The Crack Down

Well we are back from vacation so what now? It's time to crack down.

Spending got a little out of control over the last few months. There was a lot of eating out. Between school and training for the marathon cooking at home was just not always possible...and honestly eating out was a little bit of a treat for all the running we were doing.

Now that we are back from vacation, school is over, and the marathon is run it's time to budget up!

Today I did our grocery shopping at Aldi as an attempt to get the grocery budget under control. Let's see how I did.

Snacks:
Trail Mix                                      4.99
Trail Mix                                      1.99
Veggie Chips                                2.79
Hummus                                       1.99

Produce:
Mandarins                                     3.89
Sweet Potatoes                              2.39
Avocados                                      1.96
Baby Spinach                                2.49
Blackberries                                  1.59
Blueberries                                    1.49
Raspberries                                   2.19
Mushrooms                                   3.18
Mini Sweet Peppers                      2.39
Cilantro                                         0.44
Green Onions                                0.69
Fresh Asparagus                           1.79


Protein:
Raw Shrimp                                  10.98
Boneless Thighs                            6.49

Dairy:
Fresh Mozzarella                           2.49
Plain Yogurt                                  3.89
Greek Yogurt                                3.00

Other:
Organic Granola                            3.49
Passion Fruit Granola                    2.49
Italian Bread                                  1.69

With tax it came to a total of around $79 dollars with tax. I don't think that is too bad. I will be keeping an eye on grocery spending the next couple of weeks to see if I can get it down even more.

I finally have a plan!

A plan that I like that is. A plan that keeps all the different parts of my life organized. A plan that looks aesthetically pleasing (which is of utmost importance to me)!

I love Etsy! Just get on there and search for printable planners. There are so many good designs. I am always amazed by the talent and the time that people have put into their designs. The planning pages that I found that work for me best are these by LittleDropDesigns.

Obviously they come in this awesome color pallet but I chose to save on ink and print mine on the laser printer. My love of colored pens adds the color and awesomeness to my own calendar. The reason I love this design so much is that I can break my life down into categories and then prioritize what I want to get done in each area for the day. It's a huge plus that I can plan my whole week on...well two pages, but I can see the whole week at one time. I can see areas where I am overwhelming myself and areas where I am slacking off and could put in more effort. I prioritized my life areas from top (most important) to bottom (least important). Although all areas are important or else they wouldn't even be on the list we all know as mothers that some parts of our lives come before others. I've been using this for a few weeks now and I have to say it's really made a difference.