Freedom + WIAW #3

Happy 4th of July!!! I don’t know about you but I am feeling downright giddy about watching a fireworks show tonight! Seeing my kids faces light up at the same time the sky does is just the best

Being that today we are celebrating the freedom of our country, I thought I would share something we are doing in my house to reach a bit of freedom ourselves. I am referring to financial freedom! By now, I am pretty sure that most everyone has heard of Dave Ramsey but if not, you should definitely check him out. He offers some very sound advice for paying off debt as well as saving for the future. Luckily, the only debt Lance and I have is our mortgage and car and while it would be AWESOME to pay that off early, that isn’t necessarily our focus right now. For us, we are just trying to track our spending and learn how to budget better. I mean, it never hurts to put extra $$ in your savings account rather than spending it on random stuff here and there.

That is where the envelope system comes into play. I have created a budget in Excel(to the dollar) and have allotted a certain amount of money to each category. Instead of actually carrying around envelopes(my purse is messy enough, already) I bought a coupon holder and have labeled it so that each category has it’s own little pocket. We pay all of our bills online so it has been limited to the things that we pay cash for. Examples include:

• Groceries, entertainment, personal spending money, ect.

Once we run out of money in each category, your spending for that category is supposed to stop. Let me tell ya, I am pretty thrifty as it is but this has taken it to a whole other level. I even debated today whether I wanted to spend $1.25 on a convenience store iced coffee.

Honestly, I don’t know how long term we will do this but I would like to hang in there for a few months at least. It’s just like a diet….not something you want to do forever but changing your habits and making better choices over time(dieting OR spending) is usually the key to success!!

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Now that we have got that covered let’s move on to the fun stuff!!

WIAW #3

Breakfast

Sorry, for some reason I just cannot remember to photograph my coffee in the mornings. I guess that says why I need it so much!! I did capture my food though.

Sprouted grain bread topped with almond butter, chia seeds and some Simply Fruit Grape jelly. I also added a Oikos Strawberry Greek yogurt to it for a little extra staying power.

Lunch- While I was catching up on my morning blog reading, Julie caught my attention with the combo of hummus and eggs for breakfast. Since that meal was already in my tummy, I figured it would make just as good of a lunch. Oh boy, was I right!! The hummus added such a nice flavor to my egg scramble. It included two eggs, broccoli, spinach, a little bit of provolone and a tablespoon or so of hummus.

And since I almost always follow up a savory lunch with a little sweetness………

Dark chocolate Hershey’s Bliss with a spoonful of natural almond butter. So bad…but OH.SO.GOOD!

Afternoon Snack- That iced coffee I was debating about….I went ahead and splurged! I never thought I would call a $1.25 purchase a splurge, lol.

Am I the only one who likes my iced coffee(well, ALL coffee) served light? I limit the amount of cream I use to 1-2 TBSP but that is just something I am not willing to give up. I can’t help but love the creaminess of it!

A little later I was craving a snack with a bit of substance so I helped myself to a 1/2 cup of Quaker Oats Squares with almond milk. I may be weird but I don’t drink the milk I put in my cereal. Ever.

Dinner time- I made a simple but not simple tasting healthy fried rice for dinner. Keep your eyes open…recipe may be coming soon! I made a big ol’ batch of it so that there would be plenty to eat for an easy lunch or dinner today. Thinking ahead, my friends!!

And again….I needed something sweet. A 40 calorie fudge pop was just what I needed to end my day of eating. Done.

As always, I want to thank Peas and Crayons for hosting WIAW!!

I hope you all have a wonderful Independence Day! I am off to enjoy mine at a pool party!!