Time

Once I begin my internship, I will be working 8-5 Monday through Friday. And yet I keep talking about all of the glorious free time that I will have.

Let me explain. For the last three years, I have gone to school year-round, with four terms per year. Classes would change every 12 weeks. I would have class 3-4 days per week. On top of this, I saw patients/clients every week for between 7-15 hours and sometimes ran anger management groups. I also had projects, papers, and presentations to take care of- always something hanging over my head. The day didn't end when I got home as I would have to complete some project or study for some test. Some days I would leave for school at 7 or 8am and not get home until 9 or 10pm. It was very demanding and exhausting both physically and mentally. There was little room for anything outside of school.

Beginning in September I will only be seeing patients/clients. No more schoolwork or papers. I have to finish my dissertation, but am about halfway through that and see it as something that I will actually enjoy. I have nothing hanging over my head, and my days will begin and end at a set time.

I feel like a new person. And I am really enjoying all of this free time. ;)

Frugal Exercise

I have never paid to exercise. When I lived with Mom, I would walk outside during nice weather, do a weights DVD, and in the cold months try to force myself to do cardio DVDs. I wasn't sure what I would do when I moved. Lo and behold, the local community center offers a free membership for residents of the city. They have an outside trail, inside track, weight and other machines, and a pool! All for free! :P Needless to say I have already joined.

Bedroom Details

When I posted the pictures I was too tired to write the details, so here they are! My headboard and footboard are vintage, purchased by my mom 10+ years ago, so I'm not sure how much they cost. The bird picture was a thrift store find for $5, and the frames were all free from various sources. I got the frame idea from an Anthropologie catalog. :)

I use the hatboxes beside my bed to store scarves (I have a million coats- are you surprised that I have a million scarves???). The hatboxes were gift containers from my Auntie. The bureau is vintage wood and was purchased for $65 three years ago. I used garage sale proceeds to purchase it, so it cost me nothing out of pocket at the time.

On the other side of my bed is a vintage tin T.V. tray that my mom spray painted yellow for me several years ago. I also got this idea from an Anthropologie catalog. The lamp on it was $7, but Mom bought it for me as a gift a couple of years ago.

I love, love, love the new (vintage) flower print. I got it for $6 in a flea market in Arkansas. It is a Nelly Littlehale Murphy print. I believe it is a reproduction, but it is still quite old.

The wooden chair was scrounged by my dad from a dumpster to be my childhood desk chair (I was a tall child!). It matches the bureau perfectly.

The amber lamps were a gift from my grandparents many birthdays ago. I put new ($1 at a yard sale) shades on them.

The shoeboxes- well, there is no place else to put them but in the hallway outside my closet!

The quilt was purchased for $40 three years ago at T.J. Maxx. They still have the most beautiful quilts. For me to not be tired of something after three years is nothing short of a miracle!

I didn't realize how frugally my room was put together until this post. You know that makes me happy!

More pictures are on the way.

My Bedroom in the New Apartment

Updated Showcase Link

Here is a fancier version of the showcases: www.frugalhacks.com

Use that link rather than the link below. The header is so cute!

Good News!

This is a two-parter:

1) I now have internet at my apartment! Whoo! It went suspiciously well, so I'm expecting my computer to blow up or something at any minute.

2) I am being showcased right now on The Frugal Blog Showcase. Go check it out! And I was very happy to see that the ever frugal and amazing Meredith commented about me over there! :P She is a blogger celebrity and I aspire to be like her, so that was pretty awesome.

Pictures will be up tomorrow, I promise!

Moving, Moving, Moving!

I signed the lease on a two bedroom apartment last Tuesday. I will be living in a town less than thirty miles from where I currently live. The past week has been spent hauling loads of my stuff over to it. I am only about 75% finished. This is my first move!

1) Moving is hard work and not so fun. However, seeing the apartment s-l-0-w-l-y taking shape is very, very fun.

2) My biceps hurt like crazy last week. I'm a little surprised that my legs didn't since I've been going up and down steps.

3) I have a bunch of things to do but can't seem to get them done because I am so exhausted.

4) On Monday I will move my clothing, shoes, coats, and purses. Pray for me. ;)

5) I have way too much stuff.

Pictures will be forthcoming!

Walgreens Deals

Here is my weekly rhapsody to Walgreens. I purchased: 2 Infusium Conditioners, 1 Infusium Shampoo, 1 Herbal Essences Shampoo, 1 Aussie Shampoo, 1 Aussie Conditioner, 2 packages of 3 Venus disposable razors, 2 Oral B Indicator Toothbrushes, 3 100 count Excedrin, two packs of gum, and two packs of computer paper. Total retail value: $91.93.

I paid: $17.46 out of pocket. Subtract from that the $10 coupon off my next purchase that I received and a $2.99 Excedrin rebate that I will send in= $4.47 total.

It took some patience studying the ads to figure out what coupons that I could use and how I could work the Register Rewards coupons in my favor (I checked out three times and alternated the P&G and the Novartis orders). Plus I had about $9 leftover on a couple of gift cards. Now that's what I call good shopping!

P.S. While I was taking the picture for this post, I realized how odd it is to be lining up HBA items on a table in the breezeway to take a picture of them.

Spotty Posting and Good News

The internet here is acting completely ridiculous, so my posting may be a bit spotty.

Good news: it seems that I am approved for an apartment that I have been wanting! Yay! I will drive over tomorrow to sign on the dotted line and get the utilities put in my name. This will be my first big move, so I'm very excited. :P More info will follow!

Recent Cheap Purchases

Yesterday at Yard Sale:
4 children's books for my office for a grand total of .25

Today at Yard Sales:
3 canvas or mesh tote bags to be used as grocery bags .25 each
3 children's books for my office .30 total
2 Nancy Drew books for me .20 total (Yes, I still like Nancy Drew!)
1 Tupperware Deviled Eggs Container $3

At my beloved Walgreens:
Package of 2 purple gel pens FREE after rebate
Lysol Neutra Air Freshmatic (one of those machines that automatically dispense air freshener) originally priced $11.99-2.00 sale-4.00 WG coupon- 5.00 manufacturer's coupon= .99 total!

The Winnahs!

The blog giveaway winners are Becky from Joyful Mother and Christy at Mama Said Sew. Congratulations, ladies!!!!!!!

A Post In Which I Notice The Problem Too Late

All right, I've posted before about my odd memory. Last Thanksgiving, I made this cauliflower dish that included cheese, bacon, and garlic. It was good, but very, very garlicky. I had shared the recipe with someone who worked at my school and she said it was fantastic, so I didn't know what went wrong. About a week ago (I don't know why I figured it out then), it occured to me that I was supposed to use two cloves of garlic. Instead, I used almost two full BULBS of garlic. Yikes.

No wonder it was garlicky.

Enter the Giveaway(s)!

There are two giveaways here and the contests are now open! Enter to win a copy of Decorating With Color: The Best of Martha Stewart Living OR Better Homes and Gardens' Christmas All Through the House! Both books are hardback: Martha Stewart is gently used and the Better Homes and Gardens is brand new. Leave a comment in the comments section between now and Friday, July 27th at noon Central time. This will enter you into the drawings for both items. Open ONLY to U.S. residents. Winners will be picked at random on Friday at noon or thereabouts. Good luck, and for more contests, visit Shannon's blog.

Nalgene Coupon Code

Get 25% off your order at Nalgene with the code BC2. I found this code at www.retailmenot.com, such a cute coupon code site!

Anyhoo, don't get the pretty colored bottles. Get the ugly white with blue print made out of HDPE so you don't get nasty chemicals leaching into your water. I use plastic bottles all the time for water so I bought three 32 oz. narrow mouth bottles and one 16 oz. narrow mouth bottle. I am excited about the narrow mouth since I ALWAYS spill down my front. I have limited eye-hand coordination, okay?

Fashion Feature!

I sent in this outfit photo to the fabulous Rebecca over at The Space Between My Peers and she featured it today as part of her Real Fashion for Real People segment! Go check it out! While you're there, browse around the site. Everything that you ever wanted to know about fashion and how to wear clothing is there. It is a fascinating read and informative to boot (pun intended).

My Secret Shame

There is very little that is frugal about this picture. If you've ever wanted to see how I'm not frugal, you're lookin' at it. I love coats. Love, love, love. I blame my mother. You see, Mom stayed at home with my brother and myself until he was 13 and I was nine. When Mom started working outside the home, she made herself the most fabulous wardrobe, including a long tan dress coat (she is quite the seamstress although she rarely sews nowadays). Mom also purchased a long wool grey houndstooth print coat. From that moment on, I was hooked. I could not WAIT to work so that I, too, could have such a fabulous wardrobe. And, I decided, I would have long wool coats in every color.

Today, I don't have them in every color. But I do have a lot of coats. The picture above consists only of the coats that are going to the dry cleaner today. Those coats are a chocolate brown wool from J. Crew ($150), a red wool from J. Crew ($80), a grey wool Michael Michael Kors ($100), a silver-y grey puffy coat from Jones New York ($50, but my mother purchased it for me in 2000 to replace my high school letter jacket), and a tan wool peacoat from the thrift store ($5).

I also have four short trenches (light green $12, grey $8, tan plaid $8, and khaki $30), a long black trench ($10), a cropped faux-fur leopard print (!) that was $18, and a tan boho-ish vintage coat that was a gift from my friend's mother.

There. Now you know my dirty, unfrugal secret. I feel much better.

Giveaways!

Shannon over at Rocks in My Dryer is hosting a bunch of blog giveaways next week. Here at Ramblings, there will be two, count 'em, two giveaways. Giveaway #1 will be a used but excellent-condition HARDBACK copy of Decorating With Color: The Best of Martha Stewart Living. Giveaway #2 will be a brand-spankin'-new HARDBACK copy of Better Homes and Gardens' Christmas All Through the House, a $34.95 value! Check back on Monday for the post to enter. The drawing will take place next Friday.

Card and Stationery Organization

Since I recently purchased all of those vintage cards, I had to come up with a way to store them. There are too many to store in my card and gift organizer, so I will start using that to store each month's selected cards (example: January birthdays go in the January folder, etc.). I used this box that I believe used to hold reams of paper, although it's smaller than the typical reams box. Then I added dividers made from my surplus of blue cardstock, and voila! Simple, frugal organization!

I Love the Swaps!

The Paperback Swap and Swap a CD, that is. I keep an Amazon wishlist and try to acquire the stuff on it for free or really cheap. Two more items knocked off the list!

Yes, that is the Willy Wonka soundtrack. Don't judge me.

Bounty from Branson Trip

Top photo: Gap tank top $3, Gap tee shirt $2, Payless heels $2.04 (LOVE these shoes, but they are definitely "sitting down" shoes)

Bottom photo: Rubber ducks .60 each, body wash $1, lip balms $1 each. All from Bath and Body Works and all will go into my gift tub.