16 DAYS AND COUNTING!!

Only 16 more days until it's time for the new apartment! That means it's time to suck it up and....PACK....ew! Like most people who have ever moved I HATE packing. Because I spent 4 years in college I moved a lot from dorm to dorm, home for summer, new apartments, etc. One would imagine that after all of that moving I would be an expert, but alas no. So with packing in mind here is a quick update of my weekend/up coming goals for the week, and some pics.

Chris has been in a bowling league for about 50 weeks now and tomorrow is his second to last day so I decided to make cupcakes. I bought these cute little "finger bowling" games at The Party Store for $2 a set (I bought 4 sets) so I could put "pins" on top of the cupcakes. I set out to make 40 but ran out of batter after 36. I think they came out pretty cute, I can't wait to drop them off to the guys tomorrow!

Chris and I at the Party Store. Happy early Easter!

Now time to get to my "to-do" list for this week.

Financial Goals
-Move $50 from debit into Chris and I's savings (I got a free $50 for signing up for ING!)
-Dump spare change into our "penny jar"
-Pay rent, car payment, new rent
-Extra money goes to pay off debt

Health Goals
-Eat breakfast more often (Started off well today with a wheat bagel thing with reduced fat peanut butter!)
-Butt's and Gut's and Zumba at the YMCA 4-5 times this week
-Nightly beauty regiment (did pretty well on this last week)
-More veggies and fruits this week
-Look more into signing up for "warrior dash"

ECT Goals
-Put in as many job applications as possible
-Pack
-Continue sorting out clothes to donate
-Start "Light the Night" page (I keep forgetting)
-Request off moving days and get friends to help with large items


I'm sure I have more things that have just slipped my mind but this is a good start for this week. I also forgot to post my "starting weight" that I found out last week. With a sigh I admit my "starting weight" is 137 pounds. Now I know this doesn't sound like a lot but keep in mind I am only 4 foot 11 inches tall. I can't wait to see the payoff and watch that number go down!

Wedding Fun!

I just started a page just for wedding stuff, but I also thought I would posts the "newest" posts here for you to enjoy!

I have TONS of ideas for my wedding but not a lot purchased yet because I want to stick with buying things on clearance and at the best possible price. Chris trusts me to save money in the areas where we can DIY so we can splurge on stuff (custom Jones Soda bottles, a photo booth, etc). Here are pics of stuff I've already bought and posts about stuff I'm still looking for (there is a BUNCH more to list).

Stuff I Already Have...

Adorable little cake stands that I bought for out "candy bar" (.30 each)

"Collor Your Own" jewelry and picture frames for kids table (.10 per pack)

Favor bags for our "candy bar", complete with twist ties (.24 for 140)



 

My mom is also making "flower balls" to hang (I don't have a picture of hers yet) . They are SO cute and budget friendly.

What I'm Still Looking For...
Here is a quick list of things I'm still looking for and where I hope to find them and how I hope to use them.

Decorations

-White Christmas lights to wrap in tulle and drape from the ceiling. I want to borrow these from family and buy at 90% off Christmas clearance there are always TONS left. I expect to spend no more than $10.00 on these (though I don't know how much the tulle will cost).
-White and pink candles for tables. Candles to put everywhere to set the tone. I would like to spend no more than $20 on these total.


Small Extra Items

-White flip flops (around 50 pairs). I'd like to have these in a cute bin for ladies to wear at the reception if their feet get tired and then take home with them. Old Navy usually clearances out flip flops to around .25 a pair at the VERY end of fall and mid-winter, that would make it a total of $12.50 for all 50 pairs! I'm also keeping my eyes open at other stores like Christmas Tree Shop and Target

-Crayons, coloring books, colored pencils, small toys, etc. I'd like to have these items for my children's tables to keep the kiddos amused. These items usually go on clearance around back-to-school time for about 5-10 cents a pack as door busters. I'm looking to spend no more than $20 on all toys and supplies for this table by keeping an eye out for after holiday clearance, off season stuff, and coupons.

-Vases and Candy for "candy bar". In place of favors we have decided to have a "candy bar" where people can fill their own bags with candy they like. I want to find vases and vintage jars/bowls at the thrift shops, and as they usually have 1/2 off at least once and week I'd like to spend no more than $15 on around 15-20 vases/jars/bowls. As far as the candy goes I will be buying it in bulk from a company my sister works with so I can choose only the colors I want (though I'll be keeping my eyes open for good store deals too). I'd like to spend no more than $50 on all of the candy.

-Bottled Water in Bin for the ceremony since it will be outside. I want to print custom labels. Not positive how much I'd like to spend on this since we don't have a final head out on the guests yet.

-Jones Soda Bottles as place settings. These are a HUGE splurge but I love love love the custom Jones Soda bottle idea with a cute black and white picture of us.

Checking In!

Halfway through the week now and time for a check in on how my goals are going. Just a quick post but wanted to keep holding myself responsible for accomplishing things (or not accomplishing them).

Financial Goals
-Deposit Cash into debit account
-Pay school loans
-Draft invoice for work and deposit paycheck (haven't gotten check yet to deposit)
-Visit YMCA to see about joining  (JOINED!)

Health Goals
-Eat breakfast at least 4 days this week (only once out of three days. Not the best start)
-Vitamins everyday (So far so good!)
-Stretch, beauty regiment, and relax with a good book (Epic fail on this one)
-Cook a healthy dinner (does sloppy Joe's count as healthy? No? Oops.Well at least I made broccoli)

ETC Goals
-Finish up on all laundry and put away (Halfway through!)
-Clean bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, and living room   (Although I want to keep de-cluttering everyday)
-Donate clothing that no longer fits to make more closet room (Still haven't started. Hopefully tonight)
-Start "Light The Light" team page (Not started yet)


Tonight I plan to get the closet started, finish laundry, start the Light The Night page, go to Zumba, and keep up on my vitamins, beauty regiment, and relax with a good book. I also want to try to squeeze in going to the library if I have time. I'll let you know how it goes! And I promise to have some more interesting posts soon!

What A Rollercoaster!

SO, as of last count (Thursday) I had posted some goals and small steps for the weekend to kick start all my goals moving. WELL that sadly didn't go so well. On Thursday morning shortly after making that post I got some pretty upsetting news concerning my job (wont go into details, lets just say time for me to make a new start). Unfortunately that news threw a major wrench in my mood for the day and my goals took a backseat to my need to go home and cry in bed. Lucky for me I have an amazing boyfriend who picked me up (literally) and assured me things will always get better. And in the following days, it did!

After the bad start to the weekend things really did look up starting on Friday when I found out I got my new apartment! I can't wait to move and start saving TONS of money with my new lower rent! I worked two shifts this weekend at my restaurant job but other than that the rest of the weekend was pretty calm and easy, went to lunch with my friend and her boyfriend, and went shopping with Chris (only spent $10 because I bought Chris some Power Rangers PJ pants on clearance and bought an air freshener for my car).

All though I didn't get much done this weekend I did get SOME of my goals taken care of (the biggest being getting my new apartment! YAYS!)

                                    My beautiful niece Ava on a coaster at Kings Island last year.


-Deposit change jar into Chris and I's "spare change account".
-Deposit cash in the house into debit account
-2 loads of laundy  (including sheets)
-Quick sweep of clutter and trash
-Clean out leftovers in fridge
Time to set some new goals for THIS week! Here we go!

Financial Goals
-Deposit Cash into debit account
-Pay school loans
-Draft invoice for work and deposit paycheck
-Visit YMCA to see about joining

Health Goals
-Eat breakfast at least 4 days this week
-Vitamins everyday
-Strech, beauty regiment, and relax with a good book
-Cook a healthy dinner

ETC Goals
-Finish up on all laundry and put away
-Clean bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, and livingroom
-Donate clothing that no longer fits to make more closet room (my new apartment dosn't have a walk in closet).
-Start "Light The Light" team page

SO, there are some goals for this week. I also have small things I'd like to do that aren't really worth listing. This week WILL be better than last!



Steps In The Right Direction...

Today I'm taking a few small steps in the right direction toward meeting my goals. I think the best way to stick with things it to take small steps, not big ones that are easily frustrating and quickly make me want to give up. I'll let you know soon how these steps go and how the next few days go, however I tend to stay away from my computer on the weekends so no promises of new posts till Monday.

Financial Steps
-Spend NO cash today, I have a full tank of gas and food in the fridge. No need to splurge today
-Deposit change jar into Chris and I's "spare change account". We set this up as a fun way to put aside some extra cash toward our wedding. There is a local bank in town that allows you to set up a savings account for only $5.00 and after you have joined you can use the "coinstar" in the bank for free and deposit the cash straight into your accout. Take that .10 cents on the dollar "coinstar" in Walmart!
-Deposit cash in the house into debit account

Health Goals
-Enjoy a healthy lunch of tuna on a bagel thin, yogurt, and fruit (SO hard to pass up the chips and dip)
-Zumba at the YMCA with my sisters and some extra ab, arm, and booty work
-Find out my actual "starting weight", but don't dwell on it or let it bring me down.
-Take all vitamins
-Strech, nightly beauty regiment, relax, and in bed at a good hour with a book

ETC Goals
-2 loads of laundy  (including sheets)
-Quick sweep of clutter and trash
-Clean out leftovers in fridge
-Go through tee shirts and donate ones that no longer fit or are unwanted

Time to hit the ground running and see how much I can get done today! I would really like to have all of my cleaning done before I hit the gym (class stars at 7:10) so I can come home and relax without having to worry about anything. Wish me luck!

Gotta Have Goals!

Like I said the other day when I started this blog one of my main reasons for starting it is to make goals and stick to them. That being said, let's start listing! These are all pretty big and general but I will break them down into more detail in their own posts, but here's a start!

Financial Goals
-Pay off debts by focusing on paying them down one at a time
-Have at least 6 months savings in the bank
-Save money with cost cutting tips (coupons, clearance, etc)

Health Goals
-Lose 25 pounds by June/July in order to feel healthier
-Work out at least 3 times a week in a gym, class, or dvd
-Add one physical class or activity I enjoy to reduce stress and improve health
-Drink only diet soda (I know it would be better to give it up all together but I need some vices)
-Eat breakfast more often
-Eat healthier, more often, and in smaller quantities
-Attempt a half-marathon or race of some kind by the end of the year
-Get more sleep
-Cook more often at home.

Craft Goals
-Try a new craft at least once a month

Etc. Goals
-Relax and stress less
-Remove unnecessary stress's in my life, and don't be afraid to say "no"
-De-clutter the house every night and stop letting things pile up
-Keep up on laundry
-Get rid of un-needed clothes, books, etc. and give to goodwill
-Participate in "Light The Night" and "Operation Christmas Child"
-Participate in a charity type activity at lest once a month (other than giving blood, which Chris and I already do at least every other month).

More Valentines Day Goodies!

Yesterday I went to The Christmas Tree Shop and Target to check out post-Valentines Day sales (since I still had some people to shop for). To my surprise Christmas Tree Shop already had their Valentines Day items marked down by 90%! I only spent around $6.00 and I got four bags worth of items! I used these items to make a gift basket for my sister, my niece, my friend Becky, and also to brighten the day of some of my parents co-workers (I left treats on their desks for them to find the next morning). I also bought some items to save and use for my wedding, two cake stands, color your own kids crafts (to keep the kiddos entertained durring the reception) and cute favor bags. I will use these items on my "candy bar" at the wedding. Sadly later on when I went home I noticed that they did ring some of my items in wrong so I over-payed by around $2-$3 but I got such an amazing deal I don't mind the over site. I also went to Target, and although their markdowns were only 50% off I still picked up some items that I had picked out for my friend Becky back when they were full price. Total spent at both stores- $8.84.

Christmas Tree Shop-Cost Breakdown
Heart Vase- .90
Paint Your Own Set- .90
(2) Pink Cake Stands- .30 each
(2) Snowglobes- .25 each
(4) Roses- .12 each
Dog Shirt- .15
Cupcake Picture Frame- .05
(2) Candy Hearts Pot- .20 each
(2) Heart Tealight Holders (set of 3)- .20 each
Heart Picture Frame (set of 3)- .20
(2) Chocolates- .10 each
(7) Treat Bags- .10 each
(7) Color Your Own Sets- .10 each
TOTAL- $6.49

Hostess helping me sort out stuff.

 Hostess's new shirt! She's not a big fan of it.

Target- Cost Breakdown
Dinosaur Plates- .75
Doggy Window Clings- .99
Giraffe Chocolates- .50
TOTAL- $2.25

These I will use as favor bags for our "candy bar". They even come with ties to close them!

Gift basket for my siser Erica.

Christmas Tree Shop recipt

 Target recipt

Happy Valentines Day!

Here are some pictures of the Valentine’s Day treats I made!

This is a gift that I made for my step mom for being so kind and taking care of me when I was sick a few weeks ago and letting my stay over for a few nights. And the whole thing only cost me under $4.00!

Basket- .25 from the thrift store

Picture Frame- .50 from Christmas Tree Shop (1/2 all Valentine’s Day Items!)

Box of Chocolate- 50 from Christmas Tree Shop (1/2 all Valentine’s Day Items!)

Giant Diamond Ring- .8 from Christmas Tree Shop (SUPER clearance)

Burt's Bees- $1.50 from Target (bought on after Christmas clearance with a gift card)

Japanese Cherry Blossom Lotion- FREE, LuvBBW Club

Japanese Cherry Blossom Body Spray- FREE, LuvBBW Club

Japanese Cherry Blossom Body Wash- FREE, LuvBBW Club

White ribbon- FREE, I got it off a bag of candy I had been given earlier in the week

Body sponge- FREE, this is a re-gifted item (yes, I'm guilty) from a Christmas basket I'd been given. I have WAY too many of these so I thought I'd clear some clutter and share the wealth.

TOTAL COST- $3.55!

Here are two candy bouquets that I made for Chris, and the total cost for both was under $5.00!

Baskets- .50 each from Thrift Store

Stuffed Bear- $1.00 from Thrift Store

Box of Chocolates- .50 from Christmas Tree Shop (1/2 Valentine’s Day Stuff)

Decorations- $2.00 from Christmas Tree Shop

Misc. Chocolate Fillers- FREE with coupons from Christmas sales

Candy Bags/Bars- FREE with coupons

 TOTAL- $4.00!

 

Here are some treats that a baked for a woman at work's 40th birthday. I'm pretty proud of how they came out.

-Giant cupcake with a dark chocolate cake base and a white chocolatecake top.

-Milk chocolate cupcakes with chocolate candy centers and butter cream icing

-Dark chocolate cake truffles with chocolate gnash coating

This is just some pictures to tell you about how Chris and I saved big on our Valentine’s Day date. First we went out to Chilies for dinner where we got an appetizer, two entrees, and dessert all for $12 (that was the tip) after gift card that covered the meal and a coupon for a free dessert. Then we went to see Gnomeo and Juliet 3D for FREE with movie passes we had gotten for Christmas. While we were at the movie we had pop, candy, and popcorn all packed and brought from home. Without coupons, gift cards, and packing this night would have cost us well over $60.00. 

Welcome!

Hello everyone! Let me start out by introducing myself if I may. My name is Amber Lynn Hall, I'm 24 and I live in Ohio...See, don't you feel like you already know me? No? Ok, well here's a bit more then.

About Me

 I spent four lovely years at Ohio University where I studied Video Production and Theater and had the time of my life. Now I am 2 years out of college and working my way through life one mess and one success at a time. I have three jobs that take up most of my time (I work at a radio network, a production company, and a restaurant). BUT soon I hope to quit the restaurant gig (stay tuned for details). I have two sweet puppies named Lola and Hostess that brighten my day everyday. I also have a handsome boyfriend, Chris, who helps me hold it all together when I feel like I'm falling apart.

Hostess, Me, and Lola

Why I'm Doing This

I'm starting this blog as a way to inspire myself to follow through on my goals, and to have a way to remind myself when I do something I'm proud of. I've always been really good at setting goals...I'm also good at half finishing a project and then giving up. SO on that note, let's hit the ground running!