I’m a fan of unusual homes. From tiny homes to recycled homes, I’m fascinated by unconventional ways one can build houses that save on construction costs and future utility bills.
Our own house plans are for plastered walls with straw bale infill, and we’re close to breaking ground. But when I picked up the latest issue of granola crunchy Mother Earth News, for a minute I considered scrapping our plans. To live in a grain bin.
You really have to click that last link and check out the photos to see how architects and builders are taking the big round structures pictured above and turning them into stunning homes. I had never heard of such a thing as a grain bin house, but I was intrigued.
Low Cost, Low Impact
You might be wondering, as any rational person would, what would possibly drive someone to turn a grain silo into a house. Turns out there are quite a few reasons grain bin inhabitants chose the structure. Consider the following features:
Eco-friendly. Many builders buy used bins, and they can be recycled. Mother Earth News suggests finding used bins by placing an ad in farm magazines or on your local farm co-op bulletin board, through a local bin dealer or erector, or surprisingly, even on Craigslist and eBay.
Low maintenance. Not fond of painting your house? That’s no longer a task on the to-do list with a grain bin house. The shiny metal will dull to gray, but you’ll never have to pick up a paintbrush.
Cost effective. Bins cost $30 per square foot or less (not including slab or assembly costs). You can get smaller bins for an office or workshop for a few hundred dollars, or sometimes for free.
Visual appeal. Mother Earth News interviewed Mark Clipsham, an architect from Iowa, who says, “…curved forms are used in either the most expensive and prestigious buildings or the most utilitarian and primitive ones. These forms have evolved out of use because of changes in available materials, labor costs and prevailing building methods. But why not use something utilitarian and affordable — a grain bin — to build what is otherwise in the realm of the expensive and exclusive?”
Bells and Whistles
Earl Stein’s 1,800-square foot grain bin home in Woodland, Utah, uses high-tech systems and solar heat gain to use less energy. The house, called Monte-Silo, was designed by Gigaplex Architects out of two linked corrugated metal grain silos, arranged to enjoy a view of the Provo River. The home features the following:
Rubber-covered concrete floors heated by sunlight that pours through the windows
Radiant heat in the floors (Stein says even with the indulgence, his heating bills are far below the average for houses of the same size in Utah.)
Heat retained with computer-controlled drapes
Propane-burning stove
Metal grating and guard rail of the second level deck provide shade in the great room during the summer
Another beautiful example of a high-end grain silo home is M. J. Gladstone’s 450-square-foot, octagonal living room and bedroom combo with and attached angular shed that holds the kitchen, dining area, home office, bathroom, and a closet. Both Gladstone’s and Stein’s homes cost about $200 per square foot.
A Simple, Owner-Built Home
On the other end of the spectrum is an owner-built grain bin home constructed with mostly locally sourced materials. A 3,000-bushel grain bin was converted into two one-room apartments with plenty of cost-saving features, such as the following:
Used grain bin with walls, a roof, and a concrete floor
Straw bale insulation
Double-paned glass windows and doors placed to maximize solar heat gain
Doors, windows, and straw bales purchased locally
Reclaimed wood from a nearby barn
24-watt solar electric system
The owners chose a grain silo home because it could be inhabitable in about three months (before winter). In fact, the speed of assembly makes these structures ideal for emergency situations in areas hit by natural disaster. Final cost wasn’t listed for this home, but it’s fair to say it’s at the low end of costs for a grain bin home.
Grain bins aren’t just being converted into homes, either. People have made offices, workshops, playhouses, storage buildings, and guest apartments out of them. Considering expense, strength, and maintenance, they’re an ideal building material. Unusual? Most definitely. But when you start to think outside the box, they make a lot of sense, too.
What do you think about unconventional homes like these? Would you ever live in one? What about building a workshop or office out of a grain bin?
The apartment hunt struggle is real these days, especially with ever-competitive rental markets. You have to know precisely what you’re looking for in an apartment, whether it be specifics like a walk-in closet or just the general location you want to live. You need to always think about things like the security deposit, the lease and the landlord.
It’s also a good tip when looking at the apartment you might rent to check everything from the bathroom to the bedroom. Make sure all the outlets and smoke detectors work and that the space is precisely what you want. Don’t forget to get good referrals because landlords often ask for them when you’re renting.
These are all important things to consider once you’re touring a new apartment but before you even get to the tour, there’s one thing you should also consider and that is what you should wear while apartment viewing.
Does it matter what you wear to an apartment tour?
While there are more important aspects to finding and securing a new apartment — such as your credit score, the security deposit and the application process — the truth is clothing does matter. Think of apartment viewing as a job interview and follow the same etiquette. Don’t arrive late — real estate agents and leasing managers are busy people who have many separate showings in a day, so don’t waste anyone’s time and dress for the future apartment you want.
What to wear to an apartment tour with a leasing agent
You might wonder if clothes really matter. Well, as they say, you should dress to impress. Most likely there are other people viewing the same apartment that you are with their leasing agent and you want to stick out. It also doesn’t hurt to impress the landlord of the apartment you want to rent in this competitive rental market
Remember, those first impressions are important and while it’s good to know what’s on the inside is what counts, it can’t hurt to make the outside match the inside. While clothes may vary depending on the situation, here are some tips on what to wear while apartment viewing.
1. Dress according to the weather
Since you can view an apartment in all types of weather, you should dress accordingly. It’s pretty basic knowledge — if it’s cold, wear a coat and good shoes. If it’s hot, wear something that you won’t sweat through. Consider these clothing tips for each season.
Winter: If you’re going on an apartment tour in the winter then you should obviously dress for the weather to stay nice and cozy. Consider wearing one of your nicer coats and boots to the tour. Wearing weather-appropriate shoes will make it so you don’t have wet feet or drip water throughout the place you’re touring with real estate agents.
Fall: Think about wearing something casual like a nice pair of jeans and a crisp shirt. Avoid clothing with tears, wrinkles and holes in it. Wear something that you’ll be comfortable but confident in.
Spring: Think about wearing a nice spring dress or skirt or khakis. Business casual attire is always a good go-to when house hunting.
Summer: During hot weather, it’s totally understandable to want to wear less clothing. However, when touring an apartment with your leasing agents, it’s best to avoid tight or short items. You want to wear something that you won’t sweat through but that still looks nice and presentable.
2. Wear business casual attire on an apartment tour to impress the property manager
You still might wonder exactly what you should wear when looking at apartments. Well, generally speaking, you can always rely on business casual attire. You really can’t go wrong with a nice pair of pants and a button-up shirt. You can dress up your street clothes by adding a few accessories here and there. Just be sure to take an iron to your clothes so they’re freshly pressed and this will make them look more professional.
3. Step it up a notch for your apartment viewing
You might have to choose different clothing depending on the apartment complex you’re touring. If you’re looking at a particular apartment that’s a bit more upscale, then business casual might not cut it and it might require formal attire. Check out the apartment community and see what the people are like and dress accordingly. Talk to the property managers and ask about what you can generally expect from the apartment complex.
If this is the case, then you can always go with a nicer pair of dress pants or dress or even consider a button-up and tie. When in doubt it’s always better to over-dress than to dress too casually.
4. Wear comfortable shoes
It’s easy for renters to forget the hard parts that go into apartment hunting, such as the amount of walking that goes into touring apartments and walking around the complexes. Touring apartment after apartment gets tiring easily and is hard on your feet. It’s a good idea to wear shoes that you can walk around in for the day and not get nasty blisters.
If you don’t want to walk around in heels for the day, then opt for some clean sneakers. There’s nothing worse than being uncomfortable, and you don’t want anything to distract you from the apartment you might rent.
5. Wear something that makes you feel confident and be yourself
While there are many tips that you can follow, there’s always room for exceptions. The bottom line is that you should always dress in something that makes you feel the most confident. Whether that’s jeans and a T-shirt or a suit, just be yourself. Nothing looks better on a person than confidence. Before you leave your bathroom or bedroom, take one last look at yourself and remind yourself that you’ve got this and that property is yours. If you have confidence, then you’ll have no problem finding the apartment of your dreams.
Sign the lease while looking your best
A landlord will consider things like your credit score and ability to pay rent on time over what you wear to an apartment tour, but it doesn’t hurt to dress up and look nice when touring apartments you’re considering renting. First impressions matter, whether we like it or not. So, put your best foot and fanciest shoe forward and you’re well on your way to signing a lease.
Ashley Singleton is a writer who loves following and writing about current lifestyle, DIY and home improvement trends. You can read some of her other work on the Lady Spike Media website. In her spare time, she performs stand-up comedy in Los Angeles.
The latest figures put the average honeymoon cost at around $4,800, Brides.com reports, adding that the average honeymoon lasts eight days.
There are plenty of ways to save on or save for a honeymoon, though.
Here’s what you need to know about the average honeymoon cost and paying for a trip you’ll never forget.
The Honeymoon Tab
The Knot, a wedding-planning platform, cited a pre-pandemic average honeymoon cost of $5,000, based on an internal study of more than 27,000 couples who married in 2019. That is atop the average cost of a wedding, which The Knot put at nearly $30,000.
The average cost of a honeymoon has increased in the past few years, reflecting couples’ desire for more experiential travel, The Knot says, with more than 60% of American couples traveling outside the continental U.S. for their honeymoon.
Of course, the honeymoon outlay could be much higher if a couple goes on a luxury getaway or takes an extended trip.
Big-Ticket Honeymoon Items
The cost of a honeymoon can depend on location, amenities, and even the season couples decide to travel. Typically the cost will include:
• Plane, train, or automobile travel
• Accommodations
• Any excursions
• Food and beverages
• Taxes, tips, and fees
Essentially, it’s the same as any other big trip. The only extras may come because you want to make this trip the best it can be (and we don’t blame you).
Ways to Cut Honeymoon Expenses
There are still plenty of ways to save money on a honeymoon. As mentioned, location can play a major factor in the cost of the trip, but there is a secret a lot of travel insiders know and don’t share: Shoulder season.
Shoulder season is that awkward time between the high and low seasons of different destinations. It’s not necessarily that a place is less desirable to visit, but merely a less popular time to go.
The shoulder season in the Caribbean is the early fall (in the Northern Hemisphere, September to November), which is the midst of hurricane season, meaning fewer people tend to book during this time. Honeymooners could score great deals on flights and accommodations, and find more restaurant and excursion reservations available.
Hawaii, a perennial honeymoon destination favorite, has shoulder seasons of April through June, after all the school breaks end, and September to December, right before the holiday travel rush.
Check to see when your desired location’s shoulder season may fall, and if you wish, book in this window for the chance to save a little money.
Two other ideas:
Forage for great fares. Another way to cut back on typical honeymoon expenses is to hunt for the best flights possible if you’re traveling by air. This can be done by signing up for newsletter or alert services like Next Vacay, which sends daily emails with cheap flight deals, or similar services like Scott’s Cheap Flights and Skyscanner.
Use points or miles. One more way to lessen the financial strain of a honeymoon is to dig into credit card rewards such as points or miles. Check to see if your points can be used on flights, accommodations, or activities, and use them as you please. Don’t forget to check on any of those frequent flyer miles you’ve got hanging around either.
Paying for a Honeymoon
There are a number of ways couples can finance their honeymoon. Here are a few.
Join a honeymoon registry. The first, and perhaps most festive for a wedding, is to ask your friends and family to get involved with a honeymoon registry.
A honeymoon registry is a new twist on the wedding registry tradition. Rather than ask for gifts like china that comes out of the closet once every 10 years, couples can instead ask their guests to gift them money that they may use toward their honeymoon.
Some couples take the honeymoon registry a step further by registering at places like Honeyfund or Zola for specific honeymoon items rather than a blanket ask. This can include a specific hotel stay or merely an upgrade, scuba lessons or ski tickets, or dining at one special restaurant during the trip.
Carve out a honeymoon savings fund. Another way to finance your honeymoon is by starting your own honeymoon budget. Once you’ve decided as a couple where you’d like to travel on your first trip as the newly betrothed, you can estimate how much the trip will cost.
From there, you can start a fund where you put in a little each day, week, or a month from income or through any cutbacks you’re willing to make to your personal budgets to turn this dream trip into a reality.
Decide to camp out in Uncle Jeremy’s backyard. And grill hot dogs for days. It will be unforgettable. Just sayin’.
Take out a personal loan. A personal wedding or honeymoon loan can be used for just about anything you want. Yes, that means it can be used to cover any and all costs of a honeymoon.
The Takeaway
The average honeymoon costs around $4,800. But clearly, that number can vary greatly depending on when and where honeymooners travel, for how long, and the level of luxury. With more couples lusting for experiential travel, the average tab has grown.
Think twice before turning to high-interest credit cards. Consider a SoFi personal loan instead. SoFi offers competitive fixed rates and same-day funding. Checking your rate takes just a minute.
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Photo credit: iStock/DragonImages
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True to its brand, Virgin Voyages does things a little differently than other cruise lines, and this ethos extends to its accommodations. Virgin Voyages’ cabins sport a minimalist look with futuristic touches, and its suites exude a rock-n-roll vibe with in-room turntables and peekaboo showers.
While these cruise rooms may be unique in the cruise industry, you won’t have trouble choosing your cabin or suite. Virgin offers a reasonable three styles of standard cabin and eight categories of suites, so your choice will be guided by your requirements around space, price and light.
Virgin also does not use standard cruise industry lingo to refer to its rooms. Inside cabins are Insider rooms, ocean views are Sea Views, and balconies are Sea Terrace cabins. Suites are RockStar Quarters. Many rooms can accommodate one to four guests, often in slightly unusual bed layouts, so pay attention if you’re traveling in a pack and looking to save a few bucks on your cruise fare.
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Whether this is your first cruise ever or your first with this cruise line, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with Virgin Voyages’ cabins and suites before you make that booking. Here’s everything you need to know.
A Virgin Voyages cabin primer
Virgin Voyages sails three identical ships, with one more on the way by the end of 2023. Cabin categories and design are standard across the fleet, so if you’re familiar with one ship, you’re familiar with them all.
Here is a breakdown of the cabin types on Scarlet Lady, which should be the same across all the sister ships:
Insider inside cabins: 105 (8%)
Sea view outside cabins: 96 (7%)
Sea Terrace balcony cabins: 1,051 (79%)
RockStar Quarters suites: 78 (6%)
The cruise line caters to adults only; all passengers must be 18 years old. That means you won’t find any family-focused accommodations. However, you will find Insider and Sea View cabins designed for solo passengers, with a 3/4 size bed (larger than a twin but smaller than a full.)
Other cabins and suites in all categories can sleep three or four guests. Groups who don’t want to squeeze four into a room (and we wouldn’t recommend it, given Virgin’s tiny bathrooms and limited storage) can take advantage of connecting rooms.
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Balcony cabins are designated either regular, extra-large, centrally located or limited-view, and your cruise fare will change depending on which you choose. Cheeky Corner and Suite Aft Suites are also divided into Pretty Big Terrace, Even Bigger Terrace and Biggest Terrace classes.
Related: The 5 most desirable cabin locations on any cruise ship
Accessible cabins are available in Insider, Sea View, Central Sea Terrace, Extra-Large Sea Terrace and Seriously Suite categories.
All Virgin Voyages cabins mix a hip yet minimalist design (think IKEA or micro hotel) with tech-forward accessories (such as an iPad that controls the A/C, curtains and mood lighting). The look is more spare than you’ll find on other cruise lines that feature thick mattresses, fluffy duvets and faux-wood cabinetry in their cabins.
In standard cabins, the bed is modular – not only transforming from a queen bed to twins but also turning from a bed into an L-shaped lounging couch. In some quad layouts, a queen bed and an extra twin share the same headboard with a bunk overhead. The mattresses are rearranged on a long platform to form various arrangements; any uncovered portion of the platform serves as a nightstand or low table.
A triangular-with-rounded-edges odd-shaped white table serves as a desk and vanity in most standard cabins, with a round vegan leather stool beneath. It partially overlaps the shelving unit beneath that houses a mini-fridge and small shelves. Above is a round mirror and a shelf holding the room-controlling tablet.
Sea View and Sea Terrace cabins trade out the typical cruise ship cabin couch or love seat for a spare director’s style chair with a faux leather partial back and a padded seat.
Virgin also skips a full wardrobe for a more minimalist closet area where a hanging rod and a two-shelf luggage rack with storage baskets are hidden behind a curtain. A narrow floor-to-ceiling wardrobe contains four slim drawers, shelves housing the safe, life jackets and extra linens and a full-length mirror.
It’s not a lot of storage space — perfect for one, manageable for two and likely impossible for three or four.
Standard bathrooms are also tiny and lacking in storage space. The shower has one measly shelf and pump bottles of Red Flower shampoo, conditioner and body wash. It offers both a rain shower head and a wand. The rest of the tiny bathroom features a bowl sink and a small vanity where you can store toiletries if you move the hand towels somewhere else (possibly the shelf below with the garbage can).
The entire space is tight, even for average-sized people. If you need spacious loos, you will need to book a suite.
Virgin Voyages ships have eight types of suites, ranging from 352-square-foot Seriously Suites (which are essentially extra-spacious regular cabins with slightly nicer furnishings and a much larger bathroom) to the 2,147-square-foot Massive Suite with separate living and sleeping areas, a music room, and a gigantic terrace with a dining table (with steps up in case you want to pull a Richard Branson and dance on it) and hot tub.
Related: Why you should splurge for a suite on your next cruise
Suites are split into two categories — RockStar Quarters and Mega RockStar Quarters — which determine which additional perks come with your booking.
Virgin claims that 86% of its cabins feature private balconies, and if you can, you want to book one of these. Why? Because each Sea Terrace comes with a sustainably sourced hammock that is extremely comfortable and unusual in the cruise industry — and for us, was the best part of the entire Virgin accommodation experience.
Inside cabins on Virgin Voyages cruise ships
Insider cabins are Virgin’s name for windowless interior rooms. They measure 105 to 177 square feet and can sleep one (Solo Insiders) to four people (Social Insiders). As we mentioned above, the Solo Insiders have a 3/4-sized bed. The four-person arrangement is two twin beds arranged in an L shape head to head, with two bunkbeds also in L shape right above. The intent is for the lower beds to be made up as couches during the day and transformed into beds at night.
The room is laid out like a standard Scarlet Lady cabin, but on the far wall, where a window would be, there’s a red, round art piece evocative of a porthole.
Ocean-view cabins on Virgin Voyages cruise ships
Sea View cabins are slightly bigger at 130 to 190 square feet and can sleep one to three people, with one pull-down bunk and beds that convert from a queen to two twins. They are arranged identically to the Insider cabins, except they have a large round porthole window with a window seat on the exterior wall.
Some Sea View cabins come in slightly different configurations, especially the rooms located where the ship’s superstructure juts out at an angle. We toured one of these practically V-shaped rooms, which had one rectangular window rather than a full porthole. The window was on the same wall as the bed and chair, and the opposite wall had the desk, mini-fridge and mirror. The converging angle of the two walls made it a tight squeeze between the bed and the desk.
Related: Inside vs. outside cabin: Which affordable cruise room is best for you?
The bottom of the V, if you will, had a tall wardrobe and full-length mirror. The top of the V was the wall with the entry door, the bathroom and the closet hidden away in a tight corner by the window.
Balcony cabins on Virgin Voyages cruise ships
Virgin calls its balcony cabins Sea Terraces. They measure 185 to 225 square feet, including the 45-square-foot terrace. They can sleep two to four people, but there’s only one bunkbed. To sleep four, two people will need to share a bed, the third bed will be perpendicular in an L shape (so three heads in close proximity) and the fourth is a bunk flush with the cabin wall above.
Sea Terraces share the layout of the other standard cabins. Note that cabins numbers on the port or A side of the ship have the beds by the bathroom and the desk by the balcony, and cabin numbers on the starboard or Z side of the ship have the reverse layout, with beds by the balcony and desks by the bathroom.
Balconies are outfitted with two upright not-that-comfortable metal chairs and a circular drinks table just big enough for two glasses. The real attraction here is the full-size red hammock hung from the ceiling. A grown adult can easily lay out or simply sit and swing in the hammock. Be prepared to come to blows with your cabinmate over who gets the hammock first and for how long.
Related: Why it pays to upgrade your cruise ship cabin
If you love your hammock so much you can’t live without it, you can buy one on board. The custom-designed hammocks are handwoven by women in rural Thailand and sold by Yellow Leaf, an organization focused on community transformation and female empowerment.
Suites on Virgin Voyages cruise ships
Virgin Voyages’ 78 RockStar Quarters are broken down as follows (based on Scarlet Lady’s deck plans):
Two Massive Suites
Two Fab Suites
Two Posh Suites
nine Gorgeous Suites
18 Brilliant Suites
14 Cheeky Corner Suites (six Biggest Terrace, four Even Bigger Terrace and four Pretty Big Terrace suites)
24 Seriously Suites
Seven Sweet Aft Suites (three Biggest Terrace, two Even Bigger Terrace and two Pretty Big Terrace suites)
The Sweet Aft, Seriously, Cheeky Corner and Brilliant suites are considered RockStar Quarters. They come with the following perks:
Access to Richard’s Rooftop sun deck with hot tubs and a bar
Complimentary in-room bar setup (no refills)
Priority access to dinner and event reservations, plus shore excursion signups
RockStar agents (i.e. concierges) who can help you 24/7
Priority embarkation
Gorgeous, Posh, Fab and Massive Suites are considered Mega RockStar Quarters. They come with all the RockStar perks plus additional benefits:
A daily bar tab for complimentary drinks and bottles of wine throughout the ship
Complimentary Thermal Suite access at the Redemption Spa
Private transfers to the ship or free parking (depending on the departure port)
A personal RockStar Agent
Limitless in-room bar
Premium Wi-Fi on Caribbean cruises, allowing streaming on up to two devices
The suite that’s right for you will depend on your budget, the perks you value and where on the ship you wish to stay.
Related: How to snag cruise ship suites for less
Among the RockStar Quarters, the Seriously Suite is the most common suite type on board. It measures 352 square feet, including the balcony. It features a European king bed facing the floor-to-ceiling glass balcony doors, tall closet wardrobes, a brass vanity, a shelving unit with a turntable and bar setup and a window behind the bed looking into the extra-large shower. The bathroom is spacious with a marble tile look, and the terrace is only slightly larger than a standard one, with the same furnishings.
The Sweet Aft Suite ranges in size from 416 to 661 square feet, depending on the deck and the size of the balcony. The higher the deck, the bigger the suite and terrace. There’s one Sweet Aft Suite on each deck between decks 8 and 14, and each is located smack in the center of the back of each deck.
These suites also have a bed facing the windows, but the bathroom is to the side with a shower porthole looking onto the oversized balcony. In addition to the standard hammock, the terrace features two padded lounge chairs, a couch and a round metal table (meant for Champagne) and chairs.
The Brilliant Suite measures 482 square feet and looks like an expanded version of the Seriously Suite. The extra space allows for a modular couch that can double as a bed; this suite can sleep up to four. Its balcony is slightly longer than the Seriously Suite’s, meaning it can offer the larger Champagne table of the Brilliant Suite.
The Cheeky Corner Suite also comes in a range of sizes, 615 to 857 square feet, based on deck and balcony size. The 14 suites are at the back corners of the ship on decks 8 – 14, on either side of the Sweet Aft Suites.
Balconies wrap around the back and sides of the ships, and offer the same furnishings as the Sweet Afts but with the hammock tucked away in the side corner. Inside, the room has a corner sofa area and a large wardrobe.
Related: What not to do on a cruise balcony
All of the Mega RockStar Quarters are on Deck 15, directly beneath Richard’s Rooftop, for easy access.
The Gorgeous Suite is the smallest at 570 square feet, and can sleep up to four. Its interior is similar to the Brilliant Suite, but the difference is in the balcony. The suite has a double-depth balcony with an outdoor shower and lounge chairs.
The Posh Suite measures 833 square feet, with living and sleeping areas divided by a wall. It can sleep four (the living room sofa can convert to a bed) and has a bath and a half (the master with a peekaboo shower looking into the bedroom and out the balcony doors beyond). The balcony is similar to the other suite terraces with lounge chairs, a hammock, Champagne table and chairs and a small couch.
The Fab Suite, at 950 square feet, is essentially an oversized version of the Posh Suite. The extra space allows for additional seating areas in both the living room and bedroom. It can also sleep four.
All the way forward on Deck 15, each of the two Massive Suites lives up to its name, coming in at a whopping 2,147 square feet. You enter the main living area with a circular couch seating area and a full bar. To one side is the music room, which can double as an extra bedroom; the suite sleeps up to four — that is if you don’t stay up rocking out on the provided guitars all night. An adjacent guest bathroom is ideal for hosting parties.
On the other side, the master bedroom has privacy behind sliding doors and floor-to-ceiling windows. Just behind, the marble-tiled dressing area features two closets and a soaking tub; turn the corner to find the rest of the bathroom, complete with the signature windowed shower.
The also-massive terrace is your own private backyard with a hot tub, outdoor shower, dining table for six, two hammocks, circular couch seating and padded lounge chairs.
Bottom line
Virgin Voyages’ cabins get the job done. However, its standard rooms won’t keep you inside when the real fun is found in the ships’ public areas. Their best feature is the hammock on every balcony.
For more spacious bathrooms, tricked-out terraces, lounge and seating spaces, and extra perks, upgrade to the RockStar Quarters. While you might want to bring the after-party back to your social living quarters, you miss out if you hide out in your upper-deck digs rather than immerse yourself in the entertainment and cozy hangouts found around Virgin Voyages’ ships.
It’s been a particularly bad twister season this year—and not just for those living in “Tornado Alley.”
The preliminary count of twisters between January and March, when tornado season began ramping up, means 2023 will be one of the most active first quarters on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. And it could end up being the worst ever seen.
This all has us wondering about tornado risks for homeowners across the country and how much climate change is affecting the frequency, severity, and locations of these unstoppable storms that remind us of how small we are. So we analyzed climate risk data from CoreLogic, a real estate data supplier, to figure out how much tornado damages are likely to cost homeowners each year, depending on where they live—and what sort of bills they could be facing in the future as tornadoes become more dangerous.
While tornadoes mostly affect the Eastern swath of the country, this year places not normally associated with tornado risk have been touched by them. A 140-mph tornado struck Delaware (measured as the widest on record for the state) on April 1, the same day an “outbreak” of tornadoes touched down in New Jersey, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. That followed a tornado that hit Los Angeles on March 22 and where a set of “twin tornadoes” hit again on May 4.
For a homeowner living in an area where tornadoes are a possibility, this is a reminder that although the chance a tornado affects you is small, it can still happen. But the science on how a changing climate affects tornadoes is far from settled.
“There’s no agreement, and there’s good reason for that,” says Howard Bluestein, a professor of meteorology at the University of Oklahoma.
Bluestein says there are far too many factors to predict with accuracy the changes in tornado frequency or intensity, from wind shears to soil moisture.
“We don’t understand why some supercell storms produce tornadoes and others don’t,” he adds.
CoreLogic’s predictions, which rely on widely used greenhouse gas modeling, show that damage costs resulting from severe convective storms—the kind that causes tornadoes and also other damaging wind, rain, and hail—could rise by more than 10% by 2040 and more than 25% by 2050, depending on the location, and that’s without adjusting for whatever future inflation occurs.
One caveat: The possibility exists of observation bias, where the count of tornadoes might have increased in part because the tools we use to observe these storms have gotten better. In addition, as more homes go up and areas become more populated, damages are likely to become more widespread. That’s not because there are more tornadoes, necessarily, only that there are more homes in their way.
According to CoreLogic’s data, in a place like Tarrant County, TX, severe convective storms currently cause around $411 million in residential damage in any given year. That translates into a risk of about $690 per homeowner each year. That, in turn, is worked into insurance premiums.
But by 2040, CoreLogic expects those costs to rise by 10%, to about $436 million across the county, or about $729 per homeowner, using the most extreme model (RCP85, which is based on increasing fossil fuel use). By 2050, those costs could rise by almost 20%, to about $522 million, or about $872 per homeowner—and that’s before accounting for inflation or the effects of population growth.
That’s where the science hits homeowners’ wallets. As the risks increase, homeowners are likely to spend more on their insurance premiums.
We plotted CoreLogic’s data on a map, to show where in the country tornado damage costs are expected to increase, and by how much.
For each of the 2,610 counties where there’s enough past tornado data to make predictions about the future (about three-quarters of all counties), CoreLogic’s data shows the current estimated average annual cost to a homeowner from severe convective storms, as well as the amount that figure is expected to rise under the RCP85 scenario. You can explore the data using the map below.
Though predictions about the effects of climate change are still not an exact science, says Harold Brooks, a senior research scientist at the NOAA’s severe storms laboratory, improvements in home construction techniques can be used to help mitigate these risks.
“The bottom line is we aren’t completely sure what climate change will do,” he says. “But we know enough to know the bounds of what climate change might do.”
And that’s enough to prompt him to take measures in his own home, where Brooks recently had an in-residence tornado bunker installed.
“It’s a walk-in closet, with 6-inch concrete walls and a steel-reinforced door. FEMA has plans online for these,” he says. “The guy who poured the concrete said it was relatively simple, and when he was done, he asked if he could come over if there’s a bad storm.”
The tornado fortification doesn’t stop there, though.
“Historically, roofs have been nailed on, but really held in place by gravity,” Brooks says. “What happens in most home failures in a tornado is the roof gets lifted off. You have pressure on the walls, there’s no place for it to go, you get upward pressure, and the roof goes.”
But builders are now using hurricane clips to protect against severe weather events that threaten to tear roofs from buildings. These clips secure roof rafters to the walls with inexpensive metal fittings.
“The buzzword in the community is ‘continuous load path,’” Brooks says. “These can add an order of magnitude to the pressure the roof can take.”
Bolts that more securely hold walls to a structure’s foundation are another of the “relatively inexpensive things that can reduce the risk for this kind of damage,” Brooks adds.
If you’re looking for a timeless color combo to get you through the winter doldrums, we’ve got you coverd. There’s something so classic and yet always alluring about drum roll please…. camel and black!
We’re obsessed with how the honey and ochre undertones of camel pair perfectly with an inky, jet black. So obsessed, in fact, that we’d back our love for this rich and warm color combo over the reigning classic black and white any day. And this goes for both fashion and decor! But what’s that, you say? Hesitant about such a “standard” pairing? But this is a classic that will keep everyone coming back for more. We’re confident this evidence will change your mind!
So good, right? When it comes to personal style, camel and black is literally the easiest thing to wear. Throw on black jeans, booties, a black tee and a camel coat and…done! I always feel my post pulled together and confident in this uniform. Then you just sit back and wait for the compliments, becuase they will come. The same goes for the combo in your home. Black and camel feels sophisticated yet comfortable. It says you have style but you’re not trying to pretentious about it. It’s casual, calm and endlessly cool. It’s super his & hers friendly too. We say, never underestimate the power of a camel colored couch and black pillows!
What do you think? Has camel and black always been a go-to for you or is it just now winning over your hearts?
image 1 via The Quarter Life Closet // 2 via Stil Inspiration // 3 via Adenorah // 4 via we and the color // 5 via Who What Wear // 6 via Domino // 7 via The Chronicles of Her // 8 via Rue Magazine // 9 via The Fashion Cuisine
Las Vegas might have once lured travelers with its gambling halls and affordable $9.99 steak and lobster dinners. However, the Las Vegas Strip of today is a thoroughfare dominated by sprawling luxury resorts — and accompanying hotel bills that almost require a jackpot at a slot machine to offset the financial blow.
MGM Resorts’ Aria Resort & Casino stands out among this wave of newer Las Vegas resorts for being among the first to rely less on a theme (no circus gimmicks, Italian-inspired water features or faux Parisian architecture here, thank you very much). Instead, this glitzy, glassy complex is more about luring in guests with a bevy of bars and restaurants, pools, a spa and, of course, an extensive casino floor.
Aria was one of my favorite places to stay in Las Vegas prior to the pandemic, so I checked in earlier this month to see what’s changed in the last few years. Here’s what it was like to stay there.
What is the Aria Resort & Casino?
Moving to a stay at Aria following three nights at a conference at Caesars Palace just up the Strip was like experiencing Vegas resort whiplash. That’s no knock against Caesars, but that resort leans heavily into its Roman theme — which certainly keeps the place packed with tourists.
Aria, however, makes a point of not leaning into the various themes its competitors or sister properties embrace, like the Bellagio (Italy’s Lake Como), Paris Las Vegas (France), Luxor (Egypt) or Excalibur (medieval times). Instead, this MGM Resorts-affiliated property is the namesake of Aria Campus — a high-end hotel and casino complex featuring the Aria Resort & Casino, as well as the Aria Sky Suites and Vdara Hotel & Spa. The Shops at Crystals, a luxe shopping mall featuring retailers like Dior and Gucci, connect to the hotel.
While the Aria is on the Las Vegas Strip, it’s set back farther than some of its siblings and competitors. However, the Aria Express Tram connects visitors from Aria and the Shops at Crystals to the Bellagio and Park MGM (both part of MGM Resorts along with Aria).
If Aria did lean into any theme when it first opened in late 2009, it was its high-tech features — something I noticed during my stay amid posters all over the property encouraging guests to text a digital concierge or use a tablet in their room to communicate with staff and make reservations. More on that later.
Related: 17 best hotels in Vegas with suites that are worth it
How to book the Aria Resort & Casino
Because of the reciprocity between MGM Resorts and Hyatt, there are a variety of ways to book a stay at Aria and earn loyalty points and on-property elite benefits. As a World of Hyatt Explorist member, I booked my Friday and Saturday night stay directly through Hyatt for a Deluxe Strip View King guest room that averaged $435.44 per night, including taxes and fees.
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Room rates are higher on the weekends, but the silver lining is that, because I’m an Explorist, I also have MGM Resorts Gold status when I book directly.
That comes with waived resort fees and an enhanced room upgrade (the staffer at check-in moved me up to the 33rd floor compared to a room on the 21st floor that was initially available), which saved me $90 over the span of my two-night stay. There is also a dedicated check-in counter in the lobby for MGM Gold members and above, which saved me some time upon arrival.
Luxury on the Strip
The first time I visited Aria years ago, my taxi driver referred to it as “glassy and classy” when she dropped me off at the resort. That moniker still holds as the hotel’s curved glass towers leave an imposing, modern presence among the wide variety of architectural styles that characterize the Las Vegas skyline.
I wouldn’t lump Aria in with the ultra-luxury vibes of the adjacent Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas or the Wynn and Encore resorts farther north on the Strip. However, Aria still has an elevated, less-chaotic vibe than some of the other Las Vegas properties.
New York’s famed Carbone restaurant and celebrity chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten have venues on the property, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find an affordable meal here save for the food hall and outposts of on-the-go chains like Starbucks and Pressed Juicery. The prices might make your wallet cry, but it certainly adds to an aura of exclusivity lingering around certain parts of the resort.
That said, this is still a Las Vegas resort: There’s plenty of boisterous fun taking place on the casino floor and on Aria’s sprawling pool decks during the daytime.
Spacious room with a view
I was eager to return to Aria because my last time here was prior to my time as a hotel reviewer. I remember being blown away by the size of the rooms, and that part still rings true.
My panoramic room had ample space for stowing luggage — two closets plus a dedicated, built-in shelf for storage — and a marble bathroom that was great for couples or friends traveling thanks to the double vanity.
My room featured an incredible, panoramic view of the southern swath of the Las Vegas Strip: The Cosmopolitan, Planet Hollywood, MGM Grand, Vdara, the Waldorf Astoria, Park MGM Las Vegas, Tropicana, Mandalay Bay and Delano were all visible from the room. Also, I work at TPG and am obviously an aviation geek, so I spent quite a while with my flight radar app on my phone and taking in the sights of planes landing and taking off from nearby Harry Reid International Airport (LAS).
The sprawling layout for a non-suite guest room plus the impeccable views put Aria in the higher category of resorts that I’ve stayed at in Vegas. However, the room also showed signs of needing a refresh.
The room featured a comfy king-size bed and blackout shades that were controlled by a wall-mounted switch (curiously, they could be closed from a nightstand switch but only opened from one out-of-bedside reach in the guest room foyer).
There was a tablet intended for making restaurant reservations and accessing hotel information, but I found it to be terribly glitchy (breakfast options one morning took several minutes to actually appear on the tablet). Google was my friend during this stay more than Aria’s supposedly stellar digital concierge infrastructure.
One of the reading lamp lights wasn’t working, which I thought would have been checked during turnover before my arrival. Additionally, many of the light switches seemed as glitchy as the tablet or didn’t work at all. The hotel room’s TV offered device connectivity, but I stuck to just reading from my phone or laptop.
There were two large chairs, a workstation and the hotel minibar. However, I could have used a fainting couch after checking out some of the minibar prices. It was nearly $25 for a bag of cashews or almonds. Want a liter of Fiji water? That’ll run you $24.75. I highly recommend grabbing snacks and beverages at the CVS nearby on the other side of the Waldorf Astoria on the Las Vegas Strip.
There was a large soaking tub and shower (Aria uses KiNU products) behind a glass door. I always find these layouts a little pointless because you end up getting the tub wet for no reason when you take a shower. A grip pad on the shower floor would also have been nice, as I was always extra cautious trying not to slip while rinsing off. There’s a separate water closet behind a frosted glass door.
One of my sink drains was clogged, but I didn’t bother calling maintenance during my stay since the other sink worked perfectly fine — again, something you’d think would have been noted during turnover.
The bathroom lights were a little glitchy in that you’d press a button several times to get the light on in the shower — another slight stand-alone problem that can swell to an overall annoyance at a hotel touting its tech prowess on many advertisements throughout the property.
Overall, I think the hotel is going to need an interior design overhaul in a few years. The furniture and dark wooden cabinetry all felt like they were teetering on the intersection of dated and wear-and-tear, and the linens all seemed dull and in need of replacing (or at least an iron). I know wear and tear are going to inevitably happen at a highly visited hotel in Las Vegas, but a hotel leaning into its luxurious reputation like Aria needs to start thinking about this sooner before long-time guests start looking elsewhere for a stay.
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CAMERON SPERANCE/THE POINTS GUY
Pricey eats and drinks
As the minibar might suggest, mealtime at Aria can be stressful if you’re trying to dine on a budget.
My “affordable” dinner at Din Tai Fung, a famous Taiwanese dumpling and noodle restaurant that opened a Las Vegas outpost at Aria in 2020, came to $92.50 for a yuzu margarita, pork xiao long bao (soup dumplings), steamed shrimp and pork dumplings and spicy noodles. The food, recommended by the very friendly waitress, was delicious, but I felt a little rushed (I was in and out in under 40 minutes). It was fun, however, to watch the chefs make the dumplings in the display kitchen near the host stand at the restaurant.
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CAMERON SPERANCE/THE POINTS GUY
I purposefully didn’t make a reservation at any restaurant ahead of my arrival, as I wanted to see how well the “Fine Dining Priority Reservations” benefit of MGM Gold status worked on a last-minute booking. It didn’t exactly pull miracles for me, as I didn’t find any availability at Carbone or at Salt & Ivy, a clearly popular breakfast spot based on the Saturday brunch wait that rivaled any TSA security line during the holidays. (I recommend just sitting at the bar at Catch just off the lobby for a full breakfast if you’re looking for something heartier than Starbucks.)
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CAMERON SPERANCE/THE POINTS GUY
The check-in agent during my arrival recommended Jean Georges Steakhouse. At the time, I figured he was trying to send me to the most expensive spot at the hotel for dinner (The restaurant is known for being one of the few in the U.S. to serve actual Kobe beef). Alas, it had availability, so I took myself to dinner solo on a Saturday night.
Let’s say I went the “bargain” route at the luxe restaurant by ordering a $23 wedge salad, a $74 8-ounce filet mignon and a $21 side of crunchy potatoes served with chili yogurt and herbs. By no means was this cheap, but I was surprised to see a gin martini here going for “only” $20 when a glass of 2021 George Pinot Noir Ceremonial went for $25. A scoop of ice cream ($8) and a double espresso ($7) rounded off the meal.
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CAMERON SPERANCE/THE POINTS GUY
Was it worth it? There were certainly some amazing points: The staff was wonderfully attentive without being suffocating, and I loved the variety of four sauces to come with the steak: a habanero sauce, soy miso, barbecue and bearnaise.
That said, I ordered my steak medium and found it to be teetering into the well-done territory — a grilling mishap I’d imagine a patron paying $67 per ounce for the A5 Certified Kobe Beef on the menu wouldn’t be too thrilled by.
Fast casual options that (mostly) won’t break the bank
Since my last visit to Aria, the buffet was replaced by Proper Eats Food Hall. This features a mix of fast-casual options for all taste buds, like Laughing Buddha Ramen, Egghead, Lola’s Burgers, Proper Bar and even a speakeasy: Easy’s Cocktail Lounge.
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CAMERON SPERANCE/THE POINTS GUY
The hotel has signs everywhere noting how easy it is to order via your phone or from a self-service kiosk to cut down on wait times. However, I noticed during peak hours, these features were turned off, and you still had to wait in a long line at Egghead. Again with the tech failures!
I grabbed a burger, fries and soft drink one day at Lola’s for $33.81, including tax and tip. That’s pretty hefty for what’s essentially fast food with no sit-down service, and I knew Aria was getting to me when a voice inside my head said, “Well, that’s not bad, relatively speaking, compared to everything else here.”
To ensure I wasn’t letting the luxury prices go to my head, I ducked into an In-N-Out farther down the Strip before I flew home. A burger, fries and a soft drink there came to only $9.75.
For those in a bit of a rush in the morning, the mobile ordering at Aria’s second-floor Starbucks consistently worked. Also, the Pressed Juicery across the hall is a healthy alternative (though a costly one considering a wellness shot of ginger and lemon juice plus an acai bowl came to $16.50).
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Fitness and poolside fun
I didn’t book a treatment at the Aria Spa & Salon but passed through every day of my stay en route to the gym. Both spaces are very modern and sleek, and there’s an inviting seating area with a fireplace just outside the gym.
The hotel fitness center overlooking the pool area was spacious and had all the cardio and weightlifting equipment one needs for a variety of workouts. There’s even a rock-climbing wall and bowls filled with chilled towels to cool off post-workout.
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I came out of the gym each morning just before the pool’s 9 a.m. opening time to an extraordinarily long line of folks jockeying to stake the claim to a lounger outside. This deterred me from checking out the pool daily until mid-afternoon when things calmed down. Aria features three pools; though one is a private pool for Sky Suites guests only.
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I didn’t feel like I was missing out by hanging out at just the “regular” pools both afternoons I ventured down. While you hear a lot about Sin City’s infamous pool parties, Aria’s pool scene was a relaxing spot to read a book, sip on a (tiny) margarita ($21.82) and listen to early 2000s Gwen Stefani music belt out over the speakers.
Related: The best hotel pools in Las Vegas
Checking out
Aria Resort & Casino arrived at the height of the Great Recession at perhaps a misplaced time. Late 2009 likely wasn’t the best time to launch a luxury casino resort in Las Vegas, but it found success and a following by courting high-end travelers with its glamorous accommodations and restaurants.
The resort is still riding high on luxury, but there are signs a refresh needs to happen sooner than later. After all, nobody wants to stay at the hotel relying on stories of the glory days.
If MGM gets ahead of this now, there will still be plenty of reasons to keep returning to Aria for years to come.
Convinced that Aria is the right property for your next trip to Vegas? You can book here.
Subscription clothing rentals provide a sustainable alternative to fast fashion, allowing you to rent a number of clothing articles and then return them to be cleaned. You get a new slew of items to try on, a constantly updated and refreshed wardrobe, and fewer items to discard at the end of a season.
Two companies that want to share their massive closets with you are Rent the Runway and Nuuly. Each one offers a clothing rental subscription service where you pay a monthly fee and receive new clothes every month. Then you send the clothes back (or, in some locations, drop them off) when you’re done, and receive a fresh batch.
With RTR, you even get access to designer brands – like truly luxe stuff.
So, which is a better fit for your fits? Rent the Runway or Nuuly? Let’s find out.
What’s Ahead:
Rent the Runway vs. Nuuly summary
Both Rent the Runway and Nuuly deliver trendy clothes to your doorstep for a set monthly fee. They each use sustainable, reusable bags to ship their clothing and let you skip, pause, and cancel your subscription at any time. Both companies offer a wide variety of designers, styles, and sizes, and they each let you buy pieces if you just can’t bear to return them.
But the two companies differ in other ways.
Features
Rent the Runway
Nuuly
Sign-up fee
None
None
Monthly price
$89-$199
$88
Number of pieces
4-16 depending on plan
6
Size range
00-22
00-40W
Shipping & returns
Free Fedex 2-day shipping, in-store drop boxes in certain major cities (NYC, Miami, DC, LA, Chicago, SF)
Free UPS shipping
Laundering & dry cleaning
Included
Included
About Rent the Runway
Rent the Runway was started in 2009 as a way for people to rent special occasion designer dresses – a concept much like tuxedo rentals.
Launched by two friends and Harvard Business School alumnae, RTR was created to solve the problem of having a closet full of items you wear once and never again. By renting instead, they gave women a way to wear beautiful clothes at a fraction of the price.
In 2016, the company expanded to offering regular clothing subscriptions, which allow for a regular rotation of new items to be delivered to your doorstep as often as you like – not just for special occasions. This lets more people try brand-new designers, styles, fits, and fabrics that they otherwise might never have ventured.
About Nuuly
Nuuly is owned by URBN, the clothing company behind popular brands Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, and Free People. In fact, Free People has been around since it was created in West Philadelphia in the 1970s, with the other two brands following close behind. URBN’s specialty is capturing a certain zeitgeist of adventurous, beautiful, and down-to-earth fashion – the same aesthetics you’ll see on Nuuly.
The subscription service has been in operation since the summer of 2019, offering popular brands and casual styles at a lower cost than retail. So if you fall in love with a $400 sweater, don’t despair – rent it, instead.
Rent the Runway rental options
With Rent the Runway, you have several different rental options to choose from.
First, there’s the one-time rental option, called RTR Reserve. This is perfect if you need a dress for a special occasion, or you just want to test the RTR process. Browse the site to find your faves, then reserve the outfit for when you need it. RTR will mail you the piece, you wear it, then send it back with a prepaid label in the reusable garment bag provided. You choose a four-day rental or eight-day rental with this option.
For regular subscriptions, there are several membership tiers:
4 pieces per month, $89.
8 pieces per month, $135.
16 pieces per month, $199.
Nuuly rental options
For the most part, Nuuly offers one subscription tier, and that’s a six-piece subscription for $88.
However, for those months when you need a little upgrade, you can add on bonus items for $18, up to a max of two extra items per month.
With the bonus options, you’d get eight items per month for $124.
Rent the Runway vs. Nuuly pros
Rent the Runway pros:
Beloved and up-and-coming designers. Proenza Schouler, Tory Burch, Derek Lam, and hundreds of others are yours for the choosing.
A variety of service tiers offer customization. Get just 4 pieces a month, or crank it up to 16 – it’s your decision.
Fast shipping and drop-off options.Two-day FedEx shipping plus tons of drop points make it easy to receive and return items.
You can also buy a piece if you really like it (or any other piece that catches your eye).RTR lets you make purchases, too, not just rentals.
Nuuly pros:
Iconic brands you know and love. URBN brands Free People, Anthropologie, and Urban Outfitters anchor this collection of hundreds of brands.
Lower price point. Just $88 a month gets you six pieces to wear as much as you want.
Petite and plus-size options. More inclusive sizing begins at 00 and goes up to 40W.
Add “bonus items”.If you need more than the six pieces standard with your subscription, you can add them on for $18 each.
You can buy the pieces you love for a discount. Rent something and fall in love? You can buy it and keep it forever – and get a discount on the price.
You can also rent vintage pieces.With so many 90s looks dominating the runway (and everywhere else), now you can actually wear the real thing.
Rent the Runway vs. Nuuly cons
Rent the Runway cons:
More expensive per rental. The lowest tier costs $99 and gets you just 4 items per month.
Unlimited service has been discontinued. Widely beloved Unlimited Swaps program has ended, replaced by the 8-piece or 16-piece tier.
It May be tough to find styles in higher size brackets. There are mid-size and plus-size options, but don’t expect a ton of them.
Nuuly cons:
When you’re done with your items, you have to wait for the next month’s subscription to unlock. Keep the pieces as long as you like, but if you want something new, you have to wait until the month is up.
Availability can be scarce. For popular pieces, you might have to find an alternative or be prepared to wait.
Some users have complained of some pieces looking more used. After all, it’s clothing rental – other people will have worn the garments before you get them.
Why choose Rent the Runway
Expensive clothes for less
Rent the Runway is best known for giving you access to high-end pieces and up-and-coming new designers that you might not be able to (or want to) buy outright. Rather than sinking hundreds into a dress you might wear once, simply rent, enjoy, and return.
Multiple rental tiers
Choose the subscription service tier that fits you best. You can start with 4 pieces/1 shipment for $89 a month, which gives access to the “Basic Closet.” The next level up is eight pieces/two shipments for $135 with “Full Closet” access. Then there are 16 pieces/4 shipments for $199.
Note: there used to be an Unlimited Swaps option for $159, which gave you as many pieces as you could rent and return in one month, but that level is phased out as of May 2021. Existing Unlimited Swap memberships will be converted to the eight-piece plan unless a different plan is chosen.
Quick shipping & returns
Many clothing subscription services struggle to nail down the shipping component of the service. Rent the Runway offers fast two-day FedEx shipping both to and from their warehouse. Plus, if you live in a major city, you may be able to use an alternative drop-off method, like the RTR Flagship store in NYC, an RTR Drop Box, Swap Stop, certain West Elm locations, and certain Nordstrom locations.
Why choose Nuuly
Wearable styles
Nuuly’s known for its iconic brands under the URBN umbrella: Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, and Free People. These brands offer looks that are effortlessly cool, casual, and wearable, always on trend but with a warm and welcoming feel. But those aren’t the only brands you’ll find at Nuuly – there are hundreds of others, from AGOLDE to Zadig & Voltaire.
Inclusive sizing
While Rent the Runway and other subscription services may offer some petite and plus sizing, there’s a more extensive range of fits at Nuuly.
For example, with the Universal Standard brand available at Nuuly, you’ll find pieces in sizes from 00 to 40W. Other brands at Nuuly offer extended sizes as well, which is a godsend if you have a tough-to-fit figure that resists typical designer sizing.
Lower price point
When weighing your rental cost-per-piece, you’ll get a better value at Nuuly; you can get six pieces for $88, compared to four pieces for $99 at Rent the Runway. It does depend on whether you value price-per-piece or the retail cost per item; RTR items themselves are often at higher price points, so you may choose to value your rental expenditures that way.
Summary
If you’d like to streamline your closet but still have an ever-changing variety of clothes to wear, a clothing subscription might be just the ticket. Both Rent the Runway and Nuuly offer a sustainable way to try on world-famous designers, have something new to wear every month, and score tons of compliments on your latest look.
Choosing between these two services is a matter of refining based on your budget, personal style, and how often you’d like to wear something new to you. Go with Rent the Runway if you want to show out in a blazing hot new designer look; go with Nuuly if you want more of a laid-back, pretty-without-trying vibe. Either way, you’ll enjoy a constant rotation of fresh fits for one monthly price.
Doesn’t it seem like the minute Halloween is over, the next weeks fly right by, leaving you to scramble to get dozens of last-minute things taken care of before your guests arrive for Thanksgiving and Christmas? That’s because in addition to decorating your place with festive lights and holiday decorations, you pretty much have to get every room in your apartment ready for friends and family. And if you’re expecting overnight guests, you’ll need to make sure they have a clean, comfortable guest room to retreat to. All this adds up to a long to-do list — and if you’re smart, you won’t leave everything until the last week. Here are a few tips to avoid last-minute stress when preparing your apartment for the upcoming holiday season.
Give yourself plenty of time
Trust us – the earlier you start preparing your apartment for the holiday season, the easier it’s going to be. Make a list of everything you need to do before the first guest arrives, and plan ahead to get the big tasks done first in the weeks leading up to playing host to family and friends. Spreading out your chores over two weeks or a month will allow you to get everything done and will also leave you with enough energy to actually enjoy the holidays.
Make a clean sweep
Cleaning up and decluttering and pantry of any food that’s expired or gone bad. This way, you can see if you need to stock up on ingredients for your holiday meals and make sure you can prepare food in advance, store it until you need it and then freeze leftovers.
Give the refrigerator and freezer a good scrub while they’re empty. If you can, do as much cooking and cleaning in advance of your guests’ arrival. This way, you’ll be able to enjoy the party rather than stress over the details.
Then, focus your efforts on the rooms in your apartment where your guests will be most often. In your living room and dining area, store away stray items in baskets or bins, or pack them away in a closet until the holidays are over. The day before people arrive, you can dust and vacuum.
Ready your kitchen
If you’re cooking for a crowd, getting organized in advance is key. Make sure appliances like your food processor or stand mixer are in good working order and dig out things you don’t use very often — such as holiday cookie cutters and large serving platters — so everything will be at your fingertips.
And if it’s been a while since you deep cleaned your microwave and oven, now’s the time to tackle this task.
Prepare the guest room
If you have an extra bedroom you plan to put guests in but it’s full of stuff you’ve been tossing there for months, now’s the time to go through everything and purge. If there are clothes or other items you no longer use or don’t want, donate them to charity. Clear out at least one dresser drawer and part of the closet so your guests can unpack their things. Set up a welcome basket with travel-sized toothpaste, shampoo and other essential items. Put fresh linens on the bed – including an extra blanket. Dust and vacuum and then close the door so you don’t mess it up before folks arrive.
Get your front hall ready
Clear out half of your coat closet to make room for everyone’s winter jackets – you can stash your out-of-season items in a bin under your bed. Set up a few rubber shoe trays so people can leave their wet winter boots there to drip.
Transform your bathroom
Take some inspiration from boutique hotel designers and turn your bathroom into a spa-like retreat. Scrub it from top to bottom, and lay out fresh hand towels, soaps and shampoos. Add some votive candles, too. Stock up on suppliesyour guests will be using, such as toothpaste, paper towels, toilet paper and basic medications, so you don’t run out over the holidays.
To make sure your water pressure is at its full capacity here’s an easy trick to clean the shower head. Fill a small plastic bag with vinegar and place it over the shower head so it’s submerged in the mixture. Tie the bag to the shower pipe with twist ties or a rubber band and let the shower head soak in the mixture for a couple of hours. Remove the bag, pour the vinegar down the drain and run some hot water through.
Add some cozy, festive décor
Get into the holiday spirit by adding candles, holiday garlands, table runners and twinkle lights in your living and dining area. And outside on your balcony if you have one. Just be careful to use the right extension cords; indoor ones can’t be used outside, for example. To be sure you keep your apartment and guests safe, be mindful about how much you plug in – you don’t want to overload your electrical circuits and blow a fuse. You may also want to double-check your lease agreement to make sure you’re allowed to hang lights on the balcony.
Make more room for mingling by moving furniture closer to the walls and borrow extra chairs if you need them.
Anticipate colder temperatures
Winter holidays usually bring colder weather. You’ll want your guests to feel as comfortable as possible, so in addition to turning up your heat, walk through your apartment and check for any drafty windows. If you find any, you can either caulk them or get a draft stopper. A long pillow or piece of fabric that blocks out the cold air will work, too. Have a pile of warm throws on the sofa and extra pairs of slippers. People can warm up during the festivities.
Set up beverage stations
Your guests will appreciate being able to find what they need quickly. In the kitchen, set up a coffee and tea area with mugs and supplies. In the living or dining area, put together a DIY bar cart using a rolling cart or small table. Keep wine glasses, mixers and alcohol there, along with some non-alcoholic drinks.
Advance prep is the key to a joyful holiday season
You’ll be thankful that you took the time to prepare your apartment for the holiday season before your friends and family arrive. You can then enjoy time with your guests instead of running around at the last minute.
Wendy Helfenbaum is a Montreal-based journalist and television producer with 25 years of experience. She writes about real estate, design, architecture, DIY, gardening and travel for many publications and websites, including Apartment Therapy, Metropolis, AARP, Home in Canada, PBS’ NextAvenue, Realtor.com, Country Gardens and dozens more. Downtime passions include skiing, travel, DIY, waiting for the next Springsteen tour and hoping the Montreal Canadiens finally win another Stanley Cup.
Ever since I cleaned out my closet, I’ve gotten more and more ruthless, editing more and adding less.
The result of deleting items from drawers and hangers is two large brown boxes taking up floor space in the closet, overflowing with castaways. The boxes have grown into mountains, and I can’t walk to the back of my closet anymore.
My intention was to sell these items, which are the nicer things that I actually like, but don’t work for one reason or another. I didn’t want to drop them off at the consignment shop because the shop keeps 60% of the profit and only accepts in-season clothing, meaning I’d have to keep some of this Stuff in my closet for almost a year. So I planned to sell it on eBay, thinking I could make some of my money back and maybe sell the out-of-season items.
Procrastination or Lack of Motivation?
Month after month passed, and I never got around to selling a single article of clothing. I even bought a cheap postage scale, convinced that the lack of a scale was what was holding me back from listing my Stuff.
But last week I finally realized that there are about a hundred things I’d rather be doing than messing with this pile of Stuff. I didn’t want to wash, iron, dry-clean, photograph, upload, list, weigh, package, or mail it. In fact, I’m awful at getting anything in the mail on time, which is why online shopping is my saving grace! I know many people who are eBay aficionados and could blaze through listing my Stuff in no time, but I’m not one of them. I’ve never even bought anything off eBay. I just lack the interest, and I can’t really tell you why.
Anyway, those are my excuses reasons, and so the Stuff continued to clutter my closet floor.
A New Home for Stuff
Whenever I pull clothes for the discard pile, I call my mom so she can decide if there’s anything she can use. Mom is a talented seamstress who re-purposes clothing into new things. Once she took a tank top that she bought me 10 years ago for $2 and sewed it into several pairs of doll tights that sold for $5 a pair. (Mom always gets a great ROI.)
She mentioned that there was a dress and shirt she thought were too nice to cut up after all, so she gave them to a teenage mother she knew who was on her own and trying to work and finish school.
The girl liked both items, and we are the same size. You can probably guess where this is going.
I’ve decided to finally banish my Stuff from my closet, sorting through it and giving her anything I think she’d like. If there’s anything left after that, the in-season clothes will go to the resale shop and the out-of-season clothes will probably end up at Goodwill.
It’s become obvious that I’m just not going to eBay it, and it’s time to let go. Again. And that’s the thing of it. Keeping that Stuff in a box is no different than keeping it on hangers. I’m still attached to it. It still takes up space and occupies my thoughts (I can’t believe I still haven’t listed it, I really hate looking at it every day, I can’t remember what the closet floor looks like anymore…)
I felt like I needed to sell to make money back on past purchases, but I soon realized that not only do I not want to bother with it, but it doesn’t make sense for me to spend my time this way. My time would probably be better spent working on my business, especially when I consider my hourly rate. Trent at The Simple Dollar said it well when he discussed the value of time, writing “…money is not the only criterion that should be considered in a financial transaction in our lives. Time is often a major concern — and I see it overlooked time and time again.”
Maybe it’s not best financial decision. Who knows how much I could have made by selling it? But after considering the time cost, I’ve elected to be free of the clutter now. And I’m really looking forward to walking into my walk-in closet next week.