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?