Thanksgiving Weekend

This past weekend was amazing!! Thanks to my amazing job I got a 4-day weekend which was filled with food, love, laziness, shopping and guns...

On Thanksgiving Day, Greg came over and had dinner with my parents and I. Yes, just the four of us :) And then...we went to Greg's parents house and ate dinner with the 16 of them, total contrast huh?! But it's nice because we get the best of both worlds, calming quiet and exciting chaos.

Greg napping with his other lover BEFORE dinner haha (*notice the ugly bed spread*)

Dinner #1

Here comes the laziness, Greg and I love the show "Weeds" and we've watched it from season one and let's just say that on Thursday we were on Season 4 and by Sunday we were almost to the end of season 7. We seriously were being hermits, we'd eat, sleep, eat and watch weeds. Love love love!

On Saturday Greg's brother in law took us shooting. We went out by Utah lake and I shot my first gun! I have always been scared of guns so I'll admit that it took me about 10 minutes until I finally shot for the first time. I shot a shotgun and...I decided I don't really like shot guns haha. Luckily they had a different gun that is much quieter and doesn't kick back as much, that one I liked! 

See, i wasn't scared anymore :)

I totally shot a water bottle that was about 50 feet away! I'm pratically pro, until I got scared again when they brought out the pistols...those things are loud!! Luckily cute Greg comforted me when my *cough cough* "eyes started to water" and made me feel comfortable, after that I was going all out...Call of Duty style! :)

The remaining of the weekend involved some Christmas shopping and an early xmas gift for me!!! So I had you notice the ugly nasty 70s looking bed spread in the picture above because...I finally got some super cute happy colorful bedding!!! Yes, I am obviously ridiculously excited, but hey what can I say, the smallest things can make me jump for joy! Anywho here is it, adorable! And the best part was that the comforter, shams and 3 decoration pillows were all only $42. Go TJ MAXX!!!!! I'm a dork, I know!

I love it so much, I made my bed the second I woke up just so I could stare at it

I hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving weekend, still can't get over the fact that December is in 3 days! I'm off to do some cyber Christmas shopping! xoxo

Volunteering with Habitat for Humanity

This weekend my work volunteered for Habitat for Humanity, Greg came with :) cutie! We spent our Saturday morning painting doors and door frames, sounds super exciting I know! But to be honest I'm really glad we went! It was totally worth it! Made me feel really good, I didn't mind being up at eight on a Saturday volunteering especially with Thanksgiving and the Holidays around the corner. It's the least I can do...and I'm sure it's good karma!!

Co-workers and spouses (notice the heart on Greg's arm? My doing. haha)

The house that will be donated

Team Work!

My french manicure when I lost focus on painting the door haha don't judge

♥♥♥♥

Habitat for Humanity is a great organization check out their website!

Habitat for Humanity International
Salt Lake Valley Habitat for Humanity

Save on Christmas Shopping!

Ok, so I've spent the past month researching potential Christmas gifts, yes, researching. I'm the type of person who, not only has a slight shopping addiction, but who is all about bargains. Send me a 20% off email and I'm there! So this season I've got a lot of things to buy, but I don't want to start off the New Year broke. Here's some great tips and websites I've come across, hope it helps!

Ebates

This is awesome, especially if you are an online shopaholic. Create an account with this website (free) and it will connect you to any shopping website and when you make your purchase online you get cash back! I swear they have EVERY store (Apple, Express, Groupon, Sephora, etc) and the cash back percentages range from 1%-20%. Online shopping can be a hassle, but if you know what you need then it's a great way to get money back! The only time I think this website is not worth using is when stores won't give you free shipping, because you'll only get a dollar or two cash back when you ended up spending an extra $8, it's better to go into the actual store. Click here for Ebates.com

 Plastic Jungle <<click me

On this website you can exchange, buy or sell gift cards.  Sell your gift cards you never use for some extra cash or buy gifts card to use or gift for a discounted price! They only have the stores of which people are selling their cards for...but if you can find the store you need, you end up getting a $100 card for $87. Scope it out!

Amazon/Ebay 

Normally I don't like to buy from Amazon or Ebay, but recently I have come across some killer deals! For example, a printer I want is sold by Apple for $99...I found it on Amazon for $59, brand new! Yes for some items you may have to pay shipping, but some are free shipping, so either way it will end up being cheaper...and it will save you that parking nightmare at the mall! Ebay also has some great steals right before the holidays since every one is trying to make some quick cash. So if you have the patience, check it out!

Think in Bulk

Nothing racks up the receipts like having 20 family members or 50 best friends. So buy in bulk! Find those deals that give you 5 for $25 or 3 for $30, i.e. Victoria's Secret panties, Costco, makeup deals, bath and body works. That way you can give a nice, decent gift to each person without spending a fortune.

DIY

Now we all know the new craze is Pinterest, so don't be surprised if you get a few things for Xmas that you pinned on your craft board. But who cares because there is so much freaking cute stuff!!! Get creative and make some ornaments, or get your betty crocker on and bake some goods!
Handmade Gifts
Neighbor Gift Ideas

Black Friday/Cyber Monday 

Yes yes..we are all familiar with the crazy shenanigans of going to Walmart at 4am or the mall at midnight. Well, before you go, do your research...it could be worth it. Stores like Walmart, Target and other online websites have their deals posted so check it out. If you need a new flat screen TV or DVDs, then these door buster deals are right up your alley. But, keep in mind that Black Friday is the biggest shopping day of the year, not the biggest deals day of the year. Stores are probably going to have greater discounts a few weeks before Christmas. Also, if you're not a fan of long lines or crazy "ultimate bargain shoppers" then shop ONLINE! Tons of websites have the same deals, if not better, with free shipping included! Research, research, research.
WalMart Black Friday Deals
Target Black Friday Deals
Amazon Black Friday
Black Friday Ads Website 

 Emails and Rewards Programs

Every day I get around 20 emails, yes this is a little overwhelming but I don't mind because I get sent coupon codes constantly. I also have practically every punch card or store rewards card you can think of, takes up most of my wallet but if I shop there often I end up getting free gifts or coupons, totally worth it! If you aren't much of an online researcher, sign up for store emails and let them send the deals to you!

I hope you check these options and websites out, they're pretty great! And join Pinterest, you can find anything and everything on there! Hope this helps save you some money this holiday season!! xoxo