Downgrading Cell Phones, Upgrading Future

While it seems that everyone else is getting smart phones, we just downgraded to plain jane phones & pay as you go plans. This cut our bill in half from $80 to $40/month for 2 cell phones. It pays to evaluate how many minutes/texts you really truly need & are actually using & adjust from there. Our iPod Touches are fun to use where there is wifi, and those have no data charges. I personally find it liberating to not be connected all the time. Believe me, I get enough connectivity on my laptop at home! I guess I just want to focus more on being in the present & not being so connected to a screen. We also have an Ooma home phone (VOIP) which after paying for the unit, which we got at Costco, only costs under $4/month. This saves us approximately $35/month. I know some people need the smart phones for work obligations etc. I'm just putting this thought out there for some to ponder about . . .Remember when cell phones were for mainly for emergency use? Do you really need to be this connected all the time? I do agree that cell phones are handy to use if you're meeting friends when out & about etc., and I still plan to use mine for those purposes. Our savings by doing these things is $75/month or $900/year. Think about what you could do if you had similar savings. Pay off debt? Put it to a better use? If you have kids think about this: If you put that money in a savings account, not even adding in any gains on investments, you would have $16,200 in 18 years. Now that's a nice chunk of a college fund! Even after taking into consideration the costs of the units ($29 per cell phone, $229 for the ipod, and around $200 for the Ooma), the breakeven points are really early on & you start seeing the savings right away. I'm sure some people think we're a little crazy for cutting back like we have been lately, but doing without some of the little things that are truly wants for us and not needs can really pay off in bigger ways in the future. Thank you Financial Peace University for inspiring us! I hope some others out there are inspired to do things like this too :) It's so much fun to save!  As Dave Ramsey says, "Live like no one else so later you can live like no one else."

A Week of my Favorite Blogs: iHeart Organizing

Hello!  It's been a while.  Sometimes life just gets a little crazy.  My 2 kids are amazingly napping at the same time right now.  This will probably be short lived so I am doing a short post.  I thought I would share this week some of my favorite blogs.  Today I will highlight iHeart Organizing.  I was recently introduced to this blog by a friend of mine (Thanks Jennifer T!) & absolutely love it!  Jen Jones is the author and has a house that is absolutely inspiring.  She even has an Etsy shop where you can buy customized checklists as well as an Amazon store with some of her favorite products.  Many of her DIY projects are very frugal yet stylish.  I hope you enjoy browsing it as much as I do - I will highlight other blogs I follow throughout the week.  I often turn to these as inspiration.  Enjoy!

http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/

Menu Plan Monday

I follow another great Blog, Frugal Granola, which I highly recommend.  Michelle writes about "Living a Simple & Sustainable Life of Passion for God, Family, Organic Food, & Bargain Shopping."  So much how I wish to live my life as well!  She does a "Menu Plan Monday" each week where she plans out breakfast, lunch & dinner for the week, including activities she needs to do to prepare foods for those meals.  This kind of planning definitely lends to a more simpler life in my household.  While I only plan out dinner, it makes the week go so much smoother.  I'm happier because I am not frazzled, my kids are happy to have good food, my husband gets to come home to a fresh cooked meal, and we can enjoy a family dinner together.  Let's face it, there are those days when I don't plan, and when the 5 o'clock hour rolls around, I am frazzled, tired, and stare at the fridge & cupboard with no idea what to make, and totally unmotivated to cut up produce or cook at all.  However, if I put a little effort into planning dinner for the week, I find dinner prep to be a much easier experience.  When planning, I take into consideration activities for the week.  If I have a particularly busy day, or if we have an evening activity planned, I make sure to do a super easy dinner, perhaps even a slow cooker meal.  Also, if there's any prep involved, I try to cut things up or defrost if necessary the day before.  This doesn't always happen, but when it does, I am so glad I prepared!  This preparation also helps me utilize what I already have & have less food spoil or go to waste.  I'm not caught in the "I don't have anything to make so I'm going to go shopping again mode."  I also have heard of people planning on a longer term scale, such as the whole month.  This allows for use of value sized foods that can be split up & frozen for the month, saving money.  Do what works for you.  I personally like planning on a weekly basis.  I also plan on shopping at a local farm more often, so the fresh produce I get each week will have a lot to do with my planning as well.  Cheers to healthy eating & some added simplicity to the crazy evening hours!