Unique Beach Cover Up

 

 

 

Bathing Suit- La Vie En Rose    Cover Up- Winners (linked similar ones below)  Hat- Urban Planet    Flip Flops- Tory Burch    Sunglasses- Michael Kors

 

 

I absolutely love everything about this cover up. The pattern, the cute tassels on the sides, and how the blue matches perfect with my new bandeau bathing from La Vie En Rose. I wore this on the beach in Florida during my vacation a few weeks ago, and I got a ton of compliments. It looks so different and unique!

 

This cover up can be used a couple different ways. It can be placed over the shoulders like how I have it, or even tied around your waist. Both look super cute!

 

My Tory Burch flip flops are also dark blue, so they go with my outfit perfectly. I made sure to always wear a hat to keep my face out of the sun, and this one is great from Urban Planet.  

 

 

 

 

 

Here are a few more of my favourite cover ups that are similar: 

 

Victoria Secret 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

La Vie En Rose

 

 

Victoria Secret

Hudson's Bay

 

Using your tax refund to contribute to your Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP)

I remember the birth of my two kids as if it happened yesterday. I remember their first words, their first steps, and their first birthdays. I also remember the words of our parents from the beginning, telling us to enjoy every moment with our kids because life goes by so fast.

As sad as it is to say, they were right.

I can't believe in a few months my son is going to be five, and my daughter is going to be two. Before we know it, they'll be in high school, and then off to college or university. It not only makes me sad just thinking about it, but it also worries me about how much it's going to cost us.

Thinking about our kids' future and education really stresses me out. We obviously want the best for them, and to help them out in any way we can. Tuition today is pretty expensive; who knows what the cost will be when my little ones actually go?

When my husband and I went to college, we were both fortunate enough to have our tuition paid for by our parents. So many of our friends are still to this day paying off their student loans. Maybe we didn't realize it then, but looking back on it now, we are so thankful that our parents were able to do that for us. It's because of this we don't have any student loans to pay off. Now we want to follow in their footsteps, and do the same for our kids by contributing to their Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) to help pay for post-secondary education.

The first thing we did in order to make that happen was to open up a bank account for them. Now, any money that we wanted to give to them, or any money they receive as a gifts, goes straight into their account. That way we can keep track of what they have and, at the end of the year, put it towards their RESP. In addition, we have a certain amount withdrawn from our bank account automatically each month that goes straight into the RESP account...just a little something extra we worked into our budget to help contribute more. By doing all of this, though, we still aren't contributing the maximum of $2,500 per year, per child, to receive the full Canada Education Saving Grant. However, I just got a great tip from Heritage Education Funds to use our tax return to contribute even more to our kids' RESP! Isn't that smart?! What better way to top-up than by using money that you weren't expecting?! I really wish we had thought of this option when we first started, because I would have done it. Who wouldn't want to take advantage of getting money from the government right?!

Usually at tax time, we get money back and just put it right back into our account but by using our tax return and contributing to our RESP just makes more sense. Every little bit counts!

If you want more information about setting up a RESP for your child, visit the Heritage Education Funds website HERE and click on "Live Chat". They have agents who can answer any questions you might have. Or if you are a current Heritage Subscriber, you can contact your registered Dealing Representative directly.

 
  

Thank you to Heritage Education Funds for helping me support my son' RESP by sponsoring this post. All thoughts are my own.

 

 

 



Successful Shopping Trip to Miromar Outlets in Estero, Florida!

Every year I head down to Naples, Florida for a family vacation, and not a trip goes by without stopping at Miromar Outlets in Estero. My in-laws have a condo in Naples, which is about 25 minutes away from the outlet.  We always make sure to set aside a day to go there, and get some great deals on clothes for the whole family.

 

Miromar Outlets is an outdoor mall that has over 140 designer and brand name outlets with savings of up to 70% off retail prices. Just some of my favourite stores are Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH, Kate Spade New York, Bloomingdale's The Outlet Store, Polo Ralph Lauren Factory, Nine West Outlet and Neiman Marcus Last Call. Not only do I love this mall for it's amazing deals, but I also find it so pretty to be at. Everywhere you look, there are palm trees, flowers and beautiful fountains surrounding you.

 

 I also like that they have covered walkways for when the sun gets too hot, and lots of benches and tables if we need to take a break and rest our feet.  Tip: They also have complementary Wi-Fi too!

 

If you wanted to grab a bite to eat there are a ton of restaurants, coffee shops and ice cream places. If you love macarons as much as I do, then you need to check out Le Macaron French Pastries! They were so yummy!   

 

 

 

A huge bonus for us was the playland area for the kids. They didn't want to shop for hours like I did, so my husband took them here for a bit and they had a blast! I loved that it was covered for the kids, and they also had a bunch of fans going to make sure they stayed nice and cool.

 

Tip: If you forgot your stroller, they do have some at the Visitor Information Kiosk.

 





Now heading to the Outlets this year was a bit more exciting because I partnered with Miromar Outlets to give you some helpful tips and hints on navigating the mall, so you can find the best deals possible! I also purchased 2 outfits on my shopping trip to show you how much you can save shopping at Miromar Outlets!

 

 

 

 

 One of the best tips I can give you is, DO YOUR RESEARCH! The day before I headed to the mall, I went on their website and went through the directory and wrote down all the stores that I wanted to go into. Next, I printed out the map of the mall that was on their website, so I could plan my route to make the best of my time. 

 

Checking out their website the day before was probably the best thing I could of done. There was so much valuable information on there that was so helpful. Not only was it going to save me time, but it also saved me even more money.  For instance, I clicked on their "offers" section online and it gave me a list of all the current promotions/specials certain stores were offering.  There was also a voucher that I printed out for a VIP Saving Brochure that was filled with additional money-saving offers!! I just took the voucher to the Vistor Information Centre, and they gave me the brochure. (see picture below)

 

Arrive early! I find it less stressful. Easy to find a parking spot, and not as busy as it would be in the afternoon.

 

Make use of their complimentary Shopper Shuttle. If you start to feel tired or just don't feel like walking to a certain store, they have a motorised shuttle service with stops located around the perimeter of the mall so you can get to a store more easily.

 

Obviously shopping at the outlet there are great deals, but did you know there are even better deals at the very back of the store? Each store I walked into, I went straight to the very back of the store to the clearance section. That's where the incredible deals were! Just think, outlets have amazing prices already, but how about outlet clearance prices?! Amazing!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Want to see what I bought?! You won't believe how much I saved!

 Here is the first outfit I purchased. Remember, I just spoke about heading to the back of the store to their clearance section? Well, that's where I found this beautiful black dress. It's is from BCBG and I picked it up for only $28.99!! It was Reg. $118. My wedge heel shoes are from Bloomingdale's The Outlet Store, and they were only $43.49 (Reg. $90) To finish the look, I scored this black Kate Spade purse for only $79.20! It was 70% off- Reg. $198

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My second outfit I have to say is my favourite. I am in love with this gorgeous white lace dress that I purchased from Polo Ralph Lauren for only $66.29. It was reg. $129.99, so it was a great deal. I paired it with these pretty floral pumps by Guess that I found at Bloomingdale's The Outlet Store again. They had some great prices on shoes. These are only $32.24, Reg. $69. I then reused the black Kate Spade purse to complete this look.

 

 

 

So in total I saved..........$354.78 Isn't that amazing?! Which outfit did you like best?

 

 

 

 

For more information on Miromar Outlets, visit their website here. You can also follow them on Facebook, Instragram and Twitter for the latest promotions and events.

Lace-Up Sandals

 

 

 

 

Dress- Forever 21 (Old)     Lace-Up Sandals - Forever 21 (New- Sold Out)

 

 

For my trip to Florida, I picked up these cute beige lace-up sandals at Forever 21. Now that I am back and writing this post, I can't believe they are already sold out. That was fast!  

 

I paired them with this orange dress, with white polka dots that I got from Forever 21 a couple of years ago. I am not going to lie, they do take a while to put on, but they are very comfortable, and I love them so that makes up for it, lol. I have a few other dresses in my closet that will go perfect with these sandals, so I think I will get a lot of use out of them this summer.

 

I linked a few similar ones down below since these are currently sold out. Who knows, they might get them back in stock, so I would keep an eye on the website if you really like them.

 

Hope you're having a great week!

 

 

 

 

Lace-Up Espadrille Wedges

 

 

 

 

Faux Suede Lace-Up Sandals

 

 

 

Sammson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Heleena