Day 7- $100/Month

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office french press

Bloggy woes- Still no photos, but hopefully the problem will be resolved this weekend.

It has been seven days on my $100 a month budget. I started off with $10 in cash which I spent the majority of on fried pickles and mead at the Renaissance Festival. Hey, you gotta treat your self some times. Today I had to go grocery shopping for lunch and breakfast food and spent $23.63

One of the biggest changes I have made in my spending is not buying food while I am at work. Previously I would buy coffee and a bagel at the local coffee shop and it was really draining my wallet. But since we have a nifty hot spigot on the water cooler at work I can make coffee in my french press! Sure, maybe it’s a bit strange to have a french press sitting on your desk but that alone is saving me almost $15 a week! And instead of buying a bagel I make yummy oatmeal with brown sugar… also at work (side note: Yes, I make oatmeal at work in the morning. I hate being late and taking public transportation can be unreliable. Therefore I choose to get to work a half hour early and make my breakfast there than risk making it at home and end up late to work. capice? Hey, it works for me).

I have been getting by making dinners at home by just working off what is in the pantry. I am getting a little worried about my next big shopping trip. I like to eat somewhat healthy (fried pickles aside) so eating from the dollar menu is not an option to me.

I have $76.37 left and 24 days to go, that’s only $3.18 a day. Time to get creative!

Lean Budget $100/ Month

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 money drawer

Update: Huzzah!! I am back in business!! We have photos people! Thanks to my awesome boyfriend Nathan! Love you!

Hmmmm my blog doesn’t seem to be working properly. It has decided not to upload photos. Minor glitch! Not to worry, I have my tech people working on it (a.k.a. Landon the super amazing website genius!)

Moving on, I have decided to do a little experiment and it begins today! Two months ago I decided to try and limit my spending to $300 for the month. I ended up with $23 left over and it really wasn’t that difficult. So I have decided to really put my self to the test and live off of $100 a month.

The Rules:

  • All regular monthly bills will be paid as usual, including my monthly light rail pass. 
  • All “business” expenses will be exempt from the $100 budget as long as I am using the purchased materials for a salable project.  
  • I can only spend up to $100 in a given month, savings from one month will not be carried over into the next month.
  • All other expenses including food, gifts, clothing, and entertainment will come out of the $100 budget.
  • All purchases and cash withdrawals will be recorded on a piece of paper wrapped around my debit card.

This is an exercise in seeing how much I can get away with, reevaluating what I really need and creatively using what I already have. I am really hoping that this will be a fun and enlightening experiment! I will post regular updates about my triumphs and woes.

To quote  No Impact Man- “Make sure that what you use really makes you happy!”

Greece on my mind

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Nafpaktos stairs Nafpaktos

AthensAthens

GalaxidiGalaxidi

MykonosMykonos

(yep, that’s my Dad posing in the archway!)

Mykonos Mykonos

Ever since I was a little girl I wanted to visit Greece. I wanted to see the place where my Grandfather (my Papou) grew up. I wanted to see the crystal clear water and white washed houses for my self. And in college I was finally able to go by means of a  summer study abroad program. I was even more fortunate by the fact that my Dad’s Aunt (my Papou’s sister) and Uncle were there in Greece and welcomed me to come a week early and stay with them in my Papou’s home town of Galaxidi.

After a rough trip of delayed planes, missed connections, 12 hours in the Frankfurt airport and a three hour drive from Athens to Galaxidi at 2am I fell into bed. I am positive I was asleep before my head hit the pillow! That next morning I woke up, opened the wooden shutters and saw what is in that photo of Galaxidi above. A sea side village with a towering mountain in the background and cypress and olive trees dappled here and there. I was completely overwhelmed and fell instantly in love.

Almost exactly three years ago I was able to go on a trip to Greece for a second time with my Dad, who for reasons completely beyond my comprehension, had never been before. It was an amazing two week long trip! We travelled from Athens to Galaxidi, a day trip to Nafpaktos, and then a five day jaunt to Mykonos. We had planned to split that five day trip with another nearby island but the wind had other plans. One of the problems with travelling by boat to the islands! But be forewarned, you will get no sympathy from friends when you tell them you were stranded on a Greek island for a few days!

And now I am craving that warm breeze and inexplicable light that makes you feel as though you are seeing things clearly for the first time. I feel home sick for a place that has never been my home. I think Greece has become my vice and I am past due for a fix!

In the mean time I will have to come up with some Greek style projects so I can at least pretend I am there :) And here is just a fun photo of my Dad and I contemplating the sea while eating Greek fast food of spanakopita and tiropita.

Greek fast food and contemplation

Before & After- Dress Alteration

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dress beforeBefore

Dress AfterAfter

Look at this cute little jumper I got at a clothing swap! It still had the original tags on it, $58 and I got it for free! But it was too baggy and too short for my comfort.

I know, I know! Legs are “in”. And you know, I did entertain the thought of wearing it short with an over sized jacket and bare legs… but I chickened out.

I wanted to alter this dress in a way that was very pourpousful. I wanted it to be a top, not just a dress over pants. So I brought in the sides and shortened the front so it almost created a train in the back. Skinny jeans and heels (my Grandma’s!) complete the look.

Adopt a Pet!

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bruce-1

My boyfriend and I recently adopted this adorable dog above, Bruce. And we couldn’t be happier with him! He is almost two years old and was found in a back yard so we don’t know exactly what mix he is but one parent was definitely a Corgi.

Bruce’s story is all too common. It’s confusing and involves a mysterious injury. Someone found him in their backyard with a scrapped up knee. They took him to the vet and told the vet they didn’t want him because he was always escaping. It turns out that Bruce had a torn ACl, which is not common in a small dog. Since that knee was scrapped up the general conclusion is that he escaped from a yard and got his leg caught in the fence causing the torn ACl.

I have come to know this dog in the past few weeks and there is no way that he would try to escape a yard unless he had been left outside all day. This is a dog who will run out in the yard and then immediately come back to the door if you go back inside. He is incredibly social and it makes me want to cry to imagine the neglect he went through.

We adopted him from the Pet Rescue of Maryland, an amazing group of people devoted to finding not just ‘a’ home but the ‘right’ home for all their animals. They took Bruce in and provided the much needed knee surgery as well as removing a benign cyst that was on top of his head. It is also their policy to make sure all animals are neutered or spayed and up to date with all shots. The process was longer than going to a pet store or breeder but the reward is huge. Rescuing an animal is the greatest feeling. There are so many animals that need help! So the next time you think about getting a new animal, take a little more time out of your life to save one in need.

Through Pet Finder you can find animals for adoption in your area.

Before & After- Bar

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I know, I’ve been a bad blogger. I had to take a little break because work was just too crazy. But I have still been able to get some things done around the house. Here is the Before and After of my built in bar. I think that this was originally a closet; one of only two in the entire house! One of the problems with old houses, they had wardrobes back then, not closets. Which is fine really, I like wardrobes! But I’m still trying to figure out where to store my vacuum cleaner…

before-bar Before

 

after-barAfter

It’s amazing what a little paint can do! This is just one part in a huge re-painting project. When I moved into my house one year ago I had grand plans for painting everything before unpacking. Oh how the best laid schemes of mice and men… well you know. So now after living with one spotty coat of primer on a few walls for one year I am back in the swing of things. Plowing ahead with my painting and decorating plans!

Style Swap

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swapping

My first style swap was a success! We had a really great turn out and a lot of fun. Everyone was so giddy that they could leave their desks and go shopping for free clothes at lunch.

So what is a “Style Swap”? And is it different than a “clothing swap”? No, not really. I always heard of clothing swaps but I think recently people are trying to make it sound more chic. Eh, whatever. Either way it is a free exchange of clothing and accessories.

Style Swaps are really easy to organize… if you are organized! You have to have space to set up the different categories and if you are having more than your three best friends over you need signs! Make bigger signs for the main categories and then smaller signs for the sub-categories. You might not use all the signs but it is better to have them in case you need them. And the most important thing is to have friends to help you organize! With two fabulous ladies at work we really made this swap a success.

swapping

I can’t wait to do another swap… maybe next time at my house where I can lounge around with friends and drink wine!

Style Swap Prep

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signs

Tomorrow is the big day! Swap day! Today I finished up the signs for the swap. I decided to go with something simple and bold. I’m no graphic designer but I think the children’s sign is pretty darn cute.

I finally finished going through all of my clothes to take to the swap. I was brutal! I had so many clothes that I rarely wore because something wasn’t right with them. Either they didn’t fit right or it wasn’t a good color on me, so out the door they go!

From the photo below it looks like I shouldn’t have any clothes left in my closet. Haha… awww. Yeah, but I do. It’s much, much better though. I promise! Soon I will post a before and after of my closet and you’ll see! You’ll see… I might have a problem. Does it help that over half of them are from the thrift store or hand-me-downs? No? I didn’t think so. I’m working on it though.

bags o' clothes

Homemade Hair Rinse

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Rosemary hair rinse

I have finally found a hair rinse that works for me and doesn’t smell bad! I have been using it for a couple of months now and it is working out really well. I researched on the Internet a good bit and came up with my recipe for the rinse through some experimentation. This rosemary rinse is only for brunettes because it tints the hair brown. If you have blond hair just exchange chamomile tea for the rosemary. The natural tinting is really nice for me when in summer the sun starts to lighten my hair.

What you need:

  • one pot for boiling water
  • small strainer
  • measuring cup
  • medium size spray bottle

Ingredients:

  • water
  • fresh rosemary
  • white vinegar

Everyone will have to experiment with the proportions but here are the measurements that I used. First I took about three sprigs worth of rosemary and stripped the needles off of the stem. Then I poured 1 1/2 cup of water in the pot and added the rosemary needles. Let this come to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Let simmer for about 45 min or until water turns a deep brown/ red color. Remove from heat and let sit for a bit to cool down. Strain rosemary out and add 1/4 cup of white vinegar and about 1/4 cup of fresh water. Then I put the rosemary rinse in a spray bottle to use in the shower. What I like to do is wet my hair in the shower and then spray the rosemary rinse on my hair and let it sit while I shower. The rinse can dye fabric so use a dark colored towel when drying hair. However once your hair is dry you shouldn’t have any problems with the color coming off on clothing.

Voila! A hair rinse that leaves your hair fresh, shiny and naturally colored!

Downsizing

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empty-closet

No, I’m not talking about the economy and the unemployment rate. I’m talking about clothes and stuff. Yeah you know, all that stuff that builds up in your house. In the drawers and the back of your closet, under the bed and in the cabinets. In the past two years I have moved twice and still have fully unpacked boxes from the first move. I have not touched nor thought about the contents of these boxes in two years! Do I really need this stuff? My rational mind says ”NO” but my pack-rat, sentimental side whispers “open the boxes, you might need that stuff one day. Hoard, hoard, hoard”. It’s a battle I have been fighting all my life. I blame it on my parents. Damn their collections! Green glass, door knobs, vintage gloves, matchbooks, coins (oh my god the coins!). I shouldn’t be too harsh I mean my parents aren’t as bad as the people on Clean House! Yikes!

But how do we release our selves from the clutter? I have been on a crusade for the past few months to get rid of everything I do not need. Every few weeks I go through my clothes and drawers and take out more and more things. I am trying to see just how much I can get away with. Just a few days ago I met with two lovely ladies (I will post about that later!) and one of them told me about this amazing website the Uniform Project. I’m not really sure how I have not heard about this before! It’s awesome and inspiring! One young lady has challenged herself to wear one dress for 365 days! It is also a fundraiser for the Akanksha Foundation. This has really challenged my thinking about downsizing my own wardrobe. I am organizing a clothing swap at work in two weeks. So until then I will be purging my closet of all unwanted, unworn, un-mended clothing. I will post the results in three weeks…

(Image above: Closet Organizers )