30 before 30...

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My good sister friend, Barbie, and I were having a great conversation a couple weeks ago. We started taking about how life is so amazing and how things have changed for her since she and her husband have had their little darling diva, Lillian! She and I talked about all the things we wish we could accomplish soon that would just be the icing on our cakes! Our conversation got me thinking and before it was over we decided to both write a list of activities/goals we wanted to accomplish before we both turned 30.


I want to share with you my list and I will keep everyone posted on what I accomplish throughout the months. I will also place the list on the right bar of my blog and mark off the goals as they get accomplished. I have until September 26, 2013 to reach all of my goals.

Wish me luck!!!

My 30 before 30

1. Perfect making omelets

2. Howard Homecoming with Barbie

3. Travel to Italy and Greece

4. Visit vineyards in California- rent a convertible
5. Buy a house with a BIG kitchen, 4 beds, at least two baths, a man cave, big yard to share with all our family and friends
6. Host a major holiday in my new house- where I do all the cooking
7. Have 1 more healthy Dean baby
8. Make a really great gumbo without my mom’s help
9. Write a memoir of my family’s account/story of surviving Hurricane Katrina- even if not published something to keep in the family
10. Take French and Italian cooking classes
11. Organize a successfully romantic and super fun couples retreat for our close friends
12. Sew a dress from scratch
13. Master my sewing machine
14. Reunite with Zeta- become a financial active member
15. Skinny dip in the ocean
16. Get more involved at my church through a community group
17. Go on a mission trip with my church
18. Get on schedule to save $1,000/yr for each boy to give to them when they are 18 (set up accounts)
19. Volunteer with the boys at a soup kitchen
20. Organize a massive yard sale/purge all my stuff and donate the money to a battered women’s shelter
21. Pay off at least 3 major bills: car note, student loan, credit card- become debt free
22. Start a small business: I am too creative not to!!! - even if just on etsy (tooting my own horn)
23. Travel to visit all my girlfriends- by myself, no kids or hubby for some quality girl time (Texas; 2 parts, DC, Columbus, Cleveland, Cali, Arizona, etc)
24. Take a long train ride somewhere fun!
25. Master basic photography
26. Take better care of my health and encourage my family to do better
27. Communicate more with my grandmother and Scott’s grandmother- pick their brains for family history and stories from “back in the day”
28. Visit my dad at least twice a year
29. Continue to be the best wife and mommy I can be
30. Pray more and worry less- continue to grow in my walk with God and understand that God is in control.

xoxo,
Ronita

Financial Peace……do you have it?!

Ok…so there is all this talk about a recession. Everyday in the news I hear about people loosing their jobs, having trouble keeping their homes, and defaulting on debt payments. A major concern I have in the midst of the “recession” is maintaining solid credit. How do you measure up? I think it is really important for people not only to be physically, spiritually, and mentally healthy but also financially!!

In these hard economic times and even when the economy is healthy it is very important to know your credit score and what things are showing up on your credit report. Knowing what is on your credit report also allows you to detect any identity thief or unnecessary accounts you have open and may have forgotten about! You can dispute discrepancies and cancel out accounts.

When you go to buy a house, open up a credit card, or to buy a car the first thing they do is pull your credit!
I came across the following secure site www.annualcreditreport.com which allows you to download one free credit report a year. It only takes a couple minutes and it’s free!

Below are some steps you can take to help ease the burden of the recession and put some extra money in your purse:
• Negotiate lower interest rates on your credit cards and other accounts
• Transfer all funds to a lower interest fixed card and cancel out the outrageous ones
• Sell unwanted/unneeded items on sites like www.craigslist.org
• Don’t be too proud to shop the sale rack at your favorite stores and use coupons!
• Budget: if you don’t already make a budget and stick to it. Any extra money stash in your rainy day fund, you never know when you will need it!

Make sure you are in the best place for you and your family! Be smart, be empowered!

xoxo
Ronita