Balancing Before The New Year

Last night G and I sat down to work on a budget for the new year.  Sounds boring, but I love crunching the numbers, seeing how much we can save while still living well.  Our budget includes categories for dates, coffee and entertainment (we're planning to get netflix once we get a t.v. next month).  But what I was amazed at is the items not on the list, and where we save.

First, baby items.  Nora is breastfed and cloth diapered so we don't have the more normal expenses for diapers and formula.  Even better?  By the time she's at the age where we're having her try other foods, it will be time for the CSA, so I'll be using those veggies for her!  That and the whole ton of applesauce I made this fall!  So we won't have much in the way of baby food expenses for her period. 

Second, because of spending more upfront on things such as the CSA, our pork and our beef (which we should be picking up within a week or so), our monthly grocery bill is much lower.  We sat down and calculated how much milk, butter, coffee etc we go through every month and budgeted for that.  We don't plan to eat just pork and beef, so we budgeted for chicken and fish as well.  And we also plan to do some very bean and veggie heavy meals.  Dried beans are cheap, healthy and provide the protein you need! 

G and I have some huge goals for the next few years in regards to paying off my student loans, our car and paying down the mortgage.  My fear was that in order to do that we'd have to completely cut out coffee dates and "fun", but we even have a category for "blow money" budgeted in, for things we just want, not need. 

A budget is important for being able to save as much as we want to, while still taking care of needs and wants in the here and now.  By going through everything, I was able to see that tithing 10% really won't hurt our budget, and we're also going to be able to put away a significant amount for Nora's future.  We're splitting our savings into 5 different accounts, Emergency, Main, Nora's Future, Clothing, and Vacation.  By separating them we'll know we can tweak what goes into a few of them if our budget needs any tweaking, while maintaining a minimum we've set for the emergency account, and not touching Nora's. 

Creating the budget also made us really think about where we could cut back.  Instead of doing breakfast at Clementine after church every weekend, we've decided we'd rather get up and eat breakfast before church and then grab coffee there after church.  It saves us quite a bit each week, and it also had us having to get creative.  One of the reasons we do breakfast is because we can't come home right after church because the church across the street takes up all the street parking for blocks.  However, we decided that we could get coffee, sit and enjoy that for an hour or so, and then take Nora to the lake on the way home, walk a couple miles and then head home.  Which will help with other goals I have for this year! (another post to come)

Overall I feel really good about our budget.  Do you sit down and budget for the year?   Or do you evaluate each month separately?

To Impart

I've spent some time recently thinking about what I want this daughter of mine to learn from me. And I quickly realized that it's all things I've hoped to impart here to you readers. I suppose it's good that I'm nothing if not consistent. Here are a few things I firmly believe in:

* Use your china. Saving it for a rainy day is ridiculous. Those you surround yourself with should be those you value the most...they deserve your best.
* Screw being practical sometimes. Buy that white item for your wardrobe or that glass item to sit out, even if you have kids. But be practical about stylish flats when you are traveling.
* Tennis shoes/athletic apparel is for the gym. Not for foreign travel. Invest in comfortable but stylish traveling clothing. I don't even wear that stuff on our long road trips.
* Love freely. Don't hold back affection from those you love. Life is too damn short for a stiff upper lip mentality.
* But hold your cards closer than the average American with strangers. Don't give your life story away to everyone.
* Buy less, invest in more. More into your retirement, more in quality clothing, more into life memories. But not on credit (at least none you aren't paying off each month).
* What you eat is directly applicable to your health. Stop thinking in quick fix mentalities. Eat better food, eat less and move a bit. I guarantee it's the best diet.
* Everything in moderation. Too much of anything is bad for you. It's a universal truth.
* Tough love is tough, hence the name. No one grows up by being coddled or enabled.
* Find something you love to do even if it doesn't pay well (or at all).
* "Living within your means" means not having to worry so much about making more.
* Buy the poufy dress or fancy tux. Wear it. Twirl.
* Happiness is found not in the poufy dress, but in the twirling.

I haven't been so good about posting my days of thankfulness, though it's been on my mind daily. Today I'm thankful that I have a partner in crime who will read that list and completely agree with it. A man who lets me rant about the exact opposite of all of it, and who feels as passionate about a well lived life as I do.

I'm a week from their "guess date." Sleep doesn't come easy, when it comes at all. So I've had a ridiculous amount of time to think on all of this. If I kept going the list would be as long as an actual novel (with more details added in). Perhaps some day I'll write it for her. What it essentially comes down to is choosing to live a life where you actually live, but in a healthy way...physically, mentally, and financially. It's not easy all the time, but life is happier when I live by that.

If you could give your closest friends one piece of advice on life, what would it be?

Champagne Taste, Beer Budget?

No problem!  Something I have been meaning to post about for a while now is budget.  We're still working on one that works for us, so I didn't feel like I could really say much on the topic.  But then I thought, "Hey, we're a one income family who is able to save, go out on the town and buy nice things occasionally.  Maybe I do have something to talk about!"  I'm not tooting my own horn by any means.  In fact, I constantly think we spend too much, but then accept that saving everything isn't very chic.  Especially if you want a life.  After running out to Sur La Table in Annapolis today to look at the Staub pots, and caving and buying a Valharona chocolate bar for some mousse later this week, G and I began to discuss our new philosophy as well as things that we've been doing the last 3 years.  

First, we buy the best we can afford.  Secondly, this doesn't mean the most popular or expensive, and we research, research, research.  Thirdly, we evaluate if we really want/need something before purchasing it.  Hence the reason I've been considering cast iron cookware for 3 years. (I take my sweet time.) And lastly, we take care of the pieces so that they will last a lifetime. 

We have a motto when it comes to food.  Buy the best, eat less.  It has helped me really enjoy food more (who knew I would fall in love with cheeses?), while eating less and slimming down.  We have our CSA (though it isn't expensive overall, it was a chunk of change upfront), because it allows us access to organic small farm tomatoes that taste exactly like God intended a tomato to taste.  We buy organic milk because I don't like the hormones and antibiotics in regular milk, and we think it tastes better.  The cost does make you more careful with just chowing down on it, and instead I find satisfaction in smaller quantities.    With other things in our home we do the same.  We buy beeswax candles for the health of them and they smell divine.  We purchase clothing that we expect with care to last years or even decades (I tend to choose more classic pieces).  

This doesn't mean we always (or even often) spend a lot of money.  Trader Joes has some very affordable cheese.  In fact their log of plain goat's cheese is far cheaper than what I can get even at the commissary!  We pick up coupons for our organic dairy products (milk, yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese, and half & half).  Our earl grey tea we love we bought in bulk.  Same for our escargot (Amazon has some great deals).  And champagne?  We don't make enough to drink it all the time, but have found some great sparkling wines that are completely affordable.  We research and shop around on any big purchase.  We got a deal on our iMac because it was the only one they had and was the floor model.  Currently we're looking at getting a tea kettle and fell in love with the Simplex one for a gas stove.  But at $140 dollars we decided to wait and see.  We came home, have searched out reviews and after reading many that talked about owning theirs for 15+ years we decided that wasn't more than a coffee date out each year.  We won't rush out and get it, but next time we see if we'll be picking it up.  

As for not going with something just because it's popular, this can be highlighted by the Le Creuset vs. Staub.  While I'm sure the Le Creuset is a fine pot, after looking both over at the same time, we decided we like the Staub better.  The knob on top is easier to grip, the handles are bigger, allowing me to carry it more easily, and it's got the spikes on the inside of the lid to baste my meats for me.  So we will be going with the Staub.  

I have been doing very well lately evaluating whether we need something, even the small things.  Ten and five dollars here and there often enough adds up, and will get you quicker than a big purchase because it sneaks up on you.  If I decide we don't need something then we ask, but do we really want it?  Such as "I don't really need this pair of shoes.  But I really want them."  At that point I mentally go through my closet deciding if they will fit into my wardrobe well enough to be cost effective.  I have a pair of gold Coach loafers that made the cut back in April.  They don't have anything flashy shouting "Coach!" which was important to me, they are comfortable and I've found they look good with jeans and a simple top.  For bigger items we evaluate if we really need them or just want them.  For my wedding I registered for crystal that I now kinda hate.  It isn't me, and because of that we rarely use them.  So they will be sold once we've saved for some delicate crystal wine glasses over this next year.  It was nice to have crystal at the time, but by making a quick decision, it ended up being a waste of money.  I'd love a set of All Clad cookware, but my Emerilware has obviously done very well by me and isn't going anywhere for years to come.  In fact, it looks the same as it did the day I bought them.  

Which leads me to this:  take care of your things and they will last.  Of course, accidents happen.  Things will break or simply wear out.  But a little bit of care can go a long way.  We're careful with our breakables.  We make sure to go over our clothes and keep them in good shape.  We polish our shoes, clean dirt off the soles, and I have a few pairs getting ready to go see Mr. Cobbler for new soles and heel tips.  With clothes, washing them every time you wear them, unless they get actually dirty, wears them out.  G loves his button downs, and so when he gets home he hangs them up to air out and throws on a tee.  I hand wash my lingerie to keep it in shape and looking nice.  It's little things that really don't take long, but will keep your purchases looking lovely for years to come.  

You can live a chic life full of champagne bubbles, it just takes figuring out how to make it work!  

In The Interim

Our iPhoto is acting up again and I cannot pull the pics from my birthday.  For the most part it was low key, full of lots of snuggling and time just the two of us.  And tequila.  While eating copious amounts of guacamole and salsa and later eating a lot of Mexican food at a friend's home.  It was a spicy weekend, and I am glad to have settled down and eaten some lighter foods.  

Currently G is getting me some pudding he made earlier, and he will be making me a chocolate cake tomorrow.  He had every intention of doing it today but was having a hard time leaving me alone and I told him to just do it tomorrow evening.  It's been extremely hot this weekend (in the 90's) and so I wasn't relishing him heating up our home with the oven.  

I'm still working on the list of things I want to achieve this year.  I think the hardest part has been being honest with myself about what I want, and also making sure I set realistic goals.  And some are hard to write down.  But this is my space and I plan to record it all here.  Fair warning though, it's a long list.  

I will share one goal that is to set up an account to save for some nice items for myself.  Starting with that necklace and dress I posted the other day!  The dress is affordable but I'm waiting on what size to get, and maybe I'll even get it on sale.  Every penny saved on that can go towards the necklace so it would be a win win!  

Do you save up for big things?  Anything you would love to splurge on right this second?  (boy do I have a few....dozen)  

Allowance?

So I have a question for the married women who read my blog, particularly the stay at home ones, but any wife really. Do you have an "allowance?"

See, G and I occasionally talk about me having one, with a separate account for it. Because since I don't "work" in the traditional sense, I sometimes have a hard time spending money on myself. Those cute shoes I blogged about recently? I pined over them for days and finally it was G who told me he liked them and to get them. He even okayed spending more on some other things, but in the end I just got the shoes.

I think I have a hard time thinking of it as "our" money, since he's the one who earns it. It's unusual for me. I love the show Mad Men, and sometimes I am envious of a time period where this was considered normal, the woman staying in the home, but surely they had an allowance? Maybe part of my freaking out is that I like nice things, I just hate their prices, since I tend to squirrel away money (or at least attempt to).

Today G and I discussed me having an allowance of sorts where I can buy 1 dress or skirt every pay period. Yes, eventually I would have to stop buying dresses (or get a much bigger closet), but it would work for awhile. I love the dresses at Anthropolgie and ModCloth, and it would perhaps allow me to buy some without panicking. (and I could squirrel away my "allowance" and really go to town when the sales hit)

Why dresses and skirts? Because I'm a girly girl, and G loves me in them of course. And really, you can never have too many in my opinion, particularly black, navy and grey dresses. They make a great clean palette. So perhaps I need to begin backlogging my allowance now? Because these beauties call to me like sirens to a sailor.

(Jacqueline Dress, Anthropologie)

(Nights at the Lyceum dress, Anthropologie)

(Behind the Clouds dress, Anthropologie----also available in a turquoise I want as well).

Aren't they just ladylike and divine?