This weekend marks the Lunar New Year (February 10th, to be exact), and 2024 is the Year of the Dragon! In case you didn’t know, the Lunar New Year commences on the first new moon on the Lunar Calendar. To celebrate the occasion, a ton of brands have come out with a range of limited-edition Lunar New Year Items, from dragon jewellery to fiery red statement pieces. Some believe that Lunar New Year-themed items can even bring extra luck into the new year! 

Check out some of the best 2024 Lunar New Year items to shop!

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If one of your new year’s goals this year is to be more organized, you’re going to need to have some kind of planner in your life. Having a place where you can write down your schedule and daily to-dos is such a helpful tool to keep yourself on track and accountable! Online calendars are great and all, but it’s also nice to have a physical (or even digital) planner where you can easily jot notes and actively plan out your days, weeks, and months throughout the year. 

Stay organized in 2024 with these planners!

All products featured in this article were independently selected by our team. By shopping through our links, we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

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Mark your calendars, the Lunar New Year is coming, and this year, it’s the Year of the Dragon! To celebrate the occasion, The Welcome Market and Auntie’s Supply are partnering to host a pop-up in Toronto with over 35 vendors! 

The Lunar New Year is the first new moon of the lunar calendar; this year, it will fall on February 10th.

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A post shared by The Welcome Market (@the.welcome.market)

The Welcome Market is a Woman, POC-owned and operated organization that hosts various pop-ups for small businesses in the city.  Auntie’s Supply is an Asian-owned superette in Toronto featuring an array of snacks and ingredients catered to Asian millennials. 

The market will feature 35+ vendors, including local Asian and Pacific Islander small businesses, exclusive Lunar New Year goodies, and a drag show during the Friday night market. 

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A post shared by The Welcome Market (@the.welcome.market)

Head over to 938 Queen Street West from February 2nd to the 4th to shop all kinds of homemade crafts and curated vintage at the 2-floor pop-up! There will also be food and drinks available to enjoy. 

The Lunar New Year market is free to attend! 

Details:
When: Feb 2, 5-10 pm | Feb 3+4, 11 am-6 pm
Where: 938 Queen St W

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Now’s the time to start thinking about what your New Year’s resolution is going to be—if that’s your thing. It’s always a great feeling to start a brand new year with healthy goals for yourself to achieve and stay motivated. It’s never too late to make positive changes to your lifestyle if need be. With the holidays wrapping up, it’s often the time of the year when the most money is spent. That being said, if you’re looking to save during 2024, there are a bunch of tips and tricks you can use to help you.

Here are shopping tips if your New Year’s resolution is to save.

Wait For Sale Days 

An easy way to save money is to wait for sale days to make larger purchases. Although grocery stores tend to have daily deals on specific items, retail stores typically have weeks throughout the year where you can save big. Mark your calendars for known sale days of the brands you love, as well as Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Boxing Day.

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Use A Money Saver App

An awesome way to track your money and budget progress are through an app on your phone. Being able to see where your money is being spent and what areas you have to cut back on is definitely a useful tool in saving your cash.

Take Advantage of Reward Programs

Sign up for all of the reward programs that you can for the stores you shop at. Earn rewards and potential discounts off of your purchases. Typically, when you’re a rewards program member, you get the early scoop on deals and savings. It’s a win-win.

Leave Items In Your Cart

A useful tip for when you don’t necessarily need that black leather skirt is to leave it in your online shopping cart for a couple of days, to see if you change your mind. Avoiding impulse buying can save you a lot of money in the future.

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Price Compare

When you’re shopping for items that can be found at other retailers such as groceries or tech products, it’s always a good idea to check all stores to find the best price possible. Some stores may have deals going on that the others don’t, so be sure to take advantage of that.

Shop In Person

A great way to defeat unwanted fees is to opt in person when possible. This way, you avoid delivery fees and get to see what you’re buying in person, ensuring you really know what you’re getting.

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Tip Yourself

Do you remember stuffing your chore money into a piggy bank when you were younger? Well, this idea isn’t far off. Create your very own tip jar and every time you achieve a goal of yours, you can add a designated tip. This allows you to save some extra money and motivate you to get things done all at once.

Shop Warehouse & Sample Sales

Warehouse & Sample Sales always have great savings and discounts on awesome brands. Instead of buying items for full price, get familiar with these types of sales to save a bunch. Stay tuned on our socials for our next Warehouse or Sample Sale.

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Use Money Saving Browser Extensions

If you’re a lover of online shopping, then you need to check out browser extensions that search the internet for coupon codes. You have probably heard of the browser extension, Honey, it’s free to download and saves you money. It’s a total game-changer.

Shop With A Credit Card That Uses Cash Back

If you use your credit card to purchase essentials, pay bills, or treat yourself, you might as well use a credit card that offers cashback. So, when you spend money on certain items, you will get a percentage back.

Make A List

Whether you’re in the market for a grocery haul, clothes, or furniture, you should make a list of items that you absolutely need. Making a list allows you to avoid potential unnecessary purchases and to budget yourself before shopping.

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A post shared by Herschel Supply (@herschelsupply)

Pay Attention To Return Policies

There’s nothing worse than going to return something that didn’t work out, just to be denied. It’s such a waste of money! Always pay attention to the return policy before buying anything, especially if it’s an online purchase.

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Although New Year’s Eve may look a bit different again this year, that doesn’t mean you can’t still have a great time! There are a bunch of ways to celebrate and finally bid farewell to 2021. It’s time to get creative and throw a party for your household. Or turn on the tv and stay in your pjs all night long.

Here are ways you can celebrate New Year’s Eve this year.


Dress Up… Or Don’t

Typically you may have dressed up for NYE in the past, so who says that has to change this year? Throw on your favourite dress or suit and tie and get to it. Create a fun photo opp and invite over a few friends and/or family.

Check Out Christmas Lights

If you’re looking to get some fresh air, then check out all of the Christmas light set-ups happening in Toronto and the GTA this year. It will definitely brighten your mood to see all of the glistening decorations.

christmas lights in toronto
Facebook/Royal Botanical Gardens

Support Businesses & Order Food

It’s always a great time to support your local businesses, so take a night off from cooking and order a delicious meal. Check out our fave local restaurants to order from!

Watch Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest

Tune in to ABC to check out Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest. There will be a ton of celebrity guests performing all night long. Be sure to check it out!

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Host A Video Call

Grab all of your friends and loved ones on a video call to celebrate the night. It’s always best when everyone’s together, and with a virtual call, you can be! Even get everyone to mix up a festive cocktail to get into the spirit.

Kick Back & Relax

If you rather have a quiet NYE, then that’s cool too. Put on your favourite movies and just relax, you deserve it! Make some popcorn, lather on a mud mask, and really give yourself some TLC.

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Get ahead of 2021 with these fashion trends that will keep you in style all year long. Since the fashion world is always one season ahead, it won’t be very difficult to get your hands on the upcoming year trends. Be prepared for fun accessories, colourful essentials, oversized pieces, and classic garments.

Oversized Blazer Jackets

Colourful coats

White Boots

Fringe Bags

Khakis 

Baggy Jeans

Hair Scarf 

Pastels 

Trench Coat

Yellow Accessories

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Whether or not you’re one for New Year’s resolutions, the start of a brand new year (or decade) is a great time to do some internal re-evaluation. If you’re looking to make some positive changes this coming year, this is a great time to start. Now I know that setting resolutions can result in unnecessary pressure and for that reason, I prefer to call my resolutions, intentions. These intentions are what I intent to do, accomplish, and experience in the coming year.

Having goals for the new year is great and is a wonderful start, but what matters most is how well you walk the walk, and not just talk the talk. Whether you’re looking to get organized, eat better, or save money, these products will not only hopefully inspire you, but also help you stick to whatever your intentions (or resolutions) are for 2020!

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New year, new you… Hold up! Stop with the bullsh*t. As much as we’d like to break old habits and be our best selves, most of the time New Year’s resolutions are forgotten within a couple weeks.

If this sounds like you, then read on because we’ve got some helpful tips that might get you into the routine you’re envisioning.

Let’s start with the basics, though – baby steps – and see what most people think they should be devoting more time to. These are the top New Year’s resolutions according to statista.com.

  1. Eat better
  2. Exercise more
  3. Spend less
  4. More self-care
  5. Read more
  6. Learn a new skill
  7. Get a new job
  8. Make new friends
  9. Form a new hobby
  10. Make no resolutions!

Nothing shocking, right. Why then is it, that New Year’s resolutions are so hard to keep? Sadly I’m not a scientist so I can’t give you the answer but what I can do is share some helpful tips on how to make your chances of sticking to your resolution greater.

1. Set attainable goals

This may seem obvious but more times than not we try to take on too much making our resolution unattainable. You’re not superman or woman, so if your goal is to run more don’t set out trying to jog five kms a day. Instead, start with walking or running for five minutes on the treadmill. Once you feel that, that’s too easy then you can slowly work your way up to more time. It’s easier to keep a resolution when you feel like you’re succeeding and not failing.

2. Reward yourself

In a Psychology Today study, researchers found that you should treat yo-self. People who rewarded themselves at certain benchmarks were more successful in reaching and keeping their resolutions. So if your goal is to lose weight, buy yourself a new top after you lose ten pounds as some added incentive.

3. Believe in yourself

Sounds corny, right? But it turns out there is scientific evidence behind believing that you can accomplish something. In the same Psychology Today study, people who practiced self-efficacy (thinking that they could get the job done) were more determined and therefore more successful.

“71 per cent of successful people slipped up in the first month. The only difference was that these people didn’t quit after the first or second or third mistake”

4. Be resilient and persistent

You may think that people who end up completing their New Year’s resolution(s) are just better or luckier people. Wrong. Research has shown that those who fulfilled their goals actually slipped up just as often as those who didn’t. In fact, 71 per cent of successful people slipped up in the first month. The only difference was that these people didn’t quit after the first or second or third mistake.

5. Don’t tempt yourself

While this isn’t always possible – you still gotta live – avoid any outside stimulus or situations that are going to prompt you to break your resolution. If you would like to quit smoking, for example, avoiding social outings like bars for the first couple months when your cravings will be the worst. Or if you’re trying to eat healthier, don’t go to that baking party one of your friend’s is hosting this weekend.

Good luck on keeping your New Year’s resolutions! We hope these tips help make 2018 a better year.

Source: Psychology Today, Statista

Do you know any other helpful tips on how to keep your New Year’s resolutions? Share with us in the comments!

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With the maddening craze of planning Christmas parties, dinners, outfits and gifts, it’s almost easy to forget about New Year’s eve. We know how expensive the holiday season always is, but don’t let that stop you from starting out the new year with a bang or a bash! We’ve gathered some expert hosting tips on how to plan a New Year’s Bash on a Budget and because it’s the season of giving…we’ve decided to share it with you.

1. BYOA

Ditch the fancy dinner entrees and have your guests bring their own appetizers (BYOA!) Not only will you save on the cost of food, but also save on time since you won’t have to prepare everything yourself. If you’re stumped for recipes, we’ve rounded up some of our favourite holiday dishes for you here.

2. Make Champagne sangria

Champagne can be costly, especially if you plan on having a large gathering, so instead of drinking it straight –make it into sangria and replace the traditional wine in the mix with Champagne instead, that way people will still get their fix. We love this simple serving station and recipe by Something Turquoise.

3. Make your own photo booth – without the booth!

Dedicate a small section of your home (or even just a wall) for picture taking purposes. You can go to the dollar store and find props to make it even more entertaining or use our simple tips and make your own photo booth!

4. Skip the lavish décor and use what you have.

Black, White, Gold and Silver tend to be the popular colour choices for NYE parties so stick to a specific colour scheme and use whatever décor you already have. If you still have the glittering gold candles from Christmas dinner or the sparkling silver center pieces from previous birthday parties – bring them out!

Do you have any more tips on how to plan a New Year’s Eve bash on a budget? Share them with us in the comments below!

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