[Financial] You Need A Budget

Maybe you've just finished your taxes and are tired of thinking about money, but let's just face the facts. Money is part of life. Some of us have it, some not as much, and some just pretend they do. Everyone needs money management tools of some kind. My grandparents first introduced me to the "envelope system". Now, I know that system would work - that's IF you actually cut up or buried all your credit and debit cards.

We live in a world of fast-paced, convenience. That's one major reason there's so many people struggling financially.ou physically put an allotted amount of money into different envelope categories. And then, when you've used all the money in your envelope, that's it - you can't spend anymore.

A few years ago I was on the hunt to find some kind of system that would work for me. There are so many software programs out there that have great potential - but what most were missing was the fundamental rules of budgeting and education to go with it. Managing your money takes discipline! You can't expect to change spending behaviors or have an intimate knowledge of your finances if you simply sit back and let a software program download your bank information or just by logging in your online bank account to check your balance and make sure you still had money in the bank. Admittedly, when we had two incomes and no kids, that was my way of managing money. I just did my best not to spend too much and I just made sure that I money in the checking account to cover all the bills. And the bills...those were set up in the auto bill-pay so I didn't have to worry about that either!

Fast forward a several years later, now with only one reliable income, a hefty mortgage, and three kids - we have a lot more to "manage". So, I set off to find some helpful financial tools - that's when I found YNAB - "You need A Budget".

This is a fantastic resource for managing your money so you know exactly what every dollar is being used for. It does take some discipline -and some learning in the beginning so you understand the software. The greatest part is that there's free online classes, demos, and forums so you can get all the info you need. Plus, I'm pretty sure they do a free trial of the software so you can give it a good trial run.

The main purpose idea that sets this method aside from others is that the goal is to start living on last month's income. So, instead of waiting to get your paycheck so you can pay your bills, you create a buffer (over time) that allows you to already have that cashflow on hand without worrying about whether or not you can pay a bill. You PLAN AHEAD and budget for all your future expenses and even create a cushion for those that are unexpected.

Here's a link to the story behind YNAB and why/how it was created: http://www.youneedabudget.com/company

Just go to YNAB's site and take a look around so you can get a feel for what it's all about. I have used this system for the last few years and I think it has helped me really stick to a budget. Of course, I have fallen off the wagon here and there, but it's not too hard to pick up where you left off and keep going.

[Project]: Girls Room

Girls' Room

Our girls are 5 years apart and since they now share a room, we did a little updating so everything fit in the room a little better.  We painted the room a light grey, added some vinyl flower decals on the wall, and refinished a large dresser for them to share.  

Here is what the original dresser pretty much looked like. I forgot to take "before" pictures of it, but this gives you an idea of the traditional brown stain with gold handles. To give it a more modern look, we spray painted the handles with a "silver metal" finish and painted the dresser black (with a final coat of poly urethane).

A Valentine Wreath

Paper is an amazing tool! It comes in so many forms, colors, thicknesses, and you can cut it any way you like it. Here's a great way to create a little love in your home for Valentine's day.

This simple paper wreath was created over at "the hybrid chick". I think my door is calling for a little facelift this month.

For more Valentine crafts for kids, visit the top 15 ideas posted by Parenting.com

[Appliances] Dishwasher Tune Up

Here's some great info I found over at "The Quick & the Hungry" blog by Cindy. If your dishwasher is in need of a little TLC, then this just might help you out.

Here's what Cindy had to say:

"Over the past 6 months my dishwasher has steadily stopped washing my dishes well. It started with the glass cups, leaving food on the inside, then got worse and worse until two weeks ago when nothing was coming out clean and was actually dirtier than when it when in. Then to top it off, it started leaking like crazy! Arg! This happened in our old home and we ended up selling our home with a brand new dishwasher.

Well, we just financed a fence for our new home and I did NOT want to tack on another $450 to our Home Depot credit card. So, what's a gal to do? Clean baby clean."


To see the steps needed to do this in about 15min, be sure to visit The Quick & The Hungry blog to get all the details!

[Build] - Space Saver!

I am one who constantly looks at the space I live in to figure out how it can be better, especially more practical. We live in a 1100 sq ft. home with 3 kids and 3 bedrooms, so we usually have to get creative with our space.

About 2 weeks before Christmas, I got the crazy idea to attempt to build a "murphy bed" for my son's room. His room is so tiny (only 7' wide to be exact) with double doors that open up into our family room - the one and only living area, so his room is always open for viewing. Plus, we get most of our natural light from his window, so I usually want to keep the doors open. His twin bed literally took up more than half his room.

[Solution]: Build a wall bed.

It just so happened that a while back my dad acquired a wall bed mechanism kit from "Create A Bed" (the hardware is supplied, but you have to build the bed out of wood from the plans provided). He found it on Craigslist

for super cheap (normally retails for $300) but never ended up using it. When he generously gifted the kit to me, I couldn't wait to build it - though I admit I was a bit intimidated at first.

From start to finish, this bed took me about 1 week. A few days for

cutting, a couple more to build, a couple more to paint, and then a

couple hours to assemble in the room. During the same week, we painted my son's room too.

Good thing I had done my Christmas shopping early or this would have been the only thing out on Christmas morning!