Buying on a Budget

Its almost half way through December.  And for some of you, I might be too late, I know many, many friends are done with Christmas shopping.  DONE.  I'm not.  But, I'm close.

Anyway, I thought I could take a minute to suggest a few items for those of us on budgets.  I have about 20 people to shop for and about $400 to spend.  Now, Husband gets a big gift and Sonja gets a big chunk of that too.  So, there's about $200 left for the general gift fund.  I don't know if you're good at math, but that puts me at about a $10 a person budget.  Since, I'm not working that much (less than 10 hours a week) I can't exactly save much else.  SO, I'm on a budget and a strict one at that.  We're trying to pay off credit cards so we can afford Europe next winter.

What can you find for those you love for under or around $10?  Actually, quite a few things!

Shutterfly Calendars for aunts, uncles and people who like dates. They have specials going all the time, at the time of this post it was buy one get one free, when I bought mine it was buy one get all additional calendars 50% off.  I bought one for Sonja's grandparents, and my aunts and uncles.  First one was $17.99 and the rest about $10, free shipping on orders over $30 {code: SHIP30}

My friend Michelle makes the BEST soap.  And everyone showers, so these are great for everyone.  Funk off has a few manly scents, like Cool Mountain Moss or Husband's favorite: Espresso Yoself! So don't just think girly when it comes to lotions and such, we all need cleanliness! Soaps are $7 each plus shipping brings you to about $10.

And if you're looking for someone who loves baths, I'm quite fond of the Lush Bath Bombs all of which are under $10.  I also LOVE the massage bars from Lush.  I picked up a few of those for a few of my sisters and sisters-in-law. Each around $10 {They're lotion in bar form, when you rub them they melt into heavenly moisturizing scents!} And if you're trying to do all your shopping in one spot they also have soaps for under $10.

Etsy has wonderful prints for the Art lover and quite the selection for $10 range!

Itunes never disappoints.  I found a set of three $15 gift cards for $30 at Target.

Wood Teething Rings on Etsy are perfect for new babies.

Lots of wooden toys for toddlers too.

If you're in the $20 range you can find some great camera accessories here.  Use this link: http://photojojo.com/r/9ry5 and get $5 off.  I bought my sister this coffee mug!

Since I can only afford a limited amount, but am crafty I was able to make some gifts too.  Like, Yoga Mat Bags for all my Yogi gift recipients, a Christmas pillow for my mom, baby blankets, embellished onesies, and a few other goodies from unwanted or unused fabrics.  So, don't be discouraged if you're on a budget! You can still be thoughtful and generous within your means.

And if you're into personalizing and gift wrapping, may I suggest the cutest idea, print a stickygram for each loved one and use that as their gift tag, just tape it to the package.  Above; Sonja wearing her "Nonno" {means "grandpa" in Italian} shirt for my father in law.  You have to order soon though, in order to get your grams before Christmas. Here is a $2 off code for your order: FRIEND3ZDX

My advice for all those last minute gift buyers is to make a list, set an amount and divide by number of people on your list.  Once you know what you can afford, get specific and plan for each person on your list.


Good Luck!
Jenn

You can also follow along on Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, and Tumblr!

p.s. if you have a moment, I'd really appreciate your vote. Click the banner below and then the owl on the left. {No email required and no spam generated! promise}

A Project a Day; Week 1

Here's my first attempt at a round up.  If you participated at all by doing any project from any day please link it up below.  Here's the ones I was able to document...

Day 1; Nourish.  This week I made this whole meal from scratch {except the tortillas which we bought local} beans took hours to soak and the avocados were not yet ripe so it took a lot of arm muscles to really get them mushed.  

Day 2; Upcycle.  I'm working on making a baby quilt from Cupcake's old and stained onsies and a few other projects with scrap fabrics, so although it might not look like it in the photo above, I am busy upcycling!

Day 3; Clean.  This week I cleaned out some cabinets for our new housemates moving in this July, we're going to have a yard sale soon so I'm gathering all the goodies for that and cleaning the spaces as I go.  I also did some spring cleaning for things I had been storing outside in plastic bins and look what I found {above photo}!

Day 4; Create.  I made this onesie for an expecting friend of mine.  It's one of Sonja's old onesies, that was white, which I hand died almost black and then added the embellished "K" for the family's last name.

{no photo}

Day 5; Educate.  This week I attempted to learn how to dry fenugreek from the plant and well, google failed me.  I'm going to have to find a new resource and blog about it since there isn't information easily accessible on how to dry fenugreek from the plant itself or how to make teas for milk supply from which part of the pant.

{no photo}

Day 6; Exercise.  This week I took my first hot yoga class and I can not tell you how much I enjoyed it.  It's not bikram which is 105* f, it's 95* f and much more fluid.  I was really nervous when I walked into the room and it was so warm, but it didn't get much hotter and I adjusted well.  Going to make a habit of it, I think!

{no photo}

Day 7; Reader's Choice.  This week I focused on debt.  I'm working on a master plan to fully pay off all our credit cards and finally stop making monthly payments and instead focus on saving money both for our move to Hawaii in a few years and our trip to Switzerland in 2013.

How did you do?? link up below! I'd love to see the projects my friends and readers are working on!

2012 Goals {and a list, of course, too}

My four major goals of 2012.

Saving for Switzerland, paying off credit cards to be debt free, 

1 practice year for a life without plastic and 2 actives; yoga and dog walks.

And a List of 12 Things I'm looking forward to in 2012...

1. Joining the iphone club, more specifically insta.gram!
2. Another Gardening Season!
3. Wayne and Gretchen's Wedding!
4. Making my own yogurt, shampoo and soaps!
5. An important Solar Eclipse (May 20)!
6. 4 year wedding anniversary.
7. A Fun Summer with an almost 2 year old!
8. Designing and publishing a new professional website.
9. Sonja's 2nd Birthday.
10.Organizing my home and completing upcycling projects.
11. More Crafting and Art making with Katie, {maybe even show at a gallery}!
12. Hawaii with the whole family {our Christmas gift from my mom, even though I don't want to go for several reasons including fear of flying and moral objections- I know it will be a big memory maker}

What are your goals for 2012? Link them below!

And the award goes to...

Me.  Well it did, thanks to Jennifer at So I Peed on a Stick.  She handed out 5 of these lovely badges to 4 other mommy bloggers and myself.  Pretty sweet of her, really.

So, why am I bragging? because now, I get to give out five of these bad boys {or girls} myself.

Here are the official rules:

To keep this award going and pass it along to other new deserving blogs, the recipient must now recognize five other bloggers with less than 200 followers that have really stood out in the crowd.

The rules for the Liebster Award are:

1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you.

2. Reveal your top five picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.

3. Copy and paste the award on your blog.

4. Have faith that your followers will spread the love too!

My winners:

 Desert Gypsy Mama- My friend Katie in real life is blogging and I love it.  So many things are said that we just wouldn't talk about while chasing our babies my baby around the park and what not.  I love that she shares her thoughts, her photos and her fashion, she's a great mama and her son is the cutest! don't believe me check out my pumpkin patch photos, adorable.

Tattooed Momma- I met Lael digitally when she messaged me interested in participating in my handmade exchange. She lives in San Diego but is from Phoenix area and I love her little posts about her family and projects.  She always has cute photos and nice little stories to go along with.  Most recently she posted a recipe for homemade butterfingers.  yum.

Blinded by the Light- This mama has a lot of info about vaccines, pregnancy and more.  Her blog is wrapping up now though, she just had her second child, at home and that was the point of the blog, BUT you can still read through everything there and enjoy what she's posted.

That Mama Gretchen {okay, she has more than 200 followers but not much more AND she didn't when I started following her, so I'm including her. deal. with. it} Gretchen was one of the first blogger mamas I found after starting my blog {besides the big names like Sometimes Sweet and Bleubird Vintage} and I just love that we were pregnant the same time and our daughters are days apart.  It's fun to read about someone who has a little one almost the exact same age.  She is always sharing stories and I'm reading them thinking, "yes. yes. so true. yes."

365 Degrees-  I can't remember who found who first.  Thanks to top baby blogs I've met a lot of mamas and Darcy is one of them.  Another San Diego mama with a uber cute baby boy. She writes letters to her son and shares photos, along with some posts about cloth diapering and making her own baby food.


And there you have it, my top 5 mommy and baby blogs... and of course So I Peed on a Stick but since I already mentioned her and she already won the award, I thought I'd share the above 5 with you.  Hope you enjoy checking each one out.

Happy Award Winning!!

D.I.Y. Occupy and Protest

Many of my friends have recently asked me to join the at OccupyPhoenix.  But I won't.  and here's why...

If you want to protest (peacefully):
1. Grow your own food.  If you don't buy food, corporations won't make money, stop shopping at Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and other corporate stores that sell organic produce and products, that does not make them good companies it makes them smart.  They know that organic sells so they sell it.
2. Buy Used.  Well, stop buying things you don't need.  THEN, if you must, buy it used.  or trade.  If no one is manufacturing it, they can't make money off of it.
3. If you MUST buy new, buy local.  Stop supporting large corporations for everyday needs. Don't go to Walmart or Target for razors, invest in a local aesthetician for a wax.  Don't buy shampoo, make it.
4. Stop driving your car.  Taking the bus is second best, but riding a bike or walking is first. This stops the use of oil and therefore stops corporations from selling you the oil.
5. Stop building.  Buy a used home.  And make necessary updates to keep it functional.  Don't buy a new home or make unnessary upgrades.  This prevents corportaions from making money off of you occupying this earth.

I'm still working on the kinks on this concept, but seriously violence and money are what make things happen. If you're not going to choose one you better choose the other.

AND, I doubt many of the protesters or occupiers do any or all of the above, hell, I can't even do all of the above- driving is my biggest flaw.  It's a lot easier to sit on a street corner than it is to actually change your behavior.  And, if you're not willing to change your behavior why would you expect the greedy C.E.O.s to change theirs??

My life is my protest, my daughter is my protest, my heart and my home are my protest, I don't need to occupy a physical space, every action I make is occupied with my awareness of the destructiveness of greed.

Also, no matter what anyone tells you, a protest is no place for a child, anyone can insight a riot and pepper spray and violence can occur before necessary protection can be put in place.  No, I will not be joining my friends at such events, my daughter needs a mother at home to nurse her not in a jail cell.  Although, I do have to give a shout out to my friend, Beth, if you're going to support a cause, you better fucking support it.  Even if that means getting arrested.


Happy Social Changing.

Link Love no. 4

Grandma spoiled this little one year old with a new outfit from Target.

Hello Kitty and a Tutu?!  How could I say, "No"?

1. VBAC has a special place in my heart, I was" lucky"* enough to have a vaginal birth with my daughter but when I watched the women around me heal from their first c-section and then their repeats it broke my heart, why should they have to be in so much pain?  Birth pain, labor pain isn't scary, recovering from major abdominal surgery is.  I love this little quote posted by my midwives former assistant, who assisted at my birth.

2. Haven't done yoga in months, but this is too funny!

3. I think I'll stick with real food flavors, thanks though. Gross.

4. Try not to laugh.

5. Would love to display my photography like this at an expo.

6. Fall yummy goodness.

7. Upcycling packing tube so cute!

8. I love these Herb Hand Stamped Spoons!

9. Shouldn't be on Etsy while I'm so hungry.

10. Creative Composting? as a non-traditional gardener I love seeing what others do!

11. Pink washing?!  Know what you're supporting and what they're doing with your money!  This is why I personally, don't support cancer research, prevention is key and spreading that awareness is free!!

*{p.s. I said "lucky" because when explaining my birth to many people; I'm responded to, with, "you're lucky you had such a great birth," and when they say that, I can't think of a worse way to 1. discredit my research prior to my birth, discovering home birth was the best option for a healthy first time mom, 2. discredit my work during my birth, an active birth, 3. discredit my midwife, who had the skills, knowledge and history to recognize something as normal or not, and 4. discredit women, women are meant to birth babies, not all have to and not all want to, but (extreme medical circumstances excluded) our bodies are incredible, powerful and capable birthing vessels. So, if you've ever thought someone was lucky with their birth experiences, don't say so, it's the worst backhanded complement they'll ever receive}

Half Years Resolution.

I meant to post this at the beginning of June, but since I forgot, I waited until the end.  A FULL 6 months since I posted my goals for 2011


So how am I doing and what are my new goals? 

1. Smile more (I don't do this nearly enough, for how happy I really am), adding to be more thankful for what I have
2. Take my dogs (and daughter) on more walks. fail.  Going to commit to one walk a week!
3. Create more works of art, painting, ceramics and such  took a ceramics class, not as creative as I wanted but I am creating more than I was right after my little Cupcake was born!
4. Be a better teacher, be more prepared, more knowledgeable, more engaging. Well it's summer now, so I don't have to worry about this one. But I do think I was successful with my students this year.
5. Continue on my coffee-less lifestyle until at least march 2011.  I am now drinking my coffee again, and I'm adding lots of home brewed tea to my daily routine. My new goal is to drink one ball jar of tea a day.
6. Make my Etsy store a success.  Well what does success mean? I sold a few items!  so now I just need to keep it up.
7. Post more D.I.Y. projects on this blog. This is a constant goal.
8. Nurture our garden into edible food. DONE!
9. Practice my self defense techniques, shooting, knife skills and hand to hand.  Need to do this!
10. Continue saving $$ for summer (paycheck-less) and for traveling.  Ugh, I hate money.
11. Eat Better, MORE veggies/complete proteins/organic produce and LESS sugar/sucanat.  Still working on this, it's a lifestyle change so I'm not sure it will ever get crossed off.
12. Go to Yoga at least once a week. In Progress, although it's been more like once every other week.
13. Practice languages; Spanish, Russian, German, Italian. Working on the others...
14. Be a better mom (including holding Sonja Sweetness more, teach her more, stop being lazy) I think I'm doing good with this one.  We're still breastfeeding, I hold her a lot, I am not as lazy as I was when I wrote this, so cross it off?  yes. Stop working on it? no.
15. Be a better wife (including cooking more, cleaning more, say thank you more and the such) I just got done folding ALL the clothes in my home, and balancing the checkbook.  I think I'm doing pretty good, but I'll attempt to be better at it always!


NEW GOALS
1. Balance teaching, working from home and crafting while being a mom.
2. Cook dinner once a week, to give Husband a break and for my own mental health, I miss cooking since he took over.
3. Line dry my clothes again!  I got lazy when Cupcake arrived and reverted back to the dryer, but I'm going to utilize this Arizona sun for something if it kills me!
4. Finish my various refurb. projects I've invested in by the end of the summer!
5. Complete the party planning and decor. revolving around Cupcake's 1st birthday. September 24th will be here before I know it!

New Year's Resolution List

I don't normally make these lists because when I think a change is necessary I implement it right away instead of waiting for a significant date. However, this year some changes and big ideas happen to be taking place at the exact right time for such a list, so here it is:

1. Smile more (I don't do this nearly enough, for how happy I really am)

2. Take my dogs (and daughter) on more walks

3. Create more works of art, painting, ceramics and such

4. Be a better teacher, be more prepared, more knowledgeable, more engaging.

5. Continue on my coffee-less lifestyle until at least march 2011

6. Make my Etsy store a success

7. Post more D.I.Y. projects on this blog

8. Nurture our garden into edible food

9. Practice my self defense techniques, shooting, knife skills and hand to hand

10. Continue saving $$ for summer (paycheck-less) and for traveling

11. Eat Better, MORE veggies/complete proteins/organic produce and LESS sugar/sucanat

12. Go to Yoga at least once a week

13. Practice languages; Spanish, Russian, German, Italian

14. Be a better mom (including holding Sonja Sweetness more, teach her more, stop being lazy)

15. Be a better wife (including cooking more, cleaning more, say thank you more and the such)

Have a good list? share it, I'd love to read yours!

Happy NEW YEAR!