January 6th, 2008
This year has definitely started off better than last year. I finally have some goals set. I have given myself some parameters within which to operate. Watching Jane4girls and her $800 a year grocery budget really made me start to think about setting goals and how to reach them. So, for this year, I have made some goals. I will not call them resolutions, those are just made to be broken, kind of like diets.
First and foremost, each month I will have a written budget for that month before the month begins! Ala Dave Ramsey, spending every dime on paper. Sticking to that budget 100% and if something has to change, knowing that I will have to move it from somewhere else (another category). Any money left over at the end of the month will be moved to savings.
I have started a savings category for bills that will come occasionally, like car insurance and property taxes and will take them out monthly so there is not a problem (read:panic) when they are due.
Things like car maintenance and clothes and furniture replacement....these all need to be funded, but just a little at a time. And, I will keep an emergency fund that is truly designated just for that. A true emergency.
Now on to the food budget. Right now, I'll admit, I am a little chicken. I have it set higher than I think I need it. I set it at $300 a month for our family of four. (2 teenage sons, dh and myself) We do have a fair amount of things stockpiled, but I have not been keeping track of anything for the last 2 1/2 months and I want to make sure we are in good shape before I lower it. Does that mean I will spend that much? I sure hope not!
I am aiming a lot lower. I just have to get dh back in the habit of not running to Walmart and overpaying for cokes.
This year has definitely started off better than last year. I finally have some goals set. I have given myself some parameters within which to operate. Watching Jane4girls and her $800 a year grocery budget really made me start to think about setting goals and how to reach them. So, for this year, I have made some goals. I will not call them resolutions, those are just made to be broken, kind of like diets.
First and foremost, each month I will have a written budget for that month before the month begins! Ala Dave Ramsey, spending every dime on paper. Sticking to that budget 100% and if something has to change, knowing that I will have to move it from somewhere else (another category). Any money left over at the end of the month will be moved to savings.
I have started a savings category for bills that will come occasionally, like car insurance and property taxes and will take them out monthly so there is not a problem (read:panic) when they are due.
Things like car maintenance and clothes and furniture replacement....these all need to be funded, but just a little at a time. And, I will keep an emergency fund that is truly designated just for that. A true emergency.
Now on to the food budget. Right now, I'll admit, I am a little chicken. I have it set higher than I think I need it. I set it at $300 a month for our family of four. (2 teenage sons, dh and myself) We do have a fair amount of things stockpiled, but I have not been keeping track of anything for the last 2 1/2 months and I want to make sure we are in good shape before I lower it. Does that mean I will spend that much? I sure hope not!
I am aiming a lot lower. I just have to get dh back in the habit of not running to Walmart and overpaying for cokes.I'll Stop Procrastinating......Tomo rrow
Posted 01-11-2009 at 09:23:40 AM by kmmmom
I lost money today. Again. It's my own fault. I didn't loose it out of my purse or pocket. I didn't misplace it. I lost it because I am a major league procrastinator. I lost it by missing a great sale with great coupons.
I had several coupons that would have garnered me free or close to free items today. I could have gotten enough Reynolds Wrap to last me the rest of the year. I had the coupons, but because it was the last day of the sale, they were out of stock at Walgreens. I know, I know, I could have gotten a raincheck. But, my coupons that would make it free expired today. I missed the sale on the South Beach bars, they were out of stock. I missed several things at Meijers because by the time I got there today, they were out of stock.
This is not the first time it's happened. And this is not the only area in my life where procrastination reaches out and bites me. I have missed deadlines for mailing things in, I have missed appointments because I was going to write the date down on my calender later, I have jumbled up my bank balance because I was going to write that entry in later, I have missed sales before. My kids have been late getting somewhere because I put off getting their uniform together for baseball or soccer. I have been late to family get togethers because I put off making my dish to take along. Over and over, it's the same thing. I'm going to get to it.
So what is the solution? I thought I had it. This is the year that I am working on lots of things in my life. Finances, Health, Home, Self-Improvement. One of my goals was to absolutely under no circumstances, procrastinate. I know that if I just jump in and do things immediately, they are generally much less stressful. That way I would know I wasn't (or my kids weren't) missing an important event. I would never be searching for bills because I forgot to pay them when they showed up in the mail. I would not have the counter that is the hot spot where everything goes that should just be put away. I would not have to worry that the shirt I wanted is at the bottom of a pile with my kids dirty socks on top of it, on the day I want to wear it. I would not miss great sales because my coupons were not organized or I just didn't make it to the store in time.
So, it is with renewed vigor, that I will undertake this task. I have been doing well on a lot of things. But, I have been procrastinating about not procrastinating. So, without any further ado..... I am going to quit procrastinating.
Tomorrow
****************************
Spending: $0
I had several coupons that would have garnered me free or close to free items today. I could have gotten enough Reynolds Wrap to last me the rest of the year. I had the coupons, but because it was the last day of the sale, they were out of stock at Walgreens. I know, I know, I could have gotten a raincheck. But, my coupons that would make it free expired today. I missed the sale on the South Beach bars, they were out of stock. I missed several things at Meijers because by the time I got there today, they were out of stock.
This is not the first time it's happened. And this is not the only area in my life where procrastination reaches out and bites me. I have missed deadlines for mailing things in, I have missed appointments because I was going to write the date down on my calender later, I have jumbled up my bank balance because I was going to write that entry in later, I have missed sales before. My kids have been late getting somewhere because I put off getting their uniform together for baseball or soccer. I have been late to family get togethers because I put off making my dish to take along. Over and over, it's the same thing. I'm going to get to it.
So what is the solution? I thought I had it. This is the year that I am working on lots of things in my life. Finances, Health, Home, Self-Improvement. One of my goals was to absolutely under no circumstances, procrastinate. I know that if I just jump in and do things immediately, they are generally much less stressful. That way I would know I wasn't (or my kids weren't) missing an important event. I would never be searching for bills because I forgot to pay them when they showed up in the mail. I would not have the counter that is the hot spot where everything goes that should just be put away. I would not have to worry that the shirt I wanted is at the bottom of a pile with my kids dirty socks on top of it, on the day I want to wear it. I would not miss great sales because my coupons were not organized or I just didn't make it to the store in time.
So, it is with renewed vigor, that I will undertake this task. I have been doing well on a lot of things. But, I have been procrastinating about not procrastinating. So, without any further ado..... I am going to quit procrastinating.
Tomorrow
****************************
Spending: $0
Total Comments 5
Comments
 |   Hee! Hee! I'm kind of like that about something else. I am not a morning person. I go to bed with good intentions of getting up and fixing my hair and getting dressed in nicer clothes. Then when the alarm clock goes off I think "nah! I'd rather have a couple of more minutes." So I wear crappy clothes and pony tails all the time. |
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| |  If this is supposed to be your New Years resolution... you will only be 11 days late... IF you start it tomorrow. LOL  |
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| |  My DH got a shirt for Christmas that says "Procrastinators: Tomorrow's Leaders" LOL. At least you know you are doing it, and that its hurting you in the end, and maybe that will motivate you to do better with deadlines. Good luck! |
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| |  I am the same way. I just tried to change a few days ago just buy doing bit by bit it really help. For example I was leaving some dishes on the sink that I will do then it get pile up so I end up put it to the dishwasher anyway thats wasn't my plan since runing this old dishwasher took alot of energy and high bill. So I had started washed them whenever I see. So make me feel better and I am not depressed. So tiny things thats really bug us. We can get tiny things done and we will feel the peace. Thats what I feel like now. Phin |
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| |  How about a calendar (google, windows, yahoo?) where you can jot down important dates for things so you will remember? Since I am online alot (ALOT) I use google calendar. It sends me a daily adjenda in the AM which I can print out and run around with. And I also have it set as one of my homepage tabs when I turn on the internet. Yeah...I have OCD...and like calendars. |
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