Manic Monday: 5 affordable ways to be healthier with a hectic schedule

We've all been there. Caught between wanting to be healthier, not wanting to spend an arm and a leg in doing so, and trying to balance all of that with the million other things you have to do in your day. 

There's plenty of advice on how to be healthier, but it usually goes directly against any penny pinching ambitions you may have. I'm still in a constant battle between cheap convenience and health, and it's a tough fight, let me tell you. But I have a few tips on how to be healthier and not pay buku bucks, all while keeping up with your busy pants-dropping schedule.

1. Substitute real for fake

One of the easiest ways to market food products to the general populace is to cater to our society's constant need for everything on earth to be done at lightning speed. But that generally compromises the quality of the product. One of the best examples I can give for this is minute rice versus actual rice. 

Five Minute Rice

Properly cooked rice

Now the top picture actually looks decent for five minute rice, but I've noticed that the consistency is much tougher than regular rice, and it looks almost flaky before being cooked, rather than looking like solid grains of rice. 

The reason for the difference in appearance is because in order to make five minute rice, the companies pre cook it, then dehydrate it and package it, so when you buy it, you're basically just rehydrating it. What it lacks, however, is the flavor quality and all nutrients. As such, sometimes they'll add nutrients and flavoring in to the rice. So, to sum it up, they get the rice, suck the nutrients and flavor out, then add artificial nutrients and flavor instead, and give it to consumers... 

Also, what are those boil bags made out of??

This process is used in several boxed foods and we all know it's unnatural. So yes, cooking real rice will take longer, but in the long run it is much healthier than the boxed junk. Plus, if you're cooking a whole meal, the cooking time allows you to prepare the rest, or catch up on Walking Dead while you wait! Also, you tend to get more servings with one cheap bag of rice than with a boxed variety.

This same principal goes for several other boxed foods, and another one to easily adjust to is from packaged potatoes to real potatoes. This is one thing I've done in the past year, and even though those packaged potatoes are only a dollar, so are actual baking potatoes. Just chop one up (leave the skin on for more convenience) and boil it for ten, fifteen minutes, add a little butter and/or milk and mash on! It doesn't take too long and you can mash out some of your frustrations while you're at it. 

Honestly. Which one looks better? The flakes should be saved for dire circumstances, like a worldwide shortage of potatoes

2. Substitute frozen for canned fruits and veggies. 

I've seen plenty of blogs and articles suggesting that people prepare their vegetables, or even their meals for the entire week on Sunday. And I wish I could find the ambition to do that. I really do. But when I work 60 - 80 hours in a week, the last thing you're going to find me doing on Sunday night is hanging out in my kitchen chopping broccoli and putting it into a rubbermaid tub. 

You'd be hard pressed to not find me ordering a pizza in a half zombie mode on my couch. As such, frozen vegetables are my saving grace. Honestly, canned fruit and veggies have always alarmed me; the corn is harder and tastes oilier, the green beans are a different consistency of mushy altogether, and the fruit is filled with a sweetened and unhealthy syrup. On top of that, most nutritional value is removed from those vegetables when they're put in to that preserving liquid. Frozen will last much longer than fresh produce and maintains the nutrients because they're frozen shortly after being harvested. Plus you can make a mean smoothie with a package of frozen berries and some non fat yogurt!

Nomnomnom...

Check out Jamie Oliver's website to see how he makes his smoothies, though let's be honest, it's a pretty easy process. 

Also check out this article about why going frozen is a great option. 

3. Check the labels for HFCS 

I know this seems like common sense, but those sneaky corporate buggers try to shove High Fructose Corn Syrup into all sorts of products you would never expect to have or need the stuff. For example, I sent my husband grocery shopping the other day and he bought the cheapest italian dressing he could find, as I requested. The dressing had HFCS. Seriously? I had an amazing salad over thanksgiving with a homemade dressing of three ingredients (recipe here, minus the honey), and I didn't have to worry about the fake sugar! 

...But what about the stuffing....

Health awareness is on the rise so it's becoming easier to find products that don't have as much processing or preservatives at an affordable price. But this leads to my next suggestion...

4. Don't buy in to the "health" foods

Large companies have caught on to the health craze,  and they didn't just jump on the bandwagon, they punched the driver, threw him off and ran away with it. 

Hey look! There goes Nestle, Coca Cola and General Mills. 

In the past few years, more and more stories have been pouring out about supposed "natural" foods being anything but. One of the most horrendous stories I read was about Naked Brand smoothies. 

I saw these little bottles of health as a saving grace for a rushed day. It served as a great quick breakfast and tasted like a dream. Plus it was 100% juice, right?

My my the marketers were smart in their labeling of the product. Naked suggests that it's raw, unprocessed, and you will therefore look better naked for drinking this...WRONG. Turns out Naked is actually owned by Pepsico, and was sued last year for hiding GMO's "and synthetic ingredients, including zinc oxide, ascorbic acid, and calcium pantothenate, which is produced from formaldehyde." (read the rest of the article here). 

Formaldehyde, y'all. And yet they were charging $4 for these wonderful drinks. Oy. The corruption! This is just the icing on a very unfortunate cake, a cake that continues to add layers almost daily with new revelries of falsely advertised "natural" and healthy food. Actually, eating an entire cake from a small bakery is probably healthier than most of the "healthy" products we find in the grocery store. Okay, I exaggerate, but still. See below for what large companies own what brands that claim to be natural. 

 That's right, Nature Valley is owned by General Mills. Nestle owns Skinny Cow. Coca Cola owns Honest Tea. Kellogg's owns Nutri Grain. All of these brands mark up their products because they're the better choice health-wise, but it's all a facade. You might as well buy the cheaper off brand and save a few bucks, or better yet, opt for something else altogether. Check out some alternate snack options here.  

5. Invest in a counter top grill

George Forman, you slick sonuvagun. Your grill has been my saving grace. This thing is the best $30 you can spend, I tell ya. Especially if you have a store close by like Fresh Market that sells pre made stuffed chicken breasts. Throw some chicken on to this baby, sautee up some asparagus and BOOM. You have a pretty healthy meal! 

I use the daylights out of this thing, and there are so many recipes to choose from - kababs, and grilled sandwiches, and burgers, oh my! Check out this entire Pinterest board of easy George Forman grill recipes and prepare to be amazed. This is probably the best shortcut for being healthy I can recommend. It's helped my husband and I significantly when we're both working long days and are exhausted. 

As you can see, there are so many ways you can be more spend savvy with groceries, but not spend the entire day preparing something. It can seem really overwhelming, but if you take a few proactive steps at a time you can make a huge change for the better in your life. 

Thrifty Thursday: A tasty recipe to keep you warm in these frigid times

"What killed the dinosaurs? THE ICE AGE!"

Y'all. It is freaking cold. I'm originally from Michigan, so cold is just a part of life, but lately, it feels like there's a new scheme in the most recent Batman installment, and Mr. Freeze has put all of America in the frigidaire. Welcome, America, to the brutal freezingness of winter that you have escaped for oh so long! Now, I don't know if you've been following the news, but this cold and very little snow in the South has given everyone the cue to LOSE THEIR DAMN MINDS. 

The blizzard of 2014

Now, now. I don't hold any southerners responsible for their reaction to snow. Northerners have had years of training in driving on an ice rink and surviving. We've also learned how to (sometimes) successfully avoid thousands of deer mixed in with all that snow...sometimes not so successfully. My family in Michigan is balking and envious of the south with its 30 degree temperatures and eager for those temperatures to hit Michigan in April, because their wind chill of late has been negative 30. I saw the reaction here in the South and laughed a little bit - poor Southerners who can't drive in snow, bless their hearts...and then I realized my building has NO HEAT WHATSOEVER. 

....

...

WHHHHYYYYYYYY NOTTTTT????

Well, joke's on me. It's so rare for it to get this cold in Nola that lots of buildings have no heat. So that's been fun. 

My solution? Baking, baking, BAKING! Oven equals heater in desperate times. As such, I've begun baking this tasty treat weekly, as the temperature keeps yo-yoing up and down maniacally, and it's hit the 30's, and therefore the 40's in my apartment, several times as of late. 

That tasty treat is a seven ingredient masterpiece in the loaf form of Banana Bread. 

This loaf didn't rise so well, and I learned about the conversion of baking soda to baking powder amounts, but it was still delicious! 

The recipe is simple, and while it may seem pricey if you don't have any of the ingredients, do note that most of the ingredients will last you multiple loaves. I've used the same bags of sugar and flour for the last three loaves and still have enough for one more, and butter usually comes in four sticks, so about $15 of supplies can yield four loaves of bread. Now, I've always been apprehensive of baking, thinking it's much more complex than cooking meals; this recipe, however, doesn't even require a mixer! Here's the recipe: 

2 to 3 ripe bananas

5 tablespoons or 1/3 cup melted butter 

1 egg, beaten

1 cup granulated sugar 

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda OR 3 teaspoons baking powder 

pinch of salt, optional

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup chocolate chips, optional, but strongly recommended!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

In a bowl, mash bananas. I recommend using a potato masher if you have one. 

Mix in melted butter. 

Next, add the beaten egg, sugar and vanilla. Mix well.

Now mix in the baking soda/powder and salt, if desired.

Finally, add the flour and mix well. 

Pour the mixture into a greased 9" X 5" pan. 

Bake for 1 hour.

Now for the hardest part, let sit for at least ten minutes before tearing in! 

I hope you stay warm and toasty, and happy Thursday! 

Monday Funday! DIY Framing and Matting Cheat: A budget friendly creative project to start off the week.

Welcome back to the workweek, for those of you working! It's back to reality, and that can really damper your spirits after a fabulous weekend of recreation and fun. But as Amy Poehler shows you above (you may have noticed I love that woman), it's all about the attitude you take. You can either dread Mondays, or conquer it like the beast it is!

You're MINE, Monday! 

To start off the week, I contemplated doing a snack or meal tutorial but I think I'll start with a way to cut spending on home decor. We've all seen the oodles of DIY available on the internet these days; DIY shirt revamps, milk crate stools, pallet shelves, curtains. One I actually never found and just sort of figured out on my own out of necessity was DIY framing art. My husband and I have a small apartment and have begun redecorating our apartment to a more grown up style. IE, we are no longer taping posters to the wall like we're in a college dorm. We've been here for three years, and by god, we might as well start making it look like it. Over the past few months, we've gotten rid of a lot of clutter and began framing art that has been sitting in anticipation for a glass encased home for years. Poor things.

Brian and I are both huge movie fanatics and watch all types of films, but we're both very drawn to visual films and children's movies. One reason is because there's so much drama and sadness in real life that I can't handle watching much of it on TV. And the other reason is because Brian loves animation and pencils and inks his own comics, so he's constantly watching and learning from movies. A few years back we went to a flea market and found a vintage Black Cauldron poster for ten dollars. It had cardboard on the back and was covered with plastic, and for two years, that was how it was displayed in the house. It slowly drove me crazy until I finally bit the bullet and went to Michael's to have it framed.

The end result! Low quality picture, high quality framing.

Now, I went in to Michael's with a 60% off custom framing coupon...SIXTY percent off. And guess how much this cost me? First, I was quoted at $147.00. 

With sixty percent off that seemed utterly ridiculous. Apparently it was that high because of the custom size of the frame (18"X 30") and the non glare high quality glass. I told her to take that shit off pronto, I could handle the glare. That brought it down to $100. Now look at that frame. I literally asked for the most basic black frame, and simple matting. The matting was quite cheap so I was okay with the two layers. I knew, however, that I was not going to be able to afford framing another picture that had been patiently waiting for a frame. 

My lovely mother got me a $50 gift card to Michael's for Christmas and I took the opportunity to check out the possibilities of framing and matting the piece myself. I went and looked at all of the frames, and color me lucky, there was a 55% off sale on this one brand of frames. I managed to get a 20" X 30" frame over half off (it was originally $55)! Next was finding the matting. Now, Michaels has oodles of matting in a lot of great colors, but unfortunately it's mostly for 8"X10" pictures. I managed to find some additional large sheets of matting at the framing counter in the back and picked a deep turquoise color for the matting for $15. With the discounted price of the frame, my total cost came to $47, and with the gift card it was FREEEEE!!! 

I went home and had Brian help me cut the matting. Honestly, it is NOT easy. We used an exacto knife, a box cutter and scissors, and fortunately the frame hides the edges because it looked rough. Hey, it was our first time. ALSO, we cheated and simplified the process by not cutting the interior of the matting and taping to the back of that, but using double sided tape and taping the piece lightly to the matting in the front.  For our first try, I was pretty happy. Here's the end result! 

Wheee! Pretty! 

That's all there is to it!

Step 1: pick your frame - preferably on sale, or better yet, clearance!

Step 2: pick your matting color 

Step 3: use an exacto knife or box cutter to trim your matting to the right size to fit in the frame.
Tip: The frame we got had a piece of cardboard that was the right size in the frame. We traced that on to the back of the matting to guide our cutting. 

Step 4: Center the picture on to your matting, use double sided tape on the top edge to hold the piece in place.
Step 5 Place the matting and photo into the frame. Voila!

Again, I know the picture quality is rough, but to show you the two side by side, could you tell which one was done professionally? 

And there you have it! Keep an eye out for frame sales and you can save oodles of cash! And yes, those are Justice League and Star Wars action figures between the art. It's the compromise my husband and I have made in style...

Happy Monday and have a great start to the week! 

Happy Frugal Friday!

Huzzah! You've made it through another grueling week! Time to go out with friends, let loose, and party right??? Oh...wait...you're broke. Shit.

I've hit this point so many times, where I feel like if I don't go out and enjoy life I'm going to lose my damn mind. There are several ways you can do this on the cheap, I tell you. It is possible. Here are a few ways I keep my Friday nights fun but contained so that Saturday morning isn't filled with panic and regret after checking my account balance.

Who bought shots for the whole bar on my account?!? I did? Oh, no...

So! Friday night hits. The group texts begin. "Who wants to meet at *blah blah* restaurant for some food?" "I'm game!" "Sure, why not? 7ish?" "Alright, it's settled. 7ish at *blah blah*. Can't wait! See y'all there! XOXO, YOLO, Kthxbye." ...Okay, it doesn't really sound like that, I swear. But it's something similar. And just because you're tight on money, why shouldn't you see friends and join in the fun?

I live in New Orleans. The food here is amazing and there are always at least five restaurants that you haven't tried but should. And I'm a foodie so I flipping love eating out. So when I'm strapped for cash, I've figured out a few ways to not get a $30-$50 bill that will hinder me from grabbing a beer later. Yes, New Orleans Fridays are one long trip to lots of bars, and stamina and funds must be maintained if you wanna hang til the wee hours of the morning. Even if that's not your style, it's still nice to keep your bill low.

First piece of diner advice: if you're planning on going out later, hold off on cocktails at dinner. Yes, they are pretty, and frilly, and taste heavenly. But if it's not happy hour, they usually rack the bill up quick like. Most cocktails are around $7-$9, higher depending on where you're dining. For ten to twelve dollars you can get an entire bottle of wine to drink at home!

And no one will judge you for it, Maya!

It seems so simple, but I know from experience when everyone else is ordering a cocktail, it's a test of willpower to say, "I'll just have a water, thanks." Trust me, you'll thank yourself when the bills come around and everyone who enjoyed two delightful drinks groan at their check. Not to mention, when you're eating, you're not likely to get the benefits of alcohol, as the food will be sucking up all that glorious tipsiness. So why would you pay eight bucks for a juice equivalent? If that's the case, get a "mocktail", or a drink with no alcohol, and save a few bucks that way. 

Second piece of dinner advice: choose an appetizer as your meal. Yes, my frugal, penny pinching friends, appetizers at restaurants are your saving grace. A few weeks ago, I went to a burger joint with a group of friends. The burgers started at $11.99. To be fair, they were fancy burgers made of bison, elk, and with top of the line add ons, like sun dried tomatoes and goat cheese. And when they came out for my friends, they looked delicious.

I think I need to test that and make sure it hasn't been poisoned...because we live in King's Landing...

I wanted a delectable burger swathed in fancy toppings too! I restrained myself and selected the chili cheese fries appetizer instead. Not the best choice for my (non existent) diet, but at $6, I justified it to myself. And as expected, it was a HUGE order that was certainly sufficient as a meal. It was also house made chili, not the canned "meat...kinda" chili that keeps its cylindrical shape as it leaks out of its can (insert that awful and horrifying noise as the meat-like material exits its home onto a plate). It was delicious! And my total bill with dinner and a water was a whopping $6.54.

The main reason you can always opt for an appetizer (in New Orleans, anyway) is that we live in the American dreamland where bigger is better, and serving sizes have exploded to ridiculous proportions in the past few decades. If you live in another country, it may be a little riskier. But probably still workable.

Thank you, corporations...

MURICA! Where super size is now a small.

Heh. That needed two gifs...

Alright my thrifty friends, I'll have more outing tidbits next week, but I gotta spread em out so I can keep ya coming back. That's right, I even skimp with my tidbits :) Think I'll throw some low cost crafts and recipes in soon.

Have a great weekend!

Thrifty Thursday - bringing down the clothing costs

Oh shopping. I love thee. Unfortunately, I am often times more concerned about paying the bills so I don't get to shop for clothing as much as I'd like. Here are some little tidbits I can suggest for keeping below budget when you hit the stores. 

First things first. Stores are very smart and will put these gorgeous, glittery ensembles into their windows to draw you in. You want to look like that bald, faceless mannequin because he/she/it (who can tell?) is freaking sexy! 

I don't care that you're made of plastic. I want to be you.

Do yourselves a favor. Before you look at the brand new items that are hot off the...runway, or whatever, do what I do. Make a beeline to the clearance section. It is a world of splendor, and you can find so many deals it's ridiculous. I've managed to get brand new jeans for five dollars at Old Navy, and let me tell ya, I have big hips and thunder thighs so finding that kind of a steal is impressive. I bought those jeans over a year ago and still wear them frequently. I've managed to get a hundred dollar dress at Anthropologie for a mere $10. And all because it's a month or so old. Or maybe it's missing a button. Trust me on this, hit clearance first and see what magic awaits!

Where have you been hiding all my life, clearance section?

My second suggestion, I learned from my mother. And maybe you all did too. It's pretty simple. Stores will blast you with bold new colors, silks and sequins, patterns and purses, and our brains can sometimes go into a frenzy. You immediately want everything. This can lead to purchases of a questionable nature. Things like fashion chaps. Something that celebrities might be able to pull off, but once you escape the hypnosis of the store and return home, you realize that you are not someone who can pull it off. 

But it looked so good in the store! That tricky lighting...

When I was a teenager and would go shopping with my mom, she would ask me one simple but crucial question: "Will you wear it?" Seems simple, right? But just ponder for a minute longer before you get those yeti boots, if you will ever wear it, and if so, how often? Is it worth the price you're going to pay for it? This one question could save you hundreds of dollars and much needed closet space. 

Am I alone in the fact that I treat shopping as a mental challenge, and pride myself on finding the best deals? The less money spent, the more the reward, especially when you're complimented on it ("love your boots!" "Thanks, they were seven bucks. Har, har...."). Treat it like a game, and you'll always win! 

Why I'm cheap.

Greetings! My name is Ashley and I'm a freelance filmmaker. What does that mean? That means when you get to the end of the movie and three hundred names scroll by just fast enough to mock the weird ones ("Ha! James Kirk. Is that real?), one of those names is mine.

  Mom! Did you blink?? Oh...you may have missed my name...

This also means that nothing in my life is set in stone. The world is very fluid. I can't schedule a vacation, nor will there ever be paid time off, and as work ebbs and flows, so does my bank account. I can work for months, get to the end of a show, and not get any work for another two months, depending on the time of year. That's when my Fresh Market grocery shopping slowly deteriorates to Valu-Mart grocery shopping. 

I've been doing this for six years, so I've matured significantly from when I started on my first show, realizing that I had just worked insane hours, learned how to sleep anywhere and in any position (standing up, laying in the props truck on a pool floatie), and had no idea how long my wages would last if I didn't get a gig quickly.

  Dear god, what have I done?? Will I ever work again? Does Sally Mae accept IOU's for forever??? 

I can't tell you how many times I've had people say they wish they could work on movies, that it must be "so fun! taking pictures and working on sets for a living?"; then you explain your hours and define "freelance", however, and the idea of all that glamour fades away. "But Ashley, don't you want some consistency in your life?" "Oh, I could never cope with that. Constantly not knowing what's next, uncertainty..."

The film industry is often compared to the circus, and it is the damn truth. We bring in big trucks, set up tents, build sets, and then tear them down after a minuscule period of time. 

  Don't worry, neighborhood. All this will be gone when you wake up on Tuesday.

Also like the circus, movie production accepts all manner of freaks, because there's some way they can contribute to a movie. There are so. many. departments.  You need construction to build sets and paint, and greens to cover those ungainly public phones when you are shooting a period piece. You need people to light the talent, film the talent, feed the talent, drive the talent, drive the crew, drive the trucks, give you bandaids, wrangle animals, organize the schedule, find locations, print call sheets, get Pepsi cleared, and so on and so forth. 

  That guy is either a serial killer, or our key grip...

What the general masses don't understand is that the film industry is like crack. It's addicting. Once it draws you in, you're hooked, like a moth drawn to light. People that work on movies are in general thrill seekers, adventurers and spontaneous beings. You know when friends in the industry aren't working, because you see in your Facebook feed that they're randomly in Vegas, Australia, or some other exciting locale. We thrive on our constantly changing and evolving world, and the pressure, stress, and uncertainty makes us perform that much better. 

So no, I do not plan on changing my career to one with more security. I will stay at the tea party filled with crazies in my surreal and colorful universe. I will just learn how to be "economic", or "frugal" and exercise caution with purcha- oh fuck it, I'm going to live cheaply and have an awesome time doing it. No need to hide to word. It all boils down to the same thing.

This blog is dedicated to the cheap at heart, who sees the DIY posts on Pinterest and only picks the craft that takes three materials, or recipes that need two ingredients. This is for the person who learns how to get fit without the $80 gym membership, and takes to the web to find cheap or free things to do around town. My posts will vary from food to clothing, activities to crafts, and all in the name of being thrifty. I can't wait to start, and I hope you enjoy!