30 Day Challenge - July

Yes, you read that correctly; it says July.  Yes, I know it's August.  But, the July challenge was a personal challenge and I didn't want to report back until I knew the results.

What'd I give up, you ask?  Anti-perspirant!  [I can hear Courtney's "what the..." all the way across the state!]

I didn't give up deodorant, just anti-perspirant.  I don't stink...at least no one has told me if I do.

I'd been thinking of making the change, and when ran across a Tom's coupon in the paper, I cut it out and headed to the store. 

30 Day Challenge - June

Crap...sorry I'm late!  It's 6 days into June and I've yet to post the challenge for this month.  My bad.

Several people have asked me how I paid off my debt so quickly, and honestly it wasn't difficult.  The first thing you've gotta do is set a B U D G E T. 

Ugly word, I know.  It's 6 letters, but it might as well be 4.  Seriously, when I sat down and looked at where my money was going, it was disgusting.  SO much wasted cash on stupid stuff!

If you have a budget, I tip my imaginary hat to you, my friend.  Dave Ramsey and I think you're awesome and we'll all be living the phat life when we're 60.  Mad props to us.

If you don't have a budget (Anyone else smell a challenge coming on!?) it's time you get one.  It's past time, in fact.  If you're thinking, "Pshh, this chick is nuts.  I don't have any money as it is, what good is a stupid budget going to do?".  Then I highly suggest you take a peek at what you spent your moulah on in the last 30 days.  If you're anything like me, way [I'm talkin' WAAAAY] more went to shopping, eating out and general crap, than went into savings.

I did my budget the easy way, but Dave (we're so tight we're on a first name basis, yo) has some bomb-diggity forms on his website for you to use as well.  Check 'em out here.

For me, it was easier to just put my info into an Excel sheet since I don't have a crap ton of expenses right now.  I put all my bills in one column, with the due date of each in the column next to it.  Then, I put them in due date order so I could split the budget in half.  You know, cuz I get paid twice a month...  Now I know what bills I've gotta pay out of each check.  I also then know exactly how much goes into savings (pay yourself first!), grocery money for that 2 week period, tithes, spending money, etc.  If there's any left over from any "section" of my budget (every penny goes into a section), I will use it somewhere else.  Typically something fun for me and the H-Bomb to have or do.

That's all there is to it!  Adjust the budget monthly, for the first few months, as you get the feel for what you're actually spending on NECESSITIES.  Remember, when you're 60 and unable to retire, you're really going to wish you'd passed on that $300 shopping spree or new toy and put that money into your savings/roth/401K.  Just sayin'...

If you have a budget, toot your own horn in the comments!  If not, let me know if you're taking my challenge so I can harass you about it in a month and see your progress.  :)

30 Day Challenge - May

It's 30 Day Challenge time again!  Man, the last month has flown by.  I'm happy to let you know that I DID make it a full 30 days without my flat iron.  And I've loved every minute of it!  I have no intention of pulling it out of the drawer any time soon.

For May, I thought it was time for a challenge that would have an effect on my budget.  There's not a lot of wiggle room considering the massive budget overhaul I did in January.  But, I found a funds sucker hidden in there!

Drum roll please....

I'm no longer a Netflix member.  I have nothing against Netflix.  Take that back, yes I do.  I loved it when it was only $7.99.  But, now it's $9.99.  I'd love to go to the $4.99 "online only" option, but they don't offer hardly any of the movies (that I want to see) in their online streaming format.  Why would I pay $5 a month to NOT see the movies I want to?  Sheesh.

And, do I watch $10 worth of movies on Netflix a month?  Heck no.  I'd say I usually watch 2-3 movies a month (that I'd rent / not on TV).

Looks like I'm going to have to force my lazy butt to get out of the car and get my movies instead of picking it up from my "mail spot" on the kitchen counter.

Let me introduce you to the budget friendly version of Netflix:  Redbox

So, instead of spending $10 to watch 2-3 movies, I'm going to spend $3.25 or so.  Uh, yesplease!  I will miss the option of watching some TV shows online, but I'll survive.

I hope today is Day 1 of your Plan to Cook week!  Don't forget to leave me a comment if you've accepted my challenge.  You can do this!

30 Day Challenge - April

When I hinted about my April challenge, I had 2 very entertaining phone calls.  They went a little something like this...

Call #1
Me: Hey Mom
Mom: Hi Honey.  I read your last blog post.  [small pause] Um, are you giving up makeup!?
Me: Heck no!
Mom: Oh, okay.  Good.

Call #2
Me: Whazup
BFF: Hey.  I read your blog.  What the *french toast...  Are you give up MAC?
Me: Lord no.  Mom asked me the same thing.  Do you people think I've lost my mind?
BFF: Um...
Me: I'm being frugal and simplifying my life.  I have NOT gone blind.  I'm well aware of what I look like without makeup on.
BFF: Sweet.  Just checking.
Me: No worries.
BFF: So what the *heck are you giving up?
Me: My Chi.
BFF: Why the *heck would you do that?  We're curly-haired-sisters of another mister.  We straighten.  And it takes you like 4 minutes to do your hair.
Me: I know, I know.  And actually it's more like 15 minutes when it cooperates.  20 when it's being difficult.
BFF: It still a heck of a lot faster than mine is.
Me: True, but I'm trying to get out the door faster.  Plus, I have a new curly-haired-sister friendly cut.  It's pretty short.
BFF: Hmm.  I'll just have to see it and then decide.
Me: That's fair.
(*Edited because Courtney cusses like a sailor, and this is a G rated blog.  Plus we don't want Bonnie threatening to wash her mouth out with soap...again.)

Ohmygoodness, I cannot tell you how much I love my BFF, Courtney.  She's so much like me in some ways, it's scary.  And our conversations are quite entertaining.  I'm sure people listening to either side think we're insane.  Which, some days, is totally a legit assumption.  Even accurate at times.

I wish she didn't live a zillion miles from me now.  Well, it's only like 150, but it feels like a zillion most days.  There are just some things that aren't the same over the phone.

So yes, I've given up my Chi flat iron.  OMG, right!?  I was thinking I'd be all energy {read: MONEY} efficient, but turns out the Chi doesn't pull much power really.  Shocking considering it heats up to 350 degrees. 

That brings me to my next point.  350 degrees of daily damage to my hair cannot be a good thing.  Plus, it does take 15-20 to do my hair start to finish.

Enter stage right: Brooke.  Brooke is one of my good friends and she's in cosmetology school.  And, I volunteered to be a human test dummy.  Armed with several inspirations pics, I sat down in her chair and let her go to town.  After 1 "take a tiny bit more of the back" trim, I LOVE my new do.  She's going to be an awesome hairdresser!

The cut is very similar to this:

My hair is a bit curlier than Maggie's, but it still looks good.  Got the Mom and co-worker seal of approval.  These are people I KNOW would tell me if I looked ridiculous.

Bonus?  It takes me 5 minutes...at the MOST!  SCORE!

I'm saving about $53 a year on energy costs, no longer need the $15/0.53oz bottle of hair poofer [Powder Play] which only lasts about 2 months, and I've cut 15 minutes off my morning routine.  I can now get out the door (cranky 7 year old in tow) in less than hour.  Bo-yah.

I have an idea of what I'll give up in May, but I'm not sold on it yet.  Do you guys have any suggestions?  Anything you've given up in exchange for more time or money?  Let's discuss!

30 Day Challenge - March

We've already established I live a high maintenance lifestyle.  Well, at least I did.  I spent too much, shopped too much, wasted too much, was "scheduled" too much...and Hayden and I both had an abundance of exhaustion and stress to show for it.

Pretty sure I looked like this most evenings...  Wouldn't you want your Mom to look like that?  HA!

Until I have a home of my own again and can get more into homesteading, I'm working on things I can cut out of my life to save money, save time, waste less (which always comes back to saving money if you ask me), and be happier and more relaxed.  I decided I'd find something to give up/change every 30 days.

Major changes MUST come in small doses for me, or I'll abandon the idea all together. 

I might not be weeding my garden, showing you how to make a cheap compost bucket, or letting you watch as I set up a water collection system from my gutters...yet, but the changes I'm making are all going to get me more into the homesteader lifestyle.

March 1st I decided to cut out fast food during the week.  I would typically swing by McDonald's to grab a $1 drink and breakfast burrito on my way to work...and I never packed my lunch.  This saved me nearly $200 a month!  HOLY BUCKETS!  Let's do the math folks...that's nearly $2,300 a year.

That's an insane amount of money to spend on a CONVENIENCE!

I pack my breakfast and lunch now.  I bring oatmeal or scrambled eggs for breakfast (which I make at home the night before and nuke in the office microwave the next morning) and leftovers (or sandwich if there aren't any leftovers) for lunch.  Not hard at all with a little tiny bit of planning.  And...BONUS...I've lost 15 pounds in the process!  WHOO!

I also cut out all soda pop.  I'm a Dr. Pepper addict, so this was not easy.  But dang, with the price of Dr. Pepper (all pop, really) going through the roof...It was a lot easier to justify the money in my pocket over the cravings.  Which died in about 2 weeks anyway.  I was going through a few 2 liters a week, so that's about $20 a month.  Hello, that's half a tank of gas.

Water is free (well, we already pay for it anyway) and it tastes fine to me as long as it's filtered (Norman's water is icky).  I bought a $9 Brita for work and it's been great.  Definitely easier than hauling the 4 water bottles I was refilling at home from our filtered water every day.  That got old really fast.

Cutting out fast food during the week (I still occasionally grab something on the weekend if we're out and that's the only option, but we stick to the dollar menu and feed 2-3 for $7!) and pop has definitely helped me pay off my debt.  By doing this, I'm putting over $2,500 a year toward something worth while (debt, house savings, etc.) and improving my diet at the same time!  Not quite as good as a money tree, but darn close!

I'll spill the beans about what I've given up for April, later this week.  I will tell you...my best friend, Courtney, is going to FREAK when she hears about it.  She lives in Tulsa {150 miles away from me}, or she'd have already noticed...  Stay tuned!