All right, I admit that I didn't actually find money inside my refrigerator (although I have discovered some other unique things I've stashed in there on occasion). However, in my efforts to take baby steps towards deep cleaning my home, I discovered some unexpected cash savings when I took the time to clean out and organize my fridge. Without further ado - and with a bit of embarrassment - I give you the before: While this could easily have been done in an afternoon, my current energy levels and time availability advised tackling this project in bites, so on Day 1, I emptied everything out of the fridge door shelves, tossed anything that was expired or realistically not going to get used, and gave the shelves and door a good scrub. Next, I sorted all the items into groups by categories; mine were breakfast items (syrup, jelly), pickles, condiments, cooking items, creamers, beverages, and water bottles. Once I had everything in groups on the table, it was easy to figure out placement based on the available space. And, since it looked so nice, I added some labels and proudly displayed my efforts to Mr. Planned for some well-deserved ooh-ing and ahh-ing. I repeated this same process on Day 2 with the shelves and Day 3 with the produce drawers, for the finished reveal (and more ooh's and ahh's): Doesn't that just make your heart sing? I sigh in contentment every time I have to get something out of the fridge. Now almost two weeks later, it still looks that good! On Day 4 I tackled the small freezer drawer underneath; we hadn't really be using that space well, so it's pretty much a blank slate until I get around to cleaning out the big upright freezer in the next week or two. Day 5's project is to clean off the top and sides, as well as to pull it out from the wall and vacuum all the coils.
Now the obvious savings is that a clean fridge runs more efficiently and circulates air better. In addition, you can actually find the food and in theory use it up before you forget about it and it spoils. But I have discovered in the past two weeks that not only do I have more culinary creativity since I can see all the possibilities, but I am also highly motivated to keep my fridge looking so tidy and eager to use up the items "cluttering" the shelves. The pesto sauce that got purchased for one recipe and forgotten? It's getting used in three recipes this week! The applesauce that was the only palatable thing during a recent bout of flu? Finished off in a pancake recipe next weekend! The leftovers threatening to overflow out of the designated leftover area? Used up in lunches this week! Using up groceries and not eating out is as good as cash in my pocket, and that just makes my sparkling clean fridge all the better to enjoy. This project was the launch for my focus on the kitchen for the coming month...or year...or two. My goal is to strategically deep clean the kitchen, making it more pleasant, efficient, and livable, however....being me that means I will probably stop just shy of total renovation! Certainly there are a lot of projects to be done in this room, but the planner in me is running full blast as I brainstorm possibilities, how-tos, and strategies. I'm so excited to document this journey along the way. Hopefully I will look back and be delighted at how far we've come when this is done!
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I confess: I love scrounging through thrift stores. I also confess that I've been doing a lot more scrounging than usual lately. Now, it started off innocently enough. Back in October, I started hunting through my local thrifty haunts in search of Christmas books and items for our Christmas Countdown. The problem was, after our the countdown preparations were all wrapped up (literally and figuratively), I didn't stop. My sweet husband has stood by very patiently while I have hauled home everyone else's cast-offs, and dutifully looked interested when I excitedly display my new treasures. So all of this leads up to yesterday morning's tempermental reconnaissance...er, um, I mean request...that he pray fervently for my self-discipline and willpower to not stop at one of my favorite spots that just happened to be running a 20% off everything sale. As his face relaxed from concern to amusement, he assured me that he didn't mind my stopping in, and to please just not go too crazy. So, it's no surprise that later that day, our texts went something like this: Me: "Did you mean what you said about my stopping by the thrift store being ok?" Him: "Yep. So, what'd ya get?" Oh, how I love him for so many reasons!! I think even he was impressed with the goodies I'd discovered for less than $42. Check it out!
"Better to come in last than not finish. Better to not finish than never start." I can't remember where I read those words, but I repeat them to myself often in my ongoing battle against perfectionism. Not only do I want things to turn out just right - whether projects or situations - but I tend to be very harsh with myself when they don't. Note that I said "when" not "if," because the reality is, it's never perfect. It's an ongoing journey - that isn't going perfectly! - but I'm choosing to focus on the little wins and the baby steps of progress, rather than the setbacks and perceived failures. Just because I haven't blogged in six months, doesn't mean I can't start again! One step forward. Though not particularly blog-worthy, I'm choosing to celebrate my success in checking off two items from my to-do list: cleaning out the gutters and painting my daughter's closet. Small accomplishments are worthy of note. I'm also excited to share a new Christmas tradition we started this year! I have been wanting to do this for several years (ever since I saw this pin) but never got around to it - until now. {Progress!} Each year I have schemes and dreams to savor Christmastime. Visions of sipping hot cocoa, snuggling up for a Christmas movie, and crafting keepsake ornaments dance through my head...until I hit December 26th and realize that I somehow never found time to do any of those things. So this year, I started clear back in October, and wrote a small something for each day of December into my calendar. This was the perfect excuse to clear out my wrapping paper and ribbon stash and also managed to double as mantel decor since I had to save my kitties from their self-destructive habit of eating curling ribbon. Is it perfect or pinterest-worthy? Not really. But our family has loved every minute of this, and we all smile each time we pass through the living room. At some point during the day (usually after dinner, but occasionally earlier to accommodate some of the activities), we sit down for a brief Christmas-themed family devotion (we've been using "The King is Coming" from Bible.com) and then open up that day's gift. Although a few things are new, most of these are all items that we already owned, or activities that we already do. Here's my list: 1. Lego Friends Advent Calendar (my daugher loves these!) 2. Movie Night: How the Grinch Stole Christmas w/ Jim Carrey 3. New lego sets for our Christmas village display (can you tell we're a lego-lovin' family?) 4. Make and decorate Gingerbread Men 5. Reading Time: The Nutcracker 6. Movie Night: Holiday Inn 7. Mistletoe 8. Reading Time: Mortimer's Christmas Manger (Goodwill score!) 9. Movie Night: The Nutcracker (Barbie version) 10. Bake Christmas Cookies; bonus: wear reindeer antlers 11. Movie Night: White Christmas 12. Reading Time: Frosty the Snow Man 13. Movie Night: A Christmas Carol (this is our date night, so it's just the grown ups; we like the musical Scrooge and the version of A Christmas Carol w/ Patrick Stewart) 14. Craft kits (purchased after last Christmas on clearance!) 15. Reading Time: Christmas Seek and Find ... it's like a Christmas version of "Where's Waldo" (Goodwill score!) 16. Christmas Lights Festival 17. Christmas Puzzle 18. Movie Night: Charlie Brown Christmas & How the Grinch stole Christmas (classic version); bonus: drink hot chocolate 19. Reading Time: Twas the Night Before Christmas (Goodwill score!) 20. Movie Night: A Christmas Story (another date night movie) 21. Movie Night: Elf (Goodwill score!) 22. Reading Time: If You Take a Mouse to the Movies 23. Movie Night: A Muppet Christmas Carol 24. Attend the candlelight Christmas Eve service at church. 25. Christmas Day!! Wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas season from our family to yours!
I love libraries, bookstores, books and reading. I always have, and I believe I always will. Something about books - the words they contain and the places they live - is wordless poetry to my soul and gives me a sense of peace and comfort. When I took Ms. Spontaneity in to register for the summer reading program at our local library, I was delighted to find out they offer a summer challenge for adults as well. The goal is to read twelve books that match a selection of fun requirements in order to be entered for the grand prize drawing. Unfortunately, I know my schedule won't allow me anything close to twelve books over the course of the summer, but I think this is such a fun idea that I plan to work down the list until I've checked every box, grand prize or not. The first book I chose to read as part of this challenge was The Year of Pleasures by Elizabeth Berg. The main character is recently widowed Betta Nolan, who is struggling to start a new life as she processes her grief. After making the bold decision to start life anew by moving across the country, Betta begins the hard work of looking to the future. Along the way, she befriends unique and often unlikely individuals who aid in the mending of her broken heart. The book takes a raw look at how we process pain in our most difficult life moments, and touches on the themes of authentic friendship and taking time to savor life's simple pleasures. The idea of really thinking about, anticipating, and truly experiencing the little pleasures of life has really stuck with me since reading this book. I've found myself delighting in the feeling of sinking into bed after a long day, lingering over my morning coffee, and sitting in a cool shade with the caress of a gentle breeze against my skin and the beauty of sunshine dancing across the field beyond me, and in such places I find peace and joy and my heart is so full of gratitude. I share those moments with my heavenly Father as I softly breathe a sigh of contentment and thanksgiving, and I sense His presence with me, making the moment absolutely perfect. I have made it a point to keep my eyes open for such opportunities, instead of simply walking past them with blinders on, and the change in my own attitude since practicing this has been nothing short of miraculous. I will offer a warning that this book contains some strong language and sexuality, however I often find that God speaks to me just as powerfully through these "secular" books. This one was no exception, as I thought back to the most difficult times of my own life and remembered once again His faithfulness and grace to me in those seasons. On an unrelated yet harmonious note, I absolutely love functional checklists and pretty printables (although I'm sure you guessed that already!) and I have always wanted to learn how to make my own. Through my employer, I am blessed to have unlimited access to some very powerful design tools, so I decided to take a free online course through tastytuts.com to learn how to use them. Now, I will be the first to tell you that I wasn't gifted much in the way of artistic ability - I can never grasp very much of design theory and it doesn't seem to matter how many times I'm taught the color wheel I still can't figure out anything beyond primary - but I figure one way to get better is to practice. That's why I created my very own summer reading challenge worksheet and I'm sharing it here! It's by no means perfect, but I'm honestly quite pleased with my very first effort! If you'd like to use this printable too, you can download it through the link at the end of the post. And since I'm eager to learn, please feel free to leave {helpful - not mean!} comments with suggestions or ideas for improvement as well.
Well, so much for writing at least two times a month! Unfortunately, in the intervening two months, I have been so caught up in Thanksgiving, work, illness, Christmas, and wedding planning that everything else has taken a back burner. Now, I don't claim to be any expert in matters of wedding planning or even on budgeting matters, but part of my goal with this blog was to document my own journey, and if someone else finds any of my experiences helpful, all the better. So, with my wedding just around the corner and nothing left to do now but wait, here are a few of my lessons learned in planning a low-stress, budget-friendly wedding. "To Thine Own Self Be True"In my opinion, the single most important thing to having a wedding without going into debt or having a nervous breakdown is to know what you really want. That might seem like a simple thing, but the when it comes to weddings, it seems like what we want can often get confused with what we think we need. In my case, I found it helped to make a list of all the things I thought I was supposed have or do, and then to do a bit of journaling about how I felt about each item on that list. For example, the idea of a large wedding made me super nervous since I don't like crowds and tend to be very shy and self-conscious. Thinking about a first dance made me break out in hives for the same reasons. Conversely, I knew that I really wanted a wedding that felt clean and elegant, and that I'd love to get married in the wintertime. We then talked about all these things as a couple to come up with a plan and budget that would work for us. Consider what you really want and what your priorities are within that. Maybe you're set on a specific location, but don't mind trimming costs on the dress, menu and decor. Maybe you have a dream dress in mind (more on that in a moment), but you would rather diy the decorations and food. Be honest with yourself and you might be surprised at how many areas you'd rather tone down a bit. Location, Location, LocationOne of the biggest budget busters I found in the course of wedding planning was the venue. One of the best things I stumbled across was the idea of an "all-inclusive" wedding. While some of the details will vary from place to place, in general this little gem has the venue, wedding planner, cake, flowers, food, decor, seating, and labor all rolled into one beautiful, low-stress package! In our case, we were even able to add a full photography package for a very reasonable fee. While the price tag is a little shocking at first, do your homework on how much each of those individual items costs and you will likely find it to be very reasonable. Even more than this, I was delighted that other than making a few decisions on preferences, all we had to do for our wedding day was show up! Do an internet search for "all-inclusive weddings" in your city or state and see what pops up. Other ideas:
"Don't Mess with the Dress!"The second biggest budget drain, as well as the source of more stress than I ever would have imagined, is the dress. It's so tempting to go overboard on a beautiful gown, but with just a little bit of perspective shift, you can have a gorgeous gown without going into debt. I tried the more traditional experience of going to a boutique and trying on countless gowns with my closest friends, but found that I did not enjoy it like I thought I would. If you truly feel like this is something you need to experience, by all means do go and take advantage of the opportunity to find out what styles you prefer and look best on you, but I encourage you to avoid the temptation to buy "the one" right off the bat. Instead, give yourself a little time to shop around and think outside of the box. Look for a bridal consignment shop in your area, where you can get the full dress experience at a fraction of the cost. Check regular thrift and consignment stores as well. I found that many - especially the more upscale locations - had an impressive selection of modern gowns (not the scary ones we all imagine when we think thrift shop wedding dress). In the end, when I came down to my top two dresses, one of them was a beautiful gown in a consignment shop selling for $19!! Finally, check around in smaller towns for a local formals store. I was lucky enough to find a dry cleaners that had a small formal shop on the side with both new and second-hand dresses, including wedding attire and accessories. And that's where I found my dress - an ivory strapless gown, with tasteful beading on the bodice, an a-line silhouette, detachable train, and the tags from the boutique still attached. While it originally sold for $700, I snagged it for just $90, and the shop owner offered to dry clean and press it for me free of charge! I later had sleeves added for modesty and a little warmth for a nominal fee. If you do end up needing any alterations done to your dress, avoid places that specialize in "wedding alterations" and look for a reputable dress maker or seamstress instead. You'll get a much better finished product in half the time for a fraction of the cost. When it's all said and done, I look and feel absolutely stunning in my dress and paid less than $200 for everything, including accessories and undergarments. No line of credit needed! Other ideas:
Invest in What Really MattersIt might seem strange to throw an additional expenditure into an already expensive endeavor in a post talking about ways to reduce cost, but this one is so worth it: premarital counseling. In talking with friends and acquaintances who are also in the wedding planning process, I'm shocked to learn that it is not uncommon to spend $10, $20, even $50+ THOUSAND dollars getting married. And yet, for all that expense, statistics tell us that marriages are ending at an unprecedented rate. But I'm a firm believer it doesn't have to be that way! Follow the old adage that "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" and invest the time and money in premarital counseling. "Counseling" comes with a stigma that something must be wrong, but in reality, it's no different than going to the doctor for your annual physical. Most counselors will take you through a set list of topics that can create conflict for couples over the long-term, including family history, finances, sex, parenting philosophies, conflict resolution, and so forth. Although we have made it a point to communicate often and meaningfully with one another, we found that the counseling process brought up topics we had never even thought about. We feel so much closer as a couple as a result of that process, and felt even more confident of our decision to marry after it was over. If you're sold on the idea of premarital counseling but cost is an issue, I encourage you to look into it anyway. Many counselors offer discounts or scholarships for families with financial need. Be sure to check with your pastor or church office as well; they are a great source for referrals, and many times pastors will actually offer free or low-cost counseling as part of their ministry. Other ideas:
"I Do"The whole point of a wedding is to get married! Long after the cake has been eaten, the toasts have been made, the last picture has been snapped, and all the guests have gone home, there will be the two of you. While a wedding is a very special event and will hopefully provide you with many fond memories, it is only the beginning of your married life and the memories you will build together. If you've found the right one for you, than everything else is just frosting on the cake, so resist the urge to get caught up in the frenzy and choose not to stress.
Writing a blog has been something I've toyed with for a while. I've even made a few false starts, and who knows, this may be yet another. But I want this time to be different, and I've got some thoughts on a strategy to make this time different, beginning with really defining my goals for blogging. Here's the "why" behind PLANNED spontaneity:
1. I want to document my journey. I'll be the first to admit that my life isn't really all that exciting or interesting, but it's mine and I want to enjoy it, make it meaningful to those I share it with, and actually notice it. Am I the only one that feels like I look up and years have gone by without my noticing them? I want a place to celebrate the little things, acknowledge the set backs, and slowly compile the big picture through a montage of little ones. I love to organize facts and data, and I'm realizing that I have very little information about the subject I am most frequently having to deal with: ME! What we do for a living may not define who we are, but I do think how we consistently choose to spend our time does, so this process is partly about discovering who I am through that lens. 2. I want to write. I have a love/hate relationship with writing. I really do enjoy it but for some reason writing for me is a little like trying to wring my soul out onto paper. Even writing about mundane things leaves me feeling exhausted. Still, I feel a sense of accomplishment when I finally do finish my work and I'm proud of my efforts when I do my best. I will even confess that somewhere deep in the archives of my dreams and ambitions, I have always wanted to write a book. I have no idea what I'd even write about, but certainly an important first step has to be a willingness to write, so that's what I'm hoping to cultivate here. It might not be a lengthy list, but it gives me some foundations to build on and some guidelines to follow just in case I get a little sidetracked along the way or derailed by the two excuses I've caught myself using most frequently to avoid blogging: I'm too busy. Some days I feel like I go nowhere at 100mph; I know that I am so busy I can't find time to sleep, but in reflecting I can't for the life of me tell you what I'm doing to keep myself so busy. As stated, a big blogging motivator is the hope that this will slow me down to notice, think about, and document some of those little moments of truly living that seem to get lost in the craziness of life. However, it's a fine balance between being too busy to write and having writing simply become one more act of busy-ness. One way to deflate this excuse is to set realistic writing goals. It keeps me accountable to follow through, without setting unreasonable expectations that will only frustrate me in the end. For now, I think two posts a month would be just right. I have nothing to write about. I think in my past attempts at blogging, I had an expectation that I was writing for other people, so there was a pressure to come up with some great idea or clever turn of phrase. I wanted my words to change the world, or at least help change the color of someone's walls (it was a diy blog). There was also disappointment when I didn't become an overnight success. (It is a major fault of mine to expect to be an instant success at the things I do and, worse, to avoid things that I'm not immediately good at. Another major flaw is my tendency to use a lot of parenthetical commentary in my writing, but eventually you get used to it.) Part of the benefit of defining my goals for writing is realizing that I am writing for me. It's public as a form of accountability - both to actually write as well as to encourage some quality control of the content - but this is really just my digital scrapbook and as such, I write about what is important to me whether anyone else is interested or not. I'm sure that this list will get updated a dozen times in the course of this journey, but for now, it's a great beginning. |
About Me"Planned Spontaneity" is an expression I came up with to describe my unique personality: I love schedules, organization, and all things planning ...yet there are times when I make a conscious decision to just go with the flow and see what happens. This is the documentation of my crazy journey - which may feature a 6-page agenda one minute, and the next I drop everything to give my walls a fresh new coat of paint. Archives
December 2016
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