Ready. Set. Gift. // For Secret Santa

Most of us have been asked to participate in some sort of Secret Santa gift exchange during our lifetime.  And more than likely you’ve probably already signed up for another swap this year.  One key thing to remember when participating in a gift exchange is that it’s important to stay within the allotted budget.  So to help you out, I’ve come up with 12 gift ideas for under $25 to keep you within budget, while still offering a well-thought-out gift! Let me know if you have any additional suggestions for this gift guide.

one: Teroforma Whiskey Stones (Set of 6) / two: Lush Secret Santa / three:  iPhone® 5 Case & Earbud Set / four: Strobelight by Nathan / five: Anthropologie Limited Edition Golden Monogram Mug / six: Contigo Autoseal Kangaroo Water Bottle with Pocket      

seven: Orla Kiely by Gaiam Linear Stem Sunflower Yoga Mat / eight: Deborah Lippmann 'Jazz Standards' Glam Rock Nail Color Duo / nine: Shinhwa Extendable Selfie Stick / ten: Women's Animal-Print Sock 5-Packs / eleven: Aduro U Snap Wireless Tripod / 

twelve: Double Wall Traveler - Red Holiday Cup

Ready. Set. Gift. // For the Girly Girl

Buying a gift for a girly girl should be the easiest gift to buy.  Just pick out anything that is covered in either gold, pink, sequins, glitter or polka dots and you’ve got yourself an instant hit.  Here are 12 gift ideas that will have any girl sparkling with joy on Christmas Day!

one / two / three / four / five / six

seven / eight / nine / ten / eleven / twelve

Ready. Set. Gift.

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It’s that time of year again, where most stores have been decked out in Christmas trimmings for over several weeks now.  Everywhere that I go, I hear Christmas music playing in the background and every channel on TV is running commercials telling all of us that it's time to buy something for the one you love this holiday season.  If you’re like me and you haven’t finished your shopping yet, then you’re definitely feeling some of the pressure to find the perfect gift. So, in an effort to help myself and anyone else over the next couple of weeks looking for some new ideas for presents, I’ve put together several holiday gift guides. Check them out below and let me know what you think. 

Ready. Set. Gift. // For the Techie

Ready. Set. Gift. // For Him

Ready. Set. Gift. // For the Hostess

Ready. Set. Gift. // For Secret Santa

Ready. Set. Gift. // For the Girly Girl

In The Mood: Cyber Monday Shopping

Did you get all of your shopping out of your system this Black Friday weekend? If you didn’t, then there are still more opportunities to do a little bit more shopping.  No matter if you’re checking out the web from your bed or couch this morning or catching some additional retail therapy while at work, these are the deals and steals that you definitely need to know about today.  I’ve put together a quick list of the Cyber Monday promotions for some of my favorite retailers below (click on the store name to gain access to the site).  Will you be doing any Cyber Monday shopping today?  I plan on taking advantage of the J.Crew, Old Navy and Piperlime deals for sure.  Let me know what you guys end up buying!

Ann Taylor // 50% off your entire purchase  + free shipping on $175 or more with code: CYBER50

Anthropologie // 20% off all sale items + free shipping today only with code: EXTRAJOLLY

ASOS // 30% off everything + free shipping over $40 with code: ILOVEMONDAYS

Banana Republic // 40% off your purchase online only + free shipping over $50 with code: CYBER

Express // 50% off everything online (prices as marked) + free shipping today only with code: N/A

Gap // 40% off your purchase online only + free shipping over $50 with code: CYBER

J.Crew // 30% off full-priced styles and 40% off sale + free shipping today only with code: MONDAY

J.Crew Factory // 50% off everything (prices as marked) plus get an extra 10% off + free shipping with code: YOUVEGOTSALE

Kate Spade // 30% off everything + free shipping & free returns in US with code: CYBER30

Kohl’s // 20 off ever tying + free shipping over $50 with code: CYBER20

Loft // 50% off your entire purchase with code: MONDAY

Madewell // 25% off your entire purchase + free shipping with code: GIFTON

Nordstrom // Earn extra Nordstrom Reward points when shopping online + free shipping & returns with code: N/A

Old Navy // 40% off your purchase online only + free shipping over $50 with code: CYBER

Piperlime // 30% off sitewide and 40% off sale items + free shipping with code: CYBERSALE

The Limited // 60% off online exclusives + 50% off everything else + free shipping with code: THANKS

Moody Style: Chambray and Leopard

I can’t believe how quickly the year is going and that tomorrow is December 1^st.  I officially have to figure out what I’m getting people for Christmas and get my lists and budget together. Over the past few years, I’ve been pretty successful with setting a budget and really sticking to it. Here’s how I do it. I create a list of all of the people that I plan to buy presents for and I set a dollar amount as my overall budget.  Once the budget is set, then I look at my list of names and decide how much money I want to spend for each person.  I just make sure that the dollar amount set for each person adds up to my overall total budget.   The next step is brainstorming gift ideas within  the budget range that I set for each person.  And track the spending with an actual dollar spent column to make sure that if you go over or under then I can adjust the budget on someone else’s gift.  I also factor in a few extra gifts for random unplanned gift exchanges.  Once I decide to start shopping, then I head to the bank to take out cash for the overall total budget. I use only cash for my purchases to make it a little easier to track everything that I’ve spent. Do you guys set a budget for your gifts? Do you stay within your budget?  What are some tips that you use when budgeting for the holidays?

 {Shirt: Old Navy Classic Chambray Shirt;

Skirt: Old Navy High-Rise Twill Pencil Skirt;

Earrings: J.Crew Crystal Fiesta Earrings;

Necklace: J. Crew Crystal Fiesta Necklace;

Watch: Coach Boyfriend Bracelet Watch;

Bracelet: J. Crew Factory Square Stone Bracelet; Bracelet: Coach Bangles;

Shoes: Nine West Boots (similar here)}