if you’ve been around these parts for long, you know that luke & i are very intentional about budgeting (find out more on how we budget here). we have monthly budget meetings & plan ahead so that we’re spending below our means each month.
of course, despite our very best efforts, sometimes incidentals & unexpected expenses come up, leaving us spending much more than we planned. over the last two months, we have repaired two vehicles & purchased a large amount of farm supplies for the summer months.
in an effort to build back up our savings, we have adjusted our monthly budget for may & agreed to a spending freeze.
what does a spending freeze look like for our family?
during the month of may, we are only going to spend money in the absolutely necessary categories of our budget.
our may budget does include:
– bills
– food
– date night (yes it’s a necessity for our sanity, but we’ve reduced this category by 25%)
– individual allowance
– medicine
– animal care
– personal care (haircuts, etc.)
our may budget does not include:
– clothing
– house projects
– home supplies
– gifts
– anything “extra,” including non-budgeted wants
our biggest challenges:
– using up our storage food from the freezer
– using only what we have to create gifts for friends & family (including mother’s day!)
– limiting our date nights to only inexpensive dates
– not purchasing home improvement supplies including plants, diy project supplies & general pretties
– finding contentment in what we already own, use & have
i’ve got a ton of blog post ideas i plan to share with you during the month of may from healthy meals on a limited budget & gifting with what you already own.
if you’re craving a spending freeze, join my family during the month of may! i plan to update our journey here in full detail, but join me on instagram @nataliecreates & use the hashtag #mayspendingfreeze!
do you have ideas for saving money & spending less? please share!
love,
natalie
hello, friends!
mark your calendars for this thursday, april 23rd, when i will stock my shop with new goodies at 8 am cst! in celebration, i thought i would share with you a little sneak peek of some of what’s to come…
i am absolutely in love with the new bow band that launches on thursday! it is reversible so you can style it two different ways! as always, there is white velvet elastic in the back for comfort & ease of wearing.
there will be a limited number of each bow band in three different designs! i think you are going to love these beauties.
there are also two new skinny headbands coming to the shop! i absolutely love the peach modern floral headband & the mustard yellow headband that are both perfect for spring & summer!
there will be just a few happy flag sets in the shop this time around, including the lovely set from my collaboration with sweet lindsay of pen + paint, so snatch them up while you can!
to celebrate this fun shop update, i am giving away a package full of surprise pretties from my shop!
to enter, simply:
comment below with your email address & favorite new product from the shop right now!
i will pick a random winner on thursday, april 23rd, just before the shop opens at 8am cst!
love,
natalie
p.s. i am offering 20% off in the shop on all orders $10 or more to all blog readers! simply enter “NATALIECREATESBLOG” at checkout! thank you & happy shopping!
++ giveaway closed! congrats to allison for winning a little bundle from my shop! i will email you soon! as for everyone else, use the shop code to purchase a few goodies for yourself! ++
in writing about family traditions within our home, one of the books that has influenced us in more ways than i can count is a homemade year by jerusalem greer.
jerusalem is a dear friend of mine & one who motivates our family to take a deeper look at the christian liturgical calendar.
as an author, minister & teacher, jerusalem is a wealth of knowledge. i didn’t grow up learning much about the christian calendar, but jerusalem makes it easy for her readers to learn more.
she invites her readers to read just a few pages about the historical meaning of each holiday & live that out within our families & home with a meaningful craft or recipe. it’s a beautiful picture of bringing meaning to our imperfect family traditions through the sacredness of home.
a homemade year weaves a story of family life & the historical christian calendar that is seamless & inspiring. in her book, she shares meaningful craft ideas for holidays such as easter & delicious meal ideas during the slower summer months.
and with her book, she also provides a discussion & reflection guide that can be found here that you can share within a book club or even a homeschooling group.
y’all, i absolutely love a homemade year so i asked jerusalem if she would share a copy with one lucky reader!
to enter, simply…
1. like jerusalem greer on facebook or follow her on IG @jerusalemgreer
2. comment below with your email address & one creative way you live out your faith within the home.
if you don’t win, you can always purchase jerusalem greer’s a homemade year here!
i will pick a random winner on monday, april 27th! happy winning!
love,
natalie
++ comments closed! congrats to jessica for winning! we will email you soon! ++