The life and times of Libby Withnall

Welcome to 2009!!! Here are my goals for the fabulous year ahead

* Have regular family dinners at our new kitchen table (which we’ll get in a few weeks)

* Take more baths

* Have at least 2 family vacations – at present thinking of Byron Bay and the Snowy Mountains (in Winter)

* Continue work in veggie garden. Start to grow own seedlings.

* Rework weekly routine to do more detailed cleaning around home.

* Read more with girls

* Take dogs to dog training, and work with them during the week.

* Follow Red Carpet Ready health/fitness program  (signed up for the 6 week Diamond Club starting 8th Jan)

* Try digital scrapbooking

* Teach myself to sew (Annie if you were close by we could learn together)

* Finish knitting wrap (my friend Sue started it for me in June)

* Learn to Crochet (Sue is going to teach me this June)

* Borrow and read more books from the library – esp. about simple living.

* Attend at least one event run by Sustainable Illawarra

* Try to met more online friends in real life (Kerrie you’re next on my list – gee, I sound a bit like a stalker )

* Try to have some computer free days during the year – maybe even one a month

* Develop new (and old) friendships

* Continue to stick to my budget and start paying extra off the mortgage

* I had planned to complete Project 365 but it’s already SOLD OUT!!!

* Keep developing my Library of Memories (maybe rejoin this class again)

* Develop and expand scrapbooking skills (Mum got me a Big Picture Scrapbooking gift certificate for Christmas)

* Organise the spare room (and keep it tidy)

* Continue to reduce, reuse and recycle

* Make more gifts (instead of buying)

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And now my word for 2009. Last year my word was STRENGTH but I don’t really think I lived up to it very well. Well, that was then and this is now. And I am READY!!!! Yes, my word for 2009 is READY.

I am READY…. to become Red Carpet Ready by joining the Diamond Club

I am READY… to make more friends

I am READY… to embrace all life offers

I am READY… to attain all my goals for 2009

I am READY.. to be the best mother, wife, daughter and friend I can be

I am READY…to start ticking off my life goals list

I am READY… to be more FUN

I am READY… to live more simply in my day to day life

I am READY… to become the best ME I can be

Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while will know that I’ve had a pretty good year – an excellent one fact. I’ve managed to lose more weight and maintain it for the last 6 months. And, best of all, I feel I have grown as a person and in my contentment levels being a housewife and Mum. The following are the goals I set for 2008 and how I went with them. I think it’s an improvement on last year.

HOME/GARDEN

- Work on household routine – need to incorporate detailed cleaning (Routine is now in place, still working on getting in more detailed cleaning)

- Continue work in veggie garden esp. winter production (Pretty good)

- Grow potatoes (have large pot just waiting to be used)  NO

- Get worm farm going again (may need new system)  YES, bought a new compost bin (no worms)

- Work out how to get seedlings to grow in green house (no success so far)  No, they all died again

- Shop for fruit and veg at local markets /continue to buy organic where possible Didn’t get to local market but bought more organic this year

- Learn to make more things from scratch i.e rolls, tortillas  YES, though I’m still not doing it as much as I should

FINANCE

- Start paying extra of mortgage (by mid-year)  Umm.. NO..at present will start this in Feb 09

- Start saving for UK trip (due to start next week)  YES, we’re putting aside money every week into a travel account

- Stick to budget (you never know it might happen one day) YES!!!!!!

PERSONAL

- Learn to sew (either in classes or on my own) NO, everytime I enroll in a class it gets cancelled

- Take a vegetarian cooking class at Nan Tien Temple ( have form printed out, just have to mail it off with a cheque)  Class was cancelled

- Volunteer work – still trying to find the right thing for me (already do uniform shop and canteen at school)  No luck as yet

- Make more hand-made presents (those I made this seemed to be a big hit)  YES!!!

- Organise ( and keep organised) my scrapbook space (can’t wait for my Big Picture Scrapbook class with Wendy Smedley to start)  Yes but it’s a WIP

- Develop knitting skills – make something other than scarves   NO

- Read more about simple living  YES

- Get back to working out 6 days a week (3 cardio, 3 weights)   On and off throughout the year (but regular exercise)

- Get out and enjoy life more (already started on this one)   YES!!! Definitely been a lot of FIRSTS this year.

I’ve mentioned a few times about how we’ve moved over to a cash budget and one of my readers asked for some more details.

I’ve being using the Simply Budgets program for a number of years now and love it (if you need to change any amount it does all the work for you and you can see your cash flow for the coming year). Any budget program will do but you do NEED a budget. However, having a budget and sticking to it is another thing. In fact, we were not able to EVER stick to our budget while putting most purchases on credit card. Yes, we did pay off our credit card every month but I was continually having to rework the budget to be able to do this.

During the year I started watching Till Debt to us Part and the first thing Gail does is put her “clients” on a cash budget. Eventually getting sick of continually running out of money (the crunch came when Kevin had a $1000 dental bill and we had no SAVINGS), I decided we’d try the cash budget.

I bought seven little containers for our main categories – Beauty (covers skin care/makeup, hairdressers, beauticians), kids, entertainment, clothing, household, pets and Libby (personal spending money – mainly for magazines and books). I also have a small purse for groceries and gifts – these stay in my handbag.

I added up how much money I needed to withdraw each week and once a week I’ll get my money and divide it up. Some categories – like food – get used up weekly, but most accumulate so I can buy things when needed. Our bills, like water, electricity, etc are still paid on credit card and paid off monthly.

The first few months were a little tough and I had to shift “cash” around from one container to another. This was mainly becuase I had to accumulation to start with. Now as you can see there is quite a bit of money in some containers – I’ve been especially working on the entertainment one so I’ve got spending money for the school holidays.

Now that Christmas is over I expect things to really settle down. I don’t like parting with my cash now so I really do think about my purchases. Just the other day I told Christy I’d look for a new Christmas book (to replace one that was damaged). The one I liked was $32 so I quickly put it back on the shelf. A few months ago I would just have bought it on credit card.

The best part is not only do I no longer have to rework the budget to accomodate my overspending but in the 4-5 months we’ve been doing to cash budget we have managed to save $5,000!!!!! Some is in my travel account, some in long term savings and some will pay for my new kitchen table.

Honestly, if you have trouble sticking to budget I suggest you try a cash budget. I was a doubter for many, many years but this is only thing that has worked for me. And you know the crazy part? Even though we have had to say no to buying things we really haven’t done without. I don’t feel like I’ve been deprived. I’m not wanting. Which just shows that that $5,000 we’ve saved would have been spent on stuff we really don’t need !!!

Over the last few months I have started to NOT LIKE shopping. Any of you who have been reading my blog for a while will know that’s crazy. I love to shop. Just in May I did a layout about my love of shopping.

What’s changed you might ask? I contribute it to two things. Firstly I’m enjoying being a home (for a long time I shopped to get out of the house, esp. when the kids were young and before I got my home organised). Secondly, we converted to a CASH budget a few months back and I don’t like parting with my money any more. Using a credit card was so much easier.

Don’t get me wrong I still enjoy shopping if I’m buying things I’ve planned and budgeted for. But when it comes to browsing or “shopping for fun” I’m just not into it. On Friday I had to get some groceries and was looking for a few Christmas presents and I just could not get out of the mall fast enough. And we won’t talk about how I feel if I need to put something on credit card – because I forgot the cash or it’s something for Christmas (which is already over budget).

When we bought our new mattress and kitchen table last week I was happy because they were both items we’ve been wanting/needing for ages. The mattress we paid for in cash and I’ll have saved up the money for the table by the time it arrives in mid January (without touching our emergency account). We have NEVER, EVER done this with big puchases and it is such a GOOD feeling.

This weekend the kids are away and Kevin & I were wanting to go out and do something. We went to the movies on Friday night, watched movies at home yesterday and today were going to go shopping (just for fun). We still may but I really don’t want to and I don’t think I’ll enjoy it (esp. if we spend money of extra things we don’t really need).  We were trying to remember what we did before having kids and basically we did movies, out for lunch and shopping. No wonder we got ourselves into debt. In trying to decide about shopping today I thought I make a list of what I need to buy – but it’s only a few more Christmas presents so we don’t really need to go to a big mall to do that. Anyway, we’ll see. It would be good in a way to get all the Christmas shopping complete before the shops become unbearable.

EDITED: We ended going to see a movie – Four Holidays (using tickets we had been given), getting Kevin a long overdue haircut and buying some lunch at the food court. Kevin kept asking did I want to go in this shop or that shop but I didn’t. Unless I have a particular need I just don’t want to shop. I definitely entering a new phase of life.

More videos from Animals Australia

Even though I don’t eat any meat I still do buy some organic free range ham for the kids, and Mum gets one for Christmas lunch. You don’t have to do without, just get an animal that had happy life.

A parady on being a good consumer.

I’ve realized that over the last few weeks I’ve become a real homebody. Sure I still get out the gym, doing volunteer work at the school, running the kids around, shopping, etc, but given the choice I seem to prefer being at home. I’ve got myself into a groove with my housework and running the home. I am happy being at home for most of the day just me and dogs (and other animals).

However, the downside is I haven’t made any new friends for a couple of years and my school mum friends have all gone back to work (at least part time) which means I don’t see them very much. My older playgroup mums are the same. And my really old school friends (hi Leanne!!) live an hour away. All of which means I really don’t do any socializing most weeks. I need to work on this but I’m not sure how.

I realized the extent of my problem early this morning. There is a bus trip I want to do – a tour of local op shops. I was thinking who I could ask to come with me but came up with no-one!!! Which I thought was pretty sad. There is one friend I could ask but I just don’t know if she’d be interested (or be working that day) – only one way to find out I guess. If not I think I’ll go alone (I’ve had visit on op shop on my yearly to-do list for a couple of years now and it would be nice to cross it off). Who knows, I might even make a new friend.

In the meantime I really am happy being a homebody .

Life would be easier if only I wasn’t interested in so many things. Today as I was reading though my favourite blogs I realized the conflict. I started off reading some in my “Simple Living” folder and was thinking how I should go through my wardrobe yet again and reduce what I have (after wearing the same 4 outfits for the last month I realize I don’t need as many clothes as I have), spend more times in the veggie garden, and not buy so many “things”. Then I move on my “Fitness” folder and think I should carve out more time in the day for exercise and eating healthier food. Then it’s onto the ‘Home” folder and I’m all inspired to do more baking or buy some new baskets to help with the ongoing organising home project. Then it’s the “Scrapbook” folder and I want to buy more supplies, make more layouts, tidy the scrapbook room. I just seem to go round and round in my thoughts and as you can tell many of them conflict with one another.

I wrote the above this morning and have just returned from shopping. My mission to find a  pair of brown pants for Amy’s choir performance next week. I returned home with some brown pants…..and a dress (for Amy to wear to an upcoming wedding)….and a new hair do!!!! I usually get my hair cut for around $30 but my normal hairdresser couldn’t fit me in so I went to another one in town – $55 for the wash (and sit on the massage chairs), cut and dry. Was definitely something I haven’t done in a very long time. I also had my hair straightened for the first time every – pretty funny when I say I’ve got straight hair but it’s been kicking up at the ends. It’s now in a bob. Can’t share a photo due to no camera but I took a photo with my phone as I’m pretty positive it won’t look as good when I do myself . Anyway, despite blowing the budget (yet again), I’m feeling pretty good about myself…and that’s got to be a good thing .

Feeling a bit emotional today. Yesterday I learned that one of the Mum’s at our school had a heart attack and died but I only put a face to the name today. She’s not a Mum I know well but I keep getting all choked up when I think about her beautiful girl (who I believe had her 5th or 6th birthday on the day her Mum died). She also had a boy about 8 or 9. Apparently she was on Canteen last Friday and one of Uniform Shop helpers was telling me she had felt unwell – pains in the chest – and had been to the medical center twice and told it was stress.

I know I did think a bit about what life would be like for my kids if I died during my surgery and I now I keep thinking about these kids and her husband. How unfair can life be? I don’t know how fit or healthy the woman was but she certainly wasn’t overweight, to my knowledge had none of the risk factors for a heart-attack and was just 32 !!!! . Sure makes you think. I’m so glad Kevin & I are doing what we can to lead long, happy, healthy lives.

So todays message is to go hug your kids and if you scrapbook, maybe do a special page just for them. I plan too. That was one of my thoughts yesterday – I hoped she scrapbooked…..

More videos from Animals AustraliaThis is a short little video – showing what many of us know (but don’t want to acknowledge) about how animals such as chickens and pigs are raised for food. You all know how I love chickens but seeing the pigs is so sad – did you know that a pig is as smart as a 4 year old child – and we’d never treat a four year old the way these pigs are. So sad. Please if you eat these products, buy free range, where the animals get the lead a good life before being killed.And how cool is this? Luke Fox won ad space to run in 100 bus stops and this is what he designed.