Living on a Budget

  • Living on a Budget: Groceries $40 for 4

    I apologize it has been so long since I have posted my $40 for 4 grocery update!  It has been a fun, amazing, wild, memorable several months with a trip to India, Charleston, Disney, Kennedy Space Center, Sea World, family staying with us on and off for a month as well as many other wonderful activities! I have been doing my best to stay within budget but having you alongside of me and reading my regular post definitely keeps me more accountable because I have blown the budget several times since I last posted!   Here is my weekly update on our Groceries $40 for 4.

    Groceries from Save A Lot | RiteAid and Ingles

    Save A Lot | RiteAid Groceries:

    • $4.87 at Save A Lot | RiteAid for 1 gallon Milk and 1 bag Brown Sugar (ran out of milk and used the rest of my brown sugar for the homeless dinner our Community Group hosted on Monday evening so had to restock these items)

    Ingles Groceries:

    • $11.79 at Ingles for 2 loaves Bread,  1 gallon Milk, 1 Yellow Sweet Onion, 1 container Pina Colada Yogurt (on clearance & so delicious I almost didn’t share it), 1 bag Fresh Green Beans (clearance $0.99), 1 bag Fresh Cauliflower, Broccoli, and Carrots (clearance $0.99), 1 container Mushrooms (clearance $0.99), 1 container Dill Veggie Dip (clearance $0.99), and 1 package Wholly Avocado Dip (clearance $0.99).  Everything was marked down, on sale, or on clearance at Ingles.

    Groceries from Ingles and Save A Lot | RiteAid

    Ingles Groceries:

    • $7.77 at Ingles for 1 container of Dill Seasoning, 1 loaf French Bread, 1 container Peach Yogurt  (on clearance), 1 container Fresh Pink Lemonade (clearance $0.99), 1 container Veggie Dip (clearance $0.99), and 1 container fresh Chicken Salad  (on clearance) Everything was marked down, on sale, or on clearance at Ingles.
    • Save A Lot | RiteAid Groceries:$17.33 at Save A Lot | RiteAid for 1 package Flour Tortillas, 2 multi-packs Trident Gum (clearance $0.74), 2 Ham & Cheddar Lunchables, 1 bag Chicken Breasts, 6 packs Sandwich Creme Cookies (clearance $0.69), 1 pack Powdered Donuts (clearance $0.84), bags of Cheddar Cheese Balls, and 1 Watermelon.

    I was able to get a few great items this week. Thankfully, I was able to make it by the store and pick up some items that we’ll need over the next couple of weeks even if a couple of unexpected items got added to the list.  Thanks for helping keep me on track even in the midst of this busy season!  I don’t anticipate life slowing down too much though since the girls will be getting out of school next week and we have a lot of exciting adventures planned for their summer break.

    This week I spent $41.76  on groceries.  I was bummed that I went over on my budgeted amount for the week again but thankful I was only $1.76 over!  I would have made it but I was asked to provide snacks for the girls field day so it was extra items I wasn’t planning on for the week that helped me slide past my goal.  I was happy to find a few items marked down on clearance and provide snacks (watermelon, cookies, and cheese balls) for 20 students while staying pretty close to my budgeted amount.  I hope that next week we can come under budget!

    It is my goal to give you regular updates on this budget section so you can celebrate the good weeks with me and thump me on the bad weeks!  As always you are welcomed to join the journey with me.  I would love to hear your story and how you are doing too.  The purpose of our family doing this it to watch our grocery spending while allowing us to feed our family, enjoy life, share with others, and yet stay on track with our budget.

    Living on a Budget is a series of ways our family uses a budget to help keep us accountable with our finances.  Life doesn’t always go as planned.  We have used some of the ideas I will be sharing for years while others are ones we are just starting to implement as we continue finding ways to be creative and have fun with what we have been given.  Having a plan in place allows us the freedom to be smart with what we have been given, get more creative when it is a tight (week, month, year or a season) and when necessary live a much more simplified life.  A budget helps us stay on track so we have more opportunities to enjoy the many blessings we have been given as well as share what we have with others.  There is so much more to life than having all the stuff.  We may not have the newest or greatest items in our house, we drive used cars, and wear hand-me-down clothing…..however, if our family is taken care of and have love for each other and others we have more than all the riches in the world.

  • FREE Hot or Cold Beverage at Pilot & Flying J Travel Centers

    Pilot Travel Centers has a coupon you can print on their Facebook Page for a Free 16 oz Hot Beverage or Free 32 oz Cold Beverage at Pilot and Flying J Centers .

    If you are traveling soon or have a Pilot or Flying J Travel Center nearby this is a great deal.  We used a couple of their coupons last month when we were traveling and plan to use some in on our upcoming trips this summer!

  • Gift Giving: Kids Two Liter Surprise Gifts

    Kids Two Liter Surprise Gifts

    Are you looking for a unique birthday or fun gift for someone?  These gifts were a big hit with our family!  I had a blast brainstorming and coming up with these  fun gifts for my nieces and nephews.  I wanted something fun, unique, and easy to send in the mail.  I recycled 2 liter bottles, stuffed them with all kinds of fun items as well as colorful shredded paper and mailed them!  The kids absolutely LOVED them! 🙂

    I was super excited to hear that my nieces and nephews overjoyed at getting these in the mail!   I sent one 2 liter surprise gift to each family, so these four bottles were actually for 12 kids in all.  This is a great way to get something special for a group of kids because they all have fun opening and discovering all the goodies in the bottle.  Every bottle had a variety of items that all the kids would enjoy from candy to markers, erasers, glue sticks, paper clips, colored pencils, bouncy balls, stickers, and so much more!

    View of the back of the bottles, you can see a lot of the fun items inside the bottles

    I originally did these gifts for my nieces and nephews as their Christmas presents but since I have been asked by several people to duplicate these gifts I thought I would share them with you too.  If you need to send a gift for an upcoming birthday, graduation, Christmas, congratulations, baby, wedding or for any occasion these would be fun to put together and bring a smile to the person receiving it!   One lady in the post office wanted to know if I could put together one for each of  her grandkids! 🙂   As you can see from the pictures above I did four at one time but it would be very easy to do one at a time too.  The gift is unique, memorable, fun, and very affordable!

    After cleaning out the 2 liter bottle I filled it with colorful shredded paper and all kinds of fun items then stuck bows to the lid, taped the address on the outside, and mailed them.  They cost less postage then a box, were super fun to put together plus I got raving reviews from both those that seen them in transport and on the receiving end.    I even had a postal worker from another office contact me to comment on the awesome gifts!

    Once you get started and your creative juices get going the possibilities are endless with this two liter surprise gift.   Here’s how I did it:

    Empty and clean 2 liter bottle (I used clear and tinted bottles both worked well)

    Everything you put into the bottle must got through the top opening where the cap screws onto the 2 liter.  Put a little bit of colorful shredded paper in first to get some color and padding in the bottom of the 2 liter.

    Gather a bunch of items that you think will fit through the 2 liter opening at the top.  I like to have a lot of variety in my Two Liter Surprise Gift so here are some of the items that I put into mine.  I used what I had in my stockpile from shopping sales, clearance racks, and using coupons so the entire gift was very affordable.  Here are some of the items I used to get you started:

    • Twist Lollipops
    • Markers
    • Glue Sticks
    • Color Pencils
    • Erasers
    • Paper Clips
    • Post-it Notes
    • Crayons
    • Highlighters
    • Paint Brushes
    • Mechanical Pencils
    • Tattoos
    • Pencils
    • Stickers
    • Magnets
    • Balloons
    • Ink Pens
    • Binder Clips
    • Bouncy Balls
    • Small Toys
    • Small Notebooks
    • Decorative Bags
    • And MORE!

    Twist Lollipops were the surprise in the middle of the 2 liter bottle with all the other items and shredded paper packed in around them to protect them.  I was glad to hear they did really well in shipping!

    Filling the two liter bottle with surprises!  The lollipops are wrapped inside the blue (with candy canes) tissue paper and put in the middle of the two liter for extra protection.

    Packing the bottle full of goodies (another example).  You can “stuff” a lot of fun items into a 2 liter bottle

    I added the ribbon to the bottle and put a couple pieces of wrapping tape on it to help secure it to the lid.  This bottle is a green Mountain Dew bottle with blue shredded paper in it.

    Last step is to put on a label with your address and the recipents address and take it to the post office to mail out.  (The addresses in the photo have been distorted on purpose for the protection of the kids to whom the gifts were sent to).

    Every kid (who I am kidding every person, young & old) loves to get a special surprise in the mailbox.  You will put a smile on the face of a family member or friend even though miles may separate you with this great, fun, and affordable gift!

  • New Upromise eCoupons for June 2012

    Upromise has posted their new eCoupons for the month of June 2012. Remember to activate your eCoupons to get additional savings. If you have not yet signed up for Upromise you can get more information regarding on our experience or directly at the Upromise website.

    This month they have 41 coupons you can activate for bonus savings. Once you activate your eCoupons all you have to do is scan your rewards card or purchase the items at the store and the cash will be added to your account. You don’t even have to carry any coupons to get the rewards!

    You can go to their website for more information on the Upromise program, it’s free to join.

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    We finished having our family yard sale this past weekend, it was nice getting rid of some extra items that the girls have outgrown or things we no longer use.  Now I am gearing up for a busy week with work, events, and an upcoming family adventure over Memorial Day weekend (the kids are super excited)!  I am looking forward to sharing with you the fun details of our adventure soon!

    Last week’s goals:

    Family Goals

    1. Connect with each family member at least once a day
    2. Schedule a Date Night with Jake – got a date night on the calendar!
    3. Prep for upcoming Family Trip – need to finish up the final details this week
    4. Schedule a Family Game & Fun Night
    5. Read at least one book to the girls every day
    6. Listen to the girls read at least one book to me or Jake every day
    7. Family Yard Sale – did this on Saturday!

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week – not doing so well with this one
    2. Review my upcoming goals
    3. Finish reading  How We Love Our Kids by Milan & Kay Yerkovich – still have not found this book (I think it got lost on my India or Charleston trip) so I switched and started focusing on another one this week

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Work on Spring / Deep Cleaning the House – got some of it done, hope to get more next week now that the yard sale is done
    3. Weekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the week
    4. Spend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the house
    5. Prepare for our upcoming Yard Sale

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. 1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk
    4. Work on upcoming speaking engagement

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Be a blessing to a total stranger this week
    3. Email the updated praises, prayer requests, and schedule to our Community Group – this one slipped through the cracks this week

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses – soooo excited to have this one done!
    3. Put money aside for upcoming trips – starting setting aside a little bit
    4. Put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes – started adding to the college fund

    My goals for the upcoming week:

    Family Goals

    1. Connect with each family member at least once a day
    2. Schedule a Date Night with Jake
    3. Prep for our upcoming Family Trip
    4. Read at least one book to the girls every day
    5. Listen to the girls read at least one book to me or Jake every day
    6. Plan & go on at least one family Adventure
    7. Spend some extra time catching up with family and friends

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week
    2. Review my upcoming goals
    3. Finish reading  Am I Messing Up My Kids by Lysa TerKeurst
    4. Finish reading No One to Call Me Home by Rev James J. Close

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Work on Spring / Deep Cleaning the House
    3. Weekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the week
    4. Spend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the house

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. 1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk
    4. Work on upcoming speaking engagement

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Be a blessing to a total stranger this week
    3. Email the updated praises, prayer requests, and schedule to our Community Group

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses (we finished saving up for a 3 month emergency fund so now we are working hard on getting our 6 month emergency fund established, the yard sale this past weekend was a good boost for us)
    3. Save money for upcoming trips
    4. Put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes
    5. Save money for upcoming home projects

    I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us.  I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true.  When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals.  Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick).  Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.

    Why Share My Goals?

    • To keep me accountable
    • To share a piece of my life with you as I strive to be a better Child of God, Wife, Mom, Friend, Homemaker, Entrepreneur and the many other roles I have each week
    • To have my goals consistently written down so I can gauge progress more accurately
    • Create healthy habits in my life
    • To encourage you to share your goals with me as you continue to grown and learn

    How did you do this week on your goals?  Feel free to share or link to your list of weekly goals.

    The picture above is one that I created for my own purposes, however, The “SMART” acronym was originally coined 30 years ago by Peter Drucker in his classic work, Management by Results

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    Now that I am back into a more normal schedule this week I realized how much catching up I have to do with all the travel and family visiting over the past couple of months.  It is amazing how much stuff gets put on hold during the really busy days but I am thankful for the wonderful opportunities and memories that our family has been able to create over the past few months.  The 2012 year is going by quickly and I have a lot that I want to accomplish in the remaining months so hopefully I get some items tackled this week.

    Here is the update on last weeks goals

    Family Goals

    1. Connect with each family member at least once a day
    2. Spend quality time with our Guests
    3. Spend quality time with Jake
    4. Date Night with Jake – didn’t happen but hope to get it on the calendar soon
    5. Participate in a fun kid activity (go to the park, play, or explore)
    6. Do a creative craft with the kids

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week – didn’t get to this but re-started some of my regular routine
    2. Finish reading  How We Love Our Kids by Milan & Kay Yerkovich – somehow in all my travels I lost this book (maybe on the plane from India) because I have searched everywhere and cannot find this one….hmmmmm….

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day – we had a lot of laundry from all the house guests, bedding, and from not doing laundry for over a week so it took me 2 days to get it tackled and I still need to remake the guest bed
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the week
    3. Spend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the house – probably spent more then 30 each day and still have some work that needs to be done

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. 1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Take time to talk, listen, and encourage the people I encounter this week
    3. Be a blessing to a total stranger this week – let someone go ahead of me in line

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay on track with budgeted amount for the week

    Here are my goals for the upcoming week:

    Family Goals

    1. Connect with each family member at least once a day
    2. Schedule a Date Night with Jake
    3. Prep for upcoming Family Trip
    4. Schedule a Family Game & Fun Night
    5. Read at least one book to the girls every day
    6. Listen to the girls read at least one book to me or Jake every day
    7. Family Yard Sale

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week
    2. Review my upcoming goals
    3. Finish reading  How We Love Our Kids by Milan & Kay Yerkovich (if I cannot find this book after I finish cleaning I will start on my next one)

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Work on Spring / Deep Cleaning the House
    3. Weekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the week
    4. Spend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the house
    5. Prepare for our upcoming Yard Sale

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. 1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk
    4. Work on upcoming speaking engagement

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Be a blessing to a total stranger this week
    3. Email the updated praises, prayer requests, and schedule to our Community Group

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses
    3. Put money aside for upcoming trips
    4. Put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes

    I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us.  I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true.  When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals.  Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick).  Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.

    Why Share My Goals?

    • To keep me accountable
    • To share a piece of my life with you as I strive to be a better Child of God, Wife, Mom, Friend, Homemaker, Entrepreneur and the many other roles I have each week
    • To have my goals consistently written down so I can gauge progress more accurately
    • Create healthy habits in my life
    • To encourage you to share your goals with me as you continue to grown and learn

    How did you do this week on your goals?  Feel free to share or link to your list of weekly goals.

    The picture above is one that I created for my own purposes, however, The “SMART” acronym was originally coined 30 years ago by Peter Drucker in his classic work, Management by Results

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    It has been a wonderful, crazy, and memory packed few weeks since I last updated my weekly goals.  Recently I have had the opportunity to travel to several amazing places both in the USA and overseas including Qatar, India, Charleston and more!  Plus we have had family and friends visiting with us from around the world too.  Life has been a bundle of adventures and memories.  There is so much to catch up on….  It has been several weeks since I had a “normal” week I am not sure what it looks like anymore, nevertheless, I need to re-focus and stay on top of the goals I have set for myself this year.  Thanks for hanging in there with me during this time of travel and a house full of guests!  I have started posting some pictures and tidbits on my adventures these last few weeks and will have more to share soon!  Since I have family guests from Indonesia staying with me this week I tried to make the list short so I can spend the extra time with family.

    Here is the update on last “months” goals:

    Family Goals

    1. Connect with each family member at least once a day – there were a few days that I was not able to Skype with the girls when I was overseas
    2. Write and mail cards
    3. Spend quality time with Jake – I had an amazing time catching up, exploring, and traveling with my man overseas
    4. Date Night with Jake
    5. Visit extended Family – we had the opportunity to go visit Jake’s cousin Matt and his family while we were in India, we had a BLAST!

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week – ummmm….I did a lot of walking and sightseeing but never really kept track of it
    2. Finish reading Who Got Peanut Butter on My Daily Planner by Cindy Sigler Dagnam – finished reading it on the airplane
    3. Keep an up-to-date written & photo log all the adventures this week – I took a lot of pictures, but I didn’t stay on top of the writing piece

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Take time to talk, listen, and encourage the people I encounter this week
    3. Be a blessing to a total stranger this week – I probably could have done even more, there were so many little things that I enjoyed doing for others during my travels.  Here’s one example – I gave out several disposable toothbrushes to several fellow travelers on my journeys.  A couple times while I was using the Colgate Wisps someone would ask me, “where did you get that?” and after telling them I brought it with me from home I would offer them one, it was amazing how many people appreciated this simple gesture.

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay on track with budgeted amount for the week – need to get our budget back up-to-date and back on track

    Here are my goals for the upcoming week:

    Family Goals

    1. Connect with each family member at least once a day
    2. Spend quality time with our Guests
    3. Spend quality time with Jake
    4. Date Night with Jake
    5. Participate in a fun kid activity (go to the park, play, or explore)
    6. Do a creative craft with the kids

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week
    2. Finish reading  How We Love Our Kids by Milan & Kay Yerkovich

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the week
    3. Spend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the house

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. 1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Take time to talk, listen, and encourage the people I encounter this week
    3. Be a blessing to a total stranger this week

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay on track with budgeted amount for the week

    I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us.  I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true.  When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals.  Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick).  Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.

    Why Share My Goals?

    • To keep me accountable
    • To share a piece of my life with you as I strive to be a better Child of God, Wife, Mom, Friend, Homemaker, Entrepreneur and the many other roles I have each week
    • To have my goals consistently written down so I can gauge progress more accurately
    • Create healthy habits in my life
    • To encourage you to share your goals with me as you continue to grown and learn

    How did you do this week on your goals?  Feel free to share or link to your list of weekly goals.

    The picture above is one that I created for my own purposes, however, The “SMART” acronym was originally coined 30 years ago by Peter Drucker in his classic work, Management by Results

  • Fresh & Healthy: Lunch Box Meals

    School Lunch Box Meal

    The girls have a lot of fun helping put together their lunches for school.  Often they will pick out their favorite drink, containers, baggies and other goodies.  They enjoy eating homemade applesauce, jello, and more items that we make together.  The best part about making the fruits, cookies, and other food from scratch at home is you know exactly what goes into it.  You can make it with whole wheat, no sugar as well as adding other healthy ingredients.  Each meal the girls get a protein, fruit, vegetable, diary, drink and snack.  Everyday is a little different to add more variety to their lunches.

    Lunch Box Meal:

    • Peanut Butter & Homemade Strawberry Jam Sandwich
    • Homemade Cinnamon Applesauce
    • Peach or Vanilla Yogurt
    • Lemon or Raspberry Jello
    • Broccoli, Cabbage, & Carrots “Straws” (Broccoli Coleslaw Mix that the girls have renamed broccoli straws)
    • Chocolate Milk
    • BBQ Chips
    • Mint Solo Granola Bar
    • Homemade Cookies

    The rainbow sandwich container, candy corn baggie and princess baggie add a little more excitement to the lunch.

     

  • Fresh & Healthy: School Lunchbox Meals

    Brina’s lunch

    Last year for their birthday a friend gave the girls monogram lunch boxes.  Both of the girls still pick those lunchboxes to use almost everyday.  Occasionally they will change it up a little bit but they love having a lunch box with their name on it.  They know it is theirs and are responsible for cleaning it out everyday after they get home from school.  Every once in awhile if they start smelling I will go through and give it a more thorough cleaning.  I always find a good stash of “love notes” from me in each of their bags which makes me smile and confirms that taking the time to write the sweet notes for the girls really does mean a lot to them.

    • Homemade Chicken Salad Sandwich
    • Fresh Green Pepper Slices
    • Fresh Green Grapes or Fresh Apple Slices
    • Strawberry Jello
    • Vanilla Yogurt
    • Chocolate Covered Cherries
    • Goldfish
    • Mrs. Field’s Oatmeal Cookie
    • Bottle of Water

    Karlie’s school lunch

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    Last week was week of firsts for me.  I did items a little more out of my typical comfort zone, the good news is that not only did I survive but I rather enjoyed some of it.  This week I want to focus more of my attention on catching up and reconnecting with Jake since we have been half a world apart for three weeks (I hope to share more about that adventure soon).

    Here is the update on last weeks goals:

    Family Goals

    1. Connect with each family member at least once a day
    2. Distribute the girls “I Love You” Surprises
    3. Write and mail cards
    4. Put together items for Jake
    5. Print off the Family Calendar, Event List and Information
    6. Meet the girls for lunch at school
    7. Finish reading The Secret Garden and Swiss Family Robinson to the girls – I finished The Secret Garden and started Swiss Family Robinson, my Mom finished reading it with the girls (thanks Mom!)

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week – with all the travel and craziness I didn’t get this one done
    2. Finish reading When Work and Family Collide by Andy Stanley
    3. Keep an up-to-date written & photo log all the adventures this week – not quite daily but did most days!

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned and written by Monday
    3. House cleaned and ready for company – well company arrived & it was presentable, ha!
    4. Pay all bills that come in the mail this week

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention – a couple items fell through the cracks
    3. Finish 2011 Business Taxes

    Ministry Goals

    1. Email our weekly Community Group update including upcoming events on the calendar, praises, and prayer requests
    2. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    3. Take time to talk, listen, and encourage the people I encounter this week – could do a lot better at this one…..
    4. Be a blessing to a total stranger this week

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4 – week was off with traveling, didn’t keep up to date records this week
    2. Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses – working on it
    3. Complete our personal 2011 taxes – waiting on business taxes to be finished by accountant
    4. Put money aside for upcoming trips – getting closer
    5. Put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes – have some of it done

    Here are my goals for the upcoming week:

    Family Goals

    1. Connect with each family member at least once a day
    2. Write and mail cards
    3. Spend quality time with Jake
    4. Date Night with Jake
    5. Visit extended Family

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week
    2. Finish reading 
    3. Keep an up-to-date written & photo log all the adventures this week

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Take time to talk, listen, and encourage the people I encounter this week
    3. Be a blessing to a total stranger this week

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay on track with budgeted amount for the week

    I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us.  I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true.  When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals.  Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick).  Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.

    Why Share My Goals?

    • To keep me accountable
    • To share a piece of my life with you as I strive to be a better Child of God, Wife, Mom, Friend, Homemaker, Entrepreneur and the many other roles I have each week
    • To have my goals consistently written down so I can gauge progress more accurately
    • Create healthy habits in my life
    • To encourage you to share your goals with me as you continue to grown and learn

    How did you do this week on your goals?  Feel free to share or link to your list of weekly goals.

    The picture above is one that I created for my own purposes, however, The “SMART” acronym was originally coined 30 years ago by Peter Drucker in his classic work, Management by Results