confession: i love "trashy" television...a.k.a. reality t.v.

I am (only slightly) embarrassed to write this post.  But obviously not enough to keep me from writing it... I know I'm not alone in my love for trashy television...

So with all of our budgeting and cutting costs...we've made the decision to ditch cable.  With that, we'll be signing back up for Netflix and we just renewed our Amazon Prime membership and are also considering signing up for Hulu Plus.  So many internet services.  However, with those services, we will not be "without" many television viewing options.  The only issue with getting rid of cable?  No more Bravo.  No more of my most-watched television shows! (I know, I'm pathetic. #firstworldproblems)  What?!  Why in the world is this channel the only one that does not have full episodes available online? Or within an app?  They have a few but none of them are my favorites.  I am only really complaining because I honestly don't watch much television so when I do, I like to keep it trashy so-to-speak. I love watching the drama unfold. I like watching what is "real life" for some people and seeing how very different it is from my own.  It makes me feel sane and normal.  It is a stress reliever for me. I love to unwind and watch a little drama on television.

So.  Even though we'll be upgrading our internet (thank goodness, finally!!!) I'll be losing at least three of my favorite shows.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.  And pretty much any of the other Real Housewives shows honestly. Sad but true!

Courtney Loves Dallas - love her show, have always loved her blog!!

Toned Up - again... have loved their blog and really love their show!  Such inspiring and motivating women!

I am honestly I'll look back at this post one day (hey - this is my real life stuff people) and laugh my butt off.  Because this is the kind of junk that I love. I'll say, "what was I thinking?!" and it is going to be awesome!

Now that I'm losing a few hours of my favorite trashy entertainment, I would love to hear some recommendations on what to watch once we get all of our new services, etc. all set up.  Please, share your favorites.  I like drama, I like "reality"... lol. Tell me what you've got!

Thanks for sharing your favorites with me and if you need me this evening, you'll find me glued to my couch trying to watch all of the shows recorded on my DVR before it is gone!  I should try and find a workout to do while I watch because I'll be there for awhile.... 

Happy Tuesday!!!

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Motivation Monday (or Thursday!)

This post includes all types of motivation...not all are fitness related this week!  So just be ready for random ramblings...because that's what I do!

As you know, I've started off this year with a great sense of motivation along with a most positive mindset and I'm letting it take over ...really going with it.  I've restarted my fitness and nutrition routine and we've started saving our money like crazy.  

It feels so good! If only I could express to you how happy it makes me.  I feel like our lives are more organized and that we are happier.  Because we've been planning, it gives me less time to worry or stress out about the little things.  We just go with the flow and enjoy every minute we have together as a family.  Nothing about that sounds negative to me!

For the last two weeks, we've really been planning a menu and sticking to a strict list at the grocery store.  2 weeks in and going strong.  It should be a habit pretty soon, right?  My "goal" was for us to spend around $100 per week on groceries for our entire family.  That includes things we need to get us through the week for breakfasts, lunches and dinners.  This last weekend, we hit our goal again!

I am honestly so very proud of us.  I really hope this trend continues because I feel like we are really tackling these things as a team and making stuff happen.

In other financial-related motivations, we have been doing such a good job of cutting our spending. I started talking about cutting our spending here.  Outside of paying our usual monthly bills, I  believe the only other purchases we've made this month include groceries, gas and my half-marathon entry fee.  It will be SO nice to see our bank account at the end of the month (3 pay days this month, woot!) and know that we saved so much.  So many fewer transactions.  I am so happy that we're doing this and so thankful for such a wonderful teammate in this journey.  I feel like we are getting along and helping each other out even more so far this year and I like this trend. 

Now to switch gears a little bit...

In the fitness world, things are finally starting to pick up the pace and I'm starting to try and find my running groove again.  This week marks 2 weeks in a row that I've been staying on track with scheduled run/walks.  It has been a long time since I've been consistent.  And since I've been starting to run and make healthier choices, I can already feel a difference. That is motivation.  

Also, something I am a little giddy and excited about.  Nike has a new running coach that's a part of the Nike+ app.  Although I won't be using it quite yet, I am going to give it a try as I train for my upcoming Mini Marathon in May.  Apparently it is a run coach that also gives you cross training workouts to do as well. I'm really looking forward to trying it out.  I am such a big fan of Nike so I hope this lives up to my expectations!  

Its all set up to help me train for May so it looks like in a couple of weeks it will remind me that we're supposed to start training.  Can't wait!!

p.s. 303.6 miles of training to go? Say what?!  Maybe I shouldn't have looked at that (giant!!) number...

Anyway, in the spirit of motivation, yesterday we had a baby shower with muffins, donuts, cupcakes, cookies, etc.  And I didn't eat a single thing.  So I'm giving myself credit for that.  #winning I hope to keep that in mind as we are moving towards the weekend.  The nice thing about watching your spending and sticking to a menu and shopping list?  No snacks in the house.  Therefore I have nothing extra to stuff my face with! :)

And to switch gears just one more time...  

Here's another kind of motivation/inspiration.  The blog world.  I came across one of the most beautiful blogs this morning.  After looking it over quickly, I was immediately struck by the beauty in the everyday photos.  This woman seems like a pretty amazing mom (and photographer!) and both of those things really inspire me.  I want to have wonderful memories and beautiful photographs that tell the story. In short, if you want to see some beautiful photos, read some wonderful stories and just feel good, check out Annapolis & Company.  It honestly encourages me to keep taking pictures, to try and make them better everyday and to have fun with my little family.  I am feeling very encouraged and inspired today!

I think that's enough random for today. I'll be back tomorrow to share a my first video...compiled of a fun and snowy day. I hope you'll like it and I hope that it keeps me motivated to make more videos in the future.  (Jackson and I watched it together last night and he was a fan, so at least I know that one person will like it!) So anyway, stay tuned! 

um. how many times did I say the word "motivation" today? Geeze. I'm on my own nerves. ;)

Happy Thursday my friends!

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budgeting : groceries

As I mentioned on Friday's post, Todd and I were really going to sit down and discuss our spending and monthly budgeting.  A BIG part of our budget is how to spend money on groceries.  We very rarely make a list or menu.  Most of the time we'd just walk up and down the aisle and pick up what we thought we might want that week.  This shopping trip was different.

Todd is kind of awesome.  The night before, he looked was browsing on the Kraft Foods website.  Have you checked it out before? If not, you should.  SO HELPFUL.  After looking through many of the recipes they have to offer, we settled on one of the "1 Bag, 5 Dinners".  We chose a healthier version.  Here's what the 1 bag includes:

Monday: Spaghetti with Zesty Bolognese

Tuesday: Cheesy Chicken & Veggie Mac

Wednesday: Easy Slow-Cooker Beef Stew

Thursday: Skillet Chicken & Vegetables Parmesan

Friday: Thin Crust Pizza (we got a Supreme)

We have never tried any of these before but they are healthy(ish) and look fairly easy for weeknights so I'm looking forward to trying it out!

The best part about all of this is that your grocery list is already spelled out. You can see what all of the recipes call for here.  The list is actually pretty minimal.  And honestly this "1 bag" will probably provide more than 5 meals for us.  It will provide dinners, leftovers and probably stuff for lunches too.  I'm really excited to give it a try!

We then made our way to WalMart.  After shopping (with everyone and their brother) we were out of there.  Our grocery bill total was only $80.  That includes many items that are not a part of our menu but things we needed anyway since we've been out of the house so much.  We were really starting to run low on all groceries! That means, our weekly grocery bill was actually well under $80 and we're pretty happy about that.

And look at all that good stuff!!  Who's hungry?!  Not bad for a Saturday morning!

I am so excited that January is off to such a good and productive start!  We are watching our budget (we finally settled on using Mint!) and making good choices all around.  Financially and food-related.  Even though it can be stressful, I know that in the end this is so good for us.  

And like Todd said, as long as we keep this up (forever) we'll be good to go. ;)

Let the happy new year continue!

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starting fresh.

After feeling a surge of motivation and inspiration and change... all wonderful feelings for me... it has really helped me to give myself a huge reality check.  I am feeling so positive and motivated in so many aspects.  I've said it before in my previous post and I will say it again. I have to keep up the momentum and keep the positivity going.  I will keep it going.

I'm working on setting some goals for the new year and saving money is one of them. I've started making a list (because I really do love lists!) of all of the typical expenses we have every month.  I feel like we just spend so much more money that we "need" to.  I know we need to save more. I know we need to just honestly be more mindful when and how we spend our money.  So as of January 1, it's on.

photo by me

Partially inspired by life itself and the changes that I feel happening and partially inspired by friends and other friends and partially inspired by blogs.  My friends are amazing and the blog world is an amazing place.  I am surrounded by such rich resources!! And for that, I am so very thankful.

All of that said, Todd and I will need to sit down and really take a look at where our money is going.  What are some things that we spend money on that we could actually go without? The gym? Ugh. Probably.  It makes  me a little sad and a little excited.  The thought of putting that extra money towards a new house is the best part.  And expanding our family some day? That makes me smile too.  Every little bit will help.  That is the motivation that will help me to reevaluate our money priorities.  We are lucky and blessed in our lives and we are not hurting for anything. I need to keep that in mind when we start to pull those purse strings a little tighter.  We are doing it all for great reasons and all of it will be worth it later.  Hopefully in 2014.

Now that I'm really looking into where our money is spent, it leads me to budgeting. I really love using a system like Mint to track your transactions. What I need to really work on and maybe could use a little help with is setting spending limits for certain things.  Do we really need the cable package that we have...do we really need to spend that much money on groceries..we should probably set a menu and shop from a list... we might want to cancel that gym membership...stop going out to dinner as often as we do...is paying for little extra's worth it at the end of the day? Lots of questions are racing through my brain today!!

I apologize for the mess of jumbled thoughts. I am trying to get all of the thoughts and anxieties that are running through my mind into words. When I say anxieties, I mean that in the best way.  Change can make me anxious but I'm also so very excited.  So like I said, it is kind of a jumbled mess of words and emotions.  I just need to write the down. I think it will help me put my words into actions. 

So. Here are some of the places online that I've come across that bring some pretty good money-saving ideas to the table:

• This Blog.  They are amazing and very inspiring!  And I would love to somehow incorporate this idea into our savings plan for 2014.
• I haven't yet read all of these posts but I'm looking forward to having them for reference!
• Mint.  Seriously. We've used this before and if we start using it again, I think it will really, really help us!

I need your help, any tips for saving money?  Any more inspirational stories that will help me to stay focused on our goals?  "No Spend January" could be very interesting but I know it will all be worth it.  I know we can do it.

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