How I'm Trying to Save $$ This Year

I have always been a saver. I remember getting money from my Bat Mitzvah at thirteen years old and thinking, "This will be a great emergency fund!" Yeah, well that emergency fund ran out real quick when I hit college. My second emergency fund that I started when I was still living on my parent's dime ran out last year. Boo, for living in nice condos, owning a dog (By the way, how do homeless people always own dogs? Maybe the dogs make them go broke and then they become homeless? Thoughts for another day), and loving designer purses & wallets.

1. Only buying Starbucks/Dunkin' Donuts if I have a gift certificate or my company is paying for it. I actually read somewhere on her blog that Alyssa from Life of Blyss was doing this and I thought that was a great idea! I wonder how many $4 Chai Tea Lattes have added up in the past years.


2. I will be taking out my credit cards from my wallet after work trips. I've been usually good about paying off my credit cards, but I also like to spoil myself. Last year was the start of not paying off my credit cards in full each month and it makes me want to cry a little bit. So after this work trip, that's it. I'm taking my credit cards out of my wallet. If I don't have the money in my debit account then that money is not getting spent.


3. I will pack my lunch! Repeat, after me, I will pack my lunch and not go out to eat if I have lunch already. I know I'll cheat, so I've told myself I'll only go out to lunch once a week. After all the money I spend on groceries and all the times I take home leftovers, this should be a simple feat to accomplish.


4. Stop partying and drinking so goddamn much! "Let's go out and have one or two drinks!" easily turns into "Give us a round of shots!" My boyfriend and I have pledged to each other not to drink as much and to monitor our going-out spending more. This should be a big savings!


5. Mint.com. It is a great budgeting tool if you use it. So I'm trying to follow all my budgets accurately and use "rollover". Rollover is basically if I go over one budget for that month, then it will roll over into the next month. It is a free app for desktop and mobile and made by Intuit!


6. Lastly, telling all my friends about it. I know this sounds silly and/or annoying, but they can hold me accountable, even if I don't ask for it. I've made a blatant point about telling my work friends about #1, so they know not to tempt me by asking me to go to Starbucks with them!

So hopefully all my techniques will work, I'll try to follow up with this post next month and let you know how I've done! Do you have any money saving tricks you are trying to use this year?

My Favorite Dog Products

If you don't know, I have a 3 and a half year old Cattle Dog named Starla. She is the apple of my eye, she can do no wrong is a little devil, she is extremely smart (just like her momma), she's beautiful, and she's totally spoiled!

I got Barkbox immediately after adopting her in May 2014. That way I stockpiled tons of toys, figured out which treats she likes (all of them) and doesn't like (ha...yeah right), and it was always fun each month for her to open up her Barkbox. Of course, I went to Petco and went almost broke because of all the other things I needed wanted to buy for her.

So here are my absolute favorite dog products so far!

1. Tretball Football from Barkbox! This is one of her favorite toys. You can pull it apart and stuff treats into it. It really makes Starla work hard for her treat, and keeps her going because it has holes so she can smell the treat. Here's her trying to pull it apart to get one little treat! It takes her at least 10-15 minutes to get the treats out depending on how big the treat is.

2. Nature's Miracle Deodorizing Bath Wipes. These are great for days that she needs a bit of freshening up but not a full bath, or for days that I should probably wait to bathe her for a few days because it'll be rainy for days. They smell good without being overpowering, they are alcohol-free, and have conditioners to keep her skin and coat looking healthy and shiny.

3. Whimzees Dental Chews. These are great for heavy chewers. They are a lot harder to chew on than Dentastix or Greenies which is good for Starla because she'll chew through those in a minute. They come in toothbrush shapes and hedgehog, and alligator shapes and are sized for your dogs weight. She goes crazy for these.

4. Loving Pets Gobble Stopper Slow Feeder. So Starla will inhale her food if she has the chance. Probably something about being a rescue and living with many other dogs. She definitely needs any type of slow feeder because she gets indigestion and it's not safe when she eats that fast. I started by putting a tennis ball into the bowl, but she would just pick it up and throw it out. This is good because it suction-cups into her bowl and is immovable! There are always slow-feeder bowls, but they're just not as cute as my ceramic bowls.

5. If It Barks Customizable Martingale Collar. If you don't know what a martingale collar is you can read about it here. I'm slighty overprotective and worry a lot so it makes me feel safer that it is a collar that's very hard to slip out of. If It Barks also offers tons of super cute pre-made designs but are also 100% customizable. In addition, their customer service is amazing!

Do you have any favorite dog products? I will also give a coupon code to one person for 20% off your first order on If It Barks if you enter the giveaway below! ;)

Entry-Form

Shhh, don't talk. Just taste.

In honor of wine'd down Wednesday, I thought I would confess my favorite wine wine obsession! #wino

It's Flirt Red Wine! I obviously first got it because it's such a cute label and for $10 at Harris Teeter ($13 if you don't have a Harris Teeter card) it's a great deal! It's a blend of syrah, tempranillo, and zinfandel. It has a fruity spice and is easy to drink alone or with a meal. Taken from the word of Hipstererenology, "It has everything you could ask for in a wine at this price: fruity spice with a little character and intrigue. What more could you want in a flirt?" 

It also has adorable quirky corks like the one above and "Because things with your old wine just weren't working out." I think I'm going to start collecting them and making some sort of DIY craft from it. Does anyone know of any wine cork crafts I could make?

Also linking up with Melissa, Lauren, and Kels.

(In case you were wondering, this is not a sponsored post. I wish Flirt would sponsor me and send me free bottles of wine...#prettyplease?)

The Pressures of Engagement and Marriage

As you know, I am a millennial or "twenty-something". If you are the same and a female, I'm sure you know or have experienced exactly what I am about to write about: The Pressures of Engagement and Marriage. 

Personally, my workplace is about 95% female and about 80% married/engaged, so that's one dimension of it. I'm all busy talking about the boozy brunch I had with twenty of my friends whilst the rest of my coworkers are telling me how the remodel of their kitchen is going. "Going out for drinks after work?", I ask. Nope, gotta get home to my fiance/husband, (CHILDREN?!). Keep in mind that I am generalizing, I'm sure there are some married couples that love going to boozy brunches as much as my boyfriend and I do.

How He Asked

Secondly, my social media feeds are completely packed with girls with their left hand out, perfectly manicured, talking about how amazing the rest of their life will be with their "best friend." Literally a year ago, if you asked me what type of ring I wanted, I would have said "a diamond ring". Nowadays, I somehow know what cut, what band, and what material I want. I'm still trying to figure out how people know carat size by eye...

Also, the fact that a large majority of my friends are either talking to me consistently about how they want their proposal to go, what exact ring they want, what their bridesmaid dresses are going to be, the importance of save the dates, the downsides of a plated dinner. Yikes! Me being me, this completely puts me into meeting planner mode and I already feel like I need to start prepping now!

Yes, I have been dating my boyfriend for two years now, we live together, and I have a dog that he helps me take care of sometimes. In the grand scheme of things, two years is pretty short. But the absolute worst is when friends try to peer-pressure my boyfriend about getting engaged. Not only does that make both of us feel absolutely uncomfortable, it makes him feel like he's a bad boyfriend when in reality he's not! Furthermore, I don't even have a clue about when I want to get engaged or married or have children. I'm sure when the time comes I'll know, but I want to make sure it feels right for the both of us...my biological clock can wait!

I get that my first two points, all my married & engaged friends are just really happy and excited about where they are in their relationships and probably don't intend for this to pressure anyone else. Let me say, I'm happy for you all too! I think, in conclusion, I think that social media really amplifies the material aspects of engagement, and also makes us "just-dating" girls more aware and stressed out of the influx of engagements. I think us single-girls (or just myself...) really need to focus on the fact that two people who are in love make a mutual decision on when to decide that they want to spend the rest of their lives together and to do it on their own schedule. And fuck the pressures and stressors.

It's a rough world out there, girls. And, keep tuned for my post about "How to Get Your Boyfriend to Propose To You By Tomorrow!".....Kidding, kidding! Also an early link up.

Simple and Effortless Soy Salmon with Sriracha Mayo

I don't know about you guys, but I love Sriracha. I literally put it on everything. I recently tried experimenting with it and turning it into Sriracha Mayo and it was amazing! I made it with salmon and then drizzled over top. I used the recipe from White on Rice Couple but since my boyfriend and I like it a bit more spicy we actually did 2 tablespoons of Sriracha to 3 of mayo. I apologize for being a bad blogger and not taking more pictures of the "during" process, but I'll try to add more later when I make this recipe next. 

Sriracha Mayo Recipe

Ingredients:

• 3 Tablespoons mayo.
• 2 Tablespoon Huy Fong Sriracha.
• 1 teaspoon lemon/lime juice.

Directions:

1. In bowl, combine ingredients until smooth.
2. Use as dip or spread for your favorite dishes.

For the salmon, this is my go-to recipe because it's easy and tastes great even without the Sriracha Mayo if you don't like spicy. 

Broiled Soy Marinated Salmon Recipe

Ingredients:

• ½ cup low sodium soy sauce
• ¼ cup honey
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 salmon filets
• Fancy Option: 2 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted, for garnish

Directions:

1. Mix together the soy sauce, honey, lemon juice, and garlic in a bowl.
2. Put the salmon filets and the marinade in a resealable bag. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes but I typically like to marinate overnight so the fish can really soak up all the flavors. 
3. Preheat your broiler on high and place marinated salmon on broiler pan. When the broiler is hot, place the pan in the oven and cook for about 8 minutes minutes, or until the outside is crispy and the fish flakes easily. Tip: Make sure the rack is about 5 inches below the top of the oven when broiling. 
4. Spoon the Sriracha mayo overtop of your salmon. If you chose the fancy option, garnish with some toasted sesame seeds, and serve with a green vegetable. (I chose broccoli!)

Let me know if you try the recipe! I'll be snowboarding out in West Virginia this weekend so I hope you all have a great weekend!

Am I Introverted?

So if you have been following me on Instagram or Twitter you should know I've been sick since last week, and this week it's been even worse! My immune system really needs a jump start. Maybe I should do a cleanse or something? Anyways, so I saw this post on both Lauren's blog and Erin's blog and decided to go for it myself. 

1. Something you will...

refuse to do for the rest of you life: be a person who tells others what and how they need to do something. People need to learn for themselves.

always do forever: be polite. I was raised like this and no matter how many rude drivers there are in this area, I refuse to become one of them. 

2. Something you think is... 

certifiably disgusting: All this ISIS stuff recently. It's sad and I'm astonished that these sort of things occur. 

absolutely amazing: Old couples that still hold hands. It warms my soul when I see that. 

3. A compliment you've been given that's made you...

feel on top of the world: "You are delicate as a flower but as strong as steel."

pretty upset: "Oh, you actually were able to get that done!" 

4. A name you...

hate: Frankly, there's no plain old name that I hate just because. But if I had to choose, I would choose Phillip. yuck. 

love: Liam. Stella. Isabella. Adam. 

5. Something people say about you that you...

know is entirely false: That I'm spoiled. I get that I'm an only child, but my parents made me work for what I got. You know nothing, Jon Snow.

think is on point: that I'm hard to read. I never really got this until this past year that I'm really introverted when you first meet me and I'm very hard to read. When I was in grade school, other kids just thought I was a total brat, but I swear I'm not. 

6. A taste you...

can't stand: Olives. I can't eat anything that's been made with or has olives in it. 

can't get enough of: Chai tea lattes.

A photo posted by Alanna (@alannaandco) on Feb 3, 2015 at 8:43am PST

7. A song you always...

turn off immediately: "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke. 

belt out the lyrics to: Anything Beyonce. 

8. Animal you...

fear: Sharks.

need in your life right this instant: Another puppy. or a horse. I would love to have a horse. I probably sound like a twelve-year old saying that. 

9. Something you...

will never ever eat: Any weird animal parts like liver, ear, foot. Gross. 

would eat for every meal if you were given the chance: Pasta. I'm an italian food lover. 

10. To enhance your looks you...

would love to, but would probably never resort to: Plastic surgery. Ouch. No thanks. 

just stick to: My regular routine of mascara and eyeliner. 

I'll be off snowboarding this weekend hot tub-ing so I hope you all enjoy this. I've really been enjoying scheduling my posts and just got this amazing May planner from Bronte Designs. I'll show you how I use it as an editorial blog calendar later!

So excited for my new @maydesigns planner! Thanks to @brontedesigns, go check out her shop to get yours today! #bloggergram #organization #blogger #stellaanddot

A photo posted by Alanna (@alannaandco) on Feb 3, 2015 at 6:41am PST

2015 Reading Challenge Update

So Goodreads tells me I'm already two books behind schedule! Hmm, maybe 100 books this year was a bit overzealous. I have read two other books, but they really weren't my favorite so don't even worry about those. They're on my Goodreads account if you want to see there.

To update my book challenge from Modern Mrs. Darcy, I've completed a book that's currently on the best seller list and a book by a favorite author. Those are easy.

The Martian Review:

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first men to walk on the surface of Mars. Now, he's sure he'll be the first man to die there.

It started with the dust storm that holed his suit and nearly killed him, and that forced his crew to leave him behind, sure he was already dead. Now he's stranded millions of miles from the nearest human being, with no way to even signal Earth that he's alive--and even if he could get word out, his food would be gone years before a rescue mission could arrive. Chances are, though, he won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old "human error" are much more likely to get him first.

But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills--and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit--he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. But will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

When I first read about this book the first reviews said that the writing is just way too comedic and the narration seems a bit childlike and immature especially when in such a situation. I disagree, I feel like the comedy and jokes that Mark Watney cracked throughout the books probably were his way of survival. There was tons of science that I often had to go back and re-read the descriptions of what the main character was trying to accomplish. It's a fun read that is very different from many popular science fiction books out there. Super excited that this is coming out as a movie directed by Ridley Scott! (sidenote: I'm surprised they casted both Jessica Chastain and Matt Damon in another space movie together. I loved Insterstellar.)

Sharp Objects Review:

Words are like a road map to reporter Camille Preaker’s troubled past. Fresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital, Camille’s first assignment from the second-rate daily paper where she works brings her reluctantly back to her hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls.

Since she left town eight years ago, Camille has hardly spoken to her neurotic, hypochondriac mother or to the half-sister she barely knows: a beautiful thirteen-year-old with an eerie grip on the town. Now, installed again in her family’s Victorian mansion, Camille is haunted by the childhood tragedy she has spent her whole life trying to cut from her memory.

As Camille works to uncover the truth about these violent crimes, she finds herself identifying with the young victims—a bit too strongly. Clues keep leading to dead ends, forcing Camille to unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past to get at the story. Dogged by her own demons, Camille will have to confront what happened to her years before if she wants to survive this homecoming.

With its taut, crafted writing, Sharp Objects is addictive, haunting, and unforgettable.

It's an extremely complex and disturbed story. Typical Gillian Flynn. It has a great narrator that you want to sometimes scream at for what she does, but you can't help but to like her. Halfway through the book is where the narrator and the book really open up to the deeper psychological and family issues that overshadow the entire situation. Terrific book, terribly creepy.

Are you keeping up with any reading challenges?