5 Ideas for a Great girls night in

Hello loves! Since nicer weather is finally here, I feel like Friday nights people almost feel obligated to take advantage of the warm evenings and go to the pubs and outdoor restaurants. As fun as this can be, sometimes you just need a night in if for no other reason than your bank accounts are drained. Of course, that doesn’t mean you have to sit at home alone watching obscure channels and partaking in some knitting. Instead, why not plan a girl’s night in with your besties? Here are a few of my suggestions!

Games Night In

Chances are if you and your girls have smartphones (who doesn’t?) then you’re already all into gaming apps, mobile bingo or even mobile casino games. Make your girl’s night in a little more exciting this weekend by downloading Smart Live Gaming on your iPhone or Android to play some live roulette or popular slot games. Competition always gets me going especially when I’m playing my friends. Not going to lie, I hate losing!

Movie Marathon

There’s a reason movie marathons are a classic night-in staple. All you have to do is decide on a theme for your movie marathon night, buy some wine, order a pizza and pop open the ice cream tubs to watch some of your favorite chick flicks! May I suggest watching the Hills all over again?

The Great Girls Night Bake Off

There are few things in the world more satisfying than eating a dessert you prepared yourself. Before your next girls night in, scroll through a couple of dessert recipe Pinterest boards, pick a few pies, cookies or cakes and go get the ingredients. When your gal pals come over, start the bake off! Really this is just a good excuse to eat more than one decadent dessert but who cares? No judgement here.

YouTube Makeup Tutorial Challenge

There are literally thousands of makeup tutorials on Youtube, so chances are you and your girls are able to do some of them. Take turns choosing and attempting makeup tutorials on each other, or if you want to take it to the next level search for Halloween or cosplay makeup tutorials! Between the wine and the inevitable eyeliner problems it’s sure to be memorable.

Spa Night

If you need to relax, host a spa night! Each of you could bring your favorite nail polishes or ingredients for a DIY facial to enjoy together. Pop the bubbly and indulge in some chocolate covered strawberries while your pedicure dries!

Hopefully this gave you some fun ideas for a night in! Often I find myself wanting to stay at home after a long work week instead of going out. I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who feels this way! Enjoy your girl’s night in!

-LIZ

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Stocking Stuffer Ideas for Her

It’s Christmas Eve Eve and I’m going to be out running errands shortly with my mom getting a few last minute things done! We need to get the turkey for Christmas dinner (my mom is wonderful in the kitchen) and a cake from the bakery for dessert. I’ve always enjoyed these last few days before Christmas. All the hustle and bustle of the stores is kind of fun.

Speaking of stores, one of the last things people remember to shop for is stocking stuffers! Ever since I was little, my mom has always filled ours with fun little goodies and a new toothbrush. The toothbrush is a tradition I intend to do with my own kids some day. As an adult though, there’s a few things I love to find in my stocking or put in someone else’s!

• Nail polish – Find deals on Essie at Marshall’s
• Pens or pencils – Favorites are from the Target dollar section
• Socks – Target has a variety of fun ones for $1.50
• Fragrance refills – Bath & Body Works sometimes has their Wallflowers on sale this time of year
• Loofa – Walmart always has a bin full of them for cheap
• Cookie cutters – Cute, festive, and inexpensive at most stores

Other cute ideas are a pocket-sized manicure set, hand sanitizer, hair ties, lip balm, travel size shower gel, knit gloves, peppermint bark, bubble gum, or makeup. I like to browse the dollar section in Target and the line that leads to the registers at TJ Maxx or Marshall’s for fun little stocking stuffers that won’t cost a fortune. If you can’t find something there, you probably won’t be able to find it at all!

Leave me a comment with your favorite stocking stuffer ideas!

Inexpensive Christmas Gifts

 

Christmas is coming! Only a few days left until the big day! I’ve pretty much finished all of my shopping and now I just have to wrap everything. That’s the part that takes the longest. Between cats wanting to sit on the wrapping paper and measuring how much of it you need, it’ll take a few hours. For those of you who still have a few people to shop for like your friends, child’s teacher, or even your hairdresser, I have a few gift ideas that won’t break the bank!

Easy Gifts to Give

Forever my go-to gift for my friends is a pair of fuzzy socks and nail polish. Bath and Body Works usually has really cute socks this time of year and I always find a wide variety of nail polishes at TJ Maxx. Most of the time, I can buy both of these items for under $10 total!

Another Christmas gift I love to give and to get is a candle and pajama set! I buy Pjs at Old Navy because they’re always having sales this time of year. The candles I like to buy from Bath and Body or Kohl’s. If you time your purchase right, both places will have at least half off their candles. This gift will be a little more expensive but you should be able to get it for about $20!

Finally, a great seasonal gift is a mug and hot cocoa kit. I find the cutest mugs at TJ Maxx for under $4 usually! Target also sells hot cocoa gift sets for around $10. This gift works well because it can be for men or women. Finding the perfect mug is so much fun because everyone has different tastes. Hint: Star Wars is big this year and I’ve seen plenty of mugs with Darth Vader on them!

Leave a comment with a great gift you love to give!

7 Things to Find Cheap at TJ Maxx

In my never ending conquest to find good deals on things I love, places like TJ Maxx have caught my attention and of course, my wallet. I’ve found a ridiculous amount of good stuff at these stores that I would have otherwise bought at Target for twice the price. While I am a Target snob, there are some things I just refuse to pay so much money for. I guess you could say I’m a Target snob on a Walmart budget. Believe me, I hate it too. So here’s 7 things that you can find at TJ Maxx for a portion of the regular price.

• Makeup remover– I don’t put a lot of soaps and cleansers on my face because it breaks me out. Instead, I use makeup remover towelettes. I used to buy them at Target for around $5 for 40 of them. I recently found that I can buy a supply of 90 for between $4 and $5.
• Nail polish– I love nail polish a little too much. Every time my mom turns around I have a new color on and I’m trying to convince her to let me do her nails. I was waiting in the checkout line one day and noticed a bunch of Essie and OPI polishes sitting on a little rack. It just so happened that instead of paying retail prices of $8.99 these were $3.99!
• Snack foods– Last week I found a bag of Boom Chicka Pop for $2.99. At Target they retail for around $5. You can also find things like organic potato chips, granola, dried fruit, coffee, biscotti, and even spices for low prices.
• Coffee mugs– Anyone who knows me realizes that I have a slight obsession with cute coffee mugs. I live for them. Most of my coffee mugs have come from TJ Maxx and were under $4. I’ve also found great travel mugs and these amazing food containers called Sistema for half the retail price.
• Kitchen gadgets– Have you ever found an avocado container? I did and it was really cool! I browse the kitchen aisle like there’s no tomorrow. I never buy anything because this girl can’t cook. However, if you’re looking to stock your new kitchen you’ll more than likely find everything you could want here.
• Gift bags– I refuse to pay $3.99 for a stupid gift bag. That could have been a Starbucks coffee for me. TJ Maxx usually has a lot of gift bags to choose from for almost every occasion at a much lower price. There are some days that I’m tempted to buy a bag just because it’s cute to look at.
• Notecards– Stationary has always been something I liked to stockpile. Not only does it make for adorable letters to send, it also looks great for Instagram photos. Don’t I just think ahead?

Tell me what your best TJ Maxx find was in a comment! I’m excited to hear!

Last Taste of Summer (and what to do with it)

August is flying by for me and frankly, I’m looking forward to cooler temperatures! I’m going to contradict myself with what I’m about to tell you but I think it needs to be said while it’s still so humid outside. Here it is: Don’t wish away the summer! Don’t wish away the smell of sunscreen or the drippy ice cream cones. Enjoy the season for suntans, flip flops, sandy feet, and BBQs! I love this time of the year even though half way through it I’m ready for fall.

These last few weeks of summer should be savored! If you don’t want to “savor”, stock up on summertime items for next year. Most stores are getting rid of their warmer-weather inventory and it should be on clearance. Swimsuits are all marked down right now and so are beach towels and sunscreen! I was in Kohl’s the other day and combed through a few of the clearance racks for things I had been wanting from earlier in the season. I found a Lauren Conrad ombre maxi dress for $11! I felt like such a winner.

I’d love to know what you all are up to for the rest of the month! Leave me a comment!