Next redecoration for our apartment: a $10 antique map poster!
I was a little hesitant to buy this, because it really solidified the Afro-centric safari style. Which happens to consistently be one of my favorite interior design styles :P But I wasn't sure we wanted to be niched that much.
I decided it would work, and we could either do light, colorful pillows and it should still work, OR we could do grey geometric pillows like this one:
I don't really want to go fur/leather. I like having a style that's not so specific so it's easy to transfer pieces without having to lose all the pieces. Also, I live with five other girls, and I don't want to force my style onto them ;)
Yaaay! Finally getting ready for fall! Just in time as it started snowing. Good thing we snuck in one last camping trip last weekend!!! I love camping but NOT in the snow.
I had been wanting to do some kind of fall wreath, and the Dollar Tree answered my call!
I made this (imo) ADORABLE fall wreath for only $3. I bought the branch wreath, sparkly berries and off-white ribbon at the dollar tree. I cut up the berries (they were originally in a branch) and glue gunned about half of them to this wreath. Then I just tied a bow and snap! A cute fall wreath :)
I love the berries and bow!!! The colors were just perfect.
My adorable roommate Molly suggested we should make a gratitude tree for Thanksgiving. She and Mikayla cut out leaves and a trunk and it turned out so cute! We've been writing things on the leaves that we're thankful for. Our stake president and elder's quorum president stopped by to visit last night (while we were sweating in workout clothes preparing for our just dance talent show piece, nbd...) and they also wrote a few things.:) It was so great to have them visit.
We're thinking of sprucing up our apartment a bit. We live in a shabby little college apartment, but I think it's still important to make the area you live in beautiful and habitable as possible, no matter what your budget and what you have to work with. :)
While we won't be shaping things up as perfectly as these beautiful living areas, here's some inspiration we're leaning towards:
As Brian Regan points out though, throw pillows (and every other bit of home decor) can be pretty spendy. ("I didn't know they were doin' that well...") We'll just move one little piece at a time and see where we get:)
This week I started with a new pot for my plant King Julian II. He looks pretty good in his blue ombre pot.
This is what happens when you have no monies and you still want to decorate for Halloween:) I did this for about $7. Inexpensive Halloween decorations are the best!
$3 for the pumpkin, $3 for six little pumpkins, and $1 to print off this printable on glossy cardstock. I already had the orange yarn:) I love wreaths and things on the door, I feel like it sets the mood for the whole apartment, even if decorations inside are sparse.
I just threw three little pumpkins on the bookshelf to make it more Halloweeny.
I put my AMAZZZZZING Salt City Pumpkin Spice candle on the TV with two baby pumpkins:)
It's funny because it's true and you laugh so you don't cry ;D
But yes, debt. Ew.
I'm like the opulence guy...
"I like the best. But I also like savings da money."
I definitely try to make smart financial choices, although of course sometimes I make mistakes. But I've had a budget that I've TRIED to stick to!!! For the last 3ish years, I've tracked every purchase and made payments on my debt. I have a little debt from my car, a lotta from school, and just a tiny amount from my recent gum surgery.
I've always been pretty good at not getting financially out of control, but I've never really felt on top of my finances. As they say, "If you don't control your money, it will control you." That's how I'd sometimes feel. Like I was living paycheck to paycheck and trying to get my debt paid off and just not making any progress. :/
It was on my mind a lot especially because at work we were setting lifelong goals. I wanted to make sure I was being smart about my money, not just going along for the ride. Another quote I love, "Money is a a game. You have to figure out how to win it together."
I really, really, really liked this pin I came across. So simple. Yet, it's been making all the difference for me. In the last couple months I've been trying to get my financial house in order.
I've made all the bills that I can automatic. I used to pay them manually, because I would sometimes get my paychecks late, etc. and I didn't want it to overdraft my account. But I sat down and planned out which bills would come out of which paychecks to make sure they were semi-evenly split between my two monthly paychecks. Then I set up auto pay for them all a few days after my paycheck is due. It's awesome, because I'm not worried anymore if my paycheck is a day or two late. It's nice to have that stress gone. Now I just have one manual payment per paycheck, and the rest just get taken out, including some automatically going into savings.
Because the first step is to build an emergency fund! This is so important. I've always felt wrong somehow about saving while I was also trying to pay off debt. Dave Ramsey says that's a common mistake, that people think it's one or the other, when really they should do a little of both. I love this, because I've had little financial emergencies where I just need a little more money, and I've borrowed from my loving sis, but I hate having to live with that worry. It already feels SO NICE to know I have just a few dollars in the bank just in case. My plan is to save and put half towards a $1,000 emergency fund and half towards other things, like dental work and fixing up my car and stuff. Then, once those things are all taken care of all of my mula is going to go to debt repayment.
Seriously, it will be so nice to just be that financially stable:) But after a small savings and getting those odd expenses paid for, I'll be able to start really focusing on my debt. By then my gums will probably be paid off, so I'll focus on getting my car paid off then snowball that towards school. I should be out of debt in about 2.5 years, which will be awesome!!! My goal is by April 1, 2017, which will be my 27th birthday. (Weird...)
There are a few more steps after that which are just as important, but these first couple are what I'm focusing on for now. It feels so good to just have a plan and know that I'm getting in control of my finances and I can feel good about where I'm at, even if I currently have debt and even if I'm not a zillionaire. :)
