7 Money Makeover Commitments

I've decided it is time to make my Total Money Makeover a total commitment!  If I want to move myself toward debt-free living I need to make some changes and some new commitments!

  Recently I was catching up on The BudgetingDiaries series over at Our Life On A Budget (one of my favorite blogs)… I am enjoying these series because it not only shows the deals, or the frugal life-hacks, it also allows me to meet people and learn their stories and their lifestyles.   Learning about the "who" behind the "what" and "why" has been a great help in the motivation department! 

7 Ways I Am Committing To My Total Money Makeover!

(1)    Not Sacrificing My Mental Health for My Financial Health
This one has been (and likely will continue to be) a struggle for me.  As I mentioned in my last post, I have been struggling with some issues relating to depression and anxiety.  I have determined that my second job is no longer a good fit for me, and I have taken an indefinite leave of absence.  In the short term this means some back-stepping financially, but I am committed to looking at the big picture, and not allowing myself to feel guilty about what I know was a necessary decision.  I am also committed to not allowing myself to allow the price-tag to keep me away from proper mental health treatment.  

(2)    Simple Christmas
I am committed to not spending money I can’t afford on Christmas.

(3)    Homecooking
I am committed to cooking at home.  To making packed lunches for work.  To skipping the fast-food and the coffee stops.

(4)    Charity

I am committed to supporting charities in accordance with my values and my budget.

(5)    Lilla Rose Business

I am committed to my Lilla Rose business.  I am committed to working this business to extent allowed by my career and to growing it into a valuable income.

(6)    Order and Organization 

I am committed to growing in order and organization. Neither of these virtues come naturally to me.  I am committed to learning to better order my time and space to best use these resources for my overall financial good. 

(7)    Purging

I am committed to sorting and purging excess goods in a way which will benefit me financially (and help with #6).   This may include bringing books to a used bookstore, donating items to charity, consigning clothing, or selling things online.

This post is linked up at some cool web-places, including:
This Ain't The Lyceum, Time Warp Wife, The Modest Mom Blog,

What Is Your Rice and Beans?

If you are a fan of Dave Ramsey, and know what it means to "live like no one else so later you can live like no one else," I am certain you know the significance of rice and beans!

Dave talks about being in gazelle mode, cutting all expenses to the minimum.  Cutting your grocery budget down to rice and beans, beans and rice, rice and beans.

I am trying to get there.  I quickly realized that a $50/month grocery budget was very unrealistic.  I created a meal plan which could feed me for around that much money (I believe it consisted of pasta, canned tomatoes and eggs). But I was hungry, cranky, and craving other foods.

But it is time to cut back and so I needed to find a few "rice and beans" meals.  What are things I can eat cheap, cheap, cheap so that some of my grocery money can become debt busting money instead!  What can I eat beyond just rice and beans without breaking the bank.

Rice-And-Beans Budget Meal Ideas:

(1) Rice and beans

Can't overlook the classic!

(2) Pasta with tomatoes

I just use canned tomatoes in place of sauce.

(3) Leftover Soup

Make a soup using all the leftover veggies, scraps etc. you have from past meals.

(4) Canned Soup

Sometimes even canned soup can get pricey, watch for sales!  I was able to get 12 cans of the Campbell's Homestyle soups for $11 this week at Stop and Shop.  Perfect for work lunches.

(4) Eggs

So many quick, easy and inexpensive ways to eat eggs.  Scrambled, French toast, omelet, frittata, fried egg, egg sandwich....  Scrambled eggs with veggies is a very satisfying meal.

This Post Is Part of My Frugal Food Series, Be Sure To Check Out:
Lasagna For One  - How one simple hack makes lasagna the perfect meal for the solo kitchen
Frugal, Hungry And Single - My intro to the challenges of cooking for one on a budget
More Meals For One - Four simple and versatile ideas for single cooking

Linked Up At:
The Modest Mom Blog, Mingle Monday @ Life of Meg,  WFMW @ Giving Up On Perfect



A TMMO Update

So I have discussed a bit about my goal of a Total Money Makeover and the ultimate goal of becoming debt free before - so I thought it was time for a little update for anyone who might be interested! 
Status: The ultimate status is that I am not doing so hot, definitely haven't been in gazelle mode.

 

 

The Bad:

* On a plateau - definitely not in gazelle mode
*  Struggling with a food budget - my grocery budget is in check, my penchant for getting fast food on my lunch break or the break between my two jobs is not.
* I quit my second job - not necessarily a bad thing, but definitely affects my abilities to take on the baby steps.

* No snowballing or extra payments

 

 

The Good:* I have been cash flowing everything, no additional debts

* I became a consultant with Lilla Rose - hoping to use this to generate some side income which I can apply toward my debt free goal!

*Received a promotion (and pay raise) at work

 

 

Goals:

* Use the time previously spent at my second job to support long-term financial goals.

*Generate side/secondary income.

*Pay off my federal student loans before Thanksgiving 2015

 

 

 



Catching Up and My TMMO

Once again I am here "catching up," I guess the question is how many times can I start a post with "so long, no blog" or something similar.  Anyways, hopefully I am back here for more frequent blogging but given my track record I make no promises!

 

My life has been heading all sorts of directions lately, and unfortunately many of those directions have led me away from God.  Yes I still believe life is a journey.  Yes the goals I have set for my Journey are still important.  But I was ignoring them for awhile, and even now my approach to them is a bit different.  I am back to praying regularly, but I can't say the same for regular Church attendance.  I cannot say I have been doing much to model Christ-like living for others so I suppose both goals 1 and 2 need some major work.  Goal 3, being able to see Christ in others and treat them accordingly, is almost second-nature to me though I suppose lately I have been treating people well more from a humanistic approach than a truly Christ-centered one.  Goals 4 and 5 are both much less religious in nature, and I suppose I can say I have been doing very well at 4, making a positive difference in the lives of others, and not quite as well on 5, which is to work everyday at being the best version of myself.  I definitely want to be the best me possible, but lately there has been a lot of room for more work!  So friends, whether I continue with more frequent blogging or not, I would love to be in your prayers!

 

As you may have seen in the pages I am now working on a Total Money Makeover to help me with the big goal of becoming debt free!  This is a major focus of my journey right now, one I am very excited about and plan to blog more about!  The other big change in my journey is that I am preparing to move into my own apartment.  After living back home with my folks for almost five years after college/graduate school I am excited to leave the nest again.  That means you can also expect some fun posts about setting up house and all things domestic.  While I did live in the dorms and an apartment in college, and in a rental house with roommates during my graduate program this is my first time really being "out on my own" and I am both excited and nervous about the prospect!  Pretty grateful to all the family members offering me extra dishes, lamps, tag sale items etc. to help me move on a budget.

 I am curious if any other bloggers/readers are working on or have completed a TMMO of their own?  Did you make any big changes like a move or have a big change in expenses during your Makeover? Do you have any tips to share!