The rants and raves of a frustrated bride

I am poor. Not live-out-of-my-car poor, but we are barely scraping by. We bought a home just over a year ago, so there's that. Then there's the cars. Then there's the disappointing tax problems we've had, not to mention the disappointing daughter problems we've had (although I'm saving those rants for a time whenthey  have passed and I'm over the anger). So basically, although we balance our debt fairly well, we don't have any money to spend. This creates an odd problem, as we also are engaged and planning a wedding for this summer. 

I have given up so much already as far as the dream wedding goes. Nothing has really gone the way I wanted it to. I've given up my dream venues, my perfect caterers, anything that you might have to spend money on. We aren't even actually getting married on the date we picked. Instead, we are getting for-real married in May, running away to our honeymoon, and doing a ring ceremony at the later Augist date. This is, in part, to relieve some of the stress, and also so that we can actually go on our honeymoon. 

Now the one dream I am trying to stick to is rediculously harder than I expected to maintain. I want to get married outside. I love in beautiful, spacious Colorado. This should be an easy and cheap thing. It's outside. It should be practically free. And yet, everywhere I look is charging $1000-$5000 just to use up some space. Even a public park is going to cost somewhere in the $1000 range. I'd settle for a nice backyard at this point. I just wanted some trees and grass, and maybe a bathroom and kitchen to borrow for one. Freaking. Day. I don't have $2000 to spend on space.

What's worse is that you then have to pay someone to babysit your party. AND, most places require professional catering and wait staff. I want to do the food ourselves, because we're poor. I can't afford to pay catering prices, let alone for the staff. I know this is a dumb problem that most people don't have, but seriously? I also understand that they need to make sure you don't abuse their property. I get it, I do, but for heaven's sake, do I really have to pay $60/hour for you to attend my event and make sure we don't ruin the space?  Do I really have to pay another $100/hour for people to set up the space (something my family is more than capable of) and to serve us food that I could make at a fraction of the cost?

I feel as though I have been very relaxed on my wants for a wedding. I've gone from a classy dream to a cheap, casual reality. Am I asking too much still? I'm paying for this event pretty much by myself. I just can't afford this crap. 

I have been very blessed in some ways. I have a wonderful close friend who's a cake decorator, who is giving me my cake as a wedding gift. I also have a close family friend who is giving me a great deal on wedding and engagement photos, and my family is so supportive and willing to do anything to help. I'm sorry for my frustrations. Hopefully we find a place soon, as our wedding date is getting scary close. :/ wish me luck!

Cheap things to do

I don't know about any of you, but I tend to spend my days off shopping.  Although this is a lot of fun for me, it's also tends to end up costing me a little more money than I'd like to admit.  So today, being way broke from Christmas, I decided to make a list of cheaper things to do.  Here you go!

Cheap Things to do

• Try on makeup and perfume at Ulta (or a local mall).  This can be taken a step farther by having your friend dress you up in an outfit from your closet that you wouldn't normally wear.  It becomes sort of a makeover.
• Go to a coffee shop and read.  The more obscure and hipster the coffee shop, the better.  
• Rent/buy/Youtube a fun exercise video.  Think Jazzercise or Zumba.
• Journal or Scrapbook.  
• Take a walk or a hike.  Bring along picnic foods, a camera, and a good book.
• Do a mock photo shoot with friends or family.  Ham it up all you want with costumes and props.
• Write.  Create a story, or poetry, or whatever you'd like.  It can even just be a list, or rants about whatever it is that gets your goat.
• Practice your art.  Weather you like to draw, paint, photograph, or sculpt, do it.  If you aren't very good, that's even better.  Pick up a piece of paper and pencil, and try drawing that fruit basket that everyone else always paints.  Might as well.  You can always throw it away or burn it if it's too terrible.  Worst case scenario, pick up the crayons and a coloring book.
• Raid your kitchen cupboards and play "Iron Chef" (insert competitive cooking show here, if Iron Chef isn't for you).  Or just look up a new recipe online and try it.
• Make a vacation plan.  Research all the things there are to do, gas mileage, costs, places to stay, etc.  I did this in fifth grade and loved it.  It also gives you something to save for.
• Try on all the clothes in your closet.  Put together cute outfits out of your old staples, and get rid of what you don't wear or what doesn't fit.  
• Play outside!!!  There are so many seasonal things to do!  Build a snowman, or a snow fort.  Rake leaves.  Plant (or plan) a garden.  Weed the yard.  Draw with sidewalk chalk.  Roller blade.  Eat a Popsicle and jump rope or hula hoop.  Set up a tent in your backyard and make s'mores.  Go to a reservoir/beach/lake.  Who cares what you do?  Who even cares that you're a grown adult with no little kids?  Just get out of your house!
• Movie marathon.  Or a themed movie party.  Again, feel free to ham it up with fake movie tickets, a snack bar, the whole nine yards.
• Go to the library or a used book store with a few stacks of post-it notes and write recommendations or just nice notes to future readers.
• Hand write some letters to friends and family.  Send them in the mail.  Everyone loves getting handwritten letters in the mail.  To take it to the next level, pick a random name in the phone book, choose a pen name, and write a letter to that person.  
• Find a craft on Pinterest and try it.
• Organize something.  Or deep clean a room of your house.  I find this easiest to do when I'm angry or have a lot of energy.
• Pick a weird skill and learn it.  Juggling?  Knitting?  Sign Language?  Who cares?  Go get some books and check out some Youtube videos until you figure it out.
• Go check out a local free tour.  In Northern CO, we have Hammond's Candy, Celestial Seasonings, and plenty of distilleries.  Most states have a website you can visit to check out what free tours are available in your area.  
• Do an at-home spa day.  Get cozy, make some tea, and put on your pajamas.  Soak your feet, take a bath, put on a face mask, and relax.  When you're done, you can either just watch movies and relax all night, or you can dress up, do your hair really nice, and practice your makeup artist skills.  Up to you.
• Check out the 'Missed Connections' link on Craigslist (adults only, and proceed with caution).  Some of them are hilarious, and some are sweet.  Either way, it's a fun waste of time.
• While you're on Craigslist, check out the free section and find a piece of furniture to fix up.  Make a project of fixing it up, and then sell it.  Or keep it, if you'd like.
• Make a care package for someone who lives far away from you.  Get a flat rate shipping box from your post office, head over to Target/the dollar store/Wal-mart and fill it up with whatever. 
• Go get just desserts from a restaurant or two.   I don't know about you, but usually I'm too full for dessert.  You could also do just appetizers.  Eat at home, wait a couple hours, and then snack it up.  
• Go to a matinee.  Skip the popcorn and soda, because that costs more.  
• Window shop.  You can pick out stores for the style of the store to get decorating ideas.  Or walk down a main street a town or two away from where you live and check out the cute mom and pop shops for a different adventure.
• Do an at home Olympics.  Or a carnival.  Come up with competitions or games.  You can even use the Wii for this, but it's more fun if you set up your own stuff.  This one is obviously way better with kids.
• Youtube night.  Find or create hilarious Youtube videos.
• Use up those gift cards you always get for Christmas or your birthday.  Use up the scraps that are left on your cards to get whatever you can, then break out your fondu pot, George Foreman Grill, or cake pop maker and have fun with it.  
• Tea party!  Dress up, put a nice table cloth down, and make tea cakes and sandwiches.  
• Go get a massage or your hair or nails done at a nearby beauty college or massage school.  It's way cheaper, and usually the results are about the same.
• Go for a drive.  Take the back roads.  Bring a book, or stuff to draw with, or snack foods, or a camera.  Let it relax you and free you.
• Try yoga.  Or meditation.  It's harder than it sounds, and way relaxing.  
• Find out a local coffee shop or bar that has local bands playing, and go see a show.  They're probably too loud and terrible, but who cares?  
• Go watch a more obscure sport, or a college team of a sport you like.  In CO, lacrosse is pretty obscure.  Or if you can find a polo match. 
• Get a cheap loaf of bread and feed the ducks at a local pond/lake.
• Put together a list of random items you can find in the average household and do a scavenger hunt.  Or do a photo or video scavenger hunt, if you're older.  
• Find something to do on Groupon.  They usually have fun things to do at a discounted price.
• Go ice skating or swimming, or even find an indoor rock climbing gym.  It's usually pretty cheap, and it's a healthy way to waste your day.

So there's my list of ideas.  Feel free to add or comment!