Decisions

Five weeks ago I discovered I was full. Full. To here. I have whined a lot about being tired of all kinds of things, but, to be honest, I have done little to change much of it. But, I have a secret.
That's changed.

I have been on a plan for five full weeks. And, this is from a person who can only commit to four knitting projects and six books at a time. In fact, my Father once remarked that the only reason I carried my son for nine months was because Nature wouldn't give me other options or let me "finish it later." And, by the way, he was two weeks late. I think it was a cruel joke.

For some time I have talked about wanting to pay off the house, be out of debt, lessen my stress, and so forth. But, frankly, I have done a passing effort at these things. Now, Dave Ramsey and I are more than going steady. We are shacking up. Yeah. I have a spreadsheet by my place at the kitchen table that gets filled out every night and every penny is accounted for. And, I have a plan.

I am selling the farm. Close your mouth or it will freeze that way.

This is going to take a little time. First, the house has to be cleaned and cleared, projects finished, two floors redone (one resanded and sealed and one replaced as the tile is cracking), a little indoor painting, and some updates done to the bathrooms. Then, the outside has to be dealt with: a blind ditch that I kept telling the Mister NOT to drive his tractor over has collapsed, filling my yard with a small stream that is just muddy and not pleasant; painting needs to be done to freshen the house; and, landscape has to be replaced.

Since I work full-time and still hit the craft shows about a dozen times a year, it will take awhile to get it all done. I am compiling a notebook with a page for each room with a list of what needs done. I will start with the messiest construction -- the kitchen floor -- and work from there. At the same time, I will be clearing Every Single Space so that this monster house will look, well, monster.

The next step in the plan is to live on a strict budget. I paid off one debt in the past month and cash flowed three major repairs to the car and truck. Dave is right; writing it down makes you honest in what you are choosing and makes the money go farther. I still have money left at the end of the month. Amazing.

Concurrent with this is getting my income up even more. I have started a little tutoring on the side and like it very much. I actually feel that I am teaching more than I do in my classroom. These are a wide variety of students and it is marvelous to stretch myself with things I don't normally do. I have created syntax trees, edited documents, and even taught capitalization! Such fun and I love seeing the extra money come in.

To keep myself honest, I purchased those adorable plastic magnet numbers and put the total debt on the refrigerator Right Where I Have To See It Every Time I Go In The Kitchen. It bugs me and I love to even change one number. I have a target date up as well to remind me that I am on a schedule.

Now, you ask, where will I go? What will I do? Simple. I am moving to the family farm where I am building a smaller house that will be much more energy efficient and, more importantly, paid for. My sister is building around the corner in the same pasture. I am excited beyond words.

"I Just Don't Have Time!"

It seems I am on a time theme this week and, so, I must be!

Don and I are attending the Dave Ramsey "Financial Peace University" program at a local church. It has been so interesting and we have been thrilled to learn that we do a lot of things "right." And, it has inspired us to do "better." The nicest folks are at the meetings which makes it so fun. And, it is somehow heartening to know that we are all working to improve not only our lives, but also those of our children by teaching them how to live a debt-free life.

Sunday night we were discussing budgeting and the topic of groceries came up.

"How," posed on participant, "do you ever begin to develop a budget for food? I can't do it! There is just no way to manage it!"

One member responded, "I use coupons."

And, several of us joined in giving testimony to the power of couponing and using e-coupons as well.

"I just don't have time!" the questioner shouted. "I can't go buy a newspaper and then find time to cut out coupons. Besides, most of the coupons are for things I just don't use!"

Another member started to explain how to get coupons online, but the questioner didn't want to hear it.

"I don't have time!" she responded emphatically. "I just don't have time!"

Now, let me explain here that she fosters three children and doesn't work a "public" job as the rest of us in the group do. All three children go to school or day care and she is home alone all day.

I tried to tell her how I do it; I make a menu, check the cupboards, and make my list. And, when the budget is getting low, we quit shopping for anything except necessities. She cut me off and very loudly said, "I don't have time! I am too busy!"

At that moment it hit me: choices. Our successes or failures stem from the choices we make every minute of every day. I choose to spend two hours a week working on budgeting, groceries, menus, and so forth. And, I usually save between $30-$40 per grocery trip. The way I look at it, I just earned $15-$20 per hour. I'll take it!

How do you manage your grocery budget? Do you have tricks to help you stretch those smaller dollars?