Change In Plans

It's amazing to me how every New Years Eve, I have an idea of all the plans and goals for the next year, and how different the actual path of my life seems to go.  As the New Year of 2010 came around, I made resolutions with my neighbors and friends of plans to get in shape, places we wanted to travel to, and career goals.  Five days later, I became pregnant, although it was another month and a half before I realized this surprise.  So my entire year of 2010 was anything but expensive vacations and getting into shape.  My beautiful daughter was born toward the end of 2010, and I decided to stay home and raise her in these early years.  For how long, I don't know yet.  But now I am faced with all new challenges.  Other than caring for a baby when I've never even been one to like being around kids much (this one I adore, fortunately!), just doing regular household chores has been a bit of an adventure.  Not getting them done of course, but finding the time.  I can now sympathize with the moms who stay home, and still seem to have a messy house!  I used to wonder, "How can they not get their house clean when they are home all day?"  But with a baby who likes to be held all the time, and only takes 20 minute naps, I can see how little time a stay at home mom really has. 

Another thing that's been hard emotionally for me is not making a paycheck to contribute to the family.  I've always been very independent, and made plenty of money to support myself and any extras I wanted to buy.  So now I find that I just feel guilty even spending money to get a haircut.  I am constantly racking my brain for work from home business ideas, and ways to save money on our expenses.  The sole reason I am beginning this blog, is in hopes to start up a following and make some extra cash getting paid to blog about companies and products.  But upon further research, these companies generally want you to have a blog already in existence with a following before they’ll even consider paying you.  I didn't really know what to blog about, so now I am just telling it how it is - a once career woman gone housewife, trying to find ways to contribute to her household. 

I am currently entertaining several options.  I sign up for all types of free drawings from magazines, whether it's stuff I need or things I can sell.  I do consumer reports in hopes to win a drawing prize, I am attempting to learn how to coupon, and also using all types of discount coupon websites, like Living Social and Groupon.  So far, it seems as though many others are also doing all this.  It has been 4 months, and I have not won a thing!  I am simply hoping to find ways to make our money go further.  So here we go, and I will continue to blog and update any followers I get, on what I find.

Psalm 20:4 (NIV)
⁴ May he give you the desire of your heart
   and make all your plans succeed.