We received one more sneak photo from our photographer, and it is above. I am in LOVE with it! Some of the bridesmaids and groomsmen aren't in the picture, but it's still a good one 🙂
I also find it funny that there are FIVE people holding up my dress so that it wouldn't get dirty, but in the end it still got really muddy and dirty. I still need to get it cleaned and stored away. How much does that usually cost anyway?
Wes leaves soon and he is hiking a few segments of the Colorado Trail with a friend. They plan on doing around 70 miles in one week. It will be his longest hike, and we are hoping to go back together one day and hike the whole Colorado trail together (I believe it's around 400 miles).
My sister is also leaving soon. She is moving to Chicago. I can't believe the day is almost here for her to leave. I am so sad! I really didn't think I would be THIS sad, but I am. I will miss you Lexy! I've pretty much been raising her these past few years since my dad passed away, so it's like seeing a child away off to college. AH! 🙁
Also, make sure to come back on Monday because I will be celebrating my 3 year blogiversary with a BIG giveaway. Can you believe it's already been 3 years?!
Spending
Our spending has been out of control the past few months. Between the wedding, all the traveling we've been doing, buying hiking and camping equipment, and everything else all mixed in, we haven't been saving as much money as we would like to be saving.
We need to get back on track with our spending: We sat down the other day and decided to put ourselves on a more strict budget. We are trying to save for a large down payment for our next home. Even though that is about two years away, we know that we need to save a decent amount. A lot of this has to do with the fact that we are fully self-employed and most banks will want us to put down a larger than usual down payment in order to qualify for a loan.
Business Income
August has started out a little slow, but this is normal. There are always weeks where it's slower than usual and I panic, but then everything goes back to normal within the same month.
I need to get back on track with business income: Even though I am extremely grateful for the business income I have been making, my income has not really increased much since I left my day job one year ago. I feel stuck, and I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that I really need to start trying harder.
One new service I have been thinking about adding to my business is blog coaching. It's something I have been asked in the past to provide (I've done it a few times in the past but I've never really advertised this service), and it's something I pretty much do everyday for free right now. I also already do one-on-one blog coaching sessions with local St. Louis businesses, but I've never really done much past that. I will keep everyone updated on this! If I did provide this service, would you be interested? Blog coaching would consist of me helping you actually start your blog, helping you learn about different ways to monetize it, helping with social media, and other tasks along those lines.
Also, my friend Cat offers freelance blogger coaching services, and I highly recommend her. Check out her article on her services here! She is a very successful writer and definitely a blogger I look up to. She's had stuff she's written go viral so she's the best person out there to be coaching other freelance writers.
If anyone needs any help, check out my Hire Me page and let me know what services you are interested in.
Being healthy
We've been doing very well with eating healthy, but not so much with working out or doing anything even somewhat active. It's actually kind of sad. I really have no excuse for this except for the fact that I restarted LOST and I'm already on season 6.
Dang you Netflix! Even though we have all of the seasons on DVD, Netflix has made me watch this all over again.
Yes, Netflix made me.
We need to get back on track with being healthy: I've been doing really bad in this area as well. WHAT IS UP WITH ME LATELY?
Recent posts on Making Sense of Cents
- The Worst Money Advice I’ve Ever Heard – No matter how many times I hear this story, number two is just horrible. Sadly, many people make this mistake.
- $14,937 in July – My Highest Income Month – July was my best month in terms of business income. Let's hope for an even better August!
- What We’re Looking For When We Move – Originally, we were leaning towards moving to Florida, but after our trip to Colorado everything's changed. Colorado is now at the top of our list. Most of the comments in this article were for Colorado too.
- How To Save 50% Or More Of Your Income – Even though we've been having spendy-spendy months, we always try to stay at the 50% or more mark.
Have you been doing well with your income, spending and being healthy?
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Nichole C says
August 8, 2014 at 5:45 amMy blog’s 3rd “birthday” is Monday too! How funny. My wedding dress got dirty.since we had an outdoor wedding as well. There was mulch and grass, etc. One of my bustles broke! But no one but my mom, and wedding coordinator knew. The first Christmas I was married, my parents had my dress cleaned and preserved as a gift, and I believe it was $150.
Michelle S. says
August 8, 2014 at 8:57 amHaha happy 3rd blog birthday to you as well 🙂
$150 sounds good. I need to do that soon.
Deb @ Saving the Crumbs says
August 8, 2014 at 6:43 amAwww, what a beautiful picture! Weddings are such a special time of life, and I’m glad you are enjoying it, Michelle. We’re at a convention for a business trip and that always messes up our healthy routine. But it’s good for our spending since it’s work time and work expense! We also just celebrated being homeowners for 1 year, and that is pretty exciting for us! 🙂
Michelle S. says
August 8, 2014 at 8:58 amThank you Deb! Congrats on one year of home ownership! We are coming up on 5 years and I can’t believe it’s already been that long.
Brian says
August 8, 2014 at 7:00 amI don’t remember how much it cost to get my wife’s dress cleaned and stored. But we have decided it is taking up too much space. We also realize that our new little girl (1 month old last wednesday) is not going to want to wear her dress so there is no point in keeping it. Instead of trying to sell it we are donating it to a local non-profit that will turn my wife’s dress into Angel Gowns for NICU babies who didn’t make it out of the NICU. We were lucky that both of our babies had short (less than 10 day) NICU stays and have come out with no problems. Some parents aren’t this lucky and cannot afford to give their little angels a proper outfit. So if you decide, one day, that you no longer want to keep your wedding dress, please consider donating it to a angel gown group in your area.
Michelle S. says
August 8, 2014 at 9:09 amThank you Brian! This is a great idea.
Michelle S. says
August 8, 2014 at 9:09 amThank you Brian! This is a great idea.
Holly@ClubThrifty says
August 8, 2014 at 7:37 amI think summer makes it easy to get off track with everything! We’ve been taking good care of ourselves lately, but I have let some things slide. I need to pick weeds in my garden!
I am trying to get ahead at work so I can take a few stress-free vacations later this month, but that is about all that’s going on with us! =)
Michelle S. says
August 8, 2014 at 9:11 amYes, you’re right. In the summer months it’s definitely easy to let things slide.
John @ Wise Dollar says
August 8, 2014 at 8:08 amThat’s a great pic Michelle! We’re doing well on most fronts. Though we’ve got a fairly big expense coming up with getting our house painted. Netflix always does the same thing to us as well. 😉 But, we’ve managed to avoid it somehow with Lost – which it helps they ended the show so stupidly. 🙂
Michelle S. says
August 8, 2014 at 9:12 amHow much is it going to cost to get your house painted? Just wondering 🙂
Stephanie says
August 8, 2014 at 8:22 amI find it oddly comforting that despite my year-long blogging hiatus, I can come back here and still see your updates on these goals. 😉
We’ve been doing good with keeping our discretionary spending in check, which is great because we had some major car repair expenses in recent months! It took a bite out of our savings account, so now I’m working on building that back up again. We have a few months worth of expenses in emergency funds, but I really prefer to have around 6 months’ worth in order to feel truly comfortable.
Does chasing after/carrying around a toddler count as a fitness plan? My biceps are insane right now! After my daughter was born, we were slipping into the unhealthy and expensive trap of too much takeout and convenience food, but for the past 6-ish months we’ve been pretty good about making the vast majority of our food from scratch. Tasty, healthy, AND economical!
Michelle S. says
August 8, 2014 at 9:15 amHaha glad you find them comforting. I love doing these posts 🙂
And yes, that definitely counts as a fitness plan!
Cat@BudgetBlonde says
August 8, 2014 at 8:55 amI don’t know why it took me so long to launch a coaching service. It’s so fun and I’m sure people would be interested in yours too. Also getting my dressed cleaned was stupid expensive – maybe $300 or $400?
Michelle S. says
August 8, 2014 at 9:18 amWow $300 to $400 sounds crazy expensive!
And thanks. You launching your coaching service sort of pushed me towards officially starting mine. I’ve been coaching for free a lot lately and it takes a TON of time. Might as well get paid for it 🙂 That way people would be more serious about it as well.
Mrs. Frugalwoods says
August 8, 2014 at 9:44 amFirst of all, I love your wedding photo! I can’t remember the exact amount I paid to get my wedding gown cleaned & preserved (it was 6 years ago, I’m getting old!), but it was at least $100. Well worth it since I had the genius idea of a pale pink cake with black piping accents…looked great, but I got black icing on the gown. My sister-in-law wants to wear my dress for her wedding (some day in the future), so I wanted to make sure it was carefully cleaned, etc. They also repaired some small rips in the lace.
I’m always focused on income, spending, and health too! Things are going well this summer, though I’d like to be a little more active. We’ve been doing a lot of home improvement work, which is decent exercise, but I’d like to get more long hikes & bike rides in this month. Love your plan of hiking the Colorado trail!
Michelle S. says
August 8, 2014 at 9:52 amAww that so nice that your sister-in-law wants to wear it too. I’m hoping my dress has some use in the future.
Anne @ Money Propeller says
August 8, 2014 at 9:52 amI know that getting wedding dresses cleaned is stupid expensive, I think my Mom searched high and low to find somewhere that was $80, just so that we could sell it at a consignment store!
You are not the first person who has said they expected their freelance income to rise when they were doing it full time (which is completely rational), but haven’t seen that in reality. I don’t know what they did to overcome the plateau, but I wish you luck!
Michelle S. says
August 8, 2014 at 9:53 amThanks Anne! I hope to overcome this plateau soon 🙂
Jason B says
August 8, 2014 at 2:09 pmI’ve been doing ok but I have to do better as well.
Michelle S. says
August 8, 2014 at 8:02 pmGood luck Jason!
E.M. says
August 8, 2014 at 4:23 pmThat’s a beautiful picture! I hope it doesn’t cost too much to get your dress cleaned. Aw, it’s so cute how protective you are of your sister! Growing up, I always wanted a sibling – I really didn’t like being an only child. Good luck in upping your income in August! I think you’d be a great blogging coach.
Michelle S. says
August 8, 2014 at 8:05 pmThanks! Me and my sister haven’t always been close. I moved out very young (12) to move in with my dad so we didn’t really grow up together. I haven’t really taken advantage of living with her the past few years and now I really regret it!
Robin @ The Thrifty Peach says
August 8, 2014 at 4:33 pmCongrats on 3 years! You’ve done a lot in 3 years. 🙂
I never had my dress cleaned after our wedding. It wasn’t horribly dirty, but we DID have an outside wedding. I hope I don’t regret that decision!
Michelle S. says
August 8, 2014 at 8:07 pmMine was super dirty. I even found bugs in it as I was walking down the aisle. Let me tell you, seeing multiple spiders under a layer of tulle during your ceremony is scary.
Nicola says
August 8, 2014 at 6:55 pmWhat a lovely picture! 🙂 our eating has been horrible too lately; we definitely need to look at that and get back on track. Finally, congrats in 3 years! Such a lot has changed for you in that time 🙂
Michelle S. says
August 8, 2014 at 8:07 pmThank you Nicola!
Michelle says
August 8, 2014 at 7:47 pmBeautiful picture 🙂 A huge congratulations on your upcoming 3 year anniversary-WOW!
Michelle S. says
August 8, 2014 at 8:08 pmThank you Michelle! Are you going to FinCon?
debt debs says
August 8, 2014 at 7:51 pmThat is a very nice wedding photo, Michelle! I hope you survive without your husband and your sis for a few days! I would be interested in your blog coaching service but unfortunately it’s just not in our budget right now, but if things change I will certainly consider. I hate having to ask for help and try to figure out most stuff on my own, but consequently, it takes a lot of time and is easy to burn out. I should probably think carefully about this though, because the money may be well worth it in the long run.
Michelle S. says
August 8, 2014 at 8:09 pmThanks! And I will let you know about my coaching service. I haven’t done it much with personal finance bloggers, mainly just small businesses so I’m trying to think of a game plan first.
Marie @ The Money Template says
August 9, 2014 at 4:46 amYou’re such a pretty bride Michelle! Happy 3rd blog anniversary to you, time flies so fast!
Michelle S. says
August 9, 2014 at 1:18 pmThank you Marie!
Toby @ One Six Zeros says
August 9, 2014 at 8:06 amRecently married, congrats!!! Yeah I need to work on being healthy. currently my weight is the highest it’s ever been. Being a dad to a little boy I’ve kind of put himself before myself and gave up a few things (aka exercise and healthy eating). looking forward to running about a little bit more hehe
Michelle S. says
August 9, 2014 at 1:18 pmThanks Toby!
Alexandra @ Real Simple Finances says
August 9, 2014 at 9:32 amThat wedding photo is beautiful! I have to admit: I have been married for three years, but I still haven’t gotten my dress cleaned. I just hung it back in the bag. I have heard that preserving it actually harms the dress, so I have been stuck on what to actually do with it. I don’t think it’s expensive to have it cleaned, though.
Michelle S. says
August 9, 2014 at 1:19 pmHaha my dress is sitting in a bag in a closet as well. I didn’t know that about preserving it though!
Melissa says
August 9, 2014 at 11:23 amMichelle, I think it’s a great idea for you to look into blog coaching! Your time is valuable, and there is no reason you shouldn’t get into coaching. You have a lot of valuable experience, and it does make sense to capitalize on that.
I had to put down Netflix the other day (in my mind). I had not gone to the gym ALL WEEK and I was like, Melissa! Stop it! GO TO THE GYM. Maybe yelling at yourself helps? Lol tough love! 🙂
Michelle S. says
August 9, 2014 at 1:20 pmHaha I’ll try yelling at myself!
Richard says
August 9, 2014 at 1:19 pmOh boy do I know the feeling of needing to get back on track. Last month was *crazy* for me with my first vacation in years and a load of work on my car before starting a new job. I thought this would be the month I’d get back on track but I’d forgotten about my car tax being due by the end of August *and* my gf’s birthday next month. If I’m not careful it’ll be Christmas at this rate!
Michelle S. says
August 10, 2014 at 9:25 pmI can’t believe how quickly 2014 is passing by!
Michelle says
August 10, 2014 at 6:47 pmYes! I will be there from Sept 16th-Sept. 22nd
Michelle S. says
August 10, 2014 at 9:26 pmWOOHOOO! See ya then 🙂
Russ Benk says
August 11, 2014 at 4:22 amBeen there. I find a small increase in income whether it is a raise, a sale or a dividend always helps motivate me to get back on track with things. Hopefully you can increase your income within your business. Good luck getting back on track!
Michelle S. says
August 12, 2014 at 11:38 amThanks Russ!
Rachel says
August 11, 2014 at 10:19 amFirst, congratulations on 3 years of blogging!
That’s a great picture! Wedding dresses do attract a lot of dirt.Are you planning to clean and preserve your dress of just clean it? My mom was recently quoted something around $200 just to have her dress (with way fewer layers) cleaned.
I’ve made a new plan for my exercise! If I want to watch my show on Netflix, I have to watch it while I’m on the elliptical machine. Which guarantees 45 minutes of exercise!
Michelle S. says
August 12, 2014 at 11:39 amI’m not sure. I might just clean it, but I still haven’t decided. And that’s a great idea to get more exercise in!
Sally says
August 11, 2014 at 3:35 pmI feel like I need to get back on track with a lot of things too. Better blogging, better goals and planning, and being serious about eating right. It’s too easy to be lazy and just eat and watch TV! Love the photo!
Marcia Lee says
August 11, 2014 at 8:37 pmI am with you on staying healthy. My husband and I are eating so much more healthy than we were 2 years ago. My goal is to continue loosing weight. Thanks to the J.J.Virgin plan, I have lost 8 pounds in 12 days and I am loving it!
Carla D. says
August 12, 2014 at 8:35 amVery beautiful photo. Wish I had some of my wedding photos taken out in the woods. I know they would have turned out great. Congratulations on becoming a wife! 🙂
Darlene Demell says
August 12, 2014 at 11:53 amThat is a beautiful photo. Your dress was very pretty and I can see why it took 5 people to hold it up from getting dirty. Congrats on your Blog anniversary as well. My blog is now 4 years old and am loving it.
KK @ Student Debt Survivor says
August 12, 2014 at 3:10 pmWhat a gorgeous photo. Everyone looks so happy. I’ve been a disaster with my eating lately. There have just been so many “eating occasions” at work and at home (birthdays, parties etc.). I’ve been doing OK with my exercising, but that doesn’t make up for all the crap I’m eating. Congrats on 3 years!
Jon Heil says
August 12, 2014 at 11:43 pmThanks for the chance to win!
Cathleen Jia says
August 14, 2014 at 7:15 pmIt’s unfortunate that your dress got dirty, but your look absolutely stunning in the picture! So happy for you!