Getting the most out Mornings in 5 simple steps

image credit to http://www.savingcentswithsense.net

I get asked often" How do you do it? How do you get so much done?" As a mum of 2 primary school aged kids, who is working, studying, designing, creating quilts and writing a blog, I can attribute my  success to 2 things My faith in Jesus Christ and Good routines.

Because I get asked this question often, I decided to share a little of how I do it.

5 simple routine tasks each day

There are 5 simple things we can each do, to make the day run smoothly and walk out the door with a smile on our faces. Children and adults can do these tasks easily. My daily routine, starts the night before.

1. Wash the dishes, clean the sink and bench.
2. Lay out your clothes for tomorrow.
3. Load the washing machine to start it in the morning.
4. Make your bed as you get out of it.
5. spend a few minutes to scan your home and put away stray items.

These 5 simple things create a simple routine that can be built on over time. Each one of these tasks take only a few minutes and together can save you an hours in cleaning, as you have kept up with the basics. I have found that in the weeks I do this, my home, my mind and my energy all feel better. On the weeks that I don't, I find that it takes me 2 to 3 weeks to get back to the place I was, when I was in routine.

We all grow up with routines. Whether it was your school routine or knowing that play school is on at 4pm. as we get older, many of us feel as though we don't have to continue what Mum taught us. I know I did. I hated washing dishes. I would do my best to get out of any "chore" that I could manage to be too busy for.

Now as an adult and a parent, I have learned the importance of routines. Simple things that help to make the days run smoothly. I hope that the lessons I have learned will help you too

Blessings
Rivkah

Time is precious.....

what are you wasting it on?

I had a really unproductive week, last week. No blog posts, not much housework and I certainly didn't get any of my assignments done. By Saturday, I was feeling tired, worn out and a little down on myself. I know I haven't done much, when hubby scrubbed the kitchen down while I was taking our daughter to art class.

Why am I telling you this? Time is like money, either you use it wisely or you waste it and end up in debt. Time debt is something I have had to deal with a lot over the years, especially in this age of Facebook and other social media. It is so easy to waste a few minutes here and there, 30 minutes on a silly game or get mad at an article that you read on a news site.

Last night, I realised that I have fallen back into that trap again! So with Holy Spirit prompting, I wrote down this list.

Things to avoid vs things I can do

Avoid:

• FB games
• Too much time on Google or news sites
• complaining
• Facebook - during the day
• Television
• procrastinating

Do:

• Read my bible
• File paperwork
• Pray
• Use my timer
• Write a letter
• Listen to an Audio book, while I work
• Use my todo list
• DO IT NOW
• Make God my priority.

Getting our game face on

I have found time and time again, that success, is merely a written list and a timer away from meeting my goals. A successful day is found where 70% or more of the list is complete. Even for me right now, is part of my planned day.

I have set aside 15 minutes to focus on writing my blog.

I DARE YOU to try  it. 

Just like money, success only comes to those who work at it wisely 

God Bless 

Rivkah

Digging ourselves out of debt, one teaspoonful at a time

Do you have that sinking feeling?

12 months ago, we got hit with an unexpected tax bill, the numbers on the page sent me into a cold sweat! We had made an error on our tax 2 years in a row, resulting in over $4000 of tax debt. We were due an annual bonus from my income stream and had forward planned to pay off the kids school fees for the year, so that we could get ahead. However, this not so little visit from Murphy threw us a major curve ball. We were desperate to get out of debt, so that we could have a buffer and maybe even afford to pay for a holiday or new car. We wanted desperately to buy out of a shared equity mortgage, so that we could build our equity ourselves. But our dreams looked like they were sinking. I felt like we were drowning in debt!

The hardest part of this was admitting that we had a debt problem. We faced up to our mistake and made the best decision. We paid the tax debt first. It had an interest rate that was ridiculous and I knew it was wasted money. So talking with the ATO, we came up with a plan. The tax was paid within the time limits given, but we still had the school fees to pay. 

Honesty is the best policy

When we realised that we were drowning, we faced up to the situation. Writing down everything that we owed and what our income was, was the first step to being honest with ourselves.

The next step was one that I chose to do, so that my hubby didn't have the stress. I arranged a meeting with our school principal, to explain the situation. Being honest with creditors early on, makes for less stress. Once we spoke to the school, the pressure was released. We committed to paying what we could until the end of the year, before starting again this year. By doing this, we were able to bring that debt down to just over $3000 by the end of last year.

Our next item to attack was our personal loan. We knew it was eating at our cash flow, with the high interest. We had already committed to paying more on the loan right from the start, but we wanted it gone! By October, we had a plan. We started using YNAB for our budgeting and learned to give every single dollar a job in November.

Once we started using YNAB, we realised where all our cash was REALLY going. We had just heard from our Real Estate friend, who gave us a valuation on our property. We did some calculations and realised that by rolling the personal loan and buying out our property from the Shared Equity scheme, we could afford a full mortgage and climb out of debt.

Moving forward

On December 22nd our mortgage settled and we had enough money left over for a full 1 month buffer plus a small emergency fund. We had money to get Christmas Presents for our kids and best of all we had gone from $30,000+ in personal consumer debt to about $14,000.00.(including the school fees for 2015, as we would be starting the year, behind) We were paying slightly more, but somehow we were better off than before.

We were able to start 2015 with a clear new goal. To clear out the last of the debt. Yes, Murphy has visited a few times over the first half of this year, but his stay has been fairly short. We have less of a buffer than we did have, but we still have our emergency fund and the buffer builds up each month.  By the end of July that $14000+ debt will be down to about half. One debt will be completely gone and the school fees will be on track for an almost full to full payout by the end of the year. 

I haven't written this to brag about our situation. I have done it to encourage and inform you and others, that it can be done. I am always looking for new ways to save money, but make it fun at the same time. If this has helped you, please feel free to share this post with others. My hope is that together we can all climb out of the debt pit.

It's the little things

Over the last few months I have started journaling. I started out with a Sentence a day journal. What I discovered from such a simple starting point from someone who thought she couldn't journal, is that I had more to say than one sentence! It was the beginning of a new habit in my life. It has helped me to look at life through new eyes and want to explore life a little more deeply.


My next step was to start a gratitude journal. I am now running both journals side by side and loving it. I know that if a couple of my very good friends read this, they will be cheering. They have both advocated journaling as a way to work through my thoughts, emotions and to see my journey unfold. Before starting this little habit, journalling seemed like such a daunting task. I was scared of what I would write and what people would think it they read it. Not any more. Each day I can now file away the thoughts and stressors of the day into the journal. I can be really honest with myself and not worry if certain people read it. If they do, then so be it.

If you like I did, think that writing a journal is for the too hard basket, I challenge you to give it a go. Just write one sentence a day for 30 days. I almost guarantee you will be a lover of journalling in no time.

PS. Thank you to my friend Raelene for always encouraging me in this. I now I am not there yet, but I am on my way xx.

Your day is what you make it

Changing view, changing moods

Yesterday I was feeling a little glum. I have been feeing unwell and my old pal anxiety had decided to set up camp for a week or 2. I knew I needed a change of scene and a little out time from being Mum. This is a regular need for me, as a special needs mum. Some days are great, and others not so. My eldest has been a little more work over the last week, due to change in routines. So my stress levels were up.

I decided I was going to get out of the house and make a trip to Ikea. It is my favourite place to go for organisation ideas. It was a pretty special day though, as the new kitchens were being released. Yes I am an Ikea nerd and proud of it! I didn't want to go on my own, as I was still feeling a little fragile from the week. So it was time to "phone a friend", Facebook style. With a new friend in tow, we ventured out to see the new kitchens in all their magnificent splendour. After pawing all the new cabinets and fabulous drawer combinations we sat down for a cuppa in the cafe.

After completing the outing with a quick sprint around the bottom floor to grab a few things on my list, we headed home. I was dreaming of my new kitchen and what it was going to look like.

Upon returning home, I received a message thanking me for the time out. The lesson for me here is, never under estimate how much a person needs to hear that they are doing ok. Just to be a listening ear and share a cuppa can help to find that light that mysteriously disappeared from the tunnel of life. For me, it has confirmed why I have been called to ministry.

Oops I got the wrong product.... but hey..

So when I was unpacking my beautiful new boxes, I discovered I grabbed the wrong one after I had already opened it. No problem... time to repurpose it :)

So now I have a lovely storage box for my EPP(English Paper Piecing) papers.

June Challenge starts now!

Get Ready for Tax Time

This is the last month of our financial year, here in Australia. So what better time to get ready for tax time. Even better, get ready for the new tax year. 

Here are some great tips on getting organised for tax time.

1. Have an A4 envelope to hold all of your tax info for this financial year and Label it.

2. Have one for next year too.

3. Gather all deductible receipts and accounts together into the envelope for easy access.

4. Prepare for the next financial year, by purchasing your vehicle logs etc in advance. 

5. Designate a container to carry the envelopes for each year, when completed.

6. Destroy any tax documents over 5 years old, as you only need to keep 5 years worth.

I have found that when I have needed these documents for bank loans or other financial commitments, brokers and financial planners are always surprised how organised I am. It gives so much peace of mind, as well as making everyone's job easier at the end of the day.

My extra goals for June. 

After plowing through my paper clutter last month, I was left with a bit of filing to do. I have also got a pile of fabric that requires pressing and sorting.

So this month is a filing month!

1. File the last of the important paperwork

2. Sort press and "file" my fabric into the required baskets for project work.

3. Sort our tax time paperwork. 

As I do our taxes myself, I will be able to grab the needed information easily, when it is all gathered nicely.