Meredith Rines

Author: Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®, a budget and financial strategist helping families pay off debt and live the life they've always wanted.

Sloppy Joe in a Bread Bowl

Posted on February 12, 2014February 3, 2014 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

The thought of having a sloppy joe sandwich for dinner brings back some pretty happy memories. I loved sloppy joes, sloppier the better in my book! So when I saw this recipe on Pinterest before the super bowl and decided instantly that it had to be made. I did make some revisions because I wanted it to be super-duper easy.

-1 lb. ground extra lean turkey meat
– 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
– 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
– 1 can sloppy joe mix
– 6 pretzel rolls
– 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Add turkey, garlic salt, and onion powder to skillet. Brown turkey meat until fully cooked. Add can of sloppy joe mix and cook for about 7-10 minutes (or follow directions on can). While sloppy joe mixture is simmering, cut rolls and hollow out center to make individual bowl. Add turkey mixture to bread bowls and top with mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 5-8 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

These were ah-mazing! I wish I would have taken a few more pictures, but I didn’t want to wait to eat these beauties.

A day in the life of me

Posted on February 10, 2014January 29, 2014 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

I always read these “day in the life of” posts and think it is so cool to peek into someone else’s life for a bit. My day is not as glamourous as most other blogger’s because I have a full time job that I go to during the week, so that cuts into a lot of my time (It’s so annoying having to pay bills!). Here is an average day for me.
6:15 – J is up and ready to face the day. He is such a morning person and I am not! So I hang out in bed with the pups for a few minutes longer while he showers. Once he is out of the shower I am up and headed downstairs to make him a smoothie for breakfast.

6:30 – J is out the door and I am headed back upstairs to start getting ready. I wash my face, put on makeup and fix my hair all while jamming out to some hard rock taking dance breaks with Tiny.

7:00 – I am out of the bathroom and into the closet to get dressed. I try to lay out my outfit the night before to save time, but there are those days that I hate everything in my closet so that takes up some time.

7:15 – Headed back downstairs to make myself a breakfast smoothie, pack my lunch, let the dogs outside and just relax for a bit. I like to check my emails while watching reruns of Dog the Bounty Hunter in the morning.

7:50 – I am off to work. The commute is never the same, no matter which way I take. Sometimes it takes me 15 minutes and other times it takes me 30. I just never know.

8:20 – Arrive at work and start the day.

5:15 – Leave work and head home. Again, the commute is never the same but my average is about 15 minutes on the way home.

6:00 – Hit the gym or try to work out some at home.

7:15 – Start dinner with J. I like to plan ahead and know what we are making so that everything is prepped and ready to go.

7:45 – Finish dinner and make our lunches for tomorrow.
8:00 – Finally able to sit on the couch and relax for a bit. I usually pull out my laptop and work on merelynne.com, some of my freelance projects, or brainstorm ideas. I also like to watch TV with J for a bit.

9:00 – J heads to bed and I get the TV to myself. I have a few shows that I love to watch at night or I set it to record so that I can catch up on them later.

11:00 – Head upstairs, shower, and finally hit the bed for sleep.

That’s it. A typical day in the life of me.

Life Update

Posted on February 7, 2014January 27, 2014 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

I thought it was time to fill you in on a little about my life. You probably gathered from this post about quitting your job that I actually did quit my job that I had for over 5 years. Fortunately, I found a new job in the field I want to be in. My bosses are amazing and I am loving everything so far.

Maggie and Tiny are doing the same. They are spoiled and would not know any other way to be.

J and I joined a local gym and have set the goal of going 3x a week. Eventually we would like to bump that up, but for now 3x is good for us.

We also set the goal of cooking dinner at least 4x a week at home. That will help us save some money, eat healthier, and just spend more time together.

My family has come up to visit a few times, which has been awesome. I love my folks and getting to spend time with them is pretty much the best.

I started a new vlog series and am going to be sharing what I am thankful for each month.

I have a plan of making our breakfast each morning and so far I have been successful. A homemade chocolate peanut butter smoothie for me and a vanilla banana smoothie for J.

We are closer to finishing one of our debts and then will be diving headfirst into paying the next one off. We will achieve our goal of saving a down payment for our first house!

Now for some sad news… well actually it’s not that sad. I’ve decided that I cannot keep up my blogging schedule, which explains why my blog has been pretty quiet lately. I typically post on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. It is just too much. So for now I am going to post 2-3 times per week. I am going to aim for Monday, Wednesday and Friday but give myself Monday off if needed. I do not need to stress about not being able to post and I think that will help the quality of my posts too. If you have serious complaints about my new schedule, please let me know. 🙂

20 Ways to Declutter and Clean Up Your Life

Posted on February 5, 2014January 29, 2014 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

Now with the new year fully rolling it’s time to get a handle on things, don’t you think? I was sitting here just thinking how I function so much better when my house is clean. I do not know about you, but every once in awhile the mood to deep clean sets in; and I feel like nothing in my life is going right until I get my house in order.

There are things you can do so that life does not pile up and you can keep everything smooth sailing.

1) When the mood strikes to clean stick the rule of 5. In every room get rid of 5 items. Throw away old magazines, remove items that do not belong in that room, or get rid of something that you haven’t used in ages.

2) File as you go. Get a bill in the mail, then file it immediately. Do not let bills and other important documents pile up on your table. Go ahead and put them in their proper place when you get them.
3) When cleaning your bedroom, always make the bed first. It will look like a huge improvement and act as a shelf as you tidy up.

4) Go through your closet at least 4 times a year to get rid of clothes you no longer wear. You can create a donation box in the basement or garage, but by cleaning it out multiple times a year you will keep the closet looking neater and be doing a good thing.

5) Fold your bed sheets together and then place them in a matching pillowcase. Your sheet sets will be together and your linen closet will look so much nicer. That way when your parents are visiting and need a towel you won’t be embarrassed.

6) Open your mail next to the trash can. That way any unwanted pieces go straight to the trash and not onto your countertops.

7) Use plastic boxes, cubes, and other gathering places to organize. Sure you may need all of those office supplies, but after awhile they start looking bad on top of your desk. Use a coordinating canvas cube to gather all of your items then slide onto a bookshelf.

8) Do one small task a day so that it does not get overwhelming. Sweep the kitchen floor one day a week, vacuum another, straighten up yet another day. By dividing tasks to separate days you can conquer a lot easier.

9) Keep a jar on top of the dresser and where you place your keys to collect loose change. If you are prone to carrying change in your pockets then having a collection spot where you come and where you get dressed helps from loose changing being all over the place.

10) upgrade to a universal remote. You may have a remote for the TV, the DVD player, the surround sound, and even your cable box. That’s a lot of remotes so get rid of the clutter by upgrading to one do-it-all remote.

11) Clean out the medicine cabinet. You may have duplicate boxes of the same, exact medicine or you may expired meds that need to be tossed.

12) Clean out the fridge once a week. Trash old leftovers or the food that no one is planning on eating. Check expiration dates and toss the ones that have gone bad.
13) Be honest about those craft projects. Have any unfinished projects laying around? Well it’s time to be honest with yourself – are you ever going to get them done? If the answer is no, toss and if the answer is yes, set a specific completion date.

14) When your donate box is full, take it to the car. That way it is out of the house and easier for you to drop off.

15) Do the dishes each night. Nothing feels better than coming into a clean kitchen each morning.

16) Set the timer for 10 minutes every other day to walk through the house to find items that are in the wrong place, no longer wanted, or old and needs to be trashed.

17) Take the trash out the moment the can is full and on your way grab the trash for bathrooms and bedrooms.

18) Wipe down the bathroom counter after brushing your teeth before bed.

19) Concentrate on one area at a time. It’s easy to get side tracked by a different room, especially when you are putting things away. Stay on the task at hand and finish one specific area.

20) Remember what is important. Don’t toss items that hold a special place in your heart. Just make sure that you find a special place for them.

Talking To Your Boss About Leaving Your Job :: My Experience

Posted on February 3, 2014January 27, 2014 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

If you read my last post about knowing when it was time to leave a job then you know what decision I made. I have been with this company for over 5 years and have worked my way up from a part-time receptionist to full-time office manager and bookkeeper and then came full circle to a full-time paralegal. I had signs that showed me this job wasn’t the one for me, but when I realized that then I also knew it was time to talk to my boss.

It’s hard to sit down with someone that you’ve gotten to know over the past few years to have a hard discussion with. Luckily for me, I can have a pretty open conversation with my boss and walk away feeling that it was productive. Here’s how I went about talking to my boss about wanting to leave:

1) start the dialogue and letting him know that you want to talk.
2) be honest with how you are currently feeling. Some may say that the workplace is not the place for feelings, but when you know someone for over 5 years and he’s seen a lot from you then it’s okay.
3) do not back down from what you want.
4) tell him the issues you are having – some may be personal and some may be the office procedures.
5) be flexible about leaving.

For me, there were some cases that we needed to finish up. Yes, I could have left him without any help, but that wouldn’t have been very nice. Plus, he’s been there for me in the past and the least I could do was be there. I sat down and had this conversation about a month before wanting to leave. That way we both had a specific date in mind and the chance to wind up some cases.

It’s never easy to start a new chapter in your life, but sometimes it’s a necessity. Do not let being miserable at your job make you an unhappy person. Life is too short to be angry and sad. Only you have the ability to make change happen.

If you dream of having a different life or a different career then realize that you might be standing in our own way. I had so many supportive people around me telling me it was okay to make a switch, but I had to finally believe it to make it happen.

{vlog 1} Thankful Series in 2014

Posted on January 31, 2014January 30, 2014 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

Here we go. I am back at it again. Apparently I didn’t find myself too awkward in my first vlog post. Now let’s keep our fingers crossed that this one goes off without a hitch, too.

I am hoping that next month I will feel a bit more comfortable in front of the camera or at least improve my editing skills… I kept notes on my phone like a true nerd. Mainly because I didn’t want to forget anything!

What are you thankful for this month?

Leave me a comment and let me know!

Newlywed Myths Debunked

Posted on January 28, 2014January 27, 2014 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

You know what I am sick of hearing? “Oh enjoy the honeymoon stage because it doesn’t last forever.” That statement usually precedes a bunch of chuckling or a tap on the arm. But c’mon! I am so tired of hearing that. Do people really believe the first year of marriage is perfect and that the rest are horrible? Because if they do then that might explain the divorce rate in America.

I know that J and I look like on this blog that are marriage is great. Honestly, I would not change one single thing about our relationship. However, there are some newlywed myths that need to be debunked immediately.

1) It’s not all rainbows and sunshine. Every moment of the day I am madly in love with J, but that does not mean we get along every second or do not have our disagreements. The key is that we are communicating and learning how to disagree with one another. Not so that we can get the upperhand over the other person, but so we can effectively come to a conclusion that is best for us as a whole.

2) Money does not cause us to fight with one another. We have out talks about money and budgeting, but we do not fight with each other. There is no blaming for who spent what and where it was spent. No, our discussions consist of who is paying which bill and making sure that I actually mailed the check. It’s absolutely silly to fight about money and blame one another. I’ve talked before in the past how we budget our discretionary money and it still works for us.

3) Weekends are not always for running errands and working around the house. I have seen so many unrealistic TV shows that depict newlywed couples running errands, painting a room, or building something together on the weekends. Now, we do work around the house and maybe when the day comes that we own a house this might change. But for now, we do not work around the house all weekend. We really spend the weekend to be together, hang out with our friends that all work real jobs, too and travel to see family. There are a lot of Sundays I wake up and go from pajamas to sweat pants so I can watch the football game in our big fluffy recliner.

4) You want to do everything together. That myth is so wrong! I love J and I do love spending time together, but I do not want to spend every waking moment together. Plus, I’m pretty sure he feels the same way. I think that our relationship is stronger because we do have our circle outside of our marriage. I think what works here is that we do not mind that we have our own interests and hobbies. That’s what is so great about it – J is really supportive when my friends are here visiting and realizes that I may want some girl time and I do the same for him with his guy friends.

With any relationship the key is balance. I really think that J and I have it and hope that other couples find it too. J supports my dreams and goals, and I support his. We push one another to be better versions of ourselves and to grow. I’m sure there are other myths out there that need to be debunked, but I’ll save that for another day.

Background photo by DColeman.

Pause.

Posted on January 16, 2014January 15, 2014 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

I’m at it again. Needing to take a quick pause from the blog until Monday. It’s only 2 days, but I really need a break. I have some really exciting news that has happened and I cannot wait to share. However, today is not the right time.

I will be back on Monday the 20th with a new spark in my step! I am also working hard on keeping up with my Thankful Series that I started this month. At the end of this month I will be sharing my second (ever!) vlog with you. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I won’t be so awkward.

Cheers!

Easy Pita Pizza Recipe

Posted on January 14, 2014December 31, 2013 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

It’s hard coming up with creative and delicious dinner recipes every night. I always look for something that is somewhat healthy, easy to make, and does not require me to get 1000 pots and pans dirty. I had this idea to create some pita pizzas from a recipe I found years ago. All I needed was protein and then it hit me – this past week after eating out for a few dinners we had collected some leftovers. Steak and teriyaki chicken to be exact. They were just the amounts for an individual pizza.

I took the steak and J took the chicken.

Here’s what you need to make your pita pizza:

pita bread
steak – 2 to 3 oz.
string cheese
grape tomatoes

pita bread
teriyaki chicken – 2 to 3 oz. (make sure the chicken is fully cooked)
teriyaki sauce
string cheese
On his pizza I spread a little over a teaspoon of teriyaki sauce onto the pita, cut up the leftover chicken and piled on top. Then I took a piece of string cheese to cover it all.
For my pizza I cut up a few grape tomatoes, I just love the sunburst ones. I then cut the steak into bite sized pieces and piled both onto the pita. I again, took a string cheese and placed over it all.

Bake both pita pizzas at 400F in oven or toaster oven for about 10-15 minutes or until heated through.
It’s a nice, light and easy dinner recipe that I can’t believe I forgot about for years. You can also spread a laughing cow cheese mixed with a little garlic powder to use with plain chicken, but I did not have any on hand.

Signs It’s Time For A New Job :: My Experience

Posted on January 13, 2014December 11, 2013 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

The end of the year has come and I can finally make a big announcement that I’ve been keeping from you. The title probably gave it away, but I have decided that I want to change jobs. It’s been a long time coming and a pretty hard decision. I don’t love my job, but I am absolutely crazy about the people I work with. It makes it so hard when you dread going into the office each morning, but know that you are making a difference with the people you work for.
What happens when you think you are ready for a career change? There has to be some signs that lead you along your way, right? Well, I had a few signs it’s time for a new job:

1) I dreaded going into the office. I am never one to dread talking to people and helping people. So when I started to hate it, I knew I was in the wrong field.

2) It’s not where I saw myself in 5 years or even 1 one year from now.

3) I want to own a business some day and there was no potential for me to own a part this one.

4) I was tired of complaining.

A few simple and direct signs is all it took, well that and about 3 months. The next step was talking to my boss. I’ll go more into that in another post.

Image via behappy

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