Archive for the ‘Money’ Category

Sugar Detox 2013 And A Few “Resolutions”

Get ready for this!  Sugar Detox 2013 is on like donkey kong!

This is my first time doing this, so I’m not sure how or if it will turn out, so bear with me.  I admitted that over the holidays, I didn’t do my best at eating Paleo, and I’ve accepted it.  But now it’s time to move on and get back on track.  One way I knew I ate crap was that I felt like crap.

Junk in=junk out 

One of the rockin’ upsides of going Paleo was that I wasn’t bloated anymore.  Say what?  This has led me to believe that there was something else that was still bothering me, even while being gluten-free.  I know dairy is a culprit, and while I have no problem with Kerrygold butter, I do have issues with too much dairy (cheese).

The hardest part over the holidays, is when you’re at you in-laws house and they go out of their way to get you gluten-free goodies, and you want to say no but can’t.  My MIL stocked up on gluten-free bagels from Gluten-Free Creations Bakery in Phoenix, AZ, and it hurt so good!  I paid later but it was worth the price…or so I thought.

Come Christmastime, I gave up giving up and ate the Italian gluten-free thumbprint cookies my dad had made me.  When your grandmother is/was a good cook, it’s just plain hard to say no to a passed down recipe.  Nostalgia anyone?

gluten free Italian thumbprint cookies

After complaining to talking with my friend, Casey, she suggested we do a sugar detox come January 1st, and I said yes!  We don’t have a strict ‘diet’ plan or are following any rules, we’re just doing it cold turkey.  She is only eating squash that will give her some sugars, and I will stick to berries if I do eat anything.  I did make some apple chips and almond butter apple sandwiches, but those were mainly for Emma.  The kid loves fruit and it’s hard as a mama to say no.  Lucky for Casey, she doesn’t have anyone to tempt her!

I have been proud of myself for not eating the peanut clusters, fudge, and peanut brittle that’s been staring at me since Sunday.  I know I felt sick after eating it, and will keep feeling sick if I do eat it.  So that’s out of the question.

Whatcha think?  Want to join me on this Sugar Detox 2013 for one whole month and see if you don’t feel better.  I’m SO ready to kick this sluggish feeling and get back to bouncing off the walls while chasing Emma around.

*If you do need a plan to follow, check out Diane Sanfilippo’s 21-Day Sugar Detox here.

new year's resolutions

As for the “resolutions” (which is a word I don’t like), this is what I came up with:

#1: Exercise

kettlebell from gofit

That may mean in the form of walking (which is totally underrated), or getting hot and heavy with my brand new Kettlebell!  It was a Christmas present from my MIL and I’m stoked to get after it.  Casey and I are drumming up the idea of a workout video that can be shared, so stay tuned.  A video did come with mine but I have yet to check it out.  I was also going to look into Wellness Mama’s workout regime, since she’s a big fan of zee Kettlebells.  Seriously, who doesn’t have time for a 10 minute workout?  I know I don’t!  Just kidding.

#2: No Spend Month or Spend Less Month

keep calm and stop spending

Since the holidays are over, and I am assessing all the junk stuff that has now taken over my home, I’ve decided it’s time to pare down a bit.  I was inspired by this post from Paleo Parents to TRY to spend less.  Remember when I did the post on Dave Ramsey and keeping a budget?  Yeah, I so need to get on that.  How can I teach Emma about doing and following a budge if her mama can’t get it together.  Focus on the NEEDS versus the WANTS!

#3: Get Organized

get organized

In other words, get my s*%$ together!  I’m so tired of being so overwhelmed that I can’t get anything done.  I know it’s my choice to take on too many tasks, but I’ve always been that way, so I relent.  I did get hooked on The Happiness Project, which motivated me to clean my closets…but now that book is lost in my tower o’ books to read.  Hmm, I’m thinking I may need to pick that puppy up again and get this motivation train going.  Woo Woo!

What about you?  Any resolutions or goals you are wanting to achieve, or do you just laugh in the face of danger at people like me?

Note: photos from here, here, here, and here.

Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps

Let’s switch gears a sec, shall we?  This isn’t really baby related at all-so don’t go too far if babies aren’t your thang.

A few years ago, Josh turned me on to this financial guru named Dave RamseyDavid L. Ramsey III is an American financial author, radio host, television personality, and motivational speaker. His show and writings strongly focus on encouraging people to get out of debt. (Wikipedia)

If you haven’t heard of him, listen up.  This guy has been through all kinds of financial woes including being bankrupt, twice.  He’s been there, done that and now has a slew of successful books, financial classes, and inspiring talk show on AM radio.

His motto is what’s a motta with you IF YOU WILL LIVE LIKE NO ELSE, LATER YOU CAN LIVE LIKE NO ONE ELSE!  The means live within your means now (budget) so you can party it up later with retirement.  Dave has these seven easy to follow baby steps that he lives by and teaches others about.  They look like this:

Baby Step #1: $1,000 to start an Emergency Fund

An emergency fund is for those unexpected events in life that you can’t plan for: the loss of a job, an unexpected pregnancy, a faulty car transmission, and the list goes on and on. It’s not a matter of if these events will happen; it’s simply a matter of when they will happen.

Baby Step #2: Pay off all debt using the Debt Snowball

List your debts, excluding the house, in order. The smallest balance should be your number one priority. Don’t worry about interest rates unless two debts have similar payoffs. If that’s the case, then list the higher interest rate debt first.

Baby Step #3: 3 to 6 months of expenses in savings

Once you complete the first two baby steps, you will have built serious momentum. But don’t start throwing all your “extra” money into investments quite yet. It’s time to build your full emergency fund.

Baby Step #4: Invest 15% of household income into Roth IRAs and pre-tax retirement

When you reach this step, you’ll have no payments—except the house—and a fully funded emergency fund. Now it’s time to get serious about building wealth.

Baby Step #5: College Funding for children

By this point, you should have already started Baby Step 4—investing 15% of your income—before saving for college. Whether you are saving for you or your child to go to college, you need to start now.

Baby Step #6: Pay off home early

Now it’s time to begin chucking all of your extra money toward the mortgage. You are getting closer to realizing the dream of a life with no house payments.

Baby Step #7: Build wealth and give!

It’s time to build wealth and give like never before. Leave an inheritance for future generations, and bless others now with your excess. It’s really the only way to live!

I’m not gonna lie, I was a Suze Orman fan before being introduced to Dave, and have to say I’m a convert.  I remember when Josh and I were engaged we went to his famous Total Money Makeover event and were blown away!  Another couple went with us, since they were bitten by the Dave bug, and we had a blast.  I got chills hearing him talk about living debt free and not being a slave to the lender.  I’ve heard of people calling in on his show at ages 28 & 29 having paid off their home and are now debt free!  Holy monkey that’s huge!  What crazy people do that?

The Borrower is Slave to the Lender (Proverbs 22:7)

If you think about it, it’s true.  Constantly having credit card debt is like a rat in a wheel-you feel like it never ends.  Once we heard him preach teach about GETTING RID OF YOUR CREDIT CARDS, we were all in.  We paid off our debt, which luckily wasn’t much, and never looked back.  I think it’s been about three years since we used a MASTERcard and I don’t regret leaving it in the dust.  A lot of it is living like our grandparents did.  If you save the money and have cash to buy it, then buy it.  If you don’t have the cash for it, keep on keeping on.

It’s hard these days seeing what our government has done in setting an OVERSPENDING example.  How can you teach people to spend money ONLY if they have it when the deficit keeps getting ridiculous?  C’mon, how will we ever pay off $17,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 in debt?  Sorry.  It’s just funny.

So here comes a guy (Dave) who teaches you about living within your means and paying cash.  Think about it: how cool would it be to have your house paid off before your 15, 20, or 30 year note is up!  What would you do with all that dough??  I love his concept and some may not like his harshness but I think that’s what hooks people-no sugarcoating it.  These issues are real!

Just before we tied the knot, our friends gave us a wedding gift to attend his Financial Peace University (FPU).

“We all need a plan for our money. Financial Peace University (FPU) is that plan! It teaches God’s ways of handling money. This plan will show you how to get rid of debt, manage your money, spend and save wisely, and much more!

FPU classes meet for an hour and a half each week for nine weeks.”

It was great because it was a 13 week course (at that time) where you met once a week to go through Dave’s teachings.  You watched a quick video then broke up into groups to do a few pages out of his workbook.  This allowed people to own up to their debt as well as get tips and inspiration to stay focused.

I would highly recommend it if you need some help.  The class is $119 and once you sign up you can go as often as you need.  He also has a Financial Peace Junior if you want to get your kids, ages 3-12, started on the right track early.  I’m thinking Josh and I need a refresher in FPU since we can’t seem to stick to a budget.  I do one every month but darnit if I don’t stick to it.  We also you Mint.com which is online tool you can use to track your expenses, and set up a budget to go along with your hand written one-I highly recommend it!

That’s what inspired me to write this post.  If I’m being honest, we’re stuck on baby step #4 and can’t seem to nail that one down.  I hope since I’m putting this information out there,  it will help me get my butt in gear and back to naming every dollar that comes and goes in our home.  And I definitely want to get it together so I can show baby girl the proper way to spend, save, and give money.  Wouldn’t that be awesome if we taught our kids how not to acquire debt and have college paid off before they graduated?  What a crazy world this would be if everyone was debt free!  Watch out now.

Your homework: go check him out-if you’re not obsessed a fan already.  As Dave says: let’s change our family tree.  I know I’d like to see mine that has branches going up (not down) and are big, plump, and full of money!

Note: photos from herehere, here and here.

Note: I wasn’t paid or perked for this.

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