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September Outfits
Today, I am looking back at my outfits for the month of September. I see a lot of outfits that I really like so you may see some of these again in September with hopefully some extra layers if the weather cools off. I did not spend much of my money on clothes this month but had some birthday money and a gift card that I was able to use. I am now implementing a no shopping month for October as I have all kinds of new clothes to wear! I wore this as part of my 4 ways to wear a utility vest post and to church on a…
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Lower your bills
After the unhappy surprise of a high water bill (which seems to have been resolved), I was reminded about the need to pay attention to our monthly bills. There are certain things that you can do to lower your utility bills and other bills associated with owning a house. These tips to not including expensive updates to your house such as new insulation, new windows or new AC units which of course can make your house more energy efficient but are costly on the upfront. Trash Depending where you live, you may be able to choose your trash service. That was the case in our old neighborhood: there were 3…
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Falcons game date night
Thanks to Ed, a friend of my husband, we were able to go on a date night to the Falcons’ football game at the Mercedes-Benz stadium in Atlanta. It was a great budget friendly date since all we paid were our parking and a bottle of water walking back to our car. What made this date special is that we typically just go out to dinner for our dates so doing something out of the ordinary for us made our outing very special. Thanks Ed! Neither my husband nor I are big professional football fans but he does know the game and I have watched enough college football games to…
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Camo pants for fall
It took me over a year between deciding to add some camo to my wardrobe and actually purchasing some camo for my closet. But I now have a soft camo tee from Nickel and Suede (looks like it is no longer available) that I love and these camo pants from TJMaxx. Today I am sharing 3 simple ways to wear camo pants. I am fairly basic in my looks most days as you can see in this post. Check out Shelly from Queen in Between though with her awesome print mixing in her Wednesday post last week! With a white tee I actually had to update my white tee and…
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Don’t break the bank at Christmas!
As the holidays approach, you should start thinking about your plans for the holidays whether it is food or gifts. Some families end up stressing out at Christmas or in its aftermath because of how the cost (emotional or financial) affects their family. I think we should all remember first that Christmas is first about the birth of Christ and that gifts are just a tradition that most of us follow. There should not be excess involved in food nor expenses. You are not going to fully enjoy something if you have a large cost associated with it or if you cannot afford it (whether is is putting on a…
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Travel bucket list
I keep an ongoing travel bucket list that I tweak as the time passes. This bucket list allows me to make plans financially and helps me budget for trips and vacations. I usually plan the following year’s vacations and then keep in mind larger abroad trips that we want to take. Today I am sharing my long and short term bucket lists and where we plan to vacation this year and next. Short term travel plans I typically map out our vacations about a year in advance if they are within the United States. With the children’s school schedule in mind, I am able to plan some time away so…
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Thrift store finds, September
Earlier this month, I gave myself a budget of $25 to go thrifting. I redeemed some credit card points in the form of a Visa gift card and decided that was the max I would spend on my outing. Well, it turns out I only needed a fraction of that! I spent a total of $7+ tax since it was dollar day! I purchased 4 tops, 2 skirts and 1 little pouch. Here are my 3 favorite items: White House, Black Market skirt I think this is one of my favorite thrift stores buys of all time. This cute skirt has stripes, pockets and will go with so many tops.…
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When an unexpected bill hits you!
Last week, I shared about taking a look at your budget periodically and doing a budget reset. When I posted that post, I was all excited about catching up on my leftover summer bills and feeling really comfortable with October. Then I received a very high water bill on Tuesday and started stressing out about it wondering if the utility company had made a mistake, how I would pay it, etc.. At other times, we have had unexpected bills from doctors or maybe an unplanned outing or vacation. What do you do when something like that threatens to break your budget? Medical bills First off, for anyone who doesn’t know,…
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Lessons from summer travels
Since we traveled so much this summer I thought it would be interesting to come up with some lessons I learned from our travels. I love traveling with my family I love going abroad and while it is expensive, with a budget throughout a year or two and with connections and lodging where we travel, it is feasible for our family to travel! We love spending time together whether at the beach or the mountain or the capital town in the republic of Georgia! I am willing to make sacrifices during the year for us to go on vacations. We spend less than others on birthdays and holidays, we do…
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Utility vest to transition into fall
One of my most used vest in the fall is my olive utility vest. It is a few years old and I was inspired by Putting me Together to purchase one after she reshared a post with multiple ways to wear it. Here are some now and later looks for last summer and early fall. You probably can copy these look with a blush, burgundy or other colored vest! Denim shorts and striped shirt A perfect look for the end of the summer! It is too hot here for jeans yet (apart from the occasionnal cooler day) so I will probably still wear my denim shorts well into September. Pair…