Awesomely Simple Ways to Boost Your Self-Esteem

Why is good self-esteem important?

Good self-esteem is important for everyone because it helps you keep a positive outlook on life and makes you feel proud of the person you are, both inside and out. Most teens with good self-esteem find life much more enjoyable. They tend to have better relationships with peers and adults, find it easier to deal with mistakes or disappointments, and are more likely to stick with a task until they succeed.

Good self-esteem gives you the:

• Courage to try new things
• Power to believe in yourself
• Confidence to make healthy choices for your mind and body now and throughout your life

Treating yourself with respect and realizing that every part of you is worth caring for and protecting will help you keep a healthy attitude towards yourself. Building good self-esteem can take a long time and is not always easy, but knowing that you can improve your self-esteem is the first step.

Is there anything I can do if my self-esteem is low?

Yes! If you feel frustrated or too annoyed or upset to talk, try going for a walk or a run, listen to music, or do a favorite activity with someone you enjoy being with. Sometimes expressing how you feel can actually be more helpful than keeping feelings to yourself. Talk with a close friend or relative who you trust and who can offer encouragement and support. It can also be comforting to talk with other teens that may be going through similar experiences. Remember, everyone has felt badly about themselves at some point in time!

If you’re feeling very sad and discouraged most of the time, and can’t seem to find ways to feel better about yourself, it’s important to contact your health care provider or counselor. They can help you to find ways to cope.

What can I do to build self-confidence in the way I look?

There are many ways to help boost self-confidence such as finding a flattering outfit to wear, getting a new hairstyle, or simply eating nutritious foods and exercising. One of the best ways to feel good about your body is to work on having a healthy one! You may not always have control over your appearance, but you do have the power to keep a positive attitude towards yourself.

What are some ways to keep a positive attitude?

A positive attitude can come by defining an identity for yourself that is not based on looks or negative things other people may say.

You can develop good self-esteem and keep a positive attitude by:

• Focusing on the good things you do and spending time concentrating on your unique qualities.
• Focusing on your education: Learning gives you the power to make a difference in your life and in the lives of others.
• Participating in a variety of sports or activities: This can be a great way to stay healthy and fit, which adds to a positive body image.
• Taking up a new hobby or learning to play an instrument: Have you ever wanted to play the guitar? Maybe you want to learn how to play chess. Take time to find your hidden talents!
• Setting and reaching new goals: Having something to look forward to can give you a sense of pride and help you work through different challenges throughout your life.
• Being an inspiration to others: If you thought of your own ways to cope with social situations and find confidence, you may find it rewarding to share advice and offer encouragement to others.

Building a healthy body image and good self-esteem can be hard work because it takes time to become confident. As you work to improve your body image, you will experience self-acceptance and learn to recognize the qualities, skills, and talents that make you special.

Why You Should Create a Bill Schedule

Ok people. No matter how organized you think you are, start using a bill schedule!

What is a bill schedule?A bill schedule lists all of your monthly, bi-annual, and annual obligations, in order by date that they are due.  Sounds like a simple concept, and it is.  What is not simple is the radical difference it made in my financial life.

Click here to earn money shopping online so that bills are never a worry! 

Is a Bill Schedule right for you?

• Do you pay bills after the due date more than twice a year?
• Do you struggle to find the money to pay all of your bills before you receive your next paycheck?
• Do you overdraft your checking account more than once per year?
• Do you have trouble remembering which bills to pay?
• Do you and your spouse have trouble communicating about which bills have been paid?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then a simple bill schedule could help immensely!

Above, you can see an example of what a bill schedule should look like.  Every monthly bill is listed on the left of the bill payment schedule, in order by due date, along  with the amount.  As the bills are paid, you put an “x” in the box that corresponds with the current month and bill.  Super simple, right? (This is last year’s schedule, not our current one)

Down towards the bottom we now put Home and Auto Insurance.  The Home Insurance is paid annually, but we prepare for this by dividing the annual premium by 12 months, and move that amount to savings at the end of each month.  The same goes for Auto insurance :-)

Putting a bill schedule together is not easy – but it is so worth it!

1. Put all of your bills in one place – We keep a basket on the table right inside the door we use most, that all of the mail gets thrown into .  Then, once or twice a month, we throw out the junk, and organize the actual bills into our bill folder…
2. The bill folder – This, obviously, is the place where we keep all of our bills.  We don’t really organize them by date in here, because, seriously, who time for that?  Inside the folder we have the bill schedule, bills, passwords and usernames for online payments, checks, stamps, and envelopes.  Everything we need to pay bills!
3. Put into excel – If you’re an Excel whiz, great!  If not, check out this cool template!  Grab all the bills from you mail pile or bill binder, and plug them in according to due date!

I understand that this sounds super easy, but bear in mind that you might run into some problems.  Say you start keeping all of your bills in one place, but then a week later, it is time to pay some of them, or they will be late.  It’s ok!  Just plug in what you have!  Do this every time you get paid, and pretty soon you will have a comprehensive bill schedule!

Now that you have all of your bills on the bill schedule, try it out for a month!  I paybills twice a month – each time I am paid.  If I am paid on the 1st of the month, I know that I have to pay AT LEAST all of the bills that are due between the 1st and 15th of the month – plus leave some extra for gas and groceries!  Generally, we pay as many bills as we possibly can each paycheck.  The result is that we are gradually “ahead” on bills and will eventually be a full month ahead!  How amazing would it be to not have to pay bills for whole month and know that you would be completely fine!?!

Click here  to earn money shopping online so that bills are never a worry! 

Tips for SAVING $$ these holidays w/out looking like a GrInCh

Need to know

• Keep your Christmas spending under control. Make yourself a budget, allocating a certain amount for gifts and stick to it. Overspending and impulse buying leads to parents spending an average of $300 on presents per child!
• Think tactically when buying for kids, if you start buying them expensive, advanced, electrical pressies from a young age, you'll have nowhere to go when they get older
• Use comparison sites like shop.com/prettysmart when you're shopping online to find the gifts for the best price. Remember to factor in delivery cost
• You can get branded gifts like watches, clothes and even toys with up to 70% off from Secret sales sites. BUT some sellers can be VERYslow to dispatch-  an estimated delivery date should be given at checkout but it’s safer to expect them to be late, if it’s getting close to the big day you may want to shop elsewhere
• In mid-December shops will start cutting prices, Black Friday which has MASSIVE online discounts is Friday 28th November. For the BIGGEST discounts shop from shop.com/prettysmart to catch the January Sales. If you’re meeting up with family after Christmas wait and grab their pressies then
• A cashback site like shop.com/prettysmart will give you money back as you shop. Confident credit card users should consider a cashback credit card with their favorite regular stores. 
• Homemade gift ideas
• • Well presented homemade gifts need never look cheap. Check out shop.com/prettysmart for ribbons and cellophane wraps) and get creative!
    • Infused Olive oil or Vodka is SUPER easy, check out allrecipes.com for recipes and shop.com/prettysmart for posh bottles to decant into
    • Christmas Cake Pops and Gingerbread men will go down a storm with kids and foodies. Make your cake pops ahead of time and freeze them (with or without dipping.  We’ve found thawing them in the fridge prevents them from ‘sweating’)
    • A 52 Reasons why I love you set of playing cards is a lovely gift. Just stick a reason on the back of every card of a pack. 
    • A GREAT Retro gift could be buying a pretty jar (again try shop.com/prettysmart) and filling it with the recipient’s favorite penny sweets
    • Cut an offshoot of any veg, flowers or herbs you grow, put it in water and after it has grown its own roots, transfer it to a personalised pot – great gift for kids as it turns into a project. Or, use a few pots and shoots to create a small indoor garden for adults!
    • Here's a REALLY easy reciepe for a GREAT body scrub: 
    1. Buy a pretty jar (or EVEN CHEAPER decorate a jam jar)
    2. Fill it with granulated sugar
    3. Fill the jar with rice bran oil (great for your skin), you can infuse this oil first with a couple of drops of essential oils (shop.com/prettysmart)
    4. Let the oil settle and then top up
    5. Present with a ribbon and a label

Why is taking a vitamin supplement important?

A vitamin may be broadly defined as a substance that is essential for the maintenance of normal metabolic function, but which is not produced in the body and therefore must be consumed from a source outside the body.

They are necessary elements in the process of converting food to energy and in the growth and repair of body tissue. Reduction of vitamin levels over extended periods can result in vitamin deficiency.

These shortages may lead to symptoms which can include loss of appetite, loss of body weight, increased irritability and sleeplessness or constant drowsiness. Deficiencies of this nature can be easily avoided by adequate vitamin intake.

Isotonix formulas are also the fastest and most effective ways to receive multivitamins.

Try a sample and become prettysmart. First round's on me:)

Don't be stupid.

1) Save $$ for shopping at 3500 of the stores that you ALREADY shop at. shop.com/prettysmart 
OR
2) Try our kickass brands like Isotonix and Motives cosmetics
OR
3) *most challenging/rewarding**leverage time and $ and run your own little biz!   claire@shopprettysmart.com