Debt Free and still saving...

Scott and I have worked for years to become debt free, and when we finally reached our goal, it was such a good feeling, so satisfying that our hard work had paid off. When we began reading The Simple Dollar blog, there were all sorts of ideas to help us on our road to financial freedom.
Recently, the blog had a post called: The Big Trade Off. Reading how they sacrificed so many things to have what they really wanted, made me feel encouraged to keep budgeting, spending less, and making good financial choices. Yes, we are debt free, but you can't just stop there and think everything is going to be fine. We still have a mortgage, and we know how important it is to have an emergency fund, so we are still saving. We are going to keep saving until complete all 7 baby steps in the Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover. We are almost done with Step 3. It takes some work, and lots of reminders that, "We don't really need that" or "What is a higher priority?" Thinking ahead to where our money does go, and being frugal. It is tough, but it will be worth it. It is even more tough because we have a family of 5 living on one income. Will talk more about that one later...

Make the most of your weekends

Scott says, "We need to plan ahead for our weekends, so we can get the most out of our time together." On Saturday morning he asked everyone over breakfast what they wanted to do that day. Each of us got to write down what we wished to do, and then we made a plan so that everyone was able to do them..and some of the things, like a bike ride...we did together.
Scott just sent me this article, and it backs up what he said about making the most of our weekend, so we don't end up in front of the TV.

What successful people know about weekends
July 12, 2012
by CBNews.com

(MoneyWatch) We all look forward to weekends. But are you really making the most of them?

Few people are, because we tend not to think about weekends holistically. Here's one way to look at it: There are 60 hours between 6 p.m. Friday and 6 a.m. Monday. Even if you sleep for 24 of those hours, that leaves 36 hours for other things. That's the equivalent of a full-time job. Yet many of us hit Monday morning with a vague sense of having squandered our precious downtime on activities that didn't help us recreate.

That's a problem because, in our competitive world, weekends are actually the secret weapon of workplace success. The most successful people know that to be truly productive, you need to hit Monday refreshed, relaxed and ready to go. (See related post: What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast). The only way to do that is to create weekends that rejuvenate you rather than exhaust or disappoint you.

So how do you do that? It's a three-step process....read the rest at: WEEKEND

Time to donate those unused clothes!

It is July...time to sort through your clothes closet and take out everything that you have not worn in the last 6 months. Remember back in January when we turned our hangers around? Now, we can clearly see what has never been worn, and we donate those items to the closest thrift store.



This is a fabulous idea to keep for all those things you need to remember to do on your way out...clothes to donate...books to return...things to deliver...love this idea! Found it on Pinterest.

We have something similar, but when I ask someone to place the unused toy on the donation pile, no one else knows where it is...this could help with that problem. HAHAHA! I am already looking for the ideal baskets/containers that I can use.

Scarecrow

 Meet our garden scarecrow:

BOBELINA 

That is what the boys call her. They really wanted it to be a boy, but I had this old cute skirt kicking around, and it was easier to wrap around the metal bar. So she is BOB...elina!

Don't you love her pony tail made of ribbons? She needed some hair, and I read that shiny things scare away pests, so we found some shiny ribbons, added a bit of hair and then tied them in other various places on her so they would move in the wind and keep the garden safe!

 Here is where I found the idea to make an unstuffed scarecrow: 52 Day to Explore.