Saving Money, Losing My Mind

That's it - I can't even think straight anymore. 11 months into Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University (FPU), and I can't function without a budget. Spending money hurts now. That's brilliant for long-term financial goals, but lousy for short term sanity. Need proof? I had to count on my fingers to calculate those 11 months; it's a good thing my kids showed me what to do when you go over 10.

I love the concept of thinking through every purchase before buying anything, both from a financial and an environmental standpoint. Really, I do. Unfortunately, after training myself to do that, I'm too cheap to buy things that I don't really need. Especially things that are for me, as in, things that are not for my family, but ME. If I were a clotheshorse or serial shopper or something, that would be great, but I'm not. I'm pretty frugal by nature. So now the things I deny myself are things I couldn't justify spending household money on, so I bought myself. Put another way, "my" treats were really household needs.

Last month I bought several whole grains and beans in bulk - yea! Cheap, healthy, great all around. Unfortunately, they keep getting lost in the pantry because I refuse to pay for proper storage containers for them. I can't find them, so I don't use them. Eventually, one of them is bound to explode and rain millet all over our dry goods, costing me several hours of my life cleaning. Now the issue is clutter. A few weekends ago, the boys were gone, the fog lifted, and I devised a game plan for several of our most cluttered areas. One of the worst is the closet in our front hall. Between the weird weather this season and the kids outgrowing their shoes and coats all the time, the door barely shuts. Add to that my husband's tendency to hurl every pair of shoes he finds in there like he's Curt Schilling, and you can imagine how just getting ready to leave the house becomes a headache. Ah, but I had a plan! Over-the-door shoe rack! Sort through the shoes and coats and bags - get it all off the floor! Put an end to all the pitching! Yeah, um, well, it turns out that those shoe racks are $20 each, even at discount stores. I'd planned to get 3 of them, but there's no way I could justify $60 for stupid wire racks. So what if the closet's a mess, right?

Wrong. While I still can't justify all 3, I did commit to one, and to cleaning out that closet. Why? Because my sanity is worth it. The fighting and frustration every morning when we all go "bobbing for sneakers" in the closet has got to end. I'm not suggesting we all have professional home organizers come in seasonally so our homes look like Real Simple covers, but if taking a few bucks out of the long-term cash stash helps ensure I'll live to see the rewards, I'm sure Dave would approve.

Gotta Love the First

I recently read that it's best to begin a new exercise routine on a Monday because Mondays are a fresh start, you're (relatively) well-rested from the weekend, and if you mess up, another Monday is right around the corner. Not bad logic, if you ask me! I feel the same way about the First of each month. The First is like a Monday "fresh start", but for bigger projects. It's also an opportunity to take care of all those little things that I'd forget if I didn't do them on the same day every month. Here are a few of the thing that make my First list.

*Update my planner. I use a paper planner, so on the First I take out the oldest month and add one for future planning. I save all my old planner pages in storage sleeves for reference.
*Give the pets their monthly medications, like heart worm and flea & tick prevention.
*Plan the next month's budget. Actually, I try to do this before the First. I think of the First as the final deadline for the monthly budget.
*Review my annual goals. If I see any that I've been neglecting, this is when I try to commit to work on it more in the coming month.
*Clean the inside of the dishwasher, the garbage disposal, the detergent tray in the washing machine, the lint trap in the dryer, clean out the fridge, etc... Once you get in the habit of cleaning these things once a month, you'll never have one of those days when you walk in the door and wonder, "What died in here?" again.

Are any of these tasks monumental? No, not at all. In fact, I could probably go a month or two without doing them, but I wouldn't be happy about it. I like starting out the month clean and organized and in control of my home and life. I just like having all my ducks in a row. Or maybe, rabbits. Years ago, I was taught to start every month by saying, "Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit!" before anything else, for good luck. I have no idea where it came from, but perhaps that's really the most important routine of every First for me. Whether it's blind superstition or balancing the books, the First is all about getting into that "fresh start" state of mind.

Wishing you all a happy, healthy & safe Fourth of July!

Welcome!

Thank you for coming to my blog on organizing and managing your home, family, work and life. As I sat down to write this evening, I was interrupted by my 2 year old, then my dog, then a help call for my volunteer work. My husband is working until midnight tonight, so I didn’t have dinner on the table at 6 and there’s still laundry in the machines. So why, you’re now wondering, would I take organizational advice from this woman?

Here’s why: I know what I’m talking about. After years of trial and error, I've finally learned how to balance my life, enjoy the present, and keep stress to a minimum. I'm healthier and happier than I've been since I was a kid. That's what I want to share with you.

You see, organizing your life isn’t about hooks for each child’s backpack being installed at the proper height and location (although that is a neat trick). It’s not about having a shelf-scape in your bathroom of 24 matching glass jars with pretty “necessities” displayed therein. Too many books and articles focus on these picture-perfect ideals, but few of us live lifestyles that support that kind of organization. Organizational management for moms is about keeping your home, work and family balanced and happy. I don’t know of any mom who would shelf-scape her bathroom, but knowing where to find the Mr. Bubble at 7 pm on a Tuesday is vital information.

If you’ve read over my profile, you’ve seen my experience comes from a variety of sources. Sure, I’ll write about useful home organization from time to time, but I’ll also address time management, balancing work and home, single parenting, keeping on top of all the paperwork it takes to run a home, managing personal finances, and even organizing your mind. I sincerely hope you’ll find my writing valuable to you and your family.

Namaste’