may challenge

{a cheapskate's weekend}
farmers market splurge $15: free itunes download of 'justified' pilot: bathtub: $104

because of the intense stress i have over the ol' interest free card, with the looming balance, i decided to test myself and see if for two weeks, i could live off $200.

two hundred dollars.

this covers, gas, groceries, and any other item i want or need.

it's tough, but it's only two weeks.

i have never operated on cash. it's not in my blood. i'm a credit card girl all the way...but with financial awareness in mind i am seeing what happens with this $200.00...cash.

i started on payday, last week. so i am 5 days down, with 10 to go.

i have $104.00 left.

yup. this oughta be interesting.

the good news: i have about 8 cans of black beans in my cupboard.
xoxo ashleycolean

artsy and mindful

i was talking about my spending lockdown and all that goes along with it with bbe's husband the other night. he was super supportive and impressed with my plan but asked a good question: 'you're still living right!?'
he was worried that i was getting too focused on the lockdown and avoiding doing things to save money.

it made me think about it. was i? avoiding life to save money?

the answer is no. wholeheartedly, no. i do a great job (i think) of adjusting  my life to save money without avoiding life all together. when friends want to meet for lunch, i suggest a picnic in the park. when people want to go out to dinner or drinks, i suggest a home cooked meal. i try and find cheap or free activities around the city (there are tons). there are ways to have a social life on a budget they just require a bit more time, research and energy to figure out.

this weekend for instance i planned saturday for my girlfriends...
we went to the highlands farmers market in the morning, walked down to paris on the platte and had a cocktail and cheese on the patio, went to the larimer square chalk art festival and then headed to the rapids game for dinner and soccer!

check out these amazing chalk art artists...

gorgeous. right?!!

so here's what i spent:
$0.00 farmers market-we went for the sun...and samples
$0.00 paris on the platte-my amazing girlfriends took care of the bill because i covered the soccer game/dinner-and just because they are fantastic
$1.25 parking downtown at a meter
$0.00 chalk art fair was free
$0.00 shopping at american apparel-this was a miracle
$7.51  for some delicious fro-yo at kuulture
$0.00 rapids game/parking/dinner/drinks-i came into some great tickets and shared them with the girls

total saturday spend: $8.76.

staycations can be amazing and cheap!
xoxo ashleycolean

give a man a cupcake

cruising around the boulder farmers market saturday with tara we stopped by an adorable cupcake stand. they were packaging their mini cupcakes in stamped egg cartons! being a sucker for good marketing, i stopped to chat about what they were up to.

turns out the boulder shelter started a program that teaches people to bake, then sells these gourmet cupcakes at the farmers market-sending all the proceeds back to the shelter.

i was in love. the idea was amazing. the people at the bfm were so excited to be a part of it and so proud of the work they had done. they call the cupcake business street fare, and they will also do custom orders for cakes, cupcakes...you name it, they'll bake it! plus, you can feel better about eating too many when the money is going toward a worthy cause.

sugar high anyone?
xoxo ashleycolean