Posts Tagged ‘ budget ’

Great Dates On a Budget

Oct 13th, 2008 | By Sexy Snob | Category: Sex, Love, Relationships
Rating 4.00 out of 5

date4 Great Dates On a BudgetDating can get expensive.  The movies, the dinners, the flowers, the gifts, and huge phone bills can send our bank accounts reeling.  Here are some great ideas to still have a romantic time without going broke.

Dinner at home. Nothing is more sweet that having your honey come over for a home cooked meal.  Think of a great menu and prepare during a weekend.  Enjoy the delicious meal with wine and cuddle in bed the rest of the evening.

Rent a movie. What more could you want than having your special someone on the couch with fresh buttered popcorn in the quiet of your home?  Each of you can choose a film and you can watch both films in one night.  You can also have some warm chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven while the movie is going.

Go outside. Take a swim, go for a hike, play sports, or go fishing.  All of these activities make you healthier and stronger, as well as help you grow closer together (unless you are terribly competitive).

Potluck with friends. There is nothing more enjoyable than having great food at someone’s home and catching up on all the news.

Game night. Whip out Scrabble and Twister and stimulate your mind and body with a night of games.  Throw on some fun music and the night will fly by, leaving you both smiling.

Picnic at the park. Pack some delicious sandwiches, potato salad, cut up fruit and some wine and head to your favorite park.  Spend the day feeding each other, throwing a frisbee around, and be lazy.

Visit a museum. Find a nearby museum and soak in the arts and culture that awaits you.  Take turns sharing your favorite pieces and spend time just admiring all the wonderful creations in front of you.

Those were just a few.  What other ideas do you have for an inexpensive but fun date?

Bare Necessities

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Saving During a Troubled Economy

Oct 2nd, 2008 | By Wise Snob | Category: Sustainable Living
Rating 4.00 out of 5

saving4 Saving During a Troubled Economy

It’s all over the news.  The economy is crashing and we can’t be as free with our spending as before.  So let’s tighten our purse straps and consider some simple ways to cut down our costs without cutting down our happiness level.  A key to a better life is avoiding the trap of wanting more than we already have.  By being discontent, we forget to enjoy the things we already possess. Here are some tips.

When eating out, order water. It’s free, and ten times healthier than a soda or some alcoholic drink.

Be sure to set automatic savings. ING Direct, HSBC Direct, and other high-yield web savings accounts allow you to set up automatic saving plans.  Just allot something, anything to be put into the account monthly.  That way you are saving money without even trying.

Pack lunch to work. I love to cook, so I try to cook a large dinner and pack leftovers for lunch the following day.  It’s delicious and healthier.


Avoid junk food.  Not only do I feel better, I saved money.

Don’t have cable television. I hardly watch TV, and I get my news from the internet.  I therefore avoid tempting commercials for more purchases and save a hefty monthly fee for cable.

Use the library. I have found the most amazing books and films at the library—and it’s all free!  I reduce clutter in my home by not having to pile up purchased books and DVDs in shelves.  I love it.  Besides, after watching a DVD twice or so, I’m so over it.

Cook at home. It’s an amazing learning experience, and I find it so relaxing.  I also save a ton from not going out all the time.  My advantage is that I have a lovely boyfriend who helps with the dishes afterwards, because the cook should never have to clean.

Purchase Starbucks sparingly. It’s great to meet up w/ friends for a chat there, but a daily stop at Starbucks can cost me about $1,400 in a year.  That’s a roundtrip ticket to Europe!  Plus, all that caffeine and sugar really does not help the waist.

Limit vacations. I used to just hop over to another state or country without thinking about what it would cost me.  Now I really consider where I want to go and plan a special trip about once or twice a year instead of every few months.

Buy sale items. I used to buy everything full price, but have learned to just wait a bit, and eventually prices will drop.  One warning is that sales may lead to needless spending, so I make sure to purchase what I truly need.  Give SavvyCircle a try, as it lets you know by emailing you when items you are coveting go on sale.

Budget. I never budgeted, and now that I have started, I am very aware of where my money goes and am shocked at how quickly money is spent.  I also noticed that carrying the cash I am going to spend instead of using my credit card helps me keep on track.

How are you saving?

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Go Green at Home, Even on a Budget

Jul 19th, 2008 | By Wise Snob | Category: Sustainable Living
Rating 3.00 out of 5

green4 Go Green at Home, Even on a BudgetYou don’t have to buy a Prius to be eco-friendly. In fact, there are a lot of other little things you can do around your home that can reduce your carbon footprint in the world. Here are some great ways to help the planet while still sticking to a good budget.

Use Reusable Bottles.

Commercial water bottles are so over-rated. 38 billion plastic bottles end up in the trash each year as opposed to the recycling bin. Instead, consider purchasing sturdy, reusable plastic or metal bottles and invest in a water filter. Brita has a great faucet filtration system that costs $20 and attaches directly to the sink faucet. Turn it off when you need to do dishes, and turn it on when you need to quench your thirst. It’s easy, simple, money-saving, and trash-reducing.

Wash Organic.

Doing dishes stink, but what stinks more is the large amount of harsh chemicals you end up washing into the sewers, and eventually, into the ocean. Earth Friendly Products’ Dishmate Lavender dish soap is one of my favorites. It gives you an honest-to-goodness, power-packed clean without toxins, petrochemicals, bleach, ammonia, phosphates or other harmful ingredients. It’s less than $4 and can be found at a local Trader Joe’s.

Make Your Home Energy Efficient.

Your home contains appliances that just suck up energy. From your refrigerator to the air conditioner, there are ways you can adjust settings to decrease the use of energy and to drive down your monthly bills. One trick I learned is to fill your freezer, because less space in there means less energy needed to freeze your goods. You can also adjust the temperature control settings in your home to 78 degrees instead of 75 degrees. This is a minor difference in temperature, but can be a significance difference in overall energy usage. Lastly, make sure you change your lightbulbs to the energy saving bulbs that use less energy but can last ten times longer than traditional bulbs.

To learn more about living green, check out A Field Guide to Buying Organic, which provides a ton of tips and information about knowing what to buy when you are out shopping. The bonus: this book is only $6. Go forth and spend accordingly.

How do you save energy while on a budget?

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Clothing with A Conscience Is Sexy

Apr 7th, 2008 | By Style Snob | Category: Conscious Fashion
Rating 3.00 out of 5

The clothes we wear tell others who we are and what we care about. You don’t have to adorn yourself with potato sacks to prove you are environmentally conscious, because more and more designers are realizing the need for organic clothing.

Eco-friendly fashion has undergone a major transformation from “hippie” to “hip”. Take a look at what some eco-friendly designers are doing to change the world and our fashion. Feel sexy with clothes that make you feel good inside out.

Patagonia - Makes its fleece out of recycled soda bottles.

Loomstate - Designs jeans you can look good in and feel good about. The line uses only organic and pesticide-free cotton.

Nike - Undergoing change to adapt to the conscious trend-blending some organic cotton into all its clothes. The sportswear giant also dedicated one line to 100-percent organic cotton.

Whole Foods Now carries eco-friendly lines from hats and bags to t-shirts and shoes.

Linda Loudermilk - Organic, sustainable clothing. This clothing designer devoted her life and business to fashion that doesn’t hurt the earth.

Edun - Owned by U2’s Bono and wife Ali Hewson launched this socially-conscious clothing line that’s manufactured in family-run factories in countries that practice fair trade.

Ecoist - “Candy Wrapper Handbags.” The line uses misprinted or discontinued snack bags, soda labels and candy wrappers to make handbags. Ecoist also plants a tree for every bag it sells.

Earth Pledge - A non-profit environmental agency-shot a video of an all-eco runway show with 28 famous designers like Diane von Furstenberg and Oscar de la Renta during the New York Fashion Week.