Lifestyle Archives - Fancy Gals

Why You Should Start a Blog – 3 Signs You Are Ready

April 3, 2016 By ambitiousconsciousness Leave a Comment

Blogging is not just something that weird friend from college does anymore, it’s a fun hobby turned career move by everyone and your neighbor. WPVirtuoso even reported that a new blog is created somewhere in the world every half second! Should you jump on the bandwagon? Here are a few signs why you should start a blog.

Career Girl Daily

1. You have a wealth of opinions:

If you find yourself discussing topics in your head and having fake conversations because you’ve run out of people to talk with about this event… You should probably start a blog. Not only is it great to write down what you are thinking and feeling, just to get things off your chest, it also makes you stop and think about how to present your opinion in a way that can either inform or persuade.

Not Your Standard

2. People ask you for advice:

Whether it be beauty or relationship advice, if your friends and family are coming to you when they need help on a certain topic – others may want to know what you think as well.

Everyone can be an expert in this day and age and being able to help people make decisions is a really rewarding experience. If you want to feel that on a larger scale, you should start a blog.

Boss Fight

3. You are looking for a new career adventure:

Blogging can help in many careers as a resume builder, a networking tool, and even as a new full-time job entirely. While making it too full-time blogging status is not easy and can take years to build, it can work immediately as a resume builder and networking avenue. If that isn’t reason enough why you should start a blog, I don’t know what is.

What you blog about could relate to your current career, like a food critic who launches a cooking blog or an author that launches a publishing news blog. Or, it can be an escape from your current work, like a mathematician that loves to read and share news about movies. If you want to add something different to your resume or connect with people in a particular niche, you should start a blog.

If any of these three tips sounds appealing for you, it may be a good time to look into different blogging platforms. Adventure awaits.

5 Frugal Living Tips and Ideas

March 22, 2016 By ambitiousconsciousness Leave a Comment

Being frugal, minimal, or however you’d like to call it, is more than saving a buck or two – it’s about living a life that takes more pride in moments than purchases, a life that is within means and is kind, it’s a beautiful way to live.

Living totally frugally may not be for everyone, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t a few simple ways to add a bit more frugality into your life so that you can spend less and live more. Here are five easy to follow frugal living tips and ideas to help you get started.

So here are five ways that you can easily add some frugal lifestyle tips into your day to day.

1. If you know you are only going to need an item for a short amount of time, buy it used or rent it instead of buying:

Places like Rent The Runway are great for special occasions where you don’t want to spend hundred of dollars on a dress you’ll only wear once and stores like Goodwill are perfect for buying used baby products. Because honestly, kids grow out of clothes after wearing them only three or four times.

2. Buy one less take out meal a week:

Even cutting down by one meal, or a few Starbucks coffee trips a week, can make a big difference in the long run. Those $2 here or there can zap away your money without you even realizing it. This frugal tip doesn’t only help you live more within your means, it can up your savings account!

3. Substitute one fitness class a week for a community class:

There is a surprising amount of free community fitness classes available in all cities. Turn to Google to find free programs near you and take part! A few blocks near my house, for example, is a great running club. It helps you expand your friends circle and can save you up to $30 a week, depending on the types of classes you usually frequent.

4. Bring your own bags when you shop:

This is an easy frugal living tip! Sure, each bag generally costs a dollar or more, but how much I’ve saved at stores like Target (where you get a $0.05 credit for each bag you use) really helps over the course of a year. Plus, it’s so bad for the environment to keep using those plastic bags.

5. Stop buying microwave popcorn:

Trust me, popping your own popcorn is the best snack you’ll ever have. You can spend less than $10 and have popcorn almost every day for a month, meanwhile a convenience microwave popcorn kit comes with only 3 or 4 bags for up to $5 (depending on brand). Home cooked popcorn tastes better, saves you much more, and is also better for the environment. Give it a try.

So there you have it, five easy to implement frugal living tips and ideas that will save you some money in the long run and help the world around you.

Remember, being frugal means different things to different people. Find the right balance for you and it will enrich your life in many ways.

What the Heck is InCoWriMo?

March 10, 2016 By Rebecca Kelsey Leave a Comment

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If you love to write, you may have heard of NaNoWriMo – AKA National Novel Writing Month. Well, today I’ve stumbled upon InCoWriMo and thought “what in the world is that?”

Apparently, InCoWriMo is shorthand for International Correspondence Writing Month and it celebrates a lovely daily writing challenge that happens every February. Instead of writing a book, like in NaNoWriMo, participants are encouraged to write a handwritten letters or postcards every day. What a sweet idea!

On their FAQ page, the organization states that the name is a nod to NaNoWriMo, but their goals are very different. This rewarding monthly challenge doesn’t have a word count goal, just a snail mail goal. Send 28 (or 29 on leap years, as 2016 is indeed a longer Febraury) letters during the month of February.

I love that this idea can bring families closer together, while also helping charity if you choose too. Boho Berry has some great ideas for how you can meet your monthly writing quota, like by sending letters to strangers in different pen pal exchange programs, or even sending letters to hospitalized children to help lift their spirits. We definitely recommend you check out her post for further details on this fun February challenge.

Would you ever participate in a goal like this? I love how this challenge can bring people together.

The Perfect Printable A5 Planner Insert

March 8, 2016 By Rebecca Kelsey Leave a Comment

Etsy

Do you have an A5 ring-bound planner? Boy, do I have the perfect planner insert for you.

Today we are featuring an adorable printable day planner from Laura at My Newest Addiction, a stunning Etsy store that features many watercolor inspired designs and original artwork.

This 5.8×8.3 inches PDF file can be purchased on Etsy for only $4 and can be printed over and over again, making it a really inexpensive choice for planner junkies. It separates the day into different categories, including a mini meal planner, to-do list, appointments section, and a notes and reflections area that can be used for little reminders, daily gratitudes, or anything you’d like.

I love the soft floral pattern along the edges and have been using the appointments area to track phone calls and emails I need to send out, since I don’t often have appointments daily.

This is a really functional and stunning addition for any of those custom planner junkies out there.

So, what do you think of printable planner inserts? Would one this style suit your needs?

Related: What the Heck is InCoWriMo?

How to Create a Vision Board

December 25, 2015 By Rebecca Kelsey Leave a Comment

Clairety

Vision boards are a really powerful tool for those that love goal setting and visualization. They are great ways to see your goals realized, or even a great way to set an intention or theme for a certain period of time. If you’ve never created one before, here is how you can jump onto this inspirational idea.

Step #1: Gather supplies

All you need to create a vision board is a space to work with (either part of your wall or a poster board), tape or glue, scissors, and material for the collage (like magazine cutouts or printed pictures from the internet).

Step #2: Decide on the theme or pattern

Then, think about what you want your vision board to represent. I have two visions boards, one to represent my theme for 2016 and another to represent the whole of my life. What your board represents is up to you. You can make a vision board for each of your goals (one for fitness inspiration, one for career goals, etc) or one overarching one to represent many goals, it’s up to you.

Step #3: Pick out your inspirations

Now that you have the theme picked out, start cutting out photos. Think about what items would best represent your goals or theme and find them either online, in magazines, or both. Try to also pick pictures to use as the background for your photos if you don’t want to see white space on your board.

Step #4: Put it all together

Start arranging the photos until you find a pattern you like, and then start to glue or tape it all into place. You can add your items onto a board or even your bedroom wall, it’s up to you.

Option: The digital method

You can also make a digital vision board by creating a collage of photos and printing that out, then adding it to a frame. Or, just keep the collage as your phone backdrop so you can see it often.

That’s it! You have a vision board. Now what? Meditate on it daily, even if it’s just for a minute. Having a vision board is a great tool to help you feel motivated everyday to make your dreams come true. Think on your creation often and you’ll help bring it into reality.