One Week.7 days. New Life.

7 days ago, I woke up and decided it was time to change my life. I became a raw vegan that day, no looking back. A week may not seem like long but after feeling the way that I feel today there is no way I will ever touch an animal product again. Cooked food, well, I may slip up on but for the most part I think I have it all figured out.

The Pros:

• I've been waking up before the alarm...and not just "Oh, damnit, why can't I sleep" I've been AWAKE.
• The painful stabs that I've been feeling from my endometriosis is down to a dull feeling.
• My skin has become baby soft. A co-worker caught me petting my hand.
• My face has been glowing and not in the " I just stepped in toxic goo" -kinda way.

The Cons

• The first few days I had a dull, groggy feeling which is evidently from all the toxins coming out of my cells and into my bloodstream. 
• My lips for the time being are very chapped and slightly swollen ( not from vitamin B deficiency), from what I've researched this should go away after detox. Evidently, my spleen is being mean.

As I said previously my husband is slightly perturbed at this lifestyle change. He's worried about money and about us being to go out and such. I believe that deep down he knows how good this will be for my health. It's an adjustment and I completely understand where he's coming from. He and I just need to work on a compromise. Until my next post check out this video about dairy.

About 12 minutes in starts the lecture and the last 4 minutes is something all men should see.

Newlywed, Raw Vegan, Eco-Freak.

It feels like forever since my last post. I practically abandoned this blog but I'm bringing it back! Since last I wrote I've gotten married and am now preparing to buy a house.Below is Mitch and I on our wedding day.

I won't bore you with all the details of married life but I will give you an earful on my recent strides to be eco-friendly. For the last 7 days I have been raw vegan. I've read and watched heaps and heaps of material about the health benefits that come from this life style but it wasn't until my Mama-In-Law started talking to me about the health benefits of it that I really started to take it to heart. Seven days in and my husband is very grumbly about this new choice or he's still angry that he quit smoking (Hallelujah!). I'll write another blog shortly about the pros and cons of  raw foodism.

Holidays on a Budget Survival Guide: Chapter I: Holiday Parties

So, I started thinking the holidays may not be the best timing for starting a budget and being frugal. Then I realized it's the perfect time! On average American's plan to spend $419 on gifts this holiday season according to the American Research Group's website. These people are probably just thinking about gifts and not the parties, little black dresses, potluck contributions and hostess gifts. Those can be a fortune. I've come up with a few strategies that I've planned in order to survive the holidays with my pocket purse at least half-full.

Get the word out by sending online invitations using Evite or Facebook. This will save you between $12-$20 bucks if you're going for cheapy paper invitations. On top of saving money it organizes your RSVPs and cuts down on the paper you use. Green, free and easy. What's not to love?

Food for Thought: So, you've gotten everyone all excited about the party, what do you serve them? I recommend making your way to Trader Joe's, Ikea ( I know it's weird of me to say) and to your local wine store. Trader Joe's has an array of tasty h'ors dourves, interesting breads, cheeses and cookies and a variety of non-alcoholic beverages ( unless you're in one of the good states that sells booze at the grocery store, then pick up a variety of 2 buck chuck). The truffles they have are high in saturated fat however they are to die for, if you get them make sure it's for a party so that you have people to share with. Go to the wine store and pick out a few bottles of cheap red wine then go to Ikea and get Glog mix.Your guests will probably ask if you need them to bring anything, there is no shame in saying yes. Cheap, easy, and fabulous! These steps can set you up and save you probably about $50.

Musica, musica!: Comcast and Verizon have music channels that already come with your service! Also, if you have an iPod and stereo or cord that can be hooked to your television. You've already gotten your party started.

Mood: Break out the holiday decorations you have!  Craft stores are a great place to find discount fabrics and materials for holiday crafts and decorating. Also, if you have candles make sure they're out, dim the lights and you've got a mood! If you are just starting out and don't have any decorations, try craigslist and freecycle, there are always folks giving stuff away or decorations for deep discounts. This could save you mucho dinero!

A token of my gratitude: For everyone braving the weather to be at your party and for them bringing tasty treats or booze ( even better!) you want to let them know you appreciate their efforts. One of my favorite holiday treats for folks is Peppermint Bark. You can make a double, triple, or quadruple batch depending on the number of folks you invited to the soirée, put it in mason jars tie a ribbon with a cute tag and "voila!" you've got a tasty treat for your friend/family/enemies to take home and enjoy! These also make nice (thrifty) gifts for co-workers, family,mailman, landlord, etc. so make extra!

These are the steps I'm going to follow to have a flawless, fun, and frugal holiday season!

The search is on.. dun dun dun...

The search is on for interesting ways to save money. Everyone knows to turn off lights and don't let the water run, but who knows how to find the best recent coupons without having to clip them out?  And who knows how to send coupons directly to her Safeway card without clipping a thing? This girl does! Once I try out some of the things I have in the works, you'll be the first to know! Stay tuned!

Starting Out

I'm not a saver. I never have been. There are so many shiny new products that I want, so many trips I want to take and so many restaurants I like to eat out at. A girl's gotta eat right? The truth is, with the economy and budget cuts at work that caused the entire college not to get its annual increase I've decided that I need to penny pinch when I can, and be thrifty and creative. Creativity is my strong suit. I'll let you know what I'm doing and how much it's saving me along the way and little by little I might have some cash to put into savings. So cheers to a head start on a new budget and seeing how much this can save me!