Hello Everyone!  Today I’m partnering with Flipp, a free shopping app to tell you about how we menu plan, organize for the week and save money!  One of my New Year’s resolutions was to be more organized when it comes to our kitchen.  So I now have a Saturday morning ritual and it involves a cup of tea, a stack of cookbooks, my planner and my phone.  I look at my calendar for the week, figure out how many evenings we’ll be home and plan out our menu for the days to come.  I go through my cookbooks for recipes, or inspiration, and write down a shopping list.  I break it up into categories – we get all of our meat from the farmer’s market, our dairy from the Co-op, and most of our pantry items, produce and miscellaneous household items from Whole Foods.  All of this planning ensures that we won’t get caught in the pickle of nothing to eat and order takeout that isn’t really the best for us (I’m looking at you, pizza)!  Since quality is my top priority when it comes to food and I’m religious about my sourcing, food is our biggest expenditure each month outside of our mortgage.  We make sacrifices in other areas to accommodate the expense, but I am always looking for ways to save.  SERIOUSLY WHOLE FOODS, WHY ARE YOU EATING ALL OF OUR PAYCHECKS?!

Which brings me to the Flipp App, my new partner in shopping & saving money! My routine now involves checking out the sales on Flipp before I start menu planning to see if I can incorporate any of the sale items into my plan.  For instance, this week Whole Foods is having a sale on vine ripened tomatoes. Which means it’s a good time for me to make a batch of the tomato confit from the Gjelina cookbook that I like to have on hand as often as possible (please please make it if you haven’t already)!!  After I’ve incorporated the sales items into my meal plan, I photograph my hand-written shopping list and upload to Flipp where it is then transcribed so I can easily check the items off as I shop. This is a lifesaver because I find few things more irritating than having to go back to the market after I’ve spent a whole day running around shopping (and trust me that has happened more than I’d care to admit with my chicken scratch handwritten grocery lists).

Did you ever watch the shows or read about the coupon clipping fanatics who were basically saving billions of dollars, almost as a sport?  I’ve always admired those people so much!  BUT.  Before Flipp, I’ve never, not once, remembered to use a coupon I’ve clipped.  And there was a point where I was all I’m totally gonna be one of those people who spends pennies on their groceries because I use the bejeesus out of coupons!  But.  Again.  I failed before I started.  And, truth be told, there is only a limited amount of saving I can do while still buying the best quality food. I’m not willing to compromise there for as long as I can afford not to.  Lucky for me, there are coupons for all sorts of household items to be found on Flipp! Think: batteries, toilet paper, lint rollers, paper towels, laundry detergent!  OMG I know I’m a super nerd for getting so excited about it but I can’t help myself!  I can finally be one of those people who uses coupons!!!!  *Patting myself on the back*

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Hi my friends!  I hope you all had a great weekend!  We set out Saturday morning for the Women’s March as planned, but a few minutes into our walk from the car to the march, the rain started pouring down.  Lou forgot his jacket, so he was immediately drenched and cold.  I was wearing Teo, so he was snuggly but I had concerns about how long the rain might last and what would happen if the two of us became soaked as well.  With so much regret we turned around and headed back to our car, the risk of  Teo getting sick felt like too much for us at this moment.  I spent a good part of the rest of the day watching my social media feeds explode with photos and videos from across the globe – it felt like a dream.  I was filled with emotion and hope, I cried for the beauty and struggle of humanity.  It’s a tremendous thing to see people come together in such a powerful way to speak up for those whose rights are violated or threatened.  It reminded me that there will always be more good than evil, more love than hate.

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Hi my friends!  We’re busy nesting and being cozy for the holidays but I wanted to pop in with a fun giveaway to celebrate the season!  St. Frank, a store I love for their epic collection of home goods, is offering up one of these amazing Juju hats to a lucky reader!  As you may remember from this post, I have a small collection of them in our living room.  Nearly every person who visits comments on them and I love sharing the background on their origin (*see below for a blurb about them from the St. Frank website)!  I also adore that St. Frank is supporting low and middle income communities and their artisans while simultaneously helping preserve their crafts.  I have an obsession with textiles from other lands, so this makes me extremely happy!

*”The Juju hat is a symbol of prosperity and divinity in Bamileke culture. The Bamileke is an ethnic group from Cameroon’s west and northeast provinces. Birds, whose feathers are used to create this elaborate headdress, are sacred to the Bamileke because their power of flight allows them to soar to the heavens. Traditionally, the Juju hat was worn by members of the high Kuosi class during Bamileke rituals and festivities. The Kuosi consisted of prominent tribal leaders, affluent landowners, and celebrated warriors. The Juju hat was worn to perform an annual dance celebrating the kingdom’s prosperity.”  HOW INCREDIBLE IS THAT?!

Ok, I’ll get to it!  Here are the details:  Comment below with where you’d hang your very own Juju hat- I’d love some fresh ideas on where to display them!  In a week from today a random winner will be chosen and receive their pick of any in-stock Juju hat from the St. Frank website.  One entry per person please. Good luck everyone!

Please note that by entering the contest you agree to receive promotional emails from St. Frank.    

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