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Holiday Money Mistakes to Avoid

Dec6

The holiday season is about giving – but you don’t want to harm your own financial situation because of the uncontrollable holiday spirit.

If you’re not careful, you can end up taking a year to pay for all the spending. More than 13 million shoppers are still paying off last year’s holiday debts, according to Consumer Reports.

According to a money article I found on MSNBC, there are certain things to avoid so you do not OVER-spend during the holidays. In short, I summarized the important points made in the article below.

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Simple D-I-Y Halloween Costume Ideas

Oct19

The sugar-filled spooky Holiday is quickly approaching. First question that comes to mind is, “What am I going to be for Halloween?”

Traditionally, popular Halloween costumes follow fads for the current year. Below are some simple Do-It-Yourself Costume ideas I had in mind that will turn heads or at least yield a good laugh or two!

Snooki

Hmm, I wonder how many snooks are going to be walking around on Halloween this year? She’s very popular this year and her look is so simple to recreate. The main feature is the inevitable POOF. If you don’t already, make sure you have long black hair and create an outrageous poof on top! I would wear a graphic/animal print dress with lots of cleavage on display. Try a spray tan for the occasion if you feel like spending the money. For the shoes, I would either wear high heels or some enormous house shoes (as you’ve seen on Snooki and Jenny on the show).

Antoine Dodson

Dodson was interviewed on July 28, 2010, by NBC affiliate WAFF-48 News after the alleged attempted rape of his sister by an intruder in her bedroom, in the projects”of Lincoln Park. The video of the interview caught attention due to the passionate and flamboyant style of his delivery, speaking directly to the camera, in which he directly addressed the people of his neighborhood as well as the would-be rapist, and his use of street vernacular. Dodson’s YouTube video was called “one of the most watched online videos ever,” being viewed over 16 million times as of that date. Make sure you check out his video so you can learn his vocabulary and demeanor to play the part on Halloween! All you need is a red bandana, a black tank, and some teased hair under the bandana! A Newsbroadcasting microphone will be a nice touch!

Rihanna

Riri has been the talk of the town when it comes to her fashion senses. With her recent decision to don a red wig as the one below, she’s easy to spot in crowd! Her outfit below is one that I would love to replicate myself for Halloween. You will need a red wig with loose waves, a striped blazer and shorts. Try to replicate the outfit below as best as you can. The hardest part would be finding some shorts as the one below. Anything with a pattern would be fine. Make sure you go overboard with the colorful accessories.

Rick Ross

Ricky Ross came out with a handful of hits this year. You can easily dress as Big Meech by wearing a jogging suit with the zipper down (with a white tank underneath), paired with a BIG CHAIN. Most importantly, you will need his popular beard to make it work! Sunglasses are a plus, and if you don’t already have this, I’d suggest stuffing your shirt to create a big belly =)

Ciara fr. ‘Ride’ video

Ciara is just effortlessly sexy. Her video ‘Ride’ which came out this year created plenty of controversy with her hip thrusting moves and booty popping scenes. EVERYONE has seen the video at least 10 times. The look below will easily be recognizable. All you need are a pair of short jean shorts, black over the knee boots, a black or white or both tank top, a black sleevless vest, gold earrings, leather gloves and most importantly an ATL cap! Make sure your hair is  long, but in a low ponytail as shown below.

Justin Bieber:

Justin Bieber started a young man popstar craze this year. Looking the part of MTV’s best new artist isn’t as hard as you think. Just make sure you find a wig or style your hair as Mr. Bieber has below (side swept across forehead). You can wear a cardigan as the picture shows below, but I would also add a chain and carry a microphone around. If you have the patience, replicate an MTV Music Award statue and hold that near your heart.

Nicki Minaj:

This will definitely be a popular costume this year, but with all the different looks that ‘Barbie’ comes out with, it’s hard to pinpoint which one will best decipher this rapstress on Halloween. I chose the look below because it is simple to put together and easy to identify. For Nicki’s 106 & Park visit look, find a green wig with a similar cut as the one below. For the outfit, wear a white mini dress with either orange or tan boots. Accessorize your ensemble with chunky gold jewelry.

Fiesta, Fiesta, Fiesta, Let’s All Get Wasted!

May4

Cinco de Mayo is here! Time to celebrate Mexican culture with food, music and dancing! Olé!  

Cinco de Mayo history  

Cinco de Mayo isn’t just a great excuse for people everywhere to celebrate Mexican culture; it’s a day to commemorate the 1862 Battle of Puebla between Mexican militia and the French army.  

May 5th marks the anniversary of the battle, where the heroic Mexican militia triumphed over the French army at the city of Puebla to stop the invasion of Mexico. Why were the French invading? Because Mexico refused to pay a previous government’s debt to France. Despite being badly outnumbered, the Mexican militia were able to hold off the assault– unfortunately, one year later, Mexico was overtaken by the French, but only for a short time before the U.S, which had been busy dealing with its own civil war, was able to provide much needed military and political help to oust the French once and for all.  

Now get out there and celebrate Cinco de Mayo and the Mexican traditions the day honors!  

Planning a Cinco de Mayo Fiesta? I found some great recipes on recipezaar that’ll make your amigos very happy! Take a look below.  

Wholly Guacamole

Click on the picture for RECIPE

 For more guacamole recipes, click here.  

Mini Tacos 

Click on the picture for RECIPE

 For more taco recipes, click here. 

 Texas Red Enchiladas 

Click on the picture for RECIPE

For more enchilada recipes, click here.  

Margarita Punch 

Click on the picture for RECIPE

For more margarita recipes, click here. 

Some Interesting Valentine’s Day Facts …

Feb12

The history behind Valentine’s Day:

The most popular theory behind the originator of V-Day is a clergyman who was executed for secretly marrying couples in ancient Rome in spite of Emperor Claudius II, who felt that marriage weakened his soldiers. In any event, in A.D. 496, Pope Gelasius I declared Feb. 14 as Valentine Day. Through the centuries, the Christian holiday became a time to exchange love messages, and St. Valentine became the patron saint of lovers. Esther Howland, a native of Massachusetts, is given credit for selling the first mass-produced valentine cards in the 1840s

Marriage

2.16 million

The number of marriages that took place in the United States in 2008. That breaks down to a little less than 6,000 a day.

112,185

The number of marriages performed in Nevada during 2008. So many couples tie the knot in the Silver State that it ranked fifth nationally in marriages, even though its total population that year among states was 35th. (California ranked first in marriages.)

27.6 and 25.9 years

Median age at first marriage in 2008 for men and women, respectively.

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Thanksgiving Leftover Ideas – Don’t You Dare Throw That Away!

Nov25
Thanksgiving is a holiday where people celebrate the things that they are thankful for.  In honor of this holiday, many families feast on a generous assorted meal.  Nearly everyone has some type of leftover Thanksgiving dinner the next day.  Of course we are not going to let the food go to waste!

Some things that come to mind … 1) I have a co-worker who actually does a FRY-day the day after Thanksgiving, and yes that’s literal.  They basically batter and deep-fry all of their leftovers and enjoy a post-Thanksgiving fry feast. 2) Another popular idea is to hold a potluck party on the Friday/Saturday after Thanksgiving where everyone can either bring leftovers, make something new with leftovers, or even start from scratch. 3) The most obvious food to make with Thanksgiving leftovers are SANDWICHESE!  Using leftover bread, turkey, stuffing, veggies and cranberry sauce/gravy will make for a fantastic holiday sandwich. 4) Turn those uneaten baked potatoes into German potato salad. 5) Or take the turkey meat, shredded cheese with some veggies and fold the ingredients into a flour tortilla. Grease a griddle, brown up the tortilla until the cheese melts. Or roll a room temperature tortilla around the meat, stuffing or mashed potatoes, apple sauce, cranberry sauce and gravy. That’s one serious turkey wrap.

Check out some recipes below for Thanksgiving Leftovers!

 

Turkey Pot Pie

Click on the image for Recipe (courtesy of Paula Deen)

Next Day Turkey Soup

Click on the Image for Recipe

Smashed Potatoes-Cheddar Cakes with Warm Cran-Apple Sauce

Click on the image for Recipe (courtesy of Rachael Ray)

Turkey Tetrazzini

Click on the image for Recipe (courtesy of Emeril Lagasse)

To see the full listing of recipes for Thanksgiving Leftovers, check out the Food Network site here.