My husband and I are intentionally delaying having human babies, and we're doing so for a lot of reasons, like, you know, hoping to have a disposable income just for a little while. I've noticed that there are tons of articles circulating on the web about things to not say to pregnant women, mothers, and that whole group but there isn't a whole lot out there in the way of people who are intentionally child-free, be it temporarily or permanently. In an effort to spread some kindness in the world, I thought I'd take a minute to compile a list of things not to say to couples without children.
1) So, when are you going to have kids?
This one is hard, because lots of people think this is acceptable small talk, especially if you're about to get married or have just gotten married since it appears to be the next step. This is not small talk. At the very least it's asking someone to justify their life choices, which is no one's business and at the most it's asking for intimate medical details - you have no clue if the person you're talking to is fertile or not, and since 10% of the population is considered infertile it may be worth thinking about. This hasn't been my personal experience, but there is no easy answer to this question that leaves me feeling satisfied but is short enough to count as small talk. Say instead: So, what's the next big project?
2) It's good to wait - you want to make sure you aren't getting divorced first!
A real, live person said this to me two weeks after my wedding. Thanks for implying that my marriage is on the rocks when you don't know anything about it. Say instead: It'll be nice to have some time alone together.
3) I didn't want to have kids with my ex because I knew he wasn't the one.
See number 2. Say instead: Nothing. Just don't say anything.
4) Then what's the point of being married?
My husband and I got married really young. Not so young that we were fresh out of high school or anything, but young enough for people to assume that our values were way more traditional than they are. And we don't think the point of marriage is to have children. If it were then everyone would have to have fertility testing and the 10% mentioned above would be denied marriage licenses. Say instead: I'm so glad marriage is suiting you both so well.
5) But you would make such good parents!
Again, this one on the surface is a compliment but it implies that we aren't living up to our potential in some way. Like, I'd be a really great astrophysicist if I only applied myself. I could be a great mom if I just had more focus! Say instead: If you ever were to be passionate about parenthood, I think it'd suit you well.
6) Don't you want a little You/Your Husband running around?
Oh yeah, I really want a smaller version of us that will be inherently messy like him AND anal retentive like me! And it's virtually guaranteed that (s)he will be really clumsy and awkward. Let's just pray that they get my love of learning and his bubble butt and love of nature. Not in that order. Say instead: I think if you have children they'd be very special (say this in a non-sarcastic way. Don't imply their child will be delayed in any way).
7) But your kids will be so cute!
This one is similar to number 5, but instead of implying that we aren't living up to our potential that we are somehow missing out on really cute accessories that we can dress up and tote around and, frankly, we think kids are a little more valuable than that. This kind of goes hand in hand with "But you'll be lonely in your old age!" or "Who will take care of you when you're old!" It just feels wrong to have kids solely to create our own caretakers. Children are people too. Say instead: When you do have kids, I'm really excited to see what they will look like. I'm sure they'll be adorable!
Monday, July 11, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
How to Play the CVS Game
Ask any serious couponer what their favorite drug store is and every single one of them will have an opinion. Drug stores are wonderful places to build up stock in basic necessities, learn how to coupon, and save a ton of money all at once. My store of choice is CVS and since I know the most about it I wanted to start there.
The very first thing you need to do before you being shopping is to go get an Extra Care card. Either go to the front desk or request one online. After you obtain said card, go to cvs.com and register it. You'll automatically be sent a $4/20 coupon to use on your next purchase. Registering your card makes it a lot easier to keep track of various rewards and means you'll automatically have coupons sent to your inbox.
Once you register your card, you need to opt into the Beauty Club. This allows you to recieve a $5 coupon for every $50 you spend on health and beauty products. The best part is that they count the full price of the item and you never pay the full price!
And while you're at the store you need to go get a Green Bag Tag. These are little leaf tags that attach to reusable bags or keychains. You scan it once a day when you shop and opt to use a reusable bag or skip one altogether and every fourth scan you get a $1 coupon back!
Now you can finally go shopping. The very first thing you should do when walking into the store is to go to the Red Box of Love. It has a fancier name, like the Extra Care Center somethingorother, but all you need to know is that once a day you can scan your Extra Care card and coupons will pop out the side. Usually they're for candy, but sometimes you can get really great things. Yesterday I got a coupon for a free bottle of vitamins up to $9.99 in value and another woman got a $3/15 purchase coupon. This is also where your beauty rewards print off. It hasn't been confirmed, but it's been noted that people who frequent CVS tend to get better coupons, so don't be discouraged and keep on scanning.
I won't lie to you - if you just walk into CVS and buy whatever it's going to be more expensive than if you went to, say, Wal-Mart and purchased it. The way you get items for free and/or cheap is to carry over Extra Care Bucks (ECB). Every week there are different items that if purchased will yield coupons on the end of your receipt. These coupons can be used just like cash and can really make a dent on your final bill. Most weeks there are items that will return the same amount you spend, and almost always one of those items has a coupon making it a money maker (MM in the biz) because you pay less than you get back. As far as other items go, it kind of varies based on the deals going around at the time and what you need to purchase. It is always better to use your ECB to yield back more ECB. Sometimes you'll end up with more than you had, sometimes less, but ultimately you always want to have some and receive some.
When you get to the register, hand them your Extra Care card, then your items. You may find it cheaper to break your trip into smaller transactions. I've never had a problem doing this, but use some common sense and don't try to do 20 different transactions. I've done 3 before without issues, but some people have done 4 or 5 and it just kind of depends on how quiet the store is and what all is going on in each transaction. Generally, if you have a dollar amount off coupon (like $4/20) then give that one first, then your manufacturer's coupons, then your ECB.
Once the transaction is done, you'll get your receipt and on there you'll find TONS of information. At the top is your store info, purchases, ect. Then after all the normal info you'll find How much you saved on that trip, then how much you've saved to date. Hopefully that's a scary number. Your card will also keep track of how much you've spend each quarter, and at the end of the quarter you receive back 2% of what you've literally given out of pocket. Then your Beauty Club spending and your Extra Buck deals. These usually change weekly, but some are month long deals. The first item will be your bag tag count, then any deals you've done that week. This is helpful when you don't get a print out because you can prove that you either did or did not do the deal. After that will be all of your ECB. These will print out separately per deal. When you use your ECB you have to use the full amount per coupon - you can't use part of one. So if you have an ECB for $10 you need to make your transaction have $10 or more than needs covered. You certainly can use larger ECBs on smaller amounts, but you'll never see the difference again.
That was awfully wordy, but hopefully that covers the majority of it. I'll probably go back and do a Q and A section on CVS to cover some of the nuances that I didn't cover. If you've made it through all of that then pat yourself on the back and go get couponing!
The very first thing you need to do before you being shopping is to go get an Extra Care card. Either go to the front desk or request one online. After you obtain said card, go to cvs.com and register it. You'll automatically be sent a $4/20 coupon to use on your next purchase. Registering your card makes it a lot easier to keep track of various rewards and means you'll automatically have coupons sent to your inbox.
Once you register your card, you need to opt into the Beauty Club. This allows you to recieve a $5 coupon for every $50 you spend on health and beauty products. The best part is that they count the full price of the item and you never pay the full price!
And while you're at the store you need to go get a Green Bag Tag. These are little leaf tags that attach to reusable bags or keychains. You scan it once a day when you shop and opt to use a reusable bag or skip one altogether and every fourth scan you get a $1 coupon back!
Now you can finally go shopping. The very first thing you should do when walking into the store is to go to the Red Box of Love. It has a fancier name, like the Extra Care Center somethingorother, but all you need to know is that once a day you can scan your Extra Care card and coupons will pop out the side. Usually they're for candy, but sometimes you can get really great things. Yesterday I got a coupon for a free bottle of vitamins up to $9.99 in value and another woman got a $3/15 purchase coupon. This is also where your beauty rewards print off. It hasn't been confirmed, but it's been noted that people who frequent CVS tend to get better coupons, so don't be discouraged and keep on scanning.
I won't lie to you - if you just walk into CVS and buy whatever it's going to be more expensive than if you went to, say, Wal-Mart and purchased it. The way you get items for free and/or cheap is to carry over Extra Care Bucks (ECB). Every week there are different items that if purchased will yield coupons on the end of your receipt. These coupons can be used just like cash and can really make a dent on your final bill. Most weeks there are items that will return the same amount you spend, and almost always one of those items has a coupon making it a money maker (MM in the biz) because you pay less than you get back. As far as other items go, it kind of varies based on the deals going around at the time and what you need to purchase. It is always better to use your ECB to yield back more ECB. Sometimes you'll end up with more than you had, sometimes less, but ultimately you always want to have some and receive some.
When you get to the register, hand them your Extra Care card, then your items. You may find it cheaper to break your trip into smaller transactions. I've never had a problem doing this, but use some common sense and don't try to do 20 different transactions. I've done 3 before without issues, but some people have done 4 or 5 and it just kind of depends on how quiet the store is and what all is going on in each transaction. Generally, if you have a dollar amount off coupon (like $4/20) then give that one first, then your manufacturer's coupons, then your ECB.
Once the transaction is done, you'll get your receipt and on there you'll find TONS of information. At the top is your store info, purchases, ect. Then after all the normal info you'll find How much you saved on that trip, then how much you've saved to date. Hopefully that's a scary number. Your card will also keep track of how much you've spend each quarter, and at the end of the quarter you receive back 2% of what you've literally given out of pocket. Then your Beauty Club spending and your Extra Buck deals. These usually change weekly, but some are month long deals. The first item will be your bag tag count, then any deals you've done that week. This is helpful when you don't get a print out because you can prove that you either did or did not do the deal. After that will be all of your ECB. These will print out separately per deal. When you use your ECB you have to use the full amount per coupon - you can't use part of one. So if you have an ECB for $10 you need to make your transaction have $10 or more than needs covered. You certainly can use larger ECBs on smaller amounts, but you'll never see the difference again.
That was awfully wordy, but hopefully that covers the majority of it. I'll probably go back and do a Q and A section on CVS to cover some of the nuances that I didn't cover. If you've made it through all of that then pat yourself on the back and go get couponing!
Things No One Tells You About Raising Chickens
My in-laws decided that we should all jointly raise chickens once Seth left for Academy. I secretly suspect it was a "Keep Colleen Occupied So She Forgets Life Sucks Right Now" project, but the thought of free organic eggs had me researching chickens. There are some things the internet will not tell you about raising chickens, and since chickens are second only to gardening on the homesteading front, I figured I'd share the little that I've gathered along the way.
Chickens Can Fly
It sounds kind of stupid, but most chickens that are raised for eggs can't fly once they've reached adulthood. They're simply too chubby. But when they're young and much slimmer they can hop that fence you made without a second thought. This wouldn't be such a big deal except...
Chickens Are Fast
Again, since adult chickens are chubby, you don't usually think of them being so speedy, but those suckers are really hard to catch. Luckily they can usually be herded, but plan accordingly that you won't be able to catch them once they're out.
Chickens Are Tasty
This one really should be obvious, but I didn't realize how hard it was to keep things from eating your chicks. You would think if chickens have survived without coops forever they'd be able to keep themselves alive IN a coop. Not so. Everything within a 5 mile radius will find your chickens delicious.
Chickens Take Months to Lay Eggs
Most importantly, if you're expecting a fast return then you should look elsewhere. It can take chickens up to 6 months to lay eggs, and if that 6 month marker falls too closely to winter they'll hold off until spring. This is why it's important to get your chicks early and account for 90% of them to either be eaten or to turn out to be boys.
It's Really Hard to Sex Chicks
Or, rather, if you get your chicks at a farm supply store they tend to not bother sexing them. Some online sources are much more accurate. At least most of your roosters will end up eaten one way or another.
With all of that being said, chickens are relatively low maintenance once you side step the whole predator thing, and farm fresh eggs are wonderful sources of vitamins and protein. If you've never had the real thing then you don't know what you're missing. For one, farm eggs are about 10 times darker in coloring than commercial eggs and taste about 100 times better. And once you taste them it's almost impossible to go back to the store stuff.
Chickens Can Fly
It sounds kind of stupid, but most chickens that are raised for eggs can't fly once they've reached adulthood. They're simply too chubby. But when they're young and much slimmer they can hop that fence you made without a second thought. This wouldn't be such a big deal except...
Chickens Are Fast
Again, since adult chickens are chubby, you don't usually think of them being so speedy, but those suckers are really hard to catch. Luckily they can usually be herded, but plan accordingly that you won't be able to catch them once they're out.
Chickens Are Tasty
This one really should be obvious, but I didn't realize how hard it was to keep things from eating your chicks. You would think if chickens have survived without coops forever they'd be able to keep themselves alive IN a coop. Not so. Everything within a 5 mile radius will find your chickens delicious.
Chickens Take Months to Lay Eggs
Most importantly, if you're expecting a fast return then you should look elsewhere. It can take chickens up to 6 months to lay eggs, and if that 6 month marker falls too closely to winter they'll hold off until spring. This is why it's important to get your chicks early and account for 90% of them to either be eaten or to turn out to be boys.
It's Really Hard to Sex Chicks
Or, rather, if you get your chicks at a farm supply store they tend to not bother sexing them. Some online sources are much more accurate. At least most of your roosters will end up eaten one way or another.
With all of that being said, chickens are relatively low maintenance once you side step the whole predator thing, and farm fresh eggs are wonderful sources of vitamins and protein. If you've never had the real thing then you don't know what you're missing. For one, farm eggs are about 10 times darker in coloring than commercial eggs and taste about 100 times better. And once you taste them it's almost impossible to go back to the store stuff.
Time Flies When You're the Only One at Home!
WOW I got really side tracked these past few months. And a LOT has happened! Seth is already most of the way through Academy - his graduation is on July 8th so we're almost home free! I cannot wait to have him home all the time. The extra help around the house is really valuable (not to mention, when he's here all the time he won't drop everything in on Friday and pick it back up on Monday morning, leaving everything to sit there for days on end) not to mention I just kind of miss him. Completing Academy is also a huge career milestone for him and will earn him much more respect as an officer once his training is complete.
In addition to the whole Academy thing, we've celebrated our first anniversary, started house shopping, planted a garden, planned a bridal shower for my best friend, done a little traveling, and welcomed a new baby into our family. Her name's Chloe and she's a boxer/beagle/golden retriever mix. She's already twice the size she was when we got her and she's terrorizing everyone in our house. I've never had a puppy before and it was kind of a shock. Did you know they just come with worms? I didn't. Not that I never expected to have to deal with it, and ya know, it happens, but there was a whole week where I was terrified of anything near her bottom.
I've been diligently couponing as always, but have been horrible about posting any of it. I'm going to need to write an article on how to coupon, as I've had a lot of inquiries lately and should just bite the bullet and write my own piece. Hopefully here shortly I'll be able to put together some couponing and homesteading entries.
In addition to the whole Academy thing, we've celebrated our first anniversary, started house shopping, planted a garden, planned a bridal shower for my best friend, done a little traveling, and welcomed a new baby into our family. Her name's Chloe and she's a boxer/beagle/golden retriever mix. She's already twice the size she was when we got her and she's terrorizing everyone in our house. I've never had a puppy before and it was kind of a shock. Did you know they just come with worms? I didn't. Not that I never expected to have to deal with it, and ya know, it happens, but there was a whole week where I was terrified of anything near her bottom.
 |
| The horror. |
Monday, April 4, 2011
Checklist update
Paint the outside doorsBuild a flowerbedPlant hanging baskets- Plant new flowerbed
- Plant shrubs in front of the house
Put up a hose keeper in the back yard- Do some form of landscaping in the back yard
- Power wash the house
- Repaint the window trim
- Build a compost bin
- Help my Father-in-Law build a chicken coop
- Help build a chicken tractor
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Summer 2011 Checklist
With Seth gone at Academy for most of the summer, I need to keep myself busy! And since I can't possibly have a Pampered Chef show every day this summer, I'm turning my attention to some things around the house. My mom always had a summer to-do list of all the big projects, so I might as well, too! Let's see how many of them I actually get through.
Paint the outside doorsBuild a flowerbedPlant hanging baskets- Plant new flowerbed
- Plant shrubs in front of the house
- Put up a hose keeper in the back yard
- Do some form of landscaping in the back yard
- Power wash the house
- Repaint the window trim
- Build a compost bin
- Help my Father-in-Law build a chicken coop
- Help build a chicken tractor
River Romp!
I should preface this by stating that I've been neglecting the blog because my husband is leaving for police academy on Monday and we've been trying to spend as much quality time together as possible. Because of that, we decided to go do one of our favorite couples activities - fish.
Yeah, it's kind of weird that we love to go fishing together, but it makes him giddy that I go and it reminds me of my dad, who used to make me fish with him. And I like the quality time.
We're lucky enough to live in an area where there are a lot of wooded areas, parks, nature reserves, ect. so finding a place to go fishing within a reasonable distance is pretty easy. We started out at a lake, but soon decided river fishing was where it was at.
We trekked through the woods for about a quarter of a mile, through a creek, over and around fallen trees, and risked life and limb on steep banks, but we got here. And despite all the brown still, it was rather pretty!
And we had much better luck at the river! I caught that beast and three others just as gigantic as him! They nearly pulled me in, I tell you. Seth caught the same tree twice, so technically I do have bragging rights.
We also brought Chester. He had a lot of fun showing off his new life jacket my parents got for him (and proving that camo does work by running off into the woods when I wasn't looking). He loved pretending to be a wild dog running through the woods and was so well behaved until a storm threatened to roll in and he felt it his duty to warn us to get the heck out of dodge.
Look at those paws! Filthy! All three of us got a really thorough scrub down when we got home since we were all covered in mud. And then all of us promptly tried to pass out, with only Chester succeeding because you don't ever have to do dishes if you don't have thumbs.
Yeah, it's kind of weird that we love to go fishing together, but it makes him giddy that I go and it reminds me of my dad, who used to make me fish with him. And I like the quality time.
We're lucky enough to live in an area where there are a lot of wooded areas, parks, nature reserves, ect. so finding a place to go fishing within a reasonable distance is pretty easy. We started out at a lake, but soon decided river fishing was where it was at.
We trekked through the woods for about a quarter of a mile, through a creek, over and around fallen trees, and risked life and limb on steep banks, but we got here. And despite all the brown still, it was rather pretty!
Monday, March 21, 2011
Contest over on Ourcouponhome!
I am so in love with this website, it isn't even funny! I'm always on there chatting about gardening, grocery deals, and how to "play the CVS game." They're holding a contest now through 3/31 to win a free dress from Shabby Apple! http://www.ourcouponhome.com/showthread.php?35538
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
How to Upcycle Old Jeans
I really suck at this whole blog thing, which is funny because I spend a lot of time reading blogs. And I'm a housewife. You'd think I'd be able to keep up! But I haven't finished a book or even been on World of Warcraft for weeks. Okay, I lie. I log in to chat, but I don't get a chance to do anything. But I have been spending a lot of time with my new love. I got a sewing machine for my birthday and have been crafting since! I was so excited last night when I found this project because I HATE it when I have jeans that fit great, are worn in, but they're damaged to the point where I won't wear them. My jeans always wear through on the inner thighs, so I thought turning them into a skirt would help give them some life! And it worked out great. I'll have to take some pictures later! Right now I'm really regretting not having a full length mirror.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Sushi Tiiiiiiiiime and 31 Day Challenge Day 7
My husband and I love sushi. Love. Sushi. Like we discovered that the resort we were staying at on our honeymoon was next door to an all you can eat sushi buffet and ate there pretty much every day. And were happy about it. Very happy, indeed. However, being poor newlyweds and pretty handy in the kitchen, we decided to try to make our own for a fraction of the cost. And it worked! We aren't very good at the rolling bit yet, but it was so good we're willing to put in the practice.
See? He came out smiling. Oh, and as far as the 31 day challenge goes, today is our most prized possession. Mine's hidden in the pictures. Do you see it? Can you guess? It's actually my husband's wedding band. It's the only thing that I own (we bought each others rings as a present) that makes me giddy to see, even almost a year after getting married.
In other news, today we created some wall panels for some added oomph on the walls and I signed on to be a consultant for the Pampered Chef! I'll have a few more project tutorials up soon hopefully.
See? He came out smiling. Oh, and as far as the 31 day challenge goes, today is our most prized possession. Mine's hidden in the pictures. Do you see it? Can you guess? It's actually my husband's wedding band. It's the only thing that I own (we bought each others rings as a present) that makes me giddy to see, even almost a year after getting married.
In other news, today we created some wall panels for some added oomph on the walls and I signed on to be a consultant for the Pampered Chef! I'll have a few more project tutorials up soon hopefully.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
31 Day Challenge Day 6
Monday, February 7, 2011
Eclectic Serving Tray
I've been feeling creative lately. So I've been perusing lots of crafty type blogs and somehow came across this idea, but don't remember where. It was nothing more than a passing glance, but the idea stuck. I couldn't stop thinking about how I needed a serving tray now, too. It was very consuming. I didn't even intend on going to Goodwill today, but the siren song of the tray called to me.
For this project you need some plates/bowls and some mugs. How many of each is really up to how big you want it. I wanted a smaller one to sit on the kitchen table all the time, so I decided on three tiers, with smaller mugs in between. The fun part about this project is going to a yard sale or Goodwill and piecing together what you want! I spent a good half hour picking up different dishes, setting them up, then putting one back and picking out another plate. I was going for something a little more classic looking at first, but I love the organic, eclectic look of this combination! It was also good practice because making everything not quite perfect adds to the natural "these things are kind of just sitting here like that" feel of the piece. It reminds me of a crazy woman's kitchen. And since it's in mine, that works! The plates and mugs were hot glued together, but super glue works as well. I'm now thinking about making these for wedding presents (to go along with a nicer present of course!) because I love how customizable and different this project is every time! The best part? The whole thing cost me $3.50. You can't buy a three tiered serving tray for that, let alone one that goes with your decor! Because as soon as you put that stipulation on something it jacks the price up because what you want is never what's popular, of course.
For this project you need some plates/bowls and some mugs. How many of each is really up to how big you want it. I wanted a smaller one to sit on the kitchen table all the time, so I decided on three tiers, with smaller mugs in between. The fun part about this project is going to a yard sale or Goodwill and piecing together what you want! I spent a good half hour picking up different dishes, setting them up, then putting one back and picking out another plate. I was going for something a little more classic looking at first, but I love the organic, eclectic look of this combination! It was also good practice because making everything not quite perfect adds to the natural "these things are kind of just sitting here like that" feel of the piece. It reminds me of a crazy woman's kitchen. And since it's in mine, that works! The plates and mugs were hot glued together, but super glue works as well. I'm now thinking about making these for wedding presents (to go along with a nicer present of course!) because I love how customizable and different this project is every time! The best part? The whole thing cost me $3.50. You can't buy a three tiered serving tray for that, let alone one that goes with your decor! Because as soon as you put that stipulation on something it jacks the price up because what you want is never what's popular, of course.
Valentine's Day Wreath!
After all the Christmas decorations came down, I was kind of disappointed at how bland the house looked, especially the front door. Luckily, Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and I was able to throw together a quick wreath for the door in a matter of an hour or two! It was pretty mindless as well, so I popped in a chick flick and got to it.
All you need is a wire hanger and cloth scraps, both of which I had on hand. Rip the scraps into long, skinny strips (I mixed it up and made different lengths because I like that look more), undo your wire hanger and bend it into a heart (I'm honestly thinking about doing one of these for St. Patrick's Day, Easter, ect. the possibilities are endless). Then tie the strips all the way around, fluff, and done! Easy peasy.
31 Day Challenge Day 5
I have too many favorite memories. I mean, life would be really sad if I only had one, right? So here's a picture of one of my top 10.
This picture is from the night we brought Chester home. We had just moved into our first place together about a month earlier, and bringing him into our family really signified to me that we were a family and had made the transition. He's my baby!
This picture is from the night we brought Chester home. We had just moved into our first place together about a month earlier, and bringing him into our family really signified to me that we were a family and had made the transition. He's my baby!
Sunday, February 6, 2011
31 Day Challenge Day 4
So I'm supposed to post a picture of my favorite night, but I couldn't pick. I've had a lot of great nights in my life, and they're all amazing for different reasons. But collectively I thought I'd pick my honeymoon. Can't post pics of most of that hahaha! But I did have a great view of the Miami skyline at night from our deep sea fishing boat. That was a really fun night. And this is pretty much what it looked like, but add in the peaceful rocking of the ocean and the cool breeze on a warm night. I wish I could relive my honeymoon over and over and over again. It was so relaxing, peaceful, and lacking in worry and stress.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
31 Day Challenge! Day 2 and 3
So I got REALLY sidetracked last night and had to forgo posting. So here's day 2 - a picture of who I've been closest to the longest.
That's my friend Kaiulani and me on my wedding day. We've been friends since the 9th grade. And we rock.
Day 3 is a pic of my favorite show, which is GLEE!!!! It reminds me of my show choir days.
Day 3 is a pic of my favorite show, which is GLEE!!!! It reminds me of my show choir days.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
31 Day Challenge!
Okay, I'm sucking at keeping a blog. Maybe because I know no one reads it? Anywho, in order to try to keep myself posting I'm going to start a 31 day challenge thingy! Wooooo! I ripped it from Facebook, I won't lie. Here's the list!
Day 01 - A picture of yourself with ten facts
Day 02 - A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest
Day 03 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show
Day 04 - A picture of your favorite night
Day 05 - A picture of your favorite memory
Day 06 - A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day
Day 07 - A picture of your most treasured item
Day 08 - A picture that makes you laugh
Day 09 - A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most
Day 10 - A picture of the person you do the most ****** up things with
Day 11 - A picture of something you hate
Day 12 - A picture of something you love
Day 13 - A picture of your favorite band or artist
Day 14 - A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without
Day 15 - A picture of something you want to do before you die
Day 16 - A picture of someone who inspires you
Day 17 - A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently
Day 18 - A picture of your biggest insecurity
Day 19 - A picture and a letter
Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel
Day 21 - A picture of something you wish you could forget
Day 22 - A picture of something you wish you were better at
Day 23 - A picture of your favorite book
Day 24 - A picture of something you wish you could change
Day 25 - A picture of your day
Day 26 - A picture of something that means a lot to you
Day 27 - A picture of yourself and a family member
Day 28 - A picture of something you're afraid of
Day 29 - A picture that can always make you smile
Day 30 - A picture of someone you miss
Day 31 - A picture of yourself
So to begin today.....
I *think* that's the most recent picture of me. I need to take more pictures of my life, too!
1) I'm thinking about going vegan, but I love leather shoes and purses a lot. And not buying them won't stop them from selling them...or putting them on sale....I'm horrible, I know.
2) I really do talk to my pets like they're my children. And they pretty much fill that void, and fill it well!
3) I actually like my in-laws. That's not a surprise by any means, but a lot of people don't and I always feel like the exception.
4) I still don't know what I want to do with my life. I have an idea, but I'm open to suggestions.
5) I really kind of want to declaw our cat, even though it's potentially harmful to her. I know I won't do it, but I still think about it at least once a day as she adds a new hole to my body.
6) I also love cheese too much to go vegan, I think.
7) I'm gluten intolerant. Which doesn't mean my throat will swell shut if I eat wheat, but it does mean bad things will happen, so stop asking me if I could eat wheat if I *really wanted to.* I don't really want to.
8) I spend a lot of time on the computer and reading books learning about new things because I'm scared my brain will go soft now that I'm out of school.
9) I love to coupon and even though I don't walk out with $300 worth of groceries for $10 I still get that "thrill of the kill" high at the end of a good trip.
10) I'm a really sensual person, as in I love things that appeal to my senses. If something has a nice texture or scent or color chances are it'll find its way home with me.
Day 01 - A picture of yourself with ten facts
Day 02 - A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest
Day 03 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show
Day 04 - A picture of your favorite night
Day 05 - A picture of your favorite memory
Day 06 - A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day
Day 07 - A picture of your most treasured item
Day 08 - A picture that makes you laugh
Day 09 - A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most
Day 10 - A picture of the person you do the most ****** up things with
Day 11 - A picture of something you hate
Day 12 - A picture of something you love
Day 13 - A picture of your favorite band or artist
Day 14 - A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without
Day 15 - A picture of something you want to do before you die
Day 16 - A picture of someone who inspires you
Day 17 - A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently
Day 18 - A picture of your biggest insecurity
Day 19 - A picture and a letter
Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel
Day 21 - A picture of something you wish you could forget
Day 22 - A picture of something you wish you were better at
Day 23 - A picture of your favorite book
Day 24 - A picture of something you wish you could change
Day 25 - A picture of your day
Day 26 - A picture of something that means a lot to you
Day 27 - A picture of yourself and a family member
Day 28 - A picture of something you're afraid of
Day 29 - A picture that can always make you smile
Day 30 - A picture of someone you miss
Day 31 - A picture of yourself
So to begin today.....
1) I'm thinking about going vegan, but I love leather shoes and purses a lot. And not buying them won't stop them from selling them...or putting them on sale....I'm horrible, I know.
2) I really do talk to my pets like they're my children. And they pretty much fill that void, and fill it well!
3) I actually like my in-laws. That's not a surprise by any means, but a lot of people don't and I always feel like the exception.
4) I still don't know what I want to do with my life. I have an idea, but I'm open to suggestions.
5) I really kind of want to declaw our cat, even though it's potentially harmful to her. I know I won't do it, but I still think about it at least once a day as she adds a new hole to my body.
6) I also love cheese too much to go vegan, I think.
7) I'm gluten intolerant. Which doesn't mean my throat will swell shut if I eat wheat, but it does mean bad things will happen, so stop asking me if I could eat wheat if I *really wanted to.* I don't really want to.
8) I spend a lot of time on the computer and reading books learning about new things because I'm scared my brain will go soft now that I'm out of school.
9) I love to coupon and even though I don't walk out with $300 worth of groceries for $10 I still get that "thrill of the kill" high at the end of a good trip.
10) I'm a really sensual person, as in I love things that appeal to my senses. If something has a nice texture or scent or color chances are it'll find its way home with me.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Not Buying It: A Book Review About Someone Else Who Tried To Keep A Resolution
I picked up Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping by Judith Levine (seen here) at my local library for some light reading, but hoping I'd get some tips on how to pair down our budget. Levine documents a year long project that she and her partner, Paul, undertake. The goal is to not buy anything that isn't necessary, which leads to a long (year long) discussion about what in life is necessary, as well as how you're supposed to entertain yourself if you're not allowed to spend any money.
I was really interested to see what one couple would deem "necessary" and what they would do without for a year and was expecting a lot more emphasis on this. There was a lot of discussion about what entertainment was necessary and what wasn't, but not all that much on individual products. Or, even, what level of processing everything should be bought at. It was touched on a little as far as food goes, but laundry detergent? Soap? Shampoo? Is it still necessary to get the fancy stuff, or do you have to get the cheapest stuff out there? If you can make it yourself, what then? I really expected more discussion about this, as well as a more detailed account of how much money was saved. Although it's clear the project was not undertaken with the intent to save money (but rather because the author was sick of consumerism), it would be great to see that side effect.
I also picked this title to read because, well, since trying to spend less money and by implementing some environmentally friendly practices I've felt...left out. Left out of consumerism, since I'm not out in the stores as much and I'm not buying the same items as everyone else. I was hoping that someone who decided to do minimal shopping for a whole year would be able to relate, or at least express that they had felt the same way, too. Judith did, but not in as much detail as I would have appreciated.
The novel was a political commentary, in my opinion, rather than a commentary on life without shopping. Although many would argue that the two are intrinsically linked, and I agree that they are, it didn't make for an interesting read on my end. On someone else's end? Of course. But it just didn't answer the questions I would have asked if I were a friend.
I was really interested to see what one couple would deem "necessary" and what they would do without for a year and was expecting a lot more emphasis on this. There was a lot of discussion about what entertainment was necessary and what wasn't, but not all that much on individual products. Or, even, what level of processing everything should be bought at. It was touched on a little as far as food goes, but laundry detergent? Soap? Shampoo? Is it still necessary to get the fancy stuff, or do you have to get the cheapest stuff out there? If you can make it yourself, what then? I really expected more discussion about this, as well as a more detailed account of how much money was saved. Although it's clear the project was not undertaken with the intent to save money (but rather because the author was sick of consumerism), it would be great to see that side effect.
I also picked this title to read because, well, since trying to spend less money and by implementing some environmentally friendly practices I've felt...left out. Left out of consumerism, since I'm not out in the stores as much and I'm not buying the same items as everyone else. I was hoping that someone who decided to do minimal shopping for a whole year would be able to relate, or at least express that they had felt the same way, too. Judith did, but not in as much detail as I would have appreciated.
The novel was a political commentary, in my opinion, rather than a commentary on life without shopping. Although many would argue that the two are intrinsically linked, and I agree that they are, it didn't make for an interesting read on my end. On someone else's end? Of course. But it just didn't answer the questions I would have asked if I were a friend.
Zoya Nail Polish
I'm in love. That's all I have to say about Zoya Nail Polish. I'm freaking in love. I ordered 3 bottles from them and finally got them today with all the hope in the world. I like to paint my nails, but I normally only do my toes since my fingernails always chip and look gross after less than a day. Beyond being hopeful that I would be able to make it through a work shift without the urge to hide my hands, I was REALLY wanting Zoya to work out because they're vegan friendly - formaldehyde, toluene, dibutyl phthalate, and camphor free. What's not to love! I'm not vegan, but I do try to limit the toxins that come into my home and I'm really making an effort this year to put my money where my mouth is and only buy products that are environmentally friendly. And just in case you were wondering...
Formaldehyde is a preservative. Like they pump it into dead people. If they pump it into live people, they get dead people. Not good. I could go on, but I think most people are familiar with this particular toxin. If not, go visit a funeral home. They will explain how nasty it is.
Toluene is (per the EPA's website) used to produce benzene and as a solvent in paints, coatings, synthetic fragrances, adhesives, inks, and cleaning agents, which is where you'll find it in your home. The major use of toluene is as a mixture added to gasoline to improve octane ratings. Toluene attacks the Central Nervous System, causing all sorts of problems, from spontaneous abortions to cancer to delayed development. It's just nasty stuff.
Dibutyl phthalate is used to make plastics plastic and according to OSHA, it's not something you want to encounter, as you can read here. But I don't want anything on my nails that you're supposed to flush immediately if it comes in contact with your skin or firefighters HAVE to wear full gear when dealing with.
Camphor is a natural ingredient, but it can be toxic for children under the age of 6 (and is in Vick's Vapo Rub! So be careful with that stuff.)
Granted, I haven't had a chance to research everything in their polishes, and I can't pronounce some things, but I AM grateful that these four items did not wiggle their way into my polish. And...
It held up after 8 hours of ripping open dvd boxes, ripping out pins, and digging around in a cash register. Complete and total WIN.
Formaldehyde is a preservative. Like they pump it into dead people. If they pump it into live people, they get dead people. Not good. I could go on, but I think most people are familiar with this particular toxin. If not, go visit a funeral home. They will explain how nasty it is.
Toluene is (per the EPA's website) used to produce benzene and as a solvent in paints, coatings, synthetic fragrances, adhesives, inks, and cleaning agents, which is where you'll find it in your home. The major use of toluene is as a mixture added to gasoline to improve octane ratings. Toluene attacks the Central Nervous System, causing all sorts of problems, from spontaneous abortions to cancer to delayed development. It's just nasty stuff.
Dibutyl phthalate is used to make plastics plastic and according to OSHA, it's not something you want to encounter, as you can read here. But I don't want anything on my nails that you're supposed to flush immediately if it comes in contact with your skin or firefighters HAVE to wear full gear when dealing with.
Camphor is a natural ingredient, but it can be toxic for children under the age of 6 (and is in Vick's Vapo Rub! So be careful with that stuff.)
Granted, I haven't had a chance to research everything in their polishes, and I can't pronounce some things, but I AM grateful that these four items did not wiggle their way into my polish. And...
 |
| Crappy Cell Pic, I know. |
It held up after 8 hours of ripping open dvd boxes, ripping out pins, and digging around in a cash register. Complete and total WIN.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Day 21 - Grocery Run!
Okay, so I've been doing the coupon thing for a few months now, and the forum that I lurk on does a breakdown like the one below. I find it really helpful to see everything and look at the numbers, so in case anyone ever reads this (Bueller? Bueller?) and is interested, here you go! Oh, and we shop 2 weeks at a time so it looks like a lot and adds up to a lot, but we save on gas and impulse buys that way!
IMPULSE BUYS - Things we didn't intend on getting, but got thrown in the cart anyway.
- Rug for the kitchen - $5.96
- Hot sauce - $1.36
- Queso cheese - $2.68
- Emery Cat - $3.00
TOTAL: 13.00
Seth's uniform stuff - he needs certain items for his trip to police academy in the spring, so he picked some things up. This comes out of his allowance, though, but I feel like listing it because it's on the ticket.
- Fleece Pants - $10.00
- Shorts x 2 - $15.00
- Pants - $6.00
- Sweatshirt - $6.00
-T-shirt x 2 - $9.00
-Beanie? He must have thrown that in - $2.00
TOTAL - $42.00
Groceries
-Cherrios x2 $2.50 each - $1/2 coupon = $4
- Eggs - $1.68
- Milk - $2.28
- French's Mustard - $1.28 - $1/1 coupon = $0.28
-Rotel x4 - $3.52 - B3G1F = $2.64
- GV Tomato Paste x2 = $.80
- GV Black Olives - $1.38
- Salad - $2.78
- Bananas $1.13
- Kikomans Soy Sauce - $1.42 - $1/1 = $.42
- Turkey Smoked Sausage - $1.94
- Fiber One Cottage Cheese - $2.50 - $1/1 = $1.50
- Whole Chicken - $6.62
- Ground beef 1lb - $2.08
- Bacon - $2.98
- Welch's Light Grape Juice - $3.00 - $1/1 = $2.00
- Welch's Other type o' juice I can't remember - $2.50 - $1/1 = $1.50
- Green Olives - $1.46
-Mushrooms - $1.88
- String Cheese - $2.98
- GV FF Re-fried Beans - $.72
- Bob Evans Sausage Roll x2 = 6.56 - $.55/2 = $6.01
- GV Half & Half - $1.63
- Water Chestnuts - $.72
TOTAL = $51.41
Home Goods
- Airwick Freshmatic Refill x2 = $9.96 - B1G1F = $4.98
- Febreze Air and Fabric Refresher x2 = $9.94 - B1G1F and $1/1 = $3.97
- Castor Oil - $2.76
TOTAL = $11.71
Pet Food
- Whiskas Trays x 5 = $2.50 - B1G1F AND B2G1F = $1.50
- Ceasar Food Trays x 3 = $2.40 - B2G1F = $1.40
- Purina One Dog Food 34 lbs = $26.30 after price match for Petco
- Meow Mix Indoor Cat 14.2 lbs = $9.77 after price match for Petco
TOTAL = $38.97
Our grand total after tax was $173.75 which for us is a lot, but we buy dog food maybe once every 3 months or so by buying in bulk, and it cuts the cost down a lot that way. So I guess if you take out the impulse buys, Seth's uniform stuff, and the pet food we only would have spent $71.13 before tax, which isn't terrible for two weeks.
Of course, we still spent the money. Which sucks, but eh, what can you do? The kids need to eat and I don't want to feed them the cheapest stuff there is. And Seth needs clothes for academy. And we only impulse bought $13 worth of stuff, which isn't terrible. It's all still a work in progress.
Speaking of which, I did get some castor oil in my haul (but couldn't find jojoba!) so we shall see about the oil cleansing method...
IMPULSE BUYS - Things we didn't intend on getting, but got thrown in the cart anyway.
- Rug for the kitchen - $5.96
- Hot sauce - $1.36
- Queso cheese - $2.68
- Emery Cat - $3.00
TOTAL: 13.00
Seth's uniform stuff - he needs certain items for his trip to police academy in the spring, so he picked some things up. This comes out of his allowance, though, but I feel like listing it because it's on the ticket.
- Fleece Pants - $10.00
- Shorts x 2 - $15.00
- Pants - $6.00
- Sweatshirt - $6.00
-T-shirt x 2 - $9.00
-Beanie? He must have thrown that in - $2.00
TOTAL - $42.00
Groceries
-Cherrios x2 $2.50 each - $1/2 coupon = $4
- Eggs - $1.68
- Milk - $2.28
- French's Mustard - $1.28 - $1/1 coupon = $0.28
-Rotel x4 - $3.52 - B3G1F = $2.64
- GV Tomato Paste x2 = $.80
- GV Black Olives - $1.38
- Salad - $2.78
- Bananas $1.13
- Kikomans Soy Sauce - $1.42 - $1/1 = $.42
- Turkey Smoked Sausage - $1.94
- Fiber One Cottage Cheese - $2.50 - $1/1 = $1.50
- Whole Chicken - $6.62
- Ground beef 1lb - $2.08
- Bacon - $2.98
- Welch's Light Grape Juice - $3.00 - $1/1 = $2.00
- Welch's Other type o' juice I can't remember - $2.50 - $1/1 = $1.50
- Green Olives - $1.46
-Mushrooms - $1.88
- String Cheese - $2.98
- GV FF Re-fried Beans - $.72
- Bob Evans Sausage Roll x2 = 6.56 - $.55/2 = $6.01
- GV Half & Half - $1.63
- Water Chestnuts - $.72
TOTAL = $51.41
Home Goods
- Airwick Freshmatic Refill x2 = $9.96 - B1G1F = $4.98
- Febreze Air and Fabric Refresher x2 = $9.94 - B1G1F and $1/1 = $3.97
- Castor Oil - $2.76
TOTAL = $11.71
Pet Food
- Whiskas Trays x 5 = $2.50 - B1G1F AND B2G1F = $1.50
- Ceasar Food Trays x 3 = $2.40 - B2G1F = $1.40
- Purina One Dog Food 34 lbs = $26.30 after price match for Petco
- Meow Mix Indoor Cat 14.2 lbs = $9.77 after price match for Petco
TOTAL = $38.97
Our grand total after tax was $173.75 which for us is a lot, but we buy dog food maybe once every 3 months or so by buying in bulk, and it cuts the cost down a lot that way. So I guess if you take out the impulse buys, Seth's uniform stuff, and the pet food we only would have spent $71.13 before tax, which isn't terrible for two weeks.
Of course, we still spent the money. Which sucks, but eh, what can you do? The kids need to eat and I don't want to feed them the cheapest stuff there is. And Seth needs clothes for academy. And we only impulse bought $13 worth of stuff, which isn't terrible. It's all still a work in progress.
Speaking of which, I did get some castor oil in my haul (but couldn't find jojoba!) so we shall see about the oil cleansing method...
Day 20
Once again, I'm full of fail, but a lot has been going on around here! I started my new job and I'm having a ton of fun! I feel really kind of wrong admitting that I went to college and still enjoy working at a non-office, non-professional job. Obviously I still want to find a full time job, but in the mean time I'm really enjoying myself! And there's nothing wrong with that!
Tomorrow night I have a hot date, and I'm excited to show some kindness there. We're also doing our bi-weekly grocery trip and I'm hoping for some good deals, and hopefully I can get myself to post about my shopping trips. I think it helps to skim over everything a few times after to see what I could have done better, so a write up would be perfect. I also get to go to the health foods store to get some things and to "roll around in the granola" as I keep telling Seth. I need some extra oils for my face cleansing regime, and I'm really looking forward to poking around for a while.
Speaking of the OCM, it's been going really well! My skin isn't getting as oily and the blackheads are clearing up! I do have some blemishes on my cheeks that are new, but that's to be expected as everything's coming to the surface. My skin is a lot softer, too. Seth is pretty freaked out that it's working, and so am I! But I'm not going to whine if it works. I will be getting some better oils in order to cleanse properly and that should help. I'm planning a write up just on the oil cleansing method later with some before and after pictures, but I wanted to give it some time.
No poo is going really really well. I'm still on a 2 day cycle, but I've decided to just not worry about it anymore. If my hair wants to be washed every 2 days, then it wants to be washed every 2 days. But I'm still amazed at the results and really happy!
Tomorrow night I have a hot date, and I'm excited to show some kindness there. We're also doing our bi-weekly grocery trip and I'm hoping for some good deals, and hopefully I can get myself to post about my shopping trips. I think it helps to skim over everything a few times after to see what I could have done better, so a write up would be perfect. I also get to go to the health foods store to get some things and to "roll around in the granola" as I keep telling Seth. I need some extra oils for my face cleansing regime, and I'm really looking forward to poking around for a while.
Speaking of the OCM, it's been going really well! My skin isn't getting as oily and the blackheads are clearing up! I do have some blemishes on my cheeks that are new, but that's to be expected as everything's coming to the surface. My skin is a lot softer, too. Seth is pretty freaked out that it's working, and so am I! But I'm not going to whine if it works. I will be getting some better oils in order to cleanse properly and that should help. I'm planning a write up just on the oil cleansing method later with some before and after pictures, but I wanted to give it some time.
No poo is going really really well. I'm still on a 2 day cycle, but I've decided to just not worry about it anymore. If my hair wants to be washed every 2 days, then it wants to be washed every 2 days. But I'm still amazed at the results and really happy!
Friday, January 14, 2011
Day 14
So I've been kind of sucking about keeping up with this blog. I really need to make this more of a priority! But I haven't been pushing my kindness resolution aside!
As far as the budget goes, I'm really excited to start a new job tomorrow! It'll be great for our budget, but more importantly it'll be great for my sanity! I'm going a bit crazy sitting around the house. I mean, I can only clean so much in one day, ya know? So I'll finally get out of the house and have a chance to make some money, talk to some new people, and get a bit more established in this town. All great things!
I've also been volunteered to cook breakfast every other Sunday morning for my husband's coworkers. I know I'm weird, but I'm really excited about it! I love to cook and entertain, but I also really am excited to have some other people to talk to! And an appointment to keep. This is also a great way to stick to my resolution and give the guys something to look forward to on their long weekend shifts. So I've been plotting what to serve all week and I'm hoping I can impress them.
I've been keeping to air drying our laundry and recycling pretty well lately, and I even figured out how to declog drains without Draino (which, if you've never read the ingredients in that crap, go do it. I dare you. It's scary). Now I just need to use up the cleaning supplies that we have left and start transitioning over to environmentally friendly options.
My hair's been doing really well. Now the off day looks pretty much just as good as the wash day, but I still can't seem to stretch it out to every third day. Oh well, every other day for a while is still fine with me.
As far as the budget goes, I'm really excited to start a new job tomorrow! It'll be great for our budget, but more importantly it'll be great for my sanity! I'm going a bit crazy sitting around the house. I mean, I can only clean so much in one day, ya know? So I'll finally get out of the house and have a chance to make some money, talk to some new people, and get a bit more established in this town. All great things!
I've also been volunteered to cook breakfast every other Sunday morning for my husband's coworkers. I know I'm weird, but I'm really excited about it! I love to cook and entertain, but I also really am excited to have some other people to talk to! And an appointment to keep. This is also a great way to stick to my resolution and give the guys something to look forward to on their long weekend shifts. So I've been plotting what to serve all week and I'm hoping I can impress them.
I've been keeping to air drying our laundry and recycling pretty well lately, and I even figured out how to declog drains without Draino (which, if you've never read the ingredients in that crap, go do it. I dare you. It's scary). Now I just need to use up the cleaning supplies that we have left and start transitioning over to environmentally friendly options.
My hair's been doing really well. Now the off day looks pretty much just as good as the wash day, but I still can't seem to stretch it out to every third day. Oh well, every other day for a while is still fine with me.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Day 8
Wow - how did I miss so many days?!!? Well, I was really, really sick. And still technically am, but I'm starting to feel well enough to get around. I even did some cleaning today after grocery shopping! Unfortunately, I wasn't well enough to start my new job today, and the doctor told me not to do much until Monday, but the house has been calling out to me "Clllleeeeeaaaaaannnnn mmmmeeeeeeeeee!" And we have to skip out on the annual Christmas get together with Seth's family, so that sucks a lot, too. I was really looking forward to everything we had going on this weekend, but on the other hand I'm glad we've gotten a chance to rest and for me to get better.
Because I've been sick, I haven't had a lot of opportunities to stick to my resolutions, but I've been trying! Seth's been doing a wonderful job of taking care of me and I've been trying to show my appreciation, although it seems the needier I become the more negative I am. I'm glad that I can move around some now, since I can just do whatever I need to do instead of having to whine for it. This is really great when it comes to cleaning, but especially feeding myself. I didn't want to eat anything for a few days, but now all of a sudden my appetite is back and making up for lost time! It's getting intense down there.
We managed to make it to the grocery store tonight and, even though it took us twice as long as normal because I had to keep stopping, we got it done! I didn't really get a great haul, since our grocery store is really pricey and just changed their coupon policy so they won't stack them any more. So we now will have to commute like 40 minutes to the nearest town to get better prices on food or completely revamp how we eat. I'm not pleased, but it is what it is. Luckily, we only shop every other week so I have two weeks to come up with a new plan or if the new plan is to just go there from now on, since we don't shop that often.
I did get to play the wonderful "Confessions" game in the middle of the grocery store, though. I went to the health foods section on our way over to the produce (always our last stop so nothing gets smushed) and threw a pack of ground meat substitute into the cart. Seth started freaking out, and that's when I had to admit I had intentions of working us over to eating less meat all along and had really started grinding up vegetables and sticking them in foods that wouldn't show them. I'm sure everyone who worked tonight thought that exchange was hilarious ("YOU PUT LIMA BEANS IN MY WHAT?!?!?!?!"). So I have been making an effort to be kind to my family there, as well as our budget (hey, meat's expensive!). And once I came clean, Seth freaked out, then admitted that he'd try anything once and let it go.
I did also bring in the recycling bins, clean them out, and start filling them back up again! It feels great to cut back on our waste, and we stopped recycling when we moved here three months ago. It feels really, really great to get back into that habit again.
As far as no poo goes, I'm doing okay. The past few days were great, actually, but I decided to stretch it out to every third day instead of every other day and today was a bit greasy and stringy. I threw my hair back in a braid and called it a day, but it wasn't pleasant. I can't wait to hop in the shower and "wash" it tonight. But other than today, no complaints! And I read a few articles today where people have not only given up shampoo but using soap on their bodies (besides after using the bathroom and before food prep) as well. I don't know if I'm that hardcore or not. But it's interesting enough to consider!
Because I've been sick, I haven't had a lot of opportunities to stick to my resolutions, but I've been trying! Seth's been doing a wonderful job of taking care of me and I've been trying to show my appreciation, although it seems the needier I become the more negative I am. I'm glad that I can move around some now, since I can just do whatever I need to do instead of having to whine for it. This is really great when it comes to cleaning, but especially feeding myself. I didn't want to eat anything for a few days, but now all of a sudden my appetite is back and making up for lost time! It's getting intense down there.
We managed to make it to the grocery store tonight and, even though it took us twice as long as normal because I had to keep stopping, we got it done! I didn't really get a great haul, since our grocery store is really pricey and just changed their coupon policy so they won't stack them any more. So we now will have to commute like 40 minutes to the nearest town to get better prices on food or completely revamp how we eat. I'm not pleased, but it is what it is. Luckily, we only shop every other week so I have two weeks to come up with a new plan or if the new plan is to just go there from now on, since we don't shop that often.
I did get to play the wonderful "Confessions" game in the middle of the grocery store, though. I went to the health foods section on our way over to the produce (always our last stop so nothing gets smushed) and threw a pack of ground meat substitute into the cart. Seth started freaking out, and that's when I had to admit I had intentions of working us over to eating less meat all along and had really started grinding up vegetables and sticking them in foods that wouldn't show them. I'm sure everyone who worked tonight thought that exchange was hilarious ("YOU PUT LIMA BEANS IN MY WHAT?!?!?!?!"). So I have been making an effort to be kind to my family there, as well as our budget (hey, meat's expensive!). And once I came clean, Seth freaked out, then admitted that he'd try anything once and let it go.
I did also bring in the recycling bins, clean them out, and start filling them back up again! It feels great to cut back on our waste, and we stopped recycling when we moved here three months ago. It feels really, really great to get back into that habit again.
As far as no poo goes, I'm doing okay. The past few days were great, actually, but I decided to stretch it out to every third day instead of every other day and today was a bit greasy and stringy. I threw my hair back in a braid and called it a day, but it wasn't pleasant. I can't wait to hop in the shower and "wash" it tonight. But other than today, no complaints! And I read a few articles today where people have not only given up shampoo but using soap on their bodies (besides after using the bathroom and before food prep) as well. I don't know if I'm that hardcore or not. But it's interesting enough to consider!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Day 3
No offshoot posts today D: I couldn't fall asleep last night and wound up waking up at 6:30 this evening. I have got to work on getting back to day shift, or at least second shift! But tomorrow I'm meeting up with some friends to get some girl talk in and hopefully that'll help me get back on a normal schedule.
As far as being sick goes, I'm feeling a lot better! I was determined to stick it out and call the doctor in the morning (okay, find a doctor in the morning, since we just moved here and I don't think there are any general practice doctors here. Yeah, that small of a town). But then a friend suggested I look into some homeopathic cures. I did a lot of Googling and came up with taking a vitamin C tablet and a garlic pill every two hours with lots of water and I can honestly say I feel incredibly better. I'm betting it's the water more than anything, but I don't really care because I feel better and it cost less than our copay. So that counts as being kind to myself!
And I spent my evening playing with my dog, snuggling with my cat, and loving on my man, so kindness all around there.
As far as the environment goes, I really pushed myself to cut down on my water usage while washing dishes. We don't have a dishwasher, so I've been really trying to figure out the best way to do dishes by hand. All of my searching has yielded different results, too. So I used the stream method (don't fill the sink with water, just run a stream) but I would only turn the water on to rinse something after I soaped it up. I also hung my laundry out to dry instead of throwing it in the dryer. I'm trying to make this more of a priority.
No Poo Day 3 is doing well. My hair was kind of heavy feeling today, but looked good. I washed with baking soda and vinegar tonight and it feels a lot better, almost lighter. So we'll see what we end up with in the morning haha. I think part of it is that I'm sick and my skin always gets super oily when I'm sick, so maybe when I get over it I'll be able to go longer in between without "washing" my hair. It's also still "detoxing" so I'll give it a week and then try to wash only every third day. But I do love the smell of lavendar from the essential oil I add on wash day...OH! And I have a No Poo convert. One of my WoW friends is going to try it as well. I was telling her that I was nervous about the detox period and sent her an article about all the nasty crap in shampoo and she thought the stuff was gross, too! So we're experimenting together. Seth is still really supportive and is more than willing to give my hair a good once over and tell me whether or not he thinks it looks good. And that's it for today! Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to get another post up in addition to a daily update!
And I didn't do anything worth taking a picture of today, so you get a random one I found on the computer I'm using. This is my in-law's older dog. Doesn't he look happy?
As far as being sick goes, I'm feeling a lot better! I was determined to stick it out and call the doctor in the morning (okay, find a doctor in the morning, since we just moved here and I don't think there are any general practice doctors here. Yeah, that small of a town). But then a friend suggested I look into some homeopathic cures. I did a lot of Googling and came up with taking a vitamin C tablet and a garlic pill every two hours with lots of water and I can honestly say I feel incredibly better. I'm betting it's the water more than anything, but I don't really care because I feel better and it cost less than our copay. So that counts as being kind to myself!
And I spent my evening playing with my dog, snuggling with my cat, and loving on my man, so kindness all around there.
As far as the environment goes, I really pushed myself to cut down on my water usage while washing dishes. We don't have a dishwasher, so I've been really trying to figure out the best way to do dishes by hand. All of my searching has yielded different results, too. So I used the stream method (don't fill the sink with water, just run a stream) but I would only turn the water on to rinse something after I soaped it up. I also hung my laundry out to dry instead of throwing it in the dryer. I'm trying to make this more of a priority.
No Poo Day 3 is doing well. My hair was kind of heavy feeling today, but looked good. I washed with baking soda and vinegar tonight and it feels a lot better, almost lighter. So we'll see what we end up with in the morning haha. I think part of it is that I'm sick and my skin always gets super oily when I'm sick, so maybe when I get over it I'll be able to go longer in between without "washing" my hair. It's also still "detoxing" so I'll give it a week and then try to wash only every third day. But I do love the smell of lavendar from the essential oil I add on wash day...OH! And I have a No Poo convert. One of my WoW friends is going to try it as well. I was telling her that I was nervous about the detox period and sent her an article about all the nasty crap in shampoo and she thought the stuff was gross, too! So we're experimenting together. Seth is still really supportive and is more than willing to give my hair a good once over and tell me whether or not he thinks it looks good. And that's it for today! Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to get another post up in addition to a daily update!
And I didn't do anything worth taking a picture of today, so you get a random one I found on the computer I'm using. This is my in-law's older dog. Doesn't he look happy?
 |
| He doesn't use shampoo, either. |
Monday, January 3, 2011
Tree Talk
Okay, so my head doesn't want me to lay down and relax and, really, I haven't even put that movie I was talking about in yet, but at least I'm in bed. This is why we should disable our wireless haha. While I was showering, my mind got to wandering about some things that my husband and I have planned for the upcoming year. We are currently renting a little house and the owners are pretty lenient on what we can and can't do and because they've been so nice and so helpful we made a secret promise to leave the property in better shape than we got it. So we have been talking a lot about landscaping. There is only one tree-bush-thingy in the yard, and it's one of those that was planted to cover up where telephone pole wires come down. I haven't seen it in the spring yet, but so far it ain't pretty. So after we do some more research, and after we get direct permission from our landlords, we will be doing some landscaping!
The current plan is one tree in the back yard (maybe 2), potentially another in the front, and maybe some low shrubs. Our little house just looks sad to me, and I think some greenery will really help liven it up. Trees also add to property values, reduce heating and cooling costs, are good for the air, and prevent soil erosion. I honestly had no clue where to start researching, and Google quickly pointed me to a wonderful resource. The Arbor Day Foundation not only has lots of information about what trees grow best in different areas, as well as maintenance and benefits, but they also sell trees directly! The best part? If you become a member for $10, they will send you 10 free trees that are between 6 and 12 inches tall! (Note: the free trees are of the site's choosing, although you get to pick from a list based on your climate type) AND you can purchase additional trees and shrubs for a discount. Honestly, for the $10, since trees can be very pricy, I'd be willing to snag my 10, plant what I will use, and then donate the rest to either the city, a park, a school, our church, or even family and friends. All while supporting a wonderful charity. And, I know that once we buy our own house we will be planting more trees, and can use this site as a resource. Seriously, even if we lived in the middle of a forest, my husband would ask to plant more trees. He has a nature obsession. The first thing he says about anywhere we go is either "Ah, they have trees!" or "I don't like it here - no trees."
If you care to donate, but don't have anywhere to store 10 6-12 inch tall trees before donating them somewhere, or don't have anyone to donate to, then you can opt to have the foundation plant 10 trees in a forest in need in your honor. Either way, you're still helping out the planet.
We haven't decided where exactly the tree will go, since we don't know where pipes are underground, so we also don't know what type since the location will determine height and width. But I'm very excited! In addition to the greenery, I'm also planning on adding some flowers along the one side of the house, so hopefully our house will brighten up! Although this does all mean I need to start working on that composter...but that's not until February! If I can wait that long...
The current plan is one tree in the back yard (maybe 2), potentially another in the front, and maybe some low shrubs. Our little house just looks sad to me, and I think some greenery will really help liven it up. Trees also add to property values, reduce heating and cooling costs, are good for the air, and prevent soil erosion. I honestly had no clue where to start researching, and Google quickly pointed me to a wonderful resource. The Arbor Day Foundation not only has lots of information about what trees grow best in different areas, as well as maintenance and benefits, but they also sell trees directly! The best part? If you become a member for $10, they will send you 10 free trees that are between 6 and 12 inches tall! (Note: the free trees are of the site's choosing, although you get to pick from a list based on your climate type) AND you can purchase additional trees and shrubs for a discount. Honestly, for the $10, since trees can be very pricy, I'd be willing to snag my 10, plant what I will use, and then donate the rest to either the city, a park, a school, our church, or even family and friends. All while supporting a wonderful charity. And, I know that once we buy our own house we will be planting more trees, and can use this site as a resource. Seriously, even if we lived in the middle of a forest, my husband would ask to plant more trees. He has a nature obsession. The first thing he says about anywhere we go is either "Ah, they have trees!" or "I don't like it here - no trees."
If you care to donate, but don't have anywhere to store 10 6-12 inch tall trees before donating them somewhere, or don't have anyone to donate to, then you can opt to have the foundation plant 10 trees in a forest in need in your honor. Either way, you're still helping out the planet.
We haven't decided where exactly the tree will go, since we don't know where pipes are underground, so we also don't know what type since the location will determine height and width. But I'm very excited! In addition to the greenery, I'm also planning on adding some flowers along the one side of the house, so hopefully our house will brighten up! Although this does all mean I need to start working on that composter...but that's not until February! If I can wait that long...
 |
| I love willows. Although I don't think one would fit on our property. One day... |
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Day 2
Well, today was kind of a bust day, since I woke up at 5 PM. Now, my husband works third shift and because this week I'm in between graduation and work starting I've been on third with him. But 5 PM is unheard of even for me. But I've been sick for the past few days, and I guess it decided to really slam me today. However, I did get *some* things done. Like the dishes. And clipping coupons. Because I'm crazy and do that, too. And the house is still pretty clean. So, no harm no foul. I think.
As far as my kindness mission, today was a rough one because I've been laid up sick and Seth is working. My only kind thing for the environment was to hang a load of laundry instead of putting it in the dryer. Which counts for the budget, because it also saves $.50 every time you don't use your dryer. Small, I know, but it does add up, and it doesn't wear on the fabric as badly, so your clothes will stay nicer longer.
The family kindness threw itself at me today. My husband's a police officer. A new one, too. So there are a lot of "initiation rights" he hasn't experienced yet. Today was his first body removal. So he's dealing with a lot. Before he left he told me he'd let me know when he wanted dinner so I'd be able to cook in a timely manner (I'm a crock pot nut, so it's rare that I actually have to time myself on my cooking). I was on the phone with my mom when he barged in, saying that his sergeant demanded that he come home and change because he reeked of death. He changed, I threw his uniform in the wash, and we started Febrezeing him. After doing the fastest scrub down ever without actually taking a shower he was smelling relatively normal again and I sent him on his way with the bottle of Febreze for his car. I immediately went about defunking the house. Even though my nose is clogged up, the smell was pretty hard to miss.
Later, when he came home for dinner I made sure to let him sit and talk if he wanted and added some extra cuddle time into the end of dinner (he gets a half hour if the town doesn't burn down so usually we eat, clean up, and sit on the couch and snuggle and talk). He left in a lot better shape than he came home in, but tomorrow I'm planning on spending a lot of time with him just relaxing tomorrow.
And I let the cat play with the printer. She loves that thing.
Oh, and that laundry soap I made yesterday? It took the dead body smell right out of his uniform. And everything smells great, now! So I'm a convert.
And my hair actually looks okay today. A bit funky, but that's because I let it air dry. The texture is actually nice and soft. Still worried, though.
As for being kind to myself, well, I'm about to hop in the shower, make some peanut butter popcorn (recipe here), and curl up in bed with the popcorn, Theraflu, lots of water, orange juice, and cough drops, and a movie. Hopefully I'll pass out. And if not, then I guess I'll move on to reading. But I need the rest, apparently, so I'm going to be kind to myself and get it!
As far as my kindness mission, today was a rough one because I've been laid up sick and Seth is working. My only kind thing for the environment was to hang a load of laundry instead of putting it in the dryer. Which counts for the budget, because it also saves $.50 every time you don't use your dryer. Small, I know, but it does add up, and it doesn't wear on the fabric as badly, so your clothes will stay nicer longer.
The family kindness threw itself at me today. My husband's a police officer. A new one, too. So there are a lot of "initiation rights" he hasn't experienced yet. Today was his first body removal. So he's dealing with a lot. Before he left he told me he'd let me know when he wanted dinner so I'd be able to cook in a timely manner (I'm a crock pot nut, so it's rare that I actually have to time myself on my cooking). I was on the phone with my mom when he barged in, saying that his sergeant demanded that he come home and change because he reeked of death. He changed, I threw his uniform in the wash, and we started Febrezeing him. After doing the fastest scrub down ever without actually taking a shower he was smelling relatively normal again and I sent him on his way with the bottle of Febreze for his car. I immediately went about defunking the house. Even though my nose is clogged up, the smell was pretty hard to miss.
Later, when he came home for dinner I made sure to let him sit and talk if he wanted and added some extra cuddle time into the end of dinner (he gets a half hour if the town doesn't burn down so usually we eat, clean up, and sit on the couch and snuggle and talk). He left in a lot better shape than he came home in, but tomorrow I'm planning on spending a lot of time with him just relaxing tomorrow.
And I let the cat play with the printer. She loves that thing.
Oh, and that laundry soap I made yesterday? It took the dead body smell right out of his uniform. And everything smells great, now! So I'm a convert.
And my hair actually looks okay today. A bit funky, but that's because I let it air dry. The texture is actually nice and soft. Still worried, though.
As for being kind to myself, well, I'm about to hop in the shower, make some peanut butter popcorn (recipe here), and curl up in bed with the popcorn, Theraflu, lots of water, orange juice, and cough drops, and a movie. Hopefully I'll pass out. And if not, then I guess I'll move on to reading. But I need the rest, apparently, so I'm going to be kind to myself and get it!
 |
| I'm not the only one who needs sleep, apparently. |
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Day 1
Okay, maybe today wasn't the best start. For one, my husband was working and decided to go out to eat for dinner so I couldn't make him dinner, one of my favorite ways to show him that I love him (hey, I love it when I can come home from wherever and have dinner on the table, so why wouldn't he?). But instead I focused my kindness on my pets.
For Christmas/Winter, I had a centerpiece out that had pine cones in it. Well, last night to help usher in the new year I tore down the tree and all of our Christmas specific decorations. So the pine cones stayed out, and since Karma (our cat) couldn't systematically rip off ornaments anymore, she turned her focus onto the 'cones. Karma will hop onto the coffee table, pick one up in her mouth, and jog off to the kitchen where she begins to bat it around and do kitteh Parkour around the house. Eventually, Chester will decide that she's having way too much fun without him, jog into the kitchen, and start barking at her. Eventually she gives him the pine cone, he picks it up, trots to wherever I am, lays down, and starts munching. Of course I then take the pine cone away from him because I don't think that's good for him to eat, but that's also right around the time it starts all over again. I kid you not this happened 10 times today. Right around the 2nd time it occurred to me to just take the pine cones away, but the kids were enjoying themselves so much I decided to let them play a little longer. Did it drive me crazy? Yes. But they had a lot of fun and I'm glad they were playing "together."
I also posted about how I had made homemade laundry detergent and it needs to cure for a day, then I'll get to test it out. I still have most of a regular bottle left, but I wanted to make some up so that I won't have to worry about running out and getting caught with a full basket of laundry and no soap! So I'm very excited about that, as it is kind to our budget as well as the environment.
As far as being kind to myself, I've decided to do something...that I'm still kind of on the fence about. I've decided to try not using shampoo. I say this is being kind to myself because shampoo is actually horrible for your hair, and the more you use it the more you need to use it. If you've never heard about this before, try a quick Google search. You will get tons of results. It's actually really popular, if anything because it actually improves your hair's health and look, but also because it's better for the environment (decreases plastic use, fewer detergents going into the environment). So with great reluctance, but a lot of curiosity I put my two shampoo bottles (yeah, I alternated, so sue me!) back into the linen closet. And then I bought a big box of baking soda, because I'm going to need it... So we're going to give it a shot. I hear the first week is the worst. And hopefully if I use baking soda every day this week it'll slow down the nasty. We'll try it. Can you tell I'm nervous?
For Christmas/Winter, I had a centerpiece out that had pine cones in it. Well, last night to help usher in the new year I tore down the tree and all of our Christmas specific decorations. So the pine cones stayed out, and since Karma (our cat) couldn't systematically rip off ornaments anymore, she turned her focus onto the 'cones. Karma will hop onto the coffee table, pick one up in her mouth, and jog off to the kitchen where she begins to bat it around and do kitteh Parkour around the house. Eventually, Chester will decide that she's having way too much fun without him, jog into the kitchen, and start barking at her. Eventually she gives him the pine cone, he picks it up, trots to wherever I am, lays down, and starts munching. Of course I then take the pine cone away from him because I don't think that's good for him to eat, but that's also right around the time it starts all over again. I kid you not this happened 10 times today. Right around the 2nd time it occurred to me to just take the pine cones away, but the kids were enjoying themselves so much I decided to let them play a little longer. Did it drive me crazy? Yes. But they had a lot of fun and I'm glad they were playing "together."
I also posted about how I had made homemade laundry detergent and it needs to cure for a day, then I'll get to test it out. I still have most of a regular bottle left, but I wanted to make some up so that I won't have to worry about running out and getting caught with a full basket of laundry and no soap! So I'm very excited about that, as it is kind to our budget as well as the environment.
As far as being kind to myself, I've decided to do something...that I'm still kind of on the fence about. I've decided to try not using shampoo. I say this is being kind to myself because shampoo is actually horrible for your hair, and the more you use it the more you need to use it. If you've never heard about this before, try a quick Google search. You will get tons of results. It's actually really popular, if anything because it actually improves your hair's health and look, but also because it's better for the environment (decreases plastic use, fewer detergents going into the environment). So with great reluctance, but a lot of curiosity I put my two shampoo bottles (yeah, I alternated, so sue me!) back into the linen closet. And then I bought a big box of baking soda, because I'm going to need it... So we're going to give it a shot. I hear the first week is the worst. And hopefully if I use baking soda every day this week it'll slow down the nasty. We'll try it. Can you tell I'm nervous?
Homemade Laundry Detergent!
One of my goals this year is to be kinder to my budget. I spend a lot of time trying to reduce our household costs as much as possible with sales, coupons, buying in bulk (usually leads to a smaller price and less gas), ect. The last time I bought laundry detergent was months ago. I was at the beginning of my coupon/sale training and had a deal to get a 54 load bottle for $2, and since we have an HE machine I use a whole lot less than the standard per load, so I got a lot of use out of those two bottles for $4. However, I know I can do better!
So when I opened up the last bottle, I started researching for the next buy (I always like to have a back up at hand, as it prevents running out and paying full price for something just because you need it NOW! And the less you go to the store, the fewer impulse buys you make.) I also wanted to switch to something that was better for my HE machine and better for the environment, either through eliminating phosphates and nitrates or in having minimal packaging and reducing trips to the store to get more. I found that the cheapest solution is to make detergent myself. I knew that this could be done, but I didn't realize how much you really saved by making it yourself. The recipe I found makes 10 gallons of detergent, which is enough for 640 loads from a HE machine. If you do 6 loads of laundry a week, that amount will last you 2 years. We will get to the exact cost break down later, but if anything, the money saved from not having to price compare, shop for, and lug home detergent for two years is more than enough to convince me! So on to the detergent.
I got the recipe from the Duggar Family (yes, the ones on TLC with 12 bajillion kids. I actually like them and love that they live in a way that's true to them. And that they live debt free. With 20 people. It's pretty amazing).
You will need:
- 1 Bar Fels-Naptha soap (found in the laundry aisle)
- 1/2 C Borax, also in the laundry aisle
- 1 C Washing Soda. This one is tough, and can be bought on the internet here. It is Sodium Carbonate (Baking Soda is Sodium Bicarbonate). I substituted an oxygen based cleaner (like Oxyclean) because it contains mostly Sodium Carbonate.
- Water. Lots of water!
You will also need a 5 gallon bucket with a lid and something to stir it all with if you don't already. Directions as from the site are as follows:
Grate or break up bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.
 |
| Mmmm Soap Soup |
-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.
-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)
-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.
-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.
-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)
-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)
Now, the cost break down. I didn't buy anything while on sale, but obviously prices vary by region and store.
Fels-Naptha - $.99
Oxywash - $1.96 for 30 oz, so $.52 per cup
Borax - $2.13 a box, $.11 per half cup
So for one batch that lasts 640 loads, minus the cost of water, you pay $1.62. Even if we round it up to $2 for water and the cost of the bucket I had to pay extrapolated into how long I'll keep it (which is practically forever) and a penny or two for essential oils, that is still $.003 per load. A third of a penny. You can't beat that price!
Pre-Game
I feel the need to explain the intent of this blog. Every year on December 31st I start thinking about the past year and the year ahead. It's a great time to do some evaluating, and a great time marker for those of us who like those kinds of things. My mind immediately went to the fact that, as always, I could stand to lose a few pounds, or maybe being more organized would work out better, ooh or maybe I should try to only eat organic! I realized that every year I make the same resolutions, and have the same results - I've given up by my birthday at the end of February. I realized that the resolutions I were making required too much change to my daily routines and obligations and that's why I could never keep up.
So I resolved to do something that requires no deviation and I can do anywhere, anytime, for free. I resolved to be more kind, specifically to myself, my family, my budget and my planet. On the worst of days I'll only be able to satisfy one of these categories, but it's my goal to hit up all four on a daily basis, no matter how small I decided to start a blog to help me keep track of my "progress" and to help keep me accountable. I also have been meaning to start a blog for quite a while now, anyway. So without further ado, let the kind acts begin!
So I resolved to do something that requires no deviation and I can do anywhere, anytime, for free. I resolved to be more kind, specifically to myself, my family, my budget and my planet. On the worst of days I'll only be able to satisfy one of these categories, but it's my goal to hit up all four on a daily basis, no matter how small I decided to start a blog to help me keep track of my "progress" and to help keep me accountable. I also have been meaning to start a blog for quite a while now, anyway. So without further ado, let the kind acts begin!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)