Top 5 Life Hacks

I totally believe in not “reinventing the wheel.” If there is something that I can do to make things simpler and more cost effective without reducing quality I am 100% down with it.

Here is a list of my five most recent “life hacks”:

1. Fake Flowers

My husband jokes that I have a “black thumb” rather than a “green thumb” as I have a tendency to kill all the plants or flowers that I plant. We moved to our house over 2 years ago and I have literally spent hundreds of dollars on flowers that all die. I am always optimistic that I can keep flowers alive so I splurge on the more expensive perennial version (not annuals which only last 1 year) and alas every.single.time. they die within a month (Personal Record: 1 month and 1 week). I blame this lack of survival on the fact that we travel so much that it is hard to keep them watered every day, but excuses aside I am simply not a gardener.

In order to cure this lack of green thumb–I went to Hobby Lobby and picked out some fake flowers. I was hesitant to put fake flowers in pots outside that my neighbors and guests could see, but I was pleasantly surprised at how real they look. I was so pleased with them that I went back and bought some waxed hydrangeas for a vase inside the house. They may be fake, but at least I cannot kill them (at least I don’t think I can). Please note that Hobby Lobby is having a 50% off sale on these flowers!

They may look a little fake–but they are still alive so I’m not complaining

2. DIY Pedicure

I have the most ticklish feet in the world, which makes getting a pedicure a daunting experience rather than relaxing. I love the look of a professionally done pedicure especially in the summer time, but I cannot stand the feeling of someone scrubbing my feet and the undeniable reaction of kicking the poor pedicure lady. Therefore, I find that DIY pedicures are the way to go for me. Necessities of a DIY pedicure: good quality nail polish (Essie or OPI are my favorites) and a base/top coat clear polish (I use Sally Hanson Double Duty). The top coat is key in making the pedicure stay for a long time and have that professional look.

3. Candle Warmer

I love the smell of candles, but I am the opposite of a pyromaniac aka I am scared of fire. For Christmas one year as a kid, I asked for a ladder for my bedroom on the off chance that there was a fire in my house. To this day, I still have a hard time lighting a match or even using a hand lighter (I use one of the big lighters whenever I need to light something). Therefore, I love a candle warmer–I bought this one from Target and it smells amazing. The candle warmer is in our foyer so the smell radiates upstairs. There are a lot of different waxes to chose from and I cannot wait to explore other options.

4. Marking Dates on Running Shoes

When running it is key to know how many miles you run in shoes in order to know when to switch out your shoes. Old shoes (shoes with a lot of miles) can cause injury and pain when running. They say that running shoes should be switched out every 500 miles. I can usually tell when my shoes need to be switched out, but by marking the date on my shoes it is easier to know when I need to order shoes rather than feeling pain and then buying a new pair. The best way is to have two pairs of running shoes and switch them out every other day–this allows the rubber to expand on its day off (I rarely follow this rule as I am cheap and don’t buy 2 pairs of shoes at a time, but it is a good idea).

Not so fresh and so clean clean any more

5. Athletic Clothes and Cheap Running Shoes

My absolute, hands down favorite website for getting running shoes is Holabirdsports.com. Holabird carries shoes from last season for a ridiculously marked down price. Since I do not care about what “season” my shoes are in, I love this website. I recently bought my fifth pair of Mizuno Wave Inspires (10th) for $45.00. They offer free shipping too–talk about a swinging deal! I have to mention that this morning I got an email from Athleta for a 20 percent off sale. I already put in an order for new sports bra and shorts! Got to love a good sale 🙂