the art of savvy

A recent study revealed that for Americans to eat healthier would cost $380 extra per year – or just under $32 a month.  This translates in bringing lunch for a week rather than eating out/skipping the Starbucks once a week/keeping the “wine with dinner” nights to twice a week instead of three or four.  The [...]

Last week I figured out enough meal ideas for the rest of the month using (mostly) items from my pantry/freezer.  This week’s grocery bill was only $50 – not too bad!  I purchased several meat items on sale over the last few weeks, so I have been able to come up with many healthy, tasty, [...]

This week, I took advantage of several sale items at Whole Foods – stocked up my pantry, and added a few new things to the menu this week, including ham, pineapple, hot dogs, and corn on the cob. We’re right on track with our Food budget this month (after months of spending way too much), [...]

Thanks to a major breakdown of our Jeep, money is super tight right now!  We’re making use of our pantry and money-saving recipes from Cooking Light to get us through these penny-pinching times. Monday:  Farfalle Pasta with Hot Chicken Italian Sausage Tuesday:  Chicken & Dumplings Wednesday:  Leftovers! Thursday:  Dinner with the Billings Friday:  Potluck Dinner [...]

Simplification is a beautiful thing – and when it comes to skin care, you can skip the fancy scrubs, toners, and creams in exchange for cheap, healthy fixes!  Product overload is not only bad for your skin, but for your wallet and environment as well.  Here are three alternative skincare products that save your skin, [...]

I just stumbled on a great cooking/shopping tool from Real Simple that makes shopping in-season quick and easy.  Remember, there are slight variances based on your location, but this is a great starting point!  Shopping in-season means saving money, since in-season produce is in plentiful supply and usually on sale.  Also, it’s an intuitive way [...]

The fiance and I are on a tight budget until further notice, so we’re stretching out resources as much as possible, and making use of our well-stocked pantry. In fact, my grocery list this week is teeny tiny: bread, cereal, milk, cheddar cheese, salad greens, and stir-fry veggie mix – approximately $25 of stuff from [...]

There are opportunities for generosity every day, be it generosity of time, money, or spirit. Together with my husband-to-be, I hope to make a concerted effort to give back to our friends, family, community, country, and world as much as we can. Hopefully, we can help to make a difference in someone