-
Inspired by Jo-Lynne Shane
Since I often find myself replicating outfits that I have seen, I decided that I would share them with all of you. Since I am trying very hard to stick to my shopping freezing (oops, I did buy a dress I had been eyeing since last year, but I promise, no more till this summer!), I am finding inpiration through the different bloggers I follow while shopping my closet. The following look was inspired by Jo-Lynne Shane and I really love how it turned out! Both the shirt and the white jacket were thrifted a few years back but I had never worn them together. One of my favorite jeans…
-
Investing in experiences
While buying a new gaming system might sound like fun to your children, treating them to experiencing different things as a family will help build relationships and lasting memories. And it will probably be easier on your wallet too! We do have an old wii sytem that was given to us and the children do get limited time playing on it (we try to limit screen time to 45 min or so a day not including tv time which depends on the day). During weekends and school breaks we like to have some family fun. There might be an initial money investment but in the long run, it is money…
-
Favorite spring break memories, linking up to The Queen in Between
Today, I am linking my post to Shelly from The Queen in Between! The theme is spring break memories! Spring break is one of my favorite school breaks. It is a precursor to summer break, the weather has usually warmed up some and the sky if hopefully blue without a cloud. We typically try to incorporate outdoors activities during this break and meet up with the cousins. Whether it is a trip to the zoo, a museum or hiking, we like to get together. Spring break also equals spring and I usually start buying flowers to bring in spring into the house. I am not a green thumb but the…
-
Find deals on international flights
As I have mentioned before, I grew up in France and have always loved to travel and discover new places. I lived 30 minutes from the Spanish border so that was always an easy destination and we visited Rome once as children. I also lived 2 years in Mexico City when I was a high schooler and have lived in several states in the US. While it is harder on your budget to travel as a family, it is still possible! Here are the steps I follow to find a good deal on airplane flights and have a reasonable budget for the trip. Choose your destination I typically choose a…
-
From basic to interesting
Well, this outfit might not be outstanding but it definitely becomes more interesting and stands out more with its improvements. How do you transform an outfit from basic to pretty? A week or so ago, I was getting ready for church but I was not sure what to wear. I knew I wanted to wear something different that would go with my gray boots because while it was not too cold, it was overcast and probably would rain. I decided to build from a plain black dress. Basic black dress and boots One of my very versatile accessory in my closet, these boots have been worn many times since I…
-
Why I changed the way I grocery shop
About a year or so ago, I changed the way I go about making a grocery list. While sticking to a monthly grocery budget (I strive for about $520 a month including our toiletries and paper items), I changed the way I planned my menu and wrote my grocery list. I used to just write my menu then list the ingredients I needed for these meals on my list and then shop typically at Walmart and Aldi. When we moved to a new town, I finally discovered why so many people enjoy shopping at Kroger. While I still do the majority of my shopping at Aldi, these are the steps…
-
New Orleans: Family fun on a budget
Last fall, our family decided to spend a long weekend in New Orleans. My husband travels there for work a few times a year and raves about the food and the architecture each time he comes back. So we decided to take advantage of a long weekend break in October to visit. We used our Hilton Honors points and treated ourselves to a fancy hotel, the Waldorf Astoria! We took advantage of the one sunny afternoon to enjoy some pool fun. As it turned out, our visit coincided with the beignet festival which made our trip even more fun. The event was free but you had to purchase the different…
-
#thriftedchicstylechallenge outfits
This week I am participating in a challenge on Instagram called #thriftedchistylechallenge. While I have known about this challenge for a while, I never took the step to participate. So this week is the week! My son has been helping me with my photos so that I do not post just a bunch of selfies and we have been trying to be creative with where we can take our pictures whithout leaving the neighborhood. While they are some cool places in town where I would like to take pictures, bringing my 4 boys with me would not be conducive to a smooth photoshoot. But as we learn, we will become…
-
Thrifting with a purpose
While I am ok with spending two dollars on an item that I might only wear once, I would rather fill my closet with clothes that I actually will wear multiple times in a variety of ways. To do this, I visit thrift stores or consigment stores with a plan. I tend to shop at thrift stores with friends or when my clothing allowance/budget is tighter. Know your thrift stores Because I usually thrift shop when my budget is limited, I usually try to head to the thrift stores when they have a special discounted day. There is a Value Village thrift store that has all of their merchandise half…
-
Dining on steak on a budget
My husband and I love our ribeye steaks. When asked to choose a steak, we will ideally choose a ribeye every time, medium rare. But ribeye steaks are definitely not something too friendly on our budget. A few years ago, the hubby came home with some chuck eye steaks and I was sold! Chuck eye steaks have a very similar taste to ribeyes but the cost per pound is a lot less. We usually can find them for around $6-7/lb versus $13-14/lb for ribeye steaks. Since they can usually only cut two chuck eye steaks from a cow, you may not find many on the beef shelf at the grocery…