Today the alarm was set for 6:05 and I am proud to say I got right up. I am happy to say I had about a half hour before the first little munchkin woke up. Before she woke up I was able to have by devotion time in the stillness of our house. I am still planning on a goal of 5 or 5:30 by the end of the month.
Day 4 reading in Early To Rise: Learn To Rise Early in 30 Days
is so important to think about. Control is something I struggle with all the time. I worry about things I can't control and forget about the things I can. The past few months I have been trying to take more control over things I can. It has been easing a lot of stress in my life. Taking control of things like your morning rountine gets you off the hamster wheel you feel you are on and going no where. You are in control of your morning and not your morning controlling you.
Day two and three went about the same as the first day. Kids up at 6:30 when they usually sleep until 7:30-8:00. They seem to know I want a little time to myself in the morning and plan on sabotaging my efforts. Tomorrow I am setting the alarm for 6:00 and slowly extend that time back until I find the right time that will work for me.
Day 2 message from Early To Rise: Learn To Rise Early in 30 Days
talks about naming your alarm clock. Reading it you may think it sounds crazy but when you really take time to reflect on what the author is trying to say, it starts to make sense. When you are not a morning person the object waking you up become something you really don't like. When you stop hating the alarm clock and think of him as a friend, you start looking forward to your mornings and everything they might hold.
Day 3 message from Early To Rise: Learn To Rise Early in 30 Days
really spoke to my heart. As a mom of three I rarely get time to myself to do things that I really enjoy. Last week I got very little done because I had 2 kids cutting teeth. All my 18 month old wanted to do was cuddle. My 2 year old was a little more cranky than normal so the kids seemed to be fighting much more. This did not give me a chance to get anything done and by the time the kids are in bed, I am so exhausted I don't want to do much and I still have a husband who needs me.
Having that hour or two every morning just to do what I want and need is going to make me feel much better about what I've accomplished for the day. I will be selfish in the morning and take care of me so that I can better care for my family.
I am happy to say February was great in so many ways. We were under budget in many categories. I am finally feeling like we have control over the money and not the money controlling us. I feel much freer than ever before and so much more confident about our finances.
I am learning more and more how to juggle the money and spending on what we need instead of what we want. Our change of mind and attitude has made a huge difference in our checking account. We have spent about $500 less than we normally do by just asking ourselves whether our purchases are needs or wants and can we wait to buy this? We don't elimante all wants from our lives but instead decide what wants we can acutually afford and truely desire as a family.
This isn't easy. Watch a few commercials and you will be told that you need this car or this phone to be cool. Use your credit card and you can go anywhere or do anything. The problem is YOU have to pay for it. It's simple math. You can't spend more than you take in, if you do you will be broke and then some. Paying for things on the credit card or through loans will only have you spending more for something you could have saved for a few months and purchased with a discount.
As I look around at our neighbors and their brand new cars, boats, campers, snowmobiles, and four-wheelers I wonder how many actually own them. Our vehicles may not be brand new but we own them and never have to worry about someone else taking them from us if we don't pay. We feel like being "cool" is paying cash for things we want in order to stay away from being in debt to someone else.
Well this morning did not go as I had hoped. My alarm was set for 6:30 and my youngest decided to get up before six. Instead of some me time getting ready for the day we had an hour or so of cuddle time. At my point in life I can expect this and just hope that as this challenge continues I will start finding time in the morning for me.
In the past I have been one of those people who start something, do it for a few weeks, and go back to the old way. I have slowly been changing my life so I can be a better mom and wife. Starting this challenge is really a challenge to see if I can do it for the whole month. I know this isn't going to be easy as I've already seen on day one, but I can see the benefits of being up before my kids and taking time to prepare myself for the day.
Don't forget to purchase your copy of Early To Rise: Learn To Rise Early in 30 Days
and join us in the challenge. Joing the conversation at moneysavingmom.com.
Tomorrow starts the Early to Rise Challenge over on moneysavingmom.com. I will be blogging about my particaption in the challenge.
I have wanted to get up before my kids for a while. I do it occasionally. One week will be good and then something happens and I just feel too tired to get up early.
Once my kids are up I feel like I get nothing done and when I finally get them to bed, I am so worn out from the day that I just want to relax or go to bed. I want to get up about an hour before my girls get up. I hope to have my morning devotion and coffee before the girls are up and maybe start some house work.
This is the push I need to take more control of my life. We end up like little hamsters on a wheel never really going anywhere. Now is the time to be in control of your life and your day. I want my day to start and end like I have done something worth while. Being a stay at home mom is so wonderful but many days I feel like that hamster and wonder if I am making the most out of my days. My husband is up and going by 4:30-5 every morning. He has several hours of work done before most people, including me, get up. We all wish we had more hours in our day, well maybe now I can put at least one more hour in my day to take care of me.
If you would like to participate get your copy of Early to Rise and then head on over to moneysavingmom.com and read the rules.
As a stay at home mom who is in charge of the shopping and the finances I know how much things cost and I'm always trying to find ways to save money that doesn't require hours of clipping coupons. One thing that seems to add to our budget is dishwasher soap. A container lasts a little over a month and then I am always having to buy the Rinse Aid to go with it. The most logical way to save money would be to hand wash everything but doing dishes three times a day doesn't really sound fun, does it?
A few years ago I started cleaning with baking soda and vinegar. I found a recipe for dishwasher soap. It worked fine but it was a tablespoon of one thing and two of another. When we moved into our new house it just didn't work very well and I gave it up.
A few months ago I came a across a recipe that was so incredibly simple that I figured I should at least give it a try. I did and it worked great! I have been using it for 2 months now and don't plan on going back to store bought. I did change a few things in the wash routine that has helped tremendously.
Here are some tips in making the most out of your dishwasher:
- RINSE everything. The less food on the dishes the better.
- Clean out the bottom of the dishwasher every single time. You'd be surprise at the food that was left on dishes.
- Run hot water in the sink with disposal for a few minutes before you start your dishwasher.
- Run your garbage disposal and make sure it is clear before you start your dishwasher.
Dishwasher Soap Recipe
1 cup borax
1 cup washing soda
1 Tablespoon Lemi Shine or Lemonade (sugarless kind)(this becomes your rinse aid)
2 Tablespoons of soap in each load. (This last about a month and I run the dishwasher at least every other day)
You can use Lemi Shine to clean your dishwasher also, which I would recommend doing once a month especially if you have hard water.
I'd love to hear if it worked for you!
January was so much better with our budget. We were able to not only stay on track but discover changes that needed to be made. We added items that will be cash only to our envelope system and created more specific categories.
My husband and I actually sat down and discussed the budget and where our money is going. This made a huge difference and we are finally on the same page. He saw places that we needed to budget to avoid a large bill coming out of our emergency fund down the road.
We have decided we needed to add three more budget items that go into the envelopes. With the envelopes, the money is added every month and taken out as needed. It makes it much easier to save for bigger items. Our three new categories are car maintenance and repairs, house repairs, and entertainment including our membership to the zoo.
Something else I overlooked was that we are going to need to replace our old beat up pickup. In April we will start putting away money to replace it. After a year we should be able to pay cash for a used but decent pickup.
Yesterday I looked over our budget and was amazed at how little we have been spending compared to before the budget. I go to Sam's club with a calculator in hand so that I can buy the big things but not walk out spending $200 like I used to. I stick to my lists. Now I can go every month and get $50 of groceries and about the same with household items and stay under budget. In almost every category we were under budget or exactly on. The few categories we were over, but it was a very small amount and unavoidable (two categories were only $2.00 over).
Ending the month of January has felt so good. The spending was limited and we have more in our checking then we usually have. I feel less stressed and very optimistic that we can begin paying extra on our debt and pay it off faster. If you are thinking about your finances I'd encourage you to read My Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. There is so much information and advice on how to be smart with your money and build wealth for your future by paying off debt, making the right investments, spending money wisely, and being smart about spending what you have.
