5 years

I am jumping the gun since our anniversary isn't actually until the end of August, but a friend is sponsoring a group writing project (with prizes involved!) that just happens to revolve around "the next 5 years"... which really got me thinking about our upcoming anniversary.

5 years ago, Eric and I were still in Utah.

Now we're in Ohio.

5 years from now, we'll be where ever residency takes us.

5 years ago, we rented a duplex in Springville from Grandpa.

Now we rent an apartment in Columbus.

5 years from now, will we be renters or own a place of our own with a fenced in backyard? (pretty please...)

5 years ago, Eric and I were still undergraduates at BYU.

Now Eric is a 4th year med at OSU and i'm in a master's program at CSU.

5 years from now, he'll be an MD almost finished with residency and I'll be a master of humanities.

5 years ago, we were poor newlyweds.

Now we're even poorer, very much in debt not-so-newly weds.

5 years from now we'll have an income!

5 years ago, I was skinny and so was Eric.

Now, I'm not so skinny...and I think Eric might be skinnier.

5 years from now... hopefully I'm skinny again!... and Eric will most likely still be skinny! :)

5 years ago, we were a family of 2.

Now we are a family of 4.

5 years from now, will we be a family of 6?

5 years ago, we had children aged 0.

Now we have an almost 3 and a 3 1/2 month old.

5 years from now, Gwen will be turning 8, preparing for baptism. Both Gwen and Caroline will be in Elementary school. Weird.

5 years ago, I taught at the MTC and Eric taught Physics students how to be better writers.

Now we both teach ABC's, numbers, colors, animals, manners, potty training, obedience...

5 years from now, we will still be teaching all the above, plus a few more things.

5 years ago, we made sacred covenants at the alter of the temple.

Now we are striving to honor those covenants.

5 years from now, we will STILL be striving.

5 years ago, we were happily in love.

Now we're happily in love.

5 years from now... we will be even MORE happily in love!

I love my family SOOOO much! I can't believe how much life has changed in the past 5 years and I can't even really imagine what lies in store for us. Bring on the next 5 years!

Budget 2010: Here We Go!

We have been pretty good at budgeting groceries for the past year.

The tab includes

all food,

diapers,

cleaning supplies,

and hygiene items.

50 dollars a week, no excuses.

If I know something will cost more (like if we have a birthday coming up, a fancy meal calling for pricier ingredients, or Gwen needs diapers), then I have to spend less the weeks before to save up for it. (Formula was a bear to fit into the budget. Thankfully Gwen is on whole milk now!) Menu planning is essential.

I usually gestimate how much an item will cost (it is easier to do this once you've been shopping for that item in the past), then I make sure my plan doesn't go over 50. When I get to the store, I keep track of how much things are costing (just in case my guesses were way off) and carry a calculater to add everything up as I go along. Then it is just a matter of disciplining to not excede the budget. Just last week I had to put back a bag of oranges, marshmallows (we were planning on hot chocolate after date night), and some supportive inserts for shoes for Eric since he's on his feet all day. It'll have to be another week.

We had our budget 'talk' last night for 2010.

We are going to cut out 5,000 from our spending this year.

That will take the discipline we've been using for groceries and

carry it over into

EVERYTHING.

Don't get me wrong: we weren't ghastly extravagent in 2009. Not counting tuition, we spent 29,000 dollars (which sounds like so much money!), usually a little here and a little there. but this year, it is going to be less. No more purchases--even small ones--just for fun unless we account for it in one of our budgeted categories, no more exceeding the funds for gardening or canning, or no more spending SO MUCH MONEY on Christmas. We might only do E-cards this year... and I am GOING to discipline myself and stick to 100 dollars a year on ALL craft, cake decorating, and sewing purchases (I have been known to go sorta crazy with fabric sales)! But No More!

Here's to the New Budget for 2010!

We'll see how it goes. :)

anybody else workin up a small sweat with budgeting? What I'm really curious about is when YOU make a budget cut, what gets cut and what is last to go? I think it is interesting what different families value... for example, we have a 20 dollar a month "preparation" budget for gardening, canning, and emergency preparedness. Many families might see that as superfluous...while we would cut gym memberships, movies, and clothes first, someone else might cut out date nights and canning expenses before they'd sacrifice their daily workout or Netflix. What would you hold on to as long as possible?

First Paper and First Sale~!

Just a fun brag sesh:

I am tickled to report that my first paper as a grad student

(a fun little research project

--I'll have to tell you some time about my revelatory experience in the library--

on Mozart's Minuet in D major K355)

was been turned in last night!

Hooray hooray!

and

I sold my first 2 paintings on Etsy last night!

(granted, they were my cheapest listings,

so I'm not making a killing, but still--

someone wanted my work enough to pay money for it!)

Hooray hooray!

and the peasants rejoice!

Why are boxes so expensive? Aren't they just cardboard?

I am heading to the post office today to mail a gift for my new nephew and my college laptop to my college brother. You'd think the computer would cost more to package up, being that it is an expensive piece of equipment. But wouldn't you know that I can pack it up with a bunch of bubble wrap and slip it in a regular box for minimal costs... while the cloth covered cork message board for my sis- the new mom- doesn't fit in ANY normal boxes. Well see, I could put it in a huge one, but it is relatively flat and I'd hate to spend the money for all the extra weight and size and all that plus how silly it would be to have a huge box filled with popcorn to mail a lil cork board.

I checked out FedEx to see if they might have a nice "flat"-style box. And sure enough they do. I was thrilled. Til they rang it up. 13 dollars for a box. yeah right.

My verbal response: "Um, I need to think about it."
My thoughts/translation: "Are you crazy?!?! It's cardboard! And we're in a recession, donchaknow?"

The entire project only cost me the price of ribbon and pushpins (don't tell Amber. I don't want her to think I am too cheap to spend money on my gift!). Why would I spend 13 dollars for the cardboard that goes around it and will just get shoved into a pile of boxes below the stairs when it arrives? So, I did what any frugal gal does when she needs something but can't afford the outrageous price. I improvised. Do you like it? Cut apart the box that a photo frame from Kohl's was in as well as the packaging for the baby gate. All the rest of our packing tape and duct tape later, you have a box ready to mail. I even matched the colors up so nicely, from a distance it looks like it came that way... sort of... til you notice the yards and yards of tape. Now I just need to wrap it in brown paper so they will accept it.

13 dollar box, FORGET YOU!!! (oh, and good luck opening this box upon arrival!)

Baby Budget 2009

So Eric and I have been working on a baby budget for 2009, just to make sure we will have enough funds to cover all the new expenses. We might need to cut back our entertainment/miscellaneous fund to take care of diapers, ya know? :P It is kind of funny trying to look at national averages for things like food, diapers, and health care and then just kind of guess how much we think WE will be spending in each area. Really, we're trying to be 'generous' with our baby fund but not extravagant. Frugal. I still think we'll be surprised by how much things end up costing us. So, a quick poll for all the moms out there: what was the most surprising new baby expense that you encountered? (and may I ask how much it actually cost you?) Also, if you'd rather answer this question... what item did you purchase that everyone told you was 'essential' and then you realized afterwards there was a much cheaper route? Are there more expensive items that you think are actually WORTH the extra expense for some reason instead of getting the generic/cheap kind?