Spending Freeze Report: Week 2

New years are always a way for people to focus on things they have not been able to master in the past and 2013 is a great way to get a fresh start.  Goal setting is important when it comes to being successful in pretty much any area of your life.  Whether your goal is to get fit, save more money, or spend more time with your family you can make it happen if you focus on what you can do everyday to reach or become closer to your goal.

An awesome tool to try would be to use the SMART goals criteria.  The SMART goals model allows you to be specific, measure your goal, make sure it is attainable, realistic, and time sensitive.

Some of the things I hope to achieve in 2013:

1.  Read at least one new book a month until my paralegal classes start.  The one I am reading now is called Set Free to Live Free and so far is truly exactly what I need.

2.  Be more diligent about my quiet time with GOD.



3.  Focus on Bible Study with my sweetie and make that more of an emphasis in our relationship.  We will be starting to read 5 Love Languages book together and there is even a free study guide on the website.

4.  No technology one night a week.  My boyfriend and I have agreed that Wednesday will be a night when we read and do other things non-technology related.



5.  Workout at least 4x a week for 45 minutes a session.  Last year I trained and ran a half marathon (13.1 miles) and this year I want to possibly run another one and continue to focus on myself and my fitness.

6.  Start and finish my paralegal certification program and make a successful career change as a paralegal.



7.  Get rid of my debt and adhere to the terms of the Spending Freeze.  This means slashing debt, saving those pennies, and planning large purchases without financing.



8.  Go on a fun vacation with my boyfriend.  You may think this goes against the Spending Freeze, but once the debt is paid off we want to be able to go on a little vacation at the very end of 2013 maybe even the holidays.  Planning how much to save per pay period between now and then will help us make that happen.



9.  Focus more on simple living.  When you live in a large city it can be difficult to focus on the things that matter and limit distractions.  This is something I hope to tame in 2013.  Basically less materialism and more whole living through body, spirit, and mind.  For us this means enjoying the spring and summer months with a garden and spending warm weekends at the park with Chloe instead of going out and spending too much money on dinner and drinks.

10.  Have fun and enjoy every precious moment!

I hope this has inspired you to set some goals for 2013!  It's never too late to take charge of your life or enhance something you are longing for.

Refrigerator Snap Shot

Making meals ahead of time is simply the easiest way to save money and save time during the workweek.  Take one day or even an afternoon and prep food for the week to take in your lunch at work or make meals to feed your family and put them in the freezer.  My refrigerator looks like any other I am sure.  Just your basic turkey sandwich with a side salad of romaine, spring mix, cucumber, and grape tomatoes.  To mix things up check out these links:

10 Healthy Lunches from Women's Health Magazine

Hearty Homemade Lunches

Lunches for Little Ones

Freezer Sneak Peak

 Cooking from my freezer is my new favorite is the ultimate in every category.  Easy, quick, homemade, cheap, etc.  My freezer has everything from BBQ Chicken Burgers, to Chicken Parmesan Meatballs with Homemade Marinara, Homemade Granola/Protein Bars, Pizza Pockets, Homemade Cheesy Rice, and Black Bean Quesadillas, Broccoli and Cheese Twice Baked Potatoes.

Ultimate Website for Once a Month Cooking

Freezer Cooking Recipes

I hope you start cooking from your freezer!  Not only is it a huge time saver, but it is an easy way to save some extra cash if you make recipes with sale ingredients.  ENJOY!

Spending Freeze Report: Week 1

Today has been day four of our Spending Freeze and here are a few things we have been doing to stay on track and do things right from the beginning.

1.  Write down each expenditure daily and log it on a calendar in a place where you will see it daily.  We printed this one from The Twinery and taped it to the front of my refrigerator.  This makes it easy to see days where no spending occurs.

...bubbles...

...and more bubbles...

2.  We have decided to run errands on Sunday this week which has resulted in inventive uses of things we would normally not go without...like putting dishwashing soap in the dish washer.  Yes,  there lots and lots and lots of bubbles.



3.  Print out a budgeting spreadsheet(s) that will help you see what you project to spend, what you actually spend, and the difference.  This is also a good way to see your bills and your financial goals.  Here are a few different guides to help:

Build a Budget Worksheet

Spending Worksheet

Financial Goals Sheet

Debt Load Worksheet

Dave Ramsey Budget Sheets

I hope these tips will help you realize that you can make your spending dreams (or lack thereof) possible.  Believe in what you are doing and know that while things may be difficult they will always be worth it.