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Food for thought

10/22/2012

Heeey everybody! I just wanted to make a post today saying how sorry I am that it's been so long since I've posted anything! I've been working 3-5 days a week, sometimes up to 10 hours a day at the Factory of Terror, allll October long, not to mention, still working at my other job. So it's been pretty crazy to say the least! Most days I've been waking up at about noon, and then a couple hours later leaving for the Factory, and then not get home till about 2:30 in the morning, which is when I try to spend a little bit of time with my love before passing out, completely exhausted. Today has been my first day off in 6 days, and I was sooo excited, but then I wake up this morning sick...but I'm not surprised; I haven't been getting enough sleep, I haven't been eating properly, and I've been working long hours in the cold! So today I am going to relax (I am writing this while wrapped up in my snuggie, waiting for the boyfriend to clean his room so we can watch Desperate Housewives with my sister [what a great boyfriend he is!]), and drink lots of orange juice and Apple Cider Vinegar. So wish me luck on getting better today, cuz tomorrow I gotta go back to work!

Peace Love and Health!
Jess <3

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Ghandi...

10/13/2012

Save this Picture. Look at it every day. Memorize it. LIVE it. :)

Peace Love and Ghandi
Jess <3

15 Ways to Save Money

10/8/2012

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I have my own personal opinion that Americans suffer from what I think of as a disease, called Consumerism. Now I'm not sure what the actual definition of consumerism is, but my definition is that we buy things that we don't need, we think that buying 'things' will make us happy, we get credit cards only to rack up hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt buying stupid, useless stuff! It is a HUGE problem that we as Americans face! So today I am presenting you with, "15 Ways to Save Money." These are all principles I apply to my daily life, and they are not very hard to do!
I hope some of these can help you with your personal budget and finances!

1. Save (and Roll) your Change!
When I was a bartender, I saved and rolled all my change. Quarters, nickles, dimes, pennies, all of it! In a week I would get about $50.00 in cash from the bank for cashing in my change! That's not bad! Especially for "just change" that most people throw out!

2. Don't order soda when you go out to eat.
I wanna do a little math here (and I'm not very good with math, so bear with me :p) Let's say, you go out to eat once a week. A pop costs about $2.00. So, once a week you spend $2. In one month $8. And in one year you spend $96. With tax and everything, you are spending over $100 dollars JUST FOR POP!
And pop is BAD for you! Extremely bad! So just stick to water when going out, and use the extra money for

3. Get a separate savings account, that you don't touch, except to put money in.
And put 10% of every pay check in there. You can use this money for; if an emergency comes up, so you won't have to rely on credit cards, and to save up for important things!

4. Pay off your credit card every month!
If you can't afford to pay for your purchases at the end of every month, then don't buy it!

5. Don't impulse buy!
You might think that your impulse spending isn't hurting anything, because it's just a little bit of money here and there, but I bet if you KEEP TRACK of all your impulse buys for a month, then you will suddenly discover where all your money is disappearing to.

6. Shop second hand
Thrift stores, rummage sales, garage sales, flea markets! Not only will you be saving money, but they are soooo much more fun than just going to the mall. Not to mention, you will be finding unique, different, awesome stuff that you couldn't find in stores! Some of my favorite things ever bought have come from second hand shopping!

7. Remember, "You Don't Need Everything"

8. Stop buying paper towels
Use rags made from cut up old t-shirts instead. Not only will this be saving trees, and helping not fill our landfills as quick, but you will also save A LOT of money.

9. Start practicing the Buddhist principle that less is more

10. Don't use a dryer
Dry your clothes on a clothes rack.

11. Go to Dollar Stores for home care items
Shampoo, soap, razors, deodorant, eye makeup, fingernail polish; these things can all be purchased at Dollar General, Dollar Tree, and Family Dollar, for MUCH cheaper than at most places.

12. Find a "Bent n Dent" store close to you
Bent and dent stores are stores that get rejected good from stores. Whether its because the packaging has a dent in it, it's getting close to expiration, or just a surplus. These stores sell the products for over a 90% markdown! For example, I buy boxes of soymilk there for $.39 At a "normal" store, that same box costs over $3! I get all my nonperishable foods there, and that store has saved me THOUSANDS of dollars. And most of the stuff I get there is ORGANIC. That costs a LOT more at a "normal" store.

13. Don't buy a brand new car
that you're going to be paying off for YEARS. The amount of money you're paying in just interest over those years, you could take and buy a used (but still very good) car!

14. Open a Reward Checking Account
In this one, you're technically not SAVING money, but you'll be MAKING money, from the interest. Ask your bank about this. I do it at my bank and it's so great!

15. Every paycheck, put at least 10%in your savings account
If you do this, it is much more likely that you won't spend that money on impulse buys! For example, if you bring home a $300 paycheck for your week, put $30 in your savings, and the other $270 in your checking. By the end of the next week, you will most likely have spent everything in your checking, simply because it is "there" (Example; you're at the store. Hmmm...I don't really NEED this, but it's only $20, and I have plenty of money in my checking...Ok I'll get it!), but you won't have touched that $30 you have in your savings. That's $30 you won't even miss, but if you do that every week for a year, that's $1,400!

*Which of these tips are you going to put into practice? Do you have any of your own money saving tips that you would like to share? Leave comments! :) *

Peace Love and Savings
Jess <3

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Decorating Your Room...! From a (not) pro decorator

10/5/2012

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I loooove decorating! I re-arrange my room about 5 times a year (sometimes more if I'm feeling ambitious or restless), and every time I do, not only does it give me such a feeling of accomplishment, but I always feel refreshed and rejuvinated, like I have a fresh start, and it allows me to fall in love with my room and my decorations all over again! Re-arranging your room is about the quickest and easiest fix for when you're feeling restless and need a change (which is quite often for me!). Now, I don't claim AT ALL to be an interior decorator, or even know what I'm doing with this, but I think my room always turns out pretty awesome, and it's super fun! So here's my newest arrangement of my room, and some tips about how to decorate yours too!
I usually get a piece of paper and draw out a detailed map of my room, complete with where all the windows and doors are, and then decide where everything goes, but you can also just wing it if you'd like.

Here's my bed. It's just a cot with a boxspring and mattress on top of it, and I have no headboard. My sheets are silk (custom made for my bed in China SUPER cheap). Silk sheets (or even imitation silk) are the ONLY way to sleep. Oh my goooodness...you could sleep on a bed of nails and it would still be comfortable, just because your body is pressed up against silk...hmm....haha ok moving on!
I have a sari that I got from a lady in Fiji, hanging from my ceiling with thumbtacks, draping across my bed. This is one of my cutest, easiest decorating tips. You can get some old fabric at a Thrift Store, or even JoAnn Fabrics, and use that! Here I did the same thing for my Chinese night.
I have some of my t-shirt pillows that I made for myself propped up against the wall. You can get your own, custom made t-shirt pillows here.

Here's one of my favorite things in my room. I have a tutorial here on how to make it.

My music corner! Complete with record player, and my record collection.
The cruisin, golden oldies, and guitar wall hangings I got for .25 each at a thrift store!
My Jim Morrison, Elvis, and Beatles Posters.
My book shelf is in the corner also.
It can be a good idea to make themes in different corners of your room, like I did here.

My INCREDIBLE record collection. All in alphabetical order of course :) >>>

Old Wooden Crates to Storage Shelves that I made myself! These are so good if you don't have a lot of space to put things (like me). It only takes up wall space, and you can put decorations in it, or anything else you would like (behind my Led Zeppelin plaque is where I store snacks! Haha). This idea has saved me soo much room and to be honest looks pretty awesome. I made a tutorial here. This was one of my first tutorials!

My dresser. Yes, it is a little bit cluttered. But if you look on the right side, it has my Batman collection! That's my last decorating tip. If you have a collection of something, show it off!
On the left hand side is more pictures and souvenirs from places I've been. That is a re-occuring theme in my room. It kind of pulls the whole thing together.
So there you have it! You get a sneak peek at my room! And some exciting new ideas for your room! I may not be a professional, but not too bad...!

Peace Love and Decorating
Jess <3

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My Poof with a Headband Tutorial

10/1/2012

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I just kind of made up this hairstyle the other night, and I looove it. It is BEYOND easy to do, and looks BEYOND adorable! It's a really cute easy pinup hairstyle too.