Flashback Friday: The Most Important Thing to Do if You Want to Be anAt-Home Parent

It's been six months since I quit my full-time job as an attorney and became a work-at-home mom. I'm as busy as I've ever been, and I can't imagine how chaotic my life would be if I still had a full-time, outside-of-the-home job. And that's been the biggest difference for me, working for myself and spending most of my time at home - my life has less chaos.

I was thinking about this today, after talking with a friend who's under a lot of stress. She's had a series of medical issues for the last six months, so things at home are chaotic. Add financial pressures to that, and her life is super stressful.

I couldn't help thinking that she'd be able to relieve some of the chaos if she didn't have to work, but her family's financial situation won't permit that right now. That got me thinking about all the preparation we did that allowed me to decide to quit my job. We took a substantial loss in income. But our lifestyle hasn't changed much.

And I realized that the most important step we took that allowed me to become an at-home-mom was not increasing our living expenses as our income increased.

We paid off all of our non-mortgage debt in 2009 and saved like crazy after that, until we lost my income. So for about eight to ten years, we lived pretty minimally. Between the increased cost of goods and having two kids, of course we spend more now than we did eight years ago, but it's not that much more. Most of our increased income has gone toward paying off debt and into savings, which is what put us in the wonderful position we're in today.

We certainly didn't get to where we are today in just a month, or even a year. It took years of living well within our means to pay off all of our debt and save up enough money that we felt we could handle losing my income. But it's all been worth it.

Image via FreeDigitalPhotos.net by amenic181.

Simplifying by NOT Buying Ahead

For years now, I've prided myself on my ability to save money by buying ahead. I've stocked up on laundry detergent, toothpaste, shampoo, body wash, juice boxes, cereal, crackers, and my kids' clothes.

But as I walked through Target the other day, I found myself reluctantly perusing the clearance rack in the boys' section. And I realized that my reluctance stemmed from not wanting to buy something just to stick it in the closet for a few months or even a year.

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I've discovered that a clutter-free house is easy to clean - and that has made me averse to bringing things into the house, especially if they're not consumable but sometimes even when they are.

Don't get me wrong - I'm still a bargain hunter, and I'm still stocking up. But only on those things I am absolutely confident we will use up - things like toilet paper, facial tissue, and OxiClean, and only enough for a few months at most. I've been passing on deals on things I'm not completely 100% positive we'll use up - things like cereal, mouthwash, and even toys.

I've also been making an effort to use up what we have, and to get rid of things we don't need or won't use. I think my house feels better without all these extra things in it. And I know I feel better having less clutter around!

Image via FreeDigitalPhotos.net by sumetho.

Menu Plan Monday: Week of Feb 24, 2014

As I mentioned last week, I'm looking to make my monthly menu planning easier so I don't dread doing it. My original idea was to create several menus I could use as templates, but Wendy had the great idea of using a list of a family favorite meals, and building from there. So look for a post on simplifying my menu planning process coming soon. In the meantime, here's what I'm planning for dinner this week:

Monday - Cornbread Taco Pizza, Salad

Tuesday - Salmon Furikake, Rice, some kind of vegetable

Wednesday - Roasted Cauliflower Sardine Pasta

Thursday - Easy Chicken Flautas, salad

Friday - Overnight Caramel French Toast, Fruit

Saturday - Cheesy Mashed White Beans With Kale, Parmesan, and a Fried Egg, Garlic Bread

Sunday - Alton Brown's Sardine-Avocado Sandwiches

I'm also going to make Copycat Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls with maple icing, Magic Bars, and maybe Cookies and Cream Cookies.

See more weekly menus at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Throwback Thursday: Tips for Eliminating Paper Clutter

This post was originally published in 2011. Although I've since pretty much gone entirely paperless, I still have a lot of old paper clutter to purge, so these tips continue to be relevant - especially the last one!


As I've decluttered the house for the last few months, I've discovered that the worst culprit of all is paper clutter. I can't believe how much of it there is. Here are some tips for getting rid of it, and keeping it from returning:

1. Know what records you should keep and what you can toss. Here's a handy list of financial documents and how long you should keep them.

2. Start purging. Not everything needs to be shredded, but I find that the type of papers I hold onto for years are the kind that have lots of personal information on them. So create a "purging station" with a wastebasket for papers that can go straight into the trash, a box for papers that need a new home, and either a shredder or a box for papers that will be shredded later. I opt for the box for subsequent shredding, since I store my shredder in a closet for safety reasons.

3. If you don't have a shredder, get one. There's no easier or faster way to get rid of documents that contain personal information, and a good cross-cut shredder is relatively inexpensive.

4. Condense and re-label your files if appropriate. For example, I'm a cover-all-bases kind of girl, so I keep copies of payoff statements and such. Rather than keep each sheet of paper in a separate file, I created a "closed accounts" file to hold all of these papers.

5. Go paperless. As I've mentioned before, I'm starting to really go paperless. I started by eliminating hard copies of documents I really don't read, like the annual reports and prospectuses for investments I've committed to holding. I download and don't print e-statements for accounts that never sent paper to begin with (such as those with ING and Sharebuilder). I've now begun the process of completely switching to paperless with all of our banking statements, investment statements, and bills.

6. Have a digital backup plan in place and use it. I wasn't ready to make the full switch to paperless until I had a plan for backing up all of my saved documents. I do this regularly, at least once a week. And I've stored a backup of my backup in our safety deposit box at the bank. It obviously won't have the most recent documents, but at least if disaster strikes we'll have something. You may want to read this article on digitally storing financial documents.

7. It's not as overwhelming as you might think. Flylady has taught me that I can accomplish a lot in 15 minutes - even just 5 minutes. You don't have to go through all of your files at once. Keep the task in front of you small, and eventually the big task will be done.

Image via FreeDigitalPhotos.net by scottchan.

Menu Plan Monday: Week of Feb 17, 2014

This is going to sound crazy, but it just occurred to me that I can copy previous monthly menus, and then just tweak them according to how our days are scheduled. I do this anyway every week, since I don't know a full month ahead what every night of every week is going to be like. I'm thinking I'll come up with a rotation of six monthly menus that I can use as a starting point every month, and then just plan on swapping out a few meals with some new ones I want to try, putting in the nights we'll be out, and moving meals around according to our schedules, like the nights when I need a slow-cooker meal because I'll be out most of the day. I'm very excited about this, because I usually dread filling out my menu for the coming month but I make myself do it anyway because I know how useful it is. With the rotating menus, maybe I won't feel so much dread!

For now, this is what I've got lined up for this week:

Monday - Pasta Bolognese, Steamed Broccoli

Tuesday - Sauteed Mushrooms with Toasted Flatbread and Baked Eggs {forgot to buy the mushrooms for these last week}

Wednesday - Cornbread Taco Pizza, Salad

Thursday - Salmon Furikake, Rice, some kind of vegetable

Friday - Copycat Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls, Fruit, Sausage

Saturday - Alton Brown’s Sardine Avocado Sandwich, Chips

Sunday - Slow Cooker Paella, some kind of veggie or side

I'm also going to make Magic Bars again, and some kind of cookie.

See more weekly menus at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Throwback Thursday: To be Happy, Match Your Words and Actions

This post was originally published back in 2009. I think it's still completely true.


It seems like everyone I know is complaining about their financial picture these days. I sympathize because I know that our financial picture is better than most, but we're still tightening our belts because it seems some kind of income reduction is on the horizon.

Meanwhile, I want to make an observation that applies not just to finances but to life in general: the happiest people are the ones whose words and actions match.

Finances are an easy way to illustrate what I mean. I have a friend who makes decent money but has a hefty mortgage, so money is always tight. He complains about not having enough money, but doesn't do anything about finding a second or third source of income. He says he's trying to bring in more money by doing some tutoring, but he actually spends his time on other, non-income-generating hobbies. And when someone suggested he stop some of his extracurricular activities so he would have more time to spend on tutoring, he simply shrugged it off. I can't help but wonder sometimes if he likes being miserable.

On the flip side, I have another friend who's lost her job and is balancing finding a new job with arranging educational services for her preschooler, who was recently diagnosed as having high-functioning autism. She says her family needs her to work, and she's working hard to find something new. She diligently completed the requirements for getting unemployment benefits, despite having to deal with a mind-numbing bureaucracy and an insanely rude employee who brought her to tears. She vented to me about that, but not in a self-pitying way. Meanwhile, she found a job but two days before she was to start, she was told they couldn't hire her after all. So she's looking again, and is optimistic that she'll be able to find something soon.

Needless to say, she's a happier person than my other friend, who seems to want something other than what he says.

I go back to something I've said before: To achieve financial success, you have to be honest about your priorities.

What are my male friend's true priorities? I don't really know. But I know he's not going to be happy until his words start to match up with his actions.

Image via FreeDigitalPhotos.net by supakitmod.

Menu Plan Monday: Week of Feb 10, 2014

Our new weekly routine is slowly taking shape, and it looks like most practices are going to be on the weekend - hallelujah! That makes my weeknight dinner planning so much easier.

Monday - Tuna Noodle Casserole {I'm finally getting to this!}, Radish and Arugula Crostini with Brie

Tuesday - Sandwiches, Crudite

Wednesday - Bean & Cheese Enchiladas, Salad

Thursday - Pasta Bolognese, Steamed Broccoli

Friday - Sauteed Mushrooms with Toasted Flatbread and Baked Eggs {forgot to buy the mushrooms for these last week}

Saturday - Cinnamon Rolls, Fruit, Sausage

Sunday - Alton Brown's Sardine Avocado Sandwich, Chips

These Magic Bars are becoming a staple around here, because they are such a great way to use up the last of crackers and cookies. I'm making these again this week :)

See more weekly menus at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

The Key to a Clean House: Less Stuff

Our kitchen light had been acting up for years, but the other day it finally stopped turning on when the switch was flipped {it did eventually turn on, but it was rather unpredictable!}. So we decided we couldn't postpone the work any longer, and had an electrician out to replace the light as well as the old, rattly ceiling light/fan combo in the back half of the kitchen.

Since I knew they'd be working in the kitchen, I removed everything that I could - my back up laptop, small appliances, a couple of small butternut squashes ... everything that didn't need to stay found a new {sometimes temporary} home.

When the work was done, I walked into the kitchen - and delighted in the bright light, but marveled even more at how great the cleared countertops looked.

Although the workers were neat, there was still some cleaning that needed to be done. And normally I hate cleaning and put it off for as long as possible, but I discovered something that might just revolutionize my home: It was incredibly easy to clean the kitchen because I didn't have to move anything. It took just seconds to wipe down the counters. I used wet and dry Swiffer cloths to give the floor a quick scrub. And I even washed my dish rack and its mat - all in about 15 minutes!

Then it hit me: If I cleared out the clutter from the rest of the house, the rest of the house would be easy to clean too!

And then maybe I wouldn't put if off for as long as I do.

So now I'm on a quest: to declutter my house from top to bottom, wall to wall. I'm going through my own stuff, but also anything and everything that's in a common area, as well as the kids' room. I know it's going to take a while - I'm giving myself the year to go through everything, so that hopefully by the end of 2014, my house is optimal easy-to-clean shape.

Do you have a secret for keeping a clean house?

This post will be linked to Thrifty Thursday at Living Well, Spending Less.

Image via FreeDigitalPhotos.net by David Castillo Dominici.

Menu Plan Monday: Week of Feb 3, 2014

Every week when I write up my menu plan, I kind of dread doing it. Which is odd, because it's the kind of thing you'd think I'd enjoy - after all, it's food-related, involves planning, and saves money. And yet, I really don't enjoy it, probably because I'm not nearly as organized as I'd like to be. There are inevitable curveballs each week, my kids are rather picky, we have a crazy afternoon/evening schedule because of sports, and I'm busy!

But I create my menu plan anyway, because I know how much better our week will be if I have one. Even if I don't follow it exactly {which I don't, as evidenced below}, we still eat better and save more money than if I didn't make one. So, although our schedule is changing yet again thanks to new practice times this week, here's what I've got planned:

Monday - Chicken Pasta Salad with Broccoli, Sun-dried Tomatoes and Kalamta Olives {didn't get to this last week}, Salad

Tuesday - Turkey Meatloaf Burgers, Roasted Butternut Squash

Wednesday - Sandwiches, Crudite

Thursday - Cornbread Mexican Pizza, Salad {meant to but didn't get to this last week}

Friday - Sauteed Mushrooms with Toasted Flatbread and Baked Eggs {didn't get to this last week either}

Saturday - Dinner out

Sunday - Tuna Noodle Casserole

I'm also going to make some Magic Bars {though I find that I need to double the amount of crackers in the base}, some kind of cookie, and some type of freezable breakfast item.

See more weekly menus at I'm an Organizing Junkie.