Shop Online, Save & Get Cash Back!

Okay, okay, I'll admit it.... I have a slight shopping addiction.  Not your average shopping addiction, but one fueled by good deals.  And before I get into the details of saving money, I want to be very clear about two rules I hold true to in order to keep myself in check:

1. Budget the amount of money you will spend vs. give to God bi-weekly (base this on how often you get paid!)...... This rule sparks another blog idea- stay tuned! :)
2. Only buy things you would normally buy even without the deals offered below

Alright, now for the fun part! Below are my absolutely favorite money saving tips/websites/apps!

Amazon Prime 

Amazon Prime Membership allows me to find great deals on Amazon, get FREE Two-Day Shipping, Free instant streaming of movie and TV shows (definitely comparable to Netflix), and the ability to borrow thousands of Kindle Books for free (I just finished "The Five Love Languages")! College students luck out even more- it's free the first year & $39/year until you graduate!  For the average Joe-shomes it costs us $79/year (That's $6.60 a month! Less than Netflix only).  

 If you won't to know more, check it out here!

Ebates

This is my absolute favorite website!  If you shop online, you just have to make one quick trip to ebates first, where you can find coupons and find out how much cash back you can receive.  Click-through to the website and shop like normal! Ebates tracks how much you send and sends you a big-fat-check every 3 months!

You can get 2-25% back back and coupons that either provide additional discount or free shipping! If you click the link below, it will direct you to the site.  As a disclaimer, if you sign-up and make a $25 purchase through Ebates, I receive $5! Which I will give to charity! :) So thank you!

 

Enjoy & Happy Shopping!

American Express "Amex" Credit Card

First of all, I do not enourage anyone to get a credit card if they have had issues paying it off in the past, or if they don't have a budget for sepnding!

But if you do, then I would have to suggest one of the American Express Credit Cards.
You an pick the card that is right for you, whether you love perks such as travel, VIP tickets, 24-7 concierge, or even cash back! I personally love my Blue Cash Everyday^®.  This no annual fee cars provides me with 3% cash back on the groceries, 2% on gasoline, and 1% on all other purchases.  Additional perks include travelers insurance, available  coverage if you rent a car and is it damaged or stolen, identity protection services, and much more! 

eBay

 eBay is the place to go online when you can't find a good deal on amazon!  In particular, I love to buy my electronics here!  I mean $4 for an iphone charger! You just can't beat that!

 SnipSnip

A recent addition to my money saving weapons! SnipSnip can be downloaded on your smartphone to bring coupons with you as you shop! I like this app because you can store and share your coupons on your phone and get alerts when you enter a specific store that you have a coupon for! Additionally, you get to use other people's coupons as well! :) 

 

 Retail Me Not

The best website to find coupon codes to use while shopping online.  Rule of thumb: Don't buy anything online from a regular retailer without using a coupon code! It's worth searching for one here!

Enjoy! & Happy Smart Shopping!

Bring the Mustache Back!

The Movember Effect: Awareness & Education, Survivorship, Research

Men everywhere are displaying their "Mo's" to raise awareness and funds for men's health issues- specifically, prostate and testicular cancer initiatives!



Movember hits close to home for me, as my father was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer a few years ago.  Luckily we caught it early and it seems to be under control! But I can't help to imagine what life would be like if we hadn't.

My favorite aspect of Movember is it is a Conversation Starter.  "Mo Bros" become walking, talking billboards for 30 days in November.  In hopes to trigger conversations about men's health that tend to be ignored! Ignored, primarily because of men's discussion not to discuss health issues openly! Additionally, some men tend to not get regular health check ups.

So what can we do?

• Men: It's never too late to grow your own 'stach!
• Donate Here (This is my Friend Sam!) Funds raised go directly to the Prostate Cancer Foundation, LIVESTRONG Foundation, & Movember's Global Action Plan

Men (especially the ones in my life I love dearly), please continue to:

• Have an annual physical
• Know your family Health history- You are at a higher risk if your family has a history of health issues
• Don’t Smoke
• Be Physically Active
• Keep your schedule regular and consistent
• Sleep Well
• Know Your Body- Watch out for irregularities 
• Eat a healthy diet
• Stay in a healthy weight
• Manage your stress
• Drink alcohol in moderation

Toasted Almond, Pesto & Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken over Barley

Ingredients (Serves 2)
1 pieces of aluminum foil
1/4 c. Toasted Almonds (Slivered Almonds roasted from 8 min at 350 degrees)
1 Chicken Breasts
2 Tbs. Pesto
1 String Cheese (Mozzarella) 
1/2 c. Barley (rinsed, and soaked in water for 2 hours
1 c. Chicken Broth

How you make it....
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Spread half of the almonds onto the piece of aluminum foil
3. Slice the chicken breast in half (like you are slicing a bun), place on top of almonds and foil
4. Open chicken breast to expose the inside
5. Spread Pesto on the inside of half the chicken ("bottom bun")
6. Add remaining toasted almonds inside the chicken
7. Tear string cheese into long pieces, add to inside of the chicken
8. Close chicken ("top bun" on top of "bottom bun")

9. Wrap foil tightly and securly around chicken
10. Cook for 35-40 minutes
11. While chicken is cooking, combine barley and chicken broth in a saucepan
12. Cook until tender and there in no more chicken broth
13. Place barley on a plate, top with chicken (Make sure to dump the juices from cooking the chicken onto the barley for extra flavor)

Enjoy!

Man, Woman, God Triangle.

The Lord has really blessed me this year!  He gave me a job that challenges me, provided professional experience beyond typical entry-level jobs and has rewarded me.  Little did I know one year ago that when I moved to Boston for my job that I would gain even that much more!  I met an amazing man, Jeffrey, and his wonderful family and friends.  I have grown, matured, and learned that I can be independent, but I still need to rely on others and the Lord to get me through the homesickness I was plagued with for the first 6 months. (Don't worry Mom, Dad, & Kyler- I still get homesick, but it's not painful anymore!)

If the worst of my worries is when I will earn more time off to spend it with my family or Jeff, I'd say that life is pretty amazing! For that, I'm so thankful. 

The past three weeks at church have been about relationships, which are so important now, more than ever.  When it comes to relationships, it's about being humble, gentle, patient, and preserving the peace by navigating conflict.

I would like to share the the passage from today's sermon, Ephesians 4:1-6:

Unity and Maturity in the Body of Christ

4 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. ² Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. ³ Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism; ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Verse 2 teaches us that we can choose our attitude, as it's something that we have control over.  Choose to be kind and to bear with one another.  During conflict we must recognize that we don't know everything.  We don't know what the other is going through or what circumstances may be altering a situation.  Choose to be understanding, and to fight for oneness (verse 3). I want to take this one step farther, and you should not only fight oneness with one another, but with God as well.  Take this visual into perspective, the closer man and woman are to God, the closer they are to one another.

Aim to come together as one unit, with God at the center.  Today, we learned that we can work through conflict by  working to collaborate in order to resolve conflict.  Collaborating means to explore multiple options so that everyone's expectations are met, this includes Christ's.  It puts things in perspective to take a look at the issues and problems through another lens, His lens, and I can only imagine that two things will happen.  Either you will realize that the conflict really just doesn't matter, or that the problem has a very clear answer because of what we have learned from our Lord.

Keep Him in your heart and keep Him to mind.  

Blog Shoutout to 'Chocolate-Cover Katie'

I totally have a virtual crush on a blog called "Chocolate-Covered Katie!" 

 

I'm in love with Katie's blog for two reasons. 

One- she takes the whole "Cook-Yourself Thin" phenomenon to the next level for desserts! Imagine a world of delicious 40 calorie ice-cream, 100 calorie brownies, or 120 calorie pieces of pie! It's all possible in your very own kitchen, when you make the right & healthy ingredient substitutions (no matter how odd)!  

Two- Her blog embodies the blog I want to have some day! With 40,000 likes on Facebook, constant original content, and great take-aways most everyone can enjoy, who wouldn't want to be a full-time blogger, writing about stuff that is interesting & fun!!!!

The recipe I enjoyed today: 

Volume Ice Cream
(Makes 1 huge serving)

• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/16 tsp salt
• 2 packets of stevia sweetener
• 1 cup almond milk (unsweetened)

Mix the ingredients together in 1 or 2 shallow plastic containers. Freeze. (You could also use an ice cube tray.) Once frozen, pop the blocks out of the container (I thaw for 30 seconds in the microwave first) and blend.

Healthy Roasted Chickpeas: Sweet, Salty, or Spicy!

Ingredients
Sweet

• 1 (12 oz) can of chickpeas, drained
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• Sugar (or sweetener)
• Pinch of Salt

Salty

• 1 (12 oz) can of chickpeas, drained
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• Salt 
• Garlic Salt

Spicy

• 1 (12 oz) can of chickpeas, drained
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• Salt
• Garlic Salt
• Cayenne Pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 
2. Blot chickpeas with a paper towel to dry them. In a bowl, toss chickpeas with olive oil, and desired seasonings (sugar, salt, garlic salt, and/or cayenne pepper).  Spread chickpeas on a baking sheet, leaving a little space between each, and bake for 30 to 40 minutes.  Bake until browned and crunchy.

Enjoy!

This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine ... Luke 8:4-21

I have to admit, that I caught wind of the Parable that would be discussed in church this weekend-Thanks “JKC!”- in efforts to conceal your identity ;) With that said, this parable is one that has always stood out to me, and I wanted to study it further!

Luke 8:4-21
New International Version (NIV)
4 While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: 5 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. 6 Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.” When he said this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

9 His disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10 He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, “though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.”

11 “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. 14 The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.

A Lamp on a Stand
16 “No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. 17 For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. 18 Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they think they have will be taken from them.”

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers
19 Now Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. 20 Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.” 21 He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.”

My question to you, is what kind of soil are you? What shall be said of your heart? Is it like the wayside? The rocky place? The thorny ground? Or like a good field that has been well prepared for the seed?

The clear theme of the Parable of the Soils is hearing the Word of God. This theme is shown when 8:1 Jesus is traveling from village to city "proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God" to 8:21 where Jesus says that his true family are those who hear God's Word and do it. His disciples are to not skew the message of the Kingdom, but proclaim it openly!

So, why does Jesus warn us again about hearing? This is because self-deception is dangerous. Remember the Pharisees who thought they knew better than anyone else, and "rejected God's purpose for themselves.” Sounding a bit like the seed that fell on hard-packed soil and bounced off?

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like." (James 1:22-24)

Lord, let me hear your word and put it into practice. Let me fearlessly spread the Good News and give me strength to be good soil. Let me wholeheartedly believe the truth so much so that I live out your will, not mine, daily. In your sons precious name, I pray, Amen.