Wedding Flowers

  photo source

Summer is the most popular time of year to get married, no surprise the weather is beautiful and lends itself to both indoor and outdoor weddings. Flowers are a costly part of the wedding “Flowers make up 7 – 8 % of a typical wedding budget and averages between $1,844 and $2,062 for 2012” (According to WeddingStats) so I wanted to lend a few suggestions for keeping the price as low as possible:

• Ask your florist what flowers are in season for the date of your wedding and buy local flowers – it will be cheaper
• Price shop, this is your wedding but there’s no reason to overpay so don’t commit to a vendor the first time you meet them. Price shop 3 – 5 florists and get quotes
• Negotiate a price for cash (remember whenever you pay for something on a credit card that “convenience of swiping plastic” costs the merchant/business owner money (fees vary based on AMEX, Visa, Discover, etc).
  
• Consider making your own bouquet or flower girl baskets
• If money is a big issue and your budget is tight consider only having a bouquet made by your florist ans skipping flowers all together if you have a nearby botanical center to take your photos at
  
• Donate the flowers from your wedding to the local children’s hospital, hospice, or nursing home (it sure to bring a smiley to their faces)
  

The Ultimate Beach Bag

  photo source

I don’t know about you but I LOVE the beach, its one of the greatest things about summer, however sometimes packing for the beach often leads to forgetting something or taking too much time right in the morning (I want to get there like 5 minutes ago). So, here’s what I like to do I keep a Lands End tote (for those of you new to Truffles I use these totes for everything) packed and ready with all the essentials. Now whenever I get up and want to go to the beach my bag is packed and ready to go, but you could use the totes for many other ventures not just the beach. Below is what I like to keep in my bag – the Extra Large Zip Top Tote:

• Beach Towel (this one was obvious)
• Chemical Free Sunscreen
• Hand wipes / baby wipes (for removing sunscreen off the palms of my hands)
• Re-usable water bottle
  
• Sunglasses (I keep a cheap pair packed so that way I never forget them and if they get scratched or broken I’m not upset)
• All natural lip balm to keep my lips hydrated
  
• Hair ties in case its windy or I’m scuba diving
  
• Hat to keep sun off my face
• A wet / dry bag (I often put my swimsuit in here at the end of the day and change into my underwear/bra to wear under my clothes I wore to the beach)
• Goggles or Mask for underwater swimming
  
• I usually lock my purse in the trunk of my car and just keep a small zip bag inside my tote with some cash and my car keys
  

What 2 things do I not pack ahead of time?

My bathing suit because I wear this under my clothes to the beach and snacks which I make &  pack those that very morning.

What do you bring to the beach? Anything that’s not on my list?

Nerd Wallet – compare the best credit cards

  photo source

I decided to write this post because I know the summer is right around the corner and figured people will start traveling more, so many people use credit cards to book their hotels, airline tickets, car rentals, etc. that it made sense to me that people don’t know which credit card is right for them with all the ads on TV claiming to have the best rewards.

 Nerd Wallet analyzes the rewards, costs, pros/cons to each credit card. It can be extremely helpful because they break down each card and you can even compare cards (hotel rewards, travel, etc.) Since, a lot of people travel during the summer I thought if you don’t have a credit card and are looking to get one this site will help steer you towards the right one for your lifestyle.

66 All Natural Cleaning Products

  photo source

Sometimes there are so many cleaning options in the cleaning aisle it can be overwhelming which brand to choose and since most of the brands are not all natural they are loaded with chemicals – here is a list of natural cleaning products many of which you probably have in your home on a daily basis and finally read this article as well. 

GoToob

photo source

Are you constantly traveling, or maybe every time you travel you realize you don’t want to pack your full size products and you need something TSA compliant. I have the perfect solution GoToobs, they’re approved for carry on travel, food grade compliant, BPA free, and come in many colors and 3 sizes. They have so many uses and are surely not limited to just airline travel consider some of my suggestions for these great bottles.

Camping and Hiking

Road Trips

Baby’s Diaper Bag

Car repair kit

For storing small quantities of items when running low so you can then recycle the large container and remind yourself to buy a new bottle of e.g. shampoo, conditioner, etc.

Hand sanitizer on your desk, in your car, or in your purse

I am sure you will find plenty of uses for your new GoToobs and in case your the adventure seeker I highly recommend reading this post

Wedding Costs by City

Its no shock that wedding can be expensive, they can also be done for as cheap as a minister or officiant and 2 witnesses. Obviously its up to each couple (and their families if they’re contributing to the cost).  I believe each couple should have their desired wedding (backyard, church, formal, informal your getting my point its their day).

However, I FIRMLY BELIEVE no couple should go into debt for their wedding. When making a wedding budget the bride and groom to be need to take a look at their finances and decide how much they each have to put towards the wedding & honeymoon. Then they need to determine how long from their engagement to their wedding (x months) and how much money they may need extra. So, maybe one or both of you will need to pick up some part time work, or cut eating out lunch, to put toward your wedding fund. You should only spend on a wedding what can be paid for in cash – using credits cards and acquiring debt is a stupid choice to pay for a wedding and honeymoon and will NOT lead to marriage bliss.

Also, if parents volunteer to pay get a clear understanding of how much and for what. Some parents pay for the entire wedding or honeymoon, to the cost of the cake to contributing nothing. It is under NO circumstance either of your parents’ responsibilities to pay for or contribute to the wedding– they’ve had their day. 

Below I am sharing this list for anybody that maybe engaged or planning to get married down the road, I hope this helps.

Top 20 most expensive places to get married (according to TheKnot.com and WeddingChannel.com)

Based on average wedding spend in 2011, these are the areas around the US where couples spend the most on their wedding:

1. New York City (Manhattan): $65,824

2.Chicago, IL: $53,069

3.NY Metro (Long Island, Hudson Valley and NYC Outer Boroughs): $50,087, $46,560, $40,356

4.Northern/Central NJ and Southern NJ: $46,600, $38,103

5.Rhode Island: $41,307

6.Santa Barbara/Ventura, CA, and Los Angeles, CA: $37,823, $37,690

7.Philadelphia, PA: $37,014

8.Boston, MA: $35,560

9.Southern Florida (Miami, Fort Lauderdale and surrounding areas): $34,465

10.  Washington, DC, Northern Virginia and Suburban Maryland: $34,203

11.  Connecticut: $33,789

12.  Baltimore, MD: $32,702

13.  Northern, CA, San Diego, CA, and Orange County/Inland Empire, CA: $32,261, $30,482, $29,826

14.  Hawaii: $31,461

15.  Pittsburgh, PA: $29,703

16.  Louisiana: $28,790 *New to Top 20 List in 2011

17.  Dallas, TX, Houston, TX, and Austin/San Antonio, TX: $28,717, $27,459, $27,735

18.  California/Nevada (Sacramento, Tahoe and Reno): $28,028

19.  Lehigh Valley/Poconos, PA: $27,339 *New to Top 20 List in 2011

20.  Detroit, MI: $27,017 *New to Top 20 List in 2011

 

Makeup and Skincare

Announcement: I have launched a new website called Fiori Beauty, this blog’s sole purpose is dedicated to the beauty, cosmetic and skincare industry. I will be:

• testing products
  
• have product giveaways you can enter to win
  
• product reviews, links to articles and so much more
  
• I hope you will check out the site and follow me there too if this interests you go to

www.fioribeauty.com

Not to worry I will still be writing my other blogs Truffles Magazine and Endless Baby for those of you that follow them and aren’t interested in the content of Fiori Beauty.

10 Uses for Mason Jars

Do you have some extra mason jars in your basement, garage or closet? Looking to give them a new purpose?

Well, here is an article on Yahoo for 10 uses for Mason Jars. Do you have any alternative suggestions?

Selling your Home

   photo source 

The hardest thing about selling your home is being objective, and yes you really need to be objective. Why ? Because most sellers are of course partial to their homes. Trying to see your home objectively can really be a challenge.

So here are some tips to make your home more sellable and they are often overlooked by sellers but absolutely make a difference when potential buyers are touring (and these changes cost very little money.)

• Make sure all windows in the home are freshly washed – shining clean windows let the sunlight in
• Vacuum all the rugs and hardwood floors
  
• Make sure ceiling fans, a/c and heat vents are dust free
• All closets are neatly organized (buyers will look in all closets when touring a place, just as you would – if they are unorganized or overflowing with stuff buyers will automatically assume there is a lack of closet space)
• If you live in a house curb appeal is key – buyers will assume if the outside of a house is run down then they won’t even be interest in seeing the house inside
• Make sure all dishes are cleared from the sink and put away
  
• Neatly organize laundry in baskets so it doesn’t appear cluttered and disorganized
  
• Remove excess items from counter tops in a kitchen to maximize counters only keep 1 appliance when you are having a showing – e.g. a coffee pot

Consider making a Free WordPress.com account of your home if you plan to sell your home by owner – read how Andrea over  @ Simple Organized Living got her home sold in 3 days!

 

Wedding Budgets

 

  Photo Source

How much money do you plan to spend on your wedding? Did you know the average wedding in 2012 will cost between $26,000 – $27,000 (courtesy of Wedding Stats) that doesn’t include the honey moon. So you better start budgeting and I am going to help.

If you’ve just recently become engaged now’s the time to sit down and determine the budget for the wedding. Determine who is contributing what (you and your fiance) need to take the the time to sit down and look at your monthly income, expenses and savings. This maybe the time to open a joint checking/savings so you can each automatically deposit money into it to pay for the wedding expenses. Then you need to determine how long until the wedding day. Remember purchases will often require down payments to secure: a caterer, baker, florist, etc. The point is go ahead and figure out how much money you can save up for the wedding as quickly as possible. Obviously, not all weddings do cost this much (and some cost more depending on preferences and local) however, I urge you to not spend any more than you can afford to pay for in cash. Your wedding is not something that should cause you to go into debt or be put on a credit card. No one is going to enjoy starting married life off with any more debt. 

Let’s just say for statistics you have a $26,000 wedding and the average length of engagement in 15 months (as of 2010 courtesy of  The Wedding Report) so that would assume $26,000 / 15 months = $1,733.33 in dedicated wedding savings each month.

Here are some ways to cut monthly bills to save for your wedding:

• Go ahead and pack lunches for work (this will save you money if your not already doing so)
• Automatically set up a with-drawls from your checking account to savings every month for a guaranteed forced savings
• Skip going to the movies when you can rent them instead
  
• Don’t buy lots of wedding magazines instead go to the library read them if there’s something you love photocopy it
  
• Go ahead browse places online that are free (The Knot, Brides ) print whatever you need from online
  
• Don’t get suckered into buying a wedding binder, you can make one yourself (I will be posting how to make one very cheap in the next week)
• Consider taking part time side work (cutting lawns, running errands, babysitting, cleaning houses, car detailing,pet sit, bar tend, waitress,etc)
• If you have a skill set use it to earn you some extra cash (create logos, become an P/T assistant for other bloggers, tutor)
• Have a place of your own consider a room mate (get references, background checks, & employment verification – this goes without saying but it could easily pull in several hundred dollars a month in cash)
• Sell stuff you haven’t used on Craigslist & eBay its time to de-clutter you have 15 months till wedding gifts arrive so start selling & put that money towards your wedding
  

So what tips do you have to share on how to save for an upcoming wedding?