First I'd like to thank everyone for their encouraging comments on my post yesterday! I'm in better spirits & ready to go! Like everyone said, even if I meet some of my goal, at least it's something to strive for & more than what I had before right?! Onwards & upwards!!! :) You guys are THE BEST!!! Bar none!
Movings onwards... It's Day One of my "Decluttering & Low-Spend" challenge! Are you ready to clear out some cutter & save some money?! I thought so, me too!
Low (no) Spend Challenge
Let's start with my low-spend part of the challenge! Do you have your budget in place for the first week? A financial goal for the week? I do!! Starting tomorrow we have $240 in our weekly budget for food, misc, fun, etc... $40 of that is left from our January budget. This will be the only week this month we have this much, so I'm hoping to *stretch* it! I would love to only spend $120 of that & be able to tuck the other $120 into my gifts savings! I have a menu plan ready to be followed, (that seems to be the kicker for me!) and will only pick up what's needed, and only when we run out!
Here's my menu plan for the week:
- Chicken strips & fries
- Brown Sugar BBQ sandwiches on homemade buns
- Garlic pizza bread & veggies
- Turkey & all the fixins'
- Hot Turkey Sandwiches on homemade bread
- Soup & sandwiches
- Pasta (no idea what kind yet, anyone have suggestions for a sauce that's dairy-free?)
I have no plans for the week that will cost money, but we'll be visiting grandma, going to Church, & just sticking close to home. That's one thing winter is good for, it's too cold & crappy to go very far! ;)
Decluttering Challenge
Now onto my decluttering part of the challenge! The first weeks challenge is "Personal Space". I'm choosing to sort, purge & organize my closet which holds clothes, gifts, photography equipment, etc. It's a complete mess & like many others, I'm dreading posting pictures on my blog for all to judge see!! lol! Seriously!! I plan on completing this challenge on Friday as its the only day my hubby is off, and since he works midnights, it's my only chance to get this disaster area challenge accomplished! I will be posting before & after pics on either Friday night or Saturday morning... stay tuned!!! ;)
What did you choose for your first decluttering challenge? Have you started it? Have you already completed it like Debby & Little Lamb!!
Some of you have voted on my poll about prizes... Most said it was up to me, and the rest voted for 1 prize a week. So I've decided to have one small prize a week, that way 4 participants have a chance to win something, rather than just one! So in preparation for today, I did a bit of sewing last night & came up with this super cute zippy wallet! It's big enough to hold cash, (8 1/2" x 4 1/2") change, coupons, cell phone, lip gloss, etc... It's bright, colorful and fully padded/lined for durability! If its not your style, it would make a great gift! It comes from a (usually) clean, ;) non-smoking home! I hope everyone likes it!!
In order to have your name put in the draw to win this zippy wallet I'll need everyone to post a direct link to their completed challenge/financial update on ***THIS POST*** to their *week one update* by next Wednesday (8th) morning as i'll post the winner when I post my next challenge. Even if you've already linked me up, please comment again with a link so I can add your name into the drawing pease! Also... if you don't subscribe to my blog either through RSS/email, or have me linked up on your blog roll, I'd consider subscribing so you don't miss any updates!
*Week One Bonus Challenge*
My *bonus* challenges are going to be about giving back & making someone's day brighter throughout the month! I truly believe that we're all connected and by simply doing a small act of kindness, it will be passed on over & over again! This weeks challenge is to donate at least one item of food to the food bank. Either a new product when you shop this week or go through your pantry & find an item to donate. Simple as that! :)
And that should kick off this week! Good luck!!! :)
PS - Don't forget to donate, toss, or give away one item today!! I'll post mine tonight!
