Planning Ahead....

So as I have mentioned in previous posts, we are a Dave Ramsey family! We are proud [and can sometimes become annoying to some people with how much we talk about it] to follow in his system and core beliefs in reference to current finances and future financial planning. We have even taught Financial Peace University [FPU] to families who are looking to better their current financial situation and also help them in planning out what needs to be done so that they can make sure they are secure in their retirement years, even though we know those social security check will be rolling in, ha!

I am a true FREE SPIRIT at heart, saving money is not something that comes naturally to me…I have to work on it, I have to make a conscious effort daily to do it even though I know it is good for me [like those horrible veggies you had to eat when you were a kid that you now force you’re kids to eat]! I like to enjoy life, get out and do things, make plans, travel…but as we all know you can’t do any of those things without $$$! But luckily I have found my better half in my husband, he is my NERD and I would not have it any other way.  If it were up to him we would not spend a dime unless it was absolutely necessary, everything is in a budget and all funds are calculated down to the last penny! He is a master of the spreadsheet and he might even consider the calculator his best friend [which makes him totally hot in my eyes, TMI?]. The different dynamic between us works so well in our household and let me explain why…

I am a firm believer in “opposites attract”, we are a team but we are also different enough that we keep each other in check. For example, he keeps me grounded [I just might float away literally] and I keep him in the moment so, that he can enjoy things and have a little fun! But all the decisions we make together, we have a budget that is updated and reviewed monthly that breaks down every dollar towards every expense. [I will admit it is hard for me to focus on reviewing the budget…if I did the budget I would set it up like a Christmas tree of numbers…because I love Christmas and it would be way more interesting to the eye]. We factor in emergencies that could arise, monthly bills, things that we want to do [date nights, vacations, gifts] <---this is where I shine, the kids college funds and our retirement. The most important thing about our family budget is that WE STICK TO IT… okay that is also the hardest thing! But we know if we work on this now as a young family starting out that by the time our children are off to college [we hope college] that we will then be comfortable and able to really enjoy retirement together!

Even though we have a budget to follow monthly, we still like to look for ways to save even more money…or in some cases make a little extra money. For example…you tell my husband that he can make a $10 return on some hatching eggs and baby chicks and all of a sudden I have married farmer John…seriously I’m not kidding! We also buy most of our items used off eBay or Craigslist, most of the time the items are still in the original package but you pay half of the retail price. This also gives my husband his needed dose of “haggling” he lives to negotiate and loves when he thinks he has found the best deal ever! We have also just started weekly menu planning…this is our first week with this. I don’t  know about you but I HATE running to the grocery store for ONE thing because you wanna make dinner and of course there is always something you are missing…running to the store with two kids for a single item is not my idea of a good time! We’re hoping by planning ahead for the week we can save a little money on those extra grocery trips…I mean you can’t send a free spirit into Wal-Mart for one thing and really expect them to come out with only that, right? I can’t speak for everyone else but I know it seems like as soon as I walk in there I’m all of a sudden extremely thirsty/hungry/needing new sweatpants/remembering I am almost outta shampoo…I mean the list could go on and on! So, even though it has nothing to do with my main point of this blog here is our menu for this week…just because it sounds so yummy I am sharing…

Monday – Chicken, Spinach and Tomato Florentine

Tuesday – Slow Cooker Parmesan Honey Pork [soccer practice night so no time to actually cook…love our Crockpot…anything that does the work for me is high up on my list of awesomeness]!

Wednesday – Slow Cooker 7-UP Chicken and Rice

Thursday – Leftovers [soccer practice night…plus by Thursday I am sure we will have a ton of leftovers]

Friday – Chicken, Spinach & Cannellini Bean Quesadillas

I know this is kind of a weird/taboo/hush-hush subject to blog about…I mean most people hate to talk/think about their finances. Even though I am a free spirit, who loves to spend money, has to make an effort to save and sometimes forgets to look at the price tag, I still realize how important it is to me and our family’s future to plan ahead as much as we can. But I like to share because I hope that if anyone does read this that it might inspire them to make some changes within their family in reference to managing finances and planning ahead. There is a lot more I want to talk about in reference to this…which I will. As well as something’s we are doing with our 4 year old Mason to prepare him for future saving and budgeting…but I will say if you have never heard of Dave Ramsey, he does have a radio show that airs during the week, you can listen via his official website. I would suggest checking him out...it’s free to listen so what can it hurt, right?

Okay...I can't post a blog and NOT mention something about one of my boys...Nash is standing up now!!! Picture as proof below...such a proud Mommy!