2013: A Year in Review

Wow. Another year is almost over and it feels like it went by so fast and so slow at the same time. Thinking of the year it feels like so much happened…and then it also feels like I was celebrating New Years in Jamaica just yesterday.

This was the year that I became an aunt. The year that I moved out of my parents home. The year that I finally made my way to the big city. The year I learned all about independence and paying bills. The year that I finally finished college. The year that Jordan and I decided that we were ready to move in together (but who knows exactly when that will happen!). The year that I got to move in with my best friend. The year I pushed myself outside of my comfort zone and refused to let myself wonder "what if…"

I've learned so much this year about who I am and what I want and what being in the real world is really like. I hope next year leaves me feeling as accomplished as this one.

I'm also happy to leave this year behind. I've found a lot of things that I don't like and I hope to reconcile those in the new year.

Here's to opportunities to make a change and another year on the horizon.

From the desk of:

Taylor Brown
Resolution Lover, Fresh-Start Appreciator

Home is Wherever I'm With You

I've always been someone who has had big dreams for myself. When I was in the 8th grade I was convinced that I was going to move to New York City one day and be a big city girl. When I was in high school I got accepted to Carleton University in Ottawa and excited by the idea of some kind of city life, I moved 6 hours away from my family. Unfortunately, I became very homesick and although I met tons of amazing people and had some amazing experiences that I wouldn't trade for anything, I made the decision to transfer to a school closer to home.

My need to be near a city never faltered though and that is why I moved myself to Toronto this year. What I didn't realize though, is that while I've always had something inside pulling me away, I also have something inside me that pulls me back home. I know that it's because the people I love are there. It's hard because I've finally gone off and created something for myself in Toronto but I also find myself missing home and the people I love a lot. Thank god I brought Erika here with me or I'd probably be a mess.

These feelings are pretty confusing for me. Right now I'm chalking a lack of love that I'm feeling for Toronto up to the fact that I work too much and the fact that it's too darn cold to go anywhere! This leaves me with a lot of questions of what I want to do/what I should do when my lease expires this year. I know that when September comes I'll make the decision that's best for me but boy, it sure is hard having your heartstrings pulled from far away.

From the desk of:

Taylor Brown
Big City Girl with a Small Town Heart

The Holiday Season

I've told you guys before that I can be a bit of a holiday Grinch but if you know me then you may know that I can also really get into the holiday. The biggest problem this year is that I work retail and that really sucks the love out of Christmas for me, not gonna lie. But good always comes with the bad so I thought I'd make a list of the pros and cons of the holiday season this year.

Let's start with the cons because everyone knows that you should always save the best for last.

Cons:
- I have to work basically non-stop every day that isn't a national holiday
- People are generally pretty darn rude at the mall this time of year
- I am cold all.the.time
- It's hard to get around in the snow
- I have to buy gifts for lots of people aka spend all of my money

Now for the pros because, contrary to my above complaints, I actually have tons in my life right now.

Cons:
- I have a job, two actually.
- I'm going to have lots of money by the time this is all over and have had enough money to buy everyone gifts this year.
- There are also nice people this time of year who say "Merry Christmas" and let you in front of them on the road (Oh, and you can be one of those people too!)
- I actually have a home to go to so I can get warm
- I have a car until Christmas so I don't have to take the bus
- I've gotten the chance to be creative with my gifts like learning to make peppermint bark and I've had fun wrapping and decorating gifts

There's a lot of beauty in this season but I think we forget to stop for a second sometimes and check it out.

Here's some of that beauty that I've found lately:

 << Coffee is my favourite source of warmth >>

<< My street is mighty pretty all covered in snow >>

<< My wrapping this year was pretty spectacular. This is before I even got my hands on the bows and other decorations >>

Enjoy these last moments of 2013. Put something glittery on, catch a snowflake on your tongue and give someone a gift just because you want to, not because you have to.

From the desk of:

Taylor Brown

Lucky but Very Cold Lady

Life Around the Apartment: December Edition

Another holiday is on it's way…which means there's another reason to decorate the apartment. I can get really corny like that but hey, it's that kind of stuff that make a place feel like home.

December is barely here and it's already been pretty hectic. It's been go-go-go around here at the apartment. One of my roommates is gone until the beginning of January to Australia and my other roommate and I are basically speed trains passing by each other every day. It's a busy month.

I've found myself with a Sunday off today and I handed in the last project of my undergrad on Friday so hopefully things will slow down a little bit (especially because I'm sick!) but I doubt it.

This is what life around the apartment is looking like these days:

 << I put this baby tree up the second the calendar said December. It's pretty wonky but I love it anyways >>

<< I also made a Christmas garland for our kitchen. I found the kit in the $1 section at target! >>

<< This is just me on my way out the door as usual. On this particular day I had just finished editing for the day and was on my way to quickly grab groceries before I had to run to my retail job. The fun just never ends >>

<< This apartment is on a real pomegranate kick these days. We're kind of obsessed >>

<< So obsessed that I made pomegranate bark. It's BEYOND delicious! >>

<< And don't think I forgot about Christmas music. It just completes the experience. I danced around to this while cleaning this morning >>

That's what life has been looking like around the apartment. I guess that even though I tend to dislike the silliness that comes with Christmas (money spending, stress, crowds) that I do enjoy getting into the spirit…at least around my home!

From the desk of:

Taylor Brown

Decoration Enthusiast

Christmas on a Budget

I'm not gonna lie…I'm kind of a Grinch when it comes to Christmas…or I have become increasingly more Grinch-like as time has gone on. Christmas is just not as fun when you get older. It just starts to become an expensive holiday that stresses you out and leads to you getting pushed around whenever you actually work up the courage to navigate your way through the mall.

That doesn't change the fact that Christmas does come…every.single.year.

This year I'm on a tight budget…and thus I've even become a little Scrooge-like.

Here are some tips to facing Christmas while on a budget (hopefully this can keep you from becoming a big scary Scrooge/Grinch combo like myself :)

1. Plan Ahead
    The best way to stay away from Christmas stress is to plan ahead. Instead of starting your shopping on December 20th, try buying a few things here and there each paycheque leading up to Christmas. This way you won't need to stress yourself out with a long list and only a little time.

2. Suggest Not Exchanging Gifts with Some People
    Okay, this may sound a little harsh but it's actually something that can save you and someone else a ton of stress. Sometimes exchanging gifts becomes a little bit silly. Really, you're just exchanging money with someone. They buy you a gift card, you buy them a gift card and everyone ends up on the same playing field. Why should both of your stress about getting a gift for someone when in the end you both would probably rather keep your money and save each other some time? I suggested this to my sister last year and we've both been pretty happy with the arrangement. We both have one less person to buy for and one less person to stress over.

3. Try a Secret Santa
    Me and my two best friends usually all buy each other something but the last couple years we've done a Secret Santa. This way we only have the buy for one other person instead of two. It's not always about saving money, sometimes it's about saving yourself stress. Now I can focus all my energy on finding one perfect gift instead of two.

4. Try being more creative than spendy
    There are tons of amazing gifts that you can get for less money that will actually mean more. Try going to a site like etsy to find a personalized and special gift that won't break your bank. You could also make handmade cards instead of buying expensive store-bought cards.

5. Remember what the holiday is really about
    In the end, we tend to forget what Christmas is about and get focused on the consumer aspect of it all. I've been known to go with the mantra "one for you, one for me" when buying Christmas presents. This is an expensive way to Christmas shop because I'm buying things for others and for me along the way. This holiday is about family and selflessness. Focus on those you love, not on yourself and if there's no other gift that you can give, you should give people your time and love. This isn't about material goods. A simple kind gesture or heart-felt note is a beautiful gift that someone in your family will appreciate, especially if they understand your situation.

Don't let your heart grow four sizes too small this year!

From the desk of:

Taylor Brown
Scrooge/Grinch Combo

Homesickness

<< This picture reminds me so much of living at home this time last year >>

So a crazy thing happened over this past weekend: I felt homesick. This was a feeling that I was not expecting seeing as I basically ran out the door without looking back.

I was missing the comfort of home, the home cooked meals and the warm freedom of having a car and most importantly: the people. I wanted so badly to just spend the day on the couch with the people I love but instead I was on my own couch, feeling sorry for myself and crying (wahh wahh wahh).

Eventually I pulled myself out of my funk but I've come up with a list of things to do when you are feeling the tug of home as well.

1. Call home
    So…this may have made me a little more homesick but it was still something I needed to do. It felt good to hear the voices I was missing.

2. Plan a time when you can go home
    Give yourself something to look forward to and something that will help ease your homesickness. I've been home this weekend and it's been a nice, relaxing break from my life of work, work, work in Toronto.

3. Do something to make yourself feel better
    You may be planning a trip home soon but that won't help you right now. Journal, watch a funny movie, bake some cookies, go for a nice long jog, do something that will occupy you and be a little therapeutic.

4. Spend some time with a friend
    If you can't be near the people you love at home, surround yourself with the people you love who are near you. Remember who is important and around you right now.

5. Make a list of things that you are grateful for in your current situation
    Whether you write it down or just take a mental note, remind yourself about things that you are grateful for in your current surroundings. I reminded myself about all of the things that I love about my life away from home and that made me feel a bit better.

Of course, being away from the warm comforts of home for one of the first times in your life will inevitably lead you to miss it, especially when you're having a hard day. Don't let it get you down. Enjoy your life as it is now and consider yourself lucky that you have a wonderful home to miss.

From the desk of:

Taylor Brown
Half adult/half baby (but I'm working on it)

Grin and Bear It

I tend to think of myself as a pretty laid back person. Yes, I'm a stickler for being on time and I thrive on organization, but I also am less likely to find myself in conflict or confrontation with another person. I may be bothered by what others do but I tend to keep it to myself and only vent to those closest to me.  Truthfully, I am just terrified of confrontation. Any time I've ever been confronted in my life I usually end up crying and looking like a big weakling. I've found that it's simply easier to let people do what they are going to do and to not let it affect me too much. I know this may seem like a pushover move but I'm here to tell you why it's better to not rock the boat.

1. You'll be happier if you're not surrounded by conflict
    Any time I've ever been in a state of conflict in my life I tend to get extremely stressed out. I find myself more stressed out by the conflict than by what was bothering me before.

2. The problem usually takes care of itself
    I've found that the problems I usually have, usually get taken care of. If I'm afraid that my friend is acting weird, I find that if I wait it out, they'll usually go back to normal. When someone is bugging me, I usually find that by not engaging in conflict with them then I can usually get to know them better, then I can better communicate with them and then I don't have to create a conflict, I can have a kind and understanding conversation with them.

3. People will appreciate your positive attitude
    I'm not even going to try and lie to you by telling you I'm a positive person. I can definitely be negative. Sometimes I find myself only spewing complaints out of my mouth, but who wants to be around that person? I find that when I try my best to be positive and not engage in gossip and bashing then I'm able to be seen as someone who people can trust and who they want to be around. Also, we aren't in school anymore kids! There is no longer a space for negativity and gossip. We have to be adults about our problems now.

If all else fails grab your closest and most trusted friend and let it all out. It's healthy to just talk it over but make sure you aren't doing it with every single person you know. Keep your complaining to someone you trust who will actually want to listen and help you with your problems.

And remember:

From the desk of:

Taylor Brown
Laid-Back Lady

Shameless Money Saving Trick

Never get dressed..

Okay…so I know that this tip probably doesn't work for everyone, but it's something I've realized about my life as it has become. I basically never get to wear 90% of my wardrobe. Why's this? Because I'm either in my pyjamas or dressed in my work clothes which are only allowed to be black and white. This leaves so much of my wardrobe unused. This means that I don't feel the need to buy new stuff as much recently because I forget about my clothes and then when I remember an outfit it seems brand new again. Score.

How can this tip apply to you?

Try this trick: challenge yourself to not wear the same thing for two whole weeks.
Instead of letting yourself fall into a fashion rut, try mixing your wardrobe up a bit. Dig into the back of your closet and find new ways to wear things. Pair different tops with cardigans and blazers. Layer your button up under a a comfy crew neck sweater. Turn your spring dress into a Fall one by layering a long sleeve shirt underneath. Change.It.Up. If you can make it two weeks without repeating an outfit then you'll probably find tons a new outfits and tons of different ways to wear your old and tired clothes. Now you'll have gone two weeks without buying something new and will probably no longer feel the need to. Congrats, you're a tad bit richer.

From the desk of:

Taylor Brown
Pyjama Queen

The Inevitable Breakdown

<< My general attitude conveyed through a facial expression >>

Today I had a little mini and mostly internal breakdown. At this point I've worked six out of the last seven days and the last three of those days I've worked two jobs. I feel like all I do is work and when I'm not working  I'm getting ready for work or traveling to work. I'm also finishing up my degree by taking one more pesky class. It's usually a breeze but I have a short paper due this week so I've been stressing about that as well. AND I have to travel an hour away to take the class once a week. 

Why am I telling you all of this? Am I looking for sympathy? Well…maybe a little. But mostly I'm here to talk about how sometimes, life is hard but that can be a good thing. 

I knew this day would come. I knew there would be a time when I was too busy, too stressed, too reliant on only myself and therefore would need to let myself have a mini breakdown. As I stood in the stock room at work today letting myself stress over how tired I was and how long it was going to take me to get home, where I'd inevitably need to go straight to bed, and how my paper wasn't even started and everything else…I felt the tears begin to well up but I didn't let them come.

Even on the verge of tears I took a second to remind myself: I wanted this. This is what I want. I want to work hard and take care of my bills on my own (and boy do I have a heck of a paycheque coming my way soon). I want to be independent and busy busy busy. So I took a second to be grateful for my life as it is, even with all it's silly little imperfections. 

Another thing I can be grateful for: an amazing best friend who I swear has some kind of sixth sense because she offered to pick me up from work tonight, on a night when I most definitely needed it. 

Life is still good, even when we just need to have a short and silent cry while standing over a box full of bras in a stock room.

From the desk of:

Taylor Brown

Feeler of all of the Feelings

Tricks of the Trade

As your Early Career Spirit Guide (as I've just decided to call myself) I'm here to pave the way for your success. I am here to figure things out for YOU! No need to thank me, I do it all for my country...or you know, something heroic like that.

ANYWAYS...enough about me, let's talk about my newest discovery of productivity. I work from home, which means that the worlds of work and relaxation can get blurred for me. I find that I'm pretty good about being able to switch my work on and off but that also means that when I start working in the morning there are no cues for me about where I left off because everything just seems like my home to me. When you work at an office you can walk in, see your desk with all of your papers strewn out and think "oh yes, that's where I left off." For me, I'm just looking at my bedroom.

My problem was that I would get to the end of the day and think "I can get that done tomorrow." By the time that tomorrow came around I had already forgotten what I had planned on doing. To solve this problem I came up with a simple solution: at the end of each day I open a new page in my notebook, write tomorrow's date at the top and begin a to-do list for the next day. It's a simple idea that has gone a long way.

There's nothing worse than remembering you needed to do something the moment that someone is looking for it! This has also made me more productive. Instead of spending the morning trying to remember what I was going to do or planning out my day, it's already been planned out for me.

Moral of the story: always, always, always write down a to do list for yourself. Your memory will fail you but the ink on the paper will not.

From the desk of:

Taylor Brown
Self-Appointed Early Career Spirit Guide

Bossy Pants

via

Being a boss to someone is a very foreign idea to me. I've always been someone who was at the bottom of the working food chain. Now in my role as an Associate Editor I have interns working under me. While it's great to have moved up from being an intern myself to actually being the person who has more responsibility and knowledge, it also means that there is more left on your shoulders.

The truth is that while having more responsibility means getting more rewards, it also can be scary and stressful. There are a few things that you should remember when you're expected to manage others:

1. Their mistakes are your mistakes
    When the people you are responsible for miss things it's your responsibility to be right behind them fixing them. Now, that doesn't mean that you can't rely on them to get things done, but you need to be able to train them well enough that you can expect a high quality of work out of them. You need to be a great teacher and a great mentor because if you aren't there to help them then you can't fault them for making mistakes and those mistakes don't reflect on them, they reflect on you.

2. You need to be available to your people
    Remember when you could just glide through your work days without being bothered? Well now you need to spend your time getting your work done and managing others. This includes helping them when they have questions, teaching them things and staying on top of them to make sure that you're getting deadlines met. Luckily for me, I really enjoy teaching and mentoring. It's very rewarding and once you teach them things it takes a load off of you!

3. You need to pick up their slack
    Guess what, if the person who works for you doesn't deliver then your deadline doesn't change. You still need to get your product in on time so that can mean doing the persons work for them. Of course, this isn't ideal and doesn't show signs of a good employee but guess what, the person you work for won't want to hear excuses as to why something isn't done. You still have someone to answer to so when worst comes to worse you'll need to pick up the slack.

4. You need to be their friend, but also their boss
    Okay, so not everyone will feel the need to stress the friendship part but let's face it, I'm no CEO, I really have no need to spend my time worrying about my work/personal life divide. I have no problem with being friendly with my co-workers. I also work from home, as do all of my other co-workers, so we really don't have to worry about crossing any boundaries. The point is that you should make your employee feel comfortable with you but remember that they work for you. You need to be able to reprimand them if needed or tell them if their work isn't up to par.

5. Don't be afraid to get anyone in trouble
    If your employee isn't working out for you and you can't seem to get across to them then you need to tell the next person up from you. Sure, you may be worried about getting them fired and that feeling is understandable but if they don't deliver then you can't deliver and their work will affect your work.

Most of all, you should enjoy the added responsibility. It means you're doing something right!

From the desk of:

Taylor Brown
Semi-Responsible, Still Low on the Food Chain

The Struggle

I'm facing an internal struggle these days between wanting to do absolutely nothing and wanting to work hard and give all of my responsibilities the attention they deserve. I try to inspire myself by learning about other people's success stories. I really enjoy hearing about how people were just like me once and through hard work and a passion for their dreams, were able to achieve everything they hoped, and more. But then after that...I just want to lie on the couch and waste the night away. It's quite the predicament.

I just don't always know how to motivate myself. I want to work a lot and make lots of money, but I also want to be able to have lots of free time so that I can go for a jog or just watch Netflix in bed. I want to spend my night going above and beyond, working extra hours for my editorial job so that I can make sure all the i's are dotted and t's are crossed...but the next thing I know it's 11pm and I'm still on tumblr, mindlessly scrolling until my brain turns to goo.

I've found a few ways to make myself mix my work into my free time:
- Put one of your favourite movies on in the background so you can get work done while watching something you'll enjoy but won't need to pay too much attention to
- Listen to some happy songs. This one, this one and this one are my recent favourites!
- Take breaks (hey, it's your free time)
- Work near a friend so you can chit chat and pretend you're being social...but really, you're working
- Use it as an excuse to drink more coffee (mmm coffee)

It's not always easy to see the point in all the work when your goals get muddled by the drab and dreary details of everyday life but there's nothing better than working hard and being recognized for it. Mediocrity is for the lazy!

From the desk of:

Taylor Brown
Coffee Enthusiast, Hard Worker with a Bad Case of Procrastinatia (I made that disease up...so what!?)

Life Around the Apartment

I've decided that it would be fun to document little snippits of life around the apartment. There are so many tiny details I love about my home and being able to notice them is something that I don't want to lose.

Our apartment is always changing. People are coming in and out, we're moving things around, adding things, messing things up, cleaning them up. It's nice to have a busy home. We're always coming and going and it's fun to always have a friend near. I love sitting in the kitchen and hearing someone climb the stairs to the apartment and never knowing which one of my roommates it is. Then we get to catch up.

I think this is a good way to capture all of these changes and I hope to make this a series of posts. So without further adeau:

<< I moved my room around. I'm a sucker for making changes. It always just feels so fresh >>

<< I have three books currently on the go, which I hate doing! But I am enjoying all of my new Halloween movies...and 10 Thing I Hate About You (So good) >>

<< We're a house of rain boot lovers >>

<< Even though our sunflowers are dying I can't throw them away. They're still pretty to me! >>

 << Caramel and Candy Apples. It's Happening. This Weekend. Boom. >>

 << Handmade and it always makes me happy >>

<< Iced tea in the afternoon >>

Hope you enjoyed your first look at life around the apartment. I'm excited to share more in the future!

From the desk of:

Taylor Brown

Home Body, Fall Lover, Future Candy/Carmel Apple Eater

Making Your Own Traditions

Every year you and your family probably have traditions that you do. Whether you like to carve pumpkins on Halloween or decorate your Christmas tree together on the day after Thanksgiving, every family has some sort of tradition that they come back to every year.

Eventually, you'll need to make your own traditions. You have to start moving away from that little family unit that you've always known and start making your own life.

This year I participated in a few traditions of my own. Fall is by far my favourite holiday and so if I get the chance to partake in any autumn activities then I'm definitely a happy camper. One tradition that I started with my friends has been to go apple picking. I don't always go with the same people and I haven't exactly gone every year but it's been something that I do with my friends and something that really brings in Fall to me.

Some other Fall traditions that you could start with your friends:
- Pumpkin picking and carving
- Making Candied and Carmel Apples
- Scary movie marathons
- A night where you make your Halloween costumes
- Baking nights (pumpkin seeds anyone?)
- An annual Halloween party

There are tons of things that you can do each season to start your own traditions. The best thing is that now you get to choose the traditions instead of having someone choose them for you! So go forth and start enjoying the season!

From the desk of:

Taylor Brown
Autumn Enthusiast

I'm About to Get All Pep-Talky On You

We make tons of decisions every day. Most of them small, but sometimes they can be pretty big and sometimes we make the wrong ones. When we make them at work or at school they usually have an effect on our lives so it's important that we pay attention. By the time that we get home at the end of the day we're usually so exhausted by our own decision making that wish someone would just step in and drive us on auto-pilot until bedtime.

Our auto-response becomes "I don't care." Sometimes you really don't care...so you try to pass the buck onto someone else. You won't decide what movie to go see, which restaurant to eat at, which show to watch....you won't decide anything. 

Here's an idea...try caring. Try speaking up. Try making a decision. 

You ask people to choose for you but why can't we choose for ourselves? From now on I don't care is coming out of my vocabulary. I do care...or at least I should and the more that I do the more I'll get the things I want from this world.

And that my friends is your mid-week dose of inspiration. 

From the desk of:

Taylor Brown

Person who Cares and Person Who Shares About How they Care

Stopping to Smell the Roses

via

If Ferris Bueller taught us anything, it's that sometimes we need to throw our responsibilities out the window and just enjoy the moment.

I feel like since I've started working in Toronto I haven't really gotten a chance to stop and smell the roses. My first week living here I had a week before I started my new job and it was one of the best ways for me to get acquainted with my new city. I was able to explore, hang out with friends and really introduce myself to my new life. Since then I've been go go go and haven't been able to enjoy living somewhere that I've always dreamed of.

Here are some "dates" I want to take myself on with my city:
- Early Saturday morning trip to the St. Lawrence Market
- Aimless wandering through the streets so I can start really knowing where I'm going downtown
- Thrift store hunting
- Finding all of the record stores in the city
- Exploring and enjoying the small parks that are scattered throughout the city

I'm sure there's more I can do but I can't think of any just yet. I want to be able to get to know the city without having to spent too much money. Maybe I'll do a little more research too!

So here's to exploring, enjoying and also...Ferris Bueller (he was a pretty cool guy).

From the desk of:

Taylor Brown
Work Horse, City Slicka, John Hughes Fan

Hard Work

*My corner office...as in the corner of my bedroom*

Hard work is...well, hard but it's also necessary. This past week I feel like I've been going non-stop and things don't show any signs of slowing down until Sunday. I have two jobs and am taking one class right now so this kind of hectic schedule is to be expected. As much as I may feel bad for myself in my head, I actually really enjoy it.

Okay, so having a part-time retail job on top of your day job and taking one class because you somehow didn't take the only required course of your fourth year and therefore couldn't graduate on time and were stuck taking it in the fall definitely isn't ideal but there are other things that I love about my life right now. I am able to say that I am taking care of myself. I make all of my own money, I pay all of my own bills and I do it all by myself. That was definitely something that I couldn't say before and I never realized it until now but it was something that I was severely missing in my life.

I feel like I've become more of the person I knew I was by being able to be on my own. (yeah..I know that sounds corny, but it's true). I was letting my mom and stepdad take care of me more than most of the people my age could say. I paid zero bills when I lived at home...like not even my cell phone and near the end of moving out, when my parents knew I was saving up, I didn't even pay for gas. Yeah it was a sweet deal but I couldn't say I was proud of how I was living my life, but now I can.

Last night I worked at my retail job from 5pm until 1am. I was doing a visual shift which means that we basically have to rearrange everything in the store. It's generally not a very fun process and working late into the night doesn't make it much better. I wasn't even supposed to work until 1am but they asked me to stay later. Even though I worked my other job at 9am the next morning, and knew I'd be dead today, I said yes. When I finally got home, showered and crawled into bed my back was aching, my feet were throbbing and I was beyond tired but I was happy because I knew that I had worked hard and earned my keep.

The other best thing about my hard work? Getting paid! Before I moved out I was so worried about covering the bills and now I am able to do so and have a little extra for myself. In my opinion, I've got everything I need. Who needs anything else?

From the desk of Taylor Brown
Over-worked, Over-Tired, Over-Impressed by her own Independence

Healthy Eating without Breaking the Bank

In my last post I talked about working out but the importance of working out pales in comparison to the importance of eating well. Unfortunately, I find eating well so much harder than getting my butt off the couch but when I'm really dedicating myself to both, it becomes like second nature and I just feel so.much.better.

The problem most people have is that they think that healthy food is unaffordable. I see that as an excuse. I also think it's a lie. What I can get at the grocery store for $10 feeds me so much longer than what I get in the food court.

The other night I watched the documentary Hungry for Change. It's an amazing documentary about the diet and health industry. It really opened my eyes about what eating processed foods can do to your body. Now, I'm definitely not on my way to banishing chocolate forever but it does make me want to make healthier choices...and to NEVER drink diet soda again.

I wasn't even done the documentary when I started making a grocery list. Immediately after it was done I ran to the grocery store. I stayed mostly in the produce isle and I got:
- 2 apples
- 1 box of strawberries
- 3 bananas
- 1 bundle of celery
- A huge container of flax seed
- 2 lettuce hearts
- Becel made with olive oil
- Greek feta olive oil dressing
- A carton of fruit and vegetable juice

And I got it all for $24.00. That's about one meal out at a restaurant or two meals at a fast food place. This is going to provide me with snacks, breakfast and smoothies for days.

The point of all of this is that I believe that eating healthy is possible, even on a budget. Sure, you could get 20 boxes of Kraft dinner for 24 dollars but is that something you really want? I think the biggest reason that eating healthy is more expensive is because you get to live longer. And think of how much money you could spend on food by tacking those extra years on your life. Soooo inconvenient.

Eating healthy is hard. I know from experience. Every day when I stare at my fridge I have an internal struggle between grabbing the closest substance made out of chocolate or grabbing some fruit, but eating healthier makes you feel better, and more productive. When you fuel your body you give it something to run on and can actually have the energy to workout and get your work done during the day.

Trust me, you'll never regret a healthy meal, only an unhealthy one.

From the desk of:

Taylor Brown
Choco-holic, Aspartame-aphobic

Thinking Money-Wise and Health-Wise

Sometimes you have to make sacrifices in order to be responsible. A big sacrifice for me has been giving up my gym membership. I wouldn't call myself a gym rat or anything like that but I did take comfort in the fact that I had an entire gym at my disposal whenever I wanted it. Now I don't have that to fall back on. If I want to workout I have to get creative.

The reason I chose to forgo the gym membership was purely for financial reasons. I didn't want to pay for a membership when I still wasn't sure if I could even cover all my bills. Also, a gym membership is a luxury.

Now I've had to rely on myself to get my workouts in and it has been interesting. Here are some ways to save money by forgoing the membership but am still be able to get those good workouts in:

1. Use nature as your gym
    I love to jog outside- so much so that I didn't always get my money's worth at my gym because I would go for a nice long jog instead. There are so many great trails and different routes that you can take that will help you avoid the bored feeling you get while running on a treadmill. You can also use parks to do yoga, find stairs to run in your neighbourhood and do interval and hill workouts anywhere.

2. Find a friend for motivation
    A workout buddy is one of my go-to solutions for getting off my butt. When you have someone to help push you out the door, it becomes a whole lot easier to get those workouts in. They also push you to work harder.

3. Invest in a couple of workout videos
    The biggest downfall of not having a gym is being limited by the weather. If it's raining, snowing, or icy you're probably not going to be able to go for an enjoyable jog. Instead of letting your motivation go to waste pop in a workout dvd. Jillian Michaels has a bunch of amazing ones. Check out her 30 Day Shred DVD. So good!

4. Have fun with it
    Have you ever seen those workout challenges online that correspond to certain movies? I know there are some for movies like Twilight and there are some for different tv shows as well. Each time someone does something you do 10 crunches, 50 pushups, and things like that. This way you can watch a movie while working out!

5. Create workout challenges with your friends
    There are tons of different challenges out there. There are squat challenges, crunch challenges, pushup challenges...you name it! Make it a competition with a friend. Try having each of you put 5 dollars in a jar and say that the first person to skip a day owes the other person 5 dollars. You'll get your workout in and possibly win 5 bucks!

The best way to make sure that you keep working out is to change it up. Keep it fun and interesting and there's no reason you'll ever need to pay for a gym again.

From the desk of:

Taylor Brown
Jogging Enthusiast, User of Nature's Gym

How to Dress..When You Have Absolutely No Idea What the Dress Code Is

Dressing for business functions can be difficult...especially when you aren't quite sure what the dress code will be.

This week I've been attending Social Media Week and since it's a conference, and I've never been to one before, I was pretty stumped on what to wear. But there was no need to stress.

Here are my rules for dressing for things when you're unsure of the dress code:

1. Do a little research
    The first this I did was go to the Social Media Week website and look to see if they had any pictures from past events. They did! It was easy to see from the pictures that the attire was definitely professional.

2. If that fails...try to find a bit of a middle ground
    You'll never be embarrassed for dressing too professionally but you will be embarrassed for dressing too casually. If you're worried about overdressing you can always wear a cardigan instead of a blazer or dress pants and a simple, nice top. You don't need to be wearing a business suit but you definitely shouldn't be wearing jeans or a cotton t-shirt either.

3. Keep it classy
    I shouldn't have to say this...but I will anyways: no matter what you wear, make sure it's appropriate. Not just business appropriate, but appropriate in general. Don't wear low cut tops, spaghetti straps, short shorts, have your bra showing, wear a t-shirt with anything silly on it, or just generally call any inappropriate attention to yourself. Notice how high my neckline was? I kept it that way all week. Fashion is fun and can help you define yourself but it should never take away from your work and the perception of professionalism that you send out.

4. Think about all aspects of your appearance
    See my little bunny iphone case? Do you think that's business appropriate? I didn't, so I decided to take it off at the conference each day. I also took other steps to make sure everything about me was appropriate as well. I changed my phone and laptop backgrounds so that they were more "neutral." It's really not professional to have a picture of you with your friends at a party every time you open your laptop or check your phone. Instead of possibly finding yourself in an awkward situation where someone ends up judging you and your professionalism, it's easiest to just keep everything on your technology neutral.

It may sound exhausting to put so much worry into your appearance but presentation is very important. Would you rather risk being seen as immature or irresponsible or take 5 extra minutes to make sure that it's your work that's being judged and not you? Take those extra minutes, plan ahead and you can save yourself embarrassment in the future.

From the desk of:

Taylor Brown
Outfit Planner, Appropriate Dresser, Secret Owner of a Bunny Iphone Case

Networking

This week I am attending Social Media Week Toronto. It's a great conference that's free to attend. I'm attending for my job as Associate Editor and today I saw three presentations. Besides all of the amazing knowledge that I'm getting to learn, this is a great opportunity for networking.

This conference has so many different kinds of speakers from entrepreneurs, to people in sales and analytics, to my personal favourite, journalists!

There are tons of different ways to network.

1. You can approach the person and give them a business card and make yourself memorable to them.
    This is ideal because you get to see the person face to face. You can engage with them, make them laugh, tell them a short and memorable story and definitely make sure that you are being heard by them.

Unfortunately...I can be a bit shy so I went with a different approach:

2. Reach out to them through social media.
   When you don't get a chance to speak to them because they are busy or because you can be a bit of a scardy cat (*sheepishly raises hand*) then you can talk to them over social media. I chose the social media route because hey...this is social media week so it was a bit more appropriate (this might not be the case in every setting).

Here's my tweet and responses:

Yup! I got a response back and a retweet from a fellow journalist and a favourite from another. Both were men who I loved listening to. Their advice and passions really inspired me.

The issue with social media is a) it may not always be appropriate and b) the reader may not always read your tweet.

The great thing about my social media networking experience was that it gave me a chance to get into some people's radars and I also was favourited and followed by other people in social media because of my use of hashtags and the fact that I was retweeted.

Networking is no longer what it used to be, it can come in many different forms so try them all. You may not know when these tiny little connections can help you in the future!

From the desk of:

Taylor Brown
Social Media Savvy due to Shyness

Independence

There are lots of different ways to define independence. You can define it as paying your own bills, by being able to do things without anyone's help, or by the simple luxury of spending time alone.

This week I explored the latter. I decided to do what I deem as one of the ultimate acts of secure singleness: I saw a movie by myself.

via

It was wonderful! I found myself downtown with an entire afternoon to myself and the only theatre in the whole city that was playing a movie I was dying to see just a few blocks away. It was fate.

This was a somewhat big moment for me because this signified what I really came to Toronto to do. No, I didn't come to see movies in the afternoon alone but I did come to find independence. Not just financial independence, but all kinds of independence. I'm still working on  being financially responsible and have come to truly enjoy doing things entirely by myself and being able to say I didn't have to ask a thing for anyone. Seeing this movie was the next natural progression. 

If we want to truly call ourselves independent then we should really get comfortable being with ourselves. If you do this, then every other relationship in your life with be seen as a bonus, not something that you would die without. 

I still find myself feeling lonely sometimes when I have an entire evening ahead of me with absolutely nothing to do and no one in sight to do it with but I am starting to take these moments as opportunities to enjoy myself. Instead of wishing that my roommates would just get home already so I can have someone to break up the night, I'm making it about me-time. 

Here are some things I've started enjoying doing when I've got a whole night to myself:

- Going for nice, long jogs

- Cooking for myself 

- Cleaning (I'm a very weird person who likes to clean to de-stress and/or procrastinate)

- Watching television shows under my covers with a candle burning

- Painting my nails

- Playing records and singing along

- Reading books

- Journaling

- Knitting

So from now on try to enjoy your time with yourself. Find hobbies that you'll want to find alone time to finish. Let yourself de-stress and really make yourself cherish your time with the only person you'll ever be stuck with.

From the desk of:

Taylor Brown

 Independent Lady, Proud Single Movie Ticket Buyer, Enthusiast of Hobbies Suited for 70 Year Olds

Getting Close to Your Dreams

*My mom, sister, the ladies from City Line's Fashion Friday (Tracy Moore & Lisa Rogers)

Your dreams aren't going to come to you, you're going to have to go to them. At the same point, they aren't going to come easy. This is something that I struggled with when I first started looking for jobs. I was looking to get into the newsroom but every single posted position asked for 3-5 years experience. I tried applying anyways hoping that just putting my name out there would do some good but didn't receive much response. When this is the case it can become very disheartening and very easy to give up on your dreams.

When you finally do find some kind of job, it may not be your dream job, heck it might not even be in your field. When you do get money rolling in it's easy to stick in that comfort zone of getting by. My biggest suggestion to spark that fire under your butt is to get yourself close to your dreams. Nothing has inspired me more than just being near other journalists or in a television studio. Just watching HBO's The Newsroom always leaves me with a feeling that I need to get up and go NOW NOW NOW!

Last month my mom got us tickets to see a taping of City Line's Fashion Friday. They are known for giving out amazing gifts and you may even get to see yourself on tv! What I really loved about going to Fashion Friday was being in a television studio again. I wasn't looking at the outfits and cosmetics, I was looking at the people working in the studio. I kept thinking to myself "I would do anything to be working in here!"

That's the kind of fire that you need to spark inside you. What would make you feel like you would do anything to get close to your dreams? Do you feel that fire when you do see someone doing what you wish you could be doing? If not, maybe it's not your true passion.

Evaluate what you're doing now and what you wish you could be doing. Feel that fire, keep it alive and don't let it go. I sure as hell am keeping mine alive.

From the desk of:

Taylor Brown
Dream Chaser

Dealing with Roommates

Living with your parents can be difficult but living with roommates is a whole different ballgame. Your parents may piss you off but at least you can yell at them when they do, yell at a roommate and you could end up losing a friend in the process.

I am currently living with two other girls. It's great because we're really getting the roommate experience by living together but there are some things to remember when you are living with people who aren't your family.

When living with roommates:

1. Always be the kind of roommate that you would want to have
    If you wouldn't want someone going into your room without asking, then you probably should give your roommate the same courtesy. You should go out of your way to be a great roommate. Never take things without asking, don't use their things, eat their food, be too loud or generally do anything that could be seen as inconsiderate.

2. Be open
    Make the effort to be a great friend to your roommate. Don't hide away in your room every single night or eat every meal alone. Hang out in common areas, strike up conversations and invite them places with you. The more open you are to a relationship with them, the more rewarding the roommate situation will be.

3. Learn to share
    Sharing can be hard but sometimes it's necessary. Just make sure that you show whatever you're sharing the same about of respect that you'd hope your roommate does.

4. Set boundaries right away
     There are boundaries that I wouldn't cross but someone else might not see it as a no-go so make sure you talk about what is okay and what isn't right away.r

5. When something bothers you, address it immediately
    If your roommate is doing something that bugs you then you should tell them right away. Don't let it stew up inside you until you explode. Also, the quicker you address the problem, the quicker your roommate will stop doing whatever it is that bothers you.

6. Pick your battles
    While you may find the things your roommate does pretty annoying, you do need to decide what really matters. If you give your roommate grief every time they annoy you then you'll just end up constantly harping on them and they will start feeling like you're acting like their mother and nobody needs another nagging mother.

If you try your best to be the best roommate you can and help your roommate be the best roommate they can be by telling them what bothers you then, you shouldn't have any problems. Enjoy having a roommate! It's like a live-in best friend. You'll never be bored or lonely when you have a roommate so take advantage of a 24/7 pal!

From the desk of:

Taylor Brown
Roommate, Conscientious Cleaner, Mediator of the Apartment

When you're going further than across town

I've told you guys how to get around a city but now I'm going to help you get across cities. There are so many different ways to travel great distances and while it can all seem very complicated, it will get clearer! I promise you!

Yesterday I decided to head to my hometown a day early because I had to take a bus home and wanted to get that over with as soon as possible. Lucky for you guys, I made lots of mistakes that you won't need to make in the future because I made them for you. You're lucky I'm here to do all that dirty work you guys!

There is a GO Station near my apartment but I decided to head downtown to Union Station instead because I was hoping I could get a more direct bus home from there. Boy was I wrong. Heading downtown was my first mistake. To get to Union Station I took one bus and two subways just to get there. Why did I choose to do this? Because I was unsure about the GO Station near me (how to use it) and was too lazy to do too much research. Yeah...learn from my mistakes...I can't stress it enough.

Once I got downtown I bought the next bus ticket home. Because I wanted to get as close to home as possible I bought a ticket that had me changing buses in Mississauga. And so my journey began:

It took me about an hour to get from the downtown core to my first bus stop in Mississauga:

In Mississauga I had to wait about 30 minutes so I ran to a nearby Whole Foods to grab a snack:

This was only good part of my journey. It rained as I was walking to my bus stop and then I had to huddle in a shelter with a bunch of strangers while hugging my macarons. 

Our bus eventually came and then I could finally be on my way to my final destination while enjoying my sweet treats. In all it took me 4 hours, one bus, two subways, two Greyhound buses and one car ride from my kind grandmother to get home. It was quite the debacle for a trip that usually takes an hour at most by car. 

Now that I have lived that crazy ride, I can give you some good advice for traveling far distances:

1. Do Your Research

    A little more research would have done a world of difference for me. I did look into things a bit but if I would have looked a little harder I would have seen that there was definitely an easier way. If I had gone to the GO Station near me I could have taken a train and then a bus and probably gotten home in half the time.

2. Look at your price options

    Traveling this way was super cheap. All it took me was one bus token (about $2.00) and one bus ticket ($14.40) This was definitely ideal for someone like myself who doesn't have a lot of cash coming in at the moment but make sure to do your research. Maybe for a few dollars extra I would have been able to get home in half the time. Weigh those options and pick what's best for you.

3. Pack Lightly

    I wouldn't say I overpacked, but I did have a slightly inconvenient bag for my trip. Yes, I needed all of the things I brought, but it wasn't fun lugging all my stuff over so many different forms of public transportation. If you need to bring a lot home make sure that you take a more convenient bag or just plain pack less.

I will definitely be figuring something different out in the future for my trips home but this was a good learning experience. If yesterday brought me nothing else, it at least brought me some independence. It was nice to know that I could figure everything out on my own. 

Now kids, go forth and get places (hopefully in the most convenient and easiest way possible!)

From the desk of:

Taylor Brown

Road Warrior

Grocery Shopping on your Own

Grocery shopping on your own for the first time can either seem extremely fun or extremely daunting. I for one, am part of the latter group. Yes, you can buy whatever you want and eat whatever you want. If you want to eat chocolate for breakfast then you can! I wasn't too excited for this because a) although I would love to eat chocolate for breakfast, I'd prefer to be healthier (the inner kid in me has died in that sense) and b) because I know that groceries are a huge money drain. Yes, you use groceries but they can be really expensive.

Here's how to get the most out of your grocery shopping:

1. Make a list beforehand
    If you make a list of the things that you will need then you won't go in there and forget anything. Trust me, it's very easy to forget things when you are wandering aimlessly through the isles.

2. Check if your grocery store price matches
    I have a No Frills super close to me and they price match. The day of my shopping trip I looked through all of the flyers and found the best prices for each thing I needed. I wrote them down and compared them to the No Frills prices. It turned out that No Frills had the best prices basically across the board but it's good to save yourself money by doing a little extra leg work.

3. Test your food
    No, I don't mean take a bite of an apple before you buy it, I mean squeeze your fruit, knock on your watermelons, examine your veggies...do whatever you need to do to ensure that you're getting the best bang for your buck.

4. Try your best to eat everything before you go shopping again
    I've been pretty guilty thus far of making the mid-week grocery shopping trips because I'm craving something. It can be a waste of money to go grocery shopping when you've got perfectly good food at home. Don't let yourself buy new fruit if you've got something in the fridge. Make sure you're eating anything that expires before buying something else that expires. Letting food go bad is the best way to lose your money.

5. Be creative with your meals
    Now that you're on your own you don't have to follow any rules. For dinner last night I had Nutella on toast and broccoli and cheese. How random is that meal, huh? Eat whatever you want for whatever meal you want and just enjoy it. If you need to use up those grapes then feel free to make them a side dish to your spaghetti. Your meals are for you so eat anything you want and just enjoy it!

Happy shopping!

From the desk of:

Taylor Brown
Mid-Week Grocery Shopper, Nutella on Toast Enthusiast

Pros and Cons and Tips and Tricks for Public Transportation

One of the biggest changes that have come with independence for me has been experiencing public transportation. There are many pros and cons to public transportation.

Pros:
- You can get anywhere you want to go on $3.00
- You don't have to rely on anyone (asking for rides, borrowing cars etc).
- No need to pay for gas
- It creates a sense of accomplishment and independence
- It gets easier the longer your do it

Cons
- You have to carry everything with you (no car to serve as your own personal locker)
- You have to dress for being outside/ traveling (If I was going to an interview I'd want to wear dress pants and a blazer but that doesn't work well with this blazing hot weather!)
- It takes a lot longer than driving
- You have to always remember to have change
- It can be confusing and scary (What if I miss my bus? Miss my stop? The bus is late?)

Now, there definitely can be more cons than pros to public transportation but if you get organized, you shouldn't have a problem.

Here are some tips to make your commute go well:
- Plan ahead: I went online to the TTC (Toronto Transportation Commission) website to plan my route. It was easy to plug in the addresses and have a route planned for me
- Leave early (It's better to wait a couple minutes for your bus than to miss it!)
- Wear layers
- Find a stylish but big bag for changes of shoes and clothes
- Bring a book to keep you busy
- Plan a time once a week when you will go get change or tokens for the week so that you never find yourself with ten minutes before you have to leave and zero change

Public transportation can be frustrating but it can also be a great way to get around without having to worry about things like car accidents, gas prices, parking prices and the like. Learn the routes and you'll be zooming around your city in no time!

From the desk of:

Taylor Brown
Subway Sister, Streetcar Survivor, Bus Riding Beauty

Creating your new home

One of the hardest parts about moving out is trying to make it feel like home. I know that when I lived in the dorms for my first year of university that this was the hardest part for me. You want to create somewhere that feels like a salvation. This is a place for you to feel comfortable, at ease and completely yourself. My best suggestion for this is to decorate your new home to feel like it can be all of these things.

I feel like nowhere will ever be able to make me feel as comfortable as my parents house but I do feel like my new apartment is a close second. I've decorated (maybe even over decorated) to the point where I feel like I want to be here. It's beautiful to me and completely comfortable. My biggest focus has been my bedroom because it's my place. It's the only space that I don't have to share so it's been the most important to me.

Here are some peaks into my new sanctuary:

I didn't want to recreate my old bedroom. I wanted to build a new space that reflects who I am now. I got a new bedspread and have really changed things from my room at my parents house.

My desk was one of my most important focuses of my room. Remember my post Where do you Work?  Well this is an example of a space that is both beautiful and functional. It holds everything I need but also inspires me. My clipboards have things on them that I find beautiful, or inspiring and just plain cute. 

Don't forget to remind yourself of who makes you who you are with things around your space like pictures and gifts from those you love. The picture includes my two best friends and the owl vase was a gift from my sister.

Just have fun! This is your space. No one can tell you what to do with it. Clash colours, mix patterns, choose your own art and just have fun! 

From the desk of:

Taylor Brown

Interior Decorator Extrordinaire, Ruler of her abode