Tomorrow starts another work week and the morning commute. This task can be quite irksome, especially since commuting means interacting with the human race (and for those of us in NYC, the MTA).
Want to make the task a little less daunting?
Get your Library Card!
Nothing drowns out the sounds of the hustle and bustle than that Ken Follett thriller, Nora Roberts swashbuckling romance or the latest New York Times bestseller (I prefer paperback myself).
If you actually want to drown out the sounds, most libraries have a wide selection of CDs that you can rip to your computer and download to your iPod. My current favorite is Bret Michaels' solo album (yes, he made a solo album and yes, it is quite delectably bad).
So go to your nearest library and sign up for a card. It takes about 5 minutes, is free and is the Cheap Chic's option for staying sane while commuting (without breaking the bank). Most libraries also have DVD collections, so you can secretly watch The Love Guru from the privacy of your own home and not have spend a dime by renting it (Trust me, it would be sorry with your investment).
In NYC, there are three main library systems: the New York Public Library (otherwise known as the NYPL), the Brooklyn Public Library and the Queens Borough Public Library. With over 50 million items in circulation (NYPL), I'm sure you will be able to find something that would tickle your fancy.
All these systems have websites and online catalogs where you can look up their entire collections and place things on hold (Currently, I'm waiting on The House Bunny to come in! Oh my!).
So go online, find your nearest library branch, and get that card!
So, I will admit it. I have a major printed paper fetish. Whether a postcard, a greeting card, a calendar or an advert, I am usually quite intrigued. My walls are festooned with all of these things, a lifelong collection of postcards with waiters racing trays of drinks through the streets of Paris, calendars with sassalicious phrases on them ("She liked her men like her cocktails...neat, but with a twist) and cards denoting love, life and liquor (these are a few of my favorite things).
One of my favorite times of year is the New Year. The Cheap Chic loves the New Year, because it means find a new use for the old and bring in with the new.
Thus, don't throw away those old calendars! They make great wall hangings. If you are like me you liked your calendar and anxiously awaited the next month to see what intriguing salacious quote set the tone for the month. Now that its the new year- deconstruct it. Take all those months and tape them up on the wall as artwork as a modge podge, cheap chic collage. Or if you are anal, take a few calendar months and find cheap frames (check the dollar store, Joanns or Michaels) and frame them up!
Also, the New Year brings new Calendars and guess what? They are CHEAP! That's right, the New Year brings the 50-75% off Calendar sales all over (and I'm not talking about the dollar store Cat calendar your Great Aunt gets you every year). These are the beautifully printed, glossy paper, and fabulous artwork variety. For the price, why not buy one as a calendar and another as more decorations for your bachelor/bachelorette pad! For the price of 1 you get 2 or 3!
So raid your local B&N, Borders or discount store.