Friends! Have any of y’all experimented with our Google Doc budget? I would love to hear if you have! If you haven’t, though, or never intend to, that’s okay, too — I know it’s not for everyone! The key to sticking to a budget is finding a system that works for you, and so, as promised, I’m presenting another option today. Or rather, my dear friend Nancy Ray is presenting another option — the one she uses. Take it away, Nancy!
Hello friends! I’m excited to share, in my opinion, the most important key to our budgeting success. It’s called the Envelope System, and if you haven’t heard of it, just ask your grandma. She can probably explain it to you! Before the days of credit and debit cards (which really wasn’t too long ago), this was the most common and effective way to budget your money and give limits to your spending habits, and it’s the method recommended by Dave Ramsey, whom we’ve learned so much from. It works like this:
After making your monthly budget, you fill your labeled envelopes with the cash allotted for each specific category. When the money runs out, it runs out! This creates a physical limit on your spending, and it helps pace yourself throughout the month.
To better explain, here is an example of our current monthly Envelope System:
Food: $400
The food envelope is the amount allotted for all of our grocery shopping and eating out. Some couples like to separate the two categories into two different envelopes – that is completely up to you. (I like to challenge myself each month: If I have leftover money in the envelope, then we get to eat out!)
Household: $100
Household expenses include laundry detergent, lightbulbs, home repairs, paper towels, and other recurring household needs. We let this money “roll over” from month to month when we do not use it all, to cover the unexpected, more expensive repairs and needs that inevitably arise.
Auto Care: $60
The auto care envelope covers auto repairs, oil changes, tire replacements, car washes, etc. We allow this envelope to “roll over” as well, to build up cash for more expensive repairs.
Clothing: $60
The clothing envelope is only for clothes that are needed, not my fun shopping I-want-a-cute-new-dress money. For example: I can use the clothing envelope to purchase a new pair of running shoes because mine are worn out.
Blow Money: $160
We divide this money down the middle: Will gets $80, I get $80. This is our monthly “fun money” that we get to spend on whatever we want (i.e. my cute new dress.)
Gifts: $60
The gift envelope amount changes regularly, depending on what holidays and birthdays are on the calendar. Nothing is a surprise! We budget for Valentine’s Day, our families’ birthdays, and we start budgeting for Christmas in September!
Hair: $25
I don’t need a haircut monthly, but Will does. We allow the extras in this envelope to roll over and build up for my haircuts, while Will regularly takes out what is needed for his.
Date Night: $40
This is our newest envelope (and perhaps my favorite!). Setting aside time for us to simply be together, the date night envelope can be applied to a movie night, a restaurant, or maybe two date nights: pizza at home, and a casual dinner out.
Other Envelope System Category Ideas:
– Restaurant/Eating Out Envelope
– Entertainment Envelope
– Social/Friends Envelope (for coffee/lunch dates)
– Furniture Envelope (if saving for a new piece of furniture)
– Vacation Envelope (if you want to keep it separate from your bank account)
Side note: When we were saving to pay off our house, we only got $40 each of blow money monthly. Also, there was only $240 in our food envelope, which is quite different from our current $400. The point is this: YOU decide what is fair in your household, according to your income, budget, and financial goals. Don’t get caught up in comparing my budget to yours. Do what works for you.
A few things to note before moving forward: This is not a picture of our entire budget – only the cash items within our budget. Notice that none of our bills (electricity, internet, etc.) show up in the Envelope System. That’s because we pay our bills online, electronically. So while they are still a part of our budget, they are not withdrawn in cash. Same with our gas money – we always use our debit card when filling up, and we keep track of our receipts and budget for it. Also, keep in mind that these amounts change on a monthly basis. For example: we hosted a dinner party for friends last month, so we allotted extra money in our Food envelope to cover that additional expense. The Envelope System exists to help you stick to your budget when spending can become all too easy, but it does not represent your entire monthly budget.
5 tips to make the Envelope System work for you:
1. Use cash-only categories: As I mentioned before, only use the envelope system for items you can pay for in cash. 2. Personalize it: When we first started using the Envelope System, we had a bajillion envelopes. I even made sub-categories for my blow money envelopes: my iPhone envelope, my curtains envelope. Just get to a system that is agreed upon in your household. 3. Fill the envelopes once or twice a month: I fill all of my envelopes in the beginning of the month to the max, but you might feel uncomfortable carrying around that much cash. You can fill them twice a month if needed – just choose something consistent and make sure you make a note in your budget. 4. Communicate with your spouse: This goes for your budget and your finances as a whole, but it’s good to talk through the envelopes and the remaining balances as you spend throughout the month. 5. Trash your receipts: I love this part of the envelope system. Because we can simply glance down and look at how much is left in each envelope, there isn’t a real need for keeping track of our receipts. It’s a good idea to keep track of them for the first few months, but once you get the hang of it, the envelopes eliminate your need to keep receipts.
So why is this system SO important to us? Why can’t you simply use your debit card and keep good records? I’m so glad you asked!
First of all, in my experience, it’s much more difficult emotionally to spend cash. It is often much easier to simply swipe your card and justify your purchase.
Second, this system sets a hard limit on your spending. You simply cannot purchase anything else when there is no more cash in the envelope! For visual people like me, this aspect is very helpful.
Lastly (and most importantly in my opinion), the Envelope System allows you to spend your money GUILT FREE! When you and your spouse have agreed on the amount of cash ahead of time, you can spend it responsibly, without worry. I used to have major guilt when spending any of my money, knowing that it could have or should have been spent on something else. But with a budget and an envelope system in place, you can freely spend what you’ve allotted with no guilt, knowing you are being responsible with your money.
Keep in mind it takes about three months to get the hang of this or any system, so don’t give up if it doesn’t work right away. But it is worth it, I promise. No matter my income or age, I will always use this system. I dare you to give it a try, and let me know what you think!
Thank you, Nancy!! Be sure to check out Mrs. Ray’s inspiring blog and beautiful images here!
Editor’s note: I wrote most of this post when I was still pregnant with Annie (!). It’s sat in my drafts folder for more than two years, waiting for me to come back and finish it up. Today is the day! I decided the best thing to do would be to publish my original speculative thoughts and then add a little two-years-in update with how things have actually turned out (so far). I hope it’s helpful!
There were a number of topics I knew I wanted to discuss once the news was out about baby number three. There was deciding to have a third baby at all, of course, as well as the pros and cons of another boy or girl. But one I was really looking forward to? The financial implications of having a third child. We’ve discussed the intersection of money and kids a few times (here and here most specifically!), and I find it an endlessly fascinating and severely under-discussed topic. So, consider this post one part sharing our personal experience, one part encouragement, and one part practical strategizing. As always, I can’t wait to hear your thoughts. Let’s dig in!
Though each additional kiddo in a family introduces a new element to the financial picture, I think a third child is unique in a way a second or even a fourth is not. I thought I’d walk through a few common kid budget categories to share how we thought through them, and a few things you might want to think about if you’re considering having a third. I hope this post offers some hope, helpful perspective, and fodder for conversation with your spouse! :)
Housing
Let’s tackle a big one first! People have been curious from the beginning as to where baby sister will sleep. Our home has four bedrooms, so theoretically we have a room for each kiddo and one for John and me. However, it’s important for us to maintain a guest room, considering that we have frequently-visiting family who lives far away, so as I explained here, we’re planning to keep our guest room intact and add a crib to it. This should hold us for at least two years, at which time we can decide if we want to house two of the kids together, officially designate the guest room as baby sister’s room (but keep the big bed for guest visits), or consider a move to a larger home. I shared a room at times growing up and would have no problem with that scenario.
Bottom line: For us, baby number three won’t add any additional cost to the housing line in our budget. Regardless of whether we had a third child, we likely would have considered moving in a few years, anyway, so I’d consider this category a wash.
Update two years in: Annie is still going strong in the room previously known as the guest room! We’re hoping she’ll last another year in her crib before transitioning to the queen bed. June is also keen for the two of them to share a room, so we may consider bunk beds in the future. No immediate plans to move :)
Transportation
Another big one! Many people find a third child pushes them over the edge to a larger car, either to get a third row of seating in an SUV or to switch to a minivan. Obviously, this can be a huge expense.
Our take: Currently, we have a Kia Sorento. We love it! It’s a small three-row SUV, but it does not have captain’s chairs, so there’s no easy way to get to the third row of seats with two car seats installed in the middle row (i.e. they can’t slide forward with the car seats installed).
To accommodate a three-child family at our kids’ ages, we have a few options. We could invest in skinnier car seats that would fit three across. This is what Nancy did to fit three kids in their Highlander, using the Diono car seats. They’re pricy, but less than buying a different car.
Or, we could have June climb in through the back lift gate or clamber over the second row of seats. She does not mind these options – in fact, she kind of loves them – but they’re not the most practical for things like carpool pick-up lines or when we’re traveling and have the trunk packed full.
Bottom line: We will almost certainly upgrade to a larger SUV with captain’s chairs at some point in the not-so-distant future. We have our eye on the Kia Telluride. This will be a big expense that we may not have incurred if we had stayed at two kiddos, but we’re thankful to have socked away money for this expense over the last few years and plan to pay cash. Also, it’s nice to know we could do just fine with our current ride and can make this change on our own time table.
Update two years in: We placed an order for a Telluride two months before Annie was born and received it four months after she was born! Big, big Telly fans over here.
Childcare
The final biggest immediate expense! Anecdotally, I feel like the change from two to three children is when many couples feel that it no longer financially makes sense for both parents to work outside the home and pay for three kids to go to full-time childcare. Of course, this depends greatly on the age gaps between your kids and what option you choose when they enter elementary-school age.
Our take: The spacing of our children makes this not as burdensome as it could be. June will move on to public school kindergarten shortly after Annie is born, but we’ll replace the cost of her preschool with a higher rate to send an infant to daycare (in our area, this ranges from about $1,300-$1,600 per month, which is about twice what we pay for June’s preschool as a five-year-old).
Bottom line: Our childcare costs will go up slightly in 2022, but we will never need to pay three childcare costs at the same time. That would require a much bigger adjustment to the budget.
Update two years in: We made it through the most expensive year! Annie has now joined Shep at their Montessori preschool, where her tuition is less than we paid at daycare.Yes, we will be paying childcare for more years than we would have if we had stopped at two, but our budget is used to it at this point and so it doesn’t really require any additional rejiggering.
Gear
Some good news! By the time most people get to their third child, they have all of the basics covered: cribs, car seats, toys, high chairs, etc. Of course, some items may be a bit worn at this point and need replacing, but for the most part, for most people, this category should not need to add much to the budget.
Our take: This jives with our experience! We will be reusing our crib, crib mattress, car seats, stroller, travel bassinet, and more. The bigger items on our list: a stroller fan (our first one died and it’s a must for a summer baby!), a few more silicone bibs (many of ours have ripped or cracked at this point), Kiinde pouches (they’re one-time use), another hooded towel, another sound machine, and a new trike. (Our two older kids used and loved the same one that was handed down from a neighbor, but the wheel constantly comes off its track and considering how much we’ve used our first one, it would be well worth the purchase!) We’ll also buy new sheets, a muslin lovey, a few stuffed animals, and a nap quilt – sweet things chosen just for this baby girl.
Bottom line: We expect our expenses to be minimal in this category, especially because I’ll look to buy whatever possible secondhand if we don’t receive it as a gift. (I’m planning a gear redux post sometime soon, going into more detail over what we plan to reuse or try new this time around, so stay tuned for that.)
Update two years in: We had to replace our infant car seat because our original had expired, but otherwise this tracks! We were grateful to receive several of the items I listed above as gifts, so the only significant cost was the Kiinde pouches for a year of breastfeeding and pumping. Also, I did manage to write part one of that gear redux post – part two coming soon :)
Clothing
Though this is a category in which it’s easy to get carried away, the good news is that between hand-me-downs, Buy Nothing groups, and consignment sales/stores, it’s also easy to keep your costs relatively low! Of course, if your third child is the same gender as one of your first two kids, this becomes even easier (though clothes do wear out, and more frequently as kids get older – I’ve retired hardly any of June’s leggings this year, as it seems they all have massive holes in the knees!)
Our take: I cannot WAIT to see baby sister in some of our favorite June hand-me-downs!! One of the best parts about having another girl, in my opinion! Between all the clothing I’ve saved from June’s wardrobe and my sister-in-law generously sending along bags of goodies from her two summer-birthday girls, there is nothing we need to buy for at least the first two years. Yahoo! Of course, I’m sure I’ll buy a few pieces here and there just for fun, and certainly more as she gets older and more aware/independent.
Bottom line: Negligible cost at first; will need to build more room into the budget as she gets older and we’re generally clothing three kids instead of two. But again, I cannot emphasize enough the power of buying secondhand!! It’s like magic.
Update two years in: Yep! I can probably count on two hands the number of (secondhand) clothing items I’ve bought for Annie so far, and though it’s hard to resist the cuteness, seeing her in my favorite June pieces helps to scratch the itch :)
Diapers and Wipes
As these are consumable items, you can expect to pay roughly what you paid for any other child – it doesn’t matter if it’s your first or fifth. (Cloth diapers, of course, would be a different story and certainly an opportunity for cost savings over multiple children!)
Bottom line: Yep, these will need to be factored into the budget. However, it’s nice that June is completely out of diapers and pull-ups and Shep is only wearing nighttime pull-ups at this point!
Update two years in: No surprises here! Again, I’m thankful the spacing of our kids allowed for more breathing room in this budget category.
Ongoing Activities
Looking a little farther down the road, a third child does mean we’ll need to increase our budget for the routine costs and “fun” expenses associated with kids – birthday and Christmas presents, sports equipment and class fees, summer camps, tickets to events, expanding family museum memberships, adding an extra person to meals out and vacations, etc.
Bottom line: Yep! For us, this feels like one of the bigger factors when considering the financial implications of a third child. Yes, daycare costs might loom large immediately, but over the long run, this category will likely add up to much more. However, the nice thing is that it’s gradual, and most of it is discretionary – and as I mentioned, I don’t mind the idea that our kids might feel a little deprived at times :)
Update two years in: We haven’t really felt the impact of this yet, as Annie doesn’t do any activities outside of school and doesn’t even always order her own meal when we eat out. But I know it’s coming!
Long-Term Expenses
Our final budget category brings us farther into the future: we’re talking large, long-term expenses like paying for private schooling, college, cars, and weddings. There’s no doubt about it: these can be BIG expenses, and it’s straight-up addition that you’ll shell out more the more children you have.
Our take: While this category will likely represent the largest portion of the budget when all is said and done, it did not loom largest for us when we considered the financial implications of having a third child. Yes, that’s in part because many of these costs seem far away when you’re still pregnant. But it’s also because they are far away, and we’re optimistic enough to believe that our track record of saving, investing, and living below our means will get us where we need to go when the time comes.
These costs also don’t spook us because we believe there’s lots of room to be judicious with spending (and creative!) within these categories. A new car for each child at 16? Not likely – but maybe we’ll agree to match whatever they save for a car purchase. College? Yes, we’d love to help send them if they choose to go, but also know that there are GREAT and less-expensive options than a four-year liberal arts degree at a private school. A wedding? Well, you know that one is my weakness :) But just as we were creative with our own wedding expenses, we’ll be ready to get creative with theirs – and expect them to contribute, just as we did once upon a time.
Bottom line: These costs are big – yes. But to us, they’d never be the deciding factor in whether or not to add a third child to the fam. Many of the costs are gradual, can be delayed, or are simply optional.
Update two years in: Here, here! Knowing the total joy our third child has brought us, I’m glad this was (and is) our perspective :)And here’s the photographic (almost) two-year update below!
I hope this was helpful, friends! I would really love to hear your thoughts and perspectives in the comments. And of course, though I’ve tried to consider many factors, it should be said that my conclusions here are drawn from our experience with our particular three children. There are many scenarios in which the financial implications for a third child (or any child) could be wildly different – I’m thinking specifically about those who have a child with a disability or extraordinary health needs.
The Instagram story I posted asking for kindergarten prep ideas may have gotten the most responses of any story I’ve ever posted… ever. Y’all wrote in with lots of good ideas, yes (see many of them below!), but way more of you simply wanted me to share the responses I received.
I was so tickled by this kindergarten cohort! And I get it! Heading back to school, whether for the first time or the twelfth, is a big transition. As mamas, we want to prepare our families well for it, emotionally and practically, and to celebrate well, too. The start of a school year gives us so many opportunities to do this, including renewing, refreshing, or beginning family traditions – because for all the time kids spend in school, I firmly believe that the foundation we lay at home matters even more.
Today, I thought I’d share some of the ways we’re preparing for our first kindergartener, as well as back-to-school suggestions from many of you! Some items are particularly unique to our family, but hopefully even those might spark an idea for yours.
Things we’re doing to prepare for kindergarten:
— Transition June’s clothes upstairs and begin picking out clothes the night before. As many of you may remember, June’s and Shep’s clothing has been stored in our bedroom. With Annie’s arrival, we moved June’s clothing up to her room and began the practice of laying out her outfits the night before. She thinks this is super grown-up :) — Buy an adult bike. We live in the walk zone for our elementary school, and plan to bike to school most days for pick-up and drop-off. John’s road bike has clip-less pedals and is not ideal for short, casual rides, so we bought him a Priority bike for the days he accompanies her. (June has a Priority bike, too – more on hers here!) — Pull backpack options and order backpack and lunch box. To facilitate choosing a backpack option we both will love for several years, I narrowed down options from State, Pottery Barn, and L.L. Bean. We scrolled through the screenshots together and she chose this one! I gave her free rein over the lunchbox choice and this is the one she chose :) — Buy matching bracelets. As a special back-to-school gift, I ordered a mini monogram bracelet for June and a stack of bracelets representing each family member for me from Pearls & Prosecco. I think they will be a reassuring physical connection on those first few days! It would also be fun to make your own beaded bracelets. (Not just for girls: a mama I know makes friendship bracelets with her boys the night before the first day every year!). — Go on school supplies shopping date. I’m planning to print out the school supplies list from school so June can follow along and plan an afternoon browsing the aisles at Target with my girl. We may also hit up Parker Paper Company for a few fun extras. Our church is collecting supplies for a partner school, so we’ll plan to buy two of everything. — Fill out and return health forms. Simple enough, but still something I need to set aside time to complete! — Play at the school playground. Our school playground is open during the summer, so we’re planning to head over and visit sometime in August. Since our chances to explore inside the school have been limited with COVID, I think this will be a fun way to gain some familiarity! — Choose a scripture theme for the school year. As they head off to school, our desire is for our kids to be grounded in the Gospel. Choosing a short scripture we can all memorize and refer back to throughout the year is a simple way to do this! John and I will choose it together and we’ll debut it at our back-to-school dinner. — Plan back-to-school dinner menu and decorations. Considering the success of our Octonauts premier party, June and I will work on this together. The dinner itself will be held the night before the first day of school! I plan to write about ours after it happens, but if you’re looking for inspiration now, Stephanie and Merrick have made me look forward to these dinners for years! — Choose a first read-aloud book. June and I are just getting into read-aloud books, and I’d like to choose one for first-day-of-school bedtime reading. — Bring lunch to preschool teachers. June’s preschool career will end a week before kindergarten begins. Even though her graduation is not the end of our relationship with their preschool (Shep still attends, and Annie will eventually, hooray!), we wanted to do something to thank them for how absolutely wonderful they have been to her for the last three years. She and I will take the teachers’ orders and deliver lunch one day that week, which I think she will think is the most fun. — Get clear on morning and afternoon transportation plan. We’ll be easing into drop-offs and pick-ups, as I’ll still be on maternity leave and Annie won’t yet be in school, but John and I need to sit down with our schedules and the time boundaries in front of us and make a plan for each day of the week. — Make a rough plan for my schedule. This will shift when I go back to work, but I’d love to wrap my brain around what my days will look like in September and how to make the most of our time together outside of school! — Do a dry run on bikes to school. This will help everyone feel comfortable on the big day, and will help us know how much time we need to budget for little legs to get to school and back. — Choose a first day of school outfit. Very important :) — Mock up the letter board for first-day-of-school photos. We’ll put our scripture theme for the year on the board after the photos are done! — Prep snack tray favorites for first-day-of-school after-school snack. Snack trays have taken a hiatus with pregnancy and summer, but I’m excited to bring them back this fall. — Begin to think about how we might organize school supplies and papers. Not going to make any purchases or decisions until school actually begins, but it’s on my mind!
Like I said, y’all had lots of good ideas about how to start the school year in a sweet way. If nothing we’re planning strikes your fancy, here are a few other ideas!
Fun back-to-school traditions:
— From Jessie: “We always have a ‘kids choose day’ before school starts – usually the park and pizza and ice cream.”
— From Shannon: “We did ice cream before the first day of school always! Even when I started grad school, we got ice cream the night before, ha!” (Others suggested ice cream as a first day after-school treat!)
— From Rachel: “We do a mom or dad and kid date night, a shopping trip for new school clothes, going to the library to pick up some new books, and for my daughter, a trip to get our nails done the weekend before school starts! We also cook their favorite meal the night before. Finally, we tried to find other families who had rising kindergarteners [Em says: try your neighborhood Facebook group] and invited them over for playdates.”
— From Lauren: “The day before school started, the kindergartener and mom would do a ‘practice morning’ that would end with just the two of us getting donuts.”
— From Brittany: “We did a one-on-one overnight trip to a fun place [could just be a local hotel!] with each kid before beginning kindergarten!”
— From Laura: “We prepped his school supplies together! I bought name stickers on Etsy and then spent the evening labeling everything together and talking about the fun things he’d do using the supplies.”
— From Erika: “My husband does a video interview the evening of the first day and asks who his teacher is, whether he has a friend in his class, and something fun he did that day. He’s going into third grade and it’s been fun to go back and watch them together!”
— From K: “We have two traditions: my husband gets our daughters flowers on the first day of school, and we have cider donuts and apple cider for our after school snack.”
— From Kerstin: “We do the German tradition of making a ‘Schultüte’ – a cone made out of construction paper which is decorated and filled with treats and school supplies.”
— From Courtney: “We made a paper chain so our daughter could count down the days to kindergarten! She loved it.”
— From Robyn: “After experiencing some emotions that popped up a few weeks into school (later than I expected!) when our daughter started kindergarten, I’m planning ahead for regular, intentional one-on-one time in the first month or two to support my son as he starts. I’m also preparing myself mentally for behavior shifts that might be coming and reminding myself it’s a temporary adjustment period!”
I hope this post was helpful, friends! Sending hugs to all my fellow mamas sending littles to school soon, whether for the first time or the last :)
Friends! I’ve missed you! This may be the latest in the month I’ve ever posted a goals post in my many years of doing them, but gosh darn it I’m here! :)
Since going back to work at the end of October, we have essentially had house guests 24/7 as our parents took turns watching Shep during the day. We have also traveled 3 of the 6 weekends between then and now, and John, June, and I all came down with a 24-hour stomach bug this past weekend. Combined with a busy season at work, the holidays, and John starting a new job (!), I’ve felt a bit like I’m just keeping my chin above water. On any free evening I do have, it seems by the time I’ve taken care of my necessary tasks to keep our household running, it’s 10:30 and time to get ready for bed. This is unusual for me, and honestly it’s been frustrating. There’s been no time for reading and no time for writing, and I’ve felt the lack of both.
All this to say – thanks for sticking with me! I am hopeful that I’ll be able to share a few posts before the year is over (I’ve got so many brewing!!), but even if not, I know 2019 will be a fresh start.
What I’m loving right now:
— We’re trying the Crew + Co Advent cards for the first time this year, based on the beloved Jesus Storybook Bible. I think June is still a bit young for the practice, but I’m enjoying it :)
— Listen, if you enjoy the government/action/conspiracy genre (only my favorite genre of them all), you MUST watch Bodyguard on Netflix. It’s six episodes and you will be on the edge of your seat the whole time. SO SO SO GOOD.
— You all know and love my friend Nancy (she of How We Do It fame), so I wanted to make sure you knew about her new blog! I’m as eager as you to learn from her, and can’t wait to see what she has coming down the pike.
What I read in November:
— Still plugging away at The Coddling of the American Mind (see above). If you’d like more recommendations in the meantime, I’ve rounded up my favorite fiction and non-fiction picks for your perusal!
Revisiting my goals for November:
Write one thank you note per day (Only got through about 15 notes, but it was a great practice!)
Organize our loft (Uhhh no. Moving this to my yearly goals because it clearly needs a more expansive plan.) Do lots of Christmas shopping, taking advantage of Black Friday sales(Oh yes.)
Share gift guides for ladies, gents, parents, and kiddos (Wish I could have gotten more of these together earlier, but they take hours to research and write! Would you still be interested in seeing the last two, even though Black Friday is over?)
Order Christmas cards and Christmas newsletter (Christmas cards ordered and received – they look so good!!)
Work on Shep’s baby book and update June’s
Take down June’s pelmet and replace with curtains, creating a reading corner
December goals:
— Set our 2019 budget
— Finalize and print our yearly newsletter and send out our Christmas cards with love
— Work on Shep’s baby book and update June’s
— Share the story of Shep’s birth
— Send out invites for June’s birthday and order supplies
— Love on our trash and recycling guys, our neighborhood friends, and June’s teachers
Friends, I’d love to hear: do you do anything special for the folks who help make your life run smoothly, like the ones I listed above? I’m always looking for good ideas, though peanut butter balls are perennially a must.
P.S. On the subject of goals: I’m sharing bits of my PowerSheets prep work on Instagram this week, and it has been fun! Would love to have you join me!
