Pancakes and Shoppix

Happy Saturday evening All!  I must be almost back to my normal self after fighting a very bad cold or two over the past couple of weeks.  Geesh has my energy been swiped!  Pancake Day is Tuesday, so in preparation for that yummy day, I'm going to share the recipe I use every single time I make pancakes at home... oh yeah, they're the fluffy American version... and they're soooo good. I also want to introduce you to Shoppix - an app that earns you rewards when you snap pictures of your receipts. 

Many Saturdays begin with pancakes. Delicious... hot... yummy... pancakes.  So American, right?!  Every now and then we'll even enjoy them during the week for supper with some bacon and either a fruit salad or smoothie.  I'm not one for European-style flat pancakes or crepes... do nothing for me, tbh.  The shop shelves are prepped with all of the ingredients and skillets to make pancakes on Tuesday.  That's fine, but for inexpensive, fluffy pancakes, here's the recipe I follow:

Pancakes 
Recipe from a Betty Crocker cookbook. Recipe for 6 pancakes; can be easily doubled.

1 large egg
1 cup all-purpose/plain or whole wheat flour
3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Butter

1. Beat egg in medium bowl with whisk until fluffy.  Beat in remaining ingredients except butter until smooth (but don't over mix).

2. Heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat. Grease with butter to prevent sticking.

3. For each pancake, use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to scoop out equal-sized pancakes. Cook pancakes until bubbles rise to the top of the pancake then flip pancake to allow to cook for a minute on the other side. 

4. Serve with warmed maple syrup.

We use Costco's Kirkland 100% Pure Maple Syrup.  This 1L jug of syrup works out cheaper per 250ml than the maple syrup from Aldi.  

We sometimes enjoy pumpkin spice pancakes, banana pancakes, chocolate chip pancakes and oatmeal pancakes.  There are so many variations!  On Pancake Day, we'll probably have savoury pancakes, but I haven't decided what exactly.

I downloaded the Shoppix app last month with the aim of finding little ways of making money with little effort.  So far, it has been quite easy - I simply submit a picture of my receipts and collect tokens, which can be redeemed for gift cards from Amazon.co.uk, iTunes and Love2Shop.  I can also earn tokens by earning bonuses, taking short surveys and referring friends to Shoppix.  It's really not complicated or time consuming. I haven't redeemed any tokens yet, but they're adding up quickly.  

If you'd like to try Shoppix for yourself, feel free to use my referral code BWYWDADY when you download the app and sign up. We could both earn 200 tokens!  

Just a quick overview of our day - today was a "Home Day" for the Boltons, mainly because my in-laws are coming to visit at the end of the week and some major organising needed to happen today - some did, but we didn't get as far as I would have liked.  After pancakes this morning, I headed to Home Bargains for a few items:
Allinson's Plain Flour - 69p
Wild Bird Seed - 99p
Heinz mayo - 89p (a super buy for a 710ml jar)
Bag of Cadbury Picnic Bites - 49p
4x boxes of Tempo tissues - 99p each
Tyrrells crisps - 79p
Toilet bowl cleaner - 59p
Hills biscuits - 26p
Heart chocolates for the girls for Valentine's Day - 79p,
Microfibre dish cloths - 99p
Red lentils - 79p
Fig rolls - 39p
Aquafresh toothbrush for Ellen - 95p, which I saw a little while later at Tesco for £2! 
LOVE Home Bargains!

Then I went to Tesco - I won't go through everything I bought there, but one thing I really love are the FREE Tesco magazines that can be found at the checkouts.  I pick one up on the way in to look at the page of coupons in case there's something I can use in store.  Once home I made homemade ranch dressing mix to make a dip for veggies to have with lunch, then lunch, then dishes... boring.  I did, however, listen to the inspiring Retire Inspired Podcast while I was making lunch.  We spent the afternoon organising the girls' rooms; in attempt to de-clutter, I managed to give away a chalkboard easel that we had been given, but nothing else I posted on the Facebook selling pages sold yet... bummer. 

Something that frustrates me soooo much is the cost of soup at the grocery store... it's sooo expensive for what you get. Think about it! It's mostly water and vegetables!  So although I did buy a small container of carrot and coriander 😝 soup for £1 at Tesco for the girls for tomorrow's lunch, I made a huge pot of my favourite curried butternut squash and lentil soup this evening to last us a few days plus some for the freezer.  Here's the link to the recipe.

My super-exciting, envy-inducing day has concluded with submitting receipts on the Shoppix app, updating our budget and writing this blog while enjoying this super-amazing bar of HRH Highgrove Milk Chocolate... with the hubby, of course. This bar of chocolate was part of a Fortnum and Mason gift basket we received for Christmas (my friend, Pam, really truly knows the way to my heart), but out of curiosity, I perused the Highgrove website for said bar of chocolate.... £3.95!!! What?!  Sooo delicious.  And there's a salted almond chocolate bar, too.  Oh, yes! 

Pancakes, Home Bargains, Tesco, organising, soup, Shoppix and a bar of chocolate.. that's what dreams are made of, right?  Not exactly, but that was my day.  How was yours? 

Citrus-Scented Vinegar Spray

Cleaning products may not be the most expensive item in the house, but if there's a less expensive way of doing something, I'm all for trying it!  The use of vinegar for cleaning is certainly frugal and effective, plus it's natural and non-toxic.

I keep a spray bottle of half vinegar, half water on my window sill in the kitchen to wipe down the table and counter tops after use and use the same spray on fruit and vegetables as a quick produce wash.  I use distilled/white vinegar to descale the coffee maker and to clean and freshen the dishwasher every 2 months or so; however, it has been a while since I used vinegar to clean the bathrooms.

A month or so ago I was reading one of my favourite house keeping websites, One Good Thing by Jillee, which discussed making scented vinegar to clean with.  I loved this idea and the pictures on this website are so fantastic!  (I will learn how to take the same quality of pictures some day.)  

Simply fill a jar with leftover lemon or orange peels... I actually used clementine peels... fill with distilled/white vinegar and wait 1-2 weeks for the oils from the peels to be released into the vinegar.  Jillee recommends heating the vinegar which expedites the rate of this process, so I'll have to try this next time.  I poured the scented vinegar through a sieve into a jug, then poured it into the spray bottle. I did not dilute the vinegar with water as I wanted to maximize its germ-killing power for cleaning the bathrooms. 

Does vinegar actually kill germs? According to everything I read online, the answer is yes. According to this very interesting and informative article, the simple act of scrubbing effectively kills bacteria.  Add to it vinegar and hot soapy water and you have a germ-killing powerhouse in your hands. 

I use a microfiber cloth to clean with, which also picks up bacteria within its fibers.  The toilet bowl I scrub with a worn dish sponge, then discard it after use. 

Perhaps you're concerned your house will smell of pungent vinegar after using vinegar to clean with.  The scent does last about a half hour, but my girls didn't mention it, nor did my husband notice it when he came home from work a little while later, so it probably wasn't too bad.  I, however, noticed how very clean my bathrooms looked and am very pleased to say that I will continue to use vinegar - scented or not - to clean with.

How We "Spent" Our Weekend

I have to admit - it's been a challenging week.  First thing Monday morning at the gym, my weak side got the better of me which, in the end, has caused me to realise, once and for all, that I need to work hard to overcome this.  This weakness is affecting my loved ones, but with the Lord's strength, this "mountain" shall be moved.  I know this is completely vague, but please know that I've been struggling with this for as long as I can remember, but I have faith that the Lord can take this affliction away from me.  

Later Monday morning my sister-in-law said good-bye to her fiance, who she has been with for over 20 years.  His somewhat unexpected passing caused Jeff and me to think about "what if...?"  Though we have a will, is it up to date? We still need to get the appropriate amount of life insurance; though we have some, it's not enough to sustain us should something happen to one of us. Also our "Important Documents" folder hasn't been updated in at least 2 years.

Monday evening a bad cold came on suddenly leaving me feeling achy and having a deep cough on Tuesday.  Thankfully the achiness only lasted a day, but the tiredness and coughing continues.

Thankfully our weekend brightened despite the draining week we've had.  After taking 3 days off from the gym, I returned on Friday but only really had the strength and stamina to walk on the treadmill for half an hour.  I did the same on Saturday morning plus shoulder exercises while listening to The School of Greatness Podcast by Lewis Howes, who interviewed Tererai Trent.  I have never heard of her before, but she is an inspiration to achieve the impossible.  I'm so glad I got to the gym both mornings; each morning I asked myself what I CAN do, which was the treadmill, and better than having stayed in bed and not done anything. I'll be back to my usual spinning and abs classes tomorrow morning thankfully.

Oh, I did squeal silently with delight when I found £1 at the gym - just to add to the other two 5p coins I found earlier in the week! Ka-ching!

Saturday morning we headed to Enginuity, a science-based museum near Ironbridge.  Of course, I wouldn't pay the £32 entrance fee - no way!  Thankfully we were able to use the annual passes from Jeff's work which they ask a £5 contribution for.  Gladly!  Of course, there's the £3 parking fee to pay as well, but for an indoor family activity on a cold, rainy morning, £8 isn't too bad.  We went home after a couple of hours for lunch, but of course, driving into Ironbridge to one of the nice cafes or restaurants along the River Severn did cross my mind!   

Before I forget, we added £49 this week to the girls' university savings fund by selling our once-beloved Little People castle and princesses to our dear friends, a pair of boots and a large bundle of 2-year-old clothes.  There's still so much left to sell!  I'm still contemplating whether to spend the time and effort to tag items for the next NCT Nearly New Sale in March; I've done so many, many times before, but just not sure it's worth the time and effort.  The day I spend volunteering at the sale is always fun though!

Last night, Jeff and I hunkered down to watch a WONDERFUL movie called "Lion".  The DVD was kindly lent to me by my coworker, so cost me nothing.  It was another reminder of all the blessings in my life.  Have your tissue box ready for this one, but I HIGHLY recommend watching it.

This morning we went to church, came home for lunch, Skyped with my mom and step-dad, then took the girls to a fun birthday party at the school.  You may be wondering what we spend on presents for kids from school.  It varies, but somewhere in the region of £5 per gift, which may also include a bag of sweets.  We have a "gifts for others" section of our budget that we contribute a bit to each month.  

On the walk home from the party, Subway tempted us to come inside, but thankfully we didn't have any money on us and I knew we had leftover bolognese waiting for us at home.  (BOR-ING!)  Not really, but Subway sure sounded good! 

This evening I baked 6 chicken breasts to use for lunches and dinner on Tuesday evening, as well as a meatloaf to have with sweet potatoes tomorrow evening.  I wanted to not only get ahead with meal prep but also save electricity by baking them at the same time.  While these baked, Jeff and I compared our February budgets to make sure we're "on the same page" with our finances - it's sooo important to be working together!

One more frugally bit to leave you with this evening.  When I have tea left over in the tea pot from making cups of tea, I let it cool slightly and pour the remainder into a glass, top it up with a bit of water and chill it in the fridge for a cool iced tea the next day.  Delish!   

Our Month in Review: January

Hi Friends, I'm not feeling very well this evening, but I wanted to touch base with you before I hit the hay (I sound like my grandma!).  I want you to take the time to reflect on your January, and I want to let you in on some of the things that have gone well this month.

How has the first month of 2018 gone for you?  What has gone well for you?  Where is there room for improvement?  There's always room for improvement! 

Before I go any further, you're probably wondering what this protein bar has to do with our January review.  Answer: nothing.  It was a freebie worth £2 that was delivered with our meat order from UKFreshMeats this evening, which, by the way, I used a voucher code and got 10% off my order.  Score! 

Where did things go well for the Boltons (that's us) this month? 

I set myself a goal of spending at least £50 less on food from the shop this month, and I not only achieved this goal, I saved an additional £83 on top of this!  Yeah! How did I do this?  The usual meal planning, stretching meals by having slightly smaller portions at supper to have enough for either or both of our lunches the next day, and adding in an extra meat-free meal each week (usually breakfast for dinner).  I also used about £50 worth of Nectar points over a few shops at Sainsbury's.  I could do better by planning our meals slightly better so that I make fewer trips to our local Morrison's.  I have probably shopped more at Morrison's this past month, because of the convenience of it being so close to home, than ever before. 

My US passport was due for renewal next month, so I had to factor in that pretty big cost into the budget along with the delivery charges this month.  I should have budgeted for this monthly since I realised in the summer that it would expire, but I was in denial and had to fork out the money for it all in one month.  Ouch.  But hey, we cut back in a few areas in order to pay up front for my new passport.  I will also probably have to pay for a new "Indefinite Leave to Remain" put in my new passport, so my goal is to figure out what I need to do for this in the next week.

Eating out/Restaurants.  I enjoy eating out... sometimes.  Honestly, I struggle to get over the cost of mediocre food often served by miserable waitstaff.  However, our girls enjoy going out... kids meals are usually great value, because they often include a drink, a starter, a main meal and a dessert.  I seriously wish I could order from the kids meal!  This month our restaurant budget had to be reduced £10 to be put toward my passport, which meant one meal out.  Since my husband's meals at the canteen go into our restaurant budget as well as coffees out - neither are often - it didn't leave much for our meal out.  I let the girls choose between McDonalds and a pizza restaurant - no surprise, they chose McDs.  We were still under budget by £2.03 in our restaurant budget this month... yippee!

We were slightly over budget (by £1.05) this month in our "play" budget due to treating our friends' children to soft play a couple of weeks ago... but it was TOTALLY worth it.  The £1.05 I'll carry over into February's budget so that it balances out over the two months. 

Not everything went according to plan... hey, that's life, right?!  We decided to book our flights "home" to Ohio.  I had been carefully watching for price drops for a few months, but there wasn't much change. However, I know that prices tend to increase, due to basic economics, in the winter months because people long for their summer holidays.  I was having difficulty using my credit card to book the flights, so I asked my husband to.  I won't go into detail, but one tiny error on our reservation resulted in a correction fee of £50.   All in all though we saved about £400 over last year's flights due to a new route on Iceland Air between Reykjavik and Cleveland.  So, we'll fly a different way from Manchester into a different airport, Cleveland, but £400 is definitely worth it!  (At least I hope so.)

Other than those things, nothing was too different in January.  We were even given the opportunity to bless an almost stranger with a small financial gift, which I feel absolutely blessed by! 

I planned ahead for February yesterday and this evening by preparing our budget for the next month.  Honestly, I LOVE to update my budget.  *Weirdo alert!*  It allows me to have a sense of control over our finances, which is completely freeing!  I do, however, know that everything is in the Lord's control, not mine.

Enjoy Life NOW

Do you think it's possible to enjoy life while getting out of debt or working towards your financial goals? I believe it's absolutely possible, because this is how we - my family - live.  Read through this screenshot of a question someone posted on the Dave Ramsey UK Based Support Group Facebook page a few days ago followed by my reply:

I'd like to break down both her question and my reply.  "Dave podcasts" are Dave Ramsey's (DR) Daily podcasts which can be found through daveramsey.com or on the Dave Ramsey app.  I listen to parts of his podcasts pretty much every day for inspiration and education.

Dave's catch phrase "live like no one else, so you can later live and give like no one else" is so incredibly motivating to me.  To live like no one else means to not live like the average Joe meaning to budget, save, pay off any debt, not accumulate any more debt, save for retirement and to live within one's means. Basically this means to make some sacrifices and delay gratification TODAY so that you can prepare for TOMORROW.  The second half of this statement "so you can later live and give like no one else" means that when the time comes that you have paid off all debt, including your mortgage, saved an emergency fund worth 3-6 months of expenses, contributed 15% of your income towards retirement, and saved for your children's university fees, you can then live an EXTRAORDINARY life and give EXTRAORDINARILY knowing that you're financially secure.

Just a note on giving.  Christians believe in tithing 10% of their income to their local church and missionaries to give back to God what is His in the first place.  It's a monthly "thank you" gift to the Lord who has given us everything we have for the furtherance of His kingdom.  I know that everyone believes different things about tithing and giving, but I think we'd all agree that it changes one's heart.  It makes one think beyond one's self or one's ego.  And for this reason, I encourage everyone, no matter where you are with your finances to give, even just a tiny amount, on a regular basis.  Once you've freed up money that's going towards paying off debt, you can give more.  Once more money is freed up after having enough money in a fully-funded emergency fund, then you can give even more.  Once you've saved for your children's education (I know there are differing opinions on this) and have plenty going into retirement savings, then you can GIVE like no one else... that means BIG money! How exciting!

The husband's question to his wife in this post is actually absolutely fabulous!  He's thinking beyond today.  He's considering how to break free of the lifestyle they're used to, how they can enjoy life while they work together to accomplish their goals.

Ok, just to clarify a bit more before getting to my reply.  "BS2" stands for Baby Step 2, which in DR's plan refers to paying off all non-mortgage debt.  DR's plan has 7 steps plus BS0, which must have been added after 1-7 were created.  More on these in future blogs!  Or watch some videos on YouTube.

Now to my reply: enjoy money NOW.  By planning where your money goes (ie. budgeting) and sticking to it, you have the ability to enjoy what is left over NOW.  You don't have to sit, twiddling your thumbs and being miserable while you wait for time to pass and for your financial goals to happen.  NO!  The aim of my blog is to encourage you to "find pennies" or small ways to save money while you live your best life! (Now I'm sounding like Oprah!)  That doesn't mean once you achieve your financial goals or get to Baby Step 7, that means NOW!  LIVE LIFE NOW!

Moving on... I used to shudder at the thought of contentment.  "How can I possibly be content with what I have when so-in-so has so much more than me?"  The Lord has taught me sooo much about contentment the past few years.  The Lord provides for all of my needs.  I don't need anything more. I have a roof over my head, warm clothes and plenty of food.  I have so much more than that!  Do we live in my dream home? Far from it.  Do I wear the prettiest, designer clothes.  Uh, no.  Do we take exotic vacations/holidays multiple times a year? Not unless trips to visit our families in Northern Ireland and Ohio count.  Since putting my 2018 mantra "I have enough" into practice, it's made me take an even closer look at how content I am with what I have.  It's also about making the most of what we have and being thankful for everything.  Believe me, it's still something I'm working through and I'm not sure whether I'll ever be truly content... on Earth, that is.

Simple.  Isn't the word simple such a beautiful word?!  It's not complex. It's easy to understand.  What simple means to you may mean something different to me.  Simple to me means looking at situations and finding the root of why I'm doing it.  Is it to fulfill something in myself?  Is it to impress others?  What is it?  Are you going shopping to get out of the house?  Could you go for a walk somewhere instead?  Are you popping into the local cafe for a coffee and slice of cake "as a treat"?  What about making a pot of coffee and baking a cake at home?  A big part of simplification is slowing down and appreciating what you truly want from a moment in time.  It's about making things habitual or automatic, so you can focus on what you really want out of life.

You probably already know that very little excites me more than finding a discount code for something I was already going to purchase.  Or finding a cheaper and more effective way of doing something.  I love getting things for free.  I love when my kids are happy doing inexpensive, fun things together, like looking for "mini beasts" on a walk, baking together, playing a game together or our once-a-month meal out.

The idea is that with some simplification, contentment and creativity, you can live your best life NOW... no matter where you are in your financial adventure. photo credit

6 Rules I Follow For Using My Tumble Dryer

A recent post on the Dave Ramsey UK Facebook group I follow asked, "What's your 'luxury' that you're not prepared/struggling to give up?"  Another member answered, "my tumble dryer" and I couldn't agree more!  I LOVE our dryer.  It dries clothes... within an hour and a half... and it comes out all fluffy and warm and fluffy and warm.... *grin*

Before I moved to Germany in 2003, I never had the "pleasure" of hanging each. and. every. single. item of clothing on a drying rack that took up half a room, then wait patiently for about two days for the clothes to finally dry only to have the clothes come off the drying rack stiff and wrinkled.  I had the pleasure of using drying racks through 2014 when we moved into our current house.  I pretty much demanded that we have a utility room in our house so that I could have a tumble dryer... a lovely tumble dryer. 

If I remember correctly, the first load of laundry I dried in our new dryer included my daughter Ellen's blankie.  I remember calling the little 2-year-old to the utility room.  The little blonde headed girl came toddling in and squealed with absolute delight when she snuggled her warm, soft blankie for the first time.  Tears filled my eyes and a lump formed in my throat.  Yep, there is nothing like a tumble dryer. #tumbledryerlove

As I was emptying the dryer a little while ago, I realised I follow my own money-saving rules even when I use the dryer. 

First, I make sure that everything that goes in the dryer is actually dryer-friendly.  This prevents any shrinkage of or damage to clothes (this is pretty obvious, I realise) and also the fewer items in the dryer, the faster the clothes will dry, thus using less energy (even if just slightly).


Second, we use wool laundry balls that I bought at Home Bargains for about £3 at least a year or so ago.  They claim to gently fluff clothes as they bounce around the drum and also help clothes dry quicker, again by hopefully reducing drying time, thus reducing the electricity used.

Third, any large items like duvet covers and bath sheets only get a partial dry in the dryer then we take them out and hang them on the banister upstairs to finish drying.  Again, this helps to reduce the electricity we use.

Fourth, we try to stop the dryer either right before or just as it finishes drying so that the clothes won't wrinkle not only saving (my husband who does the ironing!) time and more electricity to iron the clothes.

Fifth, we immediately clean the lint out of the lint trap and empty the condenser tray/reservoir/the-thing-that-holds-the-water so that the dryer works efficiently each time we use it.  Periodically, I clean out the filter on the bottom of the dryer as well.

Sixth, we then turn off the dryer switch at the wall, because even though the dryer isn't turned on, electricity is still running through the machine.

Oh, if you're wondering whether I don't use our dryer on the two hot summer days we have a year... nope... I know, it's my little luxury.

Do you have any dryer tips or rules you follow that I could consider adopting?

I Did Something Crazy...

Sooo... I did something crazy this week... something so not me.... something so not Finding the Pennies.  Honestly, I can't believe that I did it actually. Enough already! What is it, Lauren?! I passed up the opportunity of a FREE gym membership to Nuffield Health Gym. *gulp!*  I can hardly believe it myself.  The directors of the company I work for offered to pay for a full gym membership for the office employees, worth £33... and I didn't take it.  Why?!  Because I belong to Anytime Fitness which is about a 5-minute walk up the hill from our house.  I know myself... there is NO WAY I'd want to get in the car and drive 8-ish minutes to Nuffield.  More than that... the classes don't start until 6:45, so there's NO WAY it would work out time-wise with working out for an hour then driving back home to get myself and the family ready before the school run and work.  I mostly don't work out in the evenings, so evening workouts/classes isn't really a possibility for my family's schedule.  So, I kindly declined the generous offer.  *sigh*

So, back to the money-saving Lauren.  What did you do Friday evening? I bet it wasn't as good as ours!  While the girls enjoyed their movie night - Dora the Explorer... again - Jeff and I hovered over the laptop screen at the kitchen table considering remortgaging options. Yay! Fun! (Not.)  What's sooo depressing is realising how much is left on our house to pay off and how much we pay in interest!  Waaaa!  At least we're starting to look at the options and have the time to ask others for advice.  My ultimate goal is to pay off our mortgage... and the sooner, the better!

Completely changing topics.... my girls have had the Mueller corner yogurts perhaps twice... ever... because they're full of sugar and EXPENSIVE... and the "yogurt" is drippy and gross.  Can you tell I don't like Mueller yogurt?!  Not that the above-pictured yogurt is any less sugary (I haven't compared nutritional info), it does taste a WHOLE lot better and cost less than 90p (I can't remember the actual price) from Aldi.  So that my daughters don't entirely miss out on the "fun" of having Smarties (British M&Ms for my non-British readers) in their yogurt, I occasionally let them add a small handful to their yogurt.  Cost-wise it comes to about 15p per bowl compared to the best price of 40p per Mueller Corner yogurt.  

Sorry (not sorry) that I talk so much about food on my blog, but it is such an easy way of saving money.  Almost every weekend, I crave Chinese or a curry.... but it can be sooo expensive if it's eaten at a restaurant or even taken away.  The next-best option is the Chinese or curry "deals" from the supermarket... and yes, they're fine, as long as my girls will eat them. The meal would cost £8-£10.  Not too bad... but I know I can do better... with the use of my slow cooker.  Even having ordered great-quality meat from UKFreshMeats for £8 for this recipe, it still works out to about £4 for the meat for this meal since we've only eaten half of the beef.  Of course there are the costs of the pretty basic ingredients for the sauce and the costs for the brown rice I boiled myself... oh yeah, I made Slow Cooker Broccoli and Beef  and it hit the spot!  The leftover beef will be used in steak fajitas tomorrow evening for a quick, easy and cheap meal.

Saturday evening Jeff and I shared this small-ish bar of chocolate that was marked down to 47p at Aldi after Christmas.  It was alright... not fantastic... but it did the trick for a simple, inexpensive Saturday evening treat... and it looked pretty too! 

I know this post is somewhat random, and honestly, not completely thought through... but that's ok!  I'm simply sharing my thoughts in the hopes of encouraging you to find ways to simplify, cut-back where possible and consider options that may or may not save you money depending on your circumstances, like not taking advantage of the paid-for gym membership. 

Have a great week!