hiring right now.  I am going to continue to push and send out even more as the weeks go on and still enjoy my classes without worry.  Bernard and I are still maintaining two households even though I have spent the last two months here at his place.  The amount we both would save by condensing would be ridiculous, but I will continue to keep my place until we are engaged.  That's the deal that we've made for now although I will admit that as the money gets tighter it is frustrating to think that we could both save so much each per month by splitting all of our bills.  I am trying to now look at this time of being unemployed as a way to get rejuvenated, focus on myself, and get as healthy and fit as I want with minimum obstacles.  I watched two amazing documentaries this weekend so I will soon be sharing what I learned.  Tomorrow I will be blogging about green drinks and juicing so stay tuned.

Happy Spending Freeze!

Spending Freeze Report: Week 1

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No fancy graphic or heading needed, so here is the spending so far this month.

Friday 3/1:  $8.34 Panera Bread  $711 Rent  $90.37 Walmart groceries (split with the bf, so $45.19)

Saturday 3/2:  NO SPEND DAY

Sunday 3/3:  NO SPEND DAY

Monday 3/4:  $15.04 Gas-Fuel

Tuesday 3/5:  $9.95 Taxes  $50.00 Sallie Mae Student Loan  $70.00 Auto and Renter's Insurance  $57.55 Braves ticket for Blaine's April visit

Wednesday 3/6:  NO SPEND DAY

Thursday 3/7:  NO SPEND DAY

Friday 3/8:  $55.75 Walmart groceries (split with the bf, so $27.88)  $50.35 Amazon (computer ink and resume materials)

Saturday 3/9:  NO SPEND DAY

Sunday 3/10:  $36.37 Gas-Fuel  $23.02 Lowes (seeds for vegetable garden)

This week has been fairly good in terms of spending considering the extras like the veggie garden, baseball ticket, and resume materials.  I start more classes this week and I am so glad to have more of an agenda and schedule.

The best part about last week was that I got back to running and ran five days out of this past week and then on Saturday Bernard and I took Chloe Mae to Stone Mountain Park.  Not only was it fun because we took our sweet dog, but we packed a picnic and were physically active.

I also just got my tax refund back via direct deposit today so I did a little dance because that's about 6 weeks of additional living expenses added to what I already have.  All of that said....girlfriend needs a job.  Being unemployed is nice yes, but I am anxious to get some income coming in so I can toast that student loan debt and start saving money for a new car I would like to buy next year.

Happy Spending Freeze!

XOXO,

Alaina M.

Spending Freeze Report: Week 3 & 4

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This past week was a wrap up on a very short month.  I am ready for March to be here for a few reasons...Easter, Daylight Savings Time, and hopefully Spring.  I am going to even get a head start on my container garden this year and plant some seeds indoors to transplant later.  Here's the breakdown:

Tuesday 2/19:  $34.51 Walmart (groceries)

Wednesday 2/20:  NO SPEND DAY

Thursday 2/21:  NO SPEND DAY

Friday 2/22:  $75.00 Cell Phone

Saturday 2/23:  NO SPEND DAY

Sunday 2/24:  NO SPEND DAY

Monday 2/25:  $48.99  Amazon (chloe's dogfood)

Tuesday 2/26:  $29.05  Electric (utilities)

Wednesday 2/27:  $15.02  Gas (fuel)

Thursday 2/28:  $101.00 Gas (utilities)

All in all this month was great even with a few extra expenses.  Since I am still unemployed and grinding away to find a job and continue with school money is still incredibly tight.  My goal for March is to keep up the last month of the spending fast and spend as little as possible.  I have the Color Run 5K the first weekend in April and my sister and her boyfriend will be in town that same weekend.  We want to go to a Braves/Cubs game and enjoy them being here, so I hope I can land a job, get through the difficult classes, and be able to not feel guilty about spending a little extra while they are here.

Budget:  $1,568

Actual:  $1,515.65

Under Budget by $52.35

Here's to Spring and a happy Spending Freeze!

Spending Freeze Report: Week 2

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Spending Freeze Report: Week 2

Not only was this past week Valentine's day but I ended up driving home to Tennessee to spend some time with my mother and sister as well.  My mom was planning on visiting me in Georgia within the next few weeks, but with a change of plans she decided to have me visit and volunteered to pay for my gas since she wanted to visit anyways.  I am very thankful I got to spend time with them especially because I think it will May before before I get to spend time with them again.  Valentine's Day was different for us because of the Spending Freeze so unlike most couples we didn't go out to eat or spend money on each other and get gifts.  I seem to have spent so much on the dinner supplies because I was out of many staple ingredients at my house or forget to snag them from Bernard's before driving back to my house to make dinner.  Things like flour, powdered sugar, chocolate, cheese and strawberries add up.  Thankfully there are plenty of leftover items to use in other recipes.  Here is the breakdown:

Monday 2/11:  Walmart $24.09 (groceries)  

Tuesday 2/12:  Color RUN $43.60 

Wednesday 2/13:  Walmart $45.94  (Valentine's Day Dinner supplies) 

Thursday 2/14:  Publix $22.92 (more Valentine's Day Dinner supplies)  Chloe's Vet $64.25

Friday 2/15:  McDonald's $3.49 

Saturday 2/16:  NO SPENDING DAY

Sunday 2/17:  NO SPENDING DAY

Monday 2/18:  Sonic $5.89  Walmart $34.51 (groceries)

Other than all the grocery expenses this week wasn't so bad.  A friend asked me to do the Color Run 5K with her in Atlanta at the beginning of April and of course I said yes.  The cost was $40 plus tax but ultimately it will be once the Spending Freeze is over even though the cost is immediate and is a goal to look forward to reaching.  I am hoping to be moving my treadmill to the boyfriend's place soon to make it easier for training and I am excited to get back in shape.

Happy Spending Freeze!

Spending Freeze Report: Week 1

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Spending Freeze Report: Week 1

February is almost half way through and here is my spending report from the 1st through the 10th.  The first day of February fell on a Friday and this month is after all only 28 days.
 
Friday 2/1:  Rent $711.04  Walmart (groceries) $17.25

Saturday 2/2:  NO SPENDING DAY

Sunday 2/3:  NO SPENDING DAY

Monday 2/4:  NO SPENDING DAY

Tuesday 2/5:  Insurance (auto & renters) $70.00

Wednesday 2/6:  Gas $20.01

Thursday 2/7:  NO SPENDING DAY

Friday 2/8:  Gas $15.00

Saturday 2/9:  Walmart (groceries) $24.09

Sunday 2/10:  NO SPENDING DAY

So far this month is going really well when it comes to my spending.  As of now I don't have a lot of extra expenses that I foresee popping up other than the extra $50 to terminate my cable.  I don't have any student loan payments ($48) until next month and I don't start another class until mid March, so I am hoping to sell the book I am currently using to help offset some of the cost of the new one(s).  I also got my final paycheck from my last job on Friday and it was over $200 larger than I had expected.  Woohoo!

Happy Monday and Happy Spending Freeze!

XOXO,

Alaina M.



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