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Brittany

What to Wear to a Music Festival

Adventures, How-To, shopping August 28, 2017

Outdoor music festivals can be really amazing experiences. They can also be SUPER hot! I’ve attended Watershed, a country music concert in central Washington, for the last two years. Trying to figure out what to pack the first year was really difficult. I learned during year one that there’s a festival style that combines comfort in the summer heat, with fashionable, light clothing and just the right amount of accessories. If you’re working what to wear to a summer music festival, check out the outfits I chose for Watershed 2017.

What to wear to a summer music festival | watershed bumbershoot CMF coachella

Affiliate links are used in this post. That means that if you make a purchase after clicking on one of those links, WMSB will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support.

Day One

For day 1 of Watershed Fest, Joey went patriotic and I stuck with a summer desert theme. Both of us made sure to keep cool. Joey found this shirt at Bass Pro Shops last year, and cut off the sleeves on Day 1 of this weekend. There was no music on the first day, so we stuck to drinks and dance parties at our own campsite.

What to wear to a summer music festival | watershed bumbershoot CMF coachella

Day Two

Who says the guys are limited to American flag gear?! Not I. Apparently Target has already stopped selling this exact tank, which I only bought a couple of months ago. But any stars and stripes tank will be just fine for a summer music festival!

Also keep in mind that your festival may require you to wear wrist bands, so any bracelet jewelry may not look the way you expect.

What to wear to a summer music festival | watershed bumbershoot CMF coachella

Similar flag tank | Lipstick is Pink Champagne, Lipsense by Krysta Hulse

Have you ever used Lipsense? It’s AMAZING, and really does last all day. This was my first color and a full review will be coming soon.

This stars and stripes tank + a pair of shorts were perfect for watching the first official night of music. I’m positive that the Gorge is one of the most beautiful places in Washington to watch a concert. I have a zip-up picnic blanket that folds into itself with a carrying handle. I brought that to the lawn and we sat up top to enjoy the music, view and fascinating people watching on the first night of concerts.

What to wear to a summer music festival | watershed bumbershoot CMF coachella

Day Three

For day 3 of Watershed Fest, I kept it simple. I found this tank this summer at Target (are you seeing a pattern that indicates I went a little crazy in the tank top section with my “fun” clothing budget one day at Target?). It has lace-up sides. However, the lace-ups were pretty subtle, so a plain black tank would work just fine. The hot air balloon necklace is a few years old and I couldn’t find a comparable style, but any long pendant will do. Kendra Scott is my go-to for pendants and the Rayne pendant was my other option for this outfit, but I wore it on day 1 and figured I should use the accessories I packed instead of repeating them. During the day, I wore plain white flip flops. At night, I wore the Mossimo black buckle sandals featured below.

What to wear to a summer music festival | watershed bumbershoot CMF coachella

 

Day Four

On Day 4 I picked this pineapple tank that I got at the Earth Day Bloggers Closet Sale. It was awesome! I received multiple compliments on it, which is saying a lot, because multiple people in our group were dressed rather… creatively. I’m surprised anyone at all noticed there was a pineapple on my shirt.

I was also stoked that I liked my outfit so much, because I got meet and greet passes to meet the guys of LANCO! LANCO’s most popular song right now is Greatest Love Story. Not only are they super talented, they were incredibly nice!! I once got to meet Lance Bass and I was wearing a HORRIBLE college turtle neck with subpar makeup. So now, when I meet celebrities in outfits I like, I appreciate it even more haha.

What to wear to a summer music festival | watershed bumbershoot CMF coachella - Meet and Greet passes LANCO

I bought this exact $9.99 H&M cross body in Denver to go hiking and it has proven to be one of the most useful bags I’ve ever owned! I highly recommend it!

I had a few other shirts packed, of course, but didn’t wear them. On the morning of Day 5, when we cleaned up and went home, I wore a plain t-shirt, but other than that, I think I spent my entire waking hours in a tank top because it was warm from the moment I woke up. I would suggest packing extra shirts just in case you get too sweaty in one, or spill a drink all down the front of it (Klutzy people unite!). Shirts take up such little room that it’s easy to keep your outfits fresh while keeping a smaller amount of pants/shorts in your bag.

Don’t Forget to Also Pack:

Tons of water

Sunblock (Like I’ve told you before, this one is my favorite)

A waterproof picnic blanket or big beach towels

Multiple pairs of Sunglasses as they will disappear and reappear throughout the weekend

A phone charger – You’ll be taking tons of photos!

Pajamas – Sometimes when I’m focused on cute day time clothes, I forget I need some sweats and a comfy tee to sleep in!

Shower shoes and a waterproof bag for your shower supplies – I wore plain plastic flip flops and used a ziplock bag to carry around my shampoo, conditioner, soap, tooth brush/paste and deodorant. Make sure to check out the details of the shower situation before you go to a music festival. Sometimes you may need change, or it may be worth a campsite upgrade to get the nicer showers.

A sweater for night-time. Even though it may be sweltering during the day, when the sun goes down the temperature could really drop. Also, sometimes your body just doesn’t acclimate or if you accidentally got a sunburn you’ll really feel the temperature difference. It’s worth the space it will take up to have a hoodie in your bag just in case.

What’s your favorite outdoor music festival? Live music is such a blast, and I love hearing what other people enjoy!

The 4 Best Blogs to Keep You Motivated About Your Financial Goals

Debt Repayment August 23, 2017

I don’t know about you, but sometimes the debt repayment journey can feel like a never-ending mantra of “No, I can’t do that” or “No, I don’t need to buy that.”  J and I have similar attitudes toward money, and are very open about our finances. But I can still fall into the trap of seeing what other people are doing and getting a little jealous. Heck, I’m still jealous that all of J’s student loans are paid off, although it’s a motivating kind of jealous and not a, “That’s not fair” feeling.

When I start to feel alone on this train headed toward financial freedom, I try to surround myself even more with encouraging resources and good examples of how I’m not alone and it will all pay off. I’ve told you about some of my favorite podcasts to listen to while driving, running or cleaning my house. I also follow multiple finance-related blogs. Some of these blogs are about debt repayment. Some are about investing and increasing your net worth. All are motivational in taking your finances and making them work for you, one day at a time. Future-you will thank you for checking these out.

The Four Best Financial Blogs to Keep You Motivated about Your Finances, Debt repayment, Investing, Retirement, Net worth

Making Sense of Cents

Michelle has inspired me for years now. I’ve been following her blog since she had $40,000 in student loan debt and was making an extra $1,300 a month in side income from her blog. Now, she’s 100% student loan free and has earned around $100,000 a month, every month for the last year, working full-time on her blog. Michelle’s posts aren’t limited to her incredibly popular income reports. She also shares stories about how she and her husband live in an RV and travel full time, work-life balance, how to make additional income on the side, and encouraging financial freedom stories of others.

Budgets are Sexy

J. Money is not only hilariously informative, he’s also super engaged in his blog. He updates his net worth every month, down to the penny. Even though they bought a Lexus last year, he and his family still have a very positive net worth thanks to great spending and investing habits. These posts encourage me to see what a HUGE difference it will make when I pay off my student loans and compounding interest starts to work FOR me instead of against me.

The Budget Girl

I only recently found The Budget Girl. She’s doing a no-spend challenge this month. I’m not following it to the letter of the law like I’ve done in the past, but it’s still so helpful to remember to be highly mindful of my spending. I’ve already saved a ton of money! Ashley shares posts about how to save money, how to plan for big life events, and stories of others who have paid off a ton of debt. It’s been a great blog to follow along with because Ashley is super relatable. Her blog and Facebook group feel like reading a friend’s posts, and not an unattainable guru’s posts!

Money Manifesto

Lance at the Money Manifesto has such a large archive of posts that I’m sure you’ll learn something new when you head over there and start reading. Posts range from saving money, paying off debt and even spending in ways that will support you along your journey, like taking vacations. I get his posts in my inbox as well, and occasionally reply back with my “comments.” He always responds! Plus, with his emails he also includes external posts you may enjoy by other bloggers. It’s an awesome way to be encouraged, motivated and learn more about money.

If you’d like to find more blogs on personal finance, check out the AMAZING directory on Rockstar Finance. You can sort by category, net worth and more, so that you find the blogs that are right up your alley.

Do you have any favorite personal finance blogs? Do you have a personal finance blog that you think WMSB readers would like? How do you stay motivated on your financial journey? Leave it in the comments!

Student Loan Payoff Progress Report Month 12: -$113,180.25

Debt Repayment August 14, 2017

Month 12: -$113,180.25

It has been officially 12 months since I switched my attention from my credit cards to my student loan! Every month that I update this, it motivates me to conquer debt and improve my future! I hope it helps you as well.

If you want more detailed information, check out November’s payoff report. Remember, calling this “Month 12” is a misnomer. This is year 5 & Month 12 of payoff, or year 6 if you will. Three months ago I made my first ever principal payment on these loans, thanks to refinancing them, and two months the overpayment for the refinance credited to the balance. I’m so excited!

Student Loan Payoff Progress Report, Month 12: -$113,180

Photo by Austin Neill on Unsplash

Extra Income This Month

Affiliate links are used in this post, and most posts here on WMSB. If you click on a link and make a purchase, WMSB receives a small commission. You don’t get charged a penny more for this, but it keeps WMSB running, and makes my debt repayment happy.

Amazon Affiliate: $19.37

SiteGround Affiliate: $0.00

Day Designer Affiliate: $8.85

Ebates Cash Back: $0.00 sent quarterly

Sponsored Posts: $0.00

Side Hustles: $0.00

Expected/Unexpected Reimbursements: $0.00

I got engaged and became basically useless at anything else in life haha. We also went to Watershed for nearly a week, where I didn’t have any access to meaningful internet and didn’t bring my laptop so that maybe I’d relax. As a result, my extra income is lacking. However, I’m feeling more motivated now to pick it back up and start pitching again!

Where My Payments Went

Law School Refinanced Loan: $935.00

Extra Blogging Expenses: $0.00 I suppose that’s a positive of becoming too into wedding pinterest boards to write haha

Discover Card: $331.49 – read more about how I screwed up my 0% interest repayment plan here. Now that I’ve corrected my 401k mistake, I can get back on track.

Yard Waste Removal and Deck Replacement: A lot*

Total Payments: ~$1,266.49 toward debt

*I am now a landlord! It’s weird! But in order to become a landlord, I had to finish several big projects that had been on the, “I should do this soon” list for awhile. One was replacing my deck, which is above my garage. My former roommate and I noticed a soft spot in the flooring of the deck a few months ago. I knew to just not step on it while I saved to fix it. But, because I am now renting it to other people, I knew I had to fix it ASAP. Before I officially moved out and anyone else moved in, it had to be repaired. I felt more comfortable knowing that the whole thing would be solid for many years to come, so the same contractor who did my kitchen/bathroom floors, and helped me remodel the main bathroom, came over and he and J tore the old deck up, then he did an incredible job replacing it all. It looks AMAZING. I even got to pick a “floor” cover and it looks like a sandy beach! Now I just wish I would have fixed it in time to enjoy it myself!

I also had some out of control foliage that I’m not sure the sellers EVER maintained. It has taken months to get it all chopped down and hauled away. Thankfully, J and his chainsaw did the chopping down part. But I had to hire someone to come load it up and take it to the dump. These two projects combined were over $1,000 and just about depleted my savings. Thank God August is a three paycheck month! The savings is now rebuilt and I’m back on track with my snowball payment method.

Retirement Savings

You can read more about how I royally screwed up my budget when I started contributing to my 401k. Math is tough.

Student Loan Payoff Progress Report, Month 12: -$113,180

Like I told you last month, my 401k contributions have been reduced in order to cash-flow our wedding, which will be reflected in next month’s report. Don’t worry, I still have two pensions (one I contribute to, one my employer contributes to, not shown here) and an IRA I contribute to. I’ve already exceeded the Employer’s match on the 401k so I’m not giving away free money. Once we’ve met our goals for the wedding account, I’ll up it again. We agreed to not put anything for this wedding on a credit card. As much as I know I’ll fall in love with some amazing “must-have” wedding item that I won’t be able to buy on the spot (or may need to make myself), I will pretty happy on the morning after our wedding when I wake up and don’t have a $10,000-$20,000 bill for the party we threw the night before!

Current Law School Student Loans Balances

Paying off six figures of student loan debt feels like a bottomless pit.

To create this chart, you can see in red that I combined the total of my bar exam, subsidized and unsubsidized loans, so that the progress can still be tracked over time and it doesn’t look like I’m starting over. In my opinion, keeping momentum in debt repayment (and being kind to yourself if you get off track) is key to long term success.

Student Loan Payoff Progress Report, Month 12: -$113,180

You can see that I paid a little over $700 in interest. That’s from making my payment early last month, since it’s been accruing for longer (45 days instead of 30), and includes a few days where I wasn’t getting the .25% autopay discount because when I paid early last month, I didn’t know that DRB automatically considers extra payments as “extra” and not “pay ahead.” I had to pause the autopay setting for a few days around when my payment would normally come out. It was informative to try that method, at least, and probably saved me a dollar or two in interest over the long term.

I’m keeping track of how the per-day interest is impacted because I’m really curious to see what a difference making principal payments makes, and also determine what kind of daily impact refinancing my student loans is having on my life. It’s interesting to me how much of a difference .25% makes for even only a couple of days! Pausing that for a few days caused me to pay $0.50 more per day in interest over a 45 day period compared to last month.

Before Refi Per-Day Interest: $20.34

Last Month’s Per-Day Interest: $15.08

Current Per-Day Interest: $15.56

I refinanced with Darien Rowayton Bank. I wrote all about it in the Complete Guide to What it was Like to Refinance My Student Loans. The interest reflects the overpayment made on my federal loans.  DRB is rebranding their student loan branch into “Laurel Road.” So if you hear me talking about Laurel Road in the future, that’s why. Perhaps they heard my point that DRB is a really unfortunate acronym for a bank.

Student Loan Payoff Progress Report, Month 12: -$113,180

Like I told you last month, I’ve been talking to the people at CommonBond about their service. I didn’t apply at CommonBond because based on the three rate quotes I received, DRB/Laurel Road was already pretty low and I was ready to start the process. I learned that CommonBond has a process of beating the rate of a competitor if theirs isn’t already lower! CommonBond and WMSB have teamed up to give you an exclusive $200 cash bonus if you refinance your student loans with CommonBond using this link!

Financial Goals Now:

There are still things to accomplish, and goals to achieve that I’ll discuss below. But we definitely need to take the time to celebrate the wins we achieve throughout the payoff process. If we don’t, we will burn out or get discouraged. I’m speaking from experience here.

My Debt Repayment Goals

1) Pay off my car.

2) Pay off my credit cards.

3) Pay off the Bar Exam Student Loan. I stuck with the snowball method, to pay off the bar exam loan, and it totally worked!

4) Re-evaluate my savings and retirement plan.

5) Tackle the accrued interest from my income based repayment plan. CHANGE OF PLANS! Refinance my Student Loans.

6) Reduce Student Loan Balance by $10,000 to $104,500. I’m coming for you, law school student loans! It’s strange to not have a snowball anymore. So I’m tracking my repayment in increments.

NEW: 6b) Save my half of the cash for our wedding. This is the most fun savings goal I’ve ever had!

engaged while paying off student loans

7) Reduce Student Loan Balance to less than $100,000. When I hit that $99,999.99 mark, I think we should celebrate!

Thanks for coming alongside me during this journey. I’ve loved hearing your stories too. You can leave it in the comments, or tell me about it on Facebook or Twitter!

Common Questions: 

Here are answers or insight into a few common questions that have come up during this process:

3 Effective Student Loan Repayment Strategies to Speed Up Debt Freedom

Debt Repayment, Guest Post August 10, 2017

Student loan debt is a trap many former students are caught up in for a large portion of their adult lives. The longevity of the debt has a lot to do with deferments and paying the minimum amount of the loan.

The truth is that you should never pay just the minimum payment because it will take a very long time to pay off debt. You really need to cut into it as much as you can.

3 effective student loan repayment strategies

Photo by Thaddaeus Lim on Unsplash

If you don’t think you can pay more than the minimum payment, there are some strategies you can use to free up income that can be applied toward the student debt that is crippling you. That way you aren’t like me when I was six years into paying off my student loan debt and wondering why the balance had barely been dented.

This amazing post is written by Jacob at Dollar Diligence. I know you all will love his posts about finances, and his topics range from whether millennials should save for retirement to his own money mistakes. Personally, I subscribe to Jacob’s posts via email, but you can also follow him on Instagram or Twitter! Here are his great strategies for paying down student loan debt.

Student Loan Debt Repayment Strategies

It is very important that you pay down your debt as fast as you can. Your student loans have an impact on such things as your debt-to-income ratio. The loans can make your ratio too high, which can make it difficult achieving a milestone like buying a house.

Plus, clearing out student loan debt quickly means you can free up your income much sooner. The money that’s freed up can go toward your savings account.

To achieve this, you can do several things.

Stop Bad Habits and Start New, Positive Ones

One thing is to stop with bad habits. If you like to dine out a lot, spend too much on entertainment, go out on too many expensive excursions with friends, hop in the car and travel when you feel like it, or spend too much on the grocery shopping, you can break these habits.

Couponing, hanging out with friends without spending a lot of money, minimizing trips, creating an entertainment budget and sticking to it, and dining out very little or not at all are doable. It may be rough at first, but you do get used to it. You have to keep telling yourself that you will adjust and will be much happier when you don’t have student loan debt standing in the way of your future.

Don’t Sacrifice Your Future

You also want to consider that opting for the auto debit of your minimum payment is sacrificing your future. If you are going to use autopay, you need to set it up with the extra amount you’re paying added in. Setting up auto payments takes away the ability to change your mind about the amount you’re paying at the last minute. You’re cutting down the principle when you do this.

You can also consolidate student debt. This could result in a rate reduction and better terms so long as you appear creditworthy to a lender. From there, you can try to pay more than the minimum, allowing you to eliminate the debt even faster.

If by some chance you ever receive a cash windfall, apply it toward your student debt. Unfortunately, not everyone gets a windfall, so tax refunds and other small financial boosts can be used to eliminate the debt. Although this may be hard to do because you don’t want to see the money disappear from your hands too fast, the reward from eliminating the student loan debt goes much further than the money you use to reduce what you owe.

Another option is taking a job that offers student loan forgiveness. The Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program is one way. If you are a teacher, you can take advantage of the teacher student loan forgiveness program.

Nonetheless, your chosen career choice may not qualify you for the student loan forgiveness programs. In that case, you could apply raises toward paying down student loans.

You also want to avoid repayment programs, if possible. It is nice to lower the payments if you’re struggling to make them as it is. Unfortunately, repayment programs like the Pay As You Earn program will stretch the term. Some former students have loan terms as long as 25 years. If you graduate college at the age of 22, your student loans wouldn’t be paid off until you’re 47.

Trim Down Your Budget

One thing that is going to help you tremendously is trimming your budget. I mentioned earlier that you can do such things as minimize time out with friends or cut your grocery bill. You can also do things like cut down on cable, reduce water usage, stop using air conditioning if you really don’t need it, and put on more clothes in the winter so you can turn down the heat.

It’s hard work, but you can do it when you make a commitment and focus.

dollar diligence - pay off student loan debt

Jacob is a self-proclaimed personal finance enthusiast and blogger. Catch up with him @DollarDiligence!

 

Things I Haven’t Done Enough of this Summer

Adventures August 8, 2017

We had a late start to spring/summer in the Pacific Northwest because the weather was terribly gloomy over the looooong winter. Apparently someone forgot to remind Mother Nature to turn on warmer weather and sunshine in this part of the country until we were well into spring. This really cut into our normal outdoor activities like boating, hiking and camping.

With only a little more than a month of summer left (nooooooooo!), I have been thinking of all of the things we haven’t done enough of this summer. Think of it as a mini-summer to-do list.

How to refocus your summer to do list, to enjoy the remaining month before fall

Things I Haven’t Done Enough Of:

  • Gone Boating – I’ve only been once this entire year! What the heck?!
  • Gone Hiking – I went hiking while I was in Denver for work, but that’s it. I miss hiking!

  • Gone to the Museum – exactly no times. I think part of why this was extra enticing during the summer is because they have air conditioning. Now, I have air conditioning. But we can get free passes to the local museums from our library and I love to go visit them.
4 Ways to Stay Active During the Gloomy PNW Winter

Checking out the glass museum a couple of years ago with my friends Sara and Meghan

  • Sat outside and read a book. I have done this a decent amount of times, just not nearly enough.
  • Gone to sporting events.
  • 5ks.

5 Tips for Running Outside as the Seasons Change

Things to do:

  1. Take the boat out and go camping at least one weekend. – We have plans to do this already, so assuming that nothing goes crazy on my work calendar that impedes this, we should at least have one more boating and camping experience this year!
  2. Find a friend to commit to a hike with, or at least go for a walking “hike” in one of our gorgeous parks like Point Defiance or the Tacoma Nature Center.
  3. Go to the library and check out museum passes. Go alone or with a friend.
  4. The next time I’m reading during the day, grab a blanket and go sit in the backyard instead of on the couch.
  5. I have tickets to one more Mariner’s game, but I’m bummed I didn’t catch a single Rainier’s game. Those are really fun! Check out more sporting event options this summer and see if there are any more games I can catch.
  6. I have done one 5k this year, and it wasn’t even during the summer! By this time last year, I had done four! I will find a 5k to run in August or September, and sign up for it.

What haven’t you done enough of this summer? What are you going to do to make sure you fully enjoy this season, before we enter into fall?

Empowering Women through Creative Fashion

Debt Repayment, family, Guest Post, shopping August 3, 2017

There’s a new series starting up at WMSB, and it’s focusing on the amazing things WMSB readers are doing to empower themselves, their families and the people around them. I’m going to feature a handful of followers who run their own business or run a network marketing business. I know that MLM businesses can leave a bad taste in people’s mouths with the smarmy sales tactics and products that are too good to be true. But, not all sales-people are like that and not all products are overrated.

I listened to a podcast recently about supporting our friends who are working hard and providing a full-time or side-income using MLM/Networking Marketing businesses and it really inspired me. I’m a big believer in shopping small, and what better way to do that than to buy products I’d already use from my friends?

Empower yourself through creative fashion: Be inspired by Joanne Black's LuLaRoe journey to support herself, her health, her family and the causes she cares about.

For the first post of this series, I’ve interviewed a friend of mine from law school, Joanne Black. Joanne is now a professor in North Carolina. She recently became a LuLaRoe distributor, and it wasn’t just because she wanted to walk around in leggings with no pants all day. Joanne is a huge advocate for the rights of the oppressed, women and the LGBTQ community. When she reached out to me about her new LuLaRoe business, I knew you guys had to hear her story!

This isn’t sponsored and there’s no sales pitch involved. Just sit back, relax, be inspired, and if you feel like buying some new clothes, Joanne’s your girl!

LuLaRoe Joanne Black for House of Black, LLC

How did you first hear about LuLaRoe?

In February 2017, at the age of 42, I was diagnosed for the first time with ADHD. It was pointed out that, due to my sensory sensitivities, I may want to find more comfortable clothes so that I wouldn’t be distracted by the irritation or itchiness of items.

I started researching and kept hearing about #simplycomfortable leggings by LuLaRoe. I ordered my first pair and they were, no contest, the most comfortable leggings I’d ever worn. I felt so comfortable and less stressed! I was sold from that first moment!

Did you know right away that you’d want to sell LuLaRoe?

I did not know right away, but it didn’t take long! I was really inspired by attending the Women’s March in Washington, D.C. I knew I wanted to have more power over my finances. I researched the company, basics for starting a business, watched videos and then jumped in feet first and don’t plan on looking back!

Do you work outside of LuLaRoe? If so, what do you do?: I do! I am a full-time professor at a small, liberal arts women’s college. I love teaching, but it isn’t paying the bills now that my partner is no longer able to work full-time due to congenital back issues. LuLaRoe is a path to more flexibility for our family and we’re all loving the process so far!

What is your favorite LuLaRoe item?

Oh, that’s such a tough question! I love the Carly dress and the leggings the most!

Carly – One of many patterns and solids! Brittany: This pattern totally reminds me of dresses I wore and LOVED in Kindergarten!

What is your favorite LuLaRoe pattern?

Anything with Tulips. I have always loved tulips. In fact, go ahead and call me the #lularoetuliplady

What is your biggest hope in starting your LuLaRoe business?

My biggest hope is that I can relieve financial stress for my family. My full-time work has seen my salary decrease for the last 3 years due to increasing benefits cost. I’ve gotta put my feminist money where my mouth is and show my boys (age 7 and 8) how strong, resilient and perseverant their Mama is!

Do you have any plans on how you’ll use the extra income?

First, we’d like to pay down the debt from the last 18 months of having only one full-time income for our family. Then, we’ll focus on building our retirement funds and I plan to start kids Roth IRAs for my children. They won’t realize how awesome I am until I’m long gone, but I hope they won’t end up having the same retirement worries that we have as their parents.

What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learned so far in starting your business?

You’re going to laugh at me! I was so shocked the first time someone paid me in cash! I didn’t realize that people still carried about $100 and $50 bills! I had to raid my children’s money jars to make change!

What are some of the best outfit combos you have in your inventory right now?

You cannot go wrong with the Carly dress! It has a flattering swing style that you can wear alone or style to wear in layers with leggings or a simple Cassie pencil skirt!

Cassie – Joanne also has multiple styles and sizes in her most recommended skirt!

Where can Where My Soul Belongs readers find you?

Instagram // Facebook // Pinterest // Shop as a VIP

10 Snack Ideas to Bring on a Hike

Adventures July 25, 2017

During the spring, I shared the Top 5 Things for a New Hiker to Bring on a Hike. Your comments were so helpful to add on other suggestions that a new hiker might bring! One thing you all really contributed were ideas for snacks.

Personally, I’m a huge lover of snacks. I have a pretty fast metabolism so I’m often snacking throughout the day, rather than eating three large meals. Picking quick and easy items to eat while camping or hiking is key to my enjoyment of the experience, and is also a safety precaution. Once, I went on an adventure with some people and we were only supposed to be gone for about 3 hours. It turned into 6 hours. Luckily, I had once-frozen water in the cooler (to act as a dual purpose ice pack/eventual beverage) and granola bars in my bag. I learned an important lesson that day about outdoor activity. I also have learned over time that snacks should be easy to eat without getting you messy, or require your hands to do much prep work, because they may be dirty as well.

10 Easy and Delicious Snacks to Bring on a Hike

This was at Red Rocks in Colorado back in May. I loved the red colors everywhere!

Affiliate links are used in this post. That means that if you make a purchase using an affiliate link in this post, WMSB will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for helping to keep the lights on around here!

So, what sort of snacks should you bring with you on a hike?

10 easy and delicious snack ideas to bring on a hike:

(with credit given from the comments when appropriate)

  1. Lara Bars (Kristin)
  2. Pretzels (Sarah)
  3. PB&J Sandwiches  – Peanut Butter is a great protein, and I don’t worry as much about PB&J staying cold as I do a meat-based sandwich. Plus, they feel more like a snack than a full meal.
  4. Beef Jerky
  5. Fruit Leathers – A dear friend of mine is the Founder & CEO of a company called Peaceful Fruits and their fruit leathers are SO good! You may have also seen Peaceful Fruits on Shark Tank!
  6. Dried Fruit (Kristin)
  7. Chips – they don’t have much nutritional value, but they’re easy to separate into a ziplock bag, toss in your pack, and then pull out when you’re ready for a quick bite.
  8. Nuts (Kristin)
  9. Trail Mix – if you want more than just nuts to snack on
  10. Baby Carrots

10 Easy and Delicious Snacks to Bring on a Hike

Just remember, leave no trace, so pack any garbage these snacks might create right back off the trail with you!

Do you have any go-to hiking snacks?