Thursday, July 11, 2013

5 moving tips that will keep you stress F-R-E-E!

If you have been reading along then you know that I recently moved into my 1st apartment.
I have lived in the same house since the day I came home from the hospital so obviously over the years I have collected junk and just put it in my room and this girl had no idea where to even start with the packing considering I have only packed long enough for a week in the past. 
So I just dived right in, well that's a lie I looked on Pinterest to find the best tips for moving and keeping things organized.
Here are some pictures of the packing and cleaning out my room process....fair warning it's a scary sight!!

A completely unorganized mess and if you know me then you know that I was about to lose my mind from all the mess.
So I am going to share some of my moving tips with you....
TIP #1 
-clean out your closet or room a couple of weeks before you have to start packing.
If you haven't worn it in the past 6 months, donate it or sell it!!!!
You are not going to want to deal with that when you are trying to pack up everything.
TIP #2 
-Label everything and I mean EVERYTHING. From your q-tips to your pj's label it.
It will help you when it comes time to unpack everything and will save a lot on time!!!!
TIP #3
-Do you have suitcases, duffle bags, carry on bags, plastic containers, or laundry bins?
Pack you clothes that can be folded in those!!!! I cannot stress that enough! Fit as much as possible, even if you have to sit on it and get someone to help you zip it (thank you sista for helpin me out!)
Why would you want to go buy boxes to move stuff when you can just pack it in you Vera Bradley bag?
I ended up packing up 2 Vera Bradley bags, 1 suitcase, 1 tote from Marshall's (that big blue one up there) full of t-shirts,shorts,yoga pants, shoes, and my unmentionables ;)
It saved on money & time of going and buying them or asking different stores if they had any extra boxes I could have.
TIP #4
-All of my shirts, dresses and dress pants that I left them hanging and just got a huge black trash bag and wrapped around them and then lifted them up off the rack and laid them flat in my back seat of my car. Sadly I didn't take a picture of that but here is the picture from Pinterest that gave me the idea
y'all this actually works and saved a lot of time from having to take the shirts off the hanger, fold them so they won't wrinkle and then pack up all the hangers....genius!

TIP  #5
If you have the chance to go ahead to your new apartment/dorm/house then go ahead and take some stuff and unload it and organize everything that you can. That way you don't have to take EVERYTHING at once and spend ALL day unpacking organizing. If you do a little bit at a time it's definitely less stressful and you aren't rushed to get everything done before it's time for you to leave that night or time to go to bed.
Do you really want to go to sleep with you room still a mess and unorganized? Didn't think so.


Some of these tips I did and some of them I wish I would have, so take it from me friends!
Hope you all are having a wonderful week so far!!!!

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Pocket change

If you went to your car right now and gathered up all the loose change how much would you have?
Two dollars, five dollars maybe even eight or nine dollars?
I never realized just how fast change can add up until I worked at the bank. Customers would bring in even just a small zip lock bag full of change that they found in their cars or that they had been saving for the past month and it seriously would add up to be $20 to $50. I was completely shocked, I have always heard that change adds up quickly but I didn't really think that much of it.
Well growing up I had these little piggy banks, actually one was an Easter rabbit...rabbit & piggy banks. 
I had probably four and then when I was younger I had made clay jars in art class. My mom would empty her pockets every day and put in my piggy/rabbit banks and then I would just add my loose change into those clay jars. 
While I was packing up my room I didn't want to have to pack those up so I poured them all out and started counting and counting aaaand counting.
and this is the total I had

4 piggy/rabbit banks, 2 clay jars...now these were small banks that I could hold in my hand so they filled up pretty quickly but sill $79.30?!?!!!!! 
That's $79.30 more than I didn't have.
So on the next rainy day go dig out all the loose change around your house and out of your car.
Count it.
Roll it.
Deposit it.
and when the teller hands you your receipt showing you the amount you just deposited, you can thank me with half of it ;)

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

July 4th pinning...

July 4th has to be one of my favorite holidays. 
It's the perfect day to get together with family and friends and to have a big cookout, homemade ice cream, some fresh strawberries and end the night with a sky full of fireworks. 
Can you think of a better way to celebrate our freedom?
Well as usual I have been stalking Pinterest to find the newest cutest July 4th decorations and here is what I have found that I am absolutely LOVING
(None of these pictures are mine, I don't take any credit for them)
I am LOVING these table set ups! How cute are all these decorations?!?!!




These would look so dang cute hanging off the deck at my apartment!!

 Adorable and would be a great hit for the kiddos!

These centerpieces are adorable! I am going to try to make something similar this week!


  I think my dad has some extra wood laying around somewhere I can paint on this week... :)

 Can you imagine the look on the kid's faces when they saw these at your cookout?

 If you know me then you know that I am in LOVE with mason jars so as soon as I saw these on Pinterest the wheels in my head started turning...I can't wait to make these!!

How are y'all celebrating our freedom this Thursday? Any fun cookouts or barbecues?
I can't wait to see everyone's pictures on Instagram!!

Monday, July 1, 2013

Sugar Love boutique + July goals

Is it already Monday? The weekends always fly by but they seem to go by faster now that I have moved out.
Buuuut this week will be a shorter week...thank the Lord!!!!
 
 
S U G A R   L O V E   B O U T I Q U E
Needing a cute new dress? Go check out Sugar Love boutique! 
When I saw this dress on their website I knew I had to have it!! It's so cute and definitely the perfect dress to wear on these hot summer days.
Have you seen this dress anywhere else?! I haven't either, that's because Sugar Love has all the latest and not to mention cutest dresses out!! Don't believe me go see for yourself and tell them I sent you!
Go check out their website and don't forget to follow them on Instagram & twitter!!
 
 
 
 
 
I didn't post my June goals because ya girl was on vaca in the mountains but I am going to post my July goals!
Here are my May goals in case you didn't see them:
-Finish up with finals and papers for my LAST semester at Motlow (can I get a HOLLA?!)
-Celebrate 3 years with Matthew
-Find furniture for my apartment
-Clean out my car and wash it
-Organize my Pinterest boards
-Blog 5 or 6 times a week (absolute fail but still trying to work on this!!)
-Land a job in good ole Cookeville
-Do at least 2 new DIY projects and blog about them 
-DRINK MORE WATER
-Take vitamins every morning
-Buy a stranger a drink behind me at Starbucks
-Clean out closet, giveaway clothes & organize the rest
-Go on a date with Matthew
-Participate in a social media free weekend
-Go biking early in the mornings at least 3 times a week
-Continue saving MULA $$$$
-Enjoy the outdoors
-Have a themed date night in with Matthew
-Have more girls nights

and now for my July goals:
-Finish decorating and organizing apartment
-Decorate the walls in my room!!!!
-Continue saving MULA $$$$
-July 4th projects
-Make my own laundry detergent
-GET A NEW CAR (what what!!)
-Drink more water
-Take yoga and a spin class at the Y in Cookeville
-Blog more!!!!
-Find a place to ride my bike in Cookeville
-Try some new recipes
-Finish cleaning out my room back home
-Go on a couple of dates with Matthew


What are your July goals? Send me your links I want to read them!
Have a great Monday!