We bit the bullet this weekend and went school supply shopping. The start of the school year is inevitable so we have started checking things off of the "before we go back to school" list. As we organized found backpacks and gym backs and checked them for signs of life, I noticed a familiar scent wafting through the air. 

There were times last year when I would pick the kids up from sports practice, roll the windows down, and hang my head out - and still hold my breath  - to make it home. The rule is that you put your clothes directly into the washer and immediately jump into the shower. Don't think that 
I didn't contemplate making them hose off in the yard first, I did. But this way I get their laundry started.

When we found scent boosters for the laundry, I should have bought stock that day. I love those tiny pellets and the way they make our clothes smell. I was standing in the middle of the office the other day and caught a whiff of myself and literally pulled my shirt up over my nose to smell. 

As the smell from the gym bags hit me today, I had an idea! We poured some of my beloved Unstopables into "wedding favor bags," tied them up, and told the kids to put them in their shoes and shoe cabinets, in their luggage and backpacks, and in their closets and dressers.

It won't stop the smell, but it might lessen the impact. 

We have some big plans for this year and we need to be intentional and on the same page as a couple if we are going to accomplish these. To help make it possible, we are budget planning. One thing that we have found that really helps us is naming every dollar so that they all have a purpose. Dave Ramsey has a simple to follow cash flow plan that we mimic. 

It helps us to make an Excel document so that we can see our money and where it's going, where we can cut back or alter our choices. I also found a Dave Ramsey budget template for us to modify and share on Google Docs. (Google Doc is a cloud based file sharing platform that allows us to work together on the budget from our laptops, phones, etc.)   There are quite a few lines on the spreadsheet so we can list every expense imaginable. It keeps us forgetting something. We modified the template quite a bit to just use the lines and categories that are relevant for us.

Happy Budgeting! - Mom