fbpx

Category: At Home

  • Single Girl Dinner Parties | Simple Italian

    Single Girl Dinner Parties | Simple Italian

    7 Dishes for an easy-to-make Italian themed dinner party

    italian dinner party

    Potlucks are a single girl’s best friend. For less than $20 a person, you can have a multi-dish meal and really enjoy each others’ company (and by that I mean open more than one bottle of wine without paying an arm and a leg). My sister hosted a group of us for a cozy dinner party at her place. Their friends met through a series of MeetUp events when they were all somewhat new to San Francisco a few years ago. Who says you can’t meet new friends online?

    What was on the menu for our Italian dinner party? Caprese skewers, cheese and crackers, bruschetta, prosciutto-wrapped melons, arugula ravioli, and salmon with asparagus… with a little vino and a delightful bundt cake. It’s a delicious night in for up to 10 friends, or pick and choose a few dishes for a party of two. Best part about this menu? You can pick up all the ingredients from Trader Joe’s. Read on for ingredients and recipes.

    (more…)

  • What to Consider Before Signing Your Next Lease

    What to Consider Before Signing Your Next Lease

    10 Questions You Should Ask When Moving to a New Place

    lease

    This past week I went through my nearly annual process of moving apartments. I love my new home but am thoroughly exhausted from the effort.  Let’s face it, finding the perfect place is no easy task. When you do find a place that calls your name it’s important to know exactly what you’re getting yourself into.

    Over the years of moving I’ve begun to curate a list of the important things to consider when making a move. Read on for  10 of the most important questions I’d recommend you ask before signing a new lease.

    (more…)

  • Cleaning Out Your Closet (and Shopping Your Wardrobe)

    Cleaning Out Your Closet (and Shopping Your Wardrobe)

    5 Guidelines to Discard Items + 6 Classic Pieces to Keep When Cleaning Out Your Closet

    cleaning out your closet
    PHOTO: Sex and the City.

    Admit it. It’s the middle of the summer, and you still haven’t gotten around to spring cleaning. If you read All’s Fair in Love & Wardrobe (or even just my book report on it), you might have the urge to edit your wardrobe (before editing your love life). The good news for you slackers is that I just did a major overhaul of two closets thanks to my move, and I learned some things in the process.

    Cleaning out your closet is beneficial for a) making room for new things, b) taking inventory of what you might have forgotten you have, c) making a little extra cash, and d) feeling emotionally lighter. A well-edited closet gives you the opportunity to know exactly what you have and streamlines the getting ready process and your options of what to wear. Now where to start? There are the tried and true rules for what you should discard, but where can you draw the line? Read on for your guide to what must go as well as what should stay in your wardrobe.

    (more…)

  • The Single Diaries Guide to Online Workout Videos

    Four free fitness channels to follow on those busy days

    If you want something done, give it to a busy person. When I left my full-time job, I thought I would have all the time in the world to do everything I wanted to do: read books, soak up some sun, and work out twice a day. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Class times often just didn’t fit into my funemployment schedule. However, I realized that doing 15 minutes of focused activity is enough on days when you just want to move your body. There is a ton out there, so here is your starter kit to free videos that are good enough to add into your weekly routine.

    (more…)

  • What I Love About My City | San Francisco

    What I Love About My City | San Francisco

    San Francisco-born Nini Gueco tells us why she never tires of her City by the Bay

    PHOTO: Quoc Ngo.

     

    Welcome back to What I Love About My City—a series in which our favorite single girls dish on everything from the best places for a single girls weekend to the secret spots only the locals know about. If you’re thinking about moving or just planning your next trip, we’ll fill you in with all the essential details on the cities our crew knows best.

    Over 30 years in San Francisco, and Avant-Barre‘s founder Char “Nini” Gueco has a palpable love for this fair city. Born in the City and raised in the Peninsula, Nini stayed in the Bay Area to attend Santa Clara University where she graduated with a degree in Accounting. Travel opportunities happened domestically through work (her first career move was as an accountant with a big 4 firm) and internationally through dance (she was a premier soloist with Likha Pilipino Folk Ensemble), but she always made her way back home to the Bay. I had the privilege of meeting Nini 27 years ago when I was born her second sister, and she’s one reason I cannot wait to make the move back this summer. After hearing what she had to say about San Francisco, I found a few more reasons to add to my list (one of them is Avant-Barre’s brand new SoMa studio that opens today).

    (more…)