Good morning lovies!
Happy Saturday :D I had a good sleep last night…strange dreams, though!
So the question of the morning is….
Was I able to go a full 7 days without sugar?
Click read more to find out!
YES!!!!
Stay tuned this afternoon for a video on my Crap Free Week review. I will talk about difficulties, benefits, and what I noticed over the course of a week. I will also tell you whether I will be extending my CFW longer.
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What I bought: Week 5
Wow, I can’t believe it is already week 5 of What I bought! Times sure flys!
When I emptied out my reciepts, I admit I was a bit scared!
What did I buy last week?
Let me preface this by saying that this week we bought LOTS of bulk. For example, we bought printer paper which was around $25, and we bought some bulk grocery items that were on sale. I also bought some out of the ordinary things for Glo Bakery, which ran about $30.
I will separate it by receipt.
– Groceries: [Bottled water, avocados, organic apples, tomatoes, red peppers, no name w/w bread, organic kale, tofurkey, organic free run eggs] Total: $41.90
– Groceries: [butter, rubber gloves for renos, unsweetened applesauce, etc] Total: $11.34
– Groceries: [3 low fat soy milk, 1% cow milk, 2 boxes Amy’s veggie burgers, organic kale, spinach, orange pepper, sweet potatoes, tofurkey, bread, tomatoes, spelt flakes, etc] Total: $74.52
– Post Office: $17.05
– Club Monaco: Tee on sale: $21.47
– Bulk Barn: [1.62 kg of raw chick peas, soup mix] Total: $5.44
– Gas for car: Total: $15.01 (I ran out of gas and couldn’t find an Esso to use my gift card! doh!)
– Wal-Mart: [Filing tote, water, garlic puree, 5 pages of printer paper, organic carrots, red potatoes, dads cookies, raisin bran, frozen pineapple, 3 bunches of bananas, garbages bags (2-3 boxes), organic spelt cereal, bulk honey, etc, icing colouring, piping bags in bulk] Total: $130.34
We had two big grocery shops this week, so technically we had our big shop for next week, this week (if that makes any sense). So I expect that our grocery bill for next week will be much cheaper.
Total spent last week: $317. 07
Successes this week: My biggest one was definitely stopping myself from buying a Lululemon jacket. By not purchasing it, I saved myself about $125! I opted for a compromise- a tee at Club Monaco on sale for $19.
I am still making all of my own hummus and I am now making spelt tortillas and almond butter to help shave costs. I am still disappointed that our groceries are quite high, but we did just shop yesterday for next week, so I guess that is why. We also have to buy purified water because our water system in the house is shot, and we are avoiding buying a new water softener for now (they run well over $1,000!!!!). The weekly water purchases add up so much, so I think we are going to have to cave and buy a softener soon.
I also am proud to say that I have not bought a loaf of Ezekiel bread since I started the challenge!!! Considering I was buying 2 loaves per week, that is a huge savings.
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Breakfast this morning was a veggie green monster as I cleaned the office (pics to come later today!):
Contents: 3 organic kales leaves (wilted!), 1 cup low fat soy milk, 1 Tbsp flax, 2 ice cubes
Did you know:
“Green smoothies are easy to digest. When blended well, all the valuable nutrients in these fruits and veggies become homogenized, or divided into such small particles that it becomes easy for the body to assimilate these nutrients, the green smoothies literally start to get absorbed in your mouth.”
Obtained from: Raw Glow
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Just in case you missed it, I am giving away a copy of Jillian Michael’s 30-Day Shred DVD! It’s as easy as leaving a comment (To the original post) and telling me how Oh She Glows has impacted your life, or tell me what you like best about Oh She Glows!
See you this afternoon for a video on my Crap Free Week! :D
Thanks so much for linking me! I added you to the entries.
P.S. I’m loving all the green smoothies!
My favorite thing about Oh She Glows is the awesome recipes, keep it up girl!
Wow I can’t believe it’s been 5 weeks! You’ve done a fabulous job!
Hey, have you heard of Brita water filters? I have one, and basically you fill it with tap water, let it filter, and then drink! I keep mine in the fridge so I always have filtered, cool water on hand! There’s a small initial investment for the pitcher, and then whenever you need replacement filters, but it’s more environmentally friendly and I believe cheaper than water bottles! Here’s the link to their site:
http://www.brita.com/
Also – how are you liking bluehost.com? I’m in the midst of a huge blog/ site transfer/ taking it in a new direction and have been thinking about using bluehost. Hope you have a great weekend Angela!
Alright, alright! That quote sold me on the green smoothies again. I will try the combo you suggested sometime soon :)
When do you get the results back on your scan? I’m crossing my fingers for you!
Congrats on a successful CFW!
Being in college, I definitely don’t have much money to spare. I love seeing your take on saving money and how you cut costs on groceries – a big expense!
hooray for CFW!
I love the original recipies and smoothies! I started making my own for breakfast in the morning. I also love reading the inspirational posts and beauty reviews, they add a lot to your blog, not just this is what I ate and pictures, it makes the blog stand out from the others.
This morning you inspired me to make a green smoothie. Well, it’s not exactly green, but it has spinach + blueberries + almond milk + yogurt + chia seeds. Does Sketchie like spinach? My cat goes grazy for spinach/kale/veggies in general and I gave him few pieces to much on while I was making my smoothie.
I look forward to reading your CFW review. One thing that might help with your sugar cravings is to cut back on fruit sugars. Larabars, for example, have about 15-20 grams a sugar per bar (and your homemade ones probably do as well), so if you are having a couple larabars per day + banana + other fruit, it is still a fair amount of sugar, even though it is coming from natural sources. You might want to try cutting back on sugar-rich fruits (ie dates, bananas, pineapple) and eating low-sugar fruits instead (ie berries) if you’re still having intense sugar cravings.
Congrats on staying sugar-free. I had to stop buying the Ezekiel loaves as well and their cereal. So expensive!
Lulelemon – I have yet to go to one of their stores. It’s a good thing because I get in trouble when it comes to yoga apparel. I just love it so! Way to stay strong and not give in. :)
Way to go on the crap free week AND budget!
HELL YES, DEAR ANGELA!!
I just wanted to add to what Lindsay (Mrs. LC) said about the Brita filters. I have read a handful of studies recently that have tested various bottled water for contaminants, etc. Unfortunately, 9 our of 10 seem to contain trace amounts so you really may be better off filtering your own tap water (and you can’t deny it is exponentially more environmentally friendly).
Here is just one article found through a simple google search:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601124&sid=a4gqSuLAeFYU&refer=home
Another water filter suggestion! We used to have a Brita but I found it didn’t hold very much water because of the way it was sectioned off. We switched to a Clear2O pitcher from Canadian Tire and love it!
http://tinyurl.com/b2krcq
This is the model we have. It holds 72 oz of water and filters straight from the tap. My favourite feature is the indicator on the top. It shows green when you’ve just put in a new filter, turns yellow when it’s starting to wear out, and flips to red when it’s time to replace – much more $$ efficient than a Brita where you just change the filter every 4-6 weeks.
Thanks for the chance to win the dvd . . . I most appreciate your honesty in all of your post, especially when you share about your own past struggles; reading about your current, daily successes is so inspirational. Thank you!
I find your page sooo motivating .. I am trying recipes you have posted and love them .. .I also love the wrap combinations .. dealing with gestational diabetes my source of nutrition has changed a bit and love that not only have you tried these recipes but also the picture by picture recipes really helps .. (I am looking forward to a Glo Cookbook in the future!)
Today I tried an amazing recipe for Pancakes I wanted to share .. (sorry no pics, my digital is on the brink)
1/2 c oatmeal
1/4 c low fat cottage cheese (or tofu)
4 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Blend all in blender and poor to make pancakes.
My husband and 3 year old ate them up! Of course I was the only one using ED Smith No Sugar Added Syrup.
Lots of protein and I loved making it in the blender!
Your site motivated me to find something I could re-create but healthier for my family .. if my boys ate it, it’s a winner!
Keep up the good work!
im still waiting to try those spelt tortillas to save money!! and do you think I could make almond butter with a regular blender instead of a food processor?
I really love the idea of saving receipts weekly and then totaling them. I just pulled out a jar to start doing the same thing. Thanks so much for the idea!
Congrats on going a week without sugar! Part of me is very tempted to try at least a sugar free week (not sure I’m ready to go crap free yet) but I love my earl grey tea with it and I definitely have a sweet tooth. Maybe I’ll try a day or two at some point and if I can do that, I’ll commit to a week.
I love your receipt idea. I’m still a student so money is tight and I could probably save more if I closely track where it all goes. I usually just pay attention to the grocery bill and forget about all the little $2-5 purchases I make some weeks which do add up!