Friday, October 8, 2010

{what iv'e been up to..}

 Hi everybody!
well it's been awhile but I have very good reasons for why I have been MIA in the blogosphere :) First of all...I'm having a baby! We found out a little over a week ago that we are pregnant and we couldn't be more happy. I'm about 6 weeks right now so not very far along yet. We tossed around the idea of waiting to tell people until the 12 week mark but we were so excited that it didn't make sense to keep it a secret..plus I'm terrible at keeping secrets, unless it's something important. Right now I'm writing this from bed cuz my tummy is not happy. The nausea has set in just in the last week, and boy do I need some saltines right now! The more I think about it there are a million and a half things to do in preparation but I'm excited and I think it will be fun. Still a little weirded out by the idea of a little human moving around in side of me, but I also know I will love it. 
I just had my last day at my retail job (which I commuted too!) yesterday and it feels great to not have to drive so much. I really miss my work friends but I know I'll still see everybody! Right, Kaddie?! :) Now I am going to be doing a nanny job for just a few hours in the afternoons and a few mornings working at the coffee shop. We'll see if the barista job is too much or not but I'm gonna at least try :)
Another thing we have been giving lots of thought to is budget. We recently reviewed or budget and were pretty bummed by the amount of wasted funds we saw. We are committing to not buying as much coffee out but it will also help now that I work in a coffee shop! Free coffee! God bless you Pumpkin Spice lattes! Now that I can be home more I am going to plan eals and we will be more deliberate about what groceries we buy and be sure to use them all up before produce and stuff goes bad.
So far for baby I have started embroidering some little white onesies! One of my favorite things to do! I made one that says "mine" across the chest and "yours" across the butt! I'm gonna make another that says "hers" on the chest and "his" on the booty! Believe it or not that was my husbands cute idea!
If you are looking to be better about your spend and want to find ways to save money you should check out the Small Notebook blog. Rachel is awesome and has a million ideas to get you going! In honor of this new venture I am going to do a feature on Mondays called "Make do Monday"! It is going to be about budget and money saving tips as well as cool things you can make at home cheap instead of buying them. So we'll see how that goes! In the meantime what are some ways you save money or budget effectively? What is something you need to spend less on? We all have something so spill people! :) Have a great day guys!
ali <3

10 comments:

  1. CONGRATULATIONS!! I'm really excited for you :) What an exciting time!

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  2. i love grocery shopping at berkeley bowl in berkeley. i once got a GIANT (as in size-of-my-torso giant) bag of mixed greens for less than $3!!! great for salads, 'toasting' in a frying pan with a little coconut oil, sauteeing with onions and garlic, etc. and my fave---blending with a banana, pure maple syrup and fresh squeezed juice or water and a little cranberry juice. (that was a little rabbit trail. but a great way to get lots of protein and vitamins and minerals from greens)

    also at berkeley bowl, i can get a big bag of brown rice and a couple small bags of mung beans and lentils and once a week(twice a week if i'm really hungry or active thus needing more food), cook up a pot of rice and a pot of beans (add a bay leaf and/or smashed garlic cloves to the pot) and that is a super cheap way to do lunches for the week. then i space out some of the more expensive foods, like avocadoes.

    i have a juicer, and even regular grocery stores have cheap organic carrots---i like to cook the pulp from the carrots in with my pot of rice. makes it almost taste meaty and nice and vibrant.

    (sadly i don't make it to any farmer's markets enough)

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  3. oh-forgot to add, two small bags of beans last about a month. that's about 13 bucks a month! cheap!!

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  4. Six weeks eh? Well I guess that means you had a bun in the oven when we got together! Ahhhh! Love it:)Im so excited for you!
    Oh, and by the way, the offer is still open if you want me to make you some wallet tabs for your budget! I can make some for Nicolai too lol

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  5. Sooo exciting!! Congrats Ali and Nicolai!!!!

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  6. Thanks everybody! Great ideas Stina! And yes please Carolline! I totally was gonna try to make some :) That is such a great idea!

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  7. I just read this, and it made me miss you even more! Work just ain't the same..

    On the other hand, I'm still super excited for you, Nicolai, and Baby! Congratulations once more darlin!

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  8. Congratulations! x

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