Who would have ever known that controlling my money instead of it controlling me could be so much fun. AND we don't feel like we're doing without either. (guess that attests to how much money we were wasting.

We have been able in just one month to pay an extra $550 on our focus loan and put $400 in savings. And we have not gone without, nor have we gotten any extra money this month. In fact we budgeted $500 (and spent) for recreation and intertainment and still accomplished the above. I feel like I'm dancing on air most the time.

Everything that I think that I need to do is all only in order to propel me to some place that when I get there, I think I will be happier. So, everything that I am doing, no matter what it is, all of my lists of rights and wrongs about spending are all about me getting to a place that I believe I will then be happier… So I think I will just take a short cut and JUMP TO HAPPY RIGHT NOW!!



It's important for me to be as happy as I can be while I'm on my journey. I don't want to be thinking I will be happier when this is paid off or that is paid off. My life is all about the journey. That is why I like to look at everything as a game. Right now I am having tons of fun playing the manage my money different game. And every day is like going to the circus it's so fun.

Grocery update........remember I said I would not buy food for last week unless it was something we needed. In fact I didn't even look at the food ads for last week. (Hurray for me.......I also like to cheerlead myself) Yesterday Sunday we started needing a few things. I had written a list as I notice we needed something. (Hurray again for writing a list) So I went and picked up some of things on my list. I only bought one thing that was not on my list and that was because the kind of butter I use was on almost half price and I remember I only have part of a tub left.

Also hubby got paid and we put another $100 on our focus loan and another $100 in savings.(happy drum roll) It just tickles me pink how much extra money we have not that I don't buy on a whim. And we are not having to deny ourselves anything we reaLLY REALLY REALLY WANT.

When ever I feel irritated it’s always my fault. I can let things others do irritate me; but it’s never their fault, it’s always my fault. Since I started believing this my life has become a lot less complicated and happier. Sometimes I still forget. Then I remind myself no one can irritate you , sweetie, but yourself.

What I have found since I have started embracing this new knowledge is, I don’t stay irritated long. Because if it’s my fault I’m irritated, then I must have the power to pull myself out. I don‘t have to wait around for whoever I am irritated at to straighten up and do things my way. I just have to find something else to focus on until what ever I am letting irritate me passes.

Just thought I would share this beings I was letting my husband irritate me this morning and one of our dogs irritate me this evening. Then I remember it's all about JOY and feeling good and being irritated is as far away from feeling good as I can get. It also makes me want to spend and eat. Oh by the way this is my second NO SPEND DAY in a row.

Besides being irritated ages me twice as fast and JOY make the aging go in
SLOW-MOTION. And this girl does not mind getting older as long as she hardly shows her age. Joy is the fountain of youth.

A good friend of mine has just gotten back from an outrageous Seminar about something we are both really into that I would loooooooooooooove to go to. And the middle of May it's in Seattle, which is close to us. But the way money is right now we would have to charge without cash to back it. Sooooooo I have decided to buy the book for $17 and start getting my feet wet with the book. Now there is still a possiblity that we can go but only if all our ducks figure out how to get in a row on their own.

What was even more of a test was to pay our extra $100 on our focus loan and the $100 to our savings from this paycheck instead of using it to partically pay for the seminar. I'm getting stronger and it only hurt really bad for about an hour.

Went to albertsons and bought 20 for $20 then when you got to the register they subtracted another $8 only spent $12 for those items and $5 for a few more.

Next went to Rosauers half off sale and spent $19 for some great buys.

(Now remember I'm alergic to sugar, so most of what I bought was pretty healthy no junk but I did buy a few quick fixes because cooking is not my favorite thing.)

Then to the produce market when I got a box of scrumptious apples for 55 cents a pound and a few other things for a total of $20.

Now the plan is not to buy anymore food for at least the rest of this week and hopefully next unless its a have to have. I'll post here what I buy to keep myself accountable. I love playing the buy ahead because it's cheap game but I want to stay on or below budget also.

I definitely plan on finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

I was setting up a Debt reduction tickler and I couldn't get my balance when subtracted from the total on the tickler to equal the same balance as my banks.

I kept re-adding and re-adding until I realized you're forgetting the interest, sweetie............all your payment does not go on your loan......You forgot that each time you make a payment some of it is eaten up by interest.

This little situation just went to show me how sneaky interest is. I sure am glad my new journey will only have me dealing with positive interest in the near future.

We went snowmobiing Friday and when we got up there the Artic Cat snowmobile tour machines were up there. So we got to pick a machine and do a demo ride. It was only suppose to be a 20 to 30 minute ride but........they had us out for 2.5 hours. AND I found out I could easily get use to riding a big machine......(when we can afford to pay cash of course). I did not feel tempted at all....I was able to enjoy it for what it was an exciting free ride and great gas savings. Because I still really love my little $800 machine and it loves me.

Me and my little machine......see how much fun we have together. Now I bet that big machine would not do this for me!!

Got my hair done. I was able to wait an extra 3 weeks this time. Usually I get my hair done every 8/9 weeks.......foil and cut for about $65. (use to spend over $100 for my hair when i use to get it done on the boulevard , but now that I get it done in the slums (close to where I live it's cheaper)).

Did not make myself wait, it just didn't seem to need done so soon. In fact I had scheduled the appointment when I last had it done and my hairdresser had to call me to tell me I had missed it. So i rescheduled then rescheduled again because it still look great.

Now its done and it really looks even more great. But it was nice not to feel like I looked like an old hag just before I went. And the new do is bringing me much JOY and you know how I feel about JOY,

Here's kind of what I look like with my new do.

Yah right......in my dreams maybe!!!

I also love grocery shopping and especially getting groceries for half price or almost. My new game is seeing how close to half price I can get things, then stocking up a little. I never buy things JUST because its half price though.

We hardly ever buy sweets or snacks because we eat very healthy not veggan or anything. In fact my dh is the almighty hunter and gatherer. But I am alergic to sugar and my dh is not a big sugar eater so that makes what we buy pretty healthy. Actually right now the only things snack like we have in the house our regular doritos, chex mix, and pudding. And all of those are pretty healthy as far as snacks go.
I set up a little extra area in the basement for my stock ups. All I have down there now are two boxes of taco shells that I got for 1$ a box.

I started getting the paper on Wednesday so I could have the food ads so I can see where what we need is the cheapest. I pass by all the stores on my way to work so it's not out of my way.


I love games and I know this one is going to really bring down our grocery bill and still have us eating great.

It's spring break for me. So that means it's get the yard ready for spring time. And the sun has shined for the last two days so.......out in the yard I have been.

I looooooooove working in the yard (but then I love most things) but i especially love working in the yard. It talks to my soul and brings me much joy. And if you read my blog regularly you know how important JOY is to me. (like the most important thing in my world.....what directs my every action)

It's cool how living beneath our means and JOY go hand in hand for me. I'm finding new joy in all my old things now that my focus is not what can I buy next. Besides I'm not denying myself that much because if its a need we get it and if its a really really really want we get it as soon as we have cash to get it. And so far we have had cash for all our really really really wants. The happier I am the happier I am.......

I think I'm about ready to start playing my charging game again.

We have a Southwest card that I use to run everything I can through to get those free flights. We regularly get two, almost free flights a year (I say almost because there is a $50 yearly fee on the card (and no they won't remove it I tried but it's still a great deal)).

And now that we have our finances straighened out and a plan in place, I think its time to jump back into that game.

This is my plan for playing the charging game again .... as soon as I charge an item I will record it as if the money is already spent......(which it is duh) I use a free program called ezpiggy to record everything.

Then instead of looking at my bank account balance to see how much money we have spent and have left, I will look at my ezpiggy account for that info.

We seem to have more money to spend now that we are not spending as much. Kind of a crazy "catch 22"

Here's some place I could go on one of my free flights.

As you can tell by my blog, pictures inspire me and bring me joy........so after a few day free trail of the My Photo slideshow Screensaver......which i throughly enjoyed.... i just paid $25 for my own copy. And it up and running on my CP. My grand kids love it too because most of the picts. are of them.

More picture inspiration.

My major aim in life is to live, to love, to laugh, to play AND to look for reasons to feel good!...........And sometimes its saving money and sometimes it's spending money.......What determines which I do is me weighing which will bring me the most JOY!

I'm loving my journey of balanced joyful money management.

Ps. I found two extra places to save yesterday. The first was I canceled a whole life policy that will save us $37 a month and second I took back two of our digital boxes that will save us $10 a month....now for the balance.......we're joyfully keeping our other digital box and DVR because we enjoy having it.

Pss. We needed to use our 1200 saving for a family emergency.......so we are starting over there....

Me knowing even emergencies can have joyful outcomes.