Gotta Start Somewhere...

So, I have had this blog space for a long time but could not decide what to do with it, how to start, etc. So today I decided, the hell with it, I will just write about daily life.  Maybe someone will find something interesting someday.  And I'm sure this will help our family and friends keep up with us a little better than Facebook since there are so many, many, many miles between us.

So here are some of the things that I am into and will write about.  
-Kids, since we have one I have plenty to say about them
-Money (we are on Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover)
-Cooking and health
-Gardening, we are new to this but trying hard and having fun
-Creativity, I love to make things out of whatever, wood, fabric, etc
-Deals, I love to find good deals and I love even more to share them

Anyway, so Maddox is napping right now and I just finished making dinner.  Tonight is Speedy Chicken Posole.
Every week on Sunday nights Julie and I sit down and decide what we are eating every night for dinner.  We take into account activities (like soccer) and if someone will be gone (like Julie for work stuff).  Then I check the freezer and make a grocery list around what we need. Maddox and I go to the grocery store every Monday. This weekly meal planning has been a HUGE money saver.  I can't believe I ever went to the grocery store without a list before.  We used to throw out so much food bc we went to the store and bought what sounded good and then it got lost in the fridge.  Now since we only buy what we need and use it up every week we eat super cheap.  Right now we spend about $60 a week on groceries.  Now, that is just food, not toiletries or anything else.  But I'm pretty proud of that.  And we spend anywhere from $50-$100 at Costco every month on bulk stuff - but that does include some toiletries. Since I don't work anymore I feel it is my job to save and stretch money as far as I can.  I'm a cheapskate at heart so for me it is fun.

One of the big things in our life is that we are doing Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover.  My dad gave us the book for Christmas in 2008 and it was the best present we ever received!  I read the book and got really excited and told Julie that we should sell my car.  Since we only live 4 minutes from her work we would be fine with one car.  She of course thought I was nuts but after a few days she said, "you know, selling your car may not be a bad idea".  I knew then that things would be different forever! So it took a little while but we sold my car.  And thanks to all the mileage I accrued as an AAE at USC I had been paying extra on it so we made a decent profit on that adorable little Accord of mine. (Don't be fooled, I LOVED that car and did NOT want to sell it, but it was for the greater good.) Just like that - we got rid of a $400 a month car payment and paid off the last of my student loans.  Man that was a good feeling.  Since then we have been “snowballing” along and should have our 2008 Pilot paid off this summer and then work on Julie’s sizeable student loan.  According to my planning we should have all of our debt except the house paid off in a about 3 years total and we started this in Feb 2009.  I will tell you, at first it was hard to stick to a budget but now it is second nature and paying for everything in cash is easy.  When I think of buying my next car in cash or paying for vacation or braces for Maddox in cash I get very excited.  Besides a mortgage, we will never borrow money again, (and one day we will pay that off too) and I love it!  If you are not familiar with the TMMO then you should check it out.  I don’t agree with everything that Dave Ramsey says (he is a die hard Republican) but his financial plans make sense and they are working for us.
Ok, we have to go pick up Julie from work now.  Until we meet again…..