One of my all time favorite indulgences is to sleep in on the weekend, read the paper in bed in my pajamas, and indulge in a delicious cup of coffee with no worries about where I need to be, or what I will be doing for the rest of the day.

For all of my readers with children, you will have to forgive me while I talk about one of my favorite indulgences that I'm afraid will be a little different once I enter the world of parenthood...that would be the "lazy Sunday."  Now don't get me wrong, I'm sure "lazy Sundays" are still possible when your home is full with shouts of laughter and cries for cereal at 6:00am, but it definitely is a different kind of Sunday from the ones I am still accustomed to as a newlywed sans kiddies!

Image via Couture Carrie Loves via Veranda
 

So when I am lucky enough to have a free Sunday with no where to go and no place to be, here are for things I like to indulge in to make my day of rest extra special and extra luxe for less...
 

1. A Gourmet Cup of Coffee
Brewing your own coffee will always cost less than going out to Starbucks to buy your own brew.  We have a Cuisinart Auto Drip machine that we like, but a French Press is another great way to brew a delicious and gourmet cup of coffee for less.
 

Now, I don't know about you, but depending on the season I go back and forth between being in the mood for hot or iced coffee.  This summer I perfected my recipe for ice coffee.  Here's my recipe: 1) Brew a full pot of coffee.  2) Add your desired amount of sugar to the pot to sweeten your java. 3) Let the mixture cool and add in the desired ratio of milk.  Then refrigerate and voila...a whole pitcher of premade, sweet and creamy iced coffee for you to enjoy the whole week, without having to throw half the pot down the drain (like I usually do when I drink it hot!)

2. A Sweet Mid Morning Snack
During the week I try and be "good" and stick to a diet of healthy cereal and yogurt for breakfast, but what the weekend rolls around I can't help but indulge myself a little!  And what better way to indulge yourself than taking advantage of your long and lazy Sunday morning by baking some fresh goodies for breakfast? 

Now I am not what you would call an expert baker...on the contrary, I am still learning the ropes around the oven and trying to remember the difference between baking powder and baking soda!  But this recipe for Easy Chocolate Croissants from Real Simple is so easy even I can do it!  One bite of these simple and delicious pastries straight from the oven, and you will never be sorry that you passed on brunch at Pastis with your friends for a nice lazy Sunday at home.

3. Good Reads.  No lazy Sunday is complete without a plethora of reading material for you to sift through as you sip your coffee and nibble on your croissants. 
 

My Sunday periodical of choice is without a doubt the Sunday New York Times.  Even if you go the whole week without watching the news, you can go to work on Monday having caught up on "all the news that's fit to print" when you take a few hours to go through the NY Times Sunday Edition.

And if you are serious about reading the Sunday paper, I suggest investing in the NY Times Weekender subscription.

4. The Mimosa.
Cocktails...in the morning?!  Eh, why not!  It's almost noon anyways...and as long as you have the two key components for my favorite Sunday cocktail... 1) orange juice and 2) Prosecco left over from the night before...you have a cheap and scrumptious sparkler that should happily remind you that NO you are not at work, and you can kick back, relax, keep reading the paper, and sip some orange juice and bubbly at any hour you like! (Image from Martha Stewart)
 

5. And last but not least..no lazy Sunday is complete without some easy and affordable Comfy Clothes to lounge around in as the morning quickly turns into the afternoon!

Do you have a favorite Sunday routine that only costs a little but satisfies a lot?

I hope you all have wonderful weekends!

Happy eating and drinking!

Today's Wednesday Wildcard segment was inspired by my post yesterday about beach bag accessories and how to dress for less when going to the beach.  In this post one of the items that I included in my beach bag was the book, The Three Weissmanns of Westport by Cathleen Schine, because this is the book that I am currently reading.
 

While I am thoroughly enjoying this book at the moment, the actual book in this post was not as important as what it represented to me...the importance of bringing a book to the beach, and the luxury of reading with your feet in the sand, as the sound of the waves crashes in your ears.  The simple fact is that I equate going to the beach, relaxing, or unwinding all with reading.  Virginia Woolf once wrote on the power of books, "Books are the mirrors of the soul."  I think Virginia was on to something...if you are feeling down, you are worried, or simply bored, when you pick up a good book it can have the power to bring you into someone else's soul, and completely change your spirit and your point of reference. 

For example, a book like Eat, Pray, Love, can take you to Italy, India, and Bali, and then through the entire emotional process of losing love, healing, and opening the heart up for love again...all in 400 pages or less!  These kinds of life experiences usually take a great deal of time and money, but you can experience all of this in one weekend when you curl up with a book on your sofa...and it's free.

So the next time you feel like you NEED to buy something to make yourself feel better, or you are depressed because you don't think that you will ever be able to take that trip to Italy, try and look on the bright side of things.  Think of everything that you DO have in your life that is fulfilling and good, and then think about all the books out there that you have never read.  And if a trip to Italy is what you're craving, but it's not in your budget right now, I suggest going to your local library and picking up Under The Tuscan Sun.  It might not be exactly the same as traveling to Italy, but I promise that you will almost be able to taste the gnocchi, sage, and butter....and it won't cost you a penny.  Now that is Living Luxe for Less!

Do you agree?  Is there any book that you loved reading so much, that it was more rewarding to you than  a new bag or a fancy trip?  I believe that I can think of several...

During the year I work on staff at an independent school, and I am lucky enough to get a very generous summer vacation.  This summer I enjoyed every minute of my break...spending time with my family and friends, taking trips, and of course starting this website, Living Luxe for Less!  But now that Labor Day is around the corner, my summer vacation has come to an end, and yesterday I went back to work.

So now that I am back to work and the sun is shining, of course I can't help but wish that I was still at the beach!

If I were headed to the beach today instead of the office, here are a few of the fashionable but affordable items that I would take with me!

There is one splurge in this outfit and that is the Roberta Roller Rabbit Kurta which is $70.  Although this item is on the expensive side, this is such a great purchase because you will get so much use out of it!  I wear my RRR tunics and pareos all summer long, and I get so many compliments on them!  This kurta top would also be great with white jeans and sandals, or an espadrille wedge...don't just save it for the beach!

In this outfit I would say that the tunic is the real stand-out piece, and then I have selected other attractive, but low priced items to finish off the look...

I love a good one-piece!  They are classic and chic, and also so comfortable!  This Old Navy swimsuit is a beautiful color, and surprisingly most sizes are still in stock so late in the summer.  It also has been marked down from $29.99 to $16.99 and it is a great deal!

This Essie Lilacism nail polish looks great with the green suit, and it is on sale for $4.99.

I know that no one wants to wear expensive jewelery to the beach, so I found these "cheap and chic" accessories to complete the outfit.  The bamboo bangles are only $1.50 for the set, and these starfish earrings are on sale for $14.99 at Overstock...two great deals!

This J.Crew straw bag is so versatile it will go with all of your outfits to the beach, will fit all of your things, and it is also on sale for $34.50.

The beach towels are also a great deal...$10 for the set so you don't have to go to the beach alone!

Of course no trip to the beach is complete without a good book and a refreshing cocktail.  I am almost finished with The Three Weissmanns of Westport by Cathleen Schine, and if I were going to the beach today this would definitely be in my beach bag.  This book is fast paced and funny, and it is a great book for a day at the beach!  And doesn't this margarita look good?  Yummm!

Are you headed to the beach today?  If so, what will be in your beach bag?

Although gone are the days that I am lucky enough to open my mailbox and put my hands on a shiny copy of Domino Magazine, I still feel a twinge of pure joy when the end of the month arrives and my mailbox starts to fill up with all of my treasured magazines.

But as treasured as my magazines may be, it can get quite expensive to stock up on all of my favorite periodicals every month!

So how do I combat the cost of having a serious magazine addiction?  First I make sure to subscribe to all of my favorite magazines instead of purchasing them in the store, because this will cut down on the cost by at least 70 or 80%!

Next, I search online for the lowest price before I order any of my magazine subscriptions, and one of the best resources I have found for a low price on magazines is Amazon.

For example, the cover price to buy a year of Vogue at the store is $47.88, the regular subscription price is $18, and the price at Amazon is $15!
 

The other benefit to ordering magazines from Amazon is that they offer many promotional discounts on subscriptions like "two years for the price of one."  Right now on Amazon you can get a two-year subscription to Harper's Bazaar for $8, or Marie Claire for just $10!  What a great deal!  Amazon also has great bargains on lesser known magazines like New England Home.  On most websites a subscription to New England Home will cost at least $19.95, but it is only $9.95 at Amazon!
 

But to always get the best deal on your subscriptions I have found that you sometimes need to do a little digging to find the absolute lowest price...
 

Oddly enough, the lowest price I have found for a yearly subscription to US Weekly is actually at Sears for $51.48!   This is at least $150 less than the magazine's cover price.  And while you are on the Sears website, you can also pick up a subscription to House Beautiful for just $12!  However, if you need to renew your subscription to Elle Decor, I would recommend heading over to HSN where a yearly subscription to ED is just $6.95!  Now that is a bargain!

Do you feel like the holidays have come early when your stack of magazines arrives in the mail each month?  What are your favorite tips for reading magazines for less?