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Tips for Picking Out Your First Place

Tips for Picking Out Your First Place

Graduation is coming up, and now the next steps of being a post-college society member are starting to creep into your mind. One of the first steps to think about is where you will be living now that you will be leaving your dorm. Budget, whether or not you will be living with a roommate, and location are all factors in determining where you want your next living space to be.

Allocating a budget

The first and most important step in picking out your first apartment is figuring out what you can afford. Deciding on a budget can help you narrow down location and living situation. For instance, if you live in a major city where rent can be more expensive you may want to look into living in surrounding areas if your budget is on the lower side. If you do want to live in the city then you might want to consider living with someone to split the costs.

Living alone or with someone

When it comes to having a roommate or multiple roommates there are a few factors to consider. Firstly, would be the aforementioned budgeting situation. Would it be in your best interest financially to live with someone? Another aspect to consider would be your comfort level. Are you able to compromise enough to share your space? If not, then are you someone who would feel comfortable enough to live alone? Once you begin to answer these questions then it will be easier to determine whether or not a roommate living situation is a right option for you. If you do choose to with a roommate, then there are plenty of safe resources out there to help you find the right one.

Deciding on the size of an apartment

Settling on the size of your first place will largely depend on your spatial need. Do you need an extra room for an office? Is a larger space too stressful for you to clean? If you like to cook, you may want a larger kitchen or if you like baths you may want a place with a bathtub and now just a standing shower. Writing down everything you need for an ideal space will make it easier when going hunting for your new place.

Picking out a location

Location is of extreme importance when looking for your first place out of college. College campuses tend to be relatively safe with the school security measures in place around the area. Ensuring you are in a safe area is imperative to making this important step of living off-campus. Researching the crime rate and downloading apps, such as the Citizen app, and setting the location to where you might want to move can help in finding out if an area is safe. If you do not have a car then seeing the public transportation options in the area is also a great step. If you do have a car then checking out the parking options will be helpful. Taking all of these into consideration will help narrow down a location.

Hiring movers to eliminate stress

Once you have decided on where to move then you will want to decide how the movie is going to be executed so you won’t need to stress. Find a reliable moving company in the area and see if they have student discounts. Eliminating one less task will do wonders in easing relocation anxiety.

SEE ALSO: Home Spring Cleaning Tips For the Remote Worker

What Gifts to Buy for Graduation?

Graduation season is officially here, and if you have someone in your life who’s about to walk across the stage in a cap and gown and into a new chapter of their life, then we have the essential guide to buying gifts for you.

Gifts for your brother who’s taking a gap year

For the grad in your life who is following their dreams after college and needs something to pack their socks in, a sturdy duffle or a nice luggage set will get them across the world on their new adventures. We also love travel pouches that let you organize your toiletries, make up or other essentials when you’re on a trip.

Gifts for your feminist studies sister

When its looking to be a long summer of job hunting for the grad in your life who’s about to get her major in women’s studies and minor in political science, give her the gift of distraction. Opt for a book like I Might Regret This by Abbi Jacobson. She also might love a classic red lipstick like Stila in Beso—the preferred color of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Your intramural champ cousin

Without the student recreation center in their life anymore, gifting a six-month gym membership would be appreciated in this case. They also might love gifts such as: a set of high-tech, moisture-wicking socks or a proper yoga mat.

Your bff who was with you for every all-nighter

To say thanks for four years of snack support during every all-nighter you pulled together, consider a chic laptop sleeve. If you and your BFF loved to spend time together on the campus trails, opt for a donation in their name to the National Park Foundation. And if neither of those seem like your BFF, pick out a cool graphic calendar and circle your first post-college reunion in red.

The impossible to shop for crowd

For those hard-to-buy-for family members and friends, you can never go wrong with gifts like an artsy mug and a nice box of tea or coffee. If they’re moving into a new place, add a chic set of coasters with your gift. If you’re really scratching your head for what to get—well, we’d never say no to a Target gift card.

Gifts on a budget

Are you a student, looking to buy a fellow graduate a gift, but also looking ahead at looming student loans? Try these budget-friendly tricks:

  • Shop second-hand
  • Gift card to a place you both loved in your college town
  • Something small, but memorable
  • A framed photo of your college days

We hope our graduation guide to buying gifts for your brother, sister, cousin or friend will help you find the perfect gift and we wish a massive congratulations to whoever day it is for!

See also: Sustainable Gems For Graduation Day

Top Career Tips After Graduation

What To Do After Graduation

Dress Dapper to Graduate Your Style

Image Courtesy of Dapper Classics.

We’ve all heard the saying “dress for success.” We’d like to offer another piece of advice: “Dapper is in the details.” If you want to set yourself up for success after graduation, you can’t afford to overlook the details. Fortunately, Dapper Classics has you covered.

Our Story

Dapper Classics was launched following a conversation between a father and a son about the limited options for stylish, American-made dress socks that wouldn’t sag or bunch upon wears. Fred and Harrison started knitting a solution to the problem in 2012. In the almost, seven years since, we have purchased five knitting machines and expanded our offerings to include Made in USA neckwear and trousers.

The Dapper Difference

Through our commitment American manufacturing, we’ve partnered with experts in their crafts. Our socks are knitted at a third-generation family mill in North Carolina, our neckties are handmade by a team of artisans in New York, and our trousers are hand-tailored at New York factory with nearly 100 years of tailoring expertise. All Dapper Classics products are made with the details in mind.

Dressing Like A Grown-up

Our socks are knitted with linked toes for additional style and comfort. Available in cotton, merino wool, and cashmere in over-the-calf and mid-calf fits, our socks keep you looking good all year-round. Dapper Classics entered the “sock game” around the time workplaces started trending toward the casual. Now more than ever, people are using their socks to express themselves and have a little fun with their office attire. Our wide range of styles – from solids to skull and crossbones – offers something for everyone.

Whether you prefer bold or traditional footwear, you’ll want socks you can count on as you embark on the daily grind of the “real world.” Going sockless looks like you forgot to finish getting dressed up and athletic tube socks and cheap dress socks won’t get the job done. Dapper Classics socks are made to stay up all day long. When you’re wearing our hosiery, you can focus on your work and forget about having to constantly reach down to pull up your socks. You can also cross your legs in confidence knowing that doing so won’t reveal sloppy bunched up socks and exposed skin – an embarrassing faux pas you’ll want to avoid at work and when you’re out socializing.

Classic Styles For Organized Appearances

For those times at work when you need to dress your absolute best – interviews and important meetings – our neckwear can help pull together your look. Our silk, cotton, and linen ties are designed with classic style in mind, making them easy to wear with your staple shirts and suits. Pair our ties with complementary socks for a well-coordinated look that will definitely be noticed. Pairing our neckwear and hosiery is also a winning formula for formal events outside of work. Well-stocked sock drawers and tie racks will have you ready for weddings – which you’re sure to be invited to following graduation – and community events.

Moving beyond accessories, our hand-tailored trousers are well worth the investment if you’re ready to get serious about dressing like a grown-up. Competitively priced, our pants come unfinished for custom tailoring. Dapper Classics trousers come in two fits – slim and classic – and a range of colors and fabrics. Our cotton chinos, linens, hopsacks, and lightweight wools are ideal for the months following graduation. And our heavier wools, donegals, and moleskins will get you through the fall and winter.

More Than A Wardrobe

As nice as Dapper Classics socks, ties, and trousers are, they’re more than just quality goods to add to your wardrobe. Every product we make comes with a story – the story of a small family business committed to supporting other American jobs. When you shop Dapper Classics, you’re participating in that story.

Discover Dapper Classics’ best sellers and new product arrivals at www.dapperclassics.com .

See Also:

Making A Fashion Statement 

Life Lessons After Graduation

 

Sustainable Gems for Graduation Day

If a scene from the film Black Diamond comes to mind when you think about gems, you’ll be glad to know that this is not an image you need to associate with the pearl industry.

Most gemstones are non-renewable – the supply of gems like diamonds is finite and won’t be replaced in our lifetime, while many mining sites cause a lot of ecological damage.

But, the pearl industry is different.

Pearls: Nature’s Gems

Pearls are the only gems that are produced by living creatures; they are organic, created inside living mollusks. They’re also renewable – one mollusk can produce multiple pearls at a time and the mollusks themselves can also reproduce. It only takes a few years for pearls to form, in stark contrast with diamonds, which take between 1-3 billion years to be created.

Oysters are remarkably sensitive organisms, which makes it extremely important that the water and surrounding areas are clean and healthy, otherwise the pearls won’t grow. A pearl farmer who cares about the long-term health of his farming operation must use environmentally-responsible farming practices to produce high-quality pearls now, and for decades to come, unlike with other gemstones where the future of the environment is hardly a concern.

Formerly, pearls could only be found growing wild in nature, and they were extremely rare – only royalty and the extremely wealthy could afford them. But today, most pearls you can buy are cultured or produced on pearl farms of which about 95% are produced in China, which is also where our flagship product, Edison pearls are cultivated.

What Are Edison Pearls?

Edison Pearls are the brainchild of Zhan Weijian, president of Grace Pearls located in Zhuji, a town in the Zhejiang Province in east-central China. The first cultivated pearls were farmed successfully in 1916, admittedly of low quality, and over time the quality has improved tremendously and could even be compared to the quality of natural pearls. But Edison Pearls took the industry to a whole new level when they were introduced to the market in 2010.

What makes Edison pearls so unique is that these pearls are smooth with intense luster, they’re almost perfectly round, they come in sizes of up to ¾ of an inch and there are a wide range of different colors available such as: purple, pink, bronze, dark gold, and champagne.

When asked why he chose the name, Zhan Weijian said that “Thomas Edison, for all his intelligence, could not invent pearls or diamonds.”

The superior quality of Edison pearls put them in a class of their own. And what makes them even more remarkable is the fact that they are surprisingly affordable. Women throughout the world are now able to afford pearls of superior quality in any shape, size, and color they prefer.

Our Trade-In System: Recycle Your Old Jewelry

At Timeless Pearl, we’re committed to helping women look beautiful and feel confident with a wide range of charming jewelry designs that reflect her inner beauty and personal style.

We’re also committed to the environment and our impact in the community. We only partner with suppliers who follow sound sustainability practices in their pearl farming operations.

But we’re now taking our commitment even further. We’re introducing a new trade-in system where you can exchange your old pearl jewelry for something new and depending on the quality of the used jewelry, you can get up to 80% back on your purchase price.

It’s simple. You just complete the trade-in application form on our website to receive a return label, you’ll then post the old jewelry to us, and once we’ve inspected the jewelry, you’ll receive a cash back coupon via email which you can then use when making your next purchase.

Take a Stand on Graduation Day

We invite you to take a stand for women and the environment on your graduation day – and beyond. With over 400 different styles, you’re bound to find something to your liking.

Visit timelesspearl.com to make a statement on graduation day.

 

At Timeless Peal, we sincerely hope to make you 100% satisfied with your pearl jewerly purchase. Our mission is to make handcrafted luxury timeless pearl jewelry affordable to everyone, and at the same time promote environmental sustainability and our love of pearls.

Wear a Tie

Put down That Hoodie and Wear a Tie Instead!

T-shirts and hoodies are great, but sometimes college events require a tie. Fortunately, it’s possible to look sharp on a college budget. Here’s how to wear a tie and dress for those dapper college events.

Fraternity or group events

Classic two-color striped ties are perfect for fraternity or other organization events. These ties stand out, especially when an entire group wears the same tie. Standard ties, skinny ties, bow ties, socks, suspenders, pocket squares. Striped ties come in a wide variety of styles and color combos, so it’s easy to match group or college colors.

Class presentations

Giving a class presentation or thesis is about more than quality content. Impressions count. No fidgeting, make eye contact, avoid saying ‘like’ or ‘um’ and don’t wear distracting clothing. Even if it’s not required, it’s a good idea to skip the joggers and instead put on chinos or slacks, a button-down shirt and wear a tie. Plaid or geometric pattern ties are great neutral designs that won’t distract the audience. (A neon-colored tie or bold novelty print, on the other hand, would be a distraction.) Since it’s important to look at ease in front of an audience, choose a tie style that’s comfortable. This may be a slim 2.5-inch tie or a contemporary 3.25-inch tie.

Formals

Hopefully, it goes without saying that college formals and semi-formals require you to wear a tie. Whether this tie is worn with a tux, suit or simply a dress shirt and slacks varies from school to school. Definitely ask around to find out the level of formality expected.

If a tuxedo is suggested, a black bow tie and black or white pocket square is traditional. If wearing a suit, either a necktie or bow tie is acceptable. Though optional, adding a pocket square is a nice touch, too. Paisley, tone-on-tone stripes or textured solid ties are great for formal events. For those with dates, the tie should coordinate with her dress. This isn’t prom, so it’s not necessary to perfectly match a solid tie to the dress color. However, a pattern tie in similar colors is a great choice.

A dress shirt and slacks allows the most flexibility. A necktie or bow tie will do, but it doesn’t have to coordinate with a date’s attire. Unstained, unwrinkled and proportionate for one’s body type is what counts.

Sometimes, the fraternity, club or organization hosting the formal will have custom ties made for its members. These ties are typically worn with a suit or dress shirt and slacks, not a tuxedo. However, if given a tie to wear, check to see if there is an additional dress code. (Suit color, shirt color, etc.)

Job interviews

As senior year winds down, the job search begins. Landing a job interview is a huge accomplishment, so it should go without saying that this is not the time or place to dress casual. In fact, it’s better to be overdressed than underdressed at a job interview. A dark-colored suit paired with a conservative necktie (i.e. 3-inches to 3.5-inches wide) are the most appropriate choices. Tie colors shouldn’t vary much from navy blue or burgundy in solid or subtle designs.

Wear a tie for graduation

Graduation is a time to celebrate. And that means looking good, even if a cap and gown is covering an outfit for most of the day. Give one last hurrah to the alma mater with a solid or striped necktie or bow tie in college colors. Novelty ties relating to one’s major are perfect for graduation, too. (Yes, math, teacher, engineering, lawyer, doctor ties, etc. are a thing.) Or, shop smart and purchase a pattern tie that can be worn to a new job post-graduation.

Tiemart, Inc. is an online neckwear and accessory retailer located in northern Illinois. The company specializes in budget-friendly ties for any occasion, from fashionable everyday attire to group wear and formal events. Shop www.tiemart.com for affordable neckties, bow ties, socks, suspenders, pocket squares and more.