Creating and Maintaining a Monthly Budget {Free Excel Spreadsheet}

With baby #2 coming, we've been more mindful than ever about where our money is going and working hard to stay on-budget.  By closely keeping track of everything we're getting a better idea on where everything is going and where we can shave off a few dollars.  With only one income and a lot of expenses (both expected and unexpected) it can make it very challenging to stay on-budget each month.   | This post contains affiliate links. |

Here I've shared a more simplified version of the spreadsheet we use (since we're self-employed we also need to set aside money for quarterly taxes and other expenses).  You can change the Expense titles in the left hand column to fit your needs, but I've tried to include all the basic expenses that most young adults will have.  

Next replace the monthly Income in the example with your own monthly income (I had to put in a number here as an example so the formulas wouldn't result in error).  Then go down the Budget column and fill in what you expect or budget your bills to be.  As your bills come in, put in these figures in the Actual Spent column.  All of the percentages and totals will auto-update as you fill in the chart.  

Over the course of the next few months, you'll see how your expectations (Budget) line up with reality (Actual Spent) and will be able to identify trends.  Maybe you spend more for Gas than you thought you did.. or maybe you realize that you spend too much on Entertainment and should put some of that towards other bills...?  Keeping track of where everything is going is very eye-opening and will help you stay ahead.  The most important thing is writing everything down and sticking to it!  

In the event the doing an Excel spreadsheet isn't your thing, there are also many great paper-based Budget Planners/Trackers you can buy out there! I haven't used it myself (yet), but I have heard great things in particular about this highly rated Budget Planner Notebook.

---

Check out some of our other Money Saving posts:  

• Making it Work on One Income: Becoming a Stay-at-Home Mom

• How to Save on Health Insurance & Medical Bills

• How to Save Money on Groceries - Rural Edition

---

Reusable Weekly Planner - Plan your week, meals, and goals! {Free Printable}

For a while now I've been striving to get better about meal planning, so a few months ago I designed this weekly planner to keep in our kitchen and see if it helped.  After using this method for several months I'm happy to report that it has been a HUGE success and wanted to share it with all of you who may have staying organized, planning meals ahead of time, or reducing your grocery bill as goals for 2016!  

This weekly planner can either be printed and written on directly - or you can print, frame it, and simply write on the glass to keep reusing it (which is what I have done).  I love having it under glass because it means it's always on display and easy to refer to, and it saves a lot of paper and ink.  I didn't include too many photos of it it in our kitchen because it was so hard to photograph.. the glare from the glass makes a decent photograph nearly impossible.  

Pro-tip:  Write on the glass with a Sharpie to avoid smudges, then erase with a little 91% rubbing alcohol.  

To write on the glass, you can use a fine-tip dry erase marker or a Sharpie marker.  I prefer the Sharpie because it writes cleaner and won't smudge.  

"But how to erase it!" you ask?  

No problem at all:  simply put a little 91% rubbing alcohol on a paper towel and it wipes off with no problem and no residue.  

Example

Every Sunday I sit down and first fill in all the daily "to-dos" for the week.  These are things that have to happen that day, like appointments.  This gives me a sense of what the week will look like and how much time I may have to cook dinner that day, etc.  Days we won't be home means I don't have to cook (wahoo!).  Because I lay it all out ahead of time I can plan ahead for groceries... leftover potatoes from Monday can be thrown into Tuesday's chili.  The chicken I buy can be portioned out for dinner on Thursday and Friday.  Planning ahead means less waste and saving money in the long run (and you know how hard I try to save money on groceries).  

"Goals for the week" is where you put in projects and goals you can pick at over the course of the week when you get spare moments.  I feel like this list makes me more motivated (and accountable) to be productive when I have down time.  

Reusable Weekly Planner

{Download free PDF of our Reusable Weekly Planner HERE}

So that's my Reusable Weekly Planner!  It's been a huge help to keep me more organized, more motivated, and save more money on groceries.  I hope that it will be as helpful for you!  

Baby's First Foods: The Basics {Free Printable Chart}

Starting solids is a huge step, especially for first-time parents like us.  So many questions, so many rules, so much to keep track of in the beginning!  Here we thought we'd share some of the basics, our go-to resources, and a handy chart to keep track of your baby's first foods.  

Most pediatricians recommend starting solids between 4-6 months of age (closer to 6 months is supposed to be best).  Baby must be able to hold their head independently and ideally the baby has also started to show an interest in food.  It's important to get the okay from your pediatrician first before starting solids.  

In the past baby's first food was always rice cereal, but that's not the case anymore.  Just about any pureed food that's considered "non-allergenic" and has been thinned down sufficiently can be given.  In general, it's best to work from a pre-determined list of typical "first foods" - these are foods that are least-likely to cause allergies or reactions in your little one.  Make sure the foods are well-pureed and thin them down with breast milk, formula, or water - the thinner the better in the beginning!  Once baby gets used to swallowing their thinned food, you can add less liquid and make the food increasingly thicker.  

Follow your baby's lead when feeding.  If they turn their head or push the spoon away, they're finished - don't pressure them.  And don't worry if baby seems to hate their dinner, it's been said that a baby needs to try a food at least 10 times before they're sure if they really hate it or love it.  If baby really hates those pureed pears wait a few days or a few weeks before trying it again, you may be surprised how much he loves it the next time!  

Always introduce new foods individually at least 3 or 4 days apart to make sure your baby doesn't have any kind of reaction.  Keep track of any symptoms or side affects no matter how insignificant, as it may be a coincidence or be related to the food.  If you notice your baby is extra fussy or gassy, for example, write that down and see if she has the same reaction next time she has that particular food.  If your baby breaks out in a rash, has a change in breathing, or any other kind of severe reaction call the pediatrician immediately!  

Fresh is best when it comes to baby food!  Making your own pureed baby food is quick and easy - all you need is a steaming basket, blender, and baby food storage containers.  Steam the fruit or veggies until soft then blend until smooth, using the cooking water to thin as needed, then store in baby food storage containers.  Breast milk storage bags can also be used to store baby food, and are especially handy if you've made a big batch and have run out of baby food containers.  

When buying commercial baby food, make sure to read the labels closely!  So many have ingredients that you wouldn't expect and might not want for your baby.  Even the organic ones may have ingredients that will catch you off guard - for example one that's described as "Pumpkin & Spinach" may also have another veggie or fruit such as apricot in it.  If your baby hasn't had apricot yet, you may decide to skip this one for now until she tries that food individually first.  

Our little one started solids around 5 1/2 months and was very picky in the beginning.  It seemed as though we could never find a food she liked or a texture that was smooth enough.  After a lot of trial and error (and record keeping, hence the chart), we finally got a sense of what she liked and she started to accept eating solids.  It may be hard in the beginning, but by taking notes and letting your baby set the pace of what they're ready for it will be a success.  

Baby's First Foods Chart

A simple chart to keep track of what food has been introduced (and tally how many times they have tried it), what they thought of it, and possible reactions. This chart will also be a great record to keep for the baby book.

{Download free PDF of Baby's First Foods chart here.}

Our post was just a quick overview of the basics, for more information we recommend some of our favorite resources:  

• Wholesomebabyfood.com - a great online resource for what to introduce when, what to avoid, recipes, and more.

• Sage Spoonfuls Cookbook - this cookbook lays out everything in an easy to read manner. I love having this in the kitchen as a quick-reference to see how long I need to steam food for, how long a particular pureed veggie will keep in the fridge, etc. (Sage Spoonfuls also has a baby food making kit, which includes the food processor, storage jars, cookbook, etc - and it's all made in the USA, which I love)

• Homemadebabyfoodrecipes.com - another great online resource for recipes and guidelines.

• Baby Food Ideas (Instagram) - This mom shares photos of the homemade baby food she makes for her kids - lots of creative combinations and ideas.

Disclaimer:  The info I am sharing is based on my own experiences; I am not a medical professional.  Always double check with your pediatrician before starting solids and get their professional opinion on the best way to introduce new foods to your little one.  Please also note this post was originally published in 2014 and some "best practices" may have changed.  Always check with your child's pediatrician for their reccomendations and advice.  

Simple Chore List {Free Printable}

The easiest way to tackle household chores?  Get caught up and stay caught up. 

I’ve been able to stay on top of things (more or less) by making a simple chore list to follow during the week.  Once you get into the groove, it won’t take you much more than 20 minutes to accomplish most days’ chores.  

Monday – Laundry, Groceries
Usually I’ll throw a load of laundry in, then head to the grocery store.  By the time we get home, it’s time to switch loads. 

Tuesday – Bathrooms
Wipe down all surfaces, clean all the places no one ever likes cleaning, make sure there’s toilet paper stocked – you know, all that glamorous stuff. 

Wednesday – Kitchen
Wipe down the inside of the microwave, clean out the crumbs from the toaster, de-clutter the counter, make sure that last week’s leftovers have been thrown out or frozen (if it’s not too late). 

Thursday – Dust, Sweep + Mop Floors
Dust the TV and bookcases, sweep the kitchen and dining room and give it a quick mop. 

Friday – Vacuum, Water Houseplants
Give upstairs and downstairs a quick vacuum, water houseplants. 

Daily – Dishes, Go through mail
Staying on top of dishes and mail is key!  They tend to be the worst culprits for piling up fast and bringing you down.  I try not to go to bed with dirty dishes in the sink.

Obviously some days are busier than others and a particular day’s chores might get skipped.  Sometimes I’ll try to make them up the next day, other times I may just skip those chores entirely for that week - but trying to stick to this schedule as much as possible means that even when you skip something it’s not hard to pick up the slack the following day or week and catch back up.