A Wedding on a Budget

My sister Kelly is getting married in august and she has been doing a great job planning her wedding on a budget. She has done a lot of DIY and asked family and friends to help her with certain elements of the wedding. her wedding has inspired me to create this post.
While looking at some of my old books I found this list of ways to do a wedding on a budget in Graduation Debt by Reyna Gobel, M.B.A., M.J. Here is a summary of what she provided in the book:
1. Choose a cheap location such as someones homes or a church that is already decorated for the holidays

2. Hire a college student majoring in photography or hire a competent family member or friend. This is what my sister is doing. She has asked me to be the wedding photographer and I am very pleased and excited for this opportunity. I am a professional photographer but this will only be my second wedding photoshoot so I happy that she is taking a chance on me.

3. If a family member or friend can bake, ask them to bake a cake or cupcakes for your wedding. Alternatively, I had a 4 tier cake at my wedding but only the bottom of the cake was real. That was more than enough to feed the 100 people we had at our wedding but we also had cupcakes on the side. This was a much cheaper option than a full cake.

4. Make your own invitations. Alternatively craft stores such as Micheal's or Jo Ann's have cheap invitation kits. In addition to this, you can easily make your own wedding programs and save the dates for really cheap by using clip art images, Microsoft Word, and thick paper found at craft stores.

5. Cut down your guest list. After my wedding was over, I wished that we had only invited the 50 close friends and family that we had. It would have been more meaningful and much cheaper. In the end you really only want those who truly love and care about you by your side anyways.

6. Flowers- my mother in law ordered flowers in bulk off the internet and made the bouquets herself. It was much cheaper than going with a pro and they turned out great. Alternatively, you can make paper flowers. There are some great tutorials on pinterest that show you how to make paper flowers that look real.

7. To save on food have a simple cocktail reception with out the big dinner

I hope that these tips and tricks have helped you with your own wedding planning. Good luck!

I have been searching for ways to reduce all of my bills. Today I stumbled across a web site called The Grocery Game. I think that this might change my life. Not only does it give me the best deals at my local grocery stores, it also helps me find coupons and recipies! I am doing the 4 week trial period right now so we will see how this ends up going.

If anyone is interested in also trying out the Grocery Game, here is the link:

http://www.thegrocerygame.com/

Watch the intro video, its very informative and helpful!

I found this great article that was posted on The Grocery Game's facebook page. I thought that this was very relevent to my current situation. I am doing the "Don't Be Broke Challenge" this month so I need to make sure that I am not spending money and packing a lunch is a great way to save money. Not only will this help me save money, it will also help me eat healthier since I won't be eating a burger and fries everyday like I used to!

http://billingsgazette.com/news/local/brown-bagging-can-save-money-improve-diet/article_cb77f2ad-4038-5cd9-9b5a-c3b373b7b3ad.html?oCampaign=hottopics

My husband goes to school on Thursday nights and since I hate cooking for 1, I usually just grab a burger and fries. Unfortunately I am doing the "Don't Be Broke" challenge this month so eating out was not an option. I decided that I needed to focus more on the delicious/healthy foods that I could create myself that would distract me from not being able to out and eat. Here are a couple of great meals that i found on Pinterest. I am excited to make these dishes!

1. Tomato Salad
 http://www.foodhuntersguide.com/2012/03/backyard-bbq-in-march.html

Tomato Salad
3 large tomatoes cut into slices
1 cucumber diced
1 red onion thinly sliced
1 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil 
salt & pepper to taste
3 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
3 small ice cubes

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl...toss. Add ice cubes and let melt before eating.

2.  Mexican Corn Bread Salad

http://www.mrfood.com/Misc-Salads/Mexican-Corn-Bread-Salad# 

Serves: 8

Preparation Time: 5 min

Chilling Time: 2 hr

Ingredients

• 1 (1-ounce) package dry ranch-style dressing mix
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 6 corn bread muffins
• 2 (16-ounce) cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 (15.25-ounce) cans whole-kernel corn, drained
• 3 large tomatoes, chopped
• 10 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Mexican cheese blend
• 6 scallions (green onions), sliced

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, combine dressing mix, sour cream, and mayonnaise; set aside.
    
2. Crumble half of the corn muffins into a large glass bowl or trifle dish. Layer beans over corn muffins, then bell pepper, sour cream mixture, corn, tomatoes, bacon, the remaining corn muffins, the cheese, and scallions.
    
3. Cover, and chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

3. Grilled Teriyaki Pineapple Chicken Sandwiches

http://livinglight58.blogspot.com/ 

Boneless, skinless chicken breast

pineapple slices (in rings)

Swiss cheese slices

thinly sliced red onion

Teriyaki sauce

crusty buns

Grilled Teriyaki Pineapple Chicken Sandwiches

I made these last week on my George Foreman Grill. They were AMAZING!!!! This is definitely a must have!

I can't wait to start cooking these items. It sure makes not eating out A LOT easier! Enjoy!

Since this month I cannot spend any money, date night needs to get creative. Here is a list of cheap/free dates that I found that could actually be very fun. I am excited to try out a couple of them this month with the hubby!


 http://www.budgetinginthefunstuff.com/52-free-or-cheap-date-ideas/

I work as a Housing Counselor in Salt Lake City. I am constantly dealing with people's financing and seeing the various mistakes that people make when it comes to money. One of my co workers recently did a month where she did not go out to eat. This inspired me to take that a step further and go a month without spending any money other than on my monthly bills. I have recently noticed that there is a good amount of money that is disappearing every month and I am determined to find out where it is going. I am also determined to cut as much fat from my budget as possible by finding new ways to save money. Let the journey begin!