Guest Post: Household Contribution Schedule + Free Printable!

When there’s a job to do … there’s just a job to do!

If there is one life-lesson that I want to teach my kids before they leave my nest it is WORK ETHIC.

I want for them to experience the pride and satisfaction that comes with a job well done. I want for them to have the knowledge and belief that working hard brings pay offs – sometimes these are external rewards but much more often they are warm and fuzzy ones.

This all starts at home.

Work ethic is not always an easy principle for us, as parents, to teach and nor is it a given that kids will readily learn. We do have to try though, don’t we, and at our place organisation and persistence are key strategies.

I try to think of our household as a mini society. It’s a little world within the world and a place that can only function smoothly when each citizen aka family member fulfils their responsibilities. To do this, I have replaced the traditional “chore chart” with an outline of what each family member is expected to contribute to the running of the household. It’s then my hope that the kids will learn that the privileges they enjoy are not God-given rights, but rather the reward resulting from contributing to running of the family.

I’ve attached a sample chart – very similar to the one on display in our kitchen ;) – that shows how our schedule works. I’ve tried to make it very clear that contributing to the functioning of the household is a given and is expected by adults and kids alike.

In keeping it real, I’ll readily admit that we are on draft upteen-thousand of this and as the kids grow, and our household routines alter, I make tweaks and changes where necessary. Sometimes these changes are in consultation with the kids – but nope, not always. I figure they may as well learn now that there will always be times in their lives where they just have to do what they have to do. Whether they like it, or not, sometimes it’s just suck-it-up-time.

When nominating what I expect each child to contribute to the household, there are a number of factors I keep in mind ….

1. Age appropriateness – increasing the number and/or complexity of contributions as the kids grow and mature (and likewise the privileges are upped accordingly)
2. Geared towards success – never so many things to do it’s overwhelming, nor are tasks too difficult
3. Leading by example to ensure I also contribute what I’ve committed to
4. Discussing the expectations to make sure they are clearly communicated and understood
5. Honouring the privileges and rewards and consistently following through with consequences when contributions are not made.

Do your kids chip in and help around the house? Do you have a chore chart or have you just made them aware of what you require them to do? Would love to hear how your household works!

View my sample Household Schedule here.

Download your own Household Schedule here.

Author Note:

Shari Brewer is an educator, writer and the blogger at http://www.familysurvivalcoach.com . It’s a place for exploring a whole range of household and family stuff and topics include – budgeting, reviews, family stories, organisation and more.

Just remember that it’s really about surviving it all!

Linking up with Diary of a SAHM for IBOT

Lists, Lists and More Lists!

I have been talking lately about being a little time poor, and having awful not so good time management skills. Well, I have been tackling these issues the last few weeks, and I must say, so far I am pretty proud of my results.

The first thing I did, was start writing lists (oh lists how I love thee!)

I started with a list of what needs to be done on a daily and weekly basis. My daily list included things like meals, exercise, washing, and preparation for the next day. The weekly list included grocery shopping, changing the beds, housework, etc.

After that I mapped out Master A's schedule. He already wakes, naps, has dinner and goes to bed at the same time each day, I just needed to add in a time to make sure we are ready for the day by, and morning and afternoon teas (more info on Master A's food and meals to come in a later post).

I then did a list of Monday to Sunday and scheduled each job that needs to be done (including studying and blogging, which are my real issues right now) into a day. Friday is my housework day, Wednesday I need to do some reading for Tafe and some blogging, etc. I don't have set times for these. With Master A's age, it really is too difficult to schedule my time and jobs around him.

The last lists I made were morning, day and night routines. I have aimed for us to be dressed, ready to face the day by 8:30am. The morning routine tells me what needs to be done for that to happen. I should mention that as of next week, I will be getting up an hour earlier than Master A to get myself dressed, have a healthy breakfast and have his all ready to go for when he wakes.

The day routine consists of things like ensuring a load of washing goes on in the morning, going for a walk after Master A wakes from his nap, or after lunch and making sure dinner is prepared for the night.

The night routine is pretty straight forward. The only things I have changed is to add a quick tidy of Master A's room and unpacking his bag and repacking for the next day.

As you can see I typed these up in word and printed them out for convenience (and just coz they looked prettier!)

I am now trying to tackle my procrastination issues. Not so much of my day spent on Facebook or sitting around watching TV, which I have been so bad for since the renovations started in our kitchen.

I have a plan for the day in my motivation journal - more on this later this week and I make sure I make time for the fun things with Master A.

Do you have routines in your house?
If you are a work at home/study at home mum, how do you balance your time and still get time out?

And of course because it's Friday I am linking up for the first time in a few weeks with the gorgeous Grace over at With Some Grace for Flog Yo Blog Friday...

... And also the beautiful Bree over at Twinkle in the Eye for Flash Blog Friday!

Cutting the Emotional Clutter

I have been spending the last couple of months clearing the physical clutter in my home. I started a clean out that you can read about here. It has taken me a little longer than I had hoped, but slowly I am getting there. There is another kind of clutter that I hadn't really thought about until today, that is so much more important.

Emotional clutter.

I am carrying around grudges, hopes and wishes that will never come true, fears and regrets that I need to clear out of my life in order to live happily.

Here is how I am clearing the emotional clutter from my head.

1. Make a list.
Whether it's a to-do list, a to-call list, a to-buy list or a to-organise list. Get those things down on paper, and out of the never ending circle in your head.

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2. Clear out the drama.
If there is one thing I hate, it's drama. I know that I will always have some amount of drama in my life, and that's ok. I have, however worked hard to cut those people out of my life who just simply bring drama with them every day. If I can't cut them out (for instance my sister) I cut myself off from the drama. I refuse to converse about it and remove myself from the situation if I have to.

3. Leave behind the past.
There are people in my past that are best left there. I would love these people in my present and future, but for various reasons, I need to let go of them and leave them behind and move on. The same goes for situations that have happened. Leave them in the past. Don't keep re-living them.

4. Finish what you've started, or let it go.
I have some half finished projects throughout the house (and my life) that I am making plans to finish, or trying to let them go. The same goes for goals. They aren't all appropriate anymore, and I need to decide whether they are still goals of mine.

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5. Learn to let go of what you can't control.
This is something that I am terrible at, but I have made massive progress with in the last year. There are so many situations that I just cannot control, such as having to communicate with Master A's dad, or living at home with my parents. If you can't control the situation, what is the point in worrying about it? If you can't change the direction of the wind, adjust your sails.

6. Take control of the chaos.
When your physical environment is in chaos, you're likely to be stressed and exhausted. Put on a load of washing, sit down and plan out your meals for the rest of the week, make a start on that pile of paperwork sitting on your desk. Give yourself room to breathe. Sit down with a pen and paper and have a think about what it is that you need to be better organised with. For me it's daily and weekly routines. Everything is still a bit up in the air and it's making me stressed. Take control of the chaos, and feel better.

7. Eat healthy and exercise.
How guilty do you feel after devouring your third cupcake? You don't want that guilt. Eat healthy (with treats of course) and exercise daily. I only walk, but find it's a great time to let my mind wander, and the fresh air clears it.

8. Clear out inboxes, in trays and contacts lists
Go through your email and clean it out. Go through your contacts list and delete old and unwanted phone numbers. A big one? Go through your Facebook friends list and clean that out. People you haven't seen since high school that you only friended to have a bit of a nosy, old boyfriends you never talk to, that friend of a friend of a friend that you met that one time out at dinner. What's the point in seeing their day to day lives when you don't even know them anymore?

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9. Dream big.
Write down your hopes and dreams for the future. Make them attainable though. I certainly won't be putting down the hope that someone from my past will all of a sudden show up and want to be a part of my life again! I love doing this every now and then. Where would you like to go for a holiday? What sort of people do you want in your life? Do you like your career, or is it time for a change? From this, you can make goals. And that's where the fun begins!

10. If you have more emotional clutter than you know how to deal with, see a counselor.
Sometimes you just need to let it out. Counselors can be a great help, and they have been helping me get through my custody issues. Speak to your GP or ask around. Someone you know may know of a great counselor you can see.

So here I go, trying to eliminate the emotional clutter in my head.

Do you struggle with emotional clutter at times?
How do you deal with it?

It's finally Friday so I am flogging my blog over at With Some Grace and Flashing it at Twinkle in the Eye! Get on over and check them out!

Storing Birthday Cards

Last week I shared a photo on Instagram and Facebook showing how I keep Master A's birthday cards together. It got a bit of feedback, so I thought I would share it on the blog and show you just how I store old cards. I was originally going to use only ribbon, though I thought that would make it hard for Master A to look through.

So far I have the cards from my baby shower, and Master A's first birthday. When he has his second birthday in September I will do those cards the same way. All you need is a hole punch, album rings (pack of 5 from Spotlight for roughly around $3), your cards, and I also included the invitation from the party.

Hole punch each card and thread the album rings through the holes. I put the invitation on the front. Close the album rings and voila! You have a little book of birthday cards that your child can flick through when they want to. Couldn't get much easier than that! I also added some ribbon to the rings to make them a little prettier (yes, pretty for a boy!)

I keep them in a storage box from Ikea, and will continue to add to it over the years as he has more birthdays.

So that was my super dooper easy way to store old birthday cards, and it is much better than having them floating around a drawer or box, I reckon!

How do you store your children's birthday cards?
Do your children like to look through them?

Blogging this Tuesday and linking up with Diary of a SAHM

My (lack of) Time Management Skills

This is a totally unscheduled post, as I have not had the time to prepare for my scheduled post for today! If you follow Me and My Munchkin on Facebook, you would know that I have had a sick little Munchkin this week. And if you don't, why the hell not? Head on over and introduce yourself! While we're talking introductions, head over to a post on the blog that interests you and introduce yourself there, too!

Anyway, sleep deprivation and stress does a lot to my sanity and writing skills. It also sends me a little cuckoo and distracts me from the point of what I'm getting at.

The issue in question today, is time, and the fact that most of us mothers just do not have enough of it! Yes I know we all have the same amount of time. I have no less time than Tara over at Mum-ments, Grace over at With Some Grace, or even Katy Perry. But it really feels like I just do not have enough hours in the day to do what needs to be done.

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Picture this: a sick, clingy, sooky and cranky toddler (making you cringe yet?) add in 2 weeks of Tafe that I am already behind in thanks to a forgotten textbook they just happened to leave off the list, also don't forget the blogging (totally important, it is my me-time to connect with all you lovely ladies) and throw in the attempt at sleep for good measure. See now, I've already forgotten working out! All five of these things are important to me, more so than the housework, which also needs attending to through the week.

So what's a mum to do?

I have never been good at time management. Procrastination? I'm a master, and can teach you everything I know. I am so much happier sitting on Facebook, playing cars with Master A, coming up with a plan for the week that I so desperately want need to follow, than I am actually doing what it is that needs to be done.

I am also not so good at the balance thing. I tend to be a little one-sided. That is great when I'm watching the footy, but not so good when I have work screaming to be done, a child screaming for pain relief, a body that's starting to put on weight and a house that's beginning to look like a bomb site.

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I think that just maybe, it is about time I looked at my time management skills, and tweak them just a little so that I manage to get everything done. Please tell me that I'm not the only one that is feeling just a little like they're in over their heads and needs some kind of a wake up call to put it all back in perspective?

Well, I'm off to the Amazon e-book store, to procrastinate a little more by looking at books on time management.

How do you make sure that you manage your time effectively?
Do you manage to fit social outings in to your day?
How many more hours a day do you need?

Flogging my blog over at With Some Grace. Head over and check out some amazing bloggers.

My Blog Post Planning System

I have been searching for a little while for the perfect way to plan my blog posts. I am not somebody who likes leaving things to the last minute. I like to have a plan, though I like it to be flexible, so that I have the option to change it, for whatever reason.

A few weeks back I came across this post by Pink Ronnie. I thought that the idea was brilliant, so adapted it for myself. Off I went to the newsagency to get what I needed, and I quickly got to work.

This is my new blog plan system. It is set up in the corner next to my desk so that I can easily see it when I'm blogging.

I have a large piece of poster cardboard, and used blue sticky notes across the top to highlight the topics covered on the blog. These are my main topics, and being on sticky notes, I can change these whenever I want. I use yellow sticky notes for post ideas. The post idea then gets put under the right topic, and I can make sure that there is a variety of topics included on the blog in any one week.

I choose the posts for the week and put them onto the "calendar". I have 2 weeks showing on the calendar, and have included a square for a blog goal for the week. When I am choosing my posts for the next week, I simply pick from the topics and stick them onto the calendar. Being sticky notes, it means that I can change my mind and push posts back if I'm not quite ready to write them yet.

I have been trialing this system for about  2 weeks and finding it great. The only thing I am looking to change is using smaller sticky notes so that I can fit more on the cardboard!

Do you have a system for organising your blog post ideas?
Where do you blog? At a desk, on your couch, do you have your own home office?

Linking up with Bree over at Twinkle in the Eye for Flash Blog Friday

Big Spender

Please note that this is NOT a sponsored post. I simply found a great tool that helps me out and would love to share it with you!

I am a bit of a spender when it comes to my money. I always have been, and I am always looking for ways to curb my spending, and remember my bills. I'm the person that pays for a paper bill, rather than email because I can never remember to pay them otherwise. I despise direct debits because I have to remember to make sure there's money in the account.

I posted last month about the system I use for my budget. Although this system works well, I still found that I was spending so much money, and I had no idea what on. Bills were starting to get forgotten, or only partly paid. 

So I headed to the app store on my iPad in search of an answer, and my purse is thanking me that I found one!

The app is called ExpenSense HD and I paid $0.99 for it (though it may not stay at this price). I am using it in conjunction with my current budget system. 

It is so simple to use, with an easy way to add an expense, or purchase, or an income. You can also input recurring incomes or expenses. I love this function, because it means that the app really runs itself, and I only need to put in any purchases that I make.

You can see a full screen of your accounts. I have put in all of my accounts, including my credit card and car loan (these can be in the minus, so that when you transfer money into them, you can see what you have outstanding). I also have a cash account. You can transfer money from one account to the other, so when I take cash out, I just transfer it from my everyday account to the cash account on the app so I always know how much cash is left. 

Every purchase you make needs to be entered into the app. It really is so easy and I just ensure that I collect receipts for everything, and then spend 5 minutes at the end of the day going through them and entering them.

Entering recurring expenses, incomes and transfers is easy and takes very little time.

This is my absolute favourite feature. It will give you a chart showing where your money is going for the month. It is very visual so you can see exactly what you are spending your money on. 

It also has a budget function that I don't really use as it is monthly, and I budget fortnightly.

So has it worked? Well, last pay has gone on exactly what it was supposed to. All of the bills are paid, my car has been paid for and everything else. I know how much spare cash I have left, and what still needs to be paid for. This app has become a huge part of my budget system!

Do you use technology for your budgeting, or pen and paper?

How does your budget work for you?

Linking up with Jess at Diary of a SAHM for IBOT

6 Month Goal Update

I am now at my halfway point for my 6 month goals so I thought I might do a little update and let you all know how I'm going. I am actually quite proud of my current progress, and excited to continue on with them!

1. To build Master A's immune system up and get him back into a sound routine.
Master A's routine is going pretty well. It is not set in concrete, which means it is flexible, and I like that. He gets up at around the same time every day, naps at around the same time, eats his meals and goes to bed at the same time every day. You can read about our bedtime routine here. 

His immune system unfortunately is still not great. To be honest though, mine is just as bad, and both of us need to focus on building our immune systems so that we don't get sick as often!

2. To become totally comfortable in my own company.
I have become much more comfortable in my own company. Though I do still feel lonely, particularly on a Friday or Saturday night. This is when I need to keep myself busy by blogging, watching a favorite movie or TV show, or finding something to do around the house. On the whole though, I am definitely feeling a lot more comfortable on my own.

3. To be organised and efficient in various areas of my life.
I am not a naturally organised person. I work hard to be organised, and I love it. I'm a total control freak and this gives me that sense of control in a chaotic Mother's world. I am slowly becoming much more organised throughout my life. These are a few lists and charts that I use already to help make life easier. 

I have done a bit of sorting and organising in my room and Munchkin's room to make things easier. I have also started a major clean out that I am in the middle of. I am reviewing my current weekly routine and also my budgeting. I would like to think I am well on my way to living a fairly organised life. Now I just need to find a man that doesn't think I'm crazy!

Do you have goals that you need to do update on?
What do you think; don't tell the men I meet that I am as crazy "anal" as I am until they have already fallen helplessly in love with me?

Linking up with the awesome Bree from Twinkle in the Eye for Flash Blog Friday!

Our First Aid Kit

After losing 2 of Master A's puffers, and constantly spending 5 minutes searching every time I needed something out of my first aid kit, I decided it needed a little bit of a revamp. We have quite a few little bottles of tablets for when I get back and neck pain, and have a massive stash of wound dressings from when Master A had surgery, so the system I had, was certainly not working anymore.

I used to have 2 small first aid tins. Although they looked great, they just weren't practical.

I tried to have 1 tin for medications, and 1 for bandages, band aids, etc. This didn't end up working. It didn't take long to fill both tins, and things were over flowing.

Sorry about the bad quality picture!

So off I went to Cheap as Chips. I had so much fun trawling through the storage isles, trying to find something perfect to do the job. Eventually this is what I came home with. All up it cost me $11.

After sorting through all the medication, throwing out old unfinished antibiotics and anything out of date, I starting sorting the medication and creams into the 2 baskets at the bottom of the box.

In the left side basket I have creams (antiseptic cream, deep heat, vicks, etc) and mine and Master A's spare puffers. In the right side I have all medications and pain killers. There is also a few boxes of tablets down the side.

I have sat the tray on top. It fits quite nicely, and there is still a little room underneath it to store anything else that needs to go in the first aid kit. Here I have bandages, band aids, tape, dressing kits and hyperfix that was left over from Master A's surgery wound, little sachets of sterile water, scissors and a heat pack. 

I have taken all band aids out of the boxes and put them in a zip lock bag. There is also a zip lock bag with alcohol wipes, and one with gauze packs. This keeps everything 'like' together, and means that if we are running low on anything, I see quickly and can make sure it's added to the shopping list.

The tub sits nicely on top of my DVD shelf in my bedroom. The lid has a carry handle on it so that it can easily be carried to where ever it may be needed in the house. 

Does your first aid kit need a bit of sprucing up?

What do you keep in your first aid kit?

Linking up with the gorgeous Jess from Diary of a SAHM for IBOT

The Ideal Life

I have started on my "big clean out", and while wading through many water damaged boxes in my parents garage, I came across one of my favorite organising books: It's all too much by Peter Walsh.

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It's all too much is a brilliant book about de-cluttering your home and life. Of course, once I found it, I had to start reading it again. Peter Walsh is an organisation expert, and when he is with clients he starts off their journey by asking them what their ideal life is, in every aspect. Their home, health, relationships, experiences, activities and career. I started to think about my ideal life, and what I want from it.

My living situation is a lot more permanent than I had planned when I moved back home with my parents 8 months ago. In my ideal life Master A and I are living in our own place. A unit with a little back yard would be perfect. My friends are extremely important to me so I would love to focus on my friendships. Spending time with them and entertaining at home, being that having a small child means I can't always go out.

I want to have the time to do something for me; yoga, scrap booking and exercise are all things that I would love to make the time to do. Having an organised and clutter-free house would give me the space and time to do so. I would be working part time in a job that I enjoyed and studying.

I know that it seems I am trying to have it all, but this is my ideal life!

So now that I have my ideal life in mind (it is a little more complex in my head, I just skimmed over it for you) I am getting set on clearing out the junk. Anything that doesn't fit in with my "ideal life" doesn't stay.

It has given me the chance to sit and really think about what it is that I actually want in my life. Even the simple things like hobbies and interests. Not only in terms of big goals.

Have you ever thought about your ideal life?
What kinds of hobbies/interests would you love to make time to do?

Linking up with Diary of a Stay at Home Mum for IBOT

The To-Do List

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I always keep a to-do list in my diary with just 3-4 things on it for the week. However after being sick for over 2 weeks, taking on "the big clean out" and just letting things get away from me, I have come up with a rather large master to do list.

I'm usually one to hide it, for embarrassment of people seeing how much I'm actually supposed to be doing! But today I have decided to share it, in hopes that maybe by showing the world then just maybe I'll feel like I actually should do some of it.

So here goes!

• Bring bookcase in from the garage to the hallway
• Purchase some plastic tubs to store "garage sale" items
• Find all of my boxes in the garage and sort through them, pulling out any items to sell or get rid of
• Finish off my short course ready to start Tafe in a few weeks
• Vacuum and wash my car
• Clean out Master A's toys
• Clean out my DVDs
• Clean out my books
• Clean out my clothes and shoes
• Start to sort through boxes at my storage unit
• Sort through my scrapbooking stuff and downsize (sob!)
• Apply to uni for next year
• Get my clutch replaced on my car
• Get the boot fixed on my car
• Get caught up on Offspring so that I can continue on the TV (top priority!)
• Lay-by for Master A's birthday and christmas presents while the toy sales are on
• Plan an awesome night out for my best friends birthday next month
• Look into yoga as a means of relaxation
• Start menu planning again

OK, so there's my list, in no particular order (actually in a rather strange order). So now that it's out there, I have to get started, right?

Do you use to-do lists?

How many do you usually have on the go at once?

The Clean Out

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Clutter is such an ugly word. Being such an organise-freak like I am, the word 'clutter' makes me cringe. Unfortunately, it is not something that I can avoid. I am staying with my parents, and my dad is somewhat of a hoarder. It is challenging to live with, and probably the reason why I am as 'anal' as I am.

De-cluttering, sorting and purging has always been a way for me to relax. If I was stressed, upset, or just feeling plain out of control, I would pick a room and go for it. Being that the majority of of my belongings are now either in storage in my parents garage (amongst my dad's recent purchases) or packed into my storage unit, de-cluttering is not as simple of a task as it used to be.

But, as they say, I must soldier on.

I will clear out the remaining junk that I still own, and no longer need, starting with a box at a time. I figured I would start with the garage. I know there is so much out there, just have no idea what it is.

I have read so many books out there about cleaning out, de-cluttering, living a life with less stuff, and have picked up 2 main points from all of these books:

1. You can only keep as much stuff as you have the room for. If you only have room for 2 magazine holders on your bookshelf, and those holders are full, you need to get rid of some magazines, rather than buy more magazine holders.
2. When starting a purge, have a sale box, a borrowed items box, and a garbage bag. I also keep a bag for giveaway items, to go to good will. 

I keep items to sell in plastic tubs. This way they are contained, and I still know where to find things when they sell. One problem that I run into, and I know that others do too, is knowing when something is worth keeping in your house, taking up space, and the time to list it for sale on eBay or Gumtree, only to make a small amount of money on it. 

I have decided that after this big clean out, a garage sale is more appropriate. I can put everything out, whatever doesn't sell will either go to good-will, or if I think that I could sell it for more than $5 online, then I will do so and put the money onto debts. 

I would love a little inspiration. It has been quite awhile since I have been able to do a clean out, and would love to see any photos, blog posts, experiences, anything that will give me and everyone else a little inspiration to get out and do this. Please upload any photos to the Facebook page, or comment with any stories and leave a link to any blog posts.

Do you need to do a clean out at your house?

What is your best tip when doing a clean out or purge?

Linking up with Diary of a SAHM for IBOT

Also linking up with Twinkle in the Eye for Flash Blog Friday

It's All About the Balance

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I mentioned in one of my recent posts that I was struggling with balance in my day to day life. Spending time with Master A, studying, housework, blogging, seeing friends, and doing everything else that needs to be done, or I want to do.

So I have spend the last couple of weeks coming up with a bit more of a schedule for our days. It is very flexible, because as we all know, things don't always go to plan when there are kids involved.

I started by making a list of all the things that I want to do in my day to day life.

• Playing with my Munchkin
• Scrapbooking
• Blogging
• Cooking
• Exercising
• Cuddling with my Munchkin
• Reading
• Seeing friends

And then a list of the things that need to be done such as:

• Housework
• Nap time
• Meals
• Studying

I then put them into a morning and afternoon category. It's really pretty simple. In the mornings Master A is happier left to his own devices to play. I am able to get some blogging done, a bit of housework, a load of washing goes on first thing in the morning so this is the time to get things done that need to be, or a little bit of my time.

Master A goes down for a nap straight after lunch, which is at about 12-12.30. He will sleep anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half. This is time for me to get things done that I can't do while he's around. Sometimes I will take a short walk, if my dad is home to watch Master A, or I will catch up on a bit of rest or blog reading.

In the afternoon Master A can be a lot grumpier, and more demanding on my time. So this is Mummy-Munchkin time. We will do things such as playing at home together, going out to the park, or even watch a movie together. The point is, the computer is switched off, my phone is not in my hand and I am focused on my boy, should he want to play.

Once the Munchkin is in bed (you can read about our night time routine in my next post), that is completely me-time. I finish up any cleaning or tidying that needs to be done, have a hot shower and then either do some more blogging, scrapbooking, a bit of studying or hop into bed with the electric blanket on and a good movie. Once I finish my online courses and start Tafe, study will need to be much more of a priority in my life, and I will look at fitting that into my routine once I know the level of commitment it will require of me.

So this is something that I am trialing, and I will certainly update you on my progress over the next couple of weeks. I have a feeling that things may need tweaking, and I may need to give up some of my morning time. But, like I said this is flexible to allow for those things.

We like to spend time with friends, catching up for play dates. These will slot into our days quite nicely, and it means that some things will just not get done on certain days, and that's OK too.

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Do you have a structure to your days?

What do you think you need to do to create more balance in your life?

The Dreaded Budget

On a scale of 1 to 10 how much do you hate to budget? 9, maybe 10? I know that I'm going to totally regret sharing this little bit of information with you all, but I love budgets. I love sitting down with my calculator and working out all of my income, and all of my expenses.

Weird, right?

There is just something about numbers that I find so soothing. Following, or sticking to the budget, is so much harder. But, I do okay most of the time. I thought that I would share with you all how I do my family budget. As it's only me and Munchkin, it tends to be a lot simpler, however I am currently in the process of getting my financial situation back out of the red so I have to budget as to what bills my money goes on.

Please note: I will not be showing my budget, with current figures and bills. This post is showing you the process I use and how I do it. 

I budget once every two weeks. I am paid fortnightly, so only have the need to do it at this frequency. I have two plain exercise books. One is where I write down all of my fortnightly budgets, assessments of my financial situations and updates of my current over all budget. The other book is where I record all payments that I make.

When I start an overall budget I do four things.

1. Assess my current financial situation

Make a list of any debts that you have. Credit cards, loans, mortgages, money borrowed from family, anything. Come up with a total. I call this my Total Debt (yes I know, obvious). I reassess my financial situation monthly. You may not need to do it as often, but I find it changes so much from month to month and it gives me motivation to see it continue to go down regularly.

2. Come up with a budget

List your income, and list your expenses. It really is that simple. Calculate how much all of your expenses work out to be on a fortnightly basis. This means you can put money away for all of your bills to ensure they are covered when they come in. Include everything that you pay throughout the year. Things like electricity and water, do an average and work out a fortnightly figure from that.

3. Come up with your financial goals

And be specific. If you want to have $15,000 paid off of your car loan by the end of the year, write it down and work out how much you need to pay on the loan fortnightly to achieve this. Make sure your goals are achievable, but also set them high, so that you are motivated to follow them. For example, if you do your calculations and discover you can easily pay off $15,000 by the end of the year, make it your goal to pay off $17,000. 

4. Maintain your budget fortnightly

Once the previous fortnights bills have been paid, I then set out on the next fortnights budget. I have a set amount for expenses (which includes bills, groceries, fuel, etc) and the rest I allocate to different areas. I also state which bills will be due within that fortnight, before the next pay comes through.

Recording Payments

I do all of my banking online. When I pay a bill, I record all of the information and receipt number into my book. 

This means that I can easily find a payment made, without having to pull out all of the filing and find that particular bill.

Just a few tips

• Remember that this is simply how I do my own budget. I am not a financial adviser, and your budget is possibly a lot more complicated than mine. But I just wanted to share with you an easy way to track your finances.
• I keep all bills to be paid in a red manilla folder on my desk. This means that they are all in the one place, I always check it when I am doing my budget and it means that I don't have my bills out on show on the fridge for all visitors to see.
• Reassess your budget every six months. Things will most certainly have changed. Your income or your expenses. Even if they haven't changed, you need to see whether you are on track with your financial goals, and assess whether they are still important to you.