Happy Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! As much of the U.S. was hit by crazy wind, ice, etc., we were fortunate enough to have a beautiful dusting of fog (as you can see in many of the above backgrounds). Today we were on campus looking at my sister's new college schedule and scouting out the different locations at which she will be having class, a routine of the student life that I avidly miss. As for me, I am enjoying the day off courtesy of a man who worked for peaceful equality for all, focused on the importance of humanity as more than just differing and conflicting races, and brought together a nation in turmoil. May we have this same unity and hope that Dr. King envisioned during that time in today's age as well!
Happy Monday!
Coat: zulily | Dress: Reborn J | Ankle Boots: Pick Your Plum | White Fur Head Wrap: Online (?)
Here we are again. As every year draws to its close, we review the experiences, top posts, and happenings that have made the year special. 2016 brought with it the best time of my life as I graduated college, started my career, and made my number one dream come true: to visit France. Highlights of my life have been made here, and for those I cannot appreciate the year that has come and gone enough. I will miss 2016, but I know 2017 will bring just as many opportunities and create just as many memories. May it be full of good food, great places, and awesome people! <3
As with tomorrow being NYE, I felt now was a good time to introduce my Budget Binder as a way to keep financial resolutions more easily achievable. As many of you know, I have a habit of being a little disorganized (hence the occasional irregular breaks between posts). The ringing in of 2017 has thus brought with it new attempts at resolutions that I feel are more obtainable for me- #1 being organization- and hopefully for you as well!
I first started by finding a binder that would be large enough to fit pouches, envelopes, and who-knows-how-many pages (the dollar store provided a few choices).
Next, I devoted a large portion of my life to designing covers for my Income, Spending, Student Loans, and Savings sections, filler pages for each, and cloning the filler pages into every major color on this planet. After that, I was so sick of looking at the graphics that I put it away for a week. :) When I felt ready to open it again, I filled the inner side of the binder with coupons and an accompanying label so that they would be easily accessible.
I knew I would need some sort of envelope or pouch to hold receipts and other miscellaneous things relating to the budget, and I found quite stylish 2 pocket pouches at Office Depot for under a dollar. I stocked up with 12 or more i.c.of e.
Staying on track with monthly deadlines and bi-monthly paydates requires a calendar, so I searched on Google to find a printable 2017 calendar as well as ones for each month. By highlighting days requiring some sort of financial action, I can see exactly what to do and when to do it.
With Christmas being right around the corner at the time, I also created a page for holidays that allows me to document who I need to buy for, how much to spend, and what I buy/how much it is. These include Christmas (as mentioned), Valentine's Day, and Birthdays.
It was a lot of work, circles, and cloning, but eventually it all came together! Now I just have to motivate myself to keep up with it. ;)
Below you will (hopefully) find a link to the Budget Binder inserts, which are free to download, print, and share (crediting is always nice though :) ). The colors are interchangeable, so you can switch out colors every month, match the filler pages to the cover pages, etc. Throughout the year, I might see a need to add a page currently not in there, so stay tuned!
As promised, here are the (albeit belated) pictures from this year's Halloween costume (or as I have taken to calling it, cosplay). Surprisingly, they turned out really well despite having worn the costume all day at work, having to avoid the random people walking through, and wearing non-walking flats. I was never really into cosplay and costuming that much prior to this year, when I got to attend my first comic con as Agent Carter. Since then, I have been more eager to take on different characters and see what kind of twist I could put on them (you may have also seen my Belle interpretation on Instagram). I've got a few characters in mind for my next cosplay, but I'm still working on the finishing touches, so stay tuned. :)
Until then, my little birds!
Navy Cardigan/Lemon Pleated Skirt: Thrifted | Belt: Online (can't remember exactly which site) | Red Top: Shop in Florida
