Squishy Squashy

Even with the spring-like days we've had recently, there is only so much time that can be spent outdoors when the yard and toys are still covered in a heavy, wet, slowly melting snow. Which means that the children still have boundless energy.

I saw on a friend's Facebook page that she made homemade playdough. She used food coloring and essential oils, both things which I do not have on hand. I decided to google a recipe that is similar to the one my mom used to use when we were kids and found one with ingredients that were already in my cupboard!

The kids sat quietly playing while I prepared lunch and are still playing with each other at the table after finishing their lunch.

1 c. flour

1/2 c. salt

3 t. cream of tartar

1 pkg. Kool-Aid

1 c. water

1 T. cooking oil

Add dry ingredients in a saucepan. Mix water and oil and pour into dry ingredients. Turn stove top to medium heat and stir ingredients until it thickens into a ball. Let ball cool on counter, then knead a few times. Now it's ready to use!
Store in a covered container (I used a glass canning jar but even a ziplock bag would work) in the refrigerator; it should keep for several weeks.

Shine On

My tea kettle had turned disgusting. It is a stainless steel kettle with a copper bottom. Over the years it had become tarnished, rusted, and since it has been a permanent fixture on the stovetop (I love me some tea) it had become crusted with grease splatters. I clean it, of course, but I never worked at getting it shiny.
I mixed up my typical scrub, which is baking soda and dish soap. It helped, but not enough. So I added table salt to the scrub and then got to work scrubbing. It worked!!
Adding the salt gives it much more abrasive qualities. Be careful using this on something which may scratch, but otherwise it is a great booster to this cleanser. It also works great for tea and coffee stains inside cups!

Good or Evil?

Why does the Bible talk about money in both positive lights as well as negative? For example:

Matthew 6:24
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."

Proverbs 13:11
"He who gathers money little by little makes it grow."

Matthew 19:24
"Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

Proverbs 21:5
"Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty."

These verses seem to contradict each other, do they not? In one passage it seems to say money is bad and others it seems to say that money is good. Which is it?

Money is not evil, per sey, but rather how we spend our money. The rich in the world live in a fish bowl (celebrities, large CEOS, etc.) and we all can see how foolish they can be with their money. Fancy sports cars which they crash, lavish mansions which they tear down, shopping sprees totaling tens of thousands. Money gives people a sense that they are more important then others. Our whole society agrees, and caters to celebrities. A great example is Beyonce's recent birth...she rented out a hospital wing in order to have her child (at a reported expense of over 1 million dollars!), which in turn affected other parents in the maternity ward which were prevented from visiting their children in the nursery. How is she more important than a parent visiting his sick babies?! Matthew 19:30 "But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first."

With money comes responsibility, of which most people can not handle.
Luke 12:48
"From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked."

It is not just the ridiculously rich who must be careful of their wealth. We are all instructed to care for those less fortunate. Luke 3:11 John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same." We middle-class or lower-class Americans may think we are just scraping by to exist, but as my post showed last week, we are rich compared to most of the world. If you woke up in a warm bed, had breakfast this morning, or took a hot shower - you are blessed. See how rich you are. Our family calculated in the top 7.74 of the richest in the world!

I'm the 464,770,115 richest person on earth! Discover how rich you are! >>

We are instructed to not be lovers of money, but rather lovers of people. We must love ALL people. If we suddenly feel as though we are better than someone, or deserve more than someone else, we have become that rich man that will have an easier time getting a camel through an eye of the needle then getting to heaven.

Yet, we are instructed to save money. We are instructed to be good stewards of what God has given to us. We are not to go into debt on foolish purchases. We are to work hard and use our money for good. Money can be a blessing, as long as you are blessing people with it. Are we blessing out children by giving them a stable home, or are we hurting them by going into debt for their fancy toys? Are we blessing ourselves with warm clothes and healthy food, or are we killing ourselves with credit card bills and greasy take out?

What is your take on the correlation between good and evil when it comes to money?

Health Or Beauty?

While sorting and cleaning the cabinets in the bathroom the other day, I realized that I don't use a lot of what I had. Much of what I had was expired, dried up, or just something I no longer wanted, so I tossed it. I'm a simple gal when it comes to my health and beauty routine and I think that the less that we use, the better for our bodies.

The same went for under my sink - my main staple for cleaning is white vinegar and water, so I did not need a hundred bottles under my sink. I cleared out all the harmful chemicals which somehow worked their way into the house and rearranged the mainstays - Seventh Generation spray, vinegar, baking soda, and rags.

It's amazing how companies brainwash us into thinking that we need a separate product for every little thing: shampoo, conditioner, body wash, face soap. Sink cleaner, stovetop cleaner, countertop spray, bathtub cleaner, toilet cleaner, window spray. It's overwhelming, hazardous to our health, and just plain expensive.

While I've set a lot of goals for myself this year, simplify was one of the main ones. I've been doing great with clearing out clutter (another garbage bag full of stuff went to Goodwill this past weekend!) and I wanted it to carry over to the stuff I use in the house, hence the purging of the chemicals and bathroom closets.

This evening I went on a shopping spree to stock up on items that I do need to replenish soon. It may seem silly to post simplify in one paragraph and shopping in another but hear me out. If one wants to replace their hazardous cleaning items with a gallon of white vinegar, one must go buy white vinegar. That one jug of vinegar will replace 5+ bottles of cleaning solutions under your sink. You are simplifying.

What did I purchase this evening? Thanks to the dear readers who signed up using my link on Vitacost.com I had enough credit to simplify my cabinets. Most of the products I purchased were items we already use, such as

and
Dr. Bronner's all-in-one liquid soap is a favorite of ours. It is completely natural and is the power house of clean. We use it for body wash, face wash and shampoo for the kids (unfortunately, hubby and I seem to be too greasy to be able to use this for our face or hair). I've used it for cleaning before, dishes, and laundry detergent in a pinch. It's been said that there are 30+ uses for it (some even brush their teeth with it!). This one bottle can really simplify your health and beauty routine.

I know lots of people who would love to use all natural and organic items for their family but feel it is too expensive. This is not true - look around your house - a bottle of shampoo, a bottle of conditioner, and soap or body wash all costs money and can be replaced with something as simple as one bottle of Dr. Bronner's. For a 32 oz. bottle on Vitacost it was $15.xx. That may sound like A LOT (believe me, I thought it was crazy expensive when I first heard about it) but it lasts forever. Seriously, one or two little drops gets you clean in the shower. I use a foaming pump dispenser and that makes it last even longer. We are still working on one 16 oz. bottle that we purchased last spring! The scents are amazing as well...peppermint is so refreshing for hot weather that it literally makes you want to put a sweater on after showering! Almond is delicious, lavender is relaxing, and the scent free is great for sensitive or baby skin.

My point is to not turn into an infomercial, but rather to point out that if you shop smartly and pair down you can simplify the ingredients that you use, the number of products that you use, and end up saving money.

And, again, while I don't want to sound like an infomercial, I do like to share with my readers brands and sites that get me excited. This was the third time that I have purchased from Vitacost.com and I have never been disappointed. First and foremost, it is frugal. The prices on items I already buy are cheaper than my local stores and even Amazon. There is often awesome sales, as well. The shipping is free over $50 and just $4.99 for an order under $50 (my last box was over 17 lbs. and shipped free!). You can go through Shop at Home for 5% cash back (if you are new to Shop At Home, click on this link and you'll get $5 for signing up).

The best part is the referral program, which is still going on. This is not a pyramid scheme or any trick, it's just a great promotion so they get more customers for this new website and you get to try their service...no strings attached. They give each new customer $10 when they sign up. You can place a small order of just $10 worth of items and only pay the $4.99 shipping (this is a great way to try their business) or you can place a larger order and get $10 off your order. But then, you can refer your friends and you will get $10 for each person who goes through your link. I was able to get $50 worth of items free due to 5 sweet people signing up under me - they were happy with their credit and I was happy with mine. This is an exceptional way to get natural and organic products inexpensively or even free!

I do plan to continue to purchase from Vitacost, whether I have a credit or not. The prices are lower then I've seen elsewhere, there is a huge selection, and I can shop from the comfort of my own home (which is a huge plus, since the natural foods store I shop at is 45 minutes away). Everything from steelcut oats and energy bars, to vitamins, to health and beauty supplies are available on this site.

If you aren't already a customer, sign up through this link and you'll get your $10 code. Place your order, and then share your referral code with your friends and family. It's awesome!

This post was not sponsored or endorsed by Vitacost.com. It is a site I enjoy and wanted to share. The links on this page are my own referral links and will net me a profit for the referral.

Sunday

Today I finally got some time alone before anyone else in the house awoke. I swear, when I wake up in the mornings the kids seem to sense it and barrel down the stairs within minutes. Seriously, the other day I woke up two hours earlier then I usually do and five minutes later Becca was downstairs calling "Mom?!" How in the world does this happen?!

I cleaned out the bathroom cabinets. They were full of old health and beauty supplies, lonely q-tips, and all types of odds and ends. They are much emptier, and neater, now.

I was about to throw away some throw pillows that had rips and tears in them when I decided to repurpose them. I took an old comforter apart (which was about to become part of the rag bag) and used the fabric to make a cover for the pillow. Before:

After:
I made the cover "envelope style" (I don't even know if that's a term but that's what I'm calling it!). It closes with buttons and the pillow can be removed for easy cleaning. I have another one that needs to be done, which I will work on throughout this coming week. It's not a perfect sewing job but it's been years since I've sewn anything (other then mending) and it was all done by hand.

I'm off to make cabbage soup for supper and then off to exercise afterwards. I weighed in again this morning at the same weight as I have been the past three weeks but I expect next week to be down a pound or two after the better eating habits and exercising I have done this week.

YOU Are Rich

As I was cleaning out my filing cabinet today I came across a box of old check registers. Before throwing them out I flipped through them to see our past financial history. What was interesting is that I forgot how hard I hard to juggle things previously. Just six years ago our family of, at that time, 4 lived off $285 a week.

That's $1,140 a month.

While it was hard, we made it. We had very little debt then (just a credit card for a lawn mower and dryer). I've had a checking account since I was 11 years old (that means 18 years now!) and even at our lowest I never once have bounced a check.

Six years later I don't have to juggle our finances as much. We have more leeway and freedom on what we need/want to buy. Even with that leeway, I'm careful not to overspend and not to spend every penny that comes in.

We've all heard the saying that "our spending adjusts to our income." Meaning, the more we make the more we typically spend. Unfortunately, it's too often true. If someone is barely able to scrape by at $2,000 a month, why is it when their income is at $2,500 they are still having the same struggles? At $3,000 they complain they don't have enough?

It reminds me of the Bible verse Ecclesiastes 5:10: "Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income."

We Americans are spoiled. We complain about the mortgage in our Mcmansions while others live in a structure composed of cardboard walls and ceilings made of tarps. We complain about our grocery bills when others struggle to put one meal of rice on the table daily. We buy new wardrobes yearly while others wear rags.

I use the term "we" loosely. Even those of us who are on limited budgets in the US are still ricer than the majority of the world. Count yourself lucky if you have a warm shelter to live in, 3 meals a day, and clothing to protect us from the elements. Having those three things indeed makes you rich.

The point of this ramble is that we need to change our thinking when it comes to our finances. When is enough enough? What number would make you happy? If you are struggling, is it because you aren't making enough or is it because you are spending too much? I hope you'll ponder these questions, as they are the start to a financially comfortable future.

Chug It

I started over again today. While my goal to lose weight was made 18 days ago, I didn't lose a single pound. There were days that I tried and then days that I didn't. Getting sick didn't help the matter.

Today I told myself that it was time to really stick to my guns and start getting myself slimmer. I went to the grocery store and picked up healthy meals and snacks (lots of fruit and vegetables!). For breakfast I had two bananas (I got up late and wasn't real hungry), for lunch I had a bowl of chili leftover from last night, for a snack I had an ice cream cone (I couldn't resist! And I don't feel you should deprive yourself of a yummy treat once in awhile). For supper we had homemade pizza and broccoli salad. I'm stuffed and feel as though I did pretty well.

Another thing I started today was drinking.

Water, that is. I'm not a huge water drinker, especially in the winter, so it's hard to force myself to drink throughout the day. I can easily (and joyfully) drink a mug or two of hot tea throughout the day but besides that I was lucky to get in a glass of milk and a few sips of water.

I dug this water bottle out of the cupboard. It holds 24 oz. so my goal is to drink two bottles a day (that, along with my cup of tea and glass of milk should meet my goal). I allowed myself to put one Crystal Light Pure lemon powder in my first bottle and that was easy to get down. The second bottle is pure water and since I'm keeping it handy I notice that it's easy to not forget to drink.

Whether it works for weight loss or not is something yet to be seen for me. But, I know getting enough water will improve my health, and that is the most important thing, right?

The Middle

This week...

...I can't believe that it's the middle of January. Where have the days gone?!


...I spent the day at the hospital with Jacob, waiting for him to get some caps on his teeth due to numerous cavities. Considering that he never had cavities before and now has a mouthful after his treatments, I can't help but think that the treatments themselves had something to do with them. My brave boy gave me a hug and marched down the hall with the nurse to the operating room. He emerged two and a half hours later, sleepy, with some new silver caps.

...we can finally say it feels like winter. The white stuff has arrived and the temperatures also correspond with winter weather. A large snowman sits in the yard, sporting an army helmet and sword...attesting to the fact that winter may have been late but it's now here.

...I've stalled out with NO weight loss yet this year. My budget is getting in better shape though. My house is losing weight, with another garbage bag and a half filled for Goodwill. At least something is lighter in this house!

Keepin' It Real

A few weeks ago a reader commented that they would enjoy seeing a real glimpse into my house during the day. As a blog reader, and a blog writer, it is obvious that bloggers often only show the best of themselves. Which can sometimes leave readers feeling as though they are the only one with a messy house, a disorganized closet, days where they just want to stay in bed, anger at their husbands, etc. It's refreshing when a blogger posts something "really real".

I cringe to post the below photo. You all should feel honored because I never let anyone see my house like this! It was the type of day had someone knocked on the door I probably wouldn't have answered it. But it's real and I decided to post it to make you all feel better about your messy houses, because I doubt it's as bad as this! ;)

The photo is not staged. It looks that way, with all the weird random things strewn about. I often ask myself how a room can look like this within a matter of hours. I wonder why there is an army helmet under the table, pencils all over the floor, and all the other odds and ends that add up to one big mess. Mind you, my house doesn't always look like this. But with three small kids there are days where several rooms in the house can end up looking like this by the end of the day.
It was a fairly quick problem to solve. I then worked on the playroom, which was even worse (how is that even possible?! most of you probably think). I wish I had taken a photo of that before and after, but knowing my children it will be messy again by the weekend. Luckily, with one child at her grandparents and a hubby who arrived home early from work after going in early, I was able to really focus on the playroom and got one whole garbage bag of toys ready for donation and half a bag of trash (broken toys, pieces of paper, etc.). I'm really starting to get that less stuff means less stuff to pick up!

So be honest, was this something you've never seen in your home?! Were you surprised or are you used to it yourself in your homes some days?

I Give Up

I couldn't do it...I couldn't complete the menu plan. I admit defeat.

The thing is, if a family spends a lot over $100 a week on groceries the plan would be a great one to follow to cut meal costs. For us, it ended up being more then we typically spend and much more labor intensive, which may be why I up and quit because a week of sickness and no energy is not a good week to spend much time in the kitchen.

I also felt there was way too much bread in the menu plan. We were already getting sick of beans (three bean dishes in one week with leftovers for lunch). And there was a lot more meat in the menu then we typically eat. In the end, it didn't fit us.

BUT, there were many things I did like about the menu which I will implement. We liked a lot of the recipes and I will be putting them to use in my own menu. I also liked the "make twice as much" amount rule to use the other half in recipes later the week. It's a rule I used to stick to but let drop so will try to get that going again. For example, one night I made rice to go with the salmon patties. I made enough to have leftovers for rice pancakes the next morning and the kids and I finished off the rest for lunch today, warmed with some milk and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. The one cooking time helped make three different dishes. So that is something that I am going to try to work on.

There was a lot of good in the menu but I think this was a bad week to test it out. Did anyone else end up trying this?

Sort It Out

I've fallen off the wagon. Since Thursday evening I've shut down my menu plan and my weight loss plans. Today I'm back on track.

Wednesday evening I started coming down with a cold. I stayed on course on Thursday with the menu plan and rearranging our bedroom for the new mattress that we purchased which was set to arrive that day (yes, we finally upgraded to a new queen size mattress after 10 years on the same full size bed!). By the end of the day I was completely exhausted and my cold only continued to get worse.

Since Friday I've taken it easy and did the bare minimum. I did awake today feeling better and have gotten back on track with the laundry and general pick up of the house.

So how have my goals progressed this past week? I weighed in this morning and have not lost one single pound. I expected that though, as exercise as been out of the picture and the eating the past two days has been less then stellar. I will start over again this week and hope to see a bit of a difference.

The menu stalled out after a couple days. I did find that on Thursday when still at the beginning of the cold I was able to cook three meals that day on auto-pilot because of the menu plan, which was great. By Friday I had zero energy though so relied on frozen foods and quick meals. Today marks day 3 of the menu. So far we've enjoyed it and the only thing we weren't big fans of was the cornmeal much (Becca and Joe ate it...I ate my bowl but wouldn't have wanted seconds, and Jacob just turned his nose up completely). A reader suggested forming it in a loaf pan until cool, cutting it into slices, and frying in some butter. I'm going to try that next time.

We all enjoy the homemade bread and I love the ease of this...prepare the night before and bake the next day. Right now I have the garlic breadsticks in the oven for a snack for this afternoon - they smell delicious! One thing I would change about the menu is the dried milk...I won't be buying that again. After purchasing it I figured that I only saved about $1 and the kids don't like the taste unless it is mixed with their Ovaltine. I will be purchasing regular milk by the gallon now and will use up the rest of the powder with the bread recipe.

Despite feeling sick the past few days I was able to do some organizing. I managed to get my hubby to go through his dresser and closet with me and get rid of what he no longer wears. He still had a lot of what he wore before we were married - 10 years ago! A lot went into the rag bag and what was still nice went into a bag for Goodwill - we were able to fill one whole garbage bag of his clothes alone! A whole other bag of toys and plastic cups and bowls filled another bag and those were dropped off yesterday by hubby. It feels good to have two whole garbage bags worth of items out of the house this week and I'm already 1/4 through another bag! I'm attempting to work on the playroom today and tomorrow.

This and That

One year ago this week (January 3rd, to be exact) Jacob started radiation and chemo. It is wonderful to be starting this year off completely different with our healthy little boy.

Today Jacob had his check-up with the Radiologist so since we were driving such a long way for such a short doctor visit (literally under 5 minutes) I decided to take the kids to a children's museum.

We spent close to three hours there and the kids had a blast. We will be going back again, for sure, but I think next time daddy will come along as well. All three kids wanted to spend the majority of the time in different areas and I felt like my head was going to spin off while trying to keep track of three kiddos going in opposite directions.
The first day of our new menu is going well. Great, in fact. The children enjoyed the new recipe for biscuits this morning along with their eggs and bacon. I prepared the meatloaf for supper this morning and stuck it in the fridge, knowing that we would be out late. I called hubby on the way home from the museum and told asked him to put it in. Once we arrived home I whipped up a batch of the plain muffins, made the mashed potatoes, and heated up the green beans. It was a very filling supper and because I knew exactly what we were having I was able to prepare some of it ahead of time which saved me a lot of time on a very hectic day. I typically would have just picked up something on the way home and am proud that I didn't today. The leftover meatloaf will be used for meatloaf sandwiches for lunch tomorrow.

I just put together the overnight bread, which I will bake tomorrow. Fresh bread with a bean dish will be excellent for supper!

So far so good on the menu plan. Breakfast tomorrow calls for cornmeal mush. I've never had it before and was a bit tempted to skip that, not knowing if the kids will like it or not, but since I don't know it means I should give it a go! Tomorrow shall be interesting as all three meals are different then we are used to, so it is a real test to see how the whole Hillybilly Housewife menu is going to turn out!

Has anyone else decided to give the menu a go?

It sounds like we are in store for a beautiful day weather wise tomorrow. We may reach 50 degrees. For the beginning of January that is amazing! We will make the most of it and spend our time outdoors. I hope your day turns out just as lovely!

Frugal Food Plan

The USDA put a chart out estimating the cost of food for a family of four last January (2011). It was estimated that on the "thrifty" plan a family would spend $598. On the "low cost" it would be $779, "moderate plan" was $974 and "liberal plan" was $1184 (with children ages 6-11). Those amounts are staggering to me...even the "thrifty plan" is almost double what we, a family of 5, spends monthly on food.

Recently I have been in a bit of a rut with cooking. I haven't come up with great meal plans or grocery lists and I wanted some help with that, so decided to try the Hillbilly Housewife's $70 grocery plan which was put together in 2006. It was a complete menu with complete shopping list that would cost $70 for a week. She revised it in 2009 where it ended up costing $82.26. Because it has a complete menu (including snacks), complete shopping list, and a list of preparations to do and when I decided to give it a go. I wanted something easy for a no-brainer week.

It is not a low-fat or completely healthy menu, but it is pretty much from scratch. With me tweaking a few recipes and sticking to the portion control I think it will end up being healthy.

I was hoping to come in around that $82 price tag (even based on 2009 prices) because I didn't have to buy a lot of what was listed (flour, sugar, spices). Unfortunately, I came in at $96.xx

That ends up costing more than what I typically spend each week. Luckily, I don't think that's a final total as some of what I bought will last longer than a week (the corn meal, dry milk, Miracle Whip, etc.). Because I didn't feel there was enough fruit, I added the bananas and watermelon (though I did not count them in the total price).

I'm starting this menu tomorrow and am curious to see how my family likes it. For me, it's not as thrifty as my usual plan, but I thought I would mention it here for those who do spend more and would like to cut back for a week. If we like this menu I may pull it out once a month to have a no-brainer cooking week.

Resolution Odds & Ends

Day 1 of my slim down went well, except for the handful of almond bark pretzels that I had at the end of the day. Everyone deserves a snack though and with that I still did good - instead of grabbing the two or three handfuls that I typically would have I stuck with the one. That's an improvement! Lunch was a salad with chicken pieces, sliced orange pepper, sunflower seeds, and a vinegar dressing. It was so good I'm craving another, but alas I am out of lettuce until Tuesday when the grocery store is open.

I didn't exercise though. I had intended to walk the dog, but with the 40 mph winds we've had all day and the grey, dreary skies I just wasn't motivated enough to go out in that weather. Tomorrow sounds better so I'll get back to exercising!

In part of saving more money this year I want to implement "no spend days". I'd like at least 10 days each month where we spend zip, zero, zilch. While most times there is only one big grocery shopping day of the week...there are often several times throughout the week that we will pick something up here or something up there. While they are items that we need by going out again and again we are bound to pick up several items each shopping trip that we don't need as well. So, by limiting our shopping days we will be saving money.

In order for this to work I have stuck a list of paper on the fridge and write down each thing that we need when we notice it. I'll take it to the store with me and that way I won't have to run back the next day for toilet paper, or the day after that for a pencil sharpener (seriously, in a house full of pencils we could not find one sharpened one last week after Joe broke our pencil sharpener! Kids and pens just don't work well together!), or the day after that for cheddar cheese which I desperately needed for a recipe. I've noticed the past several months that we have been running to the stores way too often and I want to nip that in the bud.

10 days each month are dedicated to no spending. Hopefully it will end up being more but I'm going to make a conscious effort not to go anywhere that money changes hands at least 10 days out of the month. Wish me luck!

I Did It

I weighed myself this morning. There was no gasp of surprise - the number was actually what I thought it would be. No, I'm not brave enough to announce it to the world - yet.

My goal weight is about 15-20 lbs. less than I am now. I am setting a goal for a 1 lb. weight loss each month. If it's more, great, but if not 1 lb. is a very attainable goal. While it may not sound like a lot, those last 10 lbs. are always the hardest to lose...I think everyone can attest to that. If I'm 12 lbs. lighter by the end of the year I will be happy with that.

I will weigh in each Sunday and let you know the results. My scale only goes by pounds (not halves or fourths) so it may take some time to see results. Once I start to see a difference I'll share what works/doesn't work for me.

I'm not obsessed with losing weight. My main goal is to start portion control (I'm really bad with this!) and good food choices. It will be a more of a lifestyle change then a diet.

Otherwise, my goals is for my house to also lose some weight (organization starts NOW!) and my savings account to gain some weight. I'll let you follow along with the process as well! :)

Today is a new beginning...won't you join me?!

Edited to add: If you are on Facebook you may want to "like" my page as I will highlight some simple things on there about my eating, organizing, and budgeting.