my best financial advice

here it is...

the bigger your savings account, the better.

{cred}

profound, i know.
xoxo ashleycolean

first friday

{my kind of place}

a couple weeks ago i went to first friday in (cute as it gets) louisville with my fantastic friends beth and blake.
it was super entertaining, fun, cheap and the cocktails were flowing!
i'm officially attending every month, especially if i run the chance of seeing that hot eye doc.

see you there!
xoxo ashleycolean

foolish

{cred}

don't let advertising lead you astray! you and i both know, the chances of kissing clooney have nothing to do with your lipstick!
xoxo ashleycolean

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

weekends at gran's

{teaching me how to make green chili on my last trip down}

weekends with gran are good for the soul. this lady has nothing but love for me, even if it comes out of her mouth in a shockingly harsh way, she is such a love. :)

i try and make it the three hours to gran's house every couple of months. we cook, chat, watch hours of crime drama reruns and i explain the 'confusing parts.' it's just a restorative thing, to spend time with your grandparents.

i learn something new about my gran each time i go. this time i learned that she raised her SIX children on less than $30k year!! the idea that i have any sort of financial anxiety is almost laughable when i hear her talk about how hard she worked to put food on the table for her family. i know times are different, etc, but still. no complaining allowed!!

i keep thinking i should take my friend tara down with me sometime to 'document' my gran in all her sweetness, especially after seeing her latest beautiful blog post.

a warm home cooked (carb loaded) meal, a comfy couch and a sweet gran is always good for the soul.
and it's harder to leave each trip. gran waving to me from the front step is always a tear jerker.

love and miss you, gran.
xoxo ashleycolean

the regimen

okay, tara...you asked for it! :)
lately i've been talking about my new skin care regimen that cost me an arm and a leg and i'm still waiting for benefits...hopefully, waiting.

let me preface this with one thing i know for sure...origins products smell amazing!

from top left -the entire system

wash/modern friction exfoliater/exfoliating pads
(the exfoliater is made with rice so it isn't as harsh on your skin as say, the sand products i used to use/the pads can only be used twice/week)

balancing toner
(i put it in a spray bottle i got a target for $1 so i wouldn't waste any on a cotton ball)

brightening serum/everyday serum
(this brightening serum is supposed to solve my dark spots problem/the other is to keep environmental junk off your face)

moisturizer
(i love this product...a lot)

ginzing eye cream
(a day time eye cream with caffeine to take the night time puffiness out of your eyes)

bb cream/vitazing
(i'm not in love with their bbcream. i think garnier's product is better/vitazing is a tiny bit of tint plus spf for days you are running to the gym or errands. i also use it under my makeup sometimes just because i like the way it feels on my skin)

smashbox photo finish/origins foundation
(not an origins product but love it (sephora)/i went with their 'fawn' color and am pretty impressed with the coverage)

at night/apply after serums
zit cream/anti aging eye cream/night cream
(for spots/never too early to start/not in love with this night cream, the texture of it is a little weird for me so i will try a different approach on my next go around)

there you have it. the suddenly paranoid about age, 27 year old's face care system.

origins, i'll be lookin' for my kickback.
xoxo ashleycolean

a giant step

today i got a giant step closer to my goal of setting out on an out of country adventure...
my passport came today. one less excuse for the type a, cheap, paranoid, people pleaser to get out, do something, and have fun...

looking for a place to grab my first stamp.
xoxo ashleycolean