Hi everyone :) :)
I hope that you are all having a really great weekend so far. I worked this afternoon/evening. It was an AMAZING day out on the sales floor.
This is just a friendly PSA about Daylight Savings Time. Early tomorrow morning, on Sunday - November 3rd at 3 a.m. local time, make sure to set your clocks back one hour. OR if you are anything like me and prefer NOT waking up at the crack o'midnight or shortly thereafter, set your clocks back one hour TONIGHT (Saturday - November 2nd) before you go to bed :)
That's the news from the ocean shores of California. Love and hugs, Heather :)
Hi Everyone :) :)
I hope you all had a really good week. My week was really busy. I had all these ideas for other blog posts that I wanted to write about this week and I just didn't get around to it. It's probably a good idea to start putting these things down on a calendar and writing a little bit here and a little bit there - as time allows.
I don't really have a blog post about saving money today BUT I am going to share a couple of things that I thought you'd find interesting.
The first is a link to a video from the Dave Ramsey website. Actually, I saw it posted on the Dave Ramsey page on Facebook. Every so often they'll post really neat and inspirational stories of people who have gotten out of debt. This is one that was some serious inspiration for me for a few reasons. Here's the link below. Watch the whole thing in its entirety:
The decision to be completely and totally 100% debt free is a choice that I have made for myself. It's a decision that will look different for everyone based on different circumstances etc. However, this video was really inspiring to me for so many reasons.
This is a young woman, who with her husband, perservered through some very difficult circumstances to reach a personal goal that they had set for themselves. People made fun of them. That didn't stop them.
What caused me to literally break down in tears was when I learned....well, I'm not going to spoil it. That's why I HIGHLY recommend you watch this whole video and then you'll know why it caused me to break down and cry.
What I carried away from this is that if you want something bad enough, you will find a way. God will make a way. It may take me awhile to reach that goal, but with God ALL THINGS are possible. Plus, I'm not going to let the objections of a few dictate my life or throw me off my goal.
I spent most of the morning and part of the afternoon with my very good friend A. from church. She's a mentor and good friend. We went went shopping at Costco and also ate lunch there. While there and on the drive home, we talked about all sorts of things including money etc and setting priorities while working my way out of debt etc.
My mind was so focused on paying bills that I was not eating while at work. Yes, I admit it and it was a very bad thing. So we talked about how paying bills are important but I must take care of my body first. So we brainstormed some really inexpensive things I could bring to work and eat on my lunch break.
A. gave me a huge box of these fast noodle packages that her daughter brought back from Vietnam. They work just like the Top Ramen noodles that you buy in the store. So what a blessing and that's a HUGE savings right there.
Some super duper cheap things you could bring just to give you a protein boost while at work:
hard-boiled eggs
peanut butter
I'm living on a soda-pop can budget right now and these are two very easy and inexpensive things that I can do right now.
In any case, I'm really having to sit down and rethink my priorities. I'm not giving up on my goal of getting out of debt. What I am doing is just rethinking how I do things.
So I'll have more to add to this as time goes on. So keep checking back here and read my updates. As I think of things, I'll add it here and save some for next Friday, too. It's been a huge day of revelations for me about finances, how to treat my body well etc.
I would love to hear your thoughts and feedback. Keep it kind, of course :) :) I love hearing from all of you :) Have a great weekend.
That's the news from the ocean shores of California today. Love and hugs to you all, Heather :)
UPDATE: November 1st at 8:40 p.m. PST
The same friend that I was talking about earlier, came back again later today and brought her daughter with her. She had all this extra food that she just blessed my father and I with. I was so humbled and thankful. I don't often talk about the difficulties in my life, because I would rather foster an attitude of gratitude and be thankful for the many, many blessings that God has given to me.
However, this practical act of love was amazing. So now our cupboard and freezer is comletely stocked. There are lots of things that I can bring with me to work, to give me that needed protein boost during the day.
I find that for my body, protein is a necessity throughout the day to keep me going. So it'll be interesting to see how things change at work, because I'm making sure that my body and health are a top priority first while still keeping my goal of paying down debt and saving money at the forefront.
Hi everone,
How has your week been? Mine has been full of all sorts of things...BUT I've been really knocking it out of the ballpark on sales at work this week. My main goal is to really develop personal relationships with all of my customers, because I want them to feel like welcome guests when they walk into the store. I also strive to have them leave happier then when they walked in. In any case, I've been really thankful that for the most part I am totally exceeding my sales goals every day I'm scheduled to work and that is a praise :) :) :)
My VitaCost order arrived really fast. I ordered it last Friday morning and it arrived by the following Monday afternoon (October 21st). Here is a look at what I ordered:
Click here to read my post from last week. I detailed exactly what I purchased and what it cost from the VitaCost.com website versus buying it at my local grocery store.
I was really surprised to see that they sold the Eez-Gum threaders. Those are like giant flexible plastic "needles" that help you to thread the dental floss underneath the metal wires of braces. So I'm going to keep a detailed diary of when I use each product and when it runs out. It'll give me an idea of how fast I go through a product. That in turn will give me a better idea of how much to order next time.
I don't really "need" to buy a natural soap, except I do believe that what you put on your skin gets partially absorbed into the skin. It's true. The skin is the largest organ of your body, so treat it right. I can only speak for myself, but I notice that when I use gluten free or natural products on my skin, I don't have a skin reaction like I do with regular "soaps" etc.
Oh, and I'm still trying to figure out how to budget on a variable income. So I'll fill you in on that some more later this afternoon.
I get paid on a weekly basis, but my hours can vary quite a bit. If you have ever worked retail, you know exactly what this is like. Add to that, that my job is only part-time, but I have the opportuntiy for full-time hours, when there are available shifts to pick up. Case in point, this week, I only have 17.75 hours, but NEXT week, I'll have 30 hours.
I found this really simple, but very good article on the Dave Ramsey website. It's about how to make a zero-based budget. Dave Ramsey has been a huge inspiration for me in wanting to be comletely out of debt in the first place.
I also found this article to be really helpful. It's really simple and straight-forward and it's great if you need an idea for how to budget when your income and your hours vary quite a bit from week to week. Dave Ramsey's daughter, Rachel Cruze, also has a really neat nifty website. She wrote a really easy to understand blog post about budgeting with a variable income. Click here to read that article.
Now my budgeting got a serious monkey wrench thrown into it, because I had to make an appointment to get my teeth cleaned at the dentist in between visits with the orthodontist (when I get new wires put on my braces). That's going to cost a little bit, so the solution to that is pick up extra hours at work.
So next week, I'll try and fill you in a little bit more on how I do a zero-based budget from week to week...and how I still manage to live and have some sort of fun on my very tiny income.
I have to say that VitaCost really does a good job, even with their cardboard boxes. They use some space on the boxes to provide good, healthy recipes for sweet treats :) :) As if it couldn't get any cooler or more practical, I also saw this on the inside flap of the box:
There are even some frugal ways to repurpose this box. It is quite the sturdy box, too.
That's the news from the ocean shores of California today. Love and hugs to you all, Heather :) :) :)
Hi everyone,
Wow, is my head ever swimming. It seems like I was in a rut in terms of how I was going to come up with a game plan for knocking out my student loan debt etc. Now that I'm starting to turn my dream into a concrete vision, all these ideas are swimming around in my head.
I am starting with small baby steps.
One thing that I like to do is to make a list of things that I'll be "needing" in the future. Here is a list of things that I will definitely be needing at some point, but I don't have to buy them right away:
First thing, the word "Einkaufszettel" is German for "shopping list". I still write it out that way, ever since I lived in Germany as a study abroad student.
In any case, these are things that I'll be needing to buy in the near future. The MAC lipstick and lip gloss are really nice, neutral colors that I can wear anytime. It's funny, because I'm almost out of both colors.
I almost stopped by work to buy some today after church. However, I didn't really have a piece about it and I kept asking myself the question: Do I really NEED this right now or can I wait just a little bit longer before I plunk down money for this?
My answer was: I CAN wait and I will wait a little bit longer.
One thing I have learned is that just because you have the money to buy something RIGHT NOW doesn't mean you have to. So I will wait until I'm completely out before I replenish my make-up inventory :)
I do wear braces, so dental floss is a MUST right now. I go through that stuff really fast. The same for the toothpaste. Since I'm paying out-of-pocket for my orthodontic care, I want to make sure that I get my money's worth and that means taking very good care of my teeth.
The toothpaste is gluten free and so is the shampoo and conditoner on my list. I do use the Raspberry Shine. Here's a photo again of the conditioner:
I was paying $8.99 a bottle for the shampoo and conditioner and probably about $6 for the toothpaste. They are gluten free products and those things are important to me. So I am willing to make the sacrifice for those things.
HOWEVER, a very sweet reader sent me a private email the other day and told me of a really great site, where I could get my conditioner for much less. The site is called Swanson Vitamins. Click here to visit their site. I found my conditioner listed here for about $4.98...yeah, my jaw dropped to the floor, too. With as often as I use this product and even factoring in shipping, I won't be buying it at my local store anymore.
There's also another site called VitaCost that has awesome natural and organic products at really great prices. Click here to visit them. The last time I checked I found my shampoo and conditioner selling here for about $4.98 a bottle and my special toothpaste for $3.98 a tube. the BEST part is that shipping is free on orders over $49 and they often have free shipping specials on smaller orders.
I don't normally spend that much at one time on my hair and body care products. However, with such great deals, I can afford to make a BIG purchase now, knowing that I'm saving a LOT of money in the long run.
Today is payday. I'll let you know what I end up ordering, what the total is and what I ordered.
UPDATE at 6:23 p.m Pacific Standard Time:
Hi everyone ;) :) Okay, so I ended up having to place my order as a "guest", but I was able to reset my password this afternoon after work. WOW, did I save a boatload of money...at least a lot for me.
After work, I went to my local store where I usually most of these products I'm about to tell you about. If I payed full price (including tax) for everything I ordered today, it would have been $91.99.
As it happens, with my VitaCost order I only paid $50.31. There was no tax and it was FREE shipping because I ordered over $49 worth of product :)
That's a savings of 45%. That is HUGE in my checkbook and that frees up that much more money to put towards paying off bills etc. I just placed the order this morning and it should arrive in 1-4 business days.
Here's the breakdown of what I purchased. I will highlight in BLUE what the regular retail was and factor in the taxes at the end. Unless otherwise specified, I only ordered a quantity of ONE of certain items. In other cases, I ordered multiples because it's something I know that I will use consistently.
South of France Bar Soap Acai Pomegranate - 8.8 ox
$3.94 / $6.39
Desert Essence Dental Floss - Tea Tree Oil - 50 yds
$2.29 x 4 qty / $3.99
GUM Eez-Thru Floss Threaders - 25 pieces
$2.96 / $3.29
I will say that this one came as a surprise, because I didn't even know that VitaCost carried this, but they DO :) :) :) I use these ALL THE TIME to help me with flossing. They're necessary in order to floss the teeth while going through the process of braces on the teeth.
Auromere Herbal Toothpaste Fresh Mint - 4 oz
$3.44 / $5.99
Desert Essence Organics Shampoo Raspberry Shine for All Hair Types - 8 oz
$5.29 x 3 qty / $8.99
Desert Essence Organics Raspberry Conditioner Red Raspberry - 8 fl oz.
$4.98 x 3 qty / $8.99
So here is the breakdown again. Hopefully it's a little easier to see this way:
Vitacost Order total (no tax/free shipping) - $50.13
Regular Retail (including sales tax 7.5%) - $91.99
That means I saved a total of 45%. What does that mean?
Serious CHACHING back into my wallet :) :) :)
I can hardly wait for my VitaCost order to arrive. When it does, I'll show you all a photo. In the meantime, enjoy this vintage beauty :) :) It's a vintage Ford Mustang that I saw in the mall parking lot a few days ago:
That's the news from the ocean shores of California today. Love and hugs, Heather :)
Hi everyone,
How was your weekend? My weekend was really good. I worked for a few hours on Saturday. Plus, I spent a little time working on my blog, working on my budget and other household chores etc.
I wanted to share a few photos of Pacific Grove with you today. If you'd like to see my other photos, please come visit me here at my photography page on Facebook. It's called Heather Danielle Photography. I love friendly visitors, and while you're there, if you want to "like" my page, please do :) :)
These are mainly of the ocean. I love the ocean. My grandmother lived here for many, many years before she bought her home in Monterey.
I'm not sure what draws me to the water. It's been a life-long love ever since I can remember. When I am having a bad day, I like to spend time near the water. When I am having a good day, I like to spend time near the water. I'm always reminded that no matter what is going on, God has still given me things of beauty to enjoy.
I'll post the photos and then talk about them below each picture.
This is a photo of my dad taking a photo of me with my smartie pants mobile phone camera. He is really camera shy. So I was very lucky to get this photo. We were out near Asilomar State Beach.
I am constantly trying to get photographs of birds in flight. This particular day, I had my "big girl" camera with me. Translation: I had my Nikon D3200 with me :) I can't even remember what type of bird this was now. It was either pelicans or geese.
Deer are very common here on the peninsula. As my father and I were driving along the ocean shore, we saw this handsome creature. Look at the antlers on that thing. It is not uncommon to see them in peoples yards, crossing the street, walking down the side walk etc. In fact, I see them in my neighborhood quite often.
It was a beautiful, sunny day with blue skies. However, it was also really, really windy. So while the wave were not very high. They sure were rolling in really fast. Usually when the ocean looks like this, it makes me think there's a possible storm ready to head inland. Not this time. I'm hoping we'll see some rain soon. In the meantime, it was really a beautiful ting to see this many waves.
Another thing that I'm obsessed with capturing on film are the waves right as they're about ready to crash into white sea foam :)
This plant is called "Pride of Madeira". It is not quite in full bloom. When it is in full bloom, it's amazingly beautiful. I'll see if I can find a photo of it in all its glory. This is one of my favorite plants. One of my other favorites is Mexican sage.
This will be my last photo for today. This is literally my favorite place to sit and look out over the water. Whenever I drive along the shore to take photographs, this place is ALWAYS one of my stopping points. It's a favorite of many people and I always see tourists stopping here to get photographs :)
Well, that completes my little ocean tour of Pacific Grove for today. I pray that you all will have a really good Monday and a good rest of the week, too. That's the news from the ocean shores of California today. Love and hugs, Heather :)
Hello everyone,
How are you all today? I'm doing fine.
Monterey is a beautiful city. There's this one building that I drive by quite often when I'm downtown. It is heavily decorated. I'm not sure how old the building is. My first thought is that it was built in the 1920s or 1930s based on some of the design features.
There is a flower shop on the ground floor that has been there since the building opened. Hmm...that's a thought. I should walk into the flower shop and ask the owner.
Here's a photo of the building from the outside. It has some amazing detail and I LOVE the fact that the main entrance to the building is on the corner. You don't see that kind of detail much anymore:
The flower shop is called "Flor Monterey". In any case, I'll make sure and get some more photos of this building sometime this week or next week. It has so many interesting details.
There was a controlled burn out at Fort Ord yesterday and then again this morning. Here are a couple of pictures that I took with my mobile phone camera. It looked a lot scarier than it really was, but I figure that as long as that smoke is not shaped like a mushroom, we're doing fairly well :)
The first pic was taken around 9:47 a.m. this morning from the Whole Foods parking lot. The controlled burn had just started at 9:30 a.m.
This next photo was just over an hour later. It was taken from my front yard. By this time the smoke was quite thick and it even covered up the sun. However, it didn't last long. It's 1:20 p.m. now and most of it is clearing away thanks to the wind.
I actually have today off from work. So I stopped by my hairstylist's salon to get my bangs trimmed. They were getting kind of long and I just can't make up my mind about whether to keep them short or grow them out long. In any case, I had my mobile phone with me and snapped a couple photos. There is beauty all around if we can only learn to keep our eyes open for it.
I really like bougainvillea. It's a beautiful plant that grows very well here in the Monterey Bay peninsula area. I just loved how this particular bougainvillea was growing up around the slats on this balcony railing.
I also love vintage antiques, including trucks. I usually see this beautiful Ford truck at a local carwash. Today it was parked downtown. This is my dream car, for real :) :) I so would love to drive something like this.
I also went to Trader Joe's to buy some cheddar cheese. I have a leftover bag of gluten-free tortilla chips that I purchased at TJ's yesterday. Then the idea came to me to make easy peasy nachos. So on the way to the store, I stopped to get a photo of this beautiful iris. This is another flower that I see a lot around this area.
Oh, and in my backyard, we have quite a few different varieties of trees from Spanish oak to a very tall Redwood tree. Well, a few weeks ago, one of the trunks on the Spanish oak just fell over. It just missed the house by a few inches. Thankfully there was no damage. One of our neighbor's was really kind and helped us chop up the trunk. Most of the wood has gone to the yard waste recycle bin. This is what it looks like now. Thankfully the rest of the tree is solid :)
That's about it for now. I hope you all are enjoying your Tuesday. That's the news from the ocean shores of California today. Love and hugs, Heather :)
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