What I'm trying for in 2014

I haven't updated my profile yet but I actually have a job now as well as being the PTO Treasurer and Art Discovery Coordinator at my kids' Elementary school. I used to be the president but needed to take a more low key spot so that I could get a paying job to help with our growing debt to income ratio. Don't we all love those little nuisances called BILLS!

 

To start off, my good ol' minivan I've had for 9 years transmission gave out on Dec 23rd. Since my busiest time of work was coming up in a few days, we had to go get a car on Christmas Eve. (Only day my husband had available to go with me) That turned out okay. I mean I got an awesome new car and the payments aren't that bad. However we figure it will cost at or just over what we make on average a month. My income is tricky because I have a revolving 4 week schedule. Week 1 & 2 is busy but 3 is slow and 4 is slower. Then it starts all over again. But I love my job so I don't want to find another one.

 

We have switched our cell phone carrier so we will be saving about $50 bucks a month there. But I need to get a real handle on the finances and make sure I have the right numbers floating in my head. That there is the problem. I've relied too much on just playing it by ear and knowing how much we have in the bank versus what I need to pay.

So my New Year's Resolution was to get organized. Not just with clutter and papers, but with information as well. I mean here's the Debbie Downer part but, what if something happened to me an my husband needed to know the account numbers for the bills, or the passwords to all the online accounts I have. So I have spent the half of January looking up way to keep track of all this stuff, and ways to go through all the junk in the house too. I don't know why I need someone else to tell me how to clean and organize because I can go to someone elses house and have a plan of attack in like 3 seconds. But when it comes to my own stuff, I have a hard time "letting go". Even though it makes me mad and sometimes I say "lets just get rid of everything, we haven't even opened some of these boxes in years". I know I'm not the only one who feels this way right?

 

I have found a couple of freebie downloads I found that I think will help me. I found some people's Home Management Binders and saw what they did. Some of the info or calendars I felt I didn't need because I need a visual calendar and not one in a binder.

This is the bulletin board above my computer. I have a Meal plan for the month. My bills. Then my work Calendar.

 

The Meal plan is very simple. It is just dinners because we know what to eat for breakfast and lunch. It has whether we will have pork, chicken, spaghetti, pizza, or something else like meatloaf. Then I go plan the meals once a week based on those main ingredients, and shop for anything I don't already have.

My Bills calender, I need to see when they are due in the month to plan which paycheck is going to cover them.

My work calendars show what week my jobs are to be done in so I can choose which days I work and which days I'm going to take off (for volunteering).

 

But I thought I would share some of the pages I've found that I'm going to use. I am thankful for their generosity in offering these printables for free.

My pinterest Organization board

 

 This first website has a bunch of printables for organizing information. 

diyhshp.blogspot.com

 Monthly & Weekly Calendars, Cleaning schedules, Labels, Contact Lists, Dates to Remember, Shopping Lists, Freezer & Pantry Lists, Password Log, Medical Records, Emergency Contacts, etc....

And did I mention its all pretty and colorful :)



 

A Bowl Full of Lemons.net

 This second website has a 14 week plan to organize your home. I look forward to starting it (on my own time) next month. I haven't followed through on if there is a current one running, but this program was in 2012 and I can see how it would help to have moral support and ideas from other people doing the same project but in different spaces. That's why I am trying to rope in my friend who is also complaining about her home. I figure we can motivate each other and tell each other to "suck it up and clean missy".