The Money Edit: My Money Tips & Tricks

katie-harp-pinterest-manager-1292375-unsplash

All my life I’ve hated math, except when it comes to money. I’m one of those people who loves checking all my bank accounts, making budgets, stashing money away, and more importantly – spending it on things I love. After all, what is the point in having any money if you’re just going to deprive yourself? Money = freedom. Money = travel. Money = QUESO. While there’s more to life than money, how you use what you have can empower you or leave you feeling emo. Here are some of my favorite money tips and tricks!

I realize that not all of these will work for everyone, especially people with tons of debt or tons of kids (I don’t know about that life), but hopefully you can take away something that does work for you!

Have a Safety Net - Duh. This is Money 101, but not everyone heeds this advice even if literally everyone says it. It’s so important though! Make sure you’re stashing away something, no matter how small, every single month. You never know when you might need it! I have a separate spreadsheet in my budget called Savings where I put away $100 every month. I pretend like it isn’t there even though it’s really still in my checking account. This way I’ll never overdraw my account and if I have an unexpected expense then it’s not a big deal because the money is already there. It won’t eat away my money for the rest of the month.

Make a Flexible Budget - People tend to cringe at the word “budget”, but it can actually be fun. I’m not overly strict with mine. It’s more of a goal. If I meet it cool, if I don’t it’s also cool. Why? Because of the built-in safety net. I have categories for:

  • Automatic transfers – any money that I know will come out of my account every month
  • Food/drinks
  • Gas/car stuff
  • Shopping/fun
  • Savings
  • Self-care/other – probably my fave category! This is where I put my massages, hair appointments, vitamins, chiropractor appointments, etc.

I have it set up to where it shows me my “goal amount” left to spend each month and how much I can actually spend if I need it. Keep in mind, my “actual amount left to spend” doesn’t take any of my savings into account so I could really spend even more if I had to do so. The key is tricking yourself, people.

Screen Shot 2019-03-17 at 1.42.11 PMPretend Credit is Debit - Again, another tricking yourself move. I know not everyone can do this, but if you can it’s the best. Treat your credit card as a debit and automatically deduct anything you spend from your budget. That way you won’t be surprised when you get your statement; you can just automatically pay it because you know the money is there.

[Read more…]

Why Peppermint is the Queen of Essential Oils

josefin-1142496-unsplash

When you get deep into the realm of essential oils, it can be easy to overlook the basics that got you hooked in the first place. However, some of the most simple oils are also the most powerful. There’s one that really outshines them all though, and that’s peppermint oil! This little gem never leaves my purse. It goes to work, on vacations, home, and everywhere in between. Here are some of my favorite ways to use it!

Breath Freshener – Duh. It’s obvious that peppermint oil is great when you forget to brush your teeth or just want to make sure your breath is extra fresh! One drop is all you need to banish even the nastiest odors (peppermint oil is known to kill bacteria and fungus).

Deodorant – So you don’t want to use peppermint oil as straight up deodorant all the time, but it does come in handy when you forget to use some. It’ll burn a little, but at least you know you won’t smell bad. You gotta do what you gotta do, okay?

Sinus Pressure/Headaches – There’s nothing better than slathering on a bit of peppermint oil when you have sinus pressure going on. The weather in Oklahoma is bipolar AF, which means my sinuses can flare up pretty much at any moment. It’s a lifesaver. In fact, I have it on my face right now as I write this.

[Read more…]

Work & Worth: Why It’s a Problem

arnel-hasanovic-375269-unsplash

One of the first questions you ask when you meet someone new is “what do you do?”  – as if what you do for a living somehow equates to who you are. I get it; it’s an innocent question and one we all ask just for the sake of conversation. But the underlying subconscious message is kind of toxic if you stop to think about it. It tells us that our worth is dependent on something outside ourselves – some measure of success, whatever it may be. That to be loved, valued, and fulfilled, we must keep doing, hustling, struggling, and achieving.

Why? For what? Happiness, love, and fulfillment? These feelings can only be found within ourselves at the end of the day. You can’t simply acquire them like you can acquire another degree.

Becoming a doctor does not make your more worthy of love than when you were a high school student. Writing another book doesn’t mean you’re more worthy and valuable than you were before you wrote it.

We get so stuck on the external measures of success that we overlook the fact that we’re already worthy, loved, and valuable just as we are. It’s okay to be right where you are, doing exactly what you’re doing. That’s almost controversial to say in our society these days – a society that always wants MORE and wants it RIGHT NOW.

[Read more…]

2018 Favorites!

nordwood-themes-467442-unsplash

Can you believe this year is almost over?! 2018 has seemed like the shortest and longest year ever – in the best and worst ways. For me it’s been a year of healing old emotional wounds, which can be magical and painful at the same time. Gemini probs, you know?

Without further ado, here are some of my 2018 faves!

Favorite Podcast: Highest Self Podcast with Sahara Rose

This is all I’ve been listening to at work for months now! Sahara is an Ayurvedic wellness guru and has some super interesting people on her podcast – everyone from Deepak Chopra to astrologers, Shamans, and doctors. If you love holistic self-improvement and spirituality, you’ll love listening to her.

Favorite Book: The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo 

This might be one of the best books I’ve ever read that isn’t a Harry Potter book. It’s a star-crossed modern love story spanning decades (starting on 9/11) that will rip your heart out in the best way. Honestly, I can’t shut up about this book. It’s so beautiful and relatable. It’s also the first time I’ve ever read love scenes that didn’t make me cringe from being overly cheesy or overly gross. Prepare to cry.

Favorite Herbal Supplement: Organic Olivia Tinctures

You know I love me some Organic Olivia. Everything she makes is magical! This year she came out with an entire line of tinctures including Liver Juice, Mood Juice, Peace Juice, Brain Juice, Digestive Juice, and Sleep Juice. I’ve been using Brain and Liver Juice for months and recently added Mood to the mix. They’re wonderful, especially Liver and Mood. My face is noticeably clearer thanks to Liver, and Mood definitely does what it says and makes you less moody.

Favorite Local Restaurant: Big Easy

If you’re around the OKC area, make the drive into Yukon and get some Big Easy! They have some of the best Cajun food you’ll ever eat. I’m a fan of the crawfish tails, crawfish étouffée, and hush puppies.

[Read more…]

What’s In My Anti-Flu Tool Kit

brittany-neale-597651-unsplash

It’s that time of year, everyone! Winter is upon us and flu season is upon us. It actually snowed in Oklahoma the other day, which almost never happens in November. It’s impossible to escape all the germs, but there are a ton of preventative measures you can take (besides getting a flu shot)! Here’s what I have on hand every fall and winter to help me not get sick AF.

1. Elderberry Syrup - This is your first line of defense for any thing that might attack your immune system! Elderberry has been a staple in natural medicine for centuries, with roots tracing back to ancient Egyptian medications (always ahead of their time with everything!). Elderberries contain rich flavanoids which are known to stimulate your immune system. Not only is it a great preventative, it’s also great even if you do get sick. Several years ago, I got the flu pretty bad. This was back before I took all my preventative measures. My mom drove to my apartment and gave me elderberry syrup and vitamin C every hour and I was almost back to normal the same day. Don’t get me wrong – I was still exhausted and needed another day to rest, but I didn’t feel like I was near the brink of death anymore. It’s magical!

2. Organic Olivia Immune Shroom - If you don’t know about Organic Olivia, you need to! This woman is an amazing natural healer based in New York. Check her out on Instagram and you’ll see why I love her! She makes a ton of amazing supplements and tinctures (I started taking her Brain Juice and Liver Juice a month or so ago – they’re amazing). Her Immune Shroom vitamins are a must. If you only get two things on this list, let it be elderberry syrup and this. It’s made with five superfood mushrooms – cordyceps, turkey tail, reishi, shiitake, and agaricus. Olivia calls this blend your daily insurance, and that’s a great way to look at it. Mushroom blends like this are great for fatigue, stress, detoxification, allergies, cardiovascular health, and so much more.

3. Zinc - I won’t lie – the main reason I take zinc every day is to help keep my skin clear, but it’s a wonderful flu preventative too. Zinc is said to help reduce the length of flu and cold symptoms. According to Dr. Axe, it has the ability to exert an anti-viral effect by attaching to receptors in nasal epithelial cells, blocking their effects. I won’t pretend like I fully understand this, but if it can help and make your skin look good, why wouldn’t you take it?

[Read more…]