Saving for a Car One Quarter at a Time

Hard to believe that it has almost been a year since I shared the money series.  It's a huge accomplishment for me to actually stick to something that long.  Ha!  Though we tweaked our system and paydays were not always consistent 2016 paved her foundation in finance Dave Ramsey style. 

  Even at five going on six this little lady is well on her way.  I shared with you the reasons why we give our kids an allowance.  We want them to learn firsthand the purpose of money; to give, to spend, to save.  I shared our chore system.  One quarter per chore, paychecks split into the three categories.  

The learning was plenty for the both of us!  We had to be responsible and consistent.  Yes, I said WE.  Most of her chores are contingent on my own so I had to be on top of it.  She learned that her work reflected her pay.  Continually felt the joy of giving.  She LOVED spending.  Evaluated cost of things she wanted and even questioned tithing.  There were lots of great conversations about money.  Paying for chores truly gave her an opportunity to experience money first hand.

I'm most proud that she learned the one thing I failed to in my childhood, the value of saving.  I vow to make sure these kiddos see and experience the importance of planning long term.  One chore, one quarter at a time she saved up $73 towards her future car [her minivan to be specific hehe].  What a testament to turn 16 and be able to buy her own first car with money she saved since she was five.

Every day we have a choice.  We can tell our money where to go or wonder where it went.  We can teach our kiddos about finances or hope they'll figure it out when they get older.  Choose to take action.  If you're interested in Dave Ramsey's plan you can read my reviews HERE and HERE. Other posts related to finances including out own debt free story can be found by clicking the images below.  If your resolution in 2017 is to save more money this is a great place to start!
     
         

FIRST 3 Steps to Getting Organized

Before we start, lets clarify some vocabulary.  Clean VS Tidy.  Tidy means everything is in it's place, no clutter [no junk drawers].  Clean is when you or your cleaning lady get those rubber gloves on and start scrubbing down the dirt in areas of the house.
  

I love organizing and getting the satisfaction of having a neat home. After reading The Secret Magic of Tidying Up I learned oodles about myself and tidying.  I came to realize that it didn't matter what containers I used, how big or small our home was because staying organized starts with this foundation.

1. MENTALITY 

It's not just a saying, it really is true.  There is a place for everything and everything in it's place.  From now on see every item you own with the mentality that it needs its own "home".   Hair accessories, watches, shoes, kitchen items, keys, tools, batteries, every single toy your kids own down to the last Lego.  Yup EVERYTHING!  If it doesn't have a home, it doesn't belong in YOUR HOME. 

Ever wonder why you always misplace your keys, wallet, phone?  It's may be because these items have too many homes.  If you keep everything in the same place you'll always know where it is.  Give it a home and only one home. 

2.  PURGING

 Get those trash bags out because this is where every successful organizing mission starts.  What's the point in organizing items that you don't use or want?!  It's clutter!  PURGE!  Once a purge has happened then you can expand and organize. 

 BUT purging doesn't happen just once, it happens whenever things start to get a little crowded.  Like pruning flowers, our home needs pruning too.  I usually purge twice a year and especially before Christmas when our home is going to expect some new items. 

3. CREATE HABITS

THE SECRET to a tidy house is creating habits.  You may not have the habits yet in order to have a tidy home and that is okay.  A home is not tidy because a person is messy or doesn't know how to organize, it's from a lack of two main habits.

1. You haven't mastered the habit of throwing/giving things away... mail, papers, unused/unwanted items [this is how clutter starts and grows] 

2. You haven't mastered the habit of putting things away [I'm still working on this especially in the laundry department].

 I didn't realize the importance of habits until I stopped having to deal with cleaning out the crazy sticky mess in my purse every few months [thank you Marie for your method].  All my items have a home in the entryway closet.  I choose a purse or bag [left hany thing], load, grab my shoes [right hangy thing] and leave the house.  As soon as I walk in the house, I put my shoes away, put my keys on the hook, put bag and wallet away [habit number 2] and throw away receipts or junk [habit number 1].  Less than five minutes and ta-da no losing things, no clutter, no mess.  It was a habit worth mastering.

The home may not be perfect or beautifully decorated, but behind every tidy home is an owner who has built this foundation.

REFLECTION

1.  Does every item in your house have a "home"?

2.  Do you need to purge and expand? 

3.  Do you have the two good habits of throwing and putting away?

Think about these questions and let's dig right into taking some action!

Click on the image below to see all the posts related to Operation Organization.

Hooray for getting organized! 

  

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Operation Organization: Disclaimer

DISCLAIMER: I did not get my college degree in Organizational Studies [hehe] 

I am a regular person who loves organizing.  In NO WAY SHAPE OR FORM is my house perfect or even close to it.  It is no where as organized as I would like it to be.   

I have kids, a husband, friends, a life.   Life is messy and life happens.  I try to give our home space to get a little crazy sometimes.   I know there is no perfect way to organize or perfect system because life is always changing.  We are always moving and growing.  Organizing is a never ending battle that I have come to embrace and am learning to enjoy.  

My desire is to glorify God in the simplest of tasks such as maintaining the home [1 Corinthians 10:31] and to be a good steward of what he has blessed my family with.  Operation Organization is an opportunity to learn and share with one another ways to make life a little easier, a little less cluttered, a little less chaotic.  My hope is we can support one another in creating the home and environment we envision for our loved ones. 

 I hope you join me as I chronicle my journey with getting tidy.  

Jump ahead by clicking the image below and take a look at some organizing ideas I've shared over the years.  

Hooray for a getting organized! 
  

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A New Year Gift

Capturing moments is a passion that the kids have picked up on.  They love stealing my phone to take pictures and look back on old ones.  Anyone else have the same problem?  With the little lady getting older I thought it would be fun to look at 2017 through her eyes.  SOOO I put together a photo inspired New Year gift.

This little combo will give her an opportunity to be creative and store these special memories in a book that she can cherish for years to come. 

I wrapped up the Polaroid camera my sister gave her this summer, fun film and this awesome photo book.

The book perfectly fits the mini Polaroid films and you can keep it open to display the images.

After a few flashes we developed the first memories of 2017.  An ice cream trip is the perfect way to ring in the New Year!

I have to admit I love this gift as much as she does because our family can all be part of it.  I’ve already ordered the next set of film for our next special occasion.  If you have a special someone with a Polaroid camera this is a great gift and keepsake.

Hooray for a New Year! 
  

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