My friend who is doing the Weekend to End Women's Cancers with me came over today to discuss our fundraising efforts. We've decided to hold a Jack & Jill type fundraiser. We'll sell tickets and then people can come play games, drink booze, have some snacks and buy tickets for door prizes. We're going to host a few of those at home parties so that we can use the host dollars to buy items for the door prizes.
I'm very excited about this. Planning these things will give me something to look forward to and work towards. It's nice to have something like that sometimes, you know? Not that being on maternity leave isn't rewarding on its own, of course. I love spending time with my little boy and I am not looking forward to my maternity leave ending. I also have never liked working for a living and I feel like being a Mom is what I was made to do. But it's also nice to have something that is just yours. That you're doing for yourself because you enjoy it, not because someone else wants you to, or because someone is paying you to.
It's funny how when you first have a baby you feel completely overwhelmed, wonder how it's possible that anyone chooses to do this and more importantly, why you chose to do this! But it doesn't take long to get yourself into a groove and realize that you really can do this. Eventually you get to go back to your normal self and you get to do things for yourself, which previously seemed impossible. I think it's important to start to do things for yourself as soon as it is reasonable to do so after you have a baby.
Showing posts with label 101 in 1001. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 101 in 1001. Show all posts
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Debt Repayment
When my husband and I decided in December to start paying back our debt, we had over $20,000 in consumer debt alone. Neither of us have student loans so that is our only debt not including our car lease and our mortgage.
How did we get there, you ask? We were very, very irresponsible. We wanted instant gratification. We didn't want to wait and save up for purchases. We wanted to live the way we wanted to live, and not the way we could afford to live. We were very stupid.
I get angry with myself frequently when I think back to how irresponsible we were. We knew we were living beyond our means. We thought if we didn't think about it, it wasn't real. I worked for almost a year before we had Pierce. And I knew I needed to do a budget and track our spending, but I honestly thought that if I did a budget and counted up all our expenses and subtracted them from our income, I would find that we couldn't afford to pay our bills. And I wanted to be in denial about that.
Finally, at the end of last year I decided that we needed to do a budget. I am on maternity leave now, making 55% of what I did when I was at work and I wasn't expecting it to be pretty. But it was. I found that with the money that we bring in, we can pay all our bills, have all our necessities, and still have approximately $600 left over to pay towards our debt! Just think how much more money we would've had to put towards debt if I had done a budget when I was still working.
I try not to get angry with myself for waiting so long to get real about the amount of debt we have and make a plan to get us out of it, but it's hard. Think about how much more we could have paid down by now if we had started living on this budget before I went on mat leave! But I can't dwell on that. It's in the past, I've learned from my mistakes, now it's time to reverse it.
What really motivated me to do this were the money management posts on Simple Mom. Simple Mom is another blog run by Tsh of Simple Living Media and offers "Life hacks for home managers." I love this site. So. much. Seriously, go check it out. But come back here when you're finished, okay? Okay.
Tsh posted in her blog about Dave Ramsey's baby steps and that's what we're using to pay off our debt.
I also frequent the Money Matters message board on The Nest. The ladies there are so knowledgeable. After we sat down and did our budget, I posted it there so that I could get some feedback on it. They're so helpful there, I would encourage anyone trying to get out of debt to post their budget there and see what the ladies have to say.
Anyway, I am very proud of us for the progress we've made in the past two months. And it feels good to make a decision not to buy something when I'm out shopping. Of course I don't always make that decision. But I am learning. And that's what's important.
How did we get there, you ask? We were very, very irresponsible. We wanted instant gratification. We didn't want to wait and save up for purchases. We wanted to live the way we wanted to live, and not the way we could afford to live. We were very stupid.
I get angry with myself frequently when I think back to how irresponsible we were. We knew we were living beyond our means. We thought if we didn't think about it, it wasn't real. I worked for almost a year before we had Pierce. And I knew I needed to do a budget and track our spending, but I honestly thought that if I did a budget and counted up all our expenses and subtracted them from our income, I would find that we couldn't afford to pay our bills. And I wanted to be in denial about that.
Finally, at the end of last year I decided that we needed to do a budget. I am on maternity leave now, making 55% of what I did when I was at work and I wasn't expecting it to be pretty. But it was. I found that with the money that we bring in, we can pay all our bills, have all our necessities, and still have approximately $600 left over to pay towards our debt! Just think how much more money we would've had to put towards debt if I had done a budget when I was still working.
I try not to get angry with myself for waiting so long to get real about the amount of debt we have and make a plan to get us out of it, but it's hard. Think about how much more we could have paid down by now if we had started living on this budget before I went on mat leave! But I can't dwell on that. It's in the past, I've learned from my mistakes, now it's time to reverse it.
What really motivated me to do this were the money management posts on Simple Mom. Simple Mom is another blog run by Tsh of Simple Living Media and offers "Life hacks for home managers." I love this site. So. much. Seriously, go check it out. But come back here when you're finished, okay? Okay.
Tsh posted in her blog about Dave Ramsey's baby steps and that's what we're using to pay off our debt.
I also frequent the Money Matters message board on The Nest. The ladies there are so knowledgeable. After we sat down and did our budget, I posted it there so that I could get some feedback on it. They're so helpful there, I would encourage anyone trying to get out of debt to post their budget there and see what the ladies have to say.
Anyway, I am very proud of us for the progress we've made in the past two months. And it feels good to make a decision not to buy something when I'm out shopping. Of course I don't always make that decision. But I am learning. And that's what's important.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Lent
For those of you who don't know what Lent is, here is a Wikipedia article that explains it.
Lent starts on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter Sunday. Lent is a time of fasting, among other things, and many Christians give up a vice during this time.
This year I have chosen to give up eating out completely. No fast food, healthy or unhealthy. No sit down restaurants. No drive-thrus.
This will be particularly difficult for me because I really enjoy eating out. But it will be good for me. For both my wallet and my waistline. We'll see how I do.
Do you give up something for Lent? If so, what?
Lent starts on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter Sunday. Lent is a time of fasting, among other things, and many Christians give up a vice during this time.
This year I have chosen to give up eating out completely. No fast food, healthy or unhealthy. No sit down restaurants. No drive-thrus.
This will be particularly difficult for me because I really enjoy eating out. But it will be good for me. For both my wallet and my waistline. We'll see how I do.
Do you give up something for Lent? If so, what?
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
101 in 1001
The Challenge:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.
The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on your part).
Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple challenges such as New Year's resolutions or a 'Bucket List'. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips, study semesters, or outdoor activities.
Read more here.
I feel good about this list, this time. I started a list before and didn't even come close to finishing it, but I've revised about half of the goals on my old list, either removed them completely, or modified them slightly and I feel good about getting it all done in the allotted time. I hope this inspires someone else to do the 101 in 1001!
My start date: February 17, 2010
My end date: November 14, 2012
Tasks not started
Tasks in progress
Tasks that have been finished
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.
The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on your part).
Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple challenges such as New Year's resolutions or a 'Bucket List'. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips, study semesters, or outdoor activities.
Read more here.
I feel good about this list, this time. I started a list before and didn't even come close to finishing it, but I've revised about half of the goals on my old list, either removed them completely, or modified them slightly and I feel good about getting it all done in the allotted time. I hope this inspires someone else to do the 101 in 1001!
My start date: February 17, 2010
My end date: November 14, 2012
Tasks not started
Tasks in progress
Tasks that have been finished
- Donate Blood
- Get another tattoo
- Go to a drive-in movie
- Learn to knit
- Take a Yoga class
- Take a multi-vitamin every day for one month
- Take a curling lesson
- Learn how to skate
- Go to the symphony
- Learn to play an instrument
- Take a scrapbooking class
- Read 15 books (0/15)
- Volunteer for Habitat for Humanity
- Get a Brazilian wax
- Learn how to jump start a car
- Go to see a comedian
- Take a cooking class
- Renew my passport
- Take a spinning class
- Make a list of 101 things I love about my husband
- Make a list of 101 things I love about myself
- Take a ballroom dancing class
- Pay off all consumer debt
- Put $5/week into an RRSP for both me and my husband
- Sell my Beanie Babies
- Sell paper lanterns
- Build our emergency fund to contain a minimum of $3,500
- Learn to use a sewing machine
- Drive to the West coast and back
- Get to a goal weight of 150lbs
- Don't eat out for one month
- Eat a vegetarian diet for one month
- Give up all fast food for one month
- Get over my fear of the dentist and start going regularly
- Don't drink any pop for one month
- Drink nothing but water for one month
- Brush my teeth twice per day for one month
- Floss once per day for one month
- Go to church every Sunday for 12 weeks
- Wash my face twice per day for one week
- Wear make up every day for one week
- Get boudior portraits done
- Wear a bikini and feel fabulous
- Watch all episodes of Friends in order
- Watch all the movies that have won Best Picture since I've been alive
- Eat at a sit down restaurant all by myself
- Do the 60km walk for women's cancers
- Give all my clothes that are old or don't fit me anymore to charity
- Give the baby outfit to charity
- Volunteer in a soup kitchen
- Put flowers on someone's grave who I don't know
- Scrapbook our wedding pictures
- Paint a room in my house all by myself
- Host Thanksgiving/Christmas dinner by myself
- Change the chandelier in the dining room all by myself
- Create a time capsule to be opened when I turn 50
- Create a time capsule for Pierce to open when he turns 25
- Scrapbook Pierce's first year
- Make a Will
- Designate a Power of Attorney
- Start a savings fund for Pierce
- Designate someone to take care of Pierce should Mr. B and I die before he's able to take care of himself
- Put together Pierce's crib trundle drawer
- Buy a change table for Pierce's room and put it together
- Clean (or get someone else to clean) the tall window in the living room
- Change the handles on the cabinets in the kitchen
- Change the handles on the cabinets in the bathroom
- Print and use the dockets and checklists from Simple Mom
- Start writing to Chloe again and write at least once per month
- Take Pierce swimming
- Make and freeze Pierce's baby food
- Donate $5 to a charity of my choice for each goal that I do not complete
- Put $5 in my RRSP for every goal I complete
- Get smoke alarms installed
- Continue meal planning for at least 6 months
- Send a secret to Post Secret
- Do my Moms' group's Biggest Loser competition
- Start using a metal water bottle
- Sneak into a movie
- Tell my husband that I love him every day for one month
- Get Pierce a passport
- Use our deposit to get nice pictures of Pierce taken
- Host a Norwex party
- Go away for a weekend with Mr. B and leave Pierce at home
- Choose a difficult recipe and become a pro at making it
- Take a walk and pick up garbage
- Take Pierce to dinner at the Rainforest Cafe
- Take at least 10 pictures of Pierce each month, not including his age-sign pictures
- Go for a walk three times per week for one month
- Learn to make my own cleaning products
- Take Pierce to the zoo
- Send Christmas cards each Christmas during the 1,001 days
- Go through my stuff and either sell or donate things I don't use/want
- Mail Thank You cards
- Add Pierce to my benefits
- Mail Pierce's birth registration
- Take Pierce to the beach
- Match the dollar amount of gift certificates Pierce gets in his savings account
- Give something up for Lent each year during the 1,001 days
- Go a week without watching television
- Go a week without using the computer
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Changes
My friend, Kristin (Hi, Kristin! Love you!) has inspired me to start up my blog again. But there are going to be some changes. I cannot keep a blog that is only about one subject. I've tried to do it many times before and it just doesn't work for me. So instead of this being a blog about having a baby it will now be about my life. Anything I'm doing. Whatever I feel like writing about.
Back in summer of 2008 I started a 101 in 1,001 and I never ended up finishing it. I am going to fix up my list, post it here, and start it again, so look for that soon.
Back in summer of 2008 I started a 101 in 1,001 and I never ended up finishing it. I am going to fix up my list, post it here, and start it again, so look for that soon.
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