Simple Everyday Homemade Dressing
Mother…
Everything Wedding: No Matter the Timeframe and Budget
Love is beautiful and undeniable when it’s right. It seems as if the entire world has lined up and everything just makes perfect sense. Now as quickly as you fell in love you want to get hitch. But let’s be realistic weddings can be expensive even if your on a budget. Well here are a few ideas you can use when money is tight but you want your dream wedding.
1. Venue…now weather your planning your wedding in a year, a week, or somewhere in between you have to figure out where you want to hold your wedding. A cheap route would be justice of the peace or or local church. An even cheaper route is your backyard or living room. But you have to select a venue within your budget because that is going to add to your total cost. Even a public beach maybe a great idea or a destination wedding to get wedding and honeymoon out of the way.
2. Dress…there are plenty of ideas you can use for a wedding dress especially if your going with a theme. Your gown doesn’t have to cost $2000 or higher. Believe me there are plenty of gowns for only $100 or less. For instance take David Bridals a very well known bridal shop. Now you would think all of their gowns are expensive or above your price range. But if you know in January that you will be getting married before or right around wedding season then your in luck. Every year David Bridal has a sale to get rid of their old inventory in preparation for wedding season so dresses are usually $99 on average. An even better idea would be online via Amazon, Wish, or a smaller boutique for your gown. Just in case you want that “say yes to the dress experience” with your family. It’s all about digging around and using your resources. Maybe you can revamp a old dress into a wedding dress.
3. Rings…once again your faced with the deliema of going cheap or starting your marriage off with a debt if your funds aren’t that banging. Well there are other options. You can start at stores such as Zales or Kay jeweler at the beginning of the year. Because just like David Bridal they have to get rid of that old inventory. Now jewelry stores are a little different because new inventory comes in during the hot months. Think about how many times did you see jewelry commercials around Valentine’s, Christmas, and wedding season. This my friend is your opportunity to catch a sale. It is possible to get all 3 bands (engagement ring, wedding band, and the man’s wedding band) for under $1000. Now weather your looking for something cute or massive make sure you do research on rings before you go. For instance, looking up the different types of rings and diamonds and what everything means. Also you may check out alternatives such as lab created diamonds, moissanite, or refurbished rings. Especially if you are worried about those blood diamonds that you hear about on tv. Getting alternative diamond can save you a fortune and still have a beautiful ring for the fraction of the price.
4. Food…this is where you can break your bank account, literally. Knowing how many people you want to share your moment with is important because you pay for the food. Now some caterers have reasonable prices such as 100 people and below maybe can run a base price of $600 to $1000. When you have over 100 people especially the 150 to 200 range now the price can change to per person. Which can be anywhere from $15 per person to $50/$60 per person depending to the menu. Do not panic their are alternatives, if you absolutely know someone that can cook very well, ask them. Even if they haven’t catered before. Or the family can pitch in, buy and cook the food. Where there is a will there is a way.
5. Cake…now this can run you anywhere from $500 to over $1000 making sure you check out all of your options is important. Local grocery stores such as Wal-Mart, Kroger, Winn Dixie, and other chain stores sale wedding cakes at reasonable prices and are usually pretty good. If your looking for a Pinterest wedding cake then looking at professional bakeries and people who bake wedding cakes for a living are your best bet. Or can can even try a cutlinery student or school to take a swing at it; this route may also be light on your budget but you also risk a disater. Now depending on the baker your cake can be expensive and over your budget. But if your not concerned with the cake that much as far as looks then your local chain store or smaller cakes is a better option. Remember the higher the body count of people the more cake you will need to have.
5. Decorations…this part of the wedding can be the cheapest part of the budget. If you are very crafty then Dollar Tree, Hobby Lobby, and Michael’s can be your best friend. Also if you know a popular place that host weddings and/or events and usually throw away decorations, recycle them. Take ideas from Pinterest and use those cheap websites like Esty, Amazon, Party City, and etc. Of course this route will require your time but you will appreciate the craft that goes into making beautiful decorations.
Congratulations, on your new adventure of love. Planning a wedding can be overwhelming. But it can also be easy and light on the pockets. So is it possible to plan an entire wedding with just $500? Yes, it is you just have to use your resources around you. Good luck.
Thanks for reading….SimplyBetty101
Tech “NO” Relationships
In today’s society it’s so easy to meet new people and learn everything about them at the tip of your fingertips. But how well can you really get to know a person by reading their life story online instead of connecting with them on an intimate level once you meet them? Are we so disconnected socially that relationships are only composed of causal friendships and one night stands? Think about the last relationship you had. Did you spend more time communicating and keeping up with your partner electronically? Once you were with that person did you only have a short intimacy and then were consumed with tv and electronics? If you’re answering yes to most of these questions then your next relationship will be completely different after reading this.
Here are a couple of things you can try the next time you are around friends and family just to do a trail run to see how things go. Your next gathering instead of everyone having access to their phones ask them to put their phones on silent and enjoy a wine tasting or meet and greet. Now your probably wondering why you would do a meet and greet with family and friends of people you already know. But do you know them based on the info from online or them telling you directly? Having a meal with friends and family to talk about things that are happening that week or that have already happened gives you a sense of how people really feel. This also enhances your abilities to read body language and gauge people emotions. You can express thoughts without someone taking it in a text the wrong way. Being connected mentally to a person allows you to understand people on a level that you can never get electronically.
Now your probably saying that you’re not always on your phone. But seriously you do. You know how I know you do? Because either you or someone in the group is always posting online for the world to see how much fun your having. But why does it matter to the world of how much fun you have? See we’re so consumed with what everyone is doing on a constant basis that we miss the real life connections and experience right in front of us. Think about it, how many missing persons photos do you come across on your timeline? How many people you know even as young as 5 years old don’t have cellphones? How do we miss the creepy person that has been following you for the last 3 or 4 stores? Or the kid that may just be a little overweight because they rather play video games or be on electronics than to go outside? It’s because we have decided that all the info we need is via online even a person that you have never met. The first thing people do is look up that persons social media account; rather its Instagram, Facebook, twitter (maybe not), or Snapchat. How many blind dates have you been on and when you met the person they were nothing like their profile? People can create so many lies and catfish others into believing that lie. But if we sharpened our communication skills outside of our electronics then there wouldn’t be such a disconnect.
Meeting people on a social level can be exciting and thrilling. You will be surprised on how well your communication skills have developed. That fright that you have standing up for yourself can disappear. Giving a speech that you wrote out so perfectly wouldn’t be so hard if your social skills were better. The next blind date that you go won’t be so nerve-racking if you are able to read that person’s body language. You may be able to tell if they are actually into you instead checking their social media every few seconds. Knowing if a person just wants a causal relationship or if they actually want a more deep and serious relationship is helpful.
So next date or family and friend event you have. Make a rule of no phones unless it’s an emergency or you can say that no post can be posted. Whatever the rule is to make the day or event a more tech “no” night….lol. Believe me it’s beneficial for everyone involved. You may also find out that you don’t like people who you call friends as much as you thought you did. Or it may draw you closer. Remember secrets and personal info should never be shared over any type of electronic device, that’s called evidence. Look all I’m saying is that it is nice to get to know a person for who they really are, not who they want to be via social media. You can be catfished even if you have known that person for years. People can change over time. If it’s your spouse have date night without electronics. You can do dinner, bike rides, fair/carnival, or even walks together. Ask each other about short-term and long-term goals. What is their aspiration? What is your aspiration? Just remember this instead of always trying to capture the moment, be in the moment. The world does not always have to know.
Thanks for reading…..SimplyBetty101
Life Can Be A Fairytale: If You Dream It and Allow It
So, your cuddled up on the couch, watching your favorite fairytale movie, and wondering wow I wish life was like that. Well why not make it an reality? The only thing standing in your way of your dream man, lifestyle, or career is you honey. See most of us think that fairytales don’t happen in real life but they do because those who chose to make it an reality did it.
Take Cinderella for instance, she didn’t have it all peaches and wonderland. No at the beginning it was fun but once tragedy struck again and again she was dealt some bad hands. But that didn’t stop her from imagining and keeping her hopes up. And looked what happened she became queen. I mean she was living in rags talking to rodents and animals all day. I mean most of us would call that batshit crazy and turn the other cheek. But homegirl had dreams and hope, that became a reality.
Let’s take another one, Tiana from Princess and the Frog for example. She was turned into a frog when she was already working hard to save up and open an restaurant. They even had a song stating you got to keep at it and have a lil faith. And she turned out to be princess as well. My point is that no matter what life throws at you at this moment it is up to you to make lemonade out of lemons. Yes there are those who may not understand what it means to work for what you want. Then there are those who understand exactly what you are hustling for because they too have been in your shoes or are there with you.
Take me for last example, I have been with the same guy for 10 years and we are just now getting engaged. We have a 2 year old with unexplainable amount of energy and we’re both working to grow our own businesses. Now it hasn’t always been roses; I mean 10 years and we’re just now tying the knot, we’ve had a couple of miscarriages, we fought like divorce couples in the beginning, and our families have been asking about children and marriage this whole time. Not to even mention, being broke then making some money, not investing or managing it properly, to being extremely broke and dependent on family. But now I can truly say that I have found and I am living my fairytale. Now were we ready years ago to get married… definitely not we had to work out some kinks before we started on a solid foundation. We went through some things but I always had hope and a dream of what I wanted my life to be. Once both if our mindsets lined up perfectly we had a masterpiece. Everything happens for a reason in its own season. Remember that because it will make everything in life clear and make sense when your struggling.
Now I’m not saying that you need a partner to accomplish your fairytale. Your dream may only consist of you. Well who said you only had to have one dream? Look life is what you make it. Being truly happy and grateful for the small things will definitely show up when those major blessings start to fall info place for you. You have one life, why not live it as a lifestyle or fairytale you may just be surprised at what you find.
Thanks for reading……Simplybetty101
ROAD TO CAREER: FINDING YOUR HAPPINESS
So, your bored with your everyday life and you’re wondering have you wasted your life away? Well have you? I can say that I have been working since high school and I have worked in the food industry, retail, and even insurance but those are nothing compared to what I really want to do. I can honestly say out of all those different jobs there was only one where I really felt like I belonged; and that sector was a nonprofit museum that I worked for while in school getting my bachelors. The fact that I was able to learn so much about history and different arts that were just amazing it really didn’t feel like a nonprofit, but I was also able to learn a lot about how to run a nonprofit and the benefits of having such a magnificent attribute to the community.
So now that your thinking about it, you can see that there’s nothing really challenging you to the point where you’re doing your best every day. So, you’re just wasting your life away letting time go by and allowing someone else to live out your dreams. Short of, see you can have competition you just need to know what your niche is. Now I can go into a long ordeal about doing what makes you happy and you should be working towards that vision of yours and not complain about life because you’re not doing anything. But I’m not, you know that speech and you’ve heard that speech so me pounding it into your head is not going to make a difference if others have done so and failed. But I will give you some tips.
Now there is nothing that is hard if you put your mind to it and your heart. Sure, there will be some fails along the way, but they will be worth it, believe me. To help put things into perspective you can create a vision board like the video that I did — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pk5GcPDtOTM – to help move things along. Now that you know your niche and even maybe the plan you will have to make that career a reality let’s get busy. You will have to stay focused, your career will be the most important thing in your life that you are pursuing for a while even if you have children. Because like most parents your career is going to fund the comfortable life that you want for your family and to be honest that will sometimes intel missing games and special moments with your family. But and yes there is a but, is this gamble of driven and focused attention the best action for your life and family if that pertains to you?
Now there can’t be all work and no play, you will burn out and that my friend is where the balanced life comes in. You will have to commit enough time and effort towards your career but also towards your family. Now if you do not have a family and it’s just you congrats you are in the stage of being plan out selfish. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. For example, the day I left for college my dad looked at me and told me that I don’t have kids and it’s just me so therefore it is ok to be selfish. See from the age eight all the way up unto I left for college my world evolved around my siblings and helping my parents out. Did I always like it, not, but it did give me a sense that I didn’t want children any time soon and I wanted to enjoy my new-found freedom! And so selfish I was for about eight years lol and I have no regrets.
Now though I was not doing my purpose in life during those years, I can say I was building my character to become the person I needed to be. I also understood that everything happens for a reason and things will happen in its season. Let me repeat… EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON AND IN ITS OWN SEASON. Now if your career was to run a fortune 500 company in your 30s and up, do you really think you may have been very responsible to handle a position in your 20s. I’ll let you think about that for a moment… see even if you have always known what you wanted to do and have worked so damn hard for. It will only come to you when you are completely ready for it; because think about it, how many times have you gotten what you thought was a blessing to then lose it and wonder why it fell apart. That’s because you weren’t ready for it.
Now that you have a better understanding for life you can turn that hard work and patience into a slight relief. Notice I said slight. Have you heard the saying the same thing it took to get her is the same thing it takes to keep her? Well if you haven’t you just did and if you have you know that it mostly applied to you working to keep your spouse. But why not apply it that concept to life? Besides your vision and dreams requires just the same amount of attention if not more.
So basically, don’t give up and keep working at it you never know the very thing you may be striving for may just be the bottom line for you. Just imagine there may be even more blessings and gifts for you that you can’t even imagine right now. Just keep the positive attitude and remember…everything happens for a reason and in its own season.
Thanks… SimplyBetty101