Water Day = means saving $$ and contributing to a good cause

My big splurge this month is supposed to be a hair cut\color. Well as luck would have it Civello sent me a promotion via email for WATER DAY. I can get a hair cut for 30$ (from the senior stylist who usually charges 120$) and a color for 50$ (instead of the usual 110$) yay for BIG savings!!! The money goes towards a Charity. The only catch is my salon is offering this promotion from 10-2 PM on April 4th. So it will mean an extended lunch hour and waiting until April to finally get my hair done, but these are small sacrifices. I am going to put the money I saved aside. I am attending a big Italian wedding in May - which means a lot $$ in an envelope for the happy couple. The bride is an old friend who I don't see or speak to often, but there is an important history there and I am really excited to be part of this moment in her life. The wedding is out of town, so I need to start saving pronto.

Tea and Mindfulness.

Well we did see a small increase in our grocery bill, but not quite 5%. That being said I am going to be a lot more conscious about where we shop. We found that certain staple items are cheaper in certain stores. All it requires in a little planning.

On my to-do list today was to think about lent. Lent for me is about more than giving up certain things, it's also about making room for more positive influences in your life.

I am only going to drink coffee on Sundays. I have so much wonderful teas at home and I never drink them. Giving up my morning coffee is going to be difficult. I thought about giving up coffee 7 days a week, but my mom just shipped me my favourite coffee in the mail - I always appreciate my coffee more on weekends. So I will be allowed coffee on Sundays. Maybe that's a bit of a cop out but this will be challenging nonetheless! I now drink 2 -3 cups per day. Yikes.

I am also going to meditate once a day. I used to to do this a long time ago and it was so beneficial. It reduced my anxiety, I slept better, I worried less and after a few weeks I had a sense of inner peace. I plan on waking up earlier each morning to do this. I have so much trouble waking up in the morning. Getting out of bed, is the hardest thing. But I do think that over time this will become easier.

I really Blond & Balanced http://www.blondeandbalanced.com/giving-up-sugar/ suggestion about giving up Facebook. She did this a couple years ago. I will think about this a bit more because I don't want to try to many things and set myself up for failure. That being said I might try this after lent for awhile.

Although technically I only have to start on Wednesday, I will begin tomorrow. I took today off so tomorrow is the start of the week for me and it makes more sense to start the routine right away.

Groceries 5% increase? we'll see.

It's just the beginning of the month and I have been tempted to veer of budget pretty quickly. Fortunately I've been able to exercise some discipline.

Grocery prices are expected to go up 5% or at least that's what the news reports are saying. I've value eating well and having a fridge full of food. I don't value waste and try very hard not throw away food. However sometimes I'll make a little too much dip, or forget something in the back of the fridge and need to toss it out. That being said I like food, I like having a variety of cheeses, veggies and fruit always on hand. I like fresh baguettes and I splurge on good cuts of meat and fish. I will sacrifice things in other areas of my life, but never with food. I am heading out soon, list in hand to buy this week's groceries. Since I am not in a rush (this is rare!) I am going to check out 2 or 3 different stores (no frills for staples, and separate local spots for my meat, cheese, fish and baguettes. Grocery shopping when I have time can be a lot of fun and I try to enjoy it. We're 2 people and we can spend anywhere from 70-110$ a week. pricey I know..let's home these reports about rising grocery prices don't affect the budget too much.