5 Things To Do Before You Move Out

this is my awesome apartment, you like?? then read on!

When I first decided to move out of my parent’s house, the first thing that I did was google ‘Things you do before moving out’. To my surprise there really wasn’t any advice or blogs written on the subject and now that I have moved out, I find it necessary to finally have something written of that nature. There are many younger adults out there that are taking the plunge and could really benefit from having a few tips and tricks of the trade from someone who recently went through this myself. Here are my most important tips for the time before you move out of Mom & Dad’s house.

#1. Plan in advanced, way in advanced.

When I decided to move out, I didn’t plan on instantly being out within a few weeks. I am a very cautious person especially when it comes to diving into life changing situations. I gave myself about a year (even six months would do if you’re impatient!) to find a place, plan things out, etc. Not only did it give me time to plan and organize but also it gave me time to slip into the reality of moving out of the one place I ever felt was my safety and comfort. The more time I had to think of it, the more I prepared myself to make my OWN home, other than my parent’s house.

#2. Collect, Collect, Collect!

With the year that you take to prepare, collect as much home furnishings and kitchen devices as possible. I bought one thing at a time. Especially if they were on clearance or there was a sale. I’ve gotten the greatest things that I never would have been able to afford if I hadn’t have started to collect early. When you leave everything to the month before or when you first move in, you’re setting yourself up for a very rough start. All of the money you’d be spending at that time can go to your first grocery shopping extravaganza or can be saved, or better yet, can be for your deposit or first months rent! When my boyfriend Tom and I moved in, The only thing I needed was screws, nails, a hammer and a toilet brush! Within a week, after everything was unpacked, it felt like we had lived there for over a year due to how comfortable it was to have all of our home-making necessities.

#3. Have a soft Financial Pillow.

This is a rather obvious tip, but also a severely important one. Have a good firm financial pillow saved up in your bank account, for those times where you need them for emergency purposes and if something comes up. It’s easy to think of one or two different occasions in which having a little cash tucked away would be a great idea, but when you really are on your own, things come up, and in front of you a whirlwind of a thousand other reasons unleashes its wrath upon you. A great example of this involves my lovable yet pesky cats, Elvira and Loki. Elvira was adopted when Tom and I were living at my parents and Loki was newly adopted a month after we moved in. I expected Loki to cost us a little money for the adoption and his first wellness checkup at our choice vet, but I didn’t expect him to come with a few other surprises. Upon getting Loki, we discovered at his wellness check, he needed an Advantage treatment (that they never gave to him at the adoption center) and also he had seemed to be suffering from worms (fabulous! I exclaimed). I had to get him two medicines that day. And on top of that, since he was living with Elvira for a few days before his checkup, she ALSO required treatments because he may have infected her with either fleas or worms. Loki was also sick with a URI, which he passed on to Elvira, who needed a checkup and Antibiotics. Between all of those visits, I had dropped a lot of cash for the wellness of my animals. So I beg of you, build yourself a nice money-pillow!

#4. Don’t Settle On A Place If You Don’t Have To.

What I mean by this is, if you aren’t in desperate need for a roof over your head, don’t settle for the first apartment you look at. While setting up showings for various apartments, Tom and I had seen some places that weren’t half bad, and we’ve seen places that were so dinky and run down, that we almost felt discouraged. We actively looked for a place for about 2 to 3 months. I searched and scoured the internet and newspapers for anything attractive to my ear. There was one apartment that caught our eye, it had two great double sliding glass doors to a small grassy area and a large kitchen, but it was awkwardly located on the landlords property on the back of his garage. He did not fail to mention that he hoped we wouldn’t mind his grandson who is curious and may stick his nose on our glass to look inside when he plays in the yard. We ALMOST settled for this. We filled out an application and waited. A week and a half later we called the landlord back and he had already rented the place out without telling us. We were less bummed out than we imagined, because the location was odd and so was he. Less than a month afterwards we found an excellent apartment in an old mill with a beautiful river view at the same price, and we never looked back.

#5. Go Out With A BANG.

No, don’t blow yourself up. But before heading out in the world as an adult with big financial responsibilities, have some fun. Head out for the weekend and celebrate your new chapter in your life. Something you may not be able to afford all of the time now that you have rent, utility bills and other expenses as a new person of their own! There truly is no need to detail the tiny bits of how to execute this last tip, because everyone knows how to have a little fun and to celebrate and be merry!

I hope some of these tips helps a few people who are about to move out of the nest and into the large world of wonder and bad guys. If you have anything that you’d like to add as a great thing to do before moving out, please feel free to comment on this post. The more advice, the better!

TRUE STORY: My Worst Etsy Experience

One of my favorite websites it Etsy.com . A little known fact, which should be more public than it is, is that I actually have an Etsy Store. (www.etsy.com/shop/vintagenh) It’s one of those things for me where you wish you had more time for, but are too busy trying to make money to support it… oh yes, that’s called a hobby.

I’ve had a few sales here and there on etsy, but there was one that has stuck with me till this day due to its lack of perfect execution. I was selling a beautiful vintage Samsonite cream train case. What girl would not want one of these to put all of her beauty products in while traveling in vintage style? This was the exact thought I had when I posted it on my store, other girls must feel the same as me, just must. So a few days later when I received an email that someone purchased it, I got excited that it was finally time for that pretty little case to have a girl fill it with beautiful scented make up and perfumes! I went straight home and filled it with tissue paper and a cute stamped thank you card with my handwritten logo. Everything was perfect, until the next day.

It started like this. On my lunch break, I brought the train case to the post office to package and ship. I got in line and when it was my turn I told the post office employee that I needed a box and needed the price for a certain address. The price came out to 14 dollars to ship. 14 dollars. Some of you may be thinking “Kim, why is that horrible? For a train case that sounds perfectly reasonable”. Ah! You are right, my friend. But one thing that makes this problematic is the fact that I stupidly undercharged for shipping, so undercharged that it almost hurt. Altogether, with the price and the shipping, the person paid 14 dollars. Therefore I essentially gave away this train case to the first person willing to pay for shipping. So there I was, eating the 4 dollars that I paid for it in the first place, and also the time and effort I put into getting it to the buyer. I thought everything was over. But then she replied to my “thank you for buying message.” And it got even worse.

I had messaged her with the status of the shipment, and mentioned how it was a little higher and that I would cover it, and that I hoped that she would enjoy using the train case as much as I love to use mine. It was very sweet and sincere, and it took about three weeks to get a response back from her. This is basically what it said, since I don’t want to offend by putting the exact message here for all to gawk at:

“Hi! Just wanted to get back to you about the case I purchased from you now that it’s done. Check it out! I’m sorry you lost on the shipping! I thought the price was a little cheap. I scour the shops for train cases to be revamped! Thanks again!”

She had a link with it so I clicked on it. I was horrifed to find that she had made my prized treasure into her personal art project, pasting magazine and newspaper cuts outs all over the body, which before she got her hands on it, was in almost perfect vintage condition. My heart sunk, what happened? I thought there were other girls out there that’d think it was cool to have a cute little trunk full of beauty! This one found it much better to sop it with glue and advertisement art!

So let’s count that, two things. Two things went wrong with my very first etsy sale on my current account. There have been accounts in the past with few sales and they ended well, this one put a horrible tacky taste in my mouth. And to do be able to do it again, I’d love to.

I’m hoping to be able to get back into the swing of things after that sale and revamp my store and get things running, but these things take time, and I think it’s best to just take my time and do things right so that something like the above story never happens to me again, ever.

PRODUCT REVIEW - Burt's Bees Herbal Blemish Stick

I was discussing (with myself) about where I want to take this blog, what is my direction. I realized, that I don’t have a specific direction, just a lot of opinions and ideas. I’d like to make people aware of the things that I love, such as the last post about Mad Men. When I find something I love, I love it to death. So to make a long explanation short, I’ve decided product review is also a part of the topics of this blog, just because they’re very informative and helpful.

Today’s post will be all about Burt’s Bees, specifically their Herbal Blemish Stick. I picked this up at the drug store about a week ago. I was intrigued about what it promoted for blemish fighters, one ingredient in particular is willow bark extract. It’s said that this ingredient has it’s own natural version of salicylic acid. I liked this idea, because natural ingredients just seem like a much better idea to apply to your skin instead of chemicals that may cause skin irritations. I personally have a little irritation when I use Benzoyl Peroxide, which is a common ingredient in blemish solution type products.

So for a week straight I’ve used this product after washing my face, and in my opinion I absolutely love it. It smells to me like licorice, which stays lingering softly on your face for most of the day, it’s so nice. From the look of my blemishes before and after the week, it’s definitely made a difference, I have less and they’re not as swollen. I mostly have acne on my chin, and with using this it’s cleared up very well for a weeks time. The feeling of it actually on your face is very light and you can barely tell you have put product on your face, which I try to achieve when it comes to my face or my hair. All in all, I recommend this blemish stick for people who need a good spot treatment/toner. It smells pretty, it’s light and it does the trick!

As for other Burt’s Bees products, I picked up two that I haven’t had time to use just yet, one of them being their citrus face scrub and the other their lemon butter cuticle cream. When buying these items, the cashier spotted the cuticle cream and instantly told me how much she loves this product and how I won’t regret buying it. I have that same feeling too! Burt’s Bees to me is naturally made personal care products that don’t leave icky residue. They’re beautifully made and make you REALLY feel clean!

5 Reasons to Watch Mad Men

If there’s one thing on TV that I can’t stop watching, it’s Mad Men. I have watched every single episode, and despite my constant disappointment I feel when Don messes around with another woman, I cannot get enough. Which got me thinking, what is it that makes this show a success? I’ve devised the perfect explanation.

1. Good Looking Cast – Jon Hamm plays an excellent Don Draper type. He’s a true womanizer with an irresistible aura of mystery. Although, in recent episodes he’s finally come clean about his past, he still hesitates to talk about himself. But we love that about him. He’s not engrossed in his personality, more specifically interested in the womanly curves of Sally’s grade school teacher, or the wife of a client.

On the other end of the spectrum, we have the women. Christina Hendricks, January Jones, Elisabeth Moss, all fatally attractive women, all completely different looking women. Christina is a fiery red with curves, January is a fresh faced blonde bombshell, and Elisabeth is the girl next door.

2. Fantastic Wardrobe & Set – Mad Men takes place in the 60’s, which, ironically, is the decade I wish I lived through due to its fabulous design in houseware and fashion. Every character on the show has a slightly different style to their homes, their wardrobe as well as hair. I find myself getting pointers for furnishing my own apartment and also finding different vintage items that I have myself. (ex. Duck Phillips’ office cocktail set. Yes, I own the exact set, and discovering this was hilarious)

3. Dirty, Dirty Adultery – Speaking for myself, it’s completely fascinating to actually watch someone else act upon their unfaithful desires countless times and slipping by so easily without breaking a sweat. I reason this idea by saying that since I’m not a cheater; it’s intriguing to see someone else cheat. The same thing goes with soap operas, we love them so much because they are full of drama that we don’t have in our own lives, which personally, I’m completely fine with. I’d rather be faithful and boring J.

4. Constant Character Growth – Mad Men characters cannot be pinned, period. When I feel like I have a good idea on someone’s personality and how they react, they surprise me with a sneak attack in the opposite direction! The best example of this behavior is Peter Campbell. His character is so hard to read it’s unbelievable and makes us WANT to keep watching to see what he’ll do next or how he’ll respond to the situations he’s placed in. For example, his love affair with Peggy. He’s never constant, always on and off with how he treats her, defends her from the other guy’s criticism of her looks and even going to the length of telling her he only wants to be with her, just to be let down, a little hurt, but later on be completely fine with it, going back to his wife that night. This may just be the top reason to watch this show.

5. Advertising – What other show plays vintage styled advertisements for modern brands that were around in the 60’s? It truly mixes with everything so well. The time-set theme never stops despite the few minutes of commercials. Sometimes I find myself fooled because I think the show is still playing, but alas it’s just the perfectly paired commercial breaks keeping me mesmerized by the vintage feel while I wait for the dirty, dirty adultery to come back on.

There you have it. I’ve given you five incredible reasons why you should be watching Mad Men. The show is currently on its fourth season, but even for people who are just tuning in, it’s suspenseful and beautifully designed. And if you like any of these reasons (if not all) tune in with me on Mondays at 10/9c on AMC.

Let's Start

Where do I want to go with this blog? I'm not sure, but I want it to go somewhere. I'm a girl with lots of ideas, thoughts, tiny obsessions, beautiful passions and on many occasions, a very strange sense of humor. Either way, I'd like to take time to explain it all.

I may or may not be a very normal 20-something year old girl, newly out on her own, with a mild boredom problem, but I don't like being ordinary anymore, I want to be out of that category. Usually with this situation, most people would pick up a hobby, go out with friends or even get... a plant? But, no, not me. I'd rather write about everything and anything that's vaguely fascinating, to me at least.

Either way, welcome to my blog.

KB