BoredMom - Fighting Boredom with Healthy Food + Creative Living

February 14, 2019

ExpoWest Natural Products Show: How to Work With Bloggers & Infuencers

ExpoWest is the most overwhelming natural food show on the PLANET and it’s also the most fun! As an exhibitor, it’s your opportunity to shine, interact and make deals! It’s also a time for you to get exposure about your products to the general public. […]

Food, Food & Wine Events, Food Reviews, Green Living, Healthy

by BoredMom

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February 14, 2019

Broccoli Barley Soup with Creamy Grassfed Milk

This post is sponsored by Horizon but the content and opinions expressed here are my own. When I make meals for my family, I try to make mindful decisions when it comes to the ingredients. I not only look at the overall nutritional value of […]

Food, Recipe

by BoredMom

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February 14, 2019

How To Save Money For the Future Without Trying

This is a sponsored post, but the content and thoughts are that of my own.

Charge Yo’ Self (It’s like Treat Yo’ Self, but even MORE rewarding)

It sounds like an oddball concept, but come up with a realistic amount of money per month to put aside and treat it as you would a bill. Most online banks have the option to automatically take from a checking account and move money to a savings account on a pre-set determined day. Even if you put $50 an ‘auto-pay’, to yourself, every month, that’s a bonus $600 a year. Keep it going and ignore it! That $50 deposit that you may not really notice every month will be six grand in 10 years! Your ‘future self’ will love you.

Utilities/Service Fees

Services like cable, cellular and health memberships can often be renegotiated. Typically companies will give you intro rates for a year, you’ll forget and then you pay an increased price after that time. When you get a discounted price for a period of time, simply go on your calendar (and hopefully you’re using something like Google Calendar!) that will alert you when the deal is up! Simply call and ask for the next deal. If the customer service representative rebuffs your request, politely explain that there are other service providers with enticing deals, so what’s to stop you from switching? Unless you’re on an iron-clad contract, this technique often works. I’ve actually had rates dropped WHILE under contract as well!

Insurance Planning

Many Americans use insurance planning as part of their retirement strategy. Should one spouse pass before the other, will the remaining individual have enough to live on for the rest of their days? What if you have children to care for? Insurance planning should be well thought out as finding the right type of life insurance coverage is one of the most foundational aspects of personal finance. Learn the differences between term vs whole life insurance

from a professional so you can make the right choice for your family.

Audit Yourself

Keep a log of ALL expenses for two weeks. One week is not a big enough snapshot! Jot down money spent on groceries, dining out, Target runs, clothing, online purchases, household items, etc. EVERYTHING! It may seem mundane, but after two weeks you may see that you have spent $56 on drive-through coffee. ACK! Making ourselves accountable for spending can ONLY happen if we see the big picture. Study your two-week expense log and I guarantee you’ll find at least two areas in your life that could be trimmed down without much hardship, if any!

It all adds up! If you find yourself saving more money after the self-audit, consider upping the amount you ‘Bill Yourself’ every month. This is a great way to save for emergencies like auto repairs, health issues and even save for that cruise you’ve been dying to take.

Marie Kondo Your Life & Then SELL IT ALL

Sometimes having less stuff actually makes you want less stuff. Clutter begets clutter. If you’ve followed the Marie Kondo craze on Netflix, you’ve already wiped out closets, kitchen drawers and such. Now sort through these items and see if you have anything that you could sell. Don’t bother with the little stuff – Goodwill will gladly take that off your hands, and you can get a donation receipt for that. However, items that are worth $20 or more could be sort on apps like Offer Up or even Facebook has local ‘Garage Sale’ user groups. You’d be surprised what you can sell! It does take a little time to coordinate the buying process, but it’s worth it. Honestly, I’ll often leave the item out and ask someone to leave the money under my mat. If someone wants it that bad where they have to steal it, so be it. However, I’ve NEVER had an issue. I do believe Humans are inheritantly good. 😉

That’s it! What are your ideas to save some dough without major effort?

Creative Home, General

by BoredMom

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February 12, 2019

Spring Greens Potato Bake

We’re in the thick of green season right now, and I can’t get enough chard and collard greens! You can use either for this recipe, but I’m going to advise against kale because it may be a bit too chewy.

Food, Recipe

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February 4, 2019

JORD Watches: The Perfect Travel Companion

I just returned from the most amazing expedition adventure to Antarctica – the end of the world!

Contests, Holiday, Travel, Valentine's Day

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January 14, 2019

Red Lentil Dahl Soup Recipe

Red lentils are unique in that they cook a bit faster than regular brown or green lentils and offer up a creamier texture. Lentils are one of my favorite legumes as they are low in calories, rich in iron and folate and an excellent source of protein. They pack health-promoting polyphenols and may reduce several heart disease risk factors. (more…)

Food, Recipe

by BoredMom

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January 14, 2019

Spicy Crunchy Cauliflower in the Air Fryer

I, like most people on the planet, received an Air Fryer for Christmas. I’ve been playing with it over the past week and eating A LOT of cauliflower recipes. The first few tries fell flat, as I wanted a crunchy cauliflower exterior with a […]

Entertaining

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January 7, 2019

Have a Food Allergy? San Diego Nourished Festival – February 9 & 10th, 2019

The Gluten Free & Allergen Friendly Expos are now called Nourished Festivals. In addition to the Gluten-Free & Nut-Free sections, they are adding Paleo, Keto & Plant-Based zones. Even in these new sections, all products at the Festival are gluten-free!

Entertaining

by BoredMom

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January 6, 2019

The Day the Sea Dumped Shells on the Beach

Shelling Tips for Shell Collectors

I’m an avid shelling fan and enjoy spending countless hours on the beaches of Southwest Florida looking for the perfect uninhabited shell specimen. It can be back-breaking work, hunched over for hours, sorting through shell piles or wading in the water, but the joy I get from the beautiful finds makes it well worth it.

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Travel

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