Budgeting is an essential practice (in my opinion) though many people don’t do it. I used to be one of them. Up until only a year or two ago I spent when and what I wanted to and was never in danger of having my electricity shut off. Or so I thought. Turns out that, no, my electricity wasn’t one payment away from being turned off but it may as well have been. My bills were always paid and paid on time, there were always groceries on my table, and there was always water coming out of my taps and heat out of my registers. So I was in great shape, right? Um… no.

While my bills were being paid and I had food to eat, diapers and clothing for my child, and money to put gas in my car, I had nothing in savings and a whole lot of credit card debt. I used to think that because I wasn’t $10k in debt I was alright. I just had the one credit card for awhile, a VISA, and then when I bought my house in August 2007 I decided to begin switching banks and took a MasterCard through the new bank, mostly for the points earned on every dollar spent. In the case of this MasterCard, I could redeem those points towards groceries. I figured if I was using a credit card I may as well use the MasterCard instead of the VISA. Win/win, right? And I didn’t do too badly as far as debt goes when comparing myself to others that I read about and watched on shows like ‘Til Debt Do Us Part (love that show!!) but since this was my life and my debt, comparisons had no place in the picture.

One day I sat down with my online bank statements (I’m a huge debit card user and rarely carry more than $20 or $40 cash) and, going back three months, tallied up the amounts for each of those months lumping the figures into the categories of bills (ie: utilities, insurance, etc), groceries, gasoline, bank fees (my account only allowed for 10 free transactions and then charged for anything beyond that), a few others that I can’t remember now, as well as miscellaneous, which included all of my personal spending like books, yarn, fabric, and all the non-essential just-because-I-feel-like-it-and-want-it expenditures. I also totaled up my income per month. I was absolutely stunned. Beyond stunned. I was disgusted. I was spending almost as much each month in just-because purchases as I was on bills and essentials. And, of course, most of it was ending up on my credit cards; though only some was actually money I didn’t have, it was easier to use the card and pay later. I tried to pay as much as I could at the end of the month but of course it was never enough. That day was the start of my turnaround and it’s still a work in progress.

Prior to That Day, I had briefly used Pear Budget for budgeting, which at the time had a free version. (It’s now a free trial and then $3 a month.) I found it easy to use for the most part but it wasn’t what I was looking for. There were too many areas that felt rough to me or that didn’t do what I wanted them to and I made a few sporadic fresh starts before I gave up altogther.

In my sidebar is a link to the program I now use - YNAB (You Need a Budget). I don’t remember how I came across YNAB. It may have been by googling budgeting programs or on the Mothering.com forums. YNAB is everything you’d want and more. I’m currently using the Pro version but very soon YNAB3 will be coming out and it looks absolutely amazing. It’s not a free upgrade but I think I’ll be picking it up anyway just for the tweaks and new features. Check out some of the video clips here.

YNAB uses zero-based budgeting, which means that every dollar is assigned a job and your income minus your total expenses is equal to zero. Dave Ramsey refers to this as spending your month’s income on paper before you spend it literally. Wikepedia says:

The term "zero-based budgeting" is sometimes used in personal finance to describe the practice of budgeting every dollar of income received, and then adjusting some part of the budget downward for every other part that needs to be adjusted upward. It is more technically correct to refer to this practice as "zero-sum budgeting". (link)

Initially you may be living paycheque to paycheque but the goal is to get one month (or more) ahead and live off of last month’s income. I’m still in the process of getting enough "extra" money in my buffer category so that I can stop living on each paycheque as it comes in. Once established, that buffer can also provide padding for any unforeseen expenditures so that instead of taking money from the grocery budget (for example) to cover an overage in the auto repairs category, the groceries can be left as is. My budget has categories for both savings and an emergency fund as well as a buffer. In my budget, the Savings category is for savings (new car, new house, my own private tropical island?), the Emergency Fund is for those unforeseen expenses, and the Buffer is for working towards accumulating one month of income.

Zero-based budgeting allows you to plan for infrequent bills or events such as a tax bill or car insurance payments or a yearly family vacation. Each month you budget a small amount (whatever you’ve figured that amount should be) and when that bill rolls around due the money is sitting in that category ready to go. I pay my car and house insurance every four months so each month I budget for 1/12th of the annual amount. When April, August, and December arrive I have accumulated the amount for that 4-month portion and all I have to do is pay it; I don’t have to find an extra chunk of money in my budgets for those months. Likewise, saving for a family vacation is painless. Sit down and figure out how much you expect it to cost and depending on how far in advance you are planning, divide by the amount of time until that goal. A trip costing $1500 if planned 10 months in advance will require approximately $150 set aside into the "Vacation" category each month.

A zero-based budget works for me and YNAB makes it easy. It has helped me to see that I am wealthy. I am not able to go on frequent trips or eat out five times a week or buy the newest designer bag but I don’t want to. Budgeting has helped me to see just how much (or how little) of my expenses are essential and, once those are taken care of, how much is left over. I have money I never knew I had. And I enjoy the challenge of seeing where I can cut expenses to save even more money. As Kate Luther posted over at Wisebread:

By allocating money for absolutely everything, you can fine-tune how much you spend on eating out, going out and pleasure spending. Simply tweak your numbers until they fit with your income and you’ll discover that you can live on a budget after all.

And as Scotiabank says, "You’re richer than you think."

I still spend money when and how I want sometimes but before I do I have a picture of my financial position at any given time of the month or year. I can see at a glance where I have some freedom and where I have to tighten up. Budgeting isn’t something to be afraid of though is does take time and commitment. I’m still a work in progress but I’m enjoying the process. YNAB is making it easier for this first-time budgeter and I couldn’t recommend the program more. Regardless of which program you use, if any (a simple Excel spreadsheet will work if you know your way around that program), the trick to budgeting is to jump in and start it. You can’t do anything before you do that.

There are so many great blogs, sites, and articles on budgeting that I can’t list them all here. These are a few of my favourites: Wisebread, Mrs. Micah, Easy Budgeting, Get Rich Slowly, and No Credit Needed.

What method of budgeting do you use? How have you found it to change your habits and your way of thinking?

It’s a simple menu plan this week seeing as I’m working a day shift and two night shifts (after being on holidays for nine days). We’ll see how well I stick to it. Here goes:

Monday: Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Tuesday: kitchen sink vegetable soup (I’ll make it up as I go)
Wednesday: Lentil Brown Rice Casserole
Thursday: leftover soup? (night shift)
Friday: leftover casserole (night shift)
Saturday: Baked Garlic Parmesan Chicken
Sunday: Turkey Meatloaf (it didn’t happen last week)

There are already over 160 menu plan contributions at I’m An Organizing Junkie so go over, check them out, and add your own.

Also, unrelated but I thought I’d share: Thoughts That Stick, a really great-looking online store carrying vinyl wall lettering, quotes, and decals, is having a 25% off sale that’s good through November 30. I stumbled across them and walked away $50 poorer with four awesome quotes for four different places in my home. I plan to put this one in my bedroom as something to read every morning on waking up. I know that I need to learn to believe it fully and maybe with time I will. In finding Thoughts That Stick I also found Single Stone Studios and their gorgeous cherry blossom branch vinyl 3-colour decal, which I’ll be emailing to my mom as a Christmas gift for me since she’s asked for some ideas. (They also have a 2-colour one for about $10 less.)

Averie over at Love Veggies and Yoga is looking for photos from readers who have made her recipes. I tweeted that I had made these the other day and she asked if I had a blog and/or photos. Yes to both. I didn’t take a picture of what I had made until earlier today and her blog post is already up but it’s entitled Tribute Post 1 so I just may get to be famous yet, on another blog post.

A double batch minus what I’ve eaten

These are Averie’s 5 Minute Raw Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. They are very good but sweet and one is all you need (though I did eat three in the span of about half an hour this afternoon, getting up and going to the fridge three times). B stated, "I don’t like these a lot but I like them a little bit," but he ate one at breakfast, one in his lunch at school, and one after supper. I ended up adding a bit of agave to mine as they seemed a little dry; they could have been a little dry because my oats ended up more ground up that I had wanted. I made a double batch and used 10 medjool dates that I found in the back of my cupboard. I also added a small handful of chocolate chips, which removed their truly raw status (although the oats probably were officially raw either). I will make these again. We really like the Raw Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls too but they contain nuts so I can’t send them to school with B. Very quick and simple to make with only a few ingredients.

It’s Tightwad Tuesday over at beingfrugal.net and I have a list of handmade Christmas gift ideas for you. "Handmade" and "tightwad" don’t have to have negative connotation. Rather, frugal and handmade gifts are a wonderful thing, full of time, thought, effort, and love.

I wish I could share what I’m currently working on but I can’t. My boyfriend stops by the blog and "it" is his Christmas present. I’ve had the idea for awhile now and began the first stage of it a few weeks ago but last night I took it to the "just needs tweaking" level. Squeeee! I can share other Christmas ideas though, gathered from around the web.

I am not a fan of the commercialization of Christmas and the hundreds of dollars that are spent, in some families, on just one person (multiplied by however many people are in that family). In the spirit of a handmade/heartfelt Christmas, which I plan for mine to be (though I admit to being a procrastinator who may run out of time), here are a few ideas for gifts made with love.

An adorable earflap stocking cap
If you’re a knitter, the Hudson Hat pattern is so cute and easy. If you don’t have it already though, the pattern is currently unavailable to purchase.

An apron for the cook
If you can sew, there are 52 apron patterns/tutorials here. The gorgeous Emmeline apron (pattern available for purchase here) is also an option as is Jona’s cute half-apron. You could fold one up in a basket along with hotpads, a muffin tin, and homemade muffin mix.

A recipe book of family favourites
This can be as simple or as elaborate as you like. Type up recipes on the computer, print them out, and use a simple three-ring binder or duo-tang or have it hard-bound into a book (there are several places online that do this for a decent price). Bind it yourself for that extra touch. Simple bookbinding is actually not that difficult though it does take a bit of time. A google search for bookbinding tutorials should turn up more than you need to know.

A dress-up box for the kids
This may take a bit of advance preparation but costume pieces can be found at thrift stores or even in the back of the closet! Kids have amazing imaginations. Throw in a couple of dyed-by-you playsilks (tutorial here as well) and the box is complete.

A purse organizer
For those big purses/shoulder bags that are essentially just one big space, great for carrying a lot of stuff but not so great for keeping that stuff easy to locate, the purse organizer looks like an essential thing. There are tutorials to sew your own here and here (this last one is a pdf).

Alphabet photography
A very simple, unique, and beautiful way to personalize a gift, this photo art uses a simple picture frame, a photo mat, and photos or magazine cut-outs. Choose the word or name you want to use and away your go!

A change purse or boxy pouch
Customizable in both size and attitude (just change the fabric!), this cute little zippered bag can be used for so much more than coins. The photo tutorial walks you through each step of sewing and assembly. There is also a great tutorial at Three Bears for a larger, boxy zippered pouch, which can be used for make-up or other small items.

A crayon roll
Another sewing tutorial, this one is for a crayon roll. Make it in any combination of fabics you like and you have a cute little roll to keep those crayons neat, tidy, and together. Great for car trips and other out-of-the-house outings.

Patchwork basket/collapsible bucket
Maybe this could be the basket to hold the apron and baking items mentioned above? An easy-to-follow tutorial for a sewn patchwork fabric basket, with or without handles. This is easily modified to be whatever size you like. Indestructables has a tutorial for a bucket-shaped container which collapses down for storage.

Flavoured cooking oil/vinegar
Use empty glass oil or vinegar bottles (saved throughout the year or purchased at the thrift store). Half fill the bottle with the oil of your choice (olive oil is a good choice) or vinegar and add fresh sprigs of rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano or any other herb you prefer. Replace the lid or add a cork and tie a ribbon around the neck of the bottle. Voilà!

Hair accessories
Ponytail holders and hairbands are simple to whip up with minimal fuss. (Variations on each one respectively here and here with an additional variation by Heather Bailey here in pdf form for the headbands.) A package of hair elastics, a few scraps of fabric, and you have some cute hair accessories for a girl in your life.

Quilted cards
From craftapple, a tutorial for note cards using scraps of fabric. This again uses a sewing machine but only for the final touches. You could just as easily hand stitch using decorative stitches and embroidery floss. Make a set of five, whip up five envelopes from recycled materials (magazine pages, scrapbook paper, brown kraft paper, etc), and tie a ribbon around the lot or make a paper wallet to hold the set.

Retro tea cosy
Crochet instructions for a cute retro tea cosy for the tea-drinker in your family. Instructions with both Australian/English and US terminology.

Mini accordian books
No fabric or yarn required, these sweet little books provide a backdrop for so many possibilities. Fill the pages with quotes, notes, poems, special messages, photos, or leave them blank.

Etched glass
The wonderful Benita over at Chez Larsson provides a tutorial on etching glass. Use it to personalize a pillar-shaped vase or candle holder, a serving dish (etch the underside), window, picture frame glass, or whatever you can think of.

Screen-printed t-shirt
Using your computer and a few basic supplies, you can whip up the perfect t-shirt for everyone on your list. Tutorial here.

Candied citrus peel
A gift from the kitchen, candied citrus peel is a treat at Christmastime. Use a combination of orange, grapefruit, and lemon peels (I wonder how pomelo would do?) or stick with one type of fruit. It is very simple to make and it looks very festive in a glass jar tied with a ribbon.

Habanero jelly
For that heat-loving person on your gift list, Vicki at Vegan Vice has a great tutorial for a simple pepper jelly. She provides it in a video format.

Movie basket
What about a movie basket for a teenage boy (or for a couple to use on date night)? Find a container that can be reused later on and pack it with a movie (or a gift card for a rental or two), popcorn (microwave packets or a bottle of kernels), nuts, and candy? If you’re feeling ambitious you could make the candy yourself. Throw in a small jar or two of popcorn seasoning that you’ve mixed up using the recipes here or here.

Baking
Cookies, muffins, loaves, pies, bread… A basket of goodies is always a welcome gift.

Soap
Not soap-on-a-rope, but beautifully handmade soap. Luxurious, moisturizing, fresh-smelling soap without the colours and artificial fragrances of store-bought soap. Small Notebook has a great beginner tutorial. If you’re planning to make a batch though you’ll need to start soon. Many soap recipes recommend that the bars cure for 4 to 6 weeks or longer.

I’m pretty sure I could continue on with quite a few more gift ideas but it’s long past time for bed. I’ve re-discovered some ideas I had saved in my bookmarks and found some new ones as well. Now to stop procrastinating and get started on the gift-making! Only 37 days left until Christmas. Oy!!

Another Monday, another menu plan for the week. I’m amazed each week just how many people participate in Menu Plan Monday hosted by I’m an Organizing Junkie. I love reading through the entries and finding new recipes to try. The variety of meals are incredible and there’s something for everyone.

Monday: Friday Night Chili (carried over from last Friday)
Tuesday: Addictive Sweet Potato Quesadillas (varying the recipe)
Wednesday: breaded chicken, cheese, and broccoli cutlets
Thursday: Brown Sugar Salmon
Friday: Creamy Chicken and Noodles
Saturday: Turkey Meatloaf
Sunday: Lentil Quinoa Stew

Head on over to the Org Junkie blog to add your menu.

Things have been interesting chez rainberryblue the last couple of days since I made the pickled beets. [Side note: they are freaking AWESOME and I may or may not have eaten a whole jar by myself within 24 hours of canning them. I’m seriously considering picking up another 10lb bag to make another batch. Somehow 10 pints, err, eight and a half now, doesn’t seem like enough.]

Interesting how, you wonder? Let’s just say that "they" are not wrong when "they" say that bathroom breaks will be that much more colourful. Yeah. Definitely colourful. Both jobs. I love pickled beets and usually stand at the counter with a fork and the open jar and eat a good number at a time. It’s usually with store-bought pickled beets but I’ve never noticed the rainbow (a single-colour rainbow, but still…) before. I chowed down on quite a few cold, cooked, but un-pickled pieces while waiting for the pickling liquid to boil and then scarfed down a whole almost-pint over the course of the next day and a bit so I guess I’ve maybe overloaded my system a little. Glad to know that my kidneys are working just fine! I’m on my second jar now but I’m attempting to slow the pace. At that rate I’ll be through all my jars by Christmas.

I should be nice and give my boyfriend a jar. He’s a pickled beet-lover and he did help me rub some of the skins off after I’d cooked them. It’s so hard to give them up though! And my sister wanted a jar (or more); she’ll be lucky to get one. I think that second batch is in order. I have holidays next week. What better way to spend a day than steaming up the kitchen and being up to your elbows in horribly-staining-but-delicious beets. And making 10 pints plus about seven pints of juice for mayyyybe $5? Can’t beat that. The beets were $1.77 for the 10lb bag plus the two cups of sugar, a bit of vinegar, and some pickling spice. The only things I bought out of pocket specifically for the beets were the beets themselves and the pickling spice. The cost saved doesn’t even compare to store-bought pickled beets. Now to figure out what to do with so much beet juice.

Winding down another day and sitting here breathing in the lingering smell of paint drying on the walls. The green walls of the living room (the same green which once filled the entire main living space of the upper floor) have been given a first coat of Behr’s Gobi Desert. It’s hard to get an accurate impression of it at night but it definitely neutralizes the living room. Hooray!

Tomorrow I will be turning 10 pounds of beets into pickles. I’ve never made beet pickles (or pickled beets, if you prefer) before but I do love them (I can eat a jar in one sitting by myself) and one of the local grocery stores had the 10 pound bags for $1.77. The recipes I’ve found don’t look that difficult or involved either. I like this one at Domestic Reflections, which uses the reserved cooking water. Instead of throwing all those nutrients down the drain, they’re added into the canning jars. I’m not sure yet if I’ll boil them or roast them though. I did learn that if I go with the boiling route I should leave them unpeeled and with the tails and an inch or two of stem attached to minimize the bleeding. Once they’re cooked, run them under cold water and, wearing gloves to avoid staining, rub the skins off.

I have about a dozen and a half quart jars but, though I’m sure I could sit and eat a quart of pickled beets on my own, I’ve borrowed some pint jars instead (as most of mine are filled with applesauce) and I’m ready to go! I think. I have a tendency to overthink things and worry myself out of doing something or at least procrastinating on it. I think I’ll use the reserved-water idea from Domestic Reflections and the quantities from Country Home Canning. I’ll prepare the beets to see how much that gives me and go from there on figuring out the pickling part. I had planned to make my own pickling spice but we’ll see how tomorrow morning goes. I’ll have to round up the ingredients; I have a few of them but not all.

Pickling Spice (recipe from grouprecipes.com)

What are some of the health benefits of beets/beetroot? Beet juice contains betaine, which stimulates the function of liver cells and protects the liver and bile ducts. According to various sources, some recent studies indicate that betaine contributes to the prevention of coronary and cerebral artery diseases. Red Beet is unique for its high levels of anti-carcinogens and its very high carotenoid content. It is chock full of antioxidant that helps the body against heart disease, certain cancers (especially colon cancer), and birth defects. Betacyanin gives beets their red color and is absorbed into our red blood cells and can increase the oxygen-carrying ability of the blood by up to 400 per cent!! Beets can help in normalizing blood pressure and also help to maintain the elasticity of our arteries. They also are very helpful in liver, kidney, and gallbladder function as well as in the natural treatment of certain skin disorders and afflictions (scroll halfway down the page here). Not bad for a humble little root vegetable, is it?

So what do you say, Babe? Want to help me create a horror movie in my kitchen after we pick my car up in the morning? Even if I muddle through on my own I’ll give you a jar. But just one. The rest are for me.

And Oh. Holy. Crap! Typo in my header!! That’s been there a long time. I can’t breathe. Must. Fix. It. Now.

This house drives me crazy on a daily basis though it’s not its fault. It’s mine and the clutter I’ve let build up. I’m working through it though slowly, trying to stay ahead of the piles that accumulate from the daily dropping-and-not-putting-away of stuff. We all have those junk drawers and catch-all surfaces, right? Yeah. Doesn’t make me feel any better to know that I’m not alone.

Today I started to tackle the cold storage room downstairs. I have a dresser in my new upstairs closet to move down there and some general picking up and tossing that needs to be done. I managed to get quite a few things tossed and donated (hooray for moms who take our junk!) but in the process discovered a baggie of this between my deep freezer and one of the shelving units onto the carpet. Niiiice! It was supposed to be in the freezer. I was doing a purge of the fridge freezer a week or so ago and I think it’s from that. Over the past couple of days I had noticed a slightly-off smell but on the opposite side of the room. I wondered if it was a bit of mold as the room used to be quite damp (it’s since been waterproofed). So my storage room smells like shrimp. I’ve used baking soda, vinegar, Febreeze, bleach, and cornstarch. I’m letting it rest overnight and we’ll see how it is once it dries again. I may end up getting some sort of charcoal to put on it as an odour absorber. Since the smell is in the carpet fibres and not just the air, spraying the room with Febreeze or hanging fabric softener sheets won’t do the trick (I don’t think). The carpet is industrial carpet with a rather short looped pile so it’s not like it’s a thick and plush one but it seems to be hanging on to the smell all the same.

Here was the view this afternoon. It made for treacherous trips up and down the stairs as I ferried garbage bags and things to put in the shed. It’s amazing how much stuff came out of such a small room.

I forgot I had a Christmas tree. I was considering putting one up this year (B and I have Christmas at my mom’s) and was thinking of doing a real one. I still might.

Hangers anyone? Just one of the many boxes my mom took away for me.

And here’s a hint of what the room will look like once it’s complete. The deep freezer will be pushed back to the wall on the left and I’ll put my three stacking recycling bins at the end of the short shelf. I plan to put a curtain across the doorway too, against the stairs. I’ve had the curtain for over a year. Maybe I’ll get it hung before 2009 is over.

The above picture was taken mid-way through the process this afternoon so it already looks a little different. I ran out of time before picking B up from the bus though so much of what was removed throughout the day was set back in to clear a path off the stairs for the evening. Day two begins tomorrow! First up: Operation Odour Elimination.

I think the last time I did a menu plan was a month ago. Time flies! Back to it this week; we’ll see how well I stick to it. I find that things run so much more smoothly when I know ahead of time what to make but I find the actual planning to be tedious. This time around wasn’t overly painful though: supper tonight is already over and I’m working nights on the weekend so there are only four suppers to plan for (since I rarely plan out breakfast and lunch). I do love reading through the other menu plans at I’m an Organizing Junkie. There are so many great recipes linked there.

Monday: pasta with mushroom-laden sauce
Tuesday: Moroccan-Spiced Tomato Chicken, squash, beans
Wednesday: pork ribs*, corn, edamame
Thursday: Addictive Sweet Potato Burritos, Caesar salad
Friday: Friday Night Chili (with toast)
Saturday: leftover Moroccan chicken
Sunday: leftover chili

Tonight I cooked up the sweet potatoes (mine are yams, I think) for Thursday’s supper. I’ve been cleaning out the cold storage room and decided I’d better use them or toss them. They’re still firm and looking alright but one was staring to sprout. I’ve reserved the cooking water and will make a root vegetable soup next week. I’m thinking carrots, parsnips, potatoes, and some corn and kale tossed in for variety.

*Today in the mail I received coupons from President’s Choice for a free brick of cheese, a free carton of orange juice, and a free box of pork back ribs.