Life as a Dare

Making Every Moment Count

I was on the Practical Christian Podcast with Travis Albritton!

Can I just say I love finding new podcasts out of the blue?

And it’s even more fun when you get to be a part of them!

A few weeks ago I was on Travis Albritton’s podcast, The Practical Christian podcast, and it was an absolute blast. I’ve been listening to his podcast since he reached out to me and I absolutely love it. I love how he tackles topics that actually matter in day-to-day Christian living. Although I also love the more theoretical theological topics, too, it’s breath of fresh air to listen to someone talk about something that matters to me NOW!

So give it a listen, and check out Travis’s podcast!

Here’s the interview:

Some things you’ll hear us discuss on this episode:

  • Why I started a blog when I was 10 years old
  • My experience as an outspoken woman in a church culture that values women of a quieter and gentler spirit
  • How parents can stay connected to their teens in an Instagram world

If iTunes is more your thing, you can listen to it here:

7 Ways to Save Money by Going Green

Over the last few months I’ve been obsessively researching going green tips to help me create a more environmentally-friendly lifestyle. 

Since about June or so I’ve been slowly making changes to create a more waste-free life (I’m nowhere near there, but I aim to eventually), and with every change I’ve made I’ve noticed something: going green is actually really great on your wallet.

Once I started thinking about it, it made a lot of sense–when you’re living a green lifestyle, a few things are going to happen that help you get the most out of the products you use.

I have noticed a real change in spending habits whenever I am focusing on green living. So here are 10 going green life-truths that I’ve found really make a notable change in how fat my wallet is and I thought I’d share them with you now!

Going green doesn't need to be expensive--in fact, it can save you money! Here's how to live eco-friendly and save money!

1. Going green helps you buy fewer products 

If you’re focusing on reducing your environmental impact, you naturally buy fewer products. Buying fewer products = spending less money = more money in your bank account. It’s pretty simple, really.

2. You use more raw ingredients rather than pre-made items

For example, instead of buying a hot chocolate at Starbucks for around $4, I can make my own at home for around 15 cents using cocoa powder, sugar, and a bit of cinnamon or just buying hot chocolate powder in bulk. There’s no comparison.

3. You actually use the products you have  

If you’re focused on reducing waste, you are more likely to actually use the products you have. Instead of hoarding 27 different body butters, you actually use the ones you have instead of buying more.

4. You make your own food

I know, I know, I’ve starting to sound like a broken record, but making your own lunches can save you so much time and money! As well, you’re creating less packaging waste since you can use re-usable containers to bring it to school or work. Think about it: even if you just bought a 6-inch sub every weekday, that’s about $25 a week, whereas you can make yourself lunches out of leftovers for less than $7 a week (Monday-Friday) quite easily. That’s saving $18 a week. Over the next 5 years, packing a lunch has saved you a whopping $4,680. 

Going green can save you enough money to go to PARIS! Check it out:

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5. You invest in a few, reusable items

Although this can seem at first like you’re spending more money, look at it long term: instead of buying a bottled water on campus every day for $1, buying a $10 water bottle and then filling it up is saving you money in only two weeks. This is seen in so many things–cotton pads for taking off makeup, for instance, are about $2-4 a package which lasts me about 2 months on average. I sewed myself a bunch out of some old cotton flannel pyjamas for free and can re-use them until they fall apart in years. I know that’s not that much, but it’s a coffee every week!

6. You have lower electricity bill

By focusing on hand-washing dishes most of the time and turning off lights we cut our electricity bill by about $5-7 a month, which is about a 15% decrease for us (Who doesn’t want 15% off their electricity bill?!)

Going green isn’t just good for the environment–it’s also good for your wallet:

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7. You get creative

This may not seem like a money-saver, but as you’re trying to spruce up a room or make a new body butter you have to stretch yourself. What can you substitute in this recipe? How can you reorganize the decorations you already have all over the house to give this room new life? Are there any DIY projects you can create using rags or scrap fabric?

I’m working on a rag rug right now that is using up all my extra fabric from quilting and sewing projects over the years as well as clothing items that can no longer be worn. It’s saving us a ton of money since an area rug costs mucho dinero, it’s fun to make, and it uses up stuff that would have otherwise gone into a landfill!

What are some positive benefits of going green you have experienced? Share them in the comments below and we’ll chat! 

Going green doesn't need to be expensive--in fact, it can save you money! Here's how to live eco-friendly and save money!

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5 Ways to Make Your Fitness Goals STICK This Year

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Fit4Less. The opinions and text are all mine.


How can you actually make your fitness goals stick this year?

We resolve the same things every year but how many of us make it past February 1st?

I’ve got some big resolutions this year, and I’m determined that I’ll see them through. I’ve even got my husband keeping me accountable (which he’s enjoying way too much)! But when it comes to fitness goals, there are some specific things I’ve found have worked to keep me motivated and sticking with my resolutions.

These are the principles that had me going to the gym every single morning at 7:00 when I was in university, and are what I’m starting again this year now that I have to wake up early to get my husband to work!

I hope these help you! Let’s go:

This year, make your fitness goals stick all 12 months! Here are 5 ways to keep your New Year's Resolutions and get in shape!

1. Get real about what’s holding you back

If you’re like me, you’ve likely been resolving to get in shape every year since you were fifteen. But have you ever stopped to really ask why you haven’t stuck with it in the past?

For me, it’s simple–I’m tired. Plain and simple. Right now the biggest obstacle I’m dealing with is that I drive my husband to work at 7:30 every morning and I’m exhausted–but that’s my only time to work out. We are working on going to bed earlier so that I can feel rested and less tired so that I actually go to the gym instead of collapsing back into bed!

I know for many young adults or students, price can be a huge issue. Paying $75 a month for a membership you may not use as often as you’d like is incredibly daunting. The result? No gym membership at all, so you don’t do the workouts, or you get a membership and stress about your budget.

If this is a problem for you, I’d seriously suggest checking out Fit4Less. Fit4Less is a Canadian fitness company that has created amazing gyms across Canada–their equipment is great, their facilities are clean, and they’re extremely friendly, as any Canadian company should be!

But to top it all off, they’ve got some of the most competitive rates I’ve ever seen, starting at $4.99 every two weeks for 4Less memberships (with an affordable joining fee). That’s literally just two lattes a month! If price has been an issue for you in the past but you still want to be able to work out at a quality gym, check out Fit4Less!

What has held you back in the past? How can you overcome that obstacle this year?

2. Go on a cash budget for food

A huge issue for getting in shape and staying on track is watching what we eat. When we eat good food, we feel good, and we go to the gym. But unhealthy food is just so dang convenient, isn’t it? It’s so much easier to grab a bag of chips or order in a pizza than it is to cook a good meal.

But convenient food is also often quite expensive. That’s one of the many reasons why getting fit can actually save you a ton of money–you stop eating expensive, unhealthy meals and start cooking from scratch.

Going on a cash budget for food can seriously help curb your spending on junk food if grabbing fast food or ordering in is a real issue for you (speaking from experience here! This is my weak spot). Take out the amount of money you can spend on food at the beginning of the month and that’s it. You suddenly realize that if you want to stick on the budget you’ll be making yourself fried rice for lunch instead of grabbing a burger.

3. Stock up on healthy foods

To follow up with point number 2, keeping healthy foods that you enjoy in your house can help curb those cravings as well. I have a huge problem with motivation around cooking and working out–it’s so tempting to just order something in! But meal prepping on Sundays helps me have healthy options available and already cooked (or at least the hard parts done, like chopping and washing all the veggies and cooking the rice) makes it so much easier. It makes shelling out $30 for us to order in a lot more difficult when I could throw together a Teriyaki rice bowl in about 10 minutes with ingredients I already have in the house.

Explore recipes to find meals and snacks that you truly enjoy that are still healthy, and keep those in the house. It’s OK to eat the same things a lot, just find what works for you and stock up on it!

4. Schedule it in

It’s one thing to say “I’m going to work out more this year” and another to say, “I’m going to work out at 8:00 before work every morning, light cardio on Tuesdays and Thursdays and more intense HIIT and lifting workouts on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.”

This is one area where gyms with classes can be a huge help. Fit4Less has just launched a really cool virtual fitness program called MOVE123 where you can do workouts on your own time or go to a scheduled class (please note: not all clubs have virtual studios). They’ve got tons of classes to choose from, and for those of you who are like me, having someone tell you what to do can be extremely helpful.

5. Find a gym that works for you

When I was in university, my school had two gyms. One was a dank, dark one in the basement of the health science building, the other was a giant sports complex with floor-to-ceiling windows, approximately 10x the size of the other one.

I absolutely loved the dank, dark one.

See, even though the basement gym wasn’t the most aesthetically pleasing, and I much preferred the equipment and the look of the other gym, the people were so down-to-earth. I could go as the little gym rookie that I was and if my form was off, someone would just help me correct it. It wouldn’t be a big deal, I could just ask and they’d show me how to do it.

I’m very self-conscious when I work out, because I’m not the strongest one there, I don’t have the most defined muscles, and I don’t know what I’m doing half the time. But being in a gym environment where working out wasn’t a competition, but people were just happy I was showing up was a huge boost to my confidence.

What kinds of things are you looking for in a gym? Write down a few and bring those questions to the gyms you check out. Head over to your local Fit4Less gym and talk to them about what makes you feel at home in a gym to see if it’s a good fit for you!

What are some New Year’s Resolutions you’ve made for 2018? Let me know in the comments below and let’s cheer each other on!

9 Things to Say No to This Christmas

Do you find that stress at Christmas makes the holiday difficult to enjoy?

I definitely do. Here’s the thing: when it comes to love languages, I’m not a gifts person, I’m an acts of service person. I don’t feel love by getting presents and giving them–I feel love by having people do things to make my life easier.

So being told “It’s Christmas! So we get to make a meal for 29 people, rush from house to house to see everyone, and then spend the next week cleaning up!” made it really difficult for me to enjoy Christmas for a while.

It’s not that I’m a scrooge as much as I’m just overwhelmed. The sheer amount of stress at Christmas that I face with everything to do makes it difficult to be in the moment and simply enjoy time with family.

This year, however, I’m determined to be different. I even put up Christmas decorations. I haven’t done that in 4 years–this is a big step. But the bigger step that I’m taking is that I’m simply going to start saying “NO.”

Now, when it comes to family and Christmas it can get tricky. I firmly believe in the importance of family-time at Christmas, and sacrificing a bit of self-comfort for the family as a whole. I think that’s simply part of having a family!

But that doesn’t mean that your Christmas needs to be dictated by others’ wants. This is something I’m recognizing more and more these days. So here are 9 things you have my approval to say “no” to this Christmas to give you more time for what really matters–quality time with the people you love, remembering God’s gift to us.

Finding stress at Christmas to be overwhelming? Here are 9 things to say no to so that your holiday stress shoots down to zero!

1. Too many commitments

You only have so much time. If you have 7 Christmas parties to go to on top of 6 different friends and family members to visit over a 8 day period, it’s simply not going to happen. Or, if it does happen, you’re not going to get much quality time with any of them.

Set a limit for yourself. Say, “This year, I will say yes to 3 visits over Christmas” and then stick to it. (Besides, who says you can’t do late Christmas with friends in January?)

2. One person making the entire meal

A Christmas meal is a lot of work. Seriously, it’s crazy–I do not understand why it’s usually just one person who makes it. Besides, most families have a special recipe each person makes anyway, so why not just all bring your favourite thing to make?

The turkey can be done by someone different each year, but why not have it that Aunt Margaret brings stuffing, Uncle Dan brings the potatoes, and John brings the salad? Potluck Christmas sounds great to me!

3. Negative or abusive people

One tricky part of Christmas for a lot of people is that not all family is encouraging and loving. And I want to say something here not everyone will agree with:

If you seriously dislike your family because they are just really negative people who tear you down, it is perfectly acceptable to limit your time spent with them.

I’m really lucky to have a fun, vibrant family and I recognize that. But I have a lot of friends who seriously struggle with family. And I think that if someone is a bad person, there should be consequences. And that consequence can be that if they are manipulating or emotionally abusing you, they no longer get you in their life. I think that’s OK.

(Now, we’re not talking about someone who’s just got a personality that’s hard to love–we’re talking just plain-old bad people. Not annoying–mean. There’s a difference.)

4. Expensive gifts for people you don’t even really know

Are you in one of those families who expects you to drop $100 for your aunt’s brother-in-law’s step-sister because, “well, she’s family!”?

You don’t have to. To placate your family members and help everyone feel loved, I suggest finding a cute DIY project like dyed bath salts or something that can be made up at very little cost but is still a lovely gift. But say no to holiday stress by saying no to unnecessary spending.

5. Travelling long distances 

This especially applies to people with kids. I believe it’s important to see family at Christmas whenever possible. I truly do. That’s one of the most important traditions for me–spending time with family.

But if your family lives 10 hours away and they expect you to come down for only one day at Christmas every single year without ever doing the trek out your way, it’s OK to say no sometimes, or to offer to host instead!

Sometimes family lives far away. It’s really unfortunate if you can’t spend time together every year, but sometimes that’s just reality. So do your best to get good time with family, but if sometimes it needs to be a no, then it needs to be a no.

6. Missing out on the quiet times

Somewhere along the way we lost “Silent Night” and got “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” Although I have nothing against Rudolph, for me Christmas is a time of joyful reflection, not the chaos that we’ve all accepted as reality.

Say “no” to activities that aren’t necessary and will take away from that quiet time that Christmas is about. Instead, sit and drink a chai tea while listening to Christmas music, or snuggle up and watch a Christmas movie with someone you love. Choose the quiet.

7. Mountains of presents

My family always did 3 presents each for Christmas: Gold (something we wanted), Frankincense (something to help us take care of ourselves), and Myrrh (something to help our spiritual development). If you’re overwhelmed finding presents, try to minimize the number of gifts that you buy so that you can pool the funds and buy just a few things that you know they’ll really love.

8. Empty traditions

Traditions are important–they’re so much of the beauty of Christmas! But there is such a thing as empty traditions. If you find yourself stressed at Christmas, ask yourself which traditions are meaningful and which ones you do simply for the sake of tradition. Then start to prune away.

Not all traditions need to continue–and minimizing what you do to only what is meaningful can help the Christmas season become much more relaxing.

9. Sacrificing your family’s needs for others’ wants

So often I see friends spending hundreds if not thousands over the holidays because it’s what’s expected of them by their family, but they simply don’t have the money. So they struggle, they go into a bit of credit card debt, and they feel the stress for months before and after.

Family requires some sacrifice, definitely. If you’re always comfortable and never inconvenienced, then it’s likely time to stretch yourself a bit. But a bit of inconvenience is very different than a family member not respecting your needs. Sit down and figure out this year: what are my needs? What are things that I cannot compromise on if I want to stay healthy financially, psychologically, and physically? 

Christmas is meant to be a time where we can sit and reflect with family on the love of God, that He would send Jesus to us in the most humble of situations. 

When we clutter our Christmas with things we feel we “should” do, or anxiety about whether or not we did everything right, we miss out on the quietness that we need to truly remember why we celebrate.

Don’t say “no” for the sake of saying “no.” Do it so that you can say “yes” to Jesus–say “no” so that you can have the time and mental energy you need to hear him this Christmas season.

What are some things you need to say no to this Christmas? What are you most excited for? Let me know in the comments below! 

Finding stress at Christmas to be overwhelming? Here are 9 things to say no to so that your holiday stress shoots down to zero!

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One Simple Switch for an Eco-Friendly Morning Routine

This post is sponsored by Intelligent Blends, but all opinions are my own. (In fact, I love this company so much that I’m writing another blog post for them completely for free on my other site! They’re doing good stuff.) Some of the links here may be affiliate links, which help support this blog. Now onto the post.

The average person throws away 500 disposable coffee cups every year.

That’s right–every year. That’s a lot of cups.

I’ve noticed that the little things we do on a daily basis are often the ones that have the biggest impact.

Saying “I love you” instead of complaining to a family member. Taking 5 extra minutes in the morning to just stretch before you go off to work. Choosing to eat some carrot slices instead of grabbing a bag of chips.

Choosing to buy a coffee at the shop on your way to work instead of making it at home. 

But often we underestimate the little things and instead look to the extremes. We read about the Zero Waste lifestyle, or watch Minimalist videos on YouTube and just think, “I could never do that.” (Or at least, that’s what I do!)

The average person throws away 500 coffee cups a year. How can we minimize that?

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Living in an extreme culture makes it difficult to appreciate the impact of small habits. We don’t see people’s daily diet choices–we see the 200lb weight loss transformation video. We don’t see the small things people do anymore–we just see the final results.

Tired of creating waste every day? Check out this ONE eco-friendly coffee switch you can make to make your morning routine more environmentally-friendly!

But I want to challenge us to get back to focusing on the small things. 

You don’t need to uproot your entire life to make a difference, we just need to identify areas for easy improvement. It’s about choosing something other than that disposable coffee cup at the shop next to your office.

Here’s the thing–most eco-friendly coffee solutions are boring. There, I said it. Or else they take way too long. (No, I don’t want to grind my coffee to use in my french press and then froth my milk in a pot on the stove and use the flavor syrup that I made myself. That’s like a 20 minute task for a drink I’ll down in 30 seconds.)

As well, I don’t particularly enjoy just bland coffee–even with milk and sugar. Also, I always forget to bring a reusable mug to coffee shops.

Which is why Intelligent Blends coffee makes me so excited! Unlike most single-serve coffee pods, theirs are recyclable. Making your own coffee at home using recyclable pods is one of those small changes with a big impact–imagine being able to cut down your waste by 500 cups a year!

But what I love about Intelligent Blends coffee pods is that they aren’t boring! Seriously, you can get mocha cappuccinos, vanilla cappuccinos, and TONS of flavored coffee (personally, I love the Dreamy Creamy Salted Caramel decaf one!). It takes about 30 seconds, gives me a drink that I actually enjoy, and is completely recyclable.

I also figured out that if I microwave some cashew milk while my coffee is brewing, I can make myself a frothy latte in less than 2 minutes in the morning, completely vegan and completely eco-friendly. It takes less time than waiting in a drive through and saves money.

If you’re looking to become more eco-friendly, I seriously suggest starting to use Intelligent Blends pods. 

They were lovely enough to send me their coffee maker, too, but the great thing is that these cups work in Keurig machines, too, so if you already have one, you can switch out your typical K-cups for Intelligent Blends’ more sustainable options!

If we truly want to change the world, we need to start by looking at the small things we do every day.

If we truly want to change the world, we need to start by looking at the small things we do every day.

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For me, it comes down to walking 10 minutes to the store instead of driving, choosing to bring my own shopping bags instead of accepting plastic ones, and finding a more sustainable option for my morning coffee. I truly believe in what Intelligent Blends is doing, so if you want to check them out, please do. It supports small business, it supports your local blogger (that’s me!), and it supports a more eco-friendly morning routine.

 Starting your day right makes all the difference.

So while you’re at it, here are a few more simple habits to start practicing to brighten your morning:

  1. Wake up 5 minutes early to stretch or cuddle a pet before you get out of bed
  2. Practice writing down 3 things you’re looking forward to every day–even if it’s something simple (like your cup of Intelligent Blends coffee!)
  3. Change your background on your phone to something inspirational or beautiful–or a reminder to put down your phone!
  4. Take 10 minutes on your commute to work (or on your lunch break if you drive to work) to unfollow people on social media who make you feel anxious or like you don’t have enough.
  5. Make your bed. It takes 20 seconds and turns your room from a crash zone to a luxurious oasis!

Tired of creating waste every day? Check out this ONE eco-friendly coffee switch you can make to make your morning routine more environmentally-friendly!

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