My husband’s job doesn’t come with a whole lot of leeway for time off, so he has to use his vacation days sparingly. That meant I’d be going it alone for this trip.

I went back and forth quite a bit over when to book it—sooner, when Zara was smaller and easier to tote around? Or later, when she was a little older and could sit on her own and stay awake for longer stretches?

In the end, I wound up booking the trip for the most convenient dates, which fell a few days after Zara turned four months old.

Traveling alone with a baby isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s a highly physical endeavor filled with lifting and lugging and schlepping. Aching back aside, our trip was largely a success and I’m so glad we went! I’m already looking at dates for our next trip.

If you’re reading this, it’s probably because you’re considering traveling or about to travel with a baby and trying, like I was, to avoid it being a total nightmare. Disclaimer: there will inevitably be some hiccups, and that’s okay. The key is setting a low bar, taking lots of deep breaths and doing your best to loosen that death grip you have on being in control (hi, I’m talking to myself).

Setup for Flying Alone with a Baby

Before I get to the tips, I thought it would be helpful to share our setup for flying. Before our trip, I was totally clueless about how to fly with a baby and the logistics involved.

A couple important things I learned: children under two can sit in your lap for free. If you want them to have their own seat, most airlines require you to buy a separate ticket. A few allow kids to fly free or at a discounted fare.

A baby’s travel necessities, like their stroller, car seat and diaper bag, don’t count toward your baggage allowance. So, in addition to all your baby gear, you can bring a personal item on board without an extra fee. Obviously double check with your airline before you show up for your flight, but this was the policy for Allegiant and JetBlue, which I flew with on this trip.

When I first booked the trip, I thought, babies fly free? Great, she’ll sit in my lap. The more I thought about it, though, the more I realized what a disaster this could potentially turn into with my daughter, who hates to be held while sitting down. At the last minute, I called both airlines and booked her her own seat. I’m so glad I did.

So, here’s what my traveling-with-a-baby setup ended up looking like:

• I packed one bag (from Away, which I adore) for both of us and checked it
• I rolled to the gate with her stroller + car seat. They make you take the baby out of the car seat at security, so I had our Baby Bjorn handy and popped her into that
• I gate-checked the stroller and the base for her car seat. Gate checking is super convenient for baby gear and doesn’t cost extra. You leave your items just before you get onboard and pick them up right when you deplane, instead of having to go to baggage claim
• I boarded with her in the Baby Bjorn, carrying the car seat for her to sit in

I have to give major props to the crew at Allegiant, who went above and beyond to help me get boarded and settled during our NY-to-FL flight.

It’s very easy to feel like you’re one big inconvenience when traveling with a baby, but they made me feel like it was totally normal and they wanted to make it as easy as possible. I will definitely be flying Allegiant again for our future Florida trips.

Now for what I learned from traveling solo with a baby.

1. Fly Early in the Day

If your baby is like mine, her mood has an inverse relationship with the hour of the day. The longer she’s been awake, the fussier she gets. Conveniently, airports operate on a similar clock. The later it gets in the day, the greater your chance for delays, crowds and other travel snafus.

Fly early. Our flights were between 10 a.m. and noon both ways and it worked out really well for the timing of her meals and naps. Next time I’d go even earlier—a 9 a.m. flight would be perfect.

2. Arrive Early

Before I had a baby, I would roll up to the airport 30 minutes before the doors of my plane were set to close. I’ve run to the gate more than once.

The thought of doing this with a baby and all the ancillary gear is laughable. While you’re probably worried about getting there too early and being trapped in the terminal with a baby, that’s highly preferable to rushing to your gate in a panic or worse, missing your flight.

Get there early, feed your baby, get yourself a snack. Lay out a blanket and let her kick around and get some tummy time since she’ll be confined to a seat for the next few hours. Get friendly with the gate agents, who can hopefully help you get onboard smoothly.

Getting some floor time before our flight

3. Sit at the Front and Board Last

Most airlines call for families traveling with children to board early, which is nice, but that just means you’ll be cooped up on the plane that much longer. With a small baby, I think it’s easier to wait and board last, especially if you can get a seat up front.

For our first flight, I was able to get us seats in the third row. We waited until everyone else had boarded and then breezed into our seats, taking off just a few minutes later.

On our second flight we were near the back and boarded early. We had to wait almost half an hour for everyone else to board and to finally take off, and Zara got pretty fussy during that wait. In the future I will definitely pay extra to be at the front.

4. Unpopular Advice: Get Your Baby Their Own Seat

I’ve heard a lot of moms rave about taking advantage of the kids-under-two-fly-free policy, but I’m so glad I went with my gut and coughed up the cash for another seat. I guess some babies love to be held, but Zara would’ve had a fit if I attempted to keep her on my lap for the entire 2.5 hour flight.

I followed popular advice and nursed her while we took off (the swallowing helps their ears with the change in air pressure), then transferred her to her car seat next to me. She complained a little but fell asleep after a few minutes and slept for the majority of both flights.

Just boarded. So far so good!

Napping the flight away

5. Book the Window and the Aisle

Babies sitting in a car seat are required to be placed in the window seat. When you’re selecting your seats, book the window seat for baby and the aisle seat for yourself.

Other people booking their flights will avoid choosing a single middle seat, making it more likely it’ll stay empty and you’ll have the entire row to yourselves. If it’s a full flight and you do wind up with a third person in your row, you can always switch with them for the middle seat.

6. Bring a Pillow

I wished I had brought one to prop Zara on while I fed her instead of having just the arm rest. The round neck pillows that snap together at the bottom would have been perfect to tack onto her diaper bag and carry onboard.

7. Wear a Watch

We take for granted that we’ll always have our phone to check the time, but when you’re traveling solo with a baby, your hands will pretty much always be full. This makes digging out your phone difficult. The last thing you want is to absentmindedly set it down somewhere, like I did on our first flight (bless the TSA agents who came running after me with it!).

Make your life a little easier by wearing a watch.

I was pretty stressed about flying with a baby on my own, but we made it from New York to Florida and back without any major disasters. I now feel a lot more confident about taking her places by myself and know that when Johnny and I travel with her together, it will be a piece of cake in comparison.

Have you traveled with your baby or do you plan to soon? Leave me a comment and let me know how you’re feeling about it/what other questions you have!

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The post 7 Things I Learned From Flying Alone With A 4-Month Old Baby appeared first on Cabana State Of Mind.

What I love about this topic, though, is that every couple splits finances differently. I’ve talked about it with a few friends and I don’t think anyone has had the exact same approach. Some share all their money and pay every bill from a joint account. Others keep their accounts totally separate and split all the bills 50/50. Some friends each pay certain bills, like one partner pays the mortgage while the other pays utilities and groceries. There’s no right answer, so that means you can feel good about figuring out what works for you and doing it your way.

One thing I don’t love about this topic is that financial experts have lots of strong opinions about how splitting finances in a couple should be done, and I don’t necessarily agree with all of them. So before I tell you how Johnny and I have split our finances through the years, I’m going to touch on a few pieces of “expert” advice so you can see the different perspectives.

What the Experts Say

Most experts agree that married partners should have a joint checking account. According to a TD Bank survey, 82% of couples share a joint account for household expenses. I resisted this idea for a long time, not necessarily because I didn’t want to share an account, but because managing everything from our own separate checking accounts was working fine for us. Why fix something that isn’t broken? When we got married, though, I found that having at least one joint account was basically inevitable (more on this below) and now we have one.

Experts also say that when you get married, one person’s debt becomes the couple’s debt. Dave Ramsey is a particular stickler about this point, but this is one I strongly disagree with. My debt is spending that I racked up independent of my husband, some of it before we got married. I didn’t consult with him before I spent the money. His name wasn’t on any of the cards. Therefore I feel it would create a totally unfair situation to expect him to share in paying off the debt. I would expect the same if the reverse were true.

Though I don’t agree with splitting debt in my own situation, I do understand why experts advocate for debt to be shared. Finances should be a joint effort—our money rather than my money and their money. If you don’t do it this way, that’s when problems arise. But I don’t think it should apply across the board to all of the money in a relationship.

Finally, experts say that for a relationship to work long term, each partner needs to be on the same page with their approach to money. If one of you is a spender and one is a saver and you don’t meet somewhere in the middle, it’s not going to work. Money is one of the top two reasons for divorce, second only to infidelity.

I fully agree that couples should have a shared approach to money. It’s why I recently roped my husband into having a budget meeting where we talked through the highlights of our spending and savings. Though we don’t have major differences when it comes to our thoughts on money, it was still good to have a check in. I think it will be a good thing for us to do every couple months moving forward.

Splitting Finances Before We Were Married

Now that you’ve heard the “expert” advice, let’s talk about the good stuff: how we actually split our finances.

For the majority of the time we were dating, Johnny and I kept our money completely separate. We had our own accounts. Each month I’d total up our rent and utilities, split it in half, and tell him how much to transfer to me. When we ate out or bought groceries, we would use two cards and split it down the middle. I guess you could say we were very into a 50/50 approach.

For many years this worked perfectly for us. We were making about the same amount of money and our finances were uncomplicated. We already owned a house together and weren’t thinking about any other big savings goals at the time. Some people thought it was strange that we hadn’t merged our finances, but it was what worked for us.

Then we moved to a new state, started planning a wedding and everything got a little more complicated.

My best financial advice when planning a wedding: get a joint checking account

Splitting Finances Around A Wedding

As wedding planning kicked into high gear and the transactions started adding up, it became clear we needed a pool of money that was truly ours—shared between us for this huge thing we were working toward together.

One big factor that led us to finally combine our money was that our lovely friends and family started giving us gifts. Specifically, they were writing checks that said ‘Tami and John Dzenitis.’ If you’ve ever given a newly married couple money, you’ve probably done this without even thinking about it. But this presented two problems.

First off, we didn’t have any accounts with both our names on them. When a check has two names, it can’t be deposited via a mobile app. Both people have to physically go to the bank and sign and deposit the check. When you’re dealing with lots of checks coming in and going out, going to the bank that often becomes maddening.

Second, I hadn’t changed my last name yet, which meant I couldn’t deposit those checks into my bank account anyway. They all had to go through Johnny’s account, which made it twice as tough since I was the one managing the majority of the wedding accounting.

We needed a joint account.

My best financial advice if you’re about to get married: open a joint checking account in both your names as soon as possible. It will save you a lot of hassle when making wedding payments and depositing those awesome wedding checks.

Now we use a points credit card for all our joint expenses, like cocktails on the beach in Mexico

Splitting Finances After We Got Married

Shortly after we got married, we did something else that totally changed how we split our finances: we signed up for a credit card that both of us can use. If you’re not using a points credit card for your regular monthly purchases, you’re missing out on free money.

A points card can be used to get cash back (like 1-2% of your total spending), earn points you can use to buy flights, and a ton more. This is a credit card we pay off in full every single month so it never carries a balance and never accrues interest. We use it for our bills and things like dining out, pay the whole thing off at the end of the month, and rack up the points.

I like this method for sharing our spending because when it’s time to pay the credit card bill, it forces me to take a look at our total overall spending every month. You don’t get that same big picture view when you’re paying for things one at a time with a debit card. It makes it very easy to compare month to month and see if our spending has ballooned, like it did in December around the holidays, so we can reel it back in the next month.

We use the American Express Blue Sky Miles card, which has no annual fee. We earn one point for every dollar we spend and two points for every dollar spent at restaurants. The points add up faster than you might think! Since we opened this card about two years ago, we’ve used the resulting points to pay for two sets of flights and we’re close to using it on a third set. If you sign up using this link, we’ll both get a mileage bonus.

We still have our own individual checking accounts for things we want to buy on our own. We haven’t yet opened up any joint savings or investment accounts, but we have started saving for some shared goals (right now I keep the money in my savings account). Starting some joint savings accounts is next on my list of financial to-do’s after I get my own debt paid off.

So that’s how my husband and I split our finances before and after marriage. I’m curious to hear what others do! Leave a comment and tell me or send me a message on Instagram.

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The post How I Split Finances with My Significant Other appeared first on Cabana State Of Mind.

So how do you stay inspired to stick with it day after day when you’re sick of sitting on the couch having your 100^th movie night instead of going out and doing something exciting (a.k.a. where I’m at right about now)? Here are a few of the things that help me stay motivated to save money for the long term.

Stay Motivated to Save Money by Going Back to Why You Started

Lots of financial bloggers talk about “finding your why,” and I always thought this was so cheesy. My “why” is to get out of debt, duh.

But I started to come around to this idea last year when I got serious about crunching the numbers and figuring out what it would take to actually get out of debt. When I started to see that it was, in fact, possible, I got butterflies in my stomach.

I thought about what it would feel like to not have that financial burden hanging over my head, to be fully in control of my finances. I could build my retirement savings, travel more, not be freaked out about the cost when the car needed a repair or the hot water heater broke down. It felt empowering. I knew that it would transform my relationship with money.

That feeling was so real that I would have gladly agreed to eat only beans and rice for the next month. It fades over time, of course—that’s why you have to keep coming back to it to reignite the fire that got you started in the first place. For me, journaling about it and writing this blog both help bring me back to that place.

Stop Playing the Comparison Game

When you’re in savings mode, you’ll notice that your priorities begin to shift. The things you once spent money on on the regular suddenly become less important…until the moment you’re scrolling through Instagram and get sucked back in. Comparison is the thief of joy and all that jazz, but it can also steal money straight out of your bank account.

For example, I don’t drive a fancy car. Even before I started down this debt-free path, cars just weren’t that important to me. But I can be on social media and see someone post a photo of their gorgeous new SUV they just drove off the lot and I get that little pang of jealousy. If I’m not careful, my thoughts will start to spiral.

That’s a good looking car. Why don’t we have a brand new car? She must be rolling in dough. It must be nice!

I’ve gotten good at reeling those thoughts in real fast. Most of the time I can laugh at them because they’re irrational. But if I didn’t know better, I could easily find myself scrolling through new car listings on Google. Why?! When I look at my own priorities, a new car isn’t even in the top ten.

And, of course, I have no idea what that person’s finances look like. Maybe the car is leased. Maybe they saved up and paid cash for it. Maybe she loves cars and that’s where she prioritizes her spending. I have no idea, and it doesn’t make a difference either way. We’re all on a different journey. Stay focused on your priorities.

Treat Yourself

Even when you’re in a season of saving, you have to treat yourself sometimes. You’ll go 2007 Britney Spears if you don’t.

There are lots of things that can feel like a treat without costing a ton of money. Some ideas: a coffee drink and a pastry from a fancy bakery, a massage (Groupon!), a pedicure, a day trip somewhere you’ve never been, having your car detailed. Even better if you can build a few treats into your budget each month.

When there are $5 margaritas, you have $5 margaritas

You Don’t Have to Pretend It Doesn’t Suck

Let’s be honest: spending money is a lot more fun than not spending money. It feels good to buy that cute new outfit, book that trip, or sip on that sweet, sweet cocktail made of expensive booze. It’s not until after the fact that you wish you would have saved the cash instead.

I’ve found it’s helpful to admit that yes, sometimes being on a money-saving path just isn’t that fun. I tell my friends that I’m bored a lot. I whine to my husband about all the vacations I wish we could take. I complain in my head about not having anything new to wear. Allowing yourself to feel those feelings of frustration helps them pass more quickly than if you pretend they don’t exist.

The key is not to dwell there. Have your pity party, bitch to a friend about how you’re so over it, and then get your head back in the game.

Just Focus on the Next Good Decision

When you think about your Big Intimidating Savings Goal, the whole thing can seem impossible. If I only focused on the number $11,500, it would be way too easy to blow it off because it seems too big to tackle (which is what I did for a long time). Instead of getting swept up in worries about how you’re ever going to get the whole thing done, just focus on making the next good decision.

I learned that this is a common practice in the recovery community for people trying to stay off drugs or alcohol. If you think about not drinking for the rest of your life, the weight of it feels big enough to crush you. Instead, you just focus on not drinking this minute. And then the next minute. And then the next, until finally a whole day is behind you.

I love this idea for saving money, too. Instead of telling yourself “I’m not going to eat out this whole month,” just focus on not getting takeout tonight. Take each decision as it comes and the goal becomes much more manageable.

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…or to other resources from people who have similar savings goals to you. In this post I shared several Instagram accounts that help me stay motivated to save. I also listen to the Dave Ramsey podcast and have been a long-time subscriber of Making Sense of Cents.

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How do you stay motivated to save money?

The post How To Stay Motivated To Save Money appeared first on Cabana State Of Mind.

Between the holidays and some tough life stuff going on, I drank way too much in December. Alcohol was my coping mechanism of choice and I leaned into it unapologetically. By the end of the month I was ready for a breather and dry January seemed like the perfect opportunity.

I don’t usually do well with extremes. Diets, fitness plans, team sports, committing to watch entire television series–any kind of strictly regimented thing is most definitely not my thing. Giving up alcohol entirely was a pretty hard-line approach for me, so I’m clapping for my damn self for making it through.

While it didn’t spark any OMGBREAKTHROUGH moments, it was eye-opening in a lot of ways. Here are a few of my key takeaways from my first dry January.

It was easier than I thought it would be

While there were plenty of moments where I thought, man, I could really go for a glass of wine right now, I never desperately wanted a drink. This was a nice surprise.

Pouring a drink is a default in so many situations, from relaxing after work to dinner with my husband to any social gathering, so it was kind of a relief to find I didn’t need it to still enjoy myself in those situations.

My sleep was on point almost every night

This was by far the biggest upside of the month. I don’t think I’ve gotten such good sleep since I was a child. I passed out within minutes of my head hitting the pillow almost every night and woke up feeling like I’d just come out of one of those cryogenic chambers Elon Musk wants to be preserved in.

My anxiety decreased significantly

I live my life waiting for the other shoe to drop. My mind is forever on a hamster wheel of planning, scheduling, and running through ‘what-if’ scenarios so that I’m prepared for however things go. Maybe it’s not anxiety so much as it is being a control freak. Whatever it is, I felt less of it. I made decisions with more clarity and worried less about their outcome.

My complexion didn’t improve at all

My skin without makeup can be a blotchy mess. Certain foods and many skincare products make it flare up, and I’d been hoping that cutting out alcohol would show in my complexion. It didn’t.

If anything, my skin was actually worse than normal this month. I had a few breakouts and the dry winter air had my skin looking scaly and irritated a lot of the time. I guess the silver lining is that I’m not missing out on fabulous skin by starting to drink again.

I felt good… but not amazingly good

The first week of January I felt great! I was exercising daily, I had tons of energy, I was flush with the enthusiasm of a toddler when they hear the baby shark song. Then it wore off and I just felt normal.

I’m not sure if it was a purely mental thing from starting a new routine or if my body got through the detox phase and went back to a state of equilibrium or what, but my husband (who also did dry January) and I remarked to each other around day 20 that we were both surprised how un-amazing we felt.

It wasn’t that we didn’t feel good, but from the way some people talk about dry January you would think they’d found the fountain of youth. I felt good in the way you do when you’re not consuming garbage and taking care of your body, which is great, but it wasn’t anything earth shattering.

Early weekend mornings are the best

It was so nice waking up every Saturday and Sunday without a single hangover. I started most of my weekend mornings early with a walk with Bo and a yoga session followed by homemade brunch. And the days seemed to stretch on forever! I got so much done on the weekends when I wasn’t feeling crappy from one too many the night before.

I started running more consistently, which was cool

I saved a boatload of money

If you read my post last week, you know I had the best month of spending I’ve had since Johnny and I got married. That’s huge!

While I spent a lot of time at home in January rather than out and about doing things, the things I did do were significantly less expensive because alcohol wasn’t in the equation. Johnny and I made an agreement that when we eat out in the next few months, we’ll treat drinks as a splurge rather than the standard, which will help keep the positive spending trend going.

I craved sugar like crazy

Oh my gosh you guys, this was awful. I’ve put in so much work over the last year to get rid of added sugar in my life, and this month was a total backslide. I craved all of my food vices like crazy—candy, cake, donuts, sugary cereal, you name it.

I’m guessing my body was trying to compensate for the sugar it was no longer getting from my nightly glass of wine, but this seemed extreme and I wasn’t prepared for it.

Bae for the month of January

I probably won’t do it again next year

Lol. While it was a good experience and something I’m definitely glad I tried, I don’t necessarily think I have much to gain from doing it again. I’d rather just drink more moderately in general and  abstain more often than going to the extreme measure of taking it off the table entirely.

What about you? Have you done dry January? What did you think of it?

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The post Takeaways from my first dry January appeared first on Cabana State Of Mind.

Over the last few weeks I’ve been keeping track of the tactics I’m using that are actually helping me to save money or spend less of it, and I wanted to share the best ones with you. I’m not an all-or-nothing gal; I need moderation in my life. These strategies have been useful for me because they’re effective while still being realistic.

1. Only keep one streaming service at a time

Netflix, Hulu, HBO, the list goes on. Even if you’ve cut cable, if you still have all of these streaming services it can easily add up to $100 a month or more. I know some people live for binge-watching, but I just don’t watch that much TV so it’s not a worthwhile expense to me. Most streaming services don’t have contracts, so you can easily turn your subscription off and pick it back up again when there’s something you really want to watch.

2. Plan grocery runs around Trader Joe’s

I used to only go to Trader Joe’s on occasion because it’s farther away than our regular supermarket, but lately I’ve been planning all of my shopping around TJ’s trips and I’ve saved so much. Everyday staples like coffee, produce, cheese, etc. are so much cheaper, and the quality is often better, too. I just recently got out of there with three night’s worth of dinner ingredients for under $40. If you don’t have a Trader Joe’s nearby, try Aldi.

3. Buy groceries in the same genre

If you’re like I was and struggle to use up what’s in the fridge before it goes bad, limit your shopping list to foods that all go together (think Mediterranean or Mexican). This way, it’s much easier to make combinations from what’s left in the fridge or pantry.

Here’s an example of some interchangeable things I almost always have on hand:

• Eggs
• Frozen shrimp
• Chicken breast
• Quinoa
• Pitas
• Greek yogurt
• Feta cheese
• Hummus
• Red onions
• Cucumbers
• Spinach
• Avocado
• Chickpeas
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Balsamic vinegar

You can use these things to make endless combinations of bowls, pitas, omelets, scrambles, salads, and more.

4. Use the Honey browser extension to instantly find coupon codes

Honey is a free browser extension that searches the web for discount codes whenever you’re about to complete an online checkout. You don’t even have to do anything—it’s automatic! I’d say it finds a working discount code about half of the time. If the site is running a promotion, like free shipping, sometimes the discount code will stack onto the existing promotion to save you even more.

5. Use the Rakuten browser extension to get instant cash back

If Honey doesn’t find a discount code for your online purchase, use the Rakuten browser extension to get cash back on your order (you can use one or the other, but not both, so I’ve been checking Honey first and then switching to Rakuten if there aren’t any discount codes available). Rakuten gives you a fixed percentage ranging anywhere from 1% to 10% or more of your purchase back in cold, hard cash. Use the link above to sign up and you’ll get $10 back once you’ve made a $25 purchase.

Another trick I’ve used quite a few times: if there’s something you’re planning on picking up that day in person, like a Sephora run, order it online using Rakuten so you get the cash back and choose in-store pickup so you can just waltz right up to the register and grab your purchase.

Shoutout to my friends Steph and Justin from The Tumbling Nomads for cluing me in to Rakuten. They quit their jobs and spent the better part of a year traveling the world (goals!), and they have a great post on how they saved up to do it here.

6. Use live chat to ask for discounts

In addition to using Honey and Rakuten to save money on online purchases, use brands’ live chat feature to ask if they have any discount codes. They’ll often have a coupon code for 10 to 20% off to give out. I just saved 15% off my $175 annual web hosting fees by doing this.

7. Use Fetch or Ibotta for cash back on grocery purchases

Money-saving apps aren’t just for online purchases. I use the Fetch app to scan my grocery receipts and get points, which can then be redeemed for Visa gift cards. If you’re grocery shopping for a family, the points can add up quick! Use my link above to get 2,000 free points when you sign up.

I like Ibotta even better than Fetch. It’s another grocery receipt app that gives you money back on each purchase. I used it religiously when we lived in Florida, but my grocery store in Long Island unfortunately isn’t offered. Between the two of these apps, though, you should be able to find your grocery store of choice and start earning.

8. Cut down on alcohol

Cutting out alcohol saves money?! Shocking, I know. My love for my nightly glass of wine runs deep, but doing dry January showed me just how much of my budget it normally eats up. This was Johnny and I’s lowest month of spending since we got married almost two years ago, and that was largely due to the fact that neither of us bought any alcohol.

I don’t plan on abstaining from alcohol completely once this month is over, but I think limiting it to weekends or going alcohol-free more often when we eat out will be sustainable ways to keep saving in this area.

We’ve gone through a truckload of seltzer this month

9. Cook dinner at home on weeknights

Cutting back on going out to eat has been major in dramatically reducing our shared spending. During my no-spend month, we ate at home almost exclusively and it was awesome, but not realistic for the long haul. Aiming to cook dinner at home Sunday through Thursday feels like a doable middle ground.

10. Do an unsubscribe sweep

After the holidays, I went on an unsubscribe bender in my inbox. It felt so good. If I’m not trying to spend money right now, there’s no reason for me to be getting 15 to 20 promotional emails to tempt me every day. I stayed subscribed to a few brands I really love just in case there’s an amazing sale on something I need. Less clutter in my inbox has been a nice added bonus.

11. Put a 48-hour hold on non-essential purchases

If there’s something I want to buy that’s not essential and is more than $20 or $30, I hold off on it for at least 48 hours. Not only does this force me to think about whether it’s really worth it, but sometimes the price will drop or I’ll forget about it altogether. There have been several times in the past few months that I’ve been dead set on buying something and put it off, only to completely forget that I “needed” it. My favorite way to save money is not spending it at all.

12. Use a points credit card for monthly expenses

This goes against conventional budgeting wisdom, but it’s what works for me. Lots of budgeting experts recommend paying for everything in cash when you’re trying to save. The theory is that forking over actual money forces you to think more carefully about your spending than when you’re swiping a card.

I’ve found the opposite to be true, though. When I have cash, it almost feels like play money to me—it’s already out of my checking account, so spending it fees like a foregone conclusion. I’m much more on top of my money when I can see every transaction line by line.

Johnny and I use the Amex Delta SkyMiles card for all of our joint purchases and pay it off in full every month. We earn one point for every $1 spent, with double points on Delta purchases. The New York to Mexico leg of our vacation in December was paid for with points from this card. They also have a ton of offers with different brick-and-mortar merchants, like $20 back when you spend $100 at certain restaurants. If you use the link above to apply, you’ll get 10,000 free miles after your first $500 in purchases.

13. Unfollow social media accounts that give you FOMO

Since starting this debt-free journey, I’ve spent a lot less time on social media. Part of it is because I’m spending more time at home and thus not taking a lot of fun pictures, but the other part of it is because I recognize how it plays into the urge to spend.

There are the influencers with a new outfit every time they leave the house, bloggers with catalog-worthy homes, and world travelers who always seem to be in a destination more beautiful than the last. And that’s great! But it admittedly gives me FOMO, so I’ve been unfollowing these accounts and trying to get better about the knee-jerk reaction of opening Instagram whenever I have more than two seconds of unoccupied time.

On the flip side, I’ve been following more accounts that motivate me to save. You guys, there are people out there doing amazing things with money just by sticking with a budget and spending with intention. It’s inspiring! A few of my favorites to follow are @thebudgetmom, @blondebrokeandboujee and @thefinancialdiet.

Becca from @blondebrokeandboujee saved $100,000 while living in one of the most expensive cities in the country!

14. Journal about your goals and progress

I’ve been journaling like a mofo these last few months. In case you didn’t know, I’m a big goals person. Tracking my progress over time helps me stay motivated once the novelty of the new routine wears off.

When I’m having a moment of weakness, I look back at the reasons I wrote down for wanting to get out of debt and it helps put me back on track. Some of those reasons include gaining greater peace of mind around money, saving more for retirement, buying an investment property, traveling more, starting a family and giving more generously to causes I care about.

15. Talk about it with like-minded friends

This one helps so much if you’re feeling lonely on the budget train. Since I started sharing my debt payoff progress on Instagram, I’ve had so many old and new friends reach out to say they’re either in the same boat now or want to start getting more serious about their financial goals.

Having a budget buddy is great for sharing ideas, celebrating small victories, weighing purchasing decisions and most of all, encouraging each other. If all your friends are high rollers and you need a get-out-of-debt pal, hit me up on Instagram. I love hearing about your financial goals and progress.

16. Use a daily budget

Instead of budgeting by the month, which I find difficult, I break it down day by day. Let’s say I want to keep my spending under $1,000 for the month (this is just a nice round number–use whatever makes sense for your budget!). That means I shouldn’t be spending much more than $30 on any given day. If I do, I know I need to adjust on other days to make up for it. I find that having a daily dollar figure makes it much easier to assess whether a purchase fits within my budget goals.

17. Remember that it’s not forever

It doesn’t happen often, but every now and then I feel a little pity party coming on about having to be so frugal. Then I remember I don’t have to be this frugal. I’m doing it to put myself in a better financial position for the future and to save for things that are actually meaningful to me. This isn’t forever. One my debt hits $0, all of these choices will have been so worth it.

Now I want to hear from you! What are your favorite money-saving hacks? Where are you at in your debt-free journey? Leave me a comment below and share.

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The post 17 Money Saving Tips That Actually Work appeared first on Cabana State Of Mind.

Toward the end of summer, I decided to get serious about paying off a chunk of debt I’ve had laying around for a while. I’m not sure what sparked my determination. It might have been when I started researching what it would take to buy a rental property—one of my big five-year goals—and I quickly realized that the longer I let debt linger around, the longer it would take to realize that dream.

After months of paying only the minimum on my credit card bills, I did a no-spend month in August to see how much of a dent I could make if I got my spending in check. After seeing the results, I’m in full-blown throw-cash-at-the-credit-cards mode.

How Much Debt Are We Talking About?

So far I’ve avoided talking about the specific amount of debt I have. It’s uncomfortable! What feels like a massive amount to some people might be a drop in the bucket to others, and then there’s that whole judgement thing that comes along with talking about how you spend your money.

But honestly, I’m over caring. Since I started talking more openly about paying off my debt on Instagram stories, I’ve received so many messages from others who are in the same boat and looking to put an end to it. So I know I’m far from the only one in this position. Maybe the more we talk about money and paying off debt, the better we’ll all get at managing it.

$2,000 Down, $9,400 More To Go

When I took a hard look at my finances in July, I had around $11,500 in debt. At this moment, that number is down to $9,444. Here’s how it breaks down.

$4,738 of it is a credit card balance that I racked up at the vet before saying goodbye to my cat Rick last fall. I’ve shared this privately with a few friends who were also dealing with sick pets and found that going into debt over vet bills is a common occurrence. It’s heartbreaking, but that’s another topic for another post because I could go on and on about what a messed up situation it is. If you’re in a similar position and want to chat about it, I’m all ears.

$3,448 of it is an unpaid medical bill that went to collections. Several years ago when I first started freelancing, I had shitty insurance and wound up needing surgery. I paid for a lot of it out of pocket, but one bill didn’t find its way to me until years later when I was simultaneously moving to a new city and planning a wedding. I didn’t have the cash on hand to pay it. While I was in the process of going through appeals with my insurance, the hospital sent it to a debt collector.

$1,258 of it is on a credit card from good old fashioned overspending.

So there you have it. Those are the hard, uncomfortable numbers. I have to admit, it feels good to get it out there and makes me even more motivated to make big moves to pay it off.

This Debt Is Not Accruing Interest. Here’s Why

One reason I’ve let this debt sit around so long is because it’s not accruing interest. This is not the case with most debt, which is why it can become such a never-ending problem.

Here’s how I’ve finagled it so that I’m not paying interest. For the medical debt, I got on the phone with the debt agency as soon as I found out it had gone to collections. I did a little research before calling so I knew what my rights were. Believe it or not, you actually have a lot of power as a consumer when you’re dealing with a bill collector, as long as you’re making a good faith effort to pay. If you do have some money on hand, you can negotiate a pretty sweet deal with a collections agency, like paying only 50% of what you owe if you pay right away in cash.

I explained to them that I wanted to pay it off but would need to do it over time. I worked out a deal to pay $40/month with no interest for two years. At the end of the two years, I’ll have the option to pay off the balance or work out another deal. In the meantime, they wrote a letter to the credit reporting bureaus saying this item should be taken off my credit report. Aside from the bill itself, your credit report is a huge thing to take care of if you’re dealing with a bill in collections. You do not want that black mark sitting on your credit report hurting your credit score! Usually once you’re on a payment plan, you can get them to agree to remove it from your credit report.

For my other two balances, which are on credit cards, I moved them to cards with an interest-free introductory period. This is another sweet deal if you stay on top of your money and don’t let the promotional phase expire before you either pay off the balance or move your money again.

I have the bigger of the two balances on the Citi Double Cash card, which has no interest on balance transfers for 18 months. The smaller balance is on the American Express Blue Cash Everyday card, which has no interest on balance transfers for 15 months. I’m keeping track of these in a spreadsheet and when it gets close to that promo period expiring, I’ll (hopefully) have them paid off or move them to a new card with another promotional offer.

It’s worth noting that doing a balance transfer comes with a fee, but in most cases it’s a small percentage of the amount you’re transferring. This shakes out to far less than what you’d pay in interest if you kept the debt on a high-interest credit card. Plus, you don’t pay the fee up front. It’s tacked onto your balance and you pay it off along with the rest of the debt, which makes it pretty painless.

If you have a lot of credit card debt and you’re committed to paying it off systematically, using no-interest credit cards can be a feasible way to do it without paying a ton more in interest.

Snowball vs. Avalanche Method

So far I’m using what people in the financial world call the “snowball method” for paying off debt, which is where you pay off your smallest balance first, then put that money toward the next biggest balance, and so on. It’s like rolling a snowball that gets bigger and bigger with time—GET IT?! I like this method because paying off my smallest credit card balance feels very much within reach, and that victory will push me to want to keep going strong on the next one.

There’s also the “avalanche method” (whoever came up with these terms loved a theme) where you pay off the debt with the highest interest rate first, then move your money to the next largest interest rate, and so on. If you have a card with a crazy high interest rate, this method makes sense because you don’t want to pay that high interest for a day longer than you have to.

You could also just go freestyle and pay equal amounts to all of your cards, but I think the idea with these methods is that you have sequential victories of paying off balances, which help you stay motivated, rather than all of your balances going down little by little. It honestly doesn’t matter which method you do as long as you stick with it.

How I’m Budgeting To Pay It Off

I mentioned that I’ve paid off about $2,000 since July. This is big progress for me. I’ve made this progress by getting very honest about where my money is going and thinking carefully about where I really want it to go.

I’ve made a major shift in my mindset about what purchases are ‘essential.’ Doing a no-spend month was a great way to dive straight into the deep end on this. If you’re wanting to get rid of debt but don’t know where to start, I highly recommend it. I have a whole post on what I did here.

Since the end of July, I’ve made the bare minimum apparel and beauty purchases. The one big purchase I did make was a nice coat, which I consider an investment for the New York winter. While not essential, I can definitely justify it because it will get a lot of use these next few months. It’s also easier for me to not spend on this stuff because I work from home and don’t have to have my hair, makeup and nails looking perfect every day.

I’ve also put a hold on big household projects—at least for now. While DIYing is a hobby I enjoy, most of the fixes I want to do at this point are cosmetic and therefore not essential. I’ll probably hold off on doing anything big around our house until the new year.

But the biggest thing I’ve shifted my mindset on are spur-of-the-moment purchases—those little things like grabbing lunch while out and about or throwing a new product in the cart just to try it. They’re such mundane purchases that they’re hard to even name—you make them without thinking twice because the price tag is a seemingly insignificant $5 or $10. But there are so many of these things that pop up now that I’m looking for them, and just making them an automatic ‘no’ has given me a cushion in my budget that I didn’t used to have.

This isn’t to say “I’ll never buy another Dunkin Donuts coffee!” That would be lunacy. Instead, it’s been about changing my thought process to “do I really want this coffee, or would I rather put that money elsewhere?” I still have slip-ups. Over the weekend I went to Target and spent more than I meant to, as one does. But at least now I recognize it and can correct course quickly.

In addition to cutting my spending, I’m also working on increasing my income. One great thing about freelancing is being able to scale your work up or down if you need to, so I’ve been in a season of working a lot. The time of year is on my side, since clients always seem to have plenty of work to go around during the busy holiday season. A good friend of mine who’s in a similar line of work recently encouraged me to raise my hourly rate, which I’m planning on doing for new clients to further increase my income.

You Still Have To Live A Little

Does all of this sound like a total fun-suck? I promise it’s not all deprivation and acting like Scrooge. You can still pay off debt while spending money on things that are important to you. You just have to get clear about your definition of ‘important.’

I still spend money on things that are important to me, like seeing a band I love in the city

Personally, I’ll always spend money on experiences, like enjoying dinner out with my husband, traveling and trying new things. Even in the midst of this thrifty phase, I’m planning a big trip for my husband’s birthday in December and I’ll probably go skiing a few times this winter. I’ll spend money on gifts for people I love during the holidays and flying home to see my family. Keeping these actually-important things at the top of my mind makes it even easier to say no to non-essential purchases. I will also pay for them directly out of my checking account rather than putting them on a card like I have in the past.

Where Do Other Financial Goals Fit In?

This is a big question, and one I haven’t found a great answer to yet. In addition to paying off debt, I have other financial goals, like saving more aggressively for retirement, planning to start a family and saving for a down payment on a rental property. How do you balance them all?

For the time being, I’ve cut down my retirement contributions in favor of saying sayonara to my debt. I used to think this wasn’t advisable, but I listened to a podcast that talked about the psychological burden of debt and how its sheer existence can get in the way of your financial progress. It made the case that a short-term lapse in retirement savings is worth it if it means you can free yourself of that mental debt burden, which can change your entire mindset about money. It hit home for me.  So, I’m being the most aggressive about paying off debt with the conviction that I’ll come back even stronger on my retirement savings once the debt is gone, which I hope will be within a year.

So that’s the true story about my debt and an honest look at where I’m at in paying it off. What are your thoughts? Do you have questions? Are you in a similar boat? I would LOVE to hear your comments. I would also love to connect on Instagram, where I’m sharing more frequent progress updates on my stories. Let’s get rid of our debt for good.

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The post My Debt Free Journey appeared first on Cabana State Of Mind.

I’ve also been working on a ton of writing assignments, which I’m enjoying immensely, but between that and life I haven’t had a whole lot of time to devote to blogging. Thankfully that should change as things slow down in the next few weeks.

Now that I finally have a minute to grab a cup of coffee and write, I HAVE to tell you about my no-spend month in August.

Doing A No-Spend Month: The Background

June and July were months of big bills in our household. John and I traveled to Hawaii for one of my best friends’ weddings (which was amazing, by the way) and we had a few expenses come up around the house that we had to take care of.

We also fell victim to busyness—when life is moving so fast you spend money for convenience, mostly in the form of going out to eat and ordering Seamless instead of planning meals and making trips to the grocery store.

Life happens, but by the end of July I was cringing every time I swiped my card somewhere.

And it wasn’t just that we spent a lot of money. I have a chunk of debt hanging around that’s just been sitting there, costing me payments each month. Most of it is on a Care Credit card from when my cat got sick last year, so I don’t really have guilt about racking up the debt. I do, however, have guilt about pretending it doesn’t exist, which I’ve been doing for the better part of 2019.

Basically, I needed to get a handle on my budget. I decided to do what I’ve seen a lot of friends on Instagram do and try a no-spend month in August.

What I Cut

Even though I was calling it a no-spend month, obviously I would have to spend some money. I still had to pay bills and buy groceries. I decided to aim for cutting out everything that was non-essential: dining out, drinking out, trips, spontaneous purchases, and the toughest one of all for me, household projects.

The first week was tough. We had just come back from vacation, which is hard enough as it is, and the last thing I wanted to do was meal plan. But I thought about that stupid debt of mine and looked at the ridiculous amount we’d spent at restaurants the previous two months and it motivated me to suck it up and do it.

I thought that not getting drinks out was going to be another tough one at first. I’m not much for late nights anymore, but I do still like to hit up happy hour or grab a drink at our neighborhood bar from time to time. My husband made it a lot easier to say no to when he decided to go cold turkey and totally cut out alcohol for a few weeks. This ended up being great because it gave us double the motivation not to spend money on drinking.

The big thing I was surprised by was spontaneous purchases—seeing a cute outfit online and having to stop myself from clicking on it or seeing something I wanted for the house from Target and not putting it in the cart. Previously I would’ve told you I don’t make very many spontaneous purchases, but once I had to cut them out I realized just how many I do make. $10 here, $20 there doesn’t seem like a big deal in the moment, but having to say no to those “small” things showed me how often they come up.

The summer was a great time to do this because there’s so much to do outdoors that’s free!

What I Learned

The first week of my no-spend month was a challenge. I felt bad for myself and embarrassed it had come to this. The second week there was some temptation, but I got into the routine of cooking each night and being home more, which was actually pretty nice.

By halfway through the month I was on a roll. It almost became like a game seeing how long I could put off buying something or figuring out what I could make for dinner with what was in the fridge. Every time I looked at my bank account, I got even more motivated because I could see my balance holding steady instead of dropping.

The biggest trick to not spend money that worked for me was simply putting things off. I found that most things, even those I would usually consider “necessary” like cosmetics or household purchases, are truly not essential and can be put off or scrapped entirely.

Take beauty products, for example. During my no-spend month I ran out of primer and my favorite Korean beauty sunscreen I use on my face. I have really sensitive skin, so this is an area where I’m usually fine with spending a little more money.

Typically I would head straight to Sephora.com and order replacements, but I was really committed to sticking to the no-spend plan. I just went without primer (and still have yet to reorder any) and fished around in my beach bag for my SPF 30 to use on my face. Was it as nice as the products I’d usually use? No, but somehow I survived. Literally no one but me noticed the difference and I saved about $50.

Another trick that worked (if you can even call it a trick) was using up every last drop of everything. I finally used up the dozens of tiny, half-empty hotel shampoos that have been cluttering up our medicine cabinet, and I think we ate every last stray bag of popcorn or fruit snacks that was in the pantry. Seriously, every time I didn’t have to buy something felt like a tiny victory.

I’m a hotel product hoarder. Thankfully a lot of these got used up this month.

Not going out to eat was by far the hardest part of my no-spend month. Dining out in the NYC area is expensive as it is, but I realized we were doing it way too often. I think we ate out a grand total of three times in August, one of which was our friends treating us to lunch (thanks Meredith and Andy!). This easily made the biggest impact on our savings.

I did end up having to cave in the DIY project department at the very end of the month. We had guests visiting and really needed a new door for our guest room, and I’d been dying to try a barn door DIY I’d seen online. The entire project only cost about $80 and came out great, so I’m not mad about spending the money. I’ll share the results in an upcoming post!

The Results Of My No-Spend Month

Johnny and I put all our household expenses on a joint credit card and then pay it off every month. Sidebar—we opened an Amex Blue SkyMiles card when we got married and we have racked up so many travel points this way! Last fall we flew to an Alabama game for free on miles, and we’ll probably do another miles trip this winter. The card has no annual fee and I can’t recommend it enough. If you sign up using this link, we’ll both get a mileage bonus.

Anyway, that’s our card for household expenses. We get the bill around the same time at the end of each month, so it’s a pretty good way to gauge the month’s spending. At the end of August, our bill was 53% less than the prior month.

And it gets better. The statement for my checking account, which I use for all purchases that are solely mine like clothes and life size cardboard cutouts of Andy Cohen, was 56% lower.

DAMN!

I mean, I knew the results would be good, but I had no idea they’d be that good.

To be fair, the results would probably not be this dramatic if you picked two random months out of the year. Like I said, we had some major expenses in July that contributed to higher spending than normal, and August was way more restrictive than I could realistically be in the long term (you can’t put off every purchase forever).

Still, doing a no-spend month really opened my eyes to what I spend money on and how much of it is truly not essential. It also made me feel empowered to finally get serious about paying off my debt and saving toward larger financial goals like buying an investment property. I want to do another, slightly less restrictive no-spend month in October or November.

Have you ever done a no-spend month? I would love to hear about your experience!

The post I Did A No-Spend Month And Was Shocked How Much I Saved appeared first on Cabana State Of Mind.

From waiting tables (badly) to interviewing criminals, the jobs I had before becoming a freelancer run quite the gamut. Here are a few of the highlights. Although ‘highlights’ is such a strong word…

1. Hostess at Cracker Barrel

You probably know this place because there’s one off of every interstate exit in the continental U.S. They have those fun little pegboard games that I can still never win, even though I had hours of practice during my shifts posted up at the hostess stand.

The name of this game is “Infinite Frustration.” via crackerbarrel.com

I’d had babysitting gigs and whatnot, but this was my first “real” job. I remember that working alongside real adults freaked me out so much. They would go outside and smoke! They would ask for more hours. Me? I was always the first one to volunteer when the manager would ask who wanted to be cut.

It was a good first job and taught me how punching a clock works, and to this day I can’t resist the call of those buttery biscuits. It’s also fun running into fellow Cracker Barrel alum who can commiserate over the CB stench—the one that would linger in your clothes and hair and make you smell like you’d been roasting honey baked ham on a spit in an outbuilding for the last 12 hours every time you left the place.

2. Waitress at Chili’s

Once I turned 18, I graduated from hostess to waitress and started raking in the tips at Chili’s. Seriously, I made bank for a college freshman, even though I was a pretty terrible waitress.

For starters, Chili’s is a big happy hour spot and I knew nothing about proper cocktails. My experience with alcohol at that point was mostly limited to chugging lukewarm Natty Lites in frat house basements. The after-work crowd would come in and ask for a 7 and 7 (seven what?) or a cosmopolitan, and I’d stand there staring at the computer screen trying for the life of me to figure out how to ring it in until my eyes glazed over. I was slow.

Looking back, I find it amusing how I would always apply for jobs at places where I liked the food, as if it would be more rewarding running plates of crispy chicken tenders because I liked eating them myself. To this day I have all of the respect for servers, because that job is no joke.

3. Washing Hair at a Salon

This might give some people the heebie jeebies, but I loved this job. You guys, there was a while there where I was into hair. These were the Jersey Shore glory days where the higher the bump and the bleachier the blonde, the more beautiful the girl, and I was killing the game.

That color. That volume. My true hair heyday.

My hairdresser, Gainesville legend Eddie Escalera, hired me as an “assistant.” He could crank out a set of sorority girl highlights in 45 minutes flat, and it was my job to watch the timer and rinse out the bleach when the color was done.

Eddie paid me cash at the end of each shift and bought us lunch most days. The best part of the job was that I could get my highlights touched up any time I wanted in between clients, for free. Sadly, Eddie passed away a few years back, but I remember him and the summer I spent working for him fondly.

4. Sales Associate at Victoria’s Secret

Retail jobs, am I right? If you work retail, I hold a special place in my heart for you.

The long days on your feet. The hours that drag on during slow times. The breaking down of infinite cardboard boxes. The floorsets!

I still have panty bar nightmares. via Buzzfeed

I pushed overpriced lingerie at VS for a hot minute between graduating college and landing my first reporting job. I quit over the phone with no notice, and I still want to cover my face in embarrassment when I think about that call.

“Yes, hi, Jane? I’m moving to Colorado to become a TV reporter, so I won’t be coming in for my shift tonight. Or ever. Ok, bye!”

Real profesh.

5. Sales Associate at Victoria’s Secret… Again

It turns out small-market jobs in TV don’t pay very well.

I was brought back down to planet Earth pretty quickly after receiving my first few reporting paychecks, and reluctantly went into the VS in my new town to ask for a second job. Somehow, they gave me one, and I worked there nights and on my days off to help cover my bills.

Working two jobs sucked. It was exhausting, and I was a single 23-year-old with no kids, still on my mom’s car insurance. It gave me some important perspective that I go back to again and again when I hear arguments over a living wage, or employee benefits, or healthcare.

6. News Anchor

Mom, I made it. After slugging it out for two years reporting and producing in a small market, I moved on to a mid-size market and eventually worked my way to the anchor desk for the morning newscast.

This job is hard to describe. News is an alternate universe where regular schedules don’t exist and everything in life comes second to your job.

I learned about everything under the sun, from taxes to public policy to criminal justice. I got to interview celebrities and politicians. I learned to work fast and under pressure. I adopted a regular speaking volume that more closely resembles shouting, and was asked in my subsequent office job to “please use an inside voice on the phone.”

By the end of my contract I knew I wasn’t passionate enough about news to stay in the business, but it was a lot of fun while it lasted.

7. PR Account Manager

After news I got my first true 9-to-5 job at a PR firm. At this point I feel like I’m just giving you my resume, so I swear I’ll wrap it up soon.

This job was important because it taught me how to behave like a normal human in the professional world: filling out invoices, writing emails in full sentences, using delightfully passive aggressive phrases like “per our last conversation” and “circling back.”

It also gave me the experience and the confidence to eventually strike out on my own as a freelancer. Which, incidentally, is the job I’ve held the longest of them all (you can read more about that here). It’s funny looking back, though, at how all of them in some way seemed to prepare me for what I do now.

Tell me: what’s the most interesting, fun, or terrible job you’ve ever had?

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The post 7 Jobs I Had Before Becoming A Freelancer appeared first on Cabana State Of Mind.

I’ve been working on educating myself on the downsides of the dairy industry, and sadly, there are many. When it comes to environmental impact, the dairy industry is second only to the beef industry, with high greenhouse gas emissions, heavy pesticide and fertilizer use, and unsustainable feed production practices. And I don’t even want to get into the treatment of dairy cows.

Unfortunately, though, I’ve always been a milk drinker. I love my morning cereal, and my beverage of choice with a home-cooked meal is a glass of milk, so I’ve been looking for an acceptable alternative to dairy milk.

Almond milk seems to be the most popular choice, and while I like it a lot, it comes with its own set of negative impacts to the environment (namely, the amount of water it takes to grow so many almonds). Womp womp. So I set off in search of the next best milk alternative to try and settled on oat milk.

The Scoop On Oat Milk

Oat milk is not only dairy free, it’s also gluten free and great for helping lower your cholesterol. It’s high in fiber, has a healthy dose of protein, and if you make it yourself, you can make it low-sugar or sugar free (which I especially like, since I’ve been going strong with my quest to eat less sugar).

I also read that oats require about six times less water than almonds to grow, so that’s a big plus over almond milk.

My local grocery store didn’t have oat milk, but I had a ton of rolled oats for oatmeal in the pantry, so rather than make a special trip to the health food store I decided just to try making it myself.

The first batch I did, I used only oats and water. It was okay, but super duper bland. I did a couple more batches using different variations of recipes I saw online, and finally settled on one with oats, water, maple syrup for a bit of sweetness and vanilla extract for flavor.

Super Simple Oat Milk Recipe

• 1 cup rolled oats (the plain old original Quaker Oats are rolled oats)
• 4 cups water
• 1 tsp pure maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp salt

Combine all ingredients in blender or food processor and blend until liquefied, about 30 seconds. Strain out the oat remnants using a sieve or milk bag, then refrigerate in a sealed container until ready to use.

Soaking the oats before blending (optional)

Straining the soaked oats

Blending all ingredients

Straining the “milk” (don’t forget to put a container under the strainer to catch it!)

Enjoy over cereal, in smoothies, in coffee and more

The Verdict

You guys, it’s not bad!

It has a light oat flavor and a consistency somewhere between 2% and whole milk. It keeps in the fridge for 3-4 days. It does separate, so you’ll need to shake it up well each time you use it.

I can definitely see switching over to oat milk in my cereal with no problem. It wasn’t much different than almond milk in that regard. I’ll probably start alternating between oat milk and dairy milk for a few weeks until I’m ready to fully cut the cord on dairy milk.

I tried it in my coffee and it was good, although I like a lot of creaminess so I think I’ll stick to non-dairy creamer for now. It would also work great swapped in for dairy milk in recipes, like mashed potatoes, smoothies or scrambled eggs.

I don’t think oat milk is a beverage I’d drink on its own. The consistency, texture and flavor were all fine to me, but the oat-y smell was just a little too weird when I tried to drink it by itself. It’s also surprisingly filling, I guess because you’re getting a lot of the oat remnants, so a full glass of it would be pretty heavy to take down in one sitting.

I saw a lot of talk online about the “sliminess” of oat milk and whether or not to soak the oats before you use them to reduce this. I tried it both ways–soaked first and not soaked–and didn’t see much of a difference. I really didn’t find it to be any more or less “slimy” than almond milk, but if you like a more frothy milk alternative this might not be the best one for you.

Overall, I’m excited to have found a dairy milk substitute that’s easy to make and can replace regular milk in my morning routine. Next time I’m at Trader Joe’s or the health food store I’m going to see if they have any of the commercial oat milks so I can see how they stack up.

Have you tried any milk alternatives? Let me know which one you like best in the comments!

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The post Super Simple Oat Milk Recipe appeared first on Cabana State Of Mind.

…Wait, you’re not supposed to do that?

While there are definitely days I take it easy, most of my days don’t look that different from someone who works in an office. The biggest difference is the flexibility—sometimes you’ll find me napping at 2 p.m. but staying on my laptop cranking away until midnight, or knocking out a bunch of work early in the morning so I can head to the beach or work out in the afternoon.

Flexibility was the driving factor in wanting to leave my 9-to-5, so I take full advantage of it. However, that means I plan my days pretty carefully to make sure everything gets done. Here’s what works for me to plan my day effectively.

How To Plan Your Day When You Work From Home

Separate long-term and daily to-do’s

In a world filled with Washi tape and Erin Condren, I’m as basic as they get. This At-A-Glance planner has been my go-to for the last four years. It, combined with a spiral notebook, is how I plan my entire life.

I use the monthly planner to map out a bird’s eye view of events, like upcoming trips or important deadlines, and the spiral notebook to plan out daily tasks.

Every day, I have two lists going: tasks for today and tasks for tomorrow. I find it helpful to have a list for tomorrow because it gives me a place to offload things that pop into my head, but that don’t need to be done right now. I can put it on the ‘tomorrow’ list and forget about it.

On the left side of my list, I put work-related tasks—concrete things like ‘finish writing assignment’ or ‘draft website copy’ that I can cross off when they’re done. On the right, I put life tasks—things outside of work I want to get done that day, like making a doctor’s appointment or calling back a friend. I find it helpful to separate work and life tasks because it makes the list more manageable.

Underneath that, I’ve got the same thing going on for the following day. Anything beyond tomorrow goes in the monthly planner.

At the end of each day, I take a few minutes to fill out the rest of the next day’s list. It’s helpful to start the morning with my priorities already outlined.

Plan by the hour

When I have a particularly busy day, or one where lots of things need to happen at a set time (conference calls, etc.), I like to plan things out by the hour. This is super effective in keeping me on track and making sure all of the important stuff gets done.

If you work with clients, mapping things out by the hour is also a great way to track and bill your time. For example, if I have an hour blocked off for working on a client’s blog but notice that I’m still not done at the end of the hour, it might be appropriate to reconsider the amount I’m billing them.

Finally, I really like planning by the hour because it’s a manageable amount of time to work on a task. In an hour’s time you can really make some progress, but it’s not so long that getting started feels overwhelming.

Put your phone on silent

Most of the day my phone is on silent. I know this isn’t feasible for everyone, but you’d be surprised at how well it can work when you get used to it, and how much more you’ll get done.

I started putting my phone on silent about a year ago when I noticed I was spending an ungodly amount of time on the phone. The truth is, 90% of work-related things can be managed via email, and it takes a fraction of the time.

If you want to test the waters, start small. Put your phone on silent and set an alarm for an hour. Then, go deep on a project without the temptation of checking your phone. I try to return phone calls in chunks, like before I eat lunch and toward the end of the day.

I have a very needy assistant

Take breaks between tasks

If you work from home, you probably switch back and forth between several different projects over the course of a day. I’m the type of person who can get “in the zone” on something and hammer away at it without distractions, but only for so long. When I hit a wall—usually after about an hour—I’m done, and I need to take a breather before starting something else.

I take a lot of breaks: to eat, to catch up on Vanderpump Rules, twice during the day to walk my dog. If I’m feeling antsy, I’ll do a yoga video or go for a bike ride. Even when I schedule out my day hour by hour, I build breaks into it.

You’ll get a lot more done and be less likely to burn out if you give your brain time to recharge between tasks.

Even though I do most of my work during normal business hours, I love the flexibility that being self-employed offers. What does your typical day look like? How do you plan in order to maximize your time? I’m always curious to hear what other people do, so leave me a comment and tell me!

If you want to learn more about working from home, you might also like this post: 5 Awesome Things (And 5 That Suck) About Working For Yourself

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The post How To Plan Your Day When You Work From Home appeared first on Cabana State Of Mind.