Bathroom Mood Board

Summer Goals 2017

Spring Goals

1. Repaint the guest room-- we already have the paint so its just a matter of getting started! It looks SO much better!
2. Purchase supplies for our bathroom remodel (Tub, shower surround/tile?, toilet). 
3. Set up automatic contributions to our IRAs. Increase the contribution to our other retirement account. This turned out to be much easier than I anticipated and it felt so good to take steps toward securing our financial future!
4. Research and plan a few fun things for Texas.
5. Enjoy long weekends in Cape May and Austin. 
6. Plant our 2017 garden.

Summer Goals

1. Enjoy Scotland! 
2. Paint and add molding to all interior doors
3. Purchase supplies for our bathroom remodel (Tub, shower surround/tile?, toilet). 
4. Renovate bathroom
5. Enjoy weekends away in NYC, Richmond, and Cape May
6. Spend lots of quality time with Tim while he is off for the summer

March Budget

After barely shopping at all in February, I kind of fell off the deep end in March. It's not even that I bought a ton of stuff (only 4 items!), BUT a few of the things I did buy were expensive. I have an ever evolving Nordstrom wishlist, and every once in a while when things go on sale I like to place an order so I can try stuff on without having to make the trek to the nearest store (with free shipping and free returns I have nothing to lose!). After seeing some of my favorite bloggers mention how much they like Paige denim, I decided to order a pair *just to see*. I also ordered a springy top that I liked the look of but figured wouldn't work with my chest. Well... I loved both the crazy expensive jeans (the fit perfectly and are as soft as sweats!) AND the full price top which I did not anticipate. Yes, I was happy to find two pieces of clothing I loved but also kind of bummed that I blew my budget and so early in the month. I've been wearing the jeans non-stop since they came, so despite the pricetag, I'm glad I took the plunge when I did. 

$200 + $58 Leftover from February + $30 Consumer testing = $288

Paige Verdugo Ankle Jeans: Originally $179, on sale for $120
June & Hudson Wrap Top: $55
Warby Parker Prescription Sunglasses: $175 ($120 of which I am including in this months budget. I plan to subtract the remaining $55 dollars from my April total)
Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment: $24 - $22 giftcard = $2

March Budget = $288 - $297 = -$9 ...oops

I will subtract my $9 overage and the remainder of the sunglasses from my budget next month leaving me a total of $136 for April. While things didn't get totally out of control, I still think it's important for me to adjust accordingly so I am still within budget in the long term. Time to get back on track!

***UPDATE: These jeans wore through between the legs in less than three months. Nordstrom graciously allowed me to return them given that they deteriorated so quickly. 

50 in 50

Minnesota, 2010

Since we road-tripped to Maine in 2009, Tim and I have dreamed about visiting all 50 states before we each turn 50. He has more states than I do, but he also has fewer years to meet his goal ;-). My list is as follows:

1. Alabama
2. Alaska
3. Arizona
4. Arkansas
5. California
6. Colorado
7. Connecticut
8. Delaware
9. Florida
10. Georgia
11. Hawaii
12. Idaho
13. Illinois
14. Indiana
15. Iowa
16. Kansas
17. Kentucky
18. Louisiana
19. Maine
20. Maryland
21. Massachusetts
22. Michigan
23. Minnesota
24. Mississippi
25. Missouri
26. Montana
27. Nebraska
28. Nevada
29. New Hampshire
30. New Jersey
31. New Mexico
32. New York
33. North Carolina
34. North Dakota
35. Ohio
36. Oklahoma
37. Oregon
38. Pennsylvania
39. Rhode Island
40. South Carolina
41. South Dakota
42. Tennessee
43. Texas
44. Utah
45. Vermont
46. Virginia
47. Washington
48. West Virginia
49. Wisconsin
50. Wyoming

24/50 states visited

Last updated April 2017

February Budget

February was kind of a boring month in the shopping department. Committing to a budget has definitely reduced my shopping, and, when I shop, I find myself thinking about purchases (and ultimately deciding to pass) a lot more. This is especially true in the beginning of the month when I didn't want to spend money in case I found an expensive item I really loved later in the month. Ultimately, that didn't happen so I am using some of my leftover allowance to purchase a pair of prescription sunglasses from Warby Parker. I actually just ordered the Raglan frames in pearl tortoise, so those will factor into my March budget. 

Nike Sweatshirt: normally $70, on sale for $42
Express Camisoles-- 2 white and 2 black: Normally $19.90 each, combined coupons and sales to buy 4 for $38 total
1 1/4 inch Hot Tools Curling Iron: $29 - $8 coupon = $21

I also used some of my budget to cover a portion of my hair appointment ($35) and to buy some page protectors for the recipe binder Tim got me for Valentine's day ($6).

February budget: $200 - $142 = $58 Leftover

Spring 2017 Goals

Excited to stay here in Glasgow!

Winter Goals

1. Revise and implement our 2017 budget. We have been doing SO well with this in large part because of the Mint app-- highly recommend for keeping track of how much you have spent!
2. Reserve airfare and secure lodging on the NC 500 for Scotland. All booked and ready to go! Is it June yet?!
3. Purchase supplies for our bathroom remodel (Tub, shower surround, toilet, wainscoting) Not yet! We've nixed the idea of wainscoting and are now considering tiling the shower after finding some extra subway tile in the basement clean out process. Need to finalize our plan before we buy everything. 
4. Repaint the guest room-- we already have the paint so its just a matter of getting started! We ended up spending our home improvement hours cleaning out the basement and garage which was LONG overdue. Plus is was so nice to spend time outside on a few 70 degree days.
5. Bike 3x per week at minimum. I did more than 100 miles in February which is my highest monthly total EVER :). Gotta keep it up!

Spring Goals

1. Repaint the guest room-- we already have the paint so its just a matter of getting started! 
2. Purchase supplies for our bathroom remodel (Tub, shower surround/tile?, toilet). 
3. Set up automatic contributions to our IRAs. Increase the contribution to our other retirement account.
4. Research and plan a few fun things for Texas.
5. Enjoy long weekends in Cape May and Austin. 
6. Plant our 2017 garden.

New York City Favorites

To Eat:

• Maison Kayser, Tribeca: French food for breakfast or lunch.
• Laduree, Upper East Side: The best macarons and pastries.
• Juliana's Pizza, Brooklyn: No explanation needed :).
• Ralph's Coffee, Midtown: Cutest atmosphere and the best lattes.
• Shake Shack: Stear clear of the Time Square location (where we went) to avoid lines.

To Do:

• Top of the Rock, Midtown
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Ride the Staten Island Ferry
• Walk through Central Park

To Rest:

• TBD (We staid at the Yotel on 10th and 41st but I would not stay here again-- it was fine but now that we are more comfortable with the subway I would prefer to stay uptown or in the Tribeca area)