Weekly Challenge: Unnecessary Distraction

I have an extreme love hate relationship with my computer, tablet, and cell phone! At least one of these things is with me all the time and yes, I will fully admit I use them for both good and ev...ok, maybe not evil, but I'm definitely not saving the world with any of my Facebook status updates! I find myself being completely sucked in sometimes without even being conteously aware and I'm starting to wonder how much I've missed as a result. This weeks challenge is about getting my attention span back! 

Most often my distractions starts with a little red circle... 

Or the pop-up on my computer screen that tells me something's waiting for me! Roughly 85% of the time whatever is waiting is junk, advertisements, or Twitter telling me a Kardashian has tweeted...no, the challenge is not about giving up The Kardashians and yes, I realize that is a problem in itself... Anyway, this week I am working on eliminating distractions so I can be more productive in areas that matter. I'm working on going through all of those junk e-mails and unsubscribing to anything I don't need to see regularly. 

This is quite the undertaking, considering I went through the same couponing phase as everyone else when TLC planted that seed. That meaning that I gave out my email address anytime I was told there might be a discount involved.

I'll also turn off the notifications on my phone and work computer that tell me I have a new email, Facebook message, or when someone repins something I've pinned. The hope is that I'm not constantly being drawn to those apps by that tricky red dot and only checking when I have the time or need to look. Ultimately saving me time and money since I can't even tell you how often I feel like I need something I've never even thought about just because Groupon or Zulilly tell me I do! 

Sound familiar? 

Weekly Challenge: Water

If I started a support group entitled Big Ideas:Small Follow Through, would anyone else feel inclined to join me? As I've mentioned in the past I love to get excited and feel like I can conquer any challenge...and then I either move on to the next or fall flat, get discouraged, and give up. Enter The Comeback Season! To resolve my conflict with feeling like I neglect this blog and stick to the master plan, I have decided to start implementing weekly challenges. These will be small things that I've been needing to work on that I can focus on each week. So check in every Monday and I will issue a new challenge to start on for the coming week. Some may piggyback on another, or just be something that may improve our way of life. As always, I'm open to suggestions as we go along as well! 

Challenge #1: Drink More Water!!! 

As I'm sure you know, our bodies are 60% water so it's no surprise that when we're not getting enough H20 we're not at our best. Maintaining a balance of fluids will help maintain essential functions in the body like digestion, circulation, and the transportation of key nutrients throughout the body. Common sense tells me that if our bodies are in balance we get more energy and a brighter mood as a result which really is the whole point, right? The Institute of Medicine recommends that woman should consume 2.2 liters of water a day to maintain this balance. This is about 9 cups. My drinking glass that I am committed to keeping at my desk at work holds 16 oz. If my math is correct ...

that means I need to fill up (and drink!) 5 glasses each day to reap the benefits of hydration! Sounds doable to me! My challenge to you this week is to find a glass/cup/hose/scoop,whatever, do the math, and commit to getting enough water. 

Game Changer

Confession...uh, I mean...update time!  We're now headed into month four of The Comeback Season and as I'm sure you assumed, this is getting hard!  Not January, January was easy.  We were motivated and focused...and really didn't have any other choice.  February is some what of a blur, but I am pretty sure it consisted of moving, rearranging, stacking, cramming, and a lot of deep breathing.  The hubs and the little one both entered new phases; him with his career and her with the speed at which she can get into everything!  Following the adjustments of February, March brought reality. 

The reality of my long list of coping mechanisms, some of which have been counter productive to my season such as shopping, eating, and overall laziness! So in true Comeback Season fashion, I've been making an attempt to turn these realities into learning tools and opportunity for improvement. There is something about having a stressful work week that draws me to need something shiny and new to reward my hard work. It's much like how a busy morning should be accompanied by a Starbucks beverage...and doughnut, of course. Rather than throwing in the towel, I've gone in search of ways to keep on track, feed my coping mechanisms, and reward our successes. 

As a Pinterest junky, I started there. To help me justify my addiction I am always looking for ways to use this brilliant site as a tool.  I am constantly seeing things that I want to have, see, or do so rather than just aimlessly pin and re-pin sparkly things my friends are also drawn to, I've created a Rewards Board.

 As I come across things I think I can't live without I will pin them as a reward and in the description I decide what I will be rewarded for.

Example: 

This has also doubled as a great tool to set mini goals. One thing I've learned this far in the process is that the big goal is inspiring in the beginning but I need stepping stones along the way to act as a road map. 

I know you're thinking that all these rewards are a little counter productive to our spending fast, but don't worry, I've got that covered as well. We added a few new rules to the fast. Basically the spending fast includes all regular income, but anything extra is free game. This has led to a little creativity, but I've found several easy ways to bring in a some extra. If you haven't used consignment before, I highly recommend it for shopping and selling. I recently covered Baby Girls entire next stage wardrobe at a Just Between Friends Consignment Sale and still can't believe how much I was able to get for so little! I also love Plato's Closet as another great consignment store because they will pay you for what they want to sell and give you back the rest. There's no waiting and hoping something sells. I've already enlightened you all on my furniture consignment find and I'm happy to report all of my furniture has sold...and I have a cutesy new jean jacket to show for it! 

While I'm waiting to become a millionaire blogger, I'll also continue to follow my "every penny counts" moto and take full advantage of our local Bottle Drop (if you don't know what that it, go to the link! This is the best idea that has happened to soda cans ...and my garage...since the  can deposit!)  

And my biggest score has come from Amazon Trade-In...I can't believe I didn't know about this in the past! This has also helped us clear out a little space! Basically you can go to their trade in site and put in the ISBN code of whatever book you'd like to trade in and if they want it they will give you an amount they are willing to "pay" you for it. They actually pay in Amazon gift cards but considering Amazon has anything you could ever want, I don't see that as a problem. I'm two shipping days away from bringing you this blog from my new Kindle Fire HDX thanks to the box of textbooks we've been storing for the last few years! Oh, and did I mention that they even pay the shipping?! 

So with all that, I will leave you with my renewed commitment to this blog and my mission. 

What have you all been doing to stay on track? 

Immunity Boost

Throughout my adult life I have mastered the art of excuse making and justification.  If you are needing permission to eat the wrong things or skip the right things, I'm your girl.  Calories don't count on holidays, your birthday, or Friday's.  We all need to relax more and have some down time so if you need to skip out on that run to catchup on Grey's Anatomy (yes, I might be the only person still watching), then you'll be healthier for it.  You work hard for your money and we all need to indulge from time to time...etc. The idea for my comeback season came from this being my greatest art form.  No more excuses, right?!  Could someone please explain this to my immune system!?  My go get 'em attitude has been consistently overrun by sinus pressure, chest congestion, and exhaustion for the past few months and when I am feeling on top of my game, the little one makes sure to welcome a new tooth or a bug of her own.  Its becoming a problem when I go a month between seeing someone and the first thing they say is, "Weren't you sick the last time I saw you?"  So enough is enough!  I'm on the hunt for anything and everything that will fight a cold quickly and keep them away.  This all came with great timing because after missing ANOTHER day of work, I spend the rest of the week receiving cold remedy and immune boosting advice from just about everyone I encountered!...no really, EVERYONE!  So, since I obviously can't use ALL of them, I thought I would share so this great advice won't go to waste.

1.  Honey, Lemon, and Ginger
  This advice has come in a number of forms and appears to be the magical cure for just about everything!

•  8 oz mug of Hot Lemon water every hour will kill a cold (A friends Grandmother demands it!)

•  Lemon water every morning first thing when you get up will boost your metabolism and fight free radicals to give you more energy and keep you from getting a cold.

•  Ginger tea is the best remedy for nausea (proven during the first 14 weeks of my pregnancy!)

•  Ginger has anti-inflammatory properties and can also help clear your sinuses

•  Raw honey kills bacteria and fights infections.

For this most recent cold I drank the following combination when I first woke up and before going to bed.  I'm not a Doctor or a Scientist, but I believe it helped me make it through my work week!

8oz Hot Water
Lemon wedge (clean your lemons before dropping a wedge of lemon in your water!)
1 Tablespoon of Raw Honey
1 Teaspoon of graded Ginger

2.  Emergen-C Immune +
   Packed full of all the good stuff and doesn't taste half bad!

3.  Jarro-Dophilus
  This is a pro-biotic and I guess the idea is that a healthy digestive system boosts the immune system. Some people swear by it.  I haven't tried it, but at this point, what could it hurt!?
  There is also Jarro-Dophilus for the little ones.  It's Baby's Jarro-Dophilus and a mom told me her baby never catches what the other kids are passing around because she gives him this.  

4.  Olive Leaf Capsules
   From what I was told, Olive Leaf is popping up more frequently because it has antiviral, antibacterial and anti fungal properties  (so when this becomes the new hot topic in the lunch room, you heard it here first folks!)

5.  Elderberry
  You can buy it in syrup or lozenge form and I've also been told that people make the syrup at home.  Elderberry is another anti-inflammatory that boosts the immune system and you would take it when you start to feel a cold coming (24 to 48 hours from the start of your cold or flu).  I also find it interesting that in raw form it is poisonous (with my cooking skills, I will not be making my own for that reason!) 

6.  Children's Vitamins
  Yep, a friend of mine swears they put the right stuff in children's vitamins for new moms and leaves something out of the adult version.  She took them throughout the first two years she had her littles, who are barely 365 days apart, and  says they worked like a charm.  In knowing this person I would also venture to guess she liked the way they tasted like candy better, but I don't have room to be skeptical and my desperation took me straight to the Flintstones isle!

7.  Daily Power Smoothy
   I haven't tried this one either, but a mom told me she makes a smoothy out of lemon flavored cod oil, whey protein powder, organic berries, cacao nips, coconut, yogurt, and cinnamon for her family every morning, including the baby, and she swears that's how they stay ahead of all the bugs floating around. 

I have to confess that this post is another way to solicit some ideas to keep my house hold healthy.  I keep hearing that the first year of day care is going to be the worst and I hope that is true, but just in case, I would like to have as many tools in the the tool box as possible!   So, what works for you? 

DIY Rug

Rental Carpet it Ew! No matter how well it is taken care of, my imagination will run wild with what might be living in it and I blame every ailment we encounter on the many possible populations living in rental carpet.  So you can imagine how I've been feeling about my little one crawling, rolling, and scavenging through the living room.  Naturally, our first thought was to buy a large rug...unfortunately, the small fortune you have to spend on a presentable rug that would be big enough to make an impact, doesn't fit into the spending fast very well so I decided to get creative.  Not only did I have a huge style selection, by using fabric, but the bonus of my DIY "Rug" is that we can also throw it in the washing machine when it needs it!

Materials:
Fabric
Painters Drop Cloth
Spray Adhesive
Thread
Sewing Machine
Scissors 

Good savings tips on buying fabric:
a.  Get the app for your smart phone (I shop at Joann's and always have coupons on the app.)
b.  Get on the e-mail list
c.  Shop on a holiday (Joann's always has specials running on holidays that you can combined with your coupons.)

Since I was shooting for a 9'X9' "rug" I purchased 6 yards of 54" fabric.  After washing my fabric, I lined up the edge and sewed two three foot strips together.  I got lucky with my fabric and was able to use the flower stems to line it up, because I wanted it to look as much like one piece as possible.

When that was complete I took advantage of the awesome weather we were having and laid the drop cloth out on the drive way, as flat as possible.  I rolled the fabric to make it easier to work with and started with a two foot area.  Using Elmer's Spray Adhesive I attached the fabric to the drop cloth.  It doesn't dry quickly so you have some time to smooth out bubbles as you go.  When you are finished, make sure you leave it for at least an hour to fully dry.

After the drying time I finished it by running a stitch down each side so it had a finished edge and voila!-A washable "rug"!

What to do with what won't fit...(Craigslist and Consignment)

"4 to 6 inches," they said.  "The snow will roll in on Saturday," they said.  Well, it is Saturday morning and we are headed into day three of basically continuous snow fall.  Our deck is holding roughly two feet at this point and my car, which I assume is frozen shut, has not moved since my early arrival home from work on Thursday.  With the hubs, little miss, and I snuggled in for the past three days the reality of our space reduction has fully set in.  Luckily, we are a pretty good team so we're making constant progress in finding everything a home.

I have never heard anyone say, "I love to move, its so much fun!" so I will not pretend like I am the only one who loathes this process, but between the hunt for a new place, deposits, packing, hauling, and unpacking, its been a stretch to keep anything straight.  But through trial and error I have learned a few valuable tricks this time around which will hopefully come in handy in the future.  As previously mentioned, this move involved a considerable amount of down sizing so we decided that selling some of our larger furniture would not only give us more space, but also help offset the cost of moving...I love this dog, but for a rescue she has been quite the investment in pet deposits!

We had everything from a kitchen table to a dog kennel to get rid of and in the end we were able to turn our junk into about $1000!  Prior to this season I have hated any of my previous Craigslist experiences, refused to put on garage sales, and ultimately ended up just donating whatever needed to go.  This time I was determined to make it work and here is what I learned.

Craigslist Tricks....my UN-scientific experiment.

1.  Posting a Treadmill two days before New Years will guarantee a quick sale.  In fact, this posting was up for only 2 days and I received about 10 offers.

2.  $300 listing price is a hot number for scams.  (Like I said, this is unscientific, but I started three different items for $300 and were contacted by scammers within 24 hours on all three!)

*How do you know it's a scam?

•   -They ask questions about your "furniture" but aren't specific about the item.
•   -They are out of town and will "send you the money and arrange for pick up shortly after"
•   - The return number has an area code that is not local (this is not always the case, but is a good signal to ask more questions.)
•   -They will text or e-mail immediately after you respond to their initial inquiry a long message (that they couldn't have possibly written in the time it took them to read your response and hit reply) 
•   -Ultimately, trust your instinct.  If something seems fishy, it probably is.

3.  When you are setting up a time for someone to come take a look, don't let more than a full day go by (people will change their mind or go with something else and not let you know they aren't coming.)

4.  If you have multiple people interested in your item, respond to all, even if it is to just tell them that someone else is planning to take it, but you will let them know if the sale falls through...this way, if the sale does falls through you aren't starting at square one.

5.  Write down the name and number of the person who is planning to come look at your item.
....funny side story- I had A LOT of interest in our refrigerator which involved several text messages, e-mails and phone calls (lots of names, which I am really bad at remembering!)  We had set up a time for a women to come by, but had something come up and had to leave.  I called the missed call number I thought belonged to this women to let her know and accidentally called someone else who was interest.  What did the other person do, you're wondering?  She pretended like she was the original women!!!  I didn't put it all together until later that evening and still feel terrible for the original women who I am sure came by our empty house and was not pleased...which is likely why we never heard from her!  Luckily I had already learned number 4 so we were able to sell it to someone else the next day! 

6.  Take multiple pictures and include a picture of anything damaged (scratches, dents, etc.)  People want to know the truth and will try to lower the price when they show up if they feel you were not forthcoming. 

7.  Have the dimensions on hand. I personally think posting a picture will bring people in and then they can ask you for dimensions if they are interesting (its a good ice-breaker.)  

8.  Update your post regularly.  There are new items being posted all the time which will continue to bump you to the bottom of the list, so renewing the post will ensure your add is seen by more people.

9.  Decide on your bottom line. I priced everything with some bargaining in mind, but let people know what I was hoping to get out of my item.  Most often people would agree with that amount.  Example, I had a women send an obvious low ball offer on our washer and dryer.  I told her that I was hoping to at least get $250 for both and sure enough, she could make that work!

10.  Try to do the negotiating prior to seeing the people in person.  If you are anything like me, I have a much harder time saying no or sticking to my guns when someone is standing in front of me with cash in hand.  That also eliminates the excuse "Oh, all I have $50." 

11.  Let people know your expectations.  Will you deliver?  Do they need to pick it up? Does it have to be gone by a certain day? Are you only able to respond to messages in the evening?  Is e-mail or text better for you? Are you open to offers or set on your price? etc.

12.  Finally, get the Craigslist App!  It is so much easier because you are able to post without having an account, take pictures with your phone while you're creating a new post, and add multiple posts with a couple of easy to follow prompts.  

As for what was left...(Consignment)

As our moving day quickly approached I had unloaded almost all of the items we wanted to sell, but was still left with my HUGE Hutch and Kitchen table.  I was starting to get a little anxious about having to move them or bite the bullet and donate them so I starting looking for other options.  I am no stranger to wandering through consignment shops, but knew nothing about consigning so I thought I would educate myself.  What I learned was that if you have good stuff, this is a no-brainer!  Basically I could either go through the hassle of moving and storing these things or let someone else do the hard part.  Here's how it works:

1.  Bring in a picture and dimensions of your piece.  The who's who of the shop will look them over, decide if your piece is a good match for the store and if they have room for it.  They will want to make sure they don't have multiple similar pieces and that your furniture is in good condition.

2.  Set up a drop off time.  They will need to move things around and find you're items a spot...its not like clothes consignment where they put a hanger on it and a price tag and hope for the best.  You're taking up valuable real estate so they want it to show well.

3.  Get all the details. i.e. how long will they keep it, how much of the sale do they get, what happens if it doesn't sell, etc.  The shop where I left my things is a non profit who funds the Assistance League so the percentage that they will keep is actually considered a donation which will come in handy at tax time. 

4.  Finally, they will work with you on how much to price the item.  The ladies where I left my hutch were open to my suggestions and gave great feedback from their experience. They were also mindful of future price reductions.  They work on a schedule where the price will decrease every 30 days if the item hasn't sold meaning them and I  both lose more money the longer the item sits, so finding the right price from the beginning is a huge benefit.

And now I wait...(check back for the update...and hopefully the positive outcome of my adventures in furniture consignment.)  

Now that we're moving past the clean out process, the plan for the furniture that was lucky enough to make the move with us, is to give some of it a little face lift while we find a happy medium between sticking with our spending fast and enjoying our home! (Remember the coffee table incident...)

January Recap

Wow, lets remember back to that time I said I'd probably get in over my head and I'd gladly admit it...yes, moving, working, mommy-ing, and blogging has been a lot to keep up with.  I'm about two weeks behind on this post because we've been trying to figure out how to not only move, but do a major downsize and attempt some organization, all with a seven-month-old in tow.  With every move I have this vision of everything being neatly packed away in boxes, stacked nicely in categories and ready to go on moving day.  We back in the truck, load it all up and it arrives at the new house, ready to be quickly put away; everything having a spot.  

This is reality...every damn time!

So over the next month I will update you on my organization progress, but for now I thought I'd do a little recap of the first month of my comeback season.

The quick version:  January involved eliminating about 800 square feet of living space, 8 pounds, 12 inches of hair, 2 cats, and traditional cable while gaining about $650 in monthly savings, a carpool partner, and a long to-do list for the weeks to come.

With all that said, this comeback season has been fun! The hubs and I have developed a little process for letting go.

Digging through all of our stuff and parting with things I've moved from place to place over the past 10 years hasn't been the fun part, but we've had lots of opportunities to begin the brainstorming and dreaming for our next season. It keeps our eye on the prize! 

This process has allowed us to make two closets become one...

And Goodwill now has acquired TWO trucks full of our treasures...

So where did the $650 come from?

1. As previously mentioned, TV was the first to go. After a quick Facebook Survey from my brilliant friends we traded Direct TV and all it's goodies for Netflix and Hulu Plus. I've been kicking myself for not doing this sooner when I found out that between these two apps I can see all my favorites for $15 a month!  We were even able to stream the Super Bowl on Sunday so this is far from the sacrifice we thought it would be!  Total Savings: $100/month

2.  I really should be calling this, "why didn't I come up with this stuff before", but I guess "better late than never" will work. I started carpooling with a coworker that lives along my route to work. We trade off weeks which keeps me from needing to fill up once, sometimes twice, a week. Total savings: Estimated $75-$100.

3.  The move was obviously our big source of savings but it didn't come without a little anxiety. This has been the place we spent our first year of marriage and brought our sweet girl home from the hospital so while I knew this was our best way to accomplish our ultimate goal, It did take some deep breathing to get this ball rolling. We set two budgets for this move. One for the ideal and the other was worst case scenerio. Ideally I wanted to cut $400 from our rent and when we found a place that hit $350 and covered water/sewer and garbage I equated this with hitting the jackpot! Total savings:$450!! 

Finally, where did that 8 pounds go?  Between packing a lunch to save money, cutting out 24/7 TV in the background, and the calories burned in the move, I'd say I found my own jump start program! I'm hoping this "weight loss program" will give me a couple more pounds lost before a workout routine will need to bump itself up on the priority list. 

How'd everyone else do in the 1st month of their season? Any helpful hints to share?