planners

Basic Budget Tips

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Are you stuck in a rut with your budget? How many times at the end of each month do you feel you could do it just a bit better? Sometimes going back to the basics is the best way to do it and I have ten simple tips that I like to follow. Why not try something new and see if this would help.

TEN SIMPLE BUDGET TIPS

  • Pay your bills on the first of the month and get them out of the way.
  • Look for ways to make extra money and sell off some of the items that you have been decluttering to put money back into the budget.
  • Always do a pantry inventory before you decide to go food shopping.
  • Try and cook double and freeze a meal so those nights when you’re tired and hungry…and you have the urge to eat out, you have something already in the freezer to warm up.
  • Consider buying everything used.
  • When you need to buy something new, check into three places that sell that item…. and see who has the best price.
  • Make sure you were always checking your phone bill. Cell phone bill and cable bill before the contract will expire… so you can negotiate a new plan before the expiration date of the old contract.
  • When you’ve made a major mistake with your money, don’t sit in pity.  Sit down and find a solution and a way to make things better.
  • Don’t be afraid to ask for help get some good mentoring or counseling if you need budget help.
  • Be realistic with your budget and don’t create a budget you wish you could have.  Base your budget on your current income and strive to always leave a little wiggle room.

Lynn A. C. Wilson – Resume of a Mother

Youtube: 

  • At Home with Lynn Wilson

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A free Printable for your planner or to use to keep you thinking!

Welcome to my home and life…

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Life is definitely a journey and an adventure if you know anything about me. Every day brings new and exciting things and also some overwhelming moments. For the past two weeks my husband has had two major falls from having seizures which led him to be in the chiropractor’s office 2 to 3 times a week plus having to have physical therapy and wear a back brace.

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Because of this we decided to take a quick weekend away that we called a Saturday vacation. While on this vacation he had a seizure, his scooter that he uses to get around in large places died in the middle of the museum. This led to us having to push it out of the museum, to loading it in the car manually, and causing me to be completely overwhelmed and having to have a good cry.

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If you asked me is it all worth it I’d say 100%. If you asked me what I marry this man again I would tell you absolutely 100%. He is the man of my dreams and if he comes with an extra package called epilepsy …I wouldn’t change a thing. Now having said all that… I have stated over and over it many times that I have found “my new normal and it’s a moving target”. so what does all of this mean, for me there is no normal, normal is only for a moment and that changes again. And I am OK with that. I’ve had to learn to be OK with that… Otherwise I would not have survived life and all that has been part of it.

This is made me in the long run realize how precious life is, it is giving me the desire to encourage other women and their walk and their journey, it is also encouraged me to invest in peoples lives whenever I can.

But having said all that… I have a new journey in life and an adventure and that is my YouTube channel. Come and join me and come and visit me and see what this crazy life entails. I hope you will find encouragement along the way, maybe some new ideas that you’ve never thought of before, maybe a few laughs, but most of all I hope that you leave feeling a little bit better about yourself, a little bit more encouraged than when you first started to visit with me.

Lynn A. C. Wilson – Resume of a Mother

YouTube Channel name: “At Home with Lynn Wilson”



Planner Overload….

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Let me start by saying that I just love all my planners and I love planning. Recently I have found myself in a “planner overload”. I would not pick up my planner for days or even a couple of weeks.  I became so “planned out” and almost felt done with my planner.

Then a few weeks into this….I missed sitting and writing in it. I missed confirming my schedule or just making some notes in it.  I began to realize that my life had become so crazy busy and so overwhelming in general that I hadn’t even noticed how bad it had gotten. Then I realized it wasn’t my planner but just time in general that had become too busy and crazy and that I needed to slow things down and regroup.  In doing this, I found that I needed to simplify my life in any area that I could.

Throughout the year I will switch from a ringbound, to an A5 Filofax, then to a mini or a Travelers Notebook …. and I enjoy them all.  My planner is not only my “dailies”, but my calendar and also my journal, notebook, and A-Z files for just about everything that I do.  Sticky notes and stickers have become my best friends as well and all the bells and whistles that you can add to your planner.  But when life is busy this stuff is busy too to look at….or at least in my mind.

So what is a “Planner Girl” to do…..I decided to go simple for a while and use a Dollar Tree basic planner and planner inserts that I came across.  They are basic and just perfect for where I am in life.  I found that the simplicity of it keeps my mind clear of business in my planner and a basic and simple calendar helped too.

Someday I am sure that I will find myself back using my “chunky” planners with all the perks and goodies …. but for now simple is better for me.

How about you….do you change-up your planners? What makes you decide to change things around?

Lynn A. C. Wilson – Resume of a Mother

Planner and Craft Haul…

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I just love a good buy, especially when it is for crafts or my planner…how about you?  We have a very small local shop that is so tiny in size but they offer some great craft classes on everything that you can think of.  They also have some planner groups that meet there together as a group to work on their planner set-up and lay-outs.

A few times a year they offer a “craft” garage sale that you can either sell your extra supplies and do a “destash”….or buy some new and “new to you” goodies.  I went shopping and I had a ball looking around!!! The items were so well priced…..5 packs of stickers for $1.00 (all new packages).  They had some great planner supplies too.  Here is a look at some of the goodies I picked up.

Tons of good stuff cheap.

New tote for $2

Love the hidden drawer for storage.

A great bag for planner supplies.

Have you all picked out your 2019 planners yet?  I am really trying to decide which one to start with for 2019, a disc planner, ringbound, or a travelers notebook…..and then which size, personal, mini or A5.

Let me know down below what you have chosen for next year and why. Share with me your ideas to help me decide what to do for my planner for 2019.

Happy Planning!

Lynn A. C. Wilson – Resume of a Mother

Frixion Pens…..The erasable pen.

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Well it is “Planner Tuesday”!  This will be a simple post….as simple as, “I love Frixion pens”.  I first saw these pens on a You-Tube channel.  I had never heard of them and I was intrigued with having an erasable pen for my planner.

I just had to find them right away…so where else would I look but Amazon Prime. Sure enough I found them, and I was able to get them in many different colors.

I am not a big color coder in my planner; I found that using too many colors can be confusing for me.  I do however use red for family, blue for work and green for anything unusual.  (KISS – Keep it simple). But there are lots of choices that you can choose from if you do like to color code.

With my crazy busy life…..my planner keeps me in check and sain.  But now that I have erasable pens to match my ever changing schedule. So when life changes as it does, I can just erase and reschedule.

What is your favorite pen for your planner?

Lynn A. Wilson – Resume of a Mother

A5…Personal or Travelor’s Notebook…that is the question!

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I know from being in the planner community that “Planner Peace “is what we strive for.  I laugh when I hear people so satisfied with only 1 planner and talk about it as if they have died and gone to heaven.  Not me….l LOVE all types!

I started with a Filofax Malden and Yes it is still my first love.  Then I moved to an A5 and I loved the size for writing and recording, but it was too big to carry.  So I tried a Travelers Notebook for a year, but found it was too confusing for me with all the notebooks. A TN is great to journal in but I don’t like it as a planner. So I went back back to a personal size and I love the size for carrying around in my bag….but, yes it happened again that I needed more room to write.  So you guessed it back to an A5.

So today is the day I waiting with excitement, anticipation and overwhelming JOY for the arrival of a new planner.  After touching it a few times, smelling it and holding it tight. I then turned each page like it was the first time I ever owned a planner. Do you find yourself doing the same thing and switching it up?

Oh the JOY of watching for the box to come…opening the box…looking into the box….grabbing the planner…and then opening it. So many wonderful feelings all rolled up in one! So here is goes, the unboxing and my new planner for at least a while. More details to come with what I am doing with my other planners too.

Watch for “Planner Tuesday”….where I will chat with you about my planners, planner goodies, planner ideas, layouts, and more.

Send me your what your favorite planner is and why in the comments below!

Lynn A. Wilson – Resume of a Mother

Planner = sanity = a better me…..

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file_000I am a creative person in most everything that I do!!  I love to create new recipes, decorate my home and then redecorate it again and again. And who can forget….scrap-booking, tole painting, card making, any type of paper crafting, quilling, quilting and so many other wonderful outlets.

With being a wife of an Epileptic husband and a mom of an Autistic son…. my days do not always allow me the time or frame of mind to create in the above areas that I mentioned.  I also work full-time and home-school our youngest…while doing that, I am also involved in support groups, and many ministries in and outside of my home. So a planner is a practical tool for me…. but also a much-needed outlet for me.  But I have now learned to enjoy on a smaller scale the joy of be part of the planner community and to decorate my planner.  This is an outlet that can allow me to create on days when I need to do  mindless work, and a simple creative opportunity.

To some of my family and friends…they find this just plan nuts!!!  I have always used a planner since my first job and the start of my career.  Even back then 30 years+ ago…I would add a sticker, or doodle in it with a flower or two.  I loved the look when I would open my calendar and see the art work next to the event or schedule I needed to attend.

Move forward 30+ years….and the planner community has allowed me a whole new way to create.  Are you part of it?  Have you been bitten by the planner bug?  file_004Does the smell of stickers and does pen ink excite you?  Is going to the Dollar Tree and finding a new sickly note a highlight of your day…..well it is for me and many others. Just watching my Facebook groups with new hauls and new items from Etsy and the “DT”….is so much fun.

I will share in another blog post the breakdown of my planners and how I currently use them….but this was just a quick preview of what I like to use for my daily planner. My work schedule, my daily activities, my to-do list and other misc. dates to remember are in my Mini Happy Planner.  This is a new style of planner for me this year and I am loving it!!!!!!

Here are a few pics of some of my favorite items and a picture of a before and after for both a monthly and weekly spread before the pen.file_000

Reply below and tell me how you use your planner…..what items do you like to use in it?  What is your favorite pen to use? Oh yes send pics too!!!!!

 

Lynn A.C. Wilson – Resume of a Mother

Planner Nerd, Planner Community, Planner Goodies….

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Are you a planner Nerd?…

With life being as crazy as it is…I really don’t know how people live without a planner.  Now planners come in all shapes and sizes and those of us who would classify ourselves as part of the “planner community”, we love them all!

I started with a little pocket one that I received in the mail at age 19 and I soon refile_0009alized when I started working that this was the only thing that kept me out of trouble from double bookings.  I was working 3 jobs and of course trying to have a social life.  Now fast forward to 30+ years later and here I am still using a planner to keep my sanity….but even better… I use several.

Planners are part of my daily dress and essential to thfile_000e day and something that I would classify as an accessory.  In addition to classifying my planner as an accessory…I love bags (another sign of a planner nerd), earrings, scarves, shoes, bracelets and lipsticks (yes that was plural lipsticks).  A planner to me is my life line…not only for keeping my schedule in order, but I faithfully use an A – Z file system for basic notes I need to keep for lists, journal notes, important info you just don’t know where else to store it…. and so much more.

When I started out it was just a calendar and now as you can see I use it for so much more.  How do you use your planners?  Which kind(s) do you use? My favorite and my go to is a file_0006Purple Personal size Malden Filofax.  I must admit I am hooked on Filofax anything. I then use a faux Malibu by Franklin Covey for my house binder/planner; I have an A5 Color Crush for my blogs posts and a Travelers notebook that I tried using for my go to ….but now it stares at me for a purpose.  I also have a small pocket-size Target planner that I use for my church schedule, notes, and ministries that I am involved in.

My home office has turned into my planner office (or at least I like to think of it that way). Yes of course, the Dollar Tree and Target Dollar Spot and I have become good friends when I am looking for my planner goodies.  Speaking of planner goodies….anyone interested in a give a way?  See notes below….

I am obsessed with sticky notes, pens, and page flags….YIKES…I am a planner nerd!  I have a wonderful pen pal and we do an exchange every other month.  She lives in Europe so it is fun to exchange USA items and European items together and even though we have never met in person, I consider her a great friend.

My family and friends think I am nuts…and I probably am and that is just fine with me. Planners are fun for me and I enjoy not only using them in a practical way… but I am enjoying decorating them as most of you do too.  Washi tape is a stapfile_0005le in our home!  Stickers and any other goodies that I can use…help me be as creative as I want to be.  What goodies do you all use?  Where do you like to shop?

A few years ago, I became bored with the normal neat, schedule planner look and so the search began for me to find a new and different way to use my planner….and so it began. Once I watched You Tube…it  opened a world to me of planners, planner love and planner people which lead to Facebook groups for planners.

file_0008I began decorating and using this outlet as a quick creative way to fill my crafter need. Since my days are sooo busy these days and time is short for crafts and scrapbooking…this fills the gap.  I now enjoy scrapbooking and making junk journals which for me are much easier than the normal scrapbooking and  I love to use Travelers Notebooks for my junk journals. It keeps in small and neat and simple for me.

Well there you have it….my planner story. What is your story?  I would love to hear from you and all about your planners, goodies, where you shop, what planner you like the best and how you use them.   Leave a comment below and let me know.

Extra goodies are overflowing in my office with extra pens, sticky notes, andfile_0002 washi etc… They are piling up and in light of connecting with other planner buddies….I am going to do a give-a-way .  I am thankful for this creative outlet and I would like to bless someone with some goodies.

Here are the rules for the give-a-way:

  1. You must leave a comment below
  2. You must follow my blog
  3. You must live in the USA
  4. You must love planners

I am looking forward to seeing who wins….I will give you until December 24.  At that time I will pick a winner with the best story in the comments.

 

Lynn A. C. Wilson – Resume of a Mother