New Year

I love New Year's because I love organization!  New Year's is a chance to get re-organized and to improve on last year's spreadsheets.  Menus, budgets, and goals all get re-adjusted to better meet the needs ahead.  These are prayerful considered in an effort to make our priorities match with God's priorities for the money and resources that He provides.  This year we have an ambitious budget with the goal of living off our base income.  Things like my teaching, Mr. Workman's translating, my unexpected contracts at work and hopefully nice tax returns will be going  to achieve the following:

1. to help us quickly pay off the $4500 in medical bills we accumulated in October 2010 (deductible & co-insurance time)
2. to put braces on Corrine's teeth
3. to pay into our emergency fund to bring it back up where it was when the boys arrived
4. to finish fencing the back yard and pouring a concrete patio
5. to install a new deck with a ramp into the backyard
6. and if all this is accomplished...then saving to fund our emergency fund by an extra 50%
7. and if God REALLY blesses, then a second washer and dryer hook-up and a super large capacity washer and dryer

We had hoped that this would be the year we added a van or other vehicle that could transport us all at once, but reality has hit that it is not in the budget this year.  As many of you know, Mr. Workman and I try to live as debt free as possible...medical bills and mortgage still haunt us, but someday we'll get them licked too!  

So as part of getting the household budget off to a good start, this month we are going to "eat down" the pantry....We have a lot of mixed supplies (lots of can goods, some mixes, many cereals, frozen meat, frozen wheat bread and frozen veggies) so I'm only buying baby formula and what is needed to make meals out of what we have already.  So far in 2011, we have had pancakes with bacon, lasagna, cheesy broccoli potato soup, and tonight's dinner is16 bean soup with beans with cheese sandwiches and pumpkin pie.  Tomorrow's dinner will be crock pot chicken risotto with Normandy blend veggies and maybe a bunt cake.  Needless to say this is going to get tougher as the month continues....kind of like my own "Iron Chef" challenge.  I'll keep you posted.....