A Thrifty, Sassy Mama blogging the joys of frugality, motherhood, saving money, doing without, great and frugal buys, life, and whatever else comes along :)
I have to admit I have a major issue paying my utility bills. It isn't that I don't have the money for them, it is just that I put them aside and completely forget about them. I pay every other bill on time and don't have issues. I religiously pay my tithing, mortgage, car insurance, medical payment (due quarterly), and everything else that comes up. Don't ask me why it is so dang hard for me to pay the utility bills.
Last night I realized that I really need to get my act together and work on improving my payment history on my utilities. I am paying all these late fees and it is pathetic. I also really need to work on getting a budget together like I posted in my last post.
I need to designate an area for incoming bills. I really need to get better organized in life.
So last night I got my butt in order, well sort of...
I paid my electric bill as well as the gas bill (I think they were both about 3 months worth).
During the week I paid the trash bill.
I also purchased the money order for the medical bill last night. I already have a stamp on the envelope. I just have to force myself to take it to the post office to send off. I HAVE to do this.
I also put my tithing payment in the envelope, filled the slip out and have it all sealed and ready to go. I just have to pay it on Sunday.
Today I have to pay the water bill which is for about 3 months. (I know I am a total slacker. Please don't stone me.)
After reviewing everything last night I realized that I really need to implement a budget or method of paying my bills. I felt all accomplished after paying them last night. Why is this all so hard for me? I could understand if I didn't have the money to pay them and was struggling and unable to do this or that. However, that is not the case.
I have heard of the Dave Ramsey envelope system, but I don't think that system would work for me. It sounds way too complicating. Too many envelopes and keeping track. Excel spreadsheets- I don't have Excel so I would have to download it.
I think the first step I need to do is start tracking my spending. I mean REALLY writing down every single penny I spend on anything. Even if I give a bum 50 cents. I think I will better understand where my money is going and where I need to designate money to. I am sure it will give me a better understanding of what I need to do.
I am extremely frugal and smart when it comes to spending, but if I don't know where I am currently spending, I can't better plan. What do you use as your budget? Are you horrible when it comes to utility bills or is it just me?
The ugly "B" word crossed my mind the other day. You know that big, ugly word that starts with a b? No silly. Not that one. Come on this is me you are talking to. Not the word that defines a female dog. The big B word that most of us all cringe at the thought of. Budget
I will admit that I do NOT have a budget. I know that might sound really weird to some of you. I know so many people who live by their budget. I know others who don't have one at all. What works for you?
I am extremely frugal and smart money-wise. However, I don't really know where on earth it is all going. Don't get me wrong- I have a rough idea. Upon further thought process though, I really have no clue.
This week I think I am going to get a binder and start recording all my spending. If I don't know where my money is currently going, how do I plan to plan? What does your budget look like per month? How did you come upon the decisions on paper?
So I decided to change the design of my page a little bit. I do hope that you guys like it.
I have noticed a lot of changes around me lately. Work is slowly getting better. I will admit that I have been so super busy to the point of exhaustion. hahaha Being busy is a good thing, but then again you have to step back and look around and catch up all the time. It is great. Bossman has been in much better spirits, which definitely helps. I haven't been yelled at in a few months (I better knock on some wood right now). In all honesty, I am doing the work that more than one person should be doing. You don't hear me complaining though. Job security right? ;)
My kids are getting so big! It is crazy how fast they grow. I love them so much and just wish they would stay little. Mommys, hold your kids tight. They only have one childhood. Of course mine are still young, but man I can't believe how fast they have grown.
I finally decided to get out and try dating. Let me tell you, not an easy thing. I went to a single conference at church and it was crazy! There was easily 6 women to 1 guy easily, if not MORE! It was shocking. I had some friends and cousins who attended and couldn't believe what I saw in front of me. Amazing women not even being so much as talked to by a guy. Not one guy talked to me or my cousin. Wow! I am not on the "hunt" or anything, so I have plenty of time for this whole dating thing. But I will admit that I did step out of my comfort zone and attempt it.
My little sister is having her baby next month!!! Aunty Sassy is way excited. I just can't wait. We had her baby shower and it was a blast. I was in charge of the games. I will admit that I put my nice, sassy spice to the mix and it went over very well. The ladies were laughing so much at the candy memory game. My little sister seemed to enjoy it, and that is all that counts right? I can't wait to hold that little baby in my arms. :) Woo hooooo!
My little Bug is getting more excited about being baptized in a few months. Of course there is plenty of time in between then and now, but it is still fun to think about it. I can't believe how big she is getting. I miss her being a baby, but I sure adore how much of a little lady she is becoming. I know she isn't a baby anymore.
Jack is keeping me on my toes as usual. A few weeks ago we were getting ready for church and he did NOT want my help. He told me he was going to do it all on his own. I was in the bathroom curling my hair and no matter how much pleading I tried in an attempt to help him, he would NOT have it. He went to his room and decided he was getting ready. He came out all dressed, I looked at the clock and realized we.were.late!!!
So we rushed out the door, got in the car, got to church (about 5 minutes might I add), and sat down at the nearest area to our "spot" as possible. On a total side note, if anyone from church tells you they don't have a designated spot they typically like to sit in, they are lying! Someone was in our spot, but there was room in between that person and the next family. Most people would go sit in the back but me? NO WAY! I asked if they minded us sitting by them and the guy moved down and let us have the end. What can I say? A nice, smart guy right? Jack being the clever boy he is, decided to sit RIGHT by the guy. Good ol' Jack. I looked over two minutes later and noticed that Jack didn't have his shoes tied. I told him to come over and started to tie his shoes.
Upon looking at the shoes, I noticed his pants didn't look familiar at all. I was trying to figure out where we had gotten them. Now you have to know, we receive hand-me-downs from friends and a cousin. For the life of me, I could not remember these pants. Upon further investigation and really looking hard, I realized his pants were inside out!!! Oh the shame. The guy we were sitting next to completely noticed and had a smirk on his face. I took Jack to put them on correctly and we hurried and got back into the meeting.
A good five minutes or so later I noticed movement out of the corner of my eye. The guy was unbuttoning Jack's shirt!!! I was in total shock. In turns out Jack's buttons weren't buttoned correctly and I completely overlooked it as I was so focused on the pants. Doh!!! I will admit that I was beyond embarrased and more in shock than anything.
I decided that no matter what, I will be helping Jack to get ready on Sundays. Hahahahahah
What embarrasing things have happened to you or your kids lately? I would love to hear them. Comment away!
Back in December I won an amazing set of furniture that I had to drive down to Arizona to pick up. Some people thought that I was crazy for driving all the way down there just for furniture. I will tell you the truth- my son didn't have a bed at the time. (His toddler bed had broken and he would either sleep on his floor, my floor, climb in bed with me, or I would find him on the couch.) I decided to get the furniture set and give it to Bug and give her old bed to Jack. Sounds exhausting huh?
I will admit that I couldn't believe what great quality the furniture was. Epoch has great, quality furniture and I couldn't be happier with her bedroom set. My daughter can be really rough on things and I see that the furniture really holds up well, and is made from quality material. Epoch is such a great brand of furniture available at Costco. My daughter was so excited when she found out the set was for her.
As a single mom who doesn't receive child support and doing it all on my own, I will admit that most times I can't afford things that I would love to buy for my kids. My kids are always thankful for everything they do receive. If I had the money, I would totally buy more furniture from Epoch.
Right now if you head here, Epoch is have such an amazing giveaway!!!! They are giving away $1,000.00 to spend on Epoch Design online. I am telling you from personal experience that this is an amazing prize. They will send it directly to your home. That is right- no having to drive and pick it up. Shipped.directly.to.you!!
I can't tell you enough about Epoch. I wish I could show you just how great their furniture is. You really should check out their site. If I won, I would totally pick a nice bunk bed for Jack. It would be awesome when we have sleep overs so the guest could sleep on an actual bed and not having to camp out on the floor.
I apologize for being away so long. I have just had so much going on in life between work, kids, the house, church and everything else. Let's face it, it has been a "so much to do, not enough time" sort of thing around our house. Obviously I have taken a bit of a break from really blogging.
However, Sassy is back!!!!!!!!!!!!
In the midst of my not blogging and what not, I really haven't been entering giveaways or any of that fun stuff. I haven't been following and reading up on blogs that I enjoy either. I must admit that I have missed a lot of it.
