Happy 2015!

I hope you had a blessed, beautiful holiday season this year and that you are excited about 2015! I miss blogging. No grandiose visions of making money or having thousands of readers -- but written things. Writing usually equals having to think about things, and that has to be good for a person!

Since January is a great time to look over things that we'd like to change, I noticed about three things that intertwine with each other that I think I want to improve for me and this house this coming year: save money, be healthier, be greener. Yeah, I am sure these goals are pretty common and are also really, really vague. (I have specific steps in mind!)

But I like these three things because they are super interconnected. My thought process is that we save money when we don't have to keep buying things. Herp derp derp, everyone knows that. However, there are a lot of things that we don't realize we have to constantly refill and repurchase that we could easily replace with something that lasts. Most of those kinds of things things are everyday products that end up in the garbage, and then a landfill. We can also save money by taking the slow way of cooking rather than the quick way with processed, prepackaged foods, which also end up with a lot of trash!

Lots of things done just a little more slowly, the old-fashioned way, makes a huge difference.

Are you thinking of making some changes along these lines, too? Here are some of my favorite things that I found that you might like!

1. Planet Wise Reusable Snack Bags

Image from planetwiseinc.com

I find that I don't go through plastic zipper bags that fast since it's generally just a few people using them, but they still often hold a little bit of food or one toothbrush for travel, and then end up in the trash. These are really cute reusable snack bags (made in the U.S. -- awesome!) that you can use, throw in your washing machine in a cold wash, leave to dry, and use again! 

I had some Paypal money sitting around from using Smart App and Ibotta, so I grabbed a couple of these from Nicki's Diapers since through this retailer, they ship for free and you get reward points you can use later. 

Yes, it's primarily a cloth diaper store, but they also have other reusable home products that can help presently kid-free families (like us, obvi). And we plan on using cloth diapers someday when we do have kids because of the cheapness and environmental impact, so if you are going to be entering the world of parenting a baby anytime soon, that's something else you can totally look into to save money and be green! 

2. Topping Sweet Potatoes with... Everything

My sweet potato bounty!

Huh?

The inspiration came from this recipe for paleo pulled pork topped sweet potatoes. Now, I am not really a big believer in the paleo diet, per se, but this combo sounded SO GOOD. It got me thinking about what else you could put on a baked sweet potato. Maybe some kind of cordon bleu with chicken, ham, and swiss? A Mexican style topping of ground turkey, salsa, cheese and sour cream?

Sweet potatoes are a whole food packed with nutrients. They also happen to be pretty cheap and filling, and last a while if you store them in a cool, dark place. Incorporating them into more dinners by sweet potato-fying your regular casseroles and crockpot meals is smart for your health and wallet. 

3. Grocery Shopping with a System EVERY Time

Me, in the college days, holding a leek at Publix. Why? I don't know. My bangs were also turnt up due to the Florida humidity that I don't miss. This just fits the grocery shopping theme, I guess? I miss being that tan. :'(

I am far from a crazy coupon lady. We don't get any newspapers, for starters, so we don't get coupons in the mail -- just printing them once in a while or using them exclusively in an online format. The stockpiling and clearing out entire stores that you see on TV isn't what I am interested in for a few reasons:

A. Too much time

B. Too much effort

C. Too much shame (I am a major people-pleaser and I can't stand taking up tons of time in line!)

D. Too much junk food that I don't want to eat

The last point is probably the biggest one -- you usually can't use coupons to save on fresh fruits and veggies. They often are for things such as sugary cereal, which we really don't eat even when we have it, so it'd be a waste. (Although if Oreo O's came back, this would be a totally different story. Dlahsdlifhalisudhf crying.)

And we're trying to eat healthier, so how do you get fresh and better foods on a budget?

I've already blogged before about what I usually do here, but I realized that a gap in my system is menu planning. This is huge. Being realistic about what I have time and energy to cook, and what we will really like is key. Will it make good leftovers that we actually want to eat? Does it reheat well? What sides go with the main entreés we like? Can the ingredients for these sides be used in other sides later in the week? 

It may take time to see how best to plan menus for you, after seeing what leftovers you really don't want to eat or what groceries are going bad before you can use them again. Set up multiple reminders to bring leftovers to lunch the next day, or when certain things in the fridge go bad so you can use them up! 

And when you plan that menu, save that money. Then, proceed to drop the mic.

4. Mrs. Meyer's Hand Soap

Image from mrsmeyers.com. Drool. This scent is one of my faves. Thanks to my brother for introducing this stuff to me.

Although this truth might not seem to jive with the other things I talk about, you need to know: I am extremely biased against all things "crunchy," or hippie. 

How can this be? I bought reusable snack bags!

I will never go "no poo" and wash my hair with vinegar. I prefer using over-the-counter medicine for sickness over teas and garlic. I think that essential oils are mostly voodoo science. I will not give up my Urban Decay eyeshadows and start making them out of cocoa powder or whatever. (You're totally free to disagree with any of the above, by the way!)

My point: yo no soy hippie.

However, if there is a more eco-friendly alternative with more natural ingredients -- that doesn't smell like vinegar, and actually works -- I want to switch. There are some chemicals that I don't love having on my skin if I can help it. 

Here is where Mrs. Meyer's joins the party. The scents are so, so excellent; I love Basil, Peony, and Iowa Pine the most. The fragrances are from essential oils, which is still OK by me as long as no one tells me to start rubbing it on my feet to cure the flu. The other ingredients are more natural. And it works like regular ol' soap.

They also have laundry detergent, dish soap, and other products that are earth friendly! I feel the best use of my money is investing in the soap since it has the most direct contact with skin, so that's the only thing I buy from them right now. Grab some at Target or Meijer sometime and enjoy smelling your hands over and over without realizing it. (Meijer had an mPerk coupon one time for them to be BOGO, which is a killer deal, by the way!)

5. Handwash, Handwash, Handwash!

Ever since moving to Michigan... I have finally been able to indulge myself in my love of graphic sweaters without shame.

I have been über guilty of this, but I used to just chuck everything into the washing machine and be done. On the bright side, when I did this, it was with all my college student-era clothes, which tended to be on a college student budget, so nothing made out of silk or wool. Wool? In Florida? Who are we kidding?

Now that I've hit the middle part of my 20's, I've invested in a few somewhat higher quality things, such as nicer undergarments, blouses, and sweaters. The sticker shock can turn some people away from spending more on clothes, but if they are made better and taken care of, then they will last ages longer than the typical Rue21 or Wet Seal stuff, thus saving you money! And you'll look good, too.

Delicate items deserve to be washed by hand. Some people find it time-consuming and a pain, but for some reason, I have found it highly gratifying since I recently started. I like knowing that the items I really like and invested money into are going to look good. 

Good ol' Woolite does a great job, but if you're really going for the budget option, use baby shampoo! It is gentle and gets things nice and clean. Or, hey -- I bet my buddy Mrs. Meyer would do a good job. Turn items inside out and soak them in warm water with your cleanser mixed in, and then massage the pieces, focusing on the areas where you might sweat the most. Rinse with cold water, and lay on a towel and roll up your garment to get the excess water out. Hang to dry and you're good to go! (Ikea has awesome little octopus hanging racks that will work great!)

Whew. These are a few little things I've incorporated to get us closer to living the kind of life that we want, with more money in the bank, healthier bodies, and a healthier planet. Mind, none of these things should be idolized! They are good things, but not the greatest thing. 

Make plans to know God more this year, and love Him more deeply. Everything else should just point to Him, as we steward what He's given us in the wisest way possible. I should post later as well about what practical steps I am taking to do just that.

What goals do you have as this year starts off fresh? What tiny steps will you take to get you started? What bigger steps should follow? What inspires you?

Kicking off the new year with you,

- Lara

The Queen of Food and Money

Hello, blog!

I am writing this post solely out of the overflowing glee I experienced today after scoring some outrageously good deals grocery shopping, and the desire to share some discoveries I've made -- especially in the world of shopping at Meijer and Aldi. (I have a deep-seated hatred of Kroger, so I'm sorry, but I will be of no assistance there.)

I know, really thrilling stuff, right?

But meal planning, bargain hunting, grocery shopping, and recipe testing are all things I like that hold hands and become part of my foodie life. I LOVE food. I love cooking and baking. And, I love saving money so I can buy more sweaters and handbags save it up for the future like a responsible adult.

Anyway, if you ever struggle to know where to start with saving money at the grocery store (extreme couponing is too stressful), here's what I do. You might like it and find it's not so horrible and time-consuming!

1. Check Ibotta, Checkout 51, and Shopmium.

Okay, first you might need to download them. These apps are all available for the iPhone; I believe they're all available for Android, too. The awesome things about them:

• They're FREE!!!!!!!
• They give you FREE MONEY!!!!!!!!!!!
• They're easy!

I know that it sounds too good to be true, but I believe they make their money through the advertising that brands and companies get by offering rebates on them. Ibotta gives you stores that you can shop from to obtain the rebates while Checkout 51 will give you a rebate no matter where you shop, which is BALLIN' if you go to Aldi, because it's already cheap and they don't take any coupons anyway.

Each app has a bunch of rebate offers that change periodically, some products just generic (like a jug of any brand of milk or apples) and some that are brand specific (like Doritos). The app gives you instructions, but you essentially take pictures of your receipt with the phone camera in the app and select which rebates you are claiming that are on the receipt and send it. That's it! They'll let you know when it goes through, and your money will be in the account! Checkout 51 sends you a check when you reach $20 and Ibotta & Shopmium can either put it into Paypal for you or send you a giftcard.

So when I start planning meals and shopping for the week, I look at these apps first to see if there's anything I would use on there and plan around those things.

2. Check mPerks and see what rewards and coupons there are.

If you haven't heard of mPerks at Meijer, you will go nuts when you find out how easy it is to use and help you save. It's basically an account where you can clip online coupons and also put purchases towards rewards for even more savings (such as getting $5 off your next trip if you spend $30 on deli products one month). 

The awesome part about it is that they have MOST coupons that you'd find on coupons.com, but instead of having to print them out, you just punch in your phone number at the Meijer cash register and your PIN that you make up, and it automatically applies all the coupons you've clipped! Woop woop, run on, sistah!

ESPECIALLY clip coupons for things like salads, or other produce/deli perishables. Meijer almost always has some things like salad mix, potato salad, and cheese in that whole area of the store marked down because they will expire sooner than the others. There will be a huge orange sticker that tells you 20% or 40% off because it needs to be used soon! I got a really fancy Asian chopped salad today for about a dollar because of a $1.00 mPerks coupon and 40% off because it needs to be eaten by tomorrow. And it will. Mwahaha.

3. Check the ad circulars super fast.

It seems like a pain to do this, but I just go on both Meijer & Aldi's websites and look at the deals that week. If any line up with coupons or rebates that I have saved -- and are also things that we will actually use -- then I put that on my shopping list and high five myself! And then if there are any other crazy deals that I want to take advantage of, I make note of that, too, so I don't forget to go down those aisles when I get to the store. (I'm notorious for forgetting to look at any frozen food unless I write it down because it's just darn cold over there.) 

If you aren't far away from each store you want to go to, it's also handy to see where to get certain things. This week, Meijer had no deals on avocados -- they were about $1.50 each! Ugh! But Aldi had them for $0.60 each, so I decided not to impulse buy them at Meijer just because they sounded good. Cheap guacamole for all!

4. Make your list.

I just use the notes app on my phone. I write down everything I plan on getting and how much they should cost, if I know what that is, to get an idea of how much I am spending. Then you know what your wiggle room is when you spy some of those Brookside dark chocolate pomegranate candies that you compulsively grab when you see them. (Duh, they are the best.)

OPTIONAL -- I also take screenshots from the apps where my rebates and coupons are, just in case my phone reception is awful in a store and I want to check if there's a certain size of coffee creamer or tub of cottage cheese I have to buy to meet the requirements for the deal.

5. Get your reusable shopping bags and a quarter ready.

If you haven't shopped at Aldi before, first of all...

...get thee to an Aldi immediately. 

Your brain will probably explode from all the awesome stuff they have in their own store brands for ridiculously cheap prices. Their produce has been hit or miss sometimes but they are improving a lot. However, you need a quarter to stick in the shopping cart -- which you do get back when you hook it back up to the other carts -- and your own bags save you money since you have to pay for bags at the store. I have a few of those thermal bags as well to keep cold foods cold, which is super nice when you go to a few stores in one trip and don't want all your refrigerated and frozen goods to be all melted and sweaty when you come home at the end.

6. Hit the store.

Don't forget to punch in your mPerks info on the little screen at Meijer when you check out, and don't forget to hang onto your receipts for when you get home and redeem all your sweet app rebates!

7. Dance because you are the queen/king of food and money.

It goes without saying!

For about $50 this week, I got bratwurst, stew meat, pitted dates, tomatoes, bananas, green beans, broccoli, strawberries, two salad mixes, pumpkin beer, organic veggie chips, goat cheese, fresh mozzarella cheese, natural coffee creamer, the list goes on and on... I am probably a little too pleased with myself, but we are eating really good this week for crazy cheap without spending hours clipping coupons and checking out at the store with four separate transactions.

Speaking of which, I ALWAYS END UP BEHIND THOSE PEOPLE AT THE STORE. It's some kind of curse. No offense if you do that, I just have bad luck and always find you. 

Anywho, planning to write more interesting things again besides boring ol' groceries, but in the mean time, I hope you at least try Ibotta or those other apps! They are a lot of fun and you can't beat even more money in your wallet!

Love, Lara

Fabulous Florida

Lately, I've been trying to come to grips with the fact that I will, in the not-too-distant future, have to bid my home state farewell. I really do take this place for granted. Not only does my immediate family live here and most of my friends, and all my university experience, and all that jazz. Florida is a pretty fly place to live! I could pitch it for a living, which is funny considering how I used to be so sure that I couldn't stand the heat anymore and wanted out ASAP back in high school. (I will miss it now! Darn it, Lara!) I especially have a little chunk of my heart in Orlando, the most mischaracterized city in the U.S., at least, probably besides Detroit haha. It's a good thing Darin and I met, we understand each other!

There are a bunch of things that Floridians, specifically Orlandoans, do not get that excited about that blows the rest of the world's collective mind. We are really acclimated to living in a place that is a magical paradise to the other 7 billion people on earth. For example, not that many people (my age, at least) get super jazzed about space shuttle/rocket launches. While people drive to Florida from across the country to see the Kennedy Space Center, that was the worst tourist trap waste of my life and when they shoot things off into space, my mom has to drag me outside to look at it go up. I am so used to those crazy things going up in the sky! Whoop-de-doo! You see a little fireball going slowly into the clouds and then it's over. See how jaded I am!? The amazingness of space flight is lost on me.

The wildlife is another category that we really don't find as fascinating as other people from out of town. A lot of people at my church in Tampa are from a bit farther north, and they are mystified at all the snakes and lizards everywhere. Even Darin is pretty surprised to see those little lizards running all over creation at my parents' house. And he is bummed he hasn't seen a gator yet... I will find one for him in July if it's the last thing I do! I have seen them loads of times at lakes and canoeing on the river. And the goofy herons and cranes everywhere are still pretty cool-looking to me, except when they stand on my car, haha. Florida's animals are pretty crazy and we think nothing of it! (Except when I saw a water moccasin curled up in a forest in September... ugh. Then I ran the heck out of Dodge.)

And the poor theme parks, most of them are not that much fun to a resident of the 407. Now, I completely disagree with people who are burned out from Disney, Universal Orlando, and SeaWorld. I love the crap out of theme parks. I would go every day if I could... at least, maybe for a week and a half, haha. But I would go again a month later! They are so much fun. I am a little sad when other people dread going to Disney because their relatives are in town. It's like people in Paris dreading going to the Louvre. It's a local treasure! I get hating the traffic on I-4 due to these attractions, and maybe the loads of people who descend upon the Mall at Millenia in their non-Disney, non-sunburning time. But I am overdue for a Disney day! I will miss hitting that up when I have friends who work there and can slip me a pass.

I will kick myself if I complain about the weather between now and my departure. Yes, it is very hot. This was the warmest winter I can remember. It is getting to the 90's this weekend. The humidity is torture, especially walking around Disney, for that matter. It makes my hair so poofy that I just don't bother to do anything at all, haha. My wardrobe is mostly tank tops and shorts, which spells t-r-o-u-b-l-e for me in another 7 months, hahaha. It's just the price you pay not to freeze your kituckus off once all year. I know it's nasty out sometimes, but the heat really makes the jasmine smell better in the springtime. :)

In short, I need to create my Orlando Bucket List. I want to enjoy all the zestiness it has to offer before I set up my permanent address a thousand miles upward. I'll be coming back to a blog near you to make that list and check it off this summmer! But in the mean time, I will stand outside in this 90 degree heat and sweat with joy. Raised in the swamps of the Sunshine State, baby!

Love, Lara

Who I Am In Christ

Hello! I just got back from our Cru Women's Retreat, where a good group of ladies & I had an awesome time to get away, relax, have fun, and really hear some solid messages about God. I am pretty sure that I gave a talk at some point... haha I breezed the heck right through it and it was a blur! Either way, I got a lot out of preparing it, as I walked through what I have learned over my past 4 years at USF about applying the gospel to relationships. Hopefully sometime I will get the chance to revisit it when I am not quite as busy finishing up school and share more of where I got my thoughts and ideas from in my life experiences and God's word!

In the mean time, I just found a neato list that I got at a Cru leadership meeting that I really love and want to have handy anytime. It's simple and encouraging, pointing us to what the bible says about who we are if we have Christ. I want to make my own copy to hang somewhere that doesn't use Comic Sans (I am just picky like that), but am putting it here for the world to enjoy. I encourage anyone to take an afternoon out to sit and read these verses one by one, contemplating what they mean for us, and go forth confident that we have the greatest strong arm behind us to catch us and push us onward! :)

Who I Am In Christ

I Am Accepted

1. John 1:12- I am God's child.

2. John 15:15- I am Christ's friend.

3. Romans 5:1- I have been justified.

4. 1 Cor. 6:17- I am united with the Lord, and I am one spirit with him.

5. 1 Cor. 6:19-20- I have been bought with a price. I belong to God.

6. 1 Cor. 12:27- I am a member of Christ's body.

7. Eph. 1:1- I am a saint.

8. Eph. 1:5- I have been adopted as God's child.

9. Eph. 2:18- I have direct access to God through the Holy Spirit.

10. Col. 1:14- I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins.

11. Col. 2:10- I am complete in Christ.

I Am Secure

12. Romans 8:1-2- I am free forever from condemnation.

13. Romans 8:28- I am assured that all things work together for good.

14. Romans 8:31-34- I am free from any condemning charges against me.

15. Romans 8:35-39- I cannot be separated from the love of God.

16. 2 Cor. 1:21-22- I have been established, anointed, and sealed by God.

17. Col. 3:3- I am hidden with Christ in God

18. Phil. 1:6- I am confident that the good work that God has begun in me will be perfected.

19. Phil. 3:20- I am a citizen of heaven.

20. 2 Tim. 1:7- I have not been given a spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind.

21. Heb. 4:16- I can find grace and mercy in a time of need.

22. 1 John 5:18- I am born of Gid, and the evil one cannot touch me.

I Am Significant

23. Matthew 5:13-14- I am the salt and light of the earth.

24. John 15:1&5- I am a branch of the true vine, a channel of his life.

25. John 15:16- I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit.

26. Acts 1:8- I am a personal witness of Christ.

27. 1 Cor. 3:16- I am God's temple.

28. 2 Cor. 5:17-21- I am a minister of reconciliation for God.

29. 2 Cor. 6:1- I am God's coworker.

30. Eph. 2:6- I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realm.

31. Eph. 2:10- I am God's workmanship.

32. Eph. 3:12- I may approach God with freedom and confidence.

33. Phil. 4:13- I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

This is a practical reference sheet for any and every question about ourselves in God's eyes, once we have given our lives over to Him because of what He did for us through Jesus. I hope it blesses you as much as it blesses me to have on hand and remember what is really true!

Have a refreshing Monday!

Love, Lara