Budget. Fail.

This weekend drove me on a wild adventure...to Costco! My friend, Mary, has a Costco membership and was kind enough to let me use her membership and take a shopping adventure to see if I can save some money for food.

Me and my giant cart!

Costco was super cool and I found a lot of items where I could REALLY save some money! For instance, fish oil and multivitamins. I bought these giant bottles of fish oil and multivitamins. They were about $10.00 a piece. However, I will not have to buy more vitamins or fish oil for over a year! If we average it out as well, you see how little you actually pay! My multivitamins cost $11.75 for 500 pills. That is  about $.02 per vitamin! Fish oil is $8.99 for 400. That is also only $.02 per pill. That is cheap! I think I came away with quite a good deal!

Other things I purchased included spinach (bulk - I've been going through a lot of that lately with the new life eating changes), limes, almond milk (bigger half gallons that I believe should last me through August), quinoa, frozen berries for smoothies, avocados, toilet paper and agave syrup. My total bill was $166.00!! I was shocked, I bet my jaw dropped! However, I do have to look at this as an investment. Toilet paper - 36 rolls! I think it has taken me about 2 months to get through the 18 rolls that I had. Four months and no having to buy TP? I think that more than makes up for it. Quinoa, won't have to buy that for a while. I'm interested to see how long the frozen berries will last me. I've been making lots of things with berries but I think that this should hold out a while and may be cheaper than having to buy bag after bag of frozen berries. I also bought a HUGE bag of chicken. This should last me for quite a while and I won't have to keep making trips to the grocery store. My hope is that this will all even out and that it was in fact,  a wise investment. Over this month it will help me to better judge if I made a good investment or not. Despite going over my budget, I believe the products that I chose will last and I will be able to utilize them before they go bad. Next month, I may spend much less due to these bulk purchases!

My giant bag of lettuce!

Grocery cart with only SOME of my items!

Protein powder in bulk! I'll be hitting this up when I've finished my container at home!

Giant box of strawberries that Mary and I split.

Do you shop in bulk to save money? Do you find it as a wise investment? How much money do you think you save? What items have you found are worthwhile and which ones aren't?

You splurge, you purge!

I've begun to notice a new pattern. I recently had the realization that I was falling back into some nasty old habits.

I told you all about the beautiful dresses and bag that Sonya had sent me for my birthday. I probably failed to notify you all of the other shirts and accessories I've acquired since my meeting day with Sally. Yes, some of them were to obtain pieces that I was missing. However, some of my more recent purchases were just...well, frivolous. It recently occurred to me that I have not been sticking by a rule that I created for myself upon moving into this new place. Every time that I  take in a new item, I need to get rid of another item. 

I've taken in a few items lately:

1. A pair of super cute Mary Janes that my sister bought for me from the Goodwill for only $3.00-NEW!

2. A purse I got from Steeple People for $3.50.

3. A backpack for biking with my laptop for $3.00 from Steeple People.

4. Cute new summer shirt from My Sister's Closet!

I was going through my closet the other day, realizing my hangers were dwindling. Yes, I had acquired more new items than I remembered and haven't got rid of any. Thus, the search through my items began. I grabbed a few bags, some dresses I haven't worn in YEARS and some shirts that just don't fit right any more and marched my way to the thrift stores. I stopped at Everyday People and Buffalo Exchange and sold what I could and donated the remainder. 

Dress not worn for ages. Time for resell!

Bag full and ready for donation!

It appears some old habits such as going out are reoccurring as well. I think that my birthday lunches and some other events really spoiled me in the month of April and I forgot about my need for thrifty! May will be spent working on getting back into my thrift mode. Amazing how addicting those restaurant foods seem to be! Suck you right in!

Today's dinner: green and red peppers, onion and cheese omelet over a toasted whole grain roll. 

Thinking of making another huge pot of minestrone to last me for a while tomorrow. Now that I'm fully purged of my items, I'm fully prepared to get back on track with cooking and minimizing!

Achievement!

It was a very long weekend this weekend with lots of running about with friends and family. My sister came into town for a visit so I went home for a night and spent time with her. It was great fun!

Trying out a mohawk hat for size at MGM.

Before going home, I met with my friends, Kenna and Heather, for a lunch. It was my second time out this month.  We went to Midtown Global Market for some lunch and to browse around. There was one sit-down restaurant in MGM but when I saw the prices, I knew I could not afford it with my $25.00 limit for this month. I kindly asked my friends if we could go to one of the stands nearby and they happily obliged. I ended up with a coffee and a $5.00 pancake and bacon plate. Pretty good! All in all, the meal was $7.94. Not too shabby.

That brings my anti-Sarah Palin donation campaign total up to: $20.43!

I still have the karaoke outing for the food shelf to go to, so perhaps I can find ONE drink for $4.00 then, my month is complete!

My major achievement this week however, doesn't have to do with the anti-donation campaign, although it is somewhat tied in. While at home, I took the opportunity to do my last training with my sister-in-law, Amy, at the Hastings YMCA. Check her out for training sessions! If you are in Minneapolis, check out my friend Mary at the Blaisdell YMCA! They get results people! :)

Amy and I regularly take body measurements throughout the course of my training. We measure inches as well as body fat percent. We measured first and I had lost in some areas. I didn't think I had changed that significantly. After, we took my body fat percent. I was amazed! I dropped 3% body fat. Now at my lowest ever recorded body fat percent! I could believe it! This is the lowest I've been since before I started my OLD job, the job I hated! Before 2008! I don't know what to attribute this change to except that now I am eating at home, am less stressed and much happier with life. I don't think that I'm doing anything that different that I hadn't done in the past except for eating out less and cooking more at home. It appears to be paying off!

I still enjoy pizza, but I make it at home from scratch. I still divulge in snacks as I used to, but try and make them healthy snacks. However, I don't eat much boxed foods anymore (on a very rare occasion, some mac and cheese) but mainly, I've been cooking it all from scratch. It appears that getting away from going out and boxed foods has made a significant difference. I assume I have eliminated many of the preservatives and additives in my food this way. So, I'm sticking with this now! Not only for my pockets but for my waistline!

Too good to pass up!

What was your big achievement this weekend? What small changes have you made in your life that have yielded big results?

Reveling in small victories!

Today I was admiring some small accomplishments I have made this week. Yes, I get excited about the smallest thing, but to me, they are huge victories on my path to accomplishing my goals.

I finished an entire bag of navel oranges today. Yes, that is one of my victories: finishing a bag of oranges! Here's the thing; I'm notoriously picky with my fruit. There is something about food and texture that tend to clash for me, causing a sort of "wasteful" effect. I like my fruit firm. Almost all of it. Plums, nectarines, oranges, strawberries, grapes, apples...the list goes on. Texture can make or break a food for me. That being said, I've never been able to finish a bag of oranges on my own. I would buy it but then would throw many of them out because I would think they were too mushy for me. I pushed on this time and realized my perceived mushiness on the outside, wasn't really mushy at all on the inside. Today, I finished the very last orange! Very exciting for me!

Sunkist oranges: no match for me!

Also, I've actually been getting down on cleaning out my freezer! I've eaten a lot of the stuff in there already. It looks semi-full still, but believe me...it actually was much more full. I've eliminated stocks, beans, lots of chicken. I've also finally gotten many of my beans and diced tomatoes down too! I guess I didn't really need to go to the store all that often anyways! ;) I'm still working on cleaning it out, but this has been a bit of a small victory for me this week. As for my fridge? It's pretty empty except for a few things I bought today. Yep, that's why I need to go and visit ALDI.

Freezer: Frozen soup, stock, chicken chili, 3 bags cheese, chicken and some veggies. 

Fridge: Not much but some strawberries, leftover frosting,  milk, apple juice and string cheese (told you I'm an addict).

Cupboard: This was FULL of dice tomatoes, beans and tomato sauces before. I'm doing a good job of cleaning it out! ;) 

Lower shelves: Grains: Lots of pasta, beans and rice to go. Won't need to buy that for a while!

I've also discovered ALDI has ruined me for all other stores. I went to go there tonight and forgot it closes early. Instead, I went to Rainbow. When I got there though, the prices seemed ridiculous to me! I couldn't justify paying that much when I knew there was another store down the road that offered the same things at much lower prices! I got only what I REALLY needed and decided I will make a trip to ALDI after work tomorrow.

What small victories have you been celebrating this week?

Partay!

This weekend, I attended a birthday party for my good friend, Mary. The party was at Punch Neapolitan Pizza, a place I'd never been to before. As I have my anti-donation/budgeting campaign going on, as any good budgeter would do, I checked the menu online first. The prices were reasonable.  I thought that I would be able to swing it if I just didn't have a drink. I got the margherita pizza and it was delicious! It was $6.74 with tax. Not too bad for a huge pizza. It was quite tasty! I opted for water at Punch fearing the worst for the bar that was to come. 

Punch.  Note: decently sized pizzas! :)

We later headed over to one of my favorite places to dance, The Front. They play a really fun variety of music and it's a laid back atmosphere that isn't like going out to the "club". I love it! I requested some Dee Lite and danced the night away! I did splurge on a single drink at the bar. It was $5.75 including the $1.00 tip I left (I may be on a budget but wouldn't skip out on tipping!). I was quickly realizing that this $25.00 budget is going to be REALLY difficult. I've already spent $12.49! Half of my budget! I was also invited to another birthday party next weekend...I don't know how I am going to manage. I am quickly beginning to worry that I may have to donate to Ms. Palin. I REALLY don't want to do that so I'm going to have to figure something out! If there were no parties, I feel like I could easily stick to this budget, but as I have been invited out, I'm struggling. Are there tricks that I don't know? Is $25 way too unrealistic?

The gals and I at The Front.

I wanted to get Mary a present for her birthday, but as funds are tight, I realized that wasn't an option. I opted for making her something. I made her a lovely dozen of cupcakes from scratch! I had most of the ingredients already at my house and swung by ALDI for a few extras. I did buy the frosting though, as I didn't have time to make my own. The recipe I used can be found here. It is the very first one listed.

'Happy Day Mary!'

In other exciting budgeting news, I used my tax return to pay off some credit card debt I hope to soon eliminate, bought renter's insurance as well as car insurance. By switching to a different company and combining both of these, I will be saving $120 per year. I also no longer have to purchase AAA as the car insurance company that I switched already had towing and rental car reimbursement as part of their plans! Another approximately $100 saved! I was very happy about that!

Me and the "Bou" mug!

I used one of my 2 "coffee out" days today! It was heavenly. Caribou Coffee has a sale on medium mochas for $3 between 3pm and 6pm. Furthermore, I purchased a travel mug a while back which saves me $.50 per coffee! Nice! I got a really cheap mocha today and I used the gift card I got from my brother and sister-in-law to buy it! If I keep that up, I can make that card last! ;) I do love a Caribou Pumpkin White Chocolate Mocha though...YUM! So glad they exist! Thanks Caribou!

What is your "going out" budget? What do you do when you're invited to lots of events? Any tricks that you have found to stay within your budget?

I am an addict...ALDI is my drug!

I had my very first visit to ALDI yesterday. It was AMAZING! I have to say that I was very impressed with the selection there. Despite the fact they only have 1,400 of the "fastest moving items", I sure didn't notice it.

Some purchases that astounded me:

Item		Another store			ALDI
Garlic powder	2.87 oz.	$1.74 (on sale)		5.5oz	$.99
String cheese	12 ct.	$3.99		12 ct.	$2.49
Milk	1 gal.	$2.99		1 gal.	$2.39
Tomato paste	6 oz.	$.75		6 oz.	$.39
Veggie chips	7 oz.	$3.79		7.5 oz.	$1.69
Strawberries	16 oz.	$3.99 (on sale)		16 oz.	$1.69
Pasta sauce	24 oz.	$2.39 (on sale)		24 oz.	$1.79
Macaroni & Chz	1 box	$.79		1 box	0.29

The grand totals for these items? Another store: $20.43        ALDI: $11.72

That's a difference of $8.71 or approximately 43% savings! That is more than when I was couponing and this time, no coupons were involved! I'd say that's a pretty good deal!

I don't think I've seen Mac & Cheese that cheap since I was a kid! And the spices?! Don't even get me started on the spices! Do you know how much those teeny little jars of spices cost at other grocery stores?! ALDI is my new place!

I walked around and realized that some items, (of course), if I found a coupon for them, I could get them a bit cheaper. The only problem is I don't ALWAYS have a coupon at the same time I have the NEED. I only have so much cupboard space to store them till I do have the need. I will continue clipping some coupons for certain items that I do not desire to bend on; i.e. some personal care items and some meats. If I ultimately see a great coupon purchase, I will utilize it. However, I plan to continue doing the majority of my shopping at ALDI. I am now a convert. :)

With regards to food this week, I've been cleaning out my freezer. With the purchase of a butternut squash and some chicken I cooked, I uncovered some frozen pasta sauces in my freezer that I could stand to use. I made a delicious butternut squash soup last night and had it for lunch today and will tomorrow. I also froze a bunch. I made a new chicken stock tonight and will be making another soup with that tomorrow but will be freezing most of that soup for future meals. ;) I realized a new mission to deplete my freezer and some cupboards is an undertaking that I need to work on. Why buy more when I have a ton here already?! This is what I will be working on over the next week.

Have you ever shopped at ALDI or another discount supermarket like it? How did you like it? What are your impressions? Do you continue to shop there?

Grandpa's birthday

My grandfather turned 91 years old this past week. This weekend, my family gathered at his and my grandmother's home (grandma is 86) to celebrate with a feast of soups and chili, cold cut sandwiches, salads and of course...cake.

It's an amazing feat to turn 91. My grandfather, actually starting last year, has expressed every year since then that he cannot believe that he has made it to his current age. He talks of how his own father passed away at 86 years of age and how he never fathomed living to see 91 years old.

While this is a subject that my grandfather finds so unbelievable (and it is!), a subject that I find  even MORE unbelievable when I think of my grandma and grandpa is all of the technological advances and changes that they have experienced in their lifetime. Included in these changes, is the notable difference in consumerist patterns.

Grandpa

Grandma

My grandmother and grandfather, offspring of German immigrants, grew up during the Depression Era. As we all know, these were especially hard times. From stories I've been told, my grandfather grew up in a poor family. He did not have the money to go to school and had to be working when he was young. Education is something he finds very important for his grandchildren. When he finally met my grandmother, they decided to get married and have a family of their own. At that time, he also did not have the money to purchase his own farmland. Luckily, my grandfather was able to obtain some land from my grandmother's family and finally, years later, was able to purchase a farm of his own. Despite my grandfather's lack of schooling, I've been told that he was a most excellent and wise farmer. I've heard my father reminisce in the past about the amazing farming skills and knowledge that my grandfather possessed. Rightly so, as he and my grandmother successfully raised five boys and, by the time I came around, my grandfather had a huge farm that he maintained and yes, owned.

Occasionally, my family and I chat and poke fun at the habits that my grandmother and grandfather have when it comes to saving and reusing things. It is not meant to be negative, but I frequently think of it as our own lack of understanding as to just how difficult things must have been for them at times and how little we can actually relate.

Dad as a youngster.

My grandma and grandpa must have been amazing when it came to spending, not out of desire like myself, but out of necessity. I frequently ask my father to recount stories previously told to me about the way he grew up. Candy and sweets, something I consider an almost obligatory and unquestionable part of childhood, were not a regular part of my father's childhood. Instead, trips to a bakery, once a month I believe, were made where they lined the bed of a truck and shoveled all of the day old baked goods into the bed. Later, they would sort these baked goods at home between what was salvageable and what wasn't. They relished in the sweet breads that were edible and that was likely all the sweets they had. Of course, my dad did not grow up with a television, (I don't have one out of choice), and if I remember correctly, one was finally purchased when he graduated from high school. Plumbing? Nope. Yes, in the cold Minnesota winters, an outhouse was in use. I believe that my grandmother churned her own butter and also made her own soaps. My grandmother was also a seamstress and I imagine that many of my father and his brothers' clothing was handmade.

Grandma and I

Despite the few giggles that my family and I share about my grandmother and grandfather's habits at times, I ultimately think of my grandparent's as the ultimate frugal beings. Yes, perhaps some of their habits are odd to my family and I, but I can only imagine that so many years of practicing these habits, always preparing for the worst - the crop that is destroyed by storms, necessary machinery unexpectedly breaking down, cattle falling ill -  makes them very difficult to break. Just in the same way, my spending habits are equally as hard to break. I am most certain, that I could stand to learn some of the skills my grandmother and grandfather possess. This blog is for grandma and grandpa, strong survivors of the times - through and through.

Do you have any relatives with whom you can relate this story? What are their stories? What could you learn from them?

Oh no! My board is blank!

The other day, I posted about feeling frustrated about not having worked on some goals I need to be working towards. I have been losing some motivation in other areas as well. I will discuss this later.

While I have my large goal board which identifies longer term goals, another tool that I've been utilizing to accomplish everyday mini-goals is my whiteboard. It hangs on my door and I see it every day when I come and go. I like to write mini-goals that I would like to accomplish every day in working towards accomplishing the larger goals.

The whiteboard came with a marker (of course) which has a teeny tiny eraser at the end. This teeny tiny eraser gives me HUGE satisfaction. I use it to wipe out every mini-goal that I accomplish! It signifies another task completed, bringing me one step closer to the finish line! 

Lately, I've been letting these mini-goals slide and I haven't been writing anything down. Could this be contributing to the lack of motivation I've been feeling? Not having any sense of accomplishment can feel, well...let's face it, uninspiring. Completing some task, albeit small, gives me a great sense of joy and pride and reminds me what I'm working towards! 

Today, I've decided that the whiteboard mini-goals are BACK! Every day, a new mini-goal will be placed up and with hope, erased!

My previously mentioned other areas of slipping?

I've been letting myself slip with my food and thrifty eating lately as well. I played dodgeball till late last night and therefore grabbed a slice of pizza from Pizza Luce. Pizza Luce has AMAZING pizza, I highly recommend it. You can even buy it by the slice which is ideal for someone living on a budget. Now, just eating Pizza Luce wouldn't have been a problem, however getting back late last night also lead me to not cook something for today for lunch. I ended up getting Chinese takeout. Le sigh. Tonight, I made a command decision to change that!

I stopped by the grocery store down the road and purchased Thousand Hills Cattle Company ground beef. Yes, it is a bit pricier than regular beef. However, it is locally raised cattle and also all of the cows are grass fed and not given hormones or antibiotics. How great is that?! I spent $7.99 for a 16 oz pack of 18/15 lean beef and it was well worth it. I do not purchase beef often so when I do, I am willing to do my part to contribute to the environment. I also know for a fact that they sell it at the Kingfield Market in the summer. Check them out and do your part! Support your local farmers (my Grandpa was one) and the environment! Even though I live on a budget and don't buy beef often, when I do, I try and spring for the good stuff and make it a locally raised and environmentally friendly choice.

I purchased the beef today because I decided that I could make chili. I had all of the other ingredients at home. I put half of the package of the beef in a pot and cooked it with some diced onion. I made the rest of the beef into two patties and threw them in the freezer for another day. I then added a package of my frozen already-prepared kidney beans, a can of white beans, 2 cans of diced tomato, a green pepper that was soon to go bad, a lot of chili powder, some pepper and garlic powder and there you have it: chili! :) Now I have some lunch for tomorrow too!

Do you have your own "whiteboard" at home? How do you ensure you are achieving small steps to work towards your big goals everyday?

A minimalist's post...

A motto to live by! (Taken from the streets in Portland, OR. by yours truly).

Last night, I went shopping...and didn't spend a dime!

Yes, you read right! My friend, Mary, (that genius of a woman!), organized a clothing swap for myself and a bunch of other girls to get together and swap clothes; getting rid of those that we don't need and with hope, finding ones that somebody else doesn't need and exchange. It was also just a chance for a group of goofy girls to hang out together and have a good time, sans spending.

Ah, the merchandise!

Mary reclaiming items she meant for exchange, isn't she a doll? 

Trying on Mary's roller derby bloomers for size.

Nita trying out a headband.

I found a most excellent top. The moment I saw it, I just knew it was meant for me! Today, I jazzed it up with some accessories I had purchased for $2.00 at Goodwill and my NEW boots from Steve Madden that finally came in the mail! I was super pumped and felt like I was looking smokin' hot! I really am feeling a self-confidence boost from all of these great fitting clothes and just knowing what to do with them and how to put it all together. It IS true! If you look good, you will FEEL good! :)

I went out today and did a little more shopping...but this time, it did cost money! I have been in contact with Sally since I purchased my Banana Republic jeans and it turns out, those weren't the right fit for me. She recommended that I check out the Heritage jeans at Talbot's. It's a spendy store, but guess what? The jeans were on sale for 25% off and cost the same amount as the Banana Republic ones! Yippee!

I think I found 2 pair, that actually fit me just as I think that they should! I sent Sally a pic to double check, but I think I nailed it down. Now, to the thrift store to sell my other jeans so that I can recoup some of the spending!

Have you ever had a clothing swap or another type of get together where you switched belongings rather than purchase them? What was it? What was your favorite item you obtained?

A coffee dilemma.

I was recently asked at a sales party, what I would do with an extra $1,000 per month. Of course, the person was promoting positions within this sales company. While I certainly do not need another job, it did make me contemplate how I would utilize extra money, should I have it.

What would I do? My answer was this: pay bills! 

This can more easily be tied to one of the loves of my life. Nope, not a man...COFFEE. I drink at least a cup to two per day. Previously, coffee was an every day outing to Caribou Coffee, Dunn Bros., Starbucks, Spyhouse, Uncommon Grounds or the like. Of course, with trying to be less wasteful and save money. This nasty habit had to be kicked...fast! 

I've taken a quick moment to calculate exactly how much one might spend with a habit like the one formerly known as, "Alyssa's Habit". If you had one flavored latte per day at a coffee shop, the price would likely be $4.00. $4 x 365 days = $1460! That's enough to pay for a vacation...outside of the country!

Speaking with a friend recently, I was contemplating what my attraction was to going out for coffee rather than just having it at home? My coffee maker has had a long history of sitting in its own isolated corner of my kitchen collecting dust. For the most part, it appeared to be a decoration rather than a tool. 

What makes me feel SO great about going out to get a cup of coffee? Is it just the fancy whipped cream and highly sweetened lattes? Is it the lure of "see and be seen"? Do I simply relate coffee as being a social activity and just enjoy the atmosphere of being out around people? Am I simply lazy and having someone else make it for me is so much more appealing? Has it become an emotional comfort?

I don't know if I have come up with an answer to this question. It could be that it is a combination of all of these things. Though I don't know the answer to the why yet, I do know the answer to the how the heck do I solve this problem?!

I've decided  to utilize several resources to attack the issue at hand: wasting paper cups and wasting my money on coffee I could just as easily make at home. During the week, I've decided to only drink coffee at work. My work provides it for free, so why not utilize it? Sure, it isn't any fancy organic or flavored coffee, but it does the trick. I make my own coffee at home during the weekends. Since I drink it all week at work, I also don't have to purchase my own coffee grounds quite as often. I've begun purchasing a larger container of half and half. I pour part of it into a jar that I keep in the fridge at home to use during the weekends and I take the other part of the carton to work. A teaspoon of sugar and some half and half and I'm off to coffee bliss.

Have I completely eliminated the fancy schmancy coffees? Nope. I've decided to allow myself 2 coffees per month, a budge of $10. I've stuck to this for the last two months. I'm not going to lie and say that it's easy to do this. It is quite trying to not slip back into this old habit sometimes. I don't have a refillable coffee cup to use when I do go to the coffee shops. I would like to purchase one of these at some point to eliminate using the paper cups all together. I have realized though, when I am able to go to get the fancy coffees...I savor and appreciate it even more!

My new coffee habit savings? $4.00 x 24 days = $96.00. Much more manageable and pleasant to think about than the previous number.

Food news for the evening:

I got sick of minestrone tonight so I made a fried egg sandwich. You can't see in this picture because it is gone already, but I did add some green pepper to it. This is a ciabatta roll (I had bought some to go with the minestrone and then I froze the leftover rolls) buttered and grilled in a pan, shredded mild cheddar cheese and an egg (a little runny only). Was soooo delicious! 

Egg, cheese, green pepper and ciabatta roll.

I also made myself a small treat. This is a dessert my mother used to make when I was younger and something she continues to make for herself quite frequently. My love for this dessert was only reinforced when I lived in Mexico for a year. Of course the way it's made in Mexico is a little different and longer process than this, (I've made it before), however this is my quick method.  It is "arroz con leche" in Mexico and I don't know a name for it in English but it's rice, milk, cinnamon and sugar. I had some leftover brown rice I made a little while ago for a dish and it was going bad quick. I needed to eat this small amount left. I put the rice and milk in a pan and heated until the milk thickened a little and it was visibly cooking. I then mixed in a small amount of sugar and some cinnamon!  Raisins or Craisins go really good in it as well. Delicious!

Make-shift "arroz con leche".

Do you have any nasty spending habits that you would like to kick? What has your tactic been in conquering your habit? What type of savings could you make by changing your habit and what would you do with the savings?

Organization mania.

I have been slacking. A lot. I'm still working on my goals, but somehow these last couple of weeks, I seem to have lost some steam! Contemplating this last night, I realized I need to get my butt back in gear again, at the very least with blogging!

This past weekend, I did have some organization mania. Along with simplifying, I need to organize and get less cluttered! My head feels chaotic when I have so much stuff and even more so when it is strewn about!

This weekend I worked on some of these tasks. I had a drawer full of ziploc baggies to store my meats and frozen goods as well as bags of teas tossed in the drawer. Some loose leaf teas were still in their original paper bag and I others that were in boxes, but already in tea bags. The boxes took up so much space it didn't seem I could fit any other items in the drawer. I began by pouring all of the the loose leaf teas into some glass containers to better store them. Then, I took all of the tea bags out of their boxes and combined them all in a plastic tupperware container for easier storage. Then a little other rearranging and VOILA!

I then began working at my filing cabinet. Now, it would be good if a filing cabinet had an order to it, wouldn't it? This is what they are for after all. Mine, did not. I did have to spend some money going out to Office Max to buy some expandable folders. Many of my files have smaller items that I didn't want falling out. I went through all of them and began to label all of the folders. Now? My documents are easy to find and file! I did have one problem, however. I made a "coupon" file. It has since occurred to me that this is completely useless and disorganizes all of the organization I just accomplished! I hopped on to Amazon.com and purchased a new coupon holder that is magnetic and will attach to my fridge! It has an area to store a scissors and cards for categories. I will have to start clipping the coupons I get immediately and filing them. The cost was $8 and no shipping was charged. Today, while working at the food shelf, I also realized I could simply bring in the coupons that I don't utilize; coupons for diapers, formula and food coupons, and keep them in my office for those interested! It will be my new contribution to the food shelf! Can't wait!

Out with the old...

In with the new!

Finally, I had bought a new microfiber mop and a broom. Microfiber will be a huge cost savings due to not having to purchase disposable cloths and will also help me to eliminate waste.  I hooked these to my wall with some 3M hooks. Nice and handy, but still out of the way.






I used another 3M hanger to hang my grocery bags. I try and only use the reusable grocery bags when I go to the store. Not only does it get me a discount at Rainbow Foods, but it's better than using tons of paper and plastic. I like to have them handy and this 3M hanger (originally meant for cords) is very useful as I know they will not fall off but are right within quick reach when I'm out the door.

Other side projects involve:

Food

I made myself a treat for Valentine's weekend! I've been craving going out for brunch. Breakfast foods are my favorite and a weakness of mine was frequent brunching out. Rather than going out, I realized I had some old pancake mix and I went out to purchase some Jimmy Dean sausage that was on sale. I made the lowest amount on the pancake box and had 2 pancakes left over which I froze in a Ziploc bag. I at them later in the week.

In addition, I set out on a new project of starting to use beans in bulk rather than cans. Just a little more healthy and a bit cheaper. I read how to prepare these using the quick method: Boil for 2 minutes and then let sit in the hot water for an hour. Super easy! I did have one downfall in that I think these could cook a little longer. I used some of these to cook a soup (see below) and they were not completely done. I would recommend a little more time for boiling. This is something I will have to continue to experiment with.

I portioned out the beans into baggies with a cup per baggie. I poured a little extra water into each baggie as I've read they keep better with liquid in them. I put 2 cups of the red beans aside to use for this WONDERFUL minestrone soup! It's a mimic of Olive Garden's recipe and I love it! I have been making this soup for a while now and every time I do, it feeds me all week! I've been thinking about portioning some aside and freezing it, just not sure if it will taste the same. I used my own vegetable broth that I made in the minestrone soup.

Veggie broth:

Place any leftover vegetables except leafy vegetables and broccoli into a stock pot. I used potatoes, onions, celery and carrots.  Put enough water into the pot to cover the vegetables. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 1.5 hours. Add water as needed when it begins to get low.

My minestrone:

Clothing and STYLE!

I've been working all week on putting together outfits and I feel like I'm actually getting a hang of this! It does however, require me to do some extra shopping and spending. The boots I had before were not the most flattering for me, as Sally at alreadypretty.com informed during my consult. They were hitting me at the widest part of my calf. I set out this weekend to look for boots. I checked at all the thrift stores, but found nothing. I headed out to the Mall of America. I was scared because I honestly hate shopping, especially at the Mall of America. I went to almost every shoe store and couldn't find any boots I liked. Then...Steve Madden's came into my life. I picked the best time! Boots were on sale! I found this pair which I think will work well. I am going to purchase the brown pair. These were marked down about $70. Then, I picked up a 2nd pair, a different style with heels, that were black for only $19! They were originally over $100! What a steal! What do you think?

I also went to the Goodwill over the weekend to pick up some extra things Sally had encouraged me to look for. I got a really cute green sweater and a purple scarf as well as some accessories. I'm so proud I've been able to come up with some really cute outfits on my own with these items! I've been taking some pictures and here they are! :)

Sally had also encouraged me to try on some high waisted jeans as I'm a pair shaped woman and these would be the most flattering for my figure. I bought a pair, (also on sale), at Banana Republic. I think that this is how they are supposed to fit and I can definitely see the benefit as there is no space in the back of the pants like usual with low rise pants. Yea! No more plumber's cleavage! :)

All of this clothing and feeling good about how I look reminds me of another goal: I need to get on top of losing my stress pounds! I've maintained the 5 pounds lost that I had previously discussed but it is time to get down to business. I'm ready to get back to the health me! I've been exercising more lately and I'm really going to try and make an effort to eat better as well. I also joined a dodgeball team which has been an exciting way to be active and meet new people.

I guess after looking over all of this, I realize I have achieved some goals this week, haven't I? ;)