Clever Container

I love Clever Container products! They are great for helping organize every part of your life. That is the reason I became a consultant last year! Here are some of my favorite products! http://www.clevercontainer.com/ consultant 381.

Shop for these products and more! http://www.clevercontainer.com/  Use consultant #381

Week five- Make scheduled Family time!

This one is so important to me! We often get so carried away with all of the things that we need to get done...laundry, cooking, cleaning, shopping, etc and we forget that one of the most important things we need to have on our to do list is spending time with family. My girls are 10,4 and 2. They will never be little again and I need to make sure that I am spending time with my family. Friday night movie night is a fun idea. Maybe have snack foods for dinner and watch a family movie. Saturday outings are also great! Bowling, skating, trips to the park, museums...there are so many great and frugal places to go with your family!

Week Four-And another one....credit card list

This somewhat ties in with my last post.... Make a list of all of your credit cards. I would love to say that I have only one, but unfortunately I have many.... I made a list of all of my cards, the balance, the date due, and the interest rate. Put them in order. Some prefer to pay off lower balance first so that they can see the results more quickly. I personally prefer to pay the highest interest first. So my highest interest is a store card that I owe about $900 on. The minimum payment for that card is about $25 but I am paying $100 every month instead...sometimes more if I am able. This should be paid off in about 10 months if I am able to pay a little extra on the $100. I will then take that $100 and add it to the payment of my next highest interest card. I hope to have my debt cut in half by March of next year. I will let you know how that goes!

Week Three- A bit late....Make a bill list...

Oops! I missed a week! So this week I will add two things to my 26 weeks. The first is to make a list of bills, what they cost and how much they are. Only do the minimum payments on this list. Decide which debt you want to pay off first and after checking all available money by writing out your budget, take any left over amount and add it to the debt you want to pay first. Here is an example...these are not my actual bills, but it looks something like this....

Bills
House payment    $980 (PC2)
Car Payment       $395(PC1)
Electric               $145 (PC1)
Cable/Phone/Internet  $155 (PC1)
Water             $65 (PC1)
Insurance        $90(PC 1)
Alarm       $45 (OI)
CC 1        $75 (OI)
CC2          $50 (OI)
CC3         $90 (OI)

Income
Pay check 1      $1350 (PC1)
Pay Check  2    $1400 (PC 2)
Other Income   $500 (OI)
  PC 1 Had about $500 left after bills
  PC 2 Has about $420 left after bills
  OI has about $240 left after bills

We spend about $150-$200 per two weeks on food. We also need about $100 per two weeks for gas for the car. In the end there is about $300 after all expenses and bills extra which can be applied to a credit card. It is not until you make a list of what you are actually spending that you realize that there is a little extra to put toward debts. The little things add up quickly, so if you eliminate them from your day, you will have your debt paid off much more quickly! If this does not motivate you, use the minimum payment calculator that Credit card companies provide on their websites and you are sure to be motivated!

BzzAgent! Private Selection Taste Of Summer

I am so excited that I recived an invite for the Private Selection Taste of Summer Campaign through BzzAgent! I signed up today and will be recieving coupons for the Kroger Private Selection ground beef, potato chips, ice cream and pies. I have used the meat for years, but really look forward to having a gathering of friends to share the new products I have not yet had an oppertunity to try! Next time you are at Kroger, grab some of the Private Selection Artisan Chips, the ice cream, pies or ground beef and let me know what you think!

Week Two-Declutter my life!

The change I will make for the next two weeks is to concentrate on decluttering my life. My house is so full of things that I do not need. Clothes, toys the kids never play with, stuff that I have kept for sentimental reasons....etc. I have realized that many of my days are spent cleaning and tripping of things that we never use and do not need. There will be a family wide declutter this week and a yard sale this weekend. Each family member is to find at least 100 things to get rid of. Sounds like a lot, but I am guilty of buying way too much. If my daughter likes Minnie Mouse, she has EVERY Minnie Mouse toy that I can find. I am not exaggerating...wish I was! If there is decluttering left to do after the yard sale, it will go to charity. Oh, to hopefully have my garage back! It has been filled with things I need to get rid of for so long! In the near future, look for a weekly goal of cleaning the garage! Please join me in spending the next two weeks decluttering our lives! I will do my best to post pictures!

Pinterest- things I love...need to actually use it!

So this is a side note...not part of the 26 weeks. I may occasionally need to make little changes that are not part of the 26 but are important. I will share them as well. I love Pinterest! It has been my go to spot for recipes and other things when I am out of ideas. I do though, like many, find myself pinning and pinning and never doing. I have decided to make it my goal to use something I have pinned at least once a week. It may be a recipe, a craft project, a cleaning tip...anything. There are so many great ideas! I need to use them!
Follow me and make it your goal to do more than pin y

Week One- Add fish to menu

Little changes are, in my opinion, the ones that make the biggest difference in the end. I have tried all of the diets. Well, not all because low carb is not for me since I love pasta! But I recently did weight watchers and it was somewhat successful and would be wonderful for those who are disciplined to stick with it. I, however, am not. So I have gained back all of the weight that I lost on the plan and now I am in need of another plan....  I have decided that making life changes will be the biggest benefit to me. I see this as more of a long term change than a diet. I really hope that these little changes make a big difference in the end! So I will share with you these little changes every other Monday and keep you updated on anything I feel may matter in between. Some of these changes are "diet" related, others are money related, home related, etc. I hope that by this time next year, I am a happier and healthier me! Please join me in this transformation!

So my first change is to add more fish to my dinner menu. My hope is to eliminate one red meat per week and replace it with fish. Not fried fish or breaded fish sticks. My family loves Tilapia, Cod, Flounder,  and Salmon. We will certainly try others as well! I am starting with once a week and once I can get enough variations of recipes, I will add a second time per week. I will keep with baking and sauteing with olive oil. I love fish with lemon pepper, Cajun seasoning, and a garlic herb seasoning. I will share recipes as I come across them. I am hoping that this little change will make a big difference!

If you do not like fish, try this with chicken. My family, however loves fish and eat a lot of chicken already so this works for us. Let me know how it is going for your family!