March 2016: Goal Update

• Work toward Rule 4 (Age Your Money) as the final Rule to embrace (see youneedabudget.com for more details) 
• Age of Money=hit a high of 6 days this month and averaging about 2 or 3 days. Currently, three days. 
• Do a daily devotional 
• Completed daily, really helps keep me focused.
• Exercise 2 x per week minimum
• Walks with the girls 2x, walking the Lincoln Park Zoo, starting our own "Girls on the Run" b/c I failed to sign Annabella up for it in November and have run/walked three times so far. Also, I played "Just Dance" with Annabella for about 30-45 minutes (I was sweating by the end, it counts!). Have not gone line dancing in over a month now. Not a bad month, and we are working on a plan that will have us running/walking at least three times a week with a goal of doing a 5k together this summer. You can track our progress on our running blog. 
• Read for pleasure: Average one book per month
• This month, I read 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker. You can check out my full review of it here. Also read "A Pale Horse" by Charles Todd. I just can't seem to get enough of post-WWI mysteries. It was good, as most (all?) Inspector Ian Rutledge mysteries are. 
• Go on a date with Jason: At least one time per month
• Went to see Whiskey Tango Foxtrot; it was a pretty funny, and yet, intense movie. We had a good time and I was finally able to use my Christmas present from Jason (an AMC giftcard!). We really appreciated the reclining seats and that made the experience much more relaxing and enjoyable. 
• Have a "no screen" weekend
• Still feel the strong need for this (even perhaps a no-screen week?!?!). Might be better suited to the summer or later in Spring?
• Clean and organize basement:Toy room and storage room
• Well, I have been forced to address some of this between all of the rain and the girls wanting to use the garden hose (not realizing that the seal on the pipe inside the basement is pretty much non-existent). I have also started playing a 'game' inspired by The Minimalists. It has been easier to get rid of things that were basically destroyed in the 'flood,' but it became more challenging as the month went on and I was having to remove 20+ items from my house per day!! I am really feeling a tug to downsize and minimize and prioritize what really matters to me and what I want to teach all three girls (by example and not just by word!). 
• Travel somewhere in Northern Michigan
• Not yet, however I have discovered this really cool badge that the girls can earn for hiking 100 miles on the North Country Trail. Anyone can do the challenge and it seems pretty cool. We could get in a lot of miles on the Trail near Rockford, but it would be neat to travel this summer (or maybe the fall) to the UP or Northern Michigan to hike along it as well. 
• Travel to Denver, Indiana and Washington, D.C.
• Second visit to Washington, D.C. the first week of March. Met some of Michigan's legislators and even spotted Nancy Pelosi in the Capitol! Got to try out some cool restaurants that I would never get to try otherwise and perhaps my favorite was hanging out on the rooftop lounge at the W hotel which overlooks the White House and much of the District. Pretty cool. Also got to see the baby and toddler pandas Bei Bei and Bao Bao (and their parents, of course) at the National Zoo. 
• Not a goal, but also went to Chicago to pick up my mom from O'Hare when she returned from Uganda. The girls and I went to the Lincoln Park Zoo and had a great time!
• Try out 12 new dinner recipes
• Tried out a new chicken thigh recipe from Bon Apetit. Really great technique to cook bone-in chicken thighs (which are my new favorite). Made some smashed potatoes and whipped up a gravy quick, too. 
• Try out 12 new dessert/cookie recipes
• So on the eve of Girl Scout Cookie delivery, I decided I should bake some cookies. Smart, I know. Made these Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. They did turn out great, no dried fruit in sight ;). Just had a new-to-me KitchenAid mixer given to me, too (Thanks, Auntie Anne!). Can't wait to try it out!
• Do not use credit or obtain any additional debt
• This month has been quite the challenge incredibly difficult. I needed to use credit for my work trip, but I applied the money to the card prior to using it, so it worked out pretty much like not using credit. I still have a couple of auto-pay items (Hulu and HP Instant Ink) that come out of credit cards that I need to either adjust and use my debit card, or pay off directly when I make my payment so as not to incur further debt. 
• Jason started a new job this month and is going from getting paid weekly to getting paid bi-weekly. So, we had a drought of funds for most of the month. Near the end of the month I was getting very twitchy and wanting to use credit cards to do fun things (or buy things we don't need!!!) that were simply not in the budget this month. It was very hard to not do this, but I am happy to say that did have some limited success. I did end up getting gas two times (total of $53) and also spent $9 at Double Dip Depot. It will be my goal to pay these items off before I get billed in April. 
• At times, I wasn't sure we were even going to make it paying all of our bills on time. Good thing I learned not to panic, that God provides for our every need. He has been faithful in the past and will continue to be so. 

February 2016: Goal Update

Here's a recap of February:

• Work toward Rule 4 (Age Your Money) as the final Rule to embrace (see youneedabudget.com for more details) 
• Age of Money=2 days...the struggle is REAL... 
• Do a daily devotional 
• Completed daily, really helps keep me focused. 
• Exercise 2 x per week minimum
• Failed ;) Well, I did line dance once this month, so I'm about 7 times short. This one will require more focus going forward. I need to be intentional or it just won't happen. 
• Read for pleasure: Average one book per month
• This month, I read "Carry On, Warrior" by Glennon Doyle Melton. She speaks a lot of what I think and am often afraid to say. Working on being more bold and displaying the more authentic version of myself
• Go on a date with Jason: At least one time per month
• Yay! We went to Washington, D.C. over Valentine's weekend. It was a lot of fun and I am so thankful that I have a job that allows me to travel and presents me with this kind of opportunity. We needed this so much (it had been about seven years since we last went away together!). The girls had a ton of fun with Grammie and Auntie Anne and Chloe while we were away (thanks, ladies!)
• Have a "no screen" weekend
• No progress here yet...another challenge
• Clean and organize basement:Toy room and storage room
• No progress here yet...gotta get moving; garage sale season is coming!
• Travel somewhere in Northern Michigan
• Not yet
• Travel to Denver, Indiana and Washington, D.C.
• Two out of three! Went to Indiana for cousin Paxton's wedding shower and had a fabulous girls' weekend. And, as previously mentioned I did make it to D.C. (and was already back there March 1)
• Try out 12 new dinner recipes
• This month was an uneventful cooking month...did recycle some of the new January recipes, though! Still averaging more than one per month at this point. 
• Try out 12 new dessert/cookie recipes
• I did try Peanut Butter Banana Cookies, they were okay. I might add chocolate or something next time. I also pinned a couple more recipes onto my dessert board for more inspiration. We'll see how March goes!  
• Do not use credit or obtain any additional debt
• Doing really well with this one. It was challenging quite a few times when I wanted something but didn't have it in the budget. Or wanted to spend more than what was in the budget. But, I did not cave! And it feels really amazing :)