Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Currently


I know I've been quiet lately. I try to update more but to no avail it never happens. I have all these great posts queued up but I either never post them or finish writing them. It's hard being a blogger at times! It's hard keeping up with this no matter how many times I say I'll post more. But nonetheless, let's see what I've been up to this past week. 

This weeks themes: 
battling, surfing, jumping, taking, making 

I'm currently battling laziness. Ever since I graduated college last May, I have no motivation for anything! I try to study for my certification program, I try to do my craft work, I try painting and doodling, I try blogging, etc. I try to keep up with so many things that I used to do when I was in school and I just can't do it. All I want to do is surf the web, watch TV, and sleep. Oh, and spend time with my boyfriend. I guess being in school kept me motivated to do other things. I hated school so when I got home I did things that were pleasurable to me. For some reason now, I have no motivation for those things. I'm trying to get make in the swing of things but it's really difficult. 

I'm currently surfing the web and channels a lot lately. Oh, and train surfing too. I've been taking more public transportation than I used to. 

I'm currently jumping nothing. 

I'm currently thinking about everything I want to do, in the present and future. I want get back in the swing of things, save money for my apartment, meditate more, tap into my spiritual side more (I consider myself spiritual, not Catholic anymore), stop being lazy, take more walks, paint more, do more crafting, writing, blogging, etc. I have a lot of time to think now since I've graduated. And I think way too much when I need to go to sleep and I'm in the shower. 

I'm currently making wreaths. I make handmade wreaths from pom poms. Again, I'm trying to do more craft work. 

xx Courtney 



SammyDress Giveaway


SammyDress is a global online fashion retail company that sell reasonably priced clothing for Women and Men, such as Wedding Dresses and Wedding Accessories, Special Occasion Dresses and Accessories, Casual Dresses, Women's Clothing, etc. You name it, they have it! 

Here are just a few of my favorite items. 

Alluring V-Neckline Peacock Print Sleeveless Maxi Dress


Leopard Print Embellished Loose Bat-Wing Sleeves T-shirt 


Round Neck Sleeveless Open Back Design Pleated Chiffon Dress 


U Neck Lace Splicing Ruffled Half Sleeve Dress


Floral Print Short Sleeves Scoop Neck Chiffon Retro Style Dress


Bohemian Colorful Broad Stripe Print Loose Fit Batwing Sleeve Spring Blouse 


Now for the giveaway!

One lucky reader of mine will receive a $10 item of their choice from SammyDress. The giveaway starts today, March 26th, and end April 26th. You can enter below via Rafflecopter. Good luck!

xx Courtney

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Sunday Social


How much time do you spend on Social Media a day? A lot! I check Facebook multiple times a day, I spend way too much time scrolling through Tumblr, I tweet almost everyday, I go on Pinterest and  Instagram a few times a week. 

How long were you reading blogs before you started a blog? Maybe a year, I'm not quite sure. 

What is your favorite kind of cupcake? Oooo....that's a tough one. Crumbs is like 10 minutes from my house, so I go there a lot. I LOVE anything with vanilla, chocolate chips, candy, red velvet, and peanut butter. 

Do you eat fast food? If so whats your favorite? Yes I do! Since the mall is 10 minutes away from me (which is where Crumbs is) and I'm there often, I tend to eat at the food court a lot. It's cheap and I'm on a budget! I mainly eat Chipotle or Chinese when I'm there. If I'm not at the food court, I go to Subway across the street or I walk a few blocks down to Panera. I will never eat Wendy's, McDonald's, or Burger King. Yuck!

What is the most random thing someone would find in your purse? Coupons. Seriously, I never know when I'll come across a great deal or sale. Or when I'm out and think of something I need to buy, I know I'll save money because I have the coupon. I refuse to pay full price. 

What is the weirdest TV show you watch? Hmmm...Extreme Couponing maybe? But I don't think that's really weird. 

xx Courtney 

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Currently


Let's see what I've been up to this week. 

This weeks themes:
hoping, wondering, working, wearing, eating

I'm currently hoping I get my life figured out. One day I want to do event planning and the next day I  want to be an interior designer. I can't seem to stick to one and choose. I know after the certification course is over in 2017 I'll have to continue my education and go to another school for my bachelor's. Maybe I'll pursue both careers and do one as a side job and the other as a main one. Even though, I do love to decorate more than going to parties. I'm not much of a party person and I don't mingle with a lot of people. But event and wedding planning is much more than parties. It's planning someone's special day, planning a baby shower, a bridal shower, a meeting, a birthday party, etc. We'll see...

I'm currently wondering about my future, when I'll get a better job, this apartment, and how this year is going to turn out. I hope it turns out well!  

I'm currently working on my weight, eating healthier, my event and wedding planning course (I'm on lesson two of unit one; I'm slowly getting there!), 

I'm currently wearing my winter jacket and north face. Mother nature is going through menopause in NYC. One day it's 50-60 degrees and the next day it's back to the 30's and 40's. 

I'm currently eating healthier. I'm trying to incorporate more veggies into my diet, since I don't eat enough of them. I'm also eating more organic stuff and gluten free stuff. I feel so much better after I do so. And I'm considering going vegan, but I don't know. I can't stomach the idea of eating tofu and giving up my organic meats. 

xx Courtney

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

The Blogmopolitan Quiz: Round Dos


Check out my answers to the second installment of the Blogmopolitan Quiz, which can be downloaded here

xx Courtney

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Curently


I know I haven't kept you guys up to date on my life. After the holidays, I fell of the bandwagon. I'm getting back on slowly. So, what have I been up to this past week? Let's find out. 

This weeks themes:
declaring, saving, demolishing, sniffing, despising

I'm currently declaring that I love spring! It was 50 degrees yesterday and today was 63 degrees. *sigh* If only it could be like that for the whole year. Thursday, jack frost is back. 

I'm currently saving money for an apartment. I just started a money jar and I have a TON of change in there and a few dollars. It's growing slowly, but it's better than nothing. Check out my post, Financially Savvy, to fund out what the money jar is all about. 

I'm currently demolishing nothing. My neighbors are though. They're redoing their house and since my house is attached to theirs...well, you can imagine what that's like. Just buy a whole new house.

I'm currently sniffing the beautiful spring air. As well as, all the cooking I've been doing lately. Today, I made baked honey chicken taquitos with homemade flour tortillas. Yum! 

I'm currently despising the cold! Ugh! Why can't spring come sooner? 

xx Courtney

Monday, March 10, 2014

Financially Savvy: The Best Way To Save Money In A Year


If you're like me, you're a broke college student who's trying to make ends meet. You may or may not live in NYC (the most expensive in the US) or another expensive city, but times are tough everywhere. Or you may be a young mother who's trying to make ends meet. Whatever your situation is, we could all learn to save money. Here are some tips on how to do so. 


1. Use Cash most of the time
When you only shop with cash, you will find it's much easier to save. When you only shop with a credit or debit card, you'll find it's hard to save. Cash is limited, credit cards aren't. With a card, you have unlimited money; it's virtual money. You can go on shopping sprees, go into debt without knowing it, and in the long run you're forced to pay it off. With cash, once it's gone, it's gone. You have to wait to get another paycheck or until you can go back to the bank. With cash, you start thinking about prices and your purchases more. You start to ask yourself  "Do I really need this? Can I wait for this? Can I afford it?". Only use a card for big purchases, such as buying a car, apartment, house, wedding, college, vacations, and to pay off loans.

2. Create a money jar (trust me it works).
I remember when I was younger, I used to put money (coins, actually) in a jar after every shopping trip. After a number of months, I had $40 in there. Why I stopped, is beyond me. I think it was due to the fact of how I was saving my money. I started paying close attention to it this year. My fiance and I want to get our own apartment and we're trying our hardest to save. I'v tired everything to save. Don't use my card a lot, save the money in the bank, save the money in PayPal, save every coin I can find, save every dollar I can find, put $20 aside every week, etc. The method my fiance and I were using wasn't working. This jar method didn't come about till a few days ago when I was researching ways to save. I found this method on Frugally Beautiful and let me tell you, it's the best idea I've found. It makes so much sense and it's a winner in my book. I'll\ be doing this forever. I don't know why I didn't do this sooner or put this idea with what I used to do with a jar sooner.

A money jar is the best way to save money. Every little bit you put into the jar, will add up. The jar method is the best way to save because every time you put money into it, you see it going in; you see how much you're saving and you'll see how it adds up quickly. The best way to do this is to put spare change in every week. If you're a little wary of putting in dollar bills, start with coins. Start off with $.25 the first week and keep adding to it. So, the first week start put $.25 in. Then the second week, put two quarters in, so $.50. The next week, add 3 quarters, and so on. By week 20, you'll have added 20 quarters and have $5 saved up. By the end of the year, you'll have $300 saved up. If you want to rev it up a bit, start with $.50 instead and follow the same steps above. By the end of the year, you'll have $600 saved up. And if you really want to challenge yourself, start with a $1. Then increase it every week; $2 the second week, $3 the third week, etc. By week 20, you'll have $20 in there and have $210 saved up. By the end of the year, you'll have $1,300. You don't have to just put quarters and bills into the jar. You can do this with pennies, dimes, and nickels. Just follow the steps above and you'll save in no time.

I once took a jar full of pennies to the bank and cashed them in. At the end, I had $15. Yes. $15 worth of pennies, just by collecting and putting them in a jar. So, if I can $15 from pennies, then this method will work for you.

You can make it fun for yourself or for your family. It doesn't have to be a chore for this method to work. If your child doesn't do something you've told them to do, tell them to put a certain amount in. After shopping or work, dump lose change in the jar. When you're out walking around, if you find change (or bills, if you're lucky) on the ground pick it up, and put in. Search the bottom of your purse, between seat cushions, washing machines (you know for those people who forget to clean out their pockets), jackets, your house, etc. You never know where you'll find lose change or extra cash lying around.

Use this method for anything. An emergency, a rainy day, a wedding, medical expenses, to pay off debt or bills, for vacation, to buy a car, to buy a house or apartment, for rent or mortgage, to pay off loans, for your children's future, etc. There are endless possibilities.

3. Cut down on spending. 
Stop buying or doing certain things that cost you a lot of money every week or month. Stop eating out every day, week, or month. By doing this you can easily save $20-30 every week. Instead, cook at home more often. Which leads me to my next point, grocery shopping.

Instead of spending $100 on groceries every week or month, you can cut your bill by using coupons. And no I don't mean be extreme like that show on TLC (which I love by the way!). Start small and take baby steps. Read the store's policies before shopping and read the fine print of the coupon. Most stores limit your coupon usage to four like products. Read EVERYTHING before heading to the store though; every state and store is different. There are also a TON of sites for beginners.

If coupons are bit scary for you at the moment, shop around. Look at the different sales and prices at each store in your area or do different transactions at different stores. If you're luck enough to have an ALDI's in your area, then shop there. They don't have brand names, but because of that, they're able to provide quality items at low prices. I love that store! Plus, there's no tax! Just make sure to bring your own bags for checkout.

Hope these tips help save you money throughout the year. It's hard to cut down on spending, to just use cash, and to always remember to put your money in a jar, but once it's a habit, it'll become second nature. Try your hand at it and you'll see how much you save!

xx Courtney
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