No matter how often you tell yourself that you absolutely need to officially act on that saving money kick you've been ambitiously planning for months, somehow by the end of the week you find yourself deeper in the hole than you hoped. Even when you try to behave financially and opt for a thrifty Happy Hour in place of your more extravagant night-out plans, somehow your wallet comes home empty by the end of the evening! So if over-spending is inevitable once you step foot out of the house, is the only solution to simply lock yourself up in your house and count the tiles in your ceiling? No way! Sure, desperate times call for desperate measures, but life as a hermit is never the answer! Believe it or not, plenty of fun can be had right under your own roof, especially when you involve the right company! From do-it-yourself photoshoots, movie marathons, and a homemade potluck dinner, you may not have fun for free exactly, but you'll definitely save money and gas while staying comfy and getting the chance to tap into your creative side, too!
Bring out your competitive spirits for a Game Night! When was the last time you cleared off the table and played some of your favorite board games? You'd be surprised how old childhood favorites are just as entertaining now that you're all grown up (or even more so!) when played with friends to de-stress, relive old times, or simply cure boredom! Break out some old classics like Life or Monopoly, try out some of my own personal favorites like Encore and Apples to Apples, or feed into your group's Edward craving with the new
Twilight movie game (just kidding... unless you're into it, because I'd play it)!
Turn your living room into a comfier (and hopefully less air-conditioned) movie theater for an at-home Film Festival! Raid your friends' DVD collections or max out your Netflix limits to compile a collection of some old favorites, new must-sees, or an entertaining combination of both! If you're all too sugar-hopped or easily distracted to sit through multiple feature-lengths, opt for favorite TV shows on full-season DVDs for built-in intermissions between episodes!
Don't you ever watch movies with that cheesy cliched trying-on-clothes-in-the-dressing-room montage and wish you could have a giggly fun-filled photoshoot just like that? Well why don't you?! Invite some friends over, raid your overflowing closet, and break out the digital camera or Flip camcorder and have yourselves a do-it-yourself Fashion Shoot before you donate a few garbage bags worth of junk to Goodwill. Plus, until you try them on again, you never know which old fads hiding in your closet are tomorrow's biggest fashion comebacks!
Are those cocktails you've been sipping on classy but too costly? Opt for an apartment Wine & Cheese Party with some of your chicest friends. While fine cheeses and wine aren't necessarily "cheap" (well, some of it is!), you still save money when you buy in bulk (as long as you're not drinking it all yourself!) and it's a great way to enjoy the finer things in life without splurging on a professional food-and-wine pairing at a restaurant or tasting bar.
You've got to do something with all those SnapFish digital prints you have strewn all over your desk! Commemorate the good old days while creating fun new memories in the process by hosting a Scrapbooking Party! As artistically inclined as I like to think I am, I personally just can't get into it, but the rest of my friends are all about throwing scrappin' parties. So next time you feel a creative urge coming on, grab all those unused snapshots and put your layout skills to the test. You'll be surprised at how much inspiration can come from working in a group and bouncing off ideas with your friends (plus, they'll have plenty to say about which pictures you should scrapbook and which you should just plain scrap!)
Let me guess -- you'd love to save money and stop eating out, but your only realistic alternative is a Top Ramen diet. Cooking a meal can take a lot of time and energy, especially when a lot ends up going to waste if you're chowing solo. So why not invite the pals over for a Potluck Dinner? Even if you're a disaster in the kitchen, everyone has at least something they can whip up a "mean" version of (boxed brownies, anyone?) and if you all put your limited skills together, you may just end up with an edible full course meal! And even if your plans don't have the tastiest results, cooking together makes for some fun bonding time... as long as you don't end up arguing over who gets to lick the bowl.
My friend insists that if things get really bad economically, she'd sooner give up food than give up her routine manicures. While I'm sure she's not alone in this sentiment, it's important for these salon-dependent ladies to see what options are out there in the realm of at-home nail care! I know, I know -- the thought of doing your own nails may not seem like a worthy alternative when you're so used to being pampered, but with an all-inclusive
manicure/pedicure kit like Sephora's, along with a small group of your most entertaining friends, an At-Home Spa Date is fun, relaxing, and unless you participate while blindfolded, will have your nails looking like a professional did them! Plus, it pays for itself after just a few uses!
Ever watch Project Runway and have the urge to just go nuts and unleash your creative energy on all your old clothes? Well, if you're like me & haven't cleaned out your closet for a few years, chances are you have a ton of stuff you never wear that could potentially become fierce new wardrobe pieces in the making during a DIY Fashion Party!
Urban Outfitters has a ton of do-it-yourself books and kits -- not just for clothes, but for home furnishing and decorating also -- that you can incorporate into an all-out arts & crafts fest with your friends! Sure, you may make a tornado of a mess of your apartment in the process, but it will be worth it when you're cleaning up decked out in your hot new DIY duds!
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We all love designer clothing and accessories, but most of us wish that the steep designer prices were lower. So what is a fashionista to do? Shop sample sales of course! Sample sales typically is a means for retail businesses to discard extra merchandise from their showrooms. The clothing was usually worn on the catwalk and on photo shoots. Sample sales are a great way to get near to perfect clothing and accessories at a fraction of the retail price.
