March Budget Update

I started this month by sharing my monthly budget with my Budget for a Recent Grad Post, and I thought I would update you guys with how my budget went, what worked, what didn't, and how I adjusted my budget throughout the month. I knew that I will very soon (and very sadly) have to pay excise tax on my car, as well as an additional premium to my car insurance because I moved to a different state and am closer to a city. Those 2 items I am estimating will total to $900, which is fine since I am already living on less than half my income, so I can shoulder those costs with my income from this month without having to dip into savings. That being said, I stayed pretty tight with my budget this month, and tax returns helped me put a good chunk of extra money towards my car. Without further ado, here is the breakdown of everything I spent this month. For explanation on the budgeted numbers I have here, check out my other blog post.

Budgeted:

Rent: 775

Internet/Electricity: 75

Car Insurance: 120

Car Payment: 140

Food: 160

Gas: 60

Restaurants: 50 

Subscription: 5

Miscellaneous: 115

Total: 1500

Actual:
Rent: 775
Internet/Electricity: 72.66
Car Insurance: Sinking fund: 120
Car Payment: 140 (again, I pay a lot more than this, but this is my minimum so it's what I include)
Food: 190 (took the extra $30 I needed from my restaurant budget, which I still didn't use. Not quite sure why I spent so much on groceries this month, but I already have a meal plan ready for the first half of next month to make sure that this doesn't happen again)
Gas: 20.25 (still working on getting a good number for gas, but this was filling my tank up once)
Restaurants: 0 ( can I get a pat on the back for this one, I'm proud of myself)
Subscriptions: 5
Miscellaneous: 107
         - 25 - wine (needed to stalk up, you just never know when you're going to need a glass of wine)
         - 32 - Pinterest Strategies book, eventually I would like to make this a solid side hustle,                                although I understand it's going to take a lot of time and work to get to that point, but this                    book seemed like a good start to try and understand Pinterest.
         - 50 - Hydroflask, I haven't bought this yet, but in honor of tax returns I am going to treat                               myself a little, and I have been eyeing these for a long time. This is definitely not a                               necessity, but it's something I will use everyday and will last a long time. I also was well                    below in a few categories, so it's okay.
I was supposed to buy apartment stuff and clothes with this budget, but the things we need for the apartment my roommate covered with the difference between electricity (she pays) and internet/cable (which I pay). Also, my company just switched over to being casual, so now I don't need to buy more dress pants, score! This also had roll over from the previous month, and my budget for miscellaneous next month is half on this.

Total: 1,429.91

I was able to stay under budget this month. Throughout the month I do shift around to reallocate the money, but never add to the budget. I realized pretty early on that I would probably go over on groceries, so took money from my restaurant budget, a not completely necessary item, and moved it over to groceries. I really wanted to make sure I was at or below the budget for this month because of the couple expensive costs coming up. However, I have started to recognize that it's okay to splurge on things, especially when they are within my budget. There was definitely room for improvement in March, but this was only my second full month budgeting, so I'm still learning. If you have any tips and tricks, let me know. If you haven't already checked out my budget for April, check out this post.

I hope you guys enjoyed seeing my progress and let me know if you have any tips for budgeting and let me know what you think I can cut back on!

Best Cruelty Free Products for Acne

I know that trying new skincare products should be fun and a splurge, but when you have acne or sensitive skin, it's the worst. You never know what is going to break you out, and it's never fun wasting money on a product you use for 3 days and then are left with a face full of fresh acne. Believe me, I've been there too many times to count. So here's my two cent as someone who has 

If you saw my acne journey post you know I’ve been struggling with adult acne for the past 8 months or so. When I went to the dermatologist, I bought the Cetaphil she recommended, and I bought it a  couple times before making the decision that I needed to give another cruelty free brand a chance. When I started getting really bad breakouts I had just switched to Say Yes to Tomatoes face line. I don’t believe there is any correlation between using those products and me breaking out, because my brother had the same issues with his skin, so I'm assuming it's genetics. That being said, I was a little nervous to switch after my skin had gotten a little better. After doing a little research I decided to try Alba Botanica's Good and Clean Daily, it had good reviews and I liked their other products so I decided to give it a go. This face wash is a little bit drying for me (I think anything would be considering I use Retin-A and had dry skin before), but I love the way it makes my skin feel. I only use it once a day but make sure to follow with a good moisturizer but I will definitely be purchasing this again.

I rotate between this as well as using Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Castile Soap. This kind of seems expensive, but a little goes an extremely long way and I use this as body soap. I had read a ton of reviews online and everyone talked about how this left their skin feeling squeaky clean, and I can attest to this. Same as the product mentioned before this does leave my skin a little dry, but at this point I think anything will so I follow up with the moisturizer listed below. The nice thing about this product is if you don't like using it on your skin, you can use it for cleaning! You can look up all the ways people use this stuff, it's really interesting

Face Lotion

As mentioned above and my acne post, I use a Retin-A cream, therefore a good moisturizer is a must in my daily life. I’ve tried a few different moisturizers and I would definitely recommend staying away from any face moisturizer that has coconut oil in it. A lot of the more natural products seem to use it and I read a few articles of people swearing by it, but I hate the feeling of it on my skin and it didn’t help the dryness. I have also read articles saying that it clogs your pores, which is not what you want to do when you’re trying to clear your acne, and it isn’t very hydrating. After giving up on the moisturizer I had about a month ago, I set out to the stores to find a cruelty free moisturizer with no coconut oil in it, unfortunately most had coconut oil and salicylic acid (again, my face is so dry and I don’t want to risk drying it out anymore). Since I loved Alba Botanica's other products so much, I decided to try their oil free face moisturizer. This is an absolute game changer if you have dry skin like me, it feels great going on your skin and sinks in nicely. I highly recommend this if you're looking for a cruelty free moisturizer that is oil-free, which is hard to come by in my opinion.Seriously, if you buy one thing from this list, this is what you need to buy. I've been out for 3 days and my skin is peeling and itchy, and I really want my amazon order to come in. *Update, it came in and I feel like my skin is glowing again, I'm absolutely in love with this product.


Alright guys, those are my favorite cruelty free products that I use for acne. I know how hard it is to switch over skin care products, because finding ones that work with your skin can be incredibly difficult. Let me know if you have any suggestions or if you've tried any of these products!

My $1400 Budget

Last month (March), I shared my budget as a recent grad budget. This was a generous month of budgeting for me, I gave myself a little bit of wiggle room when it came to buying extra things for my apartment like fire extinguishers, and buying a few more work clothes. Now, it's time for my budget to get serious. I am on a mission to pay off my car by the middle of June, and I am going full Dave Ramsey on this. If you're unfamiliar with Dave Ramsey, this basically means budgeting, and every other dollar is being thrown at debt. So here is my $1400 budget. For reference, I am single, so I only have to worry about myself, and I live in CT.

Rent: 775

• This includes heat and hot water, and is a 10 minute drive to work. This is fairly average around where I live, I live in a 2 bedroom apartment with a roommate. 

Car: 140

• I am hoping to have this paid off by the middle of summer. That being said, I pay a lot more than this every month by this is my minimum payment.

Cable: 75

• I live with a roommate, so we split cable and electric. Electric ends up being around $40, so    she uses the difference to purchase other things we need

Food: 160

• Realistically speaking this could be lower, but I love food. I can't really justify living off pasta and ramen to save a couple bucks. If a girl wants to treat herself to vegan cheese every now and again, that's okay. It really is crazy how buying food at the grocery store adds up. Try and stay away from frozen and processed foods, they'll eat your budget (get it, eat? I think I'm funny). My goal for this month is to stay under budget and try doing bi-weekly shops to see if that helps with the budget so I stop buying as many unhealthy treats.

Restaurants: 30

• A chunk of this will be rolled over from the month prior. I never order take-out, but eating out is such a social thing. It's funny how I have to justify things in my budget to myself. It's okay to give yourself a little breathing room. Yes, you need to budget and cut your expenses, but if your budget isn't realistic or sustainable you're never going to stick to it

Gas: 40

• This is still an expense I am very unsure about. My first month living here I was driving back and forth to Massachusetts a lot and spent $75, but this month there is a week left and I have a full tank and have only spend $20. Hopefully this will become more of a concrete number over time. Most of my family and friends live over an hour away, so I want to give myself a little wiggle room in case anything pops up

Subscriptions: 5

• If you don't know how much you are spending on subscriptions, check. Between Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Spotify, Apple Music, and so many more, you could be wasting a whole lot of money. I still have my student account with Apple Music that is worth every penny to me and that is only $5

Miscellaneous: 25

• I cut this by more than half from last month. I also anticipate having some roll over from the month prior. Typically rollover I put towards debt, but there are a few more things I'm in need  and I cut April's budget a lot, so I'm going to hold onto it. This is anything fun I want, and just other little expenses that pop up.

Car Insurance + Phone: 120 + 30

• These are things that I don't pay every month but that go into sinking funds for lump sum payments.

Total: 1400

This is my monthly budget for April, I was able to stay well within budget with a few trades between categories last month. I am hoping I can be a little more diligent with my food, gas, and restaurant money, but I think these are reasonable expectations for myself. Let me know what you think and if you have any tips, happy budgeting!

Katie

-

Budget for Recent Grad | Living on less than 50% of your Income

I guess you can say I’m not your average 21 year old. I guess when people graduate they’re probably looking forward to their new car, fabulous apartment, and the paychecks they’ve been waiting for since they started college. I however, was pumped to start budgeting, yes, I’m a loser. The summer before my last semester of college I found Dave Ramsey, and I was hooked. However, Dave Ramsey would not be my #1 fan, because when I graduated I bought a new car. Given, it was a Honda Civic, so the cheapest car on the lot, and I knew this could last me at the very least 10 years. What this has taught me, is I’m not a huge fan of debt, and I want to snowball my way out of this as quickly as possible. Money isn’t everything, but it can give you the freedom to do the things you love. Because of this, I try to stick to my budget, which is still fluctuating at this point, as I’m settling into the real world. I manage to live on half of my post tax and post retirement income, which I am planning on sticking with for as long as I can. When I was graduating, I kept wondering what a realistic budget would look like for a single person. For geographical reference, I live in CT.

Rent: 775

• -this includes heat and hot water, it’s not the nicest apartment in the world, but it’s close to work and they are also currently putting a gym in the building which is nice

Internet/Electricity: 75

• -this is the cost of internet/cable, currently we have I want to say 100 channels, but we only wanted it to watch football, and now we don’t really use it. Electricity ends up being around $40. I pay for cable and my roommate pays for electricity. She either gives me cash for the difference or will use it to buy household items we typically split

Car Insurance: 120

• this is one I was super curious about, my car insurance comes out to being around 120 a month, I paid it as one lump sum when I bought my car to save money, but I thought I would include it for anyone that is curious. It is high, but I am young (therefore higher risk class) and don’t have the insurance bundled with anything to bring the cost down.

Car Payment: 140

• ugh, I hate this, and I pay a lot more than this when I make payments, I’m hoping to have this paid off by the end of summer.

Food: 160

• I’m still working on nailing this down, but right now $40 a week is pretty average, something I could improve on, but I love food, so we’ll see

Gas: 60

• although I have a short drive to work, I’m about a 2 hour drive from family and hour drive from a lot of my friends, so depending if I have plans to go home this fluctuates. Also my Civic gets pretty good gas mileage, which is a perk

Restaurants: 50

• I bring my lunch to work everyday and rarely get take-out. This is set aside for if friends ever want to go out to dinner. Restaurants to me are more of a social activity, rather than a I don’t want to cook thing. I think a lot of people would be surprised if they tracked how much they spend eating out. I think I read that millennial's spend more money eating out than they do on groceries, that’s kind of scary

Subscription: 5

• the only subscription I have is Apple Music, because I can’t stand all the commercials on the radio, and I like to have music downloaded on my phone to listen to during work

Miscellaneous: 115

• again, I’m still settling into my place, and we’re still buying things we need. Who knew you should buy fire extinguishers, or that you needed special stuff to clean an electric stove? This also is “fun money,” for random activities like rock climbing, and then I am in desperate need of finding some new sweaters for work. I expect this to be lower in future months, and I would be surprised if I used all of this, but I wanted to give myself some wiggle room

Total: 1500

Note that my lovely parents have told me I don’t have to worry about my phone for a couple of months, so part of my savings goal this month is to save the money needed to pay off my phone and then pay them for the rest of the year of phone service. I think I owe around $160 on my phone and it might be $30 a month to be on their plan. That is what I’m saving for at least. Also this doesn’t include little things such as birthdays and holidays, just because there are none I need to account for in the month of March. Alright, this is what a budget looks like for a single recent grad, that’s trying to live on half of their income (this will be great when my car debt is paid off). Check back in for an update at the end of the month of how I did sticking to this budget, and let me know if you have any suggestions on how I can budget differently moving forward!

How to Eat Vegan at the Dining Hall

Eating at a dining hall is never easy, I’m pretty sure even the kids that go to schools with top dining halls get sick of the food. That being said, the thought of eating vegan at a dining hall can be very daunting. Limiting your already slim choices can seem like a pain, but being vegan is better for your body, the planet, and the animals. IT’S WORTH IT.

That being said, here is how I survived eating at the dining hall for 2 years as a vegan. I also went to a fairly large school, so my tips might have to be adjusted slightly if your school doesn’t have the amenities that mine had.

1.       Get creative and find some staples

Be creative and find staples that you know you can have regardless of the time of day at the dining hall. You’d probably be surprised with the different amount of ways that I can make a veggie sandwich. Aka my go to when there was really nothing I want to eat in the dining hall. Pile all the veggies you can find, I found the veggies in the salad line to be a little fresher than those in the sandwich line so I always went for that. Also, I’m a big fan of making my own “pasta salad,” grab some pasta from the pasta line (it’s never warm so perfect for pasta salad!) add some Italian dressing and some veggies. Anyways those are just some of my staples, I also went for breakfast for dinner a lot, you can never go wrong with some cinnamon raisin bread and cereal. Get creative and always have some staples you know the dining hall will have regardless of the time of day.

2.       Read the menus before hand

Again, I go to a big school so we have an app where you can look at all the dining halls menus for the next week. You can also filter the foods you want to see, and they even had a vegan filter! I always checked menus before-hand so A. I can go to a dining hall that has something I like or B. I know what there is that I can eat and I don’t have to stand in long lines just to find out I can’t eat anything on the menu. It’s also nice to have a game plan, so you can find what you want quick, rather than reading all the signs figuring out what you can eat. I think for the most part schools post their menus online, so take advantage of this.

3.       Bring your own staples

Another tip is to bring your own staples, when I first went vegan I used to carry a jar of peanut butter in my backpack because I didn’t like the school's. This was nice just to have peanut butter with apples or a banana and peanut butter sandwich. Some of the options can get a little bland so being able to add peanut butter to your fruit or bringing your own hummus to dip veggies in can make all the difference. I’ve also brought nutritional yeast to spice up my pastas. I’ve seen people bring their own avocado and nut butters into the dining hall. We’re all just trying to survive, no one’s going to question you bringing some of your own food in with you.

4.       Don’t skip breakfast

For my school at least, breakfast goes until 10:30 and I always knew there is going to be something I could eat. I know for my school there is always oatmeal, potatoes, melon, and the gluten free section had vegan waffles (score!). Even though I did get a little sick of this rotation, I always knew there was going to be at least one thing that I like and it will keep me full during class. Breakfast is generally a vegan friendly meal, plus there’s always the toast, bagels, and cereal option. Pro tip: If they have blueberry topping for pancakes, add that and a little maple syrup to oatmeal.

5.       French fries are not always your friend

This is probably the saddest one for me to write. I first went vegan during my sophomore year of college and I quit eating dairy and eggs all at once. So, you can imagine it was a little hard watching everyone eat pizza, grilled cheese, and mac and cheese. Especially since I hadn’t figured out the whole eating a balanced diet thing. Safe to say at first I lived off of french fries, cucumbers, and bagels. Anyways, being the food jealous person that I am, I would replace all my cravings for desserts and cheese with fries. Now this would be fine and dandy if I ate them like I do at home, which is baked with no oil. However, the fries that have probably been fried multiple times in the dining hall just isn’t good for your health in any way. Just remember moderation, not everything that is vegan is healthy.

6.       Reach out to dining hall managers

I never did this personally because I was able to find enough to eat, but this might be important if you go to a smaller school and the options are limited. I have friends with allergies that had really good relationships with the dining hall managers and were able to order them plant based milks they could eat, or adjust for the allergies they had. So if you’re having trouble feel free to reach out, they are there to help you, and you’re paying a lot for that meal plan so get your money’s worth. Even if they’re just able to get you plant based milk or vegan butter, it can really help to add to your options.

7.       Bring fruit with you

My last and final tip is to take fruit from the dining hall with you. Most dining halls have a rule where you can take a drink, a fruit, or a dessert out with you. Not sure if most dining halls actually abide by this, but stuff some apples or bananas in your bag just to have on hand. It is hard at first to find enough to eat and get comfortable where you don’t mind asking for help. So it’s nice to have a banana in your bag for if you get hungry in class or when you’re studying.

Best of luck to anyone’s that is vegan and going to be eating at the dining hall. I know it isn’t great all the time but just remember that no one loves eating at the dining hall. Leave any tips below if you’ve eaten plant based at school and have any suggestions that I failed to mention.

Always keep in mind that you’re doing this for your health, the environment, and the animals. It’s definitely worth it.

5 Easy Ways to Save Money in College

Saving money in college, is very important, mostly because your expenses when you graduate are most likely going to skyrocket. Think about buying a car, furniture, security deposit, it all adds up fast. When you're thinking about saving money in college, it's important to find your why. Why are you saving money, what are you sacrificing for, what is going to make it worth it. For me college is one of the best times to travel, because you have really long breaks and know when they are well in advance. You most likely don’t have an obligations keeping you from traveling for a majority of that time, and there are tons of ways you can save money during college to pay for it. When I decided at the end of my sophomore year that I wanted to go to Costa Rica, because my friend was studying abroad and travel through Europe. I knew I was going to have to save a pretty penny, and this is how I did it.

   1.  Find a job on campus

I am very fortunate in the sense that I didn’t have to work during college and could put all of my time into school. But after I quit track my freshman year a lot of my time opened up and I knew I wanted to travel, so I found a job. Luckily I went to a big school, and despite not having work study I was able to find a job fairly easily. That being said, if you do have work study I would take advantage of this and ask around and find out what are some good jobs. I know for the most part people who work in the mail room can just work on homework. If you can find a job where you can spend some time doing homework it’s a win win. You make money and you have time allotted each week to do your work. You can also pick up a side hustle working at a restaurant or tutoring to make some extra money. Name of the game is bumping up your income, so anyway you can make money while still having enough time to focus on your studies is key.

2. Textbooks

Make sure you do your research on textbooks and try to sell them back at the end of the semester. I will never forget the shock of my first time buying textbooks, I think my first semester I spent around $500 on textbooks. Now I always wait until the first day of classes to see if my teacher requires the textbook or I ask around to see if friends that have taken it before actually used the textbook and felt it was necessary. There’s nothing worse than buying a $200 textbook and never even cracking it open. Also, check online to make sure you’re getting the lowest price possible, I always use slugbooks (be careful buying used if you need an access code though because those are super expensive and you don’t always get it if you buy used). Another way is just asking friends who took the class before if you can use their old textbook or checking your campuses facebook page to see if anyone’s selling a textbook you need. The last thing is make sure you sell your textbooks after you’re done with them! If a course is outside your major and you’re never going to use the textbook again try selling back to amazon or Barnes and Noble. Another tip is that if you have to buy a book, research how much you can sell it back for because it might be worth spending the extra $10 to get a bound book instead of loose leaf or online, because you can sell it back for half price or more sometimes. This is definitely a mistake I made freshman year, I could have got over $150 back if I had spent $30 more to get hard copies.

   3. Don’t eat out

I know, I know the dining halls are terrible, I get it. However, give yourself a budget for eating out every month because it adds up. Swipe friends that live off campus into the dining hall instead of going out to eat. You can make up a million excuses as to why you deserve the falafel after your exam on Monday, or to go with your friends to get coffee before class, or you get pizza after going out. Trust me, it adds up. Save yourself $20 a week from not going out to eat (or more if you eat out more frequently) and save yourself the $2.74 each day from getting dunks, I know the dining hall coffee is bad but you can make it work. Say you spend $20 a week going out to eat and $10 a week on coffee. Take the $30 x 14 week semester = $420. There’s your plane ticket somewhere. Set goals, make a budget, and remember the food in Costa Rica was 300 times better than the take out around campus.

   4. No online shopping or spending unnecessary money

This is one that I see a lot of people struggle with, it’s so easy when you’re in class to online shop. Don’t try and keep up with the Jones', it’s bad for your wallet, and fast fashion in most likely unethical and bad for the environment. Stay off shopping websites when you’re in class, and try your best to pay attention. You’ll thank yourself the night before midterms when you actually took notes or when you’re on the plane going somewhere. Another thing is monthly subscriptions, you don’t need Apple Music and Spotify even if you have the student discount. Don’t spend the money after your 6  months free trial of Amazon Prime ends, because it just makes it easier to buy unnecessary things. Make a list of things you want/need and if a couple weeks go by then think about getting it if it’s within reason. Again, set a budget for yourself for shopping or target visits or amazon or whatever else you justify dropping a lot of unnecessary money on.

    5.  Take advantage of college discounts

The last one is take advantage of college discounts and college apps that give rewards. I know I definitely take advantage of the student Apple Music discount or the 15% off Banana Republic. When you go in a store and are about to buy something just ask if they have a student discount, or look it up if you’re too shy to ask (was way to guilty of this when I was younger). Also, just looking for coupons in general, especially if you’re crafting for a little, most craft stores have really good coupons online. Lastly, I use Pocket Points, you get a point for every 5 minutes you have your phone locked in class. The points add up pretty quickly and it can get you some pretty nice discounts online or at restaurants near you. 

That's my short list of the easiest ways to save money in college, if you use any of these tips, set the money aside that you saved from using the discount or coupon and put it towards a travel fund. Remember the little things add up, and college is a great time to learn how to get your finances in check. 

Best Cruelty Free Products

*Links below may be affiliate links, this will not change the cost, but I may get a small commission.

Okay so when I was first transitioning into veganism I started eating plant based, and that took a bit to get used to. I immediately stopped buying any leather goods, and knew my next step would be transitioning my products. This one was a bit harder for me than the food actually. There weren’t a ton of vegan products in my local stores, my curly hair doesn’t always do well with new products, and this was around the time I started to get adult acne. Never the less I knew that this was something important for me to do, and I started testing the waters with new products. When one of my products was getting low I would by a cruelty free product and start using that. Doing it this way allowed me to switch back to my original product if I really hated it and give me time to try another one. Below are my favorite products, structured out by type of product.

Shampoo and Conditioner

As I mentioned earlier I have very curly hair, therefore I’m not always trusting with new shampoos and conditioners. I used to use Organix, but now they sell in China, which requires animal testing. I’ve tried a few different shampoos and conditioners, most of which were coconut based because those seem to be the most hydrating. The shampoo and conditioner I always drift back to is Alba Botanica’s Hawaiian Coconut Milk Shampoo and Conditioner. I’ve also tried different kinds of their Hawaiian shampoo and conditioner but the coconut milk it my favorite. It’s super hydrating so if you have dry hair like mine, this is definitely a snag. You can find it at Target, Walmart, and drugstores but I find it cheapest at TJ Maxx. Click here for amazon link to the products.

Leave in Conditioner

I keep repeating myself, but my curly and very dry hair requires a bit of love. I use Renpure's Coconut Whipped Creme Leaving In Conditioner. I was nervous to switch leave in conditioners because curly hair has a mind of its own and is not very flattering when it’s dry and frizzy. Similar to the shampoo and conditioners, a lot of leave in conditioners that I’ve seen are coconut based. I’m biased to this one product, as I tried it once, it worked, and the bottle has lasted me over 8 months. For using leave in conditioner everyday, it takes me a very long time to get through a bottle, I still have barely put a dent in it. I bought mine at TJ Maxx, if you’re having trouble finding cruelty free products check there, because they have a surprisingly large selection.

Face Wash

If you saw my acne journey post you know I’ve been struggling with adult acne for the past 8 months or so. When I went to the dermatologist, I bought the Cetaphil she recommended, and I bought it a  couple times before making the decision that I needed to give another cruelty free brand a chance. When I started getting really bad breakouts I had just switched to Say Yes to Tomatoes face line. I don’t believe there is any correlation between using those products and me breaking out, because my brother had the same issues with his skin, so I'm assuming it's genetics. That being said, I was a little nervous to switch after my skin had gotten a little better. After doing a little research I decided to try Alba Botanica's Good and Clean Daily, it had good reviews and I liked their other products so I decided to give it a go. This face wash is a little bit drying for me (I think anything would be considering I use Retin-A and had dry skin before), but I love the way it makes my skin feel. I only use it once a day but make sure to follow with a good moisturizer but I will definitely be purchasing this again.

Face Lotion

As mentioned above and my acne post, I use a Retin-A cream, therefore a good moisturizer is a must in my daily life. I’ve tried a few different moisturizers and I would definitely recommend staying away from any face moisturizer that has coconut oil in it. A lot of the more natural products seem to use it and I read a few articles of people swearing by it, but I hate the feeling of it on my skin and it didn’t help the dryness. I have also read articles saying that it clogs your pores, which is not what you want to do when you’re trying to clear your acne, and it isn’t very hydrating. After giving up on the moisturizer I had about a month ago, I set out to the stores to find a cruelty free moisturizer with no coconut oil in it, unfortunately most had coconut oil and salicylic acid (again, my face is so dry and I don’t want to risk drying it out anymore). Since I loved Alba Botanica's other products so much, I decided to try their oil free face moisturizer. This is an absolute game changer if you have dry skin like me, it feels great going on your skin and sinks in nicely. I highly recommend this if you're looking for a cruelty free moisturizer that is oil-free, which is hard to come by in my opinion.Seriously, if you buy one thing from this list, this is what you need to buy. I've been out for 3 days and my skin is peeling and itchy, and I really want my amazon order to come in. 

Soap

Okay not too much to say on this one, I feel like there’s not too much to mess up with a bar of soap. Again, home girl has very dry skin, so I just make sure to get moisturizing soap. I have bought one by Shea Moisture, and I really like it. It lathers nicely when using a loofa and smells really good. Not too much to say on this but I would definitely recommend. I also occasionally use Doctor Bronner's Peppermint Castile Soap, this stuff smells amazing and makes you feel squeaky clean. I do get slightly nervous that it will dry my skin out, so I only use it at most twice a week. You can dilute it and make hand soap or cleaning supplies.

Deodorant

This is another one where I haven’t tried a myriad of different products. I tended to stock up on deodorant, so it took me a while to get through those. I really like Toms Lavender deodorant. I have heard complaints that because it doesn’t have aluminum it doesn’t prevent sweating, but I don’t feel like I sweat any more than I did using my last deodorant. It also goes on very nicely and I like the smell. Again, isn’t going to stop you from sweating, but I haven’t found a deodorant besides Certain Dri to do that anyways. Recently I tried their 24-hour one which in my opinion smells better, but I like the consistency of the lavender deodorant, because you never have to worry about the white build up. Does anyone know what I'm talking about when I say that? All I know is I've ruined a few too many tank tops over the years from that. 

Toothpaste

Toothpaste is a tough one because I feel like your teeth aren’t something you want to mess with. However, when I learned poor little bunnies get squirted with chemicals in their eyes for testing, I knew I had to switch. I have tried a few different cruelty free toothpastes and I have to say the only thing I have noticed is that it does not foam as much as ones I used before. I have tried a few different ones but I like Toms Spearmint the best.

Best Vegan Eats in Boston

Alright, this is probably weird to say but I don’t think I went to my first vegan restaurant until over 6 months of being vegan. I have no idea why, because it’s so nice to go to a restaurant and not really have to think about what you’re ordering, or only being able to order something other than a veggie wrap. Once I figured out how great it was, I started exploring different vegan/vegetarian restaurants in Boston, and here are a list of my favorites so far. Let me know if you have any recommendations for other restaurants in the area.

Veggie Galaxy

This restaurant is hands down my favorite, it is vegetarian, but I believe everything on the menu can be modified to vegan. It has such a cute atmosphere and is always packed, it’s a mix of an old school diner with galaxy theme. Also the staff here is incredible, I don’t think I have ever been somewhere with people this nice. Just the experience alone would be enough, but their food is really good and there’s so much on the menu I want to try. I’ve come here with meat eating friends and even they like the food. As for what to get, the vegan mozzarella sticks were very good, definitely recommend eating when they are warm because the texture gets a little off when they are cold. Also the Surf and Turf was delicious, I haven’t had coleslaw since I went vegan (I never really thought about it), but man theirs is delicious. I usually stay away from vegan comfort foods, because I don’t usually think they’re worth it, but this is definitely somewhere you need to try.

Clover

Clover is all over the city, and they even have food trucks, so there’s an option for you if your co-workers are headed to the food trucks for lunch! This again is a vegetarian restaurant where most things can be modified to be vegan. Their restaurants are set up a little funky if you’ve never been, the staff is on the floor and they are there to help you, so it’s super easy to double check that what you’re ordering is vegan. I always get the falafel platter because I’m a sucker for falafel and fresh hummus. Make sure you get the fresh pita, it is delicious. The fries are also awesome and my friends have gotten many other things and they love it. Again, be sure to double check to make sure what you are getting is vegan, I know it can be a little hectic in there around lunch time, but they are very accommodating.

My Thai Vegan Café

This was one of the first vegan restaurants I went to, and it is still one of my favorites. I know the Loving Hut is a very popular vegan style Asian restaurant, but I was not a fan, so I was a little skeptical of My Thai Vegan. Also, ordering vegan at a thai restaurant isn’t too difficult, but this restaurant has so many options. The vibe in here is super cute, it’s on the second floor and the exterior is surrounded by plants. I typically get the Pad Thai and they also have vegan cakes for dessert! My friends have tried to Lo Mein as well as the curry and they were big fans. It has been relatively quiet in here when I’ve gone but I really like the food.

Jennifer Lee Bakery

Okay, before I went vegan I ate donuts maybe once every few months, then I went vegan and for some reason I always wanted donuts. I feel like most vegan donuts are cake like, if that makes sense. I had some time to kill at North Station and decided to check out Boston Public Market, because someone had said one of the shops had vegan donuts. Boy was that a great decision, their vegan donuts are delicious. When I went the first time they had a cinnamon sugar donut and a raspberry lime, of course I got both. They were better than real donuts, definitely recommend checking out. I have also got their donuts at farmers markets and vegan festivals. I definitely recommend checking them out, it might take a little to find them in the Boston Public Market, but worth looking for.

Life Alive

Not all vegans like salad, I hate lettuce. There I said it. That being said, a friend had given me a gift card to Life Alive as I worked near one in Salem, but there is a Life Alive in Cambridge. For someone who regularly says they don’t like salad, I will admit Life Alive’s salads are really good and there are a lot of options. They also have wraps and other sweet treats. Their smoothies are also really good, I recommend the Loco Coco Alive if you are feeling something sweet. It is a tad pricey but nice if you don’t want something that is going to weigh you down. Again, I'm a tough critic when it comes to salads, so if I'm recommending it, it must be good. Also the vibe is really nice in this place, it has a nice homey feel. 

By Chloe

Okay I put this on here because it is completely vegan and people seem to love it. There’s one in the Seaport and one by Fenway. Vegan comfort food is not always my favorite, I did not love their vegan mac and cheese but I know other people swear by it. However, their Kale Artichoke dip is delicious and I would skip the mac and cheese and go for their pesto pasta. It is a solid option, but I’m not too eager to head back there. I do know people who are not vegan and love it though, so maybe it just isn’t my cup of tea! I haven't gone their for brunch, but I also hear people rave about their cinnamon rolls, so check that out. 

Pizza and Sub Shop

I know, I know, this isn’t in Boston. But hey, Lowell is pretty close and if you live in the area you need to check out the Pizza and Sub Shop. They have hands down the best vegan cheese I have ever tried, and I’ve tried quite a few. The store owner hand makes the cheese from cashews and soy and it is more of a sauce rather than a melty cheese, but delicious none the less. They have a whole vegan menu, but I always get the same vegan cheese pizza with broccoli and mushrooms because it is so delicious. They also have a vegan pesto pizza, and I want to try and a vegan mac and cheese. Trust me, if you are in the area you need to check this place out. If you don’t believe me, check out the Yelp reviews for yourself. I drive 30 minutes to get their pizza and it is worth every minute. Plus the owners are very sweet, and supporting local businesses is always nice!

8 Things to Know Before Using Tretinoin (Retin-A) for Acne

*Links below may be affiliate links, this will not change the cost, but I may get a small commission.


I am right about to come up on my year anniversary of using Tretinoin, and oh man it has been a roller coaster. I remember when I first started using the topical treatment, my skin was well into the purging process, and I spent hour upon hours a day researching trying to find out how long this was supposed to happen for, and if it what I was going through was normal. I don’t know if I just didn’t take what my dermatologist was saying serious enough, but man I was not expecting for my face to turn into the Appalachian trails. If you want to read about my acne journey, where I talk more about what I went through click here. In this post I’m going to talk about what you should expect, for reference I still use Tretinoin (0.1%) about every other day. You can see how drastically my skin has changed from the peak of purging to now.

1. The first thing is the worst, you’re going to see this on every blog post, dermatologist website, and acne forum. But trust me, I know it doesn’t make it any easier to hear, it has to get worse before it gets better. The way this topical treatment works is by exfoliating your skin from the inside out, so that means bringing all the junk under your skin to the surface. The bad news for you, is that it means breaking out everywhere, and all at once. It will probably get pretty bad, see below for some pictures of how my acne was at the beginning stages. It has to get worse before it get better, but please stick it out. In the long run your skin will look so much better and be so smooth. I’m still surprised when I wash my face and it doesn't feel like there is a mountain range underneath my skin. 
2. It’s all going to take time. I know I said you didn’t want to hear what I said in 1, but get ready because this whole list is going to suck to hear, but I want to give you the same encouragement that I needed to stick with using tretinoin. I started using this topical treatment in March and by around June I had reached the point that most of the active pimples had stopped and I was just left with scarring, and that took longer than I was hoping to go away. I know it sucks to look in the mirror and it still looks like you have a face full of acne because of how bad the scarring is. Take pictures of what your face looks like over time though, anytime I would feel discouraged that my skin was not looking any better, I looked back and was able to see how far I had come. 
3. You need a good moisturizer, seems obvious, but it took me a while to find one I really liked. I try and buy cruelty free products, and most cruelty free face moisturizer has coconut oil (which shouldn’t go on your face) in it. Before I used an oil-free Cetaphil Moisturizer because my dermatologist recommended it, and at that point I was willing to do pretty much anything to help my acne, however this still wasn’t moisturizing enough for me. After trying a few moisturizers with oil in it, I finally came to the conclusion that maybe the Cetaphil moisturizer worked better than the other ones I had tried because it was oil-free, I did some research and found this oil -free moisturizer from Alba Botanica (note this is a lot cheaper on amazon than in stores like Target). Anyways, once you find a moisturizer you like, moisturize A LOT. My dermatologist recommended putting moisturizer on, letting it soak in and then putting on the topical treatment, letting that set and then adding another layer of moisturizer. This definitely helped me, having a face full of acne is rough, but the uncomfortable feeling of you skin flaking off is worse. (But actually, I ran out of this a few days ago, and my skin is starting to peel, and I'm very patiently waiting for my amazon order to come in).
4. You might want to skip the makeup. I read a few blogs of girls saying they got through the purging process by wearing makeup, but no matter how much moisturizer I used, my foundation would flake off and itch like crazy. I can vividly remember times when I was out and all I wanted to do was go home so I could take my makeup off and put a pound of moisturizer on. If this is happening to you, skip the makeup, I know it sucks, but remember you are always way more critical of yourself. I highly doubt anyone ever spent as much time staring at my acne as I thought they were. And honestly, if they did, they need a hobby. 
5. Don’t pick. I know, I understand how tempting it is to pick at your face, because Retin-A brings everything to the surface making it so easy for you to get it. However, your skin is a lot thinner than it was before, so when you pick it almost always is going to end in a bloody mess. I had to make this mistake 93493 times before I stopped picking at my skin, so please, learn from my mistakes. Plus, think back to when I said acne scars take longer to go away than the acne. I’m still paying for those times when I picked really badly. 
6. Kind of going off of #4, don’t exfoliate. I am the queen of “oh this sounds like a good idea let’s go for it.” I am thankful for once I thought before my actions, and instead of scrubbing the absolute daylight out of my already peeling face, I looked it up. Again, your skin is a lot thinner, so if you exfoliate you’re just going to take that layer of skin off and be left with a mess. If you’ve made it this far in the post I’m assuming you really want to know what’s up, so please listen to this one. 
7. Remember when I said I’m the kind of girl that thinks she has a good idea and goes for it? Well, when I first started using Retin-A, most of my acne was on my chin, so I only started using it on my chin. I went through the purging process, and when it started to get better I started doing the rest of my face. Little did I know the worst of it was on my cheeks, so I had to go through the god awful purging process a second time, and I almost quit using it because of this. SO, if you’re like me and think this is a good idea (I really doubt anyone thinks like this), don’t do it. 
8. Stick with it, it’ll be worth it. I started this process in March, it wasn’t until about June that I wasn’t inspecting my face in the mirror or being paranoid that people were staring at my skin. At that point I went out without desperately wanting to wear makeup (I absolutely hate wearing makeup, but if you like it, go for it!). Not everyone has a bomb roommate telling me that it’s going to be worth it every night when I wanted to cry because of how bad my skin was. So let me be your personal cheerleader, you got this! 

Alright, I can’t think of anymore tidbits I want to add to this now, but if I can think of any moving forward, I will be sure to update this! At whatever point you are at with your acne journey, just remember that it will get better, and I understand that acne sucks. Feel free to leave comments if you have any questions, additional pieces of advice, or if you just need to vent!

Tretinoin (Retin-A) - Before and After Acne

*Links below may be affiliate links, this will not change the cost, but I may get a small commission.

Alright ladies and gents, sit back and relax because this is going to be a long post. Unfortunately, there’s no magic trick that is going to make your acne go away overnight, trust me, if there was I would’ve heard of it. Let me give you a little background about my journey with acne. In high school I had the occasional blemishes, my skin was nowhere near perfect, but it wasn’t bad. I never felt the need to wear makeup and never gave my acne a second thought when I stepped away from the mirror.

That all changed in January of my junior year of college, and don’t try and tell me that my acne was from my diet. At this point I had been vegan for about a year and ate as well as one can eat at the dining hall. Around January I had started to notice when I was washing my face that there were a ton of pumps under my skin. You couldn’t tell from looking at it, but when I washed my face it felt like the Appalachian trail was chilling under there.

Once March rolled around the acne started to surface on my chin, I didn’t think much of it and treated it like other times that I had broken out. This time though it wouldn’t stop, not matter how much I washed my face or how much drug store acne medication I put on it wouldn’t go away. A similar thing happened to my brother a year earlier, unfortunately genetics were not on our side when it came to adult acne. Safe to say I cried, because I knew what was coming and immediately booked a dermatologist appointment. She prescribed me Tretinoin (.05%) and I was sure this was going to make everything better fast. I researched as much as I could on this topical treatment and there weren’t a lot of blog posts with pictures, hence why I’m writing this. After, going through it I understand, man these pictures are sights for sore eyes. 

(you can see that it was mostly on my chin and that my face in general was just very red)

My dermatologist said this would make my skin extremely dry, and boy was she right. From my understanding Tretinoin exfoliated from the inside out. It accelerates the speed in which everything comes to the surface and stimulates skin growth. So basically, instead of the mountain range staying under my skin where no one could see it, it brought it all to the surface quicker, and all at once.

When I first started on Tretinoin I only used it on my chin, because the dryness was so bad and uncomfortable that I didn’t think I could handle it all over my face. Regrets, I wish I had done it all at once, rip the band aid off. Regardless, it sucked because now I had bright red irritated acne as well as flaky skin that looked god awful when I tried to put makeup on. There was no winning. I recommend putting moisturizer on, letting it sink in, and then putting the Tretinoin. After letting that sit, following up with another layer of lotion, trust me you’ll thank yourself later. My chin was the only place that peeled, but it peeled persistently for about a month and was not comfortable or a cute look. For a moisturizer I highly recommend this oil-free moisturizer by Alba Botanica, it has made all the difference for me in the past few months.

A couple weeks after using this on my chin I decided to put it on my cheeks and oh boy, get ready for these pictures. Use these pictures as reference for it has to get worse before it gets better. I had never had bad acne and didn’t know my skin could even get this bad, it was a shock to the confidence to say the very least.

Because my skin was so dry it looked worse when I put makeup on and constantly be thinking about people staring at my acne. If you’re going through this just remember everyone’s had their trials with acne, people probably notice it less than you, and you’re your harshest critic so stop analyzing it for hours in the mirror. I honestly had so many times when I wanted to stop using Tretinoin because then at least I could wear makeup and try and scrape my self-confidence out of the gutter.

About a month later I had noticeably less raised bumps, but my face was still very red and had a ton of acne marks on it. The painful dryness had stopped and I mostly just used the Tretinoin on my cheeks and chin because the skin around my nose and my forehead dried and peeled too easily and they weren’t my problem areas. Again, probably should’ve done it everywhere but this is my honest, stupid college self’s experience.

After the semester ended I went to my dermatologist again, she gave me a prescription for to help attack the acne from the inside, and upped my Tretinoin to .1%. She also told me my severe acne would take about 2-3 years to go away. There’s absolutely no way she didn’t see my huge blue eyes fill with tears. I can specifically remember getting in the car after and my dad calling to see how it went. I had to hang up on him to stop from crying. It’s hard to look in the mirror and only be able to see the acne looking back at you. It sounds so dramatic but it’s how I felt, so if that’s how you’re feeling, you’re not alone. My parents told me to stay optimistic with the new medication because it worked for my brother and to keep using the topical treatment like the doctor had said.

So I shipped off to Europe with a face full of acne, but slowly returning self-esteem. I no longer felt the need to wear makeup, well for the most part. The medication definitely leveled out my skin quicker than I expected, but the acne scars were still very much there. Here’s the best picture I could find from that phase of my acne. (Self-promo it was taken on The Top of Europe in Switzerland, check out this future blog post of my trip).

June is when my internship started and also when I stopped taking as much notice on my acne. It was flat and slightly less dry, so I wore a little bit of foundation on my cheeks for the majority of the summer. I still got an occasion pimple, but it was mostly from my own fault of touching my face too much. Over the course of the summer is when I really started to see the acne scaring fade away. By August I was able to go anywhere without thinking twice whether I had put makeup on or if anyone was looking at my skin. And man this was relieving. I know it’s such in unimportant thing in the grand scheme of everything. But having your insecurities advertised on your face was really hard for me to deal with.

Another perk of Tretinoin is that my pores have shrunk tremendously all over my face which is really nice. Fast forward to March, a year later, and now, here are some updates on how my acne scars are looking now. It really is a beautiful thing when you look in the mirror and your eyes aren't immediately drawn to acne scars. Yes if you look a little harder there are most definitely a few still there, but that's okay. I am looking forward to the day when my acne scars are gone, but I have come a long way in a year. If you are currently going through a similar situation, I understand what a blow severe (or any) acne can do to your confidence. It will get better and it will definitely be worth it. 

TLDR

With Tretinoin it has to get worse before it gets better, and I mean Mt Washington worse. It will take months and maybe a year for acne scars to fade, but your pores will be significantly smaller in the long run and you’ll thank yourself later. Stick with it, listen to your dermatologist, and it will get better.