With a little over three months into the contest, I feel like I have accomplished more than I ever thought I would, or even could. And yet I have so much more to accomplish to reach my goals of financial fitness! I can already see progress, which makes me happy and much more secure. Thank you so much Community America!

Summer is upon us which always makes me want to go out and have fun! Hmmm, why does fun almost always involve spending money? I’m looking into fun things for Mary and me to do this summer without spending a lot of money. I will keep you posted as I develop our summer fun strategies!

I recorded everything I spent this week, and saw a large spike in spending from Thursday to Saturday, with those being my days off. I suppose that seems logical as those are the days I do my grocery shopping, etc.  I have seen a pattern of spending more if I am in a rush while running errands. So needless to say, I've learned from those patterns and am doing my best to plan ahead and manage my time to ensure the most frugal shopping. 

After reviewing my budget again I have set some goals for the coming months, and hope all will run smoothly. I am going to step up to the plate and swing the bat little harder during the upcoming month.

With this nicer weather comes yard work and I am looking at ways to maintain or increase the value of my home. I take great pride in my yard and enjoy spending time in my flower beds, laying mulch and putting in some new annuals. Searching for "deals" on flowers is fun. They are so beautiful and bring me so much enjoyment. Mowing the grass twice a week… not so much enjoyment!

Until next week, take care!

Wow is it time to blog again? The blog came upon me so quickly this week -  like the hare - and making deposits to my savings seems slow, much like the tortoise!

I met with my financial advisor Erin this past Friday to talk over some new strategies and to see where I can cut back and determine where my funds may be leaking. After looking over some things and all my expenditures, I saw that I have been doing well given the circumstances mentioned in my previous blogs of added expenses with the cars, birthdays, and extra medical expenses. But I still need to work on tightening those budget leaks.

I do know that a certain portion of my expenses go to feeding the family pets and although I would like to find good homes for them, I am not making it a priority as they are part of the family and a good home is hard to find. They are my responsibility, and these two tiny dogs and two cats will not send me to the poor house any time soon. I will continue to buy healthy but thrifty items for these little guys.

A positive result of my meeting with Erin has me logging every cent starting tomorrow, on paper in a notebook I carry with me. Sometimes a constant visual and actually writing down expenses makes me catch things more quickly. I thought of this for myself. Its old school I know but still works great for me......I'm old!!

I have also put a few old items that have been gathering dust in the basement on Craigslist for sale, to add a few extra dollars to my savings. I'm looking at Craigslist and other venues to earn even an extra $50.00 per month to put directly to checking and savings. I'm looking to concentrate on thinking outside the box to generate additional income over the next couple of months. I'll let you know how it goes.

I am progressing somewhat slower than I would like to, but nonetheless, I am progressing. I need to stay positive, and much like the tortoise will not be napping along the way to only find out I was passed up in the end. I wanted to say to ALL the coaches, great blogs! I have loved reading about my fellow team mates and hearing all about their progress through their coaches eyes. Great inspiration for us all.

Talk to you later.

Hope everyone had a great Mothers Day weekend! I took a much needed road trip to visit my family in St. Louis, who I miss very much and who are such a wonderful support to me in the CommunityAmerica Financial Makeover contest. They are always asking for the contest's exciting details and inquiring about what I have learned so far!

I managed very well to stay within a budget on my trip. My family were all great hosts and provided scrumptious meals during the weekend for Mary and I. And I could not ask for a better team mate during this contest....Mary never asked for a thing on the way to or from St. Louis. Thank you so much to everyone for such a wonderful weekend. I am truly blessed.

The question I ask myself daily about this contest is, "Am I doing enough to win"? Yes, I am winning whether I come in first place or finish in fourth. The financial gain I will have earned is absolutely priceless. But being competitive in nature and keeping my eye on the prize, am I doing enough?? If not, what more can I possibly do? Sometimes grand ideas come to me, and other times...well they don't. And sometimes, with my daily life as a single Mom, I honestly am just too tired to think. I suppose that's life, and the goal of the contest is to stay focused and to continue to develop lifelong habits that keep us financially strong. My confidence is gaining, I think I'm doing well for myself (and for Mary), and in the contest.

I have already seen a decrease in my gas bill this month, thanks to the warmer weather, and I love it. I am going to do my best to avoid turning on my air conditioner until I absolutely have to turn it on. Mother Nature is assisting me well in saving on utilities with this wonderful cool Spring!!

I am now deciding on what house repairs must be done now, and what repairs can wait. I do plan to ask friends for assistance on some of the easier repairs and can barter out Rhonda's tasty chocolate chip cookies to pay for some of those repairs!

To wrap up this week, I continue to move forward every day in this contest. I feel so good about being a solid contender for the grand finale. The greatest prize of all is being much more financially fit than I was such a short while ago. Thank you so much Tim and Erin, my CommunityAmerica Financial Makeover coaches for mentoring me so well thus far. I appreciate you guys!!

Talk to you next week!!