Allison Radziwon – City Insight Magazine

5 Budget Friendly Ways to Celebrate Halloween

Allison Radziwon — Tue, 06 Sep 2022 13:05:00 +0000

With the holiday season just around the corner, it’s easy to be swept up in just how expensive the holidays can be – especially this year. Halloween may be drawing near, but don’t let the prices of expensive costumes and candy scare you! As inflation rates soar and the weather gets colder, it’s more important than ever to save money while still enjoying the spooky season. Here are 5 budget friendly ways to celebrate Halloween:

Carve a pumpkin!

Carving a pumpkin is one of the most classic – and cheapest – ways to celebrate Halloween. A decent-sized pumpkin only costs a couple of bucks at the grocery store, making it both easy to obtain and really affordable. All the tools you need are a carving knife, a sharpie, and a spoon – which can all be found in the comfort of your own home! Make sure to check for sales and compare prices between stores in order to get the most bang for your buck.

DIY decorations!

In the same vein as carving pumpkins, creating your own decorations instead of buying them can help save money. Search for free tutorials online and get the supplies you need at the grocery store! Make sure to avoid craft stores, as they’re often much more expensive. You can also save these decorations for future years, saving you both time and money!

Make your own costume!

This is where your creativity can really shine! Making your own costume means you get to show off your holiday spirit and save money. You can buy some cheap supplies at the dollar store to help you with your new creation, or you can make it entirely with stuff you already own! Whether it be created with clothes you already own or just an old bed sheet, it’s incredibly easy to make your own costume.

Look out for free events in your area!

Many Halloween attractions cost ridiculous entrance fees, but there certainly isn’t a shortage of free events to take advantage of! Local organizations often put on their own celebrations for the community. Research online for free haunted houses and hikes, hayrides and pumpkin patches in your area and go with friends or family to really get into the holiday spirit.

Get a head start on next year’s Halloween prep!

One Halloween constant is the inevitable clearance sale of leftover Halloween costumes and decorations, usually at least 50% off. When you see these sales, make sure to take advantage of them! You save both time and money by planning ahead for next year’s celebrations.

As the spooky season draws near, it’s necessary to plan ahead and make the most out of your money. With these tips, your bank account balance will be the least frightening part of the holiday!

5 Ways to Maximize Your Time While Being Outside

Allison Radziwon — Fri, 10 Jun 2022 17:47:23 +0000

With summer just around the corner, the weather is finally improving. Because of this, it’s much easier to spend more time outside. Spending time outside brings many health benefits. However, people don’t realize all that you can do to see these benefits. Here are 5 ways to maximize your time outside and to ultimately become a healthier version of yourself:

Spend time with friends.

Spending time with others in social environments is important for mental health, which has been severely neglected due to the pandemic. According to WebMD, positive social interaction helps decrease depression and anxiety. Playing a game, going for a walk, or even just sitting outside with friends can greatly improve mental health. In fact, the other suggestions on this list can easily be done with friends!

Go for a walk.

Walking outside gives you time to enjoy the outdoor scenery, and has several health benefits. According to WebMD, going on regular walks both improves your mood and decreases stress, due to increased flow of blood throughout the body to the brain. Walking consistently also helps improve sleep, which in turn can benefit overall health. Really, there’s no reason not to walk!

Bring your work outside.

Due to the pandemic, most people began working from home and spending all day indoors. People are still working remotely, which gives them the chance to work outside in their backyard, at a café, or even the local park. Working outside helps with stress levels. According to Indeed, getting fresh air and oxygen reduces stress hormones such as cortisol. It also improves energy levels due to the fresh oxygen you’re breathing in, which can increase productivity.

Read a book.

As nature is often quieter than crowded indoor environments, it’s extremely common and pleasant to read outside. In fact, reading outside leads to an increase in focus, according to the Scottish Book Trust. The natural light also makes it easier to read and is generally easier on your eyes. And again, due to the increase in fresh oxygen, your productivity will increase.

And of course – exercise!

In a world where people choose to stay indoors to exercise, many don’t realize the benefits of exercising outside. According to WebMD, outdoor exercise stimulates all five senses, which an indoor space can’t. This leads to higher self-esteem due to the number of positive stimulants surrounding you, making you feel better as you exercise. Exercising outside also helps save money, as you don’t need to spend money on a gym membership. For both self-esteem and the wallet, exercising outside is a great way to maximize your time outdoors.

As the weather outside begins to warm up and summer begins, it’s important to spend time outside. Outdoor spaces bring many health benefits, and you’ll begin to feel better once you do.

To see these benefits, it’s important to spend time outside consistently. And by doing these activities to improve your health and wellbeing, you maximize your time outside in the process.

References

https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/mental-benefits-of-walking

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/benefits-of-working-outdoors

https://www.scottishbooktrust.com/articles/the-joy-of-reading-outside

https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/7-reasons-to-sweat-outdoors

Keeping a Journal Consistently and Its Benefits

Allison Radziwon — Tue, 31 May 2022 14:59:42 +0000

Journaling – the practice of expressing your thoughts and feelings in writing – is a common habit for many. Journaling can be used to help improve your daily life through tracking habits, nutrition, fitness, finances, and dreams. Some people write in a journal just to express their emotions and frustrations in daily life. This form of journaling helps reduce stress and improves mental health.

How to Keep a Journal Consistently

Keeping a journal consistently helps with both health and stress. To see these benefits, it’s important to write often. Here are some tips to start writing consistently:

Keep a reminder on your phone.

It’s easy to forget when trying to integrate a new habit into your lifestyle. If you forget to even start, it is harder to create a habit. Adding a reminder on your phone to write in your journal allows it to become easier to not only remember to journal, but also to journal more consistently. It becomes further easier to remember once the habit begins to stick.

Don’t pressure yourself to write a specific amount.

Putting pressure on yourself only makes it more difficult for the habit to stick. Journaling shouldn’t cause you more stress, as the habit is to help reduce it. Don’t put pressure on yourself to reach a certain word count goal! Whether it be a few words or several pages, the most important part of journaling is writing.

Don’t pressure yourself to write every single day.

Life gets busy, which makes it more difficult to stick to daily habits. Sometimes you might not have time to actually sit down and write about your emotions and frustrations. Again, journaling is supposed to help reduce stress. Forcing yourself to do it will only add stress. Instead, journaling should be something you look forward to doing, to unwind after a stressful day. It should never become a habit to dread.

The Benefits of Journaling

Keeping a journal has several benefits. Not only do you get to have a detailed record of your life, but journaling also offers many health benefits – both physical and mental. The most obvious benefit is the improvement of mental health. According to the University of Rochester, journaling helps with managing anxiety and coping with depression. It also helps with problem solving and learning how to voice concerns and fears, which again helps people who struggle with anxiety and depression. Journaling also helps you to identify negative thoughts and behaviors, which in turn allows you to better cope with them.

The mental health benefits of journaling lead to improved physical health once the habit becomes more consistent. According to a study by the University of Cambridge, journaling as a long term habit leads to improvements in physical health long-term. This includes improved lung and liver function, as well as an improved immune system. This is because those who journal report less overall stress.

Journaling is an important habit to help improve physical and mental health and reduce stress. Once you begin to write in a journal consistently, you’ll see these benefits in your own life.