Summer Time Is Here Finally!

Summer has finally hit here and its time to break our the capris, shorts, tank tops and my favorite sandals and flip flops! I didn't normally wear sandals until this year i seen some of the new styles coming out that i fell in love with and so thats what started my sandal addiction. Dont get me wrong there is nothing wrong with the old fashion old navy flip flops (which i totally <3) but something about sandals just dresses and outfit up some. Ive posted a couple of pictures of my recently bought ones from target and i must say i am in love :)

Are there any certain styles you like?

Packing. My Enemy!

Time is winding down as me and R come closer to moving out and im finding that packing is my enemy! We are "scheduled" to move in next weekend and its already Wednesday here and i have not done any packing what so ever. I can probably sit here and give you guys a million excuses on why i haven't started but let me be honest with you i DISLIKE packing with a passion, unpacking is the easy part if you ask me. Im thinking about taking this time (packing) to organize a little better and weed out the things i want to keep and the things i want to give away, trash and etc. I know it probably sounds like im packing up an entire house but its only 1 single bedroom. Either i have a lot of stuff or im making this whole thing bigger than it really is lol :)

Does anyone have any packing, unpacking or moving tips?

& i promise to post before and after pictures of the packing.

My Amazon Deal 5/16/11

Another item for the apartment has been purchased and it didn't cost me anything out of pocket. I finally used the amazon gift cards i had been saving for a rainy day to buy our food storage containers. Its pretty easy to get amazon gift cards by doing surveys through Opinion Outpost. It takes a little while for the surveys to come in but once you get going at it you can earn some extra income. In 6 months i earned over $100 in amazon gift cards. another way to earn them is by using swagbucks as your default search engine and using the swagbucks to buy amazon gift cards.

Did i mention that you can get a FREE 1 month trial of amazon prime? Its normally $79 a year and it gives you unlimited 2 day shipping on select items and $3.99 1 day shipping on select items as well. I signed up for the free trial and got free two day shipping so my storage containers should be here in no time! Have i said how much i love getting deals like this? Ive nearly bought everything for this apartment out of "free money" aka gift cards :)

Target Shopping Trip 5/16/11

Here are some of the amazing and red hot deals target has this week. I just seen The Krazy Coupon Lady post them and i printed clipped and ran to target to get these before they were all gone! All together i paid a little over $5 out of pocket for everything and here is the breakdown for you:

Up & Up Dryer Sheets 40 ct $1.37

Use $0.50/1  Target coupon

Final Price- $0.87

Up & Up Ibuprofen (24 count) - $0.99

Up & Up Ibuprofen (24 ct) – $0.99

Use $1/1 Target printable

$FREE after coupon

Up & Up Hydrogen Peroxide

$0.50/1 – Up & Up First Aid Item – (target.com)

$0.02 after coupon

KC Masterpiece BBQ Sauce (18 oz) – $1.42

Use $1.00/1 coupon from the 5/15 SmartSource insert

$0.42 after coupon

Up & Up Overnight Pads (28 ct) – $3.34

Use $0.75/1 Target printable

$2.59 after coupon

Moving On A Budget Part 1

Everyone knows moving can be expensive just from the "move in cost" such as deposits, pet deposits and of course your first months rent. Me and R have all of these but luckily we scored a deal where we get 2 weeks off first months rent which practically cut our rent in half! Aside from all that there are still things you have to have such a dishes, cookware and etc. If you really add it all up without doing your research it can get very costly. So far me and R have:

-Dishes

-Cooking Utensils

-Measuring Cups

-Silverware 

-Silverware Tray

-Knifes

-Toaster

-Hand Mixer

-Coffee Maker

-Paper Towel Holder

Adding it all up i got all of this for around $60 opc (out of pocket cost) Wanna know how i did it? Heres how!

The dishes (not pictured yet) i was able to scoop up at a thrift store for $14 and it was a complete set, 4 plates, 4 small plates, 4 bowls and 6 coffee cups. Not bad for stoneware dishes that normally cost about $40 at least. I had the silverware and a spare set of dishes from when i lived with a friend so that saved us some money. My best advice if someone says oh i have some stuff you can have take it! thats how we are furnishing our apartment and its all in really good condition!

Now for my Target Shopping Trip!

All of these you see pictured here cost me around $3 out of pocket(everything is rounded up or down)

Chefmate is targets brand of small kitchen appliances but my mom and grandma have been using them for years because of the prices and they are fantastic!

Chefmate Toaster- $6.00

Chefmate Hand Mixer $6.00

Steak Knife Set- $5.00

Kitchen Knife Set- $4.00

Paper Towel Holder $3.00

2 Slotted Spoons $2.00 ($1.00 each)

Silverware Tray $3.00

Chefmate Coffee Maker $10.00

Total After Tax Is $39.00

Out of Pocket Cost $3.00

Gift Cards $37.00

How did i get all this for $3.00 out of pocket cost with gift cards is the gift cards were free! 

I had gotten a thing in the mail from target with a coupon on the back that said start a registry with 10 items or more and get a FREE $20.00 gift card. Of course i thought this is to good to be true but i took it up there and they said it was valid so i started me and R a housewarming registry and got the gift card. 

While i was up there i had another coupon transfer or get a new prescription at the target pharmacy get a FREE $10 gift card, so i transfered my prescription and got the gift card!

For my final gift card its a promotion currently going, if you buy 2 Gillette fusion razors or refills get a $5.00 gift card. Luckily i had my coupons with me and i had (2) $4.00 off coupons for those spent $10 out of pocket and got the $5.00 gift card which now i had $35 in gift cards to spend however i wanted.

So i decided to spend it on stuff for our new home and i had $2.00 left on a gift card from a previous buy X amount get a free X amount gift card that i used to and thats how i only paid $3.00 out of pocket for everything pictured above!

Now on to one of my other favorite retail stores...... Kohl's!

I will be the first to say that its a hit and miss with Kohl's sometimes they have amazing deals and sometimes they are just luke warm. My favorite thing about them is when you get those $10 gift cards in the mail.

I use those all the time, Ive bought numerous purses, wallets and now kitchen stuff for less than $10 every time

This weeks Kohl's deal for me is my "Pink" Kitchen Aid  Measuring Cups

Regular Price- $13.99

Sale Price-$12.59

Gift Card Amount- $10.00

Out of Pocket Cost- $2.75 after taxes

I saved $11.40!

My last stop for the day was one of my other favorite places....The Dollar Store

Yes the one where everything is a dollar.

 I dont know how some of you guys stores are but mine is good quality and when i dont have a good stock pile i use this for things like sandwich bags aluminum foil and etc.

I was able to get everything pictured about for $5.30 after taxes 

Porcelain Toothbrush Holder $1.00

Ice Cream Scoop $1.00

Spatchula $1.00

Can Opener $1.00

6 pc Coasters $1.00

Ive learned that you dont always have to have the name brands to have the best with some of the small stuff and just because its cheap means its bad quality. I'm always seeking good deals and doing my research before i make any purchases to keep from over spending on things that i really shouldn't. This concludes my Moving On A Budget Part 1. Check back soon for Part 2!

Big News!!!!

WE'RE MOVING!!!!!

Yes thats right we got the apartment! We still have a little bit more to save up but we are looking to move in June 3rd! Im so excited because we have waited so long for this and its finally happening!

Ive already planned out how to buy and save on the stuff we need to you will be seeing a post on that coming soon! ill post as we go along with the moving process any tips and advice is great!

i swear this will be my attire the day of the move :)

and the apartment will probably look like this for a few days

Wish Us Luck Guys!

Back To Basics Plus Free Stuff!

Its been a long time since ive done a post on coupons, free samples and etc. As a matter of fact its been a while since i posted on here at all. Since me and ryan are now both working and have two vehicles we can now officially move out. We are looking at this one apartment this weekend and hopefully we can get it. With that being said its time to go back to the basics of saving money and that calls for coupons! Yes i am one of those crazy people who has a coupon binder but i dont carry mine to the store, thats what my small expandable file is for :)

My coupon binder is pretty simple since im a total newbie to all this but it keeps me organized and keeps things less messy. I just used a simple 3 ring binder, page dividers with pockets and page/baseball card protectors. It keeps things organized and simple.

Another thing i noticed ive been accumulating a lot of is those reward cards for stores. Most of them will save you money or let you earn points you can turn into cash. Ive collected quite a few and im just now learning the great benefits of them. 

I follow a few ladies such as Happy Homemaker Cindy & The Krazy Coupon Lady and i have learned so much from them. They post the deals, coupons, and sales and take the guess work out of it all for you. I would highly recommend any newbies follow their blog it really helps!


Everyone likes getting free stuff right? Well i just recently fount a way to get a free hair cut! Yes thats right i said a free professional hair cut. Since I work in the mall their is this higher end salon called Tony & Guy. I was always curious about them but never really ever went in until one day i was at work and got approached by one of their employees and she asked if i wanted a free hair cut. Now there are limitations like you have to pick one of the styles they have but its totally worth it! You dont have to worry about getting a bad hair cut because they are so precise with it and they are fabulous! I did a couple hair cuts with Kim (we added to the one i had to enhance it) and i fell in love. Needless to say she is my new hair dresser. As a suprise bonus today she gave me a $40 Toni & Guy gift card to use for being one of her models :). I also fount out that when the new hires are testing out they go through a training period where they have to do so many free cuts (model nights) and some even do color also. Its defiantly something to look into and worth it if your in the right hands.

Happy Shopping and Bargain Finding Everyone!

Big Changes = Lack Of Blog Posts

There have been a few changes for me lately and as a result they have left everyone hanging who reads my blog. I did land the job at sears and i have been working there for a month now and im loving it. Im doing really well to because alot of the managers have been talking about how well ive been doing :)

Im still saving up for a car but by the looks of it i might have to just suck it up and finance one because my mom hauling me and my step dad back and forth to work isn't happening or going over so well. Everything is in God's hands at this point and i know he will take care of me.

Last night i did something i haven't done in 4 years........ I went on a date. I will be honest i was really nervous about dating again since me and Ryan were together so long but it actually went really well and we have plans to see each other again. Im hoping now that things are starting to slow down a bit i can catch up on my blog readings and posting :)