The Meal Planning Hassle {Home Life}

The never-ending necessity... It's like Laundry; you do it one day only to have to do it again the next.  It's exhausting. Especially when you have to fit it into a budget.

It makes me tired just to think about it.

What's for dinner?

If you can wing it with contents of your cabinets, freezer, and fridge then power to you! I need to have a plan. I cannot just wing it. It stresses me out.

And trying to decide what to make?! I still have issues like I talked about in this post from over a year ago. Do I cook for something I will enjoy, or something everyone else will? Granted, the family needs to eat too.

I gave up and stopped planning. What we spent on groceries pretty much doubled. We ate fast food and processed pre-packaged way more than we had been. Of course, at the time I wasn't focusing on the budget too much anyway. But, I needed to start figuring out food and lowering the expenses there because it was starting to hurt expenses in other areas.

Trello

I needed to get back to meal planning. I needed to have an easy answer for the "what's for dinner" question. So I started using the meals we were making and created a list in Trello.

As we went through the meals I would check them off so we had some variety until we ate from the whole collection and then uncheck them and start over.

It worked for a while. But I quickly grew tired of the process. I wanted to not have to be the only one making the decisions, but none of the meals sounded good to the other members of the family.

A friend had posted, on Facebook, about a freezer prep and planning site with meals to make for the month. I could fit the subscription into the budget, but the number of meals to pick from overwhelmed me, and fitting food for one month into the budget of half a month was not an option. I would have to at least go every two weeks.

Meanwhile, the question still lingered. Every day. What's for dinner.

These are the things I have started using to help alleviate the meal planning hassle recently and it's been working for the last few months.

5dinners1hour

I came across another meal prep option, in video form. The people were prepping meals in 30-45 minutes for the entire week. I watched several videos in a row and was impressed. The concept was similar, the price was the same. I decided to give it a try and if we didn't like it I would cancel the subscription.

The meals were pretty good. It was different than we were used to. But they fit into our normal (not inflated) paycheck budget. Plus we've tried new things. Things we wouldn't have even thought to attempt before! Just this weekend we had salmon. Both of us have had bad experiences with salmon. It was not something we would have thought to try. But we did, and we enjoyed it!

Even the husband was joining in on the prepping of the food! If you want to check it out, it is 5dinners1hour.com.

The question was still there. What's for dinner?

But the kids enjoy looking through the pictures and help planning the meals. They like helping do the work on prep day (we do it on Sundays). Sure it takes us longer to prep 5 dinners than an hour (we use mostly fresh ingredients), but it has been amazing.

Ibotta

I started using Ibotta again to help with the costs. Since it's a rebate program, the return is not as fast. Plus a lot of the items are pre-packaged which does not make it into our home as often. But, with snacks for the kids, cereal in the morning, toilet paper, and craft supplies it does indeed add up. I've had a few gift cards come through for Walmart, and used to buy things we needed! It's not points based but actually change. I prefer that so much more!

You can check it out through my referral code https://ibotta.com/r/vvggcw another bonus is it doesn't cost anything to sign up!

Zaycon

Have you jumped on board the Zaycon train yet? We first got some ground beef. It was amazing. The meat comes in 40lb increments, so make sure you have room! It was yummy meat.

They just had a 99 cent per pound chicken sale. I had to jump on that. When you pay regularly 1.99 per pound, 99 cents is amazing!

Check them out through my referral code: https://zayconfresh.com/refer/zf341341 
I only get credit if you buy something.

As of now, Zaycon's doors are closed. Sad as it was awesome meat.

Click List

Our local Fry's Foods (Part of the Kroger family) offers click list pick up. 

I don't use click list to order my food. I use it when I am planning to make sure I stay within budget. It keeps a running tally of the price. I can see whether items are on sale with the ad. 

Then when I am in the store I have the app on my phone and it has them listed in aisle order in the store. Perfect to make the trip go smoothly and quickly. I just go in order of the aisles as I shop! It's been life changing!

What do you do?
I'm still working on ways to keep my budget down or to stay in my budget. It's a constant learning game. What are some strategies you use to stay within your grocery budget?

Budgeting Back to School {HomeLife}

I kind of have been working on the back to school budget. Woah. Back to school what?!? It's only May!

I know. I actually worked on the budget back in February.

It was the "kinder round up" which prompted me deciding to start it then. Especially since Samara starts kindergarten in the next school year!

Our school year here in Arizona (and I am fairly certain it is most of the state) starts at the beginning of August. The district in which we live starts in the middle of July. It is a modified year-round, so our summer is shorter, but we get longer breaks.

Starting the budget for it in February gives 5 months to save up for buying the supplies, clothes and other necessities. It is easier to save earlier than to start saving later. Plus it is a bonus to plan for the cost non-sale items and have money left over.  I think after this next year I'll start saving right after the start of the year instead of only the 5 months I gave myself this year (this is all in theory anyway. I may forget! Ha!).

I'm fairly thankful our school has the supply shopping lists for each grade posted on the website. I don't know what my parents did in the time of no internet. I remember getting the shopping lists at school, was it at the end of school for the next year or at the beginning of the school year I do not remember. But I need so much more time than that to plan. It must be my type A personality. I'm just thankful I can access it anytime.

I used the list from the website and entered each item into a spreadsheet. I used google sheets because it's easy to access from my phone and computer straight from my google drive. The columns from there are the total of the item, running total to spend, what I spent per item, running total spend and the difference. Here is an example of the columns...

I did this for the optional items as well. If we can save up for those we would try, but I am not too worried about those.

To find the cost of the items, I went online and checked out Walmart, Office Max, and Target for their current cost of items. I'll be honest, some costs carried over from previous years and I didn't bother to check those. I tried to make it as up to date as I felt necessary. I'll see next year how much it changes.

I took the final tally and divided it amongst the paychecks between then and the start of the school year. And each kid has their own budget, they each get their own line.

It helps to keep up with what you spent the previous year. I did this for when my first started kindergarten as well and discovered I underbudgeted for some of his clothes. The difference for things like his backpack made up for the amount I was short (I only spent half), but I have since adjusted those overspent amounts. Tabs at the bottom help keep track of it.

This year I plan on working on keeping the kids with a capsule wardrobe (yup. love those things) to limit the number of clothes they have and so I do not need to spend too much money on things for them (and don't forget not having loads of laundry). Luckily, for now, they still have shirts that fit. Pants, shorts, and undergarments will be the biggest expenditure for clothes.

I'm excited. I love shopping for school supplies and new clothes.

I'm sure the way I do it is either harder than it has to be or too simple.

How do you budget for the school year?

Establish a Budget: What to Put in Those Envelopes {create an envelope baseline}

Last time I posted about budgeting was at the beginning of the year when I shared some free printables that I use for my budgeting. We had added the envelope system to our budgeting system about 6 months prior to that post and i have to say, it has helped up tremendously. Especially with the talk of the capsule wardrobe and the effects that has on a budget, it is something that I thought I should touch on.

I've had a couple conversations with people about this, I thought I would share this with you. And, one of my resolutions, or new years goals, was to pay off debt. The envelope system is nearly critical in the success of becoming debt free...

We are still paying off debt like no other. But not quite with "gazelle speed" as Dave Ramsey calls it.

I talk about budgeting with people all the time. Not that it rules our life, but really that it sets the guidelines and parameters of what we are willing to do, for now. But living on one income (and not a grand one at that) we can't do it all, all the time, at the moment.

Don't get me wrong. We still do stuff. We have memberships to things. I still go out to dinner with friends for book club and other things. But I have made the decision that I do not need to order anything. I am there to visit with friends. I haven't gotten kicked out of a restaurant yet for not ordering food. Did it feel weird at first? Definitely! Does it still feel weird? Totally! I rent things from the library instead of buying from the store or getting netflix and hulu.

You know what, it works! We no longer over spend, even with the fabric purchases that I may not have made after starting my capsule wardrobe. Those evil credit cards don't get used.

But one thing I get asked whenever I get to talking about budgeting, or just what I hear, is I just don't know how much to put in one/each envelope! Don't use it as an excuse not to get started. Especially if you have a goal to becoming debt free!

This is what I suggest... Build a Baseline.

1. Establish a Budget. Just like everyone else says to do, this kinda needs to get done first. You need the roof over your head and the electricity/gas to cook your food. This part doesn't mean necessarily what amount to put in what envelope. It simply means to designate the different bills and things that need to get paid. The envelope amounts can come later. It doesn't all have to be done all at once. just as long as you know how much you have after all the bills are paid is the foundation needed to begin the rest. Establish this. use it for a month, or two or three to get the feel of it.

check out these helpful places for building a budget.

• Our Free Printables
• use Every Dollar from Dave Ramsey. it's a free online system that lines up with his steps. It totally puts things into perspective with meters to monitor the steps. It's a great visual! There is a subscription option too, but I haven't tried that one.
• Dave Ramsey's website has all kinds of resources check out a couple (because there is a bit) of envelope posts here and here
• A Bowl Full of Lemons has a budgeting series with some excellent printable bundles you can purchase and a step by step process how to use them and/or make your own
• One Good Thing by Jillee has a tutorial for making your own envelopes
• Check out this post on Financial Freedom about envelope systems
• Debt Steps has one too

I used a budget for about a year before I started using the envelope system. It might set me behind a bunch of other people. But at least it's done now.

2. Collect your receipts to track your spending for the month. You can go between pay periods or for the entire month. I do pay periods. The husband when from every week to every other week when we started the envelope system and it helped us not run out of money in the middle of each pay period. You know, so we could buy food!

This includes credit card receipts! But, the goal is to not use those credit cards! Keep tabs on your account, or just withdrawl cash and use that so you can physically touch and actually see how much you have left. But if you so happen to use a credit card, keep that receipt too.

This is why I suggest to use your budget to help you know how much you have after bills, but also to track your normal spending habits. It's easier to categorize when you have your typical purchases in front of you.

3. I just organized by receipt. you could probably track items using excel, quicken might have some options. I just used pen, paper, and receipt.

• separate them by pay period or month.
• Organize your purchases by category that makes sense to you. The common ones I have Household supplies, Personal Care, Baby supplies, care maintenance, animal supplies, date night/entertainment (and after the fabric purchase fiasco when I was building my capsule wardrobe, fabric and sewing). If you sort your receipt by pay period/month you can see the amounts that you typically spend and can use this as a stepping stone for your envelopes.
• Tally the amount you spent in each of these categories
• compare these numbers to the remaining amount in your budget. did you overspend your remaining amount

Check out these tips, pros and cons on Money Crashers

4. Add these categories to your budget and the amounts that are established. If you establish a baseline, it helps. You can do this over the course of 1-2 months and average out the spending.

Once you have that baseline established and those amounts written into your budget, take the time to reflect on your spending after each paycheck, each month. It's not written in stone and you can update and change.

I also add envelopes to account for birthdays as they draw near, anniversaries and even holidays, also known as like a sinking fund. I know it's not a saving tool, but it is working for us for now and it prepares us for those things.! But I am sure it will change as our needs change!

Don't be scared to start! Anyone can do it! You can do it too!

Establish a Budget: Free Budget Printable

One of my New Year's Resolutions, you can read about them here, was to start continue working on getting out of debt. 

I've been working on the budget, more making it habit, for the last year and a half. It hasn't really gotten really nitty-gritty until these last several months where I really buckled down and started following the zero-balanced budget as suggested by Dave Ramsey. I really suggest that you read his book Total Money Makeover; and, if you have kids, read Smart Money Smart Kids which he co-authored with his daughter. Really great reads. I borrow them from the library every now and then to refresh my brain and discover something I missed. They also have sheets that you can copy and use for your own budgeting in the back of the book.

I will say, before my introduction to Dave Ramsey, I had no idea how to build a budget and (key) make it work. I had ideas and kind of categorized what I already spend, but had major difficulty going that next step into using that to plan out how I was going to spend my money. Since starting the envelope system I literally carry standard paper envelopes in my purse when I leave the house and only for the intent for something specific. But, it took a while to figure out how to document my plan

So I came with these printable pdf sheets to use for my Budget Binder. They are not very pretty but solely focus on function. Beside, the kids usually color all over them anyway.. :)

The Budget Binder Printable pdf sheets has 12 printable pages with fill in blanks for writing down info. I have columns that divide the months down by weekly and bi-monthly. You can pick. 

Included and brief:

1. Record of Accounts - a place to write account log in info. For those times you forget your password.

2. Income Tracker - this works best for weekly or bi-monthly incomes. I write down net and gross

3. Debt Tracker - Write down your debt balance after each month statement. Watch your balance drop

4. annual expenses - for those expenses that are easy to loose track of. Break down by month, or by paycheck to see how much to stash away to cover those yearly doozies

5. Annual expense account - have you bought a home and had an escrow account? This is what I use for a savings account solely devoted to paying those annual bills. I keep track of how much goes in each month and when bills are due to make sure I am on track. I basically treat it like an escrow account. write down the total amount the month it is due and go from there with the monthly amount to set aside.

6. Monthly Due Dates schedule. I don't use this anymore, but it's great for starting so you can see what bills are due when

7 Monthly Expenses Worksheet - Write down the total amount of the bill due, divide it amongst the regular number of pay days and deduct that from your pay. When the bill is due, you have the money to pay the bill.

8. Monthly Expenses Envelope. I write down the envelopes that I have, use the number of money left over after bills are paid and disperse into the envelopes until all money is in a category

I am sharing these budget printables with you for free to share the knowledge and basis to begin living within your means and Establish a Budget. 

What do you do. Do you have a strict budget? Or just enough to get by? Or are you like how I was a few years ago and new where the money was going but need that extra step to make a plan for where it will go in the future? Do you use a certain printable, or create your own?

Baby Girl is 1! {Happy Birthday}

On July 19th, my baby girl turned 1! On July 20th we celebrated her birthday with friends and family. :) Over at GYCT Designs I'm sharing the sheets I made to help me with planning and organizing the birthday party as part of her Sizzlin' Summer Organization Series.

Enjoy some of the pictures here of the party, her cake Hubby decorated and her 'eating' it, and the dress I made her. :)

We used a Koala theme for the birthday cake and invitations. It also happens to be the mural that is on her wall in her bedroom! :) We used the Koala from the Create a Critter for the  (affiliate)for the Cricut Expression Cutting Machine (affiliate) , cut it out from cardstock and used it to make an impression in the frosting.  Hubby then filled it in with frosting once removing the cardstock.

She was shy listening to happy birthday

Baby girl, just like her brother, was not a fan of the frosting!

And some more cake eating pictures, mostly because I missed the first bite...

We had family and friends over, and I am so thankful for them celebrating with us. I was too busy to take too many pictures, but here are a few good ones.

Cousin's helped open presents. They are such good helpers.

I made her a dress for the day too, in a very thin material to help stay cool. It's the Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop's Sweetheart Halter (affiliate). I just extended the shirt to make it a dress. 

Don't forget to head over to GYCT Designs and check out the sheets I made that help me plan birthday parties (and other parties). 

Happy Birthday, Baby Girl! May you have many more!

Just Wanted to Share... Household Budgeting System from A Bowl Full of Lemons

I had been searching for a different way to budget for a while. If you follow me on Pinterest, you have probably seen some of the stuff I have pinned about budgeting.

I have wanted to make this wallet for the last 8 months. But I don't have the zippers nor have I taken the time to sit down and make it... But then, what good is it going to do for me without actually doing that type of budgeting? I used to do that way back before I met Brandon, but then stopped (why I have no idea). I needed to improved the system I had been using, but wasn't sure how.

Me, being the type of person I am, have to share this with you!