Sunday, August 17, 2014

Being fancy doesn't have to be expensive!



So if you asked anyone for facts about me, the first thing they would say is "She likes nice things, but she knows how to save"! I have a few vices to say the least, I love shopping, I love eating, I loving doing stuff but I don't make a ton of money. So with all those things combined I have become quite the shopping savvy diva. I have a ton of money saving tips up my sleeve but I'll dedicate this post to activities.

Recently I decided to take an actual, turn my phone off/don't respond to emails, vacation. I made the promise to myself that I would celebrate my 30th birthday anywhere that wasn't in the US.. I knew right away I wanted something fun, exciting and wouldn't break the bank...I first started with the vacation sites: Applvacations.com, vacationexpress.com and cheapcaribbean.com Then I took a look to all of my basic deal sites: Travelzoo.com; Livingsocial.com; groupon.com.. Now don't get me wrong the deal sites aren't for the faint of heart, sometimes you have to be really spontaneous and know what you generally want to accomplish. For me spontaneity is just what I needed, I had put some money away so i had a budget and a date everything else was open for planning..

I kept my eyes open on a few sites for a few weeks and then up popped a four night deal at a fantastic little resort in Negril, Jamaica.. Now for $200 for 4 nights you would think the place would be a dump, however after looking at Trip Advisor reviews I was convinced that it wasnt that bad, it was actually a pretty awesome resort right on the beach and around all the action. When it came time to find a flight of course i went to all the majors fly.com, priceline.com and expedia.com but per usual Southwest (who doesnt list their prices on those sites) was the cheapest option.. they were having a fair sale.

I wish I had some amazing tips for you like: only look for airline tickets on tuesday at 2pm.. but I dont. For me its put the money aside, make a general plan and be prepared to jump on a deal the moment you see it.. Maybe my next vacation will be more thought out and planned, maybe not.. but for now enjoy some of my vacation pictures from a trip that cost me less than $500 total! :)








Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Body image issues



It's no secret that like most women I suffer from some issues in how I see my body.. Even in high school I was a size 6/8 and I thought I was beastly, now as an adult I'm about twice that size and its not making me feel any better naked. Ive tried so many things.. Ive juiced, I've done weight watchers and working out never gets fun like all those weird skinny girls say it will.. I even decided to sign up for a 5K and thought putting my money on the line would get me motived to get my act together... nope, I still try and work out but its not as consistent as it should be.

So recently I've decided to look at myself differently, to embrace the body I'm in now and not hate myself until I get where beauty standards tell me I'm supposed to be..

It wasn't an easy task, I didn't wake up one day and say "I love the skin I'm in". This took time, it took maturity and it took self confidence that i didn't have before. People in my life tried to tell me I was beautiful, my body was one that men desired, that I wasn't fat I was "thick". Men in my life have always praised my body, even my trip to Jamaica helped me see that others don't see my figure the way I do.. Yet I still saw myself as the chubby little girl used to get bullied in elementary and middle school..

However I did wake up one day and wonder what good it would do to continue to hate myself.. Im too old to still hold on to the issues of my 14 year old self. I figure its time to start listening to all of those inspirational quotes I post daily.. I can continue to work on myself but I will love myself every step of the way in the mean time. Now I embrace my thighs, my stomach, my arms.. I know that I'm not in the best shape of my life, but dammit it could be worse and no matter the jiggle I'm still beautiful! For the first time in a LONG time, I looked at a picture of myself in a bathing suit and thought "DAMN that girl looks good"!

What Ive learned and the little nugget of knowledge i want to share is, if your struggling with your self image, with body issues, no amount of praise from others will change the way you feel about yourself. You have to be happy with the way god made you, and know that you are who you are, the way you are, for a reason.. and that has to be good enough!

In the spirit of not making this a super serious post have a little fun and enjoy this song that i can't seem to get out of my head. Listen to the words of wisdom from Meghan Trainor:  "Momma she told me don't worry about your size, she says boys like a little more booty to hold at night!"  Enjoy! All About That Bass