In a world where buying a Starbucks a day is ‘NBD’ and friends and family congratulate you on your latest splurge, how are we supposed to keep a budget, save money, or pay off our debt?

Well, I’ve recently discovered one crucial trick that has greatly curbed my spending and stopped all impulse buys right in their tracks!

If you struggle with a leaky pocket and always falling short of your financial goals, here is my newly found secret sauce to success….

Become a Dreamer

Becoming a big, crazy-eyed, wild-hearted dreamer is the best trick I’ve found to controlling my spending habits. Let me explain…

I’ve recently been exploring my own personal financial philosophy. In researching various viewpoints on finances out there, I came across some ideas that rocked my world. They opened my eyes up to new dreams that I never would have considered remotely realistic before.

And out of these ideas, a dream was born. A big, huge, crazy dream!

I dream that Jake and I can both retire when we have children and raise them at home together.  I dream that we can enjoy financial independence and a lifestyle of freedom. And, I dream that this can happen in well under 10 years time.

In fact, I’d like to realize this big dream as soon as humanly possible!

(If this sounds ridiculous or unrealistic to you… I plan on devoting future posts on explaining my dream in further detail.)

Now, in order to achieve this dream lifestyle in the time-frame I picture, it’s going to take some real changes in my spending habits and a great big dose of intentionality.

Since the inception of this dream, there is a thought that now runs through my mind every single time I make a purchase:

This dollar I am spending is making it take longer to achieve my big crazy dream. Do I want this item? Or would I rather have my dream lifestyle sooner?

Let me tell you, friends, this is a game-changer for us impulse-buyers and spendy-spenders.  If you can dream big enough that the dream enters your mind every single time you make a purchase, you will be able to master your finances and finally get them under your control.

So that is how it works for me… but this mindset of Big Dreams has been in development for several weeks now.  It took some pretty intense dreaming and scheming to get to a point where it permeating my money decision making.

Let’s walk through how you can become a dreamer too and finally master your spending…

Step 1: Dream your Biggest Dream

So how do you find your own crazy, wild-hearted dream?

First off, it has to be realistic. If you don’t think this dream is actually possible, then there is no way you will fight to get there.

But, it needs to stretch beyond what you previously thought possible.  In other words, you need to figure out that something you never thought was realistic, is in fact achievable!

How do you do that? Find something that you care about very much that is related to your lifestyle or future lifestyle. Here are some possible topics:

• Buying a house
• Becoming debt-free
• Visiting a particular country
• Traveling full-time
• Spending more time on your hobby
• Being able to quit working
• A new kitchen

Now, take that topic that you deeply care about and do some intense research on it.  I’m not talking about reading Forbes though… Oh no.  You need to dive into the extreme fringe realm of that topic.  The do-or-die type blogs and forums.

Allow what you read to stretch your dreams.

You may find out that the cost to travel full-time is in fact less than your current cost of living now…

You may realize that early retirement and financial independence is not as far away as you once thought…

You may learn that it’s possible to travel to your dream destination for a lot less than you imagined…

Or maybe you’ll just realize that your dream costs what it costs, but is totally within reach if you could just get your finances in check.

Having trouble stretching your dreams? Check out these reads to get your wheels turning…

• The shockingly simple math behind early retirement
• Working the 4 Hour Work Week
• Work Less, Live More: The Way to Semi-Retirement
• How to get over $10,000 of free travel to Europe

Step 2: Believe the Dream

Every single time you are about to make a purchase, imagine this dream, why it matters to you, and picture each dollar you spend as making it longer for you to achieve that dream.

When you are passionate enough about a goal, and truly believe in your heart that it is attainable, it will drive your buying decisions. You’ll be able to curb the mindless spending that you would never miss anyway.

This is especially true if your dream is a lifestyle dream.  Once you realize that you want a certain lifestyle more strongly than any material possession, your purchase decision becomes very clear.

No, this isn’t supposed to be an exercise in guilt.  Not at all. In fact, it is about building ultimate intentionality into your life and eliminating meaningless frivolity.  It is about absolutely maximizing your life and reaching your dream lifestyle faster than you ever imagined.

Step 3: Track the Dream

You have dreamed a crazy-hearted, absolutely wild dream.

You let it permeate your thoughts and weigh your dream against every purchase you make.

Now, it’s time to start tracking progress towards your dream. If you don’t actively track how close you are to your goal, you may lose hope and give in once again to the cycle of mindless consumerism.

Every month, sit down and calculate out how long will it be before you achieve your dream.  Watch as the time goes down every time and be fueled by the nearing possibility of your dream lifestyle.

One of the best tools I’ve found for financial goal tracking is Personal Capital.  It is a free site that aggregates all of your accounts and gives you an excellent big picture view of your progress. You can even get alerts on how much your net worth has increased which is a great way to help you stay focused on forward motion!

I hope this article gets your wheels turning and allows you to dream bigger than you every have before.  Life is to short not shoot for the stars! Don’t let societal consumerism rob you of your dream lifestyle. Make your own way, and fight for a life you love.

The post How to Get your Spending Under Control Once and For All appeared first on Naomi Bjerk.

You might be surprised to find out that many popular ‘financial gurus’ of our day actually propose very different views on how you should spend your hard earned cash.

Let’s do a quick poll, shall we? Which of these popular authors on finance have you heard of before….

• Dave Ramsey (author of the book: The Total Money Makeover)
• Tim Ferris (author of the book: 4 Hour Work Week)
• Mr. Money Mustache (blogger and 30-year-old retiree)
• Robert Kiyosaki (author of the book: Rich Dad Poor Dad)
• Joshua Sheets (producer of Radical Personal Finance podcast)

Do you subscribe to any of their financial philosophies? Admittedly these people are sometimes considered extremists for their views.

Where am I going with this?  

This page contains affiliate links meaning we earn a commission if you use those links. We only recommend brands we use and trust.

I think you need your own financial philosophy….

Why? How are you supposed to achieve your goals, live the life you dream of, or even know what that dream is without a personalized and well-thought out approach to your finances?

Everyone’s financial philosophy will look different for them, and their journey to find said philosophy will look just as different too.

I’d like to share the evolution to my personal financial philosophy. Then I’ll give you a few suggestions at the end on ways to start exploring the differing views out there and to start forming an opinion of your own.

The Evolution of my Financial Philosophy

Most of us inherit our initial views of finances from our families and their spending/saving habits.  So, where better to start than my foundational view of finances that I inherited from my family?

My Inherited Financial Philosophy

I grew up in a single-income household.  I was very blessed to have a dad who earned enough enough that my mother could take care of us kids full-time. My family spent within their means at all times and thus I inherited a healthy view on debt: you just don’t do it.

My parents were able to pay for my expenses, including college and a wedding by saving for them ahead of time. I knew that other families didn’t do it this way, but for us, debt was never an option.

Budgeting just wasn’t part of how my family did finances, so I didn’t exactly know what that would look like in my life.  But I generally viewed them as good things. As someone who enjoys manipulating and analyzing numbers, they seemed fun and positive.   A way to control your finances.

Spending wasn’t given a ton of thought in my upbringing, or at least I wasn’t brought into that thought.  So, while perhaps still on the frugal side, I had no fear of buying the extra purse I liked or going out to eat one extra time.

As I’ve learned recently, you can’t talk about financial philosophy without having a work philosophy as well.  So, my perception of work saw my father as the dedicated bread-winner, who never once complained about his role.  He dutifully worked with honor and pride in what he did.  And my mother (whose path I figured I would follow), worked several years at an unfulfilling accounting job until she had me and officially became a SAHM.

My (mostly inherited and personally unexplored) financial philosophy going into marriage looked like this:

• Never ever debt!!! (except a mortgage)
• Live within one person’s salary (I assumed I would eventually become  a SAHM)
• Give your first-fruits to God
• Money is for our enjoyment
• Shopping is fun!!!!
• Retirement? Isn’t that forever away? Why should I care….

DH’s Inherited Financial Philosophy

When you get married you merge two financial philosophies into one set of finances.  That generally means that it’s important to understand the other person’s background and belief on the topic.

Jake’s family has some similar financial philosophies to mine, and some very different ones.  He also grew up in a single income household with a SAHM. They also believed that you should never ever go into debt.  Additionally, they saved money and contributed to most of his college tuition. In all these ways, we grew up very similar.

But, Jake’s family had a few different philosophies than my family.  First, they generally minimize all spending at all costs. By virtue of spending as absolutely little as possible, they saved much.  This philosophy of highly valuing every dollar spent also meant that they valued work.

Jake and his siblings all worked every summer from their early teens on. They saved for college and bought their own non-necessities. So they were instilled with the value of hard-work early on.  Jake’s father and mother had similar work situation to my parents, so I believe we both saw this as our path going into marriage. (Him eventually becoming the sole bread-winner while I assume the role of SAHM)

Going into our marriage, my understanding of Jake’s inherited financial philosophy is summed up below:

• Never ever debt!!! (except a mortgage)
• Live within one person’s salary
• Give your first-fruits to God
• Pinch every penny you possibly can
• Wealth isn’t important; so long as I can support a family

Merging Philosophies: Cue Dave Ramsey

So going into marriage we thankfully didn’t have too differing of views on how our jointly earned money should be handled.  We both conceded some to our major difference: spending.

Basically, I reigned in my shopping habits and endured hot nights without air conditioning, and he said yes when I asked to eat out on the occasion and didn’t contest the monthly clothing splurges that I enjoyed.

This seemed to work out fine for us, but we were eager to take the best approach going forward now that we were both ‘adulting’.

And that is when Dave Ramsey entered our life… 

Our first shift in financial philosophy came when we merged two lives into one, and the second was when we read the ideas of popular Christian finance expert, Dave Ramsey.

We read his book, The Total Money Makeover (or was it Financial Peace… I can’t remember). Overall, his views did not hugely vary from our inherited ones.  And, for the most part, we decided to adopt his financial practices. These are the 7 steps in Dave’s financial philosophy:

1. Save an emergency fund of $1,000
2. Wipe out all debt, except for a house mortgage
3. Create an emergency fund equal to six months of salary
4. Invest 12% of your income into retirement funds
5. Save from birth for your child’s college education
6. Pay off your home mortgage
7. Build wealth by investing a significant amount of your income once you have no debt at all.

When we read his book, we were at step 2 and decided to achieve step 3 and create an emergency fund.  This was a bit difficult for me, as I like to see money working for us and having all that cash in a liquid spot meant no interest….

Now beyond those steps there are key philosophies that Dave preaches and they are these:

• Budget, budget, budget, budget!!!
• Budgets are freeing… not oppressive
• Stick to your budget by using cash
• Don’t use credit cards!
• Prioritize paying off debt
• Save for your kid’s college fund
• Save for retirement (and don’t worry about it too much, the market will do the work for you)

I would say that these ideas were not a far deviation from our new joint philosophies and we adopted them all with two exceptions: we use credit cards.  We already have a firm stance against going into debt with them, use them like debit cards, and see them as free points that would be unwise to leave on the table.

And secondly, while we created a comprehensive budget and used it to experience freedom in our financial decisions (knowing that we had set aside that amount for the purpose of enjoyment: restaurants, clothes, fun, etc.), we generally stuck within it but did not heavily enforce it.

Now, a year into marriage our financial philosophy has developed as follows (with changes highlighted):

• Never ever debt!!! (except a mortgage)
• Live within one person’s salary
• Give your first-fruits to God
• Money is for our enjoyment
• Pinch every penny you possibly can
• Wealth isn’t important; so long as I can support a family
• Shopping is fun!!!!
• Budgets allow us to enjoy our money
• Accumulate an emergency fund
• Retirement? Isn’t that forever away? Why should I care…. 
• Save for retirement, but don’t worry too much about it
• Save for a house

And that last one became our newfound financial focus.  Living within one person’s salary meant we had to save the other’s.. but for what?  A house, yes, we decided that is what we would save for. (Notice at this point we are both fairly new to our careers and ‘adulting’ and had yet to develop our own ‘work philosophy’)

Buying a House: the HGTV phase

Looking back, I realize that the process of buying a house as an investment and to fix up has greatly altered our financial philosophy.  While I can’t necessarily assign one person’s ideas to this shift, I will generally call it the HGTV phase.

We bought a fixer upper for a good price and bought wholeheartedly into the idea of sweat equity presented by so many HGTV shows. This home was our greatest asset (an idea I now believe to be a fallacy). And we would pour our spare time and effort into making it even more valuable.

At this time we were still committed to living on one income which meant that instead of saving for a house, my salary now went to paying it off.  Our goal was to be able to pay off our mortgage entirely before I left the workforce to inevitable join the ranks of SAHM’s. (This prioritization of mortgage payoff is highly influenced by Dave Ramsey’s philosophy that all debt is bad debt.)

At this point in both our careers we both began to realize that for some reason neither of us understood, neither of us approached work the same way our fathers did. We both felt dissatisfaction, angst, and overall like we were not the diligent, dutiful workers that our dads both modeled.

That is not to say we didn’t try/work hard and maintained a high work ethic. In fact, Jake worked very hard and well exceeded his boss’ expectations.  Yet, for some reason we didn’t find the satisfaction or contentment in this as we thought we should. Foreshadowing a work philosophy shift…

We throw ourselves into making over our home, and spending for the house was considered an investment.  At this point let’s take another look at the developing financial philosophy:

• Never ever debt!!! (except a mortgage)
• Live within one person’s salary
• Give your first-fruits to God
• Budgets allow us to enjoy our money
• Accumulate an emergency fund
• Save for retirement, but don’t worry too much about it
• Save for a house
• Our home is our greatest asset
• The best way to invest our time/money is in renovations
• Pay off our mortgage so I can become a SAHM debt-free

Career Dissatisfaction: Financial Stagnation

That’s a fun title, right? Haha… but truly we did (or at least I did) enter a period of deep dissatisfaction. I was discontent with my role as a tax accountant and had an intense longing to have a business of my own.

This took on many forms and pursuits.  Jake even experienced it too, briefly considering the possibility of flipping houses as a new job.

After chasing several rabbit trails, I realized that for the time being it was financially advantageous to continue as a tax accountant as long as we were prioritizing mortgage pay off.

And in the end (this is a topic for another time), Jake and I learned to be content where we were.  But, we also finally recognized that we may not have the same work philosophy as our families had.

You can chalk it up to our millennial-ness, or an entitled culture, or even a generation that saw their parent’s work away much of their childhood (not that this was our experience). But, we realized that we did not subscribe to the past generation’s Live to Work philosophy, we felt akin to the millennial outlook: Work to Live.

So long as we were employed to carry out another person’s agenda, our work is merely a means to fund living our life – which is what truly mattered to us.

Why am I talking about this? Because at this point, our work philosophy began to significantly impact our financial policy.

The first mindset shifts looked like this, and were very gradual but steady in direction:

• As long as I have to give 40+ a week to someone else; I am going to enjoy the rest of my time
• I’m selling all my time in exchange for this cash; let’s enjoy it
• We’re working so much… so we NEED and can AFFORD to eat out more, travel more, and buy MORE

Do you see the direction we’re moving?  I would actually say that it was a decided shift from a heavily weighted slant towards Jake’s inherited philosophy back to my inherited philosophy.  The key being a distinct change in how we view our spending habits.

We still budgeted, but we just raised our budgets… We still put my income towards the mortgage, but each raise went directly to funding a lifestyle increase. And now our financial philosophy looked like this:

• Never ever debt!!! (except a mortgage)
• Live within one person’s salary
• Give your first-fruits to God
• Budgets allow us to enjoy our money
• Accumulate an emergency fund
• Save for retirement, but don’t worry too much about it
• Our home is our greatest asset
• The best way to invest our time/money is in renovations
• Pay off our mortgage so I can become a SAHM debt-free
• Pay off our mortgage so I can stop being a corporate slave and work for myself
• Spending is enjoyable… let’s do it some more, since we’re stuck working for it

And maybe now you see why I also titled this period ‘Financial Stagnation’. Because, while we didn’t stop any of our healthy money habits, we certainly didn’t push to improve them or grow our wealth.

Millennial Mindset Adoption: Enter Tim Ferris

We were well along on our journey of consoling ourselves on our newfound work philosophy with increased spending and lifestyle enhancement, when I came across the book: 4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris.

Most would call this a book on ‘lifestyle’ rather than ‘finances’, and I would agree and alternatively say it completely altered my ‘work philosophy’.

Tim proposes this fanatical idea that you can work only 4 hours a week, escape your 9-5, live anywhere, and join the new rich. Ludicrous sounding, right?

Well, his ideas were just revolutionary enough to make me re-think my entire work philosophy.  Why did I accept the societal dictation that my work should take me exactly 40 hours a week? Why did I accept the ‘deferred life plan’ offered by society that said we had no choice but to slave away until 60+ before we can begin living and enjoying life?

Now Tim Ferris offers many views and suggestions on “lifestyle-design”, some of which I found interesting, other I dismissed.  But, in the end I finally inducted myself as a millennial and rejected society’s safe, comfortable, and terribly boring plan for my life.

Someday, somehow I would escape my 9-5, build passive income streams, and enjoy ‘mini-retirements’ redistributed throughout my life.

Now it’s important to note that Tim Ferris and Dave Ramsey promote very different financial philosophies… Tim says it’s all about cash flow to sustain a ‘rich’ lifestyle.  But he rejects material possessions as a means to live a rich life, and instead suggests that experiences are what you should seek and can now afford since you no longer buy material things.

This is all very different from Dave, who advocates building wealth and leaving an inheritance.
In fact he states that you should live like no one else now so that you can live like no one else later. This is a strong affirmative view of living frugally now in order to retire well later in life.

At this point, I shift from Dave’s mindset to Tim’s and thus a new financial philosophy emerges:

• Never ever debt!!! (except a mortgage)
• Live within one person’s salary
• Give your first-fruits to God
• Budgets allow us to enjoy our money
• Accumulate an emergency fund
• Save for retirement, but don’t worry too much about it
• Our home is our greatest asset
• The best way to invest our time/money is in renovations
• Create passive income streams (but how?) to free us from the 9-5
• Pay off our mortgage so I can stop being a corporate slave and work for myself
• Spending is enjoyable… let’s do it some more, since we’re stuck working for it
• Spending on travel is enjoyable… let’s do it some more, since we’re stuck working for it
  

FIRE (Financial Independence & Early Retirement): Enter Mr. Money Mustache

My Tim Ferris stage began in January of 2016 and I again poured my energy into attempted to figure out some way to create a passive income stream for us.  Once again, I basically struck out, and defeatedly postponed those efforts to post-mortgage payoff when I would have the ability to actually quit and pursue a business full time.

I accepted my fate as a corporate pawn for the time being and stored the desires that Tim had sparked as a pursuit for another time.

Then several months ago I stumbled across a new (to me) financial philosophy that hadn’t even entered my realm of possibility… the FIRE movement. 

These people pursued financial independence (meaning the independence from relying on a job to sustain you) and early retirement (accumulating enough wealth and passive income streams to allow for a very early retirement).

I was first exposed to these ideas by Tim Ferris who achieved them by creating a business which he turned into passive income streams.  I had also heard of real estate risk-takers who invested in rental properties and amassed income streams through rentals.

But, what had never crossed my mind, was actually saving enough money in traditional retirement accounts that we could (both) retire long before the age of 60.

This article by Mr. Money Mustache rocked my world.  He lays out the idea so simply and makes this seemingly impossible objective attainable. In fact, his ideas have garnered a cult-like following who call them selves Mustachians and prescribe to the Mustachian philosophies of life.

A core tenant of Mustachian-ism is the idea that spending more DOES NOT make you more happy.  In fact, the entire belief hinges on the idea of spending as little as possible (hmmm, sounds like Jake’s parents were fairly Mustachian!)

Mr. Money Mustache suggests a mindset shift: view all spends as ‘luxuries’, cease desiring more, and save over 50% of your income to achieve early retirement in 10 years (give or take). I highly encourage you to check out his blog for a more in-depth explanation of his strategies to achieving FIRE.

This is a sudden departure from our spend more for consolation stage. And it is also a curious meeting of Dave Ramsey’s and Tim Ferris’ philosophies…

As Dave proposes: Mustachians certainly live like no one else now, so that they can live like no one else later.  And this doesn’t mean spending lavishly but experiencing financial freedom and early retirement. Which brings Tim Ferris’ lifestyle advice to mind.

Now this is a newfound philosophy and I find myself ready to adopt it immediately.  Jake is more cautious with these things, so time will tell how much we as a couple decide to jump on the Mustashe bandwagon.

But, this is how I see my current financial philosophy looking:

• Never ever debt!!! (except a mortgage)
• Live within one person’s salary
• Give your first-fruits to God
• Budgets allow us to enjoy our money
• Budgets allow us to enjoy our money, but minimizing spend is the new goal
• Accumulate an emergency fund
• Save for retirement, but don’t worry too much about it
• Our home is our greatest asset
• Our home doesn’t earn us passive income, thus it’s a (necessary and good) liability
• Create passive income streams (but how?) to free us from the 9-5
• Invest in retirement accounts and consider real estate and side hustles for passive income
• Pay off our mortgage so I can stop being a corporate slave and work for myself
• Pay off our mortgage ASAP so we can start saving for early retirement!
• Spending on travel is enjoyable… let’s do it some more, since we’re stuck working for it
• Spend AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE! (still up for debate in our household)
• Leverage credit card sign-on rewards to cover all travel expenses

Now in no way am I suggesting that these are the ‘right’ financial philosophies. I’m merely documenting our personal financial philosophy evolution.

If you have yet to start considering what makes up your financial philosophy or some possible ways to better it, here are some steps you should take:

Developing Your Financial Philosophy

1. Determine your core financial tenants…

The first step towards developing your financial philosophy is determining your core financial tenants.  These are beliefs that you will hold that you are absolutely set on and (probably) won’t be changed based upon new philosophies you discover.

Often these are moral or religious convictions you hold that will trump any other ideas you come across. For us, you can see there were several philosophies that never changed.  Namely, our commitment to tithe and to never go into debt.

Once you recognize these, use them to evaluate each philosophy you encounter and make sure you fit these philosophies around your tenants, not the other way around.

2. Define your dreams…

I believe that your financial philosophy should work for you to help you achieve your dreams and a life-style that you crave. Sometimes, though, we don’t always know what our dreams are or what our ideal lifestyle looks like.  So, we accept society’s suggestions and let them dictate our decisions.

I challenge you explore your dreams. Read some life-style design books (like the 4 hour work week) and start working out your dreaming muscles.  Then come back to this list and pick the three words that most define your lifestyle dream:

[lgc_column grid=”25″ tablet_grid=”25″ mobile_grid=”50″ last=”false”]

• Comfort
• Convenience
• Luxury
• Safety
• Materialism[/lgc_column]

[lgc_column grid=”25″ tablet_grid=”25″ mobile_grid=”50″ last=”false”]

• Independence
• Lifestyle
• Travel
• Freedom
• Experiences[/lgc_column]

[lgc_column grid=”25″ tablet_grid=”25″ mobile_grid=”50″ last=”false”]

• Retirement
• Entrepreneurship
• Minimalism
• Active
• Maximize[/lgc_column]

[lgc_column grid=”25″ tablet_grid=”25″ mobile_grid=”50″ last=”true”]

• Generous
• Wise
• Balance
• Wealth
• Education[/lgc_column]

3. Explore and evolve…

Now that you know your unwavering financial convictions and the dream for your lifestyle, it’s time to start exploring the various financial philosophies out there.  As you read and are inspired, evaluate against your financial tenants and personal goals to adopt the financial philosophy that is suited to you.

And don’t ever think that you’ve figured it all out.. After the Dave Ramsey phase I was rather uninspired. I felt that we were gold star students of his and had nothing left to learn.

Boy, was I wrong! Never stop listening and adjusting.

Best of luck on your journey! I’d love to hear your personal financial philosophies below.

By the way, if you’re looking for a quick and easy way to organize and view your spending and net worth, I would highly recommend PersonalCapital.com.  It’s totally free to use and is a great way to get a handle on your financial situation.  I just started using it and love it already!

The post What’s Your Financial Philosophy? appeared first on Naomi Bjerk.

Best Friend Bangles

Because yes, everyone loves jewelry, but your best friend? Loves you too, and will love the upgraded version of a friendship bracelet from Alex and Ani. It’s a charm bracelet (all the rage right now) that can be added to over time, so they can enjoy it for years to come. And of course, having one of your own to match will signify that best friend bond. The bracelet looks great with other bangles, and even if you don’t go the matching route, you can get her one that features her birthstone, initial, or zodiac sign.

Vinylify

We associate different music with a lot of big moments in our lives, and chances are you’ve experienced quite a few of those with your BFF. So give them a walk down music memory lane by making a custom playlist of all your favorite songs and — here’s the good part — make it into a vinyl record for them using Vinylify. The service allows you to upload your own tracks and even choose your own cover art (picture this: a collage of you and your bestie over the years). They’ll deliver the playlist back in vinyl form. It’s a unique, highly personal gift that’s sure to deliver all the feels to your best friend. This is especially great for that hipster guy who just loves all things vintage-inspired.

Custom Socks

Speaking of custom made, keep it fun and go with something a little out of the ordinary: custom socks from Stance.com. It’s another opportunity to really personalize your gift with pictures, favorite hobbies, bands, movies, anything. As an added bonus, it’s winter time and warm socks are always appreciated. Just make these ones special, it is your best friend after all. Your best friend a fashionable fellow? Stance Socks has a wide variety of dress socks that will make him feel like he’s walking down the runway. Perhaps your bestie is a gal who loves anything and everything Rihanna; the company has a special collection designed by the saucy singer.

Custom Anything

It doesn’t have to be socks; anything customized says you really care. Check out sites like etsy.com for inspiration — everything from shirts and bags to picture frames and jewelry are available from a multitude of sellers around the world. The best part about a site like Etsy is your gift is sure to be unique (aside from the customization, of course) because it comes from small sellers rather than big stores. Still need some inspiration? Try personalized beer growlers or wine bottles for a gift they can really have some fun with.

New York Times Custom Birthday Book

Your best friend doesn’t have to be a news junkie to appreciate this gift. The book is made with a collection of New York Times front pages from each year since their birth and personalized with their name and birth date. It serves as a great snapshot of history, capturing the major events that happened on their birthday. Another cool commemorative idea? A My Life Story journal. This particular journal contains prompts that will help someone remember and write down memorable events in their lives, from first dates to friendships.

Gift Cards or Tickets

I know it sounds cliché, but stick with me. Rather than a run of the mill gift card, surprise your friend with some sort of pre-planned outing you know they’ll enjoy. Research tour dates for their favorite band and get the tickets for when they’re in town. Plan a wine tasting day at a local winery. Take them an outdoor adventure like hiking with a big dinner at the end. Give them the ultimate gift — relaxation — with an all-inclusive spa day.

Just remember: get creative, whether you use our list or not. After all, you know your bestie better than anyone.

The post Great Gifts for Your Bestie appeared first on Naomi Bjerk.

My brother falls into this category so as I went through and picked out my recommendations I had him in mind.  I tried to only pick practical gifts that a bachelor guy would appreciate.  And sometimes that means they need someone to buy them the thing that they just don’t buy themselves… like soap.

I chose items from Etsy since the same-old same-old you see at the big-box stores just doesn’t cut it sometimes. Even those bachelor guys like to know that you care with a handmade or personalized gift just for them. And, it’s always nice to support small businesses represented on Etsy at the same time.

This page may contain affiliate links meaning we earn a commission if you use those links. We only recommend brands we use and love.

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Alright, let’s talk about my favorite Etsy gifts for the guy who’s a bachelor in your life:

1. Star Wars Death Star Planter

Ummm… how amazing is this death star concrete planter?  This is THE perfect addition to a bachelor pad.  Look, guys like plants too, they’re homey.  But without a lady in his life, this bachelor of yours likely is too lazy to get himself a plant of his own.  Now he can proudly display plants with this fun and manly concrete Star Wars planter.

2. Monogrammed Travel Bag

Have you seen your bachelor show up to the holidays with his toiletries in zip lock bag?!? If so, you might want to buy him a travel bag.  This one is affordable and made with durable canvas and leather. Plus you can get it monogrammed for him so no one can steal his toothpaste….

3. Wooden Docking Station

Help your bachelor get organized this holiday season with a custom wooden docking station.  Every guy needs one central location to store their essentials like keys, wallet, phone, and sunglasses.  They don’t have purses… so this docking station is a great alternative and will be a great addition to his bachelor pad.

4. Pizza Men’s Sweatshirt

Because a bachelor gets cold too.  What better way to embrace his current state of bachelor-hood than this pizza sweatshirt.  It’s a win all the way around.

5. Christmas Coal Soap

Well, when you’re gifting to a bachelor, sometimes you just have to add some humor factor.  They will get a kick out of this Christmas coal soap.. and simultaneously be very grateful because they are probably out.  This makes a great stocking stuffer idea as well.

6. Leather Smartphone Bracelet and Stand

The bachelor you’re gifting to will appreciate the practicality of this leather bracelet.  Wear it on the go, and use as a smartphone stand whenever needed.  I can think of many times when I wished I had something to prop my phone up with.  The bachelor in your life will love the thoughtfulness and uniqueness of this gift.

7. Men’s Wooden Watch

A wood watch is the ultimate man’s watch and a perfect gift for the bachelor in your life this Christmas season. Watches to guys are like shoes to women, you just can’t have enough. So consider expanding your guy’s watch collection with this ultra-cool wooden watch.

8. Leather Cord Organizer

This leather cord organizer is perfect for the man-on-the-go. It’s a rustic way to keep his earbuds from tangling. Sometimes, we have to introduce the bachelors we know to the little luxuries in life. In this case, it’s tangle-free cords via ultra-cool leather.

9. Tabletop Glass Fireplace

This tabletop glass fireplace will add a sophisticated warmth to your bachelor’s pad.  Bachelor or not, he still wants his place to look party-ready.  This will add some ambiance to your guy’s home. Plus this is a recipe for instant s’mores… yes, please!

If you’re looking for even more unique and fun gift suggestions, check out the Editor’s Picks over on Etsy!

The post 2016 Holiday Gift Guide for the Bachelor appeared first on Naomi Bjerk.

I chose from Etsy items because sometimes I just get tired of all the big-box stores and their same-old same-old stock.  It’s nice to get something, personalized, handmade, or unique as a gift and that is exactly what you get on Etsy! Plus who doesn’t like supporting small business?

This page may contain affiliate links meaning we earn a commission if you use those links. We only recommend brands we use and love.

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Alright, let’s talk about my favorite Etsy gifts for the college girl in your life:

1. Polka-dot Leather Luggage Tags

I love these sweet leather polka-dot luggage tags for a college gal! She is just entering that stage of independence where she’ll start doing her own traveling. What a perfect way to acknowledge and commemorate the newfound wanderlust than with an adorable polka-dot leather luggage tag?

2. Gold Geometric Hair Clip

Sometimes in college, you just have to throw your hair back and book it to class.  I adore this simple circle hair clip because it takes a messy look and makes it look oh so refined! This is a perfect gift for the college girl in your life who likes to be pretty even when life isn’t.

3. Large Initial Necklace

These sweet initial necklaces are such a fun take on the ‘wear-your-first-initial’ trend. They are fun and a little quirky but still simple and classy. Perfect for that preppy collegiate you know who likes to sport some bling.  Heck… I even kinda want this!

4. Knit Beanie with a Pom Pom

It gets real cold walking to class every day, so your college gal needs a nice and warm hat. This one is too cute and has a pom on top! Get it in her school colors and she is guaranteed to love this fuzzy Christmas gift.

5. Mermaid Tail Blanket

On those cold late nights of studying, your college gal is going to want a blanket to keep nice and warm.  How cute and fun is this mermaid blanket?  She is guaranteed to love this unique gift and her room mates will definitely be jealous of her snuggly ‘scales’!

6. Hair Tie Bracelet Cuff

This bracelet is an absolute must for every college girl! They will always have a hairtie handy and remain fashionable at the same time.  I don’t know about you, but wearing hairties on my wrist literally cuts off my circulation… This bracelet would reduce that wrist pressure and ensure you always have that necessity handy!

7. Wool Knitted Slippers

When lounging around the dorm, your college gal can have warm tootsies at all times with these hand knitted slippers. These come from the rural villages of Bulgaria and showcase the softest wool!  Who wouldn’t want these to lounge around in?

8. Rose Gold and Crystal Flash Drive

When I saw this, I was like YES! finally a glamorous flash drive… this is so perfect for the classy college lady in your life and would make a great stocking stuffer.  I love the rose gold on this flash drive, but what really gets me is the lucite handle…. in love!!!

9. Leather Card Case

On those nights on the town, the last thing a college girl needs is a bulky purse or wallet holding her down.  Minimal is best for a college girl’s night on the town, and this card case is just that.  It’s so beautiful with it’s leather construction and metallic coloring!  The perfect gift for your college gal.

If you’re looking for even more unique and fun gift suggestions, check out the Editor’s Picks over on Etsy!

The post 2016 Holiday Gift Guide for the College Gal appeared first on Naomi Bjerk.

BLOGGING RESOURCES

For graphic design…

Canva is by far my favorite graphic design software available.  First off, it’s FREE! And it comes with so many amazing features built in.  There are tons of free stock photos and graphics built in, you can even save your brand colors in there, make copies of a previous graphic you’ve made, and the list goes on!  Canva also comes with tons of templates for your blog like Pinterest optimized sizes with suggest layouts or Facebook cover photo headers.

Unsplash has tons of free (do whatever you want) high-resolution photos from different photographers.  They are all completely free of attribution requirements and ready to be added to your blog!

Pexels similarly has all photos free for any personal and commercial purpose. If I don’t find what I’m looking for on Unsplash I hop on over to Pexels and between the two I pretty much have all the stock photos I need.

BigStock is a great resource when you need some paid stock photos. I was working on a resource guide for DIY Blooms and I needed pictures of specific flowers I was explaining.  I got a great first month deal on this site and could download up to 5 images a day.  I cancelled the subscription once I finished the product, but I was very impressed with the variety of photos and graphics they had available and found them to have the most reasonable prices.

Creative Market is a great resource for bloggers because it is packed full of graphic design goodies! From fonts, to graphics, Photoshop presets, and WordPress themes, it has it all.  I visit there every single Monday morning to check out their weekly freebies.  I am currently hoarding anything that I think I may use in my Google Drive for the future.

For hosting…

Hostgator is my host and I have been with them from day 1.  They had the best pricing available and excellent customer service.  What do we really all want in a host? To never know they are there! Seriously, the last thing you want to be worrying about is if your host is having issue or is down.  Hostgator is always prompt with any questions I have and otherwise I just re-up my hosting fee once every 3 years and rarely ever think about them.

WordPress is the platform I blog on.  Read the difference between free and self-hosted WordPress blogs here.  The nice thing about it is that there is so much support and help out there for running a WordPress blog and lots of free themes available.  This is actually a theme I coded myself!

Vimeo is the option for video hosting if you want privacy options.  When I was researching options to host my videos for a paid course, I decided with Vimeo because of the price as well as it’s ease of use.  I definitely agree with many of my blogging peers that this is the quality option to go with for video hosting.

For blog growth…

Tailwind is an absolute must for blogger who are serious about growing their traffic through Pinterest.  It’s a really reasonable monthly rate and allows you to schedule unlimited pins for weeks in advance.  With Pinterest’s new algorithm calculating which pinners are ‘relevant’ to promote, this is more important than ever.  I started a new account for my other blog and had basically NO engagement. After using Tailwind to schedule, analyze, and repin my content, I’ve seen my Pinterest following grow by over 500%.  It’s also pretty user friendly and there are plenty of great tutorials to get you start.

*For a limited time they are offering $30 off a year subscription!!*

For selling products…

Gumroad is a bloggers dream come true.  Seriously, I tried this for the first time recently in order to sell my first ever digital products, and the simplicity and ease of use absolutely blew me away.  I had all 10 product for sale and looking great in an hour.  In the past I’ve heard a lot about bloggers liking Gumroad, but I was skeptical about how great it was until I tried it for myself.  I wish I hadn’t invested in an expensive course platform and had decided to sell on here instead.

Personal Resources

For personal finances…

PersonalCapital.com is a quick and easy way to organize and view your spending and net worth, I would highly recommend it.  It’s totally free to use and is a great way to get a handle on your financial situation.  I just started using it and love it already!

Mint is the ultimate budgeting resource.  It’s totally intuitive and free! I use it all the time to keep track of all my accounts in one place.  And, if I’m out and about I can just easily pull it up on my phone and check my budget for something.  For more reasons why I love Mint check out this post.

For saving money…

Cricket is my phone provider and I am 150% satisfied with the incredible service they provide.  I’ve been with Verizon, Boost, and Virgin in the past and after seeing all these different providers I choose Cricket because every single thing they do is honest and up front.  Like when you go shopping for plans there are no hidden fees, they never blind side you and stick you with something you weren’t anticipating.  I just really appreciate a business model that is transparent like that, that charges super competitive rates, and provides great service.  Some of my friends are worried that the coverage won’t be the same, but I compare my coverage frequently to my husband who has Verizon through his work and Cricket is always just as fast as his where we are. Unless they change their pricing or honestly in the future, I’m definitely a loyal Cricket fan for life.

Ebates is a great and easy way to make free money.  It’s kinda like if you’re not using it, you’re losing money.  Basically how it works is you click through to the site you want to shop at from Ebates and when you go to check out enter the Ebates code in the coupon code box. It splits the affiliate commission it earns for ‘referring your sale’ with you and you can get up to 7% back on your online order!  Think about that, you were going to order that Amazon item regardless and now you just got 5% cash back!

Netflix is the only entertainment we currently pay for.  Have you ever added up the cost of all the entertainment subscriptions you have? Music streaming + cable + hulu = a lot of money going out the door.  We get the free channels that Jake can watch sports on and we watch everything else on Netflix.

Craigslist is my go to for everything quality used.  Jake and I often joke that we might as well call our house ‘Craig’s House’ because practically everything in it is from Craigslist!  It’s an excellent resource to find quality items for less than half of retail price.  I don’t know about you, but I want to have a furnished house without foreclosing so we get a lot of our stuff from Craigslist.

For organization…

Google Drive is what I use to store all of my digital files.  After trying to move files from an old computer to a new one I realized that my life would be so much simpler if they were just always available to any device on the cloud.  My phone came with a free storage upgrade so even with all of my Creative Market free goods resource hoarding, I am no where near the limit.

*Some of these products contain affiliate links*

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If you’re looking for the perfect gift for your college girl friend, or are in classes now and are wondering what are the college girl fall essentials to make your autumn more amazing, look no further.

6 College Girl Fall Essentials

1 .  STYLISH INSULATED WATER BOTTLE

The Swell water bottle is the hottest thing on campus right now but it can cost a pretty penny. Stay hydrated in style without breaking the bank with this insulated stainless water bottle.  It’s a swell look a like! Not only does it look super fly (are college kids saying that still? on fleek??), it’s super practical because it’s lightweight design. The last thing you need is more poundage in your book bag.

2 .  PUFFER VEST

Puffer vests may be in their second season of popularity, but they are not on their way out. These vests are truly a college girl fall essential. There is nothing more aggravating than walking a mile to class, chilly and cool, then getting to an overheated classroom and sweating like a dog.  The puffer vest is truly the perfect solution.  Keep your core warm and let your arms breath.

This vest is just too adorable with it’s chic navy buffalo check.  It will keep you warm without adding bulk.  And how can you not love the versatility of those pockets?

3 .  FALL NECKLACE

Midterms may be be keeping you busy, but never get to busy to add a little touch of bling to your outfit.  This necklace is simple and perfect for fall.  And it will go with everything, don’t waste precious study timing trying to figure out what jewelry to wear.  Pick a fall staple an go!

4 .  STYLISH TO-GO CUPS

Look, sometimes it just sucks to lug your coffee mug around with you all day.  To-go cups may not be the most green approach but sometimes they are just plain practical. Save a little money and buy your own to go cups rather than stopping for coffee on the way to class.

These to-go cups are hands down the most adorable disposable glasses I have ever seen. Without a doubt, they’re a college girl fall essential.

5 .  MILK FROTHER

Is the sound of a caramel vanilla latte still calling your name from the local coffee shop? Fear not, you can be your own barista. If you love latte’s like I do, these items will be an investment in your coffee drinking life.

Up the quality of your college life without breaking the bank and invest in a frother. Sometimes it’s the little things that go the extra mile to bring a little more cheer into our lives! And while your at it, don’t forget to treat yourself with a flavored coffee syrup, or two!

1 .  ESSENTIAL TEE

According to my sis, at the end of a long week, you have to give credit it what keeps you functioning. Embrace this fun stage of life, and let yourself laugh at some its insanity.

These college girl fall essentials make great gifts for that special collegiate gal in your life, or a nice treat for yourself as you head into midterms! What other items would you add to the list?

*contains affiliate links*

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Homage to the Great Outdoors

Is your main squeeze a great outdoorsman? Does he fancy himself the next Bear Grylls? Touch Of Modern has some fantastic gifts for the outdoorsman. From pocketknives and sling packs to the Electric Fat Bike and a double hammock (oh, yeah!), any gift from this site will surely blow his outdoor-loving mind.

If your outdoorsman is into clothes and shoes, he’ll love a gift from REI. They offer great brands like Marmot, Patagonia, North Face, and more. It’s the perfect store for guys who love everything from rock climbing and skiing to biking and snow boarding. And, because it’s a co-op, members get money back from each purchase at the end of the year.

The Gift of Experience

Physical gifts are great, especially if it’s something your special guy has wanted or needed, but it’s hard to beat the gift of experience. Whether it’s tickets to see his favorite baseball game, a weekend trip to Vegas (expensive but worth it!), or a theater outing, the memories you’ll create together will last a lifetime. These are the gifts that go straight to the heart and beg the question, “Hey, will you marry me yet or what?!” Ahem, that is if that’s what you’re seeking. Consider taking photos throughout the night or weekend so you can create him a photo album afterwards that he will always treasure.

Win His Heart Through His Belly

This isn’t meant to be offensive, but men are simple creatures, and most of them will admit that this is so. That’s why a homemade meal is one sure way to win his affections. This is especially true if you and your special guy haven’t been dating that long, as the idea of getting him an expensive gift might seem premature. Find out what his favorite meal is. Whether it’s a simple homemade pizza meal or a 5-course meal that ends in Baked Alaska, it will be nothing short of impressive from his viewpoint. Pair your meal with the perfect wine or craft beer for an extra special evening.

Make Sweet Music Together

If your special guy is a music lover, there are plenty of ways to go with gift giving. Everything from a brand new guitar (not cheap, of course!) and music lessons to his dream Bluetooth speakers and last-minute concert tickets will make his musical heart sing. This is thinking outside the music box at its finest. If he’s an old school music lover, consider getting him something for his super sweet vinyl collection. Whatever direction you choose, he’ll appreciate that you appealed to his life’s passion.

Need a special gift for a special guy? Follow this guide and you’ll be good to go.

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