Balling Holidays On A Budget: Spending Time With Family

I recently teamed up with Personal Capital to help my readers during this holiday time. Everyone knows holiday time is crazy and you end up hemorrhaging money everywhere you go. Presents, Target, decorations, holiday activities, all that. I wanted to show you how to have some holiday fun but still keep your bank account in check. I don't know why but the coldest cities in the United States always end up having this outdoor holiday activities. At any rate I went to the ChristKindlMarket in Chicago. It a take on the outdoor traditional German markets. This market has heaps of traditional German food stands, cider and hot spiced wine, and shops for trinkets and decorations. 

The BEST part is, the admission to this event was FREE!

Now before we get into the photos, saving money starts from the beginning. I convinced my husband to come with me on this outing so we took public transportation. I promise it's seriously not as sketchy as some make it out to be. We jumped on the bus to the train station ....only a $2.50 ride. Then took the train downtown which was only a 25 cent transfer  so all in all just $3.00 to get to where we wanted to go. CHEAP AS HEYO!!! 

Anyway, we got there and it was packed, like you can barely move packed. Granted it was a Saturday so I am sure if you went during the week or later in the night, it wouldn't be so busy. 

Overall between the two of us and the snacks we bought plus the transportation fee, it only costs about $25 or less. Of course the food and drinks are the most expensive thing so if you want to avoid those costs then just eat ahead of time. FOR REAL though, parking in Chicago will cost you an arm, a kidney and seven toes.... probably not the big ones, but still. It will run you maybe $25 to park for a few hours.... ridiculous, so if you can manage, cut the hassle and cost and ride the train or bus. 

There was an excessive amount of people there but it was still a good time. I also ate a bomb pretzel .... so delicious. 

LOVE this overcoat.. it's from ZARA.. their coats always fit me so well.

Included my husband.. he let me dress him for this!! Pahaha a win for me!

They had some unique decorations for the holidays, but in the spirit of saving some cash, I didn't get anything. 

Again, these delicious snacks were on point!

Hope you enjoyed this post. That's all for now!

My Ultimate Vegas Outfit!

This past week I was inspired by Vegas.com to create a look that I would wear on a night out in Vegas. So I dug through my closet and lo and behold a body suit popped out... surprise surprise. 

I ended up debating between a few looks (one being a gorgeous green dress from Banana Republic Monogram dress) however, I decided to go with a black theme.

So let's just jump straight into it.

My inspiration for this look was elegance and a little sultry. I always love black and it's always my go to color. I would wear this looks to The Wynn Las Vegas. All areas of the Wynn are perfect for this look. Everything in Las Vegas is gaudy and luxurious which is why I went for the deep cut body suit. I chose the necklace because it gave just enough sparkle without taking away from the overall look. 

If you want to know where to look for the best of the best hotels.. look no further Las Vegas Hotels has you covered! This page shares a lot of great information along with pro tips from their very one Vegas insiders. 

Bodysuit is Oh My Love London here is their site

Faux leather panel skirt is from Bebe

Ankle strap heels are from Steve Madden

Not shown is the back side of my pantyhose which have a seam up the back. Those are my favorite kind and I always get the from Nordstrom Rack for $5!!

My necklace is from a small wedding shop in Minneapolis

It's that simple, a few key items and you can make numerous outfits for going out! **Now if I were in Vegas I may ditch the pantyhose as the weather is much nicer than in Minneapolis where I wore this look. You could really wear this look to any of the premier Las Vegas!

Hometown Hunt: Fall Into Chicago

It's fall time now....and my friends over at Eventbrite wanted to know what I do on a nice fall day in Chicago. 

If you don't know about Eventbrite, let me tell you. Eventbrite is the worlds largest self-service ticketing platform. It allows you to create an activity and sell tickets to that event . I've used Eventbrite many times to reserve New Years Eve tickets and various other shows or gatherings I've attended. The link is here as well as above. https://www.eventbrite.com/l/sell-tickets/

At any rate, I've included some of my favorite activities. 

First things first, have to get my exercise in. Sometimes spicing up your workouts can keep things fresh and fun. I headed over to Air Fit Now  here in downtown Chicago for an aerial class. I've never tried anything like that before and it was surprisingly difficult!! You have to use upper body strength and challenge your ab muscles. Believe me you don't have to be flexible to give this a try...coming from the least flexible person ever. 

The class was about 45 minutes long and we started and ended with some stretching with various exercises in between. 

Next up I made my way to Damen Street to get a donut from one of my favorite places! Stans Donuts! Hey I know I just did my workout but ... donuts are my vice. I would turn down chocolate for a good donut!

For almost 50 years Stan Berman has baked some of the best donuts originating in Westwood, California. We are lucky enough to have a shop in Chicago! The unique flavors is a big part of why Stan's is so popular. 

The feel of the shop is classic and clean, filled with vibrant colors. 

Caught an unsuspecting patron chowing down.

Next I had to pop into Mojo Spa!! They have the most unique collection of spa goods I've ever encountered. Here is the link! 

This is a spa that has handmade, hand packaged in house beauty products and cosmetics! They ship worldwide BUT the location in Wicker Park is the ONLY location that exists. I love their spa services as well. Go in for a mani-pedi and leave with an extra treat. 

Now this is my favorite product so far. It's a candle, but once the "wax" is heated, you can dip your fingers in and use it as a lotion. So the wax isn't a wax at all, its a lotion! Such a great product. 

Above all, every single decoration in the store is ALSO handmade. Basically anything you get in this store is handmade and hand packaged in store. That rarely happens these days. 

Last but not least, I stopped into a great coffee shop for a seasonal latte. 

This place is called The Wormhole Coffee. Check them out here

My Honey Bear Latte was a blend of delicious and exceptional flavors. 

Truly the thing that sets this place apart is it's decor! It's Back To The Future and stuff ;) You can't help but notice the DeLorean up in the lofted area. All of the decorations are fun and unique charged with a 80s 90s vibe. 

This wouldn't be my blog if I didn't include a fashion portion as well. 

I am sooo into these puff-balls that you can put on your key ring or purse. 

I got mine at Steve Madden as a tester product. Hope they keep selling them. The Scottie Dog charm was a gift and it's from Coach.

Outfit Details:

Leather Jacket: Zara

Vintage Rolling Stones T-shirt: Actually vintage.. it was my Mother's from an actual concert.

Skirt: Marshalls (a nice $24 score!)

Black Booties: Banana Republic

Purse: Zara

Thanks as always for reading!! I also want to give a big thanks to Eventbrite for inspiring this blog post!!