Tag: PostGrad

PostGrad

April Recap

Starting a new fun post for the end of every month where I go over my favorites for the month!

Favorite show: A Series of Unfortunate Events, Season 2.

Favorite memory: Adopting Kaya! Having a dog has been challenging, but so rewarding. The sense of responsibility Kaya has given me has really kicked my butt into gear.

Favorite place: A great hike at Delaware and Raritan Canal, one hike down and one to go for my bucket list!

Favorite meal: It was from Zoe’s Kitchen, I’m really obsessed with falafel lately.

Favorite Instagram: I had a lot of favorites this month!! I think I’ll go with this one.

Favorite Tweet: This great meme.

Favorite book: My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella.

Favorite blog post: The Yes Theory

Favorite collaboration: I received a few great products this month, but I have to give main praise to this flosser. It’s a huge lifesaver for me as I am trying to avoid as much dental work as possible.

What’s one of your favorite things from April?

The Hookup On...

The Hookup On: Flossolution

I’m about to get pretty real here. After I graduated college, I went to the dentist and found out I had 7 cavities and my teeth were in pretty bad shape thanks to the college lifestyle and an old dentist who wasn’t treating me properly.

Ever since then, I brush my teeth twice a day, floss every day, and use mouth wash every day to protect my gums.

My teeth have always been an area of concern for me. I had the works of dentistry done to me when I was little – including getting a wrong tooth pulled, braces with lots of rubber bands, and more.

I recently got to try the Flossolution Mini and I think my dentist is going to be very happy with me. I floss every day, but let’s face it – I’m lazy. I don’t reach back far enough or wiggle around enough. This little tool is fast and painless and makes flossing so easy! It even comes with a little suction cup so you can attach it to your mirror and always remember to floss! They’re bogo right now at Flossolution.com

I’m trying to avoid the traumatic dentistry experience of my childhood by taking care of my teeth now. It seems so silly to have to stress it, but trust me start taking care of yourself so you don’t have to regret it later.

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are mine.

PostGrad

Our Adopt Don’t Shop Story

I was supposed to go to Rhode Island this past weekend for a quick getaway, but plans changed fast.

My boyfriend and I moved in together a couple months ago. But before we even had the conversation about moving in, we were talking about getting a dog. I’m a huge animal lover and have wanted a dog since I graduated college. I had a couple of set backs on my journey to adoption.

One reason being that I didn’t have enough space, money, or time for a while and I knew it was unfair at that point in my life to get a dog. Another setback being, I’ve been bitten in the face twice by two separate dogs on two separate occasions that required a significant amount of stitches – really, that was just bad luck. And lastly, the dog I grew up with passed away not too long ago and it really hit me hard.

But still, we talked about getting a dog for a while and the longer we lived together the more and more we started looking at adoption sites. I had volunteered at a shelter when I first graduated and on Wednesday of last week the most perfect dog became available for adoption. We initially thought we would adopt her and come back to get her after the trip, but that wasn’t really realistic as we would have a hard time leaving her alone after falling in love with her.

I was a little panicky the first couple days, as seems to be the trend with big decisions. We are going to be responsible for this little pup for the rest of her life, I just was nervous we were taking a step a little too early. But we are finally beginning to get settled with her, even though we are facing typical puppy challenges that I will write about later on.

World, meet Kaya. She’s a little over 1 year old, the shelter thinks she is a chow/terrier mix, and she had puppies only a few months ago. She is a great dog and is already pretty well trained! We love her so much already! 🙂 Did you adopt your pet? I’d love to hear about your adoption experience in the comments!

PostGrad

My Spring Bucket List

I am welcoming spring with open arms! I hate winter, I’m not sad to see it go, and I hope there is no more snow in store for me. I managed to get a lot done in winter, but I always like to amp up my spring and summer bucket lists because the weather is usually better and I have more motivation! I made this list extra long to motivate me on weekdays because I’m usually so lazy. Check out my spring bucket list below!

  1. Read 3 books
  2. Finish crocheting granny square blanket
  3. Have friends over to my new place
  4. Go on a weekend trip
  5. Plan a summer vacation
  6. Visit Longwood Gardens
  7. Reach 3,000 WordPress followers
  8. Reach 7,000 Instagram followers
  9. Reach 900 Twitter followers
  10. Reach 600 Facebook page likes
  11. Go hiking in 2 places
  12. Leave the state 3 times
  13. Hold a sloth
  14. Save $$$ for a dog!
  15. Start a garden
  16. See the cherry blossoms
  17. Have a picnic
  18. Take a walk outside once a week
  19. Maintain happiness and presence
  20. Create a photo album

PostGrad

My Completed Winter Bucket List

Is spring actually going to come soon because I’m SO sick of the cold! I managed to get most of my bucket list done for winter, even hitting my Instagram followers goal (for now at least) which is always tough for me! Check it out below.

  1. Go to Terceira Island!
    Read about it here
  2. Finish 2 books
  3. Learn to knit/crochet a blanket
  4. Go somewhere by myself
  5. Find a new apartment
  6. Move out
  7. Become a better runner
    Probably time to accept this will never happen….
  8. 6,500 Instagram followers
  9. 2,500 WordPress followers
    Only 60 away 🙂
  10. 1,000 Twitter followers
    I don’t know why I made this goal lol wayyyy out of reach!
  11. Plan a weekend trip
    We went to Orlando!
  12. Become more present

What’s one thing you’ve accomplished this winter?

travel

The Nervous Traveler

I’m pretty much always convinced something is going to go wrong when I travel. I get to the airport early, print out all my receipts, and check my luggage about 50 times to make sure I have everything.

Yet, I always get nervous. Even though nothing has ever drastically gone wrong, I always think that it will all go downhill for me.

I think this mostly stems from how much money I put into travel with very little insurance. What if I miss my flight? That costs money. What if the Uber’s are upcharging when we need a ride? That costs money. What if I forget something really important? That costs money.

Like clockwork, every time I have a trip the hours leading up to it include a nervous stomach and a migraine. My only tips for someone traveling with a nervous travel is to constantly assure them.

My boyfriend and I travel together a lot and I do 90% of the planning, when he assures me nothing will go wrong I have a hard time believing him because I planned it so I know the possibilities. But that’s his job, I plan and he makes sure I don’t go nuts.

But in the end, the travel is always worth it.

pexels-photo-219014.jpeg

travel

How I Afford Traveling

I put off writing this post because:

  1. I think every person who has traveled ever has written it
  2. My advice really isn’t that groundbreaking

But I’m going to tell you anyway. I probably go on a trip every two months, usually only two big/expensive trips a year and a bunch of little trips scattered in between. To many, it seems like I travel a lot. To me, it’s never enough. But I do get asked a lot how I afford to travel.

The kind of trips I take play a big part in affordability. We use Groupon to book our big and out of country trips. The hotel and flight are usually bundled with some other perk and the savings are amazing. We only do these trips once, maybe twice a year, and it’s always during winter. Last year we went to Iceland and this year we went to Portugal. If we do another big trip it will only be because I’m tagging along on one of my boyfriend’s work trips.

I don’t do a lot on the weekends that will cost me money. I know some people enjoy going to the bar with their friends on the weekends, but that’s not exactly my idea of a great time which is where I save money. Instead of dropping $50 on drinks every weekend, that money is saved and put into tiny weekend trips every month or every other month. Traveling is what I enjoy so I choose to stay in most times. The only fun activity I ever really splurge on are concert tickets.

I have a cash back card. I get 1% back on purchases and 1% back when I pay. I take the money I earn from that and use it as spending cash when I’m actually on my trip.

I have two savings accounts. I put money away every month. One savings account is for the future – for a new car, new home, in case of extreme emergencies. The other savings account is for trips, things I want to buy in the future, and extra cash for my checking account which I use to pay my rent, bills, etc.

How I can afford to travel isn’t all that glamorous. I don’t make a lot of money, I don’t have a fancy book of budgeting, I don’t have a top secret website that scores me the best deals. I prioritize what I want to spend money on in my life and then I plan to get the best price – but it works for me so maybe it will work for you too!