The thought of tackling your debt can be extremely daunting but that doesn't mean you should refuse to work on it.  You remember how I became debt free, right? Well, I speak from experience when I say that as long as you are serious about getting out of debt, you can break the task down into different parts that will help it be a bit less overwhelming.

Know What You Owe
You obviously can't start paying down your debt if you don't know how much you owe and whom you owe it to.  So first you'll need to make a list or a spreadsheet that includes all credit cards with a balance, any medical bills, student or bank loans, and any personal loans.   Then write down the amount you currently owe on each.

Read more »

I'M ENGAGED!

YES! It finally happened!!! I AM ENGAGED!!!!!!!   

So of course here are all the deets!

 

When did it happen? 

Last Thursday, December 8th in the evening!

How did it go down? 

I was just laying on the couch on my phone and James sent Rocky out wearing a cute little tux.   Then he got down on his knee and asked. I was so thrown off it took him forever to get my attention when Rocky first came out.   Typical lol!

When will the wedding happen?

Puhhh-lease. I am so not traditional.  So there will be no formal wedding.  We are living in our forever home so we can't justify spending tons of money on things like decorations, a dress, a formal ceremony, etc. when we could be investing that money into home projects.  So instead, we will have a party.  We will go to the courthouse to get married in the Fall of 2018 and then we will have a giant party with our close friends and family.  It will easily be under 100 people and I'd rather invest money in things like music, food, and a fun location.  

So basically I will be living the dream of planning a big party.    And yes, I will be blogging everything along the way.  So stay tuned! And in the meantime, you're damn right I'm going to be showing off my ring.    So be sure to follow me on social media, because you definitely can't miss that!

Facebook | Twitter | Bloglovin' | Pinterest | Instagram

My New Path to a Fit & Healthy Me

This site has affiliate links and sponsored content. Read my Disclosure Policy.

So I was at my biggest weight ever in early 2016 - 187 pounds to be exact. It was horrible. I hated everything about myself.  I can't even tell you how I let myself get that way but it's likely a combination of stress, poor eating habits, and low energy.  Which is all a result of well...stress, poor eating habits, and low energy.  I had to break the cycle.

First step was that I started to workout and become more active. Although I know nutrition plays a huge part I know myself and I have to do things one at a time until I master them.


So I began working out.  My boss is awesome and helped me set up and strength training routine.  Day 1 is chest and triceps, Day 2 is back and biceps, and Day 3 is shoulders, legs, and abs. I did cardio (I bought an elliptical in March) every other day as well.   


Then I stopped because between May month and September  I began perfecting my diet. I was going outside and taking walks twice a day at work and getting my 10,000 steps in but I really needed to focus on my eating habits.  I stopped eating boxed and canned foods.  Instead I opted for fresh as much as I could.  I began eating less added sugars and less carbs. 


Now that I have that down, I have combined them both and for the past several weeks I've been eating healthy AND working out as if it's my full time job.  Every day I do strength training. Every other day I do the elliptical for 35 minutes.  I have found that blasting my music really helps and I actually end up dancing while on the elliptical. It's a great time and I can do it all in the comfort of my own home because we have a gym in the basement. 

I have been logging everything I do exercise wise and I've been logging my food in my Fitbit app.  

My weight is down to 169 and even more than that my body is really changing.  It's getting muscular and smaller.  I'm more concerned with losing inches than losing pounds anyways.   I can really see my face thinning out too!




I will post in a couple of weeks with more progress!

Facebook | Twitter | Bloglovin' | Pinterest | Instagram

3 Big Ways to Save Money During the Holidays

Everyone seems to break the bank around this time of year but it doesn't have to be that way.  There are plenty of tips and tricks that will save your budget and let you enjoy the Holidays without having to feel like you're going broke! 

Read more »

Christmas Home Tour 2016

There is a method to my decorating madness I swear..... and today I'm going to explain it all.   I also figured it was a good idea to share my home decor for the holidays because I know how much I love when other bloggers do it!

 So obviously I am into minimalism and especially after the KonMari Method I don't have a ton of decorations that go unused.   So everything you see in this post is all the decorations I own. 

 In our living room we only have one storage area really... it's the bookshelf.  I use it more for decor than storage.  So it's where most of the decorations go.   

 

I have tinsel and garland and instead of putting it on the tree I use it to fill in the white space in each shelf so it looks more festive. 

 I am so obsessed with this dear and the bear and they always go on top of the bookshelf because of their size. They were from Big Lots last year. I waited and waited for their prices to go down. 

 

I also have a weird obsession with nutcrackers now.  I got these at Dollar General last year.

 I used to have some cheap ornaments when I had my tree up in an apartment years ago.  I kept the ornaments to use as decor when I fill a container or vase.  This summer my Grandma gave me this little Christmas basket so I now put the balls in the basket.

 I put some pre lit garland in the dining room on the wine rack to add an extra festive touch.

 This little tree goes in the dining room and I love it! It came pre lit I just added the beads.

 And there she is.. my beaut!!  I love my tree. I've had it since 2009. It was only $65 on Black Friday one year at Walmart.  It's the perfect size (6.5 feet) and the perfect width.  

 

Outside I have a bunch of little yard signs that were from Dollar General. 

We didn't do icicle lights yet (if we even do) so I just put up colored ones on the bushes outside. I also used garland on the window sill. 

There you have it!!!!

Facebook | Twitter | Bloglovin' | Pinterest | Instagram

Being Prepared for Meaningful Moments (+ A DIY Emergency Kit)

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser.  All opinions are mine alone.  #MoreMomentsWithExcedrin #CollectiveBias

Nothing derails my life more than a headache that pops up out of nowhere.   I'll never forget the one time a few months back when I woke up on a Friday at 5:30 am, as I always do, to get ready for work.  It was a crazy day in the office and I was so busy that I barely even had a chance to come up for air.  The stress had me tense and uptight by the time I left the office for the day.  As I got home I had to tend to my regular responsibilities like feeding the dogs, tidying the house, going through my mail and checking on the garden.

I was getting really excited because I had a night out planned for myself and some girlfriends that I hadn't seen in a while.  I was thinking about it for weeks ahead of time, but as I stepped into the shower I could tell something was a brewin! I could feel the tension moving up to my head and preparing to come out in the form of a headache.  I was so mad but I knew there was one thing I could do to save the day and salvage my plans so I turned to Excedrin® Tension Headache.  

Lucky for me I had some in my Emergency Kit which I'll share with you later.   It totally saved the day!  I was feeling great and ready for my girl's night by the time I arrived at dinner.  It was a memorable time and I am so glad I got to catch up with my friends.   If I didn't have Excedrin® Tension Headache I probably would have opted to stay home. That would have been terrible because it was so hard to get everyone together and it would probably be months until we could have done it again.  

I can't praise Excedrin® products enough!  They deliver fast relief for different types of headaches and a headache demands a headache solution.

So as I mentioned earlier I have this awesome little Emergency Kit that I always keep handy whether it's for a girl's night out or a big meeting or conference at work.  And I'm going to show you what I keep inside my kit so that nothing can interrupt my meaningful moments!

[Discreet Bag]

I keep my emergency items in a cute little zip up bag that's nice and discreet and fits in my regular handbag, my clutch, and my evening bag.

[Bandages]

Nothing puts a damper on my day or night like a blister on my foot or a nasty papercut.  That's why I always keep a few bandages in my emergency kit.  It also comes in handy for others around me that may be in a bind.

[Body Wipe]

There are days when I have such a small amount of time to go from work to a night out that I don't have time to shower.  So I keep a body wipe handy so that I can freshen up.  It feels so good to refresh myself with a cool, clean wipe!

[Dental Floss]

Not having dental floss throws me into a panic.  When I get something in my teeth and I can't get it out I start to feel anxious and all I want to do is seek out floss.  So the fact that I always have some with me ensures that it will never be an issue or take away from my moment.

[Excedrin® Tension Headache and Excedrin® Extra Strength]

If you want to save yourself from a headache during a meaningful moment, trust Excedrin® for fast headache relief.  These products offer fast relief from multiple headache types.   I keep Excedrin® Tension Headache handy for aspirin-free headache relief especially after a long stressful day.   Excedrin® Extra Strength is great for fast headache relief, with some people even relief in just 15 minutes!  Of course, for all products, USE AS DIRECTED.

You can find Excedrin® products at Walmart in the medicine/personal care aisle!

Facebook | Twitter | Bloglovin' | Pinterest | Instagram