But, for those of you who do spend money on friends and family members there are ways to save.

A few years ago, a close family friend gave my Mom a jar filled with the ingredients to make chocolate chip cookies. It was a really cute idea and also gave us an excuse to cook with my Mom. The family friend (who shall remain anonymous) actually forgot some ingredients and the cookies did not turn out right, and we ended up having a funny story to share with our family.

There are 34 different ideas on this website, most of which are affordable. I love these ideas, because it shows that you have taken time and effort to put something together for those that you care about. Don’t get me wrong, I do love spending money on presents, but I find it more meaningful to look back and think of all of the memories made while making my own gifts.

Most of the gifts are extremely affordable. Take a look at this fantastic website and hopefully you too can find something to share with your loved ones.

The truth is, a majority of Facebook users, ‘fib.’ There are numerous “little white lies” on my page, but my closest friends and family know fact from fiction.

One of my favorite bloggers, The Single Woman, recently posted an article regarding status changes on Facebook. (You know, wether or not you are in a relationship or not.) She changed her relationship status from single to in a relationship; and she received countless emails about her significant other. For some reason a lot of people are concerned with your dating status. I remember when my boyfriend of 2 and half years ended our relationship, and the dozens of emails I received about what had happened. I would be lying if I said I didn’t wonder how some of my “friends” relationships had ended, but emailing them and asking what had happened and just speculating are two very different things.

My point is this; you cannot believe everything you read. We all have at one point or another told a white lie, so in a lot of cases you do need to see it to believe it. Just because “you saw it on Facebook,” does not make it the absolute truth.

Wether we would like to admit it or not, teenagers are going to have sex. Our country needs to wisen up and educate these children about contraceptives, condoms, STDs, pregnancy, and everything that’s involved in their decision to have sex.

Even though it hasn’t been so long since I was a teenager myself, the thoughts of teenagers – what they are really thinking – are more acute to me now. I firmly believe teenagers don’t “think they know it” all as much as they “want to know it all”. They need facts, figures, pictures, examples, and the truth. Without a doubt, teenagers do feel “indestructible” to a certain degree, but never in the history of our country have teenagers been given as much and yet again so little. My parents were open and honest about sex, and I realize how lucky I was to have had that; however, many children do not get any form of education or guidance at home and need to receive it through the school system. Without it, they suffer.

I was lucky enough to witness a group of people collecting trash. I could not believe just how many bags this group of people had collected. They were the biggest bags I had ever seen. These bads stretched alongside of the highway for miles. On one hand it was saddening to see that there was so much litter, but on the flip side I was thinking to myself how nice it was for this group of people to sacrifice their time and help clean up someone else’s mess.

So, this got me thinking. What can I do to help out others? Since the holidays are approaching I began wracking my mind for potential ideas. I could donate money to a homeless shelter. I could collect blankets for the poor. Then I realized, Thanksgiving is right around the corner and what better way to help out the less fortunate than help serve in a soup kitchen?

There are literally thousands of homeless and less fortunate people in the Metro-East area. So, I decided to volunteer at a soup kitchen for a few hours on Thanksgiving. Although it is by no means a huge sacrifice, I feel that every little bit helps.

Get out and help! Who knows;one day you might be wishing someone was there to help you.

St. Louis is very close in approximation to the Metro-East and since I have turned 21, I find myself in St. Louis most weekends. Let’s face it, there are more bars and a wider variety of things to do; so naturally people tend to flock to the city.

As of lately there have been a number of shootings, murders and robberies in St. Louis and I found myself wondering if we will make on the list again this year?

Just last week there was a fatal shooting on Washington Avenue, a very popular street for bar-goers. This weekend 4 young women were held at gunpoint at Club Fifteen, located on Locust Street, a few blocks away from Washington Avenue.

St. Louis officials are taking extra precautions to try to prevent future crimes from occurring. Some of the precautions include earlier curfews for those under the age of 21, the installation of security cameras, as well as extra patrolling of the downtown area.

I, myself, do not always feel safe when downtown. I always park in a well-lit area and know my surroundings. As dumb as it sounds, I am afraid of getting kidnapped and constantly check the area in which I’m at.

My question to you; do you feel safe if and when you go out in the downtown area? Do you think these new precautions might lower the crime in the area?

There is such a great debate surrounding the photographs because Glee stars Lea Michele and Dianna Agron play high schoolers on the hit show. Parents are outraged because they allow their young children to watch the show, due to the positive message the show has.

In my opinion GQ is an adult magazine that I think children should not be looking at in the first place. Both actresses are 24 years old; are adults and can make their own decisions. It is true that they play much younger roles on television and I think parents need to remind their children of that.

Dianna Agron released a statement apologizing to her fans if they felt they were offended. If you were in her shoes would you have apologized?

Have they gone too far?

I fully support anti-bullying, but am a little disappointed that it is just being limited to sexual orientation. I was an unfortunate victim of bullying throughout high school and know how terrible it is to go through. Although I was not bullied due to my sexual orientation, the pain I suffered for 4 years due to bullying still haunts me to this day. I feel that any type of bullying is terrible; and think that the commercial should talk about all types of bullying.

People are teased everyday from the clothes they wear to the way they look and I think that any type of bullying is wrong. In my opinion, there should be a commercial featuring an end to all types of bullying; not just one based on your sexual orientation. What are your thoughts? Do you agree?

Oprah started a campaign this year called, the “No Phone Zone.” Viewers as well as guests that are featured on her show have pledged to make their cars “phone free.” By making her guests aware of the possible fatalities that could occur while texting or even talking on the phone, Oprah feels like she has reached out to help millions of Americans.

The U.K. released a controversial PSA regarding texting while driving last year, that received lots of flack for being too violent. In my opinion I do not believe the PSA is too violent. People need to see what could potentially happen if they decide to text and drive.

Take a look at the YouTube clip and decide for yourself. And remember, life can change in just a few seconds.

Let’s rewind a bit. When I was young, my Grandma used to make my brother, sister, and I read each summer. We also had to write from the dictionary and do math problems. That last part wasn’t so fun, but along the way I found a passion for reading. Consequently I have become an avid reader. I absolutely love books and I cannot seem to get enough of them.

So, this class is ideal for me. I get to read 5 books. My choice. Pretty perfect right? Right. I still remember where I would sit in the library; I still remember how excited I was when I finished another book; and I can vividly remember how excited I was to finish yet another book and have more stories to tell. As luck would have it, I came across the series of books I used to read. The Alice series. I absolutely loved these books. I could not put them down and for a while I wanted to write because of these beloved stories. I also found out the author continued on with the series and a new book is due out sometime in June. Boy, am I a happy girl!

Now I know I may be one of the few people who love to read, but do you know all of the benefits reading has? Not only does it improve concentration and focus, reduce stress, improve vocabulary, it improves your memory as well. There are many other additional reasons to read, so put down the remote and pick up a book. Who knows it might even change your life!