Welcome to 2013!

Welcome to 2013! I have to say I am terribly excited about the new year! The beginning of the years for me always start out good. However, for some reason I just have a wonderful feeling about 2013.

The first three months of the year are always great! We get a tax refund in and we always pay off as much debt as possible and go on a vacation. It is a wonderful release of tension and stress that has accumulated over the past year.

This year we have plans to pay off more debt then we usually do. Now the thing about paying off debt that we do not usually follow through with is paying off debt and not accumulating it again... Why in the world is this so hard to do? Every year is the same. Pay it off... accumulate it again! My goal is to do it different this year! Pay it off and keep it off!

I have to say I am probably the worst when it comes to budgeting! I need to learn! If anyone can send me some advice on the best budgeting and saving advice possible! I also would really like to change to frugal living. Now I have begun my "frugal living" lifestyle by doing a few things already.

I have started my "frugal living" lifestyle by doing the following:

1. I use Cloth Diapers instead of Disposables. (It costs me aproximatly $500) to diaper two children for a year vs. using disposables and spending $1000.00 a year)

2. I use cloth wipes. I paid $24.00 for 27 reusable cloth wipes that I can reuse all year long vs. paying the $25.00 a month for disposable wipes that I was paying last year! :)

3. I am cutting up one of the three credit cards that I have.

4. I am lowering my credit limit to under $1000 on the two credit cards that I am keeping. So that I will be able to afford the monthly bills more easily.


Now there are a few things I am considering doing that I am unsure if I should or not:

1. Couponing. (I did this for about 4 months in 2011 and I liked it but it became so much of a chore I just stopped doing it.)

2. Lowering our closet usage. In other words limiting the amount of clothes each family member has and in essence lowering the amount of laundry we do and therefore lowering the amount of water and electricity!

What do you guys think? Any advice or links would be greatly appreciated!

Sincerely,

The Lady Living Paycheck to Paycheck! :P