Back in the beginning of Fall, I read a book called The One Week Budget by The Budgetnista.  I thought I knew a lot about my finances...until I read that book.  It put everything into perspective in an easy, realistic way.  I immediately took Tiffany's advice and began writing out my monthly budget.  She has great templates to give you inspiration for setting up your own budget.  I did mine in Excel, and then (and this is my favorite thing I learned to do from this book) I had to categorize each expense as something I couldn't change, I could change, or I could DRASTICALLY change. It really helped me break everything down and minimize my costs, and then I had to account for every dollar that I could and even set some aside for savings. I ended up cancelling a tanning package to save some money.  I have no clue how I was getting by before.  

Also, Tiff sent me this awesome Budgetnista pack below, it came with bracelets, a note from her, her book, business cards, some Budget tips, and these little stickers to put on your credit cards so that you stop yourself from using them!!

Financial peace is 20% guidance and 80% work and this book gives you the full 20% guidance you need to get on the right track. I love the simple, easy to use forms that inspired me to create my own and use formulas to get totals. I read this book in October and since then, I made my final car payment in December after getting the motivation from this book! I will have all of my (extensive) debts paid off within the next 18 months. Tiffany wrote a great book and puts everything into perspective, even how she has had financial struggles. I seriously LOVE this book and I will read it again and again and I consider it a very important financial tool. If you read this book, you will have the basic layout and motivation to go ahead on your path down to budget-friendly, debt free living!

You can literally get this book for under $5 on a kindle, or for under $10 hard copy!

Outfit of the Day: A Minty Vest

I love minty green so I loved putting a minty green blouse on and topped it off with a vest I found on ebay.  It gave me a very preppy look.

So What I Wore:
Blouse - Old navy
Boots - Marshalls
Jeans - J Brand Jeans
Vest - Ebay
Necklace - Romwe

5 Ways to Beat the Winter Blues

It's no small thing when you start feeling bummed out for no apparent reason in the middle of Winter, but you are not alone.  Even I suffer from the Winter Blues.  Over the years I've figured out different ways that work best for me to get through them and here are my top 5 that actually work really really well!

1 - A Light Box

Let's be honest - you wake up and it's dark and you get off work and it's dark.  How can anoyne NOT be depressed about that?  Even sitting near a window in the office makes some people feel better, but if you aren't blessed with a good seat in your office, try investing in a light box.  I have one and it has worked wonders.  You can even bring it to your desk at work.  I keep mine in front of me for 5-10 minutes every morning while I eat breakfast.  The light kick starts your body to naturally begin reacting to the sunlight, and helloooooo how can that not make you happy?    You can find a light box on Amazon here.

2 - A Hula Hoop or other Exercise
Exercise is crucial because it gets your endorphins flowing and forces you to be up and about rather then falling into a lazy slump.  It's way too cold to be outside right now so I use a fitness hoop while I watch TV.  It's fun and really gets your mid section toned quickly!

3 - emeals - a Healthy Diet
A good diet gives you more energy and mental focus so you can think more optimistically.  It's a hassle trying to stay in shape and eat right especially when you have to plan meals and create a shopping list.  Well, for $5 a month, you can join emeals and they do that for you.  They send you a 7 day meal list and instructions depending on the diet you want.  They also make a grocery list for you and can even find deals at local stores in your area!


4 - Talking
Talking is very therapeutic.  Meet a friend for coffee every week or go on a lunch date with a coworker.  Be sure to keep in contact with your closest and most trust worthy girlfriends by calling every few days and be sure to vent to them and let them vent to you.

5 - Social Interaction
Social interaction FORCES you to put on a smile and be pleasant (well, most of the time) so it's very crucial to expose yourself to this type of situation whether it be shopping at a store, going to church, or just going out with a group of friends and mingling at the bar. Anything that forces you to interact with people.  Humans thrive on social interaction, just as animals like dogs do.   

Outfit of the Day: Winter Purple

This look is pretty simply and solid,  but has a great use of the current Winter color trend of purple.  I used a purple statement jewelry piece to help my purple skinny jeans stand out. 

So What I Wore:
Boots - Marshalls (similar here)
Necklace - Kohls (similar here)
Top - Smak Parlour
Purple Skinny Jeans - Old Navy

Outfit of the Day: A Swirl of Yellow

Since Winter is so cold and boring, I decided to spice it up a bit with a leather jacket (hey, it keeps you warm!) and a yellow and black swirled dress.  This dress is sleeveless so I normally only wear it in the Summer but with a jacket over top, it looked great and to keep my legs warm I just threw on a pair of solid leggings.

What I Wore:
Dress - Body Central
Leggings - Target
Boots - Marshalls
Leather Jacket - Bebe

Safe Paw Review & *Giveaway* Ends 1/11

With the snow and ice moving in, you can never be too safe when it comes to your home.  And did you know that when you spread salt on your driveway or sidewalk so you don't slip, you can actually harm your pets.  Whether they get it on their paws and lick it later, try to eat it right off the ground, or it gets tracked in your home for them to consumer, it is NOT good for them!   That's why I only use Safe Paw.  Safe Paw works differently than salt.  Salt is spread on the top of ice and snow and it melts from the top down while Safe Paw works down to the surface of the ground and then spreads out from there, melting from the bottom up.  This makes snow and ice removal much easier and it leaves that bond on the surface for 3 days to prevent any ice from freezing again.  Brilliant!!

But wait, are you going to tell me your dog doesn't care for salt? okay, well how about the fact that rock salt jabs and hurts your pooch's paws with it's sharp edges.  That makes it very uncomfortable and it can get lodged in between your pet's paws.  Safe Paw is much more gentle on your pet.  I have 4 chihuahuas and they are very sensitive,not just with ingesting things but also when it comes to the surfaces they walked on.  We have had a couple snows so far this year and when I used the Safe Paw it went much more smooth than normal.  First of all, it did a much better, quicker, and long lasting job with melting the ice.  Also, the pups ran across the driveway and sidewalk like they normally would when they went outside.  I am so in love with Safe Paw it's all I'm going to use from now on!

One winner will receive a container of Safe Paw for their home!

a Rafflecopter giveaway