Fall Fun Day (On a Budget)

 My boyfriend, Schuyler, and I have an annual tradition of having a designated "Fall Fun Day." We go out and about and do fall related things. This year I was in charge of planning it. Both Sky and I are tight on money/ trying to save so I opted for free or inexpensive things for this year's Fall Fun Day.

Stop number one was a picnic by the lake! I discovered this spot last year and absolutely love going here on nice days. Packing a picnic lunch is a cheap, fun way to kick off the day!

I was pretty happy with my outfit for the day. I had on a high waisted skater skirt with a simple white t shirt, and a red cardigan from target. I paired the outfit with my white converse, and my black leather coach bag. 

This outfit is cute and fun, but very versatile. I had on a pair of "sliders" i e spandex shorts that I wear underneath my soccer shorts when I play, to make the skirt a little more picnic friendly.

Sneakers were the best footwear option for Fall Fun Day because we were going to be doing a bit of walking (not too much... I still have a broken rib!). To get to the lake we got to walk through this beautiful forest.

Stop number two was the State Farmer's Market! It's free to get in AND you can buy some nice fresh healthy food. Sky and I bought everything we needed for dinner - a green pepper, an eggplant, yellow squash, and zucchini. I even bought some fresh apples for a great price, though I accidentally bought wayyy too many. 

Stop number three was a brew pub in downtown Raleigh!

Schuyler got a local brew and we got ourselves some nachos, just because.

It was a beautiful day and the view was gorgeous!

Please note it was quite sunny and thus I'm squinting in this picture.

Schuyler and I had a wonderful day and we spent less than $20! A lot of that was on veggies for dinner, which is a great use of money in my opinion. 

Fall Decor DIYs on A Budget

I am the prime example of decorating on a budget. I have an amazing job that I absolutely love but the pay is not the highest. I make enough to get by and have a nice life, but there is just not a lot of room for extras (and what extra there is, I usually spend on travel!)

I am very excited about fall and I absolutely love this season! I love scarves and leaves changing color and pumpkin spiced everything (though I don't actually like coffee so no PSL for me). I watched a few videos and went on pinterest and decided the cheapest easiest way for me to decorate for fall would be to buy a bag of fake leaves for $2 from a craft store. I simply scattered those leaves about my house and voila! Fall decor. 

I love this little lamp/stand that I inherited from my Grandma. I have my tin from Paris with some candies inside, a little candy bowl handmade from my friend, the Tiffany Traveler's World Atlas (found in my parent's house... apparently a long ago gift to my Dad) and my now fall/apple scented Scentsy!

I just added some leaves and the new Scentsy scent and it really made a difference in the feel of my  apartment!

I also have this little stand in my apartment - I inherited the table, the birdhouse and the GORGEOUS old radio. I added a little acorn candle holder on the right to complete my little set up. Scatter some leaves and boom! You have fall decor.

I also made this little plaque. I simply bought a wooden plaque from a craft store (roughly $2), painted it brown then added sparkly stickers spelling out a T Swift lyric. I used the same leaves that are scattered about my house to add a little flair.

This little DIY was so easy and fun! I bought a twig wreath frame from a craft store and then added tulle wrapped around it. I finished it off with a few more of those leaves and a little bobble. The whole thing cost me maybe less than $20. That is really cheap for a nice wreath! I even re-used my christmas wreath hanger... if you look closely you can just see a little jingle bell at the top!

And finally we have candles! I absolutely adore candles! I recently when on a bit of a "shopping spree." I put that in quotes because for me a shopping spree means using coupons to buy 4 candles. The pumpkin on the left is actually a sweater weather candle inside! I got it from Bath and Body Works. The candle on the right is Apple Cider from Yankee Candle. I absolutely love it.

Who says you have to spend a ton of money in order to have a fabulous seasonably decorated home? In fact I did not make/buy all of these items just this season. A lot I re-use from year to year. Start with one little DIY then add another the next year. Soon enough your house will be positively festive.

Cheers,

Malena

Set Backs Lead to Opportunitites

A few weeks ago I was so excited to be kicking off another soccer season with my co-ed team. I made it through the first half  and was having a blast. I went up top for the second half and was ready to go for a header off a corner kick. I saw the ball coming and right as I  went up... all of a sudden I was on the ground in a RIDICULOUS amount of pain. It literally felt like someone hit me in the ribs with a hammer. The worst part? The guy (yes a man) stood over me and said something to the effect of "She's fine, just got the wind knocked out of her." REALLY?

Eventually I picked myself up (gingerly) and walked off the field. I was almost positive at that point that I had broken something. I managed to drive myself to my boyfriend's house and then home. He is absolutely wonderful and went out and bought me pain medicine. It was a rough night. I got X-rays done the next day and sure enough I had broken at least one rib.

I am a very active person - I love working out and going to the gym and playing sports. Courtesy of my ribs I haven't been able to exercise for about a month and I must say I am going a bit crazy. I hadn't really realized how much relief I get from working out. It is something that I excel at and really just genuinely enjoy. Now I have had to branch out and find other outlets for stress management.

Having to lie down and take it easy has actually led to my reading more! Yay! Thank goodness. In high school I literally was reading about 5 - 6 books a week. I just adore reading. Not everything I read is particularly deep or note worthy but I just love to escape for a while.

For the past month I have been using my spending money on books! To the point where I actually had to go out and buy a new bookcase! Though I admit, I have been needing one for quite some time. I had books stacked two deep AND piled more on top! I separated my books into deeper/ nicer books and trashy romance novels (hey- who doesn't love a good sappy love-story when you are stressed out?)

Left: More sophisticated books on a shelf in my living room and my beautiful Kate Spade clutch on the top shelf

Right: Romance novels/kid books/ fun books and important things from my childhood. This case is in my bedroom

I know my book shelves are not the most fashionable, but I love them. I have never been someone who has dreamed of the perfectly pristine house. I keep my house clean but well lived in and inviting. I want to be comfortable and happy and looking at my book shelves makes me feel just that!

I am thankful for this time. I am forced to slow down and as a result I have been thinking, reading and even writing more lately. It's nice to tap back into that side of myself. I will of course pick back up on my exercise regiment as soon as I am physically able to, but I have high hopes of keeping up my renewed interest in reading/writing/dreaming!