Buying and selling vehicles is not something new to us. We have done is several times however, this time around things have been very different. Quite the adventure really...

It all started around March. After complaining (again) about not being able to give a neighbor's kid a ride home from school I saw a tv commercial for a Chevy Traverse. I will whole heartily admit that the GM marketing team did a great job. They sold me. I could fit 8 people in a spacious vehicle, be able to tow a camper and get great mileage all while looking cool in the school car line (LOL). I was sold.

After doing some research I found out the Bluebook value of my car and then did some research on the best way for me to obtain a 3rd row SUV that was not a gas gussler. After a couple phone calls I was able to get connected with a family friend who has a used car dealership. He offered to buy me a vehicle at auction. I would pay the auction price, taxes, auction fee, gas to drive it home, and a $250 finder's fee. After going to a couple auctions he felt like he could get me a Traverse in my price range.

With the good news in hand Mr. Not the Jet Set was more then happy to help me sell our current car and upgrade big time. We just needed to finish saving up the difference between what we could get for our car and the cost of the new one. With lots of pennies pinched we made it happen by the end of April. Now, during this time I had not re-pulled the blue book value of my Pontiac Vibe. No, instead I watched the news and saw that Toyota was taking a good kicking from the media, government, and anyone else who didn't like them. Well, I guess I should have realized that I the market changes would effect us but it honestly didn't click.

We went to list our car for sale by owner at the beginning of May. I re-pulled the KBB value and was in tears. The value dropped big time. I had worked so hard to have it all taken away. We talked, prayed, and weighed out our options. The decision was to sell the car. By the end of the month the car was gone and we had the cash in hand. We were able to get slightly more then the blue book value but it was still about a $2k hit from what the value was pre-toyota recall.



The whole time our car's value was dropping like a rock the demand for the type of vehicles we wanted went way up. So far up that we decided in mid-July that none of the original things we wanted would be in our price range at this point in time without taking out a loan or dipping into our emergency fund. It was a horrible feeling of defeat, but looking at the auction stats the prices had steadily increased and were showing no signs of slowing down. Once again I cried, then we talked, prayed and weighed out our options. We made a short list of mid sized cars and wagons that would at least be slightly bigger then what we had before yet we could afford the auction prices based on the last month's post-auction sales lists.

I'm happy to say that after two month's of living with one car we now have a new vehicle in our lives. It might not have been the car I was dreaming of but it sure is nice and the best part is that I don't have any payments!

I will admit it was an extremely hard two months with sharing our one truck. The a/c quiet working about 2 weeks into it, the truck starting having issues starting two weeks ago and just last week we had to replace the wheels and tires. Not great things to have to deal with when you only have one vehicle and summer camps for the kids, along with a vacation road trip. Even through it all it was worth it. It also gave me a great appreciation for those how only have one car and do not live in places that have public transportation.

We bought a 2008 Volvo V50 wagon with around 80k miles for a grand total (after all taxes and fees) for $12,105.60. That price alone made it worth the wait for us.

Have you had similar experiences with buying or selling your cars lately? I'd love to hear your car transaction stories!

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Maybe your family was like ours this spring break. We dreamed of taking the kids some place warm, fun and south. The reality is that our priorities dictate how we spend our money. Our big dreams will have to wait one more year. Instead we drove north about 5 hours to Boyne Mountain and spent several days having fun at the indoor water park, eating dinner at restaurants, and enjoying a great view of the greened up ski slopes out our window. In the end we all had a great time and enjoyed our vacation. I would have to guess that the kids didn't even realize that they had missed anything since there was tears shed when we had to leave the resort. All of this was done on less then $650 including all our meals, gas, tips, etc. I'm sure that was just a fraction of what our dream vacation would have cost.

As we got back to normal life this week I was happy with what we had done with our vacation time and money. In fact, I'm still very much at peace with the decision as I write this. However, I wonder how many people feel the same after they get back from their more expensive vacations. They might not verbalize it and maybe it really just doesn't click in their minds that they just set their priorities by how they spend their money.

Here is what I mean. Since being back in town and having kids back in school I've been able to hear about a what everyone did for their spring breaks. After hearing the first 5 I started to notice a trend. A really sad trend. Here are my observations.


The Big Vacation Families~

• Have larger incomes
  
• Live in the high end neighborhoods
• Kids are in tons of sports, lessons, etc
• Always wearing brand new name brand clothes
• Newer high end cars
  
• Have pulled their kids out of the Catholic school or are planning on doing it in the coming years because of the expense
• More likely to be doing the high exposure volunteer work and monetary donations, less likely to be fully tithing
  

The Small to No Vacation Families~

• Modest income
• Living in lower middle class neighborhoods
• Kids are each in one or two less expensive activities
• Kids usually have second hand clothes that are not name brands
• Older vehicles
  
• They have made it clear that they will send their kids to the Catholic school no matter the cost because they believe it's the best thing they could ever do for their kids
• Less likely to do the showy volunteer work and monetary donations, more likely to be fully tithing

I find it interesting to look over these two lists and see the differences. It really shows you that no matter how much you make YOU need to set your own values and priorities. YOU need to make a written plan and stick to it. MONEY is not what stops you from reaching your goal, YOU are what's stopping YOU from reaching your goal.

If you feel it's important for your children to receive a non-public school education then you have to sacrifice other wants. If you want to stay at home full-time with your little ones you have to sacrifice other "stuff" to reach that goal. In either situation your goals are obtainable no matter what your income. It is a matter of self control and stopping the desire to keep up with the Joneses. Let me tell you, they are broke and their kids are spoiled brats. That's not what you want for your family is it?

Don't get me wrong, I'm okay with you taking a nice vacation with your family. We have done it before and we will do it again when we can pay for it in cash that doesn't come our of our kid's tuition savings. The point is that you can't tell me that the private school tuition (which is really not that much) is too expensive when you make more then double what our household makes. Instead of telling people a lie, tell them the truth. You set your families priorities and you decided that sending your kids to the Catholic school was not a top priority.

Sorry if I offended anyone, but I really do get sick of hearing about grand vacations over every break just to have the same people pull their kids from the school or complain about the tuition. As I stated above, there are always a few exceptions and these are just my personal observations. And before you say this in the comments, no I'm not jealous because there is nothing to be jealous about.

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Life is full of scary things. Even as an adult there are just somethings that seem scary. One of the biggest ones for me was taking the plunge to stay home full time with my kids. Just the thought brought so many scary ideas to my head. What if the Mr. lost his job? What if we can't live on less then half our current income? What if I want to go back to work but can't because I've been out of my field to long? Even with all those scary thoughts running through my mind all's I could think about is how different life would be if I could just stay home with my babies. If I could just be there for when they needed me. If I didn't have to miss all of their firsts. Needless to say, my motherly instinct kicked in and I kicked my fears to the curb.

We have successfully lived on my husbands income for over 3 years now. It has been one of the best decisions that we ever made. However, if we had not carefully planned it out it could have been the nightmare I feared.

Here are ten steps to take the fear out of living on one income.

1. Plan ahead of time- Like most things in life it takes time to work out all the kinks in the plan. On average it takes 6 to 12 months to fully implement the changes and take the plunge.
2. Unified Dream- The most important key to making this dream happen for your family it to make sure that you and your spouse are both on the same page. It truly takes a team effort to cut the expenses and make such a drastic lifestyle change. If you spouse is not on board then it's not going to work no matter how hard you try.
3. Evaluate- Take a hard look at why you want to stay home. Is it because you want to be there for your kids 24/7 or is it because you really just don't want to be at work. If your reasoning is more on the job side then you might just need to find a new job or career.
   
4. Make the cuts- This is the toughest step. It's time to sit down and make the cuts. Looking at your budget together as a couple you need to decide what stays and what goes. Vacations, kids sports, new clothing, and eating out are the main things that go when you start to make the harsh cuts. It's important to do some practice budgets on paper to make sure that the math will add up.
   
5. Have a plan- What are you going to do at home all day? LOL, It's never boring around our house but I have friends who could not handle the "isolation" of staying at home. Make sure you have a plan for your time. Think about what you can do at home to save your family money (coupon clipping, sewing, gardening, garage saling, etc) as well as ways to get out of the house with your kids (story hour and play groups) during the day.
6. Support Network- This might sound odd to some people, but its a sad fact of life. Not all working moms will want to continue your friendship. Everyone has their own reasons, but a lot of times your working friends will fade away or you will want them to because of their criticism. Make sure that you start to surround yourself with people who support your decision. It will make your life much easier once you take the plunge.
7. Check into the Details- Double check things like health insurance, taxes, investments. All of them will change as your jobs and income levels change. Make sure to include these changes in your practice budget.
   
8. Debt Free- Some people are going to say that this is not required but in my book it is. It's hard enough to work your way out of debt with two incomes, do you really want to try to do it on half the amount you were living on? Unless you did the math and you were losing money by working, focus on getting out of debt so that you can realize your true dream. It will help you to become gazelle intense when you realize that the debt is keeping you from your kids.
   
9. Emergency Fund- Before you turn in your notice at work make sure that you have a fully funded emergency fund. It will help you to enjoy being home with the kids. If you don't have one you will be constantly worried about things like hubby losing his job, a major car breakdown or a house fire.
   
10. Trial Run- You have done it. You have walked through the first 9 steps and now it's time to give it a try. Minus childcare expenses and other expenses that you are incurring solely because you work sock away the rest of your income in a savings account. Test it out to see if you can really life on just one income for 3+ months while saving the rest. If you can do it then you are ready to make the switch. If not, then you need to take a hard look at why it's not working for you and make some adjustments to the plan.
    

These ten steps might seem tough but they will pay off big time in the long run. The day you get to stay home with your kids will be pure joy without fear weighing you down.

Does your family live on one income? What advise do you have for a family thinking about taking the scary plunge?

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My number one tip for keeping your house clutter free and saving money is not to buy stuff. I do understand that there are times when you need (or really want) something temporarily. That is when you call on your friends, neighbors and family.

There is a right and a wrong way to borrow. If done right you will be able to continue to borrow from your friend. If done wrong you have not only lost a source for borrowing items but you could potentially damage your relationship.

Here are some guidelines for successful borrowing.

• Ask Nicely~ When you call the person to ask to borrow the item let them know what you are going to do with it, when you need it and when you will return it. And yes, do say please and thank you.
  
• Set Return Time~It's important to let them know how long you will borrow the item for. This helps to re-assure them that you will in fact return the borrowed item.
  
• Return Condition~ To help show your appreciation return the item in better condition if possible. Wash it, fill it with fuel, or what ever you can do to help maintain the item.
  
• Keep Your Word~ Just do as you said you would. Return the item on time or ask to keep it longer with an explanation as to why you need it longer.
  
• Say Thanks~ Depending on the items value it could be a simple thank you email or a homemade pie.
• Limits~ If you find you keep borrowing the same thing from the same person you might want to consider buying it. It might end up being a wise investment instead of more unused clutter.
  
• Return the Favor~ Let them know that they are welcome to borrow items from you as well.
  

With these six simple rules you will master the art of borrowing.

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Over the past year I've been reading about other mom's trials and errors with going without shampoo. Now, I know that this might sound gross to some of you, but it really is not as bad as it might initially sound. What most people do is use either baking soda or apple cider vinegar instead of chemical filled shampoo.

We have been using all natural shampoo for about 4 years so I'm not worried about what I'm putting in my hair, but I'm concerned about the cost of the shampoo that we use. To help save a little more money I thought that it would be worth giving "poo free" a try.


I just completed my first week of using baking soda water in place of shampoo. So far, so good! I've actually been surprised by how well my hair feels and the amount I need to use to obtain a good cleaning. If you are wondering, I personally diluted 5 tablespoons of baking soda in 4 cups of water. Then I let it set for 2 weeks. I refilled my empty shampoo bottles with the solution.

One week down, many more to go. I'll keep you posted as my body adjusts and the seasons change. It's great to feel like you can buy one less product and save some money too.

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If you were wondering, life at the NtJS house has been busy but good lately. We have decided to move the blog down on our priority list and we are glad we made that decision. It has been amazing how many projects we have been able to get done while spending more time with our kids then we did before. Yes, we are sticking to our 2010 goals!

Here is how we are doing on our goals for 2010.

Goal 1: Spend more time as a family. Check! We have really been enjoying our time with the girls. We have made Saturday night, game night at our house. We have a lot of fun playing games (or play dough) from dinner time til bedtime. Over the past week we have been enjoying staying up later with our oldest daughter to watch the Olympics with her. Our youngest daughter is potty training right now so I've been spending tons of "quality" time with her in the bathroom.

Goal 2: Eat healthy, organic, and local. Check! We have been mostly living off our freezers and canning shelves full of preserved local foods. Over Valentines day weekend we took a cheesemaking class. It was a lot of fun learning how to make cheese at home. I have a feeling we will be making more of our own cheeses in the future from our local milk. I have also been looking into more local sources for other foods that we don't grow ourselves.

Goal 3: Save for a car. Check! Just this month we started saving money for a new car.

Goal 4: Have some fun money. No Check. We are hoping to add this to the budget after the Mr.'s annual review, if they decide to stop the pay freeze. Keep your fingers crossed!!!

So that's our update. How are things going for you? Are you sticking to your 2010 goals? Is life a little crazy at your house or are things smooth sailing?

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• Set your priority's with your budget and stick to the budget. If you don't budget for clothes you don't need, then you don't have the funds to buy the unnecessary impulse clothes.


• Ask yourself three questions before bringing home an item. Do I need this item? Does it add true beauty and inspiration to my home? Do I have a place to store, hang, or otherwise keep this item?


• If an item makes it into your home find an item that can be purged right away, added to the garage sale pile or send to a charity.


• Politely let your family and friends know that you don't need stuff.


• Just say "No". If someone offers you something for free you don't need, just say no thanks.

Here are some inspirational quotes to motivate one to live a simply life.

"Live simply so that overs might simply live." -Ghandi

"Less is More" - (lots of people take credit for this one, not sure who was the first one)

"...everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions can not be my disciple." -Luke 14:33

"...excessive availability of every kind of material goods for the benefit of certain social groups, easily makes people slaves of "possessions" and of immediate gratification with no other horizon than the multiplication of continual replacement of the things already owned with others still better." -Pope John Paul II, encyclical, On Social Concern (excellent read)

"The simplest things are often times the truest." -Richard Bach

"As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness." -Henry David Thoreau

"Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful." -William Morris

Pick your favorite quote and place it in a spot in your house that will help you to stay on track with creating a simple and peaceful home.

What are your strategies for keeping the "stuff" from even getting through the door at your house?

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Since we moved to Michigan almost three years ago we have not had a family vacation. We have spent all of our free time and money on renovating our new home. Even though our home is not quiet done, we do have running water, a functioning heater, and a non-leaking roof over our heads. Those are huge accomplishments to have done. So huge that the Mr. and I are just plum worn out.

So with the rest of the country switching to staycations, we have decided that it's finally time to take a real vacation. In true not-the-jet-set style we have sat down and discussed our possible vacation sites and the budget needed for each. Since we really don't have any funds saved up so far are going to go low budget.

Here is the plan: Austin, Texas over Christmas break


Our thoughts are that if we go over Christmas break it will maximize the Mr.'s vacation time so that we can be gone for 10 days. Since we miss Texas (especially in the winter) it would be great to visit friends and our old stomping grounds. We could also stay with friends while we are there to save on money.

The budget breakdown:

Gas $300
Food $600
Outings $200
Lodging $200
= $1300

These number were not pulled out of thin air. I sat down and did the math to figure out how many miles we would drive and the cost per gallon. I knew we would want to eat at our favorite restaraunts and pay for our friends meals. We would want to visit a few places that will cost money and our oldest daughter wants new hot pink cowgirls boots w/ a matching hat. We will also have two nights on the road that will call for a hotel room.

How are we going to get the money? Good question! Our budget is tighter then tight for the next couple months so it's not coming out of there. We are going to try to come up with the funds by doing extra things to make extra money. Things like a garage sale, surveys, increase blog income, selling more extra veggies and homemade goodies. We might even try to come up with a few more creative ways to make some extra money.

If we don't save up enough money then we will not be able to go. It would be really sad if we can not swing it financially, but we don't deserve a vacation we can't pay for. It's not worth it.

We will keep you updated as we start making money to fund the trip (watch the side bar for the numbers). If you have any ideas or suggestions for creative income for the trip or ways to cut back on the budget feel free to share them!

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Reusable shopping bags have been around for decades. But they really became en vogue a few years ago. Today, nearly every major retailer has their own bags for sale, and there's instructions readily available to make your own. Reusable bags make so much sense that the city of San Francisco as well as many countries around the world have banned or now tax plastic disposable shopping bags.

We're not here to convince you to make the switch - that case has already been made. No, this is a post about what happens after you've bought the bags.


We were out running some errands the other day. We went to check out with a few small items and the Mrs., as always, said, "oh, and I have a bag."

Now typically, that's followed by a nod from the cashier, a few beeps from the register, cash, change, a receipt, and a "have a nice day". But not on this day, with this cashier.

No, on this day we got a very different response. The cashier looked up as the Mrs. unfurled the shopping bag, and said, "Those are so smart. You know, we bought several of those, but I never remember to take them to the store." The Mrs., quick on her wits that day, replied with, "Yeah, I had that problem too, but then I started making myself turn around and go back to get them." The cashier was impressed, as was I. We finished the transaction and left.

Now this lesson is not a new one, but has a similar result. Lets look at what the cashier said - we bought the reusable bags, but yet don't use them. He bought the bags. So what's the problem? It all falls down by the simple act of forgetting them at home. It's not about a mechanical solution or a magic pill. It's about your behavior, and a life change like this requires a change in your behavior.

Where have we seen this before? It's the cash envelope system. I've heard from countless individuals that cash doesn't work and the envelopes are a pain. It's only a pain if the behavior doesn't change. It doesn't work when you spend mercilessly. None of it is worth anything without a plan and constructive behaviors.

Again, the solution is only 20% head knowledge - the other 80% is behavior. Back to our talkative cashier. Knowing that reusable bags are the right thing to do and buying them only got him 20% there. And there are very few arenas where 20% is considered passing. He didn't change his behavior, and thus failed.

Like the Mrs. said, if she forgot them at home, she'd turn around and go back home. Left them in the car? She'd drag the kids back out to get them. Success only came after behavior change.

Success with cash, and with bags.

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Everywhere you go these days you hear people griping about the bad economy. There is no denying that the recession has hit a lot of us hard. However, most things are neither inherently good nor bad but rather are what we make of them. If we can maintain a positive attitude about the situation that we’re in then we may find that there are actually a lot of good things coming out of the downturn in the economy.

Simpler Living

When faced with a recession, people start living a more frugal life which in turn often leads to living a simpler life. Many of us have stopped rushing around so much because we simply can’t afford the movie tickets, weekend trips, community classes and other things that were taking up so much of our time. Instead, we’re making do with the entertainment that we have at home. This allows us a chance to really get our priorities straight and to gain a more thorough understanding of what matters to us. It also allows us to find pleasure in life’s little things. Even in the face of financial stress, we may find that the little pleasures of simple living are actually reducing our overall stress levels.

Stronger Communities

The recession has caused a lot of us to grow closer to our families, friends and community members. We’re spending less time on entertaining each other and more time just talking and spending time together. We’re getting to know one another better. Since we’re all in a financial bind, we can really empathize with others who are in a tight spot. People are lending each other a helping hand. Bartering is making a comeback among people who have services to trade even though they may not have money. Living in a close community is far more important to most of us than living in a rich one!

Healthier Lifestyles

We typically think of poverty as a cause of unhealthy living but the recession is different. The recession is causing some changes that actually improve our health. More people are going vegetarian since meat is expensive. They’re often buying local foods. This is healthier for their bodies as well as for the environment. In fact, a lot of money-saving efforts are also efforts that reduce waste and make for a more eco-friendly way of life which makes the earth around us healthier. Additionally, many of us are taking better care of ourselves than in the past. In trying to make ourselves feel safe in a time when things are chaotic, we are paying more attention to meeting our own needs. We’re also remembering that money doesn’t matter nearly as much as our health does and we’re acting accordingly.

Embracing our Creativity

All of these changes are causing us to really explore a creative side to ourselves that many people have let lie dormant for far too long. We are learning to get creative in making things since we can’t afford to buy them. We’re getting more creative about our approaches to indulgences like vacations so that we can enjoy them without spending a lot of money. People really do thrive when they express themselves creatively so this is definitely a good thing that’s come out of the bad economy.

Following our Passions

The change in the economy has caused a lot of people to lose their jobs. That’s a terrible experience but many people are turning it into a positive thing. When work is steady, it’s easy to just fall into a pattern of doing it even though you don’t love it. When you realize that your job isn’t secure, you start to ask yourself why you’re doing it. This is causing a lot of people to realize that the work they’ve been doing isn’t the work that they love. People are finding a fresh reason to identify their passions and to follow them.

Doing Better at our Jobs

Those people who do have jobs may be reinvesting themselves in their work. They’re making a concentrated effort to do their work well. Although the fear of job loss that is motivating them is not a positive thing, the result is a positive one. People care more about a job well done. That’s something to be valued.

Learning about Ourselves

All in all this experience of going through a bad recession has caused each of us to learn more about ourselves. We have had to find wells of inner strength to get us through these tough times. We have had to make tough choices about how we want to spend our money and making those choices has helped us to learn to prioritize things in our lives. We have had to look at the work we do, the way that we do it and the goals we have for our lives. The recession has required us to shift our thinking and the result is that our thinking is opening up. We may want the recession to be over but we can use this time to make positive changes that will last us for the rest of our lives.




Guest post by Kathryn Vercillo. Kathryn is a writer for Promotionalcodes.org.uk which gives away free voucher codes (like this Laura Ashley promotional code) and also publishes money saving tips.

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Every year we struggle with making Earth Day be more about changing habits and not just a one day event. Last year and this year are no different. This year I will have two 1 1/2 year old kids with me. If it's warm enough I'm hoping to let them play outside and get to know nature.

Instead of trying to make this one day special with a once a year tree planting at the park I'm going to try to make it a time to reflect on what we have done over the past year to help mother earth and what we should do over the course of the next 12 months to on continue to be good stewards of the environment.

Over the past year we have:

• Stopped using all toxic cleaners


• Added more organic foods to our diet


• Choose products with little to no packaging waste


• Focus on Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (and in that order)


• Teach others about green living


• Teach my kids about their impacts on the environment (both positive and negative)


• Buy local foods and products


• Can and preserve as much local fresh organic produce as I could


• Buy everything used we could


• Used cloth diapers and wipes
  

During the coming 12 months we plan to:

• Plant more trees in our yard


• Spend more time hiking and camping with the girls


• Replace our roof with a "greener" roofing product


• Continue to keep environmental impact at the forefront of all decision making


• Use my clothes line all summer


• Continue to use cloth diapers


• Continue to remodel our home as green as possible

What are some of the new ways you are going green this year?

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This is one of our favorite classes in FPU. "Worth the price of admission". Last year we wrote about my time as a reluctant spouse. It's one of my favorite posts as we each wrote about it from our own perspective. You can clearly see - we were not on the same page. A big focus of Financial Peace University and specifically this week's class is bringing husband and wife together to talk about money in a constructive way.

The first time we lead an FPU class, we were also taking it ourselves. We really didn't know what we were getting into, or what to expect. One couple showed up for the first class, and clearly they had been fighting on the way over - probably about money. The scowls on their faces said it all.


They sat next to each other, reluctantly. No touching, no talking. By this lesson, they were laughing, elbowing each other, and holding hands. Where they were previously guarded and quiet in the small group discussions, they were suddenly talkative and open. They were so excited - collectively - that they were reading ahead, and knew the jokes before they were coming.

It was amazing to watch. Especially come the final class when they admitted that without this class, they would likely be divorced. It was a truly humbling moment, to know that this class had that big of an impact on a marriage. They were talking, budgeting and had a shared set of goals. A couple that had previously filed bankruptcy and were still struggling, now had a path to success.

This updated version of FPU has this lesson in week two, which makes a lot of sense to have this lesson before the budgeting lesson - aka, The Big Fight! Just kidding. If you get this lesson, you'll have much less to worry about come cash flow planning time.

Has money been an issue in your marriage?

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About six years ago I started to realize that people where living beyond there means. There was no way that their income levels could sustain the lifestyle they lived. The people I'm talking about are not people on TV or others that I've heard about. These people were my co-workers, family, friends and other acquaintances. They were real people who I had real interaction with.


It was not until about a year ago that I starting to really analyze this situation and came up with a name for it, the Super Sized Life. But why shouldn't we Americans be living a super sized life? A lot of us act like our world is just like McDonald's. We expect everything fast, cheap, and a little bigger. Of course this would never hurt our waistlines or our pocket books. Or would it?

Did we super size our lives a little too much? I mean so what if we buy a few items at the store that were not on the list. If we bought a car with a few more features then we needed. Who couldn't use an extra bathroom and bedroom in their home? And God forbid we don't buy something from all of the fundraisers going on in the area. Plus, I think that it's important to keep your kids extremely busy with at least 4 extra curricular activities each per season.

Do you sense a little sarcasm above? I hope so. Our mentality of "a little more of a good thing won't hurt" has caused us all great pain. Our economy is in the toilet, people are losing their super sized homes and cars, we (and our kids) are over weight, and we are all stressed from our crazy schedules.

We say forget the super sized life! It's really not as much fun as it sounds. We have found that our family did better when we went back to the basics. We are healthier and happier. Not to mention our pocket books have something in them.

Were you living super-sized? Has the current economy put an end of the super sized life? Are we going to stop living one size larger and start living one size smaller?

Image courtesy of MSNBC

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I swept out the garage yesterday. Congrats, right? While that doesn't seem terribly significant - it is. See during our recent push to finish the bathroom remodel, I used the garage to cut some materials - kicking the Mrs. and her car out in the process. That was about two weeks ago and that work was completed over a week ago.

It always seemed like it would be such a pain in the butt to do - get bundled up, clean up the debris, put away the tools, and sweep up. I'd usually remember to do this around 8 or 9 pm. Day after day, rain after snow, it didn't get done.


Yesterday, I was home early and the Mrs. was still out running errands with the kids. Despite still being dressed up from work, I was outside, and had no distractions. I had it done in probably 5 minutes or less. When the Mrs. got home, she had her garage back.

Occasionally, in our financial lives certain tasks seem to be out of reach despite their true difficulty. I have a natural predilection for procrastination. It's why my bills were usually late in college and why the Mrs. cuts the checks today. Still, there are things that we have put off. Updating our wills for one. We've done one before and this update wouldn't be terribly different. Mostly just adding provision for our second child.

What are you putting off? Paying off debt? Funding an emergency fund? Is it really as out-of-reach as you perceive it to be?

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With rising gas prices, families are suffering from more then just a lack of vacation time. They are suffering from a lack of family time. Most people today do not live where they grew up and are moving every few years for work. If you are like our family, your kids did not get to wish grandma a Happy Mother’s Day in person. So what are we to do to stay connected to family?

One of the newest things we have tried is emailing video messages. It works great and the grandparents love it! For Mother’s Day we video taped a short message from our kids to the grandmas. It was only about 2 minutes in length but was very cute. When the grandma’s watched the video that Sunday they both were moved. It was like they had the kids there for a few moments.

We have also used a webcam to stay in touch with loved ones. This can be great if your little ones can sit in front of the computer long enough. We tried this one when we where in the process of moving cross country. We where all separated for over a month. I just loved seeing my husband and daughter in the evenings even if it was just an image of them on the computer screen. For those little bits of time it was like they where sitting right there in the room with me.

There is of course mom’s standard lower tech idea of calling. With everyone having cell phones calling long distance is becoming less of a budget buster item. Sometimes nothing is better then a long chat with a loved one you are missing (minus seeing them in person).

Having lived in different cities around the country we have accumulated a lot of really great friends who live all over. I would try to send mass emails to everyone including photos. I would also find myself emailing different people the same updates on us over and over again. Then one day we got the great idea to set up a family blog. This blog is 100% geared towards our family and friends. It is basically a family journal with photos and small videos. In our Christmas cards we remind people of the URL. We have received more compliments about our blog then we ever would have imaged. In fact, our biggest fans are my 82 year old grandpa and grandma! They check it every day to see if we have added any more photos of the kids.

No mater how far away you live from family it is important to stay connected. How do you stay connected with your long distance loved ones?

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Today I received an e-mail from Environmental Defense. The email contained information on "13 facts about the realities of global warming". For someone like me, an active environmentalist, it was very sad to read. However, WE have the power to change the course! We CAN made a difference. These 13 scary facts are a great reminder that we need to stay strong and keep supporting groups like Environmental Defense because we have not won the battle yet.

Without further adieu, here are the 13 facts posted on EDF's website.

35%

Increase in the global carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels since the Kyoto Protocol was signed in 1992.

388.57 ppm

Average concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in May 2008, a record high.

541 – 970 ppm

The projected concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by 2100 under a business as usual scenario where we don't dramatically reduce global warming emissions.

260 – 280 ppm

Average concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere before industrial emissions.

50 – 200 years

Length of time carbon dioxide stays in the earth's atmosphere before it is absorbed into carbon sinks.

1000 years

Length of time changes in the earth's surface temperature, rainfall, and sea level will remain even after carbon dioxide emissions are completely stopped.

34%

Percentage that 2008's Arctic seasonal sea ice melt outpaced normal levels.

70%

Increase in the rate of Greenland's ice melt over the last five years.

1.7 days

Number of days earlier seasons are coming than 50 years ago.

1.5 million

Number of acres of forests in Colorado destroyed by the pine beetle, which is better able to survive warmer winters and is wrecking havoc in America's western forests.

$427 million

Amount spent by the oil and coal industries in the first six months of 2008 in political contributions, lobbying expenditures and advertising to oppose climate action.

0

Number of global warming bills passed by the Senate.

0

Number of global warming bills passed by the House.

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It's been just over a month since I set my three goals for the year. At first it was easy to remember them and to stay on track, but then life happened. Today I was reading on Biblical Womanhood's blog her newest post on "Getting Back on Track: The Kitchen Sink". It made me take an honest hard look at my goals and how hard I was really working (or not working) towards them.

2009 Goals:
1. Go To Bed By 10pm. At first I was doing good with this goal but the last two weeks I've been going to be to late. Then I came down with this horrible stomach virus and my two girls came down with a nasty cold. I'm sleeping a lot right now and I will have to work really hard to stay with the early bedtime. It is the best thing for me to stay health and have more energy. I need to make myself a priority.

2. Give More Time. This one I have been able to stay right on track with. The Mr. and I have been working hard to get our stuff together to get a new FPU class started at our Church. This does take a lot of time and effort but is so worth while. To here more about it you can check out the Mr.'s post here.

3. Get My House In Order. If you have been following along with my De-Junking series you know that I'm sticking with this resolution. It's hard to keep the rooms clean for long with the little one by my side, but I'm trying my hardest. Once I'm back on my feet again I know I do have some major catching up to do.


Are you sticking with your 2009 Goals? Let us know how you are doing. If you have a blog feel free to link back to your progress post.

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As I've been surfing the blogsphere today I've seen lots of great posts on everyone's personal resolutions for the new year. I have to admit I'm not one for making New Year's Resolutions. Not sure why, but that is just me.

This year I do have a few small resolutions I'm hoping I can carry through the year and beyond.

1. Go to bed by 10pm. I know, I'm getting a little crazy here! At our house the kids are well rested and the adults are extremely sleep deprived. My dream is that if I got an extra two hours of sleep (making for an 8 hour night) I would be happier and more productive during the day making it worth losing 2 hours of work time at night.
2. Give more time. Since we moved across county this last time I have dragged my feet when it came to getting involved with Church and other non-profit organizations. Now that things are as calm as they will ever be in our home it's time to reach out the larger community and give back.
3. Get my house in order. The baby will be turning 1 yrs old next month and the large house projects are starting to wind down. My excuses for an unclean house are also coming to an end. The cleaning fairy is not going to magically appear. Nor a housekeeper for that matter. It's time I just give a little more time to cleaning. No more excuses.

So that is my list of the 3G's for New Year! On the surface they seem do able, but we will see how long they last. What are your resolutions? Feel free to leave a link to your 2009 list of resolutions if you posted them on your blog.

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