How I Do: Grocery Shopping

Back in February during the Wallet Watch, I successfully spent less than $60 on groceries for the entire month. A few people asked how I did it, so today I'm pulling open the cupboards and sharing my grocery tips. 

1. Know what you already have
I take stock of what's in my refrigerator and pantry before I go to the grocery store or attempt to meal plan. 

Don't judge my Ragu- pasta sauce is good to have on hand in a pinch!

2. Make A List

I keep a running grocery list on my refrigerator, and update as I go. As soon as I run out of something, I write it down so I don't forget. 

3. Check the Store Circular

Does anyone even look at these anymore? I look at it online. If I see things I would normally buy on sale, I buy it now, even if I haven't run out of it completely yet. 

4. Coupons! 

I love coupons. I try to make sure to buy the newspaper every Sunday and cut out coupons for myself and Blue. I also save digital coupons on to my loyalty cards at my grocery store, CVS, Rite Aid, etc. One thing I keep in mind though: I don't cut coupons/buy products that I wouldn't normally buy or use just because I have a coupon. That's a waste of money. 

Restaurant coupons, my coupons, Blue coupons

5. Get Cash Back Using Ibotta
Ibotta is a savings/cash back app. Unlock rebates on products by answering a poll, watching a minute long video, or reading a tip/recipe. If you purchase the products, scan the barcode and then take a pic of your receipt to get your rebate within 48 hours. Or you can get cash back by simply linking your loyalty card if you shop at their preferred partners. You can either request cash back through Paypal ($20.00 min) or to purchase a gift card to stores like Amazon, Best Buy, Sephora, and more. Use my referral link to get $10 after you join and make your first purchase :) (not sponsored- I just really like this app!)

Screenshot from my phone

Other Helpful Tips: 

6. Don't go to the store hungry.

7. Limit your shopping trips- I go once a week or less.

8. Meal plan- save time AND money! 

9. Sunday morning is possibly the busiest time to shop, and I'm not a fan of crowds or being rushed, especially if I'm using coupons- I don't want to be "that" person! I go on Tuesday or Thursday evenings. 

10. Check out your local farmer's markets for cheaper (and oftentimes better quality) fresh produce. 

What strategies do you use to save on groceries? 

Friday Favorites- Out Like a Lion

Happy Friday! Who's at work today? The first thing I heard this morning was that those bankers on Wall Street and I-bankers in general (who are off today) average income is $404,000. Then that they were whining about not get another day off until May. That's funny, I don't make nearly that much, and can't take off until May either. And really, that's only a month away. Stop your bitching! #fwp Anyway, if you are at work today (like me), I hope the day goes quickly and that you have a great Easter/regular weekend! Now on to my weekly favorites with Amanda!

Favorite Song: Love is- Inas X

Favorite Reads:

• First and foremost, Chipotle is giving away FREE guacamole. Get on that! 
• Close second, it's Ulta's 21 days of beauty until April 2nd! 
• This Democratic Senator Twitter tirade on Trump (say that 5xfast!) 
• Anyone out there miss That 70's Show? Looks like Mr. Kutcher is at it again with a new show to debut on Netflix on April 1st. 
• Not sure how I stumbled on this, but I absolutely love it. The Complete Guide To Not Giving a F*ck

Favorite Idea: Easter Beer Hunt!

"My mom is smart.She could tell that her kids enthusiasm for the annual easter egg hunt was waning.When hard boiled eggs lost their luster, she introduced candy-filled plastic eggs.As the kids got older she would fill the plastic eggs with coins, and then dollar bills.But when we hit our 20’s, the Easter egg magic was gone.One year, after a nice Easter breakfast, Mom announced, “Time for the Easter Hunt!”Jim and I groaned. But our exaggerated disinterest evaporated when Mom produced the baskets.She set out a bunch of empty cardboard 6 pack holders, filled with plastic green grass.“The front yard is filled with micro-brews,” she announced.” “Each of you is responsible for finding 6 beers. There are wine coolers and cans of Ensure for Grandpa. You can trade bottles after the hunt is over.”And so the Easter Beer Hunt was born. And what was a withering tradition gained a new fervor."

Favorite Moments:
Receiving an email telling me my book was available at the library.
Having two wishlist books become available on Paperback Swap, and promptly ordering 3 more.
Going to see Batman vs. Superman tonight!
Ordering tickets for the Go-Go's Farewell Tour!
Getting my "Big Fat Check" from E-Bates :)

Favorite Quote: 

Favorite Video: Only in NJ! The Easter Bunny brawl at the mall!

Favorite Funnies:

Soundtrack of my Life

I saw this circling the interwebs and thought it would be fun to *attempt* my own soundtrack.  I was trying to compile my personal soundtrack in 3 songs/decades, but that wouldn't be a full description, so I'm going to try to condense that to my Top 15. 

As an 80's kid, I was addicted to The Elephant Show, along with Mr. Roger's Neighborhood, Reading Rainbow, and Sesame Street. 

I took dance classes for 10 years, starting when I was 3-ish. "Hey Mickey" was one of my dance songs, however the earliest one I actually remember was Madonna's "Lucky Star." 

Middle school consisted of a lot of Mariah Carey. "Fantasy" was the one I remember the most vividly. Obviously we knew all the dance routines to all the songs as well! 

The first CD I ever purchased was Boys II Men, followed by The Spice Girls. (I really wanted the Green Day "Dookie" soundtrack, but my mom wouldn't let me buy it.) "Spice World" was taking over. I wanted to be Baby Spice, even though I dressed more like Sporty Spice.

High school must be broken down by year. During my Freshman year, the kids from Dawson's Creek were also starting high school. My friends and I would be on the phone or at each other's houses to watch every week. I was a big Dawson/Joey fan for the record. 

By Sophomore year I had joined Marching Band, which continued for next 3 years. The first band competition I remember being in was held at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ (ya know, where they had the Superbowl in 2014). We played selections from The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

In my Junior year, I became co-captain of my tennis team. I remember riding the school bus to tennis tournaments and singing Nelly's "Country Grammar" terribly and at the top of our lungs. 

Nelly Furtado hit the scene in 2000. I hated "I'm Like A Bird" because it was obnoxiously overplayed; I couldn't get away from it at all. But then I really liked her second song and video, and third, and then became a super fan and bought everything she ever released. Also, the title of this blog is a song lyric from "Trynna Find A Way." The full line is "Faster than forever in the blink of an eye." Anyway, all through high school my band director (who was also the director of the drama club which I was a part of) wanted me to come out of my shell, but I was always too nervous in auditions/groups of people/on stage. Well, I popped that cherry my senior year of high school. I auditioned for and performed in our first Talent Show with Nelly Furtado's "Turn Off The Light." 

Senior year gets another one because Vitamin C's "Graduation" was our song (along with everyone else who graduated between 1999-2002). 

I would be remiss not to mention Backstreet Boyz/N*Sync/Jessica Simpson/Britney Spears/98 Degrees, who would need to be included in my soundtrack because of the sheer number of times I've heard all of their songs. (Also, I was team N*Sync.) 

1999: the first Z-100 Zootopia concert. I was there!

The college years 
I did a pre-college program for multicultural students to get "acclimated" to college life and while earning credits. This song defined that program for me. Truth Hurts- Addictive was in fact, addictive. This is also the time I was introduced to hoop earrings, thongs, and liquid eyeliner. 

Linkin Park- In The End was on repeat blasting from my college dorm's windows much to the annoyance of my fellow residents. 

My freshman year I was introduced to Bhangra, a traditional North Indian style of dance, by my ex-best friend's sister who found me and needed an extra person to be in her dance group, even though I had zero experience. It stuck with me. There was no bhangra team, so my (white) now ex-boyfriend and I created one, and later choreographed all the dances and put together all of the music. We performed in cultural events and competitions. You can see me on the left in the purple outfit.  I can't find the video where I was a human jump-rope, but there's a small stunt at the 7:55 mark. 

This song will always be a reminder of my Spring Break senior year, as it was playing constantly both here and in Puerto Rico, where we went: Chris Brown- Run It

Post college was kind of hard. I had recently broken up with my college boyfriend and got a job out in the middle of the sticks, PA. I was lonely, bored, and far away from all of my friends, who mostly moved towards NYC. This time period was characterized by Nelly Furtado's Folklore album (specifically "Try"), Evanescence's Fallen and The Open Door, Halestorm, and Avril Lavigne's "When You're Gone." 

I don't really know what song(s) I would use to characterize the last few years, so I'll just fast foward to last year-today, when Ed Sheeran won me over with "Thinking Out Loud." 

What are some songs you would include in your soundtrack?

Linking up with Andrea and...

Easter Confessions

No preamble, just a few confessions!

I hate Cadbury Creme eggs, jelly beans, Peeps... basically any and all Easter/Spring related candy.

We used to get Good Friday off at work, but last year they made it a "Floating Holiday." I can't take off now because 10 other people in my dept (of 20) already claimed it. I can assure you nothing will be getting done that day.

Blue's family calls Easter "Eat-ster" because that is all they do the entire day. Her aunt makes a HUGE feast and they play games and it's glorious. I'm super sad that I won't get to participate this year because my mom wants me all to herself. I hope Blue saves me some leftovers!

I still thought it was really funny when her aunt made the "kids" do an Easter egg hunt last year. These "kids" are almost in their 20's now, but the littlest cousin is 10, so she still makes them do it. It's pretty hilarious, especially since she's not so great at "hiding" them.

The only downside is that I can no longer steal the candy (I still like chocolate!).

The Easter bunny failed to make it to my house every single year growing up. I would leave carrots out and everything and somehow he skipped me! But my mom always set up a scavenger hunt for me and would laugh take pictures of me doing ridiculous things like hop on one foot while singing "Little Bunny Foo Foo" to get my next clue.

I don't miss being forced into poufy ugly dresses.

those sleeves though...

I don't remember the last time I dyed Easter eggs, and I don't remember ever liking it. Wasting eggs never really appealed to me. I'd rather eat them. Preferably scrambled, with ketchup.

I also don't remember every being afraid of the Easter bunny, but I think it's pretty hilarious when little kids have a shitfit taking picture with him at the mall.

How creepy is this "Bunny" though?!

What are you confessing today? 

Linking up with Nadine and Kathy!

Spring Goals

Heyy-o! Remember that time two months ago when I made all those goals and then only really accomplished one (mostly... the Wallet Watch)? Well, that's not exactly true... I mean I started on some of the other ones, I just didn't finish them. And since I seem to be better at seasonal goals than monthly ones, I figure this is the perfect time to tackle those once and for all as well. So here are my goals for Spring:

Closet. Cleanout.
Like I said, I started some of those other goals. As in, I picked out stuff to send and finally ordered and received my ThredUp Cleanout Bag. I even took "before" closet pics! All I need to do is wash the stuff and put it in the bag. Easy peasy.

Download Microsoft Word/Office/Whatever
This goes with that resume goal from February. You see, when I went to update said resume, I realized my new laptop did not come with Microsoft. I work at a college, so I'm going to talk to IT about getting a free version, otherwise I'll just buy it.

Send in my passport registration
I wanted an international vacation.... until I realized that my passport had expired. Woops. The it took me two months to get the damn passport picture. Now I just need to send it in, and ya know... get it back.

Get back in the habit of meal planning... at least once a month. 
I think I was a little over-zealous in my goal to meal plan every week. Sometimes you need to scale down, and that's the plan this season.

Try a new recipe once a month
In keeping with the goal above, I have a lot of saved recipes that I really want to try, so hopefully I can do at least one a month,... ya know, if I plan it out :)

Finish the craft I started 3 (4?) months ago
This is just silly. I painted an initial to go over my bar area at least 3 months ago, and I wanted to put corks around it. I even picked out and separated the damn corks. I literally just need to hot glue them on, but I've hesitated because I don't know if I want them on the initial, or on the circle surrounding the initial. But really... who CARES?! Just get it done, Dani. Ugh.

Fix Screen Door
The screen door to my back porch has been broken due to a certain adorable Godson for almost two years. I asked the landlord, and he said it was my responsibility. The time has come.

Spring Shearing
I normally let my hair grow out in fall/winter to keep my neck warmer in the cold winter months. But it grows pretty fast and it's thick, and I'm getting too lazy to straighten on the regular, so off it must go.

Pay Off One Loan
A trade-off. And one I'm not too keen on doing, to be honest. I recently received a letter asking for/offering to receive a lump sum instead of the monthly payments. While I was in grad school part time last year I didn't have to pay my student loans, and I've been squirreling away that money in order to be able to buy a car. But... then this opportunity came up. I mean, it would be nice to not have this loan looming over my head, but it's not the only student loan I have (long story for another day).

Administrative Crap
My iPhone hasn't been backed up in over a month because I know there are hacks to get rid of stuff on it instead of paying for more storage. Remember that time I lost my debit card? I never updated my Hulu account with the new number. And Amazon just sent me an email saying that I needed to update my "Kindle for PC" even though I don't use Kindle on my PC. I'm sure there are more, but these are the three that I remember right now.


Do you work better with seasonal or monthly goals? Are you tackling any Spring goals? 

Sample Overload

Even with awesome apps like Spotify and Songza Google Play Music, I still listen to the radio quite a bit, particularly when I'm commuting. And lately, I've been hear a LOT of songs that I used to love being sampled. I know this isn't anything new, per se, but I think the issue is that I remember when some of the originals came out, so it's more annoying to me. Like hey artists, why you gotta ruin a good thing? I feel like the most obvious offenders are Flo Rida ("Right Round" vs. Dead or Alive's "You Spin Me Right Round (Like a Record)" and "Sugar" vs. Eiffel 65 "Blue" to name a few) and Pitbull ("The Anthem" vs. Enur's "Calabria" and "Feel This Moment" vs. A-Ha's "Take On Me"). But here are a few others that have made me slightly rage-y and immediately change the dial:

Baby Bash- Suga Suga vs. Robin Schultz- Sugar

Jackson 5- ABC vs. Sigala- Easy Love (Original Mix...hahaha)






Duran Duran- Hungry Like the Wolf vs. 5 Seconds of Summer- Hey Everybody!






Etta James- Something's Got a Hold of Me vs. Avicii- Levels  vs. Flo Rida- Good Feeling

Slick Rick- Hey Young World vs. TLC- Creep vs. Zendaya ft. Chris Brown- Something New (obviously NOT something new...) 








In case you wanted more, there's a huge list right here.
Have you noticed this lately? Does it bother you as much as it bugs me?

My Top 10 Spring Essentials

Anyone else feeling those warmer temps coming their way? I dare say, I don't think we'll be getting any more snow in my parts, and I'm super excited for spring to make it's grand appearance! As I'm switching out the closet, here are some things I'll be keeping handy and wearing regularly.

My Spring Essentials by lildesiqua featuring Marc Jacobs

Hunter Boots: Any rain boots will do, but I really like these because I feel like they're sturdier than some of their less expensive counterparts.

A strong umbrella: Walking to work is like walking directly through a wind tunnel ,so this is a must have for me. And April showers, right?

Sperry top-sliders: A classic. (And I just bought my first pair last year so I'm looking forward to wearing them!)

All the cardigans/lightweight sweaters/hoodies: I wear layers year round, but especially in spring/fall when it's usually cooler in the mornings/evenings and I'm commuting to work. Plus, cardigans are work place friendly, at least in my office.

Tissues scarves: Again, protection from the wind tunnel and a perfect layering piece.

Colorful pants: I wear a LOT of neutral colors because they're easier to match and perfect for work, but spring makes me want to bust out all the colorful pants. Or, all 2 that I own.

Brighter lipstick/gloss: I don't wear a lot of make-up, and usually my lips just have chapstick on in the cold, winter months. But just like my nails, I like to go a bit brighter in spring.

Spring nails: Dark nail polish take over my digits in winter, but in spring I'm all about the lighter pinks, purples, and pastels.

Floral scents/perfume: Daisy is my old standby and has been for a few years, but the fresh, slightly floral scent is perfect for spring.

Happy, upbeat tunes: In winter I'm sluggish and in hibernation mode, and usually my personal soundtrack reflects that. Warmer temps make me want to move more, and I need upbeat, happy tunes to get me up and keep me going. These are my top 10 at the moment:

What are some of your essentials for a happy spring?