Valentine's Day on a College Budget

With Valentine’s Day around the corner many college couples are trying to plan a special time with their significant others but on a very real ramen noodles every night budget.

This is a sometimes a really daunting task, how can you get the maximum experience on a limited budget.

Well I am going to let you in on a little secret- sometimes the best Valentine Day plans don’t involve tons of money on flowers and chocolate but rather just taking the time to think of the person you love on that special day.

Below I have listed the top five things that you can do on Valentine’s Day without breaking your budget.

1.     Homemade card and home baked goods: Why spend $10 on a card and box of chocolates for you significant other when you can make an even more personalized version yourself. Design your own card and write something that truly relates to your relationship. Instead of a box of chocolates, make them their favorite cookies instead. This will add a personalized touch to this traditional Valentine’s Day tradition.

2.     Dinner: Instead of going out and easily dropping $100 bucks on dinner, make a meal together. This is the perfect way to spend time together and make Valentine’s Day special. Who knows, a One Tree Hill style cookie dough fight could be fun!

3.     Flowers: Instead of buying flowers and spending a fortune (trust me all flowers are more expensive on Valentine’s Day) go on to pintrest and make paper flowers. They will last forever and being a special thing you make for your significant other with no expiration date attached.

4.     Dinner and Netflix: Snuggle up in your room after your home cooked dinner and watch a movie from your list on Netflix. Nothing is lovelier than snuggling up and binge watching the episodes of your favorite show.

5.     Gifts: Finally, if you are thinking of gifts get something practical that the person will use or something that you can do together.  If they are a teacher, get them a new white board to lesson plans.  If he plays baseball, get him a new glove.  If you want to do something as a couple, plan a small vacation or a spa day.

Ultimately, Valentine’s Day is a just another day to show the person you love how much you care.  So take the time and make sure you show your love how much you love them!!

10 Valentines Date Ideas

Hey there, readers! 

With Valentines Day (or as I like to call it, single awareness day) coming up within the next week, I wanted to share some ideas with you for dates, whether they be with your significant other, or just your friends, here are some things I've done in the past or other things you can do that I still have yet to try! 

1. Stay home for a nice night in! 
Sure, going out could be fun, but staying in? It could be a lot more special. Make dinner together, watch a movie. Enjoy one another company! 

2. Stay up all night! 
Stargaze all night and then the sunrise together! One of my favorite things that I've ever done on a date was staying up all night talking and watching the sunrise early the next morning! Whether this be with your SO or your friends, I can promise that it's a lot of fun! 

3. Go out to dinner
Last year, my roommate and I got chocolate covered strawberries and went to dinner with a few other friends before going home and watching rom-coms with wine! Best. Night. Ever. 

4. Build a fort!
What better way to remind yourself of your childhood than to build a fort with couch cushions, blankets, and pillows! Even challenge one another to see who can make the better fort! 

5. Go on an adventure! 
I don't know where you live, but in Colorado, February is the coldest month of the year, but even then, we still have some amazing days! If it's nice out, go on a hike, have a picnic, and fly a kite! If it's not so nice out, go to a museum or take a dance class! Do something that makes both of you step outside of your comfort zone!

6. Have a movie marathon! 
Does one of you have a movie series that you love? I know I have quite a few of them! Spend some time binge watching some of your favorite films. I know I'd watch the Harry Potter films or maybe even the Jurassic Park trilogy, especially since Jurassic World will be hitting theaters this summer! 

7. Scavenger hunt! 
What would be more fun than going on an adventure (see #5) by creating a scavenger hunt and then taking them out on the town. You could experience new things together and maybe have a few laughs! 

8. Recreate your first date
If you've been dating your SO for a while, then maybe you could plan to recreate the first date that you ever had together. Something cute that I've heard of people doing is taking different cars to the same location and pretending to meet all over again. I think both are precious! 

9. Skype Date
If you're in a long distance relationship like I would suspect that some of you may be, set up a Skype date. Figure out a time that works for both of you, put on the same movie and Skype while you watch it. It may not be the most conventional thing to do, but it's always an option. It's something I've had to do and it's not the worst! 

10. Give them a gift! 
Even if you're low on cash like I always was in college, you can do something simple. Though it wasn't for valentines day, I bought a puzzle, put it together and wrote a message on the back of it before disassembling it, putting it in a cute box with a bow, and giving it to him (I was asking him to formal). When he was figuring it all out, I made an italian dinner for us. We ate and watched movies and played video games. He loved it all because I put focus on him and what he wanted to do. Keep them in mind! 

Well SGT readers, I'm definitely far from being Cupid but I hope those ten ideas give you an idea of what you may want to do next Saturday. As for me, I'll be watching 50 Shades with my best friends (wine included because I have the BEST theater) and eating popcorn. You don't need a SO to make Valentine's Day perfect, you just need people you love. 

Christmas, A Magical Time

While I have never been much of winter fan,  I have always loved Christmas. I love buying the perfect gift for someone, I love the lights, and the smell of pine, I even love all the craziness of shopping. It always seemed like people were at their best around the holidays, like the world could actually be filled with peace and love. 

Every soul seems slightly happier during the holidays and thus it is simply a magical time. And sometimes, it is even more magical than usual. 

One of the greatest parts of the holidays is spending time with the family you don't always get to see. You know, your extended family members.

While almost all family parties can be filled with the same 10 questions ( you know the ones I am thinking of) to and from your family members, to me, it was kind of a reminder to think about how much you have grown in the past year. In addition, it is nice to hear about what is going on in your family members lives. 

During this Christmas, our family received some extra special as we found out that one of our family members just got engaged (that day).

To me, this act of love within out family, and the excitement we all experienced for our family member and his new fiancee was a tangible symbol of the true meaning of Christmas, which is love. 

So, during all the craziness called to the holiday season,I urge everyone to take the time to remember the true meaning of Christmas which is family and love, it is a lesson I will always remember after this extra magical Christmas.

Things to Consider when Buying Holday Gifts for Bigs and Littles

It is that time a year again. The air is cold, snow is sticking to the ground, holiday decor is everywhere, so what time is it? It is shopping time!

In my personal opinion, my favorite part of the holiday season is gift buying, I enjoy the challenge of finding the perfect gift for someone, including my big and littles.

Here is what I learned while shopping for my sorority "family"

1. Always aim to get something that fits their personality: Gifts should always make sense to who they are as person.

2. Practical isn't aways boring: sometimes the best gifts are the ones you know they will use.

3. DIY gifts are always fun: I usually buy something and make something, sometimes the hand made things are worth the most because of the time, dedication, and love that went into making it.

4. Consider the things you know they like: For example, one of my littles love to paint, so new watercolors or canvases would make a great gift.

5. Always be equal: One thing that was alway important to me was making sure everything was equal between my three littles. From initiation, to birthdays, to holidays my goal was always to get separate gifts for their personalities but of equal value.

6. Always check Pintrest, sometimes if you have an idea of what you want to make or get Pintrest is a great tool.

So with the holidays approaching, hopefully you will consider these things while shopping for you "Sorority Family".