I never meant for it to be this long between posts, and when I logged back on I was shocked (shocked I tell you!) to find that I did not post anything in the entire month of September or most of October. It is a theme in my life that I let time get away from me. I HAVE become better since the girls came along, but it is still a struggle.
So, to update you... I had grand visions of getting on the treadmill for an hour each morning and an hour each evening and doing an exercise video in between. Yeah... that didn't happen.
I have, however, broken down the walking into something that I CAN do. I walk for 30 minutes at a time @ 2.5 mph. I know that 1.25 miles at a time does not seem like much, but I am working on sprints eventually building up to marathons. Right now, I do it 4 times a day for a total of 5 miles. I know that technically, I am walking 2 hours a day, but it is in much more manageable bites.
Oh!! Speaking of manageable bites, I have also been eating more healthy meals. The whole eating thing has been the side effect of another project I have going. Don't ask how, but I somehow morphed into this whole self-improvement mode. Maybe it is the knowledge that I am at some point going to put it all down in a blog, but I seem to have found more motivation than I normally have. I moving my body more, and in addition to that; I am working on becoming more frugal. Not to say that I have not historically lived within, or at least very near, my means, but now I am making a more conscious effort to deal directly and in better ways with money.
I was watching clips on msn.com, and the Today Show stuff came on. I wound up seeing a clip for "The Cheapest Family In America". I was so intrigued by what they had to say, that I started actively searching for other clips that they might be on. Eventually, I found a clip in which they were talking about the book they wrote on how to cut your monthly grocery bill in half. Then, I went to Amazon.com and found out that the Economides family (no kidding, they are named Economides - how is that for destiny?) have written 2 books. So, I wound up buying both books for a deeply discounted price, and with shipping, paid less than the price of one book at a traditional retailer. See... the savings have already begun :-)
I had thought I was doing well to only spend $150.00 to $180.00 per week on groceries for our family of 4, but after reading the Econimide's books - in half hour intervals on the treadmill :-) - I re-vamped my shopping, and have found that I can do $100.00 per week with ease. An extra $250.00 to $300.00 per month in my pocket has helped me pay down some bills that have been lingering and lingering. In addition, I tend to "graze" less during the day, since part of the "plan" is to make out a 30 day meal plan. I personally do 3 weeks of meal plans, but may build up to a whole month one day. The upside of this is that my snacking during the day is much reduced since just about everything in the pantry is spoken for to make one dinner or another, and if i use anything, it throws me off on my dinner rotations.
Oh, have I mentioned that I stay at home with our pre-scooler? Yep, I am a stay at home Mom. Part of my "job" is to make sure that I am spending the family income wisely, and I have seen "the light" about the whole grocery thing, thanks to this family that I will never meet. And, shucking and jiving along with this whole grocery plan helps me to have more time during the day too. Since I do not have to spend time thinking every day about what I am going to make for dinner - just check the calendar and mark off a meal that I know I have the ingredients for - and I do not have to go to the store for any "last minute" or "lost" ingredients, I find that I have more time for walking, coloring, and talking with my children.
Hopefully, I will remember to post more often in the future. I know that nobody will read this, but it sure is nice to be able to write it. :-)
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