Five Friday Favorites

Each Friday, I post my five favorite things from the week. I hope you enjoy this week’s Five Friday Favorites! Click here to see previous editions!

1. Favorite personal finance article/post. Aside from travel, which is something I value highly and am therefore willing to spend money on, clothing is my biggest budget buster. By far. Even though I have a closet full of clothes at home, there is just something so satisfying about buying new clothing. I’ll leave the psychoanalysis of that for another time, and today I’ll just share this great post from Our Freaking Budget. This year, Joanna and Johnny are focusing on how they save in one budget category each month, and this month’s post about maximizing a clothing budget really inspired me. They share some great tips, like waiting for major sales and buying classic, high quality items that will last through many seasons. I would also add that outlet shopping is a great way to get high quality clothing at low prices. And if you don’t mind the crowds, go on a holiday weekend to see even bigger sales!

2. Favorite non-personal finance article/post. I have to admit something that I am no longer proud of: for years, I loved to watch the popular television show 19 Kids and Counting, about the enormous Duggar family. Recently, many things about this family have come to light which I do not agree with, from their thoughts on gay marriage and abortion to the hypocrisy surrounding the recent molestation and cheating scandal. I used to think that they were a family with non-traditional ideals living their lives without harming others, but now I can see that they are hurting people by spreading their messages through their fame.

In any case, I was particularly touched by this viral Facebook post. The post talks about the real victim in all of this: Anna Duggar (she is the wife of Josh Duggar, who in the last few months has been outed as a child molester and cheater via Ashley Madison). Anna was raised to believe that women belong in the home, that women are machines for procreation and should be there only to serve men. As a feminist, I patently disagree with this, and it is clear now that this upbringing has left Anna in an extremely vulnerable position. Anna has no skills, no work experience, no way to support herself or her four children. She can hardly be blamed in any of this, as she was simply doing what she was told. The author’s message is that we need to do better by our girls, and I wholeheartedly agree. Girls need to be educated and taught to be self-sufficient and resilient. Women no longer need to rely on men, and all girls need to have a foundation in life that allows them to be independent.

3. Favorite thing I did this week. I think I’ve hit that time in life when everyone I know is getting married. Two of my best friends are planning weddings in the next year, and this past weekend I was lucky enough to get to celebrate with one of them at her bridal shower. It was a fun, casual event held in a friend’s backyard and complete with beautiful tea service. I love bridal showers held at home with lots of personal touches; something about everyone who loves the bride contributing just makes it feel so special. It is also always fun to watch the gifts being opened, although I always wonder how on earth people fit all those new goodies in their houses!

The beautiful table at my friend’s bridal shower tea party! I may have eaten a few of the desserts….

4. Favorite recipe. This week I tried my hand at freezer cooking (aka cooking a lot on the weekend and freezing it so that you can enjoy quick, healthy meals during the week). So far, I’m pretty pleased with how it went. I spent about four hours cooking on Sunday and I made a lot of meals, as well as some flexible things like shredded chicken that I can use in other recipes. I am most excited about the lasagna I made. My mom has an incredible lasagna recipe (pretty similar to this one, although I used carrots instead of bell peppers), and this was my first time making it on my own. We enjoyed the first servings last night and it was delicious! I think it will be just as tasty when we pull it out of the freezer in weeks to come!

5. Favorite quote. I am always thinking and planning and researching; even tiny decisions are not made without substantial thought and consideration. Sometimes though, it is important to just start. Just do. Time is of the essence, and waiting until the right decision is clear or the prefect option is available just isn’t worth it sometimes. With this in mind, I found this quote from Mark Twain to be particularly inspiring this week. Now stop reading this blog and go get something started!

What are some of your favorite things from this week?

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