25 Brands I save Money On And You Can Too

 When I am on the prowl for my newest deal I scour the internet. I usually start with clearance sections of my favorite online retailers (some of which are normally very pricey) in order to find what I want without breaking my bank account like a piggy bank.

Browsing online is a better and more fun option for me because I have access to everything a store has to offer. I don't have to deal with the lines or the hordes of people. Plus when I see something I really like (and maybe can't afford) I can add it to my cart to look at again later. This make my experience a lot of fun.

I will purchase an item or two on each of my sprees but I always spend hours finding them. I have children in school and in the morning after they are out of the house gives me the perfect opportunity to take this "me" time.

Some of my favorite retailers are (not in order by degree):

Anthropologie
Alexander Mcqueen
Alice + Olivia
Balenciaga
Bcbmaxazria
Burberry
Calvin Klein
Chloe
Diane Von Furstenberg
Dolce & Gabbana
Elizabeth and James
Free People
GAP
Gibson
Giuseppe Zanotti
Gucci
Guess
J. Crew
Loft
Michael Kors
Milly
Nine West
Old Navy
Tibi
Urban Decay

I am sure there are many more too. These are just the ones I can think of real quick (with a little help from my internet history)

I will be posting some of the great deals I find on some of the deals I find along with the date I posted them so that people know when the deal gets old.

Here are a few items I found this week. 9/8/17

Urban Decay Naked Smoky Eyeshadow Palette

This item is usually upwards of fifty dollars but if you use this link then you can get it for 50% off right now. 

LA Made Braided Tank in Slate

I don't know about you but I love it when a shirt has fancy things going on in the back while it is still comfortable to wear. With this link you can save over 10$ on this shirt today.

ERDEM Karina frayed-edge tweed jacket

This jacket is super adorable. It is 60% off right now. This is one of those items which even on a sale as big as that I still wouldn't be able to afford it. *sigh* but it is fun to look at. #ForeverInMyCart #NeverOnMyShelf

Be sure to click on this one and take a browse yourself!









Well Guys that is all I have for you right now. Be sure to check back for the next set of amazing items.

PS Don't forget to follow and share this page so everyone knows you have great style.

How To Build Your Brand When You Don't Know Where To Start

What does "build your brand" actually mean? Your brand is you. Everything you have done online and everything you want to do.

Building your brand means creating the online presence which will be what you represent as a whole.

Your "you" brand is what you are creating.

Now that is not to say that your brand can't be adjusted as you move forward. It most certainly can. I personally am still in the process of adjusting and building my brand. I have been researching how to refine this and have listed here the best practices I have found.

What Should Your Brand Look Like And How To Figure It Out:

1. List some of your favorite things
2. List some of your beliefs
3. List some of the favorite activities
4. What are some things you know well
5. What are some digital things you could create for your audience based on what you know
6. What information do you already have about the top of your list
7. What could you do continuing research on?
8. How does all this help represent the way you want the worked to view you and your concepts
9. Who do I follow online and want to be like them? This will help you the most if your a bit lost. What does this person represent? Is this consistent with what you want to do?

When you write all of this down then you will have what you want to be. Now you can think about what you want to represent and refine this list. Now you have a brand you want to be.

Image Matters

 

Now don't forget how much your image says about you. Your clothing, style, and personal image will define the first impression any of your future tribe get of you. Identify yourself with a group of people with similar values and look at how they dress in their personal images or videos.

Is the way you dress and present yourself in line with this type of style? How can you adjust your presented image to better represent what your brand is?

Applying Brand To Your Online Presence

What do you need to do for your current online presence?

1. Start adjusting your future posts, tweets, pins and anything else you put out there.
2. Is there anything you have previously put up that goes against what you want to represent? Do you think well it has a lot of engagement? If that engagement don't represent who you are then delete it even if it draws back engagement. 
3. You will see an increase in engagement that represent the tribe you want to be part of. After all you should be trying to create a place where people of similar ideas and beliefs can come together without being looked down upon by people with dissimilar beliefs. 
4. Don't worry about losing some followers at this point in your brand building because it might happen. You will lose the excess followers who would not be on par from those who are truly part of your tribe.

 Don't Be Scared Of Who You Want To Represent As Yourself.

Be Sure To Like, Comment And Share.

Inspiration Work

Daily, Weekly and Monthly Inspirational Quotes Series.  We are inspired by others to be inspirational so some similarities may occur but I assure you all these are our own words.

Leave Your Favorite Quote Below and Be Sure To Share!

Children In School

When parents start sending their children off to school the first year or two can be extremely stressful.
My baby was always what you would call clingy. When preschool started she was able to find her independence quite easily on her own. She was like "bye mom" and when i picked her up like "do i have to leave school?"

This threw me for a loop. I didn't want one of those children who threw a fit when mom tries to leave but I didn't want her to be so nonchalant either. It was very hard for me to see my beautiful little baby as a confident little lady ready to face the world without holding mommy's hand. After all our children are at school for approximately 240 days a year.

1. The other children can influence your child's behavior
2.  Doing well in school now is crucial to becoming successful
3. College is coming (whether your child is in K or 12th grade)
4. Back to School Shopping can cost a bundle
5. What if you can't help them
6. What if they are barraged by harmful information
7. What if they fall off the jungle gym
8. What if they are bullied
9.  Can they make friends
10. Will you get along with the other parents

Kindergarten just started for her at a new school and she is ready to go yet again. I am fortunate enough to be able to spend a lot of time with my kids but I am working hard now to get organized enough to stay home full time. I have been working part time for pretty much my children's whole lives, other than their first year. 

I have a new baby on the way and see this next year and a half or so as my opportunity to change my life and the life of my children. See my entry about getting started with blogging.

What is Audible? And Why All Parents Should Have It

Audible is an amazon based audio-book app which gives you access to a number of audio-book downloads each month for one base price. 

They have the world's largest selection of audio-books. Not to mention the A list celebrities who read them. Many of the audio-books have even won a Grammy. If you don't love the book your listening to, just swap it for another time for free.

It is great for children because it will broaden their vocabulary and take them to other worlds which allows children and adults alike to give their imagination a boost.

They can be played in the car and while household chores are being completed. You can even switch devices and your place will be saved for you.

 

The best part is that you can get a free trial along with your first audio-book completely free. If you don't like it just cancel before the dead lines to avoid the monthly fee of less than 15 bucks. 

If you have never listened to an audio-book before Audible is the place to start. Their selection is amazing and you wont be able to stop listening.

Start Searching For Your Next Great Adventure Now!

Raging Bacteria

Most people tend to want to kill all the bacteria in their homes. This however is not as good to do as it seems.

There are several reasons to avoid grabbing those antibacterial soaps and body washes when hitting the stores. The biggest in my opinion is they don't kill everything. They say so right on the bottle. Kills 99% of bacteria.

What about the other 1%?

Most people know that bacteria dont reproduce the same way animals do. They only need one single cell to make millions more. And what do you think is going to happen if that 1% that is resistant to antibacterial agents now has all the room to grow because you killed off the competition?

Now you end up with bacteria everywhere that are resistant. FDA has instated a ban to severely limit the number of these types of soaps you can find on the market. 

Not to mention the fact that it doesn't work on viruses which are the causes of most common sicknesses like the cold and flu.

According to the FDA not only can using these soaps cause problems with the bacteria at home but they can also have effects on how the bacteria in your body are eliminated with prescription antibiotics and the chemicals used in these soaps may cause hormonal issues but this is still being researched.

If your worried about bacteria and viruses in your home I would suggest getting everyone in the home, especially the kids, washing their hands more often (with regular hand soap, I use Aloe Vera) and be sure to include door knobs and facet handles in your regular cleaning schedule. If you want more information on how to avoid common cold issues check out this.

Helpless Parenting

When your a parent all you want to do is protect your children and allow them to grow up well. That is not always the case.
My son recently broke his arm at school falling off the monkey bars and my daughter is currently sick with the flu.
There are just always going to be times in our kids lives when we cant protect them from everything in the world. My kids are still young enough being under the age of 10 that they still look to the parents around them thinking they always have the right answer to their questions.

They still have what I call the veil. The veil is the knowledge that children have that grown ups are different than they are because they feel like when you "grown up" something changes basically overnight and suddenly you understand the world.
Well we all know that is not the case. When the veil is lifted is different for everyone and it happens at different ages.
For some it is when they have their first child or lose their first job or realize you don't make enough money to support yourself. It happens in  moment. You look around at your life thinking "what happened I thought this would be easier and you realize that there is no switch that happens and "grown ups" dont know everything; they are just trying to figure things out as they go too.
That is when our veil is lifted and we are thrown for a loop as the world is thrown at us all at once.
As a parent my goal is to keep my children's veil in place till the right time when they are old enough to understand the world around them and more importantly mature enough to figure out how to be part of it.