New Year , New Me.....

Hello Friends,

It seems I have abandoned this blog since April 2016!!! Shame on me!!! What can I tell you, I have been overwhelmingly busy.

I should take a minute to reflect on what has occurred since then.... Well, I am still  working at the hotel, I am still caring for my parents, Dad is now 87, and says hello every Saturday via my Facebook pictures, Mom is now 75, still in the wheelchair unfortunately, but sewing up a storm and trying to garden where she can.

Keith has been working for Harbor Freight for about a year and a half. He seems to like it, and wishes they would give him more hours. 

I still try and papercraft where I can. I did not get the Christmas cards completed this year.  Just over scheduled myself- like normal- and something had to give.

In March I joined LulaRoe as a retailer, and had some mild success. I have taken a break from my sales, since summer because my work life becomes hectic. Along the way, the company made some changes that were difficult for me to weather. I am still active with Lularoe, but not Actively selling currently. I want to keep the door open, as I put a lot of time, energy and $ into it, but currently, I'm not feeling it. I still love the clothes, and wear them daily, I just need a break, from everything really.

That is the feeling of 2017 for me- exhaustion. We had the best revenue year ever at the hotel, the daily needs of my family don't seem to slow down, and well... I turned 50 this year. It just takes more energy for me to accomplish everything. I feel genuinely blessed every day, for all of the things I have in my life, my family, friends, work I enjoy, and I also feel really tired, a lot.

So as I was organizing and cleaning the house today, I was thinking about how I can make 2018 a better year for me and my family.  I need to reduce stress, my doctor says, and I have made a lot of positive changes in 2017- I am now dairy free for 3 months- and there have been great benefits in how I feel. I also started acupuncture treatments, for stress and pain management. It's all helping, but I need to dig out the root of the problem to have a more healthful year. For me, that is stress, and the #1 culprit is financial stress.  With a brand new year facing me, I decided to face everything and rise, instead of Flee everything and run, which I have been too quick to do.

I have been trying to buy the house we rent since summer. It seems to be one setback after another, and none of it moves very fast. I expect to complete the transaction in January, but it will take some lifestyle adjustments to be able to enjoy this major milestone.

So- today , I made a budget. I have set up my coupon organization, and I have set some goals. There are few places in my budget where I can actually save money. Groceries is one place for sure. I went back and watched a lot of couponers, housewife financial planners, and such on YouTube. I came up with a basic plan, and then cleaned the house. I always like to start things fresh. Plus today it is snowing in NJ, so I took advantage of being housebound.

My goal is to save $200 in January,  I figure, I have to start somewhere.   My first project will be to make a coupon envelope to take to the stores with me.  I plan on doing this over on Ustream at about 4pm EST. I used to love to craft online with all of you.   So if you are interested in my 2018 New Year , New Me journey, I promise I will attempt to detail it on the blog, and hopefully have a stamping project or two along the way.

Happy New Year!

Hugs,
Laurel