I don’t officially return to work until August 24th, but I have already been spending roughly 15 hours a week at work updating all of my work in preparation for the big return. Adding in that 15 hours has given me a taste of just how hectic life is to become. I will be adding in a lot more hours beginning on the 24th.

Dave Ramsey has a plan for those with irregular incomes. He asks them to make a budget by listing their most important bills first all the way down to the least important ones. On a lean month, one should pay those most important bills first and when the money runs out, it runs out, even if some of those bills at the bottom of the list don’t get paid. In a month where there is a lot of income, all bills are paid.

I plan to apply this strategy to my time. In the 10 months since I left work, I have added a baby to this family and created my blog, which I enjoy immensely. Still, my work load was heavy previously. Now I think it is going to be insane!

So, in the interest of keeping my sanity, here is my list of activities to spend my time on from most important to least. On very busy days, those at the bottom will receive little or no attention.

1. Take care of myself. I have a hard time doing this, but I must put myself first. That means making time to exercise, relax a bit and eat a healthy diet.

2. Spend time with family.

3. Complete responsibilities for my full-time job.

4. Ship out eBay items sold.

5. Write on my blog.

6. Take care of household responsibilities such as grocery shopping, paying bills, etc.

7. Pick up around the house.

8. Read other people’s blogs. I spend a little (okay, maybe way too much!) time reading other people’s blogs. I still want to do this because I find it personally fulfilling and I learn new things, but I am going to have to put it in its place, maybe only doing so for 15 minutes a day.

9. List new items on eBay.

10. Clean deeply.

In addition to this list, my husband and I need to simplify, especially in the area of meals. Those who read my blog know we like food. (Maybe too much.) In addition, my husband was raised in a family where there were several little side dishes in every meal. I was raised on one pot meals. We c ompromise with about two side dishes at a meal.

For this season in our lives, we must simplify. We will rely heavily on the meals I have made and frozen. Sometimes we will have to eat simply—grilled cheese and soup, frozen ravioli and canned pasta sauce, etc. It may not be the way we prefer to eat, but I do not want to waste money eating out. I want to save money so I can be a stay-at-home mom.