Financial Fitness

Well now that it's near the end of the month, I think it's time to share an update on how my January resolution is going. Bear with me... this might get long. I have lots of info to share!

So, here are a few things I have done to help save my bucks:

• Set a budget, and stick to it! I can not reiterate how important this is. Cory and I were always good at piecing together a weekly budget, but we weren't good at actually following it. Earlier this month we actually sat down and looked at a month as a whole. Once we changed to my expensive health insurance, we knew we needed to make some changes in order to keep our head's above water. Now we try to sit down once a week to discuss the next week's needs in order to budget and plan ahead. 
• Learn to say "no." As much as we love hanging out with our friends and wish we could do everything we're invited to, the simple truth is, it doesn't fit in the budget. Just this last weekend, our friends were getting together for dinner and night of bowling. We decided to do dinner, but skipped out on the bowling knowing we still had other purchases that needed to come out of our account. It might be hard to say no, but we both felt better knowing we hadn't blown a bunch of money in one night. 
• Mind the groceries. This has been the biggest one for me. I downloaded an app recently that has helped me immensely. It's called "Out of Milk" and it's really just an extensive grocery list. The best part about this app, however, is that I can list prices with each item. That way, as I'm shopping, I can tell about where my bill will fall. There will be no going over budget! An added bonus is that this has also helped me cut down on junk food purchases. (Which is hard for a pregnant lady) :) 
• Don't be afraid to use coupons.The Omaha World Herald does wonders for my tight budget. I couldn't believe how many coupons come each week! Every little bit counts.
• The last thing I did to help us organize our finances was to create a place for all of our bills that need to be paid. We needed a place where we could see the bills everyday without having to leave a pile on the kitchen table. (Pure tackiness.) So, I spent $6 on a few pieces of corkboard from Menards and combined it with the inside of my kitchen cabinet. 

{Four sheets for $6}

{I had to make a few adjustments to fit my cupboard}

{Fits perfect!}

{Finished!}

For those of you who know me, of course I'm not going to pin just bills to this board. And you should know that I put this board on the inside of our coffee cupboard. You can bet this one opens each morning. :)

Well that's all on my January resolution for now! I think with the budget changes we've made we should hopefully be able to afford diapers. And wipes. And formula. And clothes? Babies are expensive!

Love/Hate Stainless Steel!

Listen up, ladies! If you're anything like me, you're in love with your stainless steel appliances, but absolutely hate the smudges left behind.

Well, this weekend I finally found the solution: Olive oil on a soft rag. That's it. Seriously. I found it on the Natural Mommie blog through Pinterest and decided to give it a try for myself.

<The Before>

{Don't judge the smudges :)}

In the past, I have tried Pledge multisurface, which worked to a certain degree, but never really got all of the smudges out and it took a lot of scrubbing. I was about to head out to invest in a special "stainless steel cleaner" before I found this blog. And I never noticed how bad our fridge was until the sunlight shone on it so beautifully through the back door. Ick.

Anyway, I began by just taking a wet rag to wipe off the surface to get rid of any water spots and food particles. After that, I took about a tablespoon of olive oil and put it on a clean, soft rag and began rubbing with the grain of the fridge. I think I probably ended up using about two tablespoons by the time I was done with both the fridge and freezer, but keep in mind that a little bit of the oil goes a long way!

{The "buffer"}

{Halfway done!}

Here I have the top part above the ice maker cleaned. You can start to tell the difference already!

<The After>

{Beautiful!}

All done! Shines doesn't it? Cory saw how clean it looked and told me he was afraid to touch it. I hope he doesn't! No more smudges please! At least until we get a toddler running around the house. :)

I would suggest that everyone give this a try if you own stainless steel. I'm guaranteeing most of you already have Olive Oil in the house. It's fast, easy, and it naturally buffs out every mark! I'm no longer ashamed of my stainless steel. :)

Running Gear

We had a special guest at our house this weekend - Say hello to Miss Charlie! :)

{How can anyone say no to this face?}

For Christmas this year, all of us kids went in together to get Cory's parents a new yellow lab puppy. Isn't she adorable? And Cory loves having someone to wrestle with:

{Play time}

I swear he was a dog in a former life. Makes me excited to see how great he will be with Baby Larson in a few months!

Anyway, in all my talk earlier on resolutions, I completely forgot to brag up the gifts Cory got me for Christmas!

{He knows me so well}

I have been wanting a Garmin running watch forever and I finally got my wish. This is a more basic one (the Forerunner 10) that doesn't keep track of a heart rate, but it still tracks distance, time, pace, and calories burned. Exactly what I needed, and it's PINK! I've only used it to keep track of time at the gym currently, but as soon as I'm out pounding the pavement again, I feel like this might be my new best friend.

The hubby also got me a cold gear running shirt made by UnderArmour. It's perfect for those chilly morning runs! It also has not been used just yet (the medium size doesn't quite fit over my baby bump) but how can you go wrong with this shirt designed specifically for running girls? And the color is great, too! I think maybe my husband might just want his old UnderArmour shirt I stole from him a couple years ago and have not yet returned. But I think any sensible running girl needs at least two cold gear shirts, right? :)

Oh, and I forgot to show these shoes I found at Scheels last weekend:

{Too fun!}

How amazing are these?! Every time I go to Scheels I have to check out their running shoe selection. I think a post-pregnancy gift to myself will be a new pair. Perhaps these? Either way, I want something flashy and colorful. Like I would pick anything else. :)

.: 2013 :.

Happy 2013!

I just love the feeling of a new year. It brings forth such a feeling of hope to the world. What will this year bring? A new diet? A new workout? World peace? One can only hope. Either way, the new beginning gets every person around the globe excited and ready to bring on a fresh, new outlook for the next 365 days.

So, this brings to mind a "New Year's Resolution." Everyone loves to set one, yet few seem to make it last throughout the year. But let's be realistic - How can you set just one goal for an entire year and expect to keep it? So many things can change in a year, it's nearly impossible to remember what your resolution was 253 days ago.

So, I've decided this year to set 12 different resolutions - one for each month. How could I pick just one thing with so many expected changes in 2013? And there are so many little things I would like to change and learn, I would hate to take a year for each one. (And, I will admit, I am one of those people who tends to forget from year to year what my resolution even is. Usually by day 5. Seriously.)

So, January equals Financial Fitness. 

Different from my typical "eat healthier, run faster" mantra, right? This month I would really like to whip my checkbook into shape. It's in some dire need of help. With my husband's assistance, I would like to really set out a budget for each week, maybe do a few things on a cash basis (when it's gone, it's gone) and definitely find a way to save money on groceries.

I've got a few things in mind for the next couple of months, but for right now, I'm going to take each month as it comes and see what I'm feeling called to improve on in life. Keep in mind, the reorganization of my closet is also needing some TLC. February maybe? :)

Anyway, I hope everyone is having a fabulous new year's day so far and is just as excited as I am to usher in a new year. Welcome 2013! Can't wait to see what you have in store for my family and me!