Mommiedom

I honestly have to say I was beginning to really dislike my master bedroom. It is grey and well uninspiring for the most part. My blinds I believe were from when the first people who lived here. The were metal and pretty much falling apart. So for Christmas, I really wanted new ones which had to be ordered because of the weird sizes the windows are.

So I finally got around to ordering them and guess what someone mismeasured them so I had to reorder new ones. So once they came, I hung them all by myself. When I finished doing that, I of course really wanted new curtains which led to a trip to Target which lets be honest didn't end that well for the bank account.

So new curtains, bedding, some furniture and accessories (some found around my house) to complete the look. It looks like a whole new room and I love it!

I created a new gallery wall of the family because they are so important to why we are who we are. A fun new storage ottoman helps with extra blankets and a sitting place. I also created a slip cover for my rocker that was red.

I so want to save money, pay down debt and learn to live this year. So I set some goals for myself this year that each month I look for ways to save money.

I started off right after Christmas doing our yearly budget for each month so I know what comes in and what goes out. I figure if I can account for it and create a budget for things than I can control the flow of money. I hate the feeling of bleeding money and the holidays are the worst for that.

So I am planning out some things to save money, pay down debt, limit excess spending.

Last June I started doing cash for gas, allowance and groceries and we have stuck to it for the most part.  I plan out meals each week and limit how much we go out to eat. I realized that we go out so infrequent now, that I really don't know where to go eat anymore because I can pretty much make it at home.

I have learned to make the rose pasta sauce my kid adores at the Italian restaurant. I can make better than Olive Garden's Chicken and Gnocchi soup (I need to share that recipe). Pizza night is way more fun making it ourselves but I do admit to ordering it on occasion.  The added benefit, we are eating way healthier and we either lose or maintain our weight when we eat in. Over the holidays, we ate out more because of the family being here, and I felt sluggish.

The other thing I am doing is the 52 week challenge which should be our travel money for next Christmas. I had some already cut chalkboard labels and stuck that on a big mason jar for our savings. Our first buck went in this week. I also heard of people doing it in reverse and starting out with the 52 bucks first. Either way, my goal is stick to it.

I also decided I needed to figure out a way to stress less about the holidays this coming December so, I decided that each month I would put away a set amount for presents so by December I should have it all covered for the people I need to buy for Christmas. I also plan on trying to purchase gifts as I see them for people and tuck them away.

Along with that I have my monthly folder where I put all the stuff for the month in there. I have Birthday cards ready to go for the next six months, as well as my holiday envelopes, and anything else that might need taking care of over the four weeks. I also write myself notes for the next year.

Overall I am trying to stay as organized and on track as possible for 2014. I have goals each month I would like to meet both personally and possibly professionally as well.

I started following this blog as well as the Facebook page called Mary Organizes and love her ideas about decluttering which I need to do more of. I am pretty organized and admit to some hot spots of disorganization in my house. Yes I know I am known for being neat, clean and organized so this might come to a shock to some that I do have areas where I hide my clutter.

On the blog there is a 91 day challenge to get your house in order. I am pretty good about it in the first place. The one big thing I need to declutter is the attic which is coming soon. I need my hubby to pull everything out and I need to go through and decide where it needs to go- trash, donate or storage.

We has a family have lots of stuff and it is hard to rid yourself of it often because you spent money, memories or you know once you get rid of it you will need it. I need to be better to use what I have and make do which isn't always something I am good at. I am way better than I was and I know if I go through stuff that I will feel even better.

Mary Organizes had a great blog post this past week about telling your kids to stop cleaning their rooms. She hit the nail on the head for me. I really don't nag the kids about picking things up because they understand if it gets left out, it might not get back to them. Both kids pretty much get up each day and make their beds. I have instilled in them that getting into a made bed will help them to get off to dream land better. I admit those few times I don't make the bed, I struggle with feeling comfortable. I was always that kid who made their bed.

My mom was a clean person and organized on the surface but when you would open things, you would cringe. My grandmother was clean but her clutter was every where. I vividly remember my Grandma picking clutter up, dusting and putting it right back down. So for each generation, it got better. My mom didn't like the clutter out and put it out of sight (she hardly does it now and has learned to live with less).

So for me, I like to have order and it does get out of hand on occasion. Example is the cabinet I am showing. It is my holiday dishes. I haven't used them the last few years because I just didn't want to deal with it and would just shove more in. I loved the child safety locks because that helped keep it contained.

The rest of my cabinets look like this:

I have seen so much on Pinterest about making your own laundry soap and I thought yeah I want to do it but when I went to go buy the ingredients and starting pricing it out, the big bag of soap for 8.50 was a much better buy so I just got that which should last me a long time. Though I did still want to make the cute jar I saw the soap in so I bought the biggest jar available at Wally World, stuck a chalkboard sticker on and wrote soap. I figured if I don't end up liking the soap, I can wash the jar out and use it for something else.

So this wasn't a better deal to make rather than buy unless you can get it all for under 8 bucks! Still the jar is cute- now if I could just convince my hubby I need a new washer and dryer for the laundry room.