Life

Your twenties can be a challenging time when it comes to your finances—you’re young, you’re free, and you’re just starting out in your career, but you’re also likely in debt and still learning about how to successfully plan your spending and saving for next month, let alone ten years down the road (and everything in between).

It’s hard to believe that it’s already been six years since Macklemore and Ryan Lewis captured the zeitgeist of mainstream tag-popping and bin-scouring with their runaway hit song, Thrift Shop. But while hippies and hipsters come and go, the joy of thrift shopping and treasure hunting is forever—so I rounded up some of my favorite tips for National Thrift Shopping Day, culled from my decade of prior experience as the editor of budget living magazine Shoestring.

In my own life, it’s all the little choices I make each day—from how much sleep I get to how I’ve handled stress to personal interactions—that shape the feeling I have about my day when I turn out the lights each night.

“Work” can look like many different things, and a typical 9-to-5 commuter job is only one of them. You might be a freelancer, or a graveyard-shift-er, or a part-time-er, or somebody who spends their days taking care of their family. All that matters is that you’re happy with where you’re at. When your life is in perfect balance, work is fun and motivating. Work takes just the right amount of time in your day (or week or year or life).

Why should humans be the only species with control over a dog’s domain? Trulia announced this week that they’ve developed sales and rental “pawperty” listings that divulge the details that pets really care about when finding a furever home.

If you’re looking to leave on a jet plane, now might be a good time to book a ticket. Southwest is having a sale and prices for one way trips start at just $42. If you want to get away between October 31 and December 19 (excluding Thanksgiving), and from January 3 to February 14, that’s when most of the sale fares are available. The best prices are for flights on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, mostly.

Growing up, my dad was a firm believer of that if you were paying for a hotel room, you were entitled to take a few towels for the road. Turns out, dad laws aren’t real laws and stealing towels from a hotel room is not only frowned upon, it is technically illegal. So what is fair game? Hotels actually want you to take toiletries—they’re not going to re-use them and it’s a good way to spread the brand around. Everything else, though, is strictly off limits.

If you’re looking to skip town in November, JetBlue just made getting away a lot cheaper. The airline has one way flights for as little as $20 during their flash sale today. The flights that’ll set you back just one Jackson are regional trips, like Oakland to Long Beach and Boston to New York. But there are a dozen or so other fares ranging from $30 to $50 that will get you farther afield (New York to Savannah for $30, Boston to Orlando for $50).

Have you ever been a few hours into a Netflix binge and wondered why you can’t just be professionally lazy? TUI, an airline and vacation agency in Sweden, is currently on the hunt for four “professional slackers.” If hired as a professional lazy person you will have to do a few things. Slackers will be required to wear beachwear, sit in a chair with their toes in the sand, read a book, nap and ignore passers by.

After a year-long process of courting cities and states for tax cuts and various other perks, Amazon is choosing two locations for its sought-after second headquarters, “The Wall Street Journal” reported Monday evening. The supposed winning metros would be Long Island City, Queens, and Crystal City, Virginia.

It’s fair to say that Amazon had a great 2017: Announcing HQ2, winning at Black Friday, and—who could forget?—its nearly $14 billion Whole Foods order. How do you follow up a year like that? Well, one analyst thinks that Bezos could be looking to target the bullseye. Loup Ventures analyst Gene Munster thinks that Amazon has the Minneapolis retailer in its sights.

If you’re new to the hosting game, especially if you’re hosting your first Thanksgiving or another holiday dinner or party, it can be a little scary. You want to have fun, but you also want to make sure everything goes right. And you’re probably worried about following proper etiquette—which can be hard to do when it feels like it’s always changing.

If you want to do some good and bring a little holiday magic into your life and the lives of others, you can play St. Nick for a family in need through Operation Santa. You can “adopt” a letter to Kris Kringle that was sent to the USPS and help make the holidays happier with a few easy steps. Operation Santa started in 1912 when the postmaster at the time allowed postal employees to open and read the letters addressed to Santa.

The Christmas corgi is going to be a classic.

Here are five (super simple) DIYs to try.

Oh, and you get a $10K stipend, too.

It gives off cozy fall vibes!

It comes recommended by an aesthetician.

Here's what you should buy to be the most popular house on the block.

“I have this and love it.”

It's a free Halloween decor hack.

It comes in 2 colors.

There’s also a vintage dental chair and a skull.

Level up your morning routine.

You’ll immediately be impressed after checking out his work.

It's not a want, it's a NEED!

If you're living the dorm life, this is a must-have!

Don’t worry — it won’t bite like in the video games.

The brand has restocked its Pomander Room Spritz.

We love their sheets, bath towels, mattress toppers, and more.

Don your costumes and detective hats for a murder mystery game night.

“If someone left this on the porch on Halloween I would steal it and leave the candy.”

According to a former employee.

Birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, oh my! With so many events with a cause for celebration and several loved ones in your life, not only do we need a reserve for different great gift ideas, but we need them to also be budget-friendly for the sake of our wallets. Let’s face it, daily expenses add up quickly, and unfortunately, a good gift is no exception. However, having a budget shouldn’t take away from a nice gesture to someone special.

It looks vintage, but won't break the bank!

Better to be safe than sorry.

It's a must for entertaining!

One of the most significant astronomical events of the year is almost here.

From surveys, to tomatoes, to dogs.

No trip to the pumpkin patch needed.

It transformed how I wake up in the morning.

And I’m eyeing so many more.

Use them to save more.

From chocolate martinis to floating candles, here’s how to celebrate Halloween.

If you’re a Netflix binge-watching pro, good news: You might actually be able to turn that expertise into a money-making opportunity.

Calling all pumpkin spice lovers.

It makes for the most perfect breakfast.

After all, you don’t want to be stuck in an airport missing your holiday plate.

And it's dishwasher safe, too!

Bath & Body Works recently sent me 24 of their new and returning fall scents, and I made it my job to rank them and share the best of the best of the season.

From “Abuelas Bakery” candles to Aztec chocolate bitters.

It's that time of year.

It's a minimalist's (or small space owner's) dream!

Stock up on disinfectant wipes.

So many terms get thrown around in one secondhand bucket.

Save yourself some serious kitchen hassle.

It has hundreds of 5-star reviews.

You can literally eat, sleep, and breathe Aldi.

The best solution for your worst nightmare.

It’s so adorable.

Say hello to work-life balance.

The calendar says that Christmas is still a few months away. But if you ask IKEA, it’s already here.

It even has mini books inside!

Upgrade your movie nights.

It’s also my dogs’ favorite spot in my home office!

It's only $10!

These well-loved toys have received a well-deserved retirement.

A new state takes the top spot this year.

Costco is currently offering two products that would make ‘90s kids say, “My childhood.”

It’s a ripe season for setting resolutions.

Sure, I’ll treat myself for “free.”

These bar stools are three times more comfortable than my last ones!