first birthday on the spending fast

i mentioned in my "prep" post that i unsubscribed from most of the email lists i was on--but i decided to continue receiving emails from my two favorite grocery stores, kroger & giant eagle. (sometime in the near future i'll share my "coupon guide" and explain what i like about each of those stores more specifically.) saw that giant eagle will have roasts on sale -- by one get one free, so i'll be stopping by this evening after work. this past weekend i was feeling especially domestic and used a really simply crock pot roast recipe and it turned out great--and it was enough food to provide 2 people with about 3 meals (using leftovers, i mean.) using leftovers and getting several meals out of one purchase is a great way to get the most bang for your buck. i'm always on the look out for recipes like that.

today is also my little sister's birthday, so i'll have to make my stop into giant eagle a quick one. we're having dinner at my mom and step-dad's house tonight to celebrate, and i made the cake. just used a box mix, and it was a flavor i've never made before--butter cake, per her request. i'm not sure if it turned out the way it was supposed to, but i guess we'll see! i'll be sure to snap some pics of the cake "decor"--it's something most of you nerds will probably appreciate (no spoilers!)

holidays and birthdays are a struggle for me because my instinct is to spoil my loved ones with gifts and prizes and miscellany--especially when it comes to my little sister. this year, i'm crafting something neat for her--i think she's going to really like it, but i'm bummed out because i didn't finish it in time to give it to her tonight at the shindig. lesson learned--crafts take time, so it's worth planning ahead to make sure gifts are ready on time. there will be a post on this particular craft soon--not before i'm able to give it to her, though!

recipe review: biscoff cookies copy cat recipe

this morning while enjoying my coffee and "breakfast cookies" (which is a thing now, i just made up, cookies specifically for breakfast) it occurred to me that i can't be the only fan of the delta biscoff cookies--and i should share the recipe i used to make my own at home!

i travel quite often for work, and i always fly delta. i've gotten to the point where i pine for the tasty biscoff cookies they hand out for free. i especially like them dipped in my morning coffee--very tasty! 

anyway--i think now-a-days you can actually by them at the grocery store, but this past weekend i thought i'd look into finding a copycat recipe so i could make them myself. most of the time, not always, making something at home is cheaper than buying it--especially if the ingredient you're using can be used over and over again. that's definitely the case with these cookies. 

i did some googling and thought i'd try the recipe here. it seemed simple enough, but in a rookie move i didn't read the whole recipe before tackling it and ran into a few issues. there are ingredients mentioned in the directions that aren't listed in the ingredient list...a little odd, but i made it work. i'm going to post a slightly edited version of the recipe below, mostly to address what i assume are just typos:

biscoff cookie - copy cat recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. each of:

nutmeg

ginger

allspice

cloves

baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup room temperature butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

- preheat over to 350 f

- in a medium-sized bowl, mix together flour, spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice and cloves), baking soda, baking powder and salt

-in a separate large bowl, cream together butter, sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer on low speed; mix in the vanilla extract

-gradually blend the flour mixture into the butter mixture until it is well combined

-roll out dough to 1/4" thickness. from here you can either bake it as a large sheet of cookies to cut later, or you can use cookie cutters to make cookie shapes.

-if you choose to bake it as a large sheet, bake for 20-25 minutes. cut out cookies to shape as desired

-if you choose to bake it as shapes, place dough shapes onto parchment paper and bake for 12-15 minutes.

-cool on cooking rack before serving. these are best once they have cooled.

the original recipe left the salt and nutmeg off the ingredient list, so i wasn't sure how much to include. i just guessed and must have guessed right, because the flavor was pretty good. i "heaped" my measurements for the spices because i wanted a strong flavor--i was mostly happy with the result, but will probably use less clove next time, as that particular flavor was a little too much for me. 

i tried rolling out the dough to use cookie cutters, but the dough was so sticky (even with a bit of flour on the counter) that i gave up. i ended up rolling out little balls of dough and flattening them in my hands before placing them on the cookie sheet.

i think next time i'll flatten them out a bit more so they're very thin--i'm hoping to get them a little crispier. did some research and while there are plenty of more complicated ways to get crispy cookies, i found a few simple things to try next time. adding more white sugar in place of the brown sugar will decrease some of the moisture that comes with the brown sugar. also, using warm liquid ingredients (butter, eggs) will make the cookies spread quicker, making them thinner and crispier. this is the message board i found with info about getting crispy/soft cookies!

a warning though, if you don't already have cloves and allspice in your spice rack, they're significantly pricier than the other spices. to justify the purchase, you'd have to commit to using the spices in other recipes or making these copy cat cookies more than once. the recipe yielded about 3 dozen cookies--not bad for a simple recipe using (mostly) ingredients i already have, or can use in other recipes as well.

enjoy!

2013 prep!

how does one prepare for a complete spending overhaul? i've read a few different lists of suggestions, but i thought i'd post about my own "preparations" -- and no, they don't include stocking a basement full of canned food and guns.

1. unsubscribed from email lists

every day, i'm bombarded by sales, offers, coupons, etc. and i always find myself clicking along, looking at the deals, and, oftentimes, buying stuff i don't need simply because it's on sale or there's a promo code, etc. eliminating the temptation will help, i think--out of sight, out of mind.

2. cancelled my spotify premium account 

this is an indulgence; canceling the premium membership will save me $120 this year.

3. cancelled my gym membership & weight watchers membership

over the past several months, i've successfully lost 40 pounds using weight watchers and working out occasionally. the weight watchers app on my phone is great, and incredibly useful. but over the past few months my weight has plateaued and i wasn't using the app enough to make the monthly fee worth it. i have the knowledge and ability to make better eating habits without an app telling me what's ok and what's not.

same situation with the gym membership-- i just wasn't going to the gym enough to justify the cost each month. i have a bike and two legs--it will be harder to motivate myself to work out, but the resources are there to stay active without the monthly fee. canceling these memberships will save me about $720 this year.

i struggled a bit with canceling these membership as it felt like i was giving up on my health goals, but i think the motivation is still there--it will be harder without these tools, but not impossible. over the past 3 months i haven't utilized either membership much, but managed to maintain my weight successful. it's doable!

4. organized my recipe box & kitchen

i had a mess of recipes in my kitchen--some handwritten, some printed, some i forgot i had ever collected. cooking is fun, and i really enjoy it--but the clean up and prep every day can be weary. for me, having everything neat and tidy, organized and easily accessible, makes the process more enjoyable. i'm not as likely to avoid the kitchen and want to cheat with a restaurant or take out.

5. made plans for a garage sale in the spring

this applies more to my hopes to have less physical clutter in my life, and will hopefully generate a bit of income. we have SO MUCH STUFF in our apartment and downsizing will feel awesome. knowing about the spring garage sale will be helpful, too, because it gives me time to set things aside over the next few months.

...

in the next couple weeks, i'm going to spend some time thinking about really specific goals i'd like to reach as well as establishing a better list of wants vs. needs, which is key to being successful in this project. of course, you guys will be the first to know about them when i do. :)

i'm back!

2 years after i launched my first attempt at the spending fast--and i'm back for more. a lot has changed since then, but many things are just the same. if you remember, the first time around i was following these 9 rules in the hopes that they would eventually lead me to the "debt free life" so many of us dream about.

i was successful for a few months--paid off 2 credit cards and built up a small savings, but something (i dont remember what) changed and the spending floodgates opened wide. i would never say i failed--i made some progress and learned a bit about my wants and needs--but the spending fast ended and slowly but surely i fell back into my usual bad habits.

now i'm ready to try it again, using the original 9 rules as a jumping off point, but with some edits to better reflect my desired outcomes and current needs & wants . so, here they are--a mixture of new and old:

1. i will spend money on items i need:

rent
utilities
gas
groceries
credit card payments
student loan payments
and new to the list: car payment, auto & renters insurance

2. there is absolutely no reason for me to go to target. 

two years later and this is still as true as it every was.

in 2011 i actually went through and figured out how much i spent at target over a 12 month period of time. i'm not going that far this time--what's the point? i know i splurge there way too often. as i said the first time:

"target is my guiltiest of pleasures. i over spend...and there's a sense of addiction involved when it comes to target. it's like an alcoholic's favorite bar...the place you feel the most comfortable getting trashed because you know no one will judge you while you're inside those walls. i walk in intending to just pick up the essentials--maybe i'm out of shampoo or face wash--and i walk out with $100 worth of crap."

and talking to other folks, i know i'm not the only one. time to give it up once again! i will slay you, target, you mighty beast.

3.  i will not buy shoes or clothes.
this is a big one, sticking around from the original list. but i still have plenty and still have no need for new items. this is going to be h.a.r.d.

4. i will pack lunches for work and will say "no" to eating out

i like food, and i like making my own food. but laziness overcomes me and makes it really easy to "forget" to pack my lunch or opt for a fast food dinner over home-made. i'm giving it up! i'm a good cook, and i have mastered the art of couponing (details to come) so unless someone else is treating, i'm not going to eat out.

5. gifts don't need to be extravagant

 i love giving gifts and because of that, i find myself spending way too much on loved ones. i'm sure they're not complaining, but over spending is over spending--even if it's on someone else, not on me.

so, from here on out...i'm going to come up with craftier ways to say, "happy birthday!" or "i love you!" that will come from the heart and probably mean more. i'm not eliminating gifts all together, but i'm going to spend time re-thinking ways to give gifts. 

6. when travel is necessary, travel cheap

i'm not going to nix road trips all together. the movie biz requires us to head out to weekend-long conventions and we have family we love to visit in indiana. but i think it's time to explore ways to cut back on our adventures, when possible. 

7. i will "sleep on it" before making any spending decisions that feel potentially unnecessary

isn't there a saying about how "if it feels wrong, it probably is!" that's what i mean for this rule--i have a tendency to internalize everything, so it's really easy for me to rationalize purchases that probably aren't truly necessary. or, if they are, am i getting the best possible deal? picking the least expensive option? this is mostly about giving up on splurges and spontaneous purchases.

8. i will save a portion of every pay check

the inspiration for this project is anna from and then we saved. her tag line is "saving where we can to spend where we want." am i giving a lot up? yes. am i going to skip lollapalooza this summer, or completely give up on a summer vacation? no, and that's where the saved money comes in. my main focus is eliminating debt, but the goal is to get to a point where i am able to make smart choices about where i'm spending my money- the emphasis there being on the choice. right now, so much of my income goes toward bills, there isn't much choice left. i've put myself in that position, and i want to be done with it. so in addition to eliminating debt, i'm eager to get to a point where instead of pissing away my income on trips to target, i'm able to take trips or buy the necessities without sweating it.

9. i will update the blog regularly to keep myself accountable.


so those are the rules, edited for 2013.

the trick to this whole ordeal is to save money...and to create habits that will stick around for good. so, at the end of this year-long project, we'll see how much i have saved. emphasis on SAVED...not "saved til the end of this year-long project and then used to buy some fancy new presents i've wanted for a few months."

i'm going to use this blog to explore ways i've found to cut back, discuss my struggles and failures, and brag about my successes.

i decided to keep my 2011 posts up, as i'm sort of into myself and like going back to re-read them. plus there are some great recipes that, if you're interested, i recommend highly! so feel free to read about my first attempt--and stick around for 2013!