personal growth and perfect cat eye

hello all,

i was out sick yesterday, i say it's both the healthy eating and budget police catching up with me. i had a delicious burrito bowl sunday and paid the consequences by being horrifically ill for 24 hours.

now that i've shaken that off, time to update you on a very exciting development as a result of using the OCM. as mentioned castor oil is one of the ingredients in my new face wash (which is working fabulously still), and castor oil is known to encourage hair growth. well, i went out on saturday night and noticed a definitive difference in the length of my eyelashes. as a person who historically purchased every deal for mink eyelash extensions even the slightest amount of improvement is a HUGE deal.

it started with me finding a great video for idiot proof cat eyes, using tape as a guide. check it out here (also, how great is she?):

it's as easy as it looks, and while mine may not have been equally perfect to hers, I can't complain. 

Insert bad "cat eye" pun

i've always struggled with the eye flick, and know the frustration of perfecting the first eye to fail miserably on the second. for me at least, this completely avoided that issue. worth noting though that the angle you apply the tape is key, and i was really focused on getting that right. 

more importantly here though - check out how big my eyes look, and how full my eyelashes are. for a girl who was once told she didn't have enough eyelashes for full extension application, i can say this is a proud moment. 

gourmet dinner in

eating out is one of the easiest ways to unexpectedly spend a ton of money, and it's easy to justify too - you need to eat, and you're generally catching up with friends or family. plus, there is no denying, especially in toronto, that there are delicious options on every corner.

but, in the year of the budget, dinners out have to be fewer and further between. so, this weekend instead of going out for dinner i made a delicious, high end meal in. pinterest is amazing inspiration for someone like me, with minimal skills and limited imagination when it comes to food prep.

salmon was on the menu - after buying enough for 3 weeks in the most recent flyer sales excitement. i cook my salmon in a frying pan, and my "trick" is to fry all sides - not just top and bottom, to make sure it is crispy on the outside and just a little pink on the inside.

but, we have salmon often - and there wasn't anything really unique about it this week either. but, what was unique was our side - normally we have asparagus but this week, having recently had a great bocconcini salad at a restaurant, i was going to try that and pinterest helped me track down a recipe that i then added spinach to.

Recipe:

- 1 cup Bocconcini cocktail balls cut in half

- 1 cup grape tomatoes cut in half

- 2-3 handfuls of spinach

- 1/2 cup olive oil, mix with 1-2 cloves of garlic and 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

mix all ingredients together in a bowl, and serve. my only warning is be careful with the garlic, we were happy to be spending the evening in isolation because our breath was mighty deadly. 

it turned out really delicious - by changing our side, we really took an average dinner and made it special. and better yet, saved us from dropping $75 on dinner for two in the city. 

deal site purging

every morning i wake up to 8 new emails, not one of them from a real person. every one one of them trying to convince me to buy 6 things each - all at an incredible deal.

while i may be a glutton for punishment, the temptation is getting a little too much - time to purge. the problem with these emails is that in a moment of weakness, things that you would never ever consider buying are suddenly such a good deal that you couldn't possibly pass it up. not to mention the urgency that is placed on the purchase when there is suddenly a countdown on the screen dictating when you need to act by. i have for the past two years been collecting deals for cupcakes and fake eyelashes - which is evidence in itself of my non-existence self-restraint or sense of logic when it comes to deals.

instead of simply unsubscribing to all, i've streamlined to receive 2 only, as a starting point - no new emails would just make me feel unpopular. for now it is window shopping, but as soon as i've paid off my debt then a deal (having gone through a logic test) can be smart. 

strawberry teeth whitener

hello friends!

three days into the OCM and my face hasn't broken out! while i still can't relax and anticipate that a massive reaction may still be in my future, i do have more confidence in this DIY beauty - and soft skin to boot!

and so, i continue the quest to save money through DIY products. next up? tooth whitener. 

i am a huge sucker for any and every marketing ploy and product out there that offers me whiter teeth. in fact, before christmas, i was very seriously considering getting my teeth professionally whitened. but, in the interest of being on a budget, i instead turn to my trusty friend Pinterest. and the potentials were endless - turns out a lot of people were having the same thought - how do i get white teeth without the big price tag.

the base for all "recipes" was baking soda, which as we know from the face scrub, i have. the specific one that caught my eye though used a strawberry. turns out the strawberry will bring the stains to the service, i'm not sure how that works but sounds like a plan - and at least it would hide the taste of the baking soda. 

- 1 strawberry, medium sized

- 1 tbsp baking soda

I brushed on with a toothbrush, and left for 2 minutes. i couldn't go past 2 minutes as the taste was AWFUL - so turns out i was wrong about hiding the taste. I spent the next 3 minutes brushing it around my teeth. which still didn't make the taste enjoyable, but was at least bearable.

the results were positive, my teeth feel silky and smooth - they are maybe a touch lighter, though certainly are brighter. which, for one application i can't complain about.

before/during/after (top to bottom)

I say, give it a try - most likely you already have the ingredients laying around the house, doing this once a week may not be the highlight but it certainly isn't difficult or time consuming! 

DIY Facewash / scrub

This week, super inconveniently for someone on a strict budget, I ran out of my face moisturizer and scrub. As I was scanning Sephora to restock, I had a thought - was there a simple DIY method to replace both of these for less?

And so the search began. The scrub was easy, within moments I had a recipe for a simple and gentle scrub - baking soda and water. Things that cost me nothing as they were already sitting in my pantry.

The recipe is straight forward:

- 3 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon water

Mix together, and rub on your face for a couple moments, then rinse.

I found that the mix didn't feel like a scrub at all, I will actually try a little more baking soda next time. Once off though, my skin felt smooth but a little dry - it's something I'll try again though I'm not instantly convinced this is a true solution for me.

The more difficult search was a new DIY face moisturizer. Olive oil was the solution I was being offered by the Pinterest community - but with a little more research I found that a lot of people were breaking out after a few days as a result. My skin is combination, and while generally it is clear, I have a history of being prone to breakouts - I was too scared to try the olive oil approach.

I kept looking, and then I came across castor oil, and the "Oil Cleansing Method" . Years of oil free facial washes, moisturizer and a wide variety of cosmetics had me initially shaking my head. But, I couldn't argue with the logic - your skin needs natural oils, and when you strip them out your body is forced to over compensate with oils which ends in an oily face and breakouts. I also couldn't argue with online reviews - people who suffered from mild to severe acne were writing rave reviews. Castor oil is the secret here - with anti-inflammatory and healing properties, it helps to heal the skin and prevent further breakouts. Mixed with olive oil, with the same pH level as the skin, and moisturizing properties - you have a great face wash for moisturizing the skin without breaking out.

While terrified of breaking out, I couldn't help but at least try. Castor oil cost me $6 at a health food store, and the EVOO I already had in the cabinet. Again, the recipe is simple:

- 1.5 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil (cold pressed)
- 2.5 teaspoons castor oil (cold pressed)
- Face cloth

** for dry skin 3:1 EVOO/Castor oil, for oily skin 1:3. 

Mix ingredients together and massage onto the skin. Once applied to the skin, run a face cloth under hot water, and apply for one minute (until the cloth starts feeling cold). Then rinse.

My skin instantly felt dewy, and glowed. I can't help but feel paranoid that I'm going to wake up in the morning with skin that has broken out from the oil - but so far so good, my skin feels amazing. I'll be sure to update you in the morning - but if this does end well, then the benefits extend beyond soft, clear skin - castor oil and EVOO are great for anti-aging.

Stay tuned for an update on both fronts.

Extreme couponer - training wheels edition

In third year university I went grocery shopping. And in the interest of being a starving student, I bought nothing but the cheapest of everything.

We'll call that an eye opening experience - half I couldn't eat, half I wouldn't eat. And so I returned to buying a little less of the more expensive stuff. Now though, older and wiser and a healthier eater it is time to find a solution to grocery costs that doesn't require me to give up quality all together.

Insert flyers, which in all honesty have been gathering on my front porch in a pile for about two months, and so they will continue to gather - as I'm doing this the digital way.

Insert FlyerFlo another app for my iPad that pulls in all my local stores' flyers and helps me quickly and easily review them all before heading out. The simplicity of this eliminates every excuse I had in the past of not liking newsprint, not having them all, etc. the only thing that would make the app better would be for it to generate a grocery list based on what I'm looking to buy.

But now, list in hand I'll head out tomorrow for my shop, and be sure to update on the multiple store grocery shop and whether it is worth it, or if saving a couple bucks isn't worth the hassle.

New year, new (green) you

I start every morning with a green smoothie. I know a lot of people's reactions to them are at best negative. But, I promise they taste delicious and are so good for you. I've eaten them for breakfast for just shy of a year.

The wall of fatigue that I used to hit around 3pm at work - you know the wall, where you debate the acceptability of napping under your desk - is eliminated when eaten on a regular basis.

Which leads me to two points. The first, with getting in shape being such a big focus this time of year, be sure to add them to your diet, they jump start your day and metabolism and help get you to your healthy weight.

The second, while fruits and vegetables aren't the cheapest this time of year, starting the day right means eliminating the mid morning Starbucks break. Which can shave a good $5 off your daily spending,

Here's my recipe - it certainly isn't a science, the banana flavour is so strong it is hard to go wrong. Let me know if you have any suggestions for making it better!

Ingredients:
A handful of spinach (build this up over time as your body begins to crave it)
About half a frozen banana
Frozen cut up peaches or mangoes
A few cut strawberries
Water added as necessary to desired thickness

Mix together in a blender - we use the magic bullet - and enjoy! Case in point it is delicious? Even my cat Henry can't resist.

Mint-y fresh

I recently downloaded mint.com's app for the ipad, and it can be credited with nudging me in the right direction.

It's a great financial management app that I was able to connect my bank accounts and credit card to - and I mean all of them. The "joy" of having multiple accounts and credit cards is that you're able to hide, ignorance is bliss as they say, and several small debts never seem that big of a deal than one lump sum. And so, within moments of downloading the writing was on the wall.

The other nice feature of the app is that it tracks your bills and all fees that go against your account. Meaning monthly fees that normally get pulled from my account that I should be exempt for are suddenly very obviously on display. Step one in operation financial clean-up: learn about your accounts, review all debits and credits to your account, and talk to your bank about how to streamline so you're not paying for things you ought not.

I will be the first to admit I'm financially inept - merely speaking to the bank sets me on the verge of a panic attack. For those like me, and truly anyone who wants to track their money I would recommend this app. It's hard to hide from the reality when it's laid out on a platter for your review.

And so it begins

I never do New Years resolutions. I have always assumed they were nothing more than a fad - to lure you into an overpriced gym membership you wouldn't use past feb 3rd.

What changed? Well, eight weeks ago I started eating clean - no sugar, white flour, or processed foods and the surprising thing? It stuck. I feel better physically, emotionally and most importantly realize that I can stick with something.

So, In the interest of excess I have five resolutions.

1. Lose 5 pounds (seemed the easy place to start as a newbie to resolutions)
2. Bring less work home
3. Brush up on my French
4. Be more self sufficient
5. Be debt free by the end of 2013

And then I got to thinking, 4 and 5 are quite closely tied. I'm in debt as a reflection of spending too much money on pretty clothing, expensive cosmetics and eating out instead of focusing on paying off student loans. Time to refine, or establish, my DIY skills.

Thoroughout the year you'll see me struggle, whether its sewing, cooking or building, and hopefully at the end of this I have new skills and a much happier bank account.