Consumption and overspending need not be part of your family birthday tradition.

Birthdays are definitely cause for celebration, but in many ways the American norm has gone over the top. While birthdays can be celebrated in a gazillion ways, there seems to be one commonality: decadent consumption.

I've read articles about some of the extreme one-upmanship that parents can play into, and how often parties are thrown without even talking with the child about what they want. I remember going to a kid's party prior to becoming a parent where all the kids brought a toy as a gift, and in the end the child was totally overwhelmed by about a dozen plastic gadgets. The birthday was in September, and I calculated that if the child played with each toy for one week until Christmas that they still wouldn't have played with them all! And really in the scheme of things, this was a pretty average birthday for a middle-class American child (key word: American.)

Then there are the obligatory gifts bags for all the kids, often filled with cheap plastic things made in China. At one party, the gift bag had a plastic spinning top that lit up as it bounced, and within about 5 minutes the top came off and I discovered a mercury disposal warning inside! I was dismayed, but knew that the Mama of the birthday girl had only wanted to see the kids smile.

We can choose to celebrate in meaningful, simple, and fun ways. Others have already written creative Planet Friendly Party Tips, so I won't repeat ever idea under the sun here. But I would like to share what I'm doing for BigGuy's 4th Birthday Party:

• Party invite printed on reused office paper - 4 invites to 1 sheet
• In lieu of a gift, kids will bring a book to exchange (I actually got lucky on this one, because it happens to be the norm for the whole preschool)
• BigGuy has recently been inspired by rocket ships, and we'll be making some out of reused poster tubes and other reused materials
• Serve guests on durable plates (combo of bamboo and plastic) that we bought for previous gatherings - no need to buy more! Eat from real silverware.
• BigGuy's gifts will likely last him several years (and be enjoyed by Girly): U.S. map floor puzzle and a fishing pole fish kite for trips to the beach
• We'll do something special as a family to celebrate too, by going to a new space exhibit at our local kid's science museum

I will also note that this is also BigGuy's first "class" party (only boys at his insistence!). His first two years we celebrated as a family and last year's small party was as much a chance to show off our new Girly, since she was just six days fresh. In future years I plan to take the lead from the EnviroMom bloggers and celebrate through other creative and experiential ways. Growing up as a twin, my mom chose to throw us big parties only at milestone ages: 6, 10, 13, 16, 18. On the in between years we could each have a friend for a sleepover, which I recall being just as much fun as the big parties. Another childhood friend had a birthday in the winter, and we did a beach party together for their 1/2 birthday (which was our true birthday.)

The key is to talk as a family about how you would like to celebrate. Set clear expectations to make sure that the no-party options isn't seen as a punishment, but just a unique way to celebrate a unique person.

Happy Birthday/UnBirthday to you!

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Sustainable Family Finances 
The story of a family creating an abundant and sustainable life.

It's birthday season in our family, with Girly's 1st on Monday, and BigGuy's 4th this Sunday.


We have a generous family, and every year we receive birthday cards with loving notes and checks included. For now these pieces of paper seem inconsequential to our children, even as the cards bring them great joy (BigGuy has actually being playing with his spaceship card every night this week!)


Up until this year I've always found some thoughtful way to spend the money, usually new shoes or a family outing. But this year, in light of my newfound financial focus (and my gainful employment), I am ready to start saving their birthday money.


You might wonder how much would $100 actually grow in interest by the time our kiddos fly the coup? According to Suze Orman's Compound Interest Calculator, if I started with $100 and added $10 a month at 2% for 17 years, Girly would have over $2500!!


To us adults with mortgages and bills, this may seem like relative chump change. But imagine back to when you graduated from high school, and how exciting it would be get this type of cash. I also want to be clear that while I do plan on saving for our children's college (soon!), this account will not be earmarked for education per se. It will be up to them to decide how they want to spend it when they come of age, whether that ends up being travel or rental deposit; it will be their fund for start adulthood.


I'm going to take a nod from my money savvy sis and open a new SmartyPig account for them which will earn 2.01%. SmartyPig has a fun social function to it too, so you'll be able to see how full the pig bank grows as our kiddos grow. And while the Grandparents and Great-Grandparents aren't big Facebookers, they may get a kick out of seeing their money saved rather than squandered.


So, if you're lucky enough to not need gift money for the essentials, comment below to make the pledge that you'll open a savings account at your child's next birthday!


This birthday month has helped me focus on how we really want to celebrate, and I'll share more on that topic tomorrow.


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Sustainable Family Finances 
The story of a family creating an abundant and sustainable life.

Some days don't go as planned and you just have to make it up as you go. The past few days have been like that for me. Instead of being healthy and happy for Girly's big 1st, three of the four of us were feeling green, and not the good kind.


Lose - I found out that the email sign-up was accidently misdirected! So, if waisted a moment of your life trying to sign up, I profusely apologize. Please give me another moment by signing up!


Win - Once I was feeling remotely better, I managed to get together donations to drop off at the Goodwill.


Lose - I realized that most of my cast-offs were generous freebie offerings from family members, and I need to do a better job of politely saying no.


Win - I made a few score finds at the Goodwill, including a pair of cute Girly jeans, two Berenstain Bear books for BigGuy, a National Park to-go coffee mug for Hubby, and a cute purple checkered blouse for myself.


Lose - I caved on emotional purchase, and couldn't help myself from buying the original Parent Trap 1 & 2; as a twin, it's one of my favorite childhood movies.


Win - Both Oregon ballot measures 66 & 67 that I shared in Green Taxes, passed overwhelming!


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Sustainable Family Finances 
The story of a family creating an abundant and sustainable life.

Today in Oregon, we have an important vote on whether to increase taxes for household incomes of over $250,000 (affecting only 3% of Oregonians) and eliminate income taxes on unemployment benefits (affecting a whooping 270,000 jobless Oregonians). The second ballot measure would raise the minimum business tax from a 1931 rate of $10 to a sliding scale of 1/10 of 1% of Oregon sales. You may ask, why raise taxes in a recession? Exactly, this would help fill a severe funding gap due to a drastic downturn in household incomes and generated income taxes. For obvious reasons, I am in favor of funding public schools and providing basic services to those in need. 


Yet, contrary to my Republican Hubby's belief, I am not a thoughtless "tax and spend liberal." I'm not voting yes just because we aren't in this tax bracket. I agree that this vote is just a Band-Aid approach. 


As a kid, I remember being happy that we didn't have a statewide sales tax; only having to calculate it when visiting family in California. But despite the convenience, I've come to realize that we desperately need statewide (and national) tax reform.

• Eliminate Income Taxes - Why tax people's livelihoods?
• Carbon Taxes - Let's tax our carbon impact
• Sliding Scale - Even FDR agreed "Taxes shall be levied according to ability to pay."

A new green tax system would help reduce environmental impacts without hindering our economic productivity. I think the deeper impact would be psychological, as more families would really contemplate the power of their wallet on the planet.

How would you like to see our taxes shift?

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Sustainable Family Finances

The story of a family creating an abundant and sustainable life.

Today is my Girly's 1st Birthday! As any Mama, this day brings my mind back to place she was born. In our case, that means her bedroom. We planned a home birth, with medical support from a professional midwifery clinic. 


We had a successful hospital birth with our BigGuy, and full health insurance. So, our decision wasn't necessarily a monetary one, but it did save us a whole lot of cash. All costs were fully covered by our health insurance, including the birth tub and birth kit bought online. I certainly don't advocate for considering a home birth based on finances alone, but it is a safe alternative to hospitalization. Here's an interesting article from Fit Pregnancy about Better births, lower costs.


I was inspired by the eye-opening documentary "The Business of Being Born."
I had considered myself to be fairly well educated, but this film made me realize just how the obstetrics industry has been stripping mothers of our right to birth naturally. Statistically, only 1 in 100 American babies are born at home. Yet, 1 in 4 American babies now come by Cesarean surgery and the majority of mothers/babies are sedated by drugs at birth. I feel very lucky that my first hospital birth had minimal interventions and no drugs. Not everyone is so fortunate.


Before I go any further, I want to say that hospitals are amazing places for high risk pregnancies, where moms and babies need medical support. In an emergency, I would not have hesitated being transferred and fully appreciate modern medicine.


My top 10 reasons for having a home birth:

1. Safe - with prenatal care, contingency plans, and professional home birth equipment
2. Sustainable - minimal carbon footprint
3. Inexpensive - even with insurance, our first birth cost a few thousand dollars
4. Comfortable - the comforts of home, even if birth isn't
5. Family-friendly - our son announced that she was a girl; our closest family was there
6. Thoughtful - professional midwives prepare clients with extensive knowledge
7. Playful - music and water helps relax and energize between contractions
8. Empowering - you make healthy decisions to benefit you and your baby
9. Free High - you may not get drugs at home, but the birth "high" is incredible
10. Home healing - being at home to heal with postnatal visits for baby and mom

If you or someone you know is considering home birth, I'd like to offer up these resources:

• Ina Mays Guide To Childbirth is an essential read for home and hospital births
• Baby Catcher: Chronicles of a Modern Midwife is as intriguing as it is hilarious, written by the first midwife with hospital privileges in the early 80's 
• Welcome with Love is a children's book sharing the story of a family's home birth
• My Best Birth is a new film coming April 2010 with lots of inspiring birth stories
• Vivante Midwifery was very professional and has tons of info on their FAQ page

My last two cents on the subject: birth is a natural process that has been going on since our beginning; having faith in this mysterious process has helped us endure and succeed. Plus, home is where the heart is, where families grow, and dreams are born.


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Sustainable Family Finances
The story of a family creating an abundant and sustainable life.

Before my BigGuy was born I remember researching to find the best baby bottle. I chose the reputable Dr. Brown's brand, because my biggest criterion was avoiding the painful saga of colic. I got lucky with no colic, but around the time he was weaning news broke that the bottles contained the toxic chemical Bisphenol-A or BPA.

Many companies responded by creating a "green baby bottle market," and I was able to afford to buy new "BPA-Free" bottles for my Girly. Yet, many parents can't afford these more expensive bottles or don't understand the risks involved.

This week the FDA finally issued a warning about BPA's toxicity; sighting research that exposure can harm a child's brains and reproductive systems. Though the FDA supports "industry's actions" to eliminate the use of BPA in food related products, this warning itself does nothing to stop its widespread use. The NY Times agrees that "wise consumers will try to avoid BPA." 

I don't know about you, but I think we should follow Canada and Europe and get BPA off the market. It's up to us to insist on banning Bisphenol-A. Minnesota was the first state to issue a ban, and several other local jurisdictions (California's was defeated). Now states like Oregon are taking up the legislative torch to Ban BPA. There are pending bills in Congress too, and I truly hope consumers are successful.

Let's take it a step further and work with Safer Chemicals: Healthy Families to reform the toxics regulations altogether.



Lastly, I hope my BigGuy will have no long term health effects, and I'm sure glad that he liked his milk cold!


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Sustainable Family Finances 
The story of a family creating an abundant and sustainable life.

If you've been following my blog goals so far, you're probably wondering "How on Earth are you going to reach all these goals?"

The simple answer: one step at a time.

Although I want to create radical change, I certainly don't expect it all at once. I may be an idealist, but I know my daily reality includes plenty of obligations beyond my own personal wants. Yet, this doesn't mean that I should let my needs languish (nor should you!). Quite to the contrary, we need to be tenacious in our attempts to reach our dreams.

Here are my first baby steps:

• Post my new-and-improved family budget template
• Review each budget line item one week at a time to consider green impacts
• Set small attainable goals per line item
• Help Hubby identify debit accounts to switch to our joint account
• Start with a simple online carbon calculator
• Take some credit and share ways we already save by living green
• Find more ways to live abundantly on less

Together we will reach our goals; it just may take a whole lot of baby steps.

What are your personal baby steps?

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Sustainable Family Finances 
The story of a family creating an abundant and sustainable life.

I'd like to say that we functioned like a symbiotic organism at our first monthly "Money Honey" meeting, instead I'll have to admit that we both had to muster energy after a long day of household chores. Plus, Girly woke up in the middle of our session, and needed help getting back to sleep. Alas, by the time I returned to talk, Hubby was engrossed in a Coldcase drama and seemed to think that he could look at the laptop while horizontal. I pleaded for his attention with some chocolate pudding pie...then we were in action.


Despite the initial setbacks, we managed to review the new-and-improved family budget and we both agree that it is much for manageable and easier to tell if you're over budget and where. It is even programmed to switch to red text when you spend too much! As it happened, we overspent in three areas:

• Splurged on Hubby's 40th b-day
• Family Forrester needed routine maintenance that wasn't budgeted
• Needed our favorite handyman for house repairs...again

The good news is that we were tired of overeating during the holidays, and have been cooking more at home this month, and eating summer dishes that I froze myself, like corn crab chowder. We've also been a bit of homebodies lately and haven't even used a half tank of gas this month. Instead, we've enjoyed some family walks around the neighborhood and have planned any car errands together in one trip.

It's going to take me a few months of working with the new template and merging our accounts before we are likely to have any real budgetary revelations, but I already feel some simple peace knowing that we've discussed our budget face to face. I've also learned an important lesson: make something sweet before each Money Honey meeting. 

(I borrowed the template from my sis at DINKs Finance, and I promise to post my own family-friendly template soon).



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Sustainable Family Finances 
The story of a family creating an abundant and sustainable life.

I have a very important disclaimer to share with you: my family's life is far from being truly sustainable.
I may have typed the word "sustainable" over a hundred times in my Master's thesis, but I know that living a sustainable life is far from easy (if even possible) in a modern urban American lifestyle. Sustainability must at least be the goal, if we want our children's children to experience the wonder of life on Earth.

Being "green" is not a one dimensional thing, but academics analyze three aspects of life that can either create pollution and instability or create a just and viable society: social, environmental and economic decisions. Our daily economic decisions, like whether we drive or take transit impact the environment, as well as our wallet. That's why the finance focus of this blog is so important to creating a sustainable family, and why "going green" has become an en vogue finance topic.

I am writing this blog to share about the paradoxes of living a life of abundance in a world with finite natural resources. You cannot live in an environmental bubble nor do I want to live in a way that only values dollar bills. We must each find our own path, and I believe that together we can lead the world to a better place.

I hope you will join me on this quest to create sustainable family finances.

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Sustainable Family Finances
The story of a family creating an abundant and sustainable life.

Find your niche, make your mark, volunteer today!


Happy Martin Lurther King Jr. Holiday!


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Sustainable Family Finances 
The story of a family creating an abundant and sustainable life.
 

Sustainable Family Finances Blog Goals:
1) Record my family income/expenses/savings monthly
2) Meet monthly with hubby to discuss budget
3) Simplify family accounts
4) Track our family's carbon footprint
5) Share ways to live abundantly within our means


About Me: My name is Darcy.  Some call my an idealist, striving for Darcy's Utopia.  Others might say that I’m a 30-something middle-class working mom with two young kids: my five year old son (referred to as BigGuy) and my two year old daughter (referred to as Girly). I also have two more guys in my life, my life partner of 10-plus years (referred to as Hubby) and a big black Lab (referred to as Doggy). We live in the best of the Pacific Northwest, aka Oregon, although we hope to connect with people from across the globe through this blog.

About our Family Finances: We are a dual income family, yet we spend more than ever before. I’ve always been pretty responsible with my money, but “life” can easily distract me from making it a top priority. Due to an almost $2k monthly child care bill, we truly need to balance the budget each month. Otherwise, we are starting in a pretty good place: we are able to pay the mortgage on our “dream home” (a 1904 Victorian), our only other debt is my college and graduate school loans, we have a growing emergency fund, and a modest retirement fund. Financially, our short term goals are to track our family budget better, spend with our values in mind, and increase our emergency fund. Our long term goals are to retire well, save for college, travel as a family, and share the wealth. As a busy working family, our first dilemma is how to streamline our finances and keep our eye on our short and long term financial goals.

My Partner in Inspiration: As mentioned in my very first post, my twin sister Miel, was my inspiration for starting this blog. She has been very successful with the DINKs Finance blog that she has been co-writing and administering for the past four years (and recently sold). She continues to share her life adventure through Vicarious Nomad.  She has agreed to be my partner, and share her blog savvy to make this the successful entrepreneurial venture we hope it will become. 

Beyond balancing our family budget, I try to balance my life. My family literally requires a lot of "care and feeding," which means that I have to be strategic to get any "me" time. I work full time in a community-oriented position, which is both challenging and satisfying. I work hard, but also prioritize play time. I love the outdoors, gardening and any sport that gets me in the water. I've always enjoyed writing and believe that this blog will help me get beyond the daily family juggle to see a bigger picture view of how we are interconnected. I hope you will share this journey with me. 
 
Disclaimer #1: I am NOT a financial adviser, and I don’t pretend to be one. You may have more financial expertise than me. If you need professional financial advice, please hire someone. I am simply an individual on a journey to learn how to manage my family’s finances in a sustainable way. I have a Masters in Environment & Community, and the only finance related class I ever took was environmental economics. I’m a savvy researcher, and will do my best to only share reliable sources. Yet, I will repeat, if you need financial advice, hire a professional!

Disclaimer #2: While we try, my family does not in fact live a truly sustainable life.  Some of our efforts do include reducing our home's energy footprint through the Clean Energy Works program (Parts I, II, & III), driving less, biking with kids more, commuting by public transportation, drinking only tap water, limiting ourselves to one can of trash a month, and taking steps to track our carbon footprint.  We enjoy gardening (even if with a hapless harvest), have our organic groceries delivered to avoid extra time shopping for the essentials, and we recently started enjoying the indulgence of some extra help with ecomaids.

Disclaimer #3: My family comes first. Work is a close second. There may be times when a sick child or a deadline will take an obvious priority over writing this blog. While I am taking this endeavor seriously, and I don't want to dissappoint; this blog is really just a creative outlet. It's a tool to help me reach my dreams...which includes inspiring you.  

You: Thank you for sharing a moment on this journey. I hope my story will help you create your own uniquely abundant and sustainable life.  Your comments and engagement help boost my creative resources.  

Thanks for the journey!

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Sustainable Family Finances  This blog is the story of a family creating an abundant and sustainable life.

One thing I hope to make clear is that in my opinion living abundantly is not a selfish thing. Living in true abundance is the act of both giving and receiving; a truly reciprocal relationship. It's about finding creative ways to give of yourself and your talents to the extent that with luck and faith you'll receive all that you desire.

I don't want to come across as some money hungry Earth mama either. I've just come to a point in my life where I feel the need reconcile my neccesity for resources and my desire to be thoughtful about the role I play in the web. More than anything, I believe that abundance is a state of mind, as we all know that joy does not know your account balance or your so-called net worth.

So, with that said, my last goal will very much focus on you and your desire to create a meaningful and successful life for your family. I hope that through this blog I will be able to share fun and creative ways to help us all find value in things that matter. I aim to be your touchstone and provide incremental inspiration as we travel this journey.

On the eve of the Martin Lurther King Jr. Holiday weekend, I urge you to find some way to volunteer with your family. You can't get a much better return on your investment than by volunteering in your community. There are countless ways to give, so be creative in finding a way that suits your family. My family will be joining a community tree planting event, which is a terrific way for kids to be able to see the long term impact of our community service.

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Sustainable Family Finances 
The story of a family creating an abundant and sustainable life.

Anyone who knows me knows that curbing global warming has been a passion of mine since adolescence, and yet I'm just like everyone else fumbling their way toward a greener planet. Face it; it's not easy in our culture. Everything is geared toward consumption, driving and raising the next generation's thermometer.

I remember first calculating my carbon footprint about a decade ago using a basic online calculator, and being secretly proud that my impact was estimated to be similar to a European. Yet, despite my best intentions, it's been a slippery slope and having a family certainly makes it more difficult to stick to a low-carbon diet. We practice many daily green habits, but it's easy to ignore the bigger things you don't feel control over. And just like my family's monthly budget, I feel like I need a baseline to be able make tangible goals and track our progress.

I plan to use a couple of calculators, just for giggles, and to make sure that we are truly accounting for all of our emissions.

• 
  
  
  EPA's Household Emissions Calculator
  
  

• Energy Trust of Oregon
• Online Home Energy Analyzer takes ten minutes and includes your homes appliances and several house specs
• Energy Performance Score gathers actual utility data and estimates your Energy Consumption and Carbon Emission
• Carbon Footprint's Carbon Footprint Calculator claims to be the best on the web

I'm also hoping that I will get a few hard-core followers who have the technical know-how to call me on any carbon oversights (and yes, I do know that methane is a huge culprit). So, like managing my family's finances, I'll give regular status updates about the real life challenges and joys of trying to become a "sustainable family." 

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Sustainable Family Finances 
The story of a family creating an abundant and sustainable life.

I should have heeded my high school teacher's advice long ago: K.I.S.S. - Keep It Simple Stupid. After ten years together, it's time for Hubby and I to merge our money.

I understand that there are some people who are philosophically opposed to having joint accounts. Initially in our relationship it only made sense to keep our finances separate on the principle of fairness alone, and I recall that during our first year of living together, we dutifully divvyed up everything 50/50. Yet, over the years we've co-mingled our finances beyond recognition. Since we've been married, we've technically had joint accounts, but have managed them separately which has become an increasing hassle for the CFO of the family. Aside from the fact that when we finally merge our money, it really won't make any difference to our family's bottom-line.

When you share kids, sharing finances doesn't seem like such a big deal in comparison. It's only actually been since our lives became overwhelmed by the hectic pace of family responsibilities that I've felt the urge to merge our finances. Since returning from maternity leave this fall, I've wanted to up my automatic payroll savings, but how much do I really have available to save? I've also been trying to sort out how many we can afford to tithe for our church, but I obviously don't want to put us in financial jeopardy in the name of charity.

When I take the time to check my account online, I want to be able to quickly assess where our family stands financially. I feel like I've been in the dark lately not knowing whether we have the money there to spend or to save. (And, yes, I have tried using Mint, and initially was very excited in a nerdy kind of way about it, but unfortunately it doesn't work with my community bank) I need to be able to answer these questions to have financial peace amongst the chaos of family life.

It's also a trust and solidarity thing. I want to feel like my income is helping buy our home, not just pay for child care and the household expenses. I hope that merging our money will continue to build the foundation of trust that truly supports our family.

Lastly, yes, it will take a little juggling for Hubby to merge his auto-pay and auto-debits into my (our) account, but I promise to show my eternal gratitude and not nag him nearly as often.

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Sustainable Family Finances 
The story of a family creating an abundant and sustainable life.

It's maybe not what Hubby has in mind for a so-called date night, and certainly not the sexiest pick up line I've used, but talking money as a couple needs to become a priority. As everyone knows, money can be a primary source of a couple's discontent...sometimes even leading to the dreaded "D" word. So, it's definitely time well invested to have frequent heart-to-hearts with your significant other.

Thankfully, hubby and I have pretty similar notions about what we should and should not spend money on, and have only ever had minor quibbles over cash. While I would probably have to confess to a financial fib or two, at least we are not committing "Financial Infidelity" - there's a bit scary video from the Wall Street Journal that my sister just posted on her DINKs Finance blog.


Our greatest downfall is that we both have a tendency to want the best for our family: all organics, no cheap fast food, nice clothes...the list seems to go on and on. We're also generous, and would give to more causes in a heartbeat if we could afford it. Yet, there's only so much money to go around, and often we are faced with decisions about what we want/need for our family.

So, in theory it'll be pretty simple. My first step is penciling in time on our calendar, and I'm going to choose the third Sunday of the month. That will give me enough time to pay bills and update the budget during the first half of the month. Ideally we would meet while the kids are napping, but as parents we know how little control we actually have over these small beings. So, we'll probably have to wing it half the time, but the important thing is that we dedicate time regularly to discussing our family's financial matters.

I'll also dedicate some time to reflecting on these meetings, and sharing with you any insights that might be gleaned from these monthly pow-wows.


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Sustainable Family Finances 
The story of a family creating an abundant and sustainable life.

While perhaps not the loftiest of financial goals, everyone has to start where they are. I think virtually every finance guru out there would agree that tracking your family's money is the only way to create a budget that reflects your true starting point.


It used to be simple to track my budget, I remember in college I just had my checkbook, some crumpled receipts and a notepad. Oh, those were the days...


Adding family members complicates things, and I've been struggling since my Girly was born almost a year ago to keep tabs on what feels like the exponential growth of our family expenses. Unfortunately, our income has barely risen. (Although we are more grateful than ever for our career choices and sheer luck in this recession...we truly count our blessings!)


Yet, budget wise, it's the things you "didn't know you didn't know" that make you blissfully (or painfully) oblivious. I want and need to know the true story of where my family's finances stand. While it may intimidate me to calculate that I should be saving $500 per child each month to contribute to just 35% of a private college tuition, that doesn't mean that I can afford to be paralyzed by fear either.


My first step was to borrow a budget template from my sister's DINKs Finance blog. I have to admit that it was far superior than the template that I found earlier in the fall, and even though I had to scrap all the time I put into tweaking, I was ready to start fresh. I worked last Friday (on my Flex day off) to fine tune, and I'm optimistic that with a little elbow grease each month that I'll be able to get the weight I've been carrying off my shoulders.
So, wish me luck, and I'll keep you posted with my progress, insights, and lessons learned.


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Sustainable Family Finances 
The story of a family creating an abundant and sustainable life.

Inspiration can come in all forms, but if you gain nothing more from following this blog: when you get inspiration from the universe, take action!

A few months ago I was talking with my twin sister one Saturday morning when Hubby and BigGuy were out running errands and I was left with a napping Girly and mounds of laundry. I was lamenting to her about how much our children’s new childcare center is costing us (nearly $2k a month!) and how hard it is to make the time to manage our finances. I went on telling her about how I feel like we really need to focus on making sure that our spending reflects our family’s values and maximizes our children’s growth, both now and in the future. And how certain I am that we’re not the only family out there trying to balance it all.

My sister’s response was seemingly simple, yet a slightly intimidating suggestion: “You need to start a blog!” At first I was skeptical. How could an income-generating mother of two young children could add writing a blog to her to-do list? When she told me how much her DINKs Finance blog earns...nearly the price of our childcare tab...I realized that she might be on to something. This might be what my father-in-law loves to call a "twofer": get my finances together and earn our family extra income. Plus, anyone who knows me, knows that I love writing and researching, and gabbing with anyone in earshot.

Once I got off the phone, I couldn’t stop thinking about the idea. And by my son’s nap time I had jotted down a list of over forty topics that I could easily write about, some repeatedly. Yet, over the past few months I’ve had my doubts and wondered whether I committed to this idea before my coffee had really kicked in and if I was really up for such a public challenge.

I know myself though, and family finances in itself doesn't truly get my creative juices flowing. Part of the reason I've never been overly focused on my finances is because I'm so concerned about environmental issues and how to recreate society (or at least my community!) to deal with climate change, for starters. So, I need this blog to also share my struggle to live a more sustainable life.

I want to write this blog because I believe that I’m not alone in my quest to find balance for my family. I want a forum where I can start to make sense of my own life’s paradoxes. I want to be able to share with others, both whom I’m connected to locally and also virtually. At times, I’m expecting to ask for your help…and I hope I will get it. At times I hope I can be your source of inspiration, like my sister was/is for me.

I also want to give my sis extra kudos, because while I will be the blog author, she has agreed to be my partner and will be working behind the scenes to help make this the successful financial venture that I hope it will become! Thanks sis!

I hope that you will follow me on this journey, share with your friends and family, and together we will be able to create sustainable family finances. And, again, even when it takes courage or work, or both: take action!


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Sustainable Family Finances 
This blog is the story of a family creating an abundant and sustainable life.