Lionden Landing

For the first time in a long long time, we came through a month with money left over. I credit it all to our budget jars. All money is divided into some budget category. If it is a bill that gets paid by check then it gets paid right from the checking account at the start of the month. All other money is pulled in cash and placed in individual jars by category. The only way you can spend money is to have that jar with you. Many many times this past month, we had to turn around and go back to get a jar. It has really helped us keep our spending in order. The only credit card purchases we make are for gas and online orders where we have to take the money out of the jar, deposit it into a personal account then make the purchase. That really cuts down on the impulse shopping. Here is a list of the categories we use in jars Groceries Household - we are still working out what this means Dining out - Entertainment - movies, activity fees and the like Swimming Auto Service clothing Ho...

Our family is not sick often. We trundle on without any problems all year long. We spend lots of time outdoors and with the windows open. Then Autumn comes. The windows are closed more and more. Finally we give up and put the heat on. And start to look and act sick. Until I remember to put the humidifier on too. The instantly we all start to feel better again. No more bloody noses, less coughing and sneezing. It is amazing. If the economy were different or we had more savings I might invest in a whole house humidifier. But for now what works for us is a simple $15 unit from CVS that sits on the floor. For more tips, pop over and visit Rocks in My Dryer