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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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Shout out to this guy who was definitely living his best life at the time this photo was taken. He works pretty tirelessly so I can stay home and go back to school, and he loves his babies (both human and dog) so fiercely. I know there’s nothing he won’t do for his family. Plus, he’s out there living an authentic life without any social media; this is how I know he’s too cool for me. Yesterday was his 3rd Father’s Day, and tomorrow marks 9 years of us being together. And I feel lucky every day that I get to do this life with him by my side 💖

Day 18/92 of my shopping ban and this is the reminder I have set for myself. It applies to my particular situation, but I honestly think it’s advice that everyone could use. We’re all accustomed to a level of instant gratification that could be bordering on self-sabotage. We want a svelte physique, but we also want Ben & Jerry’s. We want the financial freedom to leave an unsatisfying job, but we also want to treat ourselves to an Amazon purchase more often than not. We want to have meaningful conversations with our loved ones, but we also want to watch Netflix. To reach our goals, there is a level of control that can feel almost impossible at times, especially when it’s so much easier to give in to what we want right now. But it’s not impossible. It’s as easy as just saying “no” right now. You don’t have to say “no” to yourself forever. Just take each moment, one at a time. I will not eat this cookie. I will not buy this shirt. I will not watch this rerun. You just took a step closer to reaching your goal and regaining control of your actions. And that feels a whole lot better than the fleeting moment of satisfaction from giving in to your immediate wants.

A sign of a day well spent outside 😎 There’s a quote I see often that goes “show me your schedule and I’ll show you your priorities”. I had a big eye opener yesterday when I logged into the Moment screen tracker app for the first time in awhile, and I noticed a common trend. Green & yellow weekends with 1-2 hrs spent using my phone/day at the most, and red weekdays that topped out at 5-6 hrs/day on my phone 😳 I was pretty appalled at myself, and I could believe I had spent that much time on my phone each day, but the numbers don’t lie. Making sure I spend #WeekendsOffline is always a good idea, but I was already doing a great job being more intentional about my phone usage. The biggest difference between my weekdays and weekends is the amount of time I spend around another adult. I hate to say that my days at home with my kids are when I am the least present, but just being available for them just doesn’t seem to be a priority for me. And obviously I want it to. So to get myself back into the habit of not sitting with my phone in my hand all day, I’m going to try to make our days a little busier. The more time I spend out of the house and in an environment that requires to me pay attention to my children and other adults (and other people’s children), the less time I will spend aimlessly scroll on my phone. Today’s activity was 4 and a half hours at the water park; definitely not a phone friendly environment. And because of it, I’ve spent less than an hour on my phone, and it’s past 4pm. I know I’ll keep up this practice over the weekend, so I’m hoping three days of success keeps the momentum going into next week when I have an activity schedule for every day. And with that, I hope y’all have a wonderful and intentional weekends!

Official Meeting of the Rainbow Mountain Heights Dog Association 😉🐶❤️

I’m a sucker for great packaging and the promise of better skin. If you are, too, keep reading for a quick review of these three @sakaralife products. In February, I started using the Beauty Water Concentrate, Detox Water Concentrate, and Beauty Chocolates. I could write a novel about the main ingredients in each, but instead I’ll just invite you to research internal usage of rosewater, trace minerals, silica, magnesium, chlorophyll, and ceramides; they’re all legit 👍🏻 And I started to notice a difference in my skin’s texture and complexion pretty immediately. I use the concentrates as a part of my skincare routine; I literally store them in my bathroom with a drinking glass. The chocolates are my afternoon treat when my kids wake up from a nap, and it feels like the world is ending 😩 And after daily use for months, my biggest takeaway is that my digestion is better, I’m more hydrated, and my skin is repairing itself quicker. I had a few angry blemishes on my chin, mouth, and jawline over the weekend. And on Tuesday my husband remarked on how my skin looked great even though it looked awful a few days earlier 😂 I have slightly been cheating because I just buy the ingredients from Sprouts and make everything myself, including the chocolates. It’s slightly cheaper, but I would absolutely buy direct from Sakara again. They have a ton of great products on my list to try (after my shopping ban ends, of course), I’ll be sure to share my thoughts on those as well.

I’ve been meaning to post a quick review of this book for awhile. Don’t let the title fool you. It’s not just about makeup and hairstyles and the like. There is a small section on that stuff, and I was glad to see it wasn’t just a promotion for GOOP-related brands. But the majority covers a vast array of health topics that contribute to beauty - nutrition, hormones, safer ingredients, and self-love, to name a few. What I was really impressed by was the amount of expert advice and science to back up suggestions and claims. I stopped quite a few times mid-section to have discussions with my husband about what I was reading because it was really thought-provoking. I’m also glad the book was written from this angle, a collection of doctor interviews, than just a compilation of info written by one individual. It’s not necessarily a book I would purchase, but I can see myself checking it out from the library again, especially to test out some of the recipes. And I do recommend it if you’re interested in healthy living.

I used to do this thing called #WeekendsOffline which are exactly what they sound like; I took a break from social media every weekend. And to help get the most out of the summer (and life, in general) I’ll be picking up this habit again. Wishing you all a wonderful weekend and see ya in 48 hours 👋🏻

Happy #NationalBestFriendDay to all my top tier ladies 💖

Prior to the start of my shopping ban, I went on a bit of a “spree”, buying 6 new items of clothing (and 1 swim suit). It was prompted by the fact that most of my bottoms were fitting a bit too tight, and I didn’t want to spend the summer feeling uncomfortable. So I purchased two pairs of denim shorts. And after bringing them home and into my wardrobe, I realized I was really lacking in casual summer tops. I had enough cute, bright items, but when it came to items I could sacrifice to freshly cut grass and slightly damp red clay, there wasn’t much. Enter the 4 new tops. Once those were washed and hung up, I realized it was time to embrace a more neutral, easy look for the season. So I packed away all the fancier spring pieces and here’s what’s left: 19 total items made up of 2 dresses, 8 tops, 2 pairs of jeans, 1 skirt, 4 pairs of shorts, and 2 pairs of shoes. Unless we have a freak cold snap, this is my summer capsule wardrobe for the next 3-4 months. I’ve been wearing just these items for the past 2 weeks, and I am already in LOVE with the relaxed look and the ease of all the pieces. This is the final season before the kids are in school, and I’m working/enrolled at a university. The last thing I want to hold me back from enjoying this time to the fullest is my clothing.

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