Call me scatterbrained, a quitter, distracted, multi-faceted...whatever word you think sums up my inability to decide what I want to do.
I come up with hundreds of ideas and schemes, but realizing they won't produce as much profit as I feel my time is worth I let them float around in my brain awhile and then let them flit away. I usually revisit the same ideas multiple times, especially work-from-home ideas or going to college.
I like to research things. I like to find ways to budget and save money, find fun and addicting ways to learn, I like to understand how things work. Despite it's bad reputation for over-diagnosing cancer, I really enjoy Web MD. I love learning about the brain, the body, illnesses and conditions. I love to read, and I fantasize about being a novelist. I have recently started writing a novel, and I am really proud of my first few chapters, but I am still waiting on my character to evolve the way that I think characters should.
I first learned about blogging as a way of making money on Wealthy Affiliate, which is pretty well known in the blogging world, as an online platform that has some free resources, but ultimately is a paid online program that teaches bloggers how to set up Word Press and start using affiliate links, which generate passive income. Passive income, for those of you who don't know the term, is money you make without doing anything. Passive income can be made while you are asleep, or while you are on vacation, or while you are working on something completely different. You basically get a percentage of anything people purchase after they click on the link in your blog post.
I was fascinated by this, thinking that I was going to start a blog right then and there. It was one of the ideas that I had (I need to mention the ideas I get are ideas for me, not necessarily original ideas) to earn money. I found this and wanted to pursue it over a year ago. I actually don't even think I was pregnant with my son yet.
I went through some of the free resources on Wealthy Affiliate and I found that I ran into a problem... I had no idea what to write about. Sure, I could start an online diary and hope the whole world found my thoughts super compelling and intriguing, but then I ran into the problem of being completely transparent. I'm certainly not ashamed of who I am, and even the things in my life that are shocking and negative have been valuable lessons that after learning gave me a unique view on life, and a greater ability to appreciate-or desire to appreciate-life. That being said, I believe that telling the whole story would be essential, and I'm just not ready (and may never be) to tell everyone in my life the whole story...so where does that leave me? Writing about something else.
I don't know about anything else. Not like I'm stupid, but I'm just not qualified. I could start a blog about health, but I'm not a nutritionist, or a chiropractor or a doctor. I only know what I know, and that blog wouldn't be one that would live and evolve for several years. I could write about writing, but honestly I'm a beginner. I have no real success or experience to back up my opinions or methods. I could write about cooking, but I already get my recipes from other bloggers, and they deserve that credit. I could write about my baby, but honestly being a stay at home Mom is a lot more boring than people might think. I love every minute with my son but if I were to write a post a week about it, it would essentially say the same things over and over.
I'm still working it out, and at some point I may revisit one of those ideas. Until then, I have just been writing whatever comes to mind at the time, hoping that you guys won't find it completely and overwhelmingly boring.
I see people are reading what I'm writing, but no one is commenting, and I think it is essential to the blog that you guys submit feedback! If you hate it, or have suggestions you are afraid to comment because you don't want to be negative or hurt my ego, don't let that hold you back. I revel in the criticism (of course, the more constructive the better), because it will help me become a better writer, and it will help me understand what the audience that I am already building wants.
I don't even have my own domain, so I am officially making no money off of any of these posts, which is fitting because I want to develop content that I love that an audience will love.
I have applied to go to community college, so when I hear back from them about whether I will receive financial aid I will let everyone know! Hopefully attending school will help me expand my knowledge and help me find a niche topic to write about.
Thanks guys:)
Happy 4th of July!
Monday, July 4, 2016
Saturday, July 2, 2016
How I Grocery Shop On A Budget
Today was a super busy day!
You probably don't know because I haven't really brought it up, but we have been house hunting since March and we are finally under contract for a house we really like! It's got plenty of space, a good sized yard, a nice deck off the dining room, and as long as everything goes as planned we will get the keys on the 13th!
Since we have been putting all of our extra money into our house, money has been really tight, so when it comes to grocery shopping it is an interesting and exciting challenge to see how far I can stretch our money. I go grocery shopping every 2 weeks and usually have a budget of $150 or less each week, which included toiletries and household supplies, so meal planning is required. Here are the basic guidelines I have set for myself.
1. I try to buy healthy! Fresh fruits and veggies, particularly! I know that I am the only one that eats most of the time, leaving John eating my leftovers, or me eating them for lunch the next day, but I refuse to eat Ramen Noodles every day in order to save cash. I could absolutely buy 3 times as much processed, unhealthy, boxed food than how many groceries I actually buy, but I believe in taking care of my body.
2. Buy as many things on sale as possible. The only time that I buy things that are not on sale is when I shop at Aldi, or when I have a brand that I love! I buy Toasted Coconut Almond Milk, for example, and I really, really, love it. I budget for it even though it's not on sale. I usually buy this or a variation of the same brand as a substitute for regular milk, but I occasionally buy regular milk when I know I will have recipes that call for it.
3. I make a list. I do not veer off the list. Today I broke that rule and it resulted me paying more than I had intended on without actually getting everything on my list. I hadn't completed my list because I had written out some stuff I wanted and then wrote out a list of the ingredients I needed for my meal plan, but I did this so late that I didn't feel like combining the two lists and pricing everything, coming up with a total and then cutting things I could live without. So today, when I went to the store I saw hummus, and $0.99 french onion dip I got excited and threw them in the cart.
4. I almost always calculate items as I go along. I can't price everything, even though I usually have an estimate of how much it's going to be, so I take my calculator and I punch it all in (another rule I broke today, thinking I left my phone in the car, resulting in me looking through my purse and blocking a bunch of grumpy ladies from being able to migrate down the isle). The reason I do this is because then when I am done with my list and I have mentally added in the taxes, I know if there is a little extra left for something I saw that I wanted, or extra left in case I accidentally forgot something important.
5. What I do when I forget stuff? If it's something important I send John to get it on the way home. Today for example, the day that I just could not get it together, I forgot coffee. I did not forget to buy myself my emergency coffee beverage that I bought because I didn't have coffee to brew this morning, but I forgot to buy actual coffee, without which I die from the thousand year headache. This headache is not playing guys, so yes, I call in back up. FOLDGERS! When I forget something a little less crucial, like cornstarch for example (for thickening sauce), I try to get creative. I wanted to make Cashew Chicken tonight. I didn't have soy sauce or corn starch, but I did have stir fry sauce, which contained soy sauce and corn starch. That was exactly what I needed to save my Cashew Chicken!!!
So normally I don't forget things, but because I am still practicing being a super shopper on a budget and also trying to learn how to cook new foods it is definitely an exciting learning experience and it requires a little bit of trial and error to get it right. I think the reason that I forgot so much stuff this particular week is because I was shopping for ingredients that I never use. I kind of felt like I failed a little when I spent more than I meant to, but then I realized that it's okay because I am learning all while trying new things!
Share your favorite shopping/meal planning tips/recipes in the comments below!
Thanks everyone!
You probably don't know because I haven't really brought it up, but we have been house hunting since March and we are finally under contract for a house we really like! It's got plenty of space, a good sized yard, a nice deck off the dining room, and as long as everything goes as planned we will get the keys on the 13th!
Since we have been putting all of our extra money into our house, money has been really tight, so when it comes to grocery shopping it is an interesting and exciting challenge to see how far I can stretch our money. I go grocery shopping every 2 weeks and usually have a budget of $150 or less each week, which included toiletries and household supplies, so meal planning is required. Here are the basic guidelines I have set for myself.
1. I try to buy healthy! Fresh fruits and veggies, particularly! I know that I am the only one that eats most of the time, leaving John eating my leftovers, or me eating them for lunch the next day, but I refuse to eat Ramen Noodles every day in order to save cash. I could absolutely buy 3 times as much processed, unhealthy, boxed food than how many groceries I actually buy, but I believe in taking care of my body.
2. Buy as many things on sale as possible. The only time that I buy things that are not on sale is when I shop at Aldi, or when I have a brand that I love! I buy Toasted Coconut Almond Milk, for example, and I really, really, love it. I budget for it even though it's not on sale. I usually buy this or a variation of the same brand as a substitute for regular milk, but I occasionally buy regular milk when I know I will have recipes that call for it.
3. I make a list. I do not veer off the list. Today I broke that rule and it resulted me paying more than I had intended on without actually getting everything on my list. I hadn't completed my list because I had written out some stuff I wanted and then wrote out a list of the ingredients I needed for my meal plan, but I did this so late that I didn't feel like combining the two lists and pricing everything, coming up with a total and then cutting things I could live without. So today, when I went to the store I saw hummus, and $0.99 french onion dip I got excited and threw them in the cart.
4. I almost always calculate items as I go along. I can't price everything, even though I usually have an estimate of how much it's going to be, so I take my calculator and I punch it all in (another rule I broke today, thinking I left my phone in the car, resulting in me looking through my purse and blocking a bunch of grumpy ladies from being able to migrate down the isle). The reason I do this is because then when I am done with my list and I have mentally added in the taxes, I know if there is a little extra left for something I saw that I wanted, or extra left in case I accidentally forgot something important.
5. What I do when I forget stuff? If it's something important I send John to get it on the way home. Today for example, the day that I just could not get it together, I forgot coffee. I did not forget to buy myself my emergency coffee beverage that I bought because I didn't have coffee to brew this morning, but I forgot to buy actual coffee, without which I die from the thousand year headache. This headache is not playing guys, so yes, I call in back up. FOLDGERS! When I forget something a little less crucial, like cornstarch for example (for thickening sauce), I try to get creative. I wanted to make Cashew Chicken tonight. I didn't have soy sauce or corn starch, but I did have stir fry sauce, which contained soy sauce and corn starch. That was exactly what I needed to save my Cashew Chicken!!!
So normally I don't forget things, but because I am still practicing being a super shopper on a budget and also trying to learn how to cook new foods it is definitely an exciting learning experience and it requires a little bit of trial and error to get it right. I think the reason that I forgot so much stuff this particular week is because I was shopping for ingredients that I never use. I kind of felt like I failed a little when I spent more than I meant to, but then I realized that it's okay because I am learning all while trying new things!
Share your favorite shopping/meal planning tips/recipes in the comments below!
Thanks everyone!
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