Tag Archives: lilred

Dec8

All Done Christmas Shopping!

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All Done Christmas Shopping!

Hey everyone and happy Tuesday! This past weekend I was SO happy to finally finish my Christmas shopping! I got a vast majority of my shopping done at Kohl’s, TJMaxx, and some local shops in downtown Kent. But this weekend, I broke out the big guns and let Amazon take care of the rest. I ended up saving a lot of precious time and moolah this year thanks to smart shopping and all I can say is…I’m glad it’s over. Let’s discuss:

I was really pleased with all of the items that I bought in person and because I had lots of great coupons and gift cards, I was able to save a lot of money, too! But after spreading the wealth in stores, I knew that there were things that would just be simply easier to buy online. That’s when Amazon and a beautiful gift card that my mom got from work came in.

I affectionately call myself the “Queen of the Amazon” because I really am. Give me an hour on that site and I’ll have a shopping cart full of the perfect gifts for everyone on my list. I spent some time writing out ideas of what to get everyone who I still needed to shop for and then I logged on to Amazon to browse what might work for each of them.

When I’m doing a big online shopping haul, I have a tried and true technique that I return to year after year:

  • Step 1) Make a handwritten list of gift ideas.
  • Step 2) Browse the ideas on Amazon and bookmark anything that might work.
  • Step 3) Mull it over.
  • Step 4) Return to the site a few days later to make your final decisions.

I bookmarked so many items on Amazon that I lost count and ended up forgetting a lot of the things that I had saved. But that’s the beauty of expanding your options far and wide. Because I picked out so many possibilities, there were only a chosen few items that I really remembered and those were the ones that I ended up going with each time. I’m all about picking items that are memorable, useful, and relevant to the person that I’m shopping for.

After I had time to think of each gift, I returned to Amazon one last time to make my final decisions. This is when I start the nitpicking. I look for the best price on the product, an item that will ship for free, and the one with the best reviews and ratings. My rating rule of thumb is that if it has less than four stars overall, then I don’t even consider it.

Once I’m 150% sure that I have the perfect gift for the best price, I add the item to the cart and repeat the process for the next product. Thanks to this ballin on a budget method, I ended up spending under one hundred dollars for SEVEN items and still had cash to spare on the gift card! Nice!

Thanks to smart shopping, coupons, gift cards, and having a keen eye for the best deal, I ended up spending a grand total of…Eighty dollars of my own money for multiple gifts for seven people! Not bad, not bad at all!

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I can’t say what I got for everyone because you never know who’s tuning in to lifewithlilred! BUT, I know for a fact that my dad doesn’t read my blog so I can say that I’m pretty excited for what I got him! My dad loves to travel and plans fantastic vacations so one of the gifts that I got him will definitely come in handy…A brand new atlas for 2016, which will be a vast improvement of his torn and used 2005 atlas that has never been updated. I think that after eleven years an upgrade was much needed! 🙂

I’m All Done Christmas Shopping and I couldn’t be happier! Now it’s time to sit back and relax until it’s time to start wrapping all of the presents up! Who is all done with their holiday shopping? Where do you usually do all of your shopping at? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec7

Monday Update: Winter Fest Fun Edition

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Monday Update: Winter Fest Fun Edition

Hellooo everyone and happy Monday! I had a sub par weekend due to some unfortunate family falling outs BUT I did have an awesome Saturday morning! I coach figure skating for the Special Olympics and at the Lock 3 skating rink in downtown Akron a winter fest was held through the Summit Developmental Disabilities Board. I had such a blast with my skaters and their families and my mom joined us as well which made the outing even better! Let’s discuss:

Lock 3, as pictured in my featured image photo, is a fantastic landmark in Akron. There are concerts there during the summer and a lot of great winter activities as the weather gets colder. It was a frigid morning on Saturday but when my mom and I arrived at the rink, I was happy to see a lot of my skaters already there chatting, skating, and tying up their skates.

I was excited for my mom to meet everyone and I was also pretty pumped to have some Sarah skating time, too. When I’m coaching, I rarely have time on the ice to do any of my old jumps or spins so it felt SO good to be able to break out some of the tricks up my sleeve, even though my skates are dull as dish water…They need sharpened so bad! After some time to myself on the rink, more of my skaters showed up, so I got off to assist in tying up skates, helping with stretches, and introducing my mom!

After everyone was geared up and ready to go, we all got on the ice together along with the members of the community who were there. I was under the impression that my skaters were going to be able to perform their routines that they’ve been working on as their showcase for the morning, but I was in for a pleasant surprise once the ice was cleared and my skaters began to line up.

I got off the ice and put my blade guards on then took my spot by the side of the rink to watch the show. But because the event was thrown together pretty last minute, it turns out that my skaters were just going to have the ice to themselves for five or so minutes to show off a little. I then got called over from my spot by my students and the organizers of the event because they wanted me to join the skaters on the ice!

I haven’t been on the ice to “perform” in years and it felt great to share the rink with such wonderful skaters. All of my students got to share some of their moves with the crowd as I skated back and forth between them to check up on them, offer words of encouragement, or give suggestions. The exhibition was a hit, and the Akron Beacon Journal was even there taking pictures! All of my skaters did so well with their laps, spins, and gliding and I was so proud.

After our five minutes of fame, the doors to the rink opened and the community members were able to join us. I got off of the rink and was greeted by the crowd who was so kind and a big hug from my mom. She told me that “every second spent on skating was worth it to watch you just now” and it warmed my bitter and cold heart.

I spent a little more time on the ice with my students and then my mom and I hit the road. I didn’t exactly want to go but it was SO cold and my mom didn’t dress accordingly! The winter fest was a huge success and it was one of the best times I’ve had in ages. I was so happy that my mom, my skaters and their families, and the community was able to share in such a special event!

So there you have it, this week’s Monday Update: Winter Fest Fun Edition! I hope all of you had a great weekend! Do you have something similar to Lock 3 in your neck of the woods? Who has gone ice skating this winter? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec5

Weekend Off

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Weekend Off

Hiii everyone and happy weekend! I hope all of you are having a wonderful and relaxing time and are up to a lot of fun. Unfortunately, things in the world of Lil Red are not going so hot right now so I’ll be MIA for the weekend to be depressed and miserable. -__-

I do have one nice thing to look forward to today though! My Special Olympic figure skaters who I’ve been coaching are having a performance at a skating rink in my neck of the woods this morning. A sensory friendly winter fest will be happening and it should be a lot of fun! I can’t wait to have some proud mama moments when I see my skaters perform their routines that we’ve been working so hard on! So there’s that. 🙂

Asides from that, I’m just really not feeling my life right now. So, if you need me you know where to find me via comments, email, or Facebook. But fear not, I’ll be back with you for the Monday Update soon! Does anyone participate in any winter sports? Who has some big weekend plans? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

sweet

^^^ Thanks, Sweet Brown. ❤

Dec4

Twistfire Media

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Twistfire Media

Heyyy everyone and TGIF!! This past week I started working for a new advertising company called Twistfire Media. I got invited to work for the company by a friend of my sister’s because she knows that I have a pretty strong social media presence and I am so glad that she did! Basically, I run different ads on my personal Facebook page as well as on my page for lifewithlilred and I get paid per click on each ad. Take a look:

If you like the way that the ads look on my pages and would like to become a member of Twistfire, you can email me at sarah.mush6794@gmail.com. These ads can run on your Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest accounts and they’re pretty cool! You can pick which campaigns to feature and you can run as many as your little heart desires. If you’re a prominent player in the world of social media then Twistfire is the perfect company for you!

Once again, if you’re interested in becoming a member of Twistfire Media, you can email me at sarah.mush6794@gmail.com or shoot me a message on either of my Facebook pages. While you’re at it PLEASE like my Facebook page!! What is everyone up to this weekend? Any big plans? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec2

Sorry!!

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Sorry!!

Helloooo everyone!!! I am SO sorry! I totally drew a blank and forgot that American Horror Story was on this week – I thought that they were taking a two week break for Thanksgiving but apparently not! But I’m okay with missing tonight’s episode because you guys know that I don’t care for season five anyways. 😉 And besides…Tonight was date night with Kyle!! And I finally have pictures to prove our relationship:

^^^ Aw, I love us!!! ❤

Because of my uh-oh on forgetting about AHS tonight, I’ll be taking a break from the usual synopsis and opinions post for the week. But make sure you tune in with me next week to pick up where we left off! I hope all of you are having a fantastic night! What was everyone up to on this fine Wednesday? Who has any big plans for the weekend? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec1

Ballin On A Budget

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Ballin On A Budget

Heyyy everyone and happy Tuesday! As a college kid, I’m always looking for ways to save a buck in everything from beauty and clothes to eating out and buying textbooks. In the past few weeks I’ve demonstrated some frugal efforts at its finest in my beauty routines and now I’m here to share them with you! Let’s discuss:

1) Dye your hair at home!!!! – Back in the day, I would get my hair dyed and cut monthly. I was obsessed with keeping my hair as fabulously red as possible (I still am) and would eagerly shell out about seventy bucks per month at the salon to satisfy my needs. Once I started school, I knew that my hair dying habit had to die. I began to search Target and drug stores for the box color that would match the color I would get done at the salon the closest. Lucky for me, I found a perfect if not better match in Vidal Sassoon’s London Luxe collection. Their Runway Red box color is literally the best thing that’s ever happened to me because now I pay a whopping eight dollars per month for salon quality color!

runway1.jpg

I went from spending over eight hundred dollars yearly to about ninety dollars thanks to using box color on my luscious locks. Every month I now look forward to my pampering time when I throw on a robe, apply my hair color, and watch the water turn red as I wash it out. There’s nothing better! And the sweet smell of savings and freshly dyed and washed hair ain’t too bad either!

Have makeup free days: In the past month, I’ve spent at least twelve days makeup free. These are the days when I’m working on school work from home, when I’m having girl time with my best friend, or hangouts with my boyfriend (because if he can handle my bad breath in the morning he can handle seeing me makeup free, damnit!). I used to do my makeup every day no matter what but then I realized that it’s kind of silly to do that when no one but your family is going to see you in it. Now I only apply my makeup on days that I know for a cold hard fact I’ll be going out and about running errands, to school, or date nights with my beau.

By not using my makeup every single day, I’ve been stretching out how long the product lasts. My black eyeliner, for example, usually needs replacing after one month but as November comes to a close, I still have a little less than half of it left. This has dwindled down my spending at Target significantly because I no longer have to go to the store to do my monthly stock ups. Yes, I’ll be buying the products eventually but if I decrease the amount of eyeliner I buy per year by three, that’s saving close to twenty dollars! And that doesn’t even include mascara, eye shadows, blushes, and whatever other products you might use! My makeup free days have been stretching my dollar for this month which means more moolah to spend on holiday shopping!

ryan

^^^ Thanks, Ryan. ❤

So there you have it, just a few of the ways that Lil Red is Ballin On A Budget! What are some of your money saving secrets? What box color do you swear by? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov30

Monday Update: Christmas Wish List Edition

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Monday Update: Christmas Wish List Edition

Heyyy everyone and happy Monday! Christmas is quickly approaching and you best believe that my wish list has been written! One would think that I’m relatively easy to shop for – but I’m far from it. I have such a distinctive taste in clothing/shoes/jewelry/literature/movies/everything else that I just need to go shopping for that kind of stuff on my own. So lucky for my family, I composed a list of exactly what I want for Christmas to keep things nice and easy for them. Let’s discuss:

Things that beautiful Sarah wants for Christmas (I really did put that on the list):

    Miscellaneous:

  • Cash money
  • An oil change (I felt like such a grown up writing this one!)

The Body Shop:

  • Vitamin C Skin Boost
  • Nutriganics or Vitamin E eye cream
  • Blusher beads Ref. #63691 (because god forbid someone gets me the wrong shade!) 😉

Target:

  • Cheap moisturizer (emphasis on cheap)
  • Cheap facial scrub (double emphasis on cheap)
  • Box of hair dye (a years worth would be nice!)
  • Covergirl Flamed Out mascara (in the darkest shade of black)
  • Rimmel London Scandal Eyes eyeliner (also in the darkest shade of black)

  Hot Topic:

  • New bellybutton rings (I’ve been wearing the same few pieces of jewelry since I got my bellybutton pierced SIX YEARS AGO…I think it’s time for an upgrade!)

Aerie:

  • New panties!!! (Hey, a girl has needs.)

Victoria’s Secret:

  • New Dream Angels demi bra (Hey, a girl has needs.) 😉

Now you guys are probably thinking, “that’s the most boring Christmas wish list ever”. And guess what, you’re right – it really is. BUT, almost everything that I wrote down are things that I use in my every day beauty routine so it would be nice to be restocked in all of those items. I would love to find a bunch of new clothes for me under the tree, but the fact of the matter is: no one gets my taste in style right so everything is going to end up getting returned anyways. That’s what the cash money is for – some to save and some to shop the after Christmas deals with!

What really killed my charming young at heart persona this year was writing down that I wanted an oil change for Christmas. Haha, but the Little Red Love Machine is going to be needing one soon and the literal last thing that I want to do is sit in a stupid car repair shop where I’ll be:

  • A) Reading old magazines
  • B) Getting low-balled by the mechanic who will more than likely tell me that everything and the kitchen sink is wrong with my car because I’m a clueless girl who doesn’t know otherwise. Well, I am. And this happened during my last oil change and I did NOT appreciate it!

So yes, an oil change that I don’t have to be there for would be fantastic. Dad, I’m talking to you on this one!! ❤

So there you have it, this week’s Monday Update: Christmas Wish List Edition! What is on everyone’s wish list for the holiday that they’ll be celebrating this season? What was the best or worst gift that you’ve ever received? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov26

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

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Helloooo everyone and a very Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! I hope you have a marvelous day celebrating or doing whatever it is that you do with your family and loved ones. I’ll keep this post short and sweet since I plan on eating every second of every minute of every hour today so let me just list a few things that I’m grateful for and then I’ll be on my merry way:

  • My family: Despite how annoying they are, I still love em!
  • My friends: I only have like three, but I still love em!
  • My boyfriend: He’s the best! What a guy! ❤
  • My dog: SHE’S SO CUTE!
  • My education: I love college. #asherroth #kegstand
  • My blog and all of my fantastic readers: lifewithlilred wouldn’t be the same without all of you SO THANKS! 🙂

^^^ There’s a lot more that I could list but I’ll leave it at that because a big old plate of stuffing is waiting for mama…along with a whole lot of self loathing afterwards. 😉

Have a beautiful day to all of my friends here on lifewithlilred and I’ll talk to all of you very soon! What is everyone thankful for today? What is your favorite Thanksgiving tradition? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov25

Woman Crush Wednesday: Christina Aguilera Edition

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Woman Crush Wednesday: Christina Aguilera Edition

Hellooo everyone and welcome to a new issue of Woman Crush Wednesday – Christina Aguilera style! It’s been awhile since we’ve had a #WCW article since I straight up couldn’t think of anymore BUT after a girl power singing session to XTina in the Little Red Love Machine yesterday, I was inspired to give her a shout out! Let’s discuss:

Dear Christina Aguilera,

Oh, Christina you tiny little songstress – I just adore you! I forgot just how much I enjoyed your music until I was singing along to all of your songs in my whip (lolol) yesterday. I didn’t sound half as great as you though, so don’t worry about me stealing the pop star throne anytime soon. ANYWAYS, I had a really difficult time picking out what song I was going to choose to honor you with and in the end I just had to go with “Fighter”. A little known Lil Red Fun Fact is that “Fighter” is on my top ten list of favorite songs on the planet. Nothing makes me feel more empowered, nothing gets me more hyped, and nothing makes me feel better after a struggle than this song. And please, PLEASE don’t even get me started on the music video – it’s such a classic.

I think you are drop dead gorgeous and I can’t get over that big beautiful voice you have in that tiny little body! I felt so sad when you were getting ridiculed for weight gain (yay, pop culture) and thought you handled all of the negativity and backlash with such poise and grace. And believe me, no matter what size you are you look fabulous to me! Your amazing vocal talent is something that I envy so much and I just love everything that you do from your Dirrty XTina past to your days as Miss Diva on The Voice. You are one in a million and I LOVE YOU!!!!

xtina2xtina1

^^^ Omg. SHE’S SO PRETTY!!!!

So there you have it, this week’s Woman Crush Wednesday: Christina Aguilera Edition! Who is your favorite female pop vocalist? Who is your #WCW this week? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov24

1,000+ Followers?! Holy Smokes!

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1,000+ Followers?! Holy Smokes!

Hellooo everyone and happy Tuesday! It’s a very special day in the world of lifewithlilred because I now have over 1,000 followers! HOLY SMOKES! Thank you so much to everyone who has paid my page a visit and thought that it was worthy of hitting the follow button! Thank you to everyone for all of the likes, shares, and comments as well – it doesn’t go unnoticed and I appreciate it SO MUCH!!!

Life is good on lifewithlilred right now…I got approved for WordAds at the beginning of the month, I’ve reached a major milestone in my amount of followers, and I have the pleasure of interacting with all of you every day! I couldn’t ask for anything better and I really am pleased as punch. I started my blog over a year ago and now I’m finally getting my page to where I want it to be and it feels great – so thank you, thank you, a million times thank you!

^^^ Lol, it seemed appropriate!

Once again, shout out to all of my 1,000+ followers new and old. Thank you to everyone who has ever checked my page out. Thank you to everyone who has ever liked, shared, or commented on any of my posts! I LOVE YOU ALL! What blog should I check out on here? Who has recently gotten approved for WordAds? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah