Three Steps Towards A Toxin-Free Home

It's a new year with new beginnings. Start your year off right by converting your home to a toxin-free home. This isn't something that needs to be done overnight, but you can follow these three steps to get you started with a toxin-free home. 

* This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.
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At the start of every new year, it's a chance for a new beginning. Whether you are starting a new fitness journey, personal growth journey, or health journey (I talked loads about resolutions when I shared my candied almonds recipe), the beginning of a year is a fresh start.

Since A and I are expecting Baby Girl very, very soon, I've had a chance to reflect upon all of the toxins that can be found in our home. There are so many products that I use everyday that are filled with pure chemicals. They can't be good for our health and definitely won't be good for our newborn.

Ever since becoming a subscriber with Grove Collaborative, I have been able to experiment with a ton of new products - some of my favorites being the natural cleaning products from brands like Mrs. Meyers and Method. Plus the convenience of Grove Collaborative is that they remember my favorite products so I don't fear running out of them. Each shipment is totally customizable and I only get what I want - I wish everything in life was that easy!

Join me in starting the new year out right by creating a toxin-free home. With just these three simple steps you are well on your way for creating a healthier environment for you and your family, which will likely lead to more happiness.

Click to tweet: Follow these three steps to get you started with a toxin-free home.

Cleaning Products

Have you ever read the label on your favorite cleaning products. The smell alone is usually enough to tell you that these products can't be any good for us. There is an easy solution to using toxin-free cleaning products. Seventh Generation has many natural cleaning products or you can even make your own using vinegar or essential oils. When making your own cleaning products, I'd highly recommend using a glass spray bottle over a plastic one.

Shower Liners

If the budget doesn't allow for an entire bathroom remodel to install fancy glass doors for your shower or tub, swap out those vinyl shower curtains for fabric. The smell of a new vinyl shower curtain tends to stick around for several weeks thanks to VOCs. Plus the nice thing about a fabric shower liner is that they can easily be washed multiple times.

Candles

I have always been a fan of candles and I love having my house smell lovely. Candles bring a sense of warmth to a home and every time we have moved in the past, they help make me feel a home quicker. However, traditional candles are filled with dangerous benzene chemicals. You can easily swap out those chemical-filled candles for soy-based candles or diffuse some essential oils.

Grove Collaborative wants to help you start your year toxin-free by offering new customers 

• Free Grove Collaborative Cleaning Caddy
• Free Grove Glass Spray Bottle
• Free Grove Collaborative Walnut Scrubber Sponges
• Free Now Essential Oil (orange)
• Value of over $40!

And if you are an existing customer, you can receive free Grove Collaborative Walnut Scrubber Sponges. 

To receive this offer, your order needs to be a minimum of $20 - sign up here. This offer ends Tuesday, January 17th and supplies are limited. 

How do you make your home toxin-free?

Do you make any homemade cleaning products?

PIN for later.

Three Steps To Selling Your House In Three Days

Home buying and selling is exciting yet stressful. I should know since I've purchased three houses in the last three years and sold two within the last two years.  By simply following these three steps, you are well on your way to getting your house sold FAST - we had three offers within the first week on our first home and a solid offer within three days of our second house. I'm living proof that these tips work!
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If you've ever moved before in your life then you know it's a very exciting time. However, that excitement isn't the only emotion you are feeling. For me, I felt all sorts of negative emotions such as anxiousness, stress, and fear. All of these feelings are real. Heck, I've moved 5 times in 5 years to 5 different states - I never got accustomed to those feelings as they all remained the same.

There is a lot of uncertainty when it comes to selling a house. You need to take into consideration the look, design and layout of your home, the school district your home is located in, the time of year you are planning to sell your house, etc.

Click to tweet: Follow these 3 steps to sell your house FAST!

Now the likelihood of actually selling your house in three days from listing date to closing date is typically not the case, unless you have a cash buyer with no contingencies. But it's not impossible to get at least one offer within a few short days after listing your house. Then you'll have an inspection period where the buyers can have a professional inspect the home and a small waiting period for their mortgage company to go through their paperwork (typically 30-45 days). But let me share with you my THREE tips to getting a solid offer on your home quickly - for us it was in three days.

GET YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME

You'll need to mentally prepare yourself for moving out of your home. It's a good time to become detached from your belongings and look at your house as if you are a buyer. Items to look at are paintings and pictures that might need to be taken down, wall and paint repairs that need attention, address any issues outside such as landscaping or yard work, and just give your house a once over for any items that need attention.

DECLUTTER, STAGE, AND MAKE YOUR HOME CAMERA READY

You can check out my original post from when we sold our first house here - Selling Your House Fast. That post goes over the basics of staging your home and the benefits of utilizing a professional photographer when listing your house. By making your house camera ready, the buyer can really picture their family living there.

Click to tweet: When you sell your home, get your head in the game.

Don't let any space go unnoticed. Buyers will be looking in closets, showers, cupboards, and appliances. This means, don't leave a load of laundry in the wash and make sure your toilets are clean. Leave no reason for a buyer to not want to move in right away! Also, I believe this step is extremely important before you even invite a real estate agent over to discuss selling your home (*only if you plan on having a professional help with selling your house, which I highly recommend).

SHOP AND HIRE A REAL ESTATE AGENT

If you've never sold a house before, having a professional realtor take the reigns on selling your house will cost you - typically 3-6% of the sale price. However, it is 100% worth every penny to utilize their skills, knowledge, and marketing abilities that you would otherwise lose out on if you chose the 'for sale by owner' route.

You DO NOT have to work with the first realtor you speak with. It is important that they understand your goals and they need to provide a marketing plan to help you achieve that goal. For us, we utilized a 60 day goal to help our agent appropriately price and market our house. Now remember, if you are working in a housing market where most buyers will be seeking a mortgage to purchase your home, you will have at least a 30-45 day period from list date to closing date. This is just standard  timeframe for all mortgage companies to complete all of their paperwork.

Click to tweet: Why you should SHOP for your realtor.

The marketing that your real estate agent can provide is the most important reason why you should hire them. Some questions to ask;

- Would they recommend an open house?
- What do they believe the house will sell for?
- What price do they recommend listed the house at?
- How long do they expect the house to be on the market?
- What websites would they list your house on?
- Will they provide a professional photographer and use those images in the listing?
- Will they provide a 'for sale' sign for your yard?
- What types of brochures do they find most effective?

Now that you have a better understanding how to effectively and quickly sell your house, it's your turn! Hopefully you find these tips beneficial and that you can quickly sell your next house!

Have you ever sold a home before?
Any other tips that you would add to the list?
What are your fears when it comes to buying or selling a home?
PIN for later.
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The Three Rooms You MUST Unpack First When You Move

This post was sponsored by Charmin as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central.
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They say that one of the most stressful situations you can experience is moving. I've moved my fair share and agree that disrupting my current routine can be stressful and picking up a similar routine that works for you and your family can be hard to establish after moving. However, after my half a dozen moves over the past 5 years, I have some tips for setting up house quick so you can get back to your daily routine.

Once all of your boxes have been packed and loaded onto a moving truck, or in your car, it's time for the real journey. Whether you have your family and friends help you move in to the new place or if you hired a crew, you will be bombarded with questions on where you want what and how you want things.

First things first, move all labeled boxes to the most appropriate room. If your move is anything like mine, the new house doesn't have the same layout as the previous house so guessing where you want boxes can be challenging. But, if you have a spare room you can stage random boxes in, you are setting yourself up for a spectacular unpacking session.

Once all of the boxes and furniture have been placed in their corresponding rooms it's time to unpack. There are three rooms to focus on first; your bedroom (and any kid's bedrooms), bathroom, and kitchen. After those three rooms have been established, or at least livable, you can move onto the living area, office, basement, garage, outdoor space, etc. Now let's break down the three most important rooms to unpack first.

Click to tweet: The 3 rooms you must unpack FIRST when moving.

Livable Bedrooms
If you are a solo mover then it's only important to set up your bedroom but if you are moving with a family, it might be a good idea to be sure that everyone has a bed to sleep in the first night. The first step to setting up your bedroom is to unpack the bed including the mattresses and make the bed with clean sheets. The closet and dresser situation can be handled at a future time, so long as your clothes can be easily accessed.

Bathroom(s)
This is one of those rooms that will get used within the first few hours of moving in. I mean, we all have to use the restroom to either relieve ourselves, wash our hands, brush our teeth, or take a shower - it's inevitable, when duty calls. So try and do a rough cleaning of the toilets, sinks, and showers then make sure the room(s) have soap, towels, and toilet paper.

I have always been the type of person that keeps loads of extra toilet paper readily available in each bathroom for my family and for guests. There's nothing more terrible than running out of toilet paper and having to yell for help, especially when you are at someone else's house. Talk about embarrassing!

Charmin is inviting shoppers to upgrade their Angel Soft® for Charmin Essentials Soft and Scott® 1000 for Charmin Essentials Strong. To participate, people can simply Tweet their TP swap out request to @Charmin using the hashtag #CharminEssentials and #Promotion, and Charmin will send you a free roll.*

Click to tweet: @Charmin I want to TP swap with #CharminEssentials #Promotion

I appreciate the the price point of Charmin Essentials because it allows me to keep all three of my bathrooms completely stocked. Plus, who can complain with a strong quality toilet paper that can withstand all your bathroom needs?!

Kitchen 
Chances are you will order out or get a takeout pizza on moving day. However, it's important to get the essentials setup in the kitchen so you can quickly get back to a daily routine. Finding a home for the dishware, glasses, silverware, bakeware, and such can seem like a daunting task but having those items put away sooner rather than later will help you to feel more established in your new home.

*#CharminEssentials TP Swap Program Terms & Conditions: http://spr.ly/6011B4QMT 

Have you ever moved?
Do you follow guidelines when it comes to unpacking?
Share your go-to TP (toilet paper) below.
PIN for later. 

Five Tips To Get Through A Busy Day

This post was sponsored by Meta Appetite Control as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central.
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Hello from Missouri! We made the two-day drive through Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois to arrive in our new home state. Now begins the fun of searching for a house and establishing ourselves in the midwest once again. 

With work, house tours, paperwork, and exploring, I have some busy days ahead of me. Because of this, I wanted to share five tips that will help you get through any busy day. 

Schedule time to workout
It may not be easy to want to take some ‘unnecessary’ time for yourself when your calendar is already jammed packed. But you might notice a little boost in productivity if you just give yourself a 20-minute sweat session (squeeze in a little more time if you can).

Stay hydrated

A dehydrated mind is fatigued and can cause confusion. Try and make it a habit to drink half of your body weight in ounces of water (i.e. if you weigh 150 lbs, try to drink 75 ounces of water each day).

Don’t skip your meals

I know you won’t have time to create a five course meal, but don’t skip out on precious nutrients just because you are too busy. But I do understand that some days are just beyond crazy and will leave you wanting to reach for a donut, or a cookie, or burger, or something that is not the healthiest. However, you have other options - Meta Appetite Control from Walgreens (scroll to the end for more info).

Stay off social media

Even if this is your job. Okay, so if this is your job, you don’t have to completely stay off social media. I would suggest allowing yourself 10-15 minutes for each platform on busy days. We all know that social media can be a big black hole that will suck you in and spit you out 3 days later. By setting a timer for only 10-15 minutes, you can dedicate any remaining time to be more productive in other areas. 

Schedule your day

You can either make a to-do list or fill out your daily calendar with tasks that need to get done. Then you are able to check off each task as you complete them and can coordinate your day accordingly. I personally love being able to physically cross items off my to-do list. 

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Meta Appetite Control is the #1 doctor recommended fiber brand with 100% natural psyllium fiber. And for those of you that know anything about fiber - fiber gives you that full-feeling and also helps to keep you regular (if you know what I mean). Also, Meta Appetite Control is clinically proven to help you reduce your appetite between meals.  The psyllium fiber forms a thick gel that aids in the sensation of fulness. So instead of reaching for those high fat, high sugar snacks on busy days, drink a glass of Meta Appetite Control to help satisfy you between meals. 

You can find Meta Appetite Control nationwide in the digestive wellness aisle at Walgreens. While your at it, you can fill out the form below for a $5 off coupon. 

Fill out my online form.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

How do you get through a busy day? 
Have you ever tried Meta Appetite Control?

How To Correctly Use Social Media Branding

As a content creator, we want to engage with our audience by all means of social media and we make it easy for them to connect with us by linking directly to those outlets on our blog. Chances are, you are doing it wrong. 
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Why would I say that you are using social media buttons wrong on your blog? Mostly because I read blogs daily and I see it nine times out of ten. So let's start at the beginning.

When you first decided to make a blog or create digital content, you wrote and wrote a lot. Now that your content was out there, you sought out people to read that content. Then you found that you could connect your blog readers with your following from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc or vice versa. Having all of this helped you to create your influence.

Click to tweet: Are you using social media buttons wrong?

The easiest way to connect all of these social media outlets together is by linking to them within content or adding social media buttons to your blog. And if you had a blog design created for you, chances are they included CUSTOM social media buttons to help build your brand. But little does your designer, or you, know that those social media brands could take action against you!



If you look over at my sidebar, there to the right, I have some very generic social media buttons. Not only are these generic buttons recognizable, they follow each branded asset. What does that mean? Each social media outlet has a specific brand they represent and there are requirements put into place if you care to share their name, logo, text, etc.

Click to tweet: Why social media brands could take action against you! 

Now I want you to take a moment and look at your blog. Do you have the correct social media buttons? If not, I'd highly recommend you rectify that by using the correct branded assets per each social media outlet. I'll link to some popular ones below.

Facebook brand assets
Twitter brand assets
Instagram brand assets
Pinterest brand assets
Gmail brand assets

Were you aware that social media brands had requirements to use their logo?
Tell me, how long have you been blogging?
Don't forget to pin this for later. 
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In other news, there's a new Facebook community on the block called Bloggers Share the Love. Come join me and fellow bloggers in a world that will better assist our audiences. Click the image below. 

How You Can Adapt To Change Quickly

Life changes all the time - every year, every day, even every hour. Let's embrace it! Take a moment to learn how you can adapt to change quickly with ease. 
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You guys, so much change is happening. Spring has finally sprung and today marks the first day of April. And let's not even talk about the dreaded Instagram changes. Basically, the world is coming to an end!

Change is inevitable but it doesn't always have to have a negative connotation. Change is sometimes, or most often times, a good thing. Regardless, a mere mention of change can bring on all types of negative emotions at first. A sense of concern sets in until you are sure that this particular change can actually be a positive.

So while we are all experiencing our own changes, here are a few steps to help you adapt to those changes quickly.

Breathe.
I'm a huge fan of square breathing. Square breathing is a great technique to use when you are feeling stressed, tense, or overwhelmed. All you need to do is count to four - inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, and repeat until you feel a sense of calm. I have been using this technique for years.

Don't be instinctive.
When change is first brought on, it's instinctive to run. Again, we put so much negative emphasis on change and we don't like negativity. Instead of running away, take a step back to assess the situation. What is the change? How will it affect you?

Acknowledge the change.
This step falls immediately after taking a step back to assess the situation. No one has ever been able to successfully ignore an elephant in the room, don't try and ignore inevitable change. Acknowledge what the change is and what can come of it.

Educate yourself.
Will this new change require you to learn new techniques? If so, don't wait. Start learning right away. This will help you ease into the new transition quickly without much effort. Perhaps the change is moving to an unfamiliar town. Look up where stores you frequent are, where gyms are, research clubs you could join, etc. Make your transition that much easier up front rather than waiting.

Accept.
Accept the change and move on with life, because a new change will hit you soon. Enjoy the ride of life!

Click to tweet: Follow these 5 steps to adapt to change quickly.

Do you have any tips for dealing with change?
What are some new changes that you are experiencing?

Truth Behind The Blog - Selling Your House Fast

Moving is beyond stressful, especially if you are also trying to sell your house. If you are in the market for selling your property, many steps were shared here - Selling Your House Fast.
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The Truth Behind The Blog series is a more transparent view of previous posts. Here I share with you some behind-the-scenes secrets that weren't discussed during the time of the post. And today I want to talk about Selling Your House Fast.

I still stand behind every tip I provided, most importantly shopping for an agent and taking care of your home. However, there were a few items that I withheld due to the fact that our house hadn't actually SOLD yet, we just had a very serious offer in contract. Follow along with how the process actually went.
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A and I knew we were moving from Fishers, IN to Maryland. And when we decided to stop paying rent and purchase our first house, we chose something that we thought would sell quick. We had no idea that we would receive three offers within six days of listing the property.

Now, we did make some improvements on the house while we owned it for 1.5 years. We cleaned up the entire yard and pressure washed the exterior of the house. All windows were cleaned on the inside and out, we updated a few light fixtures, and spray painted the air vents. Almost every room received a fresh coat of neutral paint and all countertops were updated with beautiful granite. The last big remodel we did was our guest bathroom - the bone colored tub surround, toilet, and sink were removed, along with two layers of vinyl flooring. This was replaced with a fiberglass tub and shower, brand new toilet, and porcelain tile.


We met with two agents to learn about their marketing tactics. They also both provided us two numbers - what they thought the house would sell for and what they believed was a fair listing price. Why did we choose to do this? Well, with a corporate move, we had assistance with selling our house and they required two agents to quote fair pricing. This also means that we signed our property over to a company and they handled the entire sale of our house. A and I still were involved when it came to setting up showings, offers and counteroffers, addenda, and inspection. By signing the responsibilities of closing onto someone else, it took a lot of the pressure of A and I.

With the situation we had, we were able to choose whichever agent we wanted but could only list our house 3% higher than both prices we were quoted. I believe that REALLY but our property in a good place and resulted in dozens of showings and multiple offers.

Click to tweet: Secrets behind selling your house quickly.

If you are planning on selling your house soon, I highly recommend checking out my tips from Selling Your House Fast and meeting with at least two agents. We all feel some sort of attachment to our properties, but if you price your house too high, you are missing out on serious buyers.

Have you ever sold a home?
Do you have any tips for homebuyers or sellers?
Do you like to walk around Open Houses to get ideas for design, staging, or what you might want in a house?

How To Follow Instagram Accounts With Push Notifications

It couldn't be any easier to be the first to know when your favorite Instagram account uploads a new photo or video. Stalking at its finest, people!
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Instagram is likely my favorite social media outlet, ever. There are no algorithms (just yet) so I don't miss out on anyone's beautiful photos and videos. However, I am just like everyone else and only have 24 hours in my day. That means, there are definitely times that I'm not able to scroll through to see if my favorite accounts uploaded anything since the last time I was on.


No worrys! You are able to receive push notifications for specific accounts each and every time they upload. As if we weren't already obsessed with social media, things just got a heck of a lot easier.

Click to tweet: Social media just got a whole lot more fun.

For some of you, this isn't brand new news but for others, you're welcome in advance. Follow these two simple steps to receive push notifications for your favorite accounts on Instagram.

Now that you know how to follow Instagram accounts with push notifications, did you see my #hackorwack video on Tuesday?

Click to tweet: Two steps to receive push notifications on your favorite Instagram account.

A video posted by Jenn (@atravelingwife) on Jan 12, 2016 at 6:46am PST

If you like hacks, I highly recommend you turn on push notifications for my account because I will be uploading a new #hackorwack every Tuesday (better known as #TryItTuesday). Get ready for some fun hacks that I will be testing!

Did you know that you can receive push notifications for your favorite Instagram accounts?

Who are your favorite accounts to follow on Instagram?

Have you ever used a potato peeler for anything other than potatoes or apples? Check out the Instagram video if you haven't already. 

How To Survive Winter Hibernation With Ease

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #GiftSilkn #CollectiveBias
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Who is ready to hibernate this winter? I know my body is trying to get ready for the cooler months with cravings for sweets and carbs. The days are getting shorter and I would much prefer to stay in my loungewear all day long and sip some warm tea or hot cocoa. 

There is one thing in particular that I avoid like the plague during winter months. That is SHAVING. If I even change out of my loungewear it will be into pants or leggings, so what is the point of shaving my legs?! But bring on that last minute winter vacation to somewhere tropical and warm and I am regretting all those days I went without shaving. Hello, wooly mammoth!

I am here to help you get through winter hibernation with ease by sharing my tips for taking care of your skin during the cooler, dryer months. Plus, a fabulous gift for yourself or a friend that can be paired with the homemade lip scrub below. 

Click to tweet: How to survive winter hibernation with ease.

Step One: Drink plenty of water. I suffer with dry, itchy skin, especially in the winter. The moisture from the air is gone, so replace that moisture by hydrating yourself. There are plenty of ways to increase your water consumption. I like to drink warm water with lemon during the cooler months because it helps warm your body from within. Another way to incorporate more water is to infuse it. I have talked about the many different combinations for infusing water. 

Step Two: Take the hassle out of shaving. You can now say goodbye to unwanted body hair by using the Flash&Go hair removal system. Found at both Bed Bath & Beyond and Kohl's, the Flash&Go hair removal system uses Home Pulsed Light (HPL) Technology to safely and easily provide you wonderfully hair-free skin - think long term hair removal!

I started using my Flash&Go system after picking it up from Kohl's (near the cosmetics). I really wanted to remove the hair from my legs because that is the largest portion of my body that I shave and it takes a long time in the shower to get them perfectly smooth. I followed all of the directions and have used the Flash&Go system every other week (this should be done for the first four sessions). Can I just tell you how excited I am to already notice results?! I am ready for my tropical vacation - who is with me?

Because it is the holiday season, I think the Flash&Go system would make a great gift for a friend, or you can even treat yourself to one! You can purchase this safe and effective hair removal system from Bed Bath & Beyond or Kohl's in person or online. AND, as a promotional offer, you can go to keepongifting.com and upload your receipt from your purchase of the Flash&Go and receive a $25 gift card to either Bed Bath & Beyond or Kohl's and enter to win a trip for two to Aruba. Oh, I failed to mention that you can do this 3 times! That's $75 in gift cards!! That's a very happy holiday. 

Step Three: Exfoliate your lips. There are tons of exfoliators you can purchase at the store to use both for your body or your lips. Why spend all that money when you probably have the two ingredients you need right at home for a perfect homemade lip scrub - coconut oil and brown sugar. You can make a larger batch of this and package it up really nice to use as a stocking stuffer or gift to a friend. Or, you can use just a pinch of each and rub it directly on your lips. Gently wipe away any excess with a towel or tissue and apply your favorite lip balm.

Click to tweet: Two ingredient lip scrub.

Step Four: De-static you hair. Nothing is more frustrating than to put on your sweater for the day and poof, your hair starts to stand on end. Static drives me nuts during the winter but by using a hair brush and dryer sheet, you can smooth and tame your hair in no time. You can either rub the dryer sheet all over your hair or push the dryer sheet onto your hair brush and brush away.

And there you have it, four simple steps to survive winter hibernation. Just as a bonus tip, try taking cooler showers. I know the air is chilly and super hot showers feel amazing, but the hotter showers dry your skin out quicker. So do yourself a favor and lower the temperature. 

Click to tweet: These 4 tips will help me survive winter!

Do you know someone that would love to receive a Flash&Go system?
How do you survive winter hibernation?
Have you ever exfoliated your lips?

*The Flash&Go system works best for those with lighter skin and darker pigmented hair. If you are unsure if this product is right for you or a friend, more information can be found about the product here. 

How To Take Family Portraits For Free

I absolutely love to receive snail mail. Every day around 4 pm, I head out the door towards the mailbox. Nine times out of ten my mailbox is filled with brochures, sales ads, junk, and more junk. But occasionally I will receive something good.

During the month of December, we receive more snail mail than usual due to holiday cards. I love them, but I think fewer families are sending them. I mean, we have our cell phones to send greetings to family and friends without having to go out of our way, we have the use of email which you can send multiple people the same email with just the click of a button, and stamps are pretty damn expensive.


One of my favorite types of holiday cards are those with family portraits on them. We already talked about the expense of stamps, why would families want the extra cost of hiring a photographer and paying for the prints? I am here to tell you that you can take those family portraits for FREE. Of course, there is still the expense of printing the cards and purchasing the stamps. But, you can always take the free route and email them to family and friends.

There are just a few items needed to get good quality photos and to make it easier to have the entire family in the frame. I suggest a good camera (I used a Nikon D3300), a tripod, and a remote for your camera. Now is the fun part - gather your family and smile!

Click to tweet: How to take family portraits for FREE.

Consider your backdrop. You can decide to take photos in your house, yard, park, or anywhere that would make an aesthetic backdrop. If you choose to take photos indoors, you might want to take into consideration that natural lighting makes for the best photos. Some of my favorite locations to take photos are at a park. Usually, you can find lots of trees, benches, trails, fields, etc. that make for really nice backgrounds. Also, select multiple locations. One location might work better for you family, so it's best to try a few.

Use props. This is especially great when taking family portraits for holiday cards. Don't be afraid to include Santa hats, blankets, pillows, food, etc. Go crazy and have fun!

Use a compatible remote. We've all been there - setting your camera on self timer only to run and strike a pose. This would need to be done over and over again to hopefully get that perfect shot with everyone smiling. By using a compatible remote, you can click, click, click and get multiple chances of a perfect shot without having to run around. The trick then become, how do you hide the remote so it's not visible in photos? I set my remote settings to include a 2-second delay on the shutter. This allowed me to press the button then hide the remote.

Click to tweet: Easy and FREE ways to take family portraits.

Research poses. Sometimes when the camera gets pulled out, we tend to get stiff with our movements. Especially when you are in public with a camera and tripod taking photos of yourself. By having a few ideas of what you might want your family portrait to look like, you can recreate that or you might be able to come up with something better.

Have fun. Forced smiles can be seen in photos. Tell jokes, be candid and have fun. By involving your entire family, you are spending quality time so make it fun. Also, take lots of photos. Keep that remote clicking because for every good photo, there are at least 10+ bad ones.

Let the entire family participate. Not only does a forced smile show in pictures, but it becomes blatantly obvious when people aren't having a good time. Allow the kids, or dogs, to choose some poses or maybe even some new locations. This is also when you might get some great candid shots that really show your family dynamic.

Lastly, embrace the bloopers. Remember that I said there are at least 10+ bad photos for every good one. Yeah, they happen but just keep taking photos. By taking family portraits on your own, you are on the opposite end of the camera and don't have the luxury of seeing what little tweaks could be made. Just roll with the punches.

Click to tweet: Why you should embrace the bloopers.

Who wants to see more bloopers, because I have plenty of them?!

Have you ever taken family portraits on your own?
Do you love snail mail?
Do you send out holiday cards in the mail to family and friends?