Monthly Must-Dos

A few more things that I want to do in 2016 are monthly lists. Not necessarily things that I must do, but things that I could get better about doing and a visual list is the perfect way to do that. Just think of the pleasure you would get if you got to scratch off your plans at the end of the month knowing that you saw them through. That's how I look at it anyways.

Here are some things that I know will be recurring through each month:

Make a meal plan for the month and stick with it!

All to often I come home, get the usual items throughout the house done and the last thing on my mind is cooking dinner, so it's off to a drive thru or local restaurant all for the sake of convenience and out of pure laziness. This is also quite costly when  you do the math. I'm not saying don't go out to eat, I'm just saying that going out for dinner should be a treat, something that you look forward to doing and something that you should budget yourself to do.

One of the most difficult things is deciding what to have for dinner and having a meal plan for the month will alleviate any of the stress trying to decide what to eat. My family and I go grocery shopping every two weeks, but making a meal plan for the month and purchasing groceries for said meal plan will make it much easier to follow through with cooking at home. 

Knowing that we have all of the ingredients we need and not having to worry about stopping at the store once I get home will make it much easier and convenient. Not to mention that my favorite part of the day is sitting at the dinner table with my family soaking up that precious time.

Paying additional money to those pesky credit cards!

Let's be real for a hot minute, I have credit cards. Like a typical fresh 20 year old I signed up for every card I could, went and maxed them out on unimportant things and am now paying the cost a little at a time in my now, late 20s.

Hindsight is 20/20 but what can you do?

Thankfully, Tarl and I were able to consolidate most of our credit card debt back in 2013 which paid off several of our credit card lenders and we paid the bank one lump sum each month. Not only did we pay off our credit cards, but it raised our credit scores into an almost excellent number, but we also got the bank loan paid off. What a great feeling knowing that we truly got a majority of our "stupid" debt paid off. Of course, we still have car payments and a mortgage, but I like to call credit cards "stupid" debt, because let's be frank, that's what it is.

Although we did get a majority of it paid off, there were still two cards that I had. By no means did I still continue to spend with them, but I still had them and chose to pay off those two on my own.

I'll be honest, especially near the holidays when our wallets tend to be a bit more open then what they usually are, I typically only make the minimum payment. Sad to say, but again, I'm being real. 

With that being said I have made a promise to myself that in 2016 I plan on getting one of the two paid completely off, and by doing the math, if I pay more on the minimum payment each month I could have it paid off by August! This is something I encourage anyone to do. You'd be surprised how much that payoff amount goes down if you pay more on your card than required!

Stacking cash!

All too often I find myself purchasing items that I don't necessarily need. Sure, none of these items are extravagant or expensive, but $15 here, $5 there and $20 over yonder add up, and quick! I'd much rather put that money away towards something substantial, like a vacation worth of memories, a new computer (see yesterday's post), or just having it as savings. Even if it's something as small as $50 in one month, that's still $50 more than what I had to begin with.

When I become a stay at home mom (God willing) at the end of summer, my family and I will transition into cutbacks Rather than walk downtown Savannah three times a month like we currently do, we'll be changing that to one We are blessed with a large yard and a golf cart that we purchased last summer, so we plan to utilize both of those come "frugal" time.

Just to be clear...I'm not quitting my job because I hate working, hate my position, dislike my boss or because I want to sit around on my ass all day watching Young and the Restless and Dr. Phil.
I, like most stay at home moms I know, want to take in this opportunity to stay home with Cadence and soak up every single second I have with her. During summer break I want day trips to the library and play ground, once a week play dates with my sister and her kids. During the school year I want to be able to attend each function without having to worry about vacation days, paid time off, putting in an adequate notice or worrying about calling in sick when my sweet girl isn't feeling her best.

Sacrificing trips to the mall a few weekends out of the month and a new t-shirt here and there is so very much worth what I will be gaining with the opportunity I will have. Sure it will be a huge transition, there is no denying that, but I cannot wait to experience it. I'd be lying if I say I wasn't scared, because there is always a bit of worry and fear when new change happens, but I trust that this is the right thing in my heart. I've had a job since I was 15 years old hosting at my local restaurant, then to the local bakery girl, then a 9-5 gig which I've had for the past several years now. There was a brief stay at home mom experience I had for about two months back in 2013, but to supplement income I kept two children who are my dear friends kids so it wasn't like I got to have that one on one time with Cadence, so to say I'm ready to enjoy it, is beyond an understatement.


That's all for today...xo