Resolutions Revisited

This year has been flying by!  I had grand intentions of posting monthly updates on my New Year’s Resolution progress, but that obviously hasn’t happened!  Since we’re almost halfway through the year, I thought I’d give you an update on where I am this year!  Since I originally linked my New Year’s Resolutions to Top Ten Tuesday over at OhAmanda, I thought it was only fitting that I link my update!

1. Lose weight (average at least one pound/week for the year)

So far this year, I’ve lost 45 pounds!  I’ve worked my tail off, but it’s been totally worth it!

2. Exercise at least 10,950 minutes

So far this year, I’ve exercised 5,490 minutes! That’s over 91 hours!  I’m pretty sure there’s a direct correlation between the time spent exercising and the weight loss!

3. Stick to our budget…every single month!

I am horrified and ashamed to tell you that we haven’t been doing a great job of sticking to our budget.  Although we haven’t been overspending, we haven’t really been tracking like we should and we haven’t sat down for a “budget update” in months! {hanging head in shame}

4. Track all of our income and spending.

This ties directly in to the above resolution!  We definitely need to get back on track with our budget meetings and tracking our spending!

5. Read through the entire Bible.

I made it through the entire Bible, however I didn’t make it in 90 days as planned.  It took closer to 150.  I’ll be starting the Bible in 90 Days again on July 5th.  Feel free to join me!

6. Take a trip with the kids to Disney World or Disney Land.

In February, our family headed to Disney World for the Disney Social Media Moms Conference!  It was an absolutely amazing trip!  I can’t say enough good things about Disney!  I wish we could visit Disney every month!!!

7. Post at least 5 times/week on my blog.

Although there are a couple of weeks where I missed the mark on this one, for the most part, I’ve posted at least 5 times each week!

8. Try 2 new recipes per month.

I’ve tried at least 1 new recipe each month, but I’ve been in a terrible rut with our busy schedule!  Hopefully this will improve over the next few months!

9. Read 1 book or listen to 1 audiobook each week.

I’ve made it through 17 books this year (so I’m a little behind schedule), but I’ve been much more consistent lately with the audio books, so that’s definitely helped.

10. Take a creative writing or public speaking class.

I didn’t sign up for a formal class, but I did join Toastmasters.  I’ve been amazed at how much my public speaking has improved.  My husband, my mom, and my dad all joined as well and it’s been so fun to do this with them!

So there you have it!  Overall, I’m pretty happy about what I’ve accomplished so far this year!

I’d love to hear how are you doing with your New Year’s Resolutions! Leave me a comment!   If you’ve blown it, it’s not too late to get back on track or start over with new goals!

Get Rich Using Spreadsheets

Let’s face it…we’re all looking for a quick way to get rich. The reality is very few people get rich quickly. Most millionaires worked hard, spent thoughtfully, and saved as much as possible. And what’s more important…they had a plan.

If you’ve procrastinated on paying off debt, making a budget, or saving for the future, it’s time to get serious. Google Documents has some great spreadsheets that will help you get rich! Ok…so the spreadsheets won’t make you rich, but they can definitely help you budget, pay off debt, and save for the future. And those are the things that make a difference!

Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better…

I grew up in a very competitive family and that competitive spirit hasn’t worn off! When I saw the USDA cost of food website and saw what a family of 4 was spending a month on food, I was bound and determined to do better than the average family in the “thrifty” category. If you have any suggestions on cutting down your grocery budget, I’d love to hear them!

Check out the USDA’s Cost of Food for 2008. They have used the month of June as the average monthly expenditure, however, you can check it out month by month!

http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/FoodPlans/2008/CostofFoodJun08.pdf

Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better…

I grew up in a very competitive family and that competitive spirit hasn’t worn off! When I saw the USDA cost of food website and saw what a family of 4 was spending a month on food, I was bound and determined to do better than the average family in the “thrifty” category. If you have any suggestions on cutting down your grocery budget, I’d love to hear them!

Check out the USDA’s Cost of Food for 2008. They have used the month of June as the average monthly expenditure, however, you can check it out month by month!

http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/FoodPlans/2008/CostofFoodJun08.pdf

Getting started…

Every year as December comes to an end, I start taking inventory of my life and all the areas I want to improve in. Although I have quite a few areas that could use improvement, I’m really working on my finances. My husband and I are going through Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover program and are trying to get ourselves in shape financially. Since I tend to do most of the spending (grocery shopping, clothes shopping, school supplies, toiletries, etc), I have decided to tackle the task of saving as much as possible and reducing our budget in those areas as much as possible. I’ll be blogging about our financial journey and posting money saving tips along the way. I’ll also be posting freebies I come across (yesterday Suave was giving away free bottles of shampoo!) I hope you’ll join me on this journey! Feel free to chime in if you have tips to share!

Getting started…

Every year as December comes to an end, I start taking inventory of my life and all the areas I want to improve in. Although I have quite a few areas that could use improvement, I’m really working on my finances. My husband and I are going through Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover program and are trying to get ourselves in shape financially. Since I tend to do most of the spending (grocery shopping, clothes shopping, school supplies, toiletries, etc), I have decided to tackle the task of saving as much as possible and reducing our budget in those areas as much as possible. I’ll be blogging about our financial journey and posting money saving tips along the way. I’ll also be posting freebies I come across (yesterday Suave was giving away free bottles of shampoo!) I hope you’ll join me on this journey! Feel free to chime in if you have tips to share!