Take the Stress out of Gift Buying

It is graduation season which means you may have many gifts to buy.  Add that to the list of gifts you need for weddings, showers, anniversaries, and birthdays and you may start to feel stressed.  There is a way to save money and take the stress out of gift buying for you and your loved ones.

We have tips below from the simple to the obvious in hopes that you will have an easier time buying gifts.  Apartment Therapy will help you plan out the purchasing of gifts, and it will make sure you are always prepared for the unexpected party.

It feels great to give gifts, though we could all do without the financial stress that comes with it. But finding great gifts does not have to be a source of anxiety if you take some time to plan and think through your gifting strategies. Here are some smart strategies for saving money on great gifts!

1. Do your research. If you have a particular gift in mind that you want to get someone, make sure you do your research and cross-reference all the stores online to make sure you are getting the best deal. Don't hesitate to use a coupon code or take advantage of sales. Getting a gift on sale does not mean you are cheap, it means you are smart!

2. Think ahead. My sister has this brilliant strategy that I am trying to adopt. She knows who she needs to give gifts to in the coming year and she keeps her eye out for special things to gift each person when she is out and about. She is able to find wonderful and meaningful things in boutique shops and thrift stores alike. These items are tasteful and personal, like a unique ring or a funny book, but don't need to cost her too much. In lieu of money, she is giving her time and mindfulness in finding the gift, which is what gift giving should be about. The recipient of the gift can truly feel the love and care that comes from such a habit.

3. Buy in bulk. When you come across a great gift idea that you know you will probably use again and again, buy some of those items in bulk! For example, if you like the idea of giving personalized his and hers coffee mugs for a housewarming gift like the one here, buy white coffee mugs in bulk so that you can use them when you need to without spending the extra cash each time. They can also be used as gifts for your kids' teachers, filled with homemade biscotti or mini muffins. Ideas like homemade lip gloss or refreshing face mists are also great things to buy in bulk for and would make fun birthday presents. And while I'm suggesting great DIY ideas...

4. Spend time, not money. Don't be shy about making your gifts! There are so many great tutorials out there for making beautiful handmade gifts; take advantage of them and try your hand at a few. As a recipient of DIY gifts, I can attest that these types of gifts are just as appreciated as store bought gifts, if not more, because they are unique, thoughtful and personal.

5. Give in groups. I am finding more and more that if you have a group of mutual friends with the giftee, it is a great idea to get one gift all together. This usually allows for a bigger gift that the person may not have received from individuals, and it can cut down on the cost for the gift givers. For birthdays, my friends and I have started to all chip in for a gift card to a place where we know the birthday girl shops. It alleviates stress, is very cost efficient, and allows the friend to buy herself that blouse or dress that she has been eyeing. This also seems to be a good idea for baby showers and weddings, where there are often big ticket items on the registries. For an easy way to figure out the money, look to an app like Venmo, where you can easily make and share payments.

6. Re-gift. I am firmly on "pro" side of the regifting debate. If you have received an item that you know you will never use but could potentially be a great gift for someone else, pass it along! I don't think re-gifting is appropriate for personal items or gifts where the giver expressed to you their personal intention for you to have the gift, but anything else is fair game.

7. Don't underestimate the value of a card. A thoughtful card goes a long way. Especially in this age of texts and emails, a personal card with a handwritten and heartfelt message is a nice surprise and can be sufficient in sending your birthday love. If you need some help in this department, look to apps like Postagram which allow you to turn your personal photos into post cards that will be delivered by mail.

8. Go virtual. Giving gifts online can be both a time and money saver. There are apps like Gyft, which allows you to manage and send gift cards to your friends. If this doesn't feel personal enough to you, giving the gift of an experience can be a great gift for close friends or for people that are hard to shop for. Giftly is a handy app that can help you with that, and they offer a huge variety of ideas that range from low to high costs. Also look to places like Groupon or Living Social, where you can find some great deals for experiences to gift. Another simple virtual gift that goes a long way is sending an iTunes album. These cost between $8 and $15 and can be great gifts if you know the person will enjoy the album you want to share.

Re-decorating Ideas to Save Time and Money

Are you tired of the same look in your apartment?  You do not need to redo every room in your house to get a fresh feel.  A few adjustments with what you have can be the redecorating wish you are looking for.

Apartment Therapy has some great ideas on how to re-arrange items in your home to create a new look.  A simple piece of furniture or a pillow to another sofa may do the trick.  Keep reading and see what you can do to get a fresh look to your home.

Usually, when your space feels dull and boring, the first impulse is to buy something new. Stop! Before you plunk down for another throw pillow, try these tricks I often use when I'm styling someone's home and don't have the luxury of time to go out and buy the perfect little something.

Move the furniture: Moving the furniture can often solve problems in a room. Swap the position of the bed to a different wall (or try floating it to take advantage of a nice view), move the living room arrangement off the walls and into the center of the room. On a recent job, moving the rug just a bit so that the front legs of the couch rested on it made the room feel much more anchored and cozy.

Break up pairs: We've all been taught that the nightstands in a bedroom should match, that matching lamps should go on either side of the couch, that two matching chairs face a sofa. Yeah, yeah. Dull and boring. What if you broke up those pairs? Use one of those living room chairs in the bedroom, try one of those lamps in the kitchen, drag one of those nightstands to use as an entryway piece. Just because you bought two things together doesn't mean they have to, or even should, stay together.

Steal from another room: That throw pillow in the bedroom might be just what the living room needs to perk it up, that rug you've had in the dining room might work better by the front door, your living room console might work as a desk in your office. You can always put things back where you found them. While it might be challenging to move a couch from one room to another, accessories are easy things to swap in and out.

Regroup the accessories: Just because that vase has always had a place on the coffee table, doesn't mean it has to always be there. Move things around. Try grouping it with t two other vases you like (groups of three are particularly pleasing to the eye). Sometimes, something as simple as putting a nice pile of books on a coffee table with a plant on top of them, bringing in a bright throw, or remaking a bed, can perk up an entire room. Stumped for accessories? Think outside the box: a beautiful pair of shoes, like those bright pink heels you never wear but love, can be just as pleasing on a coffee table as on your feet; those mixing bowls from grandma might get more use on your credenza than they ever did in your kitchen; mismatched glasses can be used as vases and scattered around the house; a collection of neckties are interesting swung around a shelf bracket; a jar of earrings lets you enjoy them off your ears as well as on.

Edit: Most rooms have too much stuff in them. Try stripping them down to their basics (in the living room that would mean things like the sofa and the media center) and then layer things back in piece by piece. You may find that you prefer the room without a rug or that the lamp works better on the other side of the sofa. Taking pictures can help you get an objective viewpoint.

Swap rooms: Would your dining room work better as your living room? Maybe your office would make a better bedroom than your bedroom does. Living in a small space that only consists of one large room that has to multitask is no excuse. These spaces can still get stuck in a rut.

Where Should You Be Sitting?

Office Jobs can be exhausting.  The sitting and staring at a screen for eight hours a day can be hard on your eyes and body.  However, there are many ways to limit strain and fatigue on your body while working.  Apartment Therapy has a great trick on how to see if you are sitting at the right height and distance from your computer screen.  This trick will help make those long hours at a computer just a little more tolerable.

So we all sit too much. That's not just some rhetoric about our modern working world. No, this is a fact that is definitely backed by science. If we're all sitting so much, we should be putting more thought into HOW we're sitting and yet, so many of us do it wrong. So what's the easiest way to determine if your desk and office chair are at the right heights for your spinal alignment? It's easier than you think.

Put a dot (a simple sticker or piece of tape will do the trick) in the center of the top 2/3rds of your computer screen. Now, adjust your desk and chair until your eyes are in an exact perpendicular line with this dot.

The same idea holds true if you prefer a standing desk. Add the dot to your screen and adjust your desk height, while standing in comfortable shoes, until your eyes are in the appropriate line of sight.

10 Summer Entertaining Decor Ideas

What are your summer plans? Do you envision a lot of summer get-togethers in your future?  Summer parties can be simple or extravagant, but these 10 DIY ideas can give you a great focal point for your room.

String lights can be used for more than just hanging on a fireplace at Christmas.  They can be a focal point for any room at a party, and they can be used to creatively light certain areas of your home.  Keep reading and learn more about summer entertaining at apartment therapy.

Planning an outdoor party or gathering or looking to bring the summer outdoors in? Get crafting with one of these 10 summer string light projects.

1. Twine Wrapped String Lights, DIY from Design Sponge
2. Starry Paper Foil Lights, DIY from Lia Griffith
3. Vintage Napkin Flower String Lights, DIY from Gretchen Gretchen
4. Cupcake Liner Lights, DIY from Family Chic
5. Seashell Lights, DIY From Martha Stewart

6. Mini Fabric Lamps, DIY from Taylor Urban for Honest to Nod via Apartment Therapy7. Cupcake Flower Lights, DIY from Oh Happy Day
8. Ribbon Tassel Lights, DIY from Brit + Co.
9. Jute Twinkle Light Shade, DIY from Ella Claire via Apartment Therapy10. Piñata Fringe Lights, DIY from Brit + Co.