Tag: sales

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Fabulous living

Entertaining Tips and Tricks

Hello everyone! Happy Wednesday! I hope you are having a fulfilling and fun week. The weather has been gorgeous as of late and I have been taking full advantage of it at nights and on the weekends.

From fairs to festivals, I have been busy!

One of my favorite things to do year round, but especially in the summer is entertaining. I love hosting friends and family, whether it’s for a barbecue, dinner party, girl’s night, or just a cup of coffee. 

I have learned everything I know about hosting from my mom. She makes it look easy and I have gotten my love of welcoming people in my home from her. We just finished hosting family and friends for the Fourth of July. While this is our big party of the year, we also enjoy having friends over for casual dinners and grilling nights. Whether you enjoy entertaining or are a novice, I have some advice for you to make your next event, no matter big or small, a success!

  • Make a List and Plan of Action– Whether its having another couple over or twenty people over, make a list of what you need and what you need to accomplish before the event. I like to write down all the dishes I need to make and do an inventory of what I already have, before I go shopping. Then I make a list of what things I need to do to prepare. This list includes everything from grocery shopping, to cleaning the house, making dishes, and buying any extra things to have on hand. This helps me stay organized and gives me a list to refer back to leading up to the day.
  • Stick with What You Know– When it comes to choosing what to make, stick with what you know and what are crowd pleasers. I love trying new recipes and dishes, but trying them for the first time when you are having company over is not the time for it, nor the place. Do you need the extra stress? No! No matter what you are preparing, make it a point to cook things you feel comfortable with and are easy dishes that others enjoy too. Don’t forget to ask your guests if there are any allergies you need to be aware of. When it comes to making the food, always make more than you think you will need. It’s better to have leftovers than not enough food.
You can never go wrong with crowd pleasers, like burgers, fruit and chips!
  • Accept the Help– If you are planning on having a lot of people over and people offer to bring an item, accept the help. You can easily assign them something to bring if they insist on bringing something, or if you are open to anything, let them choose what they want to make, but ask them what it is so you can prepare. There’s nothing worse than having all desserts and no sides. This makes people feel like they are helping and it helps make your meal easier. 
  • Have Takeout Containers on Hand- Speaking of leftovers, if you are planning a big party with lots of people, buy takeout containers to send your guests home with leftovers if you have them. You can find inexpensive containers at the store and you are sending your guests home with good food and you aren’t wasting them. Plus, you doesn’t love some extra food the day after a party.
  • Buy Neutral Paper Products and Take Advantage of Sales– No matter the season, always have extra, neutral paper products on hand. I always like to have plastic silverware, paper plates, bowls and napkins on hand. I have a mix of white products and some colorful and seasonal products too. It’s always good to have some basic products for spontaneous entertainment and easy cleanup. Take advantage of sales after major holidays for deals on festive paper products to have on hand for when you are looking for something fun to pull out.
  • Always Have Boxed Mixes on Hand- I always like to keep a box (or two) or brownie mix on hand for spontaneous entertainment. The same goes for having extra trail mix, or crackers, or chips to serve people if they show up unexpectedly. If you have a neighbor, family member or friend drop by, it’s always good to have a little snack to graze on. Brownie and cookie mixes are affordable and easy things to have in the pantry if you need to make a quick dessert to either entertain or to bring someplace. 

There you have it. Some of the best advice passed down from my mom to me. These are things that she has taught me and I have picked up on through hosting friends and family. If you enjoy hosting, what are some of your favorite hosting tips and tricks!? Let me know in the comments below! Happy Summer Hosting!

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Let's Look

Let’s Look: Worst Habits

Hey everyone! Happy Wednesday! I hope you have been having a great week. Last weekend I ran my first 5K and I’ll be sharing more about what I learned about myself while training and how I prepared for it next week. Since it’s the second week of the month, I like to link up with Erika and Shay. for Let’s Look. Here’s some of the past things we looked at through the year. 

In July, we talked about new favorite summer finds, in June, we talked about best travel tips, in May, we talked about our morning routines, in April, we talked about pet peeves, in March, we talked about Amazon purchases, in February it was about our medicine cabinets.

Today, it’s all about worst habits which is similar to the biggest pet peeves prompt from April, but I decided to change it up and switch up my responses. When I first saw the prompt, I knew I could think of a list of bad habits or things that I’m not good at, which shows me how hard we can be on ourselves. 

Rather than give you a list of bad qualities, I decided to choose three bad habits I have and how I want to work on them. 

Here’s what I came up with:

Over planning– I am a Type A person through and through. I like lists, planners, a schedule and direction and I like it way in advance. But, as I have learned, life doesn’t work that way and you have to adapt and adjust, often or on the fly. Sometimes, I tend to over plan and then when things stray or change, I get thrown in a tail spin which is not good. I will also stress out about things that are out of my control. I will get anxious about something that is days, weeks or months away or may not even happen. I sometimes get so focused on it and get tunnel vision and then it may not even happen. I’m also really working on not overbooking things in advance and instead being more open and flexible to plans and things falling into place. It’s way easier said than done. I’m also working (which I have been for years) on being more spontaneous to making plans with friends and family. It hasn’t been easy but I’m doing my best. 

A look at my overly organized planner and to do lists.

Neat freak– I am a neat freak, control freak, everything has a home freak through and through. I love to clean, I love to make sure dishes are put away at the end of the day and all the laundry is folded and hampers are empty. I have been known to clean and put away dishes and cups when people are still using them. However, living with five other people, I know the house isn’t always in perfect condition. I try my best to let the little things go and give myself grace, but that doesn’t always happen. I love the sense of satisfaction of clean space which I alway try to leave room at home and desk at work in good shape whenever I leave, so when I come back, everything is fresh and clean. Growing up in a large family you get used to chaos, disorder and messes and it’s all a part about being in a family and I wouldn’t change it.

Getting sucked into “Sales and Free Items”– I enjoy shopping and I always love a good deal. However, I am guilty about buying things to get a sale or discount or to get something free when I don’t need it in the first place. For example, I will get emails like many other people about getting a free item/drink/side with a purchase and I will want to take advantage of the offer, because I would get something free too. However, do I need to buy something in the first place? Probably not. I fall victim to spending more sometimes to get a free item or free shipping when I probably didn’t need the item in the first place (I’m looking at you Bath and Body Works and Chipotle!) I will say that McDonald’s app and deals are ones that are consistent and worth the free items or discounts. However, most times, I realize I probably didn’t need to buy the item to get something free to begin with. I have gotten a lot better at simply deleting the email unless it’s something I absolutely need. However, I am guilty of spending when I don’t need to be spending haha!

An example of an email that I try to delete and not give into

I think as I have gotten older, I have seen these habits come out more, they aren’t necessarily bad, but when you take them to the extremes or become obsessed then you have to reign it in a bit. 

My biggest takeaways as I have grown up is that it’s all about moderation and not going to extremes of being a neat freak or over planned or stressing out about things out of your control, what it comes down to for me is about being more flexible and adaptable and less rigid. I’m a work in progress and I’m proud of that. I’m sure if you ask my friends and family about what my worst habits are, they can can give you a full list of other things, but these are big areas I that hope to work on as I grow older.

Now, that I have opened up, tell me, what are some of your bad habits? They can be big or small! Let me know in the comments below!

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Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites #13

Hello everyone and Happy Friday! It’s been a week! From Halloween on a Monday, to starting a new month on Tuesday and then a mix of weather. I was very happy to see the weekend. I like the beginning of November since there’s time to rest a bit before the hustle and bustle of the holidays and the end of the year. 

I have a fun roundup of favorites for you today as I link up with  Erika and Andrea for Friday Favorites ,it’s a good mix of movies, books, activities and food!

The Weekend Away– I know it’s not a new release but it’s new to me. I recently watched The Weekend Away on Netflix, and it was the perfect mystery and scary movie for me. I’m not big into scary movies, but I do love a good mystery and plot twist. The movie follows a young mom who spends a weekend away with her best friend. After the first night, her best friend ends up dead and everyone including the main character becomes a suspect. There’s lots of intrigue and a few plot twists you won’t see coming even up to the last few minutes of the movie. Definitely a good movie to watch if you want a scare, but nothing too scary.

Book Lovers– If you are in the mood to curl up with a good book on a chilly November day, then consider reading Book Lovers. It follows the story of a book agent from New York City who takes a trip in a Hallmark-esque town in North Carolina. This type-A young women is perfectly content with her life in the city but quickly learns that life’s not so bad in a rural town, that is until she learns her rival is visiting the same town. Will they stay competitors, or will a new chapter be written? You will have to turn each page to find out. This book is written by Emily Henry, and I have loved reading her books over the past few years and this one was no different. A great book that you will finish in a breeze.

Spare-Speaking of new books, Prince Harry’s new book cover and synopsis was released last week. Spare is set to hit shelves on January 10. I already have my copy pre-ordered. I can’t wait to read about Harry’s life from his perspective. From my past posts, you have probably picked up that I enjoy following the Royal Family so I’m very eager to read his thoughts. Plus, this gives me something to look forward to in the new year after the holidays are over.

Old Navy Sales– I stopped into Old Navy last week and they had so many sales going on. From jeans to blouses, coats and graphic tee-shirts. There was something for everyone. Plus, they already have some of their Christmas gear out and I may have picked up a holiday shirt and some Christmas pajamas. There’s so many different prints and patterns, you can go crazy! Plus, this is a great time to stock up on things while they are on sale as they switch their seasonal clothes out. 

Elk Watching– This is a different kind of favorite, but I went Elk watching last week and had such a fun time and it was a really unique experience. I had to get up extra early and travel to southeastern Pennsylvania to see the elk in their natural habitat. I got the chance to see them in the field and then up close by the road. It was definitely a once in a lifetime experience.

That’s a look into some of my favorite things this week. Tell me, what are you looking forward to this weekend?

Categories
Fabulous living

Christmas Prepping and Gift Giving Tips

Hello! Hello!

Happy Tuesday! It is finally December, bring on the shopping, gift giving, cookie baking, and decorations. I am so ready for Christmas but first I have to make it through finals. The next few weeks will be busy with classes, papers, meetings, and wrapping up the semester. Stay tuned for my semester recap and best of 2018 in the next coming weeks.

For today I’m sharing my tips for when it comes to buying gifts, staying organized and being on budget. Here are my three tips for making it through the holiday season as stress free as can be.

  • Make a list (and check it twice 😉 )

Whenever I start my holiday shopping I always make a list of who I need to buy for, whether it is family, friends, gift exchanges etc. if I don’t write it don’t I wont remember it. I always keep a running list in the notes section of my phone so I always have it with me. I write down who I need to buy for and what I am buying/bought, the status of it and where I bought it, I do this to keep track of everything. Since I am still in school for most of December this helps me keep track of everything no matter where I am at. With that being said, I always set a budget for myself and try as hard as I can to stay on budget.

Just to preface, this is a FAKE Christmas gift list. None of these gifts are real, I just made this up to show you how I set up my gift list-who to by for, what I am buying, where it’s from, and the status of it.

  • Shop when it works best for you

I always love going in the stores to browse and get all my gifts but with school being super busy I have done a majority of my shopping online. Amazon has been my best friend this Christmas season. I have really utilized the Shopping list in Amazon. I have been able to put things that I like or am interested in in my list throughout the whole year and have it in one spot. For example, I was on Amazon in October and saw something that was a perfect gift for someone, I put it in my shopping list and ended up buying it a few weeks ago. The shopping list is private so only you can see it and no one else can see what you are buying. Since I have done so much online shopping something else that has helped me is sending gifts that I am buying to school or home. For gifts that I am buying for my friends I send it to school. For gifts for family, I ship them to my home. This way I’m not bringing things back and forth and all the gifts are in the right place.

Once again, another fake look at my shopping list, this is actually my list of things I want. Haha. But it shows the things you can add and when you added them. Super helpful!

  • Take Advantage of Sales

I am a sale lover and I have utilized sales so much this year. I did a lot of my buying depending on what sales were going on. I always try to keep my eyes open for discount codes, flash sales, and cyber Monday sales in order to stay on budget and keep my costs low.

I did a lot of shopping with sales from Cyber Monday. I always love a good sale

Whew, that was a lot. Overall, my tips are: Make a list, set a budget, take advantage of sales, and stay organized. What are your favorite tips or tricks to staying organized for shopping for the holidays? I would love any insight you have! Have a great week and wish me luck on a last week of classes before finals!