couponing 101

ive been really wanting to try my hand at couponing after hearing the ridiculous amount of savings left after purchase from some people. the photo above is my first couponing transaction. 6 items for less than $10! what an awesome deal! i was both perplexed & amazed while wanting to give myself a pat on the back on the drive home. amazed because i paid so little for everything. perplexed because my game plan of one transaction didn't quite work out & instead was split into two transactions from the cashier, which actually turned out in my favor. 

after watching more you tube videos & post briefing after with my friend who's been coaching me, i think im slowly seeing the main objective of how to coupon to get the best prices! i have a few couponing terms under my belt such as "ecb" & "matched deals" & have quite a ways to go as far as learning & stacking coupons in order to get the lowest deals!

what's also serving as my motivation to learn more is preparing a balikbayan (box sent over seas by filipinos containing goodies) box for my parents with the items they requested. items like paper towel, laundry detergent, dish washing soap, etc are items i always see on sale or have some sort of deal going on. these items can be stock piled for both my parents & myself. 

im terrible at math but determined to save where i can & shop wiser for basic living necessities! 

more paper projects

my little journey of craftiness & creativity started when i was gifted a cricut after my engagement. prior to that i didn't think i had a creative bone in my body. or perhaps i just never made the time. i love the excitement, exhilaration, & feeling of accomplishment when i've completed a project. it's allowed the perfectionist in me to be messy. to have failures & start over again if i didn't get something right. after all it's just paper right? :) 

here's a look back at two projects. 

cake topper for a friends birthday cheesecake. 

i made hot chocolate + marshmallow favors for my bridal shower. the font i used had these darling hearts. i printed out a "you warm my heart" tag to finish it off. 

i can't wait to grow my skills in this little area of my life that brings me such happiness & excitement!

glitter star bobby pins

i made these adorable glitter star bobby pins for a few girlfriends & their daughters. they were quite easy to make & all i needed were 3 items! gold star embellishment found at michaels (or you can even modge podge your own star shape & just add glitter), bobby pins, & a hot glue gun! it only took minutes to make & the end result were cute hair pins with a bit of sparkle! 

to finish it off i cut out some gift tags, attached gold ribbon, wrote a personalized message for the receivers, & placed the star hair pins on the gift tag. 

san francisco outting

the bff & i had a day date in sf today. i haven't seen her since our wedding so it felt great to be reunited again. we started our morning walking around haight street. we also scoped out the area in which she will be working at starting tomorrow. 

the bay area has been undergoing odd winter weather. while the east coast is experiencing their coldest winter, it feels like spring here. sometimes it's almost even like summer. with fall & winter being my favorite months i certainly miss cold & cozy winter days. however. we took advantage of sun's prescence & had lunch at delfina & ice cream at bi rite. 

i ordered my favorite spicy cauliflower dish. it's a combination of chewy, crunchy, soft, spicy, mild, & briny. absolutely delicious! we also shared pizza. after lunch we walked down the street for an obligatory salted caramel ice cream. 

emboss like a boss

being a paper craft nerd, anything paper related projects for our wedding, was something i looked forward to! in fact it was probably one of my most favorite parts of our wedding. 

to tie in with our accent color of gold, i embossed gold name tags for the groomsmen gifts. i loved the end result & it was much more friendly on the wallet than gold foiling from vendors. i found these awesome stamps at paper source that mimicked a vintage typewriter font. armed with my embossing gun, stamp pad, & gold powder my friday night in was spent diy-ing & having fun! 

mississippi crock pot

i saw this recipe floating around pinterest so i thought id give it a try. butter? yes! pepperoccini? heck yes! super tender meat? oh yeah! i set the crock pot over night so it would be ready by morning to pack for lunch at work. it took me less than 5 minutes to prep..so very quick & easy!

most reviews for this pot roast were promising. i don't think i saw more than one complaint or alteration amongst the reviews. however, while delicious i would definitely lessen the amount of butter next time around. the sauce was delicious but one whole stick was to much for the hubby & i. id like to add in some mushrooms & carrots too. 

mississippi crock pot: 

1 beef roast 

1 pack dry ranch dressing mix

1 pack dry au jus mix

handful of pepperoccini 

1 stick of butter 

1) dump everything in the crockpot

2) set on low for 8 hours

3) enjoy! 

the three B's

today i was in a hurry to cook lunch that doubled as my dinner to take to work. had some brussel sprouts & bacon in the fridge so i quickly made my no fail dish. balsamic glazed bacon & brussel sprouts. two birds with one stone & oh so yummy!