Cheap Summer Hang Outs and DIY

As a college student on summer break money is scarce and has to be spent wisely. I want to spend time with my friends and make memories. Unfortunately most of the time those wanted memories require money. I hope I'm not the only one struggling with this love hate relationship with summer. I've realize that summer memories don't have to be expensive. They can be just as fun as an expensive day out. Most of these ideas may require purchases of a few cheap items and maybe gas money. But, these ideas can be brought to life no matter where you live. All you need is a group of friends who are willing to think a little outside of the box. Let the Summer thrills begin!

Yours Truly,
Carla Renee
xoxo

One of the best ways to enjoy warm summer nights is by having a movie night with your friends, outside. :)

The outdoor movie set up doesn't need to be this fancy, but it goes to show that as long as you have a projector and something to project the movie off of (i.e. board, sheet, side of the house, etc.) you can get as creative as you want with the set up; lay down some quilts, pillows, snacks, chairs, whatever you want. Enjoy a night at home, under the stars with great company without having to spend a lot of money.






If you want to get away from the city lights and put special attention towards nature and the company of your friends give this summer nighttime idea a whirl.

Stargazing in a bed of blankets and pillows. Once you find a place with a clear view of the sky, load up the truck with blankets and pillows. Watch the sunset and the stars make their appearance in the night sky. Bring some snacks and portable speakers and you've got yourself a beautiful night under the stars with your friends. If you don't have a big enough truck bed, or a truck, to have all of your close friends fit, you can still lay blankets on the ground and enjoy the night. If you don't want to do this with your friends this can also be a creative date night with that special someone. ;)











The previous activities may take a little planning but what if you're with your friends already and don't feel like gathering all the items and putting in the effort of getting everything together. Well, there's an activity that can be done without any planning. You can just do it.

Spontaneous Photography!! If you know of any nice areas near by, go! You don't necessarily need an expensive camera. A phone camera would do just fine. Phones nowadays have really nice cameras and most people have phones. Go out and get creative with your friends and make memories. If you want you can even plan a photography session with your friends. Just ask everyone to dress nice or where a certain color scheme and have fun scouting out your backdrop.

These are some of my favorite inexpensive summer ideas. What are some of your favorites that you have done/would like to do?

Stressing Over Finals

For some people finals are over or just about over, but for me I start finals next week. I feel pretty good about my finals this semester, but I'm still a little stressed. Since it's my first experience with college finals I want to create a healthy habit when it comes to approaching finals. Here are some tips on how to ease a little bit of the stress of finals. These stress relieving tips can be used for other things than just finals. It can be used to help ease the stress of work, relationships, personal life, and financial stress. You can even modify and personalize these tips to make them fun or more suitable for you. Make your routine unique! I hope you all enjoy. :)

Your Truly,

Carla Renee

xoxo

Stress Relieving Tips:

Listen to Music

Listening to your favorite artists will instantly relax your mind and body. Take a few minutes out of your day to sit back and clear your mind. Don't think of the things you have to do, just enjoy the moment for what it is. Music that is great for relieving stress is nature sounds. As cliche as it may seem, it's really helpful. Stop what you're doing, turn on some tunes, and enjoy the moment.

Talk to a Friend

Human to human communication is important, specially if it's communicating with a good friend of yours. You don't have to spend a whole day with that person. It can be a trip to a coffee shop or a 25 minute phone call. Talking to a friend eases stress because that person will either get your mind off of that stress or will tell you they're going through the same thing. If that's the case you won't feel alone and knowing that you're not alone will help you cope with stress a little bit easier. Laughing and chatting with a friend is always a good time and a fun stress reliever. It's something that shouldn't be taken for granted.

Eat Right

When we have so many things to do during the day we tend to grab the quickest and closest thing to us and sometimes the quickest and closest things to us aren't the healthiest. If we're studying for long hours we'll grab chips or a bag of candy. Anything that's easy to take with us and easy to eat. That's not always the best thing to do. Instead, grab some fruit and water. Fruit are known to help reduce stress. Eating right makes you feel more alert and it's healthy for you. It's basically a win win situation.

Be Mindful

Meditating and things like Yoga, Pilates and tai chi are great for long term stress relief. Try taking a class or just sit and meditate in a quiet room for 10 minutes. I personally like meditating. After 10 minutes of clearing my mind and deep breathing I feel a lot better and like my mind had organized itself. Making me feel less stressed out.

Drink Tea

Tea is a really soothing drink whether it is served hot or cold. To relieve stress, hot tea is the way to go. Tea has less than half the amount of caffeine and has healthy antioxidants. There are also different types of teas that are great for healing. Whether it is digestion, immunity, or to aid in alertness and relieving stress. I love tea, it's one of my favorite drinks and whenever I drink it I never feel stressed.

Sleep Tight

It's recommended to get at least 8-9hrs of sleep a night but honestly I haven't gotten that much sleep since I've started college. Turning your room into the perfect sleeping sanctuary will help you feel rejuvenated in the morning. To do this make sure that you try to avoid doing homework in your bed. If you accustom yourself to doing work on your bed whenever you get in bed you're gonna feel as if you need to be doing something and you won't feel as relaxed. Before it's time for you to go to sleep neatly pull back your covers so that your bed looks more appealing and more like it's welcoming you to go to sleep. If your bed is tempting you to go to sleep when you get into bed you'll feel more at ease and fall asleep. And lastly, turn off all of the lights and have the room temperature to your liking. A dark room will help you fall asleep because you can't see in the dark so you can't look around. All of these steps will turn your room into a sleep sanctuary and will help you feel rejuvenated for the next day, no matter how many hours of sleep you may get.