A look through her eyes

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" 

I asked my almost three year old as we rocked in her room after reading her new Sofia The First book. 

"Umm..." 

"Do you want to be a fire fighter?" 

"No mommy"

She said with a giggle 

"Do you want to be a teacher?" 

"No mommy" 

She giggled even more. 

"Do you want to be a princess?" 

I knew she couldn't say no to that. 

"No mommy!" 

I was in shock, "Well what do you want to be when you grow up?!" 

Her answer would blow me away... 

"You mommy!" 

She had the biggest smile on her face giggling. 

I could not believe what she just said. Nothing could make me more happy in that moment nothing making me more proud. 

"Well I hope you have a sweet baby like you someday Emma." 

Time stood still as we cuddled only noise being the rocking chair creaking. 

As a mom I am always evaluating my parenting skills reading the latest parenting blogs and yet at the end of the day I wonder what I could do better. I always see were I could have not lost my patients so fast or maybe stopped doing dishes to go play some more with her. 

As the mom I wonder if I am actually doing a good job helping shape her into the person she is meant to be, keeping her safe , protecting her from all the ugly things the world has waiting to throw at her. Maybe I shelter her to much, should I relax and let her have some breathing room? Where is the boundaries when it comes to this job position and everyone seems have their own ideas of what those boundaries are. 

But through her eyes she sees me, me loving her with all I have. She's sees a mommy who drops everything for any little need she has. She's sees someone who kisses her booboos, gives her space when she needs it, and cuddles her any chance I can. She sees a mommy who can make the best PB&J and grilled cheese. Some one who always gives her kisses good night. 

She sees a mommy who gives chances but not to many. She sees a mommy who always gives her a safe place when the world isn't. She sees me her mommy her best friend. The person she wants to be like when she grows up.

So next time I want to lose my temper over the terrible drivers around us on the road, tell her I need to clean and will play later. Next time I want to sigh over reading the same book enough times in one day I can quote it word for word. Next time I want to pull my hair out while she's throwing a temper tantrum I need to remember right now 

She wants to be like me. And I should want her to be like me, a better verision and I know she is because she is such a strong independent little person. The confidence she has now I have worked my whole to have. I am so proud of this tiny person who calls me mommy. 

Even though there are days I feel like everything is going down hill she looks up to me, she watches my every move, every reaction. And even though I knew this all along, her answer of what she wants to be when she's grows up gave me a reality check. 

  Because through her eyes I am her mommy.

Psshhh I could make that!

This entry title pretty much sums up the reaction I have to every picture on Pinterest and every cutesy find in a craft store.  I love to work with my hands, and find ways to decorate my house that go beyond picking something up in a store for double the cost it would take me to buy and make my own things. 

Now, whether or not I can actually make all of the things I see, and make them well, remains to be seen.  And by remains to be seen, I mean that about half of the things I attempt are for my eyes only.  They're that bad! 

But hey, I enjoy the trial and error.  It's been a learning experience for me, and I really am grateful for some of the things I've learned to do by just giving it a go!

Today I thought I'd share my most recent attempts at sprucing up my wall space, more specifically the master bathroom walls. 

Up until recently I had one of those 'over the toilet standing shelf' contraptions you can buy at Walmart or Target for pretty cheap.  It was particle board, wobbly, and didn't have much in the way of storage.  So, naturally, I gave it to my newly married sister and her husband for their apartment.  Free's free, and everybody's gotta deal with cheap hand me downs when they first get married, right?  :)

Anyway, I went to Lowe's, grabbed some wood and brackets, and gave it a go: 

I'm pretty happy with how it turned out!  It was a pretty easy project once I got over yelling at the drill for not working, and the screws for falling behind the toilet a bazillion times.  But all in all I love how wide the wood is to give a lot of storage, and the wall to wall length fills out the space. 


The second project I tried my hand at was a last minute inspiration from a $10 garage sale find: 

 

This baby is huge, heavy, and absolutely beautiful (to me at least!)  I found it at an awesome sale where I also scored a 4ft tall radio from 1937.  There were so many other things I had to close my eyes and walk away from, it was a great sale!  Anyway, when I saw this picture frame/shelf/shadowbox I knew I had to get it and make an awesome hanging jewelry box!  

 Voilà!  I removed a shelf, painted the inner sides gray, and nailed up a polka dotted stretchy T-shirt as the backdrop before I hammered in some upholstery tacks and nails to hang the necklaces and hold some rings!  The bottom shelf I'm using to store some nail polish and hairbands/clips.  I learned that I have thing for blue nail polish.  

Actually, looking at my wall color, shower curtain, and the box on my bathroom sink....I'm pretty sure it's a full blown addiction.  

*Kailey

Survive and Thrive a Spartan Race

Yesterday I took my first step in becoming a spartan. Even with all the research and YouTube videos I still didn't feel it had prepared me enough but I survived  and woke up this morning feeling amazing. (Mainly because to my surprise I wasn't aching from the race) 

So of course I have to blog about the race I mean, come on I earned some bragging rights, right? 

So since I researched and read so many other blogs I wanted to give some tips that I hadn't seen. Maybe because each race is different, but it's better to prepared for anything right?

•Go with a Group 

When I saw the Spartan race was headed to our parts I was so excited and called my husband at work and told him we had to do it. Still new to the area I didn't know if we could get a group together but we did! And talk about a bonding experience I love our before and after pictures. 

It was so awesome having met some of the group only once before, now I know it's possible to find people just as crazy as us. 

•Arrive Early 

We arrived about an hour and half early and because of the next tip I would say arrive about 2 hours earlier. By the time you get your packet and ect the time goes by super fast and before you know it you are jumping over a wall preparing for an amazing race. 

•Parking 

Once we arrived we parked at the first parking lot we could find. As we walked to the race there where people charging half the price to let people park in their yards and not to mention they where closer to the race than where we parked.  So if you can, drive around and see if there is cheaper parking maybe you'll even get closer to the race. 

•Packet 

In the packet you are given a timer for the race. I hate having things on my wrists so instead of tying it to my wrist, I tied it in my shoelace. Worked like a charm. 

•Bring extra cash 

Unless we don't know how to read we couldn't find on the Spartan website if baggage claim had a fee so only one of us had some cash on him. When we went to baggage claim they told us the fee was 5 dollars per bag. Thank God Mac had cash because we would have missed our race otherwise! 

•Research 

Joe made so much fun of me for doing lots of research and youtube techniques for different obstacles but when it came to do those obstacles especially the spear throw I had better form. Still didn't make it due to twisting my body to far to the left. But it was so close! And not to mention I threw it better than Joe :) 

•Be a good Spartan

If you are going to walk through parts which I think at some point we all needed  a breather, be courteous and move over for those still running or move off the path so you don't mess up someone's pace. 

And when someone moves over for you thank them. Let's all be good Spartans. 

•Encourage 

There where so many hills! I fell behind the group and wanted to walk so bad feeling all my energy leave my being. Someone behind me saw my struggle and encouraged me not to put my head down. She helped me get up that horrible hill and back to my group. That stranger was my strength when I needed it most. Thank you! 

•Use your flirting skills 

Joe don't read this one! Haha. 

The trail came to a fork you could either go up a hill which everyone could see was a killer or go down a trail of unknowns. Majority of everyone went up. But not my group! Some of us circled the volunteer who looked scared to death by the muddy creatures we became. I tried my flirting skills and even though he didn't say much his body language seemed to say the other way may be more fun. But he probably just wanted our drenching in chicken poop and mud bodies to take a bath. And a bath we gladly took as we ran through the freezing creek. 

•Enjoy that free beer

Enjoy that beer because the next one will cost an arm and a leg if you dare! 

• Appearal 

I was glad to take the advise of another blogger wearing tight fitting clothes and less is best for this race! Make sure your shoes are tight and triple knotted. 

I am proud to say that this race challenaged me both mentally and physically and like a Spartan I grabbed that challenage and tossed it to the side. The sprint was a great place to start and now I am just as nervous as I was a week ago before this race now as we prepare to run the beast. Skipping the super may not be the best idea but when married to a marine you learn to go hard or go home. 

So go hard , survive and thrive in the Spartan Race!

-kristina 

 

Building Good Habits

Disclaimer: I am not nor have I ever been a child psychologist this is solely based on our experience with a strong willed child and this a consent learning experience for us as I learn how understand her and she learning how to use her independence. 

Before we became parents I remember seeing kids running around doctor offices or screaming at grocery stores and I think we can all say we thought we would never let that happen. She would learn to be a little adult and listen right away. Ha! That was a nice dream. 

I guess when I pictured having kids that they would be just like I was and I knew what type of discipline worked with me and what type of encouragement worked and that's how I would parent. 

But reality hit and I learned very quickly that even though she has a lot of the same traits as I do she is much much different than I am. 

Growing up I was a pleaser and could not stand getting in trouble and would do whatever to make sure I didn't get in trouble. Emma on the other is very strong willed basically complete opposite of me. 

I have stood my ground I follow through with discipline and yet we still but heads. 

Before our last move while my husband was away training I had made chart for Emma where she received a sticker every time she was good. I knew that while her dad was away she tends to act up more which is normal for military kids and trying to make a positive poster for her to show her dad when he comes home helped so much. 

Then we moved and things have been hectic and I simply hadn't put up a new poster for her. 

The past four months Emma has acted out her emotions. We have seen setbacks which I was prepared to see as in no interest in potty training anymore and acting out towards other kids and ect. But at some point we have to get back on track, getting back into a routine and schedule is very important for children especially for strong willed children.

It is amazing how bringing this back has changed her attitude! 

Being a strong willed child; time outs, spanking and any other discipline doesn't work with her. She has to make her own choices and to her it doesn't matter the cost. So now having a chart she feels she is in control of something besides making mom go crazy and this is something she can see. 

The chart will constantly change as I see fit. Right now here are things we need to work on and once these become habits we will change the chart. 

Listening 

She is easily distracted so getting a sticker for coming right away when called or doing something without being asked more than once gets a sticker. 

Using words 

Being that most of the time it's just the two of us we can have our own language but I encourage her to talk to me using her words, telling me what she wants or needs instead of acting out and throwing a fit. 

Sharing 

Since moving sharing has become very difficult for her understandably but it's one we work on to share right away. 

Good in public 

I go help my husband train kids for usmc boot camp and since daddy is still working it is important for Emma to be on her best behavior some days it's hard though being two. 

Polite 

Asking nicely for things saying please, thank you, answering people when being talked to, responding back when asked name, ect.

Asking for help 

Emma is very independent and sometimes one just needs help, but for her asking for help is not an option. This isn't a bad thing at all and I am my trying to take her Independence away I am trying to polish her in a way. When she is working on something sometimes she needs help and asking for it is just as important. Especially when she is trying to pour a gallon of orange juice! 

Being helpful 

Like I said I want Emma to be independent it's a great trait to have. 

Anytime she is able to do something on her own or help mommy do chores. 

I have learned that for Emma, she responds better to positive discipline than negative. She responds to the chart and it becomes a snow ball effect into wanting to be good to show daddy at the end of the day of all the good things she did and then these things become habits and we move on to other habits we need to work on. Each child is different and I am learning how this child speaks her love language. I love the change of attitude I see now and will make sure to not stop doing the chart for awhile. It also has helped Emma want to start potty training again which using the chart helped her learn how exciting it is to put stickers on the chart which lead up to a bigger surprise after keeping it up. Its our way of graduating that step and moving on to the next step. Using the same method truly has helped and I found Emma (most the time) now eager to get back on the potty.

It may seem as if I am bribing my child to be good and she should just be good because she should know better. But how does she learn to know better? She learns from being told no when acting up and being praised when she is being good. This is how I praise her and so far from the last time I did the chart, these things do become habit and once they do we no longer make that a big deal and move on to new things. 

This is what works for her and I am happy that our days are becoming more good days than bad days where we are having more fun learning together. 

I would love feedback, so any ideas you have or thoughts I would love to hear them!

-kristina 

Hey You, Why Are You Such A Procrastinator?

Okay.  My birthday was 26 days ago. 

So, 26 days ago, I was going to make a blog entry. 

Let's call this entry "Fashionably Late". 
Or "Just Plain Late". 
Or "Hey You, Why Are You Such A Procrastinator?" 

Anyway, for my 24th I made this super delicious, super awesome triple layer lemon coconut cake, and it needs to be shared with the world. 

The original recipe came from here

I mean seriously, for a lover of all things lemon flavored, it's a dream come true.  When I saw the picture I knew I had to try it out; and oh my gosh did it taste amazing! 
Even though mine looked more like it came out of an easy bake oven and less like the beautiful stacked perfection of the original baker, it was worth the four hours it took to bake it.  Yes, I said four hours.

If I'm being honest though, I didn't really mind.  I've found over the last year and a half or so that I quite like my kitchen. 

There's something to be said about creating things.   Art, words, carpentry, sculpting, cooking.  Knowing what you want, and watching it take shape and life in your hands.  Something that looks how you want, feels how you want, tastes how you want.  It's both invigorating and calming. 

I could write an entire entry on my compulsion to create things.

But...cake. 

Mouth watering, fantastic cake. 

If you haven't glanced at the original recipe yet, you can see from this picture that most of the ingredients you'll probably have in your pantry already.  I only had to buy the lemons and coconut. 

Okay, so the 1st part of this entire process, I have named "incredibly frustrating and terribly smelly."

I decided to start with the coconuts first.  Get them opened, diced, and in the oven to get nice and toasty.  I even bought the ones that were pre-grooved for easy opening.  I was so confident and naive. 

Flash forward through 15 minutes of butcher knives, skewers, screwdrivers, and shouting abuse at food.  Yes, that is my garage floor.  And yes, they were finally beaten open with a hammer.  Deservedly so.  The jerks.   

Also, a quick lesson:  The lower coconut is what we would call "healthy".  The upper coconut is what we would call "Oh my mold what is that horrendous smell and why oh why does it look like that!?" 

Diced one (not rotten) coconut, sprinkled it with some sugar and cinnamon, and toasted it in the oven until it was dried out.  

 

Made up the cake batter according to the recipe.  I was worried there wouldn't be enough to bake with all the times I dipped my finger in to taste it.  It was that good. 

Here's where the 'triple layer' part comes in to play. 

Next up had me making egg whites, which despite my love of cooking/baking, I had never actually done.  It was the easiest thing in the world, and really fun to watch!

However, as tasty as lemon filling is to eat, it's not the easiest thing to make.  At least not for me.  It took me 3 times longer to get it to thicken than the recipe said it would.  And it was sticky.  And it was also worth it. 

Then came the delicious cream cheese frosting.

Then came smearing the delicious cream cheese frosting on one of the cakes like a crazy person and breaking it.

Then came using the lemon filling like glue to fix my poor, ugly, delicious cake. 

Then came some lovely toasted coconut that made everything seem better. 

Remember that scene in Sleeping Beauty, when the fairies were making a birthday cake and had to use a broom to prop it up?  That's all I could think about. 

 After stacking, smearing, smoothing, sprinkling, laughing, and four hours...this mammoth was done.   It was the middle of the night on my birthday, my kitchen was a mess, and I had lemon in my hair....but I was happy.  It really was a lot of fun.
 

 After taking it to my parents the next night, I found out that the smallest piece will fill you up so fast (the missing cake in the picture was from two people).  I had no desire to be tempted with the leftovers at my house, so I didn't bring it home with me, but I'm sure they ate on it for days. 
It was huge.  It was awesome.  It was lemon.  It was huge.  It was coconut.  It was huge. 
Did I say how huge it was?  It was. 

It was also worth it.  Don't take my word, scroll up, find the recipe, and get to it. 


....just make sure you clear your schedule for 4 hours. 

  *Kailey

Penny pincher in me part 2

After writing my last blog about how I budget I felt like I only hit the surface of what I actually do and tips I have learned. 

So here I go digging deeper into how I save. 

I want to first start with grocery shopping, last weekend as we were hiking it hit me that I didn't touch on all that I do on that shopping trip. 

Along with starting to use coupons and the grocery store membership card,meal planning and making a list I do research before I leave the house. 

Along with coupons that I get in the mail are store ads. I have started reading them finding more deals than I had first thought I had found. If your store has fuel perks sometimes you can get more perks buying certain brands. For example buying 2 loafs of the store brand this month gave me a extra 10 cents on my fuel perks. Not to mention the store brand was the cheapest price. 

At the store I take my time shopping I have found that not being a rush saves me money in more ways than one. 

When shopping for items there are normally more than one brand of that item for example condense cream of mushroom cost 1.09 when buying Campbell's brand but when I looked around, the store brand was selling it for 69 cents. 

Some times you have to look at the very bottom of the shelf but taking that time will save you money. I have learned this lesson when my parents sold beef jerky in stores. 

Companies are at war with each other when it comes to where their product is placed on the shelf. Some companies actually pay just to have their product placed in eye level view. They know how important it is to have bright labels and have them placed where you see it the fastest. 

So most of what I buy is either on the top shelf (I have learned how to climb shelves) or I'm down below getting stepped on but it's worth it when saving a extra buck or two. 

Sometimes all it takes is time to search the shelves and price out each item. 

As most everyone knows we have just moved and even though I love having a new house that is more than double the size of my first home I do not like the increase in my utilities so here things I do to save. 

The best way to save engery is to use the engery that Mother Nature gives us for free. 

Do you have cats or dogs? Do you ever notice how they love to lay by windows and soak up the sun? 

Well let me get to that but first lets start with where I keep my thermostat. 

They say you should during the winter keep it at least 68 during the day to save about 15 dollars. And as low as you can during the night. So I keep my house at 67 during the day and turn it down to 63 at night. And to my surprise I am not freezing like I thought I would. 

We also have a upstairs that is Emma's play room and joes office. That thankfully is on it's own thermostat so I have it set to 60 and keep the door closed that goes upstairs to keep my downstairs heat from going up. I have found that heat travels fast, as when we do play upstairs I keep the door open and in 15 minutes the upstairs heats up about 2 degrees. 

Like I said before to save engery I use Mother Nature and what is given to us. 

The best ways I have learned to do this is keeping track of the weather and be prepared to switch how you will do things during the day to be around Mother Natures plans. 

A great investment is buying some good thick curtains. My mom always says it helps keep the heat in and the cold out. 

In the mornings as the sun is coming up I open my windows facing east. Okay I really open all my windows. Thank goodness most of them face east and I let my house soak up the morning sun. They say the rays from the morning sun are worth more to plants than the rays from the evening so it can't be much more different with warming the house right? 

Living in North Carolina it isn't below zero all the time our winters are pretty mild other than one crazy week in January so this may not be able to apply to everyone but hopefully it can give you ideas. 

After opening windows and getting my tea started along with breakfast I only do chores that don't cause a lot of engery as in laundry or starting the dishwasher. These things really do warm your house. I see my thermostat go up at least a couple degrees when I do these things and since it isn't very cold during the day and my heater isn't having to work so hard I save those activities for the evening. 

At night even though my thermostat is set at 63 I try to give my house a boost. 

I start laundry and when cooking if I know it's going to be a cold night I make sure to cook with the oven and after I'm done cooking I open the oven to let out the heat. Then I do dishes before we go to bed. This gets the house normally to 72 and I know it will be awhile before my heater has to kick in. 

During the extra cold week we had in January I did lots of baking to also help keep the house warm and now I am trying to work it all off my body. 

One of the biggest things you can do to cut the electric bill is keep lights off. Like your mom used to say if you aren't using it turn it off. We are constantly checking the house for lights. 

It's the little things to think about when saving money and engery. If you need to get something done think about if it can wait a couple hours and be done when your heater will working harder and can that chore be a help with heating the house? 

Now for summer time, things are a little different. 

In the morning instead of opening your blinds from the east to let in the sun directly try to wait till around noon to open them. Unless you are like me and have to have sunlight in your home try opening your windows from the west so the sun isn't coming in directly. 

One thing I'm excited about in this new home is new windows that are easy to open. Since my husband wakes up for work at 4 am I am excited to try opening windows to let the cool morning air in before the sun comes up. This works great if you live in a dry area we did it all the time growing up in Colorado. But living in North Carolina I won't be able to do it all the time but the mornings where it isn't to humid you can bet my windows will be open. Just make sure you close them before mid morning. 

When it comes to doing chores that cause heat try to do them at night as well or if you can, think about hanging wet clothes on a line outside to dry. I have done research that says you can save 40 dollars a month on your utilities not using the dryer. Also in the summer when I start cooking at night I keep the fan on above the oven and place another fan in the kitchen and open and shut the oven quickly to make sure the heat doesn't leak out. 

In the summer I try to set my thermostat at 77 during the day and at night bring it down to 74. 

I'm sure as the summer heats up I will remember other ways to cool the house and if so I will repost in the summer but for now my mind is stuck in the winter.

Being a stay at home mother I have learned that every penny saved is a penny earned and I have the time to go out of my way to save in the smallest ways because small savings turn into big savings. I hope I was able to help you learn new ways to save or spark new ideas that I have yet to see. If so comment and tell me how else you save! I would love to hear it! 

Thanks for stopping by! 

-kristina 

Penny pincher in me

I have been asked a few times how I budget and keep a growing savings, this is a constant learning experience for me and I feel it should always be a changing growing experience for all as well. I feel we should always be making new goals financially and because of that, how you budget and save will change as well. 

I have also come a long way in my financial growth as well. Starting out I married very young and my husband kept the bills since he had been doing them all his adult life so far. But once he deployed all those bills landed on my feet and I had to take charge, mangage and save as much as I could during his deployment. I learned a lot from that experience and continue to learn and I am the one in control of our financial goals since being military he is hardly home. 

So what are some lessons I have learned and am learning? 

I grew up in the poorest county in Colorado and as a daughter of a rancher who struggled with the draught I learned early on how to live even below what little earnings my family made. So even now I still live within those means and do have to remind myself I am not nearly as poor as I tell myself I am. 

But this is not a bad thing to tell your self. It helps keep you from going shopping and buying things that you don't really need. 

So when should you start a budget? 

It is always good to start one anytime! But when I decide that my budget needs readjusting or we have fallen off the track I always restart it at the end of the month. 

The end of the month is the saddest your budget will look and you need to see what your budget reality looks like. 

For my story we had just moved four months ago and have been paying two house hold bills with one income. We did it because we saved enough money for unexpected adventures that the military would throw our way and this was one of them. But because of that we did see our budget shrink more than I would have liked. But thankfully this last week we were able to finally sell that home! Now that extra 1,000 dollars can start going back where it belongs. 

So what do you do with extra money after done with a payment or in our case a house?

First off it is not extra money. This is money that you have lost and now it's time to in my case play catch up. I have notice that it takes twice as long to catch up on money that you have lost. So if you spent 4,000 dollars out of budget in 4 months then it will take 8 months to get your budget on track. 

How do you keep track of your budget? 

Some banks offer online a budget plan and I love the budget plan my bank offers but I also love www.mint.com. I personally just started using it on my newest budget plan and this app helps keep me focused on my goal. 

On the budget app you need to sit down and go through your bills. How much is your rent? What is the average utilities bill? Go through your grocery recites, how much do you normally spend a month? And go through all other bills and debt you have that you have to pay monthly. Now add all those bills up. Then subtract it from how much you get paid monthly. Hopefully you have some money left over.   If you do it's time to make a new account and have a automatic withdrawal into that new account which will be your hidden saving account. At least put 50 dollars of every paycheck in there. 

Do not look at this account or add it with your checking account. 

If you want to save money for trips or something special then make another account and add more to that one as well. But never use your savings account unless it is extremely important. 

So now you have your bills taken care of you have started your savings for emergancies and you have some left over that my friend is not your carefree money. It's time to build up your account and time to make a goal. For me I want to see at least 500 more in my account at the end of next month. So plan your month according to how much you have left over. If that means not going to to movies or dining out making these cuts will make a dramatic change. 

So how do you save money? 

I am learning how to coupon and no I am not a crazy couponer. I make a list of groceries for the month and then go through the coupons I get in the mail and have been surprised to find a lot of coupons for things I do really need. 

Also to make a successful shopping trip only once a month or maybe you need to split it into twice a month, you need to plan out your meals. 

Not only do I use coupons from the mail but I found a awesome app that I will soon see if it works but it is called checkout 51. They also have coupons and after you buy, you take a picture of your receipt and claim what is on the list. After at least 20 dollars they will send you a check in the mail. 

How else do I save money on food?

I do not buy at Walmart. Yes they say they match prices but they do not have the same type of deals that other grocery stores have. Depending on where you live there are grocery stores that have member cards for you to get an even better discount on items. I know for Colorado area King Soopers does this and on the east coast there are a few that I use. But my favorites are food lion and BI-LO. 

BI-LO though has become my favorite place to shop. Not only do I save using their card but they also help me save on gas. Every 20 dollars I spend is a cent I get off a gallon of gas and you can save up to 50 cents using shell gas stations. 

The more experience I get with couponing and buying items on sell or using the buy one get one free I have been saving at least 60 dollars when I go shopping. Plus once I save about 50 cents on gas I fill up saving even more at the pump. 

How do I stay on track when clothing the kids? 

Thankfully I only have one child to clothe but it can still be expensive! 

I look for deals and crazy 8 has some really good deals so do other stores but you have to wait and watch for the sales though. Before I go shopping on sale racks I take in Emma's clothes she out grew to Once Upon A Child. Make sure you wash the clothes first and there are no stains.clothes they don't buy I take to goodwill and ask for a receipt. You can use that as a tax write off.  I always feel they buy her cloths for good prices. Then that cash I made I take and only spend that much on her new wardrobe. Sometimes you need to spend more but the cash from the resale usually is a nice start. 

Now time to talk about the little things. As you begin to go through your budget and see where you spend the most you see the little things like stopping at Mac Donald's for dinner or that pair of shoes you had to buy start to add up. It's time to stop making these purchases. 

We have a rule when it comes to these types of purchases. 

We make a monthly plan and if by the end of the month we surpassed that goal then we will treat ourselves to something we wanted,for me that treat is Dunkin' Donuts or lunch at our favorite BBQ diner.  Do not spend a lot. Just enough to treat yourself. But only treat yourself if you surpass your budget. After making your goal for a few months then maybe go buy shoes or that xbox game but keep in mind those purchases need to be saved for when you have kept up with your budget for awhile. 

And once you are able to stay on budget and start paying off your debt it's time to set your budget up higher and add more  to your savings account. At least add another 50 dollars from every pay check. This takes time and years to do but the trick is stay on track. 

This is what I have learned and I hope it gives anyone reading this ideas and maybe you can give me tips that I haven't found yet. 

Happy savings!!!

-kristina