Multi-pen and Pencil
Remember those pens from back in the day? The ones with the red or blue bottoms? Man, I loved those. Kids nowadays have iPhones, but back in the day I thought I was pretty cool if I had one of those pens!
Well, now I really am cool because I have this awesome pen and I truly do love it. It has a wider grip area that’s covered with a thin rubber sheath. And not only do you get all four ink colors, you also get pencil lead! Yep, that’s right….it’s a pen AND a pencil. While I don’t carry this awesome pen/pencil around with me everywhere, it is my main writing utensil when I’m at my office desk. Because I use it so much, I make sure to keep stocked on refills for it. It’s super easy to install the refills, which come in a pack together. You can order the pen from Amazon here and the refills from Amazon here.
The Budget Mom–Miko Love
I was first introduced to The Budget Mom by my online personal trainer and coach. In a conversation, I just happened to ask her who her favorite Instagrammers were. And the rest is history! Well, it’s not that dramatic. And it only just happened at the end of 2019. But, I gotta tell ya, following this woman has really changed things for me.
Going into 2020, I had already had a feeling that I needed to watch my spending more. But the thought of budgeting just depressed me. So I figured I’d just start tracking spending with no judgement, no filter, no goals. Just data collection. Well, come to find out that’s one of the first things that Miko has you do! Once I started following her, watching her YouTube videos, lurking in the shadows in her Facebook group….I really started to catch some excitement about saving money. Honestly, it became like a game for me.
Now, every morning, I get into my banking app and record variable and recurring expenses. I try to see how long I can go without certain expenditures. And I am more at peace with practicing delayed gratification (I was a little addicted to Amazon). And Miko is very good at encouraging you to find a way to budget that fits YOUR life. I really love that.
She has an amazing planner and Budget by Paycheck Workbook, both of which only go on sale once a year. (Pretty impressive that she will NOT go into any debt for her business….hence the annual print run as opposed to having ongoing inventory.) Her website has some free resources and her newsletters are full of great information about everything from taxes to recipes to DIY manicures. All kinds of ways to save money. I follow her on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram but she also has Twitter and Pinterest accounts.
Slow Cooker Liners
While I had heard of these liners before, it wasn’t until The Budget Mom mentioned them in one of her Instagram stories that I actually thought they might be worth looking into. Good glory, are they are lifesaver! I hate to admit it but I didn’t really want to use my slow cooker because of the clean up! Using these liners has encouraged me to cook at home more often because I really do love doing dinner prep early in the day.
I use the Regular Size which fits 3-8 quart slow cookers. I’m down to my last bag, so it’s time to buy more. And to find a few more slow cooker recipes! But at least I already have a few in my arsenal, like this cheesy, yummy Mac and Cheese that would have been a royal pain to clean up without these handy liners!
Wite-Out Correction Tape
Not sure why I write so fast and frenzied, but I do. And that means I’m constantly making mistakes. But since I don’t like the messy looked of so many crossed-out tangles on my papers, I use correction tape. Like, all the time. I love it! I just keep it right by my planner at my office desk so it’s easy to access. One benefit to this particular design is that the end twists forward to cover up the dispenser; this comes in handy in case you want to grab it and throw it in your bag. No danger of it getting messed up that way.
This tape is easy to find at office supply stores and even at Target and Walmart. But I usually forget to buy it when I’m there so I often buy things like that from Amazon, since I have a prime membership. I try to keep several on hand in case I run out. I feel a little more put together when using it, even though my handwriting is pretty sloppy. Plus, like my mother, I just have a thing for office supplies.
Stay tuned for March’s Favorite Things!
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