Life is Like a Cup of Coffee

Spending Fast: Day 13 - How to Move Beyond Convenience

I’m almost halfway through the month of this Spending Fast, and I’ve noticed my biggest struggle is really fighting against convenience. For instance, you need to run errands on the weekend and you will be gone all day. Grabbing a banana or power bar is easy however power bars are not always cheap and sometimes you more than just a bar.

I was thinking about this more and more over the weekend and thought of a couple of things to stock in my pantry/fridge so I can grab ’n go:

Pantry:

·         Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches

·         Protein powder in a Blender Bottle (just add water and ice and shake --- I like Vega chocolate and it also makes sure that I drink enough water in my day)

·          

Fridge (no microwave required):

·         Pesto pasta (in particular tortellini pasta = more hearty) I eat cold and it just reminds me of a pesto salad than COLD pasta.

·         Lettuce/Cheese sandwich (make sure the lettuce is really dry or else it will get soggy) and sometimes I will  put tempeh bacon on this too.

·         Veggie wrap – be careful if putting hummus on this as the spread can make the tortilla wrap soggy. I would go for beans (whole like pinto) or just straight veggies.

·         Yogurts

·         Celery or carrot sticks

·         Chia seed drink – I get the snack/lunch size Tree Top apple juice (plastic bottles), take a sip from the bottle, put 2-3 teaspoons of chia seeds in the bottle, refill with water to the top again, put the top back on and shake. The Chia seeds have omega-3’s, protein, fiber and much more nutrients in them. Also when refrigerated overnight, the chia seeds expand from the liquid and the drink becomes quite filling!

Freezer:

·         Frozen grapes (separate into snack bags to grab ’n go)

 This what I’ve thought of so far however hope to add to it. Please comment if you have other fav, grab ‘n go items even if it is a power bar as maybe it’s heartier than what I eat. Thanks!

Spending Fast: Day 5 - Is FUNCTION an exception to the rule?

Having a little harder time with what is necessity and wants....here's why:

Today I bought the below items are Wal-mart: a permanent coffee filter and a small 3 piece colander set for the hubbie and I totaling $11 for the both of them. Didn't I mention that I was already pretty frugal prior to this Spending Fast?

 

Here's why I'm having a little harder time with the purchases:

1. Coffee Filter - Filters are really cheap to buy and do I really need a permanent one? 
2. Colander Set - We already have a really nice colander at home however it's big and we have limited kitchen space......but it still "works" so why do I need a small 3 piece set?

Justification: They both serve a FUNCTION. 

The permanent coffee filter will eventually help us save money, time (by not having to grab filters if we are out), and it is better for the environment as we can clean it and reuse. As for the colander set, many times, we just a small strainer as it's just my husband and I and I hate using a big colander for something little. Along with washing the big item when I really didn't need that large of kitchen piece for what I was cooking. I try to just tilt my pot and use a wooden spoon to drain the water out however depending on what I'm making, I need all the liquid to be gone.

So I'm not going to "count" these items against my Spending Fast because :

1. They serve a purpose / Have a funciton.
2. They were a frugal purchase.

And lastly.......
Lesson Learned: This Spending Fast is NOT about "just getting by in life."

If I wanted to just "get by in life" I would just be existing. Yes, I could have "gotten by" without either item however at what point do we sacrifice frugality for just being cheap?  We all have justifications for why we spend money on certain purchases.......for me, I guess I'm learning that if it serves a function, saves space and time along with not costing that much and it will last a long time = it is worth the purchase.

YTD Over Goal: $7

Spending Fast: Day 3

So today is already starting a little bit hard =
I wasn't able to make lunch last night with the in-laws in town, and trying to be a good host; so I don't have a lunch :-(

Also tonight, we are invited over to the hubbie's uncle's house and I was told that there will not be any vegetarian/vegan options. I get pretty used to eating something different than others however didn't want to appear rude if I have already eaten before arriving or bring something for me to eat. The hubbie is encouraging me to go buy my food = going against what I'm trying to achieve.......ugh. If I lived closer to town, I would just go home and make something however we live too far out to do so.

Lesson I'm learning: Put your needs before others if you really want to achieve your goal.

P.S. Definitely not used to doing that.....but it's true. If you think about it, even on a spiritual or physical level (i.e. wanting a more calm life or to lose weight), in order to achieve your goal, you can't give in.......you have to stand for what you know is good for you.

SOLUTION  Going to Qdoba and using a buy one get one free coupon --- so still "saving" with a free burrito that I will bring with me tomorrow while running errands in town all day.

Over Goal: Aprox. $7

My Spending Fast

So I'm giving myself the 30 challenge before quitting my job to go on a "Spending Fast." I live a pretty frugal life already so honestly this is going to be a little hard honestly…..

I'm telling myself to spend money on only what I NEED instead of, "Well, it's under $5…ya only live once……." and any other excuse to spend beyond my needs. Also to boot, I live about 30mins out of town so if I forget something at home of needs something, including a snack, I plan to bring more with me in my car as a "just in case."

In order to help me with this Fast, so I have my priorities and focus, I have made a list of what I believe to be need and want:

Need:	Wants:
Groceries	Eating out/happy hours 1x/week - more of bummer as I was pretty frugal when I did go out = normally spending $10
Mortgage	Gifts - will be recycling, re-gifting or making all gifts
Cell phone/internet	Haircuts
Utilities	Clothes
School loan payment	New hobbies or crafts
Gas	Groupons or Living Social Deals
Auto Incidentals (just in case = have to get to school)	Specialty Coffees at Coffee Shops
Medical exams	Contact Lenses

As you can see from Wants List, that I really don't have anything extravagant. My haircuts along with color, styling, waxing were under $60 an appointment. Now, I am dying my own hair from color and processor that I get from Sally's that cost $6-8 for both however it lasts me about 6-8 months totaling a whopping $1/month. For eating out or happy hour, luckily I live in Reno where I can go for a happy hour or get something to eat for under $10. I normally ate out only one time a week any how so…..it'll be interesting to see how I get around this one.

Couple of Clarifications:

1. Specialty Coffees at Coffee Shops - I'm allowing drip coffee as it's much cheaper but the main reason for this is some study groups for school meet at Starbucks and sometimes it good to keep in contact with some of your professional network. To save even more money, When I can buy Starbucks bagged coffee on sale (or ask for it for Christmas gifts) and then use the empty bag to get my FREE coffee. I also have a gold card that I use in order to rack up points towards a free food item or coffee.
2. Contact Lenses - I wear glasses and contact lenses. I prefer to wear my contacts when I'm dancing, or doing other physical activities; however, I just bought my last pair of glasses and now have "an extra pair" as my bang-up glasses. I am not really in a position to afford more contacts and the solution to clean then when I need food and gas.

Lastly, the reason why I am doing this beyond the obvious of needing to live like this once I quit my job to not go into debt due to cost of living expenses, is……..I have a lot of things at home that I have once bought and never worn, used, make into that craft/gift, etc. and would like to downsize what I have and only keep what I need and use on a regular basis.

Thanks for stating the journey with and if you have any tid-bits of advice, I would gladly appreciate a comment on this blog.

Yoga and Your Immune System - a Huffington Post article

Article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/24/yoga-immune-system-genetic-_n_3141008.html

Sent by Valerie Ram Rattan

1 minute updo

 

This literally too my 1 minute to do :-)

 

I'm in finals week so ponytails and updo's it is so anything quick that I can accessorize and look acceptable is perfect. (I didn't accessorize this look however you can add flowers and barrettes, etc. for fun.

 

Steps:

1. Put your in a high ponytail
2. Pull the elastic away from the scalp so you can part your hair, leaving a channel for the hair to be pulled through
3. Pull you hair through the channel from the bottom up (so now the ponytail hair is flipped upwards)
4. Flip your head forward and back comb the hair
5. Put an elastic at the bottom of the ponytail hair (may need to comb out the tease a little on the top hair for "neatness")
6. Tuck the elastic underneath the hair, close to the first elastic and bobby pin into place