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,

7 Smiles

Pope Francis has taken over my internet! When you attended a Catholic college, have friends working at Catholic schools and universities, an follow Catholic bloggers... I guess you should just be prepared for everyone to head to Philadelphia and see the Pope.  Since I am not speaking at the World Meeting of Families, attending Mass in Madison Square Garden or anything else equally motivating - I thought that for my seven quick takes I would share some fun (mostly non-Pope related) links from throughout the interwebs to make you smile. So here you are... 7 quick smiles :)

Because, Buddy the Elf was right - "smiling is my favorite."

(1) This post I found via New Wave Feminists

How cute is that baby?!

 (2) These awesome Halloween costumes - and the Dad who created an entire company dedicated to building even more of them!

(3) Pope Francis stopping his car, to greet a child with cerebral palsy in Philadelphia (c'mon I said mostly not about the Pope).

 

(4) The excitement of these children who got to greet Pope Francis upon his arrival to Harlem! 

 I love their attitude and the facts they share about him - his love of soccer, stamp collecting etc.  (Having trouble posting the video, but watch it!!)

(5) The dedication of a local school in memory of a recent military hero.
So often we see schools named for heroes from generations past, this school was named for a recent hero.  A man who died less than 6 years ago after sustaining injuries in Afghanistan, and whose parents and family members were able to attend the dedication.

(6) Dogs on a train!

(7) PYO 
 Number 7 is pick your own smiles :)  This is for the little thing that made you smile throughout the week... I am probably missing some but there were many more things from the internet world that made me smile this week - the newly announced flexi styles from Lilla Rose, the viral video of a little girl demanding her newly-divorced parents stay friends, lots of great pictures from friends attending weddings, and last (but totally not least) this awesome apple butter recipe I plan to try next week!



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



Work, Prayer and FPU...

As is usually the case work has been a big part of my life of late.. but its not the only thing I have been up to.

 

 

Prayer Life

 

Over the last several years prayer and faith have definitely been an up and down road for me.  I am fortunate to have found a few great resources to my faith life lately!

XLT at St. Mary's Church - Westfield MA
I have attended this monthly event twice (despite being listed under Youth Ministry my friends and I were far from the only adults there, and certainly not the oldest by far).  The first time I attended, the speaker really said the words my heart needed to hear!

Modesty for the Modern Mom - FB Group
I have been a long (albeit inconsistent) reader of Caroline Allen's The Modest Mom Blog, recently I decided - despite not being a mom - to join her new private group on Facebook.  I expected the group would be a fun way to see outfit ideas, but it has also been a huge encouragement to me from a faith perspective!

Bible Study - Any Ideas?

I am entertaining the idea of beginning a young adult women's Bible Study at my house?  Does anyone have any suggestions for a good Bible study for young-adult women (loosely defined as post college age around mid-20s to early 30s).  My group of girl friends are currently all unmarried and none have children, though it could expand to include married women as we enter those stages of our lives and/or invite others.  I am thinking it might be interesting to focus on Christian role models, both Biblical women and saints.  The study does not need to be distinctly Catholic, but we would like one that is in line with Catholic teaching, if anyone has any resources please let me know!

Budget Life

I am definitely still not in gazelle mode, but I have been trying to be conscious of my budget.  I posted the figures of my total debt paid off since July 2014 as well as my current remaining debt on my fridge for motivation, and today I am FINALLY starting Financial Peace University at a local church.  I signed up last year but it was cancelled by the church that was supposed to host it last time.  I am hoping this will help me be a lot more intentional with my spending. 

Have you participated in FPU?  Do you have any suggestions to help me in my debt-free journey?  I am totally understanding what Dave Ramsey says when he talks about becoming debt free as being about behavior not knowledge.  I know how to coupon, budget, save money etc.  but it is in the DOING where I sometimes have trouble.  What suggestions do you have for maintaining motivation? 

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

 

 

 



7QT

Yes, I disappeared again.  But now.... I'm back!  I would say "I really do plan to blog this time," but umm, been there, said that. (I really do plan to this time but, no promises!).

 

So... while I was busy not blogging, what have I been up to?

(1) Working!
I still work a lot.  In the past few months I received a promotion, quit my second job, and became a consultant with Lilla Rose so work pretty much is my life at the moment.

 

(2) Reading

I am still a big fan of reading, but I still don't do it as often as I used to. 

 

(3) Planning

In making the decision to give up my second job, I wanted to be careful not to simply spend the extra 20-ish hours a week lounging around my apartment or wasting time.  I decided that despite the income they bring in, the hours spent at my second job simply weren't adding value to my life, so I decided to figure out what I COULD do with that time that would improve my life.  I've decided to focus on a few key areas -

Personal Wellness - Mind, Body and Spirit

Professional Development

Hospitality

 

(4) "Wellness Hour"

Wellness has been a bit of a struggle for me of late, and I know that all areas of my health, not just physical but also mental and emotional can really use some work.  The biggest thing I've decided is to start implementing a daily "wellness hour."  I am planning to put this into effect as soon as I am down to one job, by dedicating the first hour after I get out of work to doing something to support one or more of the areas of wellness i.e. walking, going to the gym, attending daily Mass etc.

 

 

Hmm... and now a few around the web quick takes of things which made me laugh, smile and think in the past few weeks:

 

(5) God Bless the White & Gray

Sisters' got talent!

 

(6) Baby Quinoa

I always enjoy reading The Penny Hoarder, to get ideas on how to make and save money and continue (admittedly half-heartedly of late) my frugal lifestyle and TMMO attempts. This post on how to get $10,000 by naming your child Quinoa made me laugh!

 

(7) This Video
Yes, this is a video about Magic Mike. Yes, it is a PG-rate movie.  Yes, I am aware I just linked up to a Catholic blogger link-up with a post about Magic Mike. Yes, Channing Tatum is handsome.



Saints

If you haven't caught on yet from the frequency of their inclusion in my recent quotes posts, I like saints.  What can I say, I'm Catholic?  As a Catholic I see the saints as role models to help us in our faith journey, but I also know that the concept of saints is something which separates Catholic & Orthodox Christians from most of our Protestant friends.  While some liturgical Protestants (Lutherans and Anglicans most notably) do have saints, the role is still a bit different.  So here are a few quick takes about the saints, hopefully it can bring some understanding for my non-Catholic/Orthodox readers and also inspire some of those cradle Catholics who already consider themselves quite knowledgeable :)

 

(1) Who ARE the saints?
The term "saint" (as used in the Nicene or Apostle's creeds) simply refers to all of the people in heaven.  All of them, even your grandma.  Saint with a capital S, refers to a particular saint who has been canonized in the Church.
 

 

(2) Intercession of Saints
"Being more closely united to Christ, those who dwell in heaven fix the whole Church more firmly in holiness... They do not cease to intercede to the Father for us, as they proffer the merits which they acquired on earth through the one mediator between God and men, Christ Jesus... So by their fraternal concern is our weakness greatly helped." 

- Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) 956 

 

(3) Icons

"The icons of the saints act as a meeting point between the living members of the Church [Miltant] on Earth and the Saints who have passed on to the church [Triumpant] in Heaven. The Saints depicted on the Icons are not remote legendary figures from the past, but contemporary, personal friends. As meeting points between Heaven and Earth, the Icons... constantly remind the faithful of the invisible presence of the whole company of Heaven; they visibly express the idea of Heaven on earth."
-From a monk at St. Tikhon's Abbey in The Holy Orthodox Church: Her Life and Teachings

(4) Veneration
" Basing itself on the mystery of the Incarnate Word, the seventh eceumenical council at Nicea (787) justified... the veneration of icons - of Christ, but also the Mother of God, the angels, and all of the saints... Indeed 'the honor rendered to an image renders to its prototype,' and 'whoever venerates an image venerates the person portrayed in it.' The honor paid to sacred images is a 'respectful veneration' not the adoration due to God alone."
- CCC 2131-2132

(5) Saints Point Us Toward God
Religious worship is not directed to images in themselves, considered as mere things, but under their distinctive aspect as images leading us on to God incarnate. The movement toward the image does not terminate in it as image, but tends toward that whose image it is.
^{- Summa Theologica}

(6) Heaven Rejoices
Everyone in heaven is concerned about our repentance & salvation.
"There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner that repents than over ninety-nine persons who do not need to repent." (Luke 15:7, NIV)
"There is rejoicing in the presence of angels of God over one sinner who repents." (Luke 15:10)

(7) Patron Saints
"The patron saint provides a model of charity and an assurance of his prayer."
-CCC 2165

Linked Up At:
This Ain't The Lyceum, The Modest Mom Blog