Determined, Fresh and Easy Love and Being Resourceful

Everyone always tells me "Oh my gosh, how do you work 3 jobs / sleep only 4-5 hours a night / stay skinny / always be happy / etc" and it always comes back to one thing. You could say it's my attitude and my positive outlook on life, but I think on an even deeper level it is determination.

I am determined each day for different things. If I am determined to do something I will do it. Isn't that how life works? Some people claim not to have the drive or determination, when really it is just that they don't care about that one thing they are doing. It's not wrong, it's just why they don't have that drive.

I've been trying to eat healthy but by trying I mean I've been talking about doing it, eating healthy maybe once a week, exercising once a week and calling it a day.

This is my determined face earlier today. And my weird arm. 

But suddenly I am determined. Maybe it's because I am back to working one job (mostly, I am working at Bdubs sometimes, too). Maybe it's for some unrelated reason but I'm doing it!

Having a set schedule makes it easier. When I never knew what I was doing I would not be planning ahead for food, exercise, etc. But now I have a set schedule.

Drinking water like a person who drinks water (note, that person is not usually me)

Mon: Leave for work by 545, work 8-4, chiropractor at 6 and then go home. This week I've been asleep by 11, but I know that I will probably start falling asleep earlier.

At school, I have to stay for lunch, forcing me to pack food. If you know me you know I don't like to cook and I don't like to prep (unless I am super motivated) because I never know what I am going to want to eat, it takes too much time, wah wah wah.

Then there came Fresh and Easy. If you don't have a Fresh and Easy, I am actually sad for you. You don't know what you're missing out on. Also, Fresh and Easy is not paying me for a post like this, I am just obsessed. It is like the song, Effin Easy!

It's been my favorite grocery store for awhile, and often I will stop by on my way home from the chiro and pick something up to pop into the oven when I get home. Oh yeah, did I mention it is all preprepped stuff!! Most of it isn't cooked but it is prepared in seasoning/sauces, etc and all you have to do is put it in a cooking vestibule, set a timer and cook! I particularly love their stuffed salmon...2 pieces prepared for 8 bucks.

From the F&E website

I'm in.

On Sunday, I went determined to get some food to prep. Then I found the lunch section. I knew it was there, but I thought it was like most places and you could only get lunch specials at lunch time. Heck no! Fresh and Easy is EASY so you can get it for anytime and stock up.

I did and then some. I got dinners for the week, drinks, etc. I spent about 60 bucks but so far it has way been worth it.

Monday: Mom packed me a lunch cause she's cute, but I sent Iman to work with a wrap and some snacks. I cooked BBQ pork (F&E) and Smokey Corn on the Cob (F&E). I added in Velveeta Mac and Cheese but for the day that was about $15. Dinner fed 4 of us btw, even though it said serving for 2.

Tuesday: I packed Iman and I each a lunch special. One salad, one side, a drink. I added in some extra fruit for me and hummus for Iman. For dinner we had Herb Chix (F&E), green vegetable medly (F&E) and mashed potatoes. Once again, it said serving for 2, but we had enough for 4. My brother had school so I get to take a portion today for lunch. Total: $20

Wednesday: I packed us each lunch specials again. Iman bowls so he will eat something at the bowling alley. I got stuck in LA so I stole internet from Ihop and ate an omelette. Our total is still only probably around $30. Considering it would usually be more and Iman doesn't usually eat at work...this is a total plus!

Today: My lunch is leftovers from Tuesday and Iman has the day off. He is going to a friend's graduation so he will probably eat with him. Dinner is going to be salmon burgers (F&E) and some side dish.

Friday: I have the day off so I will probably bring Iman some lunch and maybe we will go out for dinner.

Saturday: We will probably eat out.

Sunday: Football food, my mom will probably have something amazing cooked that we will eat Sunday night.

It's not all healthy all day, but hey! It's something. My sweet intake has gone down too. WHAT IS THIS WORLD COMING TO?

Anyway, in addition to being in love with F&E, I also am excited about taking a Vanpool. I have decided to pay to ride in one of these because it will be cheaper than the 80 miles a day driving JUST to work and home equaling 4 or so hours in traffic. Vanpool time = 2.5 hours. I love the carpool lane.

As if that wasn't cool enough, it drops off about 2 miles from my work 45 minutes before work. Early morning cardio? Heck yes! Look at me being all active. Then I'd just take a 20 minute bus ride back to the drop off stop.

I am so resourceful.

Also, got a totally awesome notebook to make a lesson plan folder. Can't wait to show you!

How is your Thursday?



P.s. Sorry for the almost 1000 word ramble, I just LOVE this place. lol

Check out one of our featured Warrior Queens:

Wedding Wednesday Freakout

I've been meaning to put it out there. To own up and let you all know and ask for advice because I sorely need it.

I had my big wedding breakdown about a week and a half ago and now, with 6 months until our wedding date, I don't have a wedding venue.

Yep, cancelled that thing. Nope, I don't have another venue in mind. We're probably not going to get the deposit back...and let's just say it was a hefty deposit.

I'll rewind for a second.

Remember when I said I worked out my budget? Well, I had. But then a series of things happened. Like, Iman's car is on its last legs and will need to be replaced before the wedding. We also both didn't get the raises we thought we would get early enough. I also cut down my hours at my second job because I was just exhausted and unhappy.

All of that combined left us with a situation. We could have the wedding we were planning, if we wanted to spend a couple of years after  our wedding paying it off. Like most people, that's not something we really want to do. We've been doing all we can to get out of debt lately, it doesn't make sense to throw ourselves back in.

Especially when we want to buy a house or condo. But of course, it was up to me to say this. I know that Iman will do anything that I want. He will take me to Vegas tomorrow if that's what I wanted. But I'm the one who wanted the big wedding.

Then I realized, "Yes, I want a big wedding. But that doesn't have to mean a fancy wedding." Yeah, I know what you're saying. Fancy is what most weddings are. I've never been the fancy type. Give me my family and friends and some grub and I am the happiest girl in the world.

It came down to this:

I want to have my daddy walk me down the aisle to my best friend.

I want the people I love to witness and celebrate my best friend and share our promises to each other.

I want to capture the look on his face while we say those vows. 

That's it. That's all that matters to me. The dress is important because of the love my mom is putting into it, and the love of the two moms who purchased important pieces of it.

So my question to you, my lovely friends who probably do not live in California, do you know somewhere for us to get married?

We cut the guest list as low as we could - 150 - and our wedding is in 6 months. A backyard wedding would be wonderful...if I knew someone with a big enough backyard. My aunt has offered, but we all think it might be a tight squeeze.

Our venue budget is around $3k.

Or of course if you want to let me know how not  crazy I am and how normal it is for people to have freak outs and how we are making the smarter decision by saving money, I'd be eternally grateful. Everyone's saying it...but the support is always welcome!!

Check out one of our featured Warrior Queens:

Wedding Wednesday: Budget Woes

Via

When I got engaged all of the websites and books and blogs and people repeated to me the importance of a wedding budget. It is THE most important thing to have a stress-free wedding. I've been engaged for 9 months and I do not have a budget.

Not because I haven't tried. I have forms up the wazoo and sit down to work on them all the time, but then I just get overwhelmed. I don't like to see the glaring amount of money I somehow have to save to have my wedding in 8 months. 

At first I was excited to see that it was possible to have a 4k dollar wedding with a bunch of people. All of these blogs boasted about it. I could do under 5k. Besides, I have a lot of people donating their time and skills to us.

Then Iman and I went to look at venues and we realized that to get married in Southern California...that 5k wedding would only work if we miraculously had a huge house and backyard to get married in. If we had a huge house and backyard...we probably wouldn't need to have a 5k wedding.

Our venue, including meal service and champagne, costs $15k. That is the cheapest we were able to find, and miraculously it has absolutely everything I wanted.

Our wedding photographer is a dear friend of mine and we're paying less than $2k for her and a second shooter [also impossible in Southern California...we're flying her in from OHIO].

We don't have to worry about: any of my attire, most likely his attire thanks to all of the suit places doing their buy the groomsmen, get the groom free, any of the attendants attire [they're buying them], DJ, cake, my hair, makeup is largely discounted, most likely we won't have to pay our officiant...and you see how the costs were cut low.

Yet, I'm still looking at a number around 24k. Which is roughly what I make in a year working 2 jobs and a million hours.

My other problem with the budget is that, I really have no idea how much anything is going to cost because I'm not paying for a lot of things and I'm too anxious about it to sit down and do the research on pricing. Our day of wedding coordinator [I won a discount in a blog contest!], is super helpful with giving me feedback on prices but she's not going to write my budget for me. I'm not paying her for that. I'm paying her for day of and anything she does extra is out of the pure kindness of her heart.

I can't rave about her enough. She is phenomenal.

But really, I need to just sit down and do the research and write the prices down in my own custom budget.

via

Only, I think I'm way too busy trying to work a million hours to pay for the wedding. I cut back my hours [I'm sure you've seen my rant post where I decided it was enough]. My room is finally clean.

I have no more excuses but to sit down, do my research and plan my budget.

I don't like budgeting. I don't even have a regular budget. The important part is that I'm trying at least?

Hopefully by next week I'll have something made up [and maybe even share].

via

The Work-Budget Dilemma

Obviously, I don't write in my blog regularly and this time I cannot blame it on lack of inspiration, motivation organization, or any other -zation that applies. Instead, I can blame it entirely on...drum roll please...the work-budget dilemma that I've faced for the past several years.

I'm just going to put it out there that I have been working for 8 years...and I have worked for Mervyns, Faculty Club, Pottery Barn, Campfire Kids, Columbus Nanny, Fruitti Yogurt, California Terriyaki Grill, Buffalo Wild Wings, Mi Casa, Lazy Dog Cafe, Victoria's Secret, Planet Bravo, BMW, Kymberly Marciano Photography, Buffalo Wild Wings (again), La Habra Collision, Hollywood Music Magazine, Live Magazine, LA Parent, University Link 15 different companies. This does not include either of my two internships, two freelance magazines, or consistent babysitting jobs that I have had.

I know, that's a lot of work. Usually I am working at least 2 jobs at a time. Everyone calls me the busy bee, and I have lost some friendships because of my busy schedule. I like to be busy, but I also have a lot events in my life that cost money. Some are planned (roadtrips, moving out, concerts, wedding). Many of these events have been unplanned, like my house fire*, luck with Tut-Tut and the saga of driving a 1988 pick up truck*. I wouldn't change any of these events.

Now that I'm planning my life with someone else though, the exhaustion of two jobs is so much heavier than it used to be - or maybe I'm just old. Unfortunately, it is a necessity. Throw in this economy and I'm broke. Not poor or rich, definitely in debt but still not working out a great budget.

It's a vicious cycle. I am literally only home to sleep most days, so there is no time to prepare food or even go shopping. So then I eat at Buffalo Wild Wings at night, or somewhere for lunch; sucking up more of my money, forcing me to work more hours. And then I decide I need a break from all of my work - so I splurge on a vacation to Vegas or a much needed date night.

Something has to give. I cannot work these crazy hours and ruin my relationships, exhaust my body and make no dent on my debt or bank account. I didn't mean for this post to seem a little ranty. Yesterday, I actually wrote about mine and Iman's story, then decided against posting it. For the past week my head has been swimming with a post about friendship and earlier Laura sent me this awesome picture about self-doubt. I really, really want to write about those things.

But I'm going to go drown myself in more coffee, face plant my desk, and prepare myself for my last 14 hour work day until Monday.

P.S. I swear I've written posts on the house fire and Chuck the Truck, but I have not. I will share, because they've made me such a stronger WQ. Yay for exciting upcoming posts!