We are living in tough economic times right now. I am always looking for ways to save money and I’m sure a lot of you are as well. As a family of three now our budget has inflated over the past year. We planned and budgeting before the arrival of Connor, but there are always unexpected expenses that arise. Diapers are not cheap Ya’ll! Whatever you think you are going to spend on a baby you might as well double or even TRIPLE that number! Of course your baby is worth every penny and as parents you only want the best for your baby….but really do you need the “Johnson & Johnson” shampoo vs. the “Great Value” Wal-Mart version? There are some things I will splurge on because I do deem them a better product, but most things regarding baby care can be generic.

Things I splurge on:

• Pampers diapers – I have tried the cheaper diapers and store bought versions. This brand works for us and we’ve had a history of less diaper rash.
• Picture & Holiday clothing- It is okay to buy a nice outfit for an occasion or holiday.
• Organic baby food- This is a personal preference, it’s a little more expensive, but I want his food to be pure with no fillers. I could make my own, but I really don’t have time at this point in my life with working a full time job and taking care of the rest of the house.

Things to get cheap:

• Play clothes/socks- they are going to outgrow clothing quicker than you think. You will go through several outfits a day…they poo….they pee….they spill…and drooooool. I think I lose a pair of socks every week.
• Toys- No need to buy your baby an expensive outrageous toy. The things I find Connor enjoying most are the cheapest junkiest toys!
• Shampoo/Soap- I know this is different for every baby, but soap and lotion are the same to me name brand or not.

I have to say that Terence is the big “budget” person in our household. Sometimes I refer to him as the money police and poke fun at him. I will say in his defense that without his discipline and hard work we would not be where we are now. When I say “now” it’s not where we want to be by any means, but it just means we have some sort of safety net. Terence and I have been married almost 10 years now & for our entire marriage everything has been documented in Microsoft Quicken. E.V.E.R.Y. P.E.N.N.Y No Joke

This has allowed us to see where we spend our money. If we see we are over spending in some areas we can see our mistakes and try and correct them the next month. It’s also allowed us to plan for retirement, contribute to savings, and track our checking. It’s been a great tool and ultimately you will find what works best for you and your family in regards to keeping a budget.

We recently started discussing whether or not to take money out of savings and pay off Terence’s car. This would allow us to have extra income to put towards student loan debt. We personally don’t want to spend the next 10 years paying off student loan debt especially since we have a child of our own to save for college now. This plan would cut our student loan debt down to 2 years and that would be a huge savings for us in the long run. Interest will kill ya! We don’t put things on credit cards, but we do have one for emergencies. So basically the only thing hovering over our heads right now is a car payment, student loan debt, and our mortgage….which is something that is going to be there regardless.

I know everyone struggles. It’s definitely hard right now when a lot of us are experiencing tighter budgets; some have lost homes or jobs, and live paycheck to paycheck. There are days when the future seems overwhelming and I feel boggled down. But at the end of the day I have to say I have things that are more valuable to me than money…..I have my family, friends, and my health. All of those things no money can buy or replace. God is good and will never fail us.

Live life. Enjoy.

HOW DO YOU BUDGET AND PLAN FOR THE FUTURE?
ADVICE…SUGGESTIONS???

Don’t forget about our blog meet up this weekend at Cheesecake Factory!!! If you live in the DFW area and would like to come please email me at beckylbranch@gmail.com

Our mexican lunch for $2.97 this past weekend

(Now that is budget eating!)

Thank you GROUPON!!!

Our weekend was pretty laid back. Saturday we did our weekend chores and hit up WalMart. We should have gotten more candy because we ran out so FAST last night. We would have no trick or treaters and then all of a sudden 10-15 kids at the door! And I think most of them were not from our neighborhood. It was fun opening the door and seeing all the kiddos in their costumes!

Terence and I worked the 2 year old room at church again Sunday. We had 3 girls and a little boy. I always feel worn out afterwards! It’s the room they need help in…maybe because nobody else wants to work that age range…ha..ha..!!! We also got to take some cat naps, catch up on laundry, and we carved our first pumpkin!

Here are some pictures of our weekend:

Connor is wearing his homemade astronaut helmet. Terence and I decided he needed a helmet last minute so we took a plastic pretzel jar, some silver tissue paper, black sharpie, and some logos I printed off the internet and there you have it! It’s was really big on him, but cute for the photos and I don’t know how realistic it looks, but it’s what we came up with last minute!

“Houston we have a problem!”

The helmet was hard to keep up on his head

He looks exhausted & I think he was tired of playing dress up

It was mid 70’s yesterday so he didn’t last long…his costume was HOT!

I love his face in this picture for some reason it cracks me up!

Connor and Daddy

Connor watching us carve the pumpkin

All done!

“Happy Halloweeeeen!!!”

Hope you all had a great one!

I can’t believe it’s officially “THE HOLIDAYS” and Christmas is adorning all the shelves in stores now! Oh how time flies and I want to enjoy every second!

I’m praying hard for all my friends who are longing to have their own little babies to play dress up with. I waited a LONG time to dress up my baby…..and I know there are so many out there who are still longing to celebrate this time of year with a baby love. It’s hard for so many people who are hurting without a child to celebrate with. I remember the feeling and reading and watching so many people who’s lives carried on, but mine seemed to stand still. I hope this post doesn’t bring bitterness, but hope that someday too you will have your baby to celebrate the holidays with! Praying and wishing and hoping for you all…..

Most of us just wore sports themed shirts. I wore my Razorback shirt because I had to represent my home state AR right??? I wanted to be a little bit Halloweeny so I threw in a red witch hat 🙂 You can see our pictures from Halloween 2009 HERE

Here is part of the group I work with

Snack table
Our buffalo “Mo” in disguise as a Ranger Moose
We have WAY too much fun on Halloween!
Enjoying my Starbucks this morning!
I went through the drive through and when I got to the window to pay for my drink the lady said the car in front of me had already paid for my drink! How sweet!

It made my day 🙂

Last night I met up with a sweet gal who reads my blog named Amber and her cutie pie Kylon. We had a lot of fun walking around the mall and shopping. We stopped in Godiva and had a chocolate too! They were SO nice and I’m happy to have met them! Hopefully we can get together again soon!

Isn’t he a cutie???

This is pretty much what Connor looked like the whole night at the mall. He just stared at Kylon like “Wow he’s such a BIG boy!” Maybe someday I will be that big too 🙂

Nana & Poppy sent Connor a 1st Halloween card with some $$$ to buy a trick-or-treat.

Connor says “Thank you Nana and Poppy” I will get a nice treat to play with! I love you!

HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A WONDERFUL HALLOWEEN WEEKEND!!!!

Oh! The winner of the Halloween twin contest is KAREN!!!!

(I owe you a drink Karen & I know you’ll enjoy!)

I am on the LEFT in all the photos!

All you have to do to participate is copy the photo collage above and post it on your own blog tomorrow. Be sure to add your link below once your post is up (linky will open at midnight). We want to shower Summer and the Bailey family with lots of love.

Summer, you mean so much to me and words cannot express how I feel right now or what I want to say to you. I know your heart is aching and you are hurting so badly for your Daddy. We will all be praying for you and remembering Daddy Butch along with you in our hearts and minds. I thank God he brought you in my life as a friend and I wish I could do something for you to ease your pain right now. I would give anything! You are an amazingly strong and beautiful woman and I know your Dad felt blessed by you and you by him just like we are!

Praying for you now…..Love, Becky

If you would like to send love to Summer :

Summer’s Grandparents home:

Mr. and Mrs. Nolton A. Bailey, Sr.
c/o Summer Brown
2010 Maple Street
Morgan City, LA 70380

We received a Tommee Tippee travel bottle warmer to review last week. Our family is always on the go so I thought this would come in quite handy!

1. Poor your hot water in
2. Screw thermos lid on

READY TO TRAVEL….
3. Here we are at my in-laws house ready to warm up the bottle

4. Press center button & poor hot water into the lid

(Notice how the water pours out slowly through the opening to prevent splash)

5. Warm bottle

The water stayed VERY hot! The thermos was high quality and I loved how the water didn’t dump out, it gently streamed through the opening. I would recommend this if you travel a lot or if you are going on a trip this would be a great thing to have.

Some of the things I would change:

(1) It would be nice if the cup used to warm the bottle fit in a car cup holder, since this is after all a travel bottle warmer.

(2) A lid for the bottle warmer cup would also be nice to prevent splashes and spilling while traveling.

PRODUCT INFO:
•No electricity needed! Great for travel or daycare
•Thermal flask keeps water warm
•Either use warm water to heat up bottles or jars in warming carafe or use warm water to make up fresh feeds
•BPA and Phthalate free

All in all you could tell it was a high quality product and bottom line it did the job VERY well!

Thanks Tommee Tippee for another great baby product!!!