lifestyle

lifestyle

Get Freebies on Your Birthday!

Since Wednesday is my birthday (!) I wanted to share with you guys some great places to get some freebie birthday gifts on or around your birth month! Many stores and restaurants will give you something on your birthday, whether it be a coupon or a free appetizer or desert, but certain chains will actually give you a completely free item, like an entree, free service or gift certificate. Make sure to sign up for the loyalty programs at all your favorite stores and eateries, because sometimes their birthday gifts come via email or in the actual mail, so sign up early to make sure you get on their lists and make sure they have your birth month or birthday on file so you can take advantage of your freebies!
Food Freebies
  • Au Bon Pain will give you a free salad or sandwich on your birthday.
  • Ben & Jerry’s will give you a free scoop of ice cream plus $3 off an ice cream cake.
  • Both Starbuck’s and Caribou Coffee will give you a free drink on your birthday.
  • Ruby Tuesday’s and Red Robin will both give you a free burger.
  • Rita’s Italian Ice will give you a free regular Italian Ice.
Retail Freebies
  • Aveda will give you a free gift up to $24 in value on your birthday.
  • DSW will give you a $5 gift certificate.
  • Sephora will give you a free gift of your choice (right now its a Benefit sample set or a Fresh Sugar mini’s duo if you order online!)
  • Ulta will give you a free Brow Arch if they have a Benefits Beauty Bar in-store.
  • Victoria Secrets will give you a free surprise gift on your birthday.
lifestyle tech The Pink Mac

What’s In My Car Emergency Kit


Hey Everyone!

I recently made a video on my car emergency kit and what I keep inside. A car emergency kit, for those of you who are new to the concept, is a bag that you keep in your car that is filled with items you may need like hairspray, lipgloss, extra feminine supplies, etc. It is not the same thing as a roadside emergency kit that you would use in case your car broke down! This car emergency kit is just a bunch of extras you may need while your away from your home that you can keep in your car instead of having to carry around a heavy purse full of extras. I hope you enjoy the video and let me know, what do you keep in your emergency bag?

lifestyle

Conjuring Your Desires: Talismans

Conjuring your desires is a new weekly feature for the month of March that focuses on using your natural power and energy to bring yourself everything you are looking for in your life. Each Thursday visit back for a new installment covering the topics of talismans, love, money, and luck!
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A talisman is an object that you wear or keep on your person for power or protection. They are normally made from natural elements such as metals, stones, wood or other organic materials that directly correlate with the wearers astrological aura to release their natural energy. A great example of this would be a piece of jewelry, such as a ring, that is made with the wearers birthstone. Birthstones are an example of a natural element that correlate directly to astrological individualism. However, the stone alone does not make the item a talisman. Other factors like the metal used or number of stones must be evaluated to ensure a match between the item and its owner. In order to design or find your own talisman, its important to do your research. Here are some tips to help you get the information you need to identify your most appropriate talisman.
1. Using your birth month, find your birthstone.
2. Using a Zodiac chart, figure out your sign and research the appropriate metals and numbers that correlate to it. This information is easily found online with a quick google search.
3. Using the stone, metals and numbers that are best for you, design or find a piece of everyday jewelry that fits within your astrological parameters. For example, I am a Pisces, born in March and my birthstone is Aquamarine. My talisman is a ring made from platinum with 3 Aquamarine stones. As a Pisces, platinum is one of my suggested metals, my birthstone correlates to my birth month and the number 3 represents March (not just because March is the 3rd month, not all months work in this way, for example December is also the number 3 because it is the 12th month and 1+2=3).
Once you have found or created your talisman its very important that you keep it with you often. Start to think of it as a source of energy for your soul as it is a unique representation of yourself. Make sure to take good care of it because how you treat it will represent the energies that it will bring to you.
lifestyle

Five Ways to Design Your Dream Nightstand

Its so important to have a good nightstand set up by your bed. Not only does it keep important items are your fingertips while your sleeping, but it can also keep you organized and prevent you from waking up and walking around your room or home to get items to make your night more comfortable. Below are a few must have items that we think will help you sleep better at night!
1. A spacious bedside table: Depending on the amount of space you have to work with and also the amount of items you like to keep handy by your bed, your needs for a bedside table may vary, but I do have a few pointers for picking out an ideal table. First, you want to make sure that the table is not too high or too low for your bed. You should be able to reach over out of bed and grab an item easily without having to sit up in bed or hang down out of the bed. I would suggest measuring how high you would like the table before you buy and make sure to bring that information with you when shopping. Also, I always think more storage is better than less, so unless you are a true minimalist, try to get a spacious table with drawers. Even if you don’t keep much by your bed, you can always use the drawers to hold your lingerie or delicates, freeing up space in your closet or clothing chest.
2. Lamp: You may not think you need a bedside lamp if you have overhead lighting or other lighting sources in your bedroom, but bedside lamps are great to keep on in the evening while your trying to get to sleep because that softer light sets the mood for sleepy time.
3. Remote caddy: Although you may have a good amount of storage in your bedside table, sometimes its easier to store certain items in a caddy beside your bed. My caddy holds remotes, books and iPads in a safe and out of the way location between my bed and side table.
4. Phone and tech chargers: Obviously, if you have any portable gadgets like a cellphone or iPod that you use frequently, you will want to keep them near you at bedtime and having chargers conveniently located beside your bed will remind you to charge the items while your sleeping. Its a good habit to get into, especially if you are someone who finds that they forget to charge their phones because the chargers are elsewhere in your home.
5. Clock: Its probably a good idea to have a clock on your bedside table even if you use your phone as an alarm. I love my clock because its big neon letters are easy to read in the middle of the night so that I don’t feel the need to grab my cell phone to check the time.
What else do you keep on your nightstand? Leave us a comment and let us know!
lifestyle tech The Pink Mac

How to Choose a Mac for College

The most frequent question I get asked on YouTube is how to choose the right Mac computer for college. So, in order to answer this complicated question, I have made a YouTube video discussing the most important things you will need to consider and which options are right for which people. Because money is a complicated issue, I have created this video under the assumption that the viewer is going to college and has enough money to buy any mac, but wants to know which is right for them. Obviously, I do not work for any colleges or Apple itself, so if you have additional questions, it would be best to ask your college and major department for any additional specifics I did not touch on as each program and school is unique and has their own requirements!

lifestyle

5 Ways to Live Large while Spending Less

There is no need to confuse living well with spending a lot of money. There are plenty of inexpensive ways you can improve your quality of life if you think creatively. Here are a few idea’s to get you started.

  1. Refresh your closet with some vintage and modern finds at your local thrift store. Thrift stores get a bad rap nowadays, but they are actually a great place to score unique and fashionable finds for very little cash. Thrift stores do a great job of sorting through clothing and don’t put out dirty or worn items. Many times you will actually find brand new clothing from large retail stores that are from last season, tags and all! They are also great places to go looking for those one of a kind pricey items like leather jackets and fur coats. So give it a try and for the money you end up saving you can have all your finds dry cleaned and still have money to spare!
  2. Shop for your favorite designer bags at outlet stores. Nearly every name brand accessories company and pricey department store has an outlet where you can find the same designer bags and accessories for a fraction of the price. You may not find your dream bag at half off on your first try, but shopping around at these types of stores and keeping your eyes open for the newest arrivals will have you saving big bucks on those luxury bags.
  3. Throw dinner parties. Instead of going out to eat at pricey restaurants, start a dinner party group with some of your good friends. Each month, a different person hosts and everyone brings a course or dish to share so that you get that great restaurant variety without shelling out a lot of money. Add some wine and party games and you will find you’re having the time of your life!
  4. Find unique decor pieces at discount stores. Places like Home Goods and TJ Maxx are filled with great home decorating finds. You will often find great designer name items for much less than traditional retail which means you can afford to spice up a room or two. Add some new pieces and maybe rearrange your furniture for a refreshing update to your home.
  5. Sign up for the loyalty programs at your favorite eateries and stores. Although they may seem annoying and useless, the loyalty programs or email lists for restaurants, websites and more usually end up paying off with discounts and freebies that are a welcome treat. If you are a frequent visitor or shopper it always pays to sign up because free appetizer vouchers and discount coupons can stretch your dollar a long way.

lifestyle

Foodie: The Cheese Board

Right before New Year’s I bought an Antique Silver cheese board with a wooden chopping block from Pottery Barn. We originally thought we would use the board for entertaining, but we quickly realized that cheese, cured meats and fruit were our favorite after work snack. For the past few weeks we have been working through different cheeses to find the perfect mix for us, but here is a list of items you will frequently find featured on our board.

Brie: I love brie and I buy it in a wheel and then when I get it home I make a superficial incision across the top of the cheese separating it into 1oz wedges so that I make consistently even cuts. I take each 1oz wedge and then slice it as thinly as possible to give multiple servings of the creamy goodness.

Parmesan: We often buy a large wedge of good Parmesan cheese and then grate large slices off the wedge and serve it on our cheese board. Parmesan is a familiar grated cheese but it has a nice bite to it in a block which contrasts the softness of the brie. Also, its so easy to slice it thin that you get many slices from a small portion so it feels like your really indulging.

Sopressata: Growing up in a very Italian family meant that I got a taste for cured meats at a young age. As an adult, I get my fix of my favorite salami in a pre-cut version available from Boar’s Head that is so authentic I could swear I was at my grandparent’s house eating their home-made variety that they cured in the basement!

Prosciutto: Although its a little pricey, I find that buying half a pound very thinly sliced is an excellent investment in my quality of life. The taste of this salted Italian ham can cure all the ills of a hard day and a thin slice or two never hurt anybody!

Dates: I am a great lover of dates! I prefer fresh to dried, although they are harder to find and of course a little more expensive, but they are truly natures candy. I love the fancy Medjool variety because they are big and plump, but I never met a California pitted date I didn’t like!

Dried Cranberries: aka Crasins. I love dried fruit, but there is something about the tartness of a dried cranberry that is absolute magic and brings out the flavors of cheese and meat like no other. Plus, they are so full of antioxidants its hard to resist those little sweeties.

Walnuts: Recently, I discovered that my husband likes walnuts. Really, it was a surprise to both of us when I began using them in some paleo recipes I found on Pinterest. Ever since I have kept a large bag of them in the fridge and they are a great crunchy addition to the cheese board filled with heart healthy fats and oil.

DIY

DIY TLR Camera Kit

     Last year I decided that I wanted to get into photography as a hobby that myself and my husband could share. We both love photographs, especially real film photographs so we bought a Holga to learn more about real film photography. When I get into things, I get in very deep and one of the things that interested me most of film photography was how cameras actually worked. You really don’t think about it much, especially in the age of cell phone photography, but it really is an interesting process.
     Then I came across a DIY Twin Lense Reflex Camera Kit. This was an opportunity I just could not pass up! I loved the idea of building my own camera from scratch. It would give me insight and understanding that hours of scouring webpages could just not compete with. Not to mention, how many people can say they have built a camera before?
     So, I ordered the kit that I found on Photojojo and immediately began assembling the camera. It took me about an hour to do, mostly because I got stuck on the shutter mechanism which is one of the most important and delicate parts of the camera. I learned so much in the process I was blown away with the simplicity and intricacy of the device. Although its not a state of the art device, I use the camera from time to time and love knowing that I assembled it myself. I have even opened it back up to do some adjustments on the viewfinder which make me feel like an absolute genius knowing how everything goes together even without the directions!
If you are interested in photography or a photography student or professional, I highly suggest this inexpensive and educational kit that will literally bring you closer to your photographs!