Thrift-o-rama

Monday is officially a holiday, except in our house We still have to work and meet deadlines, it's just now we have to wait an extra day for our checks to deposit!

Oh well. I just hate waiting. When I deposit my freelance checks, I like to transfer the money to all the different goals so I can see some progress on the sidebar. I'm addicted to results, I suppose, so it can be hard to be patient!

I have a bit of work to do tomorrow while the kids are at the sitters, but I am hoping I will also have time to take some baby toys to the resale shop and get a little bit of money for them. Probably not much, but still.

And if I'm feeling extra ambitious, I may drop off another box at the goodwill. Always so much to do!!

We picked up the enrollment forms for summer camp at kid 1's preschool. We pay $200 or so a month for two half days of preschool. Summer camp, for the same days and basically the same activities with the addition of swimming, is $520 a month. I was shocked. Why does it cost so much more?

I think these places realize parents are desperate and need child care so they can work, especially in summer. Schools let kids out but jobs don't let parents out.

So, hubby and I talked about it and it's going to be a rough summer. I'll have to find some other way to keep him occupied so I can do my freelance jobs, because $520 in addition to what I already pay someone else to watch him 8 hours a week is just too much.

Good

The coupons are coming along. Got 3 toothbrushes and 4 tubes of toothpaste-- 1 free- for deep discounts, loaded up on BOGO rump roast and pork loins for the freezer.

I also got a free box of Cheerios (buy 3, get 1 free promo). The three I bought were also on sale 75 cents off, plus I used 3.25 more in coupons, so I paid about 25 percent of the normal cost for all of them. It felt great!

I bought a new cheap printer that I'm going to use for coupons. (My fancy printer ink it too expensive for this. The new printer cost half as much as a refurb ink refill for the other printer!!).

Also cleaned up the laundry room. It isn't scrubbed or painted yet, but it is organized. Still a couple of boxes to go through, but most of the work is done.

Habitat for Humanity Restore picked up the big stuff from the laundry room-- the vanity and the lamp table--after hubby and I lugged it upstairs.

Here is the before:



Here is the after:



It's almost embarrassing that it was so bad for so long, considering it only took about 45 minutes to clear it out.

Bad

The checking balance is razor thin this week, due to property taxes, preschool bills, 529 deductions, and all the other things we have to pay for out of this check. But, we'll manage. It happens every January.

I'm itching to get started on our tax return, but not a single tax form has arrived. Argh.

I also made the mistake of filling out an online form requesting homeowners insurance quotes. I specifically requested email contact only, but my cell has been ringing off the hook with insurance agents. It really annoys me. Email is much better when you're a mom. (Form wouldn't submit without a phone number.)

Also, for some reason, none of the agents are in my city. They are all at least 100 miles away. It makes no sense. I'm dedicated to shopping for new insurance, but I want a local agent and don't want to be harassed.

Ugly

Got a collection call for hubby's crazy ex from 11 years ago. Apparently, she has been putting our phone number on credit applications. Hubby has had at least 4 phone numbers since they broke up, and has lived in two other states, so this is crazy and really annoying. Nothing fishy on the credit report, though.

I got a freelance check for $600 today. I will deposit it and send

50 percent to IRA = $300
35 percent to kids college = $210
15 percent to car loan = $90

We also met with our realtor today, to get an assessment of what we could sell our house for.

149,000 if we want to sell fast
169,000 if we want what we should get out of it.

We paid 155,000 five years ago, and have put 40,000 into upgrades. We knew we would be taking a loss. Frankly, the numbers are better than we thought.

I've been sneaking around clipping and filing coupons. Hubby didn't know about it until he caught me printing some off the internet last night.

I didn't want to deal with his eye rolling, and I do most of the shopping, so I kept it on the down low. Anyway, I was shocked, because now he's totally into it. This morning, he was rattling off a list of name brands we really like and asking if I could go on their web sites and look for coupons.

No more sneaking around!

I can't wait for spring-- just so I can let the boys run off some energy outside. I used to love winter--fires, catching up on reading-- but being cooped up in the cold with two toddlers is enough to warrant sainthood. That, and we went cold turkey on binkies for both kids this week. What was I thinking???

We've had about 6 inches in the last two days. Not much compared to a lot of people. I'd send the oldest out, but it's just so bitterly cold it'd be too risky. He hates hats and gloves, so I could see that ending poorly. I did let him go out to shovel the sidewalk and driveway with dad, and he seemed to enjoy that.

He'll be 3 in April, which means it's "potty" time. Before I was a mom the thought of having to teach some irrational human to use the bathroom revolted me. Didn't sound like much fun. Well, it's not any more fun now that I am a mom!

I've been bribing him with stickers. He goes potty, he gets a sticker. I made a chart, and when it's filled up, the whole family gets to go out for ice cream. This seems to be working. That and the occasional lollipop for no accidents. What can I say. We're making this up as we go along, but isn't that how most parents do it?

I bought a cheap $30 HP printer today. I'm from the generation whose first ever computer cost $2500, so when I see how cheap technology has become, I am always shocked. It is a great little machine for the money, and perfect for my needs-- printing coupons and mapquest directions. Ink is cheap.

I already have a printer, but it's an expensive graphics thing that requires VERY expensive ink. It'd cost me a billion to print coupons, so the $30 Hp seemed to make sense.

The new freelance job is crazy, and really too much work for the money. I'm hoping it will tone down after I've been doing it a while and am in the groove. If it doesn't I may have to make a tough decision and either drop it, in favor or less frequent but higher-paying work. But we aren't there yet. I'm going to stick it out.

Thanks for listening to me ramble!

So, I was all set to buy Quicken Starter 2011. I just want something to help me track spending in categories, so I know where I can do better. Goal tracking is also nice. I was all set to buy Quicken, then I started reading the reviews. It doesn't sound like a particularly elegant or well-designed piece of software.

Then I started reading up on Mint.com, and it sounded like it offered the same things for free. I had started a Mint.com account six months ago, but got uncomfortable handing out my account numbers and passwords to some random web company.

Now I feel paralyzed with indecision. Who knew finding budgeting software would be so hard?

I guess I don't want to spend money on a program that may be a dud.

In other news, it's probably snowed 3 inches here today. Half the town is shut down due to bad roads. I got groceries last night in preparation.

Also, the charity truck came today to pick up some of the stuff that had been living in my cluttered and disastrous laundry room.

I've been testing my coupon skills (I'm a total newbie) on the low-hanging fruit this week: toothpaste. It's always on sale, I'm not brand loyal, and there is always a coupon.

Today was my first ever free tube of toothpaste. Colgate, on sale for $1, I had a 50 cent coupon, and the store doubled it. I should frame that tube of toothpaste and refer to it every time I need some inspiration!!

Earlier this week, I got a tube of colgate for 29 cents at Target, using a manf. coupon plus a store coupon. That also felt good.

I wanted to test out the BOGO plus using two coupons thing at Walgreens. I was skeptical. But, it worked. I paid more than I ever will again for two giant tubes of toothpaste. Reg 4.29, BOGO, plus I had two 75 cent off coupons. Final price: $3.08 for two tubes.

Also, I had hoped to get some free toothbrushes, but alas the coupon was not good for the ones that were on sale. Using the double coupon policy, I did get two $2.23 toothbrushes, used two 75 cents ($1.50 each doubled coupons) so paid about 73 cents each for the brushes. Fair enough.

I think I'm starting to get the hang of it, although I have yet to figure out when to use the coupons and when to hold on and look for a better deal. I don't want to get so excited that I just go all will-nilly buying things we don't need or using up good coupons when I'm not getting the best deal. Alas, it takes time.

Well, I did have a couple of exciting coupon success stories today.

I got a tube of colgate for 29 cents, after stacking two coupons. My goal is super cheap toothpaste. There always seem to be coupons out there

And, I got two cans of cat food for free-- actually I made money on them. I had a coupon for $1.50 off any size, and they only cost 77 cents each, but the store gave me the full $1.50 off each. I bought two, had two coupons. So they in effect lowered my bill on the other things I was buying. (I feel a little bad about this. I expected them to be free, but not to get value beyond their retail price.)

That's it. I did have to buy paper towels and toilet paper at retail-- but store brands. And, I bought kid 1's first set of big boy underpants. Trying to get out of diapers.

Anyway, it felt good to finally get something for basically nothing via coupons. Gotta stretch that budget!

Here is the weekly update.

Good:
-Hubby managed to get a statement for his 401k, and there is more than 2 times in it than I thought there was. You don't get good news like that very often! His company match is also 100 percent up to 6 percent, so we are getting all of that.

-I sold one of the kids' toy racks (we don't use it) on craigslist for $20

It was also s good week for conquering clutter:
-I dropped off another box at the Goodwill
-Organized bookmarks on my computer
-Cleaned out my office and rearranged it to make it a more comfy work space.
-Cleaned out my bedroom closet. Toddler 1 was standing in it yelling "I'm standing in the garbage!!!" earlier this week, so that was a clear sign it needed to be organized

-I saved a little bit of $$ using coupons and sales
-I set up a coupons only email account
-Updated our Upromise account, discovered we have $10 in it.
-Then, I signed up for email coupons/alerts for all of the products for which I am brand loyal. I have no idea why I never did this before. I could have been saving a mint!
-Also registered so I can load digital coupons onto my store cards.
- I stocked the pantry at Aldi this week, and only spent $65. It kind of showed me what is and isn't the best deal, versus the coupon price at the regular store.

I can't wait to get the hang of the coupon thing. There is so much you can do to save here and there, I feel almost foolish for not doing it sooner.

-I sent the regular payment to the car loan, and all of it went to principal. It hit the same day as my extra payment from the freelance check, so I saved a little in interest.
-Spent $546 in the last two weeks, well under our $800 spending cap. Woo-hoo!! The property tax bill has arrived, so I have only been buying absolute essentials.

The Bad:
-Most of the bad was work. The holidays are always hard in my business. Everyone is on vacation, but I still have deadlines. I was way behind for the week, totally stressed, and took it out on the kids. I had to call in grandma and hit the reset button.

-The homeowners insurance bill came. Up AGAIN. When we bought this house 5 years ago, our annual insurance bill was $436. Now it's $774. It's time to start shopping around. The company hasn't given me any good explanation as to why it's doubled in price.

-I'm not going to be able to put anything in savings this payday, because we're paying our property tax bill out of cash flow. Oh well. Next time for sure.

Ugly:
The laundry room. Brace yourself. These photos are gory.

It's become a catch-all for things we don't have space or energy to deal with when raising two toddlers. It's the next big organization/cleaning/painting project. I have also made no effort to paint or improve it since we moved in.

I have already scheduled a charity pick-up for the vanity, sink, and lamp table. And, I have some more bins so I can finally organize all of the holiday decor, computer parts, and party supplies.

I hope these are enough to at least tame the beast.

I'm looking to buy one or two really really good crock pot cook books. Not something where every recipe involves a can of cream of chicken soup. But recipes that me and my toddlers can all eat. I'm all ears.

Hubby has been a nervous wreck the last couple of days. When I told him we hadn't received a statement for his 401k in two years, he automatically began to think the worst. Symptom of our generation, I suppose. We Gen Xers lost money in the dot.com bust, the housing bust AND the great recession. Doesn't make you optimistic about the future.

Anyway, I told him just to call HR and ask how we can get a statement. He avoided it all day out of fear and dread. He just came up with the password, etc. for me to look at the digital statement and make changes to our allocations, etc.

The good news? I had estimated we had $66,000 for our net worth statement. We have a little more than $151,000. And, his company match is more generous than I thought, matching 100 percent up to the first 6 percent. (We exceed that, so we're getting all of our match).

That was a huge pleasant surprise.

Also, I sold one of the kids' unused toy storage racks on Craigslist today for $20. That went into the $20 challenge piggy bank.

I'm halfway through week one of my attempts to coupon and cut my grocery bill. I'm wondering if I'm in over my head. It's so much to think about!

My goal is to save 30 percent or more on the items we use frequently.

The highlights of this week:

I bought two large packs of boneless chicken breasts. They were on sale for $1.99, down from $3.29 a pound. I saved $13.54. I divided the packages into small, serving size bags in the freezer. I also used a $1 off Catalina that I found at the self-checkout.

I used my grocery discount card to save 30 cents a gallon on 10 gallons of gas. ($3.03 to 2.73/gallon)

I signed up for a CVS card, and used it to get BOGO cocoa roasted almonds. Reg price: $6.49 a can. Got one free, plus used $1 coupon, so $5.49 for 2. I eat these when I am in fat club, so I'm happy to have some on hand.

I was not able to get any of the items couponmom.com marked as "free" or really great deals at my local grocery and drug stores. I was mad at first, but realize I'm not going to score every time.

I also missed out on coupons for Horizon organic milk and seventh generation because the coupons were no longer online by the time I got around to hooking up the printer and installing the coupon software. I clearly have to jump on these things when I see them.

I realize it is going to take time. I need to build up a cache of coupons, pay attention to sales flyers, etc.

I am going to start simple:

Buy loss leaders
Buy on sale, and match sale items with a coupon
Look for catalinas

I signed up for Couponmom.com, to get me started. I also began saving all of my Sunday coupon inserts (as per coupon mom system) and am now looking at the mid-week grocery ads and the CVS and Walgreens ads.

I realize I am not going to be able to save big all at once. I hope to slowly build a stockpile of the items we use frequently, so then we can start only shopping sales.

So, I have repurposed the built in cabinets in the basement bathroom. They are mostly empty, so it will become our pantry stockpile.

I hit the reset button on my terrible two days. I did manage to get myself in a decent place work-wise by about 4:30 today, so that was a huge relief. Then, I called in reinforcements (read: Grandma) to help with the kids so I could go to spinning class at the Y. I don't know why, but a good workout always takes the edge off.

I still feel bad for being short-tempered with the babies. Poor kids. Just being toddlers. I was just so stressed today I was really short with them. But, I tucked them into bed (which means back to work..) and all seems to be well.

It also seems clear that I am going to have to change my work strategies (again) to deal with the constantly changing developmental stages.

I have been completely stressed-out, irritated, and way angry the last two days.

It all started Sunday. Hubby was supposed to take the kids for a couple of hours so I could get work done on my new freelance gig. he didn't. Plus I got stuck alone with them for 5 hours at my family holiday gathering. Hubby had a cold, and decided to stay home. Uh huh. You can't hang because you've got a cold?

SO, no time to work on my project until the kids went to bed, so I had to stay up until 2 a.m. to get it finished.

Hubby then woke me up at 7:30 by putting the kids on the bed. They jumped up and down on me and scratched at my face (two huge pet peeves first thing in the morning).

I was exhausted all day. I had to start on two more freelance projects that are due Thursday. I made calls and sent emails but as of yet, have had zero response.

Kid 2 didn't take his usual nap while kid 1 was at preschool, and he was in the "I'm going to cry unless you're carrying me around mode." I am so angry and stressed right now. People are counting on me to get things done and I have had zero response. The kids are not giving me five minutes to do anything.

I feel like the world isn't cutting me a break.

I'm feeling emboldened by my recent sign up at couponmom.com and my desire to coupon, coupon, coupon.

Tomorrow, I am going to try my hand at a couple of CVS deals.

Namely, $1 marcal paper towels with $1 coupon = free

Buy 2 revlon tools (the ones I want are less than $3.50 and I need them--toenail clippers!), get $7 in ECB back= free

And, buy one get one on my favorite nuts. I have a coupon for the one I "buy" ,and plan to pay for the rest with the ECB.

We'll see how it goes. I'm skeptical and nervous!!

Y'all inspired me with your net worth calculations.
After adding up all of our IRAs, Roth IRAs, the equity in our house (we have no mortgage, but the value is hard to determine), savings accounts, etc. And deducting our liability-- the car loan our net worth as of 12/31/2010 is:

$424,224
Ages: Me, 35, hubby, 37.

This includes $66,000 in hubby's 401k. I have no idea what the actual balance is, so I just used the figure for what we personally contributed to it in the last 4 years. No company match, gains or loss etc. I know, not very scientific, but it's the best I could do right now.

We did not include the balances in the 529s, as that is the kids' money.

I'm hoping I can boost this number by 12/31/2011.

In the interest of accountability, I'm going to post my good, bad and ugly financial happenings for the week every Friday. That is the end, per se, of my 'fiscal week'.

Good:

The $400 weekly CC spending cap
This week's total: $281
No plans to spend any more today, so this is it.

I found a $25 toys r us gift card while cleaning out my office. Love free money!

$640 freelance check arrived, so $320 to IRA, $96 to car balance, $224 to kids' college. Transfers have already been made.

Started to get my coupons organized and outline a grocery savings strategy. I am a newbie, and don't expect to get a lot of things for next to nothing, but I'm going to try. My goals now are to clip, print, and download more coupons, to shop only sales, and to try to pay at least 30 percent less than I am now for the things we use every day.

I paid the January car payment of $240 as well ($217 plus $23 extra). I have four large debits from the account every month, and realized that 3 of them were scheduled for the second paycheck of the month. I like to take two out of each, for budgeting purposes, so I moved the car payment into this check.

Bad

Unfortunately, the real estate tax bill came in the mail $1428/half a year, so the $400 I was hoping to send to savings this payday will likely not make it in to the account. I might be able to send something, but certainly not that much. I like to keep a pad in the checking account.

I was cleaning out my desk last night and found an old gift card for toys r us. I was about to throw it out, but decided on a lark to check the balance. $25!! Free money!! It pays to clean house.

Also, my freelance check deposited today, so I paid extra on the car loan, and transferred money to the IRA and the kids' 529 plans. Off to a good start.

Now let's just hope hubby feels up to going to all of the parties we need to go to tonight.

I've got the serious decluttering bug. I don't have any freelance deadlines until Monday, so I thought I would tackle my desk and a few spots in my office.

I have so much stuff. It's just insane. I just got rid of a box of floppy disks. From 1993. They had my college papers on them. WHY do I still have these???

I cleared out one whole drawer of the file cabinet, and filled it with some freelance-related court papers I need to give back to the reporter who lent them to me. They can go live in HER house.

On the upside. I did find an old, working wireless router in one of the drawers. My sister just decided she needed one so she could start telecommuting. And voila, I've got an extra. So that's nice.

In other news, I have decided to give grocery couponing a shot. The Point, Click & Save book I'm reading has given me the confidence and the information to really give it a go.

I rustled up an old binder, put in some trading card sheets, and started organizing my coupons. I also opened an email account that I am using only for coupon and discount sites. I'll let you know how it turns out. Baby steps, baby steps.

I also got an email from my freelance gig that my $640 check will be in my account by Monday. Just in time for the new year. I'm going to tackle everyone of these goals this year, you just watch!

OOOOOOOO, and I almost forgot. This is big. Hubby normally just defers to me on all major planning and decisions. He tells me his overall wishes, and leaves me to figure out how to make it all happen. (It works for us, what can I say). Anyway, we actually had a useful talk about the moving/house/school district plan, and it seems we are on the same page.

The plan is to start the serious house hunt in about two years, so we'll still have about 6-9 months to buy and get settled before our oldest starts kindergarten. We will be casually looking now, just to get to know our target areas and see what houses are on the market and what they sell for.

For a short time, probably starting next year, we will have to pay for preschool, care, etc for two kids. It will be tight. But, we will know when the oldest starts kindergarten, one of those bills will go away. We're in a good space financially right now and can handle paying for two kids. It might not be so easy if we were to take on a mortgage now.

And, we will hopefully have $20,000 more to put down on a new place. That's the short version, but it was a good albeit brief discussion.

Just wanted to ask all of you what "old-fashioned" skills you have/use that save you money now.

Mine is canning, and I suppose gardening-- particularly growing tomatoes. Old-fashioned, yes, but my family is cooking with free diced tomatoes at least once a week.

What are yours?

First the good news. That extra, one-time freelance gig I picked up in December? I was happy when I thought it would be for $300 to $350. Now I'm thrilled. After everything was said it done, it turned into a bigger project. Final total: $640. Cha-ching. I think that's a check that will get me off on the right foot goal-wise for the new year.

My boss on the project also said he liked my work and said he'd like to bring me in for more projects. Music to my ears. Now, it's just a question of time. Eek!

In other news, I went to the library to get some work done (third time this week) and grabbed a promising book off the new arrivals shelf. I think it's one that all of us might enjoy. It's called Point Click & Save by Rachel Singer Gordon.

It's well written and has a lot of useful tips and web resources for grocery coupons and savings, finding freebies, making money online via surveys, etc. All stuff that we SAers love. I've already gleaned a few new money-saving ideas from it, and I'm only 37 pages in.

If you see it, grab it!

As for that freelance check. The freelance income plan I outlined before means I already know where it's going.
50 percent to IRA = $320
35 percent to kids college funds=$224 ($112/kid)
15 percent to car loan payoff=$96

I will also be getting another check for $600 in January, for my regular December work. It will go to:
50 percent to IRA = $300
35 percent to kids college = $210
15 percent to car loan = $90

I think this year is off to a good start-- before it even starts.

My plan to conquer clutter and get more organized is all about baby steps. I'm trying to clear out or organize one small space every day.

Last night, I rounded up some boxes and recycling out of my office. And today, I organized the hats, mittens, scarves and purses that have been all willy nilly in the hall closet.

Here are some pics, and the visions of my overloaded donate/sell boxes.

I managed to sneak off to my neighborhood library today. I am in love-- again.

Last week, I discovered the reference room. I had never been in there before, because it's way in the back and I don't generally use the reference section.

Well, I'm happy I went exploring. They have just about every magazine imaginable, including two specialty industry magazines (very expensive) that have so far been very helpful for my new weekly freelance gig. And I don't have to pay for the subscription. The library also lets you sip coffee while reading. Pure heaven, I tell you.

This is the second week I snuck off to the reference room with a mug of tea in order to write and work. Grandma comes over on Tuesdays to take the babies so I can work, and now that my toddler can find me no matter where I hide at home, (and loves to scream only while I am on the phone) the library is the perfect spot to sneak off. And, they have really comfy chairs and free wifi. Why am I the only one in there????

While I was out, I decided to have a little me time. I have always loved thrifting but haven't done much since I had the kids. Last year, I gave away 2/3 of my clothes, because most no longer fit. Even if you lose the baby weight, your measurements are different, I swear. On several occasions this year-- some work related-- I found I just didn't have anything even vaguely acceptable to wear. I left the house looking pretty frumpy and mismatched, let me tell you.

I live in pajamas and jeans right now, but I really need to get some new work clothes for when I have an event outside of my living room. I hate being frumpy. It's got to stop.

Enter the thrift store.

I just discovered one by my house that is a gold mine. It;s the size of a walmart. I bought my 2.5 yr old's entire winter wardrobe there for $35 earlier in the fall, and my youngest's snow pants for $2.50 and a winter coat for $3.25.

Today, I decided to pop in because I had a few baby free minutes. I thought I'd gamble on some clothes, and I actually found a few things while casually perusing the racks.

I spent $13. I got two Calvin Klein jackets-- one a very fashionable work blazer that I could also wear out, the other a long, black simple coat good for spring or fall. AND I got a pink silky blouse I absolutely love.

Here is the kicker. I saw that blouse in a Macy's ad last Christmas and totally drooled over it, but I couldn't rationalize spending the money. And here, a year later, it's at the thrift store in MY SIZE for only $2.99. What are the chances??

I think there are both auspicious signs for the new year.

This time of year, I always head to the library and pick a few random personal finance books off the shelf. I find it helps keep me motivated. I'd like to know what books you are reading as well. Maybe we can spread some of that good advice and inspiration around!

Here is what I've read this year:

The new good life: Living better than ever in the age of less, by John Robbins.

It's well written and isn't the same old repackaged financial advice. He has an environmental slant, and can get a little preachy now and then, but it's a good read.

Get Rich Slow, 4th edition, by Tama McAleese.

I found the estate planning chapter particularly helpful. It's easy to read, with every topic in short sections, but the info on retirement plans is outdated. She also clearly leans to the far right when it comes to taxes and social programs, so some things come across as a little angry, but all in all solid advice.

How to be an everyday philanthropist, by Nicole Bouchard Boles.

I really like this book. It has tons of really useful ideas on how you can maximize gifts to charity--both donations, cash, volunteering, and non-cash donations. It's got a lot of great ideas for how you can give more, even if you don't have any money.

Automatic Millionaire, by David Bach.

This is a quick easy read, and I whip through it once every year. It inspires me to keep up with my automatic savings plan. We have money automatically transferred into savings each paycheck.

How to raise a family on less than two incomes by Denise Topolnicki.

This was a super helpful guide for me in particular because the author has the same job I do, and like me, went from full time to freelance when having kids. So it's not really like living on one income, but not really enough $$ to count as two. It helped me make the transition to part-time work. The chapters on childcare arrangements for freelancers, as well as the chapter on grocery budgets are super helpful.

The Freedom Manifesto by Tom Hodgkinson.

This is a totally out there book, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. It's about how to work less and be less dependent on a paycheck-- so you can be more of a slacker. So it says, but not really. It's well written and well-researched, and provides a lot of inspiration for those of us who are into self-sufficiency and producing more of what our family consumes. (Think, baking your own bread and canning tomatoes.) I love this book, because it really is a fresh perspective.

I'm in New Year mode. The tree is down and I'm trying to tame the clutter.

I've set out two boxes-- a donate box and a sell box. Both are almost full. Every time I walk by, it seems like I'm putting something in there. I'm determined to stick to my decluttering goal this year. The disorganization is wearing me down.

I've been leaving a donate box out on the counter at all times, and it has helped me stick with decluttering. When I have something in hand, I make an instant decision about whether it stays or goes. There is no thinking about it or dealing with it later, when it's so easy to just drop it in the donate box. Then, I drop the box(es) off at Goodwill once a week.

I also broke down all of the cardboard boxes that had been lingering in the garage. I will be by the recycling drop off on Wednesday. I'll take as many as will fit in the car, until I'm box free. They tend to pile up in the garage in winter and around Christmas.

I also have some things to sell on Craigslist, namely my former vintage chrome table and chairs. I bought the booth to replace them, and the old set is now just sitting on the sun porch. It's got to go!

And, the two big projects on my mind:: the laundry room (ergo, organizing all of the holiday decorations and kids outdoor pool toys which are down there), and my office. If I can get everything we don't need or use out of those two spaces, I'll probably hit my declutter goal for the year. They are catch-alls for things that have no home or need to be dealt with, but later.

The laundry room is first. I'm hoping to start on it this weekend.

Mom gave me lottery tickets, won $4. She also gave me two new Lincoln dollars. I had never even heard of them. All of that money is going into the piggy bank, so that is $6 more to the $20 challenge.

Mom also bought me a pair of workout pants for Christmas. They don't really fit, and I had just loaded up on a bunch of yoga pants, etc. from the thrift store, so we agreed that I would return them. My plan was to take the refund, use a small part of it to buy a glass pitcher at the thrift store -- mine broke, and I use it to prep water for the fish tank-- and put the rest of the money toward the $20 challenge.

I just looked on the receipt -- Jc Penney-- and they said all refunds will be given in form of a gift card. Boo. I guess that ruins that plan. There isn't really anything I want to buy from Jc Penney, so I don't know what to do.

First let me say that our in-law free Christmas was really great. We were both actually looking forward to Christmas for the first time in 9 years. Now, I'm totally exhausted. A hot tub awaits. Didn't get to bed until 1 a.m. last night with a sick toddler, and had to wake up at 6 a.m. with our not sick toddler. Ugh. Christmas lasted officially from 7 a.m. (first gift opened) until 6 p.m. (last gift opened.).

However, our attempts to reign in grandma and limit gifts to the babies failed miserably. My mom and sister just love to shop. I mean love it. They do it for fun (not me. I hate shopping.) My mom bought us all way more than I think she should have. She doesn't go into debt or anything, but still. She could seriously cut back and still be too generous.

Now, we're exhausted and assessing what to do with all the loot. I'm not sure all of it will be staying. And if it does, an equal amount of something we already have will have to find a new home.

Right now, I'm too tired to think. I'll deal with the stuff tomorrow.

I think all went well, especially considering little man came down with a nasty flu yesterday. He felt really bad (temp 102.5 at 12:30 a.m. this morning, but down to 101 by 9 a.m.), but he didn't cry or complain. He tried to eat dinner with the family and was overall jolly. I'm extra proud of him.

UPDATE: After a hot bath, hubby and I were motivated to break down all the boxes for recycling, put all the unreusable wrapping paper in the recycling bin, take out the garbage, stash a few of the extra gifts for other occasions, and start a sell and a donate box. There are a few things in each. I also sorted and de-tagged all the clothes the babies received as gifts, so those are ready to put away in the morning. The house has returned to some semblance of order, albeit with more large toy tractors than before!

I haven't done the $20 challenge since 2008. Except I started again today. To took two bags of aluminum cans to the recycler today, and got $6.05. It's going into the piggy bank.

My last post outlined our financial goals since I began blogging here in 2008, as well as our annual progress. We're all thinking ahead to 2011, and our goals for the new year. It's great to set hard, and lofty goals for ourselves, but they don't really mean anything until you have a solid plan for achieving them.

That said, I have put some thought into my plan for the new year. I have a lot of financial and personal goals, and I hope referring back to this post will keep me on track and motivated.

First, money:

$10,000 to house fund. This will likely come from our tax refund

$9,250 to savings. This will come from the automatic transfers we make to savings each payday.

$4620 to kid 1's 529 and $4620 to kid 2's 529. We automatically transfer $200 / kid each month to the 529. The rest --$2260/ kid, will have to come from hubby's bonus (fingers crossed we get one again), and from a portion of my monthly freelance check.

My freelance work is a huge part of the plan. I'm on track to earn about $11,400, plus extra from other projects. $11,400 is my absolute baseline.

The plan as of now, is to send 50 % of my monthly freelance income to my IRA, until it's maxed out at $4000.

Then, I will divide rest between the kids' college and paying off the car.

Once the IRA is maxed out, I plan to send 2/3 of each check to kids' college and 1/3 to paying off the car, until those goals are reached.

$700 to new car fund. I transfer $35 every payday to this account. It's small, but adds up. We used $2,000 from this account to pay part of our most recent car purchase.

Yes, most of these are automatic transfers or windfalls (tax refund/bonus), but they aren't going to be easy. They represent a huge portion of our take-home pay, and we still have big expenses, like the $700 a month we spend on babysitters, so I can make my freelance income (and keep a hand in my field so I have the option to go back full time someday, but that's another story...)

In order to keep the transfers going-- occasionally we've had to skip a couple of weeks to meet expenses-- we're going to have to seriously stick to our $400/week MAXIMUM spending cap for EVERYTHING.

The budget has worked for most weeks in the past couple of months, and my plan is to stay on track. It's a question of staying focused and diligent with my eyes on the prize.

For example, we're only going to be eating Aldi and what is on sale at the regular grocery. And hopefully, we can get one of our boys out of diapers soon.

We're also planning a No Spend Month sometime in 2011, to help us jump start extra savings. We did it in 2008 and it saved us a bundle. No idea what month yet.

Bottom line is, we're going to have to earn more and scrimp more this year to make it all happen. Hubby can only earn so much, so the extra money is going to have to come from me. Scrimping will mostly be me too, because I do most of the shopping. I'm not as diligent as I could be, because I'm often pressed for time.

As for income, My goal was to add another steady $300 a month in freelance work. Barring unforseen circumstances, that has happened. Some months, it will be $400 more. I don't want to get complacent, so I will try to take on even more projects, when time permits, to boost my annual income.

My income is gravy, and can all be used to boost savings and goals, because our one steady salary pays for all of our expenses. This is easier said than done, though, with a 2 year old and a 1 year old.

Now on the personal front.

These are the hardest, actually. After long days with babies, then staying up late working, it's hard to get and stay motivated.

Still, 2010 was a model year for personal goals. I wrote my first novel and lost 11 pounds. I'd like to keep the ball rolling. For 2011, my goals are:

To revise my first novel and attempt to get it published. This is just as time-consuming as writing it, and trust me, when you only have a couple of baby-free hours a day to do everything you need to to, seconds are precious. I'll just have to make the time again, even if it means being tired, or delaying extra freelance projects until it's finished.

Write a second novel. Ditto on this one. I'm hoping to start it by summer, at the latest, once the first novel is off to potential publishers.

Lose 15 pounds. Weight loss is always hard, but now I have a system. I participated in a 6-week weight loss and intense exercise program at the Y in Oct-Nov this year and lost almost 11 pounds. It was hard and time consuming, but that is pretty much what you have to do to see results.

I am going to do two more of these. One in January, and one in March/April, with the goal of losing 15 pounds or more total between the two of them. This will put me at my pre-MARRIAGE weight. And, it'll pretty much rule out type II diabetes in my near future.

As for the little goals, like getting a new cell plan and reallocating investments. It's just a question of setting aside the mental energy then time to actually do them. But now that they are on the list, I'm just going to have to bite the bullet.

I'm already thinking about cell phones. Maybe I'll tackle that one first thing after Christmas....