THURSDAY CHALLENGE!!!!

Here is your first

THURSDAY CHALLENGE OF THE YEAR.....

MAKE A BUDGET ....

Yes, make a budget if you don't already have one!

You can make it easy, with just a few catagories...

Or you can make it more complex with many catagories....

I used to do ours very complex, but each month I was frusterated figuring out each catagory, breaking receipts down to put in each catagory and then throwing that month out the window because I was too frusterated!

SO now I go EASY....

A few catagories

Gas

Household

Food

BILLS (all bills added up go here)

Clothes

Out to eat

OTHER

(in the other catagory is things like: Kids sports, birthday gifts, parties, all those OTHER expenses that come up each month!)

I do ROLL OVER left over money in a NUMBERS ON PAPER sense!

Say I only spent $15 on clothing and our budget is $50....

The following month I have $85 in our budget for clothing!

Some people like to take the extra and put it twards debt reduction... that is also a very good idea! I just roll ours over because I keep everything so low... I have to.... We can go 2 months without needing anything in the clothing area, and then BOOM, we all need new socks, and 2 kids need new shoes, and hubby needs jeans, ETC.....

Thus the reason we ROLL OVER!

The best advice I heard about a budget was....

"MOST people do not go into debt buying little everyday things.... they go into debt with their BIG purchases, so make sure that if you budget anything... BUDGET THESE PURCHASES!"

OK, now grab a notebook, make some sort of budget and stick to it for the next few months.... DO NOT STRAY FROM IT.... TRY HARD TO NOT purchase anything you DIDN'T budget for..... After 3 months, if you didn't enjoy it, I give you permission to quit and go back to your old ways!

OH, I almost forgot.... Our family theme this year is.....

THE YEAR OF SIMPLICITY!!!!!

Keep things simply; use what we have, borrow what we need, lend what others can use, sell what is of value that we no longer want, and give away all that we can that is just sitting around!

THURSDAY CHALLENGE!!!!

AH, are you ready for a little challenge today???? I know I am!!!!!!!

Let's see here....

I think todays Challenge will be to clean out your family car/truck/van!

I know it is VERY cold out (ok, well not VERY cold but cold non the less!) where I live, but I am still going to bundle up and head into the garage to clean it out a bit!



WHY am I choosing this as a challenge???? WELL, truth be told, we are giving the Kids and the VAN to my inlaws for 48 hours, and I don't need them thinking the van is gross (OK, my husband did clean it out 2 months ago, but the kids keep bringing stuff into it and not taking it back into the house....UGH! So the books, toys, etc... pile up on the back seat and the floor!)


I don't know if I will vaccuum because I don't think I can stand the cold that long, but if you are somewhere warmer, feel free to suck up all the nastiness on the floors!



NOW, GET TO WORK! YOU WILL FEEL BETTER NEXT TIME YOU LOAD YOUR FAMILY INTO THE VAN/CAR/TRUCK!!!!!

THURSDAY CHALLENGE!!!!

OK, Come on, get on up and DO SOMETHING!!!!!

Really, again this week your challenge is to MOVE!!! Do anything... Just don't sit there!
If you work at a Desk... get alittle timer and set it for every 1/2 hour... then get up and walk around for a few minutes and get your blood flowing!
If you are at home with the kids, turn on the music and dance-dance-dance!!!!
If you are watching TV, grab a set of dumb-bells and pump some iron as you watch, then during commercials, get up and walk around, doing something (pick up???)

DO SOMETHING THIS WEEK!!!!!

Do you do something last week????

THURSDAY CHALLENGE!!!!

Todays challenge is going to be alittle different!!!!
Todays challenge isn't about doing something in your home,
Today you are going to do something for you!!!!!!!
Today you are going to get in a work-out!

SOOOOO.........

Today I want you to

take a walk,

ride your bike,

jog in place,

do a work out tape,

ride your eliptical,

walk on your treadmill,

dance with your children,

run up and down your stairs,

etc....

DO SOMETHING FOR YOU TODAY!!!!!!!

And then, try doing it atleast 4 more times before next weeks challenge!!!!!!!!

THURSDAY CHALLENGE!!!!

OK, for todays challenge, I am asking you to get down on you hands and knees! Yes, you may pray while you are down there, but really what I want you to do it SCRUB ONE FLOOR IN YOUR HOUSE! YES, a good ol'fashion cleaning with a bucket and a rag!
While you are down there, wipe the baseboards and up the walls some! Clean the corners good too!
I for one and going to work on my laundry/mud room. This floor gets sooooo dirty this time of year with the kids going in and out! They usually beg me to let THEM mop it, and they usually do the job, but for today I am going to be the one to give it a GOOD CLEANING!!!!!!!!

I know you have 15 min to do this to bless your home today!

THURSDAY CHALLENGE!!!!

Ok, since I am in a deep freeze where I live.... and I can't go outside... I am going to choose a little longer challenge today! Maybe one that might take you an hour or so all together.....

TODAY WE ARE GOING TO CLEAN OUR FREEZERS OUT! I am going to work on my basement freezer... here is my before photo....

NOW, take everything out...boxes and coolers (use the coolers if you are in a warmer place... I plan on putting my outside, since it is WELL BELOW ZERO HERE!) Next, un-plug and defrost it... I used my hair dryer and a flat head screwdriver to get off the ice. This went much faster than I thought it would, 10 min max! Since it is so cold outside where the food was, I could have just let it thaw itself while I went about my day, but then I would have had to drain it somehow or wipe up all that water!

(why does it flip my photos sometimes??? GRRR!)

When you are done, wipe the inside dry and then RE-Organize your things.... This is a great time to do a FREEZER INVENTORY SHEET... You can use this one or this one or even this one (scroll down to #2 PDF file) or you can make up your own! Knowing what is IN YOUR FREEZER will make MEAL PLANNING much easier!

Sooo, here it is, my clean out and organized freezer! Isn't the Frozen Pumpkin on the Left side wonderful??? Had so much I had to share it! AND the great news is, I only threw out a small package of 3 brats (they were well over a year old) and a tube package of turkey, I really don't even know where it come from!) Although I will have to admit, we cleaned out the freezer last april when we got a 1/4 beef!

(FOR REAL, WHY DOES IT DO THIS?????)

Now I am NOT going to do this to my OUTSIDE freezer right now... HA, the thing would never thaw anyways, and for the most part it is already organized... THANK GOODNESS! I will let you know that out in that freezer is our garden stuff. The Tomato sauce I made, frozen veggies from the garden, anything we had to freeze from the garden. (except for the pumpkin in the basement freezer!) Also this is where we keep the container to make Ice cream (the kitchenaid attachment) and where we keep the ice cream if we don't eat it all! LOL!

I also keep the muffins that I made out there along with cookies and such. Sometimes I think maybe we need ONE MORE FREEZER!
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So, what was the strangest thing you found in your freezer or what things did you end up throwing out?????????

THURSDAY CHALLENGE!!!!

AHHH, have you missed these???? HAVE YOU???????? COME ON, TELL THE TRUTH!!!!!

Todays challenge is a simple one....

If you haven't finished cleaning up christmas around you house.....

DO IT!!!!!!!

I mean really, New Years was 1 week ago!!!!!

While you are cleaning it all up and packing it all up.....you should-
~Throw out the things you DON'T LOVE
~Throw out the broken things
~Get rid of anything you haven't PUT OUT in the past 2 yrs
~Write a list of things you NEED for next year
~Label your totes or boxes if they are not labeled yet

Doing all of this will make next christmas so much easier to decorate for!

HAPPY UNDECORATING!

THURSDAY CHALLENGE!!!!

JUST ONE DAY LATE>>>>>>>>

OK, I want you to start your HOLIDAY TO DO list if you already haven't done that!
~What else do you need to get done? BE SPECIFIC!
*Cards mailed out?
*Gifts Bought?
*Food Decided on, When will you prepare it?
*Visits planned?
*Parties planned?
*RSVP's make for things you were invited to?
*Cleaning planned?
*Decorating done?
*Outfits bought?
*Gifts wrapped?
*etc......

If you do this NOW, there will be less stress in the next 20 days... YES, that is right,
Christmas is 20 days away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You can head HERE for some great checklists (PDF files)
One great one is the HOLIDAY TO DO LIST!
They also have one for starting a CASH savings for christmas next year!

She has one of my favorite sites and you can sign up for FREE for emails from her!
Teaching how to SHOP AT HOME FIRST!!!!!!!

THURSDAY CHALLENGE!!!!

Ok, it has been a few weeks since a THURSDAY CHALLENGE!!!!!
So here is one to get your butt movin' for Chirstmas time....!

START YOUR GIFT LIST.... if you don't have one already!
You don't want to OVERSPEND or buy more than you meant to, or FORGET someone!

Start with a budget first.... (here is a SHEET you can use! you can break it down using THIS )
-what do you have to spend in the first place????? DO NOT CHARGE GIFTS!!!! NO ONE wants you to go into debt just to IMPRESS THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So be honest about what you have to spend!
-Figure out what you can MAKE to give away! This will save Money and it will IMPRESS others!
*Cookie mix in a jar
*Baked Goods
*Sew Something for them
*Put together a book of your favorite recipes

ALSO here is SITE with gift ideas under $10!!!!!!

Start this NOW before you budget gets out of hand!!!! Stick to it!!!! It will feel SOOOO GOOD when the new year comes and you DON'T get a Credit Card Bill in the mail making you feel horrible about the holidays!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Remember to give of YOURSELF this holiday season!!!! People like to receive services! Give your friends and family YOURSELF!
Coupons for babysitting, a COOKIE of the month club, a Meal of the month club (this is great for family members or BUSY moms!), A girls night out, A Day of helping them Clean up, etc.....
You know what you are good at.... JUST DO IT, instead of BUY IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THURSDAY CHALLENGE!!!!

If the shoe fits....

Wear it or throw it??????

That is the question you need to ask yourself today,

as we explore the depths of our closets!

whether you are like me and have only a Dozen or so pairs of shoes,

or like my good friend Shirley who owns DOZENS and DOZENS of pairs of shoes....

This is a great time of year to GO THROUGH them and get rid of some!

First, get a box to put the shoes in that you aren't going to keep.

Take out each pair and decide if you WANT to keep them and WHY!

Next: If you can't decide, put them on and walk around for alittle bit!

Are they comfortable? Do you REALLY like them? Do you REALLY wear them????

If the answer is that you aren't going to keep them, put them into the box!

When you get done going though all the shoes and you have the pile of the ones you are planning on keeping, figure out how you are going to organize them.

You can put them on little shelves, put them on a shoe rack, line them up on the floor, put the OFF season ones away and just leave out the ones you will wear for this season, etc....

Figure out what is going to work best for you!

You might find as you put them away, that there are a few more shoes that you REALLY aren't going to wear again....

You can then decide what you are going to do with all those shoes....

This is a really great organization to donate all those shoes too...

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soles4souls
Donate New or "Gently Worn" FootwearSend us your shoes! We want the leftovers in your closet. People across North America are cleaning out their closets and shipping their new or gently worn shoes to one of our warehouse facilities or drop them off at one of our participation locations.

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If this doesn't work for you, remember you can donate to GOODWILL, the Salvation Army, a needy friend, a local womans shelter, or any other good cause that you can think of!

Remember, PLEASE throw out the shoes that are OVER worn and WORN out!

NOW, take a look at your shoes, doesn't it make you feel good that they are all organized and that you will be helping others out by getting rid of your shoes you no longer love!!!!!

THURSDAY CHALLENGE!!!!

Get out those Vacuums ladies, it is time to Dive into the Couch!!!!!!!!

What is Growing under those cushions girls?????

When did you last eat cherrios in there????

OH, that is where that piece of the puzzle went to!

Pick up all those little things!

THROW THEM OUT!!! (Oh, but keep the change!)

Now turn on that vacuum and suck up all the tiny things!

NOW, put back on the cushions and take delight in the clean couch!

OH, and don't forget to look UNDER the couch....

You NEVER know what you might find under there!

HEY, an NO MORE popcorn on the couch... OK, just kidding, I won't take all the fun out of your TV TIME!

THURSDAY CHALLENGE!!!!

TODAY we are going to CLEAN UP OUR COMPUTERS!!!

Specifically our email box's and our favorites!

I know some of you have TONS and TONS of emails that NEED TO BE DELETED!!!!

Take 5 min of your 15 min for your challenge and CLEAN THEM OUT!!!!! All that junk mail NEEDS TO GO!!!!!

NEXT, Clean up your favorites! File them in "Folders" ex: all your favorite blogs, put in a MY FAVORITE BLOGS folder, maybe 2 of them if you want to sort them out! Your READ everyday ones and your READ every few days one! DELETE all those ones that you have NO IDEA why you bookmarked them in the first place!!!!!

"Why do I have a body building Blog bookmarked??? I am sure there was a reason at the time!!!!"

Clean up those online computers guys!!! It only takes 15 min (give or take on how bad or good you have let it be) and the time it will save in the future is

PRICELESS!!!!!!

THURSDAY CHALLENGE!!!!

WHAT IS ON YOUR DESK GUYS?????

OK, so..... if you are anything like me, sometimes your dest gets alittle out of hand....

Here is mine.... OUT OF HAND!!!!!

What is on there anyways????? A empty Barney Tape box, an apron I NEED to get listed in my shop, my coupon purse, a purse that needs to be put away, my MP3 for work and the speakers, pins used to pin a quilt, blue tape for holding down a quilt to USE those pins to pin it, money that needs to go to the bank, papers that have to be filed....etc... Does yours look like this too??? THEN LETS CLEAN THEM OFF!!!!!

#1. Take off and PUT AWAY any thing that doesn't even belong on the desk in the first place!!!

#2. Now clean up what does belong on the desk... (but first make sure to wipe it down as you do this!) File the papers that need to be put away! Put the receipts where they need to go (I have a basket on the desk corner that holds IMPORTANT receipts until I file them where they belong!) Clean up any organizing unit that you have. JUST PUT THINGS WHERE THEY BELONG!!!!

THANKS for cleaning your desk off with me today! NOW, mine looks nice and pretty! and so does yours!!!!! This big mess only took me 15 min. to clean up and that was with blogging!!! 15 Min a day to a cleaner ORGANIZED house! (NOW if I can just remember to get those cameras in the corner of the desk developed, my kids would be happy!)

NOW, on to clean my kitchen floor...Does the dirt ever end????????

THURSDAY CHALLENGE!!!!

OK, we are going to tackle something BIG today!!!! It is your BEDROOM CLOSET!!!!!

I know, breathe, breathe..... take a big breath.... let it out..... it will be OK!!!!!Remember, take baby steps you you will get through this challenge!

OK, here is what I want you to do... I want you to open your closet doors and CLEAN IT OUT! OK, just kidding, well sort of.... but I will help you through the process by having you ask yourself some questions about your clothes!

1. Pull out ALL the clothes that don't fit anymore! If you want to keep some clothes for "JUST IN CASE I gain or lose a few pounds, etc.... Store them in a box under the bed, in the attic, or the basement. Keep ONLY the clothes that fit you in your closet!



2. Stained Clothes! OR Ripped clothes that you REALLY aren't going to repair! (the exception to this is WORKING clothes... ie; garden clothes, painting clothes, etc.... Do keep these in ONE place in your closet and don't keep tooooo many, you really don't need more than 2 working outfits! I keep mine on my husbands side... He already has working clothes there, they just blend in!)



3. Shoes that HURT your FEET or that you haven't really worn in YEARS! Come on, are you really going to BUY a dress to match your OLD shoes?????



4. Socks, Bras, and underwear with holes or rips. COME on ladies, these things are fairly inexpensive... if you have been wearing that same ol' bra and panties for years... TREAT yourself to some new unders.... you will feel beautiful when you put them on!



5. Clothes you REALLY don't even like.... things you haven't worn in the past year (with the exception of the holiday sweater, the perfect dress to wear to a wedding, etc...) You know the clothes that you don't really love, GET THEM OUT! Why keep them???? They are taking up precious space!

My husband and I choose to NOT have dressers when we built out new home.... There for we have a closet system....

SO, I do have to put away off season clothes... My closet now has my winter stuff, and most of my tank tops (I am a tank top queen!) and my shorts are put away, along with my summer PJ's. So my winter sweaters, long sleeve t's, and dress shirts are out. My husband on the other hand doesn't need to switch out his clothes, he is a simple man. His shelves on the bottom of his side hold just his flannel pants (pj's) his shorts, and his tanks. He hangs all of his jeans (something I do not do) and also has work Uniforms. In his little org. unit, are his WORKING clothes, he definitely has MORE than the 2 outfits, but he wears his YUCKY jeans to work with his work shirt and then usually wears crappy clothes at home. He is always ready to get dirty at any minute!



What ever you have in your closet to store your clothes in or on, Don't stuff it full!

DON'T keep things just because they COST you money! Remember these THINGS are costing you time and space... Time because you have to dig around them to find what you want to wear and space... WELL, that is a NO brainer!

DON'T keep more than you have space for!

DON'T hold onto things for MEMORY purposes.... Take a photo instead! It takes up less space!

Remember to DONATE anything that is in good shape (plus it is a tax write off!) and THROW away what is not! If you have a friend your same size, see if she needs anything (JUST don't offer her your 10 yr old Bra!)

AND for goodness sakes, GET rid of the NURSING bra if your baby is DONE nursing!!!!!!!!

THURSDAY CHALLENGE!!!!

ALRIGHT LADIES!!!!!

TIME TO SIFT THOUGH YOUR PURSE/TOTE BAGS/ ETC.....

I know we all love to carry lovely purses, great bags, diaper bags, etc... (Ok, maybe we don't LOVE to carry the diaper bag, but that is just part of baby life!)

SOOO, todays challenge is.....

Grab those bags and sift though them! Here are some things to GET RID OF!

1. Throw any Receipts that you REALLY don't need (Come on, get rid of them, unless there is something on them that you MIGHT REALLY NEED to return, throw it out!)

2. Get all the change weighing down your purse OUT, put it is a JAR, you would be surprised to see how much money all your change is worth. (we have a family fun jar and I never pay with change at a store, so I ALWAYS have change to put in it.... we just bought a Year Family pass for underwater world with the change from the past 5 months...!!!) SO SAVE THAT CHANGE SOMEWHERE OTHER THAN YOUR PURSE!!!!!

3. Go through your billfold/ wallet. Are there card you have been carrying around that you don't need to. Credit cards you DON'T use, expired cards, "where did this come from" cards, Any thing you don't need or USE, take it out!

4. Little sheets of paper with little notes on them.... WHY ARE YOU KEEPING THESE??? Get rid of them!!!!

5. Look at your key chain. Are there Keys on there that you don't even use??? Why weigh down your self with them???? Take them off and give them to your kids, I know my 2nd child LOVES keys and key chains!

6. Coupons, COME ON LADIES.... why do you have coupons floating around your purse anyways.... will you really use them if they are not filed away somewhere neat that you can carry into the store with you???? (more on this another day.... I just love to file coupons! When I was a coupon queen, I had TONS of them to file... Now there are not as many, but they are all still in a cute little holder I sew'd up!)

7. OK, seriously, dump that thing out! Stop digging through the mess... just pour it out onto a table and get some BIG TIME cleaning done! You know what you NEED in your purse/bag and what is just taking up space.

HERE is what my purse/bag has.... My purse has my wallet with minimal cards and such in it (ins. cards, 1 Credit card, my Business Credit card, my Licence, My Zoo membership card, my Sam's club card, and 2 gift cards) It also has my $ for OTHER STUFF like gas/ Health and beauty/etc... and my $ for FOOD! I also have 1 lip gloss, 1 chapstick stuff, a pack of gum, my Van keys, My Car Keys, a SMALL first aid kit (ya know with bandaids and ointment) SMALL because there is a larger one in our van. It also has a small zip up pouch with a small bottle of lotion, a couple tampons, a travel size hand sanitizer, a small nail clippers, and a toothbrush and travel paste (I do brush right before my shift at work starts.... bad breath is a real turnoff!) When I am flying out the door, I sometimes throw a small snack in there like a kids cliff bar (my fav is brownie!!!!) or a baggie of cut up apples. That is all I have! I throw out my receipts after I put them on our budget sheet and file the ones that we NEED to keep. I hate digging and digging in public trying to find something.... COME ONE LADIES, we don't need the Kitchen Sink in our purses!!!!!!!

NOW, put back the things you REALLY NEED in your purse and clean up/ throw out, the rest of the items!!!! Doesn't that feel good????

Drop a message and let me know what ODD thing you found in your bag today!!!!!!

THURSDAY CHALLENGE!!!!

OK, today we are going to have alittle fun in the bathroom!
I want you to open the drawers, cabinet doors, and that linen closet!
NOW, purge through your things....
*Take out all soaps and shampoos that you are NEVER going to use (if these are new you can donate them to a womans shelter!)
*Take out all your medications, and GET RID of the out of date ones or ones that you are NEVER going to use! (please discard with care so that NO children can get into them. You can take out of date PX to the pharmacy to digard)
*If you haven't changed your toothbrush in the past 3 months, NOW IS THE TIME!!!!
*Take anything that DOESN'T belong in the bathroom OUT!
*Throw out any make up that is OLDER than a year and any mascara that is over 3 months old! Also any makeup that you ARE NOT going to wear again.... why hang onto it????
*If your stuff is super dis - organized.... head to the nearest store or into your stacks of organizing things and get some handy totes! Pick sizes that will fit best and serve a purpose in the space you have!
*Wash out all the drawers and shelfs BEFORE you put things back!!!!

NOW stand back and look at all you have done! Pretty great isn't it!

Leave a comment about how your bathroom NOW looks compaired to how it USED to look. Also tell the what ODD things you found in your bathroom!

NOW stand back and

THURSDAY CHALLENGE!!!!

OK, after you finish reading this challenge, I want you to go into ONE of your kitchen drawers and DECLUTTER it! Take out anything that
***is Broken
***is Missing Pieces
***is Never Used
***is Something you don't know HOW to use
***you have DOUBLES of and DON'T really NEED a double
***you DON'T LOVE
***you hold onto for the 'SOMEDAY' moments

NOW, throw those things out or give them away! And, do it quickly before you change your mind and slowly start returning them to the drawer!

THERE.... doesn't that feel better???? An Organized Kitchen is a HAPPY Kitchen!

Leave a comment and let me know WHAT you decided "HAD TO GO!!!"