Happy New Year!!!!! I have seen all these posts about clean slates and blank canvas and it really got me thinking. I originally started this blog with the intentions of sharing my love of fashion and everything sartorial  on a budget. I came up with the tag line "Poor in a Private Plane" because I realized that regardless of my budget I like high end pieces and will do anything in my power to get them. Over the last year by blog has been less about what I wear and more about what makes me happy in life. I shopped in 2013. I traveled the world. I made new friends. I found new interests. I did what makes me happy and came out of 2013 richer than I have ever been (albeit with less money in my bank account). 

In 2014 the focus is going to be "Living Poor in a Private Plane".  What does that mean?  It means I will share with everyone how I live a rich, wealthy and fabulous life within my means. I do not have a limitless bank account nor do I have loads of cash under my mattress yet I will always find a way to treat myself to little luxuries like a new pair of Louboutins or a trip. No matter what your income or circumstances there is a way that we can all enjoy life's little luxuries and I hope to share my tips and tricks of how I do this on my blog. I look forward to sharing my 2014 with you. 

PS I will still be posting outfit posts and shopping posts so don't you worry. However you will start to see other stuff that you may not have seen on the blog before. 

Hey everyone. I know I have been MIA for a while but between work and travel it has been almost impossible to devote anytime to the blog.  I am back though and picking up from where I left off with my Euro Trip pics. I am almost done and hopefully can start posting some more weather appropriate stuff. In the meantime enjoy what I have left to share of my summer Euro Trip. 

As the temperatures start to drop here in New York I cannot help but reminisce of my days spent on the beautiful beaches of Greece earlier this summer. Even though I just back from vacation (Europe) I am counting down the days when I can be back on a beach. Call me spoiled but this girl really needs a break from the cold. I just want to sit on a beach with a cocktail in hand. 

Everyone always asks me how I am able to afford to travel as much as I do. One word "BUDGET". Every single dollar counts when it comes to budgeting and boy do I have it down to a science. You will rarely see me at Starbucks (savings of about 3 bucks a day), I usually pack my lunch for work (savings of $10-$15 a day) and I still use the public library (savings of $20 a book). In the coming weeks I will try to put together a post about traveling on a budget but in the meantime here are some shots from my visit to Mykonos, Greece. 

Outside of spending the day at the beach one of the best parts of the day was our mode of transportation for the day. If you ever have the opportunity to visit Mykonos make sure to get your self some ATVs. It was a lot of fun and also an easy way to get around. We were able to to zip around the island in no time. 

After Athens we made a quick stop in Turkey before we were back in Greece. Our next stop was Rhodes. We spent the first part of our day sightseeing in the Old Town. I have to say that by this of our trip we were so over sightseeing that we pretty much raced by all the sights on our way to the beach. It was our first beach in Greece so we were very excited. When we arrived at the beach we all managed to fall asleep while DH decided to jump off a platform in the middle of the ocean. It ended up being a great day for all of us. 

I am taking a bit of a break from the Euro Trips posts. They will resume in a few days. One of my favorite summer past times is spending my weekends at the beach. Lucky for me I am only an hour drive away from my fave destination Fire Island. Because I spend so much time at the beach I try to keep my summer style as natural as possible with my makeup routine, hair and clothes. Here are some style secrets that I like to stick to when I go to the beach. 

(1) Face:  Sunscreen is always a must. I use sunscreen in anywhere from 70 to 100 SPF. On my most recent trip to the shore I mixed my sunscreen with Seventh Generation Skin Serum and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. Not only was my skin super soft (even with the salt water and sun) but the scent was amazing.  Will definitely be adding that to my routine. I finish up my look with a little bit of lip gloss and I am good to go. I am not a fan of wearing makeup to the beach. It is a bit of a waste of time in my opinion. 

(2) Hair: You all know I like to keep it simple with my hair most of the time. Check out my hair routine here.  The beach is no exception. I travel with conditioner in my bag and rinse out my hair with clean water and apply a bit of conditioner and I am good to go. Once again no need to pile on the products that will only eventually dry you hair out. Depending on your hair texture after swimming rinse your hair with cool clean water and apply your favorite conditioner. You can either let it air dry or put it in a nice braid or bun and you will be ready to go to your next destination.

(3) Trying to look presentable after the beach can always be a challenge. I always try to pack a fun summer dress that can go from the beach to dinner easily. Anything from a maxi dress to a cute flowery mini will work. 

What are your favorite go to tips for looking chic at the beach and after? 

I received a free sample of this product from Lucky and Seventh Generation for use in connection with this blog

Today I am linking up with: 

Our first stop in Greece was Athens. All I have to say was it was HOT!!!. I mean not warm but HOT. I managed to survive. Our first stops were the  Agora and the Acropolis.  WARNING: This post is picture heavy. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. Stay tuned for Part II of Athens. 

Everyone has asked me which of the places I visited was my favorite. I really cannot decide which qualifies as my favorite since there were several but every time I am asked that question the first thing that comes to mind is Sicily. We only spent a day in Sicily but it felt like we were there forever. There was so much to see and do and every moment was amazing.  Upon arriving in Sicily our first stop was a town called Taormina. We spent a few hours exploring the town but the highlight was the Greek Theatre which offered amazing views of Mt. Etna. 

After our visit in Taormina we drove up towards Mt. Etna and stopped at a lava flow.  It was amazing to think that what I was standing on could cause and did cause so much destruction. It was a bit of a surreal experience. 

Our final stop of the day and of course my favorite was at a winery.  The surrounding areas of Mt. Etna are covered in volcanic soil which is very rich therefore I wasn't surprised by how lush and beautiful the grounds were. In addition the wine was fantastic. I had a chance to try a sparkling rose among others varieties that is made using the same process as Champagne (but with different grapes of course).  

Top: Old Navy Available here
Shorts: Forever 21 Similar here
Sneakers: Adidas Similar here
Bag: Cole Haan Available Here 
Hat: Street Vendor Similar here
Sunnies: Kate Spade Available here

Today I am linking up with: 

I'm back!!!! Now let me warn you that most of the next 15 or so blog posts are going to be about my Euro trip. I promise I will throw in some fashion here and there. There are over a thousand pictures to sort through. I honestly don't think that is too bad considering we were away for almost two weeks. Time to get right to it. 

We started off our Euro trip in Rome where we spent about 3 days. By the time we found our hotel (we got lost), freshened up and got something to eat (pizza of course) it was well into late afternoon. Our first stop was the Colosseum. This was not my first time in Rome but you would never know by how excited I was when I stepped off the metro and saw the Colosseum. It was just as amazing as I remember. The last time we were there it was raining so it was nice to see it on a nice sunny day. 

Next stop was the Roman Forum. These ruins represent the center of ancient Rome and they were quite amazing. Unfortunately it was getting late in the day so we kinda rushed through it. 

After the Roman Forum we were a bit over sightseeing so we decided to take a walk. 

We found our way to the Spanish Steps where we lounged for a bit. We were so tired from our flights and walking around that I felt like we could have spent the entire evening there.  It is a great place to people watch. Men's fashion in Italy was quite the treat. 

After the Spanish steps we took a walk over to Trevi Fountain. It was quite crowded but we managed to squeeze in for a few shots. We decided to move on and come back later in the evening. By this time we were starving so we stopped at a cafe off of one of the side streets near the Trevi Fountain for spagetti and wine. Unfortunately the food was not too memorable but the wine was. We ordered a carafe of wine for about 4 Euro which kept us entertained for most of the evening. Let's just say our walk back to the Trevi Fountain was quiet entertaining. 

We ended out night with gelato by the Trevi Fountain. We were quite exhausted by the point so afterwards we headed back to the hotel to get some rest and prepare for Day 2 in Rome and Vatican City. 

With regards to my outfit for Day 1 I wore what would become my uniform for the trip. The dress was super light and perfect for the weather. It was quite warm but the temperature dropped a bit in the evening so my denim jacket worked perfectly. 

Dress: True Rock Similar Here or Here
Shoes: Crocs Available Here
Jean Jacket: Old Navy Available here
Bag: Cole Haan Available Here 
Sunnies: Kate Spade Available here

Today I am linking up with: 

I am officially counting down the day until I leave the country (6 to be exact). This weekend was a pretty busy and productive weekend.  I drank a little bit of Sangria, spent a day at the beach, went shopping and even managed to pack (with DH's help of course). This upcoming weekend is going to be just as jam packed. Hopefully that means I will sleep on my flight. 

Can we briefly talk about how I am off to Europe in about two weeks and I am starting to get anxious. I am excited about the trip but I am anxious about the packing. I promise I will work  on it this week. 

This past weekend I took a little road trip with my parents to Atlantic City. The weather was icky on Friday but Saturday and Sunday were amazing and I made the best of it. I also did a little shopping  for my trip that I will posting about later. 

Today  I am linking up with: 

Last week didn't really start until Friday for me.  Once Friday hit it was pretty much non-stop. Friday night we did hibachi followed by the Ride to Montauk on Saturday and shopping on Sunday. I have no idea how I survived work on Monday but as soon as I got home from work I made dinner and fell right to sleep. Now that I have recovered here is how my weekend went. 

On Saturday DH and I did the Ride to Montauk. Although I had a great time the ride itself nearly almost killed me. I definitely need to train more for the next one. 

We spent the weekend in the city so on Sunday while DH went out to do the Brooklyn Bike Tour I opted for some shopping in SoHo with Mom followed by brunch. 

Today I am linking up with: