Stepping Outside My Comfort Zone & Kitchen Cabinet Plans

I love a White kitchen.
We bought our previous home from the builder, so we had the fun of choosing all our finishes.
I was so excited that I would be able to choose my dream kitchen - a White Kitchen with modern stainless steel hardware and a quartz counter top that resembled carrera marble.
Unfortunately in this house, quartz is not in the budget.
We went a little overboard with spending in our previous two homes, which meant we had a gorgeous place to live but left us in a bad place financially, but I'll save that for another post.
In this house, any updates we make (I have a long list already), have to be made with CASH.
No borrowing money to make our house look beautiful.
If you follow me on Pinterest you may have noticed that I've been Pinning a lot of Pins about updating outdated Kitchen Cabinets.
Our kitchen cabinets in this house are the original cabinets from 1995 and need a major face lift.
A brand new kitchen isn't in our budget so I turned to Pinterest for some ideas and came across the photo below.



I love the costal vibe of this kitchen.
I remembered that I have bluish gray paint in my mudroom that would be perfect for my kitchen makeover on a very limited budget!
I normally like to stick to greys and whites with paint but ever since we did the bold blue door in Luca's Room Makeover I've had the itch to step outside my comfort zone again.
I started searching for more photos of blue kitchens and loved what I found!
I decided I'm going to go for it and paint my cabinets blue because 
A - I already have the paint and I'm all about saving money where I can! #moneysmartmom
B- Anything will be better than the discoloured cabinets we have now
C- Nothing great ever comes from staying inside your comfort zone.

Here are some of the other kitchens I fell in love with in my search.











Would you ever paint your kitchen cabinets a shade of blue?
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JORD Watch Giveaway & Review



This month is just flying by!
Can you believe September is almost over?!
For the first time since 2008, I have three days a week at home to myself without any kids or babies.
It felt really weird at first, but now I'm excited for this new season in life.
 I'm looking forward to rediscovering who I am, as more than just Mom.
Over the summer, JORD watches approached me for a collaboration and of course, I said YES!
I have seen their gorgeous wood watches around Instagram and was totally obsessed, but
buying pretty accessories for myself is not something that I usually do.
Just like many mothers, I usually buy something for everyone else in the family and put myself last.
I rarely buy myself jewellery or accessories anymore, so I was really excited to have the opportunity to pick something for ME.
I chose the JORD watch in Purpleheart & Pearl from the Cora Series.
My go to outfit is a pair of converse with ripped denim jeans and a black tee so I love the feminine touch the watch brings to my wardrobe.
I wear my watch almost everyday & have received a ton of compliments!
I am usually hesitant to buy products online because I'm never sure of the sizing, but JORD provided a guide on how to measure your wrist for the perfect fit.
These unique watches would also make a great gift and Christmas is right around the corner!

I'm so excited about this watch and even more excited that I have a $75 Gift Card to JORD watches for one of my readers! All entrants receive a $20 E-Gift emailed to them just for entering.

Enter the Giveaway
HERE

Giveaway ends October 9th 2016.
Good luck!

** This Post was Sponsored by JORD Wood Watches.
 I was given product in exchange for my honest review.
As always all opinions are 100% my own **

Womens Wood Watches
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Cost Per Wear Wardrobe {Getting the most bang for your buck}


Those of you who follow me on Instagram, know that I had the wonderful opportunity to get together with some amazing Mommy Bloggers last month to play model for  a day with Smithery Style. 
If you haven't heard of Smithery Style, you need to check them out - like yesterday!
They are all about bringing back the old school concept of dressing for YOUR body shape!
They use real women (like me) as models and share all their measurements online.
As a mom of two young girls, I am so happy to see the Fashion world moving forward in such a positive direction.




If you’re like me, you've been looking at all the new fall styles hitting stores and feeling tempted.
We're a family of five living on income which unfortunately (for me) means, I don't have a large budget for clothing.
It's important that the pieces I bring home into my wardrobe are staples that can go into heavy rotation and be transitioned across seasons in order to get a low cost per wear.
I'm a true believer of quality over quantity, which means I don't mind splurging for good quality items that I can get a lot of wear out of  - practically paying for themselves overtime.



Here are my top 5 picks from Smithery Style, all suited for an A Shape frame (my shape) with some wear now & later styling tips!



If you want to minimize your hips, try a circle hem in a current shade.

Now: Leggings + your tee + sneaks = happiness.

Later: Try dark denim, a scarf, and a blazer or jean jacket.

Wild Card: Add vegan leather leggings or waxed jeans with a pair of black booties and a statement necklace for some street style edge.



It’s what stylists call The Third Piece because it turns any basic top and bottom into a legit outfit.
 Olive is a neutral that goes with so many colours for lots of outfit potential

Now: Wear it with a tee or tank in your favourite colour and jeans. Remember that circle hem tee and leggings? The utility vest works there too.

Later: Layer it with a cozy long sweater, jeans, and boots.




It’s a universally flattering piece that frames the face that layers like a boss. 
This one’s from a Canadian label and it’s a good example of cost per wear math - there’s 90 days in fall, 90 days in spring.
 If you wear your go to jacket for half those days, it’s $2 a wear. Because it’s a timeless style, amortize that over a few years and it’s 62.962 cents a wear...you get the idea.

Now: Over a tank or tee with your favourite denim and booties

Later: With a fave knit sweater or turtleneck and black jeans

Wild Card: Try it over a boho style dress for a mix & match look. With or without tights depending on the weather.



One and done dresses are the ones that get worn over and over because they’re so comfy and simple.

Now: Add booties or flats and a necklace. Done.

Later: Add leggings, boots, and a blanket scarf.

Wild Card: Add a fall hat, a choker, and booties. Remember that Moto Jacket? Add that too.



A dress in a neutral colour that walks the line between work and play means it will get a lot of mileage.

Now: Black booties and you’re done.

Later: Layer it with a turtleneck or white blouse underneath for the office. Or add a sparkly necklace and a heel and let the night roll.

Wild Card: Add a long length boyfriend cardi in a chunky knit and black tights and boots.



Which piece is your favourite?
Let me know your favourite in the comments below & make sure to check out my Instagram later this week for a giveaway you don't want to miss! 



pssst 
My readers get 15% to get started on some new favourites with the code
                                         MoneySmartMom page2image10064 page2image10224
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Back to School Shopping on a Budget



I can't believe that school is right around the corner! 
I'm really looking forward to the calm and routine that Back to School brings.
One of my favourite things about Back to School as a kid, was the shopping.
My kids are going into Grade 2, SK & Preschool this year and they are all super excited about it!
 I'm a Stay at Home Mom, which means we are living on one Income and budgeting is a must for our family! 
We had some extra expenses this summer, so our Back to School Supplies budget was a little bit smaller this year.
 We managed to stay well under budget for our Back To School Supplies this year and I want to share my money saving tips with you!

Have a Budget
Budgets are so so so important!! 
I know first hand, because I went years without one and got into a lot of debt because of it.
A wise man once said
Create your monthly budget and determine how much you have available to spend on School Supplies.


Make a List
My oldest has been so excited for Back to School.
 She has been writing school supply lists and leaving them all around the house since the end of July. 
I mentioned in this post how important it is to make a list while grocery shopping & it is just as important to make a list for Back to School shopping for all the same reasons.
You want a written list so you don't go off track and start buying things you don't really need.



Shop Your Home First
It's amazing how many items on your Back to School List that you already have lying around your home.
This huge pile of school supplies was found in just one drawer in our house and knocked a lot of items off our list.
Shopping your home first means you will spend less and avoid bringing more clutter into your home. 
Its a Win Win!


Use Coupons
Brands put out so many great coupons before school starts.
I got the coupons in the photo below from Walmart's Free Magazine they put out and there were a lot more inside too! 
You can also find coupons for school supplies in the local paper, online & on money saving apps.
Take advantage of those coupons and save money where you can - every penny counts! 


How do you save money Back to School Shopping?

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