Hey everyone! Happy Monday. This was a crazy busy weekend for me, and I feel like I got nothing done.
We leave for New Orleans next week and I definitely need to step it up and finish some side hustle work so that I am not thinking about all of it while we are on vacation.
Also, the other day marked 2 years of blogging and Making Sense of Cents for me. I have a post and a giveaway (iPad and $250 is CASH!) dedicated to that on Wednesday 🙂
Spending
We didn’t do too much spending in the past week. I had to buy a pair of wedges for a wedding that I am in but they weren’t expensive and are actually something that I would wear again.
Spending will be higher next week though because we are going to New Orleans. However, we found a really AWESOME deal on a 4 star hotel, and it will only be $500 for 4 nights plus parking and including taxes. The hotel is right on Bourbon, so it seems like the perfect location.
At first we were going to stay at a not-so-nice hotel and we booked that one with the other couple, but I found a deal for something much cheaper and hopped right on it last week.
We canceled our other reservations and I booked 2 rooms for 4 days each and it was the same rate as the 2 star hotel that we originally booked. I honestly cannot believe how cheap it is! I guess that’s what happens when you book something at the very last second.
Gas wil probably be a couple hundred bucks for there and back (for each couple), as it is around a 10 hour drive and we are taking a Jeep, so it’s not the most gas efficient. Food and drinking will probably be the most expensive part of the trip, however, I definitely do not think we will spend over $1,500 on this trip on everything (including hotel, gas, food, etc.), and that is really overestimating everything.
If there is anything that you would absolutely recommend for us to do while we are there, please let us know! The four of us have never been and cannot wait.
Extra Income (does not include income from our main jobs)
Extra income was very good for the first 10 day of August. I have been working on expanding my side hustle income and I do have a few good potential leads that will hopefully go somewhere. I do have some other plans for things that I would like to do, I just need more time! I can’t wait until I have an extra 50 hours a week for expanding on everything that I want to do.
I still don’t know when my 100% self-employment switch date will be. I’m still a little afraid to give up such a stable income from my day job, and whenever a couple of days in a row are slow I definitely get nervous.
Posts from my blogs:
- $11,117 in July Extra Income – This is my monthly extra income post. I surpassed my goal and it felt great! However, I’m not sure how August will turn out.
- July Goals and Life Update – Life is GOOD!
- Things people say when I tell them I am making the self-employment switch – People have definitely not been afraid to voice their opinions on my self-employment decision. Some of the things that people have said are just absolutely ridiculous.
- Cheap ways to stay healthy – There are many ways to stay healthy but not hurt your budget.
Being healthy
Ha, this has been a huge fail so far in August. I have been eating slightly better, but not the greatest. I haven’t really ran in forever, and working out altogether has been nearly non-existent. I’m not sure why this is, I guess I’ve just been a little more lazy when it comes to being healthy.
We haven’t touched our bikes so far in August, and that is something that I definitely want to change also. It has been kind of rainy lately, so I will blame it on that.
Have you been doing well with your extra income, spending and being healthy?
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Have a great time in New Orleans! It is a fun city — the southern part of Louisiana is unique from any other part of our country.
Thank you!
New Orleans is one of my top 5 cities to visit. I hope you have a GREAT time. Make sure you try a drink called the “Hand Grenade”. It’s pretty good.
Haha will do 🙂
Have an amazing vacation. Congrats on the deal! Last minute bookings are such a crapshoot. I lucked out when traveling last week with a 4 star hotel for $85/night- we booked the night of at around 7pm. It’s either a totally rockstar deal or ridiculously expensive. Happy travels!
That’s an awesome deal!
Haha I still need to be healthy!
Thanks!
Haha I will takes tooooooons of pictures.
Wow, I thought that figure was a monthly one when I first started reading. Great work Michelle!
Haha thanks Adam 🙂
I hope you have fun in New Orleans! Good luck staying sane for the 10 hour drive – I hate long trips when the areas you have to go through are kind of boring with no one around. I also hope you finish your side hustles up before leaving as you deserve a clean break from all the working you’ve been doing!
I’ve been doing pretty well with my goal of walking this month. My legs were pretty tired yesterday which was kind of sad, haha.
Haha yeah and I get car sick, so I’m really hoping that I don’t throw up!
Thank you!
I’ve been to New Orleans a few times and it’s easily a top-5 US city for me — you’re going to have a blast!
If I could recommend one thing, you absolutely need to go to Commander’s Palace for lunch. It’s one of the best restaurants in the US, and you’ll seriously get a 5-star meal for under $20.
And the real reason to go for lunch is that they have a full selection of 25 cent martinis!! You can go and get 3 martinis each for the four of you and it will seriously cost $3 total. So you’ll get one of the best meals of your life and a bunch of great drinks and it’ll be really inexpensive.
Go early in the trip because you’ll want to go back! (Just check to make sure if it is only on weekdays, as my recollection is they have something else on weekends)
Thank you so much for these recommendations. Appreciated!
Eating wise I did horribly over the weekend. Which is definitely a departure for how I have been doing so I am definitely getting back on track TODAY!! Have fun in New Orleans! I haven’t made it there yet.
Thanks!
I absolutely love New Orleans! You must go to Cafe du Monde for the Beignets and coffee. Also, make sure you go to Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop. It’s a little bit out of the way from Bourbon Street, but the piano bar atmosphere is amazing. Check out some of the places on Frenchman Street while you are there, as well, 13 is an amazing restaurant owned by a former New Orleans Saint, and The Spotted Cat has had great music in the past. The bar across the street from The Spotted Cat (I can’t remember its name) has a great taco bar.
If you get the chance, of course, drive down to the Lower 9th Ward, where you can see the devastation and rebuilding efforts, just don’t go when it is dark, because there aren’t street lights down there.
Personally, I love New Orleans. It is a great place to visit. I love Frenchman Street more than Bourbon Street, because the places there are less sleazy. However, to each their own. Anyway, I hope you guys have a great time!
Haha everyone has recommended Cafe du Monde. We will DEFINITELY have to check it out!
I hear NO is tons of fun – hope you guys have a blast!
Thanks!
We just moved from Nola and miss it! Y’all will have fun, but don’t count on being healthy! Our favorite restaurant there is jacques-imos… http://jacques-imos.com/ … Amazing food and atmosphere! Must go!
Thank you. We will have to check it out!
I just discovered that I have a major allergy to wheat (and one to soy, corn, and dairy), so I felt sorry for myself the first day but now I am making the best of it and am excited that this forces me to cut back on eating out. I mean, how many restaurants don’t use soy-based vegetable oil or things with corn? I actually spent nothing today! For at least 3 years, I have been telling myself I’d cut back and never stuck with it. The next plan is to go check out a yoga studio close to my house and figure out the working out situation. Yes, I could kind of work out at home when my roommates aren’t home but that’s infrequent in the evenings and we have no space. Like the kitchen is just a wall in the small living room. 🙂
Enjoy NOLA! I don’t have any specific restaurant recommendations. They’re all so good!
Thank you Meghan!
And booo that does not sound like a fun allergy to have.