February is here, and love is in the air. It's actually pretty hard to hide from love this time of year, especially when the shelves of every store are lined with hearts and other cheesy romantic things.

Although Valentine's Day can be a bit commercial, I love having a special day dedicated to showing my friends, family, and significant other how much I love them.

Whether you love Valentine's Day or hate it, this time of year is a perfect reminder to give yourself a little self-love.

Self-Love can sound like a cheesy thing. My first thought always goes to giving myself a big hug or something silly. However, self-love really boils down to the stuff you're doing every day to show yourself some love. Are you investing time and energy into yourself? Are you lifting yourself up? Are you as kind and giving to yourself as you are to the people you love? If not, Valentine's Day is a great time to start.

I'm not saying you have to buy yourself a card and box of chocolates. However, if it makes you feel good, then you definitely should.

If you need a few ideas for practicing self-love this Valentine's Day season, check out my suggestions below:

Last year, I wrote the blog post, Ways to Thank a Veteran on Veterans Day. I included all of the typical Veterans Day festivities: flying a flag, saying thank you, attending a service, etc. And as nice as those gestures are, they don't really hold the level of gratitude that we should be showing our former servicemen and women.

On Veterans Day, we close businesses, post on social media, and acknowledge and glorify our Veterans; But how are we thanking them on the other 364 days of the year? Are we celebrating and acknowledging just during the special occasion, the way we do with most other holidays, and then moving on as soon as the decorations come down? How can we continue to honor the men and women who have served our country in our day-to-day lives?

Halloween is right around the corner, and if you don't already have a costume, this is your sign to make your own. If you're not super crafty, no need to worry, these costumes are super easy to make; plus, they're also super cheap.

Halloween can get pretty expensive once you've bought a costume, accessories, candy, treat bags, etc. Save some money this year and make one of the creative costumes below:

Love might not have a price tag, but dates most definitely do. How do you treat that special someone to a great date when even "dinner and a movie" breaks the bank?

Here are a few date ideas that are creative, unique, and less than $20.

Getting back into the swing of things at the start of every new school year can be difficult. However, this year may be exceptionally challenging since many students did virtual schooling last year or were only in the classroom for part of the week. Although there may be a few bumps in the road, here are a few things that you can try at home to make your child's school year more successful:

Back-to-School magic is in the air. August is here, the stores have started stocking their shelves with school supplies, and teachers are holding on tight to their last few days of summer.

The dog days of summer are officially here. I used to dread this time of year as a kid because I knew that the start of a new school year was sure to follow. I always hated kissing summer goodbye, but at least I got to go back-to-school shopping.

I've always been a shopper, so my favorite part of heading back to school was shopping for new clothes, shoes, and supplies. Growing up in a small town in Virginia, we didn't have many retail stores to get the things we needed, so we always came to the beach for our big back-to-school shopping trip. If she could, my mom always tried to plan our trip on tax-free weekend.

This year, tax-free weekend is August 6th-8th. If you're planning to shop, check out my blog post from last year's tax-free weekend for a few pro tips.

As said by the famous Carrie Bradshaw, “a closet full of clothes, nothing to wear.” If you’re like me, you may run into this dilemma far more often than you should. Luckily, I’ve found the perfect solution, thrift shopping. When you’re able to find trendy outfits for cheap at your local thrift store or Goodwill, you can feel a lot less guilty about overfilling your closet.

As Carolina Trust's Brand Ambassador, I spend a lot of my time out and about in the grand strand area. Although we have seven branches that stretch across our large field of membership, most of my engagements tend to be in the Conway/Myrtle Beach area. However, I love the quaintness of our Florence County branches, which is why I was so excited to head out there for one of my recent Living Local Carolina Financial Friday segments. 

With Father's Day coming up, I've been on the hunt for the perfect gift to give my dad. Luckily, my dad is the easiest person in my family to shop for. Unlike my mother and sister, my dad will tell you exactly what he wants; all you have to do is listen to him or walk around the Bass Pro Shop with him. He will practically put his gift in the buggy for you. He also has pretty inexpensive taste, which helps me stay on budget. My dad also hates to throw things away. He wears everything he has slap out, which, luckily for me, means I can just replace his old item with the newest addition, and he's tickled pink.

If your dad is a little harder to shop for than mine, don't worry! Here are some tips that you can use to find the perfect gift for your dad this Father's Day: