With Christmas just around the corner your mind has started to wander towards gift buying and shopping. Every single year you put on your wooly hat and head to your local town center to brave the Christmas crowds. This year you should think about embracing online shopping, because there are arguably way more advantages to this method of retail therapy. Instead of getting caught up in unnecessary sale items you can actually start shopping for the things you really need. Check out these five reasons to shop online this festive season.

1. There is So Much More On Offer

The online world is bursting with amazing designers and independent businesses that should be supported. When you buy from an online store such as adina’s jewels, you are helping a small business meet their goals. In addition to this, there is so much more on offer online compared to your run of the mill high street stores. Find unique pieces of jewelry that will excite your friends and family, instead of the same old pieces that can be found everywhere.

2. You Don’t Have To Brave the Crowds

There is nothing worse than trying to push your way through a crowded town center to get to the shop you need, not to mention the winding queues at the checkout. Stay comfy and cozy in your own home and use your computer to get everything done this year. You’ll be grateful that you haven’t got to battle through the hustle and bustle with all of your bags!

3. It’s Cheaper

Believe it or not online shopping can be much cheaper than heading to the high street. As long as you have the right will power and are open to returning things if they’re not quite right, you will definitely be saving money. Retailers like to draw you into special offers and place clever items at the checkout to make you buy more. When you shop online you aren’t as exposed to all of this so you can stick to your list much more easily.

4. The Perfect Solution for a Busy Person

Like most people in the modern world, you don’t actually have time to head out to the shops to purchase all of your Christmas presents. The beauty of shopping online is that you can do it whenever and wherever you want! Whether you’re making a purchase on the bus to work or you’re tapping away at your phone during a lunch break, you can get everything done without having to disturb your busy schedule.

5. You Can Bulk Buy 

There is nothing worse than heading to the shops and being overloaded with shopping bags. You start to sweat and your hands feel like they are about to drop off. You can buy heavier or bulkier items online without having to stress about carrying them all the way home!

So log onto your favorite store on your phone or fire up your laptop, because online shopping is definitely the way forward this Christmas.

**Thanks for reading; you’re F.A.Bulous!**

**This post has been contributed** 

Turkey, potatoes, and stuffing. These are likely to be the main foods on the Thanksgiving dinner table. Since the early 20th century, the turkey has occupied one of the most critical places in the Thanksgiving preps. It’s so crucial to the celebration that more and more Americans refer to Thanksgiving as (Happy) Turkey Day. For anyone who’s inviting friends and relatives over, the pressure is not only about finding a big enough turkey but also making sure that you can get the juiciest bird in town. Nobody likes a dried slice of meat!

However, as more and more people are looking for meat-free alternatives to Thanksgiving – either before they are vegetarian or because they’re worried about the impact their meat consumption has on the planet – it’s time to turn Turkey Day into Happy Family, Feast and Fun Day.

The autumnal style you want to show off

What’s the best thing you can do to take your guests’ minds off the traditional turkey dish? You need to dress up for the occasion – instead of wearing your best oven gloves and kitchen apron above your dress. One of the common mistakes hosts make is to want to put their best clothes on while worrying that they might stain the outfit. As a result, you end up hiding behind an oversized apron. Instead, you could pick a cozy and pretty dress – have a look at long floral dresses this season – that is easy to maintain. This will makes sure you feel comfortable walking around without your kitchen gear on!

You don’t have time to go OTT

You want to look your best, but remember that you also need to host a party. You can’t afford to spend hours pampering and styling in front of the mirror. But you can try quick and straightforward hair updos that keep your look casual and stylish at the same time. With a few twists and sophisticated knots, you could recreate a classic hairdo from the Glorious 1930s – do try the Great Gatsby style if you’ve got long hair – in a matter of minutes.

It’s not all about the turkey

As we’ve said, if you want to remove the turkey from the dinner’s preparations, you can leave it out. When Abraham Lincoln made Thanksgiving a national holiday, the turkey wasn’t even part of the menu. The first pilgrims didn’t eat turkey either during their three days of feast. So, you don’t need to put a turkey on the table if you don’t want to. For meat-hungry guests, a charcuterie platter can be a fantastic alternative. Serve it with a few crackers and some crudites as a starter, for instance. If you prefer a meat-free option, everybody will cheer at the sight of a roasted butternut squash risotto: It’s both healthy and delicious, especially if you add plenty of Parmesan cheese and fresh herbs before serving!

Wow your guests with a yummy pie

Finally, if you decide to skip the turkey, you can spend more time making a homemade sweet pie. While pumpkin is a favorite, you can be creative and surprise your guests with a cream and cider apple pie. A coconut custard pie also offers a fantastic palate-cleansing flavor at the end of a rich meal.

Does a turkey make Thanksgiving? Of course not! All you need is to look and feel your best to make the most the holiday with your loved ones. Besides, they are plenty of yummy turkey-free alternatives to keep your guests satisfied.

**Thanks for reading; you’re F.A.Bulous!**

**This post has been contributed** 

Who doesn’t get a little feeling of fashion envy from time to time? When you don’t have the money to spend on whatever the current celebrity trend is, you can only dream and reflect on what it might be like to have the opportunity to spend a day (literally) in their shoes!

How many of you have gazed wistfully at the trend-setting style outfits chosen by new princess Meghan Markle? It’s unlikely many of us can afford to stretch our budget to the $18,000 Givenchy outfits she has been strolling around in! And if you’re planning on getting married, you probably won’t be able to afford that stunning Givenchy wedding dress of $265,000. And you most certainly won’t be able to afford the $350,000 cost of her engagement ring. Jealousy, anybody?

And it’s not only the celebrities we see parading around in the latest trends that cause us envy. There are those people ‘like us,’ who seem to find the funds to keep up with the latest trends. Admittedly, they are probably working multiple jobs to get the desired look, but how many of us have the time to do that? We walk by them in the shopping malls and feel inadequate in what we are wearing. We see them picking up clothes at high-end fashion boutiques while we stand idly by window shopping. If only we could have what they have.

So, how can we overcome fashion envy? Should we lock ourselves in at home, and never hit the high street again? Should we stop going online to avoid the temptation to peek at the latest celeb fashion? No, of course, we shouldn’t. But while we can’t afford everything that causes us envy, we can still find ways to look good at cut-down prices.

• We can embrace online shopping, signing up for discount coupons and information on special deals from our favorite fashion stores. And there are plenty of cheap fashion websites, so we still have the opportunity to look good at a fraction of the usual budget.

• We can wait a few months before parting with our cash, as there are always going to be sales online and in our local high street, where we can buy something fashionable at a cheaper price than the original sales tag. As fashion trends change all the time, we need only bide our time to grab ourselves something glam, even if we don’t always get to stay in line with the newest trend.

• We can start saving our money on those things we really like, rather than bemoan the fact that we have no money. We can save for our wedding, so while we won’t be to afford the expense of old Sparkle Markle (as we are now calling her), we might still be able to afford something highlighted in this James Allen review. And we can save for those other events in our life when we need something good to wear, rather than wasting our hard-earned cash on fashion accessories that we don’t really need in the meantime.

• We can visit charity stores, something that many people turn their noses up at! But listen, if you visit those stores in high-end places of your town, who knows what may have been donated from the more affluent members of your community?

And finally, you don’t need to have fashion envy at all if you’re comfortable with the way you look. If you’re happy in your outfit, who cares what anybody else thinks? But if you do want to follow fashion, you can overcome feelings of envy by following the ideas mentioned above. Or you could ‘simply’ marry a Royal yourself, and never have to worry about having fashion envy ever again!

**Thanks for reading; you’re F.A.Bulous!**

**This post has been contributed**