What does it mean to YOU?

What does living on less mean to YOU? What would it mean for your family? If you decided today to get rid of the clutter in your life what would that do for you?

1. You would have a LOT less to clean. You could clean your house in half the time if you didn't have SO much furniture to dust, so many nick nacks to move around and clean off, and so much stuff on the floors!

2. You would have less piles of "give aways" and "garage sale items" laying around. You wouldn't constantly be creating stacks of items to take to the good will. You wouldn't have excess things.

3. You would have more money. If you chose to live on less then you WOULD save money. Think about it... you'd have less dishes to wash, less clothes to wash, less cleaning products to buy, less gas to put in your car which saves money, less electricity to pump through your house... you WOULD save money.

4. Your debt would go down. You would save money and prevent the spending of money if you chose to live on less. You wouldn't have to go buy the newest and latest gadgets. You would relieve the pressure "keeping up with the Jones" and you could rid your life of "stuffitis."

5. You WOULD be happier. You would be happier because you would be more content. You wouldn't feel this CONSTANT pressure to have more. You would sleep better, live longer, and have more time to focus on your family.

These aren't necessarily life altering changes, but they would alter your life to some degree. Think about how NICE it would be if you chose to give it up! To give up the pressure, to embrace contentment, and to watch your financial world change.

How NICE would that be?

Goals

This post is also appropriate for www.thebargainhuntingmommy.blogspot.com

I try to keep my blog posts written specifically for each blog, but it doesn't always work that way.

I am currently reading the book "Does this make my assets look fat?" It's a woman's guide to financial understandings. From little things like budgets and shopping to the big topics like stocks and bonds. It's a GREAT book. i checked it out at our local library. I encourage you to do the same.

one of the things that really stuck out in my head was the whole GOALS chapter. I understand goals, but i've never sat down with a pen and paper and prayerfully considered what my short, mid and long term goals are. I mean sure, I have blogged about my financial goals for this year but I haven't looked at the BIGGEST picture. So I started doing that this weekend.

Short term goals: These are to be completed within 2 months and 1 year.

Mid goals: 2-6 years. Something you expect to happen in the "next few years."

Long term goals: these may be a lifelong process. An example would be contributing to a 401k or an IRA. this is not something that can just be completed one day soon.

It makes you think--what would you REALLY like to see happen this year? in 5 years? in 30 years?

I've started my list... not complete yet but here's what I have so far.

Short term goals:
Pay off my car (next few months)
Pay off credit cards (next 3 months max.)
Save 2 months worth of bills

Mid goals:
Pay off student loans (not much in there, but I need to do it)
Have 10,000 in savings
Contribute to IRA faithfully (max it every year-$6,000)
Pay cash for a new car in about 4 years(if mine lasts til then)

Long term goals:
Buy a house (with at least 30% down)
Have a GOOD retirement saved up!


Some of these may seem silly, or seem like they aren't "goal" worthy, but to me these are the things that keep me from spending when i want to. These goals keep me in "check". Dave Ramsey always says that you HAVE to see milestones along the way. That's why he says you pay off your smallest debt first. That way you see the progress and can get excited about it.

So there ya have it... my goals.

What are yours?

How are you gonna save up that money?

So, it's time to ask yourself the question you have been avoiding--how are you going to save up that money?

We've talked about saving money, living on less, getting rid of things that we do NOT need to survive. Getting rid of items we don't wear, use, cook with, watch,read, listen to, etc.

But how are you REALLY going to save up money?

Realisticially--Seriously--in all actuality--ultimately--however you want to word it, how are you going to get there?

I have another blog where i give lots of tips for this. Check it out HERE if you haven't already.

But let's get down to it... if you really want to save up money ($500, $1000, $1500, etc) how do you plan to do it? If you are struggling to make ends meet already, how do you SAVE up money that you do NOT have?

That's a question that financial bloggers address a LOT (keep in mind i am so NOT a financial blogger). Money shows, books, Dave Ramsey and people like him address this issue a lot. And some of what they say is very relevant to most people's lives. But some just straight over my head. For example, you will hear them say a lot "dip into your 401k," or "cash in the cd and repurchase at 1.4%"... HUH? What are you talking about, dude? I just want to know how to save up some money.

So, i had to come up with these on my own. It's not earth shattering by any means. It's simply some steps to help you save up to whatever amount it is that you are trying to reach.

1. HAVE A YARD SALE. so simple. Get rid of that crap in your house and gain some extra dough. Simple as that.Put the cash you make aside.

2. Sell the better items on ebay. Not much of a fee for listing and if they are good, vintage, type items you will get more for them online.

3. Raise deductibles on your insurance. This is so handy IF you do it for a short amount of time. Raise them up, and let's say you save $100 a month. Well your budget is already used to spending that amount so when you get paid each month, transfer $100 (the amount you saved by raising your deductibles) to savings. That alone will save you $1200 a year.

4. Change your cell phone plan. If you have a back up phone that will save you money to use (ex: it doesn't need a data plan), switch to THAT phone for a few months and put the difference in savings.

5. Clip coupons. Read more about that HERhttp://thebargainhuntingmommy.blogspot.com/E.

6. Don't go out to eat. It's so simple. I had a gift card to use this weekend but let me just give you a quick run down.
2 glasses of tea
1/2 chicken salad sandwhich
1/2 turkey sandwhich
1/2 bowl of potato soup
1/2 ceasar salad
TOTAL: $21.62

My cost if I had made this at home:
Well, I already had the potatoes, I already had bread, go buy some turkey meat for 3 bucks, chicken salad from the deli 3 bucks, caesar salad in a bag 2 bucks, tea bags already had. So it would have cost me nearly NOTHING to have this meal at home AND I would have been able to have this meal every day for a week if I bought the items to make it at home. So silly.

If you are trying to save money then do NOT go out to eat.

7. Car pool. If you can. I realize this is one of those "REALLY???" kinda statements but let me explain. If I have to be at work ALL day for meetings and i know i'm not going anywhere...why wouldn't I have my husband drop me off and pick me up?Just saying'... the savings ads up.

What about you? What are some ways that you can think of to save money?????

The Car Story

Since I am one that is ALWAYS searching for the best deal, a buck I can save, or something to make my life less stressful, then its no surpise that I have considered selling my car. Obviously we can't live as a ONE vehicle family so my plan was to see if I could downsize. But here's the process AND problems of that....

1. My car is a 2006 Honda Accord Ex-L. nice car, runs great, has all the bells and whistles. I owe a lot less than it's worth which is a PLUS! That's how you WANT to be when it comes to a vehicle. So for that reason I felt like it was a good time to sell my car. i didn't want to TRADE it on anything. I've done my research and that wasn't the way for me to go. So in order for me to take the money I would make off my car I needed to have something in mind that I could go pay cash for.

2. Buying an older car may mean more problems. Just because I can pay cash for it and get out from under my car payment doesn't make me instantly rich. It may actually put me into a situation where I am pouring all sorts of money into an older, more junked up car.

3. I wanted to buy a vehicle from a family member. That actually worked out... my dad has a 2004 Explorer that is super nice that he was willing to sell me because he wanted something different. The milage was about the same as my Honda and it was 2 years older, BUT, at the end of the day I could pay him cash for it and eliminate my car payment. Problem??? Yep...

4. Gas mileage. My Honda averages in town 26.4 and on the highway I get around 31. Dad's explorer--12 miles to the gallon and possibly up to 14. It's a V8. I still wasn't convinced that this plan was bad.

5. Then I put a pencil to it. I get paid mileage where I work which is AWESOME. Every month I am able to at the VERY LEAST cover my gas expenses and some months I have extra money in my pocket. IF, I drove the same amount of miles in the Explorer I would be doubling what I spend on gas....

I decided not to do it. I decided to keep my Honda. Now, don't get me wrong--I love my Honda. i was just trying to eliminate a car payment. BUt, i have been doubling up on car payments and will have my car paid for next October which is 2 years and 1 month earlier than my loan says!! YAY! I mean don't get me wrong... I am so proud of the progress I have made on my Honda payoff plan, it's just thought of instantly having it paid off is more appealing. :) But--it's a process and I have to remember that.

At the end of the day... no matter if I kept the honda or bought the explorer I would have an aging vehicle that ran the risk of major problems. So I decided that I need to start thinking about that.
My plan--start saving now! I am going to put back $100 dollars a month over the next year while I am working to pay off this car. That means at the end of that year I will have $1200 so if any repairs are needed I can either pay for them with cash, OR at the very least have some money to put down on repairs.

I've never been like this. I have always traded vehicles about every 2 years. I did the math on that and realized how much money I have spend over the years and have nothing to show for it. I WILL own this Honda. I WILL drive it until it is not driveable. I WILL be glad that I have a vehicle and take pride in it and take better care of it. I will be content that this is the vehicle I chose to buy, so now I am keeping it and making it mine for as long as it will let me.

While saving money is important it's not always a cut and dry scenario. To me it sounded so simple. Sell my car, take that profit and buy something I can pay for with cash. But when I looked at the WHOLE picture it was not the best thing for me.

Living on less, saving money--all of this comes with wisdom and good decision making. remember to weigh every aspect before you decide.

And there. that is my car story. :)

Stretching it all

One thing that gets all of us often is those little things that you constantly have to purchase. The things that you don't necesarily budget for, but it hits you one day that you needed a new one!

Examples:

cleaning supplies. We forget to budget for these because we always think we have enough.

toothbrushes. Those are supposed to be replaced every few months and that sneaks up on us.

cleaning brushes. You know the handy thing that sits in your sink that you use to pre-wash things that go in the dishwasher? Those get so gross and have to be replaced.

I have a few tips to help with these...

1. Cleaning supplies. You really only need 3 things. Windex, vinegar, and rubbing alcohol. Rubbing alcohol will get stains out of ANYTHING! Carpet, clothes, rugs, etc. And its CHEAP. super cheap!!! Vinegar kills germs but won't harm you to breathe it in. you may not like the smell, but its healthy to breathe in and you can use it to clean ANYTHING! Just pour it in a spray bottle and add water.

2. Brushes. Whether for your teeth or your toilet...boil it. Boil them every other week and they will last longer. Promise. I have done this for YEARS!

Another thing I want to challenge you to do is to install a clothes line. That will save on energy, keep your house cooler in these terribly hot summer days, AND your clothes will last longer and smell fresh! I have my supplies laying here on the counter just waiting for the hubs to get home. :) Drying sheets, towels, comforters, clothing... it's going to save energy, keep our house cool and I am so pumped!! I am going to monitor my electricity bill and let you know for sure how much money it saves. I do not plan on hanging up small items (my childs clothes, underwear, hand towels, wash cloths) but the rest will be hanging up to dry (quickly) in this summer sun.

To live on less means to take what you have--and stretch it!

Why do we over consume?

There are lots of different blogs out there about the consumption of America and the impact of the media on our lives. One of my favorite blogs ever, Becoming Minimalist, had a post just today about ways to escape, and WHY to escape consumerism. He says and I quote, "After all, to live is to consume." Please check out his blog and when you comment tell him who sent you!

***Random thought I need to share.... I quote a LOT of bloggers and I always give them credit. I've never had one have a problem with it, but I like to let them know that I used them in my own posts. So IF you read a blog that I suggest please let that blogger know that I sent you. I don't EVER want a blogger to think I am using them without permission or without the appropriate links to their page.***

The big question here is WHY do we over consume? Sure I could list all of the common reasons:

1. the effects of media, print, tv, commercials, etc.
2. the desire to want more thats within us all
3. "keeping up with the Jones' " 

But I think it goes MUCH deeper than that. Sure, all of those things I listed are very real. If everyone is buying the newest IPOD, it's hard for us not to buy one too. We want to be cool. We want to have what others have. I think thats normal. It's natural to want things. I believe that God made us that way. But WE have to learn how to control it. 

In my opinion, the reason we over consume has to do with the list above, but more than anything I think it's this...

A RESTLESSNESS WITHIN OURSELVES.

I know that probably sounds so extreme to you but stay with me. I feel strongly that when I am restless on the inside for whatever reason, I tend to over consume. I think the desire to want to go buy something comes from something not being right on the inside. Have you ever had that feeling inside of you that you wanted to go buy something SO bad? You didn't have anything particular in mind but the thought of spending money and walking through the mall made your stomach get in knots? That comes from restlessness. 

When our hearts and heads have priorities straight we don't feel the need to over consume. When we don't get overly stressed out about things then we don't feel the need to get a "high" from shopping. If we can condition ourselves to understand that stress happens, bad days will occur, things DO happen that convince you that you need to shop, your friends WILL have cooler stuff then you.... if we can let ourselves KnOW these things than we can begin the process of curing our restlessness other ways.

I hope I haven't lost you. :) And I hope that this makes sense, and if it doesn't I hope that you will at least CONSIDER listening to what I am saying.

Since I was a youngster I have always had that tid bit of restlessness in me. I always wanted more. Which in SOME areas is a good thing. I always knew I was better than some of the losers i dated, I knew that I deserved better friends, and I knew that I had what it took to "go places." I mean none of that in a self centered way, but it was true. I allowed myself to feel down a lot but somehow I always shook it off and rose above. Dead end jobs would satisfy me for a bit and then i'd feel that urge to FLEE and go onto something better. Some of that is good. It's called being driven... but it ALSO effected me in my shopping habits and financial aspects. I work VERY hard to keep that under wraps. There are days I want to delete all of my blogs and start over with writing about fashion, and the arts, and I want to spend money like its water, shop every day, travel the world and totally (excuse my language) screw this minimalistic-saving money-living on less-thing i've been working on for so long. But I FIGHT that.

When I feel restless and feel that urge to shop, I sit down with my checkbook and budget sheets. I go over what I have spent, how much I have saved, what bills are coming up soon, what things are coming up that I need to save for, and that gives me that same "high" as I call it without me spending a dime. We need reminders of where have been and where we are headed. And that is
OK.

To sum it all up... i think we over consume because we are restless on the inside and always want more. i think we as a society, or those few of us that WANT to live with less, have to wake ourselves up and quit sugar coating it. It's not that we needed those shoes, its that we wanted them and couldn't think of anything else. We have to learn to be real with ourselves or we can NEVER get to the root of the problem.

Did any of this make sense? Do you agree or disagree? I'd love to know your thoughts.

I love comments--please give me some love, and share this blog with a friend!

Make extra money

I know, I know. That is EVERYONES solution to helping get out of debt and gain wealth. But, well, it's kinda true.

I understand that not everyone can work 60 hours a week, 2 jobs, raise 3 kids, and have some normalcy in their lives... i'm not saying that. I'm just simply saying do some little EXTRA things.

For example... i write sponsored posts. A lot of bloggers have ads on their blogs, write reviews on items, etc. No-it won't make you wealthy. BUT... on average I make about 200 dollars a month. That money can go towards...
* paying down debt
 *saving for a rainy day
 *allowing for a fun filled weekend with the family where you won't have to worry about spending money because the money you are spending was "extra"
*use it to start a stock pile. Get started on stocking up!
*buy birthday presents and cards for your friends for the whole year.

OR... you can do what I'm doing. :)

i am using this months "Extra" money to buy Christmas. True that I have already gotten started, but I can EASILY finish up with this months "Extra" money. I have a few things left to buy and I plan to wrap it up (not literally wrap yet...you know what I mean) and be done with it!

Then next month I can use that money to buy a years worth of contacts.

Then next month I can have a crazy grocery store run and really fill my cabinets since the other weeks I only buy necessities.

Then next month I can.... who knows?

See my point... doing little extra things may not seem like much but it allows you to have EXTRA money to do different things with.

What can you do to make extra money? Have you ever thought about it?

YARD SALES--

we are having a huge one in September. That money is all going to go towards next years vacation spending money. Whatever we make--50 bucks, or 300 is all going towards vacation!!!

It's the little things that you can do that allow you to have some extra dough!!

Give it some thought. Prayerfully think of things that you can do to make extra money!

Changing your mind and changing your world

Our journey through minimalism and what that means all started because of a conviction that i felt in my head and heart. I began feeling a "change" in me. Something that was urging me to change.

Living on less, couponing, saving money, spending less, getting rid of the excess--it ALL comes from changing your mind which in turn creats a whole change in your world! Chosing to live this way is not just a mind-set, it's a LIFESTYLE change.

Minimalism is not something that you change in one area. This is a lifestyle, change how you have lived, change your way of thinking, change what you do and say kinda decision.

There are no defined rules of what minimalism is. I have written about that several times before on another blog. Check out those posts HERE and HERE to kinda see where I got started and what I think. :) Okay so as I was saying, there are no "Defined" rules of living a minimalistic lifestyle, but I feel very strongly that it can't be half ass. It has to be all or nothing. It has to be a lifestyle change that benefits you and your family and allows freedom in finances and less stress in your home.

In the end, Step 3 is all about change.

Changing your way of thinking.
you don't HAVE to have those shoes

Changing habits
no more browsing the mall. You foolin' with that word "browsing" anyway?

Changing your hearts
priorities shouldn't begin with tangible things. They should begin with love, our families, our friends, our Savior.

Changing the world one step at a time.
I have a plan to change the world. No seriously... i do. I'll post that later. Don't laugh--I really think I have this one figured out. If you can't change the "World" this year, change your family's world. That would be super.

Planning ahead

I learned the hard way. I didn't want to take the time to prepare a list for anything. I REFUSED lists! And I was proud... then I later realized how silly I had been.

PREPARATION Is key.

PLANNING AHEAD IS CRUCIAL!

Before you go to the grocery store you MUST be prepared. Have your list ready, the store paper, and your coupons lined up and ready to go.

Before you clothes shopping you MUST have a list of your "inventory". How many khakis do you own? Yep-that's what I thought. PUT THOSE DOWN! :) You HAVE to know what you have. It's all about being prepared.

Christmas is a huge one to be prepared for. You must plan ahead! Christmas cards, gifts, budget, meal planning, decoration list, etc... you MUST be prepared.

Unfortunately I am not cool enough to create these "list" sheets on my own. But I have some blogger friends whom I adore that did that for us!

Check out http://www.orgjunkie.com/! You can print out budget sheets, babysitter lists, anything you can think of!! AMAZING site. Please follow them... this site rocks!!!

Click HERE to be magicially transmitted to Christmas lovers heaven!!! This site has printables for EVERYTHING Christmas!! This is a terrific way to stay on top of the game. PLAN AHEAD!

That's what its ALL about!

JUST SAY NO!

This is a crucial part of our lifestyle these days...

JUST SAY NO!

Hopefully you are already saying no to drugs... now its time to say no to SPENDING MONEY!

NO!

Think of a HUGE NO SIGN! The one that means DON'T do something? Think of that everytime you want to shop. NO!

Think about how you have NO money to spend! You can't have extra money to spend if you are saving it! If you are watching every penny then there is NOT anything left over. REMIND YOURSELF OF THAT!

If that doesn't work... think of this...

Think of the whole world banding together to spell out the word NO everytime you consider swiping that card!

Maybe i'm a tad extreme, it wouldn't be the first time I have been told that, but it's effective.

Still on the whole FIRST THINGS FIRST idea... you have to not only cut back what you spend at the store (I say that because that is where a HUGE chunk of people spend their checks. They overspend at Walmart, K-Mart, what have you), you have to STOP shopping. You have to say NO! You have to say NO to spending money. You can't truly save money and learn to live on less unless you are saying NO!

Repeat after me...

NO, No, NO. NO!

Unfortunately, step #1 (spending less at the store) is a lot more fun than this step. *SIGH*

First things first...

We began this journey knowing we had to start moving, but we haven't actually defined where we want to end up. That's not right, huh? But, for now it's where we are.

IT IS WHAT IT IS. WE ARE WHERE WE ARE.

We are on a journey through something trying to get somewhere. I'm already exhausted. :)

First things first...

We have to cut back. We have to cut back on what we spend. That means groceries, movies, eating out, toys, clothes, trips, EVERYTHING! That's our first step.

I mentioned in the WELCOME post that I began couponing a few months back. That's still going strong. We have a nice little stock pile (That I have VERY little invested in) that will get us by for a while. I am so proud of that little room. It makes me happy everytime I go in there. (FA-REAK...i know) Couponing has allowed us to cut our grocery bill from $400 a month to around $120 at the most.

FROM $400 to $120!! Did you read that? How awesome is that? I know, I know--i'm a freak. I'm just soooo stinkin' proud!

So I started there... still working on it. I'd like to spend less than that, but for now that's where I am.

First things first when you want to live minimally... cut back on what you spend!

Welcome to our world.

Welcome to our world.

We are the Matthews family. We are a diverse family to say the least. Here's some background on US...

I am 27. My husband is 49. My daughter is 5. His kids are 19 and 21. We live in the south. Faith-family-friends-food. That's what we live by.

I work in marketing, my husband owns his own business and my daughter is getting ready to start to kindergarten. (tear)

We had some changes to make in our life and we knew it. About 6 months ago I began couponing. Not EXTREME couponing, but I began any way. I learned how to save us money with each shopping trip. It was very exciting for me! I began following other bloggers that wrote about couponing, saving money, etc and even started a blog of my own.

Let me go back to the first F in our life which is FAITH. I believe that God is in the center of everything we do. All of the choices we have to make in regards to ourselves, jobs, children, spouses, etc ALL need to go through him. I'm not wise on my own. I NEED the help of God to guide me through decisions. I began praying over my finances. I began praying that God would open my eyes to the mistakes I was making and help me see how to fix them. I began feeling very guilty about my spending. I prayed that God would show me how to work through all of this.

A little background---I have ALWAYS loved shopping. It was my cardio as Carrie says on SATC. :) But I have ALWAYS been a bargain shopper. My mother taught me at a very young age that you can get so much more if you wait til it goes on sale. :) And I LIVED by that. Everything i've ever bought (with the exception of VERY few things) has been purchased while it was on sale. That's helped a lot, but it didn't exactly fix any problem. It just allowed me to spend the SAME amount of money as those that shopped regular price, I just had a lot more stuff. STUFF. STUFF--stuff-itis.

I read a book called "THE 100 THING CHALLENGE" and if you haven't read it and are considering living on less or even if you are NOT, read it. It's very good. The first chapter, as I recall, gives a scenario of him walking in his house, tripping over a toy, spilling something on his fancy polo shirt, dropping and cracking an IPAD or IPOD (something fancy like that), knocking over a $1,000 vase, etc. (I made a lot of that up. It's something like that. Very dramatic and talked about expensive stuff.) Anyway, he finally gets in his room goes to pick up a pen and realizes that pen cost like $150 bucks... he looked around the room and felt sick. He was consumed, stressed out and overwhelmed by stuff. So he decided to live on 100 things for a year. That got me thinking about MY stuff. (NO, I do NOT want to only have 100 things. But he did make me realize that a lot of times my "stuff" consumes, overwhelmes and stresses me out.)

My closets are filled to a brim. 2 storage rooms, tons of shoes, toys, hunting gear, golfing stuff, home decor, etc crams my storage buildings!

My hubs---well, he has lots of hobbies. And I don't mean reading books. I mean golfing. Hunting. Things that require LOTS of STUFF. Don't get me wrong-I don't begrudge him for his hobbies or for his stuff. We just don't need more. I am a hunter myself so I know that "gear" is important.

My daughter--has one of EVERYTHING. And two of most things. It's insane. She has so much stuff she doesn't even know WHAT she has. And it's funny... out of all the things she has she will come find me and say "Where's that toy--ya know the one from Chick fil a?" And inside I think yep--the innocence of a child speaks volumes. It IS the little things like the happy meal toy, not the fancy V-tech, X-Box looking thing in her room. It's crazy.

We have more stuff than we know what to do with.

I began feeling convicted, yes, that's where I was in my story before I went off on another tangent. (I do that a lot, get ready and bear with me). I began feeling guilty that I had so much yet felt like I needed more. So what does a person do that feels that way? Give everything away? Sell it? I can't do that... or can I.

So that's where this journey begins. You have a family (in the house) of 3. 3 people that have it all.

This is our journey through sifting through the "STUFF" and learning to find peace on less.

I hope that you will follow along this journey. I plan to laugh, cry, get mad, pout, sulk, and be an emotional roller coaster. I think I do that best.