Oh Saturday!

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Bacon, Pumpkin Bread, and Southwestern Egg Scramble

Saturdays are my favorite yes it's true.  I can sleep in a little and relax.  What's better than that?!  Nothing except maybe this delicious Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread via Reading My Tea Leaves with a side of bacon and a tortilla egg scramble.   I made a little loaf for us to nibble on then bake the rest of the pumpkin bread batter in a bundt cake pan to take with us on our trip to the mountains.

The tortilla scramble is out of this world simple and so tasty.  Just scramble eggs like you usually would then add crushed tortilla chips before the eggs set up, top with salsa and cheese, then let the cheese melt.  Oh yea...yummy!

I spent yesterday afternoon organizing my kitchen cabinets.  I keep seeing all these cute ideas on Pinterest about organizing, but I'm trying to keep the cost down so I just used what I had.  I ended up using all my mason jars leftover from summer canning and other containers that I had on hand.

A place for everything, everything in it's place

XOXO,

Alaina M.

Spending Freeze Top 10 Tips to Gear Up

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Since my honey and I will be embarking on a Spending Freeze in just a few days we are starting to gear up and prep for this big decision.  We are spending New Year's Eve with two of my coworkers and their girlfriends in a cabin in the remote community of Blue Ridge, Georgia.  I can't wait for the trip and we are viewing it as a last "woo-rah" before we cut our extra spending completely.  I would also like to point that we agreed and paid for this trip before we decided to embark on this journey.

Here are a few things we have been doing to gear up for the spending freeze:

1.  Make a BUDGET!  This may seem simple but it's not easy to account for everything, even expenses that only occur on a quarterly, semi-annual, or annual basis.  Add a budget for additional expenses like oil changes and work that in to the monthly basis.

2.  Set up a separate account for extra income that you receive.  This is a Dave Ramsey tip and will be an account for items such as tax refunds, overtime, and any unused money from the monthly budget.  This account can be used as savings for emergencies or used to liquidate debt.

3.  Make a Needs vs. Wants List to have a better handle on things you are willing to spend money on.

4.  Trim your budget to reflect the needs side of your list.  This may include cutting cable television off completely to save over $700 a year like I will be doing at the end of my billing cycle or cutting your cell phone bill down to the minimum.  My sweetie and I found that we could cut his cell phone bill from $134 a month to $77.  That's a savings of $684 a year!

5.  Write down each purchase that is made everyday so at the end of the week you can see where your money went and shoot for at least one day a week where you don't spend any money.

6.  Use cash instead of a debit card when possible.

7.  Organize everything...from your closet to kitchen cabinets.  Not only will you feel better for scaling down and simplifying but you may find items that you can sell to make additional money from.  I found 3 pairs of boots I haven't worn in years that are in great shape...hello eBay.

8.  Be reasonable.  This goes without saying, but you need to set yourself up for success with your budget and your expectations.  Crunch the numbers and figure out how long it will take you to meet your income.

9.  Set a time limit of the spending freeze.  We have decided to do 90 days and will be sticking to it.  Once we hit the 90 day mark we will re-evaluate and see what the next step is.

10.  Get EXCITED!  You are about to take control of your money situation and get back on track.  There will be nothing more liberating than taking care of business and having more in the bank and less in debt.

These are just a few things that my sweetie and I have been working on to set ourselves up for success in the new year with our spending under control.

XOXO,

Alaina M. 

DIY Eye Makeup Remover & Leave in Conditioner

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Beauty is only skin deep BUT I love my beauty products yes I do!  However I hate spending money on them and frugal living is all about making do.  Two items that I can not live without and use daily are eye makeup remover and leave in conditioner, so after a little looking and trying I was able to make them myself.

Eye Makeup Remover

Supplies:

Small Container either Plastic or Glass

Witch Hazel (available at most big box stores, pharmacies, or grocery stores)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

To Make:

Mix equal parts witch hazel and olive oil in container.  The mix should be 50/50 and will separate so to use simply shake and apply to a cotton ball or washcloth.

Leave in Conditioner

Supplies:

2-3 Tablespoons of your Favorite Conditioner

Water

Plastic Container with a Spray Pump (16 - 20 oz)

To Make:

Put 2-3 tablespoons of conditioner in the bottom of bottle then fill up with water being sure to leave about 2 inches of headspace in the bottle.  Screw on the top to the bottle and shake until everything is combined in the bottle.  Apply to wet or damp hair.


How to Cut Your Own Hair & Save a Fortune

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BEFORE
Well, I finally did it...I cut my own hair.  I have been talking to my family and friends about trimming my own hair for a while, but I finally got up the nerve to do it myself.  As part of my Spending Freeze I am trying to cut back on as much extra spending as possible and freezing all outgoing expenditures.  
I do not get my hair cut at a lavish salon and always get a dry cut, but a haircut in the ATL area is expensive.  I love my stylist and that is why I continue to go back to her every 6-8 weeks.  A dry cut (no shampoo, scalp massage, or styling) runs my pocketbook about $60 after tip.  So, $60 x 6 cuts a year = $360.  I also always dye my hair at home instead of paying for it.  A box of dye costs me about $12 and I touch it up about every 6 weeks.  

 One of the steps to putting a freeze on your spending is making a list of things you are willing to spend money on and a list of things you are not.  My list is as follows:

WILL spend money on:

fresh produce
Chloe's medical expenses (my dog)
vitamins/prescriptions
boxed hair dye
Bible study materials/projects

WILL NOT spend money on:

clothes
hair products
fancy/prepared foods
eating out
haircuts

AFTER

Since I have been growing my hair out and want long locks before summer this seems like an easy way to save a penny and still promote healthy growth.  

I used Anna Jones's tutorial and it worked like a charm.  The only thing I would recommend is that if you have wavy or curly hair straighten it before you are ready to start cutting, use a pair of scissors designed for cutting hair (I used a pair of mustache scissors from a big box store), and trim your layers or bangs if you have them so all your ends are fresh on the bottom.

The whole process took a handful of minutes and was so worth it knowing how much money I saved.  My ends feel tangle-free and look great.  There is nothing better than a haircut to make you feel revitalized in the dead of winter.  Good luck with your trimming and let me know how it goes for you!  Happy saving!

12 Days of Christmas: Days 1-12

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Earlier this month I blogged about spoiling my sweetie with 12 Days of Christmas gifts.  I didn't want to mention what I did for each day but I thought that since today is day 12 I would share.

As the song goes, On the 12 Days of Christmas my true love gave to me...

1st Day:  a cozy sweatshirt

2nd Day:  two pairs of Ed Hardy boxer briefs

3rd Day:  three NFL Atlanta Falcons golfballs

4th Day:  four pairs of Under Armor ankle socks

5th Day:  5 Love Languages Book ( I also bought a copy for myself, so we can read it together)

6th Day: six couple coupons

7th Day:  seven photos in an album of us

8th Day:  eight Dove Promises chocolates each labeled with a promise

9th Day:  nine love quotes and Bible verse in a leather bound journal

10th Day:  ten issues of Men's Health magazine (one subscription)

11th Day:  Love Mix #11 ( Mixed CD )

12th  Day:  twelve public confessions about my man 

I hope this will inspire you to do something sweet for the ones you love and give them something to look forward to each day leading up to Christmas.



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