Making sense of business expenses

How I keep up with business expenses 

1. Keep every receipt from any expense that you incur for your business.
 Here are some examples:
- Gift bags for delivering products
- Items needed to make gift baskets
- Hostess gifts
- Lacons, sample containers, spatulas, etc.
Basically anything that you wouldn't have normally bought or could use for other purposes such as buying a skirt or fingernail polish..something like that. (Unless you're giving those items away as a hostessing gift, raffle, etc.)

2. Buy a notebook ( business expense..keep the receipt)
 and a small pouch or heck even a ziplock would work. 
 During the month stick all of your business expense receipts in the pouch. At the end of the month set aside a time to get them all out and put them in the notebook.

So if I started my business in June for example I would write " June 2014" on the top corner of the page and I typically tape them onto the page and write out the total amount I spent next to the receipt and what it was for.
then proceed to put all of my June receipts in order in the notebook.
 Ex:
Dollar Tree
$5.18
Basket Supplies

Then once that month is done you start over with the new month. I've found this usually keeps me on track and able to have everything in order for tax time. It also makes it easier to be able to know at a glance if you're in the good with expenses vs income.

A few other tips: 
- Whenever you're finished putting in all of the monthly expenses, total them up and write the total in parenthesis next to the month in the upper right hand corner, it'll make everything more streamlined during tax season.
- When a notebook is filled put it in your business binder ( more to come later on that one) or whatever safe spot you keep your other tax records
- If you've got questions over what is or isn't considered a business expense check out the official IRS business expense page

Like I said before, the notebook method works for me, but if you're more a fan of the digital life. You can always scan the receipts and keep track of them and any expenses on your computer using Excel or THIS awesome free tool.

DIY Laundry Detergent

Alright so if you haven't tried THIS incredible soap from Perfectly Posh do yourself a favor and try it now. 

Like...right now...I'll wait. Here's why:

1. INCREDIBLE citrus scent 

2. Organic soap base

3. SLS and Phthalate free fragrance

4. Lathers well and moisturizes luxuriously 

5. It's less than $10 for a HUGE bar! 

6. You can make the most heavenly scented laundry detergent EVER!

How you ask? Well let me show you, it's a lot more easier than you might have thought. 

You'll Need:

* One Perfectly Posh Chatter Chunk Bar 

* 1 1/2 Cups of Borax
* 1 1/2 Cups of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
* 1/2 Cup of Baking Soda ( not pictured..sorry, but I honestly just use store brand) 
* Ninja or other chopping/grating equipment

Step One:

Take out a grater and well...grate the soap. This is the "hardest" part of the whole recipe, it can get a little tiring but the bar grates fairly well. You should end up with about 3 cups ( using a fairly large grater as pictured) I wouldn't stress if yours ends up being slightly more or less. 

Step Two:

Take the shreds and put them into your Ninja or other chopping device and pulverize them until they are as close to a powder as you can get. I usually can get a pretty good almost powder quality using the ninja for a few seconds. The photo is obviously the before lol 

Step Three:

Put your now freshly pulverized bar in a bowl and then in another separate bowl mix together the Borax, Washing Soda, and Baking Soda. Combine the powders thoroughly. How AMAZING does your house smell right now??

Step Four:

Combine the mixtures together and begin stirring so everything is as mixed together as it can be. Then pour it into an air-sealed container and you're DONE! woohoo! Way to go! You now have your very own batch of homemade laundry detergent. You use 2 Tablespoons per laundry load. I stick an old measuring spoon right on top of the detergent so it's right there. 

Optional:

I always have some small little pieces of the soap stuck to my Ninja whenever I'm through and instead of just rinsing it down the drain I add water to the container and get loose as much of it as I can. I then add that water to another sealing container and use it as a fabric scent booster. I sometimes will also add 2-3 drops of Wild Orange essential oil to the watery mixture for even more citrus scent.

 I add 1/2 cup to the rinse cycle or you can dip a towel in it and throw it in the dryer with the freshly laundered clothes.

These are the finished products:

Ps- Your house smells HEAVENLY when you use this detergent

Also if you decide to use the Wild Orange essential oil 

you can use coupon code "Bubble" to save 10% off your order! 

Linking up at 

Blissful And Domestic

Serenity Now