My "Life" in Pins

Happy Hump Day!

I don't know about you, but I happen to live my life vicariously through Pinterest. While I scuttle off to class (in 80 degree weather) in my t-shirt and shorts, I am secretly envisioning myself in beautiful fall outfits. While I step on the few leaves that have fallen and envision them crunching, I am dreaming of walking through tons of fallen leaves. Basically, my mind is in full Fall mode while my body resides in the Georgia heat. Thankfully, Pinterest has done a great job of keeping me happily "falled" out and I am thankful for that!

Leaves

Style

Food

Decor

What is your favorite thing about fall?

22 Fall Date Ideas

 

1. Bonfire!

Yay for iPhone quality! (2012)

2. Make S'mores 

3. Go to the park and act like children.

4. Go Hiking.

5. Crunch all the leaves while hiking!

6. Candy Shop! (need I say more?)

7. Drink cider and eat pumpkin pie while watching TV! (Hello, Sleepy Hollow!)

8. Plan out your perfect Halloween costume!

9. Go to a corn maze.

10. Pick a pumpkin at the pumpkin patch ... then... 

11. Carve Pumpkins!

12. Go on a coffee date! (PSL... here I come)

13. Go to a museum.

14. Go sight-seeing.

15. Plan a picnic while you are sight-seeing!

16. Go to the Fair!

17. Play airsoft or paintball.

circa 2012... enough said.

18. Go shopping together at antique stores.

19. Go Geo-caching. 

20. Take fall photos!

21. Volunteer together.

22. Go to a concert!

11 Verses for Finding Happiness

Going from class to class day after day becomes an all too familiar routine for many college students. For those not in college the same routine can occur if you replace class with work. Either way, falling into a safe and steady routine is something that everyone does at some point in their life. While some people thrive with routine, others (including myself) easily find they become unhappy with their day to day routine. When you find yourself becoming unhappy, one of the best places to run to is the Word. I always fine solace when I take a few minutes to spend reading the Word and I have pulled a few of my favorite verses when I need a slight happiness boost to share with you all today. 

Ecclesiastes 3:12 "I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live."

Psalm 37:4 "Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart."

Isaiah 12:3 "With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.?

Psalm 144:15 "Blessed is the people of whom this is true; blessed is the people whose God is the Lord."

1 Peter 4:13 "But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed."

Proverbs 16:20 "Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord."

Psalm 16:11 "You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand."

Romans 5:2 "through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand, and we boast in the hope of the glory of God."

Proverbs 3:13 "Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding."

Proverbs 14:21 "It is a sin to despise one’s neighbor, but blessed is the one who is kind to the needy."

1 Timothy 6:17 "Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment."

Buying Groceries on a College Budget

A few days ago I shared a little bit of information about my college budget and today I am diving a little deeper into my grocery budget. Without a meal plan, I am cooking or providing myself with all the meals I eat. I typically spend about $100 each month on groceries and I divide that up into about 1/2 food staples and longer lasting groceries, 1/4 groceries that last only a short while, and 1/4 fresh fruits and veggies.

The staples that I keep in my pantry or fridge are:
pasta noodles
rice
canned soups
canned veggies
crackers
baking spices and necessities
almond milk
condiments

The foods that last for short periods of time include:
bread (it keeps longer in the fridge)
cheese
sandwich meat
turkey bacon (because I am that person that dislikes "real" bacon)

The fresh foods that are always present in my kitchen include:
bananas
apples
spinach
carrots
cucumbers
lemons

When I purchase the staples for my pantry I intend for them to last one to two months so I don't always buy these each month. The other food lasts anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. This means that I try to make about two bigger trips to the grocery store each month and maybe one or two smaller ones.

For me going to the grocery store is a big deal because I tend to be the person who impulsively buys everything! Because of this I make sure to always have a list with me when I make the trip. I keep it pinned up on my cork board and add items to it until the day I run to the store. At the store I only allow myself to get the items on my list.

I also make sure to plan out my weekly menu and cook items that can be reused in other meals later in the week. For example I may cook chicken and veggies on Monday night and then use the leftover chicken to have chicken salad for lunch on Wednesday. This prevents me from wasting items that I have bought.

After I plan out my weekly menu, I scan the local ad that seems to make its way to my mailbox somehow. Sometimes the local stores have great deals on meats and fresh vegetables. If so I make sure to pick these items up from there. I also like to check the local farmer's market for fresh seasonal veggies. Often they are cheaper than grocery stores and are always fresher.

The rest of the items I pick up at Walmart. Let me go off the record to say that I (with a passion) hate Walmart. However, it is the only chain grocery store in my town, it has the cheapest prices, and it just came out with My Savings Catcher, which is a lifesaver! I can go to Walmart, spend about $30 on food, scan my receipt (and a few other people's that fell on the ground...) and get back about three to four dollars, which goes to the next grocery bill!

When I head out grocery shopping or just shopping in general, I also use Shopkick. Shopkick is an app that gives you points for walking into stores or scanning certain items in the stores. Once you earn a certain amount of points you can trade them in for gift cards. I typically get Target giftcards to use when I go to the town over. This is a great way to pick up a few specialty food items that I typically wouldn't get! (and my specialty, I mean cake and candy!)

What are your favorite tips to buying groceries?

Budgeting for College

Hello all! I hope you haven't missed me too much as I haven't been around much this past week (yay for colds!) But today I back, feeling better, and ready to share my tips on budgeting for college with you!

To start off with I am going to explain my expenses and what I pay for verses what I do not pay for. 

I pay for: 

- meals

- gas

- books

- other class materials

- hygiene items 

- club dues

- any other fun activities

- any other wanted items

I do not pay for: 

- tuition (though I do have loans)

- rent

- cable/internet/utilities (covered in my rent)

- phone bill

- car insurance

I have it pretty good with what I do and do not pay for but it is still essential for me to budget well to be able to afford to eat and do fun things. 

Also, I currently do not have a job so my income level is very low and comes solely from blogging, campus rep programs, and a few babysitting jobs here and there. I am hoping I can pick up an on campus job sometime soon to be able save more money for those loans mentioned above!

Each semester my biggest expense is my books and class supplies. It cost about $400 this semester to get all the required books and supplies. I make sure to set aside about $500 each semester just for these purchases. I also make sure to sell back any books that I no longer need at the end of each semester. This helps me to make back at least $100 to spend on the next semesters books. 

My second biggest expense is food. I opted out of getting a campus meal plan due to their high price and decided to make use of my kitchen. I limit myself to eating out once per week so I am cooking 20 of my 21 meals a week. Each trip I make to the grocery store, I try to stay under $50 and to buy enough food for 2 weeks. I usually spend about $125 on food a month. I have shared more tips for buying groceries in college here!

My third biggest expense is gas. I recently was gifted a new car (thanks daddy) that gets much better gas mileage than the truck I had (went from 13 mpg to 32 mpg) so I spend a whole lot less on gas than I did last year. I also transferred to a college closer to home so my gas expense to go home has decreased significantly. To save even more on gas, I use university transportation to get to class or walk to places that are not far from my apartment. However, I like to travel and usually make one or two longer trips each month so even with these changes I still spend about $50 to $75 on gas each month. 

My other expenses include hygiene items which I spend about $30 on per month, fun activities which I try to keep around $30, and wanted items (ie: new clothes) which I try to keep around $30 a month. 

If you total my expenses I am spending about $300 a month where as I am making about $350 a month. I try to put at least $10 a week into sayings as well to help with those future loans that will come back into my life soon. Make sure that your expenses always fall under your income, otherwise you'll be in trouble!

The number one thing I do is track my spending. I repeat, I track my spending. Every single thing that I purchase I write down in order of purchase in a notebook. I include the date of purchase, item purchased, cost or purchase, and what method I used to purchase it. This helps me keep track of all my expenses so at the end of the month I am not wondering why I am coming up $50 short. When you write down every single thing you purchase, you tend to purchase less because it becomes tedious to log it and you start thinking that maybe the $.99 drink isn't worth it. 

Secondly, to keep my budget in check, I use coupons whenever possible. I may eat out once a week, but I will more than likely be that girl using a coupon to eat for half price. Also, many hygiene products such as shampoo and conditioner can be purchased for less with a coupon. I used to be embarrassed to use coupons but now it's second nature to me and I have no shame in it. (I have been known to pick up Walmart receipts off the ground to use for My Savings Catcher...)

My biggest thing issue with my current college budget is that I am not putting enough into my savings account so I am always looking for ways to cut back! How do you budget for college? Also, check back tomorrow for my tips to save money on groceries!

Favorite Fall Necklaces

I am not sure why, but recently I have fallen in love with necklaces. I used to wear the one same necklace day in and day out. I never experimented with layering necklaces or anything. Over the summer I was at a small gem store in the mountains and I saw some beautiful stones that I fell in love with. I thought that having a necklace with those stones would be amazing. Since then I have found some wonderful designers that make these beautiful necklaces that I was imagining. I have began expanding my collection by adding longer pendant necklaces to layer with the shorter necklaces I typically wear.

Now that fall is soon coming, I have been searching for necklaces to compliment my fall outfits. Several brands have necklaces that are perfect for both layering and matching the fall colors and I am excited to share them with you today.

MKM Designs -

These necklaces are one of a kind and they mix in vintage chains with new products as well. I love the colors of both of these necklaces and will definitely be adding one to my collection soon. 

Bellas Olas Baubles - 

I love how these pendants are made of several stones instead of one large stone. It gives the necklace a more unique feel, in my opinion!

Torchlight Jewelry - 

These necklaces are the definition of simplistic. I love everything about these necklaces and can see myself pairing them with many patterns.

Vanessa Mooney -

These necklaces are a little less simple than the Torchlight necklaces but they still appeal to my simple tastes. I love the unique pendants and beads that are present on these two necklaces. While the prices of these are slightly higher than I would normally pay, I still look forward to picking one or two up. 

What necklaces are you loving for the fall?

Sisterhood Redefined Roundup

If you have noticed my evasive nature around these parts of the blogosphere, it is because I have been dedicating so much time to Sisterhood Redefined! Sisterhood Redefined is the brainchild of several sorority members and bloggers and I am happy to admit that I am one of those in charge!

While we are still an up-and-coming site, we have had huge success thus far and are looking to have more success in the future!

Some of my favorite articles that have gone up so far are What to Wear: Chapter Edition, How to Cope with a Terrible Schedule, DIY Painter Mason Jars, and How to Furnish and Decorate Your First Apartment on a Budget!

If you have a few moments to spare and are looking for some new reading material, I highly suggest checking the site out!