The Cash-Only May Challenge

After hearing about the many benefits of paying with cash only, I decided that the month of May will be the opportunity for a new challenge.  On May 1, I am going to take out $400 in cash.  Anything I do in May such as eating out, entertainment, drinks, desserts, shopping, etc will come out of that cash.  When I'm done with it, I'm done with it.  That's it.

The reason this is so effective is the physical feeling of "losing" money when you pay in cash.  You have a set amount, and when you spend money, you can actually see your amount decreasing.  With debit/credit cards, it's very "out of sight out of mind."

This challenge will be similar to my No Spend Saveuary/January.  I am not completely eliminating extraneous spending, but I am definitely going to watch every penny so that I don't run out of that $400 before the month is up.

Why am I doing this?  I think it will train me to budget even more than I do now.  It will also allow me to save for things like my birthday in June, and my trip to Ireland in July.

Anyone else with me?

I Really Like this Quote

This quote sums up a lot of what my blog is about.

Being frugal means "you can have anything you want, but you can't have everything you want."  

I love this.  Because it goes perfectly with my blog.  I don't save money because I never want to spend it.  I save money by not buying things I don't need or genuinely want because I want to spend it on things I absolutely want.  I'm saving money by not buying those $100 jeans because I want to go on a vacation, not because I'm a cheap person.

I just purchased a Groupon this morning for $59 (orig $69 but I had a $10 credit) for 4 weeks of boot camp classes.  This is totally worth it to me, not because it was originally $160 and I'm saving 57% or whatever.  But because it's something I want to do to be healthier and happier.  I made the CHOICE to spend my money on that instead of something less valuable to me because I'm frugal...but not cheap!

FREE Bumper Sticker Giveaway!

Do you like BUMPER STICKERS?  BuildASign.com is giving away FREE bumper stickers!  All you have to do is share your custom design on Facebook and voila!  You get a bumper sticker 100% free!  No shipping, nothing.  Free, Free, Free!

 All you have to do is go to http://www.buildasign.com/bumperstickergiveaway and design your favorite sticker! Add it to your shopping cart, checkout, and you're done.  You don't even have to enter any credit card information!

25% Off at Old Navy Today!

Today only, you can get 25% off at Old Navy with the promo code ONSPRING.  Old Navy has a ton of inexpensive dresses right now too, so you can get some really great deals right now.

If you give this a little time, you can still get some discounts, but it's one of those "vanishing" promotions.  Today you get 25% off, 4/15 and 4/16 you can get 20%, and then 4/17 you get 15% off.  Obviously, you'll want to use this today!

Lean Cuisine Chicken Pot Stickers Review

I made a quick stop at HEB this evening and picked up a few new things to try out.  One of these was one of those new steam-in-the-bag Lean Cuisine Market Creations Chicken Pot Stickers.  First, I'm going to run down the nutrition facts so that you know what you're getting:

Calories               270
Fat                       6g
Fiber                    5g
Protein                11g
Sodium                750mg
Carbohydrates   42g

Weight Watchers PointsPlus 7   (for those of you on WW)

About the Market Creations
These meals are a bit different from the normal TV dinners we're all used to.  Instead of a plastic container, these come in a steaming bag.  It's single serve, for those of us who like to cook for one (me!!).  You have to use your own dish, but I actually prefer that as it improves the eating experience.

Maybe Add Something Extra?
Now, these are meant for dinner, and that's the meal that I ate them in.  I also ate a spring mix salad with shredded carrots, avocado, crab stick, and Annie's Goddess dressing.  I think that's totally fine, since neither part of the meal had too many calories.  With both this and the salad, I am definitely full.  I'm pretty sure I'd still be hungry with only the potstickers.  That's my only con to this frozen dinner.

So how does it taste?  
I have to say, this is definitely a new favorite of mine.  It's slightly more expensive than the other Lean Cuisine meals, but only by a few cents, and tastes a ton better.  The potstickers tasted like REAL potstickers.  It also had crunchy water chestnuts, edamame beans, green beans, red peppers, and carrots in a sweet chili ginger soy sauce.  The veggies tasted crunchy and fresh, not soggy and mushy like most frozen meal veggies do.

My Rating?  

My Secret Reward: Worth $50!

So I thought only the $10 rewards existed.  I have been proven wrong!  My mother sent me her Victoria's Secret Secret Reward Card (always worth at least $10) and I checked it out today on www.victoriassecret.com.  I was expecting a $10 card, just like almost every other one...but guess what?  Mine is worth $50!  I am so excited, and I know exactly what I'm going to get with it.  Unfortunately, $50 doesn't go TOO far at VS (it's worth about 1 bra or 10 pairs of underwear) but I am still excited.

I have been very lucky lately!  The other day I won free shoes from Keds.  Check out these sweet babies which should be coming soon: