Budgeting

Justin and I have been working on sticking to a budget ever since we got married. However, when a Federal Pell Grant check comes in, sticking to a budget gets a little more difficult. Here is what our current budget is formatted like:

Income

Justin                  60%
Mitzi                   40%

Expenses
Rent                   30%
Groceries           12.5%
Utilities               1.8%
Dining Out          15.2%
Entertainment      8.5%
Savings               22%
Car Payment      10%

Pretty simple right? Not.

The hardest budget item to stick to is definitely dining out! Some days it is just so much quicker and easier to go to a fast food restaurant or run over to a sit down restaurant for a meal. Plus... Then there isn't anymore dishes for me to do!

This is the mentality that got us into our current situation. During February we went out almost every single night except Sundays. Yes that is 23 days of fast food, and restaurant meals. That explains the 3.5 lb weight gain I suffered!  In order to compromise for this horrific expenditure and lack of self-discipline, We have committed to spending all of our meals in March at home. Yes.... I will be cooking three meals a day for 31 days!

Wish me luck!

Click here for the LDS Church budget worksheet!

Family Fun

This weekend we had the opportunity to go to Logan with my mom, sister, and brother. My Mom, Justin and I attended a session in the Logan Utah Temple. Chelsea and Tanner were able to perform some baptisms. It was beautiful! Justin decided to change into some street clothes while still on temple property by pulling Chelsea's skirt over his head to change his shirt. He almost tried changing his pants that way too, but got too embarrassed!

After our visit to the temple we had lunch at Angie's restaurant. It was delicious! Back up the hill to the Aggie Creamery was our next stop. I have always been in love with the Aggie Blue Mint flavor! I got to satisfy my taste buds by getting both Aggie Blue Mint, and Aggie Bull Tracks. Aggie Bull Tracks was a perfect mixture of Carmel, chocolate, and peanut butter. Still love that Blue Mint!

Justin has never tried cheese curd, not that he can remember anyway, so our next and last stop in Logan was the Gossner Cheese Factory. We got to try flavored milk, different cheeses, and Justin got to try cheese curd. I think he likes it! He even got Jalapeno flavored cheese curd. That's my husband!

The snow stayed away but it was a bit wet with some rain. When we got to Ogden, we packed back up and headed to my Dad's house. I got to see my dad sing to Country Rock Band, and partially dance to Michael Jackson: The Experience. It was so fun! Makaila and Alysa loved it!

Saturday was very relaxing with the spirit of the Lord present with us at all times. After a short nights sleep, we all got ready to go to the family ward at 9 o'clock. Relief Society was wonderful! In Sunday School we received a call from my Dad letting us know that my step-mom was sick and needed to go to the doctor. We drove over to their house and got the girls ready for church. They went with Chelsea to my mom's ward and Justin gave Denise a blessing. Justin and I got back to Sacrament Meeting and we received another call. Denise's doctor wanted her admitted to the hospital and monitored to make sure the stress on the baby was still low.

We waited at the hospital with Courtni and Denise until my Dad was able to come. The girls had lunch with us and later we met up with Denise's family so that they could watch the girls. They think she just had a bout of the flu. As far as I know, everything is alright now!

Today, I get to lounge about and wait for Justin to get home so that we can do our homework for class on Wednesday! Overall, very nice weekend! Relaxing for the most part!

Stress & Update

The end of another long week of school, stress, work, stress, and other life dramas, is drawing near. This week Justin and I both had Wednesday off! We managed to get a lot accomplished between Quickbooks and Tax. We made money, we cancelled our Internet, and we even finished our tax homework. I had decided to take Wednesday off because I haven't seen that written on a calendar since our reception in Missouri. Yes, that was in July 2010!

Have you ever found that there are two main things that happen when you are around family.

1. The stress gets worse and arguments are common.
2. Relaxation comes easier because the imminent housework is no longer waiting for you to trip over it.

This weekend... Hopefully #2! The plan so far involves spending Saturday morning at the Logan temple. Followed by several visits to various shops and ice cream stores to satisfy our fanaticism, and then a relaxing afternoon with my siblings. Overall, the stress from this week should soon be evaporated. 

Justin is doing very well! At work they are starting up two new projects. Tuesday and Thursday Tune-up Events, and On-site Technician visits. As you can imagine, the car is gaining more mileage and Justin is gaining valuable experience for our very near future! He handles the stress well and still feels like settling down and watching a movie every now and then. 

I am getting almost too excited for our move back to Missouri! The fresh air and starry night skies create wonderful daydreams that I resent waking up from. Of course we'll miss our friends and family, but we are starting our life on our own and its exciting! 

Oh the Piles and Piles of Laundry!

Justin and I usually try going to a family member's house every weekend where we would steal their washer and dryer for a few hours. Long enough to get a load of either whites of colors done. It has now been three weeks since we have done this. So... Three weeks of undergarments in the laundry and not in the drawer! Things were getting sparse. After running out of quarters and a fear of doing the laundry in our coin-operated laundry at the apartment complex, Justin decided to take the laundry to the laundromat.

A quick wash in the washers and our FOUR loads of laundry were now clean. Time to dry! Using one of the 60 lb. dryers and several quarters later, the clothes were on their way to clean and dry. After about fifteen minutes of drying...IT BROKE! The attendant at the laundromat was upset that the dryer wasn't working. Without refunding our money or offering to let us use different dryers, she sent Justin home. With Tax class coming up soon, there was only enough time to lay out the wet clothes and turn on fans and hope they dry by the time we get home.

7:30PM Rolled around. Class was now over and it was time to check the clothes. Yep...NOT dry yet. A quick trip to the laundromat ended in more quarter usage, dry clothes, and nausea from the fellow laundry doers and their Chinese dinner. Chinese mixed with laundry soap...Not good!

Now the FOUR loads of laundry are sitting on the couch waiting for my attention. Piles and Piles.

Dreams

Do you ever feel like you were born in the wrong decade? Does the music you listen to grate on your nerves? Do you ever think that it would be wonderful to live in a world without all this technology and distractions?

These are often some of the thoughts that cross my mind on a day to day basis. I always wonder what it would be like to experience life as a pioneer. We can all be pioneers in our own little ways. We can be the first in our family to attend a college. We can be the first in our family to buy a new car. We can even be the first in our family to create a new recipe!

However, this isn't the pioneer I was talking about. I have been taking a Church History class this semester. It seems that the more I learn about the pioneer life in the 1840's the more I want to be one of them! It would be so amazing to be able to farm on miles of land, making our own flour, creating our won living, building our own houses, etc. See... I was born in the wrong decade; Century even!

It would be so wonderful to raise animals, to eat and to play with. The beautiful horse rides through the Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, Wyoming, and Utah valleys. Even being able to swim in whatever creek or river you wanted just because you could would be so much fun! Interactions with indians, both good and bad, could have some amazing results!

If only we could be so independent and self-sufficient today... Oh well! I can dream can't I!

Achieving Balance

Everyone has their trials. Some have trials in heartbreaks and others in physical disabilities. Ours seem to exist in apartment problems, homework and sleep! Some days it feels like these three things dictate our life's. The equation for balance that I like to consider consists of three questions.

1. How much time do you spend devoted to religious activity?
2. How much time is spent with your spouse?
3. Are you happy with the activities you preform in your day to day existance?

After careful consideration of these questions, it is then appropriate to find ways to to alleviate stress by taking steps to balance out your life. Sometimes this includes watching less television, waiting for a spouse to eat dinner, and maybe even smiling at a stranger or passerby!

I promise that the more you do in the service of your Lord, or whatever thing/person you feel most important in your life, you will become happier and more excited to wake up every morning! An effective way that I have found to balance my life is to attend the temple at least two times a week. By doing this, I have been putting the Lord first and honoring my own personal goals and promises. Everything seems to fall into place and the arguements of a newly-married couple become less and less and the honor, love, and respect for each other gros more and more each day!

Is it time for you to consider finding balance in your life?