Sonia’s Tips For Shopping On Amazon

December 3, 2018

Ahhh, Amazon. When you used to think about the word “Amazon” you probably thought about the rain forest. Now when you say the word you’ll likely think about the online shopping site. I have been a prime member since it’s inception. I can’t even tell you how much I love Amazon and their 2 day prime shipping! Hallelujah.

When I initially joined their website, I was shopping for things like diapers, pacifiers, teething toys etc. Now I shop for things like kids sports gear, shoes, socks, underwear, household items and more….. you name it and I’ll order it! While I am certain that my husband doesn’t love all the charges on our credit card bill, I realize that the time I save going to the store has been invaluable.

As a mom, I frequently put my family first. It wasn’t until recently that I realized that Amazon had an Amazon Fashion Store. As an avid Nordstrom shopper, I was leery about purchasing anything on Amazon. I started my first purchase with an off the shoulder white dress for a boat party that I was hosting. I spent $30 on this beauty and it did not disappoint! Thank goodness my first purchase was good, it set me on 2 day prime shopping journey that has taught me so many things about how to navigate Amazon fashion that I want to share with you today!

Levis | Slouchy Sweater | Tie Neck | Favorite Lipstick |

Hanogram Phone Case (Use code: RINASONIA for $$ off)

The Tips:

#1. Check if it is a prime item. For a nominal annual fee ($99) you can become a prime member and it will give you free shipping on anything that comes from Amazon. It saves time and $ depending on how often you plan to use the site for shopping.
#2. Make sure you look at reviews. Chicksandsalsa is in the top 1% of reviewers on TripAdvisor, so you know we love our reviews! Shoppers (and ChicksAndSalsa) will help you determine quality, sizing and durability
#3. Know where the items are coming from. Often times I have ordered in haste and not paid attention…items that ship from international locations take much longer than something that is shipping domestic.
#4. In complete honesty, only about 4 of 12 items will be keepers. I have not had full success in my shopping with Amazon. However, with free shipping back, I’m always willing to take a risk in the comfort of my own home to try clothes on and send them back as needed.

The Finds

Here are a few of my favorite Amazon Fashion purchases.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

Did you know that we have a shoppable Amazon store? Check us out here.

I hope you find this helpful, feel free to reach out and ask any questions you might have about the Amazon fashio n store.

Your Chick,
Sonia

Fashion

Get the Edgy Yet Elegant Look With These Capes

November 8, 2018

For the past three years my best friend has been bugging me about buying a scarf or cape (thanks Vanessa!) I am typically a sweatshirt or athleisure type of girl when it comes to bundling up, but last year I went for it and scooped up a few of these goodies and never looked back. To tell you the truth these capes have become my #1 travel accessory because with the kids they double up as a blanket too.

I think of it as the edgy, yet, elegant way to travel. As it turns out, these pieces are chic, simple, and incredibly warm – what’s not to love? I did splurge this year and buy the Burberry Merino Cape, but I also have several that I have picked up under $50 that have amazing reviews.

One Cape, Three Ways

Tip: Beware of 100% wool capes / ponchos, they will be too itchy to enjoy, instead reach for wool blends and ALWAYS read reviews.

Remember this look from last year?

Thanks for checking out this post!

Your Chick,

Rina

Chick Picks:

Personal Note:

*Before I get into about what our season’s picks for the cape trend this year are, I wanted to take a minute to let you know how much we appreciate all of your support with our blog these past few years. We enjoy trying news things and sharing what works for us with you guys and as ‘bloggers’ we do put in a lot of time and effort to create the content to go with it. Your likes, comments, shares, emails, and purchases have all been ways that you all are showing us so much love across our channels. We use affiliate links and do make a small commission off of purchases that you make. We use that to help grow the blog. If you enjoy following Chicks And Salsa, please share us with your friends so that we can continue to grow as creators and bring more interesting content to you. *

food, Lifestyle

5 Reasons Why NOW is the Right Time For You To Buy An Instant Pot

September 19, 2018

I love to cook, and even more so after I had kids. I wanted to be the super mom that made fresh home cooked meals for her kids. Let’s be real though cooking is – messy and time consuming. The easy way out sometimes is to pull something out of the freezer. BUT buying an instant pot was life changing.

I bought the instant pot last summer only because it was on sale. I had no clue how to use it and frankly speaking it sat in the box for 4 months because its intimidating! I would look at it and say to myself, “that thing looks way too confusing, and I don’t have time to figure it out.”I was so wrong. It is the most convenient and efficient cooker I have EVER used.

Time

It has saved me so much time (like tons). Once the meal is in there and you have set the time – you can walk away. The meal then cooks and switches to keeping the food warm or turns off depending on what you have chosen. The instant pot cooks 70% faster than a slow cooker. If you’re Indian and are comparing it to our mom’s Indian pressure cookers: IT IS 100% safer (those things are crazy).

6 Quart Instant Pot (My Recommendation) | Instant Pot Cookbook | Accessories for Steaming

Nutrients

The instant pot cooks with high heat which comes in handy in thoroughly cooking your food. The temperature is between 239 degrees F to 244 degrees F, it kills toxins that slow cookers may miss. In addition, vegetables and other foods will maintain their nutrients by being cooked at higher temps.

Scent Free Cooking

I like to make Indian food, and Indian food aroma can spread throughout the house. My dear husband would walk into the home and be bombarded with the smell of onions and masala. I’ve switched a lot of my Indian meals to instant pot meals. Not only has it saved me time, but my house doesn’t smell like a restaurant anymore!

Neat and Clean

Using the instant pot reduces the amount time you will spend cleaning your kitchen. There is only one pot to clean in the Instant pot. No stove messes at all. The is a WIN WIN in my book. I dread kitchen clean ups.

Healthier Meals

Whatever your work schedule consists of I promise the instant pot is going to make your life easier. It’s so easy for everyone to use. With a little bit of planning, you can have your instant pot meal all ready for you the moment you walk in the door. So you can have “fast food” that is far more healthier. The Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Cookbook was a great buy for me to get started. I’ve been able to keep things ready and my husband will come home and just dump it in the instant pot and start the IP.

I initially had bought a 3qt instant pot but real quickly realized that the 6qt was way more handy dandy plus had more functions.. I did a lot of research and bought this one. It is the most efficient for me: Indian food, baby food, snacks, homemade yogurt, and even ghee!

Pro Tip #1: For larger beans like Rajma (Kidney Beans) or Chole (Garbanzo Beans) you will need to up the cook time to 90 minutes instead of the pre-set 30 minutes. Smaller beans will cook just fine with the default setting.

Pro Tip #2: For those of you with young children like me, the Instant Pot Duo has a sterilize feature that can be used for baby bottles and breast pumps – such a convenient feature!

Pro Tip #3: Want to make Daal Makhani or Biriyani in your Instant Pot?? Follow us on Pinterest for Indian Instant Pot recipes!

Invest in one- you won’t regret it!

Your Chick,

Neema

Chicks Picks:

Fashion

Upgrade and Organize Your Closet for Less Than $100

February 13, 2018

It has been years since I have given significant thought to the organization of my closet. Until I get the Vanderpump closet of my dreams, I needed an easy and preferably inexpensive way to make my closet feel more organized and, upgraded.

To make this simple, I used only two products to achieve this: shoe organizers from Amazon and Velvet Hangers also from Amazon.

My shoes were piling up on each other! Unorganized and often not visible to me, I would have the hardest time keeping a proper inventory on my own shoe collection. Over the holidays I found this product from TrySmarter that changed everything! Let the pictures below speak for themselves.

Before And After : Shoe Closet Upgrade and Organization

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My second tip to keeping everything in order in your closet is to get slip free velvet hangers. They are a game changer. Say goodbye to things falling on the floor! They also have half the profile of the plastic hangers so for tighter spaces, they actually create more closet space and look more uniform. At $22 for 50 hangers, you can’t go wrong!

Before And After : Hanger Upgrade

Both options gave me more space (to add more clothes!) – which was an added bonus to an upgraded aesthetic and organization! I was able to fit double the number of shoes in the same amount of space!

So what are you waiting for? Tune into Spring and get to cleaning your closet. Once you have organized your closet, don’t forget to add these Spring Staples into your new wardrobe.

Xoxo,