It has been my kind of morning - I've been completely busy with moving stuff all week and cleaning out our house, and this morning has been so relaxing! Ben and I played all morning and watched first the snow fall of the year, I got him all ready to go outside in the snow but he wanted to nap instead! I am currently drinking a cup of "Chocolate Peppermint Almond Beverage" from Trader Joe's (which tastes AMAZING and only like $1.99 for the whole container - you guys know I love a good bargain) and relaxing next to my little napping buddy. Parks & Rec is playing on Netflix, I can watch the fresh flakes fall to the ground, and I'm feeling so cozy snuggled up beside baby Benjamin.
I have been thinking lately about how much I really want to use this blog to encourage other people and lift them up, or maybe give them some of my personal advice to help with tough situations that may be going on. I have always loved the idea of being an advice columnist or writing for a newspaper. I used to read Mrs. Manners when we would get the Sunday paper when I was a kid just because I thought it was so interesting hearing this woman's advice for everyday problems and tough situations. I reached out via Instagram story to see if people might be interested in a sort of advice column here on my blog, and I ended up getting positive feedback and a few inquiries. They were larger topics, and I was trying to decide whether to tackle each one in separate posts, or one big post with shorter replies. I've decided to do one mega-post, and possibly make separate posts eventually. I'm going to phrase the questions how they were sent to me, which was over Instagram so they are shorthand and relatively short questions themselves, and do my best to answer honestly and give you my best advice!
- "Keeping a budget! I SUCK at managing money!"
- So, first of all, I am not always great at sticking to a strict budget. It depends on our current goals and plans - if we are in a time where we don't have any pressing goals and we are able to be a little more flexible, Chris and I both tend to be a little more on the "spendy" side - what can I say, we like the finer things in life! (Says the girl who wore a cheap Walmart coat all last winter and loves to sell all of her belongings.) Over the past few months our budget has been VERY strict due to our moving plans - we haven't traveled, we haven't bought things that we don't need, and we eat at home almost every night of the month.
- Dining at home and grocery shopping efficiently is one of my biggest tips as far as budgeting money - planning food and meals is a huge money saver! If a family of three goes out to dinner, gets takeout/delivery or even a drive-thru meal, it can easily cost anywhere from $30-50 dollars depending on where we go and whether we want drinks or appetizers. The same meal is a fraction of the cost when you cook it yourself, and the more often you cook, the better you get at it and the more recipes you can make! (Also, it's healthier - you know how much sodium, sugar, fat is going into your food when you make it at home!) Some of my recent favorites are mozzarella-stuffed turkey meatballs with spaghetti, cauliflower mac-n-cheese, and Filipino pancit. For a recipe like cauliflower mac-n-cheese, you can easily make 6 servings for around $7.50 - a box of mac n cheese is $1, a head of cauliflower is $2, a half-gallon of milk is around $1.50, breadcrumbs are $1.00, and shredded cheddar is $2.00. You can add more veggies or protein to the recipe as well, but thats less than $1.50 per serving for 6 people. (Versus going out for all those meals, which could easily be around $45-60 for 6 plates of food.) OKAY. Lots of talk about dollars and ingredients - if you want help with grocery shopping cheaper, I wrote a post about some tips and tricks on how to help out with getting healthy and inexpensive groceries.
shopping buddy! - Change the way you look at clothing or makeup - since I've become a mom, my spending on clothes and makeup has dramatically decreased. I wear comfortable clothes, I often re-wear outfits or pieces a few times during the same week, and I don't wear as much makeup. I think part of it is I don't really care as much anymore about trying to look perfect all the time, but I've also realized that other people don't REALLY care or notice about how you look. When I was in high school, I would spend a lot of my money on new outfits or outings with friends, and I would spend a ton of time getting ready every morning. I think there is something to be said for putting in an effort to feel good, be clean, and wear something that makes you feel comfortable and confident, but no one will really notice if you don't have a huge closet filled with all the latest #trends!
- Use an app like Mint to find out where your money is going, and how much you're spending. You may be surprised to find out what you're spending money on every month! Use Google Drive to set out your budget, and plan any goals out in a spreadsheet. How much extra money do you have each week after you have paid your bills, accounted for gas and groceries, and put a little into savings? Don't be discouraged if it seems small at first. Make it fun, and not stressful - brew a coffee or a tea, turn on some music, and think to yourself, "Look at me, getting my stuff DONE!" Make an inspirational board on Pinterest about what you want to be able to accomplish in saving money - travel, destinations you'd like to see, goals you'd like to achieve.
- Two words - side hustle! Find something you enjoy, and find a way to make a little cash doing it! There are tons of awesome and easy-to-use apps and websites like Depop, Etsy, Bonanza, Fiverr, and others to sell thrift finds, your own creations, and so much more. Look through what you have and sell some of your own stuff to become more minimal and make your life a little more simple - use Facebook Marketplace, Mom 2 Mom sites, letgo, Craigslist, or more. You can also do things like childcare, dog sitting, photography, MLM companies, creating a podcast or a vlog channel - there are SO many things you can do! Think outside the box - if you have the time, the possibilities are endless. Here is a link to Side Hustle Nation, with an article with tons of ideas! Use that extra money to fund your savings and future goals - or, if you're a stay-at-home mama looking for ways to earn extra money for your family, some of these would be excellent.
Naturally, I went on Red Cup day to get my
free plastic cup. Addicted? Maybe. - One of my biggest weaknesses as far as everyday spending? You guys... I'm embarrassed to even admit this, but it's Starbucks. I will justify spending $20+ dollars every WEEK in coffee, thinking, "This is my special treat for running around all day!" I don't buy myself clothes (unless I find them at thrift stores or I really need something) or makeup often, but my everyday splurge is a seasonal latte from Starbucks. Not only is it heavy on the wallet, but it's also not good for me to be drinking those all the time! I'm still working on alternatives to trick myself into stopping this ridiculous habit! (Perhaps this Chocolate Peppermint Almond Beverage will do the trick? Only time may tell!) I just wanted to include this because I am on one hand pretty proud of myself for learning so much about budgeting/getting bills paid/learning to decrease my spending habits but this one still lingers - no one is perfect! We all have our weaknesses, so don't get too down on yourself if you spend a little more than you had planned - just learn from your mistakes, and get better next time!
- "Write something on having a balanced life! You're the queen of being able to do it all!"
- First of all, because I know who asked this question, THANK YOU FRIEND! Secondly, because I know myself, you must know that I don't feel this way about myself - everyone gets things done at their own pace - over the past year, I've been a stay-at-home mom! This can be both incredibly difficult, sometimes really lonely, and challenging - and also very flexible, fun, and rewarding. It does give me the opportunity to pretty much create my own schedule for the week - as long as Ben isn't too tired and he is feeling happy and up for it, I am able to take him with me to run our errands, get anything done, and do what I need to do during the day.
- Although I do have a flexible schedule being a SAHM, I also have methods to get things done throughout the day and the week. I am the main "paperwork and getting the boring stuff done" person around the house - bills, medical stuff, mailing things out, making phone calls, selling our stuff/packing everything for our move - those are all sprinkled throughout my week. I basically balance my time between playing with Ben, feeding him, putting him down for his naps, changing diapers and all the other work that comes with having a one-year-old, and doing all of the other stuff that has to do with being an adult and running a house - cleaning, and all that "boring stuff" I mentioned earlier. (It's not really boring to me anymore!) I usually either mentally or physically write down a to-do list for the week, and I also have a general everyday routine that I think helps a lot with my productivity. Ben wakes up pretty early right now, around 6:00 am, so that helps a lot with getting things done. Usually I do my cleaning in the morning, in between feeding Ben his breakfast and playing with him. He independently plays and explores the room while I get my stuff done around the house. During his nap, I will write on my blog or take care of some of the boring stuff - paying bills online, researching stuff for our move, listing things online to sell. After he wakes up, we run errands - any groceries we need, dropping off donation stuff at Goodwill, meeting up with anyone who is purchasing items, or selling clothes and stuff at Plato's Closet or Once Upon a Child. Then, we head home and I play with Ben more and work on some stuff for moving - packing, organizing, cleaning out rooms. Sometimes I take Ben to our city's downtown area to swing in the park or go for an autumn walk, which always inspires me, and then we head back home again. I start on dinner and give Ben a snack in his highchair, and usually then Chris gets home! We do whatever activities or things we have planned for that evening after eating dinner, and we fold the laundry and stuff after I put Ben to sleep. Then, it's time to relax. It's a busy day, and I always have to be flexible because I don't know if Ben is going to get way too tired and cranky to go grocery shopping, sometimes he doesn't go down for his nap, and sometimes plans need to change for doctors appointments or if someone is sick.
- That was long. WHEW! In short, my tips for balancing everything are to create a daily routine that you enjoy and feel productive and inspired by, make chores and the boring stuff enjoyable, try to wake up early, and find a purpose for your motivation. If you have no purpose for bettering yourself and becoming more productive, then you won't. This is how I felt during a large part of my years in college - I wasn't big into parties or anything like that, but I still spent a lot of unnecessary time and money on things that weren't productive at all. I had a lot of big dreams but I wasn't actually doing anything to chase them. Now, my everyday purpose is taking care of Ben and being the best mom I can be, and my goal is for us to have a smooth, fun, and seamless move across the country, so I am doing everything in my power to make that happen - selling, packing, planning, etc. Make a goal, then create a plan, and feel accomplished in every little baby step you take towards that goal. You've got this! You are Beyoncé!
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| photo from Pinterest |
I hope this was helpful to those who asked these questions (and hopefully some of my other readers!) I know this was a long post, and I have Part 2 coming - the other questions I received were about feeling lost, mental health and some deeper subjects, so I wanted to split it up into separate parts. I love encouraging other people, but I am no expert on any of these subjects! These are just my personal tips that I've been able to use in my life. Let me know your tips for budgeting and balance below in the comments!
Hugs,
Megan
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