Silly little ways I am trying to save $$!

Soooo my rent has just gone up quite a bit.  I need to find ways to bring down my other expenses, so that I can keep living in my awesome new apartment!!  And keep Eleanor in diapers and her favorite coconut water juice boxes!

Using cheaper beauty products where I can and actually using samples

Here's an example of my beauty philosophy for the past few years:  each bottle of my former shampoo (Oribe) costs $44. $44. The conditioner costs $48. YES $48. Ridiculous.  Unacceptable.  I love Oribe products, but they are luxury items.  I'm going to keep using the conditioner to condition my hair twice a week, and use a cheap shampoo.  I predict it won't matter.  Also, instead of some La Mer body cream, I'm using straight up Aquaphor.  Dare I say, my skin is doing much better!

So, I need to save up for:
Oribe Brilliance and Shine conditioner
Caudalie "THE CREME" and eye cream
Caudalie cleansing water
Burberry London perfume
Moroccan oil hair styling cream
Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer
Trish McEvoy high volume mascara...

OK this list is actually getting too long!  I guess I still have a ways to go in this department. The rest of what I buy needs to come from the grocery store.

Kind of related:  Only get my hair cut 3 times per year.  This will actually save hundreds of dollars.

 Eating more vegetarian meals - rice! beans! eggs!

Food is one place where I think I'm already making MAJOR cuts in spending.  Eating smaller portions, not needing meat at every meal, not wasting food (I have become obsessed with this), freezing meals, couponing, going out to eat/getting take-out way less, etc. I think I can cut at least $200 a month this way.

I'm pretty resolved to never buy baked goods or sweets at all (I end up making things like banana bread each week with overripe bananas).  Other fruits that are getting too ripe get washed and chopped and go in the freezer.  I'm even making my own bread and pizza. YEAH.

Double chocolate banana bread. Delicious.

Bringing parts of lunch and snacks from home

Sweetgreen is just stupid expensive.  I love their salads for lunch, but it doesn't make sense for me to even go there anymore.  I've been getting $6 lunches at a more generic salad bar place, and I'm bringing food from home more and more frequently. 

I NEED TO BE BETTER AT:  not buying coffee daily.  But I love it so!!  Regardless, the money I could save is staggering. Need a thermos.  Also, I need a reusable water bottle.  Once my bottled water stash runs out, I'LL start with that. BLAH.

Buying clothes at Target

I've found some clothes at Target that get compliments all the time!  I need to look there first and not Anthropologie...

Wear my glasses 1 day per week, be stingy with contacts

Yeah...we'll see.

No more cable

You'd think this would make sense, but getting the high speed Internet alone cost about $20 more per month than Internet + basic cable.  Soooo....maybe I'll be keeping cable for now!  But my bill was previously about $100 per month at least.

Water filter

Either in addition to two 5 gallon water jugs from Deer Park, or maybe I will cut out that water delivery altogether.

Ways I am not saving money:
Eating a Quest bar every.day. because I love them and the nutrition stats are unmatched. They clock in at about $2 each, which actually isn't terrible, but they're no packet of oatmeal in terms of thriftiness. And again, the daily coffees and bottled waters.  I resolve to at least cut down on these things!