Moneysavinmama's Personal Finance Blog

We have a rather larger list of things I'd like to complete in the next year.

1) Roof- decide on steel or shingles. Hopefully complete by mid summer.
2) Fix/Replace the picture window in the living. The middle pane has a large crack in it.
3) Replace door and frame in the living room.
4) Add screen doors to all outside doors.
5) Extend the deck by 10 feet wide.
6) Move the building to the front of the drive way and play set to the current building space.
7) Fence in the main yard.
8) Put a half door in at the top of the basement stairs.
9) Graval the second drive way.
10) Build a fire pit.
11) Remove old fencing between side and main yard.
12) Remove old window in the basement and replace with a larger escape window.
13) Replace all jack posts with new ones in the basement.
14) Replace basement stairs.
15) Replace walls in basement.
16) Finish half the basement into a rec room.
17) Paint the kitchen and living room.

This is this list so far. Still working on prices and goal dates to have everything done.

Thank you all for your kind comments on my previous post. One of my goals is to be more accountable and more active around here. I'm feeling really good about how my accounts are all sitting right now.

Oil Savings (I add to this each month for the purchase of oil for the house) $835 and I just filled my tank and paid it off this month. Hoping the tank should last till midsummer.

Personal Taxes (I am self employed so taking off my own taxes, my break even goal is around $7000 after deductions) $3874

Misc Savings (This will be used for house upkeep, I will add down below our list of goals for the year) $4794

Mortgage Savings (I try to keep 2 payments ahead in this account) $975

Christmas 2015 $500

Large Savings (this hardly gets touched, will be kept in case of emergency) $18358

As for my debts my credit card and both line of credits are sitting at 0.

I lent a family member some money two months ago and should have that repaid by next month that totals $3000.

My goal for the end of the month is to be able to add another $200-$300 for both taxes and misc savings.

I started stocking away any cash I get or cash from anything I sell while decluttering for a small get away this summer with my dd and SO.

I was going to add my house goals and projects to this post but I think I will save it for another post.

I am feeling really good where everything sits right now, my income is due to drop mid May so I will continue to save as much as possible until that!

Looking back to my January posts and remembering everything that happened between then and now is hard. January 11 I found out I was pregnant with my second. I was so excited we had tried for this for an entire year! We kicked into high gear with the savings and banked as much as we could, I am self employed there for wouldn't qualify for any type of leave. Regardless we were so happy and so excited. Everything was going great I had some sickness but it was okay. Fast forward to March, I started experiencing some complications. Lots of visits to the doctor, blood work, ultrasounds and tests and we found out baby had stopped growing and I was in the beginning stages of a miscarriage. I was devastated, my daughter was devastated. Fast forward to now April 15, I'm still very sad and hurt. Every time I look at my savings and see the money had I saved for baby time it's like a slap in the face. We are continuing to try for another, continuing to save where we can. I hope to be more active around here, more accountable and more money savvy. I'm also hoping for a miracle that we get pregnant again before the year with a healthy pregnancy.

I went over my expected income vs budgeted amounts today and I am really hoping to be able to pay $1000 off my line of credit this month. I put $100 towards it already today, I also paid my cellphone/internet which was $7 less then expected.

I was hoping for a no spend day but need to run to the post office to mail a letter, I also need to pick up a few things for my home business.

This weekend will hopefully be low spend, going for supper with friends Friday evening, Saturday will be the normal grocery shop, and Sunday dd is invited to a birthday party. I have some stocked up items in my gift closet I purchased on clearance after Christmas so we will find something in there and dd will make a card.

I'm working really hard to use up left overs lately to, very happy with myself. Would love to cut back in waste!

Here is my budgeted amounts for January, I haven't been tracking expenses very well but starting next month every receipt will be saved and recorded.

Fixed
Mortgage (332)
Montgage (332)
Lights (150)
Oil (250)
Car Ins (40)
Home Ins (85)
Life In (56)
Bank Fee (14)
RESP (50)
TFSA (50)
Cell/Int (175)
Netflix (8)
= (1542)

Flex
Groceries (500)
Rotary (32)
Gas (200)
Taxes (800)
LOC (500)
Gift Fund (125)
Car (75)
Misc (400)
= (2632)

Fix (1542)
+ Flex (2232)
=4174

Expected Income
4714

My property tax is suppose to be going up the end of the month so my mortgage payments will have to be adjusted when that happens. (paid biweekly)

My income is not guaranteed, that is my projected it could end up be less or more I am self employed so it not set in stone.

With being self employed I pay into my taxes myself.

Any extra left over at the end of the month will be split between my line of credit and the goals I had listed in my previous post.

I am going to start to save all receipts but really work on tracking starting next month!

I've been thinking really hard about my 2015 goals, I want to set realistic goals that I can actually achieve. I didn't have a goal list set for 2014 but I feel like I had a decent year. We had a few visits from Murphy that cost us around $6000 unexpectedly, I paid off my visa as of last week and am working on my line of credit.

Here are my goals:
1) Pay off my Line of Credit (2579.13)
2) Continue with $50 a month auto transfers to my Tax Free Savings and RESP
3) Replace door and picture window in the living room (by spring)
4) Fence in my side yard/property line (by spring)
5) Make an extra mortgage payment by the end of the year (700)
6) Save $125 a month for gift, Easter, Christmas etc.
7) Continue to declutter and purge things in the house
8) Clean and organize the basement

Other then those I want to continue savings where I can, sticking to a budget, trying to cut my expenses. If I have money left over at the end of the month it will go towards things in my goal list or savings. I want to try and commit to posting at least biweekly to try and keep up!

Wish me luck!!

Wow after being gone almost 2 years I'm back! I just reread my last post and it's so funny how much things can change! I bought a house in August of 2013 I had been looking for awhile but never expected to have found one! I quit my job in this September (2014) and starting doing in home childcare again. I didn't go back to school and don't have any plans to. I'm trying to start my new year off right by setting up a new budget and paying off my credit card and line of credit. Overall I feel like I'm in a pretty good place which will be even better when things are paid off!

Well I have been off the wagon for way to long, I'm ready to get back on and am looking for some help. First off I decided to not go the route of back to school, right now anyway. The government could be offering the part I need to finish my ECCE (Early Childhood Care and Education) in September and if they do it would be offered free online evenings and weekends way better then me taking the full course online. Second I bought a new car! And doing do drained one of my savings accounts. I love my car bought it in cash and am sooooo proud but here I am starting off again. Here are my current stats;

Small Ef: 500
Car main: 230
Other save: 80
Christmas: 150
Savings: 5550

My bills just seem to keep growing higher rent, higher childcare, insurance etc.

Bills:
Bank fee: 13
Car Ins: 38
Ten Ins: 10
Life Ins: 43
Cell/Int 150
DD Education: 50
Save: 50
Rent: 875
DD dance: 35
Netflix: 8
Gym membership: 33
Daycare: 400-540
Car Main: 50
Christmas:75
=1830-1940 before groceries, gas, misc spending, eating out, birthdays, etc.

My income varies per month but should be around 2566-2929 per month depending if its a 4 or 5 pay month. Can you help me budget this out, I may be getting a roommate so that will add another 250-350 to my income but would like to be able to not count on that and have it go directly into savings. Advice, Ideas I really need help getting back on the wagon. I have no idea my real spending for things like groceries, gas, misc and I need to be realistic that I am going to spend money on things like activities, eating out, clothes etc. I have a very short commute to work so I should be able to get away with 100-125 per month on gas. For groceries I have no idea but its just me and my daughter a dog, cat and two fish! Well if you made it this far and have some advice or care to share your opinion I would absolutely love to hear it!

I'm looking for some education advice. I'm thinking on going back to school to finish my second year of ECCE I can take the course online while still working. There are 13 courses in the one program I'd be taking, you choose how many courses you want to take at a time and pay as you go. Courses cost between 191-386 a course. For all 13 I'm looking at about 3000 plus books (unsure on book costs right now) When I finish the course I will go up in pay right away but only 3$ an hour, so about 6000 a year. Then every year after that another dollar until I get my max of 6$ more an hour then what I currently make unless I get a supervisor position then it would be 10$ more an hour but those jobs are far and few in between. It'll be crazy busy working full time and doing courses as well, plus I am a full time single mom. I'm just looking for advice on what to do, this is the field I'm currently in, I have work in it and will continue to have work in it but finish my schooling offers more chances for other jobs in different locations but still doing the same thing and same basic pay.I hope this makes sense, please help me make a decision. Weigh the pros and cons etc.

House hunting, staying on budget, saying, stopping my spending. All great big fails.... I am currently moving out of my cheap rent, cheap apartment into another very expensive apartment. Still at a lower paying job, still paying daycare bills, still falling behind. I need some major support. My income each month is approx. 2100, my fixed expenses which include, rent, cell/int, bank fee, life ins, car ins, tenant ins, dd edu savings, auto savings, netflix and dds dance class. Totals 1272, that leaves me with about 828 a month for everything else.... Can anyone help me realistically do this? I need a good plan...

August 24, 2011... The last time I posted, about 10 months ago. My life has turned completely upside down and side ways since then. I almost wish I could go back to then when I thought I had problems but honestly didn't even know what a real problem was. In October I lost someone very close to me, the person I told everything to, the one person who knew me the best, my daughters father. Since then I quit my job, was off work unpaid for nearly 6 months, started a new lower (way lower) paying job and started dd in daycare full time. Major changes for me. There is also another huge list of things that happened in my immediate family since then. This has honestly since October been the year from ****. I blew through my savings, my ef, my baby ef, the car fun, christmas account etc. I stopped budgeting stopped tracking, kind of stopped caring. I ran my credit card up a few times but now I'm back. I have a whole new look on life and how short it is but that can't get in the way of the financial goals I want for myself and my dd. As I said my new job is a lot lower paying and I now have a lot more bills, including childcare which I never paid for since dd was born! The 2500 that was lent out to a family member only half of it was paid back and it was only paid back last month. My credit cards are paid off, two cut up, my accounts look good but now its time to start actually saving. I'm house hunting now looking for a permanent spot for dd and I. Right now my accounts look like this;
Small Ef: 500
DD: 5390
Car: 135
Other (saving for down payment): 5300
Christmas: 475
Misc Savings: 290
Large ef: 5050

I'm still owed 1250 of the 2500 and I'm hoping I get it back eventually, I'm also owed another 3000 by another family member also hoping that will be paid back without any hassle.

I will be back later to post my new budget and income but if anyone has any advice on how to get back on track I would great appreciate it. TIA

Wow, I haven't posted since the end of June. I have lurked and kept up with lots of you but I have majorly fell off the wagon. Hard. That July budget I posted I completely blew it out of the water, didn't track expensese. I did absolutely horrible. Then came august, I've done even worse. I took a week off UNPAID and spent SO much money, I did as much as normal people would do in a summer in a week. We did two summer parks, a water one and one with rides, we did swimming, dinners out with friends, a mini trip, hotel, zoo, shopping, beach, parks. But most of everything we did cost money, lots of it. I'm still looking okay for this month meaning I'll be able to pay bills, pay off my credit card, keep groceries in the house but there will be no adding to my car fund, my bed I still owe on, my savings. But we did have a great week off and I plan to get my butt in gear and get back on the wagon September first by sticking to a budget!!

Now to update you on how my accounts are looking,
Christmas: 525(hoping I can add another 75 once all bills are paid)
Misc: 0
Ef: 5321
Small ef: 700
Car savings: 1060
Bed: 900 ( owe 1300)

Overall not to bad, the story on the car. My old one passed inspection so I'm going to hold off on buying a new one. Now a big thing, I had a family situation and lend out 2500$ of my savings... They are to pay me back 500$ a month until it's paid off I'm hoping they stick to it and do it ontime.

My income will be dropping start next month so my new budget will have to reflect that. My dds birthday is also next month and another family members so it will be a pricey gift month. I'm probaby going to start my Christmas shopping next month to ive already done up a list of who all I need to get for so just what to get it left. My goal is to have saved 900$ for Christmas by December. Well if you got through all this thank you for listening to me ramble hope everyone is having a great summer!

Alright I did make all my June goals at all I set a new budget for July and here is how it's looking:
Bills: 352
Rent:500
Weekend: 240 ($60 a week/weekend to be used for eating out activities and misc stuff)
Clothes: 50
Out: 100 (higher then normal because I'm going to a play the beginning of July and tickets are about 45)
Sitter: 50
Bed: 200
Groceries: 400
Gas: 100
Car: 50 ( maintaining vechical)
Christmas: 75
Hair: 40
House: 40
Car: 150 (towards a new car)
Extra save : 100
Misc savings : 30
Balance on cc: 50

Now I really hope I can stick to it and cut back a bit on the flexible expenses.

I really need a new budget plan! Not really sure where to start or what to do. I was attempting to do the cash/envelope system but am failing!! I need something new to try. I need to pay off another 800 on my new bed (interest free till december), another 350 till I make my christmas goal. I need a new car and am still going to save as much as I can towards it but life has been getting in the way lately. Between birthdays, other gifting holidays, grads, things I needed for the house etc. I am kind of looking for a cheaper ($6000-$7000) car to finance so its a bit nicer then an 2000/2001/2002 thats in my price range for cash but haven't had that much luck either. Right now I still owe out about $1025 if I'm going to make all my "normal" savings goals. (Save:100, Misc:100, Account Over:150, Bed:200, Car:150) then rent, groceries, gas, dds account money and this weekend. But I only have about $813 coming in, but I charged $92 on my credit card yesterday that I have to pay off.

Wow, I feel overwhelmed!!! I wish I had have kept tracking my spending the only things I really know what I've spent on is gas everything else has been a free for all.

So if anyone has any other budget plan ideas for me please please please let me know!! I need to get back on track! I also updated all my info in the side bar, not much progessing being made as you can see. Oh and not to mention that in August I am taking an unpaided week off and will be about 500/600 short from my normal budget not including the bed savings or car ugh, life.

3, 4, 5? What a bad month June has been so far and it's not looking like it's going to get any better. Im behind on some bills, have put nothing towards saving, or a car, or my bed. I have lost work, had more bills pop up. Had a sick dd and had to take more unpaid time off. Its been a long run of bad things happening. I have 2 more small pays plus child support (I hope) so I might be able to catch up a bit.

I need to start tracking my spending again, I stopped a few months ago and just haven't been able to get back in the swing of things I'm spending money faster then I'm making it. My fingers are crossed that July is a way better month, I can't take much more of this bad stuff.

Well this month was good but I spent lots and didn't track any of my spending, took dd on a weekend trip had a great time and stayed under budget!! I managed to put away the normal savings. 25/dd, 75/ large ef, 100/baby ef, 75/Christmas. But nothing extra. June will be a WAY better month it has to be! I'm going to track everything, and really try to cut back on unneeded spending. Also going to try to not eat out as much. Fingers crossed it's a way better month!!

Well me and dd went away for the weekend and I am happy to say that I was under budget for the trip! I have 10$ left in my wallet and 70$ left in my misc trip account! We had a great time, seen baby bears and baby monkeys, cougars, lions, we went swimming, out to eat, did a TON of shopping! It was a great time I'm hoping to plan for another little two day trip in August!

I started to plan out my June budget and I am hoping to add an extra 100 to savings and 200 to my new car savings account. My budget will look like this if it goes as planned:

Bills: 351.91
Rent: 500
Weekend Money: 240 (works out to be 60 a weekend)
Clothes: 50
Out: 40
Sitter: 25
Groceries: 340
Car Maint: 50
Extra Savings: 200
Christmas: 75
Hair: 40
Misc Savings: 100
Gifts: 50
New car: 200
House items: 40

Any extra money I make that is not budgeted out will probably go 50/50 to savings/car, Now off to go and update my goals on the side bar!!

I was sitting here writing out a new list of goals and decided the ones I was making were not realistic at all. So I scratched them out and started again small. Here is what I have so far: Boost baby emergency fund from 500 to 1000. Keeping adding in the automatic 75$ a month into my large ef so by December as long as I don't touch the money or add any extra I'd have 5600. Start saving for a car since I don't have to rush anymore to buy one, I have about 1000$ left of my income tax and I am going to put 500 into my car fund and 500 toward shelving, a picnic table and the rest towards a new camera. My goal is to save about 2000 for a car. So not so offical goals:

1) Baby Ef: 500/1000 To be completed by Sept. 2011
2) Large Ef: 5000/5600 To be completed by Dec. 2011
3)Christmas: 300/800
4) Car: 500/2000

Hopefully I can meet them all my job is kind of up in the air as of September, not sure what I'm going to be doing. Lots of decisions to make so hopefully I can just save up and maybe finish early. That would be great

Well my weekend has been pretty good, trying hard to not spend money I don't have to. If I can make it through today I will be good till the weekend and then we are off for the weekend, hoping for nice weather for the zoo Saturday. I am not tracking my spending anymore I'm finding it a pain to write it down right now once I get my apartment organized and I have a desk set up for all this stuff/business stuff it won't be as bad so for right now I am spending my category money in cash only and not spending more then what I had alotted that category its working good so far. I have been spending my weekend/eating out/misc money (which is $60 a week/weekend) on eating out, 23 on Friday and then another 20 last night but on the bright side its Sundaty and I still have about 30$ left in the category and I get another 60 next week and the week after. This is working way better to just take 60 a week whatever is left over will go into my misc savings which currently has 106 (206 as of next week) but will be spend this weekend on our mini trip.

Car update: I don't have to rush to find one! My parents went out yesterday and bought a second hand van so I can take my time looking this is such a relief!!

My income this month is a huge mess, with pretty near a full week of me being sick and then the children I watch being sick my pay at the first of the month and next week will be a little short. I'm hoping for a full week of all the kids to make up for all the missed days and then a VERY healthy June to get back ahead!

Income tax money, I still have no set plan for this but it is slowly getting spend on random things for the apartment/yard. Shelving for my dds room, living room and play room, getting a picnic table build, and will probably buy the kids a pool. I still didn't buy my new camera I think I will research a bit and buy a really nice one at some point. I also need to sit down and write out a new set of goals since I met my two bigger goals alreaady of 500/5000 and am still doing my ongoing goals of christmas etc.

Well if you made it through this all your a trooper thats a whole lot of random updates/thoughts! Hope your all having a great weekend

I need advice. Long story short: I need a car. I bought a car off my parents in October for cheap I have been driving it since, they are now looking for a new car because the inspection on the car they were driving is up and its not worth putting work into. They really like the car they sold me, I dont. So they will buy it back and I can get something I like. Here is where I need the advice, I really want something newer, nicer etc. Would love an suv type car but with the price of gas I don't know if it would be smart. I still have about 1000$ from my income tax, 700$ from the car from my parents, and I could sell my old old crappy car for about 300$ so thats 2000 right there. Do I take that 2000 and buy another older car, do i take 1/2 my ef and buy a decent newer car or do I go and buy a new car from the dealer at 0% finacing for 60 months and have a car payment of about 391 but full cover insurance. But no maintance and a 60 month warrenty. Would love some good advice because I need to make my decision soon right now my parents are using my car (aka their old car) all the time and thats leaving me carless a lot which isn't a big deal cause I don't use in through the week at all really but still it would be nice to have the opition.

I am very thankful for an ef this week, my dd ended up sick on Monday and I ended up sick Wednesday so this caused me to miss near an entire week of work. If I didn't have money in my savings incase something like this happened I don't know what I'd do! Use my cc that only has a $500 limit? We are a one income household, we rely on everything I bring in. Very thankful for my ef but also starting to think $5500 isn't enough. Time to set some new goals.

Today was a very long day, DD woke up last night and ended up getting sick. She was sick on and off from about 12-3:30 so I didn't get much sleep to begin with and then had to wash just about every blanket in the house today and had to take the day off from the kids so I have to sit down and redo my budget since I'll be short money. She is feeling a bit better this evening I just hope it lasts and she doesn't get sick again!

We made a trip to the mall yesterday and got my mom a mothers day present and my friend a graduation present I also bought a few things for the dog and cat, new dora sandels for dd and cute picture frames for my bedroom! I'm hoping to keep this a no spend week from today till Thursday then payday is Friday so we will likely go for groceries Friday night!

I still haven't decided what to do with my income tax refund so right now its just sitting in my baby ef account. I should have all my weekend trip funded by next week! I am very excited I book the hotel room last week so its all set! Zoo, shopping, hotel, swimming cannot wait for a long weekend of fun/relaxing with dd and my friend!! 18 more day!!!

Well my end of the month savings numbers are in and I am SO happy to say I met my 5000$ goal early!! I was hoping to get it done by December! I also took the 1076$ I got from my income tax I spent 34 on tanning sessions for myself and the rest got moved into my baby ef until I decide what I'm going to do with it. I messed up majorly on my budget, didn't track my expensese, stop tracking my money in just a bad month but I am starting fresh in May and back to writing everything down.

I booked the hotel room for mine and dds mini vacation! Now to really cut my spending for may so we have some extra money to spend! I am so excited and relieved right now!! Time to think of a new set of goals for myself!

I failed big time on my "no spend week" I made it till Tuesday and then I took the kids and mom out for lunch. Mind you it was 26$ for 5 of us to eat, it was really good, lots of food even had left overs BUT thats not the point of a no spend week is it. I did Good Monday and Yesterday two no spend days, tonight shouldn't be I'm planning on going to the gym tonight which is covered under my membership but its rainy and gross out so I may stay home and have a movie night with dd either way it should be no spend.

I wrote last week about being overwhelmed by the state of my apartment well since then I kind of jumped from room to room and really didn't get much done so yesterday I sat down and made up a big 3 page list of things I want to get done starting with dds room. I want to turn it into a space for just her, with some special toys if she wants time alone she can go and play and then that way she doesn't have to share all of her toys with the children I watch and I am proud to say I am pretty much done! I have a small table and chair I need to move outside when the rain stops and then I have 6 boxes of clothes to sell but I am done! Her room is so neat and tidy now, closet is so clean, even extra hangers in her closet! Next will be my bedroom with the main goal being to remove the playpens from the children I watch right now its a bit of a maze to get to my bed I packed up one to sent home today and the other one we will work at sleeping on couches this afternoon. So hopefully by tomorrow I will have 2 out of 3 gone!! I then want to make my room more relaxing, comfortable for me to get away in, my own space since the rest of my apartment is full of toys!

Tomorrow I will post my end of the month savings totals and its looking pretty good that I will make my 5000$ goal!! I am still wavering back and forth about what to do with my income tax, either bank it all or 500 towards a camera, 50 for a pinic table for outside, 100 towards getting my dog fixed, 50 towards shopping when me and dd take our over night trip next month, 200 towards my large ef and 176 towards my small ef. But then I feel like I should be putting at least half into savings, but I really have wanted a new nice camera for awhile. All the choices!

I woke up this morning and went to transfer some money out of one account to my savings account and there was a deposit made in the middle of the night to my account of 1070 and some odd cents. Now I have been waiting for my income tax refund but from what my mom worked out she thought I would be getting 1700 back and when I looked it over I thought around 1400/1500 so maybe its my income tax with an adjustment? I checked to see when it says and it just says deposit, direct deposit is great until you end up with money that your not sure where it came from! I almost don't want to transfer/spend it incase its a mistake and they try and take it back out. Now if it is mine time to decide what I'm going to do with the money, if I had have gotten the 1700 back it was going to go like this: 500-small ef, 500-large ef, 500-new camera, 200-dog fixed. Since its not as much I'm not sure how I should break it up I'll think about it this afternoon and if anyone wants to tell me their opinion then let me know!! Hope everyone has a great day

We had a great and very busy Easter weekend! We seen lots of family and even had a Egg hunt through the woods at my grandmothers my dd loved it! She had so much fun and loved that she got to eat jelly beans for breakfast!

Today I am catching up on cleaning and 5+ load of laundry, I am trying to budget for next month to include a trip to a hotel, summer shopping and zoo with dd and planning for a full week off with no pay in August. I am hoping to do a full Monday-Friday no spend week, I filled up my car on saturday so I shouldn't need gas, I got enough groceries to hopefully get us through so hopefully I can make it! Save a bit of monry for the trip and then plan for a low spend weekend!

I hope everyone had an amazing Easter weekend!!

Yesterday was payday and I ran to the bank this morning to put some money in then back home to do all my banking. I took money out for rent, 200 back to my baby ef bringing it back to 500, paid the 114 off on my credit card bringing it to a 0$ balance, paid my cellphone bill, put 75 into my christmas fund and took out some money for groceries, an activity this weekend with dd and fun money! I feel more in control this week after paying all that and still having a bit in my chequing account!

This morning I painted Easter eggs with dd and we went out for breakfast, I'm hoping for a really nice day tomorrow so we can enjoy the trampoline and maybe go to the park and for a walk. Then Saturday night the Easter Bunny comes! Or as DD calls him Super Bunny! Sunday morning will hopefully go good, DDs dad is coming out to spend the morning with us so he can see her going through her easter basket and then I have a family dinner in the afternoon. I'm hoping for a really nice day so we can go outside blow bubbles and play with some of the outside toys!! I hope everyone is having a great weekend and a very Happy Easter!!

I am sitting here in my living room SO overwhelmed with stuff, books, toys, papers, craft supplies, more toys and books blankets boxes of clothes just so much stuff. I don't even know where to start. I watch children out of my home and need to keep a variety of toys for the different ages but I'm beginning to lose the battle and my home. Where do I start!! It's so stressful to sit here and look at everything, I did one corner this morning packed up a bag of books to send away, and a bag of papers to get rid of. But now what. What do I do with toys I spent good money on but dd just isnt interested in playing with them. She actually doesn't play with at least half of her toys because there in piles in the "playroom" that we don't play in because its to full Of stuff! Do I just get rid of it all? Even though I spent money on it? I could sell it but that seems like a lot of work. What about boxes? How long is to long to keep them? I've had a huge 42" tv box along side my stairs for 2 years! I keep thinking what if I move and need to move it? Someone please offer some advice in where to start to regain control of my home!!

I've made some really bad financial decisions lately, I actually said the other day frig the budget, if I want to buy something I'll buy it. So tired of counting every cent, writing everything down, only spending this much on this or not having any money left in this envelope till I get paid again when I know I have money sitting there in the bank. So I went and said forget about the budget, went out and did some shopping and out for supper 113$ later on my cc, spend 60$ on a night out with friends, and took more money out of my baby ef which is now down to 300 because of bad choices. I sat down this morning and check my bank account and could have smacked myself, who in the right mind says frig the budget and then goes shopping!! Bad Bad idea! Anyways I went over everything and get paid this week, I will put the 200 back into my ef, send 113 off the to cc company, take out my rent money, pay my cellphone bill, add a bit into savings, into dds education savings account, my christmas account and will hopefully be back on track. I am still hoping to finish off my large ef of 5000 this month even with all my extra spending, and then back to my normal budget still not sure about keep/getting rid of the envelope system though. Rant Over

I've been trying really hard to stick to the envelope system and am having troubles with it working for me. I think I'm going to quit using it except for certain things, car maintance, clothes, babysitting, going out, but for things like eating out, misc, groceries etc I think I'm going to use debt. I'll still set my limits and write down what I spend but its starting to be a pain splitting up the money trying to split a 20 into 5s so I can fill an envelope. I don't have time to get into the bank to get the proper bills, hopefully this doesn't completely ruin my efferts and send me back into crazy spending! But its just getting a little to easy to spend those twenties, I'm homing it'll be easier to say no to swiping the debit card. Has anyone else tried and given up on the envelope system?