De-crapifying attempt #1: hello bookworms

I hate to admit how much I love that word de-crapifying. It's so unlady-like. Come to think of it, maybe that's why I like it so much...I digress. I don't know if I've ever explained just how many books Jason and I own. Take for example this bookcase that we purchased last Christmas at IKEA.



(Ooh, ahh, so pretty and staged...)
Yeah it didn't look like that for long since it need to actually hold up its end of the job (namely, housing books). That puppy was filled up faster than I could say getridofsomedamnbooksalready! Oh, and did I mention we actually own two of those bookcase? And they're both filled overflowing? I didn't? Well they are!!

So in an attempt to start filling in some bare nooks and crannies of our house, I started thinking why not use what I clearly have plenty of? BOOKS! Rather than buying trivial (but pretty) items from places like Pottery Barn or Michaels, I started digging through the bookcases. Jason and I love our books with a ridiculous passion. We hyperventilate at the thought of letting anyone borrow one (what if it doesn't get returned?) and the thought of getting rid of anything that isn't falling apart at the spine makes us want to cry. Yeah...we have problems...we know.

Thus I give you my first meaningful vignette of the year--and the first step towards making more room in our bookcases and weeding out the junk. (Sorry in advance for the bad photos. Our landing has no windows which means purely artificial--and therefore bad!--lighting)



(Before)



(After)
Maybe others would have left this ledge alone, but I hated coming to the top of our stairs and seeing nothing. I've tried using vases, picture frames, and a lot of other little things to make it look more homey. But really it just looked cluttered. The books seem deliberate. Chunky. Filling. (Campbell's soup anyone?) Plus, I love love love my not-so-subtle tribute to our military heritage by using red white and blue books (which is a display I lost in the bookcases when I needed to fill them). Also? This little "bookend..."


...is my solution to the fact that we don't technically own bookends. (I know, WTF?) This porcelain rose was a gift from my ma (the yellow rose is the symbol of the Marine wife) and by stacking it on top of red, white, and blue books I feel like it's the perfect little display.

Books as decor = ♥

Resolutions, 2012 edition

So...I've felt super awkward since every other post I see on my Facebook feed is "YAY!! 2012!! OMG my resolutions are [insert mile long list here]!!! 2012 is going to be the best year EVER!!!!!!!!!!" Um...ok. Yay enthusiasm? But now picture me with the cartoon-like ? above my head. Since last year's resolution kind of fizzled somewhere around June or July, we can clearly see I'm not the best for keeping resolutions year round. But, I figured I'd give it the old college try and (dare I say it?) make a resolution for 2012. It's both a big one, and a little one, and one I know a million other people are doing.

DE-CLUTTER OUR HOUSE.
I know. Super original right? (And wow, that looks kinda scary all in red and giant letters!) But after many (failed) attempts at trying to keep this place organized, I'm starting to realize we just have too much crap and too many broken systems. Mail is strewn everywhere but the basket I bought for it (maybe because the basket sits on our book shelf in our office tucked away in the downstairs corner of our house?). Shoes are lined up in the foyer (::cough:: Jason's! ::cough::) or along the stairway (::cough:: mine! ::cough::) instead of in closets.

Useless knick-knacks purchased for the sole purpose of creating vignettes? Check! Random un-matching picture frames stored in linen closets because I don't know how to say no? Check! 8 sets of duvets/comforters, 12 sets of sheets, and 16 pillows in a house with only 2 beds?? Check check!!

Bring it on 2012--let the de-crapifying begin!

June's 1/12, K.I.S.S.

As in Keep It Simple Stupid. Since we started adhering more to our monthly budget, we've noticed a lot of things have fallen to the wayside--some had to fall. Take for instance my projects. Throughout the month of May, I didn't buy supplies for any new projects (everything had been purchased in April). We noticed the amount of money I was delegating to so many DIY things was really starting to add up. So I promised not to start anything else unless I a.) had the supplies on hand, or b.) finished more things of our family to-do list (like still organize the office from when it was moved downstairs, and getting the garage in order).

Also, we're trying to curb our eating out habits--imagine our horror when we realized in one month we spent almost $500 eating out!! And after a very successful birthday spend-a-thon (with birthday money) I'm trying to be smarter when it comes to my shopping habits (I've had to buy new clothes because so many of my old ones were donated to Goodwill).

So, this month's goal is to keep life as simple as possible. Take time to appreciate the free things (our new favorite activity has been reading and laying outside with Tessie while she chases her ball around), or the cheap things (namely discount stores--I'm going to do a mini-show and tell of what my birthday money netted me by sticking to stores like TJ Maxx, Payless, Marshalls, and Ross).

I'm also going to try and focus more on our little family. I think sometimes my head is so wrapped up in paint, and sanders and jigsaws that I forget about who lives in the house I'm so feverishly trying to decorate.

Oh, and hopefully we'll make some headway on that garage too...

May 1/12, recap

So here's what got done...

The jute pears. Holy mother of jute. These suckers took forever to wrap, but I love the way they turned out. They add so much texture anywhere you put them.


The starfish and molding copy cat. So easy, so cute. So love.


My rustic sign for our kitchen soffits. Learn the story behind the Groc. & Grill in this post.


My failed attempt at the BH&G knock-off head board. Check out that pitiful and painful confession here (I re-hung our old upholstered headboard for now).


The bathroom caddy. I did it for F-R-E-E baby! Check it out here.


Along the way I was able to pare down the list as well. When it comes time to build the shelves, I'm now only going to build two sets, and I'll probably opt for something more like this (from Ana White).


The things I still want to do in the future? That canvas and burlap pillow is still calling my name. But I'm kind of overwhelmed with pillows at this point, so I'd have to find a place for it first. The DIY dresser knobs are still high on my to-do list. I want to replace the drawer handles in our master bedroom so bad! The rustic barstool would still be fun to DIY. I know I want barstools for our kitchen so I'll still be on the look out for something. And as for the wooden chargers? I may still do those...I already have a template traced, now it's just a matter of cutting and painting them and we all know how quick I am in that respect! :)


The adorable garden caddy I wanted to build, I'm choosing not to. At least not now. If we had more of an outdoor eating area I might. But we don't so for now it's going way on the back burner.


The mason jars I wanted to modge podge with blue food coloring? Well, those are now sitting in my blue bathroom caddy! So I'm thinking they'll stay clear ;)

So for all May entailed, I think I accomplished quite a few things. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get started on my June list!

May 1/12, git-r-done!

Yes, I totally just made a Larry the Cable Guy reference. I loves me some Blue Collared Comedy. But, there really is no better title for my resolution for May. I touched on a few of the things I want to do in this post, but what I didn't mention is I actually have a running to-do list that I add on to. It helps me to complete projects, keep track of new ones, and reminds me of what I need/want to do.

So for May, I'm sharing some of those things on my list. May's 1/12 is literally called Git-R-Done!

To-Do:
- Finish wrapping jute pears (I only have 2 of 6 done)
a. buy more jute twine
- Add ribbon to curtains (these were a part of my bedroom make-over for spring)
- Build new headboard (currently in progress, and there will be a tutorial of sorts when I'm done)
a. buy more hot glue
b. buy more buttons
- Build hook shelf for headboard (will also post a tutorial)
- Build farmhouse shelves (I'm now planning to build 3 sets of these)
- Start finding vintage baskets for sewing fabric

Now, in addition to that list, I'm also going to try and do as many things as I can from the series of photos I showed in this post as well.




My goal isn't do do every single one of them. We have a lot planned for May in real life too ;) My cousin's 21 birthday, which is being held in downtown San Diego (wait til you see what we end up doing). For my birthday we're taking Tessie on her first stay-cation and going up to Beverly Hills for a few days. And last but definitely not least, my little sister graduates college (OMG!!) up in San Francisco this month as well. So getting even a few of these things done will make me very happy!

Happy May!!

April 1/12, fail(ish)

Okay, there's no shame in admitting that some resolutions you just can't keep right? Well, consider my April 1/12 to buy as little as possible at full retail a failure. Maybe not so much a failure as "not such a good idea for a resolution." Yes, I used coupons where I could (JoAnn's mainly), and yes I used discounts where I got 'em (Pottery Barn and the outlet, my military discount at Home Depot), but I don't feel like I actually did anything productive this month--which I hate because all of my other 1/12's have made me feel very productive!

However, I did get reacquainted with eBay (I forgot what good deals you can find if you try), and I got accustomed to checking the free section on Craigslist almost daily to see what people were getting rid of (man did I miss out on some good things!), and I remembered that there are places like Goodwill where you can get picture frames for a buck.

So, while I didn't make any Earth shattering discoveries or manage to sock away an extra $500, I was reminded that while it's easier to shop at retail stores sometimes it's more satisfying to hunt down those bargains. Makes the rewards a little sweeter...

April 1

So here it is April 1. I'm supposed to have a new 1/12. Do I? NOPE! I'm definitely in puppy-love with our new baby. As I type she curled up in my lap (and Pottery Barn blanket) snoozing away. Every so often she looks up at me with those big brown eyes as if to say how come we're not cuddling in bed mama? (For the record, I never thought I'd be one of those pet owners who referred to themselves as "mama.")

But, since it is April, I gotta come up with a new 1/12. And this is what I've been thinking: buy as little as possible at full retail. Now that doesn't give me permission to shop to my heart’s content on eBay or Amazon or other full-retail-alternative stores. It means working with what I've got, using coupons when I do have to shop retail (I know I have to buy some new pieces for work for spring/summer this month), and watching for sales and clearence items (and 10% off does not qualify as a sale).

This may also develop into a bit of a DIY challenge for me. Maybe I'll start putting my sewing machine to use when I want new pillows instead of buying them. Same thing for curtains. It'll mean using up some of my wood scraps for projects, as well as fabric scraps.

And who knows, if it goes well, maybe this will be a habit I can continue throughout the year! It would be kind of nice to quell my less-than-frugal shopping habits...

Oh, and to keep this post from being completely devoid of photos, here's your truly sporting her new summer hair color. That's right, I went blonde!

St. Patrick's Day recap

I was going to wait to do this at the end of the month like all my other 1/12 recaps, but figured it would be silly to wait so long to revisit something that happened in the middle of the month. So if you'll remember, my resolution for this month was to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in an authentic Irish way. My menu included (vegetarian) Irish stew and Irish soda bread. I didn't end up making dessert but it was okay because dinner was so filling. If you follow the recipe I linked to, I highly recommend adding an extra cup of water to the mix (otherwise I think it would have been way too dry). Also, if for some reason your crock pot fails to get plugged in--ahem!--you can also cook the stew on high for 4 hours and have all the veggies cook up just right. But enough blarney ;) let's get with the pictures!



my simple irish table set-up.



i snipped the shamrocks off the plants i found
at our commissary for only $3!



i went for a very classic and minimalist look.
everyday white dishes from bb&b, thrift store crystal
candle sticks, linen-look napkins from pier one, and
cafe glasses from ikea.



making the irish soda bread.
super easy, and suuuuuper delicious.





it was a little squishy in the middle still.


Overall, I am very pleased with how everything turned out. The stew was utterly amazing, and I will make it again (talk about comfort food). And filling! I could go on and on about it, but you'll just have to try it for yourself.

Hope you had a safe (and savory!) St. Patrick's Day too!

St. Patrick's Day: the food

Just reading the directions for these dishes is making my mouth water. The stew sounds hearty and like Irish soul food. I'm think I may add a splash of Guinness to give a bit of a stout taste and provide more broth for bread dipping.

The Main Dish
Slow-Cooker Vegetarian Irish Stew
Irish Soda Bread

Dessert
Irish Whiskey Cake
Irish tea

In other St. Patrick's Day news, the table is very slowly coming together! One of my favorite inspirational photos is this one right here. For some reason this captures the feeling I'm going for all in this one tiny shot--well, minus the green oatmeal!


The natural colored linen napkins, and table cloth, classic white dishes, the old silverware bundled with a bit of twine, and a little shamrock to finish it off. And I knew exactly where to find those napkins.


Pottery Barn's Hemstitch linen napkins. Everything about them is perfect. Except the price. A set of six was going to set me back $56 (no matter what the table is set for, I always buy things in a set of six because that's how many people our table can actually hold). I was bumming hard. Over $9 per napkin?! There was no way I could justify it even if they came out every holiday because I'd constantly be worried about people actually using them. And what's the point in that? But then I found these.




(this is a better representation of their color.
can you tell i was trying to be all pottery barn-like when i took this shot??)
Hemstitch napkins from Pier One for only $4 per napkin! Their color and texture are perfect. The biggest difference between mine and the Pottery Barn ones? Mine are made of cotton. Which I am 100% okay with because they're actually cotton and not a polyester blend. Easily washable and maintainable. And at $24 for a set of six I was doing a little (Irish) jig as I carried them up to the register.

Now I just have to decide what to do about a table cloth...

March's 1/12, St. Patrick's Day

I have one goal, and one goal only for March: celebrate St. Patrick's Day in an authentic Irish way (and I don't mean getting hammered on green beer at the local pub). For years Jason and I have wanted to do up a traditional holiday meal, and listen to music, and just enjoy this seemingly random holiday. But most years he's either just been deployed, or returns from a deployment a week later, or we've just gone vegetarian and don't know how to cook up a variation of corned beef.

But it's not just going to be about the food--ambiance is also important in Irish homes, especially when it comes to meals. And if you think I'm going to bedeck our house in glittery shamrocks and plastic leprechauns you've lost your mind Jack! Here's what (I'm hoping) our St. Patrick's Day decor will look like.


Think lots of natural elements--potted clovers, moss, maybe some wooden mushrooms for a touch of whimsy, nubby linens in warm hues, and possibly even a few paper bag lanterns. I want it all to feel very warm, inviting, and simple.

For the meal, if I can find a vegetarian version of corned beef and cabbage, I'll try to make it. If not, I'll do a fish and cabbage (supposedly, corned beef and cabbage is actually an Americanized dish) or maybe a stew. Irish soda bread will absolutely be on the menu and for dessert possibly a Barnbrack with Irish tea. And of course, there will be potatoes a-plenty.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have exactly 16 days to complete this 1/12! Stay tuned because it's going to get very busy around here!

February's 1/12, recap

The Little Things" list actually got a bit of a jump start at the end of January, as some of the things I was so anxious and excited to do I couldn't wait until February first. Which ended up working out because other things ::cough::upholstery quotes!::cough:: took longer for me to get around to. In fact, due to the big jute monster knocking me down for two weeks, most of these things were accomplished in the last weekends and days of February!

1. Clean out & organize the refrigerator.
Done(ish). It's hard to keep any sort of organization when you're constantly restocking, having leftovers, and needing to rearrange. But the shelves are clean, and that's what makes the whole thing feel cleaner.

2. Organize pantry.
Done(ish). See above. ;)

3. Clean out and organize closet. Donate items to Goodwill.
Done, and I now have one side of my closet that is completely empty. I may start hanging things that I'd previously designated as "drawer" items, and try to free up a few.

4. Take brand name clothes to Plato's Closet.
Done, and an interesting experience. I found a super adorable green dress that will look very cute when paired with my tan blazer and some wedges this summer. The great thing, it was only $7! I may visit them more often...

5. Get upholstery quote on benches.
Done. And may I just say, not going to happen! The cheapest quote I got was $65 a pop, and that with me supplying my own fabric! Are you kidding me?? I wasn't having them install any kind of trim or anything--just changing the fabric. I'm going to re-evaluate these benches and see if there's a DIY solution hiding in there somewhere. To save $130 I'll figure it out!

6. List Bowflex and 2 TVs for sale.
Done(ish). The two TVs ended up at Goodwill with our old couches. We realized no one is buying the boxy sets anymore, not even for $50. So rather than let them keep taking up valuable DIY real estate in our garage, we loaded them up into my step-dad's pickup truck and hauled 'em away. The Bowflex, one of our friends is debating on buying, so we're holding off on listing it. But if it's still in the garage come mid-March, it's going up on Craigslist.

7. Buy a mouse pad.
Done. I actually showed you a quick tutorial on how I saved money and made our new mouse pad out of a free promotional gift and some leftover fabric. You can check that out here.

So yay! Another month, another 1/12 resolution down! And there were so many other things that got finished this month--the new couches, a rug change, a new table (!!), and an adorable co-op sign that I can't wait to show you a tutorial on.

Ready or not, here comes March!

Let's talk shoes

Because every woman has some sort of shoe fetish, because no matter how many pairs of black shoes we have we can always have one more, and because they're such pretty works of art they deserve to be displayed, let's talk about shoe storage.



oh carrie bradshaw, thy will be done.
In an attempt to keep my February 1/12 list going, the cleaning out of my closet has been well under way--and I can't believe how much stuff I'm getting rid of! I do a closet purge anywhere from one to four times a year (usually after every season--winter, spring, summer, fall, not fashion seasons) because I always try to give a piece "one more season" to see if I wear it anymore. This purge has been slightly more extreme because of the weight loss. We hang on to things that are too small in the vain hope that we'll fit them again one day, but we definitely don't hang on to our clothes that are three sizes too big (I don't ever want to fit back into those)!

But now that the upper parts of my closet are under control, it's time to get the bottom half in shape. Namely: the shoes. Ms. Bradshaw would be horrified at my current shoe-living situation, as they're all scattered haphazardly with no two pairs being near their partner. It's pretty awful. So I've been trying to come up with ways of rectifying this dismal conundrum. Enter: The Container Store. Considering that I'm not nearly as organized as I want to be, this store always sends a little thrill of excitement through me.

For under $30 I can get a case of 20 of these bad boys.


The basic clear shoe box, easily stackable, easily see through-able, and will keep my babies safe. I may have to buy a few of their heeled shoe boxes for my shoes that tower at 4- and 5-inches tall ($8-$9), and a few of their boot boxes ($9), but I'd only need a couple each.

They also have the hanging systems, like this eco-friendly fabric swiveling shoe tower.


It holds 22 pairs and runs right at $30. I'd have to find an alternative for my boots (maybe a sweater hanging system?) but every size heel could fit into it. Of course, it doesn't leave much room for a growing collection as I'd have to buy another whole shoe bag once I filled up all 22 slots (come to think of it, I don't even know how many pairs I currently have...).

So those are the current options, and in all honesty, I think I like the clear boxes idea best. More so because when it comes time to move (again) they'll be easily transportable and won't wind up tossed into a box by the military movers.

I don't know that we'll make it down there this weekend (I'm hoping to have some exciting news to report after Saturday) but in the next few weeks I plan to get down there and get a system going! And I think I'll definitely have to consider something like this while I'm down there too...


So how about you? Anyone else have a closet in desperate need of organizing? Or anyone have an "after" closet? What kind of organizational system did you go with?

February's 1/12, the little things

Beginning the year with one major resolution under my belt is a real motivator! I can't even tell you what a high I was on after finishing my 1/12 for January. I immediately sat down and started scheming things for February. Part of me wondered if I should stick to the financial side, but I realized that with the new habits established, I needed to give them some time to work out before I started messing with them. So instead, this is what I've come up with for February:

I call my list "The Little Things" (insert sound clip of "Little Things" by Good Charlotte here). We all have those things that we say we want to do but just never get around to them. They're just "little things" so what's the rush? Have you stopped and put all your "little things" down on paper lately? My guess is your list probably isn't so little anymore! So that's what my second 1/12 resolution is: take care of my little things list!

1. Clean out & organize the refrigerator.
I actually want to strip this thing clean, soak my drawers, suds up the shelves, and condense the three half full bottles of mustard I have taking up valuable real estate in the doors.

2. Organize pantry.
I know of about a grillion plastic bags that are just begging to be taken to the recycle bin outside the commissary. And the garlic Triscuits my mom left me that I never eat? Why are those still in there? And why is the peanut butter next to all of Jason's gym supplements? And whose idea was it to put the chips underneath the paper plates?

3. Clean out and organize closet. Donate items to Goodwill.
I started doing this after realizing that half of my wardrobe doesn't fit me anymore. I'd rather have 3 pairs of jeans that I know fit me properly than have 10 pairs that are baggy on me, even with a belt.

4. Take brand name clothes to Plato's Closet.
Depending on your location, you may or may not have heard of these guys. I've never visited myself, but I'm planning to make my first trip this month. In an effort to either make some extra cash or replenish my dwindling attire on the cheap, I'm going to see about selling or trading in some of the items I only got to wear once or twice last year.

5. Get an upholstery quote on benches.
Remember these from my Two Nuts in a Shell days? One of them is painted, the other isn't. Both of them still harbor the slightly stained, pomp and circumstance covering of fabric they originally came with. I bought these in November 2009! 2-0-0-9! These might not actually get upholstered in February, but I will get a price quote on what it would cost. Of course, that's going to require knowing what kind of fabric I want them done in too...


6. List Bowflex and 2 TVs for sale.
I'm going to try a few avenues for this. Craigslist really hasn't given me outstanding results the last few times I've used them, but it's free and a lot of people use the site. Our base also has a site you can use, and we may even do a good old fashioned flyer by the mailboxes for our neighbors. Anything to try and get these things moved out of our garage!

7. Buy a mouse pad.
I know right? Like, how meager of an item is this?? But do you think Jason or I can ever remember to do it? Nooooope. I'm absolutely terrified of scratching up the surface of our desk, so this may be job one this month.

So as you can see my "Little Things" list has definitely got some heft to it. Before it turns into a full blown to-do list, I'm going to use February to get a jump start on it!

PS: February is also the first month our new budget is going to be enacted! I'm super excited/nervous/anxious to see how well we pull it off!

January's 1/12, recap

If you remember, I made only one New Year's resolution this year: to make one resolution each month of the year. For January, I wanted to get our finances back in order. Slowly but surely, that is happening. Here's what my list included for this last month:

1. Gather up all our bills and see who needs to be paid when. Make monthly budget accordingly.
Done, but lemme tell ya--this? Was an eye opener! Ho-ly crap man. I could never understand why our budget said we should be saving something near $900 a month, and yet we always seem to barely scrape by come the thirtieth. So before I made our new budget, I sat down and actually added stuff up. Imagine my surprise when I realized we actually spend $360 a month on groceries and I only had us budgeted for $150! That's over a $200 gap! Or gas--we share a car which means it does get driven more frequently than usual. I had us budgeted for $100 in gas for a month, and we actually use $200 worth. There's another big boo-boo! After all was said and done the "amount left over" column was much more realistic than it has been in budgets past. Had I only accomplished this one item in January, I would have considered the whole month a success.

2. Set up automatic payments through the bank to pay everyone.
Done. This really only applied to our cell phone carrier, but still. Everyone's now set up to be paid from one spot. No more going all over the web to pay bills. And better yet, they’re (almost) all coming out automatically, so no more late fees or worrying about someone not being paid on time.

3. Start setting aside a savings again (even if it's only $50 or $100 a month).
Done(ish). This was the first month we did it; obviously it takes more than one month to make a nest egg. And even though it was hard not to steal $20 here and there for a Friday night movie or a quick dinner out, we left it right where it was. In the savings account. Plus, with the newly redrafted budget, it looks like we'll manage to set aside $300 a month (not including my paychecks) until we get some more things paid off, and it will still leave a small balance in the checking account for unforeseen debits.

4. Consider opening an account at a local bank.
Done. No joke, a few days after I posted my monthly resolutions, they set up a local branch of our online bank! Talk about fortuitous. The only downside? Their tellers don’t actually take deposits like a regular bank, it’s all done through the ATMs. So they don't take rolled coins--of which we have amassed quite a collection. But after nicely asking my dear ol' Ma, she added me to one of her local accounts. And the great thing is it's a national bank, so no matter where the military lands us we'll always have access to them.

So January? So long. Farwell. Auf Wiedersehen. Adieu. I got through my first set of 1/12 Resolutions and I am damn proud of myself.

if this was a movie, this is where we'd insert a montage of me surrounded by piles of bills, knocking them over one by one while "Eye of the Tiger" is playing in the background. we'd end said montage with me raising my arms victoriously over my head and yelling "Adriaaaaaaaan!" oh...wait...that last bit may be from "Rocky..."



Now, onto February...

January's 1/12, beginning

When we lived in North Carolina, I had our finances down to an art form. I had automatic transfers, payments, and any other form of e-banking set up that I could have, and most months I never even touched our accounts. Money was put aside into our savings, the mortgage was paid on time, and I never woke up in a panic wondering, "Did I pay the electric bill?!" Oh how the mighty have fallen.

Whatever pathetic excuse I want to offer up as to why I fell out of this habit, when it comes down to it I just got lazy. But I'm herby rectifying this situation for 2011! First things first:

1. Gather up all our bills and see who needs to be paid when. Make monthly budget accordingly. Just because I'd like to pay the phone bill at the end of the month because it fits in nicely with our pay schedules doesn't mean that's when it's due.

2. Set up automatic payments through the bank to pay everyone. Yeah, online bill pay is great, but when I forget to visit each specific company's website, it doesn’t do me any favors. Plus auto-bill pay is free through our bank.

3. Start setting aside a savings again. Even if all we can manage is $100 a month, I'd rather have it pulled from the everyday account than just sit in there "hoping" we don't use it. Because we see how well that's worked (HINT: it hasn't!).

4. Consider opening an account at a local bank. Our bank is an online military bank. For the most part we've never hit any snags with this (they even reimburse ATM fees from other banks). The only problem we have time and again is when someone gifts us with cash. We can't deposit it via the online deposit system and most of the time we try to save cash for splurge expenses. We've tried the old envelope under the mattress trick for this issue, but having easy access to it hasn't kept our hands out of the cookie jar. With an account at a local bank we can deposit any paper money and either leave it there, or write ourselves a check to our primary savings account. Plus it’d be nice to have a place to deposit all those rolls of coins we have.

So there we have it. The beginnings of my first 1/12 resolution. Now I just have to take this plan from paper (er, web?) and put it into action! How about you guys? Anyone have some financially savvy tips they want to share? Are we the only ones with a budget resolution this year?

2011 resolutions

Normally I'm the first one to throw my hands in the air and proclaim, "I'm not making any because I never keep them!" But then I realized that just wasn't going to fly every New Year's Day and I'd love to get through at least one of my adult years having made a resolution (and kept it)! I will say this for my accomplishments in 2010, even though I didn't make resolutions:

1. I got most of our house in order. It didn't stay that way for long, but our house is almost completely furnished and looks cohesive.

2. I lost weight. Like, a lot of it. I started 2010 weighing in at 132-pounds¹ and creeping my way into a size 8 and 10² in my pants size. I ended 2010 weighing 112-pounds wearing (and fitting into) a size 2.



on the left is me in las vegas, february; on the right, all of us going out for my sister's birthday two weeks ago
3. I went to the gym consistently, cut out a lot a junk food, and managed to continue not biting my nails.

This year, I'm giving myself a 1/12 resolution: Make (and do) 1 resolution for each of the 12 months of 2011. I don't have to choose all 12 resolutions today--just as long as I have one by the beginning of each month.

So...without further ado, I introduce to you January's 1/12 Resolution: Get our budget, bill paying, and finances back in order.

More on Tuesday! :) But how about you, readers? What's on your list of resolutions this year? Or are you eschewing tradition and just celebrating 2011 for what it's worth?

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^{1 & 2} I am in no way shape or form declaring that these sizes and/or this number on the scale are bad things. For me and my body size (and according to all that stuff the food pyramid, the BMI, and the rest of them say) it was bordering on unhealthy and "obese" for my height and body type.