So, where do I begin? The beginning? Nah, too far back and I have too little time to start there. I guess I will start from when my life took the biggest turn anyone's life could ever take, the day I found out that I'm pregnant *gasps*.
So here I am, 26 years old, married to the love of my life for a year, working 40+ hours a week at a job that I love and having very few cares in the world. My husband and I has discussed the possibility of starting a family down the road a few years, when we had some money saved up and were a little more planted in the ground. Funny how life plans things out for you, regardless of what you think is best. Less than 2 months after that conversation we had on our couch at 2 AM (the days of leisurely staying up late, Midnight trips to Wal-mart and sleeping 'til noon are long gone, I'm afraid) I had a feeling that something was "different".
Now I may not be known for my impeccable timing in most departments, but there was always one that I could set my watch by (you know the one, ladies). That's right, you got it. Well, somebody seemed to have missed the bus and was running a little "late" that particular month. I am not one to panic, so I did what any sensible woman would do in my situation. I panicked. I'll admit it, I'm not too proud to say that when faced with the possibility of having to be responsible for another human life, I freaked out a little (or a lot). But I maintained my composure long enough to stop by the drug store after work one Saturday to pick up the one test I would never have to study for.
Like many women, I'm sure, I paced around in my bathroom trying to convince myself that I didn't need to relieve myself at the moment and could probably wait a day or two. Yeah right. I smoked a few cigarettes (don't go all psycho on me, I quit as soon I took the test) and talked myself into it. It wasn't the first time I had done this, there were a couple of scares in my younger days, but everything turned out for the best. I have never flunked one of these things before. Why would this time be any different? Oh, well there was that whole egg being fertilized thing which obviously can alter the results...
There they were, 2 little pink lines staring back at me just as hard as I was staring at them. Really?! This is where the real panic set in as I sat on the side of my tub, going over every horrible thing I had done to my body in the last several weeks that could have affected my unborn child. All the cigarettes. Had I had any alcohol? I couldn't remember. Had I taken any OTC medications that could have been harmful to my baby? Then it hit me... I was thinking like a mother and had not even come to terms with the fact that I was carrying a child yet!
I never cried. No happy or sad tears, I was in a state of shock. Surprisingly enough I wasn't angry, sad, regretful or any of the above. I was actually content. Me? The lady who hates most children and likes MY space and MY stuff? A mommy? That's right. My husband was obviously just as shocked as I was, but elated just as I knew he would be. He's so amazing. My mother went soaring through the roof and started planning for this baby's future immediately. The rest of my family could barely contain their emotions. I had nothing to fear, I had an amazing support system and I am so lucky that to this day I still do.
So, cut to today. Here I am, 29 weeks pregnant with my first child (a boy btw) and taking on a new approach to life. Being pregnant has changed my life dramatically, some changes were hard to adjust to but mostly every change has been a positive one. My whole attitude towards life is different now. I look at things differently than I did before, I treat people differently, but most importantly, I treat myself differently.
So what is this mission, you ask?
Well, it will seem silly to some of you but I am hoping that at least a few people who read this will relate, support and join me on my journey.
I have noticed that the way so many people live their lives is wasteful. Some people may not even notice this and others may not even care. Well I care. I have lived my life for me because I could. Well now I am bringing a new life into this world and I don't want him to make the same mistakes that I have made. Mainly I am referring to money waste. All the thousands and thousands of dollars that I have wasted over the years, and have nothing but "stuff" to show for it. I'll admit that my husband and I took quite a financial hit when the economy fell apart. He was unemployed for almost a year and when he finally could find work, he was making less than he was on unemployment. I know that so many of you can relate to our situation. If we had been smart, we would have had something saved up or put away to help us through these troubling times. But like many people our age, we didn't listen to those who told us to "start saving now while you're still young". But like I said, you learn from your mistakes and we have come to terms with ours and are making a change.
My goal starting today is to be conscious of our spending, change the way we approach spending and change the way we spend. I will find new ways to cut costs around the house and outside of the house. Yes, this may mean that I become the "crazy coupon lady" but I do not care. It's time to stand up and say "NO" to a society so focused on money (how much we spend, not how much we earn unfortunately). The price of everything keeps going up but our paychecks remain the same. We need to find ways to compensate for these changes and not allow them to break us down. I don't want to fight with my husband about money, I don't want to try to figure out how I am going to be able to afford diapers for my son. My husband and I work very hard for the money that we make and for 2 people working full time and living in a small home with few expenses, we should never have to struggle the way we have in the past.
So change begins today. This blog is my way of keeping track of my progress and reaching out to others who want to join me in the struggle against spending more than we make for the things we need to survive. I can't say that my posts will be scheduled or even regular all the time, but I will be updating them as I go along this journey. I will post pictures occasionally and share with all of you my successes and failures. This is after all a learning process.
What am I doing today to start things off? Well yesterday I invested a small amount of money on a binder, trading card pages and dividers to create an organized space to keep my coupons (I was never a coupon clipper so this should be interesting). I'll admit that I spent $27 on these items, but I actually saved $12 by only buying items on sale. Today I am going to purchase a Sunday paper and get to clipping! I spent my morning reading articles and blogs written by women who consider themselves to be "extreme couponers" and I picked up some tips and tricks to try to apply to my weekly grocery run on Monday. I will post a blog then to let everyone know how much I spent and how much I saved. Wish me luck!
