TGIF everyone! I don’t know about you all, but I am ready for the weekend to start. I don’t have as many favorites as usual, but nonetheless, I am still excited to share them with you. So, without further adue, here are this week’s Friday Faves:

SoulCycle Radio: I’ve had SiriusXM for four years now and I rarely explore the new stations. Or knew that you can have it play on your Amazon Echo. So, while using the app, I discovered the SoulCycle station. And I love it. It has a lot of fun remixes and I’ve discovered so many fun artists that I never heard of prior. I definitely recommend checking this station out for those who need something upbeat to get in a better mood.

The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren: I have been loving this book, which is no surprise because I am a huge fan of Christina Lauren. This is their latest novel, and it’s so good. It is about single mom Jess who is encouraged by her best friend to apply onto a unique dating site. She ends up matching with the company’s founder, River Pena. This novel is such a fast read, and I really am enjoying it.

What I Like About You: Yes, this is the 2000s show with Amanda Bynes. I recently began rewatching it, and it is so good. There is something that is so amazing about early 2000s sitcoms that I just miss about TV.

What are your favorites? Please let me know in the comments below.

TGIF everyone! This Friday is especially exciting because it is Memorial Day weekend, and that means it’s a three day weekend. For me, this is especially exciting because I took an extra day off to make it a four day weekend. I am looking forward to getting a lot of reading done, and knocking a few books off of my TBR pile.

That said, I am so excited to share this week’s favorites. They are random, and I am perfectly okay with that.

Sydney Cummings Workouts: I discovered a new workout everyone – no offense to the Peloton app. Sydney Cummings has a variety of HIIT workouts, which I love. I love her workouts because they are challenging, but they are also fun. I’ve mentioned in previous posts about my distain for Jillian Micheals’ workouts, which has turned me off of HIIT completely. That said, I love her positive attitude, as it focuses on gaining strength versus losing weight. Her workouts are challenging, don’t get me wrong, but I love that I feel more empowered when I do them, versus ashamed that I am unable to do anything or feel like I am losing enough weight. I still am challenged, but I really love it.

Too Hot to Handle: I found another Netflix show that I am obsessed with, which is Too Hot to Handle. I binge watched this show this past week. It is about young singles that are looking for a meaningful connection. They are challenged to form these connections by simply not touching whatsoever. If they do, then they lose the $100,000 prize. It was a mindless show, but I really enjoyed it.

Dagne Dover Landon Crossbody XS Small: I recently used some Nordstrom Notes to grab the black (onyx) version and I have been loving it. I have been getting a lot of use of this simply by using it as a work purse. It is also lightweight, and easy to clean.

Dave Ramsey and Rachel Cruze podcasts: As many of you know, I have been trying to learn how to change my habits to become less of a spender and more of a saver. Listening to their podcasts have been really motivating for me to focus on my future versus the present. Therefore, I am enjoying listening to them because it’s inspired me to do better than I did when it comes to money.

About three months ago, I hit a tree during a snow storm. Thankfully, I was able to walk away without getting hurt or injured. However, my car was deemed undrivable with damage to my fender and suspension. This was not planned whatsoever. However, I took a breath of relief as I knew that I had the funds in a savings account to cover the cost of my rental, deductible and other expenses

Thankfully, I have begun saving since I started my full time job for an emergency fund. Now, you may be asking, what exactly is an emergency fund? Well, an emergency fund is something that urgent that comes up that is unplanned.

So what is an emergency? Here are a few examples of when you would need cash fast:

1. You lost your job, and you need to pay bills.

2. Your car breaks down.

3. You are having any kind of home repair that came up unexpected.

4. There is a death in the family and you need to travel/deal with it fast.

Dave Ramsey teaches those who follow him to save at least three to six months of expenses saved. And, I agree to that to some extent. It’s really assuring to have that money set aside for things when your car isn’t starting and it’s on its way to the mechanic again so you don’t have to worry about having to come up with more money or use a credit card. He recommends keeping this money out of your checking but is easily accessible (i.e. savings/money market account).

This was one of the most expensive money lessons that I had to learn the hard way. About three years ago, I had a flat tire from running over a curb. The price? $375. At that time, I did not have that saved, and I had to ask my mom for help fixing it. Since then, I learned that I need to start putting aside cash for those moments, because believe me, they do happen.

That said, here are some ways that you can build an emergency fund:

• Sell items on Poshmark
• Put aside a percentage of your check everytime.
• Get a side hustle.
• Cut expenses as much as possible.

I have been actively saving for emergencies, even though I am way over that $1,000 threshold. That said, even though I had that amount saved and I paid cash for all of the repairs done on my car with the accident, it still stung having to get that amount taken out. I felt discouraged, almost as if I did something wrong instead of thanking myself for thinking that far ahead.

It took me a moment to realize that sometimes, life happens and we have expenses that are not planned. That is why it’s important to save for them. I am currently working to get my savings account to where it used to be, and that is going to take time. In the mean time, I can do my best to continue to grow my emergency fund as much as possible.

TGIF everyone! It has been a long week (which is why this is my first post of the week), and I just can’t wait for the weekend! I was debating on not posting for the week, but I still wanted to include a list of this week’s favorites for everyone. They are a bit random, but still worth sharing nonetheless. So without further adue, here are this week’s favorites;

Love Your Life Not Theirs by Rachel Cruze: Rachel Cruze is Dave Ramsey’s daughter, and she is staying in the family business of helping people manage their finances. I read her other book recently and decided to give this one a listen because your girl is struggling with budgeting. By listening to more educational things, it has helped me learned more about how to save. Definitely important. That said, I have been listening to this a lot and this is a lot easier to digest than you would think. I definitely recommend.

Dooney and Bourke Pebble Leather Crossbody: This was actually a replacement purchase as I had two versions of this Dooney and Bourke bag. I am so happy I sold those and got this. It is a crossbody but it holds everything I need, including my wallet, keys, Kindle and more. What I really love about it this is that it’s slowly helping me avoid taking my tote to work, which I really like. I have been taking this to work, but I also can see myself using this for traveling, errands and so much more.

Beautiful Girl You Can Do Hard Things Mantraband: I have had this in my closet for a while and I love this. It has been giving me motivation to challenge myself and reminds me that I am a strong woman. I wear this with other Mantrabands, beaded bracelets, and other bangles. I highly recommend Mantraband bracelets, as I’ve had some for over four years and they look like the day I got them.

Pop Sonic Spade Cleansing and Exfoliating Device: I purchased this to help me cleanse my skin better. And I love it. I scored it on sale at QVC and have been using it every day since. It’s great to remove all of the makeup I use and it also helps keep my skin clean. I use Trader Joe’s TeaTree Facial soap and I’ve been really happy with the results.

TGIF everyone! I don’t know about you, but I am really looking forward to the weekend as it has been a week. I have so many different favorites to share this week that I don’t even know where to begin. So, without further a due, here are this week’s favorites:

Calm Stone Kit: I have been dealing with severe anxiety, and so I decided to grab this. In fact, my amethyst stone is currently in my car’s glove compartment, which is at the car dealership currently. It came with both amethyst and clear quartz, and I am so happy that I got them. I highly recommend getting these if you’re dealing with anxiety, because not only is it cheap ($10 for two stones), and are compact enough to fit into my bag.

Rainbow Ring: I have fallen in love with this ring the second I saw it and knew that I had to have it. I have not taken this ring off since the second that I got it. I wear it on my thumb and I love the look on it. It also serves as a reminder that brighter days are ahead, which I really love. You can not find it online, but you can get it on the Tickled Pink app.

Cruel Summer: Yes, I found another TV show that I love. It takes place in the 90’s and is about a girl who goes missing and another girl who takes her place. It’s so addicting, and I binge watched four episodes in one sitting. It is on FreeForm, and then on Hulu as well.

Birthday Cake Lip Licking Balm: I purchased this from Tickled Pink a few weeks ago and I really love this lip balm because it smells and tastes good. It also doesn’t stick, which is really good as well. The product was inexpensive, which is also a plus. In addition to Birthday Cake, Tickled Pink has so many other flavors to choose from such as Cotton Candy and Watermelon.

One of the hardest things that I continue to struggle with is giving myself the credit I deserve and giving myself the pat on the back for the progress I’ve made. Instead, I dwell on the fact that I am not where I want to be.

I recently was in this phase. As many of you know, I am in the process of learning to save money, lose weight, and declutter. I am not going to become a minimalist, nor do I believe that I ever will become one. But, I have learned to budget and increased my savings dramatically then I have in years prior. I’m working out and building muscle, and starting to see improvements in my endurance and my health.

But, what am I doing instead of applauding myself? I’m looking at everything that I’ve done wrong because I’m not where I want to be. I am hard on myself for everything that I have yet to learn than everything that I have learned.

There is a saying that says progress over perfection, and that is something that I am learning that I need to focus on more and more. Why is that we focus on the things we didn’t do and the things that we did wrong versus the baby steps and progress in the right direction?

Maybe it’s the way that we are programmed. Maybe it’s the content consumed on social media — you know when you see someone who is doing that much better than you, or someone who seems to have it all together.

So, why can’t I change it?

The answer is that it was something programmed in me — whether it’s something attributed to nature to something attributed to nurture. And, when something is programmed in me, it can take a while for me to develop a new mindset.

And, that’s ok. But, in this process of learning to love and accept myself, I am learning to celebrate my wins and celebrate the things I did do versus didn’t. I am learning to forgive myself for the things I didn’t know, and to give myself the love that I need to grow into the person I want to be.

I am learning to look forward.

TGIF everyone! I am so excited to share this week’s favorites, which in reality is two television shows that I decided to start two shows at the same time, while already binge watching two other shows. So, yeah I have been watching a lot of TV shows, and that’s perfectly fine.

Other than that, I hope to have a relaxing weekend binging more of these shows and hopefully start some new ones, because your girl is good at starting shows but not finishing them. That said, here are some of my favorites for the week.

Firefly Lane: I finally started this show, everyone! If you don’t know, I read this book last month and really enjoyed it, so I couldn’t wait to watch the series. Let me tell you — the show is so different than the book. I must admit that I did not read the second one yet, but I already can see the differences. That said, the show is pretty good, and I am hoping that they come out with a second season.

The Mandalorian: Finally, I began the Mandalorian and I am so happy that I did. Yes I only watched two episodes but I already know I will be binging it throughout the weekend.

Our Lips Are Sealed Top: I bought this top during a trip to Tickled Pink over the weekend and am so obsessed with it. I wear a lot of leggings, so this is something that would go great with those. I loved this too so much that I ended up grabbing it in the black as well.

SV Decker Chunky Heart Hoops: I have had my eye on these earrings for a while and I just recently added these to my collection. I am so glad that I did because I am obsessed with them. They are very lightweight, comfortable to wear, and do not get snagged in your mask. All of which as great wins for me.

Bala Bangles: I bought these to use with my stairstepper and I am so glad that I did. They are one pound weights that you can strap to your ankles or wrists. I personally used them as ankle weights and I really love them because it makes my stair stepper workout a bit more challenging and tones my legs in the process.