voiceless

i've lost my blogging voice....for now.
i hope to have it back tomorrow.
maybe. cross your fingers.

Happy Earth Day!

In honor of Earth Day, I'll tell you what I did to make the planet a little more "green"...

• I took a 5 minute shower (they are usually 1o minutes)
• I didn't turn on any lights until 10 pm (easy to do when you are gone all day)
• I took the last of my plastic bags to Kroger to be recycled
• I used fabric bags for all of my grocery purchases this evening
• I watched the number of pages I printed today at work
• I haven't turned the TV on all day
• I went to work this morning with wet hair (which means I didn't use the blow dryer)
• I cooked a vegetarian dinner and had a vegetarian lunch (that I packed). I am not a vegetarian but eating meat actually hurts the planet. (You can help curb carbon emissions in the livestock industry if you cut back on eating meat once a week)
• I went the speed limit everywhere I went today (you actually burn less gas if you go 60 mph or less)

Here are some things that I do everyday that makes an impact on the planet:

• I don't drink bottled water. Instead I use reusable aluminium bottles, or nalgene bottles
• I pack my lunch everyday in a bag made of recyclable materials
• I only start the dishwasher when every inch of it is full and I literally cannot fit another knife in it
• I re-wear pants, cardigans, sweatshirts, etc. so I don't have as much laundry to do all the time (don't worry, I change my underwear everyday) :)
• I recycle when I can. It's hard to do when you live in an apartment with not a whole lot of extra space and no one to give you or pick up a recycling bin
• I pick up litter whenever I see it and I do not litter
• Some of my cleaning products are environmentally friendly (some of them are not, but I'm working on it)
• Most of my bills automatically come out of my checking account and I can view statements online so I am not using any extra paper by getting bills and statements in the mail
• I practice the 4 R's (reduce, reuse, recycle, re-wear)

By no means am I trying to save the planet by myself but I try to do my part one "greener" thing at a time and one day at a time to help protect the Earth so that one day my kids can have a much cleaner planet than what we are living in today. What things have you done today to help save the Earth? What are some things that you do everyday to be a little more "green"? Happy Earth Day y'all. I hope you try and make...
Peace, hugs, and smiles,

J

financially smart

If you know me, you know that I like to use coupons. A LOT! If you don't know me, you will soon find out. It's not something that I really have to do but it's something that I choose to do. Plus, the high you get from walking out of a store knowing you just purchased $150 dollars worth of items and only spent $4 out of your pocket is AMAZING! (And yes, this very situation happened to me at Walgreens last year - thanks to my trusty ole coupons). Every Sunday (except the ones that don't have coupon inserts), I grab 2 papers from the gas station down the road and I head home to clip and flip (clip the coupons and flip through the ads). I buy two so that if i find a great sale I can stock up. If I spend less than $4 on 2 newspapers, I only have to use 4 - .50 off coupons to get my money back (the stores that I shop at double my coupons up to a $1) Many non-couponers may think that coupons are for those financially strapped or poor. I say coupons are for those that are financially smart. Why in the world would you give your hard earned money away when you know you can save HUGE if you just take a little bit of time. Even if you don’t coupon in a big way, take the time to scan your ads and cut some coupons out. If you are an occasional couponer, you may not notice the savings with just a stop here or there, but if you were to record all of your coupons, I am sure you’d be amazed; I am. I even had a friend call me the other day with all the excitement in the world because it was her first time using coupons AND she saved 7 bucks and some change - I think that's totally awesome!! If you really want to see the outcome of saving with coupons, join with me in trying something new that I have been doing: take the money you save by using coupons and store cards (Kroger, Giant Eagle...) and put that into your savings account (you will find the amount you save on your receipt). Trust me, it adds up quickly and really, you wouldn't be missing any money from your checking account because you would have initially spent that money on your groceries IF you weren't using coupons anyway. Happy Couponing!!!

Peace, hugs, and smiles,
J

arrive hungry

Yesterday, I was told about a Beth Moore Bible Study that was taking place at our Beavercreek Branch and I was kind of skeptical to go. One, I have never actually been to or a part of a bible study so I didn't know what to expect. Two, I didn't think it was for me...EVER and three, Bible studies sound so lame.

I say this with all the "happy" in my heart and soul that one, I have now attended and been a part of a bible study. Two, it is for me and three, it's totally not lame. It's not your typical, "lets sit in a circle and read scriptures to each other out of the bible and talk about it". This is deeper than that and more personal. I look forward to going every Tuesday as I feel, and as Beth Moore states that I am "ordained by God to be in this bible study" simply because life is hard and there are things in my life now that I struggle with (but I'm not staying there) and this is the perfect time for me to be a part of moving closer to God. I will attend weekly and I will arrive hungry.

Peace, hugs, and smiles,
J

fresh start, new beginnings

Hello to Everyone!

Thanks to my dear friend Becky, you have found me. She has done a lot of convincing for sometime to get me to start a blog - so here I am. And afterall, it may be a great idea. I actually used to have a blog in college but this blog comes with a fresh start. New adventures, new stories, new (and wonderful) people in my life and the start of new beginnings for you, and for me. I may not exactly know what this blog will bring or what I am even going to blog about but I invite you to join me in my fresh start and new beginnings and I hope you follow me throughout my journey in life, with God, my boyfriend, my family and my friends.

Peace, hugs, and smiles,
J