Gooooooood Morning My Dudes! 

If you’re trying to have a frugal summer, follow this step by step guide to avoid FOMO: 

Step 1: Unfollow or mute social media accounts that make you feel like you have less. ❌

Step 2: Remember that what you see online is a highlight reel of other people’s lives, not their day to day reality. ✈️

Step 3: Find ways to incorporate more joy into your everyday routine. ☕️

Step 4:  Look around you and name 3 things you’re grateful for! 💛

Step 5: When all else fails, cry into your fat wallet! 😂 

Remember that building wealth requires sacrifice. By not spending all of your cash to keep up with the Joneses, you’re securing your freedom for the future. 

Okay, let’s talk about money! 🤑💰💵

TO DO

Wake Up 1 Hour Earlier ☀️

Last year, I challenged myself to wake up at 5am for a full week. I still remember… It was the greatest week of my life.  🥹

Not only was I more productive, more active, and sleeping better- my mornings were more peaceful. There were no texts or emails waiting to be answered, no one else to take care of, and no distractions. It was true freedom! 

Look, not everyone is a morning person, and sometimes life gets in the way and you need to get your sleep in when you can get it. But if you’re able to, we challenge you to wake up just one hour earlier this week! 

Most of us long for a little more ‘me time.’ Why not spend some early morning hours doing something for yourself? Whether it’s starting that side hustle you’ve always dreamed of, or just finally reading that book you bought from Barnes and Noble last year, try it for a week and see how you feel!

KITCHEN SAVINGS

Battling Food Waste In Your Kitchen 🥷 

Judy recently learned that the average cost of a meal out is over double that of the average home-cooked meal, so she decides that it’s time to become the ultimate home chef. She deletes her DoorDash app, plans out a week’s worth of meals, and runs out to Whole Foods to get a bunch of fresh produce. But just a few days later, her berries are moldy, her veggies are turning brown, and her spinach has liquified into a sludge. Now, instead of spending $50 extra bucks on takeout this week, she’s throwing away $50 worth of produce. What gives!?!? 😩

Becoming a home cook has its challenges, and paring down your food budget may require more than just some culinary chops. The truth is that fresh produce is finicky, and you won’t actually save money on food if half of it’s ending up in the garbage. In fact, about 30-40% of the food supply is totally wasted in the U.S. Yikes! 😬

So how can we remedy food waste in our own homes? By learning how to properly store your food! These tips will help you to keep your produce fresh for longer so that you can save money while cooking at home. 

🌿 Herbs - Store your herbs like a bouquet in a glass jar with water! 

🍓 Berries - Use a vinegar wash to clean your berries before storing them in a glass container with a layer of paper towel. This will absorb moisture and prevent molding! 

🥕Carrots and Celery - Slice up your celery and carrots into sticks and fully submerge them in a container with water to keep them fresh for weeks! 

🍌Bananas - Take a small piece of tin foil and wrap it around the stem to keep your bananas from browning too quickly! 

🍄 Mushrooms - Store mushrooms in a paper bag to absorb moisture and prevent them from getting slimy! 

🥬 Leafy greens - Wash, dry, store your leafy greens with paper towel in a container. Then, place that container in the crisper drawer!

🥒 Cucumbers - Give your cucumbers a good wash and wrap them in a tea towel before placing them in an airtight container in the fridge. 

General Tips to Prevent Food Waste: 

Beyond just storing your produce more mindfully, here are some more tips to help you reduce food waste in your kitchen and save more money. 

1. Cook your fresh food first always - When you’re deciding which of your meals to make each night, make sure to go through all of your fresh produce first before you make meals with more freezer or pantry ingredients. 

2. Cook meat within a few days - Fresh meats can expire after just a few days in the fridge. Personally, I recommend getting your protein source for the first half of the week, then stopping back at the store to grab more (or cooking vegetarian meals) for the second half! 

3. Plan your meals out - When you head to the grocery store, have a plan! Instead of buying random food, buy ingredients for specific recipes. 

4. Use Supercook - Sometimes the veggies we purchase don’t come in the perfect quantities for the recipes we want to make. If you’re left with a bunch of random leftover ingredients at the end of the week, try using Supercook to use them up effectively. This website finds you recipes that include the ingredients you have on hand! 

5. Freeze Everything - And when all else fails, freeze. everything. Meat about to go bad? Freeze it. Herbs wilting? Wash & freeze. Week old leftovers you just can’t will yourself to eat? Toss that bad boy in the freezer. Future you will be happy to enjoy a home cooked meal on a busy day.

Lastly, as you incorporate these tips consider creating a food waste diary! Whenever you throw something away, write it down. Keeping track of what ends up in the trash can help you to recognize some patterns in your food consumption! 

TOGETHER WITH VISIBLE*

Slash Your Phone Bill Without Sacrificing Service💸

Visible not only runs on the Verizon Wireless network- it’s actually owned by Verizon, which has the most extensive cell coverage in the US.

They offer two unlimited plans, starting at $25/month — the more expensive one has faster data speeds and more international capabilities. This means that you can snag Verizon service at a steep discount!

If you own your device, aren’t locked into a contract currently, and top-notch coverage is important for where you live, check out Visible! Depending on how much you’re currently paying, you could cut your phone bill in half!

ICYMI

What’s the buzz? 🐝

OBBBA & Your Student Loans 🧑‍🎓
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is now law. It will have a significant impact on student loan repayment. The 0% interest SAVE forbearance will end on August 1, and this law has created a new repayment plan called the “Repayment Assistance Plan,” or RAP. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the seemingly never-ending student loan changes, now could be a good time to talk to the good folks over at Student Loan Planner.

“Professional Redditors” 💻
Companies are now hiring “professional Redditors” to plug their products on the popular social media site. Reddit is a go-to for non-sponsored recommendations, so these types of jobs could make it more difficult to find honest product reviews.

Divisive Costco Returns 🚽
Costco is known for its extremely lenient return policy, which is one of the many awesome benefits of a Costco membership. However, folks worry that those who abuse this perk will ruin it for everyone else. From used AC units, dead flowers, and half-eaten chicken bakes, the internet is debating what returns are reasonable. Our opinion? Abusing the Costco return policy is CHEAP.

Cash is Trash? 🗑️
According to new research, Americans are shifting away from holding on to more cash in checking and savings accounts and towards holding more of their money in investment vehicles that yield interest. While investing more can be a great way to grow your wealth, it’s important to always hold on to a cash emergency fund.

Okay, enough about money! Wishing you a fulfilling and productive week ahead! 😊

Best friends out! 🍻