Learning To Use Essential Oils Wisely

Learning To Use Essential Oils Wisely

Over the past few years as my children’s health has declined and our bodies have developed more and more food intolerances.  I have begun researching ways to cook from scratch, clean with natural products and treat with natural remedies.

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What A 3-Layer Cake Taught Me About Decluttering and Special Moments

For starters, lets just put it out there.

I am an (undiagnosed) 42 year old mom with ADD, OCD and hoarding tendencies.  A crazy combination, let me tell ya.  I thrive on being involved in lots of stuff, and I am already planning new things before that “stuff” is even finished.  Sound familiar?  I am one of those people who could have a five bedroom house with three projects in progress in every room (and 100 more stacked in another).  Of course, these projects would be spread ALL over the room and take days and days to finish because they would need to be perfect while the rest of my house fell apart and I had a nervous breakdown, over the mess and stress.  I would still be planning my next project.  I swear, my brain never shuts down.

I love to recycle and “buy” things because they are cheap or free.  Yard sales, clearance, thrift stores, estate sales, these are my nemesis.  I bring tons of things home for “future projects” that I end up just moving around and reorganizing 100x.  Can I get an amen from anyone like me?

This past December I became very sick.  More than my usual challenges.  I could barely stand up, walk and breathe without severe pain or struggling for breath.  Then a routine exam showed a mass in my right breast and we decided to have a precautionary biopsy.

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February Budget Snapshot

Many if you have asked specifically about our budget and I have made the decision to share it with you.

Please note: I will not be sharing our actual income and total expenses due to conflict and split family issues, but I will share our list of bills and how well we do controlling our gas, food and supplies costs since I can control those.

We are skipping January due to the fact it has already passed and I didn’t keep super great records but I do know we spent around on $200 on groceries and supplies for the ENTIRE month while we implemented the “Just Make Do January” challenge.

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2016 Goal Update (Month One)

February is upon us folks!

Do you know what this means?  

It means we survived another month; spiritually, financially and physically!  Woo Hoo!  I am celebrating!!!   Everyday in God’s world is another day to rejoice.

I promised to share a one month goal update and here it is; the good, the bad, and the ugly. 

Yep, I am putting it all out there in cold hard facts.

2016 Goal Update (Month One)

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How Can You Keep Saving? We are so broke we don’t even try anymore.

In this post I hope to answer a few questions we have come across as we have shared our goals and setbacks for January 2016, as well as my opinion some advice.

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Look World, We Are TRYING to Save Money Here- Part 1

Look World, We Are Trying to Save Money Here

Part 1

Yep, we are trying to save money.

Who isn’t right?

Well, we are trying so save a large amount in a small amount of time while paying medical bills and regular “life” bills.

Why another post about trying to save?

Because only 22 days into 2016 and our goal to save $10,000 by the end of the year when BAM!!!

Why?

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2016 Goals 10 Day Update

2016 Goals

10 Day Update

Several of you have inquired about our “goals” for 2016 and if we are still on track.  I am thrilled to say, for the most part, YES WE ARE!!!

And here is a little update:

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“Just Make Do” January

What is “Just Make Do January”?

“Just Make Do January” is the perfect opportunity to use up all the food, chemicals, health and beauty supplies in your home AND kick start an emergency fund in 2016.

“Just Make Do” means instead of running out and purchasing new we will be creative, be building new food combinations and using up any “leftover” bottles, supplies and groceries we have on hand.

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Decluttering Your Mind & Life a.k.a Controlling the Chaos

Why did we choose the title “Controlling the Chaos” and not a series on decluttering?

Because my hopes for this series include so much more than just decluttering and organizing.  I hope it will help me and others like me make lifestyle changes to reduce the chaos and clutter in our lives and minds.  I know the steps I have taken so far have worked wonderfully.

I hope this series will help guide you into making better choices and decisions about how you address everything that enters your life and mind every, single day.  From how and when you wake up to how you prepare for bed, from how you address incoming mail to how and when you pay your bills, create your budget and build your menu, etc… as well as removing and organizing the physical clutter in your life.

“Clutter” isn’t only something you can see but it is something you feel.

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25 Simple Ways We Saved This Week

25 Simple Ways We Saved This Week

1.)  We stayed home.

Yep, very simple.  We did not participate in shopping online or in store the day after Christmas

2.)  We created a paycheck by paycheck budget for 2016, beginning with the check we received on Christmas (we get paid bi-weekly).  My wonderful hubby even created a spreadsheet to update as I change the numbers when bill amounts fluctuate.  (Saving me a huge amount of time doing math each month.)

3.)  We were blessed with perishable groceries from an unusual source.

We have a family friend leaving for a short family visit and they asked if we wanted to consume their perishables while they were gone.  Of course!  A gallon of milk, some fresh, crisp apples and other assorted items means we saved at least $10 we would otherwise have spent on perishables this week.

4.)  We joined and uploaded receipts to Receipt Hog.

We earned 280 coins by uploading this week’s receipts (for any store), filling in our information, playing a free “pull” and confirming our email.  If you would like to earn free money that can be cashed in for PayPal or Amazon Gift Cards, I suggest you sign up too.  If you use this code SKAN9388 when you sign up, we will both receive a free “spin”.  ( My first spin earned me 14 coins towards those gift cards).  I figure I already spent the money at the store, a few extra minutes to upload the receipt is worth the gift cards at the end of the year.

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