School Supplies Haul, Reviews, and Recommendations!

      When I shop for school supplies, I want to get the basics first and later I'll purchase the rest since the first week of school teachers usually hand out their syllabus for what is needed in the class. So I purchase the binders, papers, a few folders, and pencils and pens the week before school, when it is tax-free week in Maryland! (August 10- August 16). Although it's not much, it does save some money! 

         Over the past few days I have been shopping! Unfortunately it's not the most fun shopping there is, but hey, I needed some school supplies. This haul is mostly just school supplies I purchased, reviews, and recommendations for supplies and saving money! When I first went shopping I bought BIC mechanical pencils, Foray medium pt. gel pens, a mini highlighter set, and a huge pink eraser for "Big Mistakes" :P.

    The BIC pencils have always been a favorite of mine. They have 0.9 mm lead, are #2 pencils (which are needed for tests), the pencils are cheap for a box of 40-50, plus they're brightly colored! :) Another favorite of mine are gel pens. Now, these aren't technically needed for school, but I use the pens for outlines and annotations. When I purchased the highlighter set, I didn't expect much since I only paid a dollar for them. I bought the set from the Target dollar section and thought they might work, but the formula isn't great so the tip of the highlighter dried out. Although this set didn't work out, I will be buying a new  Sharpie highlighter set. And the eraser was just one of those impulse buys, whoops! :)

     Another favorite of mine is the Lite-Touch Easy to Open binders (Wilson Jones brand) from Office Depot! These are literally my favorite binders I've ever used. They're easy to use and can hold all of my papers for a class without breaking open like other binders! I highly recommend them.  I'm still using mine from two years ago, and there isn't a single tear in the plastic! :)

(Image found on Google)

Bonus: Not only these binders, but most binders have coupons in the sleeves. If you're shopping for a few kids, this is helpful!

I also use RetailMeNot for coupon codes. You can use it on your laptop or there is an app in the Google Play Store or in the app store. They always have up to date coupons. ( I also use the app for free shipping codes! :) )

         This concludes my post, I hope you enjoyed it and that it may have helped you out with school shopping! Thanks for reading, Blog you later!

Family Night... and Cruise?!

          Ever since I was a little kid, my family always tried spending every Friday night together. Usually we'll order some pizza or make homemade pizza with pita bread, and then we'll watch a movie or play some games. Our family really enjoys playing card games like Rummy, BS, and Black Jack. But our two most favorite games are 10,000 and charades. 10,000 is a dice game and is so much fun, and who can't resist charades? :)

         So, on this last Friday of summer break, my mom, sister and I went shopping, ordered pizza, and spent the night in watching TV together and planning our... cruise!!! I am an ambassador scout in Girl Scouts and for our senior trip we are going to the Bahamas for spring break! This is the largest trip that we have planned with the troop, and definitely the most expensive. We have been fundraising and raising money, and brainstorming ideas for this amazing vacation. :)
     
         I found out yesterday that we officially registered for the cruise, and I decided to look at packing lists. Let me just say, Pinterest has helped amazingly. There are so many packing lists and neat tips and tricks from people who have taken cruises before and what they wish they had brought with them. I really do love planning trips, hearing tips, and hacks for a better trip, and making lists. If you've ever taken a cruise, please leave a tip of what you wish you had with you or what you thought was helpful! I'd love to hear it! :) Here's what I found on Pinterest. None of these are my ideas at all, just from helpful genius bloggers on this glorious thing called the Internet!


       Well that's going to be it for this blog, hope you enjoyed! Blog you later!



Feel free to follow me on Pinterest here: http://www.pinterest.com/bethanyst/


     

Out with the Old, and In with the New!

     As spring/summer cleaning comes around, I know it's time to purge my room and my closet. To purge my closet, I go through each item and sort the clothes into several piles. One pile is for the clothes that fit and I'd like to keep. Another pile is for clothes that no longer fit and could be given to my younger sister, to a thrift shop or charity. And the last pile is for clothes that no longer look nice. If there are any holes or tears, in the trash it goes. Sorting the clothes into piles definitely helps the purging experience! If you're like me and get overwhelmed quickly when cleaning, I highly recommend this option. :)         
   
   After my piles are given away, thrown away, or put back on the hangers and in the drawers, I reward myself with buying a new wardrobe. Of course I replace the pieces I gave away little by little, but knowing I get something new from giving clothes away makes it a lot easier!    

     For instance, now that I'm getting older, I gave away many pajama sets from Target to reward myself with two or three from Victoria's Secret! In my opinion, this is a really great compromise for getting rid of old clothes.       

      Another tip I have for those who don't especially like cleaning, is to go back and forth with the project at hand. I usually spend a half hour to an hour on the room and then take a 5-10 minute break and get back to work. Taking breaks in the working process, makes cleaning more stress-free.     

     And my final tip is not to keep so much stuff!!! STUFF is what makes spring cleaning stressful. Keeping items that you don't like, or use, or you don't even care about crowds everything and leaves less room for organization. So when it's spring cleaning, moving day, getting ready for family to visit, or just making more room, remember these three tips. They may not seem like much, but they're definitely worth trying! 

Hello...

   Hello! This is my first post to this blog. (And to clarify, the polish in Polish and Passport  is as in nail polish not Polish as in Poland. :) ) Anyway, this blog will be of my daily life, beauty tips and secrets and fun DIY projects and decor. A little bit about me... I'm 16 years old and I have a beauty and baking channel on YouTube. I know, 16? But if you feel like having a nice blog to read, and maybe want to know what teenage girls would like for parties, gifts, or any other activities, here's the blog to read!
     Right now I'm in my backyard, lying down under the old oak tree. The wonderful weather and the cooling shade is making a great Memorial Day! My family and I have spent the day playing corn-hole,(with our Raider spirited boards), Frisbee, tether ball, and of course cooking out. Music is playing from our stereo in the shop and overall it's been a great first weekend of summer!
      Below is an image from my backyard. We recently bought lounge chairs to circle around our fire ring. When ever we have a party at my house, my friends enjoy the bonfire the most! We'll most likely start a fire later tonight. Well, I'm going to get back to my family now. Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend and please remember those who give their lives to protect ours. Blog you later!

 

Our fire ring!