Looking for June Cleaver

I'm a bit of a pioneer in my family.

I'm a stay at home mom. I'm a stay at home starting to homeschool mom.

My mom worked full-time, as did my Grandmothers on both sides and my maternal Great Grandmother.

I totally respect all that they did. My circumstances are different and thus so are my choices. I worked for many years before having my children.

I've never had a role model to show me what a Stay at Home Mom looks like up close and personal. Where's my mentor? My trainer? When I worked I had those. If I'd been a SAHM in the 1950's I'd have had them.

In the 1950's women's magazines, neighbors, relatives and friends could help the new bride learn to manage a household and raise productive members of society. Then feminism happened......WAIT!!!!! before you flame me in comments, I consider myself a feminist. And while that movement certainly helped me out when I was working......Not so much now.

Now feminism tends to devalue what I have chosed to make my life's work. That really bums me out.

How can I be a feminist and a traditional Stay at home wife and mom you ask? Easy, my definition of feminism means that everybody gets the opportunity to pursue what they want in their life and career, without regard to gender (or frankly race, religion, etc.). This is my choice. I want to be here and do this.

I'm just not sure exactally how.

Financial goal setting

We're pretty good about our finances. We set a goal to be out of debt and we got there including our mortgage. That's a story that I'll share over the next couple of months. It didn't last long. Don't misunderstand, we didn't go an a credit card shopping spree....we moved across country and bought another house. We didn't sell the last one, it's rented. But now we have a mortgage again and our emergency savings are not where they should be.

A mortgage and no other debt you say? What's the problem? I really really really hate owing money. I LOVE the freedom of owing nothing I know that having no mortgage is possible, I've already gotten there once. I want it again.

I love the idea of frugality, I really do. I LOVE living debt free. But honestly, we've gotten sloppy about it. We've let things slide.

In a word....we need a goal.

A compelling, exciting, action galvanizing goal.

So here is phase one of that goal....

Pay off the mortgage

Save 6 months of living expenses

Build up our stock piles of food and household items so that we have as close as we can to a year's supply

Okay maybe this is more than phase one. I tend to bite off more than I can chew and get overwhelmed. I know what I need! I need a plan! Not a goal a plan! No wait, maybe both..........

More on this later........................