Most weddings have a dress code. If you don't follow the dress code, you risk looking sloppy and underdressed. Look on the invitation for the dress code. If you don't see one, talk to the bride or groom's family. Black Tie events are very formal. Women wear long dresses and men wear tuxedos. Wear cute cocktail dresses or a dress shirt and nice pants to a Semiformal event. If you attend a Dressy Casual event, wear a fun dress or a nice shirt and pressed jeans. Different cultures have different rules about what's appropriate to wear to a wedding. Follow these rules as best you can. If you aren't sure what colors you can wear, contact the bride or groom's family for advice. For example: In the U.S., it is rude to wear white to a wedding if you're not the bride. When attending an Indian wedding, avoid wearing black, white, or red. Only the bride should wear red at a Chinese wedding. . If the wedding invitation included an RSVP, make sure to use it. The bride or groom's family will be keeping track of the RSVP's and using this information for budget planning. If you don't send the RSVP, you may not be able to attend the wedding. If you lose the card, contact the bride or groom's family for help.

Summary: Dress appropriately. Avoid wearing offensive colors. RSVP for the wedding

Financial experts encourage people to sock away at least six months of expenses in case of emergencies. If your car breaks down or if you lose your job, this money can tide you over. If possible, build up to twelve months of savings. Visit your nearest bank or credit union and open a savings account. You can also open an online savings account. Start small. You might only have $5 a week to contribute to your emergency fund. However, at the end of the year, you'll have $260 saved. If possible, increase the amount you save each month by cutting expenses or increasing your income. Remember to start building your fund right away. Don't wait until you've paid off all of your credit card debt. Instead, you'll need a cash cushion right now. Contribute at least a little each pay period to your emergency fund. Once you get some breathing room, you can begin to think about the future. Everyone can begin saving for their retirement. If your employer sponsors a retirement plan, then sign up. Some employers offer to match your contributions up to a certain amount. If your employer doesn't offer a retirement plan, then you can buy your own. Open a traditional IRA and make pre-tax contributions. This will lower your overall tax burden. Also consider opening a Roth IRA. Although you have to pay taxes on your contributions, they will compound tax-free. When you reach age 59.5, you can withdraw without paying taxes on the income. You can also withdraw your contributions penalty-free (and tax-free) if you face a sudden cash crunch. At some point, you might get an unexpected raise or a tax refund. In these situations, you need to avoid blowing all of the money on a trip to Vegas. Instead, do the following: Splurge no more than 10% on something fun. If you get a $2,000 rebate check, limit your spending to $200. Use some of the money (30-40%) to increase your emergency fund if you don't yet have 12 months of expenses saved. Also funnel about 50% of the money to pay off debts. If your debts have all been paid off, then invest it in your retirement.

Summary: Build an emergency fund. Start saving for retirement. Handle sudden windfalls wisely.

Not all paint guns can handle chalk paint because it can be a little thick. Add 2 tablespoons (29.6ml) (1 oz) of water to every cup (8 oz) of paint that you use in the paint gun. This is especially necessary if you choose not to water down the paint. Test the gun on a small, out-of-the-way area on your piece of furniture to get used to the pressure. Make sure that you have the right nozzle on the gun. A narrower nozzle will apply a higher stream of pressure. Apply the chalk paint evenly, sweeping your arm back and forth in long, even movements.

Summary: Water down the paint if necessary. Operate the gun at high pressure. Hold the gun approximately 3 inches (7 cm) away from the furniture.

A gratitude journal is useful for cultivating gratitude on a daily basis. Write in your journal each day, either morning or night (or both!). Start with 5 things that you are grateful for each day. The activity of using a journal makes the practice of gratitude intentional and conscious each day. It's also a great way to look back on your life and see where you were at during different points in your life. Waking up in the morning and writing in your gratitude journal can jumpstart your day and keep you in joyful anticipation, or combat feelings of dread. Journaling at the end of the day can close out your day with feelings of contentment as you go to bed. For more information, check out How to Start a Gratitude Journal. Maybe keeping a journal sounds like too much work or effort. Instead, you can find time throughout the day to acknowledge the things you are grateful for. Silently acknowledge the big and little things in your life daily. For example, think of one thing in the morning, another at lunch, and one at bedtime. Wear a bracelet every day and remind yourself that each time you see it, you think of something you are grateful for. While this sounds counter-intuitive, think back to a difficult period in your life. Perhaps you went through a difficult breakup, a traumatic event, or the death of a loved one. Now reflect on the fact there here you are, able to look back on that as a memory. You successfully overcame that difficult period of life and you have what it takes to get through dark moments. Write in your journal about a challenging time you went through. Recall what it felt like, and what got you through the difficult time. Note the strengths and personal attributes you utilized to get through it. Perhaps you're going through another even darker time now. By looking back on difficult situations, you can reflect that you found your way out of the dark then, and you can do it again. While depression can make you feel like everything is in a negative light, expressing gratitude can help you see the silver lining. Think about three good things that have happened in the last week. Then, explain why those things happened. This practice can help you change that negative fog into a more positive approach. For example, one good thing could be, "My dog greeted me at the door every day this week." For the explanation, you can say, "My dog loves me and he is excited to see me every day when I get home. This fills me with happiness, even when I feel down." Another example: "I was nervous about making my deadline, but I made it on time. I put in a lot of work and even though I felt stressed, I finished on time. This made me feel good and accomplished." . Mindfulness meditation often involves focusing your attention on one thing (such as "peace" or "calm"). While practicing meditation, tune your focus onto gratitude. Let any thoughts you have float out of your awareness and bring your attention back to gratitude. Choose one thing that you feel grateful for and meditate on it. This can be a warm sunny day, a delicious meal, a hug from a child, or a beautiful painting. Practice feeling gratitude for your relationships. Focus on one person at a time, like your mother, father, grandparent, partner or spouse, or child. Focus on the feeling of gratitude you have for this person being in your life.
Summary: Write a gratitude journal. Count your blessings. Remember challenging moments. List three good things. Meditate