Trying something new

So, it has been a long while since I have written on my blog. I just checked it and I have officially reached over 1000 views!! Thanks guys!! Don't know if that is good or not but it's good to me since I have only had this thing a few months.
I have been going through a lot of things personally lately, making it more and more difficult not to sit down and type out a few things. I am going to eventually get my post on my table done, as soon as it's done.... Yeah, not done. But it's close. So I figure, I need to just get out what I am working on right now, something totally different... wait for it..... wait for it...... a BUDGET!!! The word frightens me so! I am the WORLDS WORST when it comes to money.  Thank goodness I have kept my head on straight not to bury myself into credit card debt or student loans. I have just a little debt that I am paying on to a hospital from something awhile ago, but anywho... Without divulging too much of my financial info, basically I am paying rent, gas, cable, power, groceries, insurance, hospital bill, and water. They are greatest to least in that order. That's right, no car payment yet! Woo hooo! I am lucky to make enough to cover those expenses and then some, but for some reason, I cannot save money. Which is what I plan to work on the next couple months.
 I am taking the month of September as my guinea pig month. I am going to write down everything I spend. Yes, everything. I have no idea where all my extra money is going besides maybe going out to eat. I hardly ever get to buy new clothes, and with fall coming up, I really want to save money to buy some new work clothes. Don't forget Christmas is coming too and football season!!! I am hoping to surprise my boyfriend with UGA tickets this year. There is just so much going on that I want to have the money for so I have to start working right away.
By writing down everything I want to be able to create a diagram and categorize everything. I am stealing this idea from Discover because my Discover card has a way I can track how I am spending money and I can see that I need to stop eating out or buying clothes. So, in saying that, I want to see where this extra money is going and if I can see well that if I only have a certain amount of money to last me until payday, that candy bar might not be a good purchase, or might need to hold off on groceries for another week. I have got to learn how to stretch a dollar.
Currently, this evening, I have written down all of my monthly expenses that are concrete and never change and on another column wrote the ones that are variable. This is how it looks:
Fixed Expenses:
Rent
Electricity
Water
Cable

Variable Expenses:
Gas
Car Insurance
Groceries
Medical
Renters Insurance

I also split them up to the first of the month bills and the 15th of the month bills. I spend most of my paycheck at the beginning of the month since rent is my highest bill. So, with everything written out and I know what extra I should have after each paycheck, I should easily be able to put $200 in savings each month. With that said, starting September 15th I will begin a savings account and add that each month. That should bring me to $800 just before Christmas, which is way above what I would be spending anyway since no kids and my boyfriend and I don't spend a whole lot on each other. I get my Christmas bonus right after Thanksgiving so that will go straight to savings.

So, lets see if I can stick to the plan and save some money!!
I will keep you posted!

Go SAVE!

Kaitlin

Drive thru Daiquiri, Bourbon Street, and Duck Waffles

So, a spur of the moment road trip to deliver a Polaris RZR turns into a mini vacation of a lifetime! New Orleans!! So, the boyfriend sold the RZR.... it was sad...

This was it after a trip to Stoney Lonesome UTV park outside of Birmingham, AL back in Fall of 2012. Needless to say, we rode this this several more times before it was sold, and it was really sad to see it go.  BUT we did turn a sad moment into a GREAT weekend in the Big Easy....

I just want to share one of the most memorable experiences from New Orleans which was at on of Cory's good friends Bryon Peck's restaurant Elizabeth's. If you have been to New Orleans and not eaten here, you are seriously missing a piece of New Orleans.
We walked in and experienced VIP treatment (hey, it helps to know the chef) went upstairs to the bar area where we were asked if we were allergic to anything and if not, the kitchen would make something special. And special it was:

Literally, hands down, the most amazing thing I have EVER eaten. And I eat good food. This "Waffle" which looks more like a southern biscuit is light, airy, slightly sweet and when smothered in a bananas foster creme and whipped cream it really tastes like a piece of heaven.. (My mouth is watering right now thinking about it). It is paired by what looks like a couple slices of bacon, but correction... Its Praline Bacon (pronounced PrAH-Lean not PrAY-lean like us Georgia folks are used to). Yeah, it's the best salty/sweet combo I have experienced so far in my 25 years of life, and they are known for it. So, the surprise from the kitchen didn't let me down so I took to the menu...
Feeling extremely brave, it must have been the drive thru Daiquiri Shop I had been sipping on for 4 hours, I ordered the craziest thing on the menu just to see if it would be any good. I mean he brought me the slice of heaven I just ate, why not be ballsy? So I found the Duck Waffle... Yes, DUCK! It is a cornbread waffle with a duck and sweet potato hash and pepper jelly... So this is what comes to me after I order:

So, I was kind of nervous, I mean I really wanted to like this dish, but it was the wildest thing I had ever eaten in my life. It was a close second to what I ate earlier on the best things I had ever eaten. The waffle was crisp and not a super sweet cornbread mixture. The pepper jelly had a good temperature to offset the sweet potato hash. With the duck pieces, the texture was not sloppy but structured. Perfectly seasoned it needed nothing. Duck was tender too, which can be hard to do. So I look over at what my boyfriend decided to order and of course he doesn't stray far from a steak and eggs for his brunch:

So sorry for the poor picture quality, when I get some extra money the IPhone is hitting the curb. This steak was ordered medium and was dropped in front of us medium. Like perfection. My biggest pet peeve at a restaurant is to order a steak MEDIUM and get a well done brick or something that looks like it was walked through a warm room. Perfect flavor, the hollandaise I could have eaten with a spoon, eggs over easy and the best potatoes ever. Again, perfectly seasoned and cooked. Cory actually let me have a bite (I believe so I would write a good review)!

The atmosphere was awesome, everyone was super cool and really friendly. I never caught the bartenders name, but he was great. You want to experience New Orleans? Head to Elizabeth's for brunch, like now.

601 Gallier St. New Orleans, LA 
Check out their website and like them on Facebook:
http://elizabethsrestaurantnola.com/index.html
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Elizabeths-Restaurant/154591867500

Thanks Bryon for an awesome experience and for breaking me into the New Orleans experience. We will be back soon!

Go EAT!

Kaitlin