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By eliza_cross, on January 31st, 2012%
 Photo by Sakura “All large tasks are completed in a series of starts.” ~Neil Fiore
Congratulations to all of you who have reduced or eliminated nonessential spending during the month of January. I’ve enjoyed hearing from so many of you about the different ways you participated in the challenge, and I hope it’s been a positive and worthwhile experience for you.
Let your participation in this challenge be the beginning of bigger and better things in the year ahead. When we control our finances rather than letting our money control us, we can be much more deliberate and thoughtful about how we spend, contribute and invest.
As this month of no spending ends, I’d love to hear about your own results and plans for the future. My hope is that your participation in the January Money Diet marks the beginning of your most abundant year ever – financially and personally.
Hugs,
P.S. Tomorrow morning I’ll use Random.org to draw one name from everyone who commented and participated in the January Money Diet. That person will win a gift basket filled with goodies. Thanks to all of you for your enthusiastic and helpful comments this month!
By eliza_cross, on January 30th, 2012%
 By PotteryBarn.com Organizing has many benefits. Along with the inner peace that comes from working and living in a calm space, organized living means less time looking for lost items and a visually pleasing, harmonious environment.
Clearing space is a gift you give yourself.
Today’s challenge is to organize one area. It can be a small or big project, depending on how much time you want to devote to it. You could simply take ten minutes to straighten up your desk and get rid of unnecessary papers. Or spend thirty minutes organizing the medicine cabinet. You could clean out your refrigerator. Unclutter the coat closet. Tackle one wall of the garage. Spend a day straightening up the basement. It’s up to you. Just organize a space, and bask in the rewards.
For inspiration, you might enjoy these websites — with tons of tips and information:
Unclutterer
Organized Home
Get Organized
Creative Organizing
If you clear a space and like the result, be sure to let us know about it!
Pin It
P.S. In case you’ve just joined us, the January Money Diet is a challenge to take a 31-day break from nonessential spending. Even though January is winding down, you can learn more about the money diet here — and jump right in!
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Win a Deluxe Happy Simple Living Gift Basket
In honor of the January Money Diet, I’ll be giving away a gift basket chock-full of home and garden goodies plus several books at the end of the month. On January 31, 2012 (that’s tomorrow!), I’ll draw one random name from everyone who commented during the month and that lucky person will win the gift basket. I hope you’ll stop by often this month and share your own ideas, thoughts and experiences about taking a 31-day break from nonessential spending.
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By eliza_cross, on January 29th, 2012%
Welcome to of the January Money Diet, a challenge to take a 31-day break from nonessential spending. If you’ve just joined us, you can learn more about the money diet here — and jump right in!
 Bicycles in Paris - Photo by slettvet Could you ride your bike to your next errand? Or snowshoe, or cross country ski? Or ride your horse, or your llama? Or take the bus, or the train? Or try carpooling? Or put on your walking shoes and stroll?
Try to get yourself from Point A to Point B without driving your personal automobile sometime in the next three days. How did you feel? Who did you encounter along the way? Let us know about your experience.
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Win a Deluxe Happy Simple Living Gift Basket
In honor of the January Money Diet, I’ll be giving away a gift basket chock-full of home and garden goodies plus several books at the end of the month. On January 31, 2012, I’ll draw one random name from everyone who commented during the month and that lucky person will win the gift basket. I hope you’ll stop by often this month and share your own ideas, thoughts and experiences about taking a 31-day break from nonessential spending.
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By eliza_cross, on January 28th, 2012%
“The remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served us nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found.” ~Calvin Trillin
It just kills me to discard spoiled food that we didn’t eat. One of my goals this year is to make better use of leftovers. The whole concept of “zero waste” appeals to me on so many levels, and utilizing food efficiently is so important.
If you feel the same way, you might enjoy the Leftover Chef site where you can input whatever strange ingredients are lurking in your refrigerator for recipe ideas. Enter ‘turkey, ‘cranberries,’ and ‘onions,’ for instance, and you’ll find an appealing recipe for Turkey Cutlets with Cranberry – Pear Relish.
Do you have stale crackers and chips lurking in the pantry? Refresh them by spreading them in a single layer on a cookie sheet and baking at 300 degrees F for about 5 minutes. Allow to cool and then seal in an airtight container.
What about those stray veggies in the vegetable crisper? Use them in salads or on pizza, or freeze them for your next batch of soup.
Leftover tortillas can be used to make homemade tortilla chips, like this healthy baked version from Savory Sweet Life.
What’s your favorite way to use leftovers? We’d love to hear your ideas!
P.S. In case you’ve just joined us, the January Money Diet is a challenge to take a 31-day break from nonessential spending. You can learn more about the money diet here — and jump right in!
—————————————————————————
Win a Deluxe Happy Simple Living Gift Basket
In honor of the January Money Diet, I’ll be giving away a gift basket chock-full of home and garden goodies plus several books at the end of the month. On January 31, 2012, I’ll draw one random name from everyone who commented during the month and that lucky person will win the gift basket. I hope you’ll stop by often this month and share your own ideas, thoughts and experiences about taking a 31-day break from nonessential spending.
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By eliza_cross, on January 26th, 2012%
Today’s challenge is to make something from scratch that you might normally buy at the store. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Graham crackers
Dim Sum
Pita bread
Latte
Gingersnaps
Barbeque
Hummus
Pizza
Spaghetti sauce
Ricotta cheese
Bread
Granola
Bagels
Chocolate truffles
Tortillas
What do you love to make from scratch? If you make something at home this week, be sure to let us know what you create.
By the way, if you’re on Pinterest you can check out all these foods and more on my “Foods From Scratch” board.
P.S. In case you’ve just joined us, the January Money Diet is a challenge to take a 31-day break from nonessential spending. You can learn more about the money diet here — and jump right in!
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Win a Deluxe Happy Simple Living Gift Basket
In honor of the January Money Diet, I’ll be giving away a gift basket chock-full of home and garden goodies plus several books at the end of the month. On January 31, 2012, I’ll draw one random name from everyone who commented during the month and that lucky person will win the gift basket. I hope you’ll stop by often this month and share your own ideas, thoughts and experiences about taking a 31-day break from nonessential spending.
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By eliza_cross, on January 25th, 2012%
 Glass canning jars can be used again and again - photo by GoodNCrazy “In a recession, people are inclined to keep things, but I feel the opposite. The less I have, the richer I feel. Stuff weighs you down.” ~Béa Johnson
Last year I read the most inspiring article in Sunset Magazine, about the Johnson family in Mill Valley, California. The Johnsons have pared down their possessions and live a wonderfully simple life. The family members are so careful about not consuming wasteful packaging, they generate almost zero garbage.
The Johnsons are big on composting, and this is one way we love to reduce waste. I just love the idea of reusing the kitchen scraps in a way that benefits the garden and keeps stuff out of landfill.
What about recycling? Homeowner Béa Johnson says, “So much recycling really goes to waste, so you need to try to reduce that, too.” They are diligent about taking reusable containers to the store for food and eliminating junk mail, and their tidy pantry and closets would inspire anyone to minimize and simplify!
How much trash does your family generate in an average week? If you got everyone in the household on board, could you reduce it by 50 or 75 per cent? Or 80 or 90 per cent? We’re down to about half a can per week, but the recycling bin is full every two weeks when it gets picked up — so we have a long way to go. The Johnsons have motivated me to try harder to reduce our recycling and trash. If they can do it, why can’t we?
For more inspiration, you might enjoy the Johnson family’s blog, The Zero Waste Home.
P.S. In case you’ve just joined us, the January Money Diet is a challenge to take a 31-day break from nonessential spending. You can learn more about the money diet here — and jump right in!
—————————————————————————
Win a Deluxe Happy Simple Living Gift Basket
In honor of the January Money Diet, I’ll be giving away a gift basket chock-full of home and garden goodies plus several books at the end of the month. On January 31, 2012, I’ll draw one random name from everyone who commented during the month and that lucky person will win the gift basket. I hope you’ll stop by often this month and share your own ideas, thoughts and experiences about taking a 31-day break from nonessential spending.
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