Small Update-Budgeting

- I sure hope this not-wanting-to-do-anything funk I am in is over soon.

- Something is up with the washing machine, so I may have to learn how to hand wash soon! Ugh.

+ We are seriously trying to stick to a grocery budget so far this week and including the $30 dog food, we a're only $2 over!  This happened because husband came with me, and wanted a certain cheese.  No more husbands at the grocery store :).  I also forgot a can of sauce, but I am going to come up with something else to eat instead so we don't go even more over budget.

+We decided to give ourselves a $20 allowance each week, and we can use it for whatever we want.  So we can go out for lunch or dinner, but it has to be with that money. So far it's working= neither of us has spent our money! Great way to actually make our lunches and eat at home.

+I got some great recipes to try for Mostly From Scratch Wednesdays.

+We survived another No TV Monday :)

+Writing this has somewhat motivated me.  So thank you.  :)

5 Things I Can Live Without: Thursday

There is a possibility that I am either out of the nesting stage, or I am entering a little burnout. I have not been cooking nor taking my lunch to work (but after reviewing our bank account last night, that is definitely going to change!), the decluttering process is getting slower by the day, the cleaning has been less, and after 3 successful loads of laundry being hung dry I used the dryer our of pure laziness.

I think I just needed a little break. So hopefully all this hard work is turning into habit, I just need a vacation from trying to do all this stuff, and quit doing so much research on new things to try (I am currently obsessed with diy soap, shampoo, lotion, etc).

The nice comments are so encouraging, and they could not have come at a better time (I received one while writing this actually, and it almost made me want to not write the above at all)!

That being said, I did keep track of the things that I am getting rid of/ did get rid of since last Thursday, and wow. Way more than 5!

• Deleted 100s of emails, and it may be over 1000 now.
• Went paperless on 3 bills (2 student loans and credit card)  
• Unsubscribing to many spam emails (1000) more to go -Instead of just deleting, I have started the unsubscribe process. I was married well over a  year ago and still receiving wedding emails. --never give wedding vendors your email!
• Most apps off my phone - I thought I would miss these, but not having to charge my battery all the time is worth it. I do still get Facebook on the browser, but it's becoming less frequent.
  
• Many games off of my Kindle Fire
• “likes” on Facebook - I deleted Facebook page likes that I have no idea why I "liked" in the first place.
• Another shirt
• 4 things of makeup - 3 to the trash unfortunately
• Threw a pair of shoes away, unfortunately
• Easter eggs in car - I bought them for my sister after season last year, and somehow I still have them. At least they are in the car now, and not in the house.
• Dryer – well not really. I was doing really well. Clothes were hung, but towels and sheets are still in the dryer until I figure out some space issues. This morning I just stuck it all in the dryer because I did not prepare yesterday and my only pair of work pants need to be dry before 10:30 (It's around 8:40 now)
•  Trash out of my car, and everything else out (except the Easter eggs and hopefully donations soon) 
• All VHS tapes are in a box to donate!
• 2 puzzles are in the same box
• A book
• A board game that for whatever reason we have two of. How do these things happen, and unnoticed?

The next step is to get the donation box to my car, and to the charity (most likely Goodwill).

Oh! I finished the count on the clothes for my husband and I. Without adding the clothes that had to be thrown away (still makes me sad that things go in the trash, but hopefully in the future I can work on this) the tally is... drum roll please...

83!