Life Lately, 9.28

Last week seemed very full.  It was one of those weeks where I can't exactly pinpoint it, but we just didn't seem to have much free time.  It was a good week, but it's been nice to have a slow weekend to recover.  Newsy things to report:

This semester I have started working in the nursery on Wednesday nights.  I volunteer in the 3 year old room with another lady, and we have about 10 kiddos.  I only knew one of the kids going into it - our Sunday School teachers' youngest daughter, Macie.  Macie is so adorable.  She's one of two girls in the class, and she likes to sit on my lap and hold my hand any chance she gets.  Last week it was raining and she came in with pink cat rain boots and a ladybug umbrella.  Could she get any cuter?  The boys are fun, too.  Last week we had a very intense Lego building session.  Everyone built a tower, of course.  One of the sweetest moments so far was when one boy said, "I have a Bible at home, and it says to obey God and to obey my parents."  It's really cool to see kids picking up on Biblical principles at a young age like that.  They are definitely fun and entertaining.

Robert took a weekend intensive this weekend.  It was the 9Marks conference.  He had class Thursday from 5:30-9:30, Friday from 10:00-9:30, and Saturday from 9:00-12:30.  Whew!  He was busy, but now he has another 3 credit hours completed.  He said he really enjoyed the conference.  Each year they cover a different one of Mark Dever's 9Marks, and this year it was membership.

I got my hair trimmed this week.  Nothing dramatic, but it looks healthier.  This was a big deal because I haven't found much success in getting my hair cut here.  I usually just wait until I'm going to Missouri and have Lori cut it, but with no plans to go to MO any time soon, I decided to break down and give it another whirl.  I found a place near my office that stays opens until 7:30.   It's called Body Bliss.  It was awesome!  I found a deal on Groupon for a haircut, wash, and style for $19.  I thought that was a pretty good deal.  They were able to get me in two days after I called so I didn't have to wait long at all.  I got a stylist named Shelby, and she was so easy and fun to talk to.  The shop was cute, clean, and well-decorated, and everyone was friendly.  I really enjoyed my experience, and I wish I would have found it two years ago when we first moved here.

I've picked up crocheting again.  Robert's co-worker asked for two hats recently, and I was reminded of how much I like it.  Hats are easy and take less than a week.  One of my co-workers and friends (Mary Beth) is an avid chrocheter, and she has inspired me to make an afghan.  I know it will probably take a long time, but I've made my first granny square so I'm on my way.  I'll keep ya posted.

Finally, we went to the Youngsville Fall Festival this weekend.  One of the perks of Robert having class this weekend was that he didn't have to work and had Saturday afternoon free.  We enjoyed our lunch at Amigosan food truck.  I got the Texas Sombrero with chicken, and R got it with beef.  We split Amigosan tater tots.  It was delicious, and the service was really good.  We also enjoyed walking around and looking at all the cool cars.  It was a fun start to fall!

How We Save Money

It's no secret that Robert and I are penny pinchers.  I've always enjoyed saving money toward a goal, and this is something that has definitely worn off on Robert throughout our relationship.  I thank my parents for instilling in me a good work ethic and teaching me to be a saver.  I wanted to share with you a few things that Robert and I do to save money.  I'd like to preface this by saying that all of these things are things that I find rather easy and non-torturous.  I know there are plenty more ways to save money, but I think I've compiled a list of ways to save without changing much of your normal routine.  Okay, here we go:

• Receipt app
• I personally use Checkout 51.  All you do is take a picture of your grocery receipt and submit it.  There are deals each week, and their system checks your receipt to see if you purchased any of the deals of the week.  I like this app because it has deals that aren't brand-specific so my generic "bananas" can save me $0.25.  It doesn't have to be a specific brand.  I usually save about $1 a week.  I know this isn't a ton, but once you save $20 they send you a check.  I figure that's about $50 a year, and all I have to do is a take a picture.  They're pretty much giving you the money!
• Turn up AC when gone
• This is obvious so I won't belabor it, but it's so easy to crank the AC up to 78 while you're gone, and then just turn it back down when you get home.  I'd guess this saves us at least $5 a month.  We have a small apartment, and I know it would vary based on house size.  I know some thermostats even have settings where you can pre-program it to change while you're gone.
• Aldi
• If you don't shop at Aldi I just have one thing to say to you, "Why on earth not?"  There's just one brand of each food item so you don't have to stand there trying to calculate the price per ounce to ensure that you get the best rate.  Sure, there are some things they just don't sell, but I'd say you can get at least 80% of your weekly list there.  The prices are kept low due to things such as not providing you bags (which is fine with me since we use our own canvas bags anyway) and having you put up your own cart (who couldn't use a bit more walking?).  And I can honestly say that almost all of the food tastes just as good.  
• Extra job
• This is one that I know isn't for everyone, and it is definitely the most life-altering, but for about 4 months early on in our marriage I worked a part time job about 6 hours a week.  I pretty much hated this and decided it wasn't worth it, but it's doable if you must.
• Coins at car wash
• This is one that obviously not everyone could do and some people might find gross, but we are not above admitting that Robert collects the extra coins and cash that get sucked up in the vacuum at work.  We usually make about $20 a week off of this so that's about $1000 a year.  Sure, it's a lot of pennies and coin rolling, but he's brought home $1 coins and $10 bills before.  This is kinda icky, but it doesn't take him any extra time, and I just roll the coins while watching TV so it doesn't take up any extra time.
• Cash back credit card
• We try not to use our credit card much, but we found one without any annual fees that gives 3% cash back and can usually get about $100 back in the course of a year
• $0.10 debit card transactions
• We also found a debit card without any annual fees, and it gives us $0.10 back each time we swipe our card.  This is by far the easiest way to save money.  If you're not getting cash back every time you swipe, go take care of that right now.
• Wal-Mart gift card for gas
• Our Wal-Mart also has a gas station.  It's the cheapest gas in town, and we make it even cheaper by paying for it with a Wal-Mart gift card.  We save anywhere between $0.03 and $0.10/gallon depending on the time of year.  They do extra savings all summer and around Christmas.  So let's just say for ease that it equals out to be $0.05 off/gallon.  We use about 12 gallons of gas a week so that's $2.40 a month or about $30 a year.  Not a ton, but super easy.
• No cable - antenna instead
• Cable is way too expensive here, but we purchased an antenna called a Mohu Leaf and it is the bomb.com  It cost less than $40, and we get about 15 channels including the majors like NBC, ABC, Fox, and CBS.  We miss TLC, HGTV, and ESPN (guess who misses what!) but not enough to spending approximately $1000 a year on cable.  
• Unplug things when we're gone on vacation
• Duh
• Crockpot
• Less oven, less AC.  I think a lot of people think to use the Crock Pot in the winter, but I enjoy using it in the summer as well so we aren't heating up the whole house with our oven.  Did you know that 1 hour of the oven on 350 uses the same amount of energy as your Crock Pot would use in 10 hours?  I'm part of a freezer meal swap group that makes meals and swaps them each month, and I always cook them in the Crock Pot when I'm ready to eat them.
• Selling things
• Craigslist is always an option, but Robert and I have also had success with a local Facebook Group called Buy/Sell/Trade.  Maybe you have one for your area.  You just post a picture and price, and people can comment on it to arrange a sale.  Super easy and convenient!
• Cut Robert's hair
• We got a pair of electric clippers for $10.  If you think that a guy typically gets his hair cut once a month for $15 then that's $180 a year that we're saving.  Plus, it's kinda fun to do his hair.  I get to shave it into a mohawk first. :)  I grew up with Memaw cutting Pepaw's hair and my mom and I cutting my dad and brother's hair so it just feels normal to do R's hair.
• 1 car
• This is another semi-life altering one, I know.  It's definitely not doable for some people, but Robert and I made it work for about a year and a half, and we are so thankful for the money it saved us.  Minus the whole scooter getting stolen thing...
• Wish list
• This is one of my favorites.  Robert and I keep a running wish list that we add to as we think of something we want.  This helps us to avoid impulse purchases, but it also helps us remember what each other wants for birthdays/Christmas/etc.

There you have it.  I am by no means a financial expert, but I hope I provided at least one fun/easy idea for how you can save some money.  What are some unique ways you save money?

Pumpkin Mousse

It's time for a super simple dessert recipe.  Robert made me a dessert for my birthday, and it included pumpkin puree and whipping cream.  We had some of each left over, and so we came up with a second dessert tonight, and I had to share it.  It look less than 5 minutes, and there's no baking involved.  Obviously, it's not healthy - it's dessert.  But I can say that pumpkin puree is incredibly good for you, but it does have a ton of fiber and Vitamin A.  So here you go,

1/2 can of pumpkin puree
1 carton of whipping cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spices (I did a combo of allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves)

Whip together cream, sugar, and vanilla until it turns into whipped cream.  Scoop out 1 cup and set aside.  Fold in the pumpkin puree.  Service with whipped cream on top.  Ta-da!

Also, this recipe made me realize I need to put cute parfait dishes on my wish list.

24

My 24th birthday was Monday, and I can honestly say it was one of the best yet.  Last week Robert brought me Panera one day at work since he was to be working all day on my actual bday and wouldn't be able to eat lunch with me then.  Panera is still one of my all time favorite restaurants.  On my actual birthday week we started celebrating by Robert making pumpkin pie lasagna for our Sunday School class to celebrate.  I'm so glad Robert is good at and enjoys cooking and baking.

Mittens was obviously pumped to celebrate

Monday morning we ate breakfast together at the house which doesn't always happen.  It's nice to be able to chat a bit before leaving for work.  Blueberry coffee cake and scrambled eggs definitely tops oatmeal on the go!  When I got to work I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw my decked out cubicle!  Mary Beth decorated it with streamers and balloons, and it looked great!  And MB included purple because she knows it's one of my fave colors.

It ended up raining all day which would ordinarily be a bummer, but the rain meant work got cancelled for Robert which was the best thing about the whole day!  It meant I didn't have to go home and be by myself all evening.  Robert and I ended up going out to eat at Crazy Fire Mongolian Grill.  It's pretty much like HuHot, and it was very tasty.

The Hubs even shaved for my bday!

Right before we had left for lunch I got flowers delivery from Jim & Taylor and my parents.  So pretty!  I got back to work from lunch and MB had red velvet cupcakes ready for everyone.  Julie gave me a new dessert plate that she had hand-painted at a pottery store.  It totally caught me off guard and was so sweet.  She picked pink because she knows it's my other fave color.  It really is a good feeling to know people listen to you and really know you.  The whole office had signed a card for me, too.

Later in the afternoon Mom's 4th graders called to sing happy birthday!  And then one of our vendors found out it was my birthday and called just to wish me a good bday.  How sweet!

I got home and our Sunday School teacher and 4 daughters had decorated our apartment, and it was beyond awesome - balloons, streamers, a sign, posters, banners, and window paint.  Robert prepared a delicious mean of grilled steak, mashed potatoes, veggies, and rolls.  I also spent some of the evening talking to lots of family on the phone. :)

I did something very unlike me and practiced self-control by not opening my presents until my actual birthday.  I'm glad I waited!  The presents were so thoughtful.

My first infinity scarf, courtesy of my parents