EEBA

Have you ever wanted to use the cash envelope budgeting method but 

 still wanted to cling to the modern, electronic world?

Here's a $0 Budget Solution to try: EEBA- Electronic Envelope Budgeting Application.  

It's the electronic version for cash budgeting.  It's free online and has a free app for your Android or iPad. 

It's pretty cool!  

Here's how it works:
 

• You create a household user name and password. 

 

• EEBA allows you to create up to 10 envelopes of cash for specific categories like groceries, gas, Before & Afters, etc.  

• You fill the envelopes with their allotted budgeted amount and specif where you received the funds from.  

• Then, when you spend at the store, you enter the amount (on your smartphone or online at home) and EEBA tracks how much you've spent and calculates how much you have left for the month (or other time period you designate).

• Once your envelope is empty, you know to stop spending.

 

It's that simple!  

You can sign up to pay a small fee for upgraded features such as additional envelopes, tech support, track your bank accounts, and scheduling.  

For most basic households, the free version will work just fine. 

I hope this tool helps you stay within your budget and Get your Finances All Together.

If you've used EEBA before, please share your comments.  I'd love to hear from you!

Master Bedroom Closet- Part 2

Welcome back to our Master Bedroom Closet Before & After!

In Part 1 we cleaned out the mess, 

evaluated what stayed and what didn't, 

re-purposed hardware, and got ready to go shopping.

 Shopping

Cheat Sheet-   Before I left the house, I made a handy little cheat sheet.  

It had a small sketch of the floor space, the dimensions, what items I was shopping for, and the numbers of items that each piece of hardware had to hold. 

• Tie Rack:            20-30 ties
• Hat Rack:           10-15 hats 
• Shoe Solution: 10-15 pairs of shoes

 I've learned that if I'm not truly sold on a product in the store, I shouldn't buy it.  Sometimes, that means going to several different stores.  That's what happened today.

Master Bedroom Closet- Part 1

What a mess! 

Time for a major Before & After  overhaul.

Today we highlight Part 1 of this transformation.  

Friday we'll highlight the final fixes in Part 2.

 

Let's breakdown the problems:

• Bags and bags of crafty, kid, and miscellaneous things taking up residence where they don't belong
• Blankets on the floor/shoe rack
• Broken tie rack; ties don't fit
• Bedding runneth over
• Shoe overload
• Hats falling down
• Crowded closet door hanger
• No room to walk in the walk-in!

 Our Budget: $50  

Meager for some, but no problem for us!  

(We're used to $0 Budget Solutions.)

 Let's Get Started

Beauty or Function?

Let's talk design.  When design is done right, it's really right.  

It is beautiful and functional.  Good design doesn't have to sacrifice beauty for functionality or vice versa. 

However, sometimes things so awry.  Take a look at this lovely bathroom counter.  It's really nice to look at.  

The counter top is a nice warm color and modern looking with wide a space for toiletries.  The lines are clean.  The bottom shelf allows for additional open storage space.   

Is it beauty and functionality at their best?

Did I pack everything?

Picture this- you're packing for a family trip out of town for a few days.  How do make sure you have everything? Will you (or your hubby) be making a mad dash to Wal-Mart in the middle of the night?   

Try today's idea out and save yourself (or your hubby) a trip to the store.  He'll thank you for it later :)

Today's post is about   

Designing! 

 Check out this terrible attempt at a wall color and then the awful things thrown on the shelf.  This area definitely needs attention.

 

First let's look at the wall color.  It was originally supposed to be a different hue of green that matched another piece of palm tree decor and be restful in a master bedroom.  However, the color turned out all wrong and reminds me of green peas- yuck! 

 

Paint is an easy and inexpensive fix.  You can always paint over it and that's the first correction we'll make here.  

Next, the shelf will emptied of its contents, cleaned, and rearranged.  I found some great ideas for arranging photographs from Pinterest.

The new shelf and wall design will be up in the next week or so.  


 
Check back to see the new and improved wall color and the big reveal as we work on Getting It All Together.

To Keep or Not To Keep...

...that is the question.  It can be really tricky and emotionally taxing when weeding through things.

How do you decide what's worth having around?

Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

• When was the last time I used it?
• Do I really love it?  
• Would I be heartbroken if it were gone?  In other words, would you regret tossing it out?
• Where is its home?  Do I have a place to store it?
• Does it still fit?
• If it's paperwork- do I need it for taxes?  Do I need it to pay bills?  
• Do I have duplicates?  If so, consider downsizing to just what you need.
• If it's broken- Can it be repaired for a reasonable cost?
• Does it have value?

But, what if you still can't decide?  Then what?

Here's what I do:

I wait.  Yes, that may sound counter-productive; but, I put it into a box and wait until later.  Sometimes I come back to it a month later.  Sometimes it's a year or more.  I move on to other things that can be taken care of today and wait to decide on the most difficult items.

When revisited, my mind is clearer and a better decision can be made.  Most of the time I realize that I wasn't as attached to the item as I thought and it was time to purge it.

Be brave!  Don't be afraid to make a decision today.  Line up the laundry baskets and a trash can, start sorting the closet, and letting things go.  Have the trash can handy and use it as an option.  Keep the laundry baskets around to sort other items into piles that will be kept or donated.

Clutter can weigh you down.  Free yourself by letting go.  Give what you don't need to others and be lifted while you Get It All Together.