January 31

Tonight I am grateful it is the end of the month.

Turns out, I don't love thinking about money.  I'm not particularly frugal, and I find it depressing to budget.

Was it an excellent exercise for me to try to be more mindful about my spending?  Certainly.

But I hate to do things I am not good at.  So enough of this.

I am happy to report that according to my daily savings estimates, I saved a total of around $380 this month.

If that is true, I am wondering why I don't feel a bit more flush right now.

I suppose I need to think about just how much LESS flush I'd feel, had I not saved $380 this month...

I am not sure that this 30 day challenge has been a real game changer for me.  I am not sure that I did anything all that different from normal, actually.  I did not develop any amazing new bargaining skills, nor happen upon a way to drastically change my lifestyle.  I think I may have slightly reduced my "go ahead and just buy coffee this morning" habit, so that's good....And there were a number of days where I did survive without buying anything at all.

I think those are the days to take forward.  To carry the realization that I can in fact just NOT buy stuff.  I can, in fact, just NOT go into that store.  I do not, in fact, really need anything I do not already have, the vast majority of the time.

That said, I am off to price and purchase a Dyson.

I'll let you know how much I save.

January 30

I am grateful for my laughing babies, their splashy little selves in the bathtub, this fleeting moment in time when I rinse their hair with a cup as they giggle and slip in the water together.
I am grateful for my snuggle-girl, grateful that she still nurses, that I get to share a few precious quiet moments with my little dynamo.
I am grateful for pre-made pizza dough and pepperoni and a dinner my kids both made and ate.
I am grateful for a quicker-than-normal meeting day at work and for my rock-star colleagues who make everything better.  I am grateful for donuts to snack on.


Savings report:


Used gift card for coffee at Dunkin' Donuts-- Savings: $1.89

Did not go into any other store nor buy anything on line. Savings:  at least $15 in random, careless spending.

Also, we have sorted out our phone/internet dilemma. Bare bones land-line plus cable internet = a net savings of just over $30 a month.

That's like, half a Dyson per year, baby.

Small steps, right?

January 29

I am grateful for dinner swap, for evenings of overlapping conversations, commiseration and companionship, snuggled in with tea in our various living rooms... and a week's worth of dinners, to boot.
I am grateful for peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.
I am grateful for heated seats
I am grateful for playdates and hand-me-downs and the glorious variety of architecture in this town of mine.  I never tire of studying the houses that fill these tree-lined streets, an over-abundance of visual interest and intrigue.  I am grateful for the beauty and quality and richness and creativity of architecture from the early twentieth century, and especially for half-baths carved out under the back stairs, and butler's pantries, and attics, and rooflines, and ....
I am grateful for my funny and wonderful and well-behaved children, for Ivy's giggle and Jack's laser-like focus and their intense beauty and the line of their jaws and their sweet, small-nosed profiles. 
I am grateful for a quiet dusting of snow and a soft city-night light on a momentarily empty street.


Savings today:

We bought an electric griddle.  We had breakfast for dinner and my god, I don't know why we didn't buy an electric griddle years ago.  It may be life changing.

And, it was on super-sale.  In fact, we went to Macy's just to buy it.  $19.99 down from $50. 

Even if that's all creative mark-up-then-down-ing, nothing more than a manipulative tactic on the part of a large chain-- I'm counting it.

Savings: $30

January 28

Tonight I am grateful for good TV shows on DVD, and for the time and leisure and laundry to fold, to warrant watching episode after episode...

I am grateful for time and leisure to shop for shoes, to eat and relax for an hour at Chick-Fil-A with my kids, to play poker with my son and walk to Starbucks to share a cookie, in the gusty winter wind.

Yeah, so Nat taught Jack to play poker.

I am grateful for the father of my children, and everything about the way he parents them.

Savings report:

According to my receipt at DSW Shoes, by buying my high heels for an upcoming wedding from the clearance section (plus the 50% off ballet flats I also happened to pick up) I saved a total of $84.50.  That's good cause I totally spent at least $25 on the above-mentioned leisure activities with my kids.

Sigh.

I am not good at this frugal lifestyle thing...

January 27

I am grateful for field trip days that involve a sit down restaurant.  Today, I got to teach children how to play mad libs over mozzerella stick appetizers.
I am grateful to be caught up on paperwork, even if only for this moment.  
I am grateful for our Friday nights with friends, for four little children gathered around the table, running around the house, dancing in the living room.  I am grateful for hugs and high fives the whole bundle of them, for never knowing which little body I might find clinging to my legs next, for the fact that Melinda's girls accept my kisses when they tumble and wander in our home with absolute comfort and certainty.  I can't tell you how happy it makes me, that these children will grow up together, that a relationship so important in my life is made all the richer by this next generation.

Sometimes I am in awe of all the blessings I have.

Savings report:

Friday night with friends at our house instead of out at Legacy Village:  Savings--$30.00 at least.
Entertainment provided by half-naked giggling children in the comfort of our own home-- priceless.

January 26

Tonight, I am thinking about additions...

I am grateful for the chance to attend a new, second book club, happened upon through our neighborhood facebook page; this collection of fascinating and intelligent women who are all here, right in my own backyard.  I am grateful to add this to my life, this conversation and laughter, these connections, this extra push to read and write and think.

I am grateful for the safe and healthy arrival of 4 new souls to this world, this week (and it wasn't even a full moon!), new babies who will enrich and complicate the lives of co-workers and friends.  Miraculous, beautiful, squishy-faced beings one and all.  I love other people's newborns, very much.

I am grateful for time to talk with teachers I admire, for glimpses into their lives, for the chance to listen and learn and connect in a new way.  Relationship-building.  A very valid reason to be a half hour late coming home from work, no?

I am grateful for my husband who does not bat an eye when I am a half hour late from work and then leave two hours later for a book club.

Really.

How lucky am I?

And even more so because I get to be grateful for those two hours in between, for the two funniest little children in the world who dashed in "nakey" circles through the halls, and splashed and poured and giggled and kicked for nearly 30 minutes in the tub.  I am grateful for their exuberance and noise and for the mess of capes and stickers and slides and playing cards littered around my house.  It is a visible incarnation of their life and joy and, I like to think, a sign that we are doing something right.

I am grateful that no one has asked me to host the new book club because it means I don't have to worry about cleaning up all that joy, just yet.


Savings report:

When, after driving by the book-club house and seeing no cars there just yet, I drove in a loop through Coventry so that I wouldn't be the first to arrive, I did NOT go into Marc's "just to look around".
Savings:   At least $15, I'm sure.

I did buy my coffee at Starbucks today (a traditional Thursday treat, of course)-- but I used a gifted Starbucks card (*note, I mean a card I got as a gift.  The card has, at least as far as I can see, no special talents).
Savings: $1.95

January 24 and 25

I am grateful for challenges, for crossing voice-parts and interesting harmonies and increasing tempos.  I am grateful to be able to use my mind to tackle so many different things, from music to report cards.  I am grateful for my leopard print coat.  I am grateful for my gym membership.  I am grateful that my children ate dinner at the table tonight.  I am very grateful for the public library. I am grateful for my brilliant husband who does it all, including thinking up wonderful ways to engage and teach our children.  I am grateful for learning, my children's and my own.

Savings report:

We discussed the fact that we are probably going to send Jack to Kindergarten next year instead of another year of Pre-K.  Of course, we are still on the fence... but you can tell my January challenge is impacting my thinking when one reason we came up with in favor of Kindergarten-- was saving about $1500.  And I wondered aloud-- If we make the decision this week, can I count that in my total for my Thirty Days???

Never fear, dear readers, we shall not let that be our deciding factor.

Though that would help my monthly savings total, tremendously...

Actual savings to report:  Found book on tape for school via library download rather than using Audible.  A little extra downloading and registering, but a savings of $12.00

January 23

I am thankful for a day to get paperwork done, even if my fingers are sore from all that typing.  I am grateful for the way my children (and my dog!) exclaim with joy when I walk in the door, even if it is a bit overwhelming.  I am grateful for our comfy old house and its glowing yellow-warm windows on a dreary night, even if it is a lot to manage and keep clean.  I am grateful for fresh air and brisk walks with my kids, even it was drizzling on us the whole way.  I am grateful for my washing machine and my dishwasher, even if they haven't yet figured out how to unload themselves.  I am grateful for baking cookies and frosting cookies and getting to make my littles so very very happy, even if they didn't really eat enough dinner to warrant such treatment.  I am grateful to have these little things to love so much.

I

January 22

I am grateful for sunshine on snow and the feel of it filtering in the window at Phoenix, for a chai latte and solitude in a public space and work to do; for a walk around the block with my dog in the lead, no hurry in the world.  I am grateful for a quiet Sunday breakfast and a leisurely morning and two kiddos eating oatmeal at their playroom table. I am grateful for birthday parties and the fellowship of parenting and this easy, universal bond we have with so many others, for the joy on the faces of children jumping, climbing, dancing.  I am grateful for the way Ivy dances with one elbow up, prancing in a circle, face alight. I am grateful for slow-cooked meals and the way a smell can warm up the house.  I am grateful for my friends and tea and stories and laughter.  Most of all today I am grateful for laughter. 

It's been a delicious weekend.

Savings report:

Called Time Warner Cable and set up cable internet.  There is one more step to this savings plan but once we work with AT&T on this, we should be able to save $20-40 per month on our phone/internet service.  (we'll be either going to bare-bones phone service or ditching the land line altogether.  It's a brave new world.)  It's not a massive savings, and it barely offsets the cost of our new fancy phone-toys, but it'll do.

Otherwise--
Spent money I didn't need to on that chai latte (but it was so worth it!) Savings:  -$3.50
Made a birthday card for that party instead of buying one, and re-used a gift bag.  Savings: $5.00
Two meals at home, again today.  Savings, if we assume that many weekends we eat lunch out at least:  $15.00

Off to Monday we go!  Have a beautiful morning tomorrow, all!

January 21

Tonight I am grateful for a day with my family; for a morning at the pool; for the really really nice family locker rooms at the; for blanket picnics on the rug; for pretty snow and simultaneously good roads; for quiet time at home; for my two children who every day are becoming more and more siblings really playing together now; for my husband who brings me ice cream before bed.

Yeah, that's right.  I'm a lucky girl.

Savings report:

Did not put the kids in Kidcare so I could run, just went straight to the pool with them.
Savings-- $10 (and yes, I am counting that even though it turned out that Kidcare wasn't even open due to the Sabbath and all. Cause I'd totally made that savings decision before I knew that.)

Made dinner at home instead of eating out at Eaton-- Savings: $30

We also ate lunch at home.  And packed our own snacks for after the pool.  And didn't get coffee out, at all.

Good day. 

In a lot of ways.

January 20

I am grateful for Fridays, and grateful for friends.  Grateful that our routine includes comfortable gatherings and playing, dancing children and easy companionship. Grateful for tambourines and Fat Boy Slim and the enthusiasm of our little ones.
I am grateful for a quiet bedtime and a quiet hour to make the house calm and and just a bit less cluttered.  Grateful for tea and computer time snuggled with a spaniel.  Grateful that she still loves me even if she hasn't been for a walk all week.
I am grateful for the "almost a 3 day weekend" feel that a records day on Monday gives.
I am grateful for healthy new babies joining our Orchard School family.
I am grateful for my children's little toes.

Savings today:

Bought several items on sale at Giant Eagle for our cooking adventure at school.  Savings: $3.50
Packed my lunch-- savings: $5.00
Ate our dinner swap for supper instead of ordering pizza or going out.  Savings: $20
Also, moved some money into the kids' college accounts.

Not a bad day. 

Happy Friday, all!  Stay warm.

January 18 and 19

It's cold out again.  Crazy weather can't seem to figure itself out.  In the midst of the new-fallen snow I am grateful for the warmth of my home, the cozy routine of tea and TV and tucking-in snuggles at night. I am grateful for sweet-faced children and my little card shark of a son and the fact that tomorrow is Friday.  I am grateful for the end of the grading quarter even with all of the ensuing paperwork; for the fresh start and clean break it represents, the chance to refresh and renew and charge up for the race to the end of the year.  I am grateful for my colleagues and our solidarity and the courage it takes to stand up for each other and for what we believe in.  I am grateful for the chance to effect change in children's lives everyday-- and for the opportunity to affirm that one person can make a difference. Even in the face of opposition, in spite of obstacles.

Today the sign in question in my classroom was about the word persistence.  I am grateful to the children who model this skill for me, and for the chance to persist in my own improvement in this area. 

I am still learning.


Savings report:

I am gradually coming to the conclusion that I am not very good at saving money.  I am really not showing much progress in this area.

For instance, in 19 days of "saving" I have yet to use a single coupon.  Really. 
I think I may not be cut out for this.

Also, that "Bare bones" CD drive I got, saving $15?  The thing doesn't work.

I am sorely tempted to throw in the towel.

Quick, someone give me an idea for saving money that involves utterly no effort on my part! 

love,

Amanda-the-slacker

xox

January 17

Tonight I am grateful for Tuesdays; for well-behaved children and coffee with my husband; for the beauty and challenge of Bach; for the inspiration and gift of conversation with a friend; for quiet days at school; for balmy wind and sneaky sunshine and for the return of snow, too; for wonderful co-workers who make my days easier in so many ways; for comfortable routines and moments of stepping out of them.

I am grateful, too, for my children-- my children at home and my children at school.  I am grateful, so very grateful, for my two perfect babies, for their health and happiness, for the fact that they are, thus far, right on track in every way.  We are so lucky that our lives have been made this much easier, for all of its challenges.

I am grateful, too, so very grateful, for the children I teach, for each and every one of their differences and quirks, for all they teach me about life and happiness and perseverance and joy. I am so lucky that they make my life so much richer, more challenging and deep and real.   I am grateful for all the children who have touched my life over the years, all of their beauty.

And in the spirit of that gratefulness I would like to invite you to visit one of my favorite blogs, and meet some more beautiful children, and think about donating to a wonderful cause.  Seriously, even if you don't like donating, just go watch this video.  It will make you smile; it may make you cry; it will make you appreciate your children and all children and all the love and happiness that there is in this world....

http://www.kellehampton.com/2012/01/for-400000.html

Today's savings:

Made my own coffee ($2.00)
Forgot to pack my lunch (-$5.00)
Bought game for Jack on clearance ($5.00)
Didn't really need to get the game in the first place (-$4.00)
Bought really cool toy for Ivy on Craigslist instead of new ($15.00)
Didn't really need to get the toy in the first place (-$15.00)

Still have work to do.

January 16

I am grateful for sleeping in til 8:30 and a relaxing morning at home.  With coffee cake.
I am grateful for time at the gym, for the rejuvenation of a run, for my brave husband who took both kids into the pool-- and for the fact that I got to watch them swim for a while.  I am grateful it worked out wonderfully.  I am grateful for hot showers and for my little fish of a daughter loving the water, no matter where she can find it.  I am grateful for the abundance of food and tea and good company that are a part of our lives.

Savings report-- not so much today.  A trip to Trader Joes will take care of that for you...  I did purchase several items to take for packed lunches... spending money today to save money later by NOT running out for lunch.  Total saved: about $10.

January 15

Tonight I am grateful to my parents who took the time (and time it took!) to show me the joy of skiing, who went out of their way to teach me this arcane and wonderful winter sport so that I could be one of those crazy people who look forward to the snow...
And I am grateful again to my mom who thought of us this morning as she brushed powdery snow off her car and decided to forgo her day's plans and send Nat and I off for a ski.
Our first in 5 years and I am so grateful that we went!  Nothing quite like the endorphins after a run, eyes watering from the wind, just a little breathless...
Even on a dinky hill with the bare minimum of snow to cover and ridiculously long, poorly organized lift lines-- it was a grand way to spend a sunny, cold afternoon.


On that note, we spent $60 dollars on our wonderful afternoon and another $20 on a perfect dinner at the townie bar in Chesterland with the perky little waitress.  I am officially declaring this expenditure to be totally worth it. Savings:  0.  And that's OK.

January 14

Glittery snow coating the world, winter-crisp air in the night... I am grateful tonight for warmth. My orange blanket and my warm dog and a snug home with my family all tucked in.  I am grateful for heated seats and a van to drive around town in, for the warmth of hot cocoa and the warmth of friends.  I am grateful for the warmth that comes from pulling sleds up hill and laughing in the snowy air.  I am grateful for the warmth of my laptop, for the way my fingers on a keyboard connect me to the world.  I am grateful for hot coffee and soup and warm arms around me in a hug.

Today we bought a lot of groceries.  I'd like to say we saved big with coupons or some terrific-wonderful sale but I am not that good.  One needs to have things to work towards, right?

January 12 and 13

A tired week, this one.

This three day weekend could not come at a more welcome time.

It's going to headline my gratitude list for this evening, in fact.

Tonight I am grateful for:

3-day weekends
Frosty windows
Powdery snow coating the world in a gentle white
Real winter temperatures and that strange way they make you feel really, truly alive, the cold air bristling in your lungs...
Field trip days and well-behaved students
Wonderful books on tape and the joy of sharing them with kids
Hot cocoa and chocolate chip cookies
The entertainment value of bathtime
The generosity of grandparents
A warm house to shelter in
A warm dog to snuggle with
Children tucked into warm beds
Children who slept well last night
(So very grateful for that one)


Tonight Nat and I were strong and did NOT order a pizza.  Instead we enjoyed Melinda's scrumptious soup and ate up the rest of dinner swap and had a perfectly wonderful, healthy meal.  Savings: $15

Also this morning I did NOT stop at Burger King as I thought about doing when I found we were out of cereal.  Instead I pulled a "Becca" and had a bowl of baked ziti for breakfast.  Savings: $3.00.

A good day on that front.

Savings goals for next week: 
Make phone calls to reduce or even cancel out our land line phone bill.
Set up a better way to purposefully save my tutoring income

This weekend has its own goal:  Three days off and many of our usual leisure activities center around shopping.  What shall we do instead?  I predict that we can find a way to both save money and do something far richer with our time...

January 10-and 11

Sorry for my conspicuous absence yesterday.  Tuesdays are busy.  I have no excuses, really.

I  was very grateful yesterday evening, though.  Grateful for the glory of Bach -- magnificent, it really, really is.  Impossible not to sing, even with a sore throat.  Grateful for an exhausting, all out 2 hours of music and the endorphins that linger for hours afterwords.  Grateful for my rides home with the wonderful Fiona, for her stories and magic and for the way she helps me put my life in perspective and my relationships in perspective and laugh at all of it.  Grateful for quiet Tuesday night TV with my husband and the cozy comfort of our lives together....  Tuesdays are good days, yes they are.

Not much on the savings front yesterday.  A bit of a failure, actually.  Made myself a nice iced coffee, all set to report that $1.95 in the bank.... left it on the porch as I took out our donations for the Veterans (hmmmm, do I get to count the donation we'll deduct from our taxes?)  Had to stop and buy coffee because one thing I am NOT grateful for?  My continuing lack of anything approaching a good night's sleep.

The coffee savings karma came back to me today.  Story to follow....


--------------------------------


You almost didn't get a blog entry tonight either, folks.  About 2 hours ago there was not a mote of gratitude within a 3 mile radius of me.

It is hard, very very hard, to be grateful when there is a screaming banshee of a 20 month old in the house, refusing to sleep and sharing her misery with the world.  For reasons as yet unknown, my mild-mannered sweetheart morphed at bedtime into a caterwauling creature with attitude all over the place.

 Mother:  "Time for sleep, Ivy."

 Toddler: Pout.

Toddler: "Nope."  (cue baleful gaze)

Mother places toddler in crib with a kiss.

 Cue wailing, screaming toddler standing at rail of crib in full tantrum. 


Exeunt Mother.

The girl carried on with great drama for the 20 minutes it took to tuck Jack in, then sank into contented silence the moment I picked her up, then resumed her act for another 25 minutes as I did the dishes with great vigor, assuring myself that there was not a thing wrong with her.

Except, apparently, for the fact that she did NOT want to be in her crib.

9:30 found us in the rocking chair, making up after a situation wherein we made horrid screaming noises at each other for a few rounds.  Yeah, because I'm that sort of mature, really great mom, who does the You think YOU can scream loudly??? thing.  To her toddler.

Yep.  Mom of the Year.


My hope here is that my confessions of bad parenting moments can help you to feel better about yourself.  See, it's working, isn't it?

Girlie fell asleep in my arms as I whispered apologies into her hair and since then I've tried to make it up to her by putting together her new kitchen (received with gratitude from her wonderful Grandpa and Vovo...)  While I am sure she won't recognize the gesture, it's seemed to help me....

At any rate.  This is not meant to be a parenting blog, and certainly not meant to be a confessions-of-bad-parenting blog.  Sorry.

Rather, it is my intention to remind myself that it is times like this when I need gratitude the most.

Because despite being tired tired tired, and guilt-ridden for yelling at my baby, and stuffy and hoarse, and more than a little grumpy...  Life is so good.  There is so much to be grateful for.

Like power screwdrivers, for instance. And dishwashers, for that matter.

Crazy-wonderful technology with all it's apps and distraction and handiness.

The fact that I am NOT stranded on an ice-floe in the Arctic Ocean (current book on tape... Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World... utterly fascinating and oh will it make you appreciate your life.  And your dry clothing...)

My healthy lovely children.  The fact that they are here, in my life, progressing through their lives in such a way that they can push me and challenge me and frustrate me and stress me out.  Because that means they are doing all right.  I am so grateful for their spot-on development, for the age-appropriate insanity they bring to my day.  It is so hard to remember that gratitude when I am caught in the midst of their four-ness, their almost-two-ness...but I will keep it in my heart....

The life I am blessed to live, where the struggle of my evening involved decoding assembly instructions and cursing quietly at some difficult-to-turn screws.  I can't begin to elaborate on all the ways this makes me lucky, that THIS was the hard part of my day.  So many struggle with so much.  From poverty to disease to disabilities to injustice, war or natural disasters or true brutal tragedies in their lives.

I can handle a little girl and her strong spirit. I can handle a messy house and a long workday. I can even handle mommy-guilt and 18 steps of toy assembly.  Because I am blessed to have these things and I am grateful for them.

---------------------------------------------

Quick savings report and that story on coffee karma.  Today, a co-worker brought me Starbucks to thank me for giving her a Starbucks gift card for Christmas.  AND another co-worker gave me two Starbucks cards she found in her purse and wasn't using.

Cultivating relationships at work?  Pays off.  :)  I am grateful for the coffee and the kindness that have flowed my way today.

I am also counting a total of $11 of savings.  Thanks, ladies!

Goodnight all.  Thanks for listening.  Let us all be gentle to ourselves, and seek the blessings in our lives.

January 9

Grateful...

For a peaceful Monday
For a Math meeting that got out 10 minutes early
For Double-Planning days
For file folders
For the library
For my dinner-cookin', totally rockin' husband
For warm socks
For cough drops
For sweet dogs
For tomorrow being Tuesday, because I like Tuesdays
For my dad
For my stepmom
For life


Savings today:

Bought 3 cute little stuffies that may well show up in the stockings of some people I love, next year come Christmas.  For 75% off.    Savings:  $9.00
I know, perhaps I shouldn't count that... I mean, would I have bought these if they weren't on sale?  Perhaps not.  BUT I would be buying something similar next year! So there.

January 8

Grateful tonight.

I am grateful for the friends who filled our home with conversation and children and love tonight.  Twelve adults and 9 little ones gathering and sharing and smiling;  lots of beauty in our house this evening.
I am grateful for a peaceful weekend with nothing more going on than the cleaning and cooking and preparations for a gathering.  It was nice to actually feel prepared, to be able to relax and enjoy-- and have everything cleaned up by 9:30!
I am grateful for the sunshine that has graced this entire weekend.  Glorious sunshine, nevermind the cold.  Today was a two-walk day.
I am grateful for bedtime snuggles with my boy and the way his sleepy eyes close a little when you brush his punk-rock-too-long hair out of his face.  I am grateful for the smile on Ivy's face when she sees me across a room full of guests.  I am grateful for the way they both smiled and played and welcomed everyone tonight.  I am grateful for the life we lead and the hope that these two children will grow up knowing housefuls of love all the time, seeing these beautiful people as so much more family, telling me with joy "It's Sunday Soup!  Our FRIENDS are coming!" once a month for years and years and years to come.

Savings report: 

Um.  Sunday's kind of exempt, isn't it? 

I paid my cell phone bill online, thereby avoiding any chance of a late fee. Does that count?

Oh-- I thought of one: We didn't buy any wine for tonight because Walgreen's doesn't sell wine on Sunday.    We drank a bottle of something random we already had and turns out, it was fine.  I'll count that.  Savings:  $11.

Time to head towards Monday.  May the sunshine carry over into our week ahead....

January 7

Today I am grateful for this quiet house, for the cozy fire, and for my ability to ignore baskets of laundry for extended periods of time.

I am grateful for the brilliant sun and 45 degree weather, for fresh air on our faces and a day at the zoo.

I am grateful that most of the time, my kids sleep better than they did last night.

I am grateful for Vick's vaporub and Benedryl and slippers and bed.

Savings report:

Not sure I can claim much today. In fact, I unnecessarily bought Jack a souvenir shark so that we could get quarters as change so that we could buy a souvenir penny from the penny-press machine, which is what he REALLY wanted all along.

Lesson learned:  Think ahead, Amanda, and grab a few quarters before you leave home, OK?

We did manage to buy nothing ELSE at the zoo, so that's good.

At McDonald's I got 2 happy meals but did not get fries for myself.  I just ate Jack's.  Savings:  about a dollar.

I guess I could say something about the 3 hours I've spent packing up Christmas stuff, vacuuming, wiping walls, and mopping floors today.  Like, I could have paid someone to do that but I didn't-- Savings:  $50.

But I am not sure that counts.

Tell you what.  I'll go over to my bank account right now and move some of the savings bond money into the kids' college accounts.  Deal?

Off to bed.   Fingers crossed for a good night's sleep.

January 6

Today I am grateful for Friday, for a relaxing Friday, for a movie-and-hot-cocoa in the afternoon Friday; for kids who will work very very hard for movie-and-hot-cocoa in the afternoon; for a baby who is feeling better and has her sparkle back (oh, is her sparkle EVER back!); for a boy who loves playing cards and sobs when he loses even as he asks to play again; for a quiet moment at home, time to clean a kitchen and walk a dog and resettle myself and be oh-so-ready for the onslaught of love when my children get home; for my mom and her generosity and love and overall-wonderfullness; for the abundance in our lives; for clean bathroom floors and microfiber cloths; for new jeans and new boots and feeling a bit more put together these days; for my gym membership and my new Kindle and the joy and addiction of a great book; for my bed that awaits (soon!)....

Spending report:
Bought myself a case for my Kindle.  Spending ban broken.  BUT, I found a $20 lighted case with the same average customer review as the $60 lighted case.  So, I'm counting that.

Getting the cheaper version-- Savings:  $40

Also I totally bought an Americano this morning because its Friday.  But I DID pack my lunch.  Savings:  $6.00

I am now going to follow up on that whole Sprint discount thing.

Happy Friday to you and yours!

January 5

I may be too tired to be grateful tonight.  A certain little girl around here has slept very, very poorly this week.  She can't help it that she's sick, but still...

But I will give it a shot.

Today I am grateful for my children, for their sweet hugs and soft skin.
I am grateful for my dog, patient and loving and snuggly warm.
I am grateful for the sunshine on snow.
I am grateful for opportunities to learn from my amazing colleagues, to share ideas and complaints, stories and hopes, laughter and knowledge and commiseration.
I am grateful for my husband, shepherd of this family, taking children to zoos and stores, through naps and playtime, and having dinner on the table when I got home at 6:30.
I am grateful for days that, though long, are smooth, and good.
I am grateful tomorrow is Friday.

Savings today:

Avoided stores again today.   Score.

Not so much I can do about needing to fill up my gas tank.  If I can locate a GetGo on my route to or from anywhere, I can start working the whole Giant Eagle system to my advantage...

Today, I cashed in the savings bonds given to me at age 4 by my grandmother.  While not a life-changing amount, it is a pleasant windfall and I am, as we speak, debating the extent to which I should spend or save it.  Kid's college accounts?  Personal savings?  Vacation Fund?  Dyson?

These are the decisions that keep me up at night.

January 4

I am grateful today.

For a quiet and smooth first day back to school.
For children's smiles and kisses on my return home.
For my boy's anger that I was gone today, his little hand pushing me away from a snuggle, because that means he missed me.
For my wonderful husband who mans the fort, and mans it so well!  Who takes children to doctor's appointments and planetarium shows and cooks dinner too...
For the enjoyment of a book on tape during an uneventful commute.
For the wonderful colleagues who I was so happy to see again today.
For routines and the way they help smooth transition times.
For cold-sharp winter air in my lungs.
For the fact that its only 9:20 and I am on the couch finishing my blogging already.


I may go to bed by 10.


Savings today:

I am pleased to report that I did not make ANY purchases today.
Total savings:  untold!    Let's estimate it at $20 because it seems any trip to any store always adds up to that much.

Something to think about:  In what ways can I make larger financial changes?  Any bills to reduce?  How can I increase how much I saving?

January 3

Tonight, I am grateful...

for a new episode of Parenthood
for the fastest two hours of my day, spent engrossed in sight reading and music history, the thrill of new learning and the sublime genius of Bach
for beautiful snow and easy-traveling roads, one of my favorite combinations
for a relaxed morning to ease back into my routine; workout+Kindle and then a quiet morning at school
for a clean and organized desk
for small loads of laundry
for the History Museum and the fact that my children behave so nicely when we GO somewhere
for my sunshine-girl, full of kisses and love even when she's sick
for hot tea and Hershey's kisses
for this wonderful break we've had, even in the knowing that all good things must come to an end...

Saving report:

Made coffee at home instead of stopping at Starbucks-- savings: $2.00

Will do more tomorrow...

January 2

Savings Report:

Used "additional 12% off" coupon from Shutterfly to order our "keeper" copy of the 2012 photobook, a purchase that was going to be made regardless.  Savings, including several other promotion codes-- $15.35

Stopped at Zagara's instead of Target to pick up milk and cheese sticks.  Approximate savings due to avoiding aisles and aisles of tempting random crap-- at least $30. 

Snowy weather and a feverish baby girl made this a "close to home" day which means I didn't do much in the way of spending overall.  Perhaps a few more days like this are just what I need.

Today I am grateful for:

The blanket of white that is dressing up our neighborhood.  SOOO very much better than the coating of grey and mud on every surface a few days ago.  If it's got to be winter it may as well be WINTER, you know? 
My rosy cheeked and oh-so-happy little ones on the sledding hill at Coventry.
Pajama pants and blankets and a good book on the Kindle.
My girl's sunny disposition:  even sick she's been a smiley happy baby most of the day.
This wonderful break from work and reality... I put off blogging tonight because I just don't feel grateful at the moment, focused as I am on the fact that soon,  too soon, it's back to the routine we go.  I should, instead, realize just how lucky I am to have the time off to miss.

Off to bed now.  One more night of vacation sleep to enjoy and then a busy day tomorrow.
Bell well.  

January 1

Hello there, 2012.

And hello there, Thirty Days.

The planning for a January Thirty Days is a bit intense.  There's a lot of pressure due to that whole "new year, new you" vibe going on, resolutions flying about all over the place.  Got to pick a good one, a life-changer.  Not to mention, you'd better stick to it.  My track record for the end of 2011 was a bit shabby...

But, new year, new me, new chance at the blog.  So here goes.

I am going to ask Thirty Days to multi-task a bit this year.  In addition to a monthly, small-steps challenge for myself, I am also going to revisit my month of gratitude, on a daily basis.  Five minutes, timed, to focus on resolution three and be grateful.  As I've been reflecting this weekend it seems to me that gratitude may be the linchpin on which the other resolutions hang.  If I focus on what I am grateful for, it will help me to be present in my life.  The more present I am, the more mindful I'll be, moving forward.  And the reflective quality of it all may very well help me to breathe a bit and work on the most challenging one of all-- patience...

Also, gratitude makes for a better blog.

As I came up with a list of wonderful ideas for 30 day challenges, I was struck by how many of them just wouldn't make for very good reading....

"Yep, I did it, drank a total of 66 ounces of water today..."
"I am happy to report that I ate 4 servings of vegetables..."

Nice to know but really, are you all going to tune in daily for that??  I think not.

So, a dose of daily gratitude, to soothe the soul and inspire us all, to make the days of 2012 as memorable as they can be.

With no further ado, then, here is the challenge I have set for myself for this month:

I will take positive action, every day, towards getting my financial house in order.  I am leaving this a bit open-ended for myself-- I hope you don't mind-- to allow for some creativity and also a better chance for success.   These positive actions may include but are not limited to:  Finding something I need on sale, using a coupon, choosing the cheaper option, conserving/reusing/reducing instead of buying, actually putting money in a savings account, not buying random stupid stuff when I am tempted to, etc.

The boring part of the blog will be a daily recap of my attempts to save as well as an estimated dollar amount saved over the course of the day.

Why did I choose this challenge, you may wonder?  I happened across a blog the other day, Family on Bikes, which details the way in which an ordinary suburban family of four left their normal lives for 3 years (3 YEARS!) to travel by bicycle from the top of North America to the bottom of South America.  Unreal.  A lot of things hit me as I explored their website (chief among these being-- wow, I would so totally rather be bicycling through South America rather than going to work on Wednesday....) but one of them was this piece of advice:

Dreams take a long time to achieve, with untold small steps unfolding to get from here to there, and what we are doing today may seem unrelated to where we want to be.  But all along the way one needs to ask oneself, Are my decisions and actions today aligned with my dream? 

Nat and I could probably go into business as professional dreamers, we've got so many of them.  And we spend a lot of time talking about our dreams, though we never seem to settle on just one, or take any action towards any of them.  At least not directly.  One of the commonalities to our dreams is that they all seem to require a certain amount of capital.  And so we can say to ourselves, Well, we can't afford that right now/it'll be a LOONG time til we can afford that/ Yeah, when we win the lottery, and we set the dream off to the side and step back into our routine.  And nothing changes.

Are my actions today aligned with my dreams?  Not so much this Christmas season, that's for sure.

Saving $1.50 at Starbucks by having a regular coffee instead of a latte-- that's a little thing.  And (sadly) it's not going to allow me to start building a lake house and working part-time tomorrow.   But, by our quick calculations, it should add up to about $200 a year.  I know, I know-- that's still not going to buy a lake house.  But  the thinking here is, these small steps will pile up, accumulate like so much lake effect snow, and someday when all the choices and paths and opportunities align and we find ourselves in a position to do it, to act on our dreams and make something real, we'll be all lined up and ready to go.

Official report for January 1:

Chose regular coffee at Starbucks--savings: $1.50
Submitted appropriate paper work to Sprint, to set up employer discount on monthly bill-- savings:  none yet but we're working on it!
Chose to buy CD-rom drive rather than DVD burner drive for my drive-less laptop (when am I burning DVDs in my daily life?)-- savings: $20

Total saved: $21.50


Today I am grateful for:

The leisure to have a do-nothing day, to fritter the day with quiet organization and playing with Legos and walking around at the mall.
My little impish children and their giggles and sweet faces.
The brilliance of my husband and the existence of a lovely, unused dresser in our spare room (these two things have come together to make the perfect storage system for our Christmas wrapping insanity and I can't begin to tell you the happiness I feel when I look at my new ribbon drawer.)
The warmth of our home on this dreary wet day.
The magic of Skype that brings our loved ones 2,000 miles across the country and into our kitchen for a chat while we prepare dinner.
The luxury of a two-parent household, the way everything is easier when we are both home.
A quiet drive through Lakeview while children nap.
Our new doormat.
The blessing and blank slate of a new year, full of untapped potential and memories waiting to be made.

What small step are you going to take this month?  This year?  Are your actions  today aligned with your dreams?