Please Budget!

A recent discussion with a fellow coworker and the fact that my husband started a new job has inspired me to share the following revelation with you.

For those that know me, it's not a big secret that I quit my first "real" job after college. I still believe it was the best choice. I was VERY unhappy and that is no way to go through life.  The biggest negative was the impact on our income. We hadn't even been married 6 months.

Okay, there I go again, providing useless background information and details. Quitting your job being a good idea is not the revelation I would like to share with you. (I'm NOT saying quitting your job is a good idea BTW.)

The revelation is that NOTHING can prepare you for entering adulthood.

Our parents (or other, wise "older" adults) offered advice mostly in a joking way (and to give them credit sometimes in a not-so-joking way) that "one day we're going to know what it's like to be an adult". Could they maybe have elaborated in such a way to let us in, just a little bit, on the fact that being an adult means paying all of the bills (on time!) and still having enough money left over for other necessities such as groceries and gas. IF-and only IF-there is any left can you indulge in the non-necessities such as iPads, Coach purses, and traveling. However, most do not care about the IF, they use credit cards to take away the "if" and make it a "no matter what". But that's a completely different rant. (There I go again!)

I'm here to share with you the importance of budgeting. Budgeting has allowed my husband and I to keep track of where our money is going. It has allowed us pinpoint our weaknesses in our spending habits and to "trim" our budget wherever we can. It makes us accountable for spending money. I love budgeting. I've changed our budget many times since I began keeping track of our finances just a little over a year ago and I am quite happy with it! You, too, can create your own budget in just a few simple steps!

1. Make two columns on a piece of paper. Label one "bills" and the other "expenses". These are broad titles. The bills column should include mortgage/rent, utilities, credit card payments, cell phone, college loan payments, etc. DON'T FORGET to budget a monthly amount to be set aside for your insurance bill! The expenses column should include groceries, transportation costs (gas, train pass, parking, etc.), monthly medication costs, etc. I also like to think about the month ahead and add any purchases that I know we will be making such as upcoming birthdays, oil changes, or the dreaded license plate renewal cost. Oh! I also include a MINIMUM amount we'd like to put into savings every month. Add it all up and write down the total.

Note: In order to determine what your monthly grocery and transportation costs are, you need to save EVERY receipt for an entire month. Add them up at the end of the month (I suggest keeping a log to save time.) and place them in their respective categories to get the average amount that you spend on these necessities every month. I'm not saying that it won't fluctuate but it will give you a pretty good idea of how much money you need to set aside.

2. Figure out your monthly take home pay (after taxes, insurance, and any retirement contributions). For some, this is unchanging. But for others, including myself, it changes. I estimate (on the low end) what I will make each week and tweak it, if need be. This allows me to see how much money we have coming in for the month.

3. The next thing you need to do is subtract ALL of your expenses (bills and necessities) from your total take home pay amount. The amount left over I call "extra". This extra can be used towards what you like. For example, my husband and I like to travel so I put away some of that extra every month into a vacation fund. If we have a particularly large amount of extra, I like to put some more money into savings or use it to pay on any debt. Use your extra however you'd like but remember that as a rule of thumb your savings/emergency fund should be working its way toward 6 months of  your household bills and expenses!

The most important thing to remind yourself of as you're making your budget is to BE REALISTIC. Be honest with yourself. Don't disclude any payments because thinking about them stresses you out. That's why you are creating this budget-to become financially free.

"This is life."

I often find myself over-contemplating the simplest of questions. Today, for example I was answering questions in an "about me" section on Goodreads and I found myself questioning my interests. Being honest and only putting down what you really are interested in is so important if you didn't know. Well, I guess I shouldn't be so quick to be sarcastic because I'm sure there are times when it really is important. (At a job interview for example) Back to my interests-do I put down sewing even though I haven't sewed anything in a while? Do I "say" writing even though I hardly ever do that. (I WILL write a book some day!) Do I type scrapbooking even though I haven't had the time to do that in a while? Of course I put reading and traveling-I read and plan vacations nearly everyday. I enjoy shopping but can't say that I do that as often anymore because of our budget. What about cooking? I haven't really felt like doing that as of late because I'm still getting into a new routine because of the addition of my second job.

Now, here is the point where I would usually "hem and haw" about how it's because I work too much and spend all my extra time cleaning the house and I don't have time to do anything I want. I would by lying if I said that I don't feel that way. I often do but someone also said something to me last week. "This is your life." Sure, there are the extra special moments in life that you look forward to. So far for me those would be going away to college and then graduating, getting married, and buying a new house. I remember I had a countdown to college on my dry erase board in my bedroom my senior year of high school and my grandma said to me one day, "You can't keep wishing your life away." I can't help that I get excited. I think that's part of the reasons I love to travel. It's something to look forward to. A break  from the everyday. A break from worrying about what bills I need to make sure are paid, whether or not the kids I sit for are going to be in good moods, what I want to cook for dinner in the next week so I get everything I need from the grocery store, what cleaning needs to be done, etc.

Speaking of a break, I need to go plan our cruise! :)

NOT out with the old BUT in with the new too!...kind of...

It's done! The week of new recipes has come and gone. I would have posted sooner but I was fighting a cold last week and it definitely took home a victory. The verdict? Eh... I think there's a reason why I keep going back to our favorites...they're OUR favorites! 

That being said, there are definitely a few recipes that we WILL be making again and two that I believe will make our "rotation". (Why the quotations? They're there because we don't really have a rotation-just a list of favorites.) After writing this, I think that I enjoyed parts of every recipe and with just a few changes they could be even more delicious.

Apple Cider Donuts with Hot Apple Cider

 Greg LOVES these! I used double the amount of cider that it asked for but still reduced it to the amount noted on the recipe. The dough was a little soft so we definitely had to be careful when we were frying them. These were great warm but even better the next day believe it or not! Definitely the right choice for a great "Fall" treat!

Lettuce Wraps with Roasted Pork

 For this meal, I used the leftover pork and coleslaw. It was such a simple meal to make but the presentation is so fun! These were delicious. I wasn't a fan of the BBQ sauce so I had mine without but Greg really enjoyed the sauce on his. Yum!

Carrot & Pineapple Muffins

 Yes, they're frosted but I promise you the recipe says muffins! These had freshly grated carrot, crushed pineapple and raisins. Talk about healthy! The frosting is made with neufachatel cheese (lowfat cream cheese), milk, and half of a vanilla bean (which I just happened to have lying around). I made them mini-sized so they are the perfect pop in your mouth snack and you don't have to feel THAT guilty if you eat one...or three. 

Sundried Tomato & Mozzarella Panini and Creamed Asparagus Soup

 To be honest, I wasn't "wowed" by this meal! I didn't like the soup very much because it had too much onion taste for my liking but Greg enjoyed it. The panini was good but I decided that I don't like the Asiago Cheese bread from Panera. I didn't do the greatest job on the sundried tomato spread, either. I just winged it. Oh well, you can't be perfect ALL the time! 

Baked Mostaccoli with Meatballs and Garlic Bread

 I made this with Whole Wheat Pasta and Ground Turkey to be more healthy. Honestly my favorite part of the meal was the garlic bread that I made with fresh French bread and shaved Parmesan cheese! I didn't like the sauce I made and I think I'll stick with the jar except when making Greg's favorite lasagna. The leftovers were better which is odd. Something to make you go hmm...I guess.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Homemade Coleslaw

The slow-roasted pork was definitely the best part. I didn't like the BBQ sauce. It was homemade and the recipe called for lots of vinegar which I thought I would like because I love tangy dressings. I was wrong. The coleslaw was decent. I will definitely make this again but I'll use BBQ sauce out of the jar and coleslaw from the deli. 

I never ended up making the Smothered Chicken Breast with Broccolini. I tried to make it last night but the Broccolini just wasn't good so I threw it away and made baked potatoes instead. I hate being wasteful but I know if I didn't like it Greg definitely wouldn't like it! 

...I don't have a picture of our favorite thing for the week...We made the most delicious Garlicky Ginger Beef Stir-Fry. It was a Weight Watchers recipe, too! Go figure. I should have known it was going to be delicious. We have fallen in love with a Buffalo Chicken Strip recipe from a Weight Watchers Cook Book, too. (It fills our craving for Buffalo Wild Wings with only a fraction of the calories/fat. I even created some killer potato wedges to go with it.) I can't wait to make it again!

New Adventures...in Baking & Cooking that is!

I think I have creativity ADD. What am I talking about? Well, before we left for our vacation I was on a sewing "kick". Before that, it was scrapbooking. Now, I'm in cooking and baking mood. Don't get me wrong, I still want to continue sewing-I have LOTS of fabric already cut out to make some really cute tote bags and crayon rolls-and I'll eventually get to the 500+ pictures I have to scrabook. Right now, I'm going with the flow and have my apron on!

Nothing slaps you back into reality after a vacation like an empty refrigerator. (Well, and the Mt. Everest sized mound of laundry-no exaggeration necessary. ;) )  The lack of food in our house is what led me to my half-full outlook on the almost empty refrigerator. (It's okay to laugh out loud right about now at my inability to make a joke, corny or otherwise. Just don't tell me you did. Seriously.:) ) Back to the vacation-it was spent in the happiest place on earth also known as Disney World. Why is that important here? Well, we had some amazing meals and we spent a lot of time at the Food & Wine Festival. (Never been or never heard? Google it. I promise it's amazing!) Needless to say, I was inspired. That and I've been using up everything in our pantry and freezer lately and our meals have definitely lacked in creativity.  But on the plus side-I did find a use for that can of cranberry sauce leftover from Christmas last year. :P

As a result of organizing many of the recipes I have, a recommendation from the Dad of the family I babysit for, and a craving for a "Fall" snack, I have created our meal list for the next week-including snacks and desserts. Not all of these are original recipes, many of them are not and many are an adaptation of a recipe I've tried before and a few came as an inspiration of an item I've eaten before but don't have the recipe to.

Baked Mostaccoli with Meatballs, Salad, and Garlic Bread

Creamed Asparagus Soup with Sundried Tomato Spread & Mozzarella Paninis

Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Cole Slaw

Lettuce Wraps with Roast Pork & Cole Slaw with Corn "Salsa"

Smothered Chicken Breasts with Lemony Broccolini

Garlicky Beef with Snow Peas & Rice

Granola Bars

Carrot and Pineapple Muffins

Milk Chocolate Creme Brulee 

Buttermilk Waffles

Apple Donuts

Curious as to how they are going to turn out? If we liked it or not? Want to see some pictures? You need the recipe so you can try it yourself? Don't worry! All of these questions will be answered in another post.

My Husband's Top 5 Dinner Choices, Part 1

Being that I was married less than 2 years ago, I still consider myself to be in the "experimental" phase of cooking. I didn't do much cooking at all until we got our own place and even then I was hesitant. Recently, I've made it a point to try new recipes at least a few times a month. 

I usually gauge my success for a meal based on my husband's first bite. It's the way his eyes open wide as soon as his taste buds send the message to his brain that it is pure deliciousness-or lack there of. This Creamy Beef Lasagna is a keeper and a constant go-to in our dinner repertoire!  It's all but painful not to lick the bowls clean of both the cheese mixture and sauce (Go ahead! Personally I like to try both together-IRRESISTIBLE!) Of course, I'm going to give you the recipe because how mean would it be to just talk about it and provide a picture? I didn't promise it is healthy. However, I added notes next to items that can be altered to make it more health conscious. Please know, however, that I have not used any of them except for the swap between ground beef and ground turkey.

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Creamy Beef Lasagna (Recipe Courtesy of Taste of Home's Pasta Cookbook)

1.5 lbs of ground beef (Want less fat? I've substituted ground turkey before and you can't taste a difference.)
2 cans (15 oz.) each tomato sauce
1/4 c. chopped onions
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened (Want to save calories? Try Neufachatel cheese.)
1 c. (8 oz.) sour cream (Want to save even more calories? Use low-fat or FF sour cream.)
1/4 c. milk (I've used both 1% and 2%. No taste difference.)
18 lasagna noodles (cooked and drained)
1 c. (8 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese

In a skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.  Stir in tomato sauce, onion, sugar, salt, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic salt. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sour cream, and milk until smooth.

In a greased 13x9x2 inch baking dish, layer a fourth of the meat sauce, six noodles, and a third of the cream cheese mixture. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining meat sauce.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 10-15 minutes before cutting.

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Sure, it makes a lot for 2 people but we end up getting 2 dinners and 2 lunches out of it. :) Not a budget buster at all! It would be great if we had another couple, or two, or 3-heck make it 4 over for dinner. However, I'm still coming to terms with the fact that I can cook at least semi-good enough to invite people over to eat.

The "Face" Behind the "Name".

You're probably asking yourself, "What is there to explain?" It's obvious, right? I'm a crafter and I live in the suburbs. You're right but I'm also so much more than that.

Those that know me, whether it be for 20 something years or 2 weeks, may say I'm boring. I've learned something, though, boring doesn't mean I'm not interesting.  No, I don't like to go to the bars. Yes, I'd rather go out to dinner and to see a movie or even stay home. No, my life's ambition isn't to be CEO of a company or to receive the teacher of the year award. Yes, I'd rather stay home with my children and raise them. No, I don't like to talk about investments, the stock market or politics. Yes, I'd rather talk about Disney World (my happy place), my favorite TV shows & movies, or places I want to go on vacation to or have been. Like many of you, I'm a wife, daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, cousin, babysitter, friend and one day, I'll be a mom-and that's good enough for me.


I've been into crafts ever since I was little. I was the kid who chose to stay inside at summer camp and make a frame out of popsicle sticks instead of playing dodgeball in the blazing summer sun. Scrapbooking and sewing are my two favorite things to do. Sewing has recently become an everyday hobby of mine and I've quickly become attached to my machine. I dabbled  my "foot" in it over and over again for many years but it just never caught on with me. Thanks to a basic sewing class (thanks to my neighbor who invited me to go along with her) and my new sewing machine (thanks to my mom that purchased it for me), I can now say that I love to sew! Plus, did you ever go to a craft store and see all of that amazing wonderfulness that is fabric? I could get "lost" for hours just choosing coordinating fabrics for my latest project!

Scrapbooking has been something I have been "in to" for over 10 years. I owe my increased interest and ability to be more creative as of late to my mother and father in law who gave me the Cricut for Christmas last year. That little gadget opened my eyes to a whole new world of creativity in scrapbooking. It's so much more than pasting pictures down onto pretty paper. It's expressing how you felt at those moments in those pictures through the use and with the help of all those materials and tools. I love to relive those memories every time I create a scrapbook page.

So, for now, I'll leave you with this because I've never been very good at conclusions and I like to think that there is a song lyric to define every moment of my life: "I love this crazy, tragic, sometimes almost magic, awful, beautiful life."-Darryl Worley