by gillian claire: September 2017

SOCIAL MEDIA

9.26.2017

5 Easy Ways to Make Extra Christmas Shopping Money!

*This post contains an affiliate link.*     

     I can't believe how close the holidays are and to be honest, the thought of Christmas shopping (and all that $$$) is a bit stress inducing right now! Do you guys feel the same way? I am always trying to bring the cost of Christmas down and today I want to share 5 easy things I've tried that can earn you some extra Christmas shopping cash! 


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Sell Some "Stuff"

     I'm a minimalist and I love getting rid of some "stuff" before Christmastime since Christmas presents mean that more things are about to come into my house. Here are a few different ways you can sell items you own to make a little extra Christmas shopping cash!


Consignment Stores
I love taking a laundry basket full of old kids' stuff into Once Upon A Child and earning a little money back. There are plenty of other consignment shops out there for different types of items as well. You won't make very much money selling consignment but it's probably the easiest and quickest way to make a little bit of money for things that you don't want anyway!
Facebook Groups 
Check to see if your town has local Facebook buy + sell groups! I have bought items from a Facebook group and it was so easy! (Take someone with you if you are meeting a person you don't know and always meet somewhere public!) 
Set up an IG closet shop 
Set up a shop account on Instagram to sell clothing (or other small items) you don't want anymore! This one is probably easier for bloggers or those of you who have a higher amount of followers on Instagram. This is something I'd like to start doing because I have so many cute little boy clothing items sitting around that we don't' need anymore. I set up a shop account but haven't gotten around to listing anything!

Coupon Apps!

     I wrote an entire post about this last year: here. Coupon Apps are a really fun way to earn a little extra spending money. Most of them work by scanning receipts and awarding money amounts for different items. These apps can be time consuming but are so fun and easy to use! For the past 2 years I've cashed out about $20 each holiday season to put towards presents just after using them for a few months! (Fun, easy, free money- yes please.)

     If you are going to try just one, start with Ibotta- it's my favorite and gives you the most money back. You can use my referral code: tddfoyb to get a $10 bonus for signing up!



Take on Extra Work

     I've been looking for a few ways to take on a little extra work before the holidays. I just did a photography job this past weekend and I'm taking on a little more sponsored content on the blog. For my family personally, this is also to cover other expenses that we've had come up lately but will also definitely help come Christmastime! Look for little ways that you could make a little extra money at your job! Pick up an extra shift or project. Taking a holiday retail job is a great way to earn some easy money and the discount can help with Christmas expenses as well! (Win, win!)


Mystery Shopping

     I used to always be so intrigued by the idea of mystery shopping! I finally tried it out a couple years ago through SeeLevel Shoppers. My mystery shop took place at Hot Topic (oh hey, high school memories!) and I earned a little money for completing the shop and also got reimbursed for the nose rings I purchased there. This would be a fun way to make a little holiday cash. 

Open a credit card

     I know a lot of people with be against the advice to open a credit card and I totally get it. This is only good advice if you go about it carefully! Many stores offer extra benefits to open a credit card during the holidays. Make this work for you by choosing one that is going to save you a chunk of money and then pay it off immediately + close it out! Last year I opened an Amazon credit card and in return got a $50 Amazon gift card which I then used towards Christmas shopping!


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I hope you saw a tip that might help you earn a little cash this holiday season! Of course, these tips can be used year round as well. What secret ways do you have to earn extra money? I want to hear them!





9.06.2017

My Current Favorite Night Creams!

*This post is NOT sponsored but does contain affiliate links!*

     Oh hey, it's time to talk about my favorite thing again: skincare! I've been interested in night cream and "anti-aging" products since I used my grandma's free eye cream jars that she got from department stores as a kid. People usually think that I'm a lot younger than I am so, thanks Namaw! jk :) In reality, I'm 31 and it's kind of exciting that I can actually start benefiting from these products that I love!
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     Between things I've picked up myself and products that brands have sent me, my nightstand is pretty jam packed with night creams right now! I grabbed a few of the products that I gravitate towards every night to share with you guys including my two all time favorite ever EVER night creams so read along to find out which ones they are!
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I actually won this No7 Lift & Luminate Triple Action Night Cream in a giveaway on the Kiki Blah Blah blog! I was so excited because I never win anything but I ended up winning this No7 skincare package and these awesome pants in the same week! (best week ever...)  This night cream is pretty standard- nothing outstanding about it, nothing horrible about it. The smell is nice and fresh, a good grandma smell not a flowery grandma smell.. (does that make sense to anyone else?) I love that it's made for sensitive skin + that it's inexpensive. I also use the Lift & Luminate Triple Action Serum underneath. This is just a nice easy night cream to have on hand and I like to use it between nights where I use a more targeted treatment.



Ok guys, here's the first holy grail night cream that I'm going to recommend and it's super inexpensive! This Rite Aid "Quick Wrinkle Repair" is a dupe for the well-loved Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair. (I love their play on words here- hah!) I can't remember exactly how I ended up using the Rite Aid version over the Neutrogena one but I love it so much + keep going back for more. I don't really struggle with true wrinkles yet but any lines I do see starting to form always plump up with this stuff! I definitely recommend trying this one out if you haven't already!




I have gone through some weird phases where I struggle with redness on my face. I grabbed this Eucerin Redness Relief Night Cream off Amazon during one of those times and really liked it! I still use it occasionally if my face feels like it's flaring up a little. I also bought the Eucerin Redness Relief Daily Perfecting Lotion which has a green tint to it for combatting redness! Also these are inexpensive-yay!



Well, this is the me I never thought I'd be.. I am totally a drugstore/amazon girl and this HydroPeptide Nimini Cream is fancy AF and costs over $100. It was sent to me in exchange for a sponsored Instagram post, which I did months ago. Mentioning it in this blog post however is in no way sponsored; I just ... freaking LOVE IT. I thought I was sooo cool when HydroPeptide offered to send me this expensive product but jokes on ME  now because I'm hooked and will definitely shell out the money to repurchase this... :)


This Nimini Cream is liquid gold. First of all, it smells fabulous. Second of all, your skin will glow in the morning after using it! It contains Retinol + Vitamin C and is a targeted "collagen support" complex. Any little wrinkles you might have plump right up with this Nimini Cream and it leaves your skin looking so fresh and youthful. Sometimes I'll see myself in the mirror in the morning and be like wow, I look SO refreshed today and yeah, it's always because I used this HydroPeptide Cream the night before. I highly, highly recommend this one if you're looking to try something higher end that works. 








Ok, I'm seriously obsessed that I figured out how to link all of these products for you guys like this! I'll definitely start doing for my beauty posts, it's so easy! Sometimes I feel like such an old person, it takes me forever to start doing all the "trendy hip" blogging things. Anyone else with me there??


Have you tried any of these night creams? I'd love to know! Of course, if you have any of your own holy grail night creams please let me know in the comments; I'm always on the hunt for something new to try!


Happy Hump Day!

xoxo, Gillian

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