lifestyle

5 Items Under $50 I Can’t Live Without

March 22, 2018 by jessica Leave a Comment

Don’t you just love when you find an inexpensive item that becomes so integral to your routine that you couldn’t imagine your life without it? Me, too! Which is why I was so excited to take part in the first-ever blog linkup for <em>press themes that challenged participants to share their must-have items under $50. Below, you’ll find five of my everyday essentials along with a list of other people who are divulging their favorites. Be sure to share your own in the comments! I’m all for any new-to-me products that can make my life easier!

If you suffer from dry flaky skin, you need to add this serum to your beauty arsenal. This is the only thing that has worked to keep flakiness at bay and keep my complexion smooth. I apply one pump of product and follow up with moisturizer once it’s absorbed. The texture of the product doesn’t feel luxurious — and sometimes a little sticky — but after you smooth it on and leave it for 15 minutes or so, it disappears into your skin and feels weightless. In the morning, those little flakes have miraculously disappeared leaving my skin smooth and soft. The price is steep at $36 per ounce, but you really don’t need a lot of product at a time.

Full wallets take up so much space in a purse, and it’s space I don’t really have given my affinity for small crossbody bags! A few years ago, I purchased a small card case like this one (Kate Spade ones often go on sale, too) and haven’t looked back since. It takes up barely any room to bring along my true must-haves — driver’s license, credit card, debit card, and $20 worth of cash — freeing up space for my other daily essentials. I keep my wallet handy in my closet for additional credit cards, gift cards, and loyalty cards.

Every now and then I suffer from insomnia. It was worse at the apartment before we purchased our house, which leads me to believe that a lot of if is anxiety-based given that the house hunt was so stressful, but I still struggle with it every few weeks. One of the things that has helped the most is this white noise machine. It creates a soothing sound of rushing air that drowns out other ambient noise and you can adjust the speed and tone to find the one that’s best for you. (On the most restless nights, ZzzQuil or one of its generic counterparts works, too. Plus, you get the benefit of those crazy NyQuil dreams without the cold medicine.)

I’ve had these tweezers since college and they’re the absolute best at plucking stray hairs and they’re sharp enough to grab even the most pesky ones. If your tweezers ever get dull, you can send them back to Tweezerman to get sharpened for free.

This portable charger is one of the most useful items under $50 that we own. We purchased it before we went to Copenhagen back in 2014 and were incredibly impressed with its staying power on the trip. It can fully charge an iPhone five times before its battery depletes and the relatively slim profile makes it easy to carry around all day. Plus, you can plug in two phones at once. Not only do we bring this charger on every vacation, we typically carry it with us when we’re out on the weekend. It’s small enough where Dave doesn’t mind putting it in his pocket if my purse space is at a premium.

What are your favorite items under $50? Share in the comments below!

Visit the following blogs to see other must-haves under $50!

Indigo Row
A Touch of Teal
Sincerely, Dani Rose
Luv in the Bubble
TamarasJoy.com
Not for Wallflowers
Politics of Pretty
Monica Dutia
Rosé and Brosé
VICILOVES
Beauty and Burberry
Victoria McGinley Studio
Elembee
The Sasha Nicole
<em>dash

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Weekend Reading

December 9, 2017 by jessica 1 Comment

We had our first measurable snowfall last night! It’s not much — maybe an inch at most — but it makes everything feel so much more festive. It’s good timing, too, since we’re off to central Wisconsin today for our first Christmas gathering of the season. We weren’t sure if we were going to make it to this family get together, so I put off buying the required $20 women’s gift and $30 men’s gift for the gift exchange until yesterday. Nothing like waiting until the last minute, huh? Those inexpensive gifts are so difficult when you’re not buying for a specific person, which is why I have a gift guide coming next week with low cost gifts for those types of exchanges. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Weekend Reading:

Iris. Apfel. Cocktail. Napkins.
How to clean and take care of your glittery garments.
I’m in love with the new branding for Chobani.
Six tips for throwing an unforgettable holiday party.
This feminine top is so pretty.
A behind the scenes peek into creating the Museum of Ice Cream.
I’m not on board with Pantone’s Color of the Year.
We finally had reservations at The Publican in Chicago last weekend, and I can’t stop daydreaming about the barbecue carrots. I know it sounds kind of lame, but it’s amazing. I found the recipe here and I can’t wait to try it myself.
You can get a bar cart in time for the holidays for just $90!
These DIY wall hooks won’t work in our 1929 house, but they’re really cute if you have a mid-century home!

Five Under $50:

A playful bow detail keeps this striped top from being too basic. (Take 30% off today with code HOLIDAYFUN.)
Major statement earrings that won’t break the bank. (Use code GIFT25 to take 25% off.)
All of these faux fur scarves are just $20 today only! It’s the easiest to elevate your winter look and add some fun to your coat!
A set of four notebooks with illustrations by Donald Robertson are a great gift for the fashion lover on your shopping list.
This dress is incredibly impractical for winter, but it’s cute enough to buy now for spring!

Earlier This Week:

Gifts for the cook. (I can’t recommend those dish towels enough. I own five and have pretty much stopped using the other kitchen towels we have.)
My new winter boots are a rare combination of cute and practical.
Snapshots from our weekend in Chicago: this year’s Tiffany’s window, the Chicago River, lights at Jayson Home, and a festive nutcracker.

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Exercise = Beer (+ Swimsuits!)

January 30, 2015 by jessica 9 Comments

I’ve always struggled with my weight. I was an overweight child, an overweight teenager, and an overweight college student. (In short: so much teasing and so few dates!) It wasn’t until after graduation when I decided to do something about it. I joined Weight Watchers and two years later, I lost 75 pounds and weighed in at 130. After wearing a size 16 for so long, I didn’t realize a size four was even possible! It didn’t last long because that weight was far to low for me to maintain. The scale crept up to a comfortable 145 to 150, which I was able to stay at for quite a few years. Unfortunately, that’s not really the case anymore.

Now that I’m in my 30s, my metabolism has taken a nosedive. Beer fests and dining out has caught up to my waistline. So much so, that I didn’t believe the scale could be correct. It was so high! I was convinced it was broken (it wasn’t) and bought a new one last week.

So, I’m back on the Weight Watchers bandwagon, I’ve done the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred video everyday after work for two weeks, and I’m already seeing a difference. I’ve lost two pounds, .5″ from my waist, and an inch from my hips.

Dave and I are also planning to start the couch-to-5k program once March rolls around. We’ll likely be wearing these matching t-shirts. However, suggestions are welcome for the rest of my workout ensemble. I’ve heard good things about Lululemon aside from the sheer pants and Trina Turk has cute styles. Any others? Is it worth getting properly fitted for running sneakers? Or can I just buy these because they’re cute? (So many questions!)

I’d be remiss if I didn’t admit that a new bathing suit is a huge motivation for me to shed the extra pounds. We’re still mulling over vacation spots for April, which gives me plenty of time to choose one. (A bikini probably isn’t in my future, but a girl can hope. And do crunches.)