introducing the bbm.

are you busy?

do you live on a budget?  (if not, you probably should.  especially in this economy.  just saying.)

are you a mama?

if your answer was yes to any of these q's, then you must meet natalie....  
the busy budgeting mama.

her blog offers a wealth of wonderfulness on everything.  and i got the privilege of interviewing her.  we did a blog swap for the day.  so fun.  to read my interview, click here.  natalie is my "we'd so be friend's in real life" friend.  she rocks.  you must visit.

enjoy the interview!  i know i did.

1. how do you organize/plan your meals for the week?My goal is to pick out recipes that catch my eye so that I buy ingredients that I will actually use and not let go to waste. being pregnant I have to see something before I want to make it..so all these wonderful food blogs help me out so much! I scavenge them for great recipes. I go to the grocery stores twice a month to get the supplies for the recipes that I don’t already have on hand. I am soo wanting to tackle the whole coupon world…my friends have pink coupon binders that are so cute haha. That’s on my to-do-list.

2. when it comes to design - i.e. web/blog design, what are some do's and don'ts?  Hmm I don’t know if I’m pro enough to give any do’s or don’ts! I think the main ‘do’ that I can think of is jump on in and you’ll be surprised how much you can learn from just looking up tutorials online! That’s what I did for a lot of my post production work. I learned more Photoshop tips on you tube than from my graphic design class in college! I’ll be posting soon the sites I go to on a regular basis to learn more about blog tricks/photo-editing/web design.

3. why do you blog? When I first got married and then had my daughter, Sophia, I found myself nursing with one hand and reading blogs with the other trying to find ideas to make my house a home, cook something yummy for dinner..and look good while doing it..all on a budget. I found myself wanting to share all the great stuff I had come across and I just fell into blogging from there! The community part is also really fun and I enjoy interacting and learning from my fellow bloggers! I have met so many amazing women through blogging!

4.  do you have a money saving tip when it comes to decorating your home? My husband and I both do ministry…hence we are on a budget. So I’m all about the look for less.  So my strategy is..1.) know or have an idea of what you are wanting..and go on the hunt for it! Marshall’s..target..ikea..garage sales.. 2.) DIY ideas…there are so many fun ideas out there, I try and showcase as many as possible on my blog 3.) Paint. That is the best bang for your buck when it comes to decorating a space.

5.  what is your favorite dessert recipe? oooo…how can I choose!! carissa you know me too well..i have a sweet tooth. My all time favorite dessert (as of now..because I’m finicky like that. hehe.) is my mom’s Apple Crisp recipe from her betty crocker cookbook that I grew up eating. I suppose the fact that there is fruit in it makes me feel like it’s healthier than it really is. And I’m all about tricking myself like that. Haha. If you want to try it out.. go for it.

thanks natalie!  you are super.  

if you have fancy ideas to help us busy budgeting mama's, do tell!