the big 2-9

So, I am currently one year away from no longer being twenty-something. I was reading THIS BLOG and thought maybe I'd like to have a thirty things before I'm 30 list, but I am not sure exactly what I would do. If I come up with something, I'll post it. Happy Spring Break 
PS February was AWFUL for the no spending budget. With winter sport pictures, spring sport sign ups, spring sports gear, and gas at $3.50 a gallon,  I spent a whopping $444! Yikes!

The Plans Thus Far

We will be getting married in June of 2012. I will probably say this a million times-I am SO excited. The best part is: My dad is excited too. What we have planned so far is: 
colors: Blue & Silver 
theme: stripes 
Location: South Texas 

the maid of honor will be daughter #1, flower girl, daughter #2, and ring bearer will be my son. My 3 bridesmaids are my life long friends Andria, Ashley, and Emely.  
I have been watching wedding shows on netflix and I CANNOT believe how much money people spend on things. For example: a $5000 WEDDING CAKE!! say, what? My total budget right now is $1000. After committing to a year of LOW LOW LOW spending, I will be using my budget savy ways to get things done for this wedding. I will be speaking with a local photographer next week to see if I can put in some time in exchange for his services. I've got a lot of thinking to do.  
January 20th-$22 (kids' yearbook) 
January21st-$10 bill payment

A Change of Word

In the book I'm reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert-she talks about cities and people having one word. For example New York's work is achieve. She is in search of her word and eventually finds it. I let the idea of what my word is roll around in my head for a few days. Today, it came to me: selfish. Yes, I said selfish. My word is selfish. Most people would not want to describe themselves with ones negative word, but I cannot lie to myself. Instantly after I found my word, I had the thought that that word needed to be changed to selfless. This is a big change. A change I would like to work toward even though it will be extremely difficult. Change is good. Change is essential. 
January 13th-$0 
January 14th-$46.89 (post office-most of it was for an international swap I agreed to join in late 2010-this also took up my post office budget for the next 3 months.)

Needs a Little Shut Eye

Boy, am I tired today! The baby actually sleeps really well, for a baby, and I have yet to feel exhausted before today. Last night she did not sleep well and we didn't take our nap together today. Weird thing is, my body is not tired, it's my brain that is sleep deprived. Hopefully tonight will be back to normal. 
I did get an apology today. He was pretty much doing everything he could today for me because he knew he screwed up. Men, I swear, do they ever learn? 
January 11th-$0

Mail Time

Had to take a trip to the post office today. Part of craft de-stash. This means I had to spend some money. Ugh. But it is part of the exceptions budget. Plus, I will be getting things I actually need in return. I love getting stuff in the mail. Especially crafting goodies! Free crafting goodies! Have a good day. TGIF! January 7th-$18.36 (Mailing Swap-bot trades, within $20 per month budget)

Crafty McCrafterson

Been feeling extra crafty this week. I made a really cool patch to cover a hole in some jeans, made some jewelry for a swap, and envelopes out of my kids' school papers. It is fun to be crafty :) 
Are there any super crafty websites or blogs that you MUST visit frequently? 
January 6th-$0

Doctor, Movie, Book, Crafting

Baby's 1st doctor visit was today. She is exactly the weight of a sack of potatoes (10lbs). She loved the car ride though she doesn't like being strapped down in her seat. My healthy little girl also grew one inch and is now 29 days young. 
When we got home we watched the movie Kick-Ass since I fell asleep about 3 scenes in when watching it last night.It was actually a better movie than I thought it would be. 
 
One of my resolutions is to read a book every two weeks. The first one I am reading is Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. It was on my reading list for last year but my library had not purchased it. So, now I will read 24 pages a day (303/14 days) at least.  
Today I received a forgotten craft instructions from a swap I hosted on Swap-Bot. It is a pretty awesome craft called glitter painting. Basically, you take a picture, enlarge it, and cover it in glitter to match the actual colors in the photo. I am going to try it on a small scale first and see how it goes. 
Have a FABULOUS DAY. 
January 5th- $2 for daughter's field trip fee

Special Gift

Last night I came home from basketball practice to a really cool present waiting for me. My DH got me a planner. I know, you're probably thinking what's so cool about a planner? THIS planner has a DAILY EXPENSE record in the back which will help me tremendously with my no spending 2011 plan. 
January 4th-$0

Happy New Year!

Yay! It's a new year! I will be going through with the no spending this year (with exceptions). Exceptions are okay as long as they are thought out ahead of time. I have a $20 budget per month for sending swaps.  I will also have to spend money on kid stuff like school activities, sports, and clothing. Bills, of course, and supplies for my new button making business. 
So far so good. 
January 1st-$0 
January 2nd-$0 
January 3rd-$0 
I am putting an ad in the trading post part of our paper to see what happens. Have you changed any habits for the new year?

A No Spending Idea

I have heard of people going for certain amounts of time without spending money except, of course, for regular bills, food, and grooming necessities. I think I would like to try this. There are a few reasons why I would like to try this adventure: 
1) I want to stay home with my baby (aka remain unemployed) 
2) I have a lot of time to spare by helping others 
3) I am getting used to being broke 
So, the plan would be for one year...to barter my time for goods and services. Say for instance someone needs a babysitter. I would babysit in return for...laundry soap, postage stamps, baby clothes, clothes for me, etc. Or I could clean up a beauty shop in return for a haircut. This way I am helping out someone and getting the things I need (or want) in return. 
I will be starting a new button making business in January and will be spending money on that for supplies, booths, etc. A majority of the profit (minus purchasing  supplies) will be saved. There is no point in me starting a home-based business if I am just going to blow all the profits on stuff I don't need. 
I will also spend a budgeted amount of money on sending swaps on Swap-Bot. I have a lot of craft supplies that I no longer use that I can swap on there for things I can use. 
I would like to keep a running list of things I need on here. This is all just an idea for now. I need to let it swim around in my head for a few days to make sure it is something I can commit to. Any thoughts on this?