shopping

Men’s fashion just in time for the holidays!  JOY!

The Nordstrom Sale is my excuse to shop there!  Nordstrom is not my number 1 place to shop throughout the year, but come the anniversary sale, seeing all the fashion bloggers talk about it, I get major FOMO.  

I’m a professional SALE shopper.  I don’t like wearing the same outfit everyday because I like shopping, therefore I don’t want to spend major money on 1 sweater.  I’ll feel like I need to wear the sweater 246 days in a row to make sense of the purchase.

The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is all the rage because it’s brand name & new items w discounts.  You won’t have to dig through racks of damaged clothes or items from last season – the sale is all new, trending, and ready for fall.  Mmmmmmmkay.

My thoughts on the Nordstrom Sale? Look for the major savings.  Get those brand name pieces you wouldn’t typically purchase, that you’ll use/wear for a long time, and stop at that

Let’s not pretend furniture shopping is affordable.  I was fooled into believing I could go buy unique furniture pieces that I loved for reasonable prices due to the fairytale that is: INSTAGRAM.   On my last move I knew it was time to be an adult & purchase my own furniture.  It appears as though everyone else can easily make their home pristine so I should be able to too!  Well well well, little did I know you had to be a multi-millionaire to purchase new, quality, unique furniture that you actually liked.

I don’t know how it works across the world, but that’s how it works in America.

Who would have thought 1 single, basic dinning chair would be $500?  Not me.  I have a new appreciation for fully furnished homes, & Ikea.

Needless to say, I’m glad most of my major furniture shopping is done because it was a fucking gut punch & took a lot of time.  I’m here to help, even if you didn’t know you needed it, you do.  The new furniture experience will hit you someday too.

The perk to badass new furniture?  How your home will make you feel.  The energy can change dramatically when you have furniture that you love – trust me.  After redoing my bedroom, I realized everything else had to change as well.  As painful as furniture shopping is, it’s worth it.

5 Tips For {Affordable} Furniture Shopping

1.  Look For Sales
Yes, furniture goes on sale.  And even then, it’ll be sickening to pay for, but a sale can make it manageable.  I have a Pottery Barn Outlet close to my house & I went OFTEN.  One lucky day that I stopped in the store, all sale pieces happened to be an additional 40% off.  I ended up getting one of my comfy, white sofas for $100!  That’s fucking insane pricing btw.  Try shopping for a badass sofa & you’ll feel me.  So pay attention to sales & outlet furniture stores, that was as close to finding a gold mine as I can imagine.

You know the one part that sucks about holiday time that doesn’t exist around Thanksgiving… The torture of trying to find gifts, for everyone.  And make cookies, and hang decorations, and go to holiday parties, and try to eat healthy.  Adding gifts on top of all that jazz is what can easily make you freak the F out. I have a few ideas….

5 Ways To Finish Out The Holiday Season Stress Free

 The Gift Of Being Stress-Free:  Ok, think about the people you’re buying gifts for.  Thinking of them?  If most of those people knew you were stressed out, driving around like a maniac, spending more money than you had, buying their gift from the checkout line in Target because you can’t think of anything else – they wouldn’t want that from you!  So don’t feel like you have to do it.  Wait until the next day, by them a good book, or gift card, and let the pressure of other gifts go.
Essential Oils:  This may or may not be a placebo, the essential oil trend, but I don’t give a fuck.  If it works because my mind is telling me to believe it’s working, or the oils are truly relaxing me – I’ll fucking take it.  Am I right?  I met an essential oil doctor (jk she was selling her oil potions at the grocery store & I stopped to talk to her), and she gave me a combo she said would help me relax.  (5 drops Lavender, 5 drops Jasmine, 5 drops Frankincense, 3 drops Ylang Ylang.)  She put it in a tiny spray bottle (here) and said to spray it on my pillow at night, on my clothes, mid anxiety attack – whatever.  I’ve become obsessed.  It’s so easy to do too!  Go to Whole Foods, get these essential oils, get a tiny spray bottle, and make your own secret Xanax potion.

Thank you to everyone for your feedback on the Jury Duty post!  I can’t describe the relief it was to feel other people understand where I was coming from… The experience made me think I was alone on an island called Understanding – so thank you thank you thank you! And like I said, I’m not done with this, so stay tuned.  My wheels are spinning!  Please continue to let me know if you have similar stories, ideas, thoughts – I love hearing them!

Today, I’m getting off the serious train & into something I consider a little more enjoyable.  I become overwhelmed & disengage quickly when someone is in a constant heavy subject.  Even for me, that gets exhausting.  I need to full circle of conversation.  I also try to enjoy my life & freedoms as much as possible because I know they are not granted to everyone.

Let’s talk Black Friday & Cyber Monday.  Fuck that shit!  (Yeah right, I spent the entire weekend scrolling the internet in efforts to procrastinate all other tasks.  Procrastination does not end in college.)

You can get your cowboy boots at Allen’s Boots, badass unique jewelry at Leighelena or Kendra Scott, a freak-show costume at Lucy in Disguise, an antique clock at Unique Things, and your local wine and groceries at Farmers to Market Grocery.