First Time Mom and Losing It

My husband and I have been well into our weight loss journey since August 31. A big part of us wanting to get healthy is to be better role models for our daughter. It makes it easier for us to succeed in our weight loss efforts because she is a great motivator. Since we are making healthier choices for ourselves we started making healthier choices for her too.


We still have a very picky three year old so it's hard to find healthy choices that she will actually eat. I have tried my best to disguise lots of food and sometimes it has actually worked and sometimes it has been epic fails. For now we just keep trying with different recipes and keep track of the nutrients she is consuming with the foods that she does like.


I went to Walmart to pick up her favorite lunch snacks, Del Monte® Fruit Cup® Snacks and Frigo® Cheeseheads® Cheese Snacks. I can't wait to see the new Del Monte® Fruit & Veggie Fusions coming out next month. I think it's cool that they added vegetable juice to the cup. During the month of January and February of 2016 there will be a “Better for You Lunchbox” booklet with $6.25 in instant coupon savings included with the Del Monte® Fruit Cup® Snacks. This booklet will help us make Lunch Box Resolutions and save money at the same time.


Now that the New Year is a couple of days away I wanted to make a goal of giving her healthier lunches. I thought this would also be helpful to all of you mommies who have kids going back to school after the holiday break. The holidays are full of eating parties and celebrations so what better way than to start the new year with healthier foods.


What New Year's Resolutions do you have with your kids? 

My husband and I have living in NYC our entire life. We both grew up living in apartments and always renting. We have thought of purchasing a home in NYC but it is so expensive and everything that was in our budget was super tiny. We have been thinking about moving to Texas for the longest time now. Our families are in the East Coast so I was always hesitant to leave and be alone. Now that my daughter will be starting school next year we are in the rush to move to our own home, in a better neighborhood and in a great school district.


Being renter's our entire life we really didn't even know where to start. Searching for a home out of state also brings in more challenges so I was happy to have the Sunny Day Home resources from SunTrust Bank. There are tons of articles all in this one website that helped us move step-by-step into the first steps of purchasing a home. As soon as my daughter went to bed for the night my husband and I would both be on our laptops reading away and sharing what we learned. We sat together with a pen and paper and made a budget using the Mortgage Calculator. Now we knew how much we could afford to spend on a house. It was good to know that we could actually afford more than we thought.


We have all of our pre-approvals, our budget and a great agent, so now the fun part comes of the search for the perfect home. My husband and I spend lots of nights just looking at listings and pictures of potential homes. I have my specifics of what I want and my husband has specifics of what he wants. My daughter asked for a swing set so we have to make sure to get a back yard that is big enough. It is a fun adventure and the next part of our lives so I am happy I have the resources and support for saving for Sunny Days to purchase our Home.


What are your tips for a first time home buyer?

Sunny Days start here.  At SunTrust, they have the tools and resources to help you achieve your sunny day. Start here to find out how they can help you enjoy the things that matter to you.
At SunTrust Bank their purpose is lighting the way to financial well-being. When you feel confident about your money, you can save for your goals and spend knowingly on what matters most to you.  They know we all live for the sunny days and want to you help you live yours.
For even more sunny day inspiration visit yoursunnyday.com
Subscribe to the Shine newsletter and receive inspiration and advice twice a month to help you live for a sunny day.
Visit the SunTrust resource center anytime for help achieving your financial goals.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of SunTrust Bank. The opinions and text are all mine.

When my husband and I got engaged we knew we wanted to get married right away. I didn't really care for a big wedding so we set out to get married in August of 2008 after getting engaged on December of 2007. I started planning a small wedding by looking at dresses and small venues. Things started getting overwhelming for me and I decided to scratch that plan and get married in Vegas with just us two.


When I suggested the plan to my family they seemed pretty upset. They wanted to be a part of my wedding and so did I. I went back to my original plan but by that time it was too late and with things closing up and last minute fees and we just didn't have the budget. We decided to get married at the court house with our family there and then celebrate with a huge dinner at our favorite restaurant. We vowed to have a huge renewal and reception later in life.


Now that my daughter is 3 and we have our finances in order we decided to start saving for a renewal wedding for our 10th year anniversary. We have 3 years to plan so we got smart and decided to save for that Sunny day now with the help of SunTrust Bank and their Sunny Day Wedding Planning site.

Once my husband and I decided on a budget and list of things we wanted for the renewal wedding we used the Sunny Day Wedding Planning site to see how much we would have to save every month. With their super easy calculator all you have to do is plug in the numbers and it does all of the math for you. Since we are also growing our family and budgeting for that we didn't want to get crazy with the renewal wedding. We played around with the numbers and calculator and found the perfect number to save for.

What tips do you have for saving for a wedding while on a budget? 


Sunny Days start here.  At SunTrust, we have the tools and resources to help you achieve your sunny day. Start here to find out how we can help you enjoy the things that matter most to you.
At SunTrust Bank their purpose is lighting the way to financial well-being. When you feel confident about your money, you can save for your goals and spend knowingly on what matters most to you.  They know we all live for the sunny days and want to you help you live yours.
yoursunnyday.com
Subscribe to the Shine newsletter and receive inspiration and advice twice a month to help you live for a sunny day.
Visit the SunTrust resource center anytime for help achieving your financial goals.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of SunTrust Bank. The opinions and text are all mine.