Easy fill-in-the-blank budget!

Happy Monday!  Has everyone been busy?  I sure have!  I adopted 3 darling chickens yesterday who were too noisy for a little down-town neighborhood.  They are extremely sweet hens, I can't wait to share pictures!

Im going to share my #1 recommended budget sheet...  we have been using this for years and years.  It is easy and will keep your life straight.  Print it out and try it.  While I love our Budgeting app i find this sheet nice when making changes...  currently we are working on our property and i am seeing just how much we have to spend on a big repair project!

Monthly Cash Flow Plan

There it is guys, print it out and take a look at it.

Lesson 1B, Step 1; Emergency Fund

Welcome to Lesson 1 Part B!  You now have your reasons why you want to be free from those crippling debt hand-cuffs.  Paying off debt can feel really good, it can even be fun at times.  Imagine paying off a $4,000.00 credit card and being done with it forever!  What relief!

We need to be smart and to be prepared to be successful...  what if something happens...  you blow a tire and need a new one at $250....  Credit Card to the rescue, right?  NO.  

Getting out of Debt: Lesson 1

Getting out of debt.  Sounds like a dream, right?  It seems like everyone has debt, a LOT of debt.  It is the only way to live, the only way to drive a reliable car, the only way to treat your family to a nice dinner, buy the expensive sports equipment, pay the car repair bills.  You know what I am talking about...  until you realize you are living your life trying to play catch-up in a loosing game.  One emergency sets you back years of payments....  if you lost your job could you pay the lenders?  A downward spiral for us while the banks rake in profits.

We got ourselves out of over 300K of debt using Dave Ramseys plan.  It took us 5 years.  It was hard, very hard.  VERY FREAKING HARD.  But now we can do whatever we want.  Two days ago hubby just paid cash for a lovely, gently used Audi.  Last month we paid cash to have our driveway paved...  watching our girls play basketball on it every day is priceless.  As soon as it is safe to travel again

Safeway bargains are a lifesaver!

Ahhh, back from a lovely family vacation and time to jump into savings mode again.  Our brief pause from paying off debt was very much needed after working extremely hard on our goal for SOO many years.

End of Month Pantry Challange! No preparation needed!

A handful of circumstances have led me to wish not to spend any money for the rest of this month, a short 8 days, we can do this!

6 reasons why YOU need a Whatever Wednesday

Ive been a stay-at-home-mom for nearly 8 years.  I have relaxed only a handful of times since. That may be an exaggeration, but not by much.

day 4 & 5; a little treat!

Wednesday is early-release day in our school district and I love to use that extra time to do something fun with my kiddos.  They have been asking for ice cream lately so I knew we were upon a good opportunity!  Our Dairy Queen has half-priced milk-shakes until 4pm so on early-release day we can make it just in time for the bargain!

both kiddos choose cherry milkshakes!

day 2: spending and one big cut!

The realization hit that we indeed needed some non-carb protein for the week settled in and I accepted the fact that I had to go to the grocery store.  I knew I could hit up Safeway and stick to my budget while finding what I needed.

Day 1

 

March 1st, Day 1.  

I am organized and ready to save every penny this month.  We have a deadline, and its major!  Here is the beginning of our financial journey, Phase 2: adding on to the home.  We will clearly be financing the construction but need to pay cash for many things.  This month we need to save the remainder of our Architect fees.  ....and its a LOT!  

23 Intense ways to SAVE TONS OF MONEY for an already Frugal Household

Menu Plan Monday! A week of Dinners for 4 just $27

Menu for this week..... will be BUDGET ORIENTED!  My car need almost four thousand dollars of service.  Holy Ouch!  Gonna pull the drawstrings in and tighten back up our food budget...  saving money this week will make me feel much better about my car bill!

Bargains a plenty at Grocery Outlet.

I had about 7 things on my grocery list today...  so I went to Grocery Outlet.

Quinoa.  They didn't have any dang quinoa.  I didn't get quinoa.

But I only spent $46.  And my shopping cart was full.

Full of awesome, healthy and mainly organic food that WILL get eaten!

Want to see some deals and why YOU should be going to Grocery Outlet??  Keep reading....

Freebie Friday!

Happy Freebie Friday!  Did you use your skills and earn any freebies this week?  Those small bonuses are things I count on to act as extra treats while we focus on spending our money smart.  Heres what we got this week!
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My organized grocery trips, how I keep us healthy AND in budget.

Im not one to just run into the grocery store for a couple of items.  Well, sometimes I do that, but always kick myself for making purchases when they are not at their ideal price, so I try hard to stick with my tried and true methods.

Here is how I keep my shopping not only healthy but on budget as well...