30 Day Fitness Challenge Series: Month 2 – 30 Day Squat Challenge

Welcome back to the “30 Day Fitness Challenge Series!” I know there are still 2 days left of the “30 Day Push-Up Challenge for Beginners” but I like to start my challenges on the 1^st of the month. You can start any day you want.

Speaking of the “30 Day Push-Up Challenge for Beginners” how is everyone doing? Do you feel any stronger or notice a change at all? I personally only notice a very slight change. My muscles do feel a tiny bit bigger, but the shape of my arm has not changed. To do so I will need to do more reps, include weights and other arm exercises that are meant for defining and toning.

This month we are going to start the “30 Day Squat Challenge.” This is another challenge, which is completely free for you to do. All it takes is your body and nothing else. I have done this challenge before, about 2 years ago. I can promise you that you are going to feel the burn with this one and you will see results! I lost several inches on my thighs.

You have 2 choices when it comes to this challenge, you can either do the original “30 Day Squat Challenge” or the “30 Day Squat Challenge for Beginners.”

Whichever one you choose, you will need to make sure you keep your form correct, so you do not injure yourself in any way. To do a proper squat:

• Stand with your legs slightly wider than your hips and your toes pointed slightly out.
•  Look straight forward the whole time. Not up at the ceiling or down at the floor.
• Keep your body and core tight for the whole squat.
• Your weight should be on your heels and the balls of your feet. Not on your toes.
• As you lower your body into the squat, breath in, keep your back straight and push your butt and hips back.
• Lower your body until your hips are parallel with your knees. Like you are going to sit in a chair. Many people, including body builders will go lower than this, which you can do if you want, but for now, let’s keep things safe and stop there.
• Your knees should not be protruding past your toes. They should be behind your toes. Your knees should also stay lined up with your ankles. Not pointing out to the sides or in towards the middle.
• With your body still tight, exhale and stand back up, pushing from your heels.

Congratulations, you have just completed your first squat!

If you feel unstable while doing these, place a bench or low chair behind you, so that if you lose your balance, you will land on something other than the floor. Or you can LIGHTLY hold the edge of a counter top or desk. Just don’t let the edge do the work for you. I will admit, I use a counter top to help me feel more stable while doing squats, especially since my surgery. I have horrible balance, I can trip on air, haha! Believe me, I’m not kidding.  

Good luck to everyone who participates in the challenge. If you have joined this post at a later date, please feel free to start now. You can do this challenge any month you want, starting it any day of the month you want. Also, in case you missed it, the challenge we have already done is:

• Month 1: 30 Day Push-Up Challenge for Beginners

Please comment below and let me know how the challenge has gone/is going for you!!

Don’t forget to write it down in your "Living Frugally, Beautifully 2015 Free Printable Calendar", so you don’t miss a day! ;)

Your Frugal Friend,

Krystal

DISCLAIMER:  I am NOT a fitness expert/professional in any way. Any of these challenges you choose to do, you are choosing to do at your own risk. I am not liable for any injuries you may incur. It is always a good idea to consult your physician before starting any new exercise regimen. Also I did not create any of these challenges and I unfortunately do not know where they originate from to give the proper credit to them. 

30 Day Fitness Challenge Series: Month 1 – 30 Day Push-Up Challenge for Beginners

Happy Superbowl Sunday everyone! I personally am not partaking in any Superbowl festivities this year, instead I plan on going for a walk on the boardwalk and do a little grocery shopping. I’m hoping the store will be a lot less busy than normal. 

In addition to it being Superbowl Sunday, it is also February 1^st, which means it’s time to start the “30 Day Fitness Challenge Series.” I am starting off the series with an easy one, the “30 Day Push-Up Challenge for Beginners.” I have always been horrible at push-ups, no matter what my size has been. My legs have always been very strong and my arms very weak.  Not any more my friends, not any more. It’s time to beef these limp noodles up!

When doing push-ups, it is very important to keep your form correct, so that you do not injure yourself in any way. To do a proper push up:

• When on the ground, have your hands positioned slightly wider then shoulder width apart. Your hands and wrists can be positioned in whatever way is more comfortable for you (straight ahead, turned to the right or turned to the left).
• With your toes bent, pointing forwards have your legs straight out behind you. Your  feet can be placed either close together or wide apart, depending on what is more comfortable for you. The wider your stance, the sturdier you will be. You want to find a comfortable position so that you stick with them. If you’re miserable the whole time, you probably won’t stick with it.
• Your back should be kept straight. Your butt should not be up in the air and your stomach shouldn't be arched down towards the floor.
• Try to stay looking forward. You can look down at the ground some if you need to, but your chin should be going towards the ground, not your nose.
•  Now tighten your abs and clench your bum, with your arms straight down, start to lower your body until your arms are bent at a 90 degree angle. Then push back up, till your arms are straight again. Congratulations, you just did a push-up!

If doing push-ups on the ground is too hard for you, you can also do them standing against the wall, or elevated using a chair, couch, or park bench, etc.

Good luck to everyone who participates in the challenge. If you have joined this post at a later date, please feel free to start now. You can do this challenge any month you want, starting it any day of the month you want.

Please comment below and let me know how the challenge has gone/is going for you!!

Don’t forget to write it down in your "Living Frugally, Beautifully 2015 Free Printable Calendar", so you don't miss a day ;) 

Your Frugal Friend,

Krystal

DISCLAIMER:  I am NOT a fitness expert/professional in any way. Any of these challenges you choose to do, you are choosing to do at your own risk. I am not liable for any injuries you may incur. It is always a good idea to consult your physician before starting any new exercise regimen. Also I did not create any of these challenges and I unfortunately do not know where they originate from to give the proper credit to them. 

30 Day Fitness Challenge Series

Living a healthy lifestyle is another great way to help keep your finances down. You pay less in medical bills, you miss less work, you will feel better about yourself and are just happier in general. I have lived both healthy and non-healthy lifestyles. I will tell you that I feel a million times better when I live a healthy lifestyle. Over the years I have really struggled with my weight, and lately I have not been making very good choices. I am not sleeping well, which causes me to be tired all of the time, I have no energy, and just overall icky feeling. It is time for me to get back on track. Feel like joining me?

Getting healthy doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. You do not need an expensive gym membership. There are tons of exercise routines you can do that require no equipment at all. Walking, running, sit-ups, push-ups, jumping jacks, wall sits, planks, squats, yoga, the list goes on and on.

Living a healthy lifestyle does include both exercise and eating right. However this upcoming series is going to just be focused on exercise. To help get me started in the right direction, I have decided I want to do a couple of the “30 Day Fitness Challenges.” I did one before a couple years ago and I really liked it. It was hard, but I had amazing results. Just remember, after the 30 days, if you do not continue to exercise, you will lose all of your hard work and awesome results.

The challenge’s I plan on doing are: “30 Day Push-Up’s For Beginners Challenge”(Starting off easy), “30 Day Squat Challenge”, “30 Day Ab Challenge”, “30 Day Wall Sit Challenge”, “30 Day Arm Challenge” and “30 Day Plank Challenge”.

There are many other challenges’ out there (that I may do at some point), but these are just the ones I want to start with. I have to be very careful which exercises I do, because of a major surgery I had a couple years ago. I have restrictions on what I am allowed and not allowed to do. If you have any limitations due to medical reasons, please do not do any of these that may cause you injury in any way.

I will be starting February 1^st with the “30 Day Push-Up’s For Beginners Challenge” so be sure to come back then for the fitness chart I will be posting, so you know how many push-ups to do each day. I sure hope you will join me on these challenges!

Your Frugal Friend,

Krystal

30 Day Fitness Challenge Series: Month 1 – 30 Day Push-Up Challenge for Beginners

DISCLAIMER:  I am NOT a fitness expert/professional in any way. Any of these challenges you choose to do, you are choosing to do at your own risk. I am not liable for any injuries you may incur. It is always a good idea to consult your physician before starting any new exercise regimen. Also I did not create any of these challenges and I unfortunately do not know where they originate from to give the proper credit to them. 

Monthly Bill Pay Checklist

Hello my frugal friends! I bet a lot of you would like to be more organized this year, just like I do.  Keeping our bills paid every month is not always easy, and it’s easy to forget some of them with the stress of daily life. Keeping our bills paid on time helps our credit score, it helps us pay less on interest in the long run and it also saves money by not having to pay late fees. I will be the first to say, I have wasted a lot of money on late fees over the years.

Since I am turning a new leaf this year, I hope to not be charged any more late fees. To help me keep my finances organized and make sure I do not miss any payments, I have made a “Monthly Bill Pay Checklist” printable worksheet.

I am happy to share this worksheet with you. I hope it helps all of us take a step forward in getting our finances back on track in 2015.

To print the checklist: Hit the "Click to Print" link below the picture and follow the link. A Windows Live OneDrive page will open, then click "Print," write in your monthly bills and you’re ready to go! I have also made sure there is room down the right side to hole punch the worksheet, in case you like to keep track of your finances in a binder like I do.

Click To Print

I would love to know if you use this printable, please let me know in the comments! Thank you so much.

Happy Savings!

Your frugal friend,

Krystal

52 Week Money Challenge

I hope these first few days of the New Year have been treating you well. If you read my “Happy New Year” post, you will know that I am planning on doing the “52 Week Challenge” this year. This will be my first year doing it. I have wanted to do it for several years now, but money was just too tight. It still is, but this year I am making this challenge a priority.

I have seen several versions of this challenge: The original way, starting with $1 and working up to $52. Backwards, starting with $52, and going down to $1. I have also seen a version, where you start with $2, work your way up to $52 in the middle of the year, then goes back down to $2.

I plan on trying it the original way this year. Then the other 2 ways the following 2 years, to see which version works best for us. I really like the idea of the 3^rd way, because then you’re not spending as much each week right before and right after Christmas.

I have created a weekly checklist to attach to the outside of the jar I am using for the challenge. I am including a free printable copy of my checklist for you to use also. To print the checklist: Hit the "Click to Print" link below the picture and follow the link. A Windows Live OneDrive page will open, then click "Print," cut out and attach to your jar, or whatever it is your using to store your money in during the challenge.

Click To Print

Also, don’t forget to write reminders in your free printable 2015 Living Frugally,Beautifully planner each week, to remind you to complete your challenge for the week ;)

Good luck and happy saving! 

I would love to know if you use this printable, please let me know in the comments! Thank you so much.

Your frugal friend,

Krystal

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!! I hope you all had a happy and safe New Year’s Eve. My family stayed in, with some snacks and movies. What did your family do?

Our goals for this year are:

1. Save a deposit for a rental.
2. Save to have our recently wrecked family vehicle repaired.
3. Start an Emergency Fund.
4. Pay our monthly bills, ON TIME.
5. Start paying off debt.

When I look at this list, all I see are dollar signs. A lot of dollar signs. 2015 is going to be the year we turn our financial situation around. I don’t know if we will be able to achieve all of these things in 1 year, but no matter what, we will be at least working on them. I refuse to let 2015 be as financially difficult as 2014 was, for all of the wrong reasons. 2015 will be difficult, but it will be beneficial in our future.

To start our year off right, yesterday, January 1^st, I started following Dave Ramsey’s system. The first thing I did was subscribe to his “Total Money Makeover” newsletter, and I am eagerly waiting for the first article to arrive in my inbox.Then I went to his website, and read “The Seven Baby Steps”. He also has many many many other articles I plan on reading, and suggest you do too.

The Seven Baby Steps are:

1. $1,000 to start an Emergency Fund.
2. Pay off all debt using the Debt Snowball.
3. 3 – 6 months of expenses in savings.
4. Invest 15% of household income into Roth IRA’s and pre-tax retirement.
5. College funding for children.
6. Pay off home early.
7. Build wealth and give!

A lot of these steps seem easier said than done, especially with our financial situation right now. It’s discouraging when #6 is “Pay off home early” when we are currently renting a bedroom, not even an apartment or house. We would love to have extra money in the bank. Having an extra $1,000 would be huge for us. It’s going to be hard, especially since we need to save a deposit so we can move into a rental, save to get our wrecked vehicle fixed, etc. But I know we can do it. It’s going to take some time, but as long as we keep working towards this goal, we will eventually get there. I will keep you posted on our progress.

Some of the ways I plan on working towards Step 1, to save $1,000 is to:

• Have a budget, and stick to it. (I have created a very thorough budget spreadsheet, that I will be sharing in the near future).
• With our rather strange current living situation, of renting a bedroom and not having a kitchen to cook in, we have been eating out far too much. I am going to look for more foods we can eat at home, that don’t need to be cooked or refrigerated.  
• Since we live several miles out of town, I plan on saving gas by planning our errands wisely, so we only have to drive into town once and not take several trips into town for things.
• I need to plan ahead and make smart purchases. To not buy any unnecessary items. I will only go to the store with a list, and stick to it. No list, no trips to the store. No extra items that were not on my list. Planning ahead is a way to stay ahead, in my opinion.
• Coupons and sales will be my first form of currency. For things like toilet paper, toothpaste, soap, and any other items such as those that we may need.  
• Have a garage sale when the weather warms up. My mom has been graciously housing a lot of our items over the years in her garage that I am sure we could get rid of. We haven’t used any of the items in several years, so I think it’s safe to say it’s time to let them go.
• Get my small craft business I tried to start last year up and running. I started it, but only sold a few items, then got discouraged. I spent a lot of money on supplies. I need to use them.
• Take online surveys, to earn a couple extra dollars here and there. Every penny helps.
• Continue to collect all of our change, roll it, and cash it in at the bank. This is something we have always done. The last house we moved in to, a couple hundred dollars of our deposit was from our rolled change.
• Continue to save our plastic, glass and metal recycling items, and turn them in for cash at our local Recycling Center.
• The 52 Week Challenge. This is my backup/in addition to plan, for saving (over) $1,000.

Have any of you followed Dave Ramsey’s "Seven Baby Steps"? If so, which step are you on and what was the journey like for your family?  Also what our your families financial goals for this year? I would love to know. 

2015 Calendar - Free Printable

It's almost a new year, which means it’s time to get your 2015 calendar’s ready. To save money, and not have to purchase a planner at the store, I created my own that I would love to share with you. You can store it in a binder, or spiral bind it if you have a binding machine. I purchased a small .5” binder at my local drug store, to keep my planner in.

Each month covers 2 pages, so that the boxes are big enough for you to write all your info in. There is also a “Note” box at the end of each week, for any extra information you need to remember.

All you need to do is: Hit the "Click to Download" link below the picture and follow the link. A Windows Live OneDrive page will open, click "Print", hole punch, and put in a binder of your choosing. You will also need to fill in the dates.

I hope you enjoy! 

Click to Download

I would love to know if you use this printable, please let me know in the comments! Thank you so much.

Your frugal friend,

Krystal