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About Me

Hello! I'm a stay-at-home mom with a passion for personal finance and healthy living. Join me as a I explore budgetting, eco-friendly brands, gluten-free recipes, capsule wardrobes, and everything in between! Want to learn more about me? Subscribe below and check out the About tab!

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I am relishing the quiet in this moment. Not just the quiet in the space, but the quiet in my mind. I’ve just wrapped up the fall semester and squared away my plans for spring so that nagging voice that wants everything settled is feeling very content. That’s not to say everything is in order. Behind this photo is a sink full of dirty dishes and a woman who hasn’t washed her hair in 11 days (new record! 🏆) But I’m still feeling immensely satisfied with my progress towards a degree in a concentration I don’t struggle through and a career I’m truly passionate about.

I received an online order from @thewildminimalist, and I thought it was the perfect opportunity to show how buying more durable, reusable items helps me save money as well as do my part to create less waste. Safety razors are 20 blades/$9.99 vs. generic plastic cartridges which are 4 cartridges for $9. If I average 3 shaves/week and I change my razor every 6 shaves (after 5-7 shaves is recommended), I save $42/year. 2 reusable coffee filters/$14.99 vs. 100 disposable filters/$9.99. Both filters will have paid for themselves by the time I’m on the 2nd box of filters after 4 months. Meanwhile each reusable filter lasts 1 year, saving me $29/year. 1 tea spoon for $8.99 & 1 cup of loose leaf tea (not pictured) for $4 vs 16 tea bags for $3.99. I’ve been bookending each day with a 16 oz mug of tea, and, at this rate, I’ll save $233/year...I did the math on this number like 5 times. That is a HUGE savings! But that’s only if I’m making my own tea blends. 1 tampico brush head for $6.99 vs 3 cellulose sponges for $2.99. I was always lucky if I could get a week or two out of those sponges before they were too gross to use. Meanwhile I’ve been using the same brush head since February. It has seen better days, but it still performs perfectly. If I chose to replace it every 6 months, I’m still saving $11/year. 1 wood nail brush for $9.99. We didn’t have a nail brush before so I have nothing to compare this to other than the time I’ll save not digging out dirt from under my kids’ finger nails using my own finger nails. But I figured I would share this cost for transparency’s sake.

Does anyone majorly meltdown when their kids want to help with holiday decorations? 🙋🏻‍♀️ This time of the year definitely tests my type-A personality. I bought a gingerbread house for the kids to assemble and decorate, and they had the nerve to ignore all my candy placement suggestions! 🙎🏻‍♀️ More like, I had the nerve to micromanage 4 year olds learning to flex their creative muscles and problem solve. 🤦🏻‍♀️ And even though most of the gummy trees ended up on the roof, and half of the candy lights ended up in their mouths, I love how it turned out, and I will, obviously, proudly displace this gingerbread house in our dining room....until they eat it, which I promised we would do eventually. Along with decorating a gingerbread house, I gave myself a big list of holiday activities to help make the season special for the kids and help me to loosen up and stop trying to obtain perfection. We may end up with a broken decoration or two, but I’d rather that than have two kids grow up in a house that is more museum than home.

Happy (Belated) 30th Birthday to this goofy fella whom I am lucky enough to spend the rest of my life with. It was like pulling teeth to get these photos of him at Valley Christmas Tree Plantation today, but, I’ll give him a pass because he regularly goes out of his comfort zone for me and the kids, and, for that, I am grateful. He’s also not on any social media so he won’t know these photos I took “just for me” are here 😉😊

When I worked in student housing, what seems like a lifetime ago, we had opening and closing checklists for our properties. I’ve always loved a good checklist, and it really made such a big difference in how smoothly we operated. So it might not come as a surprise to you that when I started staying home full-time with the kids, I made my own list of opening and closing procedures for my house. It allowed to put a start and stop, of sorts, on an otherwise endless cycle of days that just ran together. I imagined I was “clocking in” on my homemaker job. Over three years later, I still have the checklists on my phone, and I still refer to them. My tasks have become second nature, and I always feel so much more prepared on the days when I accomplish everything. Evening (closing) procedures have a little more to them to allow for slower mornings, but my favorite task on either list is opening all the curtains/blinds throughout the house as soon as the sun rises. I crave the sunlight and the connection with nature, and when the rays of light are streaming through the window, it makes my house feel like a home.

I am grateful for a lot of things on this Veterans Day. For the active and retired military members and their families who given so much to protect my freedoms. For the day off with my kiddos, no work, school, or appointments for the first time in awhile. And for a renewed focus on feeding my family. We may have gone to McD’s for lunch, but I’m making up for it with a fridge full of healthy, prepped food, and an updated dinner menu. We haven’t had a week of home-cooked meals yet this season, and I’m looking forward to the benefits it’s going to provide.

Happy Halloween from the Hoopers 🎃👻🍬

A few days ago I challenged myself to stop wearing face makeup (foundation, blush, etc.) because I was in need of a reset. Meaning I needed to reset my expectations for what I saw when I looked in the mirror. I don’t wear much makeup in general, but I was getting used to seeing it on myself. Me feeling attractive meant wearing something to conceal perceived skin “imperfections”. I’ve done a few no make-up challenges before, but this is the first one I’ve done since I started working again. I don’t think I’m alone in saying that I don’t feel professional when I’m not wearing makeup. Studies have shown that women are perceived as more capable by both their male and female co-workers when they wear makeup. While I can’t control how others perceive me, I can control how I see myself, my fellow co-workers, and every other woman I encounter. So that brings me to my bathroom cabinet. I don’t think I would have the confidence to go without makeup if I hadn’t already established a skincare routine that made me feel beautiful. I look forward to every morning and evening with these small, but mighty containers. And I do consider my collection of personal care products minimal as I use everything at least weekly, it was purchased from brands that align with my values, and I never feel overwhelmed by what I own. With this makeup free challenge, I’m not saying I won’t wear makeup again. But I want to wait until I get to a place where I don’t feel like I need it to be feminine and presentable.

More than halfway through the #fall10x10 challenge, and I thought I would share one of my 10 outfits in action aka my Halloween costume! Chambray shirt + dark skinny jeans + leather riding boots = half of a DIY couples costume. It took people a few minutes to figure out who we were. Any guesses? 🏡🛠

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