e.l.f. - A Love Affair

I know, I haven't gabbed about a product or gushed over some new accessory in ages. It's funny how much my blog has changed focus over the last three years, but so goes my life! I write about what's going on, and there's really not much of any shopping going on here... so yeah. I usually send my J. Crew catalogs straight to the recycle bin. BUT one thing you can't deny me is my makeup. I still gotta look good, right?!

I found out about e.l.f. several years ago when they first came on the scene. The whole "everything is $1" intrigued me... could this be for real? Uh yeah, it was. Of course now they've totally expanded their line and have different collections with higher price points. But even the highest ones are ridiculously cheap when you compare them to drugstore makeup brand prices, much less swanky high-end cosmetic lines. At only $1 an item, I grabbed a ton of products on my first order years ago - I mean, what's to lose? If it sucks, you only wasted a dollar, right? Well, fast forward to now... and nearly every single item in my makeup drawer is stamped with "e.l.f."

I've always been big into makeup - it's just fun. And I've tried all kinds of brands and labels when it comes to cosmetics. I was a pretty tried and true Estee Lauder fan in high school and beyond, with a little Bobbi Brown mixed in... and maybe a dash of MAC, Sephora, and other trendy brands here and there. With the exception of my liquid base and/or concealer (which has always been Almay), I was an exclusive department store brand makeup girl. I was a sucker for the free-gift-with-purchase. Even though I'd maybe use like *one* item out of that bag - ha! But like I said, when I caught word of this online cosmetic company where everything was $1 - I had to give it a try.

Little by little, my department store cosmetic items were being replaced by e.l.f. products. The last to go? My automatic eye pencil from Estee Lauder. It was quite the revelation, if you remember. Now the only items I use daily that are not e.l.f. are my Almay wand concealer and whatever mascara I'm using. Mascara is the only product they haven't quite mastered yet. I'll be happy to switch when they do, but for now I stick with Maybelline - either the old faithful pink and green bottle or the new Stiletto one.

If you're not familiar with e.l.f., there's a few things you should know. First, there is always ALWAYS a promotion going on. Never ever check out without entering some kind of coupon code. By always, I mean there is at least one promotion/coupon code available every single day. And often more than one, so you have to choose which one is the best deal for you. The best way to stay in the know is to become an email subscriber. The promotions are advertised via email, twitter, etc and most often are NOT made known on the website. I usually order from e.l.f about once every 3 months, spending about $30 (including shipping). And that's for A LOT of stuff. I wait for the bigger promotions to come out and then I jump on and order everything I need and more. As I'm about to show you, most of the products I use come from their all natural mineral line. Unless I'm just desparate and out of product, I will only purchase new items when they're at least 50% off. They will usually run promos by specific collections... like one week all Studio items are 50% off, then a couple of weeks later all Mineral items are BOGO 50% off, etc. But like I said, I try to hold out for the bigger ones... like 60% off the entire site (that's the last one I took advantage of) or 75% off all Minerals. Point is - there is always a promotion, so never ever pay full price.

Second, the company now has four main "collections" of products...

• The main e.l.f. line, which is your basic everything-is-$1 stuff. I still snag some of these items whenever I'm purchasing. And you can actually find some of these at Target. I've seen a small selection at Kroger also. But whatever you've seen in stores is a teeny, teeny sampling of what's online. These products are great stocking stuffers and I've seen brides use them a lot to fill goody bags for bridesmaids. Great fun! And an excellent way to experiment with fun new colors on the cheap.
• The Studio collection, which they dub as their "professional" line. I've used a couple of these products, namely the eyeliner and shadow stick which led me to dump my faithful Estee Lauder liner after 16+ years. Price point on this line is generally $3 (but again, wait till they go on sale).
• The Minerals collection, my personal favorite! I've tried just about every product in this collection and have fallen in love with most all of it. I'll reveal my top personal picks below. The collection is all natural and 100% mineral based. Price point for most items is $3-5. (Don't make me mention the sales again.)
• The Bath & Body collection, which is basically your bath gels, lotions, etc. Items are generally $4 each. No real steal of a deal here except for the body butter. Compare it to The Body Shop's Body Butter for $14 and up.... yeah, I'll go with the $4 tub from e.l.f., thanks. As for the hand soap? I'll pass. I refuse to pay more than $1 for a bottle of hand soap.

Third, shipping costs are a flat $6.95 (for U.S), no matter your order. There are often free or reduced shipping coupon codes too, so keep an eye out. And because it's an online-only retailer, there are no sales tax charges (except for NY, probably - where the distribution center is located). They also often throw out freebies with your purchase, like a complimentary magazine subscription. And it's a true freebie - not a thing where you will be billed after 3 weeks if you don't cancel. I was just reading my freebie US Weekly this morning, actually! Do be aware that they do not accept returns or exchanges unless items arrived damaged. I've never had anything arrive damaged, nor have I ever wanted to return anything. Folks, stuff is like $1. Again, if you don't like something, do a shoulder shrug and move on. It's a friggin' dollar. As for my personal favorites, here are the top 5 items I'm currently crushing on...

1. Mineral Eyeshadow, $3 each. OMG, so fun. Such a great rainbow of colors to choose from, and they go on beautifully. I love the texture and they're easy to apply as lightly or as heavily as you want. Most colors have a subtle shimmer to them, but a few (labeled matte) do not. These are the only thing I use for eyeshadow anymore. Love, love, love them.

2. Mineral Lip Gloss, $3 each. It took me a while, but I found my perfect lip gloss. I've tried every other lip gloss e.l.f. has to offer - this one is the best by far. My favorite shades are Trendsetter, Pageant Princess, and Sorority Girl.

3. Mineral Concealer, $5 each. Yes, it's called "concealer" but I actually use it as my foundation. I've tried the Mineral Foundation as well, but none of the shades seemed to work just right for me and my skin tone. But the "light" shade of the concealer does... and I can't tell the difference between the concealer or foundation really. So I use my Almay wand concealer to help cover up any blemishes or discoloration on my face, and then I apply the Mineral concealer lightly on top (which is basically a very fine loose powder). I don't use liquid foundation anymore after having discovered this stuff. If you've been wanting to try a mineral foundation, e.l.f. is a great way to do it without breaking the bank.

4. Mineral Eye Liner, $3 each. Yep, as soon as this product debuted I gave it a try and immediately fell in love. It tops the Studio collection liner that I mentioned, but I still use both since they offer different shades in each. LOVE this product a million times over. I have every color but most often wear Ash or Midnight.

5. Mineral Blemish Kit, $8 each. I know, quite the *splurge* on this site! But you won't go through this product nearly as quickly as a foundation or regular concealer. (And hello, again, these are list prices - not what I actually pay.) I don't use this everyday. It's basically a very, very fine powder that helps cover up blemishes or red spots. It only comes in one shade, and may not work if you have very dark skin - I don't know. But for me, it's awesome. Sometimes my wand concealer won't completely conceal a particularly stubborn zit or blemish. Mineral Blemish Kit to the rescue! It also comes with a special brush for application.

So those are my faves. What are some of yours? If you don't have any, you need to get some. Hop on their site and find some goodies. The great thing is, they have tons of reviews on their products. So it's easy to get a feel for what people like and don't like. Enjoy!

Budget and love it.

I used to hate the word "budget." I tried a time or two to set one up for myself, using Quicken or some random made-up method. Those lasted all of like three days. The hub and I ultimately tried using separate accounts for bills (the "non-negotiables") and everyday (discretionary) spending. The idea being we'd direct deposit enough each month to cover the bills into the first account (ensuring those were always covered), and use the second for everything else - groceries, dining, shopping, and other miscellaneous spending. We had no real budget or control over our cash flow other than the separate bill and spending accounts.

I thought it was a rather brilliant plan, but soon the fine line between those two accounts ultimately disappeared. I partly blame Bank of America for this by allowing me to transfer money simply by wiggling my nose. Damn technology! So we later set up a third account - a supposed-to-be savings account - at a local bank, which would require some real "effort" to withdraw money from. Well before you know it, cash is being transferred out of the "bill" account more and more to cover over-spending in the other account. And eventually that "savings" account became life support for the spending account.

You see, the hub and I are both spenders. It's lovely when you have a happy marriage of one spender and one saver to balance each other out. But oh no... recipe for financial disaster here: two spenders. Getting the financial kinks figured out has got to be one of the biggest (if not the biggest) challenges in marriage. People always tell you the first year of marriage is really tough - and it's true. People that say it's all rainbows and butterflies are either smokin' crack or more likely, they're just not real with each other. That's not to say it's not great... but you can't sow a good crop without breaking a real sweat. While we were both big spenders, we spent money on different things. Me? Hot new Kate Spade bag. Hub? Some stupid computer equipment that takes up space. Ask him and he'd tell you: Her? Some stupid overpriced purse. Me? These awesome speakers that will allow me to shake the very foundation of our home while playing flight simulator. And that was one of our issues... we didn't understand why the other spent money on the stuff they did.

So yes, the lines got blurred and we'd just spend money as we pleased. Fortunately, it was mostly done with cash over the years. That's not to say we don't have some credit card debt in our debt snowball, but we were never really ones to whip out the plastic for everyday spending. Neh, we were sensible and saved the credit cards for the bigger "emergencies" (insert big eye roll). But even when you have good income, if you're just paying bills and spending money left and right, you don't have much to show for it. No real direction... we weren't hurting, but we weren't getting anywhere either.

But then, 2008 (one of my not-so-favorite years, if you recall) came and kicked our pretty white asses. Without boring y'all with the bitter details, we were pretty much forced into doing a complete 180 on our personal finances. The hub had a really shitty year work wise... he was in the middle of a lawsuit with his former company and he made a couple of job moves during the year. So our income took a big hit. Bad financial decisions made in the past came back to haunt us. And the ultimate turning point came when we were finally able to sell our townhouse (our first home that we had not been able to sell for 2+ years). The buyer wasn't the only one who ended up cutting a big check that day, but we were just glad to see it go. That very same month, Dave Ramsey was on tour in Atlanta and we decided to go. We were familiar with him and had once attempted to follow some elements of his program - a very wimpy attempt I might add, as it got us nowhere. But this time, he reeled us in and our lives haven't been the same since.

Now I've gone into how his program works before - it's basically a series of baby steps to financial peace. Though I need to update my numbers, you can see where the hub and I are on my sidebar. We're currently on baby step #2, the debt snowball (where you pay off all your consumer debt - everything but the house). We'll be here for a while. Our goal is to be done with this step by the end of 2010. A lot's gotta happen between now and then, but it's definitely doable. If you're not familiar with Dave, he's not some genius financial guru who's come up with some miracle method of winning with money... his methods are common sense. He often calls it "grandma's advice." But he's blessed with this uncanny ability to deliver the message in such a way that gets your blood pumping. He makes you want to drop kick your debt and change your life. That's the other thing - he's completely against debt. So part of getting on his plan is refusing to go into debt ever again. The one exception he makes is for a mortgage (one you can afford, that is). He won't personally do a mortgage, but he's OK with you getting one to purchase a home if you're otherwise debt-free, have an emergency fund and all that.

So yes, he's got such amazing wisdom and tough love when it comes to money - I could go on and on about it all, but what I really want to focus on this go-around is the budget. Learning to live on a budget is one of the biggest things I've taken away from all of this, so it's only fair that I share it with y'all. The overall purpose with Dave's whole program is having a PLAN. Having a plan is what financial peace is all about. And that's really all a budget is - a plan. I always thought of a budget as something restrictive, something only people with lower incomes needed, and basically something NOT FUN. But I gotta tell ya... the monthly budget has become my best friend. It's all about telling your money where to go instead of wondering where it went. You give every dollar - every dollar - a name before it comes in. Whether you've got $2,000 a month coming in or $20,000... you give it a name and you tell it where to go.

There are all kinds of "budgeting" tools out there... different software applications and web-based programs. Most of which will budget your inflows, minus your outflows, leaving any surplus at the bottom. But Dave uses what's called a zero-based budget. This means that every last dollar of your monthly income is allocated to some category, so that your net result (income minus expenses) is zero. If you have a big surplus after paying out your bills, that's great - but you gotta give it a name. Where is it going? On this form, you'll also notice the ordering of expenses. The first item on the list is charitable giving, followed by saving - before you ever get to your monthly bills. This reordering of how we paid out money each month has had a HUGE impact on our personal finances. It may look simple on paper, but it's a hard pill to swallow at first... especially for two people who paid bills, spent and spent, and then oh yeah if there's anything left we *might* save or give. When I said we did a total 180, I wasn't kidding.

We now tithe and it comes out first on our budget. We would give to our church here and there before, but not like this. We had never actually tithed. I mean 10% y'all... that's HUGE. And if you looked at our budget, even now, you'd be like what the hell? Y'all can't afford to be giving away that much! I sure would've said that this time last year. But now I say we can't afford not to... it has absolutely opened my heart to trusting God with our finances. And that's what tithing is all about. God doesn't need our money, hello. He needs our hearts. So yes, this whole new way of ordering things has changed our lives. Most simply put, the gig goes...

1. Give.

2. Save.

3. Live on the rest.

I'm telling you, it'll rock your world. When we put together our first zero-based budget, we decided to jump in head-first. We ripped off the band-aid and started giving, saving, and spending in this new way. Putting together that first budget took a LONG time. I remember saying out loud at my computer, like five times, "this is hard!" And hello, I love spreadsheets. But getting it all to balance and making sure we accounted for everything took some time. But once you get the first one done, the months that follow are pretty quick to set up. You just tweak it a bit for what you have going on in any given month. The hub and I will sit down and literally go through the calendar to see what we have coming up the next month that we need to plan for financially. It's not always perfect, and of course things pop up and you have to juggle things around a bit when they do. But I can't even put into words the peace of mind this way of budgeting brings me! Right now we're probably making the least amount of income together since we married, but I've never been more at peace. I know where everything is going... I know we have money for the things we need - because we planned well. So you get a budget put together... But how the heck do you actually stick to it?!

This is where Dave's cash envelope system comes in, which to me is the true cornerstone of the budget. It's a hard, hard thing for some people to transition to, but it is SO freeing and I believe it's the real key to making the budget work. Once again, this is something I've gabbed on about before... but this is big. Old method for spending? Separate checking account for "discretionary" expenditures... used whenever, however, and not really accounted for in any way. And as I mentioned, we often started pulling from that "bill" account to cover our expensive asses. New method? We come up with categories for monthly spending and divvy up actual CASH into envelopes for each category. Once the cash in any given envelope is gone, it's gone. In short, we use cash for all our spending. Bills are still paid electronically or by check or whatever, but everyday spending? Cash. We only use debit cards for the rare big expense like a doctor visit or vet bill. Everything else is cash, cash, cash. So what's the point?

The point is... well my favorite point is that all our spending money is already out of our account and I don't have to worry about who's spending what. That equals peace of mind. But another biggie - using cash hurts more. It's like "real" money. Think about the last time you went to the grocery and swiped your card. Do you really even pay attention to the total? Do you have any idea how much you spent as you're wheeling your cart to your car? If you were counting out bills I guarantee you could tell me exactly how much you spent. Cash is pretty and we want to hold on to it. It hurts more. Translation: we spend less when we're using cash. Need some proof? Do a little research on how much profits went up for fast food chains like McDonald's when they started accepting plastic. It's unreal.

Being on cash for the last, gosh... 9 months now has TOTALLY taught me the value of the dollar. I just spent money blindly before. I was not a huge, over-the-top spender - I mean we certainly didn't have endless funds, but I just didn't pay attention. Just as a simple example, I used to hit Starbucks 2 or 3 times a week when I'd get a craving. A quick, thoughtless swipe of the debit card and I'd get myself an afternoon pick-me-up. Well now, I seriously couldn't tell you the last time I was in a Starbucks. Still love the place, but hell if I'm parting with $4 for a damn coffee. It's like I'm looking through an entirely different set of eyes, and I love it. Yep, this big spender loves being on a budget. It's not about restriction, as I once thought. It's about freedom.

And that freedom allows us to set goals and make things happen. Like Dave always says, today we're living like no one else, so that one day we can really LIVE like no one else. I recently got a great email from a dear reader who also had the Dave bug. She was about to call in to Dave's show to make her debt-free scream. Can I even tell you how much I am looking forward to the hub and I doing this? On Fridays Dave takes callers who have dumped all their debt and has them scream, "WE'RE DEBT FREEEEEE!!!!!" I seriously tear up listening to these people and the amazing things they have done. One couple last week called in who had paid off $180,000 in debt in 3 years on an average combined income of $110,000. And they have 4 kids. Such amazing stories and so encouraging... So I wanted to share Jane's email with you and hope that it encourages you like it did me. Thanks so much, Jane, for allowing me to share your words and I hope they'll help light a fire under someone!

Hi, I've been reading your blog for some time now & I notice you too are a Dave Ramsey follower. Yah! Anyways, I'm emailing my friends & fellow Dave Ramsey peeps that would appreciate that me & the hubby have made it out of Baby Step 2 today!

I'm holding off telling anyone the total amount we paid off until we tell Dave first (it's a shitload though to be crude about it), but I just want to tell other Dave blogger fans that it really can be done!

Hope to hear of you & your husband becoming debt free soon too! AND hope to hear you announcing a baby on the way too! Happy thoughts!!

So anyway, I'm just giddy right now & wanted all my fellow Dave bloggers to keep at it!

Sincerely, Jane :)

This stuff really works, y'all. And just like Jesus, it's for everyone! If you have any questions on how we do the zero-based budget or the cash envelope system, ask away! I certainly don't have all the answers and we've got a long way to go, but we've come a long way too.

Five things I love right now.

It's been a while since I did a *favorite things* post! I have a lot of loves right now, but here are five fabulous ones worth mentioning. Enjoy!


1. Swiss Miss Sugar-free Chocolate Pudding Cups.


I seriously could not find a picture of the chocolate ones... so this nasty vanilla will have to do. Anyway, we get pudding a good bit... it's one of the items in my bag of tricks to prevent me from eating things I shouldn't (like say, a 500 calorie chocolate milkshake). But I have always, always gotten the Jello Brand. I'm just a sucker for brand loyalty, I suppose. A few weeks ago, however, when I was grabbing some BOGO goodies at Publix, I decided to try the Swiss Miss brand since it was half off (our Publix BOGO's are actually half-off, so you don't have to buy two -I think it varies by region, so check with your store!). So one afternoon I'm at the office and I crack open one of those puppies... OMG! I checked the label again to make sure I got the sugar-free kind. What is this wonderful silky chocolately goodness that I have been missing out on for so long? All because I never looked past the huge section of Jello-brand varieties! The texture is just totally different to me... much more... *silky* is the best word I can come up with. It has a mousse-like feel to it, but of course a lot more dense given that it's pudding. But OMG y'all... I've converted for sure. That's not to say I'll never buy Jello brand again (I did today actually because it was on sale), but Swiss Miss is my new favorite by a mile.



2. Harry Potter Books on Audio CD, narrated by Jim Dale.

Y'all know I love me some HP. I could sit in Starbucks for hours discussing the books with you. They're absolutely brilliant. You know this if you've read them. So you've got the books, you've probably got the movies too... but OK, have you listened to the audio versions read by Jim Dale? I've mentioned these on here a time or two. My dad actually got me into these... he's huge into books on CD. And we ended up collecting the entire series on CD. Now readers a lot of times will turn their noses up at the idea of an audio version, but I really see it as an entirely new way to experience a book. Not a replacement for reading, but a bonus. Especially when the narration is as good as Jim Dale's. He does a truly amazing job with these books... using voices for all the different crazy characters. He totally nailed Hagrid to a T. He also narrated the wonderful, but short-lived Pushing Daisies on ABC. I initially started watching that show because I heard he'd be narrating it. Anyway, I've got all the books on my ipod and I listen to them over and over at work. (It's usually Britney in the mornings, Harry in the afternoon.) I'm getting all geared up for the 6th movie coming out this summer. Cannot wait!!!



3. Old Navy Layering Tank Tops.



If ever there wase a staple in Buford Betty's wardrobe, the tank top would be it. I wear them ALL the time. Got a purty kelly green one on right now. I dress them up, I dress them down... I wear them to work, to yoga, to the grocery, to bed... not everyday, but a lot of days. I have them in every color ever made and many times multiple ones of the same color. And that's because I get 'em cheap. So I'm constantly replacing them each season since they get a lot of wear. I've gotten them from several retailers, but my tried and true favorites come from Old Navy. I don't get a lot of clothes at Old Navy, but they are on my must-hit list for any cotton basics like tanks, tees, and cami's. (And yoga pants... they totally have the best yoga pants.) I refuse to go into double digits on a tank top. Hello, it's a freaking tank top. I love how Old Navy tanks fit and they're cheap, so I always load up when I go in there. Right now they're $5 each online when you buy 2 or more. And btw, how brilliant is it that the whole slew of Gap stores allow you to grab items from any and all of their sites and pay one flat shipping charge in one easy transaction? That was an awesome move on their part - we loves it.



4. elf Mineral Eyeshadows.

If you know me at all, you know I'm a huge, HUGE elf fan. I appreciate the brand even more now that I'm a penny pinchin' fool. They have added so many fabulous products over the last year, including my current fave... their collection of mineral eyeshadows. I'm a make-up lover, but I don't like paying a lot for make-up, or any beauty products really. There are some things I'll drop a lot of dollars on, but for whatever reason, beauty products are just not one of them. I guess I figure, what's the point? If you find something that gives you the look you want for less, why pay more?! It's not like someone can spot what *brand* of eyeshadow you have on unless they go digging through your cosmetic bag. So, I use a lot of elf products - almost exclusively now. The only thing non-elf that I insist on buying anymore is my Almay concealer. Remember the drama over my eyeliner a few months ago? Yeah, that was a huge move for me. And I'm still totally in love with elf's $3 version. But anyway, I'm totally crushing on the mineral eyeshadows. The colors are so fun, and they are so easy to apply - almost fool-proof. "Royal" is my favorite color right now. I always keep an eye out for a good sale to hit, and then load up on them. Even with prices as low as theirs, they are ALWAYS having some kind of sale. Right now, it's BOGO half-off (enter code EGSPRAP at checkout)!



5. 100 Calorie Tribe Hummus Snack Tubs.



I screamed a little bit when I first discovered these. I've seen Tribe hummus all over, but I've only found these particular 100-calorie packs at Costco (and couldn't find a picture either, sorry). So I have no idea if they're available elsewhere. But anyway, I love me some hummus. But I can be a little bit... what's the word... over-indulgent when it comes to dips. They are my weakness. So to find one of my favorite dips in a 100-calorie tub, perfect for taking to work with a bag of carrots and celery.... OMG. When I checked the price, I was totally sold. 16 tubs for $4.99... hell yeah! (Costco fans: They're back there near the produce, in a box, next to the regular tubs of hummus.) Then I get a honkin' huge bag of baby carrots at Costco to go along with it. And these snack tubs are big. A lot of times I don't finish them. And just so you know, this girl can eat. (Hence the reason I need 100-calorie tubs.) Yeah so, reason #372 that Costco rocks my world.

5 things I love right now.

1. Hanky Panky thongs. I'm sure most of you are familiar with these, but if not, get with the program! These are absolutely the best thongs ever. You don't get that lovely I've-got-something-stuck-up-my-ass-crack feeling with these. I had a drawer full of various thongs - probably 30 or 40 pair - and once I discovered these, I tossed ALL of my old ones. I'm not really a fan of wearing thongs, but sometimes you just gotta. And when you gotta, it's Hanky Panky all the way. They are one-size-fits-all, so they make a great gift. And they come in a huge rainbow of solids and also some fun and funky patterns. There are regular and low-rise varieties. The solids retail for $18 and the patterns are usually about $20. Lots of places carry them... Nordstrom, Bloomies, and any other nice department store... Anthropologie... lots of gift shops carry them... I've seen them everywhere. I'm cheap when it comes to undies, but these are worth every penny. Plus you can find them at discount stores for around $12. I've found them at Loehman's and Last Call Neiman Marcus. Give them a try - you'll see what I mean.

2. E.l.f. Body Butter. I've always been a fan of body butters, but I don't like paying a lot for beauty products in general. So like $16 a tub at The Body Shop always made me cringe even though I love their product. But then I saw that Elf had come out with a line of bath products, including their own body butter... for $4. Y'all know I love me some Elf, so I gave it a try. I have the peony petal flavor sitting on my nightstand and it is just awesome. Same size tub as The Body Shop's too... So let's see, $16 or $4? Sorry, Body Shop.

3. Birds Eye Steamfresh Singles. What better way to look good in your Hanky Panky's then getting your daily veggie servings? Hehehe... Well actually I am a little OCD lately about monitoring how many fruit and veggies I get each day and I am loving these new Singles steamfresh packs from Birds Eye. If you can't do fresh, frozen is the way to go with veggies because they don't have all the preservatives that canned ones do. We're big on frozen veggies at our house because our schedules are so crazy... it's hard to plan out meals to where I can buy a lot of stuff fresh. Half the time we end up throwing stuff out because it spoils before we get to it. I keep a big bag of these in the freezer at work and usually add one to my lunch. They're only about 50 calories each and hello - it's a vegetable. I'm all about quick and easy, so these get an A+ from me. I just want to see more varieties come out soon! They're sold in packs of 4 and can be found next to all the other frozen veggies in your grocery freezer.

4. Bertolli Complete Skillet Dinners. The hub and I keep a few of these in our freezer at all times. We do actually cook, I promise. But we like to have these on hand for a quick meal at home - and especially so we can't use the "Oh we have nothing to cook - let's go out" excuse. There are a ton of different varieties and we've tried many of them. They've all been really good - I'd say exceptionally good for a pre-packaged grocery store freezer item. And I'm not usually a fan of prepared stuff like this. Some varieties are definitely more fattening and higher in calories than others, but they generally range between 350 and 600 calories a serving. Now I could easily throw down the entire package myself, but the portions are sensible. I usually add a green salad or some veggies on the side to complete the meal. Yum-o!

5. My new iPod touch. This is a toy I never would've picked out for myself. I'm just not a gadget person like the hub is. I never even had an MP3 player till now. So, bestest, you were not the last one to get one - I was! I actually won this randomly at our office Christmas party. Which was a fun surprise given that I walked away with a $25 Starbucks card last year. So I got all into itunes and learned how to download music and stuff. You know - stuff everyone else knows how to do but me, apparently. But this particular iPod is so fun because it has a touch screen, internet access, plays videos, has games, and all kinds of other stuff I've yet to discover. The hub also got one for Christmas from my parents - so we both have one. Mine has a pink case though - so we don't get them mixed up, you know. I keep it by my bed and every night I log on to my banking site and check my accounts one last time (this is part of my control freakness - and I'm loving that I can do this all cozy in bed instead of running down the hall to the 'puter). And then I play a game of solitaire on it before drifting off to sleep...