.SOMETIMES RAW.

Hello!

I am into saving money these days. Actually, I have been for a while. I like to find ways to go around spending money on things and rather make or grow them on my own. I am by far not an expert in saving money but I do the best I can. One thing I believe is that less is more! And that I learn something new every day and this makes me happy. I would like to share some of my rules my son and I live by.

I believe that to save money it is okay to invest in expensive things sometimes. To buy something better in quality – clothing, furniture, you name it, than getting the cheaper versions worked for me so far. As far as clothing, buy timeless items. I rather have quality over quantity here. I really do not own that many clothes but the ones I do have I wear over and over. Some of them were pretty expensive but just touching the material, I know they will last for  a long time. Here is one item I wear all the time, is timeless, goes with everything and is my favorite coat ever:

Guys, this coat is just awesome. I think it is important to invest in some classic pieces. The same goes for shoes. Many times my friends and family wondered that I still wear this particular pair of shoes my mom bought me years ago. But guess what, yep, I do! I also love to go to thrift stores to buy things second-hand. Thrifting is great because I usually find some nice vintage toys and clothing for my son or beautiful furniture. My son grows so so fast and just thinking about constantly purchasing new clothes for this little guy – hell no!

I received some emails (readers still don’t want to use the comment box below the articles) regarding credit cards and that they can pay it back the end of the month and they love to use them. Well, as the bank always tells you: Credit cards are good to build your credit history; however, keep in mind that they are not free. Of course you pay the money back at the end of the month, because you have to. PLUS, you pay interest! I still think and believe that saving for something you really want is the key. Once you have the money you buy it. This money is not yours, so don’t spend it. You know what I tried the other day? To not spend any money for two days. It is pretty difficult. Just try ONE day.

My motto is Back to Nature. I love to live with nature – not against it. So I do make a lot of stuff on my own. From beauty products to fixing things in the house. But instead of having a company come to do it, try it on your own first. Buy artwork to hang on your walls? Why not be creative and try so make something yourself. Make your own food instead of ordering in or eating out. This saves you money! And I love to sit in my kitchen with my family to share a nice meal. Restaurants are great too – for a treat on a Friday night! Learn how to make pizza dough, pasta, different sauces and bread! I will share many recipes on my website too because I think it is just important to know these things. I hope you know by now that processed food is bad for you. Meat is also very expensive and well… full of hormones. Try to limit your intake to once a week or not at all. I am a vegetarian for years now but I do have sushi or meat occasionally. And learn how to make your own muffins instead of buying them at Starbucks. Take some for your colleagues at work too 😉 One more thing about food. What do you drink when you are thirsty? Drink more water and skip the sugary stuff.

I think it is important to love your home. This house we are living in is not my dream house but we are in some sort of transition. If this would be my house I have many ideas of making it really nice! It is just old and needs major renovation.  The key is, to love your house – even if it is small or old. Spend time there and grow there. Treat it as your base. My home base will always be at my parent’s house in Germany but I made this house here in the US nice and comfortable. We cook, we eat, we laugh, read and connect here. I love to be home with my family simply doing nothing. Just being! This brings me to another important point to save money. For my husband and I it is important to own a house so we are in the process of doing so. Think about the money you pay for rent every month. I think if you found a house that you truly love and see yourself living there, buy it. Save up the money and make this important step. House and land are great investments to have.

My biggest dream is to have my garden. Like my parents do. So so awesome!  My mom can literally go outside and harvest fruit and vegetables from her garden and greenhouse. I want to have my own herbs, veggies, fruit and some flowers. I know this will happen! 😉 Since we are here in Connecticut I have explored my neighborhood and found a community garden just across the street. You can purchase pieces of their land and plant your veggies and herbs right there. The point I am trying to make here is, look around and explore the place you live. Farmers Markets, gardens, community festivals and events, parks, cute little cafés and of course a beach, wood whatever is around. We have been at the beach literally every single day and it is free 😉

I love to invest in things. Especially in things that help me grow. Books, experiences, food, new restaurants once in a while; something you can learn from and expand. Be happy with less and enjoy the little moments in life. Be here and now and stop comparing yourself to others constantly. This does not make you happy. Just be grateful and nice. It is the small things that matter and count.

Thank you for reading my blog. 

Hello!

The last couple of days have been rainy and cold around here so I am craving warm hearty food. I am in love with soups, especially when they are homemade, healthy and filling. I could eat a different type of food every day. I would like to share this awesome Potato/Leek soup I have made the other day. Even my son had some! A little update on his eating habits: He is doing better. This book actually helped me a lot. He eats a slice of bread with my mom’s homemade jam. She sent it a couple of weeks ago and my son loves it! Danke Mama! He loves a bit of grated cheese with it. For lunch he had plain pasta and for dinner, bread and cheese. We are getting there, slowly. So here is the recipe for you to try. Enjoy!

Thank you for reading my blog. 

Hello!

Have you heard of Arrowroot (Maranta arundinacea)? I have done some research on what I can use to thicken sauces without necessarily using flour all the time. Whenever I eat flour (especially in bread) I feel so bloated and I am hungry after a short while again. So I try to replace flour wherever I can. You can use it instead of cornstarch (which is just way to processed) too. It can also be used for jellies, puddings etc. The suggested use for Arrowroot is for cosmetics and food and it comes in the form of a white powder. You can see the original root depicted above. Why the name Arrowroot? I had to look this up myself. It is called Arrowroot because it was once used to treat those people who were injured from poisoned arrows.

Besides cooking, Arrowroot can be used for body powders, as deodorant, dry shampoos and many more cosmetic products that you can make yourself. I will share two products that I make and use here.

To start: What kind of deodorant do you use? I hope you heard of the dangerous ingredients that are in most common deodorants that you can purchase in any drugstore. To name a few: Parabens, Aluminum compounds (which should  make you sweat less or not at all. However, you are supposed to sweat and Aluminum can promote the growth of breast cancer cells!),  Silica, Talc, Triclosan, Propylene Glycol, Steareth-n, Fragrances that cause allergies, skin irritations etc. Look at the “inactive” ingredients for “Solid Secret Deodorant”. Most of these ingredients you cannot even pronounce.

I will most likely write an article just on these harmful deodorants and ingredients alone because I have done so much research and there is a lot to share if you are interested.  Here is a great link for you to watch. It is in German only and I have not found too much information about how bad most of the deodorants are here in the U.S. If you have any questions, also regarding this video, let me know!

So of course, I don’t use any of those deodorants. I also stay away from so-called ‘organic’ ones because there is still so much garbage in them.  I make my own. Here is my recipe:

You will need 3 ingredients and nothing else:

1/4 cup Coconut Oil

1/4 cup Baking Soda (I use Arms& Hammer)

1/4 cup Arrowroot powder

Mix it all together and put into little glass container. Done! To mix it up easier, melt the coconut oil.

Now simply apply a small amount under your armpits. Wait a bit and then put your clothing on.

The second beauty product I would like to share is “Dry Shampoo”. I have tried so many and they are all loaded with chemicals and made my head itch like crazy. Have you heard of the company LUSH? They actually make a dry shampoo that is pretty decent and that I would recommend as well. The link is here. This one does not work too well with dark hair; however, for blond hair it is perfect! I prefer making my own dry shampoo. Dry shampoos are great if you want don’t want to wash your hair that often. I wash my hair once a week and it is healthier than ever. When my hair starts getting a little oily by day 4-5, I apply some of my dry shampoo and it helps absorb the oil and the hair looks great again. The most important thing is that you don’t want to strip your hair of its natural oils. I will let you know right away that it is not an easy transition if you have used regular shampoos ore conditioners for a long time. I recommend that you switch to organic shampoos before you start dry shampoos.

My hair is dark and very long by now (not washing your hair that often lets it grow faster, too!) So I was in search for the perfect homemade dry shampoo for dark hair for the longest time. I also don’t like beauty products with too much smell. I like neutral smells the most! I love that I can have whatever scent I want – simply by adding essential oils. No chemicals, my friends!

Here are the ingredients you will need:

2 Tbsp raw cacao powder

2 Tbsp baking soda

2 Tbsp Arrowroot powder

Optional: 5 drops of essential oil, I love Lavender or anything citrus

For light hair: Same ingredients minus Cacao powder! Add all the ingredients into a bowl and mix together. Now add the essential oils. I would wait a bit and let it all sit for 2o minutes if you add essential oil.  Now fill your dry shampoo into a clean glass container. To apply, take a fluffy make-up brush and tap down your main part-line and then take your fingers and massage the powder into your hair roots. Go on to different hair sections wherever you hair is greasy. If you are new to dry shampoo, add small parts of the powder to your hair to experiment a bit. 🙂 Once you are done, take a comb and brush your hair out evenly to remove excess powder. Done! Late for work and no time to wash your hair? Keep a little container of dry shampoo at hand! Your dry shampoo will keep for months if you keep it in a sealed glass container.

Thank you for reading my blog.