Week in Review June 16-22nd

This week really took a toll on me physically and I spent much time in bed and around the house lounging in pjs. Due to some health issues I was dealing with, leaving the house wasn't really something I wanted to do. So instead I found solace in tv shows, pinterest, and cooking on the grill.

Health Issues

This past week has been a bit of a struggle for me in terms of health issues. Before I move on, I want to say I am about to get TMI on you and things are about to get personal..Alright, with that said, let's move on. Starting Sunday morning I began to feel symptoms of what I thought may be a UTI however I was unsure as my "monthly" time had been due to start 2 days earlier. I brushed the symptoms off as just odd menstrual symptoms. Monday morning I started my period, about two days later then was expected, but nothing out of the ordinary for me. However, I noticed the UTI like symptoms were more prevelant and to be quite blunt I was in a lot of pain and quite miserable. By this point I was pretty sure I had a UTI alongside my period...what an awful experience. Needless to say having those two things together is not something I would ever wish on anybody. I curled up in bed with a heating pad, plenty of water, and cranberry pills and that is where I spent most of the week. Luckily by Wed I was starting to feel some reprieve, though still not completely better. My period symptoms had eased up dramatically and I was mainly dealing with the tail end of the UTI. As I currently write this, it is now Monday and I am feeling much better, still a few slight twinges every now and then brought about by the remainder of my UTI going away. I am positive in another day or two I will be in good health again. I know many of you are going to wonder why I did not go to the doctor...and honestly there were a few times I wanted to go. However, my symptoms of this UTI were very similar to the same symptoms from last months UTI and because of this I knew my test would come back negative. Last month both home test and doctors test came back negative for a UTI but a 3 day course of antibiotics cleared it up. This time the home test came back negative and I knew the doctors would as well so I was determined to save the time and money and treat it at home with a massive amount of water and cranberry pills and it (worked) is working. It takes a much longer time to self treat then it does for antibiotics to work, but I decided to give it a week and if I wasn't feeling better I would go. With that being said, I have every intention to make an appointment with a OBGYN in order to rule out any other possible reason for these symptoms, esp with this being my 2nd one in 2 months and both showing up negative for an actual UTI. Needless to say during this past week and what I was experiencing is the very reason why I was not as present online in the youtube and facebook world and for that I am sorry. I missed interacting with everyone so much!!!

Get your Grill On

In other news, hubby and I bought our very first grill. We have wanted a grill for the past two years and finally decided to buy one. We were lucky enough that Aldi happened to have their portable charcoal grills by Range Master on sale for $13, which was a deal we could not beat and the best price we had seen for one. This week alone we have grilled out three times! We are absolutely in love with it and have looked forward to grilling out on it every night. Having a grill has made dinner time a more shared experience and something hubby and I do together now. He lights the grill and sits out in the chairs while I cook up some yummy burgers or chicken. It is really nice to have him involved in the process and have someone to chat with outside while we enjoy the summer breeze and amazing smells coming from the grill.

StreamPix

This week I also attempted to cancel our Streampix subscription. I honestly have no clue what exactly it is or what it does, all I know is it came with our promotional package from Comcast when we added our cable. I was originally told that StreamPix was only free for the first 3mths and then $5 a mth after that, but we were allowed to cancel at any time. So, with our 3mths about to approach I decided to cancel this service as we have never used it and had no intention of using it. Well, the Comcast representative informed me she could not remove it from our account as it was part of a bundle promotion. She did however say that it ill remain free for not 3mths but all 12mths of our promotion. Cool! Guess we better check it out since we get it for free anyways lol

Week in Review June 9th-15th

This week was pretty quiet. Some shopping was done, family time happened, and our cats drove us crazy. A pretty typical week if I do say so myself. So here is what went down...

Peeing Issues

For those of you who follow me on youtube you already know that we had issues with TigerClaws peeing on our bed awhile back. She stopped for a good two weeks and then peed on our comforter again this past week. Unfortunately our comforter did not make it due to the constant wear and tear from washing it over and over again. So, we are on the lookout for a new comforter. In dealing with the same issue there is now a dip in our mattress from her peeing in the exact same spot repeatedly. We are pretty sure we will be needing to purchase a new mattress. Thankfully, we have always wanted to upgrade to a Queen sized bed. We didn't however intend to make this purchase for quite some time but it looks like we may be pushed into doing so earlier. The good thing about this purchase is it would have happened eventually, just it will now occur sooner then we had planned. At least if we have to purchase something new because of her peeing I am glad it was something we had always intended to purchase anyways. 

That being said I am happy to say it has been almost a week and she has not peed again. We have been paying ALOT of attention to her, praising her when she uses the litter box, and keeping the litter box as ridiculously clean as we possibly can, and it appears to be working....just hoping it lasts. If she does pee in the home again though, that will be the last time and we will be finding her a new home. She has peed 6 times on our bed in the past month and that is more then enough second chances, it is strictly 100% behavioral why she does it and so if it happens again she will be gone.

Much needed shopping

Recently I made quite a few purchases online. I was in desperate need of scrapbooking adhesive, a new sewing spindle, a replacement bread machine blade, page protectors for scrapbooking, and a second battery  for my camera so I always have a fully charged battery. I scored an amazing deal on Amazon in terms of my cameras battery and ended up only paying $15 for 2 batteries!!! I think this is a great price seeing as how I was fully expecting to have to pay $30 or more for one. A couple of my items have already shipped and I can not wait to receive my packages. I honestly love shopping online from the comfort of my own home. Sitting in my PJ's, munching on some Kettle Corn browsing everything Amazon has to offer...beats getting dressed and going out shopping in a crowded store any day! 

Family time and Amish Country 

This past Saturday was filled with family, animals, and Amish crafts. My parents, sister, nephew and I traveled to OHIO to visit Walnut Creek and other surrounding areas in order to visit what many call "Amish Country." In this part of Ohio, there are many craft stores that sell Amish goods, as well as Heinez cheese factory, local Amish grocery stores, and many animals. There is also two flea markets and a couple antique stores that we visit. But the best part is the food...We always eat at a restaurant called Der Dutchmen which serves Amish cooking and is super delicious. I ordered the turkey, hash browns, and fries w/ homemade Bbq sauce. I can not describe how amazing this food is and it is something I most look forward to when visiting the area. I ended up bringing home some homemade buns, some table runners, curtains, and a few random knick knacks for around the home. 

Meeting Maggie

...and finally on the same day I traveled to OHIO I got to meet my parents new addition to their family, Maggie. Maggie is a 4lb female Bischon puppy and the newest addition to my parents household. She is absolutely the cutest thing ever and so incredibly tiny. She is such a snuggle buddy and will curl up by your face while you hold her in your arms. Seeing Maggie makes me want a puppy and I can't wait until we have a yard and can get one. One day hopefully...until then I can steal snuggles and puppy love whenever I visit my family :)

What happened this week in your life?

Week in Review June 2-8th 2013

Hello everyone! I have been wanting to start this segment on my blog for quite some time now. A few of my favorite bloggers use this type of segment on their blogs and I absolutely love it. So I figure what the heck! lets give it a try. So here it goes.

1,000 Subscribers


Although technically this happened at the end of May, I want to include it in this weeks, week in review, because it is such a significant thing. I opened my channel thenotsoordinarywife on September 10, 2011 and since that day have been posting a variety of videos on my channel. When I first started posted videos I had no expectations that anyone would watch, but slowly my subscribers grew. I still remember when I reached 100 subscribers and thought how crazy it was that 100 people somewhere in the world, who I had never met, were watching my videos. Fast forward to June 2013 and I now have over 1,000 subscribers! I never imagined that one day I would have that many people watching my videos, interacting with me, and many becoming someone I would call a friend. Youtube is honestly the most amazing thing and I love making videos and interacting with everyone. Thank you to all who watch, comment, and subscribe. You guys rock!

Laundry Soap

Recently I have decided to get back into more d.i.y and natural cleaners, which also included laundry soap. I have never made my own laundry soap before but I was willing to try. So I asked fellow friends on facebook and hit up Pinterest to find a recipe that worked for me. I am loving the way our new laundry soap smells and love that it is natural. I can not wait to use it. If you want the recipe you can find it here.


Monthly Grocery Shopping

When it comes to food I am still trying to figure out the best way to shop. I have tried weekly, bi-weekly, every couple of days, and finally monthly. Last month I grocery shopped for the whole month of May and while I enjoyed it, I did go over budget. I was pretty sure I could stick to my budget and grocery shop for the month if only I planned a bit better. So the beginning of this week I did just that and am happy to say I still had money left over. Money that should last the remainder of the month. Since my initial shop at the beginning of the month I have had to make 1 trip for some produce for the upcoming week. I am happy to say that currently I still have $40 left in my envelope for the remaining weeks of June.

Kennywood

This week was also mine and hubby's one and only vacation we will be going on. Kennywood....ahh it brings back so many memories. I used to go to Kennywood pretty much every year as a kid and hubby and I also went quite often while dating. Sadly, we had not been back in at least 4 years due to work and time restaints. This year however, thanks to the company hubby works for, we were able to go for free. See my blog post about vacation funds if you are wondering how we managed to go for free. The great thing about Kennywood is the fact that we had a vacation fund ($150) to spend and we only spent $59, which leaves us with $91 still in that fund. How awesome is that! Despite the fact that it was a very very crowded day, we had alot of fun and got to ride some amazing rides! I can not wait until next year so we can go again.

To watch footage from our trip to Kennywood, check out my channel thenotsoordinarywife

Laundry Soap?

In an effort to be more natural and save a couple of bucks, I decided to try my hand at making my own laundry soap. I found the recipe on Pinterest.

...and you only need 3 ingredients

2 cups finely grated soap 

1 cup borax

1 cup washing soda

*use 1 tbs per load

(2 cups of soap = 2 bars)

Thats it, just grate the soap and combine the grated soap, borax and washing soda. I am currently storing mine in an old Classic pasta jar that I rinsed out and had on hand.

Have you ever made homemade laundry soap? If so what recipe did you use and how did you like it?

Monthly Grocery Shopping for June

So, for the month of June I decided to try my hand at grocery shopping monthly again. With the same $400 budget in mind, I came up with the following meals for this month.

OUR MEALS:

If you are interested in some of the recipes I will be using for this month, check out my Pinterest where I have created a board for my June Menu.

 In regards to the actual grocery shopping, I currently have $81 left out of the $400 and I am determined to not spend more then this for the rest of the month. I know I can do it, I just have to plan and spend wisely. 

If you are curious what all I bought at the store, check out the video below...

What is on your menu for this month?

The Benefits of Having a Vacation Fund

 YOU CAN HAVE A GUILT FREE VACATION 

I know some of you may read that and think I am crazy...how is it possible to have a guilt free vacation? Vacations cost money and if you are a family the price of tickets, food, games, and souvenirs add up....and don't forget to add in the gas to get there, a hotel if you are staying overnight, and all the new beach towels, flip flops, and bathing suits everyone needed.

Now I am not going to tell you that Vacations are cheap, or to stay in a shady hotel, or to even forego a vacation all together. Instead I am going to tell you how hubby and I are having a guilt free vacation this summer simply by using these 2 tips.

Tip #1

 Take advantage of discount tickets, company picnics, and weekday prices.

Did you know that many hotels charge almost double the price for a weekend stay opposed to booking a hotel on a weekday? If you can manage it, take a vacation on a weekday or even during off peak months in order to save money. 

Also, don't forget to take advantage of discount tickets..many times if you purchase tickets online, or at AAA or grocery stores you can save as much as $5-$10. 

Finally, take advantage of company perks...some companies offer discount tickets if you simply show proof you work at Company XYZ, other companies hold their annual picnic at parks or events in which the price to go is free or heavily discounted. 

Tip #2

Start a vacation fund the beginning of each year

If you know you want to go on vacation during the summer or anytime really, start a vacation fund at the beginning of each year in order to offset costs. When vacation time rolls around you should have a decent amount of money saved up that can be used for Vacation expenses (gas, hotel, shopping, food, etc) 

Having money set aside just for Vacation can make your spending guilt free. Not using a debit card to purchase items or "hoping" you can afford the Vacation is not going to make for a fun time..and who wants to feel stressed while on Vacation and instead of having fun only thinking about the money you are spending that you don't have or should be using for something else. 

Having money in a vacation fund means once that money is gone, no more spending. This helps to stop overspending on vacation and to think before buying that shot glass etched with Miami Beach.

Now, in using both of these tips you should be able to have a pretty guilt free Vacation. Here is what hubby and I are doing:

First off, we knew we couldn't afford a big vacation, it had to be something small and only a day or two. Lucky for us that the company hubby works for has their annual company picnic at Kennywood Park every year! We love Kennywood and haven't been there in a couple years so we are very excited to go.

The perks of going to this company picnic is that all employees and their family members get to go for free. So our tickets are FREE....this saves us around $65 (Kennywood tickets online are $32.99 each)

Another perk is the fact that his company offers free refreshments during a certain time in the picnic area as well as a free lunch.....Unfortunately due to my gluten intolerance I am unsure if I will be able to eat anything, but we are def. going to check it out....

With that being said we knew that despite the fact that our tickets were free, we would still need money for gas, food, and any games/souvenirs we may want. 

So in January 2013 I started a Vacation Fund and any time we had extra money we could spare, into the Vacation fund it went. It is now the beginning of June and we have $150 saved. Now $150 might not seem like alot, but it will easily pay for our gas, food, and games. This $150 is only to be used for Vacation expenses and because we know this money is allocated for that there is no guilt in spending it.

Many times people go on vacation with no idea of how much money they should bring, how much they are spending, or any idea how they actually intend to afford all of the expenses. Money is the last thing someone should be thinking about while on vacation. No one wants to come home and dread looking at the bank account to see what damage had been done either. In taking a set amount of money with us, that has been allocated for just that, we know exactly how much we can spend, how much we have spent, and do not feel guilty or have to worry about spending money that we shouldn't be spending.

ahh the joys of having a vacation fund....and in essence a guilt free vacation.

How do you prepare financially for a vacation?

Monthly Grocery Shopping Recap

For the month of May I decided to try grocery shopping monthly opposed to weekly.

 Here are a few things that I learned...

-If you are close to being out of something (50% or less left) buy it anyways, you will run out and need it

-Allocate extra money in your grocery budget for unexpected purchases/needs

-Prep you meat/meals within a day or two of buying groceries. Having meals prepped in advance in your freezer makes dinner time so much easier and faster.

-DO NOT spend more money than what you have allocated for the month  (this is something I really need to work on, it is far too easy to just use the debit once my cash has run out)

Our Meal Plan:

 Breakdown of the costs by store/shopping trip:

Do you have a secret to saving money at the grocery store and how do you grocery shop...weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, daily? 

How do you stay on track/budget?