Bites of My Life

What a week in America. This was my first time voting as a Texas resident and my third presidential election to get to vote in. I got to the polls right at 7:00 am to cast my vote Tuesday morning. I left feeling so proud, regardless of the results, to live in this country. I watched church online yesterday morning, and the pastor closed his sermon saying we should all pray by name our new President-elect Joe Biden, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, President Donald Trump, and Vice President-elect Mike Pence. Pray for their work ahead, for peace and healing, and for the future of our country.

I was lucky to pair the heavy week with good food and better friends. Chili night to watch election results, mid-week ramen from my favorite place, lunches with friends, and one of my best friends birthdays. Big week, good week!

-Monday morning matcha ritual. Always tired and always need something good in my body.
-Power blazer for election day. I kept calling this my Annie for VP outfit.
-First time voting in Texas!
-My “co-worker/work bestie” Ellie at my co-working space made homemade hot chocolate and her sister made homemade marshmallows for the election. I was happy to be treated to leftovers on Wednesday!
-Stopped in Flower Child last week for a social media post I’m doing with them and became hooked with this order: grilled chicken, Indian spiced cauliflower, and yuzu Brussels sprouts.
-Leftover Wabi House ramen upgraded with an added soft boiled egg at home.
-I’ve been dressing up as food or drink since forever. It wasn’t Halloween, but in honor of my bestie Margaret’s “M” themed birthday party, I showed up as a Mambo Taxi.
-East Hampton lettuce wraps are all kinds of good. Their November sandwich the Augusta in honor of The Masters is equally good.
-Trader Joe’s did it again. Cauli crisps are my new must buy. They just need to increase the bag size…

Annie

Netflix bite: I was always too young to watch Dawson’s Creek when it first aired, but now that it is on Netflix I spent my low key weekend binging season one. And for a tiny dose of Christmas and a happy-go-lucky movie, Holidate checked both boxes!

Are you joining me in No Spend November this month? It was so interesting and felt rewarding to be extra conscious of my spending last week. Here are the details if you are interested.

Bites of My Life

A busy last week of October, but a great one leading up to an even better weekend. My dad and sisters and I had been working behind the scenes to plan a surprise brunch for my mom’s 60th. She was shocked and had the best day. Bonus that I got to be home for Halloween with my nieces. Missed dressing up, but adult Halloween isn’t so bad. Oklahoma City got hit with a wild ice storm, so my visit came with a power-less stay at my parents, but still great being with fam. Countdown to Thanksgiving with my whole fam including oldest sis and brother-in-law is officially on.

-First Verde Turkey Chili of the season!
-Bar by night Old Monk has pivoted due to Covid and is now open in the mornings as a coffee shop. If you are in the Knox-Henderson Dallas area, stop by for a seriously good latte.
-Pumpkin Green Smoothie on repeat for Halloween week.
-Live music made its return by way of a drive-in concert. Bundled up to see my faves Mt. Joy at an outdoor drive-in concert.
-Tables set at Bradford House for the perfect birthday brunch.
-Successful surprise brunch for mom’s 60th!
-Home for Hallie-ween.
-New Liquid IV delivery just in time for the season where it is so hard to drink water. The colder months have me on a coffee and tea binge and my water input depletes.
-When you impulse buy a ton of stuff from H&M expecting to return some and it all ends up working out…

Annie

Saving bite: I’m doing a round 2 of No Spend November this year. Who’s joining?

Bites of My Life

No Spend November kicked off last week. I can report that so far so good. I had a lunch meeting that was covered for me, a fun cheese class, that I had paid for a few weeks ago and then ate at home every night during the week besides that. I treated myself to Starbucks this weekend because I really wanted a holiday cup (lol) and then purchased a couple drinks out on Saturday. I had dinner with a friend Saturday, but lucky us, our tab got picked up - ha! So indeed I did only spend money 3 times on food/drinks for the week!

-No Spend November started last week, and I loved seeing how many of you were on board to join me!
-This Cider Chicken is a recipe from a friend who is a nutritionist. I had big plans to make it and shoot it and share the recipe, but since daylight savings hit last week I need to rethink my photography time frame.
-Fun work lunch at the original Fuzzy’s Taco Shop on TCU’s campus. Little back story, my restaurant group owns the Oklahoma Fuzzy’s only, however we work closely with the corporate Fuzzy’s team who are based out of DFW. I’ve been able to meet with a couple of times now since being in Dallas!
-My Kale Quinoa Salad made an appearance for meals last week. I swapped out the cranberries for avocado and added in leftover chicken from the cider chicken. It’s so simple but good!
-Look at that board!! Pretty proud of myself for this one. My friend Kacie, who serves as the Marketing Director for Jack Mason, asked me to make a few cheeseboards for a launch party they were having in collab with the menswear line, Taylor Stich.
-Cut the cheese for my bestie Margaret on her bday. If you are in Dallas, I highly recommend the cheese classes at Scardello!
-I got an itch to bake Friday night. I typically always have ingredients stocked for Perfect CCCs. I started baking only to realize I was out of eggs… I’ve had a few people ask me for an egg replacement, so this was an accidental time to test out the applesauce method which I randomly had on hand. 1/2 cup applesauce actually worked great in replacement for 2 eggs.
-A mimosa, a few Ranch Waters, a French 75 and an espresso martini later led to a really fun day with my girl Caroline, but a night of no sleep and a not fun headache the next day…
-Sunday Chili night with the Cowboys and great friends!

Annie

6 Money Saving Tips

Update November 2020: This post was written in November of 2019. It’s crazy to read this and see how almost all of these tips haven’t translated to the current state we are in due to the global pandemic. Most people are still working from home, working out in their living room, grocery store samples are now obsolete, events have gone virtual or to distanced outdoor spaces, and many restaurants and bars are still closed.

Despite the significant change in our everyday lives, I’ve still managed to get a little swirly with my spending and I’m in major need of a “No Spend November.” With the always expensive holiday season looming, it’s time to reign it in. Scroll to tip #6 for how I plan to approach spending this month. This means being thriftier on how much I spend on groceries to make meals at home, ordering a hot water and bringing a tea bag with me if I meet friends for coffee (any coffee shop with give you hot water for free), zero retail purchases on myself (blessed to have my Rent the Runway membership comped this month!!), and only spending on shopping if it’s for gifts for others.

Note* I do have a trip to California planned in a couple of weeks. I will be spending on food and drinks there, but going to attempt to not go overboard while still enjoying myself!

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1. Make coffee at home or at the office. This pops up on about every list, but it’s for good reason. Coffee shops jack up the price on even a single bag of tea. If you crave a latte or matcha, spend a little money on the front end buy buying a milk frother and/or fancy kinds of milk or flavorings to save money on the back end.

2. Work a few shifts at your favorite workout studio. Studio fitness is expensive, there is no good way around it. Most studios have front desk positions or I know some yoga studios that allow you to clean the room in exchange for free classes. I’ve taken on two (very) early morning shifts at my favorite pilates studio. I work before my day with my full-time job starts, I get to work out for free and bonus, get paid some extra cash!

3. Samples. Ha, I can’t believe I’m writing this but it is one of my pro tips. I’m a sucker for free samples. They are one of my ultimate guilty pleasures. Sometimes when hunger strikes in the afternoon and I need a little snack, I make a round at Eatzi’s, Central Market or Whole Foods for a few free samples. I then walk out of the store with a look on my face like “darn, you didn’t have what I needed,” and leave without purchasing anything. This isn’t the most morally correct advice, but I spend enough money at grocery stores, I feel fine about swiping some few samples here and there.

4. Attend free events. If you live in a big city there are free events happening everywhere you turn. Especially this time of year. Christmas lights will be going up soon and you can’t put a price on driving around looking at lights (for free!!). Bonus if you make hot chocolate at home to take with you instead of spending $6 at Starbucks. Check with your local Lululemon, Athleta or Outdoor Voices and see if they are putting on free workout classes. Or check your city guides/websites for a list of events. In Dallas, I stalk Dallasites 101’s Instagram and subscribe to their newsletter to get info on fun and free events going on around me! And bonus, often when you attend these kinds of free events, they are typically handing out other freebies or swag of sorts!

5. Drink at home. Ordering drinks at dinner automatically doubles or triples your tab. Try inviting friends over for a glass of Two Buck Chuck at your house before then head to dinner out. I also got in a habit of ordering a Topo Chico while on Whole30. Since you can’t drink on W30, I would eat out and still want a little something with my meal. Ordering sparkling water still has a cost attached to it, but it’s much cheaper than a cocktail.

6. Join me in No Spend November. I need accountability, so I’m asking you to join me in a no spending month. NSP excludes groceries, a few meals out (aiming for only 3 a week), and holiday shopping for others. I have officially deleted the Amazon app off my phone (my kryptonite), I’m not allowing any retail purchases to be spent on myself, and trying to limit my eating/drinking out to only a few times a week. Will you join me?

Do you have any budget saving tips? Any and all are welcome, let me know!

Annie