One Year to Go!

Today is my 24th Birthday! So, one year from today, my challenge will be complete! I hope to be able to finish all 25 challenges before my 25th birthday on March 23, 2011! The time will go by fast so I better get busy!

Great Budgeting Website: www.mint.com

I have been using this great budgeting and money management website for about 3 months and I definitely recommend it! You can add all of your accounts into one place to have easy access to viewing your account balances, loan balances, and spending patterns. My favorite feature is the Net Worth calculator that takes all of your accounts, assets, and debts and calculates your net worth. I am pleased to report that we currently have a net worth of just over $22,000. For me being 23 and my husband being 27, I would say we are off to a good start financially and I hope we can only go up from here. Be sure to check out Mint.com!

Skydiving Trip: May 1st

So... I have tentatively scheduled my skydiving trip for Saturday, May 1st! I am so freaking excited! I called the skydiving company today and they said it would be no problem scheduling a Saturday dive and that I only need to call about a week ahead of time to make the final reservation. I have also priced out this challenge: the jump will be $225, the fuel surcharge is $10, and the videotaping is $85... total price of skydiving jump: $320! Gulp! That seems like a lot of money but I have wanted to do this for at least 3 years and I am going to finally do it! I guess I could leave the videotaping out and save some money but I would really like to have a keepsake of this exciting day and event! I also want to see myself on film freaking out as I jump out of a plane! So the countdown has begun, I have a little over 2 months till jump day! I can't wait!

Pomegranate Wine

Tonight I had the pleasure of drinking a bottle of Pomegranate Wine by Colorado Cellars with my friend Krista. We enjoyed watching the movie "Marley and Me" while enjoying a few glasses of this fruity and delicious wine. This was the first Pomegranate Wine I have tasted and it was great! I love enjoying local Colorado wines and this one is a definite repeat!

Salmon With Lemon-Cilantro Vinaigrette

Tonight I cooked Recipe #3 in my challenge and it was amazing! So easy and really healthy! Salmon is one of my favorites and I love finding new ways to prepare it. The recipe only took about 20 minutes total to cook and the clean-up was easy as well. You can find the recipe here. Hope you try it and enjoy!

Corn & Shrimp Chowder with Bacon

Tonight I tried Recipe #2 in my cooking new recipes part of the challenge. This recipe came out of the Everyday Food Magazine from Martha Stewart and it was so delicious! We made a double batch so I have plenty of leftovers for my lunches next week, which should save me some money, something I always like! Here is the recipe if you would like to try this out! Enjoy!

Planning my SkyDiving Adventure

I have wanted to go skydiving for years and I am finally going to do it! There is a company about an hour and half from where I live that offers tandem skydiving for an affordable price. They also have an option where you can have your experience videotaped. Once Spring arrives and the weather is warmer, I will be headed to Moab to jump out of a plane. To check out the skydiving website, click here. I can't wait to go on this crazy adventure and experience!

Renaissance of Tuna Casserole

Part of my challenge is to cook 10 new recipes and last night was Recipe #1. I tried a great new recipe with my best friend Lisa. It was an easy and delicious recipe by Rachael Ray and I would recommend it for anyone that enjoys pasta and tuna casserole. You can find the recipe here! Enjoy!

Using Restriant While Shopping

During my shopping trip yesterday, I spent about an hour in Target. I had about $40 to use up on a gift card so I was trying to get as close to that amount as possible. While browsing through the clothing department, I found so many things I wanted! I was so close to putting about $50-100 worth of clothes in my shopping cart, but then I thought about my other goals of saving money. I thought about how many clothes I have at home and that I really did not need anymore. So, I passed on the clothes and instead bought the things on my list that were needs for the house and for a birthday gift. I ended up only spending $7.36 from my own money, so all in all, it was a very successful trip and I am proud of myself for not buying the clothes. I should learn to practice this restraint more often!

Planning a Wine and Cheese Party

I have been wanting to throw a wine and cheese party for my girlfriends for years and this year I am finally going to do it! I found this great website that features a whole selection of wine and cheese party invites. The hardest decision will be choosing an invite from the amazing selection this website has. I am pretty sure I have decided to theme the party with local wines. I live in Colorado, where we have lots of great wineries, and finding local and affordable wines should be no problem! I think 4-5 different wines should be enough and then I plan on serving cheese, fruit, and some specialty breads! I am looking forward to picking out invites and getting started on the planning for this fabulous party to be!