Okay so…the snow is still going super hard. It’s crazy! We’re currently in a winter storm warning (the mayor announced an emergency. Only drive in it if it’s an emergency!). Ugh! See, I was just talking about being prepared for a disaster!
It’s expected to snow another 8-12 inches in the next 17 hours. Thank goodness I’m doing all my shopping online and I work from home! Super blessed. 🙂
Here’s a picture I took from my backyard of the snow…it sure is pretty, but it sure is a mess everywhere.
Since I’m saving time ordering online when I need to and not battling the harsh conditions, I’m having a bit of fun!!! It’s making me a VERY happy girl! Bouncing off the walls happy! 🙂
Lately, I’ve been obsessed with photography and graphic design. It’s something I’ve always been drawn to and am just kinda teaching myself as I go. It’s fun for me to sharpen my skills and see improvement as I go.
I spent three days this week on this post here, designing Valentine Cards and picturing them. The kids and I had a LOT of fun doing it. The post came out GORGEOUS and it’s something that we can use year after year to save us money. 🙂
Today I learned how to remove something from a photo. The photo I took had a basketball hoop in it, so I wondered how to take it out and learned. Since it was my very first time doing that, I feel like it came out pretty good. I can tell the difference when I look super closely, but I’m not sure anyone else would be able to if they didn’t know…let’s see how good your eyes are. lol.
Here’s the before and after:
It was a pretty easy week, shopping wise. I got groceries delivered through last week (full details on where to buy groceries online next week!), but they don’t sell my sweetener for my Green Tea that I always drink and swear by. I must have my Green Tea. I feel like it’s the main reason I’ve been losing weight (65 pounds thus far!). Green Tea is known for boosting your metabolism and it’s really good for you.
So, I had to find a place that sells it (Amazon was out of stock before). Lucky for me…Amazon has it in stock as I’m writing this post and at only $9.91 no tax. It’s $13.99 in Fred Meyer + tax (which does NOT deliver), so that’s a good deal for me, since I use it a lot for my Green Tea. Of course, since it doesn’t expire for a long time, I bought 20 bottles! That one purchase saved me $98.20 on something I already buy and I’m good and stocked up!
Now, here’s the deal. I don’t have Amazon Prime. I know, gasp right…someone in America doesn’t have it. But I go around it. I just wait and spend the $49 minimum purchase order. I keep the things I want in my cart.
This makes it a lot easier for me to hit the minimum to get free shipping without paying for Amazon Prime. Instead of making a list of things I need to buy on my fridge, I keep them in my cart on Amazon. There’s a great site called CamelCamelCamel that you can watch items to get the lowest pricing on Amazon. So, I like to watch the pricing in my cart and on CamelCamelCamel and purchase them together to hit my $49 minimum when I need something shipped right away.
A couple of things I needed and found at great prices in the past couple days on Amazon were:
- Women/Girl’s pink earmuff for my daughter (we’ll see how those work out for her, but they are only $2.28!)
- 5 Hour Energy Drinks (they are cheaper at Amazon than in stores usually. I don’t drink coffee (tastes gross to me), so when I need a boost of energy, this is what I use)
- White keyboard (this is just a prop for photos) and a cost effective white mouse to match
- Stainless steel drinking straws (good for the planet and healthier than plastic- also great for drinking Lemon essential oil in your water/tea since Lemon essential oil eats through plastic)
- White pretty 8×10 picture frame
- Black pretty 8×10 picture frame
- Champagne colored pretty 8×10 picture frame
I’ll be sharing NEXT WEEK what I’m working on and why I need the frames, but right now, it’s top secret!
As far as spending goes, that’s really all I’ve spent this week. I did buy a couple things on CreativeMarket, seriously I AM OBSESSED with that site! Other than that, it’s been pretty simple. I didn’t need any groceries this week because we already purchased them last week.
If you’re looking at dinner ideas for your not going to stores challenge, here’s some great ones:
- The Perfect Tuna Melt (perfect for nights you want to get something super quick and delicious on the table)
- BLT Pizza (that turned out super yummy- recipe is coming soon to the blog!)
- Taco Bake (one pan, super easy to make!)
- Homemade Chicken Tenders (YUM! I like to dip them in Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce or Ranch dressing or even make a wrap out of them with tortillas, lettuce, ranch dressing, and tomatoes)
- Clam Chowder (yes, it REALLY IS the world’s best…I’m telling you!)
For the sweet tooth:
- Salted Caramel Magic Bars (I totally ripped off that recipe from Amie!) 🙂
- Birthday Cake Popcorn
- Orange Creamsicle Bark
As far as the blog goes, I’m working on a few fun things!
Several of you have asked for my salvation story…that’s so awesome! And very necessary, I agree! So, I’m busy as a bee writing that to publish it on the blog. It’s been a little difficult for me to go back in my mind and remember my past. It’s not all that pleasant, but the story of how God saved me, is pretty miraculous and it’s a story worth sharing, so be sure to look for that soon!
I’m working behind the scenes on a couple other posts as well. One of which is an inspirational post that I just know you guys will love. The other is a guest post about how to start a daycare (for those of you looking to make money from home). 🙂
….And of course, I’m busy tweaking the blog, as always. I just LOVE making things more convenient and user friendly for you guys! I test a lot of different theories out and I’m always working on something. This week, I switched over my whole commenting system. Some of you were getting a JavaScript error when leaving a comment (I’m so sorry about that).
Long story short, the designer of the plug in I was using (CommentLuv) is no longer updating the plug in or has any sort of support online at all now due to his health. Since there was some sort of bug in there, I had to quit the comment system (which I absolutely LOVED!) so that stinks, but it’s a lot easier to leave a comment now on the blog.
I’m also working on changing up my social share buttons and a different look for the site. I hope you like it. It looks so pretty in the mock up I created and I can’t wait to have my amazing technician take my masterpiece design and make it a reality!
So, there’s definitely a ton of things going on around here…most of which, is still SECRET! Don’t worry, I won’t keep my secret forever. In the next couple weeks, I’ll let you know what I’m up to. I think you’re really gonna like it!!! 🙂
Lastly, for those that love to know the songs I’m listening to the most this week, here are my most listened-to songs of the week on YouTube:
- Danny Gokey – Hope in Front of Me
- Danny Gokey – More Than You Think I Am
- Francesca Battistelli – When The Crazy Kicks In
- Jonny Diaz – Breathe
So tell me…how has your week gone in the challenge? Have you found it easier or harder? Have you found at least ONE new way to save money in your endeavors to stay out of the stores this week?
