August

August will always be one of my very favorite months. It has so many great memories throughout the month that make it fun. The weather is hot, but cools off at night usually. Summer festivities are coming to an end, and school shopping! I miss getting ready to go back to school and getting shopping dates with my mom for clothes. Some of my fondest memories are spent in August including our wedding and Our first date when we laid on the road watching shooting stars by a corn field! (Totally romantic I know!) 

As summer comes to an end yet another Fall is around the corner. If you know me at all you know that makes me the happiest person alive! I love Fall. 

Collin is getting ready to begin third crop hay and staying extra busy doing his side little business of hauling with our semi! I must admit when we decided to invest in the semi last year I was terrified, but it has proven to be such a good thing. Although if he's not busy on the farm he is busy doing that-- I start to kinda miss him ;)  it really has been a blessing in our life. 

We finally booked our Mexico trip for this November so I'm trying to hit up all the summer sales while things are on clearance. Know of anywhere that has cute swimsuits on sale? Please share! 

We were able to go to the sand dunes in St. Anthony this week with my in laws. It was a blast as always. I'm incredibly thankful for a job that allows me to be able to spend time with family when needed. It's so funny to see how happy Collin and his dad get when we are going to the sand dunes. They have too much fun. I could watch Col all day! 

We did have a series of unfortunate events last week when I ran my car out of gas... And our washing machine flooded our hallway. Thank heavens for my sweet husband for bringing me gas when he had better things to do, and for him realizing the washer was flooding before it was too bad. 

Monday is our anniversary and that's kinda crazy. Sometimes I feel like we have been married forever (I guess that could be cause we have been in each other's life for 5 years) and I can't believe it's only been two years, and then sometimes I feel like it was just yesterday and can't believe it's been that long already. I'm sure grateful he asked me to be his wife. 

I'm sad August is ending, but holiday season is right around the corner starting with Halloween, and that is the best time of the year! 

Five Small Ways We Save Money.

1. Hand soap. 

I know I'm not alone when I say that I love me some good bath and body hand soap. Because I am an ocd freak I wash my hands multiple times during the day (when I say multiple I mean like 20-25 times) I'm not exaggerating. So as you can see my soap habit can be quite expensive. Bath and body is great and yeah sometimes there are sales, but why not use the DIAL hand soap from Wal-Mart for 99 cents a bottle? This has saved us! And there really are a lot of yummy cheap smells. 

2. Candles/scentsys. 

I love when my house smells good. It makes it feel homey and clean. I used scentsys for a long time, but am I the only one who feels like I have to change the scentsy every single day?! That gets old. So I started using candles. For a while I used bath and body candles and they are all so yummy. But once again they are expensive unless they're having a sale on them. I hit up TJ Maxx a while ago and found some way good smelling candles. One of them even smelt identical to one I had from bath and body. And guess how much they were? 5-7 dollars. And they last me a good month before I need new ones. 

3. Not wasting our money on DVDs and Blue-Rays

This is a total personal preference. Some people really like watching movies at home, but unless it's a really and I mean REALLY good movie, we don't buy it. It seems like the movies tend to just sit and never get watched. I'm sure this will change when we get older and have kids but for now it seems like a waste of our money.

4. Use up your lotions and perfume 

Who's with me when I say that I have TONS of lotion and perfume? Yet somehow anytime I'm in bath and body, Victoria's Secret, (or anywhere that sells smell goods) I feel like I just have to buy more because there is a new scent. Well about a year and a half ago I promised myself--along with a small nudge from my husband saying I couldn't get anymore-- I decided to use up what I have before I ever bought anymore. And guess what? I haven't even made a dent in what I have. And everytime I use up of bottle I'm so excited because I'm that much closer to getting new scents! I feel so accomplished. Chances are if you wait to use it up and keep buying new, the scent in the fragrance and lotion will go bad. Really, stop and think how many you have bought in the last year.. (Try this with hair product too!)

5. Not getting new unless you really need it (or want to spend your budget money on it)

It's so easy for me to be in the store and feel like I just have to have something. Most of the time I get home and realize I already have plenty. For example, I have been wanting new socks forever. Not that I really need new socks, I'm just tired of the ones I have. There are so many comfy/cute ones everywhere I go, I swear! But I really don't need new socks.. Mine work just fine. Honestly who sees your socks? I'm the same way with shoes too.. Or kitchen supplies.. This is a big one! Do you REALLY need that spatula? It's not like you don't already have 5 at home already.. You'll never use them all at the same time! Ask yourself this question--Will you regret it when you get home if you don't get it? Works every time, almost. 

These are just a few things I've learned over the past two years of being married. 

They may seem small, but it's small habits like this that add up!