20 Something Lifestyle Blog
I traveled to Costa Rica for a travel study course in college and it was an incredible experience. The trip only lasted ten days, but I was able to see the key travel destinations that Costa Rica has to offer. I have created this Costa …
The graduating class of 2020 is experiencing something that the previous classes never experienced, graduating during a pandemic. This is an interesting and scary time that the mentors we look up to have never experienced before. The advancing technology makes it a completely different experience …
People can spend large amounts of money decorating their home, office, or other meaningful spaces, but you don’t have to spend a fortune to get the room decor of your dreams. Here are the seven tips for decorating on a budget that I live by.
DIY has become more and more popular for home improvement projects for a good reason. It’s way more budget friendly than paying someone else to do it! Before you get scared off by the idea of building furniture or extravagant decor, DIY comes in all shapes and sizes. This means there is something out there that everyone can do. One of my favorite DIY’s is quick and easy to do, fake flower arrangements! All you need for this are fake flowers of your choice, a cute vase or pot, and something to fill the space and keep the flowers in place (I like to use pebbles). You can even dress it up by painting the vase you choose or tying some fun ribbon in a bow around it! Next time you see an expensive decoration you like just think to yourself, “Could I make that?”
Discount stores like Homegoods and Marshalls are some of my favorite places to shop. Not only do they have a wide variety of items and decor pieces, but they are reasonably priced too! You could find a fun canvas, picture frame, accent pillow, and comforter all in the same store and save all kinds of money. Just keep in mind how much space you have and what items you have already purchased before you buy too much.
Thrift shopping is fun when you are decorating because it is often where you find the most unique or one of a kind pieces that fit your budget. Think about ways that you can repurpose items as you walk through. I recently bought an old Coca Cola glass that I thought would make a cute accent with some fake flowers in it. You never know what you are going to find so be creative and keep your mind open to suggestions.
There are many pieces of furniture that I have assembled myself over the years and it isn’t as scary as it sounds. In fact, you can save a lot of money by putting simple things like a coffee table, desk, or nightstand together by yourself. The instructions are usually easy to follow and they give you the tools you need in most assembly kits. Some of the best places to look are IKEA, Overstock, Target, and even Walmart.
I love having plants around the house. They have a way of livening up a room and boosting my mood. You can even find cute pots to put them in that add a pop of color to a room. I enjoy having real plants because some offer benefits like detering certain bugs or cleaning the air. I got mine from The Bruce Company! However, if you are not looking to have the upkeep of live plants, there are plenty of fake plant options to choose from!
I have lots of pictures up in my house because they remind me of fun times that I’ve spent with family and friends. Each picture tells a story, makes me smile, and is budget friendly. There are tons of ways to incorporate pictures into your decor like as a wall collage or fun patterned frames that add a pop of color to a room. If you want to surround yourself with memories of loved ones, incorporating pictures into your decor is the way to go!
Keeping a space clean and functional is extremely important which means you have to be careful with how much you buy so it doesn’t become cluttered or overcrowded. This can be helped by finding multi-purpose pieces to incorporate. One of my multi-use pieces is my nightstand. I knew I didn’t need much, just a lamp and phone charger, but I found a piece with shelving so that I have a place for my candles and essential oil diffuser when I’m not using them. If I had gotten a different style nightstand, I wouldn’t have had that space and my candles would have been all over my room. Another great example of a multi-use item is a coffee table with built in storage components. These types of pieces give you the extra space you need to keep your house looking clean and organized.
Decorating on a budget is not as difficult as it initially seems. Keep in mind your vision for the space and bargain hunt for the best budget friendly deals!
Downtown Louisville, Kentucky has an incredible amount of character. Travelers that are looking for a city with a story should look no further! I only spent 24 hours in Louisville and never expected that I would enjoy it as much as I did. From their …
I recently realized that self-improvement is one of my passions in life. It had never occurred to me that the essential oils and diffuser that I love so much, my green thumb wanna-be attitude, and the healthy lifestyle I am always trying to achieve, all …
Resumes are something that everyone has an opinion on. Some say it should follow a specific format; others want it to stand out from the generic filled in templates that most people have. I’m here to tell you that there is no right or wrong way to create your resume. However, there are a few things you should consider while doing it. Here is my personal method on how to create a resume that best represents you and your individuality, instead of just filling your information into a premade template.
Nobody knows your experiences and qualifications better than you do, so don’t let a fill in the blank style template dictate what employers know about you. Think about what sets you apart from the crowd of applicant that are applying to the same position. Do you have more experience in the field? Is your degree specialized to what they are looking for? Do you have a unique point of view that would benefit their company? Make sure they know about it by putting it into your resume!
Every resume that employers come across will feature boring verbs like assisted and made. Make your resume stand out by using descriptive terms like created, managed, improved, developed, etc. Make sure each bullet point describing a job uses a different verb to describe what you did or learned in that position. This will help employers get a better idea of how qualified you are and how beneficial you would be to their company.
In addition to descriptive verbs, keywords are very important! Pay attention to what the job description asks for and feature that on your resume. Are they looking for someone who knows Adobe Photoshop? Make sure you mention it under the previous job you used it for. Do they want someone who has great customer service skills? Include a bullet point about how you improved your customer service skills at a previous position. Each resume that you send out should be tailored to what that position or company is looking for. This can include specific programs they use, company values, previous work experience, and more!
There are certain things that all resumes should include no matter what field you are going into. These include your:
A couple other beneficial things you can include if you have them are:
Many employers will throw out resumes with basic writing errors so make sure you proofread it! I often have one of my friends double check my resume for me before I send it out to make sure I didn’t misspell anything, make punctuation mistakes, or make any other minor errors. Everyone makes these mistakes from time to time, but lucky for us they are easy to fix.
Putting a resume together can be intimidating at first which is why many people just fill their information into a premade template. Using my easy four step method can help you make sure you are showing employers your best self. Stand out from the crowd the right way with a resume that will keep employers coming back for more!
It’s only February and if you are anything like me you are probably struggling to keep a few of your new year’s resolutions already. So I sat down and thought about all the ways that I’ve achieved my goals in the past and these are …
The holiday season has always been about giving, spending time with loved ones, and remembering to be thankful for everything and everyone that you have in your life. I think that recently people have forgotten that the holiday season is not a competition between what …
This week I realized winter weather has come to stay in the mid-west. I got cold walking to class in my winter coat and at one point in the day a friend remarked, “Can you feel your toes? Because I can’t”. When I got home, I started preparing all the things I will need this winter to stay warm in the unforgiving Wisconsin weather. Here is some of the advice I have for mid-westerners on how to survive the cold, from a true Wisconsinite.
When I was a kid, my parents used to send me out into the snow and negative temperatures in a full snow suit, boots, hat, gloves, and one, if not two, scarves. However, now I’m an adult and walking to class in snow pants to stay warm is not really an option. What is the next best thing? Long winter coats. The one I have is from Eddie Bauer, is fleece lined, and ends at my knees. I love how it keeps most of my body warm, not just above my waist, and some companies make coats that will go as far as your shins. I have yet to try one but I hear good things.
Another must have are mittens, and I mean real mittens, not gloves. The ones I have are yarn with wool on the inside. The reason I recommend mittens is because by having all of your fingers together in one section it retains heat. Gloves that separate all of your fingers may be nice if you plan on working with your hands, but are not ideal for warmth.
I like to refer to the winter as beanie season. I have more hats than I can count at this point, but my favorites are my Love Your Melon beanies. They are classic, cute, warm, and by purchasing one I am supporting pediatric cancer research and families impacted by cancer. I have three, but I think I might be treating myself to a fourth for Christmas this year! If you are interested in their cause, follow this link to learn more.
Now that you have all of your winter clothing set, you need to prepare your car. The two items I always keep in my car during the winter are blankets and hand warmers. I usually have at least two blankets in my car. These are great for bundling up when you’re cold and are essentials in case you get stranded somewhere by snow. I also keep a box of hand warmers in my car. You just have to open the packaging, shake the hand warmer and it starts to heat up. Putting them in pockets, gloves, shoes, or just holding on to them can make a big difference.
Last but certainly not least, I like to keep an electric blanket in my bedroom to keep me warm. Electric blankets are nice because you can control the heat setting for how cold you are. Sometimes regular blankets just aren’t warm enough!
I hope these tips help you survive the cold winter weather. After all, if being born and raised in Wisconsin taught me anything, it’s how to stay warm through subzero temperatures. Stay positive, stay warm, and remind yourself that as we say in Wisconsin, “It really wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t for the windchill”.
Traveling is something I have always wanted to do. I never had much opportunity to explore beyond the Midwest, but that did not stop me from creating a travel bucket list. Our family went on a few bigger vacations when I was younger like to Disney …