September - Beginning the New Thriftier Me

We renewed something at our house this week.

We have renewed my son's allowance. When we moved to Arizona we just kind of stopped with that. My son always did extra work around the house when he needed money, and that was enough, but lately, I have been thinking how important it is to get him to learn how to handle his own money and budget. He is a sophmore in high school, and he goes off campus every day and occasionally he wants to buy a snack. I am not going to bankroll off-campus snacks.

Alex (my son) and I discussed what kinds of chores he can do around the house that I am willing to pay for. Bedroom cleaning and playroom tidying do not count. Those are his spaces, and he should make his own effort to keep things clean. Afterall, no one is going to pay him to keep his own home clean someday. The criteria for me was basically what load can he take off of my shoulders since this money is coming from my wallet. We decided on vacuuming, sweeping, and landscaping. Twice a week, my son will vacuum the living room, sweep kitchen, vacuum the bedrooms (there are two), sweep the hallways, and vacuum the playroom. He has early days on Wednesdays so he will vacuum on then and the other day will be Saturday or Sunday. Landscaping really involves weed pulling right now and other yard maintenance for two hours on Saturday or Sunday.

I have a dual purpose on the yard work. I hate the weeds, but more than that I want him to spend more time outside. Vacuuming is something he really might as well get accustomed to as well. He was already vacuuming his room, but now he is learning about moving the furniture, edging along the wallAs for a rate, we agreed on paying him his age in cash. He is 15 so he will be making $15 a week.

Out of that $15, he needs to pay for his texting. He wanted this extended texting plan which is an additional $10 a month from what we pay. So he will be taking care of his texting plan. We also agreed that he needs to put money away. He figured that since he is already putting roughly $2.50 a week towards his text plan that it would be a decent idea to put $2.50 away in savings.

We are only a week in, but I have to say things are looking good!

Now my big concern is budgeting his allowance into my budget. I figure I will work it out in the next three months because in the next three months I will be writing down every dime I spend. Not easy to do but necessary. It is totally time to figure out where everything is going. :)

Some Freebies

Just wanted to quickly share.


I love Kashi products. One of my favorites is their GoLean Crunch cereal. I love combining it with fruit and yogurt for a tasty parfait. GoLean Crunch tastes good enough for a snack, but Kashi has many different snacks too. You can get your choice of a sample of one of three of Kashi's fabulous snacks: TLC Cereal Bar - in Ripe Strawberry, TLC Chewy Granola Bar - Trail Mix, and TLC Crackers - Original 7 Grain.

Offer is valid until 9/19 or while supplies last.

LINK: Kashi Snack Drive

Struggles - Oh I Hate Struggles

I have been entirely struggling lately. Seriously there is little in my life that isn't driving me batty right now. I feel like my flesh is entirely willing to make changes in my life but at the same time it is beyond weak. Sometimes I feel like I am treading water with a suitcase on my head. My ship isn't sinking, but I am afraid it is sailing away without me. I don't want that. I want to move forward in my life. I want to take positive steps and improve, learn, and grow.

One of the things I would like to work on is my relationship with God. I feel like I am missing out. I want to be one of those ladies who can get up early and take some time alone to study God's word, but I am sooooo tired. And even if I do get myself up. What do I study? How do these lovely ladies know where to begin. It isn't like I haven't read the Bible. I want to go beyond that. I want to go beyond just reading my Bible. I want to have recall, perspective, and I want to see how His word applies to my life. I want to get it. I want to share it. I want to live it. Truly I just don't know where to begin. I keep praying that maybe God would just give me a quick pop on the forehead and I would at least know where to begin.

Now my prayer life is pretty good. Notice I didn't say great, but I at least do pray and communicate with God. Prayer for me has always been just a conversation with my Heavenly Father, and it has always been good. I have seen God work through my prayer life. Again though, I want to go further. For one I want to pray more effectively for my son and my husband. I want to be more consistent in praying for others.

Okay, I am off of the spiritual struggle and onto my least favorite. WEIGHT. BLECH. Oh how I hate my weight. I have ballooned in weight since I got married. The first six to eight months were fine. Then things began to change. It wasn't until we got all the symptoms figured out that I realized I had thyroid problems, but it didn't and doesn't matter to me. I have still gained over 40 pounds (yep) in about two years. That is crazy! That is the nightmare of hypothyroidism. On the bright side, I have an endocrinologist who is working with me, and at least some of the icky symptoms are lessening. My skin is not as dry. I am not exhausted all the time. My nails are growing again. My vision is improving. And I am not living in a pool of depression. Now I just need to work on the weight.

Weight is a struggle too. Weight has always been a struggle. The battle has only changed. When I was younger I watched my mom, grandma and aunts all drink Tab and Diet 7 Up. They consistently were on diets. I learned at a pretty early age that thin was in and being a grown woman meant being on a diet. I felt proud of myself when I could drink a very grown up drink like Tab. I had arrived. I suffered from anorexia in high school and college. I eventually went through treatment and came out on the other side fairly level headed, but with a tendency to overdo working out and watching what I ate. When I had my son, all that took a back seat (at least the overkill). I ate right and was quite active. I was a very fit 123 when I got married four days after my 40th birthday.

Now I am overweight. Combine that with thinning hair (what a fabulous hypothyroid treat!) I never thought I would weigh this much without the help of a baby in my belly. I am not looking to go back to 123 though I wouldn't mind. I just want to lose the weight that my hypothryoidism assisted. I am making steps though. Weight loss steps are some of the easier steps to make. They aren't as effective as they were when I wasn't hypothryoid, but I can definitely do something.

Did I just jump around too much?

Another struggle is blogging. I want to blog more so I can get these issues met. Accountability is really a great way to go. I do think blogging will help me. I need it to help me. This is my mini lifeline right now. This is how I will be measuring my struggles until I hit some success.

I haven't figured out how I will meet all my goals and conquer the things I want to conquer. One thing I am doing is reading Lysa Terkeurst's book Becoming More Than A Good Bible Study Girl. Mind you, I don't think I am a good Bible study girl. I am a pretty rotten Bible study girl. I love Lysa's devotionals from Proverbs 31 Ministries Daily Devotions. I like how she takes the Word and makes it make sense to me. I like how she applies it to life. I figure that even if I am not a good Bible study girl, Lysa can maybe help me get there. We'll see. :) I am hoping to finish the book by the end of this month so I can begin September with a new Bible studying attitude.

The rest of my struggles I'll address later. :)

In My Email - God Has a Positive Answer

This came in my email today. Normally I don't go on and on over an email forward, and I don't forward often, because I want people to know that when I do it is because it is something I really want to share.

Lately I have been really wrestling with my walk. I want to be closer to God. I find myself completely in awe of people who can read the Bible and come up with so many awesome truths. I am thoroughly humbled by this. I don't need to write amazing devotions, and I am not looking to, but what I am looking for is a better grasp of the Bible. I want to more than read it. I want to devour it and have the word live inside me. I want to recall God's words in times of joy, sorrow, and trouble.

I have just realized that I am totally going off in a different direction. Here is the email I wanted to share. One of the reasons it really spoke to me was because it gives me scripture verses for those many times that I need God's word.

HANDY LITTLE CHART - GOD HAS A POSITIVE ANSWER:

YOU SAY

GOD SAYS

BIBLE VERSES

You say: 'It's impossible'

God says: All things are possible

(Luke 18:27)

You say: 'I'm too tired'

God says: I will give you rest

(Matthew 11:28-30)

You say: 'Nobody really loves me'

God says: I love you

(John 3:1 6 & John 3:34 )

You say: 'I can't go on'

God says: My grace is sufficient

(II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)

You say: 'I can't figure things out'

God says: I will direct your steps

(Proverbs 3:5- 6)

You say: 'I can't do it'

God says: You can do all things

( Philippians 4:13)

You say: 'I'm not able'

God says: I am able

(II Corinthians 9:8)

You say: 'It's not worth it'

God says: It will be worth it

(Roman 8:28 )

You say: 'I can't forgive myself'

God says: I Forgive you

(I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)

You say: 'I can't manage'

God says: I will supply all your needs

( Philippians 4:19)

You say: 'I'm afraid'

God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear

(II Timothy 1:7)

You say: 'I'm always worried and frustrated'

God says: Cast all your cares on ME

(I Peter 5:7)

You say: 'I'm not smart enough'

God says: I give you wisdom

(I Corinthians 1:30)

You say: 'I feel all alone'

God says: I will never leave you or forsake you

(Hebrews 13:5)

Isn't God just absolutely AMAZING?

A Little Something For Nothing

I love freebies and deals, and once a week I scour around looking for a deal or two. I found two really great ones today that I thought I would share quickly because one will probably not last for long.

That would be a free 11 month subscription to Parenting Early Years through ValueMags.com. I am beyond the early years with my feet firmly standing in the teen years (can you imagine I actually once believed the whole terrible twos thing). Whoever coined that phrase forgot about teenagers. Anyway follow the link below.

LINK: Parenting Early Years

I work at a radio station, and one of the things I do is look up music news. While checking out new CD releases I found out that Jars of Clay is now offering a free download of "Out of My Hands" from their upcoming release of "The Shelter." You don't have to just jump on the download either. You can hear it first by clicking the link below the download link right on their website. P.S. They are a Christian group in case you didn't know.

LINK: Jars of Clay

Free CCM has a free download of several songs. They update the possibilities every week. This week they have added the song "Emmanuel" from the Catalyst Music Project performed by Heather Williams. You can also get downloads from The Choir, VOTA, Phillips, Craig & Dean, and Todd Angew. You do have to register.

LINK: Free Music at Free CCM

Get a free Full Version of Mystery Case Files Ravenhearst from Woman's Day and Big Fish Games. You can also get the sequel Return to Ravenhearst for 50% off at just $3.49.

I have no idea how long this deal lasts. Follow the link and find out. :)

LINK: Mystery Case Files Ravenhearst

Menu Plan Monday

I hadn't posted a menu plan last week because I went to California on Sunday and Monday, and basically that threw me off. It was a horrible idea not having a menu plan even if I was starting late, because one day we ended up having frozen pizzas. My son was thrilled, but I really hated doing it. I'd much rather make my own than do the frozen thing.

Monday

Shepherd's Pie - I made pork chops on Saturday and plan to use the leftover gravy for this meal.

Tuesday

Eggplant Parmesan Pizza - This week I picked up a nice-sized eggplant from bountiful baskets so I thought this would be a good use. This time we will stay a way from frozen pizza. :)

Wednesday

Leftover shepherd's pie and salad for my husband and me. Hot dogs and salad for my son.

Thursday

Black Bean Quesadillas

Friday

Chicken Fajitas

Saturday

Getting husband to grill. Plans for steak, corn on the cob, green leaf lettuce salad with cranberries, feta, walnuts and spinache.

Sunday

Leftovers

Check out some great recipes at the main Menu Plan Monday post at Laura's blog I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Menu Plan Monday

Last week I was pretty on target with my menu. We did have a slight variation on the schedule.

1. Friday was supposed to be beef enchiladas but I forgot to buy chilis to make the enchilada sauce with so that had to go on the back burner. When I made the pot roast I made extra mashed potatoes and still had tons of gravy so we had shepherd's pie on Friday.

2. Saturday was supposed to be veggie pizza BUT when I took out the frozen hamburger for the shepherd's pie to I took out two bags. I was weighing them to see which was closest to a pound. I kept one out longer than I intended so we had patty melts. This worked out great because I was able to use the extra rye bread that was left over from the beef and gravy over rye bread. I got three beautiful vidalia onions from my fruit and veggie co-op as well as a pile of corn on the cob. So I grilled up half of one of the onions and boiled up some corn.

3. This was supposed to be a left over scavenger hunt kind of day. Since I hadn't made the enchiladas yet, I made that the dinner goal using the leftover roast beef. I also made chilaquiles as I had extra taco meat from Monday (lunch tomorrow for me and my son).

Anyway, those were the changes. Here is what is up for the week.

Monday

Veggie Pizza with sorbet and fresh strawberries and blueberries for dessert.

Tuesday

Enchilada leftovers with watermelon for dessert.

Wednesday

Roast Chicken with Lemons and a green leaf lettuce salad with cantaloupe for dessert.

Thursday

Garden Rotini with grilled zucchini and chicken (utilizing some of the chicken from Tuesday). I picked up this recipe last week from Eat At Home's Menu Plan Monday link. Yogurt smoothies for dessert.

Friday

Garlic chicken lettuce wraps (a favorite way to stretch out the leftover chicken from Tuesday). Pluots for dessert.

Saturday

Rotini with meat sauce and cucumber salad the recipe I picked up from Tidbits of Happy. Random fruit for dessert. Probably pluots or peaches.

Sunday

I am heading to California on Sunday, because I have an appointment with my endo. I am not sure what my husband and my son will have. Typically when I am gone they survive on pizza and salad. I plan to take this opportunity to learn some yummy recipes from my sister-in-law.

So that is it for this Monday. It should be a pretty busy week. If you would like to join along or just get some great ideas head on over to I'm an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday.

Saving Money on Produce

One of my favorite ways to save money on produce is Bountiful Baskets. Bountiful Baskets is an amazing food co-op that has pick up sites in Arizona, Nevada, Washington, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming and Texas.

The baskets are a 50-50 offering of fruits and vegetables. I pay $15 plus a $1.50 fee each week that I order, and I love what I get. We have received an amazing array of fruits and vegetables every week and have saved lots of money. It also keeps our family on target with eating food that is healthy. The variety is great and allows me to learn to cook new veggies. If it wasn't for Bountiful Baskets I probably never would have tried Swiss Chard, baby bok choy, acorn squash and kale (love kale chips!)among others. It is also a great opportunity for my son and husband to try new vegetables and fruits.

Another cool aspect of Bountiful Baskets is you can purchase different healthy baked goods. This varies week by week as well. My faves so far have been the 7 grain breads (super tasty and freezable) and tortilla packs (an amazing deal and also freezable). We have also picked up some amazing cookies and cool cookie decorating kits during the holidays.

If you are in any of the states served, you should totally check it out at Bountiful Baskets. Each place has a set ordering time. For example in Arizona, I order on Tuesdays between 9 am on Tuesdays and 10 pm on Wednesdays until the slots are filled. For the most part, I order on Tuesday so I don't miss out. Truly I love being a part of this.

Oh...and did I mention that our pick up is 7:00 am. This is great for me because it forces me to get my lazy bum out of the bed on Saturdays and get a little light cleaning done before my husband wakes up. Don't worry though. All pick up times vary too. :)

Download two preview songs from Caedmon's Call Free

I love music. It is amazing how a song can take you to a different place in your mind and sometimes even a different time in your mind. When I listen to old 90s music or 80s songs, I often recall life as I was living it when those songs were popular.

One of my favorite music genres lately is Christian music. One of my favorite bands is Caedmon's Call. I was super excited when I found out that I could get two preview songs from their new album for free from Noise Trade.

Noise Trade is an awesome site. You can download some wonderful music. You can leave tips for the band to pay for what you download or you can help spread the word via Facebook, email or Twitter. I am going another step by telling you about it here. The nice thing is it really gets the word out there about some great artists which will increase their exposure.

If you want to check out the free songs, head over to Caedmon's Call's website: Caedmon's Call

Check out Noise Trade too. They have all sorts of great artists not just Christian.

Small note that has nothing to do with anything...much. Okay, do you ever wonder if your hand has a mind of its own? Every time I typed "noise"...I actually typed "nose" and had to fix it. If I still have "nose" typed here anywhere, please excuse me. :) I had that same problem a while back when I typed "freedom." I kept typing "freedome" and of course it was during Independence Day, and I was helping promote a song called This is Freedom by Justin Unger. It drove me BATTY! By the way, I did it again. What is up with my hands?

Menu Plan Monday Recipes That Caught My Eye

When I browsed some of the fabulous blogger menus for Menu Plan Monday, I saw quite a few menu ideas that really caught my eye. I thought I would put them here in order to have them on hand for another Menu Plan Monday. With over 300 posters I obviously couldn't check out everything, but I do think these will be marvelous!

The blog name had me intrigued so I had to check out the posting at The Fruit of Her Hands. I was so glad I did, because her blog looks fantastic. I was immediately drawn to this lovely woman's words. I especially appreciated her desire to be the woman God has made her to be. The food that caught my eye was actually her recipe for pizza crust from her Friday night pizza night. I love making pizza at home, but I must admit I have never made my own crust. When I lived back East I would just buy some dough at the bakery. Now in Arizona I am more likely to buy some Bobelli which is tasty, but probably not going the more thrifty route. In fact this week I am planning on making veggie pizza and just might have to try the crust recipe that night.

This next one is from one blog linking to another. I love stuffed peppers, and I am always looking for different ways to make them. Benza Bulletin had stuffed peppers on the list with a link for the tasty recipe! I was thrilled to have another recipe for stuffed peppers. I am definitely going to keep this in mind for the weeks ahead.

Today's Specials had a link to what made my mouth water when just reading the name. Imagine BBQ Chicken Braid! I don't think this is something I will be able to work out immediately, but once I get a good mixer, I am on it!

While reading Greta's post at Mom Living Healthy, I was drawn to the apple granola recipe she got from Finding Joy in My Kitchen. They had it listed for breakfast so many times, I just had to look it up. I have quite a bit of cereal stocked up right now for my husband (he loves cereal), but I think he will flip for this recipe too!

I love salads. I get a lot of great fruits and vegetables from bountiful baskets, and I am always looking for ways to incorporate each and every one into our diet. Trina at Tidbits of Happy had a cucumber salad on her Menu Plan Monday posting. It looks so good! I just picked up two HUGE English cucumbers this weekend. I think I will try this on Sunday with our leftovers.

After seeing my fantasy coffee cup in the hands of the A Need For Caffeine, I had to pop on over and see what was the week's menu plan. I was immediately giddy over the idea of a crock pot apple dumplings. I made two apple crisps in the past two weeks and think trying the apple dumplings would be a blast. I also just love using my crock pot for anything I can.

Amanda at First Day of My New Life had a recipe link for strawberry banana bread (from A Few Shortcuts) that again had my mouth watering. I always seem to have bananas on hand, and this looks like a seriously tasty way to put them to good use (beyond my typical choice of banana bread or banana muffins). Looking at the pictures at the recipe site reminded me again that I need a good mixer. Maybe for Christmas.

Charla from Healthy Home Blog has a recipe for chicken tortilla soup. I have a recipe that I use but I was thrilled to find another option. It looks like a winner!

Unorganized Housewife has a title that kind of describes me, and a recipe that is definitely a must try. It is called Murphy's Hot Hamburger. We have a Murphy's here (well not the Murphy's that makes this burger), and after looking at the picture I was hoping that it was our Murphy's. Well it isn't so I am going to have to make this myself. Thank goodness for the recipe!

Food on the Table had me with this lovely recipe for pineapple shrimp rice bake. It contains everything I love, and I am pretty sure my son and husband will like it too. Of course, I have to wait for a good shrimp sale.

Alicia's Homemaking had some great recipes to share, but the one that really caught my eye was for blueberry zucchini bread. I have always loved zucchini bread, and this sounds like an awesome option. The vegetable pasta primavera looks pretty awesome too. She has a great picture. My only fear is my husband's lactose intolerance. :( Poor guy.

Oh the joy! More granola! I really am so excited about my granola making prospects thanks to another recipe this time from Alli 'n Son! Granola really can satisfy, and now that I have found a delightful yogurt recipe, I am ready to make that too and mix up the yummy duo!

I was thrilled to find Eat At Home. Not only are their recipes but also a grocery list accompanying her menu plan. I was especially taken with the Garden Rotini with Grilled Zucchini and Chicken. Summer is totally zucchini season!

Well that is it for this week. If you haven't yet, you just might want to head over to I'm An Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday. It has helped me regain more time in my week and more order. :)

Back to School

Oh man what a day! My son and I headed off to his high school this morning to pick up his class schedule, pay fees, and take pics for his student ID. Last year was absolutely chaotic. Somehow his registration did not get processed, and we spent all day at the school! It was a bloody nightmare. Today was fairly smooth sailing. We stood in a huge line until the doors opened and then a few minor lines and by 10:00 am, we were on our way! Oh what a dream!

Of course it didn't end there. We picked up a few back to school supplies yesterday, but today was our back to school shopping day. My son Alex and I hit Ross today for some back-to-school bargains. I love that place. I also love that I have such a wonderful. He is an amazing kid, but he is also a kid with very down to earth tastes. My son has never groused at shopping clearance racks, thrift stores and yard sales. Of course that is how we have always done it so it is all very typical. Give him jeans and t-shirts and he is a happy boy. Thankfully Ross had plenty of both. We picked up two pairs of Polo jeans that Alex just loved. I was so used to Polo being a little over the top preppy for my taste, but these are perfectly casual and look great. We also grabbed two pairs of Quick Silver jeans in a nice dark denim, five shirts (the usual faves for my son which are basically Quick Silver, Hurley and No Fear) and one zip hoodie which was a must. Alex has to catch the bus at 6:30 am so I figured it would be a good idea to have something warm enough for the morning but light weight enough to toss in his back pack and not take too much room.

Our total was $166.43. I did throw it on the credit card. I pulled the cash out of the bank this morning, but that will actually go to the hubby who pays the credit card bill (we love gathering up points). One thing I thought of when I saw the bill was how I just hate paying taxes on clothes. That is one of the things I definitely miss about living in Rhode Island. I hate paying sales tax on food and clothing. It just feels so wrong.

Those clothes combine with some amazing thrift store deals I picked up when in California have really put us in a good position clothing wise for the upcoming school year. Now all I really need to do is pick up socks and underwear! Yay!!!!!

My son and I hit Target after Ross. My main goal was to pick up some spiral notebooks (5 at 15 cents) and index cards (10 packs of 100 at 44 cents) and filler paper (3 at 75 cents). There were also some really good deals on colored construction paper (88 cents for 96 sheets), crayons (20 cents -we picked up 3 for 5 cents at Office Max) and Elmer's glue sticks (six pack for $1.00). We grabbed a bunch of these goodies for one of the charter schools in the town. I know one of the TAs (actually with budget cuts she is the only TA), and we thought it would be nice to gift some deals there way. The index cards were an absolute must as my son is taking Japanese and he is constantly making homemade flash cards plus who can pass up 44 cents per 100? Our Target total was $13.29.

All in all it was a great day. We did one thing though that we hardly ever do. We ate at Wendys! I don't justify this at all. I do give us a pass today as we pretty much do fast food once every six months or so. I have to forgive myself this one. Plus although I am working on being thriftier. One of the things I am also doing this month is keeping track of expenses so I don't want to cheat by not doing something I normally would do. When we have a son and mom day, my son and I usually do get lunch together.

Now I am off to organize two dresser drawers. Oh what total joy! ;) I took today out of work to be there for my son, and now it is time to get a little organizing done. My husband is a neat freak so he will be thrilled.

Menu Plan Monday

An important part of saving money is definitely getting a handle on our food menu. I have participated in Menu Plan Monday in the past from Laura's blog I'm An Organizing Junkie, and it definitely helped me not only save money, but it helped me save time. I often was totally overwhelmed after work and wondered what we should have for dinner. I would often stop at the store to pick up an ingredient or two. Menu planning really takes a lot of that load off.



MONDAY

Taco salads for the grown ups and tacos for the teenager and cinnamon crisps for desert.

TUESDAY

Slow cooker pot roast, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn on the cob. Cherry jello for desert.

WEDNESDAY

Creamy Italian tuna pasta salad

THURSDAY

Roast beef and gravy (using leftovers from slow cooker pot roast) over rye bread and green leaf lettuce salad.

FRIDAY

Beef enchiladas and cheese enchiladas (using leftover beef from the pot roast).

SATURDAY

Veggie Pizza

SUNDAY

Leftover round up

Coffee Scrub - Thanks Babushka's Beauty Secrets!

I have been giving a lot of attention to ways to save money at home and outside of the home. One of the things I have looked into is beauty treatments. Taking care of myself on the outside has been a light priority since I got married and started working a day job. Time for me became really limited. I have realized that I cant put myself on the back burner. I can make some time for me, and still care for my family. I can take time for me, take care of my appearance and not have to make a large dent in my finances.

One way to take care of my outside has been my loofah sponge. I have been a huge fan of my loofah sponge for exfoliating, and kicking up circulation. I am also looking forward to its cellulite diminishing properties. My aunt recommended loofahs to me for just that back when I was a kid. Of course back then I didn't have cellulite, but I was aware of what it was and more than happy to file that information in the back of my mind. I am happy to say that I went throughout my twenties and thirties without cellulite. I am a little whacked up now with it, but I kind of blame that on the extra poundage from being hypothyroid. Hopefully once those extra pounds slide off, I can get the cellulite to go with it.

Today I tried a new to me budget beauty treatment. I love scrubs. I have used sugar scrubs in the past and salt scrubs, and I just love how they make my skin feel. Nowadays I just don't have the money to purchase these treats so I have been looking for new ways to get those treatments without the cost. The other day I was browsing through Babushka's Beauty Secrets by Raisa Ruder and Susan Campos, I read about a coffee scrub. I have seen these in stores before, and thought that this would be a great thing to try. It is very cost effective because it is something I already have on hand. We have cut down on coffee significantly, but we still enjoy it on the weekends. By the way, I won this book from One 2 Try. Check out that blog for awesome reviews and giveaways.


The Details:

Coffee brand - Dunkin' Donuts. The book obviously wasn't specific on the brand. My husband and I are both East Coast transplants and Dunkin' Donuts is our brand of choice.


This weekend I put all out used coffee grounds and filters in an old canning jar with plans to try this as a scrub. Today I took a shower as usual but turned the water off after applying my conditioner. Using my hands I scooped up palmfuls of the used coffee and rubbed it into my body in circular motions. I also used one of the old filters to rub it in on those harder to reach spots. I kind of just hung out for a few minutes all speckled and aromatic until I was pretty sure I couldn't stand there any longer. I think the book said to leave it on for 15 minutes, but I probably left it on for 8 to 10. I'll try to hold out longer next time. I have also read that you can wrap yourself in plastic wrap after applying it, but I am not sure I am going to go that route. That seems to be the step for using the coffee grounds as a cellulite treatment, and right now I just want to take advantage of the scrub itselt.

Now the results.

My skin felt amazing! Seriously, I could not believe how soft my skin felt (I even applied it to my face). My make up seemed to go on smoother too. My skin has been extra dry (another thyroid side effect) so I was simply thrilled with the way my skin felt. I can't wait to try it again! So far this is THE best scrub I have ever tried. I can't wait to dig more deeply into this book, and see what other beauty treats I can try! If you are interested in this book, you can check it out at Amazon.com below (this is an affiliate link by the way). You can also get more details at this link which will take you to the publisher's site: Babushka's Beauty Secrets: Old World Tips for a Glamorous New You

Why I am Doing This? Step One -

Ahhhh the great question? Okay, the great question for myself. I honestly don't expect anyone to notice this little blurb in the massive blogosphere. By the way, right now I am totally multitasking. I am typing a blog while watching a movie. I don't even know the title of the movie. All I know for sure is Brittany Murphy is in it, and it is about a man who is coming to kill a man who is having an affair with his wife. Brittany Murphy may be the wife. I don't know yet. I will surely find out sooner or later.

This may or may not be a good use of my time, and it is certainly not getting me any closer to answering the question that basically I am asking myself. Why I am doing this? Why am I starting this blog?

I am among many individuals who are trying to make ends meet and have a little left over. I am good at living beneath my means to a degree or I CAN be good if I put my mind to it. I tend to slack a bit here and there, but now I need to live farther beneath. I want to save money. I have some pretty high medical expenses. Nothing outrageous, but when you add all of life's other necessities, it really has become more important to figure out how to save some extra cash.

This blog is going to be my little money saving experiment. I figure the focus will be good for me. I have dusted off some of my favorite money saving books, and I am going to see what works for me. Blogging about it seems like a good way to keep a record of what works and doesn't work. :)

Now it is entirely too late to really get moving, but I will be back.

PS I had to stop watching the movie. It just wasn't sticking in my head. Maybe I'll watch it tomorrow night.