Creamy Pesto Zucchini Pasta

In trying something new as I was starving when got home from school, I grabbed my Raw Food Made Easy for  1 or 2 People cookbook and started searching for a recipe I could make with the ingredients I had.

I tailored the recipe as I don't have a vegetable slicer nor fresh basil leaves for I just used the following:
- zucchini
- potatoes peeler
- an avocado
- pesto (already made in a jar)

In one bowl, since I don't want to dirty up more bowls than I have to, I mashed up the entire avocado and dropped in a spoonful of pesto. Stirred it all up and then started peeling my zucchini to make the ribbons of "linguine." I did this start into the bowl as well. Lastly, I stirred up the whole bowl missing the avocado sauce to cover my linguine and voilà!! Finished and I can eat right away.

  

 

Spending Fast FINISHED: Conclusions and Lessons Learned

So in retrospect of my Spending Fast, here are some conclusions that I have come to

Wants:	Reality:
Eating out/happy hours 1x/week - more of bummer as I was pretty frugal when I did go out = normally spending $10	Hard - I make this sound like I'm a socialite but I'm not. As long as I keep my "mad money" to $10/week (not per event)…..for any and all Happy Hours, lunches, coffee, etc. I think I'm good. This was also harder to plan for if I didn't pack enough lunch or I was running errands and they took longer than anticipated.
Gifts - will be recycling, re-gifting or making all gifts	Medium to Hard - This one wasn't so bad as I have a lot of crafts and got creative however….don't give junk to people. If the person can't really use it, a $10 gift card along with a nice card is much better. I say something is better than nothing, even it's offering to wash and detail someone's car. I hate washing my car so I would love this one.
Haircuts	Easy - besides my bangs which I've been watching YouTube videos on how to do this myself in the future, my hair is long enough to put up or down. I have also been looking at Pinterest for more updo's so when I am do for cut, I can hide it.
Clothes	Medium - I actually found myself purging clothes than wanting more during this Fast. It made me take a look at what I have, what I actually wear and what I have worn in a LONG time. See post for revamping wardrobe and getting creative
New hobbies or crafts	HARD - this was hard for as me I constantly get coupons for Michaels and Jo-Anns however I have so much in boxes already…..I have to contain myself and see what can I repurpose.
Groupons or Living Social Deals	Easy - delete the app and just remind yourself of the goal
Specialty Coffees at Coffee Shops	Easy - I got treated to coffees by nice friends however I won't abuse this and honestly will return the favor, with coffee in the future. I like good coffee yet having a to go cup from home is fine with me.
Contact Lenses	Easy - this was the easiest as I like my glasses = which is KEY!!!

Lessons:

1. Put your needs before others, if you really want to achieve your goal.
• This is a hard one for me; however, if you put other people first, then you always put second or last. And what does say about the value you put on your time, energy, money, etc.? It is of value also. And if something is of importance to you, share this with your loved ones so if you miss out of something, they know that you are working towards your goal and when you can, you will be there.
2. This Spending Fast is NOT about "just getting by in life."
• Don't be so cheap or frugal to the point that you feel like you are existing to achieve your goals.  Here are some suggestions to still have fun:
• Organize a picnic in the park
• Scout out new restaurants that may have a cheap happy hour
• Offer to clean the yoga studio in return for taking a free class
• Go for walk with someone instead of eating/drinking
• Do a hobby or craft with a friend

I'll write a whole page on this later as I came up with a lot of small things to do.

3. When there is something that really want or need and a possibility of it running out, BUY IT and YOU CAN ALWAYS RETURN IT LATER!!
• I waited on purchasing material for a quilt for a baby shower as I'm doing this Spending Fast; however, the fabric is now discontinued and I can't find anywhere, not even online. So lesson is: If there is something that heart is really set on and you know it's perfect for what you want or want to achieve (in this case, I KNEW my friend would have loved it for her lil one) = Go For It!! Get rid of the guilt of spending and take advantage of the opportunity.
• I once had a girlfriend tell me, "If it's exactly what you want, then it's worth it." So far, I have not felt guilty purchasing something more costly when it was EXACTLY what I was searching for. (OK, in the beginning I did; however, I got over it and learned to enjoy my decision as some things are worth it.)
4. Take advantage of coupons, reward points, timing, and COMBINING them together!!
• For instance, I had an ULTA reward point that I had to use before the end of the month. I know that I was on my Spending Fast however missing out on the fabric, I was not going to make the same mistake twice. Also, my friend gave me a $5 off coupon and my mascara was on sale for "buy 1 get one 50% off" along with getting a cosmetic bag. When I got to the register, not only did I get my hair accessory (as I only had Category 1 of reward ULTA points) = got for $2 after using the reward points; got 2 of my mascaras and then used  the $5 off coupon; still received the cosmetic bag, yet I also received a free Moroccan Oil bottle for being a loyal customer for coming in the week since it was Memorial Weekend. All in all, I spent $12 when I should have spent more than $25.
5. If you are going to buy something, be smart and get some cashback $$ for it if you don't have reward points and timing is not of the essence.
• I signed up for ebates.com where they pay you for shopping online at 1,600+ websites. First, you log onto the site, then find the online store that you want to shop at, a tracking code is issued to you for that shopping experience and when you check out, you get a certain percentage of cashback reward dollars. Also the site tell you which promotions and coupon codes are going on at the store prior to finishing your purchase.

I got 3% cashback at Burt's Bees = $0.91 along with a $10 Wal-Mart gift card for making my first $25 purchase within the first 90 days of signing up. And on top of this this, I used my Discover card which I get cashback dollars with them as well just for using my credit card to purchase the items.
So I get cashback on the front and back ends of the purchase.

• By the way, make sure that your address is filled out in your account information in order for Ebates.com to send you a check. A check is not sent until you have $5 accumulated in cashback dollars.
• You can also have your Paypal account credited or donate to a charity, if that works better for you. 
• And for the gift card, you can also choose between Targets, Wal-Mart and a couple of other major department stores. I just choose Wal-Mart as I can buy food and it's in my local area.
• NOTE: Discover card has their own shop online version however they don't have as many vendors as ebates. Any cashback dollars I get from Discover, I use on Amazon as you don't have to have a certain dollars to hit prior to being able to use it. It could be $0.01 and you can use it. Also search on Bing and receive points towards an Amazon gift card, too.

Spending Fast: Day 21 - Get Creative

So  honestly….I'm just wanting to revamp some of my clothes although I realistically, I don't NEED new clothes and the next year of my life is going to be Nursing school. So with going through my closest, I decided to:

1. Go through and get rid of clothes that I don't wear anymore and are just there
2. If the clothes are nice enough = give to a girlfriend
3. If they are just OK or maybe too out of style = REVAMP!!!

And here are some ideas from Pinterest:

1. http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/garter-stitch-swingy-sweater
2. http://blog.easilydunn.com/2011/10/diy-make-an-awesome-cardigan-out-of-a-shirt-from-the-6th-grade-that-you-refuse-to-throw-away-but-never-wear/
3. http://wobisobi.blogspot.com/2012/07/no-sew-halter-3-diy.html
4. http://wobisobi.blogspot.com/2012/07/no-sew-one-shoulder-shirt-diy.html

Life is Like a Cup of Coffee

Spending Fast: Day 13 - How to Move Beyond Convenience

I’m almost halfway through the month of this Spending Fast, and I’ve noticed my biggest struggle is really fighting against convenience. For instance, you need to run errands on the weekend and you will be gone all day. Grabbing a banana or power bar is easy however power bars are not always cheap and sometimes you more than just a bar.

I was thinking about this more and more over the weekend and thought of a couple of things to stock in my pantry/fridge so I can grab ’n go:

Pantry:

·         Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches

·         Protein powder in a Blender Bottle (just add water and ice and shake --- I like Vega chocolate and it also makes sure that I drink enough water in my day)

·          

Fridge (no microwave required):

·         Pesto pasta (in particular tortellini pasta = more hearty) I eat cold and it just reminds me of a pesto salad than COLD pasta.

·         Lettuce/Cheese sandwich (make sure the lettuce is really dry or else it will get soggy) and sometimes I will  put tempeh bacon on this too.

·         Veggie wrap – be careful if putting hummus on this as the spread can make the tortilla wrap soggy. I would go for beans (whole like pinto) or just straight veggies.

·         Yogurts

·         Celery or carrot sticks

·         Chia seed drink – I get the snack/lunch size Tree Top apple juice (plastic bottles), take a sip from the bottle, put 2-3 teaspoons of chia seeds in the bottle, refill with water to the top again, put the top back on and shake. The Chia seeds have omega-3’s, protein, fiber and much more nutrients in them. Also when refrigerated overnight, the chia seeds expand from the liquid and the drink becomes quite filling!

Freezer:

·         Frozen grapes (separate into snack bags to grab ’n go)

 This what I’ve thought of so far however hope to add to it. Please comment if you have other fav, grab ‘n go items even if it is a power bar as maybe it’s heartier than what I eat. Thanks!

Spending Fast: Day 3

So today is already starting a little bit hard =
I wasn't able to make lunch last night with the in-laws in town, and trying to be a good host; so I don't have a lunch :-(

Also tonight, we are invited over to the hubbie's uncle's house and I was told that there will not be any vegetarian/vegan options. I get pretty used to eating something different than others however didn't want to appear rude if I have already eaten before arriving or bring something for me to eat. The hubbie is encouraging me to go buy my food = going against what I'm trying to achieve.......ugh. If I lived closer to town, I would just go home and make something however we live too far out to do so.

Lesson I'm learning: Put your needs before others if you really want to achieve your goal.

P.S. Definitely not used to doing that.....but it's true. If you think about it, even on a spiritual or physical level (i.e. wanting a more calm life or to lose weight), in order to achieve your goal, you can't give in.......you have to stand for what you know is good for you.

SOLUTION  Going to Qdoba and using a buy one get one free coupon --- so still "saving" with a free burrito that I will bring with me tomorrow while running errands in town all day.

Over Goal: Aprox. $7

My Spending Fast

So I'm giving myself the 30 challenge before quitting my job to go on a "Spending Fast." I live a pretty frugal life already so honestly this is going to be a little hard honestly…..

I'm telling myself to spend money on only what I NEED instead of, "Well, it's under $5…ya only live once……." and any other excuse to spend beyond my needs. Also to boot, I live about 30mins out of town so if I forget something at home of needs something, including a snack, I plan to bring more with me in my car as a "just in case."

In order to help me with this Fast, so I have my priorities and focus, I have made a list of what I believe to be need and want:

Need:	Wants:
Groceries	Eating out/happy hours 1x/week - more of bummer as I was pretty frugal when I did go out = normally spending $10
Mortgage	Gifts - will be recycling, re-gifting or making all gifts
Cell phone/internet	Haircuts
Utilities	Clothes
School loan payment	New hobbies or crafts
Gas	Groupons or Living Social Deals
Auto Incidentals (just in case = have to get to school)	Specialty Coffees at Coffee Shops
Medical exams	Contact Lenses

As you can see from Wants List, that I really don't have anything extravagant. My haircuts along with color, styling, waxing were under $60 an appointment. Now, I am dying my own hair from color and processor that I get from Sally's that cost $6-8 for both however it lasts me about 6-8 months totaling a whopping $1/month. For eating out or happy hour, luckily I live in Reno where I can go for a happy hour or get something to eat for under $10. I normally ate out only one time a week any how so…..it'll be interesting to see how I get around this one.

Couple of Clarifications:

1. Specialty Coffees at Coffee Shops - I'm allowing drip coffee as it's much cheaper but the main reason for this is some study groups for school meet at Starbucks and sometimes it good to keep in contact with some of your professional network. To save even more money, When I can buy Starbucks bagged coffee on sale (or ask for it for Christmas gifts) and then use the empty bag to get my FREE coffee. I also have a gold card that I use in order to rack up points towards a free food item or coffee.
2. Contact Lenses - I wear glasses and contact lenses. I prefer to wear my contacts when I'm dancing, or doing other physical activities; however, I just bought my last pair of glasses and now have "an extra pair" as my bang-up glasses. I am not really in a position to afford more contacts and the solution to clean then when I need food and gas.

Lastly, the reason why I am doing this beyond the obvious of needing to live like this once I quit my job to not go into debt due to cost of living expenses, is……..I have a lot of things at home that I have once bought and never worn, used, make into that craft/gift, etc. and would like to downsize what I have and only keep what I need and use on a regular basis.

Thanks for stating the journey with and if you have any tid-bits of advice, I would gladly appreciate a comment on this blog.