Where to Get Cheap Textbooks

Textbooks are ridiculously expensive. I'm talking in the thousands for one semester. No, really. My first semester, I paid $978 for five textbooks because I didn't know where to get them. I don't want you to make the same mistakes I did, so I've compiled a list of the best websites to find your textbooks cheaper than you'll find them anywhere else.

1. Amazon- Amazon is the first place I look for my books. You can usually find used books on Amazon really cheap. You can even rent books from Amazon.
2. Chegg- On Chegg, you can save up to 90% on textbooks. You can also rent.
3. ThriftBooks- An online used bookstore. They have all genres of books, but they also have textbooks.
4. Directtextbook- Directtextbook is an online price comparison website that shows you where you can find the cheapest price for your book.
5. Half.com- An Ebay company where you can find textbooks for half price.
6. Ebay- Like Amazon, you can find used textbooks very cheap.
7. Abebooks- A website where you can find used and new books for low prices.

Although most of the time, your books will be more expensive at on-campus bookstores, make sure to check anyway. Sometimes you can rent a book there cheaper than buying one used or they can price-match. Also, if you're waiting for your book to be delivered to you after you need it, don't forget to check out your campus library.

Still stressing about how expensive college is? Check out how to save money for college students and how to make money on the side.

Dorm Room Ideas

Buying everything for your dorm can be nerve-wracking because it's so expensive, and there's so much to buy. I made my dorm bedding for cheaper than you can buy it, and you can too! Keep reading to find out how.

I saw lots of cute dorm bedding ideas on Pinterest, but they were all so expensive; at least $150 each just for bedding. I made my dorm bedding for half of that price. Let me just go ahead and say that I got a cheap reversible comforter at Walmart for $20. I also bought the sheets, but the rest of it I made, and that's what really brought it together.

The folded blanket on my bed is the main project for this post. I took a cotton fabric that I wanted to coordinate with my room and made it into a blanket. If you want to have this preppy style to your dorm, you should probably have 2-3 colors you can coordinate. I chose navy and coral/pink. Most twin size comforters are around 66"-68". That will be the length of your blanket. The width is whatever you want it to be. I cut out two pieces of the fabric. Lay one piece down, right side up. Lay the other one on top, right side down. Next, cut batting to the size of the fabric, and lay it on the top. Pin all the way around the blanket, and sew all except one side. It's hard to sew batting to fabric, but if you add tissue paper on top, it helps. Now turn the blanket inside out and sew the part you left open. There is your blanket to polish the look of your dorm!

I got navy sheets to match my comforter, but I also used them for something else; a bed skirt. In order to make a bed skirt, all you have to do is get a twin size flat sheet and either put it under your mattress, or where your sheet normally goes and just don't tuck it in. It really puts together your room because you can't see everything that's stuffed under your bed.

Keep an eye out for detailed posts coming about my décor and how I made my pillows.

How to be Happy

1. Take pleasure in all of the small things.
2. Realize how small you actually are in this big world.
3. Know whatever you're going through is just a  small segment of your life span.
4. Change your way of thinking. If you catch yourself thinking something negative, try to turn it into something positive.
5. Stop complaining. It's easy to find the bad in something. Take the road less traveled and find the good.
6. Don't worry about what other people think.
7. Don't worry about the past.
8. If you're not in a good mood, put yourself in one.
9. Get lost in a book.
10. Watch a happy movie.
11. Do something nice for someone.
12. Play with a pet.
13. Go with the flow. It's okay as it is. It doesn't always have to be how you think it should be.
14. Get more sleep.
15. Meditate.
16. Spend time with people you care about.
17. Find hobbies that make you feel good.
18. Learn to love yourself.
19. Find the time to relax.
20. Enjoy nature.
21. Don't be afraid of new experiences.
22. Be grateful. Know that someone will always have it worse than you. It's not as bad as it seems.
23. Have a good attitude.
24. Let go of things and people that are holding you down.
25. Always smile. Be the person who smiled and didn't get a response, not the one who didn't smile back.
26. Disconnect from social media. Seeing all of the negative can affect your way of thinking.
27. Dance to your favorite song.
28. Find something that inspires you.
29. Don't compare your life to others.
30. Be present in everything you do. 
31. Get up early.
32. Get things done.
33. Know that happiness doesn't necessarily come from material things.
34. Find a job you love.
35. Be healthy. Your physical health can have a factor in your emotional health.
36. Know that everything will be okay.

DIY Summer Wreath

Looking for a summer project that's easy and inexpensive? You're at the right place. This wreath is perfect for summer, and you could even keep it up through all of the other seasons too. Keep reading to find out how to make it.

Materials:

• Tree branch wreath (Not sure what it's officially called)
• Floral bush (I found some at a dollar store)
• Burlap bow (6 in.)
• 3/8 in. ribbon

Instructions:

1. Take your floral bush and cut it so that the flowers aren't all attached to one stem. Cut off all of the main stems so that they are separate. 
2. Take the larger flowers and push the floral wire in and around the twigs so that it is secure, but not sticking out in the upper left part of the wreath. Make about 3 big flowers side by side.
3. Take one stem of smaller flowers and put them on each side of the three larger flowers.
4. Tie a normal bow in the burlap without cutting it first to see how big you want the bow. After you know how long to make your burlap, cut it and tie into bow.
5. Place bow on lower right side of the wreath.
6. Cut ribbon into about three 2 in. segments.
7. Take the cut ribbon through the holes in the backside of the burlap bow and secure in a knot to the wreath. Secure the ribbon on both ears of the bow as well as the middle.

That's all! It's probably the easiest wreath you'll ever make, and it's perfect for summer!

Sunburn Remedies

Hey everyone! I started a new blog over at Thriving Wonders. Please go check out my blog! I have this exact post (but much better) over there! :)

I'm sure almost everyone knows the dangers of getting a sunburn. Sometimes that just isn't enough to keep it from happening. Whether you're trying to tan, or just got exposed to the sun without thinking about it, here are some ways you can heal your sunburn fast.

1. One obvious way is to use sunscreen in the first place. Yes, this doesn't actually HEAL sunburn, but the less burnt you get, the easier it will heal. You may tend to skip the sunscreen in order to tan, but you don't need to. You can tan with sunscreen without getting burnt so bad.
2. Apple cider vinegar is a great remedy for sunburn. Take a washcloth or paper towel, put some apple cider vinegar on it, and gently dab it on your burn.
3. Coconut oil is another amazing remedy for sunburn. Dampen your skin with a cool washcloth and apply coconut oil to the burn.
4. Black tea also helps sunburn. Put 3-4 tea bags in a glass of lukewarm water, dip your washcloth in it, and apply it to your sunburn.
5. Aloe Vera provides instant relief for burns. I buy an aloe Vera gel in store, but you can also apply it directly from the plant.
6. If you don't have aloe vera, just remember to keep your skin moisturized. Your skin is damaged, which tends to dry it out.
7. Take cool showers. Never take a hot shower with a sunburn! The cool shower will help soothe the burn.
8. Don't use harsh soaps. Soaps with a lot of chemicals will dry out your skin even further. Try finding a soap with natural ingredients. I use Neutrogena naturals.

With all of these remedies, you should definitely be able to heal your sunburn. Some of these take a little more time than others, but some will heal your sunburn overnight. Good luck!

Sparkler Photography Tutorial

I'm so excited for the 4th of July! There will be cookouts, fireworks, family, and sparkler photography. That's right. Sparkler photography. This is honestly one of my favorite shots. I wait year round to get pictures of sparklers and fireworks! One of the shots with sparklers that I like to do is a slow exposure photograph so that you can draw something out with the sparkler and it will show up like in my picture.

Here is how to take a slow exposure shot of a sparklers:

1. First of all, you'll need to put your camera in manual mode so you can control the settings.  Try out your camera  to see what works best. It's best to put your camera on a tripod for slow exposure shots so you can't see the blur.
2. Your shutter speed should be as least 5 seconds, or long enough to capture whatever you want to draw with the sparkler.
3. It is best to shoot these photos in kind of a twilight light so the person holding the sparkler is a silhouette in the background.
4. The ISO should be 100-200 so the picture is not grainy and to make the sparkler stand out.
5. Now have someone try drawing something with the sparkler! Adjust setting to personal preferences if needed.

Red Velvet Cake Truffles

Looking for an easy, inexpensive dessert to make? Look no longer. Red velvet cake truffles are delicious and easy to make.

Makes roughly 42 truffles.

Ingredients:

• One box of red velvet cake mix (and anything you need to bake the cake)
• 8 oz. cream cheese-softened (I get the Philadelphia bar)
• 2 bags white chocolate candy melts or at least 20 oz. almond bark

Preparation:

1. Bake the cake as instructed on the box.
2. Once the cake has cooled completely, crumble it up into a medium-large bowl. Make sure there are no large clumps and that it is crumbled into fine pieces.
3. Work cream cheese into cake with hands unless you can no longer see any of the cream cheese.
4. Shape the mixture into balls and place on large wax paper covered baking sheet. They can be whatever size you like, but I like to make mine just a tiny bit smaller than a tablespoon.
5. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours or freeze for 45 minutes. If the cake isn't cold, it will fall apart.
6. Melt chocolate candies according to instructions. Hint: do not get regular white chocolate chips that are meant for cookies. They will not melt. One bag of the candy melts wasn't enough for me, so pick up two. It is also better if you use the double boiler method. Put some water in a larger pan and then put a smaller pan, such as a sauce pan, on top. Make sure the size difference isn't too large because you don't want the top pan touching the water. Heat up the stove so that it brings the water to a simmer and put the chocolate in the top pan. Continue stirring until melted so it doesn't burn.
7. Use a fork to roll around the cake ball into the white chocolate and place back onto the baking sheet. Repeat for all cake balls.
8. Let the white chocolate dry (which doesn't take long) and you are done!

Cake after mixing in cream cheese

That is it for the post. Have a great day and enjoy the truffles!