Shopping online vs. going in-store

There's a lot to be said about the digital world that we're living in and opinions run the gamut. One thing I think we'd all be able to agree on is that it's making our lives a lot easier. Shopping is just one example that has been changed by the online world, with many of us now shopping online, rather than in-store. Some benefits of that in my life are: 

Saves Time

One of the main perks of online shopping is the amount of time that you save yourself. Many of us have an active lifestyle and don’t have endless opportunities to spend hours shopping, or even the desire to do that in our spare time. Shopping online removes the requirement of having to go into a physical store to try things on and pay for them. With online shopping, you can do all your shopping with just a few clicks of a button. You don’t even need to be at home, you could be on the move and do it via your mobile phone. There’s plenty of opportunity to save yourself time with shopping online vs going in-store and as I've said here a million times, to me time is money. If I'm buying clothes or shoes I typically purchase from somewhere that's free shipping and free returns. I'll buy multiple sizes if necessary and then return what doesn't work. 

Online Exclusives & Inventory

A lot of websites have exclusive items online and that are not available in-store. There are also a lot of online only sales. Target is famous for doing the online sale where you order whatever online and they run a 10-15% discount if you pick up in store. I'm not that into that because then I might as well just do it myself but I know a lot of people like it. In addition to sales, sometimes there's more selection online so you might have more color or size options available. Quantity too. I had to buy a few items in bulk for an event last month and I ordered them in lieu of running from store to store rolling the dice on inventory. 

More Discounts

Given that I grew up in brick & mortar stores, it still shocks me when I go into the LOFT store next to my office and the sale is not the same as the sale online. The online sales are often better and you have a ton of discounts floating around on the world wide web. I know my stepmom, Laura, and Michelle all do the Kohl's coupon stacking, and I can always find ones online like these virtual kohls coupons. Coupon savings add up, and many can only be used online. Now not only are you saving time shopping online, you're saving actual cash too. I've tried to limit my buying a lot this year, but when I am in search of something I'm relentless about looking for ways to save when I get it which is much easier to do online.

Avoid Lines And Crowds

Last but not least, one of my favorites....avoiding the general public. Shopping online does not involve being in line with people who don't understand personal space and that is a gift with no price tag. If you don’t like big crowds or how people sometimes act in them, shop online. Of course there are exceptions where you may have to wait in a queuing system even online, like tickets to a gig or big festival, but not in a personal proximity to strangers who can't act right. And the line you might wait in online is one where you can easily slip out of while going to make yourself a bite to eat or grabbing a coffee. 

If I had more time, I'd talk about how grand it is to avoid parking lots, etc. I like to browse small business stores where there is personality in the shop and things I'm not going to find elsewhere. That is my personal preferred way of shopping. If I need something from a regular store, I prefer to shop online and cut out the BS. 

What about you? How do you prefer to shop for non-grocery items (that's another post entirely). 

Make way for May

Certain times of year I feel more intensely how fast time is flying. The leap into May is always one of those times. 

I’m not sure if it’s because I know summer is coming and will go by in a blink compared to the halcyon summers of childhood that seemed open and endless or if activities ramp up with the return of nice weather and I’m hurtling towards good times ahead. 

I’ve got quite a long task list this month - our first rental at the shore is Memorial Day weekend and there’s a lot to be done before then, in Philly I need to get my flowers planted and bedroom painted, and I have big work stuff going on. 

On the less task oriented side, there are stacks of good books waiting to be read, sunrises to see, dog walks to take, family events, the final three GOT episodes to watch, elections to vote in, pedicures to get, Bruce Springsteen songs to listen to loudly with the windows open, strawberries to eat, a new pop up art event I have tickets to, and so on. Hopefully May also brings the end to dry patches on my face and vitamin D deficiency.

I’ve set my intentions for a good and fulfilling month. I hope yours is the same. Make way for May and everything that comes with it. 

My Meal Prep Tips for an Easier Life

Meal prepping, or weekly food prep as I typically refer to it, is a fantastic way to prepare for the week ahead and make sure you have tasty and nutritious food ready. Instead of being too tired to cook anything healthy during the week, you know you already have your meals ready to go. I love using my spare time at the weekend to prepare my breakfasts and lunches, as well as some dinners. I know the thought of meal prepping can be intimidating, especially if cooking just one meal feels like a lot of effort. But there are things that you can do to make it easier.

Get Your Groceries Delivered

If you've decided that you want to start meal prepping, you need to get good at making shopping lists and checking what food you already have in the house. One way to make this easier is to shop online and get your groceries delivered. It means you can easily double check if you already have something that you need, and you get a clear idea of how much you're spending before you reach the checkout. You can even find specialist places to shop like Crab Dynasty so you can get super fresh ingredients. With the ingredients you need coming to your door, there's less to stress about. Almost everyone is in the grocery delivery game these days. I've personally used Peapod (Giant - this link is a personal referral code), ShopRite, Whole Foods via Instacart, Target via Shipt, and AmazonFresh when it was available in my area (still not over that loss). If you have any questions, hit me up. I lived by this but now only do it on occasion, doing most of my grocery shopping in person at Aldi, Redner's, or Target depending on what I need and what I'll be closest to during the week to maximize my efficiency.

Choose a Meal Prep Day

Meal prepping saves you time throughout the week, but you have to be willing and able to give up some of your time elsewhere. Fortunately, if you're preparing your meals at home, you can usually get other stuff done at the same time - you're not just tied to the kitchen. You can pick up the living room, remove your nail polish, cycle laundry, read a book, etc. So pick a day for meal prepping, or maybe two days where you do a couple of batches. Sunday is obviously perfect because you can get ready for the week ahead, but you don't have to choose Sunday. Whenever you have a couple of spare hours can work for you. When the shore house is closed, Sunday is my day. When the shore house is open, it is not. I grab an hour or two on Monday or Tuesday night instead.

Get Good Containers

Once you've prepared your food, you'll want to be able to freeze or refrigerate it to keep it fresh. You can use pretty much any containers for this, but if you're like me and a) don't like your food to touch and b) travel with food to work and want to cut down on the number of containers you have to carry, to have some that will allow you to make up separate portions for each meal. I use glass containers like these that are sectioned up, so there's space for something different in each section. With glass containers, you can easily see what's in them, and you don't have to worry about plastic containing BPA or any other nasty chemicals.

Make a Balanced Selection of Food

If you're not sure what to make or you think you might get bored of eating the same things, think about making something that hits the important food groups. You can make yourself some protein, veggies, and a grain or carbohydrate. This will help you to put meals together and also allow you to mix and match if you want to make sure you get to eat something slightly different every day. I can eat the same thing day in and day out but I know not everyone likes doing that.

Plan out not only what you are going to eat but what you will drink too. You may want to create natural juices, smoothies, or liquor such as wine or whiskey. 

Plan all of this ahead of time and make sure that the ingredients, equipment for creating juice as well as Dramson whiskey glasses are ready for use.

Meal prepping doesn't have to be difficult. In fact, it's pretty easy if you know how to make the most of your time. And the more you do it, the easier it gets. I promise.

Are you a weekly food prepper?

the trouble is, you think you have time

I have a pretty matter-of-fact attitude about death. People die, and if they were important to you, you never stop missing them. It might lessen with time, but that missing...it will always be there. I don't think our loved ones ever really leave us and that their spirit lives on in many ways. I expect my grandparents and parents to die before me. I know it will be hard but I also know that that's how it's supposed to go. Life, you know...none of us get out of it alive.

When a peer dies, it is more...unsettling? I'm not sure if that's the word I want, and I'm just writing without editing so apologies if it doesn't come across as intended. 

This weekend MFD and I lost a friend we've had for over 25 years. Mike was a truly unique person, interesting and genuine, creative and warm, weird in a great way. Simply put, we were friends...through junior high and high school and college, less actively after that but the kind of friendship where while we didn't often seek each other out, we were happy to find ourselves in the same place and to share a laugh and conversation. In this season of our lives we settled comfortably into being peripheral friends with a solid history. There's a lot to say about Mike and I am not so arrogant to think I'd do him justice. There are many others much closer and more qualified than me. Suffice to say the world lost a bright and sweet soul this weekend and the fact that his unique persona and penchant for kindness and friendship will no longer be out there in this world has been hard to swallow.

Since he wasn't in my inner circle, I frankly wasn't expecting it to hit me so hard, especially since I knew he was sick. Of course I expected the heavy heart for his family and close friends. He was young, he suffered with a rare and painful cancer, and he was taken from them too soon. My heart is indeed heavy for his people. And angry. I'm always angry when the good ones go.

There were good emotions too - I was glad that I made some solid memories with him in the past five years. I was happy when so many people from the parts of his life I didn't know well shared stories and photos of him. It was so nice to see how many people he touched with his huge heart.

I was comforted by a sense of community when the sadness and disbelief I felt was echoed by my schoolmates. Across the board, whether people shared many years with him, or just a class or a chance encounter, I saw the loss I felt reflected in others. It is hard to lose a good one, whether you last spoke with them yesterday or 20 years ago. When your heart is hurting and you keep leaking tears you are surprised to be shedding, it's nice to know we are not out here marooned on our islands. Through the years and miles between us, we are all connected. Sometimes in celebration. Sometimes in grief.

Someone our age that we grew up walking halls with is no longer out there walking earthly halls. We're not 16 anymore, even though we feel like it inside. It calls your own mortality into question. I certainly hope that I have a lot of life left to live, but the truth is, I don't know that. None of us do. 

I spent a lot of time Sunday reminiscing and thinking. Most of my thoughts were too young, too young, too young. Which naturally proceeds to introspection. If I died tomorrow, would I be happy with how I spent my last day, week, month, or year? 

I'm reminded not to wait to do what I want to do, not to make people guess how I feel about them, not to let too long go by before I reach out to someone I've been thinking of, not to waste energy on things and people that don't matter, not to waste time doing things I don't want to do, not to think too much and just go with my gut, not to turn my back on someone who needs help, not to miss opportunities to spend time with people and do things that do matter, not to simply exist but really to live. The overarching theme: not to wait. 

I already try to live my life like this, but every time someone dies I feel the need to re-examine, to readjust. And the need is more urgent when a peer dies.

The best way I know of to honor those who don't get the privilege to age along with me is to live a full life. A full, good life looks different to all of us. Whatever that looks like to you, I hope you're doing it. Don't wait.