Tag Archives: money

21 Ways to Save Money on Your Beauty Routine

Photo courtesy of Trostle on Flickr.

Photo courtesy of Trostle on Flickr.

My mom always says that you should spend money on your hair because, unlike certain clothes items, you wear your hair everyday. And while I think that may be true, I’ve also learned that I spend way too much money on beauty products. I wouldn’t bat an eye on a $100 Sephora trip because I was considering beauty items a “necessity.” But let’s get real people, beauty products aren’t a necessity. I don’t need them to live. (Even though I want them all!) Here’s 21 ways I’ve saved money on my beauty routine.

  1. Double-duty makeup products
    Use your lipstick as creme blush, use a dark eyeshadow to fill in your brows and use foundation on your lips to create a nude lip. The list goes on and on. Experiment and try to use your makeup in different areas on your face. Just don’t go out of the house if you end up looking crazy. This is one of my favorite tips because it also works when you forget something at home. And I forget something at home on a daily basis.
  2. Kitchen beauty products
    When my beauty budget has been tapped for the month, I scrounge in my kitchen for traditional food products that can also work as beauty products. I love to exfoliate with coffee grounds or a sugar and honey paste. It’s win-win-win. I’m using stuff I already have on hand, I sloughing off dead skin and I end up smelling fabulous. 
  3. Medicine cabinet beauty
    I’m a firm believer in the wonders of Pepto. It cures any kind of tummy issue. But did you also know Pepto-Bismol also works as a salicylic acid? Put a little on a cotton ball, smooth it over your face and rinse off when dry. It tightens your skin and reduces redness. So crazy.
  4. Recycle!
    I love M·A·C lipstick. Their colors are always so flattering and on-trend. AND M·A·C accepts returns of used packaging. By returning 6 M·A·C primary packaging containers to a M·A·C counter or M·A·C Cosmetics online, you’ll receive a free M·A·C lipstick of your choice. Read more about their program here.
  5. Bar soap
    I must admit using bar soap after using body wash for so long was difficult to get used to. Bar soap doesn’t lather the way body wash does, but I adapted to it and I’ve come to actually like it more than body wash. I doesn’t dry out my skin and bar soap is so much more economical.
  6. Makeup remover
    Makeup remover is an elaborate plot to steal your money. Seriously. Baby shampoo works wonders as a makeup remover. And to get that often sticky mascara off, Vaseline is a miracle. I even read somewhere that Vaseline helps your eyelashes grow. The jury is still out on that one, but it definitely takes my mascara off in a simple swipe.
  7. Mix it up
    Have you ever opened a new makeup package and put it on only to walk outside and find out that it’s the wrong color?! Ugh, this has happened to me far too many times. Some stores will take your makeup back even after it’s been opened, but if they don’t, consider mixing the wrong color with another color. It’ll make your makeup last twice as long. And you won’t have to throw away that wrong color. For example, I recently bought the wrong color foundation. Too dark, ugh! So, I bought another, lighter shade, mixed it with the dark shade and my foundation lasted me twice as long. And my mixed shade worked better with my skin tone, to boot!
  8. Drug store brands
    Did you  know L’Oreal owns and manufactures the drug store brand Maybelline and the department store brand Lancome? The formulas of their products are similar and may be exactly the same in some cases!
  9. Dollar stores
    Dollar stores are amazing for picking up beauty tools. Their cotton balls, makeup sponges and makeup brushes are super cheap. I recently forgot my makeup brush on a trip, bought one at the Dollar Store and I actually like it better than my usual $40 blush brush!
  10. Samples
    Good god, I love a good sample and beauty products are no exception. Most beauty stores will give generous samples of their products so you can try before you buy. Sites like Total Beauty will even send you free beauty product alerts when samples are available.
  11. Ombre trend or darker color
    Coloring your hair can get expensive– even if you go the DIY route. By dying your hair darker instead of lighter or embracing the ombre hair trend, you’ll spend less time and money on hair color. Last time I got my hair dyed darker at the roots and it’s projected to last four months, instead of the month and a half my lighter color lasted.
  12. Get more out of that mascara!
    When your mascara gets dry, don’t pitch it just yet. To get a little more out of a tube of mascara, stand it in a glass of warm water. It loosens up the rest of the product and gives you a few more applications.
  13. Reuse mascara brushes for eyebrow grooming
    Ok, I admit it. I have wild eyebrows. When I wake up in the morning, my brows are in 5 different directions and looking quite muppet-like. Using an old, cleaned mascara brush for grooming my eyebrows is one of my favorite tricks.
  14. Keep it clean
    Brushes last longer if you keep them clean. Plain and simple. And you don’t even need that fancy brush cleaner. Just rinse your brushes with warm water and clean them with a dab of baby shampoo.
  15. Squeeze it out!
    Get that last bit of makeup out of the tube by cutting the package open or dipping a brush into the container to get that last little bit. There’s always at tiny bit more in the container.
  16. Beauty schools
    I’m a big fan of the power of community college education. Many community colleges have cosmetology programs. Just recently I got a manicure for 5 dollars! There’s also cosmetology schools all over the country that provide all kinds of beauty services at a discount rate. The services are supervised by a seasoned professional, so your hair won’t be burnt to a crisp. Don’t be frightened by the prospect of a beginner!
  17. Use sparingly
    We almost always use too much product. I’m guilty of it too. It’s so easy to squeeze out a handful of shampoo and lather up. But did you know, you really only need about a dime sized amount of shampoo for short hair and a quarter-size dab for long? Wild, huh?
  18. Recap it!
    This tip may seem like common sense, but I can’t tell you how many times I forget to recap my face lotion and it dries out. By remembering to recap those beauty products, it creates a more sanitary environment and doesn’t allow your product to dry out.
  19. No ‘poo
    I’m a big fan of cutting down on hair washing. I only wash my hair once a week. Sometimes I even go longer, if it is looking particularly dry. Giving up your daily hair washing routine can be a scary proposition at first, especially if you work out a lot. But I’ve found that merely rinsing my hair after workouts works just fine. If you are really concerned about hair washing, you can  dilute 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar into 1 cup of water and use this mixture as a shampoo.
  20. Baby powder or rice flour as dry shampoo
    When my hair is looking a little flat, I grab the baby powder or rice flour and a makeup brush, then dust it into my hair’s part. Next, I brush it out and boom! Instant dry shampoo without the high cost.
  21. Keep Learning!
    Youtube is amazing for makeup tutorials. I learned how to do my makeup for my wedding from Youtube. Seriously. Gossmakeupartist’s channel on Youtube is amazing. I’ve learned so much from his videos. He uses a million products and brushes that you don’t need, but his application and knowledge is so valuable. And it’s free! Ain’t the Internet great?

What tips do you have for saving money on your beauty routine? Let me know in the comments!

love,
melanie

 

 

How to Save Money at Your Local Fair

save money at fairIt’s fair season, ya’ll! The air is crisp and so are the dollar bills in my pocket. I love a good state fair as much as the next fellow, but I don’t love dropping my hard-earned cash. Here’s how I saved some money this year at the fair.

1. Check the website! Each fair is going to be different, but with the larger fairs, the “deals” will usually be published on the website. Deals could include free admission on certain days, discounted tickets if you buy in advance and free admission for children or seniors. The NC State fair has all of these deals!

2. Keep an eye out for free events. Our fair had free bluegrass music, tons of fascinating exhibits– like blacksmithing, beekeeping and pottery, and other super interesting educational events. The fair isn’t all rides and deep fried food.

gorilla girl3. Consider bringing your own food or sharing. Yes, the food is insane and often makes the trip, but it’s also crazy-expensive. Consider bringing your own food, bottles of water and sharing. Bottles of water were $2 at our local fair. That’s crazy town, people. Bring your own.

4. Buy a lunch pass. Not all fairs do this, but if you are just in it for the food, the NC State fair will let you purchase food on weekdays for free with a lunch pass.

5. Avoid parking fees. Lace on your tennis shoes and get ready to walk. Map out the closest free parking lot to the fair in advance and plan to walk. Nothing bums me out more than having to pay to park my car somewhere.

What other kind of tips do you have for saving money at your local fair? Let me hear ’em in the comments.

love,
melanie

How to Get Back on the Savings Bandwagon (After You’ve Fallen Off)

Savings BandwagonI haven’t been kind to my bank account this month. (Insert EEEK emoji here.) And I know, the month isn’t even close to being over yet. (Insert shocked emoji here.) I may or may not have fallen off the savings bandwagon and hit every rock, speed bump and pothole on the way. (Is there a wagon emoji?)

It’s been a difficult couple of weeks. I’ve had big projects and big stresses at work. I’ve used that as an excuse to dine out quite a few times, get my hair done and buy myself a few little gifts. At the time, I felt like I deserved it. Now I just feel guilty, disappointed and a little hungover. (Insert all applicable drink emojis.)

Towards the end of the month, George and I are going to a wedding and to Portland. I know it will be impossible to not spend anything for the rest of the month, but I’m determined to get back on the savings bandwagon. Here’s how I’m going to do it:

1. Relax: Overspending happens. It’s a fact of life. Some months I’m going to be looser with my money than others. If I relax and get over it, I’ll be able to learn from my mistakes.

2. Pat myself on the back: It might seem odd to be so kind to myself, but I’m improving. The old me would have just spent and spent until my balance hit $0.00 in my checking account. Then, I would have had to pull from savings to pay my bills for the rest of the month. At least I recognized that I was going down that old familiar road and corrected my habits before I did too much more damage.

3. Add “fun money” into the budget: One of the mistakes I’ve been making is that I’ve been so tight with my budget that I didn’t allow any fun. Too tightly budgeting has put extra stress on me and when I get stressed, it’s easy for me to have that all or nothing attitude.

4. Keep learning, keep researching: Learning new things is a big motivator in my life. Learning, more than anything, inspires me to keep moving and keep improving. To help me learn from my mistakes and learn more about money, I’ve checked out a few financial books from my library. I also participated in a recent professional development session about retirement hosted by my employer.

5. Prepare for next time: I’m going to have crazy days, weeks, months and years. I need to start preparing for those times. This weekend, I plan to freeze a few meals for extra busy weeknights when I don’t have time to cook. I also plan to schedule a few blog posts so I don’t end up writing at 10 pm when I get home from work.

How have you climbed back on the saving bandwagon? How do you prepare for the busy times when savings takes a backseat? Let me know in the comments!

love,
melanie

 

20 Weird Ways to Save Money

Weird ways to saveMy dad once told me a story of this guy at his work who was so thrifty that he ate only bologna sandwiches for the last 20 years. That’s it. Two pieces of white bread, a piece of bologna and some mustard. (Not even any cheese!) Every day. His coworkers used to say that he was so tight with money that if you squeezed him, quarters would fall out of his butt. Crude, I know. When he died, they went into his house and found almost a million dollars stashed under his mattress.

I don’t know if the story is true, my dad tends to exaggerate, but it’s the ultimate story of odd thriftiness. I’m not suggesting you only eat bologna sandwiches because I can’t believe the guy didn’t get scurvy. I’m also not saying that you die with a million dollars stashed under your mattress because you do need to live a little. But I thought I’d share some less extreme, but still a little weird ways I’ve found to save cash.

  1. Don’t wash your hair: My hair stylist actually suggested this one and it has saved me a ton of money. I went from washing my hair every day to washing it once a week. My hair is so much healthier now, less dry and I save an hour a day. And I know what you are thinking: But my hair is oily! George‘s hair was too, but when I convinced him to quit washing his hair so much, his body regulated itself and produced less oil. You’ll go through a gross stage where your hair looks terrible for about a week, but see it through. I’ve yet to go completely shampoo-less, but some people swear by it!
  2. Don’t coupon: Believe it or not, couponing can lead to overspending. Those $10 off $100 deals can be a trick to get you to spend more than you planned. Expiring offers, like those from Groupon or Living Social, can also put pressure on you to make an impulse purchase. And believe it or not, some coupons aren’t actually a “deal.” Coupons are usually for name-brand items, and sometimes even with the coupon, the generic brand is cheaper. Ridiculous! Read more about why I don’t coupon here.
  3. Unsubscribe to junk mail and email: Unsubscribe to retailer emails through Unroll Me and junk snail mail through Catalog Choice. The junk mail will never even make it to your mailbox or inbox, taking away the temptation before it happens! It’s also a great tip to keep down clutter.
  4. Shop under a time limit: Shop before you have to be somewhere or set a stopwatch and give yourself a limited time to shop. There’s less temptation when you know you need to just get 5 things and get out. Sometimes I’ll shop on my lunch break and store the food in the break room fridge at work. It gives me a chance to get out of the office and shop on a deadline.
  5. Flush less: If it’s yellow let it mellow, if it’s brown flush it down. Nuff said.
  6. Put a water bottle in your toilet tank: Ok, after this one, I swear I’m going to be less gross. A capped water bottle filled with sand in the back of a toilet tank can displacing enough water to save 10 gallons a day. That’s a savings of almost $100 per year! Sometimes it pays off to be slightly gross.
  7. Displace water in your tub (or bathe together!): Displacing water in your tub can also save some dough. I’ll let you decide what or who to help you displace the water 😉
  8. Cash only: Challenge yourself to operate on cash only. By doing everything from paying bills in cash to using cash for groceries, you’ll see exactly where your money is spent. It might be a little more hassle, but the convenience of credit and debit cards can lead to overspending.
  9. Save condiments: If you eat out, save your leftover condiments. My paternal grandma, god bless her, didn’t pay for a single condiment in her entire life. She had a giant Ziplock in her fridge full of ketchup, mustard and mayo packages. She also freshened her breath with the parsley garnish on her plate. As a kid, I thought it was the weirdest thing ever. But now, I know, she was a smart lady. Smart enough to raise five kids on a single income home. Which leads me to…
  10. Think like your grandma: I don’t know when it happened, maybe the ’80s, but people started to get spoiled. We had a boom economy and “treat yo’ self” was the norm. Maybe they said it differently, “Like totally, treat yourself, dude,” but times were easier. Now, it looks like that time was the exception, not the norm. We need to learn how to make do and mend like our grandparents.
  11. Make friends with thrifty people (and stay away from the big spenders): I’m not saying you should ditch all your rich friends because you might need to use their yacht one day, but being friends with like-minded thrifty people is much easier. Your big spending friends influence you to spend more whether you realize it or not. Hanging out with my friend, Gabby, who is ultra-thrifty has has challenged me to be thriftier too. She is a Craigslist ninja!
  12. Eat raw: Uncooked veggies are significantly cheaper than meat. Plain and simple. You don’t turn on your stove, so you save energy costs and we all know how much cheaper veggies are than meat. If this idea is hard for you (it’s totally hard for me! I’m a big omnivore), challenge yourself to just eating one day or one meal per week meat-free. Even Martha does “meatless Monday,” so you know it’s a good idea.
  13. Forage: I’m no foraging expert, but truly getting back to the land can be an educational, money-saving experience. I wouldn’t recommend you go at it alone, though. You don’t want to end up all Into the Wild, but there are mycological (mushroom hunting!) and foraging clubs across the U.S.
  14. Reuse disposable items: Tinfoil, Ziplock bags, saran wrap and other “disposable” items can all be reused. I, personally, wouldn’t reuse them more than a couple of times because I worry about chemicals, but I had a friend who said his mom still had a package of tinfoil from the ’70s because she always reused it. That’s thrifty, ya’ll.
  15. Reuse coffee grinds: This is one of my favorite tips because, well, I love coffee and I have super dry skin. Coffee grinds are a great exfoliator. My skin glows after I slough some on. The jury is still out, but I also heard that coffee grinds can help cellulite ANDDDD those delicious, fragrant grinds can also be used in your garden as fertilizer. Is there anything coffee can’t do?
  16. Shift your thinking: I once read that if you begin thinking of yourself as a fit person, you’ll become more fit. If you tell yourself you “don’t”  eat something instead of “can’t” eat something, you are taking away the negative emotion and empowering yourself. It works the same with money. Begin thinking of yourself as a saver and you’re more likely to actually save. Try telling yourself that you “don’t” overspend instead of you “can’t” overspend. It’s liberating.
  17. Get Scroogy: The holidays are coming up and it’s oh so easy to walk into the nearest Target and drop $200 bucks on decorations. Try making your holiday decorations out of stuff you have around the house or forgo decorations all together this year. You could also make it clear to your friends and family that you won’t be partaking in present exchanges this year. They’ll probably be disappointed, but explain your reasoning and they’ll get over it. If you’re crafty, you could also try your hand at making gifts this year.
  18. Pick up every coin you find: I have a friend who literally throws pennies away. She also won’t pick up change on the ground. WHO DOES THAT. Last year, my mom picked up every coin she saw on the ground, put it in a jar and at the end of the year, it added up to almost $12. That’s free money!
  19. Go to bed earlier: This is a toughie for me, but I know if I go to bed earlier and get up earlier, I’ll be taking greater advantage of the daylight and using less electricity at night.
  20. Make it a competition: Start a saving competition with your family or friends. See who can  save the most money each month. Make sure there is a prize at the end, so you all have that incentive. May I suggest a weekend trip together?
  21. Bonus tip! Live in an Airstream. No really! We do it and it’s been the biggest money saver in our lives. Want to read more about how we live? Start here.

What weird, crazy or out of the box tips or tricks do you have to save a buck? Let me know in the comments!

love,
melanie

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Airstream Living: An Update

Airstream It’s been almost two months since George and I have moved into the Airstream. Full-time Airstream livin’ has presented some challenges, but the livin’ is easy. (Are you singing that song in your head now?)

The biggest challenge hasn’t been the lack of space, which totally surprised me. I thought George and I would be fighting over territory at this point. Putting tape down the middle of the room, old school style. But luckily, we thought ahead and built lots of storage options into our redesign.

The biggest challenge has actually been that it’s hard to multitask in the Airstream. When I am making my breakfast in the morning, I can’t have the hot water heater on at the same time or the burner will click off. Then, when I’m done cooking, I have to click the water heater back on and wait for it to heat up. It’s been a lesson in patience, fo’ sho’.

Another challenge we’ve been presented with is the bugs. I naively didn’t expect bugs. Even though we live in the woods. Right there with nature. Amongst the trees. Now that fall is making it’s beautiful arrival, the bugs are diminishing, but we’ve been on the war path for the last couple months.

Most of all, I’ve loved how easy living in the Airstream makes it to save money. We have no rent, so I’ve been saving at least $1,000 each month. Our high rent was crippling our savings. I nick-named our savings Tiny Tim, it was so bad/sad. After our wedding last December, we were pretty much wiped out. (Although we were totally realistic and only spent a fraction of what the average wedding cost!) But nothing makes it easier to save than having no living expenses.

We’ve still got some cosmetic things to do before I share the interior of the Airstream, but I can’t wait for you all to see the before and after. It.is.so.good.

love,
melanie

 

 

5 Resources for Travel Budget Planning

Alamo Square San FranciscoI have to admit something to you all. I used to splurge on vacations. I know, I know, I just wrote this post about How to Save on Weekend Getaways. But saving on travel is something fairly new to me. I always had the mindset that “Hey, I’m on vacation, I shouldn’t have to worry about money.” But I also realize that if I want to travel more, I need to make my trips more budget friendly.

Here’s some tools and resources I’ve been using to plan my next trip. Next month, George and I are flying to Portland! It’s been on my travel bucket list FOREVER!

1. Travel Budget Calculator
This handy-dandy calculator includes fields for all kinds of expenses that you might encounter while traveling. It even has a field for cocktails. It’s my kind of calculator!

2. WikiTravel
Have you heard of WikiTravel? It’s Wikipedia for travelers. The destination descriptions are super comprehensive because the site is written by other travelers. What I love about this site it that they’ve included so many details. I now know the down low on public transportation in Portland– something that is going to be super essential to my budget.

3. Adventurous Kate
I love this article from the blog, Adventurous Kate. She describes how she saved $13,000 in just 7 months, so she could travel the world! Kate gives an honest breakdown of her expenses and the hard sacrifices she had to make– all in the name of travel!

4. Pack Like A Pro
Checking a bag can be costly, so I’m reading up on the best way to pack a carry on. I learned so much from this Heathrow Airport video (linked above). And before all my trips, I always refer back to this NY Times article that features a flight attendant packing 10 days in a carry-on. It’s magic.

5. Travel Full-time for less than $14,000 per year
First of all, I have to say how much I love the blog, I will teach you to be rich. And I especially love the above article on traveling the world for less than $14,000 per year. I’m not to the point of full-time world traveling (just yet!) but Nora Dunn of the Professional Hobo doles out some excellent tips on travel on the cheap. Her food tips are super smart.

These are just a tiny taste of the tips out there for traveling on a budget. But I want to know how have you budgeted for trips? Let me know in the comments!

love,
melanie

Ways to Save on a Weekend Getaways!

nags head soundWe all know what a cheapskate I’ve become, but one of the reasons I’ve become so stingy thrifty with my money is I want to travel. I’ve got so many things I want to see and places I want to go, and they all require that cash-money. So when my friend, Gabby asked me if we wanted to go on a weekend trip to our coast, I was hesitant. I love North Carolina’s Outer Banks, but I’ve been there and done that. If you’ve never been there and done that, I’d highly recommend it, the OBX of NC are really unique and beautiful.

Anyways, I hesitated a little bit, but Gabby is a cheapskate too. The woman has furnished her entire house from Craigslist, so I took her word that it would be an inexpensive trip.

Here’s how we saved some big bucks on our weekend getaway:

1. Make a list before packing to ensure you bring even the littlest essentials. I am notorious for leaving things at home on trips. It’s why I have 5 bottles of contact solution. Save yourself the hassle and the trouble by making a packing list and checking it twice.

2. Pack food! This was especially important for a place like the OBX. Groceries in remote locations are always more expensive. In the OBX, groceries are up to 20% more expensive! And by packing your own groceries, you’ll eat out less. Win-win, people, win-win.

3. If you do eat out, do your research first. There is nothing worse than getting to a restaurant, figuring out it is for unknowing, wealthy tourists with no taste buds. Eat where the locals eat and get it cheap! My personal favorite restaurant review service is Yelp. I’ve even got the app on my phone, which makes it super easy.

4. If you have a lot of friends going on the same trip, consider renting a retreat center. Retreat finder has a database of places to rent all over the country (and even in a few other countries too!). We rented a retreat center for $30 a night, per person. That is stupid-cheap for a beach house on Labor Day weekend. Often retreat centers won’t be booked over holiday weekends and your money goes to supporting a good cause. SO MANY WINS!

5. If you want to participate in “experiences” during your trip like mini golf or parasailing, check out the Groupon or Living Social coupons in the area before you go. Personally, I just like to lounge around, but if your into that kind of thing, coupons can be a great way to save dough.

What are your best tips for saving money on weekend getaways? I’d love to hear them in the comments!

love,
melanie

Why I Don’t Coupon and How I Actually Save Money on Food

1976_Maypo_magazine_adI got extreme one weekend and binge watched multiple seasons of Extreme Couponing on Netflix. It had me totally convinced that coupons were straight up gold and I was an idiot for lazily using coupons in the past. No, extreme was the way to go!

But in practice, extreme couponing or just couponing in general rarely works for me. Here’s why:

1. The time factor. Who are these women who have time to coupon 40 hours a week? I have a full-time job. I don’t even have an extra 20 hours a week for coupons. At some point I need to clean and maybe have a life.

2. Coupons are rarely for fresh fruit and vegetables. When was the last time you saw a coupon for a dollar off a dozen oranges? Yeah, never. I’m not a food snob, but I try to steer clear of the processed, prepackaged food.

3. I have no where to store 500 boxes of Easy Mac. I live in a trailer, ya’ll.

That’s not to say that if I see a coupon for toothpaste, I won’t use it. But I’ve recently discovered a much better way to save money on food. Join a CSA.

Here’s how it works: each week, I get a certain amount of points on food. I don’t let myself go over these points or I will be charged. One of my major money spending triggers is just being in a physical store. OO! Those strawberries look good! Or OOO! Green beans are on sale! Ordering my groceries online has almost completely eliminated my food impulse buying. I’ve whittled my food spending down from an average of $500 a month to an average of $250. I’ve cut that bill in half, ya’ll!

I am lucky that my CSA carries a wide variety of food. They don’t just sell veggies, but also dairy and some pre-made stuff, like bread and jellies. If your CSA doesn’t have that kind of variety, you could replicate the process by buying food through Amazon and holding yourself accountable to only spend a certain amount. Or you could use Amazon’s subscribe and save and get the items you need each month delivered to your door. It’s fast, easy and you don’t even have to leave the house! (And Amazon didn’t even tell me to say this, I just enjoy their services!)

Do you coupon? How have you saved money on fresh and healthy food?

love,
melanie

 

The Refrigerator of Unfun or Why Saving Money Isn’t Enough

The New Fridge

Last weekend our Craigslist refrigerator died. We were so proud of the thing. It was only $75! The perfect size for the Airstream! And we could even spruce up the dents with a DIY project! But on Saturday night it started leaking and by Sunday morning everything in our fridge was warm.

We threw out our perishables and we knew we’d have to buy a new fridge with a warranty. 3/4 size fridges are hard to come by on Craigslist and we couldn’t afford another lemon. We were grumpy all day. It feels as if every time we try to save money, bam! something happens and our teensie savings are whisked away into working appliances or dental procedures.

As much as I budget and roll my change and squirrel away any extra pennies, it seems like we just don’t get anywhere. I’ve been reading quite a few rich-people-secrets books and blogs lately. (Ugh, yes, I’ve become that person.) The common, unfun advice is: get a second job. Ok, so the majority encourage you to become an entrepreneur on the side, but let’s be real, it’s a second job.

I’ve been reluctant to take on a second job because I value my free time. I value the time I get to put into this blog. And as an introvert, I feel that I need that time to relax and recuperate so I can be a functional (nice) human being.

Do you think the Rich Dad, Poor Dads of the world are right? Do we all need second jobs? Is it a reality of our economy? What is your best money saving/money making tip? I need answers, people!

Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

love,
melanie

A Very Lucky and Eventful Weekend

treeTo call this weekend eventful is an understatement. I’m finally at my new job! Did I tell you all that? I’ve been there about two weeks and I’ve already experienced two power outages. On Thursday, as I tried to leave work, a policeman urged me head back inside. There were tornado warnings and not long after I (begrudgingly) went back in the library, a huge storm blew through.

After it all blew over, I called George immediately. His first words were “don’t freak out.” My mind immediately went to the airstream. I thought something terrible happened to it. Luckily, so luckily, the two 100 year old oak trees (above) fell into the barn and not our soon-to-be home.

But it was close, so close. I’m not very religious, but I think someone was looking out for us.

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We also moved out this weekend. I’m excited to save money. I’m excited that George will be able to pursue his art full-time. And I’m excited to start the next chapter of our lives.

Was your weekend eventful? Let me know in the comments!

love,
melanie