Last week I made a Summer Bucket List with the kids, filled with fun activities to check off before school starts in the fall. Things like Ice Cream For Dinner, Big Wave Beach, Funspot in New Hampshire. It got me thinking that I should make my own list of things I should get done this summer. Not necessarily fun things, but activities I always think "I need to get around to that soon" and what better way to be held accountable than by posting it here. So without further ado, here's my To Do's...
1) Evaluate our life insurance options.
We recently received our annual statements from our life insurance policies with the Knights of Columbus, and we thought, wow, we are paying a lot each month for plans that aren't that big. We need to start getting term life insurance quotes and a friend recommended this insurance company. We also need to think about increasing the amount of our policies as well. I want to make sure I am worth more alive than dead though, so not too much ;)
2) Make a new budget.
Each year my contract renews in July, and our health insurance rate increases, so I like to look at our budget and update things. I just use an excel spreadsheet and I recommend reading this Dave Ramsey book if you don't know where to start with finances. Even though we never followed his plan per se, we definitely agree with paying off debt and living simply to do so. I'll be making my kids read it :)
3) Figure out a system for our usernames and passwords.
Anyone have any advice on a secure way to store and share this info between Phil and I besides writing them down in a book (our current system)?
4) Eat healthier.
This one totally has to do with the fact that we just got back from vacation and though we were super active each day, we indulged in all the treats we wanted. Now I just feel gross and like I need to grow up and eat like the middle-aged mom that I am, and not like a college student. I started a Shake (breakfast) Soup (lunch) and Salad (dinner) plan this week, and I do feel much better already.
5) Date nights once a week.
Gotta keep the marriage a priority and have some fun!! I buy restaurant gift certificates for half price or we go for a bike ride or watch a movie or grocery shop together or whatever floats our boat that week.
6) One Fun Thing a Day with the little kids.
Self explanatory, but we just try to make sure they are having fun, being active, learning something new, not stuck inside all day and still get excited about the little things in life. It doesn't have to cost anything (it almost never does) but we raised the first four kids this way, and I like the way they turned out :)
7) Organize the school stuff.
Make sure everyone has their summer reading books. Donate any uniforms back to their schools for other students in need. Buy new uniform pants and boat shoes. Make sure all three (!) high schoolers have the textbooks they need for next year and sell any old ones. Buy school supplies, which requires a lot of organizing lists and seeing what we have and what we need. It's honestly one of the worst parts of having seven children, but as they get older they take on more of that responsibility.
I could go on and on with things that need to get done, but this list seems doable for the rest of the summer, and not too overwhelming. Any summer projects you are working on or keep putting off??
Per #3, I made a spread sheet with all our user names, passwords and financial and bill information (what bills we pay, when they’re due, if their auto pay or manual) for my husband because I deal with all of that stuff and if I get hit by a bus tomorrow he will have all that info in one place. It’s password protected on our computer with a password he knows so if someone steals my laptop they can’t clean out our bank account.
ReplyDeleteExcellent idea!
DeleteMy husband uses LastPass, which is nice because all our passwords are in it (It is an iternet thing), and then I only have to remember the one password for LastPass to log into anything.
DeleteI will look into that, thanks!!
DeleteI also use LastPass. There is a free version but we now pay for a family membership so three of us (my parents in their 60s and me, unmarried in my 30s) have it on all of our devices (phones and laptops or iPad's) and it syncs between our individual devices. Worked out cheaper to get family rather than each individually. You may baulk at paying for the service, especially after just using a book but after teething issues I persevered through it has been great. It also has a 'vault' you can put info in. And there are emergency access codes you can print and store with someone for if you forget your password or if you both die and family need access to all your info and passwords etc.
DeleteI have had the kids' files sitting in my entry way since May, when I did go through all the old papers and pictures and organized it by kid (school work from 2000 onwards), but now I have to winnow out the papers.
ReplyDeleteI have to plan my fall classes. I changed books, which sounded good at the time, but means I can't just reuse old materials.
I need to figure out how to get my rising high school freshman prepared for school. He does not like school, and he's going from a very small Catholic school where, if nothing else, everyone was familiar, to a big high school with hundreds of new classmates. I did already buy him some clothes (after 10 yrs of uniforms!).
I need to start walking again. Summer is usually easy for me - walk or bike a little, and in the heat, I don't eat a lot. But this summer was different, and exercise dropped off. Got to get back to it.
We have been walking three miles with the dog each morning before work and that has been a huge gamechanger in the summer heat. Oh the paperwork is atrocious here as well, but I am pretty coldhearted when it comes to throwing things away as they come in. My husband changed books for next year too, and now he's in your boat :)
DeleteI used to use LastPass but then my son (who works in IT) suggested 1Password. It is much simpler and really helpful! Having previously experienced identity theft, I also like the idea that my passwords are well protected.
ReplyDeleteThank you for that tip!!
DeleteI need to do what your first commenter suggested. If I get hit by a bus Dan will have no idea what to do with bills and the like. My stuff is organized to me but looks like a complete jumble to anyone else. I really need to get my act together! I'm so lazy though..... :)
ReplyDeleteDuring the pandemic shutdown, I made binders with all of our vital documents, financial documents, medical documents and it really helped us get organized. Then I taught my husband how to pay bills and transfer money between accounts and now I feel like I can die in peace ;) I definitely procrastinated for longer than the process actually took, because...laziness.
DeleteHere's the post with the binders, for inspiration :)
Deletehttps://martinfamilymoments.blogspot.com/2020/04/7qt-forced-family-fun-during-april.html
Great list! One thing I need need NEED to do, like, tomorrow, is to go through all the photos I printed off and put the extras into piles for my parents and for my MIL. I am going to see all of those people soon and I really need to get it done. But it's so BORING. And I HATE IT. Clearly I need to be a grownup.
ReplyDeleteThat is such a nice thing you do for your family, I would enjoy a beverage and get it done while patting myself on the back every few minutes!
DeleteTrustworthy might be helpful for data storage etc, if I am reading the request correctly! Do you use You Need A Budget? I love it and it has been a gamechanger (I am not a finance/numbers person!)
ReplyDeleteI used to use YNAB and then I switched to Mint but I still keep my spreadsheet budget!! Old habits die hard!
DeleteYou have quite the list and I have no doubt that you will fulfill it..that's how you roll. I can't imagine having to organize so many people. I bow down to you!
ReplyDeleteI too have passwords all over the place and I'm looking into the comment section for ideas today. Thanks for that!
Thanks for the encouragement!!
DeleteWe too have a password protected document with all our passwords in case I die so my husband can take over. Except the mortgage. He does the mortgage.
ReplyDeleteYou're a good delegator :)
DeleteThat meme is spot on! This looks like a great mix of adult action items + fun memory opportunities with the family (kids, marriage).
ReplyDeleteI've been really...struggling this week because we have less of a structured routine this year (my husband is on sabbatical, and after years of him being working/away much of the summer, he's home - which is lovely, but also means I didn't schedule much). I've been slowly trying to add in some daily goalposts (getting up earlier, structuring kids bedtimes a bit better), and it seems to be helping.
Ugh. I have been meaning to get a password manager for a while and just have not gotten around to it. I REALLY want/need to do this.
In terms of managing finances, we don't really budget per se we just try to keep every category as low as possible! Ha. We have no debt (aside from a small remaining mortgage), and try to save where possible. I do track all our finances though, monthly, in a spreadsheet. It's nice to have a big picture view of where the money is going and helps us make little adjustments as necessary.
Amen to the keeping categories as low as possible! Summer is definitely harder for lack of routine here too, though I miss it when we are all so busy in the fall.
Delete