Friday, April 30, 2010

All Cash Baby



Hold on peeps--this is going to be LENGTHY.

So I posted a couple of weeks ago about the money man I love: Dave Ramsey. People have asked some questions about our cash only budget and since I LOVE to talk about it (seriously love) I thought I'd share. I've been thinking about it alot this month because we have been B-R-O-K-E for the second half of the month. Because once the cash runs out--it's gone. I've actually had to swipe some cash from Annabelle's secret stash just to buy some necessities. Sad I know. Most months I'm good at balancing the money out throughout the month, but this month we had family events that required babysitters--and our cash was gone just like that. And our blow money was gone too (I'll explain more about that later). So we've been screwed. But we stick to it, because that is what we do. Right now our kids need shampoo and conditioner, I've watered down the baby body wash, we have 0 toilet paper rolls left in the closet (hoping the ones on the rolls hold out), the kids toothbrushes are missing, I have no hair product. So we go without, no biggie (at least to us because we are used to it). This reminds me of another little story:

My mom came down to visit a month or so ago, and she went into the girl's bathroom. She informed me afterward that I only had 1 light bulb working out of the three. I told her that I knew that, but we only had $10 left for the month and we still had a week and a half left in the month and since the girls only go to the bathroom and brush their teeth in there that they could work with just one light until next month. Because I might need something else more significant so I was holding out. She thought that was sad and took me to Costco and bought me some stuff, which was awesome, but ironically I still only had one light bulb. :)

So that's how we roll. We started this in the first years of our marriage after we attended a Dave Ramsey event. We sat down, made a cash budget and to our shock/horror we realized we were blowing $500 a month. $500 a month on just stuff we couldn't really account for. Seems crazy eh? But seriously everyone does it. Everyone has Target stories where they went in to buy shampoo and came out $50 later and one week later couldn't really tell you what they spent it on. So we went cash only and have been ever since.

I know most people squirm in their seats and think how that just "wouldn't work for them". Well it would and it should. I can't find my book, or I'd post the statistic--but people spend more when they use cards. Using cash really makes you think about a purchase. We really don't correlate card use with cash emptying out of somewhere. It's a visual thing.

So what are the details?

Here is a screen shot of our blank budget.



We have the income at the top, then we have the bills listed. I pay all of the bills online. They are not part of the cash system because that would just be crazy. You'll notice that I put gas on a card. Some people use cash for gas. But the reason I don't is that I'm not going to walk into a station and pay and leave my kids out in the car AND it's not like gas is something you overspend on, nor would you say--"well we're out of gas money for the month, guess we won't go anywhere" that's just absurd.

Then we go to the cash. You should know that we are on an EXTREMELY TIGHT budget because Hyrum is in school. We will have more categories for cash when he is working full time again. In Dave's book he has tons of different categories. I have a small list of very simple categories that fit our life right now. Here are the details:

Food-- Everyone wants to know what to budget on food. When we first started out our budget was NO KIDDING $35 a week. Now that doesn't work for us now. Now our family can survive on $75.00 but I prefer $100 when we have the money.

Date--I won't tell you what are date budget is currently because I don't want everyone to feel sorry for us. But when we first had Annabelle it was $80 a month. We were on a tight budget but nothing like we are now.

Baby: $50 This category is for diapers and wipes mostly. We budget just for a months worth. Our diapers monthly cost about $40 and then every 3 months or so we buy a Costco thing of wipes with the money that is carried over.

Gift: $25 Hyrum's family does birthday dinners each month so this was based on that. We no longer give adults gifts because he's in school. This is our bare minimum, but it work for now. For any gifts Adults have a $10 limit and kids have a $5. Sometimes we have more birthdays in certain months than others and we just have to figure it out. But we have enough in there to cover our limits.

Vehicle: $20 This category we put cash in just for oil changes. It carries over every month until we use it. We use savings for repairs.

Miscellaneous: I won't tell you our amount because your jaws would drop. But this category is for things like toilet paper, light bulbs, printer paper, shampoo, cleaning supplies etc. etc. Mostly anything that is not edible. You know, things for the house mostly. Just all of the other crap that needs purchasing.

Blow money: $100. You won't see this on the spreadsheet because that is an old spread sheet. This is for things that just pop up, or things that are fun. For example this month we bought an old xbox then ended up having to buy Josie eye patches, fix her glasses, and fix the washing machine. So we actually went over and had to use savings. Normally it's for random things like old xbox purchases or that cute pair of galoshes you found on sale at Target. The point of blow money is that you are so restricted with the other envelopes that you need to be able to just "blow" some money on something. It adds a bit of release. We usually use it to eat out spontaneously--stuff like that. Normally we would have savings for medical purchases like her glasses and eye patches and for fixes like the washing machine. We are just bare bones right now so we have to use our blow money for necessities sometimes.

Personal: We don't have this category right now because of school. But usually we each get an allotted amount of money to do WHATEVER THE CRAP WE WANT TO with it. Hyrum doesn't tell me how to spend mine and vice versa. I could cut mine up and put it in a salad if I wanted. But usually I buy clothes. This is great because you release that guilt feeling of buying things for yourself. You can go out to lunch with your friends, buy something from Target, go get Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate from Starbucks. Whatever. It's not coming from envelopes that are for the family. It's all selfish. It's all good.

So that's it for our "envelopes" I don't carry envelopes. I used to carry one of those coupon things, but now I carry the cash in my wallet and the categories are put together with colored paper clips so I know which is which.

The best part of this budget is that you are supposed to spend ALL of it. You should have no cash left at the end of the month--and if you do you can just blow it because you already budgeted for that to be spent. (except the vehicle) It's a great system and it will change your life. seriously.

My friend, Rachel, had asked about online purchases. I rarely do that, but if so I would budget it out of one of my envelopes. Sometimes I re-deposit the money I have in cash because I spent it on the debit card. Or you just need to budget that somewhere into your cash system or blow money.

I usually get my food money out every two weeks. I found that if I get it all out at the beginning of the month, I was more likely to run out quicker.

So that is how we do it for now.

If you have any input from your system (I know there are some other DR people out there) OR questions about mine then comment. I'll answer anything you ask!

Thursday, April 29, 2010

For Kimri

For Kimri--we are excited that you are coming back to this wonderful sunny state of ours

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Mandible


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Look closely at this picture. What stands out to you???

If you noticed her puffy left cheek, then ding ding ding you are the winner.

THAT my friends is what a baby broken jaw looks like.

Yes, BROKEN JAW BONE.

How the???? (I'm sure is what you are thinking)

Well, she was riding her bike yesterday, tipped over and skinned her chin on the sidewalk. Or at least that is what we thought was her only issue.

Fast Forward to this morning around 5 a.m. when Hyrum suggests I take her to the ER due to her swollen cheek and the inability to open her mouth but a small bit.

So I do

And we Wait

And wait

and get a CT scan

and wait some more (all this time I'm being tortured by Dora The Explorer with the super twin babies who fly)

and I go and get a breakfast burrito (delish)

Then the Doc comes in and says (with a wide eyed shocked sort of face) "She is a superstar--her mandible is broken"

He says superstar because she is on NO pain meds. I repeat NO PAIN MEDS. And she's not really complaining, other than not being able to chew.

He says that she is only the 2nd child he's seen with a broken jaw in 30 years of being a doctor and he's not quite sure what the exact protocol is--he has to make phone calls.

So make a phone call to Hyrum and he decides to come home from work(he's better at this stuff than me anyway)

So I wait some more, I take a little nap after I trade Dora for Martha Speaks.

Then Doc shows up and says that he has got us in to see a surgeon at Banner Desert and we need to go straight there.

So I stop by home and pick up Hyrum and we go straight there.

We get right in. The doctor listens to the story (and asks if she was wearing a helmet to which I quickly blurt YES) then shows us the CT scan of the break and explains where it is--on the back part of the jaw by a sort of U shaped joint. You can see the horizontal crack. He explains how it occurs. Then he says that he needs to check her to determine the coarse of action.

He jokes with her and makes her comfortable then looks at her jaw, checks her bite and then tells us the best news of the day which was, "She doesn't need her jaw wired shut"

He explains more details and says that because she is so smart and able to follow instructions that he is just instructing us to put her on a soft foods diet. He says that as long as she doesn't chew on anything hard (like apples) or chewy (like steak) that her jaw will most likely stay in place and heal within 2-3 weeks.

(SIGH . . . RELIEF)

He asks us if we have any questions. Hyrum asks "She sucks her thumb--is that a problem?". He answers no. And I get his attention quietly (as Josie is not really looking at me nor him) and I motion to tell her to not suck her thumb.

He kind of laughs and looks at her and says, "NO sucking your thumb."

And then we leave.

And buy her ice cream

and WHATEVER else in the world she wants

Because she's 5 years old with a broken jar and is still

a freaking SUPERSTAR.

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(I wanted a picture of her with her bear from the hospital and she said no, and ran away from me and plopped her butt down here. So I came in and tried to coax her into a shot and she said, "No because you'll show your friends" So that explains her uncooperative face. And she was right--I was going to shot it to my friends.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Flickr abducted me

My friends keep asking me why I haven't posted about this or that, and I think . . .didn't I? Then I realize that I posted stuff on flickr. I joined a group of my photographer friends in doing a picture a day. I started mid January and have been going strong since. So that explains why this has been a bit neglected. So I thought I'd share some of what has happened. My flickr account is private, but if anyone wants to see it, let me know and I'll add you as a flickr friend--but I'm not that good at flickr yet, so it might take me a while. So here goes:

KId Homework

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Dad homework
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Cousins came to town
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Mopped my floors
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Went to the park
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Beck attempted to cook some Ramen
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I weeded my ugly lawn
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Our washer broke, and we fixed it OURSELVES
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Our rad ward had an old fashioned get together
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Annabelle was shocked she actually caught the chicken
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Toon town got a mowawk for a few minutes
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Then his Dad finished his haircut
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Monday, April 26, 2010

Be the jury

I need to know if things at my house are normal or abnormal.

Our menu this week so far is:

Monday:
Fish, Rice, Zuchinni

Tuesday:
Baked Ziti, salad

Wednesday:
Pillow chicken (pastry filled with chkn mixture) Steamed brocolli, sliced cucumbers

Thursday:
Vegeterian Enchiladas, corn, salad

Friday:
Barbecued Beef Sandwiches, homemade coleslaw


So, does everyone have a full dinner meal plan like this? Well, mostly, do people eat full dinners every night of the week? I told Hyrum that sometimes people just have sandwiches. He thought that idea was ABSURD. Who would do that? .. I believe was his response.

So I told him he was a brat. And he knows that.

Oh, AND, I'm not allowed to make stuff with Ricotta. Because "It's just gross".

So. Set him or me straight. I don't expect bias.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

All the money in the world

Have you ever thought that there is NO way you could have been a pioneer, with all the crap they had to put up with? ME too, until these girls. It started out as a bunco group, and now we just do whatever we want to once a month. And these girls are more than once a month friends. It's more like once in a lifetime. Sound cheesy I know. But seriously. I would walk across the plains with these girls and probably enjoy it. For reals--the coolest girls on the planet. We've been together for 7 years and not ONCE have we had a tiff of any sort. Except the time when Marlo and Lenor were pissed at each other for a couple of months ( .. . uncomfortable) but they are sisters and are allowed to do that. We just had a bunco overnight and it was THERAPY. It was like getting a dose of some good medication that makes life seem easier and the stress just melt away. These girls are the hit. Who else would attempt a cartwheel in their mid-thirties??








Did we bring blow up mattresses to our hotel? Um, heck yes. We did a lot of other things too, but I don't think I'm allowed to share.

xoxoxo to MOlly for hooking us up with this adventure

Friday, April 16, 2010

And the winner is:



Trippin (I'm didn't check if your real name was in the post so I didn't mention it in the video--I know who you are)

Comment and let me know how to get a hold of you.

yay!!! You'll love it.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Swib Designs Giveaway!!

SWIB DESIGN GIVEAWAY!!!


My friend Cicily, one of THE COOLEST people on the planet has agreed to let me giveaway one of her coolio hair pieces. They are ridiculously hip and they just slide right on to the head band. Which means, you can get one headband of hers, and then just keep changing it out with each piece you buy.

Check it






So what do you win?

A headband with a hairpiece of your choice that slides right on.

So how do you win?

You can get 1 entry for following Swib Design on Twitter.
You can get 1 entry for becoming a fan on facebook
You can get 2 entries for pimping this giveaway on your blog
You can get 3 entries by checking out SWIB DESIGN website

Easy right?


So do one, two or all of those and just tell me your name (or code name) and how many entries you get in the comments to this post. I'll trust you on that one. The giveaway closes at midnight on Thursday. I'll announce the winner on Friday via my blog and then we'll hash out the details then.

For example: If I did the facebook fan thing and checked out the website that would be 4 entries.
So in the comments to this post I'd put:

Jill C. 4 entries

Go it? You don't have to know me. Lurkers come out!! I've never done a giveaway before so I want LOADS of people.

This should be fun!

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Bracelet link



I told Hyrum that some of you wanted the link to the bracelets. So he looked it up--and to our surprise OUR bracelets were shown on her blog. We had a good laugh about that. Hyrum wants everyone to know that he didn't just copy what someone else did. He came up with it himself, and it was so good--the seller uses it as an example now.

So HERE IT IS if you want some of your own. (At least change the dates--that's creepy)


speaking of handmade, I'll be doing a GIVEAWAY soon. So stay tuned.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Looking for

Does anyone have an old Xbox in working condition (NOT a 360) that I can have/buy.

Ask around

Let me know.