Starting a backyard compost can drastically decrease the solid waste you add to landfills, where it’s hard to break down, and will provide you with easy access to nutrient rich soil to use in your yard or garden. Starting a backyard compost is easy. It’s easy to start composting with a compost bin for your yard. You will be amazed how much you compostable waste breaks down in your composter. Next year, you will be lucky to save money using your own compost instead of buying it all for your garden.
2. Install a Rain Barrel
Install a rain barrel in your yard. A rain barrel will reduce runoff water from your home while providing you with garden water. This means you can also reduce your water consumption and your water bill. For those in drought prone communities, it may take your rain barrel longer to fill between rains but permits some watering in the driest times.
3. Invite the Birds & the Bees
Invite the birds, bees, and other pollinators into your yard. You can start by adding a bird feeder with seeds or hummingbird feeder with sugar water. Take it a step further by adding native trees, shrubs, or other pollinators to your garden. These plants will attract pollinators like bees and butterflies to your yard for the food they need to do their work. You will get the added bonus of a beautiful garden thanks to their pollination and can enjoy their presence as they flutter across your landscape.
4. Cut Back on Paper Towels
Reducing your paper towel consumption is easy when yourself, and your kitchen, up for success. Adding a few sweedish discloths to your kitchen can do the trick. These reusable alternatives can be washed in your washing machine or your dishwasher. They are even compostable when it’s time to retire them from your kitchen. Now you can hide your paper towel roll somewhere off the counter (which may also help you break any habits of reaching for a paper towel all the time).
5. Modernize Your Food Storage
Stop blowing through single-use sandwich bags by switching to silicone sandwich bags. These silicone storage bags are reusable, free from plastic toxins, and dishwasher safe. Making the switch pays off over time but is expensive to get started. If you can’t make the switch overnight, add a few at a time until you can stop spending money on the disposable bags.
I generally enjoy decorating for the holidays. I feel like it gives you the chance get to enjoy something different around your house for about a month and can really help you create a mood. Right now, it’s Halloween! I’m all about the mums and spooky side of things and less into the cutesy (read orange) part of Halloween.
When I decorate for a holiday, I prefer to keep it simple and not over-clutter my small space by choosing for small-touches instead of adding a too many large pieces that don’t fit into the rest of my home.
I typically buy 1-2 new decorations every year and try to do it after the holiday so I can get items after the prices have been slashed. Here are a few spots around my house from this year!
The Nordstrom Anniversary sale is finally here! I scoped out some great finds at an early shopping event yesterday and checked out everything that went live on the site this morning. You can start shopping today if you’re a Nordstrom credit card holder… if not you can apply for one today and start to shop! I rounded up my favorite finds below. I put all of the items in my cart but obviously had to sift through a few before check out. Check out my fav dresses, tops, bottoms, beauty essentials, accessories, and home decor. I would buy EVERYTHING here if I could!
Everything in the sale is a new, fall item, so prices will drop for the sale and then return to normal price as fall merchandise.
Here are the items I put at the top of my must-have list!
// Dresses //
I am a huge dress girl so most of my favorites were in this category! There are a ton of amazing dresses in the sale this year. I am sharing some dresses that are great for everything from work to play!
1. I absolutely love this Tahari Cape Dress for work. I ordered it in black (pretty much my go-to) but am in love with the red as well!
// Sale Price $84.90 // After Sale $128.00 //
2. The cutest work dress! This Chelsea28 Fit and Flare dress is perfect for a day at school or the office. I like the Navy Sapphire but think all three color options are super flattering!
// Sale Price $92.90 // After Sale $139.00
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3. How amazing is this flutter sleeve dress? I am so excited to head to work in this dress! I love the blue but ordered the …. black!
4. The perfect work or dinner dress this fall is this Bell Sleeve Dress.
5. I love that this Stipe Faux Wrap Shirt Dress can take you from work to brunch. It’s cut is super flattering and has a glam-meets-modern look that I adore.
// Tops //
I’m sharing my favorite tops from the sale. They had so much options that will be great to rock in the fall!
5. How about thisScallop Sweater? Scalloped, need I say more?
// Bottoms //
I skipped the jeans this year because I have some hard-and-true brands I stick with that were excluded from the sale. Instead I am posting some great fall skirts, pants, and leggings (of course)
1. If you’ve never tried Alo’s yoga pants, you should! They’re definitely pricey so now would be a great time to try a pair. These Alo Godess Ribbed Leggings are super cute and on sale!
2. I have a similar pair of Utility Pants and love to wear them with a tee and wedges. I love these ones and the price!
3. Last year, I purchased theseBP. Moto Leggings in a similar green color. I wear them all fall and winter with different boots and booties.
4. I am all about the camo right now! This Camo Utility Skirt completely does it for me!
5. Like I said, all about the camo. I purchased a pair of faux leather leggings last winter that quickly became a go-to. They’re comfortable and easy to dress up. I am excited about these Faux Leather Camo Leggings by Spanx.
// Shoes //
This years sale-shoes were to-die-for! There were so many adorable sliders and booties so I am just sharing some must-haves.
1. Here are two similar booties. They are both wedge booties that are great for the snow, rain, or sludge! The first is the Sorrell Waterproof wedge booties and these UGG Waterproof Wedge booties . I love them both but prefer the monochromatic look of the UGGs.
3. These slides pretty much came in a bunch of colors. I loved two but based on instagram you all preferred the black Bow Slide.
// Sale Price $84.90 // After Sale $129.95 //
4. I know I want these Delicious Heeled booties but I haven’t been able to decide between the black or nude suede.
5. I love these easy Lash Split Shaft Booties . They’re easy fall boots that can dress up and outfit and would pair great with a cute fall dress!
// Beauty //
One of my favorite parts of the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale every year is the beauty. I stock-up on products I use throughout the year because you can find great items at that otherwise never go on sale! If you’ve read my “My favorite Hair Products” post, you’ll see a lot of my favorite items are part of the sale!
1. If you haven’t tried the Beachwaver yet you should! I love that this is a 1 1/4 inch barrel. It will give you perfect big waves. It’s on the anniversary sale, 1 1/4″ beachwaver.
2. I love the Oribe dry texture spray. This is a great price for the Oribe Spray duo, and I am excited to try the other product!
3. I love Philosophy facewash. My face always feels so clean after using this face wash. It rarely goes on sale so I snap up the Purity Trio Set at the anniversary sale.
4. I’ve been dying for a light controlled mirror. This is one of those things your mom probably has that you’ve always wanted. I love the size of this 8 inch mirror with brightness control .
5. A couple years ago I started getting lash extensions. They were really great most of the time! To save time and money I quit and started purchasing neuLash. This stuff works so well and I only buy it during the sale each year!
// Accessories //
There are a ton of beautiful accessories as part of the sale this year! Of course, many of the ones I liked the most were well out of my budget ($400 earrings). Here are a few more affordable options that are super cute!
1. This suitcase is probably my favorite purchase from the 2018 Nordstrom Anniversary Sale! I’ve never had nice luggage and the price for two is a pretty good deal. Plus, I love how easy the blue will be to find at the luggage claim!
4. If you’ve been needing a new carry-all, check out this monogram Oversize Tote. It is full of things I love: stripes, monograms, and big enough to tote all I need. I linked the black but my instagram showed the white as more popular so check that one out too!
5. There’s nothing catty about these Oversize Sunglasses .
Quay’s been super popular for oversize sunglasses and I am loving these cat-eye ones!
// Home //
Last year the “home” part of the sale really got me! It was the first year during this sale that I was a homeowner and was so excited to be able to purchase some high-end pieces while they were on sale. I am sharing a few favorites that I will add to my place.
1. These three coasters are all adorable. Check out these coasters and these ones that are marble and wood. They’re perfect for a modern or contemporary living room! These home state coasters are perfect for the proud local or girl who is new-to-town!
I tried to keep all my favorites down to five so they were easier to shop. Did you find this post helpful to navigate the anniversary sale? Wish I had talked about some different merchandise? Share you thoughts below so I can make future posts more helpful to readers!
Thanks for checking out Colorfully Grey.