5 Red Flags to Avoid When Starting a Small Business

What is scrappy cooking?

"Scrappy Cooking is the concept of transforming the world’s most commonly wasted foods into delicious recipes — and starting is as easy as chopping up a broccoli stem into a stir-fry," she tells me over email. "Seriously, it doesn’t have to be complicated. Look at the plants you have that you bring into your home every week, and see if there are ways to repurpose them."

With the help of Carleigh's Instagram page, I turned some broccoli stems into French fries and used up the last of my peanut butter for a noodle salad sauce. If you want to turn your groceries into a one-of-a-kind meal but aren't sure where to start, Carleigh recommends looking at every single aspect of the plant.

"Whenever I bring a plant into my home, I think about what part of the plant is discarded, and then I research whether or not it’s safe to consume (this part is important)!" she says. "Once I identify it’s edible, that’s where the fun begins. A great example of this is something like celery, which I buy often. I was discarding the celery leaves for years, only to find out they taste almost exactly like parsley and make a great base for a tabouleh style salad."

Is PlantYou vegan?

Yes, a lot of PlantYou's recipes are vegan, and they're all plant-based! Some of Carleigh's favorite recipes include mocha chocolate granola with spent coffee grounds, "chips" made out of beet greens, and pickle juice as a marinade (which is something I learned Chick-Fil-A does!). These recipes might sound intimidating or time-consuming, but that's exactly why Carleigh's PlantYou social media exists.

I can speak from experience that the videos are easy to both understand and put into practice. (Plus, the recipes are super versatile, because "when you’re cooking with just plants, if you screw something up, you can almost always fix it!"). But there are a few steps that always make these scrappy processes easier.

"The low hanging fruit to reducing food waste in your kitchen actually starts before you grocery shop," Carleigh says. "I always recommend people sit down for an hour one day a week, and make a really basic meal plan, outlining what they plan to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Then, before they head to the store, shop their fridge and pantry to avoid duplicate buying. Now it’s time to compile a shopping list, and only buy what you have a plan for! Done right, this will take care of 80 percent of your food waste."

What can I buy to save money on food?

In addition to meal prepping (check out our favorite apps to reduce food waste, too!), the PlantYou chef + author recommends having a few recipes that use up a bunch of ingredients in one go. "It’s really important to lean on staple recipes that allow you to 'clean out the fridge,' which is really what my new Scrappy cookbook is about," Carleigh Bodrug says. "I wanted to arm people with great base recipes (like stews, curries and stir fries), where they can interchange the vegetables and produce items they have on hand every week to reduce waste and save money."

"By using up leftovers, repurposing ingredients, and being more mindful about the food you’re bringing into your home, you'll notice a decrease in your grocery bill," she continues. "The average American family of four wastes over $1700 worth of groceries per year — which is like a phone bill every month! Not only does being Scrappy benefit your wallet, but it also feels great knowing you're making healthier choices and contributing to a more sustainable planet."

Okay, so you know what you want to eat, and you've budgeted for groceries, what now? "I look for ingredients that are versatile and can be used in multiple recipes to minimize waste," Carleigh says. "Quality, longevity, and sustainability are key factors in my purchasing decisions."

What is the proper way to store food?

After you've whipped up recipes like the Fiesta Fries below, it's important to store them properly to ensure they're fresh for as long as possible. "Use quality food storage and meal prep containers, and keep fruits and vegetables separate to prevent them from spoiling," Carleigh tells me. "Different types of food will require different conditions for optimum long-term storage. This applies to fresh produce, as well as dry and canned foods."

We all have days we don't want to cook (PlantYou's Carleigh Bodrug included), which is the perfect opportunity to support a local business. "On days when I don't feel like cooking, I usually rely on quick and easy options like smoothie bombs from my freezer, which are in my new cookbook," she says. "I also often have homemade soup ready to go that I’ve made in advance or have frozen in the freezer. Sometimes, my husband and I opt for ordering in from local restaurants in our small town in Ontario, especially on Friday nights after a long work week. It's a convenient way to support our favorite vegan small businesses while enjoying a hassle-free meal."

PlantYou's Fiesta Fries — Delicious Loaded Fries You Can Make Today!

Ingredients:

• 6 medium-size Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced to desired size, around 1/2 to 3/4 inch recommended
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 cups Vegan Ground Beef or your favorite vegan ground beef substitute
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, pinto beans, or red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 yellow or red onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 to 2 tablespoons water or extra-virgin olive oil

Suggested Toppings:

• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced Handful of fresh cilantro (optional)
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 cup Sunflower Cream Sauce

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F, and line a baking sheet with a reusable baking mat or parchment paper.
2. In a bowl, combine the sliced potatoes with the garlic powder and salt and toss until coated.
3. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and roast for 35 minutes, or until crispy, flipping halfway through.
4. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, combine the ground “beef” with the black beans, onion, red bell pepper, garlic, cumin, chili powder, and the water. Sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until the onion starts to turn translucent.
5. Assemble on a serving platter with the fries on the bottom, topped with the ground beef mixture and your desired toppings.

Excerpted from PlantYou: Scrappy Cooking: 140+ Plant-Based Zero-Waste Recipes That Are Good for You, Your Wallet, and the Planet by Carleigh Bodrug. Copyright © 2024. Available from Hachette Go, an imprint of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

What is a money date?

A money date can take on many forms, but it should always align with where you are in life. If you're single — or choose to keep money separate in your relationship — then a money date can be carving out time for yourself to create a comfortable space and review your priorities, values, and overall financial goals and hopefully actually set a plan in motion to achieve those. If you're in a relationship with combined finances, a money date can also be a way for you and your significant other to come together to talk about money and what matters most to each of you in a way that makes you comfortable and makes finances more approachable. TBH, even a group of friends can also get together with the purpose of focusing on money and topics that can help each of you gain better insights and strategies into reducing financial stress and building financial wellness and wealth.

How do you plan a money date?

A good starting point is to simply just...begin. One step leads into the next and before you know it, you've built life-long healthy money habits. But what does "beginning" actually look like? If you have a S.O., it's important to quickly chat with each other and establish the importance of money dates. Let them know that you want to work together to build healthy conversations around your goals and values with an emphasis on money and how that plays into your financial success. If you want to create a group of friends to have more structured conversations together, then think of 5-7 people that you think would be interested in the topic, add value to the conversation, and benefit from the discussion. And yes, even if you decide you want to focus on your money individually, you still need to structure it just like you structure time for your workouts!

No matter who you have your money date with, my best advice is to keep it consistent and have some guidelines. Being consistent means that you plan accordingly and you do the work if you want to enjoy the benefits. Set a time for individual or couple conversations — once a week for an hour is reasonable. For a group, once a month is more realistic. It will be more productive if you have the conversation in a place where you don't get distracted and where you have privacy as money can be a sensitive topic. Over a cup of coffee on the deck or a glass of wine on the couch, whatever works best for you.

What should you talk about on a money date?

There are a number of topics you should cover during a money date, which is why I suggest scheduling yours for one hour a week, same day, same time, and same place. You're establishing a habit and this is the best way for you to be consistent and reach your goal of financial health and wellness. The topics will be broad and then there should be opportunities for you to dig further down. My favorite break the ice question to get things started? Ask someone what's important to them about money.

Starting with this question will bring down some barriers and take the focus off how much money you have (quantitative) to what is important to you (qualitative). There will be plenty of time to go over numbers, but the first money date should be focused on dreams, goals, and values.

It's also critical to avoid money shaming during your conversation. Think about your relationship with money. How did you grow up learning about money? Did your parents fight about it? Was it a taboo subject that nobody spoke about? Or was there a scarcity of money? Think about it — these memories we have about money and our first introduction to money can have a negative affect on us that we don't even realize until we start to ask these questions. By starting conversations with qualitative questions first, you will quickly find out what your differences are and what the pain points are and help you identify the areas that you will need to discuss and work through more carefully.

After that, the first step in any of the following topics is to gather the information. Bring all the details with you to the date. There will be time to dig in deeper, have discussions around it, and make a decision or two — although don't worry about solving it all in one date. The point here is to make process based on the information you have at hand. The areas that you should address include the following:

• Cash Flow: What's coming in (salary, income) and what's going out (expenses). There's no way around it — your expenses must be less than your income to be financially successful. Budgeting is usually the first place to start, but can also be the most difficult. It's okay to skip this one for now and come back to it if needed. Think of this as taking charge of your money one step at a time!
• Debt: Credit cards, car loans, mortgages, student loans... no matter what type you have, debt can be challenging and ultimately set you back years financially if you don't address it the right way. There's definitely a difference between good debt and bad debt, and knowing which one is which is important to help you understand the best way to tackle this.
• Retirement: It can be hard to think about retirement when you're in your earning or accumulation years. The key is to set up an automatic process where the money goes into your retirement accounts before it ever hits your bank account. You won't miss it if you don't see it.
• Insurance/Protection: There are many reasons to transfer risk away from you onto an insurance company. Start with the basics — life, auto, home, and consider your company's benefits here as well.
• Investing: The time value of money and compound interest are your best friends. Automating monthly deposits into your investment account is a great way to build wealth over time.
• Estate Planning: Nobody likes to think of this one, but it's important to address. Retirement accounts and insurance falls outside of the will so be sure to update your beneficiaries annually(who you want to get your money if something were to happen to you). You will need at least the three basic documents as well - will, (who gets your money, assets and personal items) power of attorney (who can make financial decisions for you if you are unable to do so) and health care proxy (who can make medical decisions on your behalf)
• Education: If you have kids and want to plan for the growing costs of college, 529s custodial accounts and other investments are available to help do so.
• Philanthropy: Are you charitably inclined? Do you have causes that are important to you? Did you know that there are other ways to donate other than writing a check? You can also donate stock (Most who donate stock will donate appreciated stock, or stock that has gone up in value).

What happens after your money date?

Having an easy way to approach your money and having a system to manage your money will help you reduce stress around money and build confidence to move forward successfully. With the above plan, you can address both the quantitative side of your life as well as your qualitative side of your life to build wealth well. It's critical to explore the emotional side of money and what it means to you so you can better understand the best way for you to approach the dollars and sense of it.

If you're single and are thinking about when to start a money date — the best time to start is now. You're not too young and you're not too old. If you start today, you're one step closer to reaching financial peace of mind. Step one is set up time for your first date.

If you're in a relationship, the best time to start a money date is when you're beginning to discuss building a future together. When you have an SO, it takes the complications of money one step further as you each have a history with money that you bring to the table and to the relationship. Unchecked, it can cause challenges when it may be too late. Building habits early on and normalizing conversations about money will help you to implement the steps and actions that are needed to realize your goals together.

Having money dates on a regular basis will keep you consistent, disciplined, and focused financially. The benefits to a money date (and a lifelong process of money dates) is financial confidence — knowing where you stand, having the choice to do what you want with your time and money, and building a healthier, wealthier you. Money touches every aspect of your life, but money dates help you feel less stress, more in control, communicate better, and make better decisions in all of those aspects. By addressing this now, you're navigating complicated but important differences that you will want to work through together and start setting up healthy money habits now for your future.

Set of 4 Meal Prep Containers

Who doesn’t love pretty Tupperware? Whether your 2024 grad is a gym rat or a library lover, they will definitely find a good use for these air-tight, leak-proof containers.

Benevolence LA New Beginnings Scented Soy Candle

Send them off with this sweet-scented candle that celebrates their achievements, as well as the next steps ahead of them!

A Hundred Other Girlsby Iman Hariri-Kia

This book is like a modern day Devil Wears Prada, and would make the perfect gift for any grad going into journalism, media, or PR — especially if they’re moving to a big city.

Stanley Quencher H2.0

Hydration is key for anyone, especially a new college student that's running between classes, club meetings, and friend hangs! This tumbler will also keep their liquids cold overnight so they don't have to go down the dorm hall in the middle of the night for a fresh refill.

Dagne Dover Mila Repreve® Recycled Polyester Large Toiletry Organizer Bag

If you're sending off a high school grad to communal dorms, they'll definitely benefit from having a compact toiletry bag like this one. This style is particularly nice since it's made from recycled polyester that resists water and debris.

2024 Daily Planner

Using a planner is such an underrated way to stay organized, whether it's prepping for college coursework or adulting stuff like work events, grocery shopping, and plans with friends. This all-in-one daily planner will help your grad keep their ducks in a row with fields for all of life's details.

Honeywell Mini Cool Mist Humidifier

This humidifier, made especially for small rooms and personal spaces (ahem, dorm rooms!) helps maintain humidity levels between 40-60%, which can help relieve congestion and keep the throat and nasal passages hydrated to prevent sickness. This is crucial for soon-to-be college students who may hang around a lot of different people.​

Fresh Sends Flower Bouquet

Flowers are a staple for any major life event, especially a graduation! Fresh Sends is perfect for sending beautiful bouquets for those who live far away, since they ship directly to the recipient's door.

The Beast Mini Blender

This super-effective, high-power portable blender is the perfect size for a dorm room or small apartment, plus it's very aesthetically-pleasing even if it's just sitting on the shelf. It comes equipped with a screw-on lid and straw, too, so your grad can take it on walks and in the car.

Béis The Sport Backpack

Perfect for grads on the go, this bag can hold their water bottle, phone, wallet and so much more when they're trekking across campus.

Loop Quiet Equinox Earplugs

These design-forward earplugs are multipurpose – they block out extra noise for study sessions and sleep time, or even loud parties and concerts! Your grad will appreciate that they come with an easy-to-carry case for keeping them on-hand in unforeseen, noisy situations.

Crush Your Goals Inner Truth Affirmations Deck

For an extra dose of motivation, this 40-count deck of cards will keep them going when times get tough!

Keurig K-Mini Single-Serve K-Cup Pod Coffee Maker

Hoka Clifton 9 Sneakers

Hokas are undoubtedly the cool girl of running shoes, and they will definitely make your grad hit the pavement smiling, no matter if they're stepping foot on their college campus for the first time or making big moves in a new city.

Great Jones The Starting Lineup

This trio of cookware is such a stylish way to give your recipient's post-grad kitchen an upgrade. All three pieces are oven-safe and dishwasher-friendly to make cleanup a breeze.