Shopping Results Week 4 May

My grocery goal this week was to buy healthy vegetables and drinks for Mr. Tech. He had the first stage of a root canal on Tuesday, so I was concerned about his immune system. I made chicken noodle soup, bought high-antioxidant juice, and ice cream to sooth his throat if needed. Luckily, he felt fine and there were no problems. But he still has three more appointments.

Here is what I bought!

Total oop $47.56 + coupons purchased $11.74 = $59.30
Coupons used $30.96 + store savings $26.01 = 49% savings!

I saved $56 on all this!!

Shaws – spent $0
8 Bags 8 O’Clock Coffee 6.49 BOGO sale – (4) free coupons = FREE!!
(I bought the coupons on E-bay for $11.74, so the price is about $1.50 bag)

Market Basket – spent $46.56
Ground Turkey 3.59
2 Banquet Sausage Links .99 sale
Fresh Beets 2.29
Romaine Lettuce 1.29
2lb Onions 1.19
Scallions .50
Green Beans .74
Large Eggs 1.39
Orange Swirl Ice Cream 2.00
Sorrento Mozzarella Cheese 2.99 – 1.00 coupon = 1.99
Cains Mayonnaise with Olive Oil 2.50 sale
2 New England Soups 2.00 each – 1.00 coupon when you buy 2
Langer’s Apple Juice 2.00 sale
Knudson Mixed Juices with Mega Antioxidants 3.99
Arrowhead Organic Barley 3.99 – 1.00 coupon = 2.99
Bag of Black Beans .99
Domino Sugar 2.99
2 Boxes of Ritz Crackers 1.50 each
2 Bags of Earthly Delight Quinoa 2.99 each – 1.00 coupon when you buy 2 = 2.49 each
2 UP2U Packs of Gum .99 each – 1.00 coupon when you buy 2 = .49 each

Stop & Shop – spent $1.00
Mango 1.00 sale

I have a confession – as I was writing this post, I realized something. I haven’t been recording my coupon purchases in my spending updates. Oops. So far this month I’ve spent about $15 on coupons. I will definitely record this in my May totals and make a point to record these purchases in the future.

I also could have saved more money this week had I been buying a paper each week or searched online for printables in order to have more coupons. I probably could have saved on the sugar, ritz crackers, and mayonnaise. But by buying these at Market Basket I saved dollars more than the competitor grocery stores. It truly is amazing how much less food is at this store – but I may be sacrificing quality on some things.

This week, I’ll be shopping at Shaws though because I am hooked on the promotional sweepstakes game they have right now. Maybe I’ll win $1 million!! Or maybe a $5 gift card – ha ha!

Have you found any great deals lately?

Spending Report Week 4 May

Are you getting bored with my spending reports? Yup, I am too

Yet, I have to write them because they are keeping me accountable.

This blog may be more for me right now, but that is what I need. Some of you read this financial diary and I thank you deeply for that. If my challenges help you in any way, then that is what I am here for. More so though, I am here for me. Writing about my spending, grocery shopping, and work search is where I am at right now in life. I truly pray that by September, I am writing more debt payoff and goal achievement posts. I hoped I would be at this point right now, but I am not. Instead, I am treading water with my finances. Getting by with what I have. Frugally finding ways to provide for my needs and pay my DAMN BILLS. Applying for teaching jobs and awaiting an interview.

This past week Mr. Tech and traveled north to visit family and friends. My brother graduated college! Yay! Huge milestone for him! We went for lunch and celebrated with homemade s’more cake that my stepmother made. Then, we visited a best friend for the night and went on a beautiful boat ride on Sunday. We finished our weekend by attending a BBQ for another older friend whose son also graduated college.

Overall it was a great weekend and we didn’t spend too much. Family dynamics are always interesting, and perhaps in the future I will get more into this – but for now, this is what I spent this week.

Friday May 18

• $1.99 Target (Cash – card for brother)

Saturday May 19

• $50.22 Gas for me (Checking)
• $43.52 Graduation Lunch (Checking)

Sunday May 20

• $20.51 Breakfast Sandwiches (Checking)
• $20.43 Beer and Cigs for Mr. Tech (Checking)

Monday May 21

• $46.56 Groceries (Checking)

Tuesday May 22

• $1.91 Starbucks (Cash)

Wednesday May 23

• $6.28 Target (Cash – Work Snacks)
• $1.00 Stop & Shop (Cash – Needed a Mango)
• $10.01 Gas for me (Checking )

Thursday May 24

• No Spend!!

Cash Totals: personal spending $11.18
Checking Totals: Groceries $46.56, Gas for me $60.22, Weekend Expenses $84.56 = $191.24
(Mr. Tech also spent about $70 on gas, books, and coffee)

Monday Meal Plan

My goal to eat healthier this week is well on its way! During my grocery shop today I bought a lot of fresh vegetables. Here is my menu plan for this week.

Monday

• Bacon Quesadillas with Lemon-Garlic Roasted Beets and Corn on the Cob

Tuesday

• Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup – my own recipe

Wednesday

• Beet Salad with Quinoa, Mango, and Black Beans

Thursday

• Baked Macaroni with Turkey Meat and Tomato Sauce

Friday

• Chicken Sausage Saute with Vegetables

Saturday

• Memorial Weekend Celebration – Meal TBD

Sunday

• Leftovers

Huge Pile of Receipts: Spending and Shopping Week 3 May

Ouch I overspent this week. I still have $24 in cash that won’t be going into savings. Money is tight this week and we’ll need it for spending over the weekend. My brother is graduating college so we’ll be going out to lunch. Then, Mr. Tech and I will visit some friends in the evening.

Tuesday was a big spend day for me. I bought a Netgear Internet adapter for my computer so I can get on online while at work! Yes, I do still have my job, though it may only be for a month more, depending on sales… but I’m not unemployed! Since having my adapter, I’ve completed two school applications. And, I can expect to be more active with this blog and other online goals!!

I also bought a much needed vacuum this week. We needed one badly and it was reaching the point where traveling back and forth to borrow a vacuum was becoming increasingly annoying. I researched different ones and used a 20% of coupon at Bed Bath and Beyond. Though it’s on credit, which I’m not happy about, I’ve already used it twice and my apartment is so much more cleaner. Having a clean house is truly important for my motivational level while at home, so this is a big deal for me.

Spending Results:

Friday May 11

• $28.08 Groceries
• $44.79 Gas for me (Checking – I saved 50 cents a gallon with my Stop & Shop card!)

Saturday May 12

• $4.69 Dunkin Donuts (we were out of coffee, so I went for Mr. Tech and I before going to work)
• $10.47 Groceries/Trader Joes (coffee and work snacks)
• $14.00 Clothes/Savers (Checking – I had a 30% off coupon expiring – 5 shirts for $14 is money well spent – and I’ve worn all the clothing already!)
• $8.59 Groceries

Sunday May 13

• $10.22 Dunkin Donuts (Checking – this will go in the budget as eating out spending since we treated the kids with egg sandwiches while driving to see my mom for mother’s day)
• $3.99 Rite Aid (card for mom)
• $5.80 Groceries (whenever I visit my mom, we go to Hannaford’s as part of our routine, it’s fun)

Monday May 14

• $1.81 Starbucks

Tuesday May 15

• $28.77 Staples (Checking – Internet Adapter and part of graduation gift for brother)
• $159.99 Bed Bath and Beyond (Credit – awesome vacuum – the Shark Navigator Professional!)
• $2.56 Dunkin Donuts (I gave in and bought an ice coffee)
• $21.00 Great Clips (Yay I got a haircut – and dyed my hair in the morning)
• $21.47 Clothes/Target (Checking – I had a coupon expiring, found a skirt I will wear everyday in my favorite color and a lovely blue floral shirt for brother’s graduation and for interviews – again worth the money spent)
• $5.28 Groceries

Wednesday May 16

• $44.99 Things Remembered (Checking – graduation gift for brother)
• $3.28 Dunkin Donuts (Again went to DD’s — had a bagel coupon that of course I had to use… ugh)

Thursday May 17

• No Spend Day! Woot – finally

 Cash Totals: Groceries $58.22, Coffee $12.34, Misc. Spending $24.99 = $95.55
Checking Totals: Gas $44.79, Clothes $35.47, Misc. Spending $83.98 = $164.24
Credit Totals: Vacuum $159.99
(Mr. Tech only spent about $50 on gas this week! Yay!)

Now I have to be honest, part of my crazy spending on Tuesday was due to feeling badly. I’m really fighting feelings of insecurities as I follow through with my passions and apply for new jobs. It’s silly I know because teaching and working with children is what I am meant to do and yet I doubt myself. Even though I spent money, I did not feel a sense of fulfillment after – though having new hair helps and I did wear my new shirt yesterday when I dropped off two applications. Getting these applications done was so much more gratifying, yet I may not have felt so motivated had I not bought what I needed to make my life better. And, I needed to get my brother a gift. Justification for spending. Now I need to get back into the saving mindset!

Yesterday I went running finally and that felt really great too! I went to a nice park near my house and did yoga moves while praying in the sun – that was nice too!

And, in case your interested, here is what I bought this week:

Shopping Results:

Stop & Shop – spent $6.75
4 Newman’s Tomato Sauce 2.45 each – (4) .50 coupons, doubled = 1.45 each

Shaws (Transaction 1) – spent $21.33
2 Belvitta Breakfast Bars 2.99 sale – (2) 1.00 coupons and (2) dollar doublers = .99 cents each
Kikkoman Teriyaki Sauce 2.19 – 1.00 printable – 1.00 dollar doubler = .19 cents
8 Starkist Yellow Fin Tuna .99 sale – (4) .75 coupon, doubled = .24 cents each!
Jello Temptation Pudding 2.79 sale – .90 coupon, doubled = .99 cents
2 Reduced Steaks 7.12 for 2 – (2) 1.50 meat coupons = 2.06 each
Shaws Diced Tomatoes with Green Chillis .99 cents
Sabra Hummus 2.79 sale – 1.00 printable – 1.00 dollar doubler = .79 cents!
Cucumber .89
Lemon Juice 1.99
Tomato 1.30
Bag Naval Oranges 1.99
Romaine Hearts 1.99 sale
Zucchini 2.15 (.99 lb)

No pictures for these trips…

Trader Joe’s – spent $10.47
Coffee 4.99
Cereal Bars 1.99
Dark Chocolate Powerberries 3.49

Shaws – spent $8.59
4 Newman’s Tomato Sauce 2.65 – (4) .50 coupons, doubled = 1.65 each
Bag Naval Oranges 1.99
*We gobbled up the other bag in 1 day*

Hannaford – spent $5.80
2 Bags Arrowhead Lentils 2.59 each – (2) 1.00 coupons = 1.59 each
Bag Arrowhead Organic Cornmeal 2.95 – 1.00 coupon = 1.95
Box Tissues .67 cents

 Market Basket – spent $5.28
Large Bailey’s Creamer 2.89 – 1.00 coupon = 1.89
Large Eggs 1.39
Coconut Milk 2.00 sale

For this week, I have some recipes in mind. We need more protein options and fresh vegetables. I think my gallbladder is irritated from heavy foods and perhaps white flour, so I’ll be exploring options that are limited in starches. For breakfast, I’d like to have yogurt with berries and smoothies rather than cereal or toast. It’s so easy to make cereal but I need to put more effort into eating healthier foods!

Do any of you have breakfast suggestions that are affordable and healthy? 

Monday Meal Plan

Eating healthier was on my mind this week while planning meals. Last week we ate a lot of carbs and I did not like this. My goal this week is to eat more vegetables and of course to limit my budget. I’ve already spent about $45 and I’m trying not to buy much more. I do need eggs and coffee creamer though. Here is my menu plan:

Monday

• Zucchini Lasagna and Salad – this link from www.noteatingoutinny.com gives an idea what I’ll be making, though I’ll be using tomato sauce instead of pesto sauce.

Tuesday

• Turkey Burgers with Bacon and Salad – this was planned for Saturday night, but Mr. Tech was at his parents house with the kids and they ate over there.

Wednesday

• Meat Marinade with Rice and Vegetables – I found discounted meat at the store on Friday. I cut it up and created a marinade with chopped onions, olive oil, teriyaki sauce, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, salt, and pepper. I refroze the meat and I’ll cook it in the crock pot during the day. I think it will be okay but Mr. Tech advises me to not buy discounted meat anymore.

Thursday

• Breakfast for Dinner

Friday

• Leftovers/Frozen Pizza

Saturday

• Dinner Out – My brother is graduating college!!

Sunday

• Dinner Out – BBQ graduation party for a friend’s son!

Cheers to a productive week!

Spending and Shopping Results Week 2 May

This week was long. Of my spending week, the only day I had off was Sunday. Keep in mind, since I am one of two employees who manage my retail store, my days are 11 hours long. Usually I only work three full days and every other week I work Sunday, which is only 7 hours. But since the store WAS closing and the guy I was working with gave his notice, I had to work extra hours. I made really great commission on Saturday, which became a $500 day!! That paycheck will be much needed to pay my student loans and car. I wish I had Saturdays like that every week!

Good news though, my store isn’t closing now! So I am still employed!! Yay! Yet, there is still a lot to do and urgently too. I don’t want to miss out on teaching jobs, but this week was a bust since I was working so much. It is hard for me to become motivated while working even though I can bring my computer. Sometimes I do more than other days. I have a lot to do at home this coming Wednesday and Thursday – A LOT! More on that later.

Here’s how I did moneywise this week. You may notice I went to Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts everyday that I worked – we were out of coffee at home and we need more to go coffee cups, hence the higher spending. Oh well, some weeks aren’t as good as others.

Spending Results:

Friday May 4

• $1.81 Starbucks
• $15.05 Gas for me (checking)

Saturday May 5

• $4.50 Dunkin Donuts
• $9.50 Groceries

Sunday May 6

• $64.86 Groceries/Personal Products
• $40.99 Cigarettes for Mr. Tech (checking)
• $20.05 Gas for me (checking)

Monday May 7

• $1.91 Starbucks

Tuesday May 8

• $3.30 Dunkin Donuts
• $6.84 Groceries

Wednesday May 9

• $2.20 Starbucks

Thursday May 10

• $1.91 Starbucks

Cash Totals:$15.63 personal spending, $81.20 Groceries = $96.83
Checking Totals: $35.10 Gas, $40.99 Mr. Tech = $76.09
(Mr. Tech also spent about $50 on gas and $20 at Dunkin Donuts)

Even with the higher spending, I deposited an extra $20.54 into savings and another $20 in cash that I meant to give to Mr. Tech. So instead I put this money into savings and took out another $20 for him to use this week. I’m trying to help him be more mindful with his spending. Buying cartons of cigarettes is definitely helping! Though, I wish he would quit. One step at a time. As for my savings goal for May, I still need $500 by the end of the month – this may not happen, but I’ll put in as much as possible.

As for my grocery shops, here is how I did for those:

Total oop $81.20, coupons used $20.10, store savings $28.93 = 33% total savings
I also have a $10 rebate to submit and will save .40 cents a gallon on my next full up of gas!

Stop & Shop (Transaction 1 – No picture)
Ice Cream 2.50
4 Frozen Pizzas 2.50 each sale
Spend $10 on pizzas, save $3 instantly

(Since I didn’t feel like cooking after a long Saturday at work, I bought pizza and ice cream.
A moment of weakness that I try not to divulge, but I gave in this time. We still have 2 pizzas in the freezer.)

Paid $34.13

Stop & Shop (Transaction 2)
Spend $10 on select Stop & Shop products, save $3 instantly (all the items with the star counted towards promo)
White Bread 1.99 sale
Oatmeal Bread 1.88 sale
*Baby Carrots 1.66
*Fudge Bars 2.00
*Apple Juice 2.00
*2 Cans Peaches 1.19 each
*Sandwich Bags .99
*Tortilla Chips 1.99 sale
3 Sorrento Mozzarella Cheese 2.50 sale – (3) 1.00 coupons = 1.50 each
10 Ortega Taco Seasoning Packets .67 sale – (5) 1.00 coupons when you buy 2 = .17 cents each!
Whiskas Cat Treats 2.19
2 Banquet Sausage 1.00 each
3 Shadybrook Farms Ground Turkey 3.99 (Buy 3, earn 400 gas points for .40 cents off per gallon!)

Dollar Tree
1 Newspaper 1.00

Paid $26.55 – $10 rebate = $16.55!

Market Basket
Zucchini 1.26
Bananas .73
2 Packages Boneless Chicken Breast @ 1.99 pound = 10.57
12 Pack Corona for Mr. Tech 13.99
Rebate for $10 when you buy chicken and Corona! Yay Free Chicken!!

Walgreens
I had $4 in Register Rewards to use before they expired. I found hair dye for 5.69 – 3.00 RR = 2.69
And, Cream of Chicken Soup 1.29 – 1.00 RR = .29 cents

Stop & Shop (Transaction 3 – No picture)
1 Bailey Creamer 2.09 sale – 1.00 coupon = 1.09
4 Newman’s Own Tomato Sauce 2.45 each (4) .50 coupon, doubled = 1.45 each

Keep in mind, for all my Stop & Shop transactions, I use my own bags and save 5 cents per bag.
I often use my own bags at other stores too even without the extra savings.

How did you do on your shopping this week?

Job Thoughts and Monday Meal Plan

Yesterday (Sunday) was a tough day. After grocery shopping my plan was to clean the kitchen, do laundry, and work on my computer. I’ve been awaiting news about the teaching job I interviewed for. I didn’t think they would respond over the weekend but surprisingly there was an email in my inbox. Shockingly, I didn’t get the job. I was really surprised, for in so many ways I thought this job would be perfect. Now in retrospection, I can see how there were some things that I wasn’t comfortable with, but I need a job and hence I was willing to overlook these areas of concern. Besides the inadequate benefits, I wouldn’t have been a social studies teacher, but rather a classroom teacher. In many ways, I thought this would be interesting and fun, but I haven’t worked this hard for years so I could not teach about history and the world. So I guess for this reason, they were right to not hire me. But still, the rejection hurts.

Writing such a personal post takes me out of my comfort zone. I’ve been unsure about how much to reveal regarding my dreams, goals, and aspirations. Some bloggers keep everything secret and write about their lives without disclosing their professions. I can’t do that, for my finances are very much connected to my career goals and the fear that has prevented me from accomplishing them. Although I have a great education and I am very qualified, I have let fear stop me from applying myself. A few years back, I started to go for it, but then I stopped. I was financially overburdened, driving all over the state, waitressing to make extra cash, living with family, starting a new relationship (with Mr. Tech), and increasing debt. I had to evaluate my life and chose to stop adjunct teaching. I was an art history teacher at two universities and I loved it.

Now it’s four years later. I am certified in teaching social studies. I have another year of teaching experience. I started this blog and I have a vision for an art history educational website.  And yet, I still allow fear to prevent me from feeling confident. Despite this fear, I am at a place in my life where I can either go after my dreams and what I think about, obsessively, or I can not go for it and instead be miserable. I’ve been working through the Only72.com materials I bought recently, focusing first on those that talk about conquering fears and going after the passions that people desire. I’m fortunate in the sense that I know what I want and I know my purpose. I know what I need to do to change my life and since I’ll be unemployed by next Tuesday, now’s the time to do it! But I am scared.

Stay tuned as I post more about my job search and the process of overcoming my fears to make my dreams come true!

And here’s what I’ll be eating this week. The meals aren’t that healthy this week, but we’ll have a lot of leftovers. I’ll be working about 60 hours to finish up my last week of my retail job, so having go ready foods will be helpful.

Monday

• Chicken Casserole

Tuesday

• BBQ Pork with Risotto and Green Beans (or leftovers if Mr. Tech is home late with the kids)

Wednesday

• Pasta with Meat Sauce

Thursday

• Tuna Melts with Quinoa Salad

Friday

• Mexican Bake with Salad

Saturday

• Turkey Burgers with Tater Tots

Sunday

• Mother’s Day Outing with Mom
• Leftovers if hungry at night

Spending and Shopping Results: Week 1 May

Money was very tight this week. Thankfully I stocked up on good foods in April and didn’t need much at the grocery stores. Last Saturday I brought the boys shopping with me to Savers (a used clothing store I visit frequently). Older Stepson also had gift cards to Toys R Us and Walmart, so we have a few new toys and he bought us treats like ice cream and M&Ms. I haven’t been buying junky treats lately, so it was nice of him to spend his gift cards on all of us. He was also functional and bought himself some new socks.

Spending Results:

Friday April 27

• $3.60 Target – work snacks
• $1.52 Starbucks

Saturday April 28

• $1.47 Toy for Little Einstein
• $26.92 Savers (Checking – I got three shirts for Mr. Tech, a tee and ceramic case for Little Einstein, shorts for Older Stepson, and a teaching blouse for me)

Sunday April 29

• $29.53 Groceries

Monday April 30

• $1.08 Dunkin Donuts (I had a coupon for a 99 cents latte – unfortunately, it was tiny)

Tuesday May 1

• No Spend Day!

Wednesday May 2

• $1.91 Starbucks

Thursday May 3

• No Spend Day!

Cash Totals: $9.58 personal spending, $29.53 groceries = $39.11
Checking Totals: $26.52 (Mr. Tech spent about $100 on gas and personal spending)

Savvy Shopping Results: Amazingly, I only went to two stores this week and bought only this!

   Total oop $29.53, total coupons $8.10 and $1.25 in store savings = 22% total savings

Market Basket
Ground Turkey 3.59
Cucumber .50
Tomato .55
2lb onions .99
Bananas .54
Eggs .99
Olives .99
Canned Peaches 1.50
Sargento Mexican Cheese 2.00
Sorrento Mozzarella Cheese 2.99 – 1.00 coupon = 1.99
Bailey’s Hazelnut 2.89 – 1.00 coupon
Eight O’Clock Coffee 22 ounces 7.99 – 1.50 coupon = 5.49
2 Barilla Pasta 1.50 sale – 1.00 coupon when you buy 2 = 1.00 each

Stop & Shop
4 Daisy Cottage Cheese 2.29 sale – (4) .45 coupon, doubled = 1.39 each

And that’s it! In the next few weeks I plan to stock up on sauce and pasta and hopefully sign up for a weekly produce box from a local farm association. I’m looking forward to buying fresh veggies and fruits rather than store produce.

How was your shopping this week?

May 2012 Goals

I love this picture from quotepictures.net. The colors are beautiful, love the swirls, and of course the inspirational quote!

Last month I had many goals – some of them I completed – others are still on my list for this month. I’m kind of mad that some of these goals weren’t completed, but considering the limited income right now, I think Mr. Tech and I did fine. What’s great about writing out these goals is that I can check myself and complete the goals this month! Here’s how I did in April and what I hope to achieve in May.

Financial:

• April’s goal was to save an additional $350 to cover the Jeep’s registration and inspection in June. After looking at my account, I need $178.99 transferred to reach this goal. I haven’t put as much extra from my weekly shopping into savings this month, so this needed amount is higher than I wanted. I only transferred $78.99 since I used the other $100 to purchase the Only72.com “Start-up Package.”
• For May my goal is to save $550. This may be difficult depending on income. I will try hard to reach this goal. $100 is to cover the Only72 purchase, $200 is for my birthday in June, and $250 is for our July camping trip.
• Unfortunately, Mr. Tech is having teeth trouble, so we may have to use our e-fund to cover part of the root canal and crowning he needs on a tooth. For this reason I have not transferred the e-fund to my ING account. I pray to God that by May 22, I am earning income with my father-in-law and that I have been hired at the school I recently interviewed with.
• Student Loans – Apply for IBR plan – SUCCESS! I sent out this application to my lender and was approved! They wanted me to pay $500 a month and now it is about $100!!
• Change Bank Accounts and Order Checks – FAIL! This is still on my list for May.
• Refinance Auto Loan – FAIL!
• Taxes – all taxes were submitted and we received about $4000 in refunds! $1k went to a credit card and the other $3k was used for bills. I wish more could have been used on debt, but we have to survive and our debt payments take up a lot of our income.
• Retirement – sort of PASSED! After this posting, I’m opening an ING Sharebuilder Account and transferring my 401k to a traditional IRA. Once the money is deposited I’ll do a conversion to a Roth IRA.
• Sell Stuff – FAIL!
• Debt – Pay off Sears Card – FAIL! This one really upsets me, but we can’t pay off debt if we don’t have the money. This is the crutch of where I am at financially. I have to earn more income.

Personal/Career

• I sent out many applications and I am a finalist for a teaching job! I truly feel like I will get it but I should still apply for some more jobs.
• Still need a part-time job for the summer. If working for Mr. Tech’s dad doesn’t happen, then I will need something different ASAP!
• Still need a haircut and dye.

Blog

• In April I was better with posting (except for last week). In May I plan to rework my blog a lot and open MyDebtMarathon.com!

Home

• Paint Bedroom – SUCCESS! See my DIY: Renovation post for pics.
• Kids Room – SUCCESS! We took apart the bunk beds and organized their closet. The boys’ room is so much better now. I have a decoration project that I’m working on and will post this soon.
• This month my goal is to also organize our paper files, clean the bathrooms, clean the oven, and hopefully purchase a vacuum. To save money, we frequently borrow a nice vacuum from Mr. Tech’s parents but I would love to have an upright I can use weekly instead of monthly.

Family

• Pictures – Tutoring – Family Outing – All FAIL – I’m bummed about this. Mr. Tech was really sick with his tooth problem last weekend, so we didn’t visit the museum. Hence I don’t have new pictures to print and hang. I haven’t tutored Older Stepson, but his goal this week is to talk with teachers about upcoming assignments and record them in his planner. Little Einstein still needs his outing to the play place too. That will probably become a summer outing once school is out.

Still a lot to do. Happy May!!

DIY: Bedroom Renovation

I have completed my bedroom renovation project! Well, last week I did. My bedroom is so much better now. Before, the walls had pink flowers on the top border. I didn’t mind the flowers, but Mr. Tech did not like them. In February, we painted samples on the walls, but with a busy teaching schedule, we didn’t actually paint the first coat of the walls until late March. One of my April goals was to finish the second coats and edging details. Early April I did two walls and then last week I finished the other two walls.

For the side wall opposite our bed, we painted it a light purple-blue color. I love purple and Mr. Tech agreed that I could paint one wall this color, though once we applied the paint, it was much more purple than we originally thought. Even still, I love it. Months ago, I also bought these really cool shelves and finally hung them with a few decorations. I love swirls, so these shelves make me very happy. They were only $20 for the set at Target.

In this picture the bright cobalt blue wall is shown contrasting the white side wall with the window. I love this paint color. It is one of my favorites, especially with the contrasting white frames that I hung behind our bed. I may only have a few months to enjoy this cobalt wall, depending on whether or not we move, but it makes me smile every time I walk into the room. The empty spot above the side table is waiting for a ceramic lamp that I’ve had for many years. It needs the perfect blue lampshade that is impossible to find, so I’m thinking this summer I will attempt to make my own lampshade. We also need a headboard and frame for a bed. I’m hoping to find a frame this summer at a yard sale and perhaps will make a DIY headboard as well.

Lastly, this IKEA shelf is where I keep my files and library. I organized my books differently to make more room for my stereo. And finally I’ve displayed my diplomas. Hanging these was a big deal for me, since I get upset thinking about how much money I owe. But now when I look at them, I am focusing on thoughts of gratitude for the amazing education I have had and the exciting opportunities these degrees will help bring to me in the future. Especially now that I am in a transition place in my life and I am even more focused on achieving my dreams, these diplomas stand as testament to what I have accomplished and what I am capable of doing.

For the month of May, my goal is go through my files and organize them better. I have a large pile of unsorted papers that need to go in binders and file boxes. Related to this goal, I would also like to organize Mr. Tech’s files better and sort his business papers and receipts.

Yay for a nice bedroom!! Now on to the next DIY goals!