Valuable tips from Michelle Madhok

With tight budgets and seemingly never enough time in the day, we often find ourselves trying to squeeze more out of the things we have and what we have to do. Especially as we head into the holiday season, this seems to be top of mind for many of us. But who says we shouldn’t get the most out of what we love, from the perfect holiday outfit to refreshing the feel of our homes without having to spend a dime.

Michelle Madhok, a coveted online shopping expert and founder of SheFinds.com and MomFinds.com, is offering tips and tricks on how you can become a savvy shopper and find joy in the most unexpected of places, like your cleaning routine!

Michelle Tips:
1. Get double the wear out of a pair of chic rain boots by using them as winter boots and adding a simple fleece liner. You can dodge puddles and stay warm and dry all season long.
2. Tights make a world of difference when the seasons change. They can help you get more wear out of your favorite skirts and dresses by transitioning them from warm-weather looks to winter wear.
3. Spend less time shopping for an entire new wardrobe—find a great tailor and get more wear out of your existing clothes by having your ill-fitting pieces hemmed to fit you perfectly. The amount of time you wear them (and compliments you get) will be well worth it.
4. You don’t always need to go out and buy a whole new outfit. Add a skinny belt and wear it over cardigans, dresses, pencil skirts...it can make an outfit look fresher instantly.
5. I love buying designer cosmetics because it makes an everyday necessity feel like I'm indulging in something luxurious – but it's actually something small, within my reach, that curbs the urge to blow a whole paycheck. I also find that the “splurge” pays off because quality makeup lasts longer during the day—I hardly have to reapply!
 6. Any great scented candle. It's amazing how lighting one can add a new vibe to a room or enhance your mood, without having to rearrange the furniture or purchase new accents.
7. If you love when your clothes have an amazing fresh scent, buy a detergent like Gain, which has a variety of scent choices. Instead of using two caps of the leading liquid value detergent, use only one cap of any Gain scent. This helps you use less detergent and get more of the scent you love!
8. Investing in organizational tools for the house lets you get more out of the space you have, making your place look bigger, cleaner and more 'together' without having to purge those “sometimes use” items.

Tardiness troubles me

I am a stickler for being on time. I don't think there are more than a few instances that I have actually been late (with good reason). Even being 1 minute over the time I am supposed to be somewhere puts me in that "late" category. That would bother me. I take time to prepare myself even for the smallest event to ensure that I am at least 5-10 minutes early. I am the example to my children so I have pounded into them the importance of being on time. They know that being late is a sign of disrespect and shows others that you do not care to be there. The girls are very diligent about preparing for the next day and their nerves go awry at the thought of being late. Punctual parents make punctual kids. I know some people, actually a lot of people who almost brag about how late they are running on a daily basis. If you know you have some place to be at a specific time (well in advance) then what is the excuse? Our kids watch us closely...