Working This Out - This Wednesday

I love pairing up words that start w/ the same letter, like 'Workout Wednesdays', or 'Success Story Saturdays'. Weird I know, but it gives me a starting point.

Last Wednesday I featured Chalene Johnson's latest release: TurboFire. I gave the breakdown of what the workout will do and why you would want it in your workout repetoire (check it out). After doing the research about the HIIT workouts, the way it boosts your metabolism, and how effective it is to help drop the weight, I had to have it myself. I ordered it last Thursday & it arrived yesterday:

Do you see the 5-Day Inferno Plan booklet? What is this exactly right? This 5 day plan is an eating and workout plan "designed to cleanse your body and change your daily eaitng habits, so you're ready to take on TurboFire with more energy". It's a great plan to follow M-F, if you have a special event on Saturday. Results always vary, but at the back of the booklet, they feature 4 people who used it. One gal lost 5 lbs. & 8 inches, the other 9 lbs. and 11 inches, and the last gal lost 7 lbs. and 10 inches. The guy lost 14 lbs. & 10 inches. (Can I just say I envy how quickly men can lose weight?)

Pretty much what you see in the pic is what you get in the $119 program. (There's a big daddy one for more that comes w/ 60 min. workouts - I'll purchase the 4 seperate & later to add to my collection. It also comes with a month supply of the P90X recovery drink, which Dave loves, won't live without it.) 

The best part about these dvd programs from Beachbody is that they lay it all out of what you need to do. I received a schedule of when to do which workout for the best results. I also got an eating guide to follow so I don't have to do the guess work on what to eat or get bored w/ the same 'ol chicken & broccoli diet. Which, I don't think that crazy restricted regimen offers my body the right kind of fuel for this workout program anyways.

This is so cheesy, but of all I got in my box (the bands are pretty cool too) - I'm excited about the free tank top I get when I send in a before & after pic to them. When they see 'my transformation', I'll get a free tank top (which I love tanks by the way). And better yet...drum roll....I could possibly get a chance to appear in an infomercial.

Okay I know, I said it was cheesy. But if you knew how long I've been doing Turbo Jam, how much I love that program. How I went to get trained to teach Turbo Kick, and how I am hoping to be an instructor. If you knew how much I adore Chalene Johnson because of her amazing character, integrity, motivation, love to help people lose weight, passion to help others change their lives...then you would totally understand how excited I am that that is an actual possibility. And for those who know me, you know I am going to push myself sooooooooooo hard to try to make that possibility a real-life event for myself.

I'm going to kick off my '5 day Inferno' today! I'm not a person that 'waits 'til Monday' to start changing my life. I've done my own observation and I the best time to start something new, a diet, a new program, is the day you decide/receive it/figure out how. Before & afters pics of the Inferno will follow in 5 days. And then before & afters will follow in 90 days. Stay tuned!!!!

Shop by Fitness Programs at www.beachbodycoach.com/JenniferMorin for your own!

Pay Day = Budget Day

Yes, a budget! What is that? Do you have one? We do. We got it from a powerful/life-changing book and APPLIED IT! The book is: Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. (You can get a copy for $10 @ www.daveramsey.com). (Young people get this book, you need it now, not later. Retirement is a real thing to plan 40 years in advance for!!!)

Here's the routine for our pay day here in our home: I get my husband's payroll check, STRAIGHT to the bank, deposit it, WITHOUT cashback at this point. Next, I go home, and double check my budget sheet that I created a couple days prior to pay day (just in case something has come up).

Here's what I do to prep for my budget:
Step 1: Gather up all bills from my special "Current Bills Due" folder at my desk.
Step 2: Fill in the dollar amounts in these catagories:

First are the things we pay by check:

• TBBC (money insurance, first right?...for some who don't know what this is: tithe)
• Additional Giving
• Life Insurance
• Mortgage pmt.
• PG&E
• Gas Co.
• Water Co.
• ATT
• Gardener
• Car Insurance
• Gym fees
• Debt (which we've wiped 1/2 to 2/3 out in the last couple years by sticking to a budget)
• Shakeology/BB Biz (now paying for itself, I may add)

These are the catagories that I get cash out for. The thought Dave Ramsey has is, take the cash out, don't use your debit card because, when you walk into Target w/ only $40 for the baby's diapers & formula, there's no cash leftover to buy that cute tank top 'on sale'. If it's not budgeted for, then don't buy it. Now if you NEED clothes, make a catagory & give yourself a budgeted amount & STICK TO IT! Here are the catagories that we pay cash & avoid debit card use on:

• Gas (a certain amt. for me/a certain amt. for husband)
• Groceries
• Toiletries
• Jacob's needs
• Daniel's meds/needs
• "Allowance for husband"
• Jen's phone (I seriously live on a pay-as-you-go phone. I use my home phone 99% of the time & save)

And that's it. There are times like this week, we have to add: Car Maintenance, and Clothing for Daniel. And month to month, there may be a Kaiser catagory, or a special thing like: Air Duct Cleaning, like we did this week.

The beauty of a budget is that you can start a catagory for an expense you know is coming in a month or two. Like this month, I'm saving for my suburban tags for July. I haven't received the bill, but I quickly look at my tags to see that they expire in July. So, I plan. This way a bill that is expected, is NOT a financial emergency.

I add up all the expenses, minus it from the income to confirm that I have enough. I always know what we have left over after all our needs are filled in. What to do w/ this money? Throw it at the debt, save for something you're going to need like: car, appliances, furniture. Why finance those things, when you can save & pay cash, get a better deal because people make deals for cash...and save yourself a ton on interest right? (GET THE BOOK & READ IT!)

So the budget sheet is filled in & the check is in the bank.

Step 3: Balance checkbook before I even begin paying out.
Step 4: Write out/pay bills.
Step 5: Make 'cash item list'.
Step 6: Go to bank for cash.
Step 7: Go shopping with my lists for Target/Walmart, Costco, etc!
Step 8: STICK TO THE LISTS! :)

This is how we live. Pretty simple & basic math. You don't need a BS in Accounting to live on a budget.

Now the key is to NOT spend all my grocery money at the store the first day I get paid so that in a week when we need fresh produce, I have CASH for that. There will be times that there's a little miscalculation in what I need, but I try so hard to NOT use my debit card.

The philosophy behind using the card is 'it's unlimited'. Oh, I have the extra $50 in the bank so I can buy this - thing I absolutely don't need & will only use/wear once.

If you do this budget, you will find that you DO have the money you need for the month typically. You tell your kids/employees what to do, why not tell your money where to go & what to do so that you control your spending!

I might point out that I am strategic w/ my bill paying too. Say we get paid the 1st, so the bills due from the 9th thru the 23rd, I pay the first week of the month. The bills due from the 23rd to the 8th of the next month, I pay at our mid-month pay day. This way my bills are ON TIME. The wonder of this is, I only sit down & balance my checkbook 2X/mo., always aware of what I have - this avoids ISF fees, right? And I only pay my bills 2X a month, never wondering when a bill is coming in or if I'll have enough. This provides me peace of mind, and more time w/ my kids. I avoid: paying as I go, trying to always find time every couple days to sit alone & scream at the kids as I try to crunch number to make sure some money is there for this one bill, right? Who wants to do that 2-3 times per week? This budget system keeps my time managed better too. I know what days are pay days, so I build time into my schedule to do all this in advanced.

This is how we live and we live pretty stress-free over finances. We know we make enough to live on. Now, if we are broke & in a bind, who's responsible? It's easy to figure out in a quick discussion :) So I try my hardest to tell myself & KIDS "NO" so that we can have some peace & liberty in our lives.

Flexing my organizational skills!

Just relocated across the town I live in. Have 2 kids & a husband. Just launched my own home-based, internet-managed business. What does this all mean?

In RE: to my home:
1. I still have a little bit of stuff to put away.
2. I have a house to decorate, but need to paint before I do that.
3. Find a smokin' deal on some coffee brown, low-back leather sofas.
4. Keep my awesome kitchen counter (off from the garage) decluttered.

In RE: to my kids:
1. Need to plan out park days better.
2. Need to schedule daily story/activity time regularly.
3. Got to get more energetic & creative.
4. Get out of the house more (backyard, museums, playdates, etc.)

In RE: to my husband:
1. Schedule date-nights w/ him.
2. Continue our brainstorming mornings.
3. Work cooperatively w/ him.

In RE: to my Beachbody Business:
1. Listen to training calls & watch training webinars.
2. Place an order of marketing tools.
3. Find the health-oriented/desperate to lose weight people.
4. Execute my program & get in the best shape of my life.

Now, the hard part...I need/want to do all of the above NOW, and I still have things like laundry, grocery shopping, family bbqs, and day-to-day chores. All the while, I need and must keep my time with the Lord as the #1 priority to help everything else flow & happen. This week, I need to flex my organizational ability.

For me, this entry above has helped get it out of my head & in front of my eyes. Next step is to make a realistic list of things I need to focus on just this week. And then daily, put one of those items on my to-do list. For me personally, journaling and writing out all the stuff I need and want to do helps. Sometimes when I read what I've written, I am able to cross out the non-essential stuff & then highlight the high priority items.

I think it's Dave Ramsey who has coined the phrase "On Paper - On Purpose". I've lived like this for quite sometime w/out a catch phrase. But nonetheless, we all know that when we write down our goals, we are more likely to achieve them. So look at your everyday 'to-do' list as a 'List of Goals for the Day'. Try it yourself & see what you get done this week. Got my list going...now to get my time organized, my mind flexed & focused! Let's get 'er done!!!!