Audrey Food & Drink, Shopping & Finances

Awesome Aldi Finds

Happy May, my friends. How are you holding up? Ohio is under a weird stay at home order but also manufacturing is allowed to resume and you can take your dog to the groomers but your children can’t go to school for the rest of the year… Anyway, manufacturing is allowed to resume if rules are followed so K has decided to bring back a few employees. He has masks and gloves for everyone and it will be 4 people working in a 23,000 sqft warehouse… so we’re alright.

On top of that, the disaster loan requirements state that you have to have your employees rehired by a certain date and your funds have to go to payroll/health insurance if you want to qualify for forgivingness and.. and.. and.. which doesn’t align with ANY of the stay at home orders but whatever. Our government doesn’t know up from down right now.

That train derailed rather quickly… That’s what happens when I’m stressed and angry and worried and exhausted. I know, I know- join the club.

I’m actually here to talk about my recent Aldi finds! Since we’re all instacart-ing or taking our one trip out of the house to the grocery store I thought it might be helpful and interesting to share these items:

London Fog Tea Latte (Simply Nature) This was SO yummy. I mixed mine with oat milk & microwaved it for an afternoon pick-me-up!

Moscato (Winking Owl) These are the best sweet wines from Aldi!

Red Pepper Hummas (Simply Nature) with Sea Salt Pita Chips (Specially Selected)

Caesar salad Kit (Little Salad Bar) The absolute best Caesar dressing ever.

Fresh Cut Salsa (Park Street Deli) Slightly sweet, very yummy, fresh salsa.

Thick Sliced Peppercorn Bacon (Appleton Farms) Inexpensive and delicious bacon!

Pork Egg Rolls (Fusia) A perfect snack. You gotta cook them in oven, though. The microwave makes them soggy.

Grain Bowls (Whole & Simple) They have several of these bowls… some breakfast foods, some more like lunch or dinner. They’re usually pretty healthy and full of protein.

Whipped Cream Cheese Spread (Happy Farms) It’s literally whipped Philadelphia c.c.

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cups (Specially Selected) I think these might’ve been a Valentine’s Day special… *sigh*

Frozen California Rolls & Shrimp Rolls (Fusia) Listen… I know it’s weird buying frozen rolls from Aldi but these are actually pretty dang good for what they are. Lol

Aldi has great breads, vegetables, grains (including quinoa!), and frozen items. If you’ve never been in the store it can be a little overwhelming, but I’d urge you to check it out! (Take a quarter & some reusable bags.) This is NOT an Aldi sponsored post, lol.

Did I convince you to eat Aldi sushi? Lol. What are your favorite things to get from Aldi?? (I wish we had a Trader Joe’s but Aldi is closest thing we’ll ever have, ha.)

Audrey Holidays & Celebrations!, Shopping & Finances

Birthday Month Wishlist

Thank you for all the love this week. It’s meant so much ♥ I want things to just feel normal & they don’t yet. I’ll be fine, then think about how Ly’s stocking is packed away, ready to affect me come Christmas time. She used to go upstairs and nap every. single. time. I made coffee at home. I haven’t brought myself to make any yet because I hate that she’s not there to carry out her weird little habit. Weird stuff like that still lingers and makes me cry myself to sleep every stupid night.

I meant for this to be a happier post, though, so I’m going to move on. But I did want to sincerely thank everyone for their love. It’s been a comfort to us.

It’s my birthday month & the best month of the year!

My family likes to tease that once baby is here, nothing with be about me anymore. (You all ARE just teasing, right?) But… I still have a few weeks and fortunately my 29th birthday falls in that time.

Every year I do a wish list and every year I say (and mean) this: I don’t need a thing for my birthday. I wrote this post before we lost Lylee so I would take her over every single gift ever but I know that’s not possible and wishing for it makes me imagine a Monkey’s Paw situation which is icky.

Ok… now moving on 😬

Entertainment:

Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire Illustrated Copy. It’s finally (coming) out! I’m so excited to get my hands on this gorgeous book!!

Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy. I don’t play a ton of video games anymore, but I still love these.

Clothes:

I love clothes but I’m kind of between sizes 😉 lol

I Work Out to… tank. I’m thinking an XL would be great for postpartum yoga and barre workouts someday when I’m all cleared to go back to that stuff.

Home Items:

I always love a snarky doormat. This one or this one would fit in great at our house. Again, when I found these mats we had multiple dogs. We will again some day so I still love it.

Beetlejuice pillow. I very much love this and would probably leave it out for more than Halloween. Lol

Random Items:

A bag for my yoga mat. I haven’t had a fictional strap or bag for my mat in years. I know they’re inexpensive and easy enough to find, I just haven’t pulled the trigger.

New cooling racks. I have two wire cooling racks and the black nonstick coating is peeling off both of them. Not a great “sprinkle” to have on your cookies or cupcakes.

A sticker for my laptop. MacBook 13″

A case for my laptop. MacBook 13″

**For family: All the Amazon items can be found on my wish list, plus some other items

I love October and we’re trying very heard to mend and take care of our hearts this month. We have lots of baby prep to get done and Halloween is just around the corner. This will definitely be a month of change for all of us.

Audrey Shopping & Finances

StitchFix #3

Another StitchFix post, coming at ya. This one actually features a bump. Lol

I feel like my stylist listens to me for the most part, but I think she thinks I’m fancier than I actually am… Ha. If she sent me an all-loungewear or all-pajamas box I’d probably keep the whole thing.

Two things about these pictures: First, I was fresh out of the shower so my hair is wet and definitely not styled for the day, haha. Second, all the piles behind me are baby’s stuff that we pulled out of the nursery so we could paint. It’s been plaguing all my pictures and driving me nuts.

Ok. On to the clothes…

FULL MOON | Nuela Maternity One Pocket Knit Tank | Large | $44
Not really my style. Not really my color. It fit ok, but it’s not something I’d reach for in the closet.
RETURNED

And the most unflattering picture ever award goes to…

LAILA JAYDE | Pauleen Maternity Fitted Knit Dress | Large | $54
This dress was soft and probably pretty trendy but it was SO unflattering on me. It was a little big and it looked lazy on me. It hit me in all the wrong places, too. See how stubby my legs look? Also… finding a comfy bra is tough. How am I supposed to find a decent one that goes with the straps on some of these dresses?? Impossible.
RETURNED

The left is my SF pic, the right is an actual GOOD pic- lol

LUX & CO | Jaden Maternity On/Off the Shoulder Knit Top | Large | $38
I did not expect to love this shirt, but I do. It’s a pretty navy color and it’s so flattering. I wore it the first weekend I owned it. It requires a strapless bra (BLEH) but I can suffer for an afternoon picnic or outing.
KEPT obviously

LIVERPOOL | Mirabella Maternity Capri Skinny Jean | Size 12 | $74
Hahahaha… I could never justify spending that much on a pair of pants I plan to wear maybe 3 more months. Nope. Also, these were SO tight. Definitely too small. These made me look fluffy and pudgy in all the wrong places.
RETURNED

REPORT FOOTWEAR | Alexa Slip On Sneaker | Size 8 | $49
These shoes are absolutely my style. I also love the slip on feature since it’s becoming difficult to bend over. BUT they weren’t comfortable. And I had to unzip them a little to get my foot inside so they weren’t really slip on. At first sight I loved them, but not after trying them on.
RETURNED

And there we have it.

I talk about money and only wearing these clothes for a few months. I know that if I have a second or third pregnancy I can obviously pull these items back out. But I will be 100% up front with you and tell you we don’t know what the future looks like kid-wise. Which we’re totally fine with, but when it comes to clothes it’s a maybe-investment.

Including the styling fee and tax, I spent $40.76. I don’t think that’s terrible for a shirt, but probably more than I’d normally pay. I’ve paused the ‘Fixes until February (maybe longer). But if you want it, here’s my obligatory referral code: LINK.

Bummer about the shoes, right?

Audrey Shopping & Finances

Fake News

Well hey there. Turns out when I get overwhelming busy I also drop the ball here in Blogland. Our summer workload is always pretty nuts and the heat tends to zap my energy so those are my two major excuses. Now let’s get on with the show.

I saw this tweet a few weeks ago and really took it to heart:

I have not had Wendy’s, T Bell, or McDonald’s in WEEKS. (One exception- after the NASCAR race we needed food and stopped at a late-hour McDonald’s. My brother bought my meal.) Maybe you don’t normally eat at these places, but I do.

So like I said, I have not had any of these foods since the beginning of August and, honestly, it’s been so dang tough. Who knew I had such an unhealthy addiction to McDonald’s? (I did. I knew.)

But then I found THIS ARTICLE. Guys… being fiscally responsible when it comes to consumerism and knowing who/what/where your money is going is HARD.

I’m already careful to only buy cruelty-free, avoid any and all P&G products (because of animal testing), and stay vigilant as far as large company support goes (like Yeti vs. the NRA). The whole “who gives $$$ to what candidate” is an extremely exhausting avenue to take… Trust me, I tumbled down that rabbit hole after reading the tweet above.

So where do we draw the line? Some companies outwardly proclaim their ideology. Chick-fil-a and Hobby Lobby have been in the news for their stances. Employee conditions at Amazon and Walmart are always under a microscope. Have you noticed that Forever 21 has a Bible verse on their shopping bags? (I’m not condemning that- I’m just pointing it out.)

Anyway… lining up OUR beliefs with the companies and brands we financially support is tough- probably impossible, actually. So what do we do?

Honestly, I don’t know.

When I went to my first PRIDE parade last year I took note of which companies marched and who was represented. I know which vodka gives back to animals (it’s Tito’s). I try really, really hard to make good choices when spending my money.

How do you approach “responsible spending”? I’m not looking to judge anyone. I know some people focus on shopping local, some people don’t pay attention to cruelty-free things, etc. I’m genuinely curious if this is something you worry about.

In the meantime, I think I’m still going to ban McDonald’s- mainly because I’ve broken my addiction and I want to see how long I can keep it up. I’m going to be a little pickier about my spending in the future with some other brands, too.

But tell me… what do you value and how much time/energy/thought do you put into where you spend money?

Audrey Shopping & Finances

StitchFix #2

I’m set up to get a package every two months, but I had to wait to share my last “fix” until after I announced my pregnancy. So these posts are only a month apart.

You know how it works. On with the clothes…

(I cleaned the mirror since last time but you can’t tell. Whatever. I give up.)

FULL MOON | Bastille Maternity Tulip Sleeve Blouse | Medium | $38
I didn’t hate this one at all. K was in our bedroom while I was trying on my clothes and I think he even commented on how nice it looked. But this was another case of “I’d overlook it in my closet & never wear it.” It’s a little too fancy for work and not my weekend style. But it fit nicely!
RETURNED

WHY does my neck look dirty?! I swear it’s not!

FULL MOON | Stapleton Bow Back Maternity Knit Top | Medium | $38
I really loved this one. It was soft and just my style. I think it was a little on the small side, though. (See it pulling over my back/shoulder blades?) Also, there was a snag in the front at the chest. So back it went.
RETURNED

And the award for most unflattering picture goes to…

FRENCH GREY | Murphy Maternity Short Sleeve Knit Dress | Large | $54
K actually liked this one, too. (The style- not the floral print, lol.) I just didn’t feel pretty in it. I’m at a weird half-fluffy/half-normal point so it was tough for me to imagine myself round and filling this dress out. This is a summer (right now) dress and I didn’t love it for my size right now.
RETURNED

Dogs got in on this one. We all made cute faces. *eyeroll*

NINE BRITTON | Rosa Maternity Knit Maxi Dress | Large | $54
I should’ve switched bras but oh well. This one was soft and flowy, it fit well, and it was a perfect summer or fall dress. It was pretty much exactly what I asked for & in my choice color. Plus I’d spent $20 on the styling fee so why not, right? It’s a little baggy but I’m sure I’ll fix that soon. Ha.
KEPT

T4T | Monica Maternity Criss Cross Crop Legging | Medium | $54
I wanted to love these. I need a pair of maternity leggings and I love the criss cross at the ankle but these were WAY too small. I squeezed myself in for this picture. And I just noticed the $54 price tag. That’s a little steep for stretchy cloth…
RETURNED

And that’s all she wrote.

I was excited when I first glanced at the overview paper. The red shirt and leggings would’ve been perfect if not for size and quality flaws. Oh well. A flowy, olive color dress is still a win for me.

Including the styling fee and tax, I spent $57.92. Again, I don’t think that’s terrible for a dress. I think I’ll do one more ‘Fix in September, then pause it for a bit. And here’s my obligatory referral code: LINK.

What do you think? Bummer about the striped shirt, right?!