On Shopping Lockdown.... and a Halloween DIY Craft!

Hey there lovelies!  Today's post is going to be kind of a brain dump, so if you don't want to hear it, don't say I didn't warn ya!

I make good money, at least by my standards I think I do.  I went to school, graduated with my degree in mathematics, and now work as a Data Analyst for Staples.  However, I epitomize that old adage 'the more you make, the more you spend'.  Plus I only get paid once a month (GASP!).  Once I get paid, I pay all of my bills, and rather than budget the remaining funds for gas, food, general expenditures, etc, and then put the rest in savings, I spend it.  So when it comes to a week, sometimes two or so weeks before I get paid again, and I'm flat out broke.  I have enough for gas and groceries -BARELY- and have to hope that nothing else arises.  I confess, I have no savings or retirement plan.  I know.  It's horrible. Now that my husband and I have reconciled and he is moving into my condo with me and the kids, it should help with finances.  We want to get back into a house; however, the whole no savings thing puts a big damper on that.

I've never been really good at admitting any faults of mine, not even to myself.  I am a strong, stubborn Greek woman who is never wrong.  At least that's what I've always told myself.  I realized that maybe I have a problem with spending. And maybe I can be to blame for things, at least partly.  (Hence the reconciliation with the hubs, but that is a story that won't be told here.)   The even harder thing for me to do is to ask for help.  I finally bit the bullet, let go of my pride, and went to the hubs last week and told him.  He's put me on spending lockdown.  My finances are now in his hands, until I'm out of debt and have a little savings.  He *may* give me an allowance, he's not sure yet.  At first I was upset, but now I really think that this is the best thing that's happened to me.

I have an armoire FULL of craft supplies.  I need to get my DIY on!  I have a walk in closet, 2 smaller armoires, and a large dresser FULL of clothes and shoes, the majority of which I do not wear.  This period of lockdown will force me to become more creative with what I have.  It will help me get rid of things that no longer fit or I just don't like anymore.  Finally, I think it will help me appreciate what I have rather than wish for and covet what I don't. Ok, I still may wish for and covet alot of things.  But maybe I'll get more inspiration to use what I've got instead of single-handedly jumpstarting the economy.

So, lucky ladies, you will see a lot more DIYs and refashions in the coming weeks/months.  You'll see a lot of wardrobe challenges, challenging me to wear what I've got.  Finally, you'll see my progress!  I need to hold myself accountable, and I'm putting myself totally out there!  I'll let you know how my debt reduction / savings increase is going :)  I get paid this Friday, so that's when all that fun starts!

On another note, I saw this frame on A Diamond in the Stuff's blog, and not only loved it, buuuut I had all the supplies, including the same frame on hand!  Follow her easy peasy directions, and for just a few dollars, you can have this too!  I love it, and can't wait to put my kids' pic in there :)

What do you think of my jar of severed fingers?  I bought 2 bags of the 'fingers' at the dollar store, and recycled a small glass jar.  I'll have more Halloween decoration DIYs coming up, I'm a little obsessed with Halloween!!

xxxoooxoxo
Lia

Mama's Putting Herself on a Budget...and Will Post a DIY Every Day!

So this is it.  I'm making the commitment.  And now it's out there in the interweb, it's like cast in stone.  I'm putting myself on a budget.  After bills and allotments for groceries and gas, I am giving myself $60 out of each paycheck (every two weeks) as my allowance.  That's for if I decide to go out to lunch, or happy hour, or spot something that I cannot live without.

I waste spend too much money.  Whatever I have, I spend.  It's pretty ridiculous when I stop and think about it.  I mean, obviously, I make sure that my kids are taken care of first and foremost.  But after that, it's game on.  I have no savings at all.  I plan to take my kids to FL in June to visit my family, but I don't have any way of doing that at the moment.  I want and need to pay all of my bills on time and more importantly, have money left over. 

I quit smoking 67 days ago.  That was seriously the biggest challenge I've faced in a while.  It was a testament to my willpower and I needed to prove to myself that I have that deep inside me.  Now that that's a done deal, I need to challenge myself again.  It's imperative that I work with what I have instead of buying something new.  I must force myself to refashion and repurpose things that I already have.

Spring cleaning is upon us (me).  I've got to declutter my house, my life!  I have way too much stuff.  People come to my place and say hey, you've got a lot of stuff.  I'm going to pack up some boxes and drop them off at Goodwill.  I've got so many things that I don't use.  I have such a hard time getting - and staying - organized.  I start so many projects but I never finish them.  Well my friends, this is all going to change.

I am going to chronicle my challenge here on my blog as a means of holding myself accountable.  And I am going to do this by posting a DIY/repurpose/refashion/idea EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. in April.  Stay tuned ladies!  I may even get ambitious and start early!  I usually do things like that.  Once my mind is made up to do something, I do it right away. 

Please let me know if anyone has any tips, advice, ideas, or even projects that may be of use.  I'm anxious to do this, and so excited! 

xxooxoxo
Lia