Dressing Professionally on a Dime

Sadly, this is only about half of my clothing. I also opted to not show you my shoes since I had no idea how to get them all into one picture. Anyhoo, the point is that I have a lot of clothes. And most of them were purchased inexpensively. I do practicum (a.k.a. free labor) at a medical clinic and at a community mental health clinic. The dress code at both is somewhere around business casual, but it must be obtained on a student's budget. Here are some tips on how I do it:

1) I am picky about quality. There are well-made and cruddily-made items available at every price point. I try to buy nicer things for little money. Learn about what materials last and are breathable (wool, cotton, cashmere) and what fabrics are of poor quality (nylon, acrylic, etc.). Clothing that is well made should have finished seams, linings, and hems that are even and do not have visible sewing errors.

2) I have a particular style. I like things that are more "classic" in nature. This ensures that they will last far beyond one season. I expect my skirts to last at least 3-5 years unless I get sick of them. I have a harder time finding good quality dress pants that I can afford, so I only expect 2-3 years out of dress pants. I still inject a trendy piece in my outfits here and there, but I *never* pay a lot for a trendy item. Classic items often have simple lines and are not cluttered by competing details. I do like patterns and color, so my wardrobe is not too boring.

3) I shop at stores where I can get a good value:

*Try your hand at area thrift stores. I don't have tons of luck at my local thrifts, but there is one store in particular where I have purchased multiple items. I have two nice skirt suits and tons of belts and jewelry from this store. Visit frequently! When I recently wanted to try high-waisted pencil skirts and did not want to pay $300 (!) to do so, I headed straight to the thrift and got several for $2 or $4 each.

*Try J.C. Penney's end of season clearance. Ignore all of their sales flyers. The real deals are at the end of season clearance sales. I don't pay over $7 for any item during these sales. Many of their items are well made, but inspect the make and fabric content to be sure they will last. I also get a lot of cheap (under $4) trendy summer clothing here. Sign up on their website and they will also send you coupons!

*I shop at Target's 75% off sales rack. They have a lot of cute stuff there. I just picked up a blazer that is a gray and purple plaid with puffed shoulders for $7. This is a trendy item that I won't feel bad getting rid of after a season or two.

*Try T.J. Maxx and Marshall's. I don't find much at these stores anymore, but if you have to wear suits, these are the places to stalk the clearance aisles. I bought a navy pinstriped three piece suit for $50. The retail tag was something ridiculous like $300. I also years ago purchased a red wool/cashmere suit for $50 on clearance. It still fits and looks great.

*Don't forget eBay for specific purchases.

*For shoes, I like the Bandolino brand. I look at the 75% off clearance shoes on the Nordstrom website. I also have a couple of leather pair from Target. I am hard on shoes, so I only expect them to last a few years. Nearly all of my shoes are leather, as leather breathes and wears better. Shoes with leather insides also breathe way better, but they are hard to find affordably.

*For cashmere sweaters, I like the Tse brand and Neiman Marcus. I get Tse off of eBay, but it can be difficult to get it inexpensively. Neiman Marcus cashmere can be had in the spring on the website under Last Call clearance for $40, sometimes cheaper. I have a J. Crew cashmere sweater but am not as impressed with it. Remember that if you purchase cheap cashmere, get it in light colors. It will be less itchy because manufacturers can hide some itchy fibers in the dark colors that they cannot hide in the light colors. Don't forget to check your thrift for cashmere and wool!

*For coats, I like J. Crew, T.J. Maxx, and thrift stores. If you want to sink your money into something, make it a coat. Just be sure to not buy anything so trendy that you will hate it next year. You used to be able to get J. Crew coats for about $60-$70 on sale, but those days are gone. The cheapest you will get them now is about $150. They are extremely well made and are probably worth the $150. I have a red coat from a few years back (in the $60 days) and it will undoubtedly last me for years. Last year I got a wool double breasted coat for $100 at T.J. Maxx. I would've waited for it to go on sale, but I really needed it then, so I went ahead and purchased. It also is a classic style that will last for years. I have a taupe wool-blend peacoat that I got for $5 at the thrift, so once again it pays to look around.

4) I reevaluate my wardrobe. Items that just won't work no matter what or that I absolutely hate go to the consignment shop. If it is a brand that will sell on eBay, I try that too. Also look to see if items can be altered to fit you better.

5) I try to take care of my clothing. Cashmere and wool sweaters are handwashed with baby shampoo and laid flat to dry. Winter coats are drycleaned once a year. Items that need hemming or altering are taken care of. Don't wash things too much, though; it can wear out your clothing quickly. For example, cashmere cardigans do not need to be washed after every wear unless you spilled something or they smell. Be sure to protect your wool and cashmere items from moths.

6) I try to have basics that go with everything. These will be different for everyone, but for me they are gray skirts, gray pants, cardigans, fitted (not tight) tees in various colors, a few good handbags, black heels and brown heels. I also tend to shop within a certain color palette. A lot of my winter clothing is gray, pink, or mauve. As a result, most items go with everything else. I do get into some trouble because I like patterns and most of my tops *and* bottoms are patterned in some way.

I have been working on my professional wardrobe for about three years and I'm now to the point where I really don't need anything else. This allows me to add in fun pieces when I feel like it for just a little money. And I can wait to replace an item until I find a good deal. Hope this helps, and happy shopping!

Happy Birthday, Auntie!

Love,

Your darling niece

Frugal Book Deals

Two good book deals going on right now:

Weekly Reader has a deal where you purchase 10 hardcover classics and you get four "free" hardcover books for $20. Shipping is $3.95, and you can use code 125553 for 10% off. That equals 14 hardcover books for $21.95, or $1.57 per book. A caveat: there's no way to know what books you will get. However, I am thrilled with what I got and after checking Amazon I found that all of these books retail for $10+ each. The books in this deal are all pictured except for Green Eggs and Ham. Note: on the order page, make sure you say 'no' when asked whether or not you want the unsecure items displayed. This will make the little lock appear that tells you you're on a secure site.

Also, are you aware of the Aquafresh Dr. Seuss book offer? Buy any combination of Aquafresh Dr. Seuss toothpaste or toothbrushes and get a FREE Dr. Seuss book by mail. I bought two toothpastes when they were on sale for .99 at Walgreens and I had a coupon. The toothpastes themselves went into my Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes. All I had to do was cut off the UPC labels, fill out this form, and I got Green Eggs and Ham by mail in about a month.

Want smart kids/nephews/nieces/grandchildren? READ TO THEM! That's why my head is so huge, y'all. To hold all my brains.

The Fruit of My Labor

On Tuesday I decided to wrap all of my Christmas gifts. This is everything except for two gifts that I have to finish making and some cookies that need to be baked. I am very happy to have this done! I will package together some extra notebooks and such just in case someone at school gives me a gift that I wasn't prepared for. I should mention that I decided to wrap these presents instead of studying for a test the next day. :P (Monica- do you recognize the packs of notecards in the front? That was such a great gift idea! Thanks for all of your great ideas!!!)

Weekend Shopping: More Non-Frugal Outlet Finds

Well. On Black Friday my mom and I went to another outlet mall to shop. At a reasonable hour, mind you. I wound up with the finds above. First, I broke down and got a Brooks Brothers non-iron shirt. French blue, french cuffs, fitted version, size 10. It is so fabulous in person. I realize I am the only one who gets this jazzed about button down shirts, but this shirt is very well made! And it should be for the ridiculous prices they charge. In my defense, they are cheaper at the outlet and they were 25% off. And I had a 20% off your total order coupon. So it was a lot cheaper than normal but more than I typically spend on a button down shirt- ~$35 . Also in my defense, I have not been able to find a French blue button down in the last 5 months or so. This puppy fits me perfectly!

Next, I purchased not one, but two leather handbags at the Jones New York outlet. The pictures of them turned out rather crappy, but they are really pretty in real life. I needed a brown bag, and I just plain wanted the off-white one. I am very picky when it comes to bag: no pleather, metal hardware, no plastic zippers on the outside, must be a medium size, must not be garish or have too many competing details, no contrast top-stitching, must be at least semi-structured. With these requirements it is a wonder that I ever get any handbags at all. So to find two in one trip was quite amazing. They were both on sale but not cheap- $30 for the off-white (down from $118), $40 for the brown croc print (down from $88).

I used graduation money for these purchases, which made it a lot easier to spend so much. ;) This weekend I am going on a mini trip with my friend H, and that will pretty much use up the last of my graduation money. So thanks everyone!

Weekend Shopping: The Electronics Version

Here are the items that I ordered from Staples from the comfort of my home computer on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The mini mouse with USB port was $5 down from $30. I will use it if I ever get a laptop (I'd like to get a cheap laptop so that when I move for internship I don't have to move my big PC). The flash drive will be ~$7 after rebates, down from $60. I'm giving it to my mom since she is in need of a flash or jump drive. The power strip will be free after rebate. My only regret is that I did not anticipate buying anything from Staples, and I let myself get low on $3 ink coupons. Next time I will know better! :)

DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am finally FINALLY finished with internship applications. Wheeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!! Now I just have to wait and pray that I get some interviews in January...

Email from Jesus

Okay, I should not be posting now since I HAVE to finish five cover letters in the next couple of hours (more on this later). But this is so funny that I have to share. I have Yahoo email, and it is very good about sending spam into my bulk folder. I also redirect emails from companies to this folder. I went in to the bulk folder to make sure it was all spam and not something I needed to read. Well, you guys, you know I am special, right?? In this folder I had an email from sender Jesus with the subject line How Is Everything. This made me laugh sooo hard. Well, Jesus, things could be better. I am really tired of school and am ready to end these somewhat-of-a-nightmare three years. But I am very grateful for Your constant provision and blessings. ;) God totally has a sense of humor.

Cleaning and Organizing

Last Saturday, I went to my Auntie T's house for a few hours to assist in cleaning out this big ol' closet that she has. Yes, this is my idea of a good time. Yes, I volunteered to do this. Yes, I will come to your house and do it for free if you pay for my travel expenses. Anyway, my label maker and I had a great time. She cleaned out lots of stuff and we got the rest neatly packaged into plastic tubs with labels. As a reward, Auntie T purchased for me the magazine Christmas Baking, which is delightful. She also gave me a loaf of fresh delicious bread. I had my choice of the stuff she was giving away. There was a lot of new stuff that she didn't want anymore, and you can be sure that I took it to go in my gift tub! The gets are: two brand new copies of the hardback book The Christmas Lizard, a coloring book and some small notebooks, a baby softball, handmade soap, wooden spoons, and some of those plastic outlet protectors. I have a couple more baby gifts to put together soon, so I will package the outlet protectors up cutely with the other stuff I give. I am keeping the wooden spoons and one of the notebooks for myself, but the rest will be future gifts. :) Good fun!

Much Better!

Well, my brief bout with the stomach flu has thankfully passed. Thank you ladies for the well wishes! An unexpected side effect is that I, a renowned eater-who-likes-to-shove-in-as-much-as-possible, am getting full on barely any food. For breakfast, I had peanut butter toast and skim milk and I am stuffed. Stuffed! If this keeps up, Thanksgiving should be interesting.

Vomitous + Free Shipping

First, and most importantly, Anthropologie.com is having free shipping on *any* purchase. This pretty much never happens. I got the two skirts above for under $50. Which is not frugal at all, but is quite awesome for Anthro prices.

Second, and less importantly, I spent most of the wee hours of the morning trying not to throw up. I have been successful thus far (thank you, Lord!). Television at 2 and 3 am is odd at best. I had my choice of infomercials, news, a Katie Holmes movie, or the college courses taped at local universities and then played on PBS for distance learners. I chose History 122, where the professor lectured briefly about Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka and then lectured extensively about JFK. The JFK part was boring, but I think the professor was a little obsessed with JFK as he talked about how wonderful and handsome he was. Hee hee!

Anyhoo, I am going to crawl back to bed now and try to get comfortable.

Tessa As Depicted in Styrofoam By Her Nephew

Yes, I am this gorgeous in real life. Jealous?

Frugal Music

CDs have never been something that I've spent a lot of money on. As a child, I spent my money on books and then later on clothes (surprising, I know). My family likes to have a wish list from me at Christmas and at my birthday, so I would ask for CDs at that time and avoid having to buy them. I usually do not listen to the whole CD, just one or two songs. I became familiar with individual song downloads and have never looked back. I've found a few frugal ways to get both individual songs and CDs:
1) Wal-Mart music downloads. They are .88 a piece, which is one of the cheapest out there. They also occasionally have a free song you can download. Recently it was an Aaron Shust song. I received a giftcard to Wal-Mart from my bro and SIL for my birthday in June and I have been using it ever since to download songs. I still have $7.68 left on it. :P
2) Be aware of free downloads on the packages of other products. I recently had free downloads from Aquafresh toothpaste, Renu contact lens solution, and Bic mechanical pencils. I had to download a couple of different programs, which was a little irritating. But I got free music!
3) If you enjoy classical music, the Philadelphia Orchestra frequently has free downloads. You can also sign up on their email list and they'll let you know when there is new music to download. You can find the current free download here.
4) If you need or want the whole CD, Swapacd.com is the way to go. If you are familiar with Paperback swap, it works in a similar way. In fact, you can "migrate" your account over. You list a bunch of CDs and then request music from others and others request CDs from you. The only difference with Paperback swap is you need to load money to pay for each CD. They will only cost you .49, so don't worry. My nickname on there is "Tessa" in case you sign up and would like to use me as a referral. ;) If you do not have Third Day's Offerings CD, sign up right now and get it. It is great. I also have gotten John Denver's Greatest Hits volumes one and two. :P
Happy Music Hunting!

Works for Me Wednesday: Keeping Christmas Frugal

There are many ways to have a fun and frugal Christmas. Here are a few ideas off the top of my head:

1) Start early and plan early. If you're like me, you can't stomach looking at Christmas anything in January. Get over it. Or start in February. ;) I keep a card and gift binder that has a list of ideas for next Christmas, what crafty supplies I have on hand, and what I have purchased so far. I recommend making a budget worksheet or getting one here.

2) Set a strict budget for each person, activity, and baking/cooking. Carefully plan each purchase with sales and coupons if possible. Remember that cooking supplies start to go on sale in November and coupons for these items are also available during this time.

3) Always be looking for gifts. Good deals are available all the time, you just need to keep an eye out for them. I have more posts on good deals here (September 21) and here. I finished my Christmas shopping before the end of August. It helps me have time to really enjoy the holiday.

4) Make your own Christmas cards! It's lots of fun. You can get the kids involved and have them draw on each card. If you want to have holiday photos, take them yourself or have a friend take them. Develop them cheaply yourself using the knowledge you gleaned here.

5) Use baked items as gifts for coworkers, families at church, unexpected guests, etc. You can save a LOT of money this way. Purchase baskets or plates for your goods at the dollar store or at garage sales.

6) Package your presents nicely with homemade supplies.

7) Attend free community and church activities.

8) Remember that Christmas is not about consumption!!!!!!!! We have taken a celebration of the birth of Christ and turned it into a spend-happy month of gluttony. Celebrating is wonderful. Traditions are wonderful. Do your kids need $500 gifts? Probably not. Just try to keep that in mind when you are crazed and searching for "the perfect gift."

Merry Christmas!!!

Making Christmas Cards

Last summer, Monica at The Homespun Heart had some very informative posts about making your own greeting/note cards. Instructions are here. Scroll down to the 7th for full instructions. I have been doing this ever since and I find it to be a lot of fun. I decided to make my own Christmas cards using her templates. This was early in the summer before I had much experience making cards. I didn't have any cardstock at the time, so I used construction paper. I watered down a white acrylic paint that I had and used it to stamp snowflakes on the envelopes and across the front of the cards. I also added some details in red paint on some of the cards and mixed green with some of the white paint so the snowflakes would show up on the cream colored cards. On the inside, I am going to use a stamp that says "The Lord has come! Let the world rejoice." I just need to get to Hobby Lobby with a 40% off coupon to buy a green ink pad. ;) I also bought some foil seals to close the envelopes. I am already thinking about what I want to make for next year! :P

The Skirt In Question

If you came here from Rebecca's blog, here is the skirt in question. I couldn't get a picture of it where it did not look magenta, but it really is crimson in real life. You'll just have to trust me when I say that it really is darling in real life. And just the thing for the holidays if I can find what to wear with it! Oh- I also, um, have it in chocolate brown. Ahem.

Frugal Photos

My mom recently needed some photos developed off of her digital camera. I offered to shop around the free print offers online and see how cheaply I could get the photos. I considered the following companies: Snapfish, York Photo, Kodak, Photo Works, and Shutterfly. Pretty much all of these companies offer a designated amount of free photos when you sign up; you just pay shipping. Snapfish and Photo Works also are great for having coupon codes.

For reference, regular pricing for prints is as follows: Snapfish .12; York Photo .10; Kodak .15; Photo Works .19 for 1-24 and .15 for 25-499; Shutterfly .19. The shipping for each company is as follows: Snapfish 1.97 for 16-25 prints and an additional .49 for each batch of 10 thereafter; York Photo 2.09 for 16-25 prints and an additional .32 for each batch of 10 thereafter; Kodak 2.49 for 20-49 prints; Photo Works 1.95 for 1-20 prints and an additional .95 per each batch of 20 thereafter; and Shutterfly 1.79 for 1-10, 1.99 for 11-20, and 2.49 for 21-30. Shutterfly is very expensive all around and they rarely offer coupon codes that are worth anything to me as they tend to be for expensive "photo gifts." I generally use Snapfish, York, and Photo Works with coupon codes. For most of these companies, you need to download their software so that you can easily upload your photos.

For this experiment I used Snapfish to order 20 prints, Photo Works to order 30, and Kodak to order 10. In each case I only had to pay shipping. At Snapfish, shipping was .98 with a code. At Photo Works, shipping was 2.90, and at Kodak it was 1.49. Obviously Snapfish was the winner here. Overall, I spent $5.37 for 60 prints, which averages 8.9 cents per photo. I was very pleased with my results!

Books!

You know how some people are compulsive packrats? I am the opposite. I am a compulsive get-rid-of-er. I cannot stand to have too much clutter around me. This even goes for my beloved clothing, which I am always cleaning out to take to the consignment shop. The one area where I am NOT like this is books. I love having tons of books around. It does not feel like clutter to me. The pictures above are of some recent gets:

Picture One: These were all purchased at my local library bookstore. I live in a small town with a tiny library, so needless to say it is surprising that we have a library bookstore. It is in a small house next to the library and is adorable! The book prices are great: .50 for hardback, .35 or .25 for paperback depending on the size, and children's books are free. I haven't gotten very far with these, but 52 Simple Ways to Make Christmas Special is actually really good. It is written in a Christian perspective and I would recommend it to anyone looking for unique Christmas ideas.

Picture Two: These were purchased at a library book sale in the larger town that I go to graduate school in. It was total madness. I went last Friday. I thought I'd go early before I had to be at the school clinic and that I'd beat the crowds. No. No, I did not. People were already lined up. With carts on wheels. I am not joking. And I might add that I was wearing a heavy wool coat and rather impractical heels. I did not look around much since the crowds were so daunting. I just got in and out as quickly as possible. I already have a copy of Your Money or Your Life, but I am enjoying it so much that I picked up another copy to give away. I am also reading The Millionaire Next Door and it is very fascinating. The prices here weren't great; they were $1 a book.

Picture Three: These were ordered for me by my dear Mumsie (Mom). She has joined a book club and got several free. She offered to let me have one free and I picked Vogue Sewing since I am trying to get myself back to sewing. Well, my sweet mother also ordered the Christmas books for me, too, because I was eyeing them. If you haven't noticed, I have a slight habit of collecting Christmas books.

That's all for now!

Searches

Three recent searches that have led people to this blog: "luckymagrewards", "coupon binder", and "really nearsighted and lenses". That pretty much sums me up!

Tess Rocks!

No, not me silly. The delightful and witty Tess over at http://tesstalks.blogspot.com/. She offered up a bunch of yarn for FREE, and you know my ears perk up like a dog's at that word. I was expecting something hideous (I consider hideous yarn a challenge) but this is lovely. I'm not sure what I'm going to make yet but half the fun is in thinking about it! And I must say I am impressed by her shipping skills because she made all this yarn fit into a Priority box and I have not been able to get all it back in since I opened it. Thanks Tess!!!!!!!!! Now go visit her blog and tell her how awesome she is.

To The Commenter Who Asked

about where I got the plastic pages in the coupon binder: sorry for the delay, I just saw your comment. They are baseball card display/collector pages that I purchased at Wal-Mart. They were located in the check-out aisle where the smoking paraphernalia is. No, I don't smoke, but apparently those who collect baseball cards do as the supplies are nearly always in this aisle. This system is working SO MUCH BETTER for me than the accordian file was. I can see everything much better. Hope this helps!

Not-So-Frugal Outlet Shopping

On Saturday my mom and I went outlet shopping. I love outlet shopping even though it's not where I typically get the cheapest deals. The top picture is the new briefcase I bought at Wilson's Leather Outlet. I need one to take on internship interviews in January, and my black briefcase is just about shot since I carry it to school and to both clinics. I bought this beauty on sale for $35 down from $200. I also like the way the picture makes it look like it's suspended in air. LOL. At Old Navy I got the green skirt ($2.38) and the pink polo ($3.99). The green skirt will be perfect for when I go to Mexico, and I'm planning on layering the pink polo over long sleeve tees. I got an additional 20% off at ON since I have a Banana Republic card and they are having a promo. The BR card is one of the few that is worth it in my opinion. It has pretty good perks (ONLY if you pay off the balance in full each month!!!). Finally, as you know, I have a weakness for button down shirts. Particularly those from Van Heusen. Unfortunately the one I bought is 100% cotton and not the no-iron kind. That means I will wear it maybe 2x per year when I get around to ironing. ;) It also cost me $16.60, which is not a great deal but is about half off the original price. And it fits me perfectly! Finally, I bought a pair of chandelier earrings ($1) for a friend's birthday. All in all it was a great day. Good fun!

Scroll Down

for another post on frugal gift giving. It's dated October 31. It took me a few days to complete. ;)

Works for Me Wednesday: Kleenex Box Plastic Bag Holder

This tip is straight out of The Tightwad Gazette. I save plastic shopping bags to take my lunch in and to line trash cans. I previously had them stored in a large shopping bag, but it was way too bulky and took up too much room. I wish I had counted how many bags I was able to stuff in here. I think it was no less than 20. This has cut down on space and looks cute, too! If you're creative you can cover it with paper or fabric. Or you can be lazy like me and just look for a pretty box. Works for Me!

Frugal Gift Giving: Kid Edition

I am very specific in my kid gift giving and shopping. I like to buy what I consider nice gifts for a very small price, and I am picky about good quality. I should mention that all of the kids that I buy for are aged 6 and under. I'm not sure how it will work when they are teenagers!

First, I have several little kids to buy for, each with their own rules. For example, for my friends' kids, I generally purchase one toy, book, or article of clothing for their birthdays. The budget for this item is $5-6. For my friends' kids at Christmas, I purchase an ornament for each child and paint the year and their name on it. The budget for each ornament is $2. I know they are overwhelmed with gifts at Christmas, so I try to do something different. And when they are grown and move out they will have a large set of ornaments. I typically purchase individual ornaments at Hobby Lobby when they are 50% off or I have a 40% off coupon.

The other set of kids that I buy for is my nephews and niece. They each get one book and one toy at Christmas and birthdays, and I really try to make sure their stuff is something they will love. My total budget for book and toy is combined is $10, although in years past I have gone up to $15. (However, I should note that I went overboard for my niece's upcoming birthday and also bought her some really cute sale clothing from J. Crew on top of the normal toy and book. Then I felt terrible guilt because my nephews did not get extra on their birthdays. So I bought them Ninja Turtle rolling backpacks to compensate. Which they will like way better than if I had bought them clothes. Ahem.)

Now, how do I stay on such a small budget? As I mentioned in a previous post, I am always shopping. Once again, that does not mean I am always buying. I am just always searching for the perfect gifts. The most important thing is to find the stores that work for you and offer great deals. For me, I get the best deals on Amazon and at T.J. Maxx/Marshalls stores. Amazon used to be paired with Toys R Us, but now Toys R Us has gone off on its own. There was a better selection of toys and sales when they were paired, but I must say things aren't too shabby now. I only purchase toys on Amazon when there is a huge sale and I purchase enough ($25) to qualify for free shipping. This means that I make a major toy purchase only 2-3 times per year. Everything in the pictures above was $5.29 or less. The items in the top picture were $4 and under (mostly under). Earlier this year, American Girls online had some great clearance with a free shipping code. I purchased six books at .49 each. Seriously. You can't get any cheaper than that brand new. These books are too old for the little girls that I buy for, but I plan on keeping them for the future. I have recently found some good hardback childrens books at Dollar Tree, but I usually don't have any luck there. I typically buy kids books at T.J. Maxx or Amazon, and the books are usually the most expensive thing that I buy.

Some of the gifts above are earmarked for specific children and some are just in my gift tub to be used as needed. I can get a little carried away with the sales, so I try to have a specific plan for what I am buying and not purchase more than 3 or 4 gifts that don't yet have recipients. Another good source for kid gifts is the school supply sales in July and August. You can get all kinds of crayons, markers, colored pencils, paper, et cetera for rock bottom prices. Stock up!

The trick to good and frugal gift buying is to find stores that work for you. I have heard great things about Target toy clearance, but by the time I get there it is always wiped out. So I stick with the stores that are currently working for me. When they don't work for me anymore, I will move on and find something better.

Happy frugal shopping!

A Post In Which God Shows His Presence to Me...Again

Yikes, it's been over a week since I've posted. I've been very busy working on my internship application stuff and I also had a stupid weekend class. I hate weekend classes. Anyway. So I've been in this mopey-boohoo-poor-me-life-is-so-hard kind of place lately due to life circumstances and some things that I feel I need that I don't have. This has been one of those times where God feels really far away, you know? As you may or may not know, I've been hoping to go with my friend A., a high school Spanish teacher, as a chaperone when she takes some students to Mexico next summer. I've never been out of the country before. I've been saving in an ING account where I couldn't see the money and would therefore forget about it. I don't have loads of extra money, but lately I've been saving all of my work study money for this trip. I wanted to purchase the trip package before the end of the year when the price goes up again. Today I checked my ING account to see how much money I lack, and the total is $640. Then I calculate how much money I can make at work study between now and the end of the year. The total is, you guessed it, $640. And that was totally a moment where God was like "Hi, Tessa. Remember Me? Almighty God? Right, the One that provides for your every need. And even most of your wants. Well, guess what, I'm still providing for you. And I'm not planning on stopping any time soon." It was a very nice and much needed reminder. And I wonder if I will ever get it enough so that I don't need these reminders. Probably not while I'm still on Earth. ;)

What Their Faces Should Have Looked Like

Mm-hmm. Nothing crazy here, is there?

Deranged Mini Cabbage Patch Dolls

I recently ordered some more toys from the Amazon toy sale, and in my order were several mini Cabbage Patch dolls (2 princesses, 2 holiday, and one rock star). Most of them have adorable, sweet expressions on their faces, but these look deranged. Seriously, it is hard to capture on film how insane they look. The blonde one looks much crazier in real life, as her multiple missing teeth and uneven eye placement contribute to an "I'm going to murder you and your entire family while giggling insanely" look. The brunette looks as though she has no control over her tongue and it has flopped, uncontrolled, out of her mouth.

Am I still going to give these as presents? Yes, yes I am. So don't be surprised if your child is a little scared of her gift from Miss T.

Frugal Baby Shower Gift

I have a few baby showers to go to in the next couple of months, and here is the gift for one of them. I found the wagon clearanced at Wal-Mart for $2.50, and the diaper disposal bags (in the back) and baby hangers are from the dollar store. The diapers were purchased on sale with a coupon, but I could have done even better if I had taken advantage of Walgreen's rebate last month where you bought $20 worth of Huggies products and got a $10 giftcard. I think the Pampers were around $6 or $7. The Huggies samples were free. My absolute favorite thing about this gift is the gorgeous well-crafted scrapbook in front. The inside has some beautiful pre-printed pages as well as tons of card stock, stickers, etc. to fill it in. And the best part is it was absolutely free!!! I also sent off for some free wipes, and if they come in time I will try to cram them into the wagon if there is any room left!

Fun and Somewhat Frugal Baby Gift

And Many Happy (Frugal) Returns!

When you shop online there will inevitably be returns that need to be made. Over time, this can be expensive. There are three main options for reducing or eliminating this cost: don't shop online at all, be able to make store returns, or research your shipping options. I live in a small town and even the larger town where my grad school is located does not have many of the stores that I like to (online) shop at. Thus, I choose option C, research your shipping options. I am returning the shoes and the blue skirt purchased under Graduation Fun (below). I did not like the shoes $56 worth, and the skirt had a defective zipper. The melon-colored flowered skirt, however, was lovely and a hit! Anyhoo, both of the items I'm returning had the Smart Label option. This is a prepaid sticker that you stick on the box you are returning. You then just stick it in the mailbox. The shipping amount is deducted from your return money. Sometimes Smart Label is a good option, like when I had to return a heavy coat last year. In that case, it saved me money. However, the Smart Label cost for the shoes was $9, and for the skirt it was $5.95. I knew I could ship both back for less. Sure enough, I was able to ship the shoes USPS Priority for $6.40 and the skirt fit into a Priority Flat Rate Envelope for $4.05. Both options come with free delivery confirmation if you print your own label online, which I did. I always have Priority boxes and envelopes around since I occasionally sell on eBay. They are free, and you can get them at the post office or order them online. I also recommend that you invest in a digital postage scale if you do a lot of shipping. My sweet grandparents got me one last Christmas, and it has been a wonderful time saver. So, the next time you have to make a return, be aware of what your best option is.

Thursday Thirteen

I'm not feeling very inspired today, so I thought I'd join the Thursday Thirteen bunch and post thirteen facts about myself:

1) I think John Denver was a musical genius.
2) My two closest friends are people that I have been friends with for 13 and 11 years, respectively.
3) I have double jointed thumbs.
4) I am an optimist.
5) I think the television show The Office (U.S. version) is hilarious.
6) I was baptized in a river at age 9. No baptismals for me; I'm hardcore. ;P
7) I use the United States Postal Service for all my shipping needs.
8) I need to pick up my dry cleaning. Most of my coats are there and it suddenly turned cold.
9) I have issues with public bathrooms.
10) (closely related to #9) Whenever I have bad dreams, they usually involve disgusting public bathrooms. No, really. Issues, I tell you!
11) I have more in common with people older than me than with people my age.
12) I worked in a pharmacy for 6 years.
13) I don't drink soda (or pop in my neck of the woods).

Works For Me Wednesday: No Iron Shirts

I don't mind ironing, but I just don't have the time to do it right now. I'm in graduate school, so that means I balance class/dissertation work/work study job/real life responsibilities with my practicum work. The practicum is where I am actually practicing under the supervision of a psychologist. I do it two days a week, one in a primary medical setting, and one in a community mental health center. On those two days I have to look professional. I love button down shirts, but the ones in my closet that get the most use are these Van Heusen No-Iron Shirts. They have simplified my life! They are available in both women and men's sections. Van Heusen frequently has sales/coupons, so if you have a location near you be sure to register at the website of the mall the store is located in. The only drawback of these shirts is they contain polyester. The polyester is what makes them not wrinkle, but it also doesn't breathe. If you are a person that sweats a lot, beware! Another option is Brooks Brothers' no iron shirts. They are treated cotton, but are much more expensive.

No ironing works for me!

Steal vs. Splurge: Graduation Edition

I graduate a lot. You could say that graduating is what I do. I'm a professional graduater (graduator?). I graduated high school in 2000, college in 2004, with my Master's in 2006, and my doctorate will be in 2008 (if all goes well!). Since this happens fairly frequently and I am a poor graduate student, I wanted to save some money. I decided to forgo the $40+ invitations and print my own. At the clearance aisle at a nearby Wal-Mart, I found this graduation paper for $1.00. The envelopes were .50 per package and I purchased two packages. I also bought some embossed envelope seals for $2 at a paper store. I had some free address labels that were silver and matched perfectly. God totally provided this for me, as I made for $4 what would have otherwise cost me $40+. Unfortunately, the honor cords and medal you see there cost me $28. At least I will be able to wear them at my next graduation and if I am ever a professor who has to wear academic regalia!

I also decided to forgo the $40 picture package. My family took plenty of pictures, and I will print or enlarge those for a much smaller cost. :)

Graduation Fun!!!

Saturday was the graduation ceremony for my Master's degree. My sweet family and friends gave me cards, presents, and cash for this momentous occasion. ;) I decided to save 50% of the money and use the other 50% to blow on whatever I want. I loooooooooove clothing and fashion, and I have been very good lately and have not spent much on clothes. I have banished myself from purchasing expensive clothing, with the only exceptions being cashmere sweaters (I'll pay $40-60), tall boots (up to $100), heels (I have weird feet- up to $50) and winter coats (up to $150). However, I only purchase maybe one of each category per year, with the exception of heels. The last article of clothing I bought was a white and green butterfly print dress for next summer that was $5.97 at J.C. Penney.

I didn't really want to sink all of my "fun" money into one thing (like one piece of jewelry), so I decided to give in to two of my weaknesses: Neiman Marcus and Anthropologie. I never shop at Anthro online anymore because the shipping is ridiculous and they pretty much never offer coupon codes. Also, their "sale" prices aren't what I consider cheap. But I do have such a weakness for their girly, frilly circle skirts thatI ordered the two above. They were on sale (duh! I haven't totally lost my mind!). The blue was originally $118, and I paid $40. The orange was originally $88 and I paid $25. The cute shoes are from Neiman Marcus. I ordered online and was able to go through luckymagrewards.com and get 4% of my total purchase back. I also got free shipping with the coupon code BEST. The shoes were $56 down from $225!! I still feel guilty about spending so much, but I have to say that it is fun to do every once in a while. I also have some money left to spend, so I will keep you updated on my next purchases!!

(Note: I always purchase clothing on sale for the seasons ahead. That is why I am purchasing summer clothing in October ;) ).

Integrated Healthcare: A Brief Overview

As most of you know, I am a psychological trainee. That means I am in school learning how to be a psychologist. There are many paths psychologists can take, and a lot of different ways they can specialize. I have chosen Integrated Healthcare as my specialty. In a fully integrated system, psychologists work in primary medical settings (i.e. your primary medical doc or nurse practitioner's office). In this setting we do not provide psychotherapy. Rather, we utilize brief, solution focused treatment modalities. Appointments are generally for thirty minutes rather than fifty. Things we commonly treat or assist in are symptoms of depression, anxiety, chronic pain, sleep difficulties, weight loss, and smoking cessation. I like integrated care because it is a holistic approach. We do not ignore the impact of the mind on the body or the body on the mind. Integrated care is relatively new, and I am lucky enough to be able to have a practicum rotation in one of the only such prac sites in the U.S. I also like integrated care because it is more direct, concrete, and to the point. We address what the patient wants rather than what we feel is pertinent (psychologists are very good at thinking they are all-knowing and brilliant). There are also a lot of reasons why it is good for the healthcare dollar, but I won't go into them now. ;)

Works for Me Wednesday: Recipe Box Addresses

Address books do NOT work for me. At all. The reason is because I am too obsessive-compulsive for them. People move, change phone numbers, etc., and I don't like the way the address books get all crossed out and ugly looking. Crazy, I know. I also have a problem with the too-small spaces in address books. I like to include address, home phone, cell phone, birthdays of everyone in the household, and anniversary dates. Having all of this information in one place helps keep me organized. Once upon a time I typed an address database where I just printed, cut, and glued them to index cards. Then came the Great Computer Crashes (2!) of 2004, and I haven't done it since. I got the wooden recipe box free from my mom, and the blue index cards were .12 (clearance) at Office Depot. I don't worry about alphabetizing within each individual letter because I like to keep the "most used" addresses toward the front of the letter section. So as long as John Doe makes it back to the D section, all is good. This is also handy when you just need a few addresses/phone numbers/birthdates and you can pull out their cards and take them anywhere with you. Works for me! Go check out Shannon and the other WFMW ideas at http://rocksinmydryer.typepad.com/.

Catch Up!

I haven't been around for a few days due to being utterly behind in a million different ways. I am currently behind in:
* Work Study- reading and summarizing 20 articles, due on Thursday AM
* Internship Applications- creating essays, writing 15 cover letters, finalizing my vitae, requesting letterhead, entering clinical hours, preparing work samples of assessment reports, filling out the APPIC form, requesting transcripts, following up on letters of recommendation
* School- reading about a million articles and textbook chapters (but I rarely do this anyway!) ;)
* Real Life Stuff- updating this blog, calling or emailing a few friends and family members that I have been neglecting, vacuuming/sweeping, mailing a book, balancing my checkbook, doing my nails/toenails/eyebrows, getting an oil change/tire rotation, cleaning out my car, going to Staples/Walgreens/Target, clipping and filing coupons, reading Martha Stewart Living and Antiques Magazines.

AND my weekend looks like this: Friday evening- going to a Third Day concert with friends after being in supervision/practicum block all day. Saturday- Master's degree graduation ceremony. Sunday- going to a friend's baptism (yay!) and then meeting up with another friend at three o'clock.

I can't wait till it slooooooooooows down a little.