LIFE AS YOU LIVE IT

8 TIPS THAT WILL HELP YOU RESET YOUR WEEK!

27 January 2016



Ready. Set. Reset!
Put your Sunday to work prepping you for the next week!


WASH YOUR SHEETS AND TOWELS
  • Technically you're supposed to send your sheets through the wash every three days, however if that's not feasible, at least try to get those sent through the wash on your Sundays! There is no better feeling than crawling into bed surrounded by fresh sheets! By the way, I recently made the switch to Tide PODS, and it couldn't make this chore any easier! No more lugging an entire bottle of laundry detergent down to the laundromat, all I have to do is throw two of these into my laundry basket and we're good to go! Plus, everything comes out smelling amazing!!

ORGANIZE YOUR COMPUTER DESKTOP
  • My desktop background starts to disappear by the end of the week from saving photos, paperwork and projects directly to it. I try to make folders as I go, however when that doesn't happen I usually sort through them on Sundays and file them accordingly.


FOOD PREP
  • I am 10x more likely to eat a healthy, well-balanced meal when it is planned out and appropriately proportioned out for me. I look at the week ahead, plan out my meals and put the right measurements of food into these delitainers (fyi... they ship in huge quantities). Each container holds one cup and makes it easy to grab and go. If I'm preparing a meal from scratch at home, everything is already measured out and cut up!

PUT TOGETHER A TO DO LIST
  • I live my life by a to do list. I keep a running list in my notes app where I'll add and delete tasks as they are completed. This isn't ever anything elaborate, however it does remind me to do simple things like my laundry, go to the post office, bank, upcoming deadlines, projects, etc. When I look at the week ahead, I'll update it and make sure everything that I completed is crossed off! 


PLAN YOUR OUTFITS OUT
  • Digging through my closet and bureau is not something I enjoy doing in the morning which is why I am finally mastering the art of planning out my outfits for the week ahead of time. After months of cleaning out my closet, I feel as though I have finally found my staples which does make putting an outfit together much easier! 

REVIEW YOUR PLANNER
  • No week is ever the same which is why I am constantly referring to my calendar to keep me in check. I used to use a daily planner, however I found my iPhone to be the most efficient these days. It's easy to input dates, it's always on me, and it syncs to the cloud so that I can access it on other devices. I like to look at my week in advance and reference to it throughout to make sure I don't miss any important due dates, appointments or meetings.


CLEAN OUT YOUR PURSE
  • I'm currently using a black crossover (similar) as my go-to bag and I love it! The convenience of being hands free and constantly having everything very accessible is the best! My only problem is... despite it's size, it become a blackhole for receipts, business cards, tissues and bobby pins! I've found that if I stay on top of it and take everything out of the bag at the beginning of the week, it doesn't build up as much! I strip it down to the essentials each week and am good to go!

CLEAN YOUR INBOX OUT
  • I don't know if this will ever be possible for me, however I do dream of a world with a clean inbox. Between my school, work, blog and two personal email addresses, my inbox is constantly flooded daily with mail that needs read and addressed. I do love that all of my gmails are in one place and would love to eventually get the other two under that server as well. In the meantime I have implemented a new rule for myself where I will not open an email unless I have time to respond, reply, and file it right then and there. This helps me to avoid opening emails and forgetting to respond. I'm currently working through deleting old, old emails that make everything look cluttered.

How do you reset your week?

post signature

8 THINGS I GOT RID OF LAST WEEK!

26 January 2016



Every one has a little bit of clutter in their life, no matter who they are. After looking around at our already very small apartment, it dawned on me that I had a few things that could definitely be removed from the ever growing collection that is our stuff. Inspired my this list of things that can be disposed, I poked around and found a handful of items that I felt didn't need to live in our home anymore.

ALCOHOL
  • This sounds silly, but we have so much alcohol in out apartment. I don't know where it came from and why we have it, but we are not big drinkers, and when we are... we stick to beer and wine. Honestly, if we hosted people frequently (which we don't really do that often) then maybe it would be worth keeping around. However, I have friends who would get much better use out of this than we would. After all, all they do it collect dust. The good stuff is in the fridge ;)
BOXES
  • Let me clarify... cardboard boxes, not organizing containers. For some reason, cardboard boxes end up collecting in our bedroom from amazon and J. Crew shipments, and I never throw them out in fear that I will need them to ship some random thing. This includes shoe boxes. I realize that some boxes may be worth keeping because they are from nice brands and look pretty, however there is just no space for us to do that. I think that I would prefer to store my nicer shoes in acrylic containers like this anyways... that is of course if there was space. Almost all of the boxes went out for recycling Friday morning.
MAGAZINES
  • For a little while I received the weekly People magazine as a "thank you" from Saks off 5th... however I NEVER read them and now they sit in our bathroom and collect dust. In addition to those, we also have an eclectic collection of shopping and finance magazines that live there now as well. I'm not going to read them, they're old, and look messy. They're outta here!
HAIR TIES
  • So many. I finally have a method down for hairties. I've been keeping all of the nice ones that are still new and stretchy on a carabiner, while all the others fall to the bottom of the drawer. I think it's time I say my good byes. They aren't doing anything for me.
CHANGE
  • Lots of change, all the time, and it's really heavy! I've narrowed it down to two or three jars, and now all I have to do is haul it to the bank and run it through the machine. I have already made leaps and bounds in this department, and am now just trying to finish the project up. That's money, people!
PENS
  • Maybe it's because TD banks are like dunkin' donuts here... but I am usually finding a TD bank pen in my purse at least once or twice a week! I really don't need that many, and know of a great cause for all of your extra pens. Donate your unused or unwanted pens to your local restaurants. Believe me, the servers and bartenders NEVER have enough. That's where mine went!
EXTRA TUPPERWARE
  • I'm a tupperware snob. After getting into meal planning and buying containers that help me keep everything organized, I have shunned the mismatching sets. I stick to these DELItainers, and my beloved sistema ones and dropped the mismatchy ones off at the Goodwill... they're still in great shape and very useful!
UNWORN CLOTHING
  • I am always getting rid of clothes that do not fit or that I do not wear. eBay has been my best tool thus far. I get such a rush of excitement every time something is bought, PLUS I'm getting rid of stuff that takes up space. Win, win! I've been trying very hard for the past forever or so to get my closet down to just the staples and purge it of items that shouldn't be there. 
I'll have to continue to reference back to that list to help de-clutter my life! What other items do you find yourself getting rid of?

post signature

LOVE Coupons for Valentine's Day!

25 January 2016


The day of love is right around the corner and will be here before you know it! I asked L last night what he wanted to do for Valentine's Day, however we ended up shaking our hands and laughing... after all, we end up working every. single. valentines day anyways. What can ya do? We usually like to enjoy some yummy Italian cuisine in the North End (L'Osteria is one of my favorites!) and have a movie night afterwards! It's the best and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Needless to say, per our conversation on the topic last night, I felt inspired to put together a fun book of LOVE COUPONS to add to my Etsy shop. Homemade gifts are always the most meaningful, and this felt like a fun way for people to distribute something special to your special someone! 


I included a front page and back page for the book, as well as a page of additional blank coupons for you to personalize. Don't worry! All of the coupons are very PG and offer a fun pink ombre theme.
I ended up printing mine on shiny card stock paper (the pictures do not do this paper justice) and bound them all together with some twine!


Check out my ETSY SHOP here and some other ROTATING FREE PRINTABLES here.

What kind of fun DIY Valentine's Day gifts do you have up your sleeve for your significant other?
post signature

Who • What • When • Where • Why

23 January 2016

[via]


WHO
  • L and I made our way to the theater to watch The Revenant and were left with our jaws on the floor. Leonardo DiCaprio hit it out of the park, it was that good! It was honestly such a sad movie but this article helps to explain how it really is a love letter to nature. I really would love to see Leo win his very long-awaited Oscar this year! That man deserves it, especially after this film!
WHAT
  • I had this done the other day. After being banned in Massachusetts for quite some time, it is now permitted again and my beauty guru friend convinced me to give it a go! Honestly, anything spa related I will probably love! It was very relaxing and stung only a tiny bit. I'm not sure if this is something I will frequently do, however it was fun to try!
WHEN
  • We have a family ski trip coming up within the next couple weeks and I AM SO EXCITED. Waking up on the mountain to fresh snow and a ski left doesn't get any better. I'm going to try to make another video like I did for our trip to Myrtle Beach last August. In other news, that means lots of packing and planning... my very, very favorite! I'm been referencing to a handful of posts (1 / 2 / 3 / 4) and am thinking about making my own packing list to add to the printables page or my Etsy shop! Read about last years trip here!
WHERE
  • Portland, Maine friends... Portland, Maine. L and I really want to hop on the train and take it up to Portland for a Breaking Benjamin concert on February 1st! They were one of the first bands we ever saw in concert together and it's been over six years since! Would love to take a hike down memory lane and see them again while being serenaded by Benjamin Burnley's beautiful voice! ALSO, out fur-child Macy Cat is still on Mainecation and we want to bring her back to her little city abode. We miss her terribly!
WHY
  • Why is it that my favorite store creates the most rocking pajamas of all time! Honestly, these should be in my closet right now. Wouldn't they be perfect to wear as long underwear under your ski gear!!?

Have a wonderful and warm winter weekend! Hoping for a lot of snow to come our way!! (:

post signature

Amazon Lust List

22 January 2016



I cannot stress enough how much use I have gotten out of my awesome Amazon Prime membership. Considering the amount of money time I invest into picking out items that I need, I think it's safe to say that I won't be leaving that deal anytime soon. I recently received an Amazon gift card in the mail and wanted to pop in and share my current Amazon lust list with you.



1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9

  1. These Fujifilm Instax cameras are all of the rage these days. I can think of a long list of ideas as to what you can do with polaroids and desperately want to add this to my camera arsenal. I'm also going to have to stock up on some extra film, lots of ideas brewing here!

  2. The ever popular Diptyque candles can be found on Amazon in my very favorite scent, berries and bulgarian roses. These candles are so dreamy, and their empty jars are perfect for organizing desk accessories, and makeup! They also offer a smaller (2.4 oz.) version for a fraction of the price!

  3. Ticket to Ride is one of my favorite board games to date. My mom bought this game from a small little book store in Ohio years ago and it still consistently ranks very high come family game nights! The purpose of the game is to make a continuous train that connects all of your destinations. Winner is whoever has the most points! My parents have this game at their house, however I have yet to add it to my growing collection!

  4. Hello, genius thermostat! When I own a home, the first thing I'm installing is a Nest. I don't think I need to go into too much detail about this magic, but it basically reads your mind and adjusts the temperature of your house accordingly ;)

  5. I'm an organizing junkie and have a newfound love for packing cubes. I recently received some from Lands End for Christmas and lurve with a capital URVE them! Eagle Creek is a pretty popular brand as well and offer a handful of options on Amazon!

  6. Next Christmas I want to have a faux sheepskin rug as a tree skirt that can double as a fun decor piece. I don't know why, but I love it! I don't think it could possibly get any more cozier and chic than that.

  7. During a conversation with an associate of mine the other day he mentioned that he had walked over 22,000 steps at work in only a few hours which was equivalent to over 10 miles. Maybe I need to get a Fitbit to track how many steps I can clock in! I don't know if it would be 10 miles, but I'm sure it would be pretty decent considering I don't own a car and walk everywhere! Who knows, maybe I do walk over 10 miles a day? That'd be pretty cool!

  8. I secretly want one of these beats pills, and I don't even know why? I have something very similar that works like a charm, however the convenience of having something so small that you can tote around everywhere sounds so appealing! I would take that thing on vacation with me and rock out in the hotel room with it! Oh yes!

  9. I don't need all of the bells and whistles when it comes to a GoPro, however I do think it would be fun to have one on hand to record memories from ski trips and water activities! Not to mention, these little beauties produce quality pictures and videos. Food for thought.

Okay, so how many times did I mention Christmas in this post? Can you tell I still have the holidays on my brain!?

These items are all of course items that you can purchase at different stores, however I prefer the convenience that Amazon offers.

What are your favorite Amazon finds? Please Share!!

Links contain affiliates
post signature

25 USEFUL AND FUN ROAD TRIP APPS

21 January 2016



Waze
Price: Free
Apple | Android
Buckle up friends, this app is a great one to have on hand when trying to navigate just about anywhere! Not only does it correctly navigate you to your destination, it will also reroute you when there is upcoming traffic. The community of users actively alert other drivers of any real-time traffic to help enhance your trip. This could include accidents, road hazards, speed traps, or delays.



GasBuddy
Price: Free
Apple | Android
Don't ever pay outrageous prices for gas again... but really, don't. GasBuddy helps you locate the most reasonable rates out there so that you can save a buck or two on your trip. You can also earn points that go into a drawing for a free gas card! Bingo, bango, bongo!



SitOrSquat
Price: Free
Apple | Android
I'm a big baby when it comes to public restrooms mainly because of sanitary reasons so when Charmin came out with this genius app, I was completely on board! The green toilet rolls are good ones, while the red toilet rolls are less than stellar experiences. You can also rate your own personal experiences as well to help your fellow SitOrSquatters!



RepairPal
Price: Free
Apple | Android
If you ever end up roadside with a mechanical issue, this app will connect you to local mechanics that can assist with any repairs. You are also able to get roadside assistance and track the progress from the app as well! 



iExit
Price: $2.99
Apple | Android
This is gold when it comes to making quick pitstops on the turnpike and finding decent deals for housing accommodations. It lets you know about upcoming exits and the business's located at and around them. 



AAA Mobile
Price: Free
Apple | Android
This app is geared towards AAA members who want to take more advantage of the benefits that they offer. Not only are they great for roadside assistance, they also cater to trip planning when it comes to getting hotel and restaurant discounts.



OpenTable
Price: Free
Apple | Android
OpenTable is perfect for discovering new restaurants, checking out their menus, reviews and photos. You're also able to earn reward points that will count towards your next meal!



Along the Way
Price: $2.99
Apple | Android
Similar to OpenTable, Along the Way searches your route and discover restaurants, attractions, and more for you to check out!



Roadtrippers
Price: Free
Apple | Android
If finding fun and interesting landmarks are on you itinerary, this app could prove to be very useful. Over millions of interesting and fun points of interest are mapped out and made available to you to navigate to easily. You are also able to save past trips so that you are able to visit again!



HISTORY Here
Price: Free
Apple | Android
This app was designed for all of the history buffs out there! Learn about the history of whatever area you are in and visit historical places at a touch of a button! They are constantly adding new POI to the app as well! It's like National Treasure just without the treasure.



Field Trip
Price: Free
Apple | Android
Find what interests you the most and go from there! Field Trip makes it so easy to find fun and unique things by running in the background and alerting you when you are close to them.



Geocaching Intro
Price: Free
Apple | Android
I remember geocaching back in the day with coordinates and a Garmin! These days, geocaching is made so much easier with a plethora of different apps. One of my favorite and most user friendly is the Geocaching Intro. It will populate all of the nearby geocache's as well as it's details and recent activity. You are also able to message other players for tips, hints, difficulty and terrain levels!



Oh, Ranger! ParkFinder
Price: Free
Apple | Android
Parks and other activities are at you fingerprints with the Oh, Ranger app! Put in your location, select your desired activity and browse through the carefully curated list of activities and parks available. If you're traveling with a pet and want to find the closets dog run, or are in desperate need of a round of golf, this will link you to them all.



TripAdvisor
Price: Free
Apple | Android
Pick out your destinations and attractions based on reviews from the infamous TripAdvisor app. I love that they will list the attractions in order providing testimonies and explanations for each stop.



Yelp
Price: Free
Apple | Android
Yelp features such honest reviews from whomever took the time to praise or express their concerns about a company that you may be interested in visiting. Personally, I do end up referencing to them before we try a new restaurant to see what kind of atmosphere and experience we should expect.



Groupon
Price: Free
Apple | Android
Whether or not you opt to use Groupon to get the best deal on your next trip, it's extremely helpful to have their deals right at your fingertips that cater to you where ever you are!



Shoeboxed
Price: Free
Apple | Android
This app is genius when it comes to staying more organized during your travels. Shoeboxed lets you scan in any receipt, and they'll extract the vendor information, amount and date, as well as categorize the receipts accordingly. If you will need to provide an expense report for your travels, that can be created with the original receipt photos as well!



Hotel Tonight
Price: Free
Apple | Android
I was introduced to this app by a family member when we were making a long trek cross country and needed a place to rest overnight. Essentially, you are able to buy an unsold room for a very reasonable price. For the most part, they are quality hotels with great customer service! Last time we ended up booking at a Hilton last minute for a steal of a deal with free breakfast vouchers. Heck to the Yea!



Priceline
Price: Free
Apple | Android
Similar to Hotel Tonight, Priceline also negotiates the best deal for you on any reservations. This includes hotels, rental cars and airline flights. Punch in your location and let them do the work!



FindPlate
Price: Free
Apple | Android (similar)
There are so many versions to this age old game, so I wouldn't just stick to one app, however FindPlate is a technological spin on the infamous car ride game of locating license plates from all fifty states! Android doesn't carry this exact version, but I've linked a similar one above.



Netflix
Price: Free
Apple | Android
When in doubt, Netflix it out. Watching movies or TV is one of the quickest way to pass any type of travel time. That is why it is so important to make sure you have the Netflix app downloaded on your phone or iPad during your travels. It will definitely eat up A LOT of you data so make sure you have any unlimited plan or are connected to wifi network somehow. If you don't want to use Netflix, you can always pre-download movie or shows from iTunes onto your device and watch them later!



Spotify
Price: Free
Apple | Android
I used to be very loyal to iTunes however I've been reaching out to Spotify lately after Apple's most recent update. iTunes has made it much more difficult to navigate and organize your music and it's makes finding a song quite a project. Que, Spotify. It's perfect for traveling, you can create a playlist just like that and add a song so quickly!



Postagram
Price: Free
Apple | Android
Postagram is such a win in my book. All you do is simply take a good shot and turn it into your own personalized post card. You can have them delivered by mail for only $0.99 in the US! That's a great deal these days considering the price of a stamp and a postcard! This is honestly such a genius idea for the creative heart. Also, in addition to the personalized note that you can send with it, the 3" x 3" photo can also pop out of the postcard so that it can be kept forever!



StateFrame
Price: $0.99
Apple
Unfortunately, this app is only available for Apple users, however it's a really fun way to track the landmarks and important stops by state! Pick the state you're interested in, upload a fun picture to fit the frame, resize it, and save it to your drive or upload it to social media! I'm working on putting together a collage of every single state that we have visited and piecing them together, similar to this.



PackPoint
Price: Free
Apple | Android
I probably should have listed this one first, but this packing app is perfect for planning out what you need to pack for a trip based upon the activities that you will be doing as well as the upcoming weather! You are then able to check off when an item is packed. This is perfect for packing for a trip, and making sure you pack everything back up on your way home.You will never forget to pack anything again!



Now I must know what your favorite and most useful travel apps are!!

post signature



 
site design by designer blogs