Maple Cranberry Overnight Oats

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We absolutely love to use our slow cooker this time of year. We use it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! ;-) The other evening I wanted to make our Cranberry Apple Overnight Oats but I didn't have any apples or applesauce so I decided to make up another recipe. Lucky for you and lucky for me!

Clean Eat Recipe: Maple Cranberry Overnight Oats

Ingredients:

• 2 cups steel cut oats (gluten-free option)
• 2 cups fresh cranberries
• 8 cups of liquid (we use 4 cups of water and 4 cups of unsweetened almond milk)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract (avoid HFCS)
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup (or less) Stevia in the raw

Directions:

1. Spray your crock pot with non-stick spray (we use an olive oil mister).
2. Put all the ingredients into your slow cooker and cook overnight on low (around 7-8 hours).
3. Once cooked, stir oats to combine and serve. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

This makes 8 servings. In order to get an accurate serving size, weigh all of your cooked oats and divide by 8.

How to Save Money on a Wedding

This has nothing to do with fitness but does have to do with us and our finance philosophy so I'm going to share it! :-) In honor our of nine year anniversary today, I wanted to share some of our wedding details. This also means a lot to me right now because my aunt, who just passed away the day before Thanksgiving, played a huge part in my wedding. She helped me, my mom, sister, and many cousins decorate the entire clubhouse and church.

We were married December 1, 2007, which was the Saturday after Thanksgiving that year. I was very fortunate to have parents who paid for our wedding (No, they didn't give us the $30,000-$40,000 that a typical wedding costs). They actually just gave us a set amount so we could have spent it all, saved it all, or any combination we chose. We decided to save half of it and spend the other half on the wedding. We also decided to get married around Christmas so that we could use the decorations again and also save on decorations since the facility would be decorated for the holidays.

We got married very young, we had both just graduated college, so we didn't have a lot of money. Our honeymoon was to Boone, NC (we drove there, it's about a 4-hour drive). What I'm trying to say is that your wedding and honeymoon do not have to cost a lot of money. The more money spent does not correlate to a better marriage. Don't start your life off with debt from one day or one week at the beginning of your marriage.

Some of what I'm going to share might be crazy to some of you but eh, if you've been reading our blog for awhile you should know I'm slightly different. ;-)

My wedding dress was $300. It was the only dress I tried on. I remember the day, my dad and I were going up to my aunt and uncles lake house and we stopped by this bridal store on the way. They were going out of business and it was already a discount store. The dress was originally $1,500 I believe but it was half off and then marked down to $300 because the store was closing. I just put it on and we bought it. It also didn't need any alternations.

Side note: I worked at a formal salon for almost 10 years that sold many high-end prom, pageant, and wedding dresses. While I loved the expensive dresses (my favorite was $3,600) I couldn't spend that kind of money on something I was going to wear once. I found a jacket from the bridal salon I worked at and bought a cathedral length veil from eBay. I wanted the jacket because I was hoping it would be cold, instead it was like the warmest day ever.

The grandmother and grandfather that I was extremely close with passed away before I was even in college but I wanted a part of them there with me. I decided to carry my grandmother's rings and a locket with their picture in it on my bouquet.

I'm honestly not sure where I came up with this idea but I wanted a sleigh to hold my cake. One of our family friends who owns a welding business in Atlanta made this for me! I still have it to this day and I put our Christmas tree on it. The cake was three different flavors (for each layer): red velvet, caramel, and vanilla.

And, of course, Scott's Cubs cake.

I wanted something simple for the church pews. This greenery was real and the small lanterns came from Ikea. My aunt and cousins made the bows and attached everything together.

As you saw with the picture above of the rings and locket, our flowers were simple red and white roses.

And of course mistletoe!

I just ordered our programs online somewhere and I'm sure I just chose the least expensive option. Honestly, I'm not too sure they are really even needed.

I loved this picture of our rings on the paper showing the date.

The clubhouse had a Christmas tree already but my aunt Doris didn't like it so she had someone go out and buy this massive tree that they then put up and decorated. <3

Not pictured is the hot chocolate bar we had but we don't have any pictures of it, which makes me sad! This was even before Pinterest was a big thing...I've just always loved hot chocolate, even though it was warm that day.

While we all have different styles and things we think are "non-negotiable" for our wedding day, there are ways that you can save money. You can use all of these or just use a few - either way, you will have more money left for your honeymoon or to use in your new marriage. Not only will these save you money but many of them will also save you a lot of time! When planning a wedding, a lot of small expenses can add up very quickly. Remember, a small leak will sink a great ship. ;-)

How to Save Money on a Wedding

• Don't think that you HAVE to do anything you don't want to do!

You don't want a wedding cake? Don't have one! You don't want to have an open bar? Don't have one! You don't want to serve a $100 per person dinner? Don't! This is your permission to have the wedding you want, not one that is expected of you. ;-)

• Skip the "Save the Date".

With the social media time we live in, there's really no need for save the dates to be mailed. Sure, they are cute and realllllly tempting to want to buy but skip it. Not only do you have to purchase the invite but you also have to pay to mail them. If you want to send a save the date, you can do an email invitation. I'm still pretty traditional in the sense that I like mailed invitations but you could even do those via email if that's not something that means a lot to you.

• No favors.

While they look so cute, favors aren't necessary. Favors usually take a lot of time to put together or if you do buy them, the expense quickly adds up. Scott and I skipped the favors and instead made a donation to charity in honor of the wedding guests. I can't remember exactly which one it was but I think we did veterans and cancer research (since Scott's dad died of cancer).

• Get married in a slower season or an "off day".

You can often get married for half the price if you choose a Sunday over a Saturday. Also, avoiding peak wedding times will save you a TON of money!

• Don't have an open bar.

If you don't want alcohol at your wedding, don't have it. We had only beer and wine. That drastically reduced our tab.

• Don't fall for the small expenses they try to tack on like chair covers.

We were offered chair covers for our reception. While I strongly considered it because it would have looked SO pretty, I couldn't justify the cost. I think it was around $3 per chair which doesn't sound like much but quickly adds up (along with all the other "not very expensive" expenses).

• Skip the details like toasting flutes, guest books, garter, etc.

I bought our toasting flutes from a consignment store. The bridal salon I used to work in had flutes that started at $75. THAT IS INSANE. Same thing with the guestbook, just get a generic guest book if you even have one. I don't know where ours is and I don't think I ever looked at it. Buy a generic garter. I actually had a Cubs one ordered for ours but somehow it got lost in the commotion and we never found it!

• You don't have to buy each other gifts.

Your marriage is your gift to each other. You don't need to feel pressured to buy something else to exchange.

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These are just things that come to mind but there are a ton of other ways to save! Maybe I'll add to these as I think of more.

I don't even know where our wedding album is. I don't have any idea where the CD of photos is from our wedding. I've never watched our wedding video (I didn't pay for this, a family friend recorded it). I really don't care. Our wedding honestly doesn't matter to me. It's the life we have now that matters.

How We Became "Rich"

How we became "rich":

We have people tell us that they wish they could travel as much as we do or they wish they could (or their spouse could) stay home. If only they were as "rich" as us, right? Let me break it to you: we aren't rich and we aren't "trust fund babies". We just have different ideas about what we want from life. Soul crushing jobs, maxed out credit cards, expensive cars, huge homes, lots of stuff...none of that appeals to us. We don't have the same "American Dream" as everyone else.

There is this illusion of what our lives should look like. I've mentioned this numerous times regarding fitness (here and here) but this applies to all areas outside of fitness. Anytime you turn on the TV, open a magazine, or log onto social media you are essentially being told what you should wear, drive, eat, buy, where you should live, what your house should look like, etc. This is commonly referred to "Keeping up with the Joneses". Everyone seems to always try to out-do someone else. Your neighbor, best friend, or sibling got a new car or a new outfit so now you MUST have one too. But it can't even be the same one, it has to be BETTER. And by better, we are programmed to think more expensive, flashy, or more. Again, this doesn't appeal to us. This is a rat race - it is never ending. You will never be satisfied. Just as the picture above states:

“Normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work and driving through traffic in a car that you are still paying for - in order to get to the job you need to pay for the clothes and the car, and the house you leave vacant all day so you can afford to live in it.” - Ellen Goodman

Minimalism:

We've never had any interest in being "normal". You've probably seen where we refer to ourselves as "minimalist". Let's talk about that. In our opinion, it goes hand-in-hand with fitness. We've definitely talked about our fitness journey (here and here), but our minimalism journey is just as important, maybe even more. I already have a post pretty much finished on how minimalism and fitness are related but figured I should post this one first. :)

There are a billion different definitions of minimalism, just as there are a billion different definitions or "pictures" of fitness too. Some people might picture a marathon runner or sprinter and someone else might picture a weight lifter or yogi. They could all be correct but it just depends on how you look at it. When most people picture minimalism they picture tiny houses, white walls, no furniture or just white furniture, no possessions, no fun, etc. That could definitely be minimalism but that isn't what it is to us. To us it is just living with what we need and little to no extra. Are we perfect? No. We still have workout gear, hiking gear, furniture, pets, etc. However, we don't have very much clutter (but we are still working on reducing it!) and we try to avoid buying things we don't need. Sure, we spend money on nice things from time-to-time, but not frivolously. I can’t tell you the last time I bought a new purse or clothes. We choose to spend our money on experiences not things because that’s what we value over material items.

So maybe we've been lying to you. It wasn't the website or my personal training that "allowed" me to quit my job. It wasn't Scott's salary that "allowed" me to quit my job. It wasn't my salary that "allowed" Scott to take a 25% pay cut to work closer to our house with a better work/life balance. It was the lifestyle we live. Which we refer to as minimalism. Minimalism allowed me to quit my job. Minimalism allows us to travel whenever we want. Minimalism allows me to volunteer my time instead of sitting in traffic.

RELATED: A look into our life - dreams don't work unless you do.

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A Little Background:

I grew up a saver, maybe you could even consider me an over-saver. I never wanted to spend money. I hated shopping, I didn't want to spend money on traveling...I never wanted to buy anything. My parents had a part in my frugal ways but a lot of it came from my grandparents who watched me during the day while my parents worked. They were depression-era. My grandfather actually rode to Lilburn, GA on a horse and buggy from Dahlonega, GA way back when. He worked for Ford for years during the day and farmed in the morning before work and again after work. They saved everything they had, because it was all they knew. I loved them more than I can ever express in this post and wish every single day they were still here with me. However, they both passed before I even turned 18. What they taught me has stuck with me until this day. RELATED: Read more of Whitney's story here.

Living a balanced life requires saying "no" more than saying "yes". This applies to finance and fitness. It is not about deprivation, it's about self-control.

Scott comes from quite the opposite so he was always more of a spender than me. We met in the middle and that is where we basically stand today. Not to say that we don't still argue from time to time over what we should or shouldn't buy. ;-) We don't want to clutter up our house or lives with needless purchases when that money could be saved for a plane ticket, rafting trip, etc. You won't find us with the newest TV, expensive cars, or 100 pairs of shoes. However, we don't deprive ourselves. We have plenty of workout clothing, shoes and hiking gear because we use them all the time. I probably have more hiking pants than I do regular pants. When we do purchase something we try to find the highest quality and really do think about where it was made, how it was made, etc. I'm not saying we are perfect but we do try to be aware.

We are approached by a lot of companies to produce sponsored content and we do work with some companies but we are very picky about the ones that we do work with. Each opportunity we consider we also evaluate how it aligns with our minimalist philosophies. We aren't going to push every product that is sent our way unless we do think it will add value to your life.

Debt:

Let me back-up a little bit. When we got married, we did as everyone else does - we registered for all the kitchen items, fancy china, a million throw pillows, bedding, etc, etc, etc. We "collected" DVDs (that we would buy really cheap) and I even collected Monopoly games.

Scott had student loans and we also purchased a home the same month as our wedding. Shortly after getting married we threw all of our "extra" money at Scott's student loans and paid those off within a year.

My car was already paid for when we got married and so was Scott's. After a few later Scott got a brand new truck which eventually was traded in for a brand new Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland. We loved the Jeep but we had a payment on it and didn't really need it. Scott only works eight miles away and he didn't even drive it when it rained! We decided to sell it and get something that we could pay for in full. The savings from the Jeep payment each month is enough to buy a plane ticket once a month! If you haven't noticed, I like to think in terms of plane tickets. ;-)

We don’t have car payments. We don’t have credit card debt. Is it hard? Yes. Is it worth it? Yes. We now have no debt other than our mortgage payment. We do want to sell our house and get a much smaller house (around 800 sq ft) that we can pay for in full or pay off quickly.

RELATED: 5 Money Quotes to Motivate You

Decluttering:

As far as the clutter in our home, ever since I left my office job in 2013 I started de-cluttering our house but I still have a long way to go! I started room by room. First up was our bonus room above the garage that "we just had to have", although we never use it. I sold a TV, TV stand and almost all of our DVDs up there. We gave the couch to a family friend and now that room basically houses our litter boxes (i.e. totally wasted space). Then I moved onto other areas of our house. I de-cluttered our kitchen when we installed new countertops. We have three bedrooms and we had beds in all three, although I'm pretty sure the guest bedrooms have been used maybe three times in the almost nine years we've had the house (i.e. totally wasted space). I decided to turn one of the bedrooms into my office so I sold all of the furniture that was in the room and bought a stand up desk. Then I moved onto the dining room. I wasn't really a big fan of the dining room furniture we had anymore and wanted something more rustic. We sold all the furniture on CraigsList and I even sold all of our China (that we never even used ONCE) on eBay. Now our dining room is actually a place where we can display things from our trip and other pictures that previously had no place to live. Selling the China and furniture actually paid for our trip to Jackson Hole last year.

I'll go into ways to get started in a future post but as the quote below states, the most basic way to get ahead is to spend less than you earn.

As with fitness, each person will have their own journey to minimalism and it will continually grow and change. You don't have to throw everything away and move into a tiny house (unless you want to!) in order to get started. Also, as with fitness, your entire family might not be supportive which is okay. You can still start your own journey and I bet if you lead by example, they will follow!

Note: We don't judge people. If you want a new car or a new TV and you can afford it - Go for it. Just don't buy things because your neighbor has it. If something adds value to your life, that's awesome! Each person will be different. :)

Stay tuned because I will have a post on how we handle holidays coming up soon! I will also share my favorite minimalist websites, books, and podcasts (if you want one to check out in the meantime try Becoming Minimalist).

You can find all of our finance/minimalism related posts here.

Do you consider yourself a minimalist? Do you have any interest in this lifestyle?