Last week I received a surprise email from Clair over at Mummy Deals inviting me to take part of a new challenge she was putting together with Beth from IN Good Cents. I love a good challenge, especially one that promises to help me save money. Who doesn’t want to do that?

I read the proposal, jumped for joy, squealed in delight, and signed on. Introducing the 90-Day Budget Boot Camp.

Each week, for the next 12 weeks, I’ll receive a challenge designed to help me trim my grocery budget. Meal planning, couponing, organizing and planning. And each week, after I’ve completed the challenge, I’ll be sharing my experience with you. Good and bad. Triumphs and failures. I’m baring it all.

So, to start things out on the right foot, here’s our approximate weekly grocery budget, including diapers (which is thankfully dwindling) and toiletries. Ready? It’s $50-$80. Let’s say it averages around $65. Or $260 a month, for our family of three, and two dogs. The majority of our shopping is done at Aldi, and a half-hearted attempt at couponing.I imagine that this is lower than most families, but there’s always room for improvement.

Here are the goals that I’m hoping to accomplish with the 90-Day Budget Challenge:

1. I want to become a crazy coupon lady. Complete with binder, check list and crazy look in the eyes.
2. I want to organize my coupons. In a fancy folder or binder specifically for coupons. Hey, if you’re going to do it, do it right.
3. I want to be good at couponing. I don’t want to buy something just because I have a coupon. I want to buy something because we need it, I have a coupon and it’s on sale. How’s that for specific?
4. I want to reduce my impulse spending. Especially when something is on sale, but it isn’t necessarily something that I need or would normally buy.
5. I want to create wriggle room in our budget that allows for more organic produce.
6. I want to shop smarter. Buying things that we need with they are on sale (hopefully with a coupon!) instead of buying them when we need them (most likely without a sale or coupon).
7. I want to be more aware of our spending, and not just groceries. That soda when I filled up with gas. That bag of M&M’s at Target. That late night trip to Dairy Queen. I want to know where our money goes, so we can better budget.
8. I want to be able to save. I’m a saver at heart, and since going down to one income, our ability to save on a monthly basis has dwindled. I want to start again, even if it’s only $10 a month.
9. I want to try shopping during double coupon times at our local grocery stores, to see how it compares to shopping at Aldi.
10. What would you like to change in your grocery budget?

Follow along with the other 90-day boot camp challengers, or join in! Please visit Mummy Deals and IN Good Cents for all of the challenger’s weekly challenges and their results. And check out what we are talking about on Twitter with the hashtag #budgetbootcamp.

Of course, make sure that you subscribe so you can follow along with my weekly updates.

This post is linked up with Top Ten Tuesday over at Oh Amanda!

I know, I’ve blogged about this before, the terrible twos. They seem to come and go randomly. But last week they showed up. Full. Force.

So I thought I’d offer a little peak into life with a stubborn, sassy, struggling-to-be-independent two year old boy. Hopefully you get some laughs out of this, which will help ease away my tears. These are indeed the top ten terrible two episodes from last week.

1. “I DON’T wanna go potty! I WANT my pull up on.” Attempts to pin down to put on pull up. “I DON’T want my pull up on. I HAVE to go potty!” This is an endless loop, often resulting in tears (toddlers) and someone being pinned to the ground in an attempt to cloth him before we leave the house.
2. “I CAN’T…reach my plate on the dinning table…bring it to the kitchen…set it on the counter…”
3. “I CAN’T…wash my hands…”
4. “I CAN’T…crawl into the car myself…”
5. “I CAN’T…put my toys away…”
6. “No, NOT nap time, I have to go potty. No, I DON’T have to go potty.” Again, endless loop until I deposit him in his crib, shut the door and don’t look back.
7. Before leaving the house for errands, play groups, etc: “No, I DON’T have to to go potty. No I DON’T want to try. No I DON’T want my pull up on. I HAVE to go potty.” Followed by a complete and utter melt down, of course including tears, kicking feet, and swats at my face.
8. Narrowly missing our first every hysterical outburst in the middle of Target. All because the “I try again LATER (going potty at Target, which he requested).” Which was followed by “I WANT to go potty” as I attempted to place him in the cart, which he did not want to be in. Thankfully this was avoided by threatening to leave the store, then flat out ignoring him.
9. Deep calming breaths, calm, reassuring yet firm voice. Explanations, pleads and threats. All falling on deaf toddler ears.
10. Short tempers with even longer tantrums. Hormones raging, patience wearing thin. And yes, I’m talking about me this time. I may just be reverting back to MY terrible twos.

If you happen to hear me muttering under my breath over and over, it’s probably: This too will pass. Can anyone tell me just when it will pass?

Does your toddler often melt down over the strangest things? What causes the melt downs? How do you handle them?

This post is linked up with Top Ten Tuesday over at Oh Amanda.