Apartment Blog

Some years you have everything planned out well in advance. Some years, you don’t. This may be one of those Halloweens where you can’t think of the right costume, you forget, or you are invited to a costume party at the last minute! No worries, here are  3 last minute “Costumes” you can throw together to still show up to the party in style:

• 1. BodyGuard (Men) - all you need is a shirt that is three times too small for you and you might be able to look somewhat buff. Combine that with a pair of “Men in Black” sunglasses and blue jeans and you can arrive to the party in style. You might be able to partner up with someone at the party who dressed up as a movie or sports star and make it seem like you came together.
• 2. Librarian (Woman)- Everyone loves a librarian. Get some dark rimmed glasses (I hear the dollar store has a good selection), your most boring outfit, and some books and head out of the door to the party. You may look like a geek but you will fit in with all of the other costumes at the party.
• 3. Ghost (Generic)- All you need to become a Ghost is a blanket and an imagination. People may suspect that you forgot to get costume, but at least you will get a few laughs out of it. You can also have fun all night creeping up on people and scaring them, while wrapped up in a blanket.

Mind you, these are last minute costumes.   They are cost effective and a life saver.  Don’t laugh, they could come in handy this year!!!

I, myself, am not a scary movie fan; however, I know many people who LOVE the thrill of a good horror movie. Taking into account some of their favorites as well as nationally recognized favorites, here is a list to help prepare you for the creepy holiday on October 31^st.

1. Halloween (all of them)

2. Nightmare on Elm Street (all the sequels)

3. The Silence of the Lambs

4. The Exorcist

5. Psycho

6. Pet Sematary

7. Saw

8. Texas Chainsaw Massacre

9. The Shining

10. Jaws

What are some of your favorite scary movies?

My father use to say ‘what do you get the person who has everything? A box to put it all in.’ (yes, my father is corny like that) But seriously, what do you do when you have a gift to purchase for someone and it appears that they literally have everything!?! 

Here are a few suggestions from the team at ForRent.com if you really wanna ‘wow’ someone who has everything…..

1. Unveil their inner Monet.  Local art studios and recreation centers typically offer classes starting at the beginner level and work their way up to advanced.  A class like this will let them try a hand at their pottery, wine slumping, or mosaics skills (the list goes on).  Pick a class you think would be of interest and see if it results in a new hobby.

2. Personalized wall art.  You pick the letter-shaped photos and the word; a first or last name is classic, but words like laugh, joy, and peace look great too!  A gift like this can’t be copied!

3. Go local.  Ever been complimented on a one of kind piece that you bought when visiting such and such a place?  Offer someone the same experience by bringing them back something unique from your travels.  Not only are you giving them something they couldn’t find themselves, but you are also supporting small, local businesses at the same time.

4. Everybody wants a good laugh!  Gifts from the heart are great, but every once in awhile someone needs to be thrown for a loop, why not be the person to do so?  Gifts like the below “Ignorance is Bliss” and “Bittersweet” scales are sure to be a hit and are definitely hard to come by.  You’ll walk away knowing this gift will be the source of much laughter! (www.uncommongoods.com)

5. Give to more than just them.  Sometimes people really do have everything and another knick knack isn’t the answer.  Organizations like Farm Africa (www.farmafrica.org/uk) allow you to make a sustainable purchase that benefits those in need under the name of a friend or family member.  Farm Africa actually has you purchase an animal that will be given to families in poverty; these animals help them overcome their poverty.  You can also adopt endangered species through certain organizations and send that animal’s information to your gift recipient.

Does your friend or family member feel passionately about a different cause?  Give them a TisBest Charity Gift Card and let them decide what to support.  All they need to do is log on to http://www.tisbest.org/ and choose from over 200 charities to contribute your predetermined gift amount toward.

6. Cooking Lessons.  Some people need to learn the basics, some people want to go gourmet, and some people would love to learn more recipes that fit their on the go lifestyle.  There are cooking classes out there that cover all these needs.  You could select a gourmet cuisine they may be interested in or lend them a hand with some beginner basics; either way this hands on gift lets them walk away with more than a good food sampling.

You should also check out available classes in your area for wine making or making beer. What an interesting trait to say you have learned? Who knows, you could inspire them to make some for your present next year!! Go for the skill they’d learn and the experience they’d have while doing it.

7. Have you, yourself learned a trade? Why not put it to good use! If you’ve taken scrapebooking lessons, put your talent to work for a friend. If you are a skilled photographer, why not utilize your skills with a photographer the person would love. It’s the personalized gifts that really take the breath away of the recipient. So go ahead….get creative!

8. So they may have everything, but have they done everything?  Think through things they have mentioned wanting to do, but either put off or chickened out.  Maybe they have always wanted to learn to ski, so you buy lessons or they think skydiving looks fun, but are too afraid to sign up.  This gift may take more thought, but they are sure to remember it.

 9. Feeling especially green this season?  Purchase a tree or several in your favored friend’s name and let them feel good about helping to sustain our planet.  Places like http://www.arborday.org/ and http://www.americanforests.org/ make giving gifts like this as easy as planting seeds.

10.  How many people can say they have a star named after them? This is something my brother did for one of his girlfriends and I thought it was the sweetest thing. You can literally name a star after a friend or loved one. Go on http://www.starregistry.com/ for the process!

11. Photo gifts. I am a personal fan of Walgreens.com photo center. They have a really nice collection of gifts you can do for anyone. One year I did a calendar of photos for my mother. There are also mugs, pillow cases, aprons, mouse pads and more! Or you could take a photo that you have, that the recipient would like, and enlarge it. Frame it with a matte and it’s a one of a kind piece of art!

12. Coupon book. This works if you’re a little financially strapped during the holidays as well (who isn’t these days). In a book I created, I had a coupon for various tasks such as: FREE dog sitter one night, hot chocolate and a movie, dinner at your favorite restaurant, NO boys allowed-girls night out, etc. I also incorporated my skills at their disposal whenever they should need it (which I’m sure will happen since I’ve already offered it and they have a coupon saying I’d oblige). This was extremely appreciated as it came from the heart and literally is a gift that keeps on giving (until the coupons run out)!

We hope these gifts have inspired you and given you something to get for that one difficult shopper on your list!  Happy Shopping!

If someone were to say Thanksgiving Day Parade, what would you think of? The most recognized Thanksgiving Day Parade is in fact the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade which takes place in New York City.  This parade has become a staple in American culture ever since the movie Miracle on 34^th Street which showed real footage of the festivities.  Of course national coverage by NBC every year has helped. Just thinking of the movie gives me all sorts of warm fuzziness and the merriment of the parade only reinforces those feelings for me. But did you know this annual parade started in 1924 in Newark, New Jersey? Yup, employees of Macy’s marched from the flagship store on 34^th Street dressed in costumes with floats, professional bands and live animals following them (in 1927 live animals were replaced by balloons). At the end of the parade Santa Clause is welcomed into Herald Square.  According to Wikipedia, the first parade had an audience of over a quarter of a million people! It was viewed as a huge success, which is why Macy’s declared it an annual event.

There are actually many Thanksgiving Day Parades all over the US. The nation’s oldest Thanksgiving parade, the Gimbels Parade or now known as 6ABC IKEA Parade, was first held in Philadelphia, PA. There is also the McDonald’s Thanksgiving Parade of Chicago, IL, the Parade Spectacular that is run in Stamford, Connecticut and others in Seattle, WA, Houston, TX, Detroit, MI, etc.

Returning for just a second to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, an interesting fact to note-the balloons in the parade are designed with safety valves so they can float for a few days. Address labels were sewn into them, so that whoever found and mailed back the discarded balloon would receive a gift from Macy’s[1]. How cool is that??

Anyways, the point is we hope whatever celebrations you are taking part in this Thanksgiving you have a great time! Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks and be with those that mean the most during the Holiday season!

We want to wish you and your family a happy and safe Easter!

We are dedicated to helping the consumer during and long after the apartment hunting process is over. We strive to be a resource for apartment renters, when looking for tips and advice during the apartment search, as well as in their daily life. As you can see with our numerous campaigns, we try to offer you recipes, tips/advice for decorating or entertaining, and movie reviews to help you during the season & always. So we hope that by our efforts you recognize us as your ultimate apartment listing service!

Thank you for being our friend, visiting our profile and searching for apartments on our website. Happy Easter!

Sincerely,

ForRent.com

Green doesn’t just have to be the color for your party, make it the theme!! Green living can extend to how you entertain! Making it green is easy on the environment and easy for you to do! Mimicking the tips we’ve already given you for St. Patrick’s Day Party Ideas, we’ve matched some eco-friendly ones. Check out these tips:

Tip 1: Invitations
As I always suggest, send out electronic invitations. Besides giving your party a more casual tone, you also save on paper that is just going to be thrown out later.  Or if you’re party is going to be formal and dictates having an invite, try to use recycled paper invitations.

Tip 2: Decorations
Just for the sheer expense, I always try to recommend fun crafty ideas for holiday decorations. Take a look at our St. Patrick’s Day Party ideas. But it turns out, not only will these save you money; they are also more environmentally friendly! Making your decorations would be a creative and a fun thing for you and your friends or kids to do.  And as much as it hurts, my favorite party staple that I always recommend–balloons–is actually pretty bad for the environment! They often end up in the ocean where they are consumed by sea life, which eventually die from balloons blocking their digestive system. So looks like all my ballooning days are over! 

Tip 3: Food & Drinks
A cute and easy idea to avoid waste is serving finger food. By serving finger food, you alleviate the need to have utensils or plates.  Your guest can just have their little sandwiches, cheese & crackers, cookies, chips on napkins.  And if you want to save on purchasing cups, offer your guests canned or bottled beverages. You can recycle them when they are done!  Wow, this tip allows you to save on a little bit of money as well! Cha-ching!

Tip 4: Entertainment
If you’ve read our blog about St. Patrick’s Day  Party ideas then you know we suggest doing contests, having music or a movie playing in the background.  These ideas don’t require too many materials. But another idea I’d like to add is doing Karaoke! You don’t necessarily have to have a machine (although it helps), but just grab a bunch of your already ‘tipsy’ friends for some movin and groovin and perhaps a little singing!  This should make for a lot of entertainment!! 

While we are making suggestions about how to make your St. Patrick’s Day party more eco-friendly, please remember these tips can certainly be used for your other parties.  If you’re having a Birthday celebration soon, think about using some of these ideas. Not only are you helping the environment but you also may be saving some money in the process!! Bonus!!

Source: Progressivekid.com