Five Friday Favorites

These five favs revolve around one common theme, travel. My sister and I will be heading out to uncharted territory in less than three months, and I honestly can't wait.

1. Eva NYC Freshen Up Dry Shampoo
I'm no longer a newbie when it comes to dry shampoo. In fact the cabinet underneath my sink is filled to the brim with Eva's dry shampoo. It has helped me extend blown and braided hairstyles live to see a few more days. As for sopping up oil... It's all grease be gone, you're no longer wanted here. I purchased a travel size one to help look refreshed after my flight, yay! Hopefully I can bring it in my carry-on.

2. Kissables Lavender Infused Fluffy Socks
Here's the backstory, twice a week I give myself a foot massage, slather on thick moisturizing cream, pull on a pair of socks and fall asleep. The next day I wake up with the pretty soft feet. Well, these socks basically took my moisturizing game to the next level with even softer feet. I've been so obsessed with how soothing these socks and highly recommend them to anyone who spends a lot of time on their feet or travels a lot.

3. Birchbox June Box (Say Yes)
You guys must know by now how much I love samples and miniature things in general. Birchbox was kind enough to send me a Birchbox (or is it BirchBox?) and I loved all of the samples. A few favorites that I'll be saving for my trip in September are: bliss triple oxygen™ instant energizing mask and Egyptian Magic Skin Cream. Both will come in handy for that extra-long flight.

4. PurseN Jewelry Case
I had a PurseN handbag organizer but donated it. I'm more of a backpackin' gal so figured someone else could make better use of it. If you're a handbag lady - you'd probably appreciate how easy this would make life. I do love the entire concept of PurseN - anything that includes organization makes me happy - and went browsing through their site. I came upon this jewelry case and knew it would ease my travel woes when it came to jewelry. There are so many compartments and it's compact which is perfect for my carry-on luggage.

5. Hitha's Blog - Hitha on the Go
I'm a frequent reader of Hitha's blog and love the great travel tips and articles she produces. Maybe I'm fan-girling but if you haven't heard of her blog, jump over to her site - it's so impressive! Hitha is a frequent traveler so if there is anyone I can learn from it's her. This article on prepping for long trips and how to sleep in-flight are bookmarked for my next adventure.

What are your current Friday Favorites? Tell me about it in the comments.

How to Save More Money

Remember this post on why I decided to become a more conscious shopper. Well, it’s been six months since and I’m starting to reap the rewards. It feels amazing. If someone told me ten years ago I’d be able to overcome my debt AND have a savings account (with more than a cent in it) I’d call bullshit. You guys, it’s so ridiculously easy to spend, spend, spend so just imagine 18 year old me with six credit cards - SIX!

For the first time ever: I have funds for a rainy day, am making huge strides on paying off my debt, have a credit score that isn’t shameful, and can foresee vacations instead of staycations. Like holy cow – did I really make this happen?

I’m definitely not rich (yet) but rethinking how to make my dollar stretch has helped me tremendously. Lifestyle changes and smart decisions contributed to a healthy bank account and I’d love to share them with you all.

Say No to Taxis
Every cab ride home can cost me around $40 easy meanwhile a subway ride is only $2.75. Also, both are roughly the same time when commuting so this is a no-brainer. For those of you in NYC riding at least twice a day, five times a week - get the unlimited monthly metrocard. You'll save so much in the long run.

If you must cab it home, be smart about it and use Uber’s carpool or Lyft’s Line. These two options are cheaper (when not in surge mode) when getting to where you need to go.

Say No to ATM & Bank Fees
Every now and then I encounter a shop or restaurant that’s cash only and find myself walking to the nearest ATM. The no-fee standalone ATM are few and far between - which is why I started planning ahead for those few “cash only” moments by withdrawing cash in advance from my bank periodically.

While you’re there why not inquire about certain bank fees & charges. For instance I was getting charged $25 a month because I haven’t set up my direct deposit. $25 a month adds up so I immediately took care of that situation.

When it Comes to Food
In December I analyzed where the majority of my money went. Let’s just say more money went towards food than to my student loans, rent, and shopping combined. Pretty embarrassing but I love discovering new restaurants. My solution was to create a budget for food (something I never had before) and plan my meals out. Weekly trips to the supermarket and prepping meals the night before have become the norm. I saved hundreds by eating breakfast at home and bringing lunch to work.

In addition to dining in, I cut the cord to my Starbucks ritual and replaced it with a stroll around the neighborhood.

When it Comes to Beauty
Believe in the power of samples - readily available everywhere for free. The other month I ran out of daily moisturizer but instead of running to my nearest Sephora to reload I pulled out my samples. You guys, the amount of samples I own could last me all through summer... Of next year. When it came time to settle down on a moisturizer I already knew which brands worked best for my skin – always a good thing.

Manicures. We all love them but it can add up. I've cut back on this pastime big time, but cutting back doesn’t mean eliminating “me time." Instead of sitting in a salon I’ve changed the scenario to an evening with Netflix – and a fresh mani done by moi.

No Cable Television
Although I do miss watching the news and the Kardashians - paying a monthly Netflix bill compared to a Time Warner bill is the tits. Not only that, I feel more productive on the weekends and am more apt to escape the apartment. Some people can't imagine life without cable and to those people I say cut those chains and be free. 

Along those lines - go digging in your last monthly statement. Are there any monthly subscriptions you can quit? Any you completely forgot about that you should cancel immediately?
 
When it Comes to Shopping
There are a few rules I always refer to in this department to help stick to my/your budget:
Quality will always beat out quantity - always. But, when it comes to simple household goods - generic brands are your friends.
Before you buy, ask if there's a sale or discount you can use. Shopping online? Use google to your advantage and search for the latest deals/coupons before confirming purchase. 
Sleep on it. If you still want the item a day or week later go back and get it. In this age of mass production and easily replicated goods buyer's remorse is more of a myth than a feeling.
One in, one out. This rule will help when it comes to rethinking what you're bringing into the home (i.e. clutter) and could save you a few bucks in the long run. 

Save on Energy
When you have two tech geeks living in one space, figuring out how to not have the most insane ConEd bill is priority. This rings even more true during the dog days of summer. Things that help us keep our bill low and affordable: unplug appliances when not is use (we even unplug our media console station), turn off the lights, use the economic setting when possible, keep laptops unplugged when not in use. Generally, keeping things unplugged has saved us close to $50 and more - we tested out our theory last year to make sure it wasn't us.

Images via Shutterstock

Five Friday Favorites

What a whirlwind of a month. Decided to end this month with a few favorites that really stood out to me.

1. Pure Ice 'Butterfly Effects'
I absolutely love treating myself to a weekly mani, at the same time an at-home treatment is pretty bomb too. Me time is the best time. I went to an event earlier this month to learn about Pure Ice's Butterfly Effects Collection and absolutely love the new iridescent shades - great for summer or applying as a top coat. The price is also very hard to beat at $2 a bottle.

2. Governor's Ball
I gave up Coachella to save up for a few trips, but I certainly will not give up GovBall. This music festival is basically in my backyard and has an amazing line-up (read: Drake - the only thing that matters). The only real problem standing in my way is rain - dear rain gods, please hold off!

3. SVELTA Tan
Sunscreen and I are besties, even in the dead of winter it's something I constantly slather on. So when summer rolls around and it's time to pull out those bikinis I'm always the first out of my friends to hit up every spray-tan groupon deal and try every sunless tanner available in NYC. I absolutely love looking tanned but without the sun damage. Recently I came across SVELTA All-in-One Tanner and had to give it a test drive since it's 100% vegan and contains only natural + good-for-you ingredients. One thing I loved was it subtle shimmer and left no embarrassing orange streaks.

4. Beautiful Textures Rapid Repair Deep Conditioner
I'm really not a huge fan of curly hair products smelling too fruity (like a tropical cocktail) but if the product really works, then I can definitely give the scent factor a pass. This past training season my curls were suffering from the intense sweat sessions and then obligatory shower sessions. They were looking extremely brittle and meh, then I used this deep conditioner once - simply to test the waters - and I could feel the difference after one use. Not a huge difference but they were noticeably softer. I upped that to to twice a week and curls were definitely looking revived and full of life again. The price point and amount given in the container were also nice factors.

5. Quilted Koala Joyful Collection
Makeup Bags that can contain all of my new Asian skincare obsessions (I'll have to do a youtube video on that!!) are giving me life after AM workout classes. I've been using this one from Quilted Koala to help stick to my AM skincare regimen and it's the perfect size for my small bottles of goodness, makeup, and creams. I'll definitely be using their a few of their bags for travel when the moment presents itself.

Got any favorites I should know about?! Let me know in the comments :).