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The Budget Smart Girl’s Guide to Pedicures
Warm weather means slipping on the sandals or the flip-flops. It also means that our feet and toes are on full display. One way to get perfectly groomed feet and nails is to get a pedicure. And you don’t always have to spend a lot of money to achieve the perfect look. Here are some tips, product recommendations and my step-by-step guide to getting a pampering pedicure at a Budget Smart Girl’s price. Let’s Get Started My philosophy is if your feet feel good, the rest of you feels pretty darn good too. And one way to make your feet feel great is to soak them in warm, fragrant water.…
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Oh No, Not Carrots Again!
One day I was in the middle of making dinner when I realized I was preparing carrots and broccoli. That shouldn’t sound too alarming. After all, they’re good for us. However, the scary thing was I’d served those same two vegetables almost every night that week. I only hoped that no one else had noticed how repetitious dinner had become. It’s all too easy to fall into a routine of cooking the same foods and making familiar dishes that we could throw together while wearing a blindfold. And nothing shouts budget food more than serving the same old, same old, over and over again. My epiphany that day made me…
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The Budget Smart Girl’s Guide to Yoga
Sticking with a budget, no matter how ‘good’ you are, can be stressful. And if you’re like me, someone who’s running around trying to do a hundred things at once, it’s nice to unwind now and then. A favorite way to do just that is practicing yoga. In fact, I’ve given yoga a couple of attempts. I’ve signed up for classes only to find that most of the poses are beyond my range of motion and I’ve given up. And yes, lost the money I paid for the class. I then decided to give yoga a try at home. There’s less embarrassment for me and it costs a lot less…
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Budget Smart Outdoor Foods
One of my favorite summer activities is packing the picnic basket and heading to one of the local parks. And apart from the cost of the food, it’s free entertainment. Whether you’re planning a picnic or a cook out, here are some of my favorite picks for summertime budget smart food. Hamburgers with a Twist Everyone loves a hamburger and they’re easy on the budget. However, the biggest drawback is a plain hamburger can be shall we say, tasteless. Think about all the new ways you can serve a hamburger. How about putting the topping inside the hamburger before you cook it? I’ve tried filling them with foods like blue…
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The Budget Smart Cook Loves Pantry Standbys
The Internet has been abuzz with tips for trimming your food budget. An idea that seems to show up regularly is using up all the items that are sitting in your pantry. It’s a great tip but as we Budget Smart Girls know, stocking the pantry in the first place plays a major role in saving money. Here are some items to keep on hand for those impromptu meals. Pasta I keep a couple of different types of pasta on hand at all times. It might be spaghetti, penne, even a box of lasagna. One of the quickest meals to put together is any type of pasta dish. And I…
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The Budget Smart Girl’s Guide to Garage Sales
It’s garage sale season again. You might be the buyer or even the one holding the sale. Either way, here are some tips for successful bargain hunting or selling. For the Buyer Scout the Papers Most people place ads in their local newspapers the week before their actual sale date. This gives you plenty of time to look through the listings and see what’s being offered and if it’s even worth the drive to the neighborhood. If anything does catch your eye, make a note and plan your route starting with the most promising sale first. Don’t Impulse Buy I’ve done this myself and it’s tempting…buying items you don’t really…
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The Budget Smart Cook Loves Brown Bag Lunches
What’s an easy way to save money on food? Take a brown bag lunch at work or school every day. A few weeks ago I received an e-mail from Joanne Lichten, Sunbelt Snacks’ registered dietitian and author of Dr. Jo’s How to Stay Healthy and Fit on the Road. Here’s what she had to say- “We all know how easy it is to hit the local diner or even fast food spot for lunch…but then we did the math. A $6 lunch multiplied by a 5 days a week costs us $1,440 a year. That’s a house payment for many of us or a couple of car payments.” The simple…