Weekly Wrap Up

Seven random things I discovered about home management and family life this week...

1) We've switched to a new system of budgeting that is really working well for us. My paycheck goes straight to bills and savings. We've always done that because I get paid once a month. Hubs' paycheck gets split between bills and what we call discretionary spending (groceries, gas, household items, allowance, etc). Hubs gets paid bi-weekly and his pay is deposited midweek. So, we take the amount we have allocated for discretionary spending and divide it by two. That amount is what we spend each week. This works better for us than trying to put an exact amount on discretionary items. I do try to stick to around $50-$60 for groceries/week. Other than that we just plan out what we need to spend money on that week and work from that amount. It really works for us.

2) My neighbor gave me this great tip. She cuts her baby wipes in half. I've always used half a dryer sheet, but never thought to do this. You really don't miss the other half and the wipes go twice as far. I know I could make my own, but that's one of those things I don't think I'd have time to do.

3) I started getting up before my family. I'm on summer break and it's tempting to sleep as late as the almost two year old Dear Son will let me, but I don't feel ready to face my day when I do that. So, I started getting up earlier, taking my shower, and enjoying a few minutes to myself before the day begins. It makes a huge difference in my productivity throughout the day. And, it's helping me get ready for the early mornings to come with baby #2 on the way.

4) I made the yummiest beef enchiladas I've ever had tonight. I found the recipe on the back of a package of Hy Vee cheese. Even better, it's a pretty frugal dish that would freeze well. There's good stuff on those packages. I'll start paying better attention.

5) I'm not doing very well on establishing a nightly routine. Maybe it's because I'm 33 weeks pregnant and pretty much zapped of energy by 9pm, but I'm just not doing very well. Ideally I'd like to accomplish the following every night before I go to bed: start dishwasher, sort laundry, pick up the house, clean kitchen, and wipe down the bathroom. I always get the dishwasher started and some nights I can accomplish everything on this list. Other nights, nada. Am I trying to do too much? What works for you?

6) I am in love with Aldi's milk and salad prices. No where else is comparable and these two items are hardly ever on sale at other stores.

7) I cannot parent an almost two year old in my own strength. I used to think I was pretty patient. I have seen some ugliness in myself lately as I respond to my precious boy that I have not liked one bit. When I feel myself start to lose patience, I take a deep breath and pray through the list of the fruits of the spirit. This works for responding to Hubs as well.

Best Wishes for A Great Week!