50 Things To Do This Summer Under $20

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Sometimes it can be a bummer if you don’t really have the budget to have the kind of summer you see in movies, magazines, Pinterest, Instagram…

summerBut no need to fear! We’ve got a list for you that might give you some inspiration to get out there and have some fun this summer without hurting your wallet! Also, a side note: if you feel tempted to spend more–try taking $20 cash instead of using your card, making it much harder to go over your budget!

  1. Learn to make your own smoothies
  2. Visit a farmers market and pick up a few things you’d ordinarily just buy at the grocery store
  3. Go try out the local restaurant you’ve been meaning to check out
  4. Go to a local outdoor pool…in the morning, before the kids get there
  5. Rent an 80′s chick flick like Footloose from Amazon.com and watch it on your patio or back porch
  6. Learn how to knit or crochet from a YouTube Video…save your creations to gift during the holidays
  7. Take local transportation to a baseball game–a lot of times parking is what pushes you over!
  8. Go check out your local screen on the green…if you town doesn’t have it, chances are, the next town over will. A lot of times these are FREE!
  9. Organize a flag football or softball game at a local park with you friends from school, work, or church
  10. Get your summer reading done via the library
  11. Watch a few “Learn How To Sketch” videos  on YouTube, buy a sketchbook and a few pencils and go sit outside and brush up on you artistic skills by sketching what’s around you. Who knows…you might even be good enough to gift these later or make a little profit from them on Etsy!
  12. Pick a Saturday and hit up a few garage sales and estate sales…who knows what you might find!
  13. Go sight seeing in your own city! Go to your city’s website and see what’s to offer that you may have missed
  14. Check out some local music — check out open mics or new bands over the bigger tours…you will definitely save a lot of money and may even find a new artist to love!
  15. Learn how to make your own ice-cream
  16. Get involved in a book club … a lot of times libraries will have them and are often free!
  17. Start writing a novel…make sure you stick with it at CampNanowrimo.org
  18. Look into big festival or other event coming to town that you’d like to attend and see if there’s a way to sign up to be a volunteer
  19. Keep your brain fed by taking free online courses from major universities!
  20. Repaint your room with clearance paint at the hardware store that happens to be on sale!
  21. Go on a photo walk in your area…it’s amazing the things you’ll start to see when you walk instead of drive/ride. Whether all you have is a smartphone or if you have a DSLR…it’s easy kill some time and have some fun with this fun-to-learn art form!
  22. Join a MeetUp at MeetUp.Com – This site is loaded with thousands of activities covering just about every interest around the world..everything from book clubs to new moms to young Christian women clubs to hiking clubs — and MANY of them are free!
  23. Treat yourself to a pedicure
  24. Go volunteer at a local children’s shelter on the day of a big event
  25. Learn how to play an instrument. Take that guitar or piano that sits all alone in your basement and teach yourself to play a few tunes!
  26. Host a BYOM (Bring Your Own Meat) Party at your apartment! Make sure the party has emphases on the fun in hanging out than what you’re eating! :)
  27. Peruse the FREE Section of Craigslist for some gems…make sure you stay safe and never go to pick something up alone!
  28. Reach your fitness goals not with an expensive gym membership but free YouTube videos!
  29. Treat yourself to an audiobook from Audible.com while working or on your morning run
  30. Invite some friends over for a night of board games and a couple of pizzas
  31. Go to a local museum in town that you’ve never had the time to check out
  32. Start a blog and get active in a blogging community
  33. Find a local lake or a beach or park and take a good book with you
  34. Go have a picnic in the park with nothing more than a good friend, sandwiches and something simple, yet fun to do
  35. Watch YouTube videos on how to speak Italian or another language you’ve always wanted to learn, and begin practicing on a site like Cafe Mocha with native speakers for free!
  36. Make your own granola bars
  37. Go Geocaching with a friend!
  38. Remix your clothing by experimenting with fabric dye and scissors
  39. Start scrapbooking using all recycled materials such as coffee cup sleeves and recycled paper
  40. Visit PostCrossing.com and start collecting postcards from all over the world.
  41. Do a double or even triple feature at the dollar movie theater with a friend
  42. Find out when the fifty cent or dollar night is at the local bowling alley
  43. Buy tickets ahead of time for your local theme park to save money on the ticket price. Also, take a sack lunch instead of eating inside the park
  44. Buy a film camera from the drug store and take photos for some REAL vintage looking photographs!
  45. Learn to make your own paper from recycled paper and a few simple tools from the hardware or craft store
  46. Many dance and fitness studios offer a free trial class…go check it out to see if it’s something you’d like to invest in in the future!
  47. Take a hike or walk at a local nature reserve at sunrise or sunset
  48. If you’re in the shopping mood, set out to go STRICTLY jewelry shopping and hit up the accessories section of a store like Forever 21!
  49. Experiment with your hair and makeup techniques by watching tutorials from beauty experts on YouTube!
  50. Go to your favorite sit-down restaurant for lunch instead of dinner to rack up some discounts for their lunch specials!

Are You a Real Woman or a Fake Woman?

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“Real Women Aren’t a Size 6″
“Real Women have Curves”
Real Women, No Curves
I’ve seen these phrases and their cousins so often that I can’t be quiet about them any more. What I’m wondering is, who decided it was okay to make such statements and why is it okay? Since when is a size 2, size 4, or size 6 woman not a real woman?I do understand that such statements have become popular as a form of backlash against the media for portraying all models as ‘unbelievably’ skinny. But I absolutely do not think that blanket statements like “Real Women have Curves”  are the answer to that problem. Because the inference of that statement is that all non-curvy women are also fake women. And what is a fake woman? That’s what I want to know.Actually, Women are women–they aren’t really separated into the real ones and the fake ones. And, while the problem of the media portraying only skinny girls is a real problem, it’s not the only one. Because if you really are short or slender or both, you know from experience that finding clothes that fit well in American stores is a challenge.

I don’t really have curves. And there aren’t many stores that sell attire for adults in my size. I can find plenty of clothing that fits in Junior’s departments and stores catering to teenagers–but not necessarily in the styles I would prefer, as a twentysomething college graduate rather than the high school student who is probably the primary consumer audience that such stores target.
The Misses department rarely carries clothes small enough for me, and I’m too tall to shop in the Petites section. Countless times I’ve seen a mannikin wearing a fitted dress, and I get excited, thinking that the store must carry small sizes–only to find that the too-large dress is pinned to the back of the mannikin, only giving the illusion that it fits. Unlike the mannikin, I can’t just pin my clothes to my back to help them fit better.So, there is an interesting contrast, then, between the skinny models portrayed in media and the clothing actually available in stores.I know that the reason I’m skinny right now is because I’m very young. I haven’t had any children yet. My body will change in  the future, I’m sure. But the thing is, I’m not the standard of how small people can get. I know women in their 30s and 40s and even older, who’ve had multiple children, who’ve lived long, full lives, who are a head shorter than I am and significantly more narrow. Where are they supposed to buy their clothes, I wonder? Are they destined to spend their entire lives shopping in the children’s department?

“Real Women are…”

Why would it ever be a good thing that the realness or unrealness of women were determined by the shape of their bodies? I’m convinced that no one’s body is standard. Tall girls, short girls, skinny, and curvy–we all have trouble finding the perfect sizes in stores. But that doesn’t give anyone the right to determine which body shape is “real” and which is “fake”. Ideally, we could all get our clothes tailor-made for us, and that would solve the shopping problem. But the truth is that a woman could be mean and vindictive at a size 2 or a size 22. And a woman could have a gracious and loving heart and have a sincere passion for serving God at any shape, size, or age, too! So yeah, it would be convenient if we could all buy clothes that fit. But what actually matters is what we do with the bodies we’ve been given.

I’m not trying to start a debate on who’s prettier, and I’m not trying to argue that more companies should make clothes that fit me. I’m also not interested in the healthy vs. unhealthy debate at this moment.

What really counts is that:
“The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

So stop criticizing girls who don’t look like you. Let’s focus more on the attitudes of our hearts and the actions of our hands than on the measurements of our hips, shall we?

Why I Smiled When I Heard Jennifer Hudson Was Returning to American Idol

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220px-Jennifer_Hudson_2011_AAReportedly, third season American Idol finalist Jennifer Hudson is set to be a judge on next season’s American Idol, while other previous contestants, Kelly Clarkson and Clay Aiken are also *possibly in the runs.

While I don’t necessarily watch the show these days, I couldn’t help but smile when I saw this news…but for different reasons than others, I’m sure.

I’m smiled because I was happy for her. A journey that began for her nearly 10 years ago is coming full circle. Can you imagine auditioning for a show, making it further than you expected, getting kicked off, starting over, dealing with family tragedy, weight loss, and then coming back ten years later to the thing that started it all?

That’s right. You probably CAN’T imagine, and I can’t either. I just wanted to write this because I was happy for her, and I couldn’t help but to be super excited for her and be encourage to embrace what I can’t see coming in my own life. It’s so easy to get frustrated when thins don’t work out according to our own plans, not realizing that the very reason they didn’t work out for us is because God already has something else in store!

I’m sure you had seen the headlines already, but i just wanted to share this to encourage you that you WILL see the fruit of your work. It might not happen right away, but keep the faith!

Also shared at The Novelate Show

Leave Lindsay and Amanda Alone!

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Few seconds seem to pass these days without a tweet or comment about Amanda Bynes or Lindsay Lohan. With both being child stars, living in Hollywood, and constantly under the fire for how irresponsible they’ve become over the last few years, it’s no shocker why they’re constant targets in the press. Of course they’re not the only ones, but these are two women who I find myself thinking about and praying for often. I fell in love with their TV shows and films, and like so many others, it came as a shocker when the negative press began stirring up around them. Even though I haven’t met either women in person, I have to say, that my heart really does break for them. And even more than that, my heart breaks for those who don’t have any sensitivity for their struggles.

I’m not here to defend their actions nor am I screaming at a camera with emotion stricken eyes like Chris Crocker, of the infamous 2007 “Leave Britney [Spears] Alone!” viral video, but I am saying, that we have to be so careful with how we react to things that other people are struggling with, celebrities or not.

It truly breaks my heart when I read a nasty, supposedly funny comment about a celebrity’s struggles with addiction or other real-life issues. Just like we wouldn’t make those kind of comments about a loved one or a close friend, we shouldn’t do that about people we don’t know either.

Yeah, sure, they make millions of dollars and should be able to “take a punch” or “man up,” but let’s be real: no amount of money, fame, or prestige is above struggle. As a result, no one’s personal struggle should be above grace, forgiveness, and the ability to hold our tongues and not make fun of them. Addictions are not funny. DUIs shouldn’t be joked about. At all. They are real, serious issues that people lose their lives over every single year.

So let’s think twice before we tweet that “Lindsay’s at it again” or “Amanda Bynes is such a waste of human existence.” These are people with real feelings and emotions, and even if it’s *just* a tweet or a *funny* Instagram meme…it’s not a joke. It’s not funny. Let us learn to love and encourage much more than we condemn.

 

Also posted at The Novelate Show

#QUITEbeautiful Launch

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#QUITEbeautiful


Quite Magazine is launching a new campaign to showcase our idea of beautiful. Just as in the 2009 “Sans Fards” edition of French Elle Magazine, we want you to be inspired by and relate to REAL women sharing their REAL faces. By you, the readers, posting an all natural photo on social medias using the hashtag #QUITEbeautiful, we hope to spread this positive message around the world! Every photo using our hashtag has the possibility of making it in our print magazine (with your permission, of course)! We encourage you to be part of this special journey and spread the message from 1 Peter 4:3:

“Rather, [beauty] should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”

When the Pressure Starts to Build

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705px-Soapbubbles-SteveEF[1] In life, there are just some times when the pressure builds. 

When things are not easy. When struggles come, whether they be a long-term battle beginning or just little daily aggravations. When someone or something pushes in on your personal bubble of peace and tranquility, the pressure begins to build.

There are one only two options.

  • To let it build and build and then finally when you are stretched so tight that you can’t take it any more, you explode! 
  • Or, you can poke a hole in the bubble and let the pressure slowly leak out.

We can poke a hole in our bubble by taking a moment to step back and think about the situation at hand. Try to figure out what it is that is making you stress. Is it your young kids? Is it stress from school? Is it work? Is it health concerns? Then think about your attitude. Are you reacting to the situation negatively because of selfishness, fear, worry or defensiveness? If the answer is yes, then try to think of a behavior that would be better.

Replace your selfishness with care and concern for the person that is frustrating you. Try to see life from their point of view or if maybe something happened to them and it has made them who they are today. Many people are a product of their past and though that isn’t an excuse, it can help you understand them better. If you are fearful or anxious about life, let it go! You can’t add a day to your life or even a moment to your life by worrying! And time really does help most problems! What is wrong today may be nothing to you in a few months!

Studies have shown that your thoughts can actually effect your health. So think positive and you will be doing your body and soul better than worrying. Also stop and think; Can you breathe? Can you walk? Can you see? Do you have enough for today? Don’t worry about the future, for it will get here when it does. We can take steps to be prepared for the future, but we can’t make it happen. It will get here when it does. Try to be thankful for the smallest of blessings, like being able to taste a cheeseburger! Or being able to go outside for a walk and smell the grass in summertime.

The next time your pressure begins to build, step back, think, take a breath, and let the air out slowly. 

 

Soap bubbles Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevefe/10106543/in/photostream/ By Steve Ford Elliott