Recent Purchases!

One of my favorite things to share are new favorite things! Here's a couple things I've purchased in the last month, and thought were worth sharing!

Kate Spade Crossbody & Rothy's Drivers in Burgundy 

These two purchases were fun splurges for me, all in preparation for our upcoming Europe trip! This crossbody is just the right size to fit my phone, passport, and other essentials. I also wanted some comfy walking shoes, and because I love my Rothy's flats so much, I took a chance and ordered a pair of The Driver style. So cute and I feel kinda obsessed that these two items coordinate so well. 

Rothy's are great because they are washable. Plus, these will be easy slip on and off at the airport. If you need a coupon for a pair of your own, head over to the Coupons for You tab here on the blog and you can find a discount code! 

Plus! Don't forget to activate Rakuten if you shop the Kate Spade Surprise website. Not only is the Surprise Sale website my secret to great discounts on bags, but they also almost always have cash back with Rakuten. 

Silicone Popcorn Maker

An absolute favorite snack of mine is popcorn! Is there anything better than watching a movie with buttery popcorn? Yes, it's buttery popcorn, with m&ms tossed in. 😋I found this great silicone popcorn maker for the microwave that works so well! Love it and highly recommend. 

Barre Grippy Socks

Recently, I mentioned that I've really been enjoying the Peloton barre classes. Usually with barre classes, the teacher recommends wearing grippy socks. I found a set of grippy socks on Amazon that are the cutest thing ever! They look like little ballet slippers. Love them and I think it adds to the experience. 

Soundcore Bluetooth Earbuds

Okay, I can't be the only one with weird ears that don't work with ear buds. I've tried dozens! Still, I really wanted to get a pair of ear buds to keep in my purse or for those times when over the ear headphones aren't practical. Blake and I have several Soundcore products and we love them all. So, I thought I'd give these a try. They are great! Fortunately, these come with a few different sizes of ear grip things and so they end up fitting really well! I'm not sure I could run with them, but they work really well for what I wanted them for. Again, these will be great for our upcoming trip!

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-Kristen

This post contains affiliate and referral links! | Blog Disclosure

Recent Purchases!

Thursday, October 6, 2022

Swimsuits I Bought This Year

As a Floridan, I can tell you we can never have too many swimsuits! Between our neighborhood pool, our proximity to the beach, annual vacations, and friends who live near the river - we are always putting some wear and tear on our bathing suits! I try, but I can never get more than 2-3 years out of a suit. This year, I definitely needed a few new swimsuits, and I'm really happy with what I got!

Leopard Longline 2 Piece 

I'm always in the market for cute, but still practical and secure swimsuits! I loved this suit so much, that I went back and ordered another color! It fits great and you will find me in the suit 9 times out of 10 this summer.

Gingham Longline 2 Piece

See above! I loved it so much, I bought this colorway too! 

Floral Ruffle Shoulder 1 Piece

I could NOT resist when I saw this all over Instagram and on other blogger's websites this year. It was definitely a popular seller because it was sold out all the time! As soon as I got the notification it was back in stock, I purchased right away. It's gorgeous and something I will always feel comfortable in. 

Floral Ruffle 2 Piece & Matching Bottoms

Obviously feeling florals this year, because I was instantly drawn to this suit as well. I love the white, and haven't had a white suit in...forever? maybe! Completely lined though, so it's not something you have to worry about. This suit fits well and and the top has a tie back for some flexibility in sizing. 

Orange High Waist 2 Piece

Admittedly, I did not buy this one! I probably never would have, actually. My sister picked this one up, and didn't realize how orange it would be. Orange suits my skin tone much better, so she thought I should give it a go. I am not a huge fan of high waist swimsuits, but for some reason this one works for me. It's a little out of my comfort zone, but I admit it's really fun! 

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-Kristen

This post contains affiliate and referral links! | Blog Disclosure

Swimsuits I Bought This Year

Wednesday, May 11, 2022

May Grove Collaborative Order

Because I'm really nosey, and I love to see what other people are buying-I thought maybe you guys are curious too. Grove Collaborative is something I talk about on the blog all the time, so you are probably already familiar with the company. In a nutshell, it's an online store for clean beauty and home items. It can be set up like a subscription and you can get all your favorites sent automatically. 

If you are a new to Grove you can get a free cleaning gift set with my link. (And don't forget to use Rakuten with your first purchase for cash back as well!)

Here's what I got:

May Grove Collaborative Order

Monday, May 18, 2020

3 Apps That Will Make You [EASY] Money

I purposely don't work full-time. I know myself really well. If I did work full time I know I would quickly become a workaholic. It runs in the family and my personality is totally predisposed to being obsessive with things. It's a huge plus that my schedule allows me to keep our home running well! I also do all the yard work and I have time for volunteer work each week.  

Overall this works out great. But sometimes the budget is tighter than others. I'm always on the look out for extra income, just in case. I have a few cleaning jobs and I buy and sell a lot on Ebay! I thought I'd share the 3 apps on my phone that make me money. And I'm talkin' easy, painless money! 

Google Opinion Rewards

This is the app I've been using the longest. Google sends you short surveys and rewards you with Play Store Credits. I mostly use them for songs, but you can buy movies or pro versions of your favorite apps. The money you earn seems to line up with how long the survey is. Some are 1 question long, and others are more in depth. I've been asked about my experience at Walgreens, and also if I've ever foraged for truffles. (True Story!) Sometimes you get several surveys a day, and other times it's a few days in between. 

IBotta

I started using Ibotta in November and since then I've earned about $50 in rebates. It took a minute to figure out how to use it, but it's also another app that's too easy not to use. Basically you search by your favorite grocery store. Their rebates will appear, and you unlock the ones you want to use. Buy those products and scan your store receipt. Then you get money back! I've only purchased things I would have bought anyway. If you aren't particularly brand-loyal this will work for you. 

My favorite rebates are the Groupon and Ebay rebates! You get a certain % back when you buy through Ibotta. Basically- open Ibotta first, click on Ebay and it opens your Ebay app. Once you make the purchase, Ibotta processes your rebate. I shop on Ebay and Groupon all the time, and it's nice to get a few bucks back. 

This is my referral link, at no cost to you - but you do get $10 when you sign up! The money you make can go right into your bank account. 

MileUp

This is the newest app to my list, but I'm already excited about it! MileUp gives you points everytime you drive. (Automatically!) And those points can be redeemed for gift cards. You can also report your car accidents through the app and they will pay you for that information. 

I easily drive 400 miles a week, so the points add up really quickly. And if you take a long car trip, even better! FIY it does take a day or two for your trips to show up. I was nervous that my 85 mile drive the other day wasn't counted, but it just took about 24 hours to appear. It's kinda cool to see the little map at the end too. 

This is my referral link for you mobile readers, also at no cost to you.

I'm sure there are a million apps that can earn you money, but I love that these 3 are SO easy and uncomplicated. Leave a comment below with your experiences with these apps, or if you know of another easy to use app! Thanks for reading!

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This post contains affiliate links!

3 Apps That Will Make You [EASY] Money

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Stitch Fix #2

My 2nd Stitch Fix arrived! The anticipation has been killing me. I only first tried Stitch Fix a month ago but was really anxious to see how round 2 would go. After giving each piece from my first box a thorough review I figured the next box would only get better. This time my stylist was Ashley. I so appreciate the amount of snooping these stylists do. They really want to get to know you and figure out what you'd like. 

Let's break down my 2nd box and I will tell you how I feel about each piece. Tearing open this box is so exciting! 

Reyes Halter Blouse 

My first impression of this top was not all that enthusiastic. It seemed pretty sheer and I knew I'd have to wear a strapless bra, which is not my fav. In hindsight I should have tried these on with different pants, but hopefully you can get the picture. It's a navy top with a lavender halter. I like it much better on, and it's definitely not as sheer as I thought it would be. Verdict on this is still undecided! 

Zula Dress

This dress just gets a no from me. I really don't like the material! It's really thick, and not ideal for our weather. The pattern itself is not that great either. It kind of confuses the camera! Even when I scroll up and down it gets all optical illusiony.

Annie Flare Skirt

I'm also undecided on this skirt! I threw on my own shirt to take the photos. I love the colors-navy and coral are always a win. The cut is great; I feel comfortable and modest. The material is just kind of almost flimsy? It's really thin, so it doesn't seem high quality, but it's not a cheap skirt either. 

Paciano Cross Back Blouse

I have to say this was the thing I was most excited about trying on! Pink is always a favorite and the criss cross back is so cute. I had a hard time picking out a bra for this, and that makes me a little less excited about it. I really do like-like this top, and the only reason I'm not head over heels is because of the bra issue. Still deciding, but I will most likely buy this one. 

Julianne Crystal Pendant Necklace
The only reason I didn't immediately buy this necklace is because I just bought one almost identical a few weeks ago! I love it so much! This one is a little simpler than the one I already own and I so I'm actually considering buying it anyway! It's so classic and goes with anything.

Okay guys, this is where you come in! What do you think of my 2nd Stitch Fix?? Do you think it's improved since my first try? What would you keep and what would you send back? 

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Stitch Fix #2

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Shopping Woes and Better Budgeting (Plus Free Printable!)

Blogging has really affected the way I look at clothes. There are so many great fashion blogs out there, and I am constantly inspired by some really cute looks. People have talked before about the pressure blogging puts on you to have everything picture perfect, and I think that's been true for me and clothes. I feel almost obligated to have cute and new outfits planned, especially for special events that I know I will blog about later. I don't want to say that I have an addiction to shopping per se, but I do admit to being totally obsessed with having a complete closet and blog worthy looks at all times. 

This has made shopping trips real temptations for me! I do not like the feeling in a store where I feel like I have to buy something. & With online shopping being so convenient that makes it extra difficult to avoid needless spending. The problem is, even with buying new clothes all the time, I still stand in my closet thinking I have nothing to wear. 

I want to challenge myself to a new way of looking at shopping. Instead of just something to do, I want to learn to shop only for something specific I need. I know that mental state is a long way away for me, so I am starting with baby steps! 

First I'm starting with a monthly budget for clothes. My next challenge will be buying only consigned items. I also love the idea of the closets with a certain hanger number limit-but I will worry about that later. 

To begin with, I made a budget printable! I am giving myself a dollar limit for spending on the essentials. I do need to buy a cardigan or two for the fall, so I'm working that into the budget. The cool thing about this printable is that it's blank-so you can fill it out according to your budget! My budget will be changing each month. My goal is to slowly decrease this number each month. You can use this printable for your personal style budget or your whole family's. 

I've included a column for money earned with selling old clothes. I've done pretty good selling clothes on Poshmark and Ebay, as well as in consignment shops, so it will be good to see how much I earn each month for that in comparison to what I'm spending on new stuff. 

This may be a huge reality check for me, and I'm kind of nervous for that. My goal with this budget worksheet is to have a big number leftover that I can put right into our saving account. No rollovers! I do not need to buy anything big in the near future, so that should work out fine. 

Hover to Pin and Click Here to Download! 

Leave me a comment: How do you budget your shopping? Do you feel blogging pressure? Have you tried any closet makeover methods like the capsule wardrobes or limited hanger method? 

xoxo Kristen

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Here are my tips for thrift shopping, and making extra money on Ebay.

Shopping Woes and Better Budgeting (Plus Free Printable!)

Wednesday, September 2, 2015