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This is the synopsis for the 2008 Money Makeover thread. Original post is in black text. Year end comments are in blue. Enjoy!
I've decided to do something a little different this year. I am putting us through a series of challenges to improve our financial standing and save money for badly needed renovations and a new car (in five years). My goal is to be able to save $15,000 for home renovations in 1 1/2 years, and $30,000 for a new car in five years time. So, in the manner of Ms. Vaz-Oxlade, here's the plan... - We were able to save $10,000 in an EF this year, put $1000 cushion in savings, put $3200 towards Lisa's and Meghan's university education, and put $2,000 of our joint money into home renovations. We also took two vacations costing us another $2,000. I used my inheritance to get the bulk of the necessary repairs done to the house. We did very well financially this year.
Me Set up retreat on budget and search Bible for guidance. - DONE! Used Crown.org
Cut Spending Challenge
Both Set starting budget together - DONE! Paul likes sitting down to revise the budget occasionally.
Use Budget Binder and jar system - DONE! Found the budget binder to be duplication of effort as we keep receipts for everything and enter it into Quicken weekly. However, having said that, we're out $200 over the course of the year. This is much better than past years, when we've found ourselves out by close to $1000! We decided to use Dave Ramsey's zero-based budgeting system starting September and noticed real improvements in the amount of money we were able to save.
Freeze credit cards and debit cards - Kind of! What actually happened is they kept finding their way back into my purse. Every time I used them I put them away again. What this did was alert me to how often I was actually using them. I slowly weaned myself off of them. We ended up having a cash only Christmas as a result. I call that success!
Review simple living notes. Watch the rest of “Simple Living”. - DONE! Paul watched with me and had a few comments. Mostly we ended up working on home renovation projects to solve energy efficiency and emergency situations. We did manage to replace the basement windows and back door, and our heating bill seems to have gone down despite rate increases. It helped that Meghan left home to go to university in August. We worked on simplifying our lives by finding local ways to spend our time, walking more, and enjoying each other's company more. We also shopped the Farmer's Market as well as the cheap big box store. I cut my trips to the big box store to once a pay period.
Me Write down what bills are due when (Paul does most of the bill paying and money stuff here. I want to learn how. He is having issues with control I think.) - DONE! This helps when I'm doing financial planning when Paul isn't home to ask. I think he was getting tired of me asking. I never can remember these things, so they need to be written down.
Record transactions in Quicken for full month - DONE! Kind of...this morphed into us taking turns entering things in Quicken, with the other 'helping'. Paul did not want to give up control in this area. He was very afraid. I discovered I do not like Quicken. It is not very intuitive or helpful in planning ahead. I tried YNAB (You Need A Budget) and liked it much better. Paul, however, is not convinced and does not see the need to try it. It doesn't track investments. If anything happens to Paul I'll have to switch over to it anyway, because I really don't understand Quicken. But that will have to wait till another time...
Paul Find a way to reduce bank fees – consolidate accounts? Change type of account? - DONE! The bank finally contacted us about a steal of a deal on our accounts. Paul sprung for it, after much angst and discussion. We are now in high interest bearing accounts with lower fees.
Paul Pantry inventory. Paul doesn't have a clue how to do these things. It's time he learned. He doesn't realize how much time all this planning takes. - DONE! Paul didn't see the need to learn how to do this in January. But by December he was helpful. I think he realizes that all this moving and lifting is hard for my back (sorting through the chest freezer). And if he wants me to save money on groceries, he's going to have to help sort through the pantry/freezers every now and then to determine what's there. It sure is much more pleasant when you have someone share the work with you. And it doesn't hurt for him to have an idea of what's in the house to cook, in case of emergency.
Plan lunches for himself so he doesn't have to buy them at work. - DONE! He takes leftovers most of the time. The only thing he really buys for lunches is fruit, and I don't mind that. I've been trying to keep him supplied with muffins and cinnamon buns, as he was buying those at exorbitant prices at the grocery store. Found he ate a whole batch of cinnamon buns in 2 days if I let him. So I took to freezing half the batch. It didn't slow him down much. So I decided to bake them only once a month. The rest of the time he can have my healthy muffins and fruit.
Paul Plan menu and grocery shop once for the entire week. - No Way!!! Paul would not do this. I did walk him through it once, so he could see what was involved. Between this and the pantry inventory he developed a new appreciation for what I do around here.
Both Discuss budget once a week in pleasant atmosphere. - Well, we're still working on this, but we're a LOT better than we were. It helped to have him watch some of Gail Vaz-Oxlade's "Till Debt Do Us Part", and to listen to some Dave Ramsey "Financial Peace University" CDs. That cleared up a lot of issues between us.
Brainstorm ways to eat cheaper. - DONE! This was chiefly a case of better menu planning. I developed a four week rotation menu that fell within our budget. I had it okayed by my nutritionist and now I cook recipes only off of that...for the most part. I am also in the midst of taking Paul and I vegetarian. The price of groceries - meat in particular - has soared this year, and I'm disgusted enough to change my eating patterns. If I have to pay good money for food, I'm going to buy what's good for me to eat. I have found that I have not been able to actually eat cheaper. But I have been able to hold the line on the grocery budget...and that is good, considering the price hikes here are in the neighborhood of 50-100% on most items.
Both Cleaning schedule. Set one up and stick to it! - This was a failure. What with sore knees, feet and back, I just gave up. Lisa was helpful in giving me a Flylady duster for my birthday. Now I just have to use it more! I seem to spend all my time trying to find a comfortable position for my back.
Learn how to do stain removal. - I tried. In the end I decided it was easier to sew some aprons and wear them! So far it's worked great, and I was able to give a couple of classy looking aprons to my girls for Christmas.
Both Medical costs...ways to get medicine, Co-enzyme Q10 cheaper. Research alternative medicine we can try for free. - DONE! I decided to try gel caps and liquid forms of various vitamins and minerals to ease the side effects of my prescription medication. I added one new vitamin/mineral a month and noted any side effects. It has helped somewhat. But mostly I put into use things I already had, like the Litebook. It hadn't worked for me before, but I rightly surmised that was because I used it too long at a time. I tried acupuncture and decided to switch practitioners for next year. My old one charged a lot and wasn't much of a conversationalist...ie. never discussed the whole course of treatment with me. Paul and I determined a well timed trip to the spa did wonders for both of us, and at a fraction of the cost of massage. In fact, it cost us $30 for as long as we wanted to sit in the pool. Whereas it was pushing $40 for me alone to see the massage therapist for an hour. And it usually only made things worse or...at best...marginally better for a short time. So it's been a year of adjusting and trial and error.
Me Start practicing meditation every morning. - This was a failure. I tried it twice. Once with great success, and a second time with much less success. I just didn't seem to find time for it. And the more I tried to make room for it, the busier my days got. I finally decided to read up on spiritual disciplines. I am reading Richard Foster's book "Celebration of Discipline". In looking back I would say the discipline I've grown the most in this year is prayer.
Research cheap/free ways to exercise in winter. Do one this week. - My body was in too much pain to exercise and consequently this was a failure. I figure I'm doing well this year to fit in a daily walk. I have had to make use of a physiotherapist for various ailments.
Exercise DVDs. Use every day. - Nope
Both Clothing – Go through wardrobe and come up with different combinations for outfits. - DONE! This was very useful for determining exactly what we needed and didn't need ahead of seasons.
Figure out upcoming clothing needs/costs for next 6 months. - DONE! This worked so well that I will continue this with Paul this year.
Budget Booster Challenge
Both Hobbies – Brainstorm ways to do hobbies cheaper - DONE! I decided to buy things on sale or use what's in the house. The one thing I did spend money on was equipment. I spent some of my inheritance on new lighting, frames and sewing machine to do my hobbies.
Brainstorm ways to make hobbies pay for themselves. - craft sales, Internet - Nope. This fell on hard times right away. It costs money to make money. It cost $2000CAD to set up a website to sell things. It costs $100 for craft sales, if I include display supplies. I just didn't have the energy to go head to head with Paul on this. My goal this year is to save up some of my allowance and work on a booth at a sale somewhere. We'll see.
Price display equipment for fibre work. - DONE! And found it too expensive. Paul just wouldn't spring for it. It would have to be rented because we don't have room to store anything. I must admit, I didn't have any fibre work to sell really. I just didn't produce a lot this year for some reason. And what I did produce I gave away. It was easier than trying to sell it. Cop out, I know...
Me Track time during the day - DONE! I discovered I'm busy and don't really have time to run a business or work. How do working women do it? I just wouldn't have the energy to work and do frugal things too.
Create a daily schedule to include exercise, frugal activities, & fibre work and stick to it. - Tried, but it was fairly obvious that I rebelled against this majorly. I achieved a lot more when I was allowed to spontaneously pick projects to work on. Not sure what that says about my personality. I'm kinda afraid to ask! I did try to schedule myself to do things with other people. So I attended a number of stitch-ins on a regular basis and started a crafting group at the church with one other lady. Those ensure I at least do something every week.
Research starting a business. W.E.S. and Embroidery Canada articles. Talk to others in business - I did start reading some articles and attended some workshops in the past on running an Internet business. But truth be told, I lacked energy, time and drive. And without Paul's support I just won't go into business. It's too much of a time and money commitment that he is not prepared to let me make.
Set weekly goals for fibre work and DO IT! - Tried to, and failed. I did manage some stuff. But I find if I set a schedule I simply rebel! I also found my energy really flagging due to my back pain and not getting good sleep at night. This year, for the first time in my life, I've had to start taking afternoon naps.
Pull together a resumé.- DONE! And I was delighted to see I'd actually done something with the last 15 years of my life. I pulled together four pages. Paul suggested it was far too long. I actually sent it in to one employer, and wished I hadn't. Thankfully they said 'thanks, but no thanks'.
Future Plan Challenge
Paul Make a list of all renos that need to be done to the house to sell it. - DONE! This resulted in arranging for work to be done in the summer.
Research cost of doing renos. Write down estimates. - DONE!
Both Plan expenses for next 6 months and put in budget. - We did this once in 2008 and it was very useful. Paul and I are planning a January get away in 2009 to do this again.
Re-assess January expenses and come up with more money saving strategies to try. One new strategy per week. - DONE! Actually we seem to be doing quite well. We've held the line on a lot of expenses, despite price and rate increases. I'm pretty impressed.
Both De-clutter stuff we don't want in the house. - Kind of...this led to me realizing all the stuff I was tripping over was unfinished projects. Which led to finishing projects. And the plan to make that my focus for 2009.
Sell stuff on-line or hold a garage sale. - DONE! We managed to earn enough money to buy dinner. Garage sales don't do well in this part of town.
Both Redo wills and power of attorney. - Nope. But it will happen soon. Both Lisa and Meghan have got on Paul's case about it. I did do up an Early Intervention Plan for my mental health state. That surprised my doctor I think. Of course she had more draconian ideas of what to add to it, but I resisted. I think it's pretty safe to say that what Paul has gives him a clear outline of what he can do when and in what way, should he need to.
Make a decision as to which reno to tackle first...together! By now we should have $500 to do something with. Let's use it wisely! - Paul decided he didn't want to do any more renos. He wants to hire people to do them. Sigh...more money...
Me Look at the art side of fibre work. Talk to people re: exhibitions, etc. - DOING. I have been talking with artist friends who have been directing me to various publications that relate to fibre collage, etc. I have not talked to anyone about exhibitions because, well, I'm a long ways from that! I've started a series of art quilts on my niece's photos of her trip to Europe this summer.
Paul Cost out move - Suddenly Paul decided this was not important to him.
Relationship Rescue Challenges
Both Get creative! Set budget for entertainment and try to do as much as you can with it. - DONE! Paul and I have found we enjoy the simple things in life. Like going for a walk together, walking to a cafe for tea, watching library DVDs together, putting puzzles together, window shopping together, going to bookstores (cappucino bars) and the library together, etc. I've included him more in my fancy afternoon teas at home as well.
Plan some fun. List 3 ways we can have fun for free this month. - DONE! But not carried out throughout the year. We could use improvement here.
Dining out – brainstorm ways to decrease costs of dining out. Do one this week in conjunction with free entertainment challenge. - We decided to go for a walk to local cafes for tea, rather than out to meals. On vacation we had our fill of restaurant meals. We were quite glad to eat at home for months after those trips.
Learn to give each other massages. - Nope. Paul tried to give me one and wrecked his back. He decided with my back problems, we should probably stick to professionals. This morphed into professional massages covered by work, physiotherapy (also covered by work), and trips to the spa.
Motorbike is a trust issue...rent a motorbike for a day trip...just to try. Paul loves motorbikes and I am death on them, having had a cousin almost die in a motorcycle accident. But I think I need to get over this. - This died a quick death when another cousin was in a motorcycle accident this summer and is now a paraplegic. This morphed into creating a "Twenty Wishes" list of things I want to do before I die. So far I've been able to cross four things off my list.
Dance classes - Gotta get my back fixed and new orthodics. Wonder if you can wear them in dance shoes?
Synopsis: So I think it's been a very good year. We've learned a lot. Paul and I had a lot of struggles throughout it, but we've managed to come through to the other side stronger financially and stronger as a couple. Paul has agreed that we need to plan a working retreat at a nearby spa in January to plan for 2009. It will be nice to get away from the cold for awhile. So I am now working on ideas to carry us forward through 2009. My deep thanks and gratitude to Ms. Gail Vaz-Oxlade, who modeled this approach to finances in her show "Till Debt Do Us Part".
I've decided to do something a little different this year. I am putting us through a series of challenges to improve our financial standing and save money for badly needed renovations and a new car (in five years). My goal is to be able to save $15,000 for home renovations in 1 1/2 years, and $30,000 for a new car in five years time. So, in the manner of Ms. Vaz-Oxlade, here's the plan... - We were able to save $10,000 in an EF this year, put $1000 cushion in savings, put $3200 towards Lisa's and Meghan's university education, and put $2,000 of our joint money into home renovations. We also took two vacations costing us another $2,000. I used my inheritance to get the bulk of the necessary repairs done to the house. We did very well financially this year.
Me Set up retreat on budget and search Bible for guidance. - DONE! Used Crown.org
Cut Spending Challenge
Both Set starting budget together - DONE! Paul likes sitting down to revise the budget occasionally.
Use Budget Binder and jar system - DONE! Found the budget binder to be duplication of effort as we keep receipts for everything and enter it into Quicken weekly. However, having said that, we're out $200 over the course of the year. This is much better than past years, when we've found ourselves out by close to $1000! We decided to use Dave Ramsey's zero-based budgeting system starting September and noticed real improvements in the amount of money we were able to save.
Freeze credit cards and debit cards - Kind of! What actually happened is they kept finding their way back into my purse. Every time I used them I put them away again. What this did was alert me to how often I was actually using them. I slowly weaned myself off of them. We ended up having a cash only Christmas as a result. I call that success!
Review simple living notes. Watch the rest of “Simple Living”. - DONE! Paul watched with me and had a few comments. Mostly we ended up working on home renovation projects to solve energy efficiency and emergency situations. We did manage to replace the basement windows and back door, and our heating bill seems to have gone down despite rate increases. It helped that Meghan left home to go to university in August. We worked on simplifying our lives by finding local ways to spend our time, walking more, and enjoying each other's company more. We also shopped the Farmer's Market as well as the cheap big box store. I cut my trips to the big box store to once a pay period.
Me Write down what bills are due when (Paul does most of the bill paying and money stuff here. I want to learn how. He is having issues with control I think.) - DONE! This helps when I'm doing financial planning when Paul isn't home to ask. I think he was getting tired of me asking. I never can remember these things, so they need to be written down.
Record transactions in Quicken for full month - DONE! Kind of...this morphed into us taking turns entering things in Quicken, with the other 'helping'. Paul did not want to give up control in this area. He was very afraid. I discovered I do not like Quicken. It is not very intuitive or helpful in planning ahead. I tried YNAB (You Need A Budget) and liked it much better. Paul, however, is not convinced and does not see the need to try it. It doesn't track investments. If anything happens to Paul I'll have to switch over to it anyway, because I really don't understand Quicken. But that will have to wait till another time...
Paul Find a way to reduce bank fees – consolidate accounts? Change type of account? - DONE! The bank finally contacted us about a steal of a deal on our accounts. Paul sprung for it, after much angst and discussion. We are now in high interest bearing accounts with lower fees.
Paul Pantry inventory. Paul doesn't have a clue how to do these things. It's time he learned. He doesn't realize how much time all this planning takes. - DONE! Paul didn't see the need to learn how to do this in January. But by December he was helpful. I think he realizes that all this moving and lifting is hard for my back (sorting through the chest freezer). And if he wants me to save money on groceries, he's going to have to help sort through the pantry/freezers every now and then to determine what's there. It sure is much more pleasant when you have someone share the work with you. And it doesn't hurt for him to have an idea of what's in the house to cook, in case of emergency.
Plan lunches for himself so he doesn't have to buy them at work. - DONE! He takes leftovers most of the time. The only thing he really buys for lunches is fruit, and I don't mind that. I've been trying to keep him supplied with muffins and cinnamon buns, as he was buying those at exorbitant prices at the grocery store. Found he ate a whole batch of cinnamon buns in 2 days if I let him. So I took to freezing half the batch. It didn't slow him down much. So I decided to bake them only once a month. The rest of the time he can have my healthy muffins and fruit.
Paul Plan menu and grocery shop once for the entire week. - No Way!!! Paul would not do this. I did walk him through it once, so he could see what was involved. Between this and the pantry inventory he developed a new appreciation for what I do around here.
Both Discuss budget once a week in pleasant atmosphere. - Well, we're still working on this, but we're a LOT better than we were. It helped to have him watch some of Gail Vaz-Oxlade's "Till Debt Do Us Part", and to listen to some Dave Ramsey "Financial Peace University" CDs. That cleared up a lot of issues between us.
Brainstorm ways to eat cheaper. - DONE! This was chiefly a case of better menu planning. I developed a four week rotation menu that fell within our budget. I had it okayed by my nutritionist and now I cook recipes only off of that...for the most part. I am also in the midst of taking Paul and I vegetarian. The price of groceries - meat in particular - has soared this year, and I'm disgusted enough to change my eating patterns. If I have to pay good money for food, I'm going to buy what's good for me to eat. I have found that I have not been able to actually eat cheaper. But I have been able to hold the line on the grocery budget...and that is good, considering the price hikes here are in the neighborhood of 50-100% on most items.
Both Cleaning schedule. Set one up and stick to it! - This was a failure. What with sore knees, feet and back, I just gave up. Lisa was helpful in giving me a Flylady duster for my birthday. Now I just have to use it more! I seem to spend all my time trying to find a comfortable position for my back.
Learn how to do stain removal. - I tried. In the end I decided it was easier to sew some aprons and wear them! So far it's worked great, and I was able to give a couple of classy looking aprons to my girls for Christmas.
Both Medical costs...ways to get medicine, Co-enzyme Q10 cheaper. Research alternative medicine we can try for free. - DONE! I decided to try gel caps and liquid forms of various vitamins and minerals to ease the side effects of my prescription medication. I added one new vitamin/mineral a month and noted any side effects. It has helped somewhat. But mostly I put into use things I already had, like the Litebook. It hadn't worked for me before, but I rightly surmised that was because I used it too long at a time. I tried acupuncture and decided to switch practitioners for next year. My old one charged a lot and wasn't much of a conversationalist...ie. never discussed the whole course of treatment with me. Paul and I determined a well timed trip to the spa did wonders for both of us, and at a fraction of the cost of massage. In fact, it cost us $30 for as long as we wanted to sit in the pool. Whereas it was pushing $40 for me alone to see the massage therapist for an hour. And it usually only made things worse or...at best...marginally better for a short time. So it's been a year of adjusting and trial and error.
Me Start practicing meditation every morning. - This was a failure. I tried it twice. Once with great success, and a second time with much less success. I just didn't seem to find time for it. And the more I tried to make room for it, the busier my days got. I finally decided to read up on spiritual disciplines. I am reading Richard Foster's book "Celebration of Discipline". In looking back I would say the discipline I've grown the most in this year is prayer.
Research cheap/free ways to exercise in winter. Do one this week. - My body was in too much pain to exercise and consequently this was a failure. I figure I'm doing well this year to fit in a daily walk. I have had to make use of a physiotherapist for various ailments.
Exercise DVDs. Use every day. - Nope
Both Clothing – Go through wardrobe and come up with different combinations for outfits. - DONE! This was very useful for determining exactly what we needed and didn't need ahead of seasons.
Figure out upcoming clothing needs/costs for next 6 months. - DONE! This worked so well that I will continue this with Paul this year.
Budget Booster Challenge
Both Hobbies – Brainstorm ways to do hobbies cheaper - DONE! I decided to buy things on sale or use what's in the house. The one thing I did spend money on was equipment. I spent some of my inheritance on new lighting, frames and sewing machine to do my hobbies.
Brainstorm ways to make hobbies pay for themselves. - craft sales, Internet - Nope. This fell on hard times right away. It costs money to make money. It cost $2000CAD to set up a website to sell things. It costs $100 for craft sales, if I include display supplies. I just didn't have the energy to go head to head with Paul on this. My goal this year is to save up some of my allowance and work on a booth at a sale somewhere. We'll see.
Price display equipment for fibre work. - DONE! And found it too expensive. Paul just wouldn't spring for it. It would have to be rented because we don't have room to store anything. I must admit, I didn't have any fibre work to sell really. I just didn't produce a lot this year for some reason. And what I did produce I gave away. It was easier than trying to sell it. Cop out, I know...
Me Track time during the day - DONE! I discovered I'm busy and don't really have time to run a business or work. How do working women do it? I just wouldn't have the energy to work and do frugal things too.
Create a daily schedule to include exercise, frugal activities, & fibre work and stick to it. - Tried, but it was fairly obvious that I rebelled against this majorly. I achieved a lot more when I was allowed to spontaneously pick projects to work on. Not sure what that says about my personality. I'm kinda afraid to ask! I did try to schedule myself to do things with other people. So I attended a number of stitch-ins on a regular basis and started a crafting group at the church with one other lady. Those ensure I at least do something every week.
Research starting a business. W.E.S. and Embroidery Canada articles. Talk to others in business - I did start reading some articles and attended some workshops in the past on running an Internet business. But truth be told, I lacked energy, time and drive. And without Paul's support I just won't go into business. It's too much of a time and money commitment that he is not prepared to let me make.
Set weekly goals for fibre work and DO IT! - Tried to, and failed. I did manage some stuff. But I find if I set a schedule I simply rebel! I also found my energy really flagging due to my back pain and not getting good sleep at night. This year, for the first time in my life, I've had to start taking afternoon naps.
Pull together a resumé.- DONE! And I was delighted to see I'd actually done something with the last 15 years of my life. I pulled together four pages. Paul suggested it was far too long. I actually sent it in to one employer, and wished I hadn't. Thankfully they said 'thanks, but no thanks'.
Future Plan Challenge
Paul Make a list of all renos that need to be done to the house to sell it. - DONE! This resulted in arranging for work to be done in the summer.
Research cost of doing renos. Write down estimates. - DONE!
Both Plan expenses for next 6 months and put in budget. - We did this once in 2008 and it was very useful. Paul and I are planning a January get away in 2009 to do this again.
Re-assess January expenses and come up with more money saving strategies to try. One new strategy per week. - DONE! Actually we seem to be doing quite well. We've held the line on a lot of expenses, despite price and rate increases. I'm pretty impressed.
Both De-clutter stuff we don't want in the house. - Kind of...this led to me realizing all the stuff I was tripping over was unfinished projects. Which led to finishing projects. And the plan to make that my focus for 2009.
Sell stuff on-line or hold a garage sale. - DONE! We managed to earn enough money to buy dinner. Garage sales don't do well in this part of town.
Both Redo wills and power of attorney. - Nope. But it will happen soon. Both Lisa and Meghan have got on Paul's case about it. I did do up an Early Intervention Plan for my mental health state. That surprised my doctor I think. Of course she had more draconian ideas of what to add to it, but I resisted. I think it's pretty safe to say that what Paul has gives him a clear outline of what he can do when and in what way, should he need to.
Make a decision as to which reno to tackle first...together! By now we should have $500 to do something with. Let's use it wisely! - Paul decided he didn't want to do any more renos. He wants to hire people to do them. Sigh...more money...
Me Look at the art side of fibre work. Talk to people re: exhibitions, etc. - DOING. I have been talking with artist friends who have been directing me to various publications that relate to fibre collage, etc. I have not talked to anyone about exhibitions because, well, I'm a long ways from that! I've started a series of art quilts on my niece's photos of her trip to Europe this summer.
Paul Cost out move - Suddenly Paul decided this was not important to him.
Relationship Rescue Challenges
Both Get creative! Set budget for entertainment and try to do as much as you can with it. - DONE! Paul and I have found we enjoy the simple things in life. Like going for a walk together, walking to a cafe for tea, watching library DVDs together, putting puzzles together, window shopping together, going to bookstores (cappucino bars) and the library together, etc. I've included him more in my fancy afternoon teas at home as well.
Plan some fun. List 3 ways we can have fun for free this month. - DONE! But not carried out throughout the year. We could use improvement here.
Dining out – brainstorm ways to decrease costs of dining out. Do one this week in conjunction with free entertainment challenge. - We decided to go for a walk to local cafes for tea, rather than out to meals. On vacation we had our fill of restaurant meals. We were quite glad to eat at home for months after those trips.
Learn to give each other massages. - Nope. Paul tried to give me one and wrecked his back. He decided with my back problems, we should probably stick to professionals. This morphed into professional massages covered by work, physiotherapy (also covered by work), and trips to the spa.
Motorbike is a trust issue...rent a motorbike for a day trip...just to try. Paul loves motorbikes and I am death on them, having had a cousin almost die in a motorcycle accident. But I think I need to get over this. - This died a quick death when another cousin was in a motorcycle accident this summer and is now a paraplegic. This morphed into creating a "Twenty Wishes" list of things I want to do before I die. So far I've been able to cross four things off my list.
Dance classes - Gotta get my back fixed and new orthodics. Wonder if you can wear them in dance shoes?
Synopsis: So I think it's been a very good year. We've learned a lot. Paul and I had a lot of struggles throughout it, but we've managed to come through to the other side stronger financially and stronger as a couple. Paul has agreed that we need to plan a working retreat at a nearby spa in January to plan for 2009. It will be nice to get away from the cold for awhile. So I am now working on ideas to carry us forward through 2009. My deep thanks and gratitude to Ms. Gail Vaz-Oxlade, who modeled this approach to finances in her show "Till Debt Do Us Part".
