Works for Me Wednesday: Thrifty Fun Shreds!

Okay. Are you familiar with those bags of shredded paper that you can buy for gift baskets? They're sometimes called "fun shreds" or "tissue shreds", etc. I really, really, really hope you aren't buying them when you can make your own! Use whatever you have lying around: construction paper, tissue paper, computer paper, wrapping paper, card stock. Whatever is cheap and handy. Put a clean bag in your paper shredder, run the paper through, crumple the shreds, and voilà! Your very own shreds for gift baskets. Tip 1: Using stiffer paper like cardstock will allow you to position items in your gift basket with ease if you have heavy items. Tip 2: Store a clean bag in underneath the full bag in the paper shredder for quick use. Tip 3: Don't have a paper shredder? Staples has them free after rebate this week. If you can find them. Cheap shreds- works for me!

Freebie Monday

I went to some sort of vendor fair at an area college on Monday to promote our school clinic. It was very small, but free stuff was everywhere! And you know how much I love free stuff. ;) I got many pens, sticky notes, a letter opener, a safety whistle/compass/lighted keychain, candy, bottled water, and a travel mug. Lunch was provided by Chick-Fil-A and was chicken wraps, chicken strips, brownies, and cheesecake. That's my idea of a good day.

Recent Semi-Frugal Shopping

I went to Express on Thursday armed with the knowledge that there was a sale and with a 15% off clearance coupon. I wound up getting everything in the top two pictures: two v-necks in purple and a green-grey color, a pink striped scoop neck, a pink tank top with lace trim, and a long black and white flowered shirt. The long black and white flowered shirt (picture two) is MUCH cuter in person and looks super cute with a red belt. I tried not to let the horror I felt show on my face when the sales girl suggested that I should wear it with leggings. Oh, honey, no. Price paid for all five pieces: ~$47. I think that is really good especially considering that the flowered shirt alone retailed for $59.50. Yes, $59.50. No, it is not made of gold and will not run errands for you. Express prices are ridiculous as a rule but they do have good sales.

Picture three is a fancy black dress with raised flowers that I got at J.C. Penney for $9.97. I have no need for a fancy black dress, but if the occasion should arise, I am prepared, right??? It is a size too big and I need to go back and hope that they have a size smaller. It retailed for $89.

Picture four is a dress that I am undecided about. It is adorable and vintage-y, but it cost $37. I realize that is not a ton of money, but it is a lot more than I typically pay for any dress. It was on sale at New York & Company, but I didn't get to use a coupon because I left it at home. :( I was also swayed by the fact that two salespeople sought me out after I tried it on to tell me that it looked great on me. That does not happen often, people! :) I do have a few 'events' coming up that I could wear it to, but I am still undecided. I just feel much better when I can combine sale + coupon.

Cheese Biscuits

The cheese biscuits I made for a belated birthday party for my sister-in-law and the mess I made creating them. :P

The Iterations of My Convergence

We have a school statistician. Thank you, Lord. Because I have no clue how to run my own statistics. And 90% of the time I am not sure what is going on. Here is an actual conversation from Monday:


Statistician: Oh, those are just the iterations of your convergence. You don't need to worry about them.


Me: ............................................................. (nods smartly and makes mental note to remember the phrase 'iterations of convergence' for later.)


However, she is very good at explaining things, so I think I will actually be attempting to write up my results section this weekend. Yay!

Works for Me Wednesday: Thrifty Organization

Ideas from The Complete Tightwad Gazette: stamp dispenser, magazine holder used to store mailing supplies, and tissue-box grocery bag holders.

I am a very organized person. I have a million binders with clear front and side pockets so that I can neatly label what is in there. I own (and use) a label maker. Organization is fun! But organization can also be spendy. I have spent quite a bit of money on plastic containers to store things. So whenever I can use items around the house for organization, I do so. I got these ideas from The Complete Tightwad Gazette- there are lots of great ideas for organization in there! Think outside the box (or think what you can put in the box!).

Cheap organization. Works for me!

Any Thoughts on Tracfones?

I am considering switching to a pay-as-you-go Tracfone when I move out. I will have a land line anyway for internet use, so I think I can just have people call me on that line. Any Tracfone users out there care to comment?

What I Did to Save/Earn $ Over the Last Few Days

1) I did not buy a new outfit for Easter (gasp!). I wore stuff that I already had, but in my closet most things barely get worn anyway.

2) I filled out an online survey for $5.

3) My sweet grandma gave me $10 which will go in my savings account.

4) I repotted my tomato plants in the hope of having an abundance of fresh and FREE tomatoes this summer.

5) I sorted out some stuff to list on eBay (but I haven't actually listed yet).

6) I used two $10 gift certificates to Dillard's to purchase most of a baby gift for a shower that I went to on Saturday.

7) I am making homemade pizza right now for dinner so that I can take the leftovers for lunches. I ate fast food several times last week, which I had been so good about not doing. Back in the saddle I go!

Pretty Material + Shirt Pattern

If I ever get the dang dress made, I will make this next.

Vintage Tupperware Lunchbox

I think anything that motivates me to bring my lunch is worth the $4 investment. ;)

An Easter Basket

What my sweet mama got me for Easter (I'm stocking up on some food stuffs for when I move out in August).

I'll Be Back Soon

A combination of working on my dissertation and computer problems (this is not a good time!) have prevented me from posting, but I will try to post some tonight.

Looking Polished On a Dime

Warning: this post is superficial in nature.

There are many times in life when you need to look polished, even if you do not work in a professional environment. There is no reason for you to Here are some tips to making the process a little easier.


Clothing:
1) The most important thing is to pay attention to detail.

2) Wear clothing that fits you properly. Too big or too little is not good, but neither is wearing the wrong proportions for your body type. Try on outfits and take pictures of yourself to get a better idea of whether you're wearing the correct type of clothing. What does your eye immediately go to? I recommend these books: Lucky Manual for overall wardrobe ideas and What You Wear Can Change Your Life for how to properly wear color. Another great resource is the archives at Rebecca's blog. She goes in depth on fit, color, and personal style.

3) Wear clothing that is made of natural fibers. Wool, cashmere, cotton, and linen all look and feel better than acrylic or nylon.

Hair:
1)

Heads Up: Freebie

At Walgreens this week they have the 2 pack of Olay bar soap on sale for $2. There was a $2 coupon off any Olay bar soap in the Procter and Gamble brand saver in the Sunday paper. Free soap!

This week there is also an unusual rebate for Advil PM. If you buy the 16 count liquid filled capsules, a rebate form prints at the register that makes it free. This is not part of the usual Easy Saver catalog, but it does appear to be a Walgreens rebate. I don't typically need sleep meds, but they are great for when I travel.

A Frugalite's Mailbox

What I got in the mail on Monday:

* A free dry erase marker
* A sample of a face care product
* A free hardback book
* Two magazines that are from free subscriptions
* A $20 rebate check
* A pricy home catalog that I don't order from but like to glean ideas from

Notice a pattern??? :P

New Family Member

On Friday, my mom purchased the lovely boxer pup Luci. Luci had been living with a very nice lady who had two boxers and didn't feel like she could handle both of them. Mom found her ad online and after meeting us, Luci's former owner decided that we seemed like decent enough people and that she would let us adopt her. ;) She is nine months old and so sweet and smart! (Incidentally, she was also a frugal deal. She was $120. She is a full blooded boxer and is spayed, up to date on her shots, has had Front Line, and was recently bathed and had her nails clipped. She also came with a fancy dog crate and some toys and a bone.)

Trip to the Amish Store

On Friday afternoon, my Auntie and I went to a local Amish bulk foods store and to another (possibly Mennonite?) store that had various goods. I bought the above at the other store. I was so excited to finally get the More With Less cookbook! It looks great. I also purchased something for my Spring Fling swap partner, Maureen. At the Amish bulk foods store, I bought nine different spices/seasonings and some yeast. I am getting prepared for when I move out at the end of August!

Good News: Dissertation Edition

Well, I'm happy to say that I FINALLY got all of my dissertation data entered into a spreadsheet. The school statistician and I started analyzing it on Thursday. This is good news since the dissertation is the last big hurdle for me to accomplish. I want to get it done as quickly as possible, hopefully by the end of June. I was mad, though, because I forgot that I didn't need to do a bunch of formulas by hand and wound up doing them on about 40 of the surveys. The statistician just wrote a formula on the computer and in 30 seconds had completed what had taken me 4 hours. Nice. ;)

Paying Down the Debt

When I am finished with school, I will have a ridiculous amount of student loan debt. Thankfully, I don't have any credit card debt. I will also be paying off my car in the next two weeks, so school debt will be all that I have. I was able to pay the interest on my loans for the first year, so that will be very helpful in the long run (compound interest: friend, enemy). I posted earlier that whatever money I get from selling things will go toward debt. I was able to make a payment of $162 the other day just from two weeks of eBay sales! I don't expect to be able to sell that much on a regular basis, but I am just going to keep reminding myself that every dollar counts. Every dollar is one step closer to financial freedom!

Sewing Status: Pieces Cut Out

Remember this post? Well, I've cut out the pieces and they are ready to sew. Whenever I get around to sewing them. Ahem. And this may turn out to be too small even though I cut out a larger size than what I typically wear. I have also purchased some green patterned fabric and a pattern for a cute summer top since I've decided that I should buy less and sew more. We'll see how that goes. I'll post pics of the fabric later!

Pretty Vintage Tablecloths

And a family treasure to boot! Thanks to my beautiful-and-perfect-Grandma-who-reads-my-blog-but-never-comments for this bounty. These two tablecloths and set of four cloth napkins were made by her oldest (eldest?) sister. I love them and will keep them very dear forever.

A New Nancy Drew Movie???

I protest!

Apparently Sugar Is Poison

Or perhaps I ate too much! :x For the last few years, I have had a chronic exhaustion. This had become very worrysome to me and I was considering going to the doctor to have blood tests done. I have very healthy sleep habits and consume no caffeine, so I knew these were not the culprit. I thought I was doomed to a lifetime of being tired.


Last week, my mom offhandedly commented that perhaps I should give up sugar for awhile to see if there was any improvement. I thought it was worth a try, so I decided to give up desserts only: I would not give up fruit or carbohydrates. You should know that I consumed much more than one dessert per day. More like three or four(I know, I know). It seems that I was messing with my blood sugar in a very bad way.


Within a day, there was an extraordinary difference. I am so angry at myself and cannot BELIEVE that I have been inflicting this exhaustion on myself all along. I feel fantastic and am not tired at all. I thought that I would be able to have one dessert per week, so on Friday I had a piece of strudel-like cake. Within an hour I had both a headache and a stomachache. I hope to be able to work chocolate back into my diet, but for now I will be abstaining.

Spring Fling Swap!

Hurry! You have until tomorrow to sign up for the Spring Fling Swap here! It looks like it will be super fun. I may have gotten excited and already put together my hand made item. :P

The End of My Staples Fun

Ever since last July, I have been getting fabulous deals at Staples. My family and some friends save their ink cartridges for me (thank you!), resulting in a lot of $3 coupons. Staples offers free shipping when you became a Staples Rewards member, so I have been getting great deals on stuff. However, beginning April 1, Staples shipping will go back to being free shipping with a $50 purchase for Rewards members.


This means no more super cheap orders. It also means more restrictions on my coupon use. Online, you can use 3 ink coupons at a time regardless of the amount of items in your cart. When I use the coupons in store, I can only use two per day, one per item. I have been ordering my ink cartridges for $11 shipped, but now they will be $16 in store. It makes me unhappy, but I will still be working the deal in store. There will also be times where I will order $50+ worth of stuff that will be free after rebate, so not all is lost. If you have any coupons, now is the time to use them!

I'm Back!

I'm feeling more energized and ready to post some! Last week was finals, and I've had several projects going on to where I haven't been on the computer much. But now I'm rarin' to go!

Tired and Uninspired

Lately I have just felt exhausted. When I get some energy and/or inspiration, I'll post on these topics:

*Loyalty card programs
*Taking care of cashmere and wool
*A guide to looking polished on a dime
*Pictures of some vintage goodies
*The end of my Staples fun

I thought it would be good to get a list up here on the blog so that I don't forget them when I have some time and energy. :)

And The Winner Is...

Tessa in the category of 'Most Complete Outfit'! Yay! For this honor I won a school t-shirt. I also got some free loot- pens, highlighters, clips, etc., and a free lunch.

P.S. Yes, my head is cut off on purpose. :P

Cheerful Dress

It was a bit overcast and dreary yesterday, so I wore this cheerful vintage dress with the red wedges from this post and got lots of compliments. It's not as vibrant in real life as it is here, but it sure is a happy dress!

Outlet Shopping: Using Coupons

Before you visit your favorite outlet mall, stop and visit their website to see if they have any printable coupons that you can use. If you live near a Chelsea Premium Outlet, right now they have a $10 off a $10 or more purchase at Naturalizer. This is how I got the shoes for the fashion show so cheaply. Always prepare before shopping!

Life Expectancy Calculator

Have you heard about this? My life expectancy is 84 (obviously I could die tomorrow- I do realize that). I liked that this calculator gives feedback at the end regarding what you are doing well and what you are not doing so well. I've already implemented one lifestyle change- a daily aspirin regimen. Which I needed to do anyway because I am a ticking time bomb.

New Frugal Artwork

$5 at a thrift store and even prettier in real life. :)

Frugal Challenge Complete!

*Picture One: linen blend jacket $4.50 at Van Heusen, yellow tank $6.74 at the Gap Outlet

*Picture Two: cropped plaid pants $2.59 at the thrift store

*Picture Three: shoes $3.20 at the Naturalizer outlet

*Picture Four: earrings $1.99, and necklace $3.99 at Cato

I started off by trying to find pants at the mall clearance racks on Friday. Two hours later, no pants (but I did find two Christmas presents!). I went to Marshall's: no clearance. Finally, I headed to my no-fail thrift store and found these cute cropped pants. I promise they don't look dumpy in real life- they're actually very flattering. On Saturday, I hit up the outlet mall. Van Heusen had several racks of $5 items which I very carefully combed. This linen-blend jacket was the only one in that color and in size Medium, so it was perfect. Van Heusen now has a loyalty card program (not a credit card), and I got 10% off my entire purchase for signing up. I also had a 15% off one item coupon, but the cashier applied it to a shirt that I also bought. Next, I went to the Naturalizer outlet armed with a $10 off any purchase coupon. I studied the price signs and realized that I could only afford the 80% off items which had a purple dot. I found these purple dot shoes in my size (I take a wide size at Naturalizer) immediately, AND they're very comfy! In real life, this is where I would have stopped since the jacket's mother of pearl buttons are decorative enough for me. In the area of accessories, I firmly believe that less is more. But part of this competition is buying all that you can for $25, and I still had money left. So I went to Cato and found the necklace and earrings on sale. Ta da! This was so much fun that I think I will set the $25 limit on myself whenever I need to find an outfit.

New Feature: What I Did To Save $ Today

There's a new feature at Ramblings. It will occur less than daily, but more than weekly. Bi-daily? Mid-weekly? Anyhoo, I will post things that I have done to be frugal or save money. So here goes:

* I went the school clinic at lunch and free catered food with some friends.
* I didn't buy the most gorgeous ivory cashmere sweater. It was $38 down from $170 or something, but I don't need another ivory cashmere sweater. And I don't need to be spending $38 on something that I don't need.
* I purchased cat litter that will be free after rebate for my future cat (to be adopted in August).
* I purchased a pair of cropped pants for my free outfit (see previous post). This will be a post in itself when I am done, but I only spent $3 so far.

Frugal Challenge: $25 Professional Outfit

Our graduate school is given a certain amount of funds from the government to promote knowledge about loan repayment and basically to encourage us to not default on our student loans. The school is not allowed to give this money directly to us: rather, they have to come up with fun activities that will get us in the door to have the opportunity to educate us. One such activity is the school fashion show. Yes, we have a fashion show. If you participate, you are given $25 to come up with a professional outfit (i.e. one that you could see clients in). After they have the fashion show, they have the boring "don't go into default" part. I participated last year and am going to this year, too. A free outfit? Yes, please! You win prizes based on how complete your outfit is and how cute it is. Last year I was able to buy a button down shirt, skirt, shoes, and earrings for that amount. This year will be a bit more complicated because I want to buy pants, and pants-buying for me is always complicated. I also have limited time to find an outfit. I will update when I am done!

Dear Me in 1997

If you haven't read about this project, go here.

Dear Tessa in 1997,

I have a few things to share with you, girl. Even though you think you already know everything at 14-almost-15 years of age.

High school is a fun time for you. Enjoy it and try not to worry so much. Someday you will realize that the things you worry about are never worth the energy, and the things that went on in high school really weren't as important as you thought.

The guy you are "dating" right now? Not the one for you. Nor the next or the next or the next or the next, either. Thankfully, none of those guys will be serious relationships. You are smart enough to realize that you are too young for that.

And the other guy that you are so hung up over? Well, you'll stay hung up on him for a few years longer. And then you will realize that what he is not and has never been what you are looking for. Someday you will realize that the qualities you look for in a significant other are directly related to the importance that they place on their relationship with God. How does this part of the story turn out? I don't know yet. But you need to know that not knowing is part of the fun.

You will lose some close friends. These friends will, at a later time, come back into your life and once again play a very important part. You will have learned how to treat them better. Don't forget that people need to hear (frequently) how important they are to you. Treat them as though they are gold.

I know that you have already been through one traumatic family event. I hate to tell you this, but another event that is even worse is on its way in about a year and a half. You need to know that you can and will handle this just fine. It will be a very painful few years, but everyone will come out of it better than before. God will carry you through as He always has. You have His strength to lean on; what more could you need?

Your relationship with God will grow closer and closer until you finally realize that He is the most important thing in your life. You will eventually figure out that you are nothing without Him. And guess what? Thinking of yourself as nothing in the face of God will not even bother you.

He has some pretty crazy things in store for you in the next ten years. You will be in school for a very long time, so get used to it. You will also be living at home for a long time. It's not a bad thing. Enjoy the time you have there. You will at some point be called "doctor". If it seems crazy now, just know that it will still be crazy in the future. Through this schooling, you will have a career that is incredibly rewarding and fulfilling. Remember to thank God every day for leading you down this path and blessing you in this way.

You will be the happiest you have ever been. Your optimism will be a tool that will be of great importance in the years to come. For many things in your life, you will just have to grit your teeth until you can get through it. Although it sounds trite, all of these things do make you stronger and weave the complex tapestry of who you will be.

Enjoy every minute!!

Love,

Tessa in 2007

P.S. The whole I-can-eat-whatever-I-want-and-not-gain-any-weight thing???? It will not be around forever. Eat more Big Macs while you still can.

Reader Question: The Ethics of Coupons and Rebates

Many moons ago, the very crafty and frugal Monica asked in the comments section what my thoughts were on combining rebates with coupons. I fully intended to address it at the time, but things got away from me. So here we are!

Is it ethical to use a coupon on an item that will be free after rebate? I say yes. I say this because no one is losing money, and I don't believe that it is deceitful. The store will be fully reimbursed for the coupon value + .08 handling. Further, the coupon amount is right on the receipt provided to the company giving the rebate. If they want to give me back less money, it is within their rights to do so. However, I have never had this happen.

What are your thoughts?

Frugal Magazines

Many frugalites have eliminated magazine subscriptions from their lives altogether. This was something that I was unwilling to do, but I was willing to search out ways to get them cheaper or free. There are some that I will absolutely pay for, but once again, I want to do it cheaply. Here are some sites and ideas that have been helpful to me:


1) Ebay. I have gotten multiple magazine subscriptions here over the years, and all have been cheap and reliable. I recently needed to re-subscribe to Harper's Bazaar, and the company wanted me to pay $12 for a one year subscription. No. I searched eBay and found a two year subscription for $5.49.


2) Bestdealmagazines.com. This is by far my favorite site for cheap subscriptions. They don't have everything, but they do have quite a selection. Further, they have "deal of the day" magazines and often offer discount codes if you search. This Sunday they are offering Shape magazine for $3 and change, and I'm planning on subscribing then (hopefully with the help of a coupon code!).


3) Keep an eye out for deals almost everywhere. I got a one year extension on my Lucky subscription because I purchased women's shoes from Amazon during a promotion period. Keep your eyes open for these types of deals.


4) Put out the word with family and friends. Oftentimes they have many magazines that wind up in the trash. Let them know that you're willing to take old magazines, and tell them which in particular you would like.


5) Ask at the library, doctor's offices, and the hair salon. The worst that could happen is that they could tell you no.


6) Visit the free magazines subforum at Slickdeals.net. The link is here. Visit frequently. I have gotten free subscriptions to the New York Observer, The Magazine Antiques, and Range Finder (for my mother). It may take some work, but you can find good stuff here.

Just When You Thought I Could Not Buy Anymore Shoes...

I went over to the Endless.com shoe sale. Endless is an Amazon company, and right now they are offering a $5 discount on all shoes and free overnight shipping. There are also free returns. They explain it like they pay you for shipping, but basically it works out to a $5 discount. I just ordered today and they should be here on Monday! In my defense, I do need lower heeled shoes for practicum and soon for internship. I decided that I am tired of my feet hurting from my taller heeled shoes. I hope they all work out, but if not, there's always that free return shipping!

*Picture one: AK Anne Klein Intrieri, originally $75, I paid $14.79. These are patent ivory leather with a peep toe and kitten heels! Whee!

*Picture two: Circa Joan and David Zana, originally $89, I paid $19.79. Once again, patent leather (black) with a peep toe.

*Picture three: Bandolino Braxton, originally $69, I paid $14.79.

*Picture four: Naturalizer Karis, originally $70, I paid $14.79. These are actually navy leather. I wanted this shoe in ivory last summer, but it was too much for me. We'll see if they work out.

Finished

Seven years ago, I prayed that God would give me direction in a career path. I was a scared high school senior searching for His will in my life. I prayed this prayer earnestly, and after some time I received his very clear direction. I would become a psychologist.


At the time, I had no idea what that would entail. I didn't know how uncertain my future would be, or that these would be the most trying times of my life. I didn't know that it would take eight years to complete His plan. It is better that I didn't know. If I had known in advance, I wouldn't have completed this journey.


It turns out that God knows best. Did you know that? Apparently it is a lesson that I must learn again and again. Throughout this internship application process, I have prayed the prayer "Put me where you want me." I didn't ask to match. I didn't ask to be placed in a certain position. Instead, I did the thing that is the hardest for me: I turned over control of my life to God. During the pain and uncertainty of the past few days I asked "Why? I am following Your plan for my life. Why are You allowing this to happen?" I heard him answer with that still, small voice. "I have brought you this far. I will not leave you now."


The internship site that I got is, quite frankly, perfect for me. Is it exactly what I imagined? No. But I will have great training and will get to work in the area that I love. I will only move 30 some odd miles from my own home. I will not miss out on a year of my niece and nephews' lives. I will not miss the familiar comforts of my family and friends. I will not have to wait a year to really begin my career. I am in the exact area that I want to practice. This is, and feels, right. You know, God-right. Not Tessa-right.


To those of you who have read my whining and fears over the last months, I thank you for sticking with me. For those of you who have prayed for me and encouraged me on this blog and through email, I want you to know how much that has meant to me. It has been so nice to have the outlet of a fairly anonymous blog where people who were objective and not too close to the situation could offer opinions and encouragement. Thank you, thank you, and may God bless you indeed.


Has this path been worth it? YES. Going down God's path is always worth it. Always. Further, I really, truly enjoy what I do. It is so fulfilling and deeply rewarding. I have the privilege of getting to help people. Every day, I reach out to those who are hurting and try to ease their pain. I hope that someday I can learn to love people in the way that Jesus did during his ministry here on Earth.


Praise to the Giver of all things!

Almost There

Today I went in determined to get an internship position with one particular site. After much ado, I finally was told that I would have a phone interview at 2:30pm. The phone interview went great, but then I needed to have another phone interview with the person that would directly supervise me. This person was called away on an emergency, but we had our phone interview this evening. It went well, too. Tomorrow morning they will call me and let me know one way or another. When I asked what my chances were of getting this position, they said "significant". However, I will not know for sure until tomorrow morning. I will post an update tomorrow evening if I have good news. To be continued...

Today's Shopping

*At Shoe Carnival: The red slingbacks and tan flats. The slingbacks are more of a bright red. I had a $50 gift card and about $3 credit on another gift card, so I spent $15 total for both ($7.50 each).

*At the used book store: Let me first say that it has gotten very difficult to pay even used book store prices after paying .50 per hardback at my library bookstore. Never fear; I persevered and bought anyway. ;P Here I had a credit of $4.27. The top two books (one on Cacti/Succulents and a really old Bible text) were $1 each. How to Get More for Your Money in Running Your Home was $2.95, and Why We Buy was (gulp!) $5.50. I will re-sell Why We Buy when I am done, but I have wanted to read it for awhile! Total spent here was $6 and change.

*At JoAnn: Three sets of knitting needles clearanced to .50 a pair and a set of six crochet hooks for $2.07. These will go into some Christmas gifts that I'm planning.

*At the thrift store: One .19 pink Tupperware cup. :)

Perspective

If you have been following the Wilhoite Prayer Blog, you know that Amy is a young mother and wife with a very aggressive form of leukemia. She got the very bad news this week that there is likely nothing further that medical science can do for her. Please remember Amy and her family in your prayers.

Makes my own drama seem like not such a big deal after all. Perspective is a good thing to have.

Update

My four closest friends did not match, either. I can't believe this.

But I am in a much better frame of mind now. I can do this!

Bad News

Well, I didn't match. This means that I have to go through Clearinghouse Monday. Please, please, please pray that I will get a site.

This whole experience has been very hard for me since, frankly, things usually come easy to me and/or opportunities fall in my lap. I'm sure this is a growth experience or something, but I'm not feeling very much like growing right now.

Please keep me in your prayers.

Odds and Ends

Thank you ladies for your support and prayers! They are greatly appreciated. I don't have anything clever to post this week since I am maxed out both physically and emotionally, but I do have a few bits of things going on.

* I have several things up on eBay that are selling really well! One is already sold because I had a person email me and ask me to set up a Buy It Now for way more than I expected to get. One of my friends has invited me over next week to look at some stuff of hers that I can sell. I'm very excited.

* I started mystery shopping and it is really fun! The money from this and from my eBay sales will be going to my student loan debt. It's a bit like throwing pennies into the Grand Canyon, but every little bit helps, adds up, and saves me from compounding interest!

* My laptop order was cancelled. I'm a little relieved since I felt guilty spending several hundred dollars when my current computer works fine AND I have so much student loan debt. That begs the question: Are you ever free to make large purchases when you have that much debt? This topic deserves a post of its own.

* I have my dissertation data almost completely scored. Next week I will begin analyzing it!

* I went to J.C. Penney to look at their clearance racks and did not buy a thing for myself. There were a couple of cute tops, but I don't really need any. I think something is wrong with me since I started thinking "$5.97??? This really should be less. Like $2.97." The cheaper that I get clothing, the less I am willing to spend in the future. I did buy a little baby boy onesie for $1.97. I have several baby, birthday, and anniversary gifts in the works.

That's all for now!

D-Day Approacheth

This Friday is the day that we find out if we "matched" with an internship site. At 10am Eastern (9am Central), emails will be sent out and they will say yes, you matched or no, you did not match. If I do match, I won't find out where until Monday. If I don't match, Monday is the day that the dreaded Clearinghouse opens. Clearinghouse is where unmatched future interns and unmatched internship sites try to quickly find each other. There will be around 700 people who do not get an internship site.

Why is this so important? Because you cannot complete your doctorate in psychology without a one year internship. You will remain in limbo until it is done. This is the single most important moment in our academic careers to this point. Everything hangs on this internship.

Everyone looks and feels terrible this week. Even the more positive people are tense and mildly depressed. Personally, I have two very painful and prominent pimples (more to come, I'm sure) and a stomach that feels nauseated. To combat the stress, I will be upping the amount of exercise that I get, making sure that I get plenty of sleep, and upping my level of general productivity.

At the end of the day, I know that God is in control and that He will place me where he wants me. As a very weak human, it is easy for me to forget that and to imagine that I have some type of control over my life. I could use prayers this week.

I will keep you updated!

Cheap Laptop Alert

This week, Office Depot is featuring a Toshiba Satellite Notebook computer for $349.99 after rebate. It is available in stores and has limited availability online. The price is $549 and the mail in rebate is $200. From what I hear, Office Depot rebates are slow, but they do eventually arrive. I have been wanting a laptop for awhile, so I went ahead and ordered since this is the cheapest deal that I have seen. One caveat: apparently it runs on Microsoft Vista, which makes it run somewhat slowly. You can purchase some extra RAM to make it work more quickly, but I'll see just wait and see how slowly it runs when it gets here. I am supposed to get several really nice free items with various coupon codes and delivery was free. I also went through Ebates to get 2% back and I put it on my credit card (to be paid in full, of course) to earn points rewards.

Christmas Gift Idea

I know, I know. I'm way early on this one. But this is one gift idea that you need to start on now to make it work. I love giving gifts to my family and friends, but have a limited budget. I am planning on getting them normal gifts, but I am also going to supplement with this idea. One extra gift that I'm going to give to adult family members is stockings filled with stuff that I get for free. This includes the samples that I send away for, Walgreens free after rebate items, Staples free after rebate items, other FAR items, and stuff that I get reimbursed for through mystery shopping. My only rule is that it has to be completely free; I can't even pay shipping. So far this has been great fun and I am accumulating some really cool stuff. Note: If you are a family member who reads this, please forget it by December 24th. Thanks.

The Art of the Hand-Me-Down

Much of living frugally has to do with learning how to get things for free. Two very important sources for freebies and hand-me-downs are your friends and family. In The Tightwad Gazette, Amy Dacyczyn cautions the reader to not turn down hand-me-downs. In the text she is talking about children's clothing, but I think it applies to many things. There is nearly always something you can use in what you are given. By the same token, you can return the favor with some hand-me-downs of your own.

This week, I stayed at the house of my friends B. and N. They are going to have a yard sale sometime in the spring, and they invited me to go through their pile and take anything that I wanted!!! I took the above picture, a CD organizer that hangs on a car visor, two new brown placemats, a silver heart bracelet new in box, the book Body for Life, and a coffee maker that makes enough for two travel mugs. It is missing the travel mugs, but I can just use tall cups. I don't drink coffee, but nearly everyone in my family does. What a blessing to have a coffee maker fall in my lap!

Accepting free things does not make me feel poor. In fact, it makes me feel rich. I can see the abundance in God's provision through hand-me-downs, but I understand that it can be emotionally difficult for some. Accepting with grace can sometimes be hard to do. Minotte at The Frugal Immigrants has a very well-written post on gracious receiving here.

Another Frugal Blessing

I have many plans for my internship year. Mainly, I am going to do all of the things that I have not had time for while I've been in school. I have many lessons that I would like to take, and one such lesson is how to play the piano. I never took piano lessons while growing up; I took dance instead. I can play the flute and tenor saxophone (random, huh?), but for a few years now I have wanted to learn to play the piano. I have been keeping an eye out for a 61 key portable keyboard for a reasonable price. Reasonable being far below $100. Yesterday I ordered this Yamaha keyboard from Sears for $24.97. After shipping and taxes, it is still under $37!!!! The original price was $100, and Amazon has it for around $150. I didn't think I would get it since I read online that many orders were being cancelled, but I got an email today stating it had shipped! Yay for frugal music! ;)

A Ridiculous Chair Story/Blonde Moment

I have very dark hair, but I continually have "blonde moments". Remember how I wanted to go back and get the fourth chair for my future kitchen? Well, this week got busy and I hadn't had a chance to do so. On Tuesday night I had spent the night with friends, so I didn't get home until 10pm Wednesday. My mom had told me that she moved the chairs from the breezeway into the family room since it was snowing. I saw them as I passed by to dump my bags in my room and briefly admired their cuteness. We were chatting in the kitchen and she went into the family room to show me some stuff. I sat down on one of the chairs and then Mom made a reference to them. I turned around to look at them and realized that THERE WERE FOUR CHAIRS INSTEAD OF THREE. And I was sitting on the new chair that she had gone to get for me. Good grief! But now I have a complete set. ;)

Reaching My Financial Goals

Pretty much everything that I ever want to "achieve" has to be done through baby steps. You may think this has made me a patient person. Nay, dear reader. Negatory. I have mentioned before that this is one of those areas where God is continually dealing with me.


One of my goals is to be free of student loan debt by the age of 32. This is a huge goal, but one that I feel is do-able. I will be finished with school at age 26, but will only be provisionally licensed (a.k.a. reduced earning power) until the age of 27. That gives me a mere five years to be done with over $125,000 of debt. I'm not sure of the exact amount yet since I have another year of potential debt to factor in. I am certain that I can get this done even in that short amount of time. God has always provided an abundance for me; if I continue to be smart with His money, I know I will get it done.


I have three other things on my side:
1) I will be eligible to enroll in a program that will pay $20,000 per year toward my student loans for a minimum of three years (providing this program is still in place in 3 years)
2) I am honing my frugal living craft now. I will not make a huge amount of money as a beginning psychologist in southwest Missouri. But the amount I will make is plenty. If I can continue to live below my means, I will have extra money to throw at the debt.
3) I will have no other debt but student loan. No car, credit card, or house debt providing that all continues to go well.


In the meantime, I have decided to start paying back money on my loans. I do not have a job, so this can be tricky, especially since I am also saving for certain things. I have decided to allocate my money in the following manner:
1) Any windfalls, tax refunds, rebate checks, and consignment shop monies will go to savings.
2) Anything that I sell (other than at the consignment shop) will go toward the debt. This means eBay, half.com, garage sales, and so on. I may also do some mystery shopping, and this money would go toward debt.

I have already listed some books on half.com and am gathering other things to sell on eBay. I am not happy with eBay's fee structure, though. Has anyone had any success with Yahoo auctions? Also, I may set up an Etsy store sometime in the next few months. Stay tuned!

A Few Hours at the Flea Markets

I hit the jackpot today at two flea markets! I found a plastic crate of trim, ribbon, lace, and such for $5. It has tons of vintage and other gorgeous stuff in it. The second picture is the contents spread out over the floor. I will not have to buy trim for the rest of my life! It was very much worth the $5 to me as I *love* fabric, ribbon, trim, and paper goods. Basically any kind of textile.

Next, I got two more vintage (-sounds better than 'old') Tupperware. I can never find it for cheap, but these were decent at .75 for the sandwich container and $1.50 for the large container.

Finally, I got three vinyl and wood chairs for my kitchen table! My kitchen table is an old black restaurant table, and these will go perfectly. They are the exact right height, too. Funny how God provides the perfect thing, isn't it? :) The owner of the flea market told me he had one more, so I may go back and get it to have a set of four. These were $7.95 each.

A Few Interesting Rebates

1) Cheerios Racing- Buy 10 of the 50+ products listed on their form, get $10 back. You can find many of these products on sale for $1 or less. There are *always* coupons out for these products, so be sure to use them. There is no dollar amount necessary, it is just 10 items. You can use multiple receipts and it's not over until March 11. You do have to cut out the UPC symbols, so don't forget to do that. Get the rebate form here.

2) Get a free bag of Feline Pine cat litter- the form is here.

3) Aquafresh Dr. Seuss rebate- I've posted this before, but it bears repeating. Buy any 2 Dr. Seuss Aquafresh toothpastes or toothbrushes and get a free Dr. Seuss rebate. These often go on sale and there are usually coupons out for these products. I've done this offer before and the book comes really quickly. The form is here.

4) Paypal is having a rebate where you spend $30 and get $15 back. The details are here. Make sure you *carefully* read the terms and conditions. This has been confirmed as being legit, but if you are still wary, call (don't email) Paypal to double check. I am thinking about buying a $30 Barnes and Noble gift card with this deal.

Happy shopping!

I've Been Compromised!

Or, rather, my debit card number has been compromised. My sister-in-law's mother (and, incidentally, my next door neighbor) works at the local bank where my account is. She called today to tell me that somehow my debit card number has been compromised and that I need to get rid of my current debit card and I will get a new one issued in 10-14 days. I checked my account online tonight, and *thankfully* there are no fraudulent charges (thank you, Lord!). I'm not sure how this happened since I am very careful with how I use my debit card. I don't use it online, at gas stations, or any place where it leaves my sight, such as restaurants. I use my credit card in these instances instead since I pay nothing if I get fraudulent charges. This is one reason why I will *never* be without a credit card. For the next 10-14 days, that is what I will use. I'm soooooooo thankful that this problem was so minor!

Booktacular

A couple of weeks ago I went to my local tiny library bookstore. Hardbacks are fifty cents. :)

* The Most Wonderful Dollhouse Book: SO FUN! It shows you how to make dollhouses out of cardboard boxes and furniture and dollhouse people out of stuff you have around the house.

* Super Toys and Games From Paper: Another cool book. It shows all kinds of toys, little and big enough to sit on that you make from paper.

* Trash to Treasure Christmas: My favorite of this bunch. Another make-stuff-from-what-you-have-around-the-house type of thing.

* Container Gardening: A handy reference, but I think it's just for flowers.

* Dark Reunion, Contents Under Pressure, and Roots: Dark Reunion and Contents Under Pressure were short, fun mystery reads. I picked up Roots since it is, to me, a classic and I didn't have a copy.

I have way more books than I can read and have completely run out of room for them, but that hasn't slowed me down any!

Work In Progress: Valentine's Day Banner!

(I know- the quality of the pics is heinous. I *will* learn to use my camera + Photoshop properly, but that isn't gonna happen for another 5 months or so. Bear with me. I think you can click on the pics for a better view.)

On Saturday, I was feeling crafty and looking to procrastinate working on my dissertation (surprise, huh?). I had some felt, and remembered that Monica often features felt-y crafts. I searched and found this Thanksgiving banner that I loved. So, I decided to make this Valentine's Day banner with felt and other materials that I had laying around. The 'L' is going to be some gold fancy buttons that I cut off of a ruined sweater- the bits of blue that you see are from the sweater and will be removed. I also used other scraps of felt, lace, buttons, ribbon, and a couple of crocheted yarn chains. I used pinking shears on the edge of each block, since I have an unholy love for all things pinked. Or is it pinking sheared? I still need to sew on the 'L', decide what kind of ribbon or twine that I want to use to hang it, and find some cute clips to attach it. The total cost to me was about forty cents.

A Post In Which I Find Out That I Have An Organic Brain Condition

On Tuesday nights, I have a neurological testing class. Tonight, we were learning about a particulary memory test. For a while I have been aware that I don't have a memory that works like everyone else's. For example, I cannot remember what I talked about a few minutes ago, but I can remember the website from a text book that I used one year ago (www.ablongman.com/carlson8e if you were wondering). I sometimes find it difficult to recall what I did over the weekend. In short, I seem to have a poor working memory + some other difficulties, but I remember really weird and useless information with zero effort. People generally do not believe me or think I am being dramatic about this, but it is the truth.


Tonight I got my proof, which was actually nice to have. The professor asked for volunteers to take and administer (give) the memory test. I volunteered to take it, and my friend B. administered it to me in front of the class. Initially, people thought I was faking how poorly I was doing or that I was trying to be funny. This turned into concern. Some comments were "Have you had a head injury?" and "Tessa, we need to do some exercises to improve your memory." Basically, to do as poorly as I did, there must be something wrong with part of my brain. I think the problem lies within my parietal lobe, as I also have difficulty with multiple visuospatial tasks. For example, when attempting to put leftover food away in a container, I inevitably will choose a container too large for the amount of food. I am simply unable to see the correct size. I have learned to compensate for this by locating the size I would normally choose and taking the next size smaller instead.


I have learned to compensate for this memory problem as well. I am fairly intelligent and I have good coping mechanisms, so you wouldn't know that I had this problem if I didn't tell you. I have learned to use lists for things that I need to remember for the short term. My long term memory doesn't seem affected. I didn't even become aware of this problem until I was in graduate school and learned what "normal" memory was, so obviously it has not held me back any.

I am going to try to get either a full neuropsychological test done or maybe just some memory tests to have "official" results, but this won't really affect my life one way or another. I just think the brain is fascinating and wonder how God came up with all of this stuff! And isn't it neat that I can still function well even with this seemingly important part not working 100%. If you were wondering about the cause of this problem, I believe it to be genetic as my mother seems to be similarly afflicted.


And let this be a lesson to you bloggy people: Don't doubt the Tessa when she tells you something, even if she is a little dramatic. ;)

Progress

In the last six weeks, I have lost two inches off of my abdomen. Yeah! :) I guess the whole "eat less, move more" statement works.

My 100th Post Is About Shopping

If you didn't already know, now until the end of February is a fabulous time to hit up clearance racks in all the stores. This is a particularly good time to think about gifts for Christmas and all other occasions. Try going to stores that you don't always go to, and poke around in their clearance sections. The stores want to get rid of excess Christmas and other merchandise before they have to inventory it.

For example, I haven't found any good deals at my local T.J. Maxx in years. However, this afternoon I bought tins of Calvin Klein women's socks (2 pair per tin) for $2 each, a Wilson sport package with women's sport socks (3 pair), a water bottle, and a wristband for $3, and some Nautica and Laura Ashley pajama tops for $1 a piece. I think I may go back tomorrow for more of the socks and Wilson sets. I also got a beautiful olive-y silk blouse for $10. That is more than I normally spend on a shirt, but it was too beautiful to leave on the rack. I also spotted some really nice wool scarves for $6 in the men's accessory section, so be sure to check out clearance in every department.

More Christmas and Gift Goodies

During my Ice Storm Depression, I did some shopping. Surprise, surprise.

Photo One: 90% off Christmas clearance from Michael's. I bought five fancy ornaments, a beaded garland, cute gift card holder, ornament hooks, a package of mini present ornaments to use in a craft project, stencils, Wilton goodie bags, a gold fake spray of greenery, and two packs of blank cards. Total paid: $3.93

Photo Two: 75% off Christmas clearance at Paper Factory. I bought tiny blue and white bows, a mini decorated Christmas tree, silver bead garland, two packs of stickers, four gift bags, paper doilies, and blank cards shaped like purses that I was going to give as a present but decided to keep for myself. Ahem. Total paid: $3.87

Photo Three: I finally hit the jackpot on toys clearance at Target. I guess people were too busy trying to survive or something. ;) I got the Superman costume-thing that blows up with the help of an internal fan for $3.77 down from ~ $15. The Build-A-Bear accessories kit was $1.24 down from ~ $5. The X-Men box contains a DVD and four toys for $3.74 down from ~ $15. The set of figurines with Batman and other friends was $4.98 down from ~ $20. Two of these have an intended recipient and two are to go in my gift tub.

File Your Tax Returns For Free!

I must be the last person on Earth to know about this, but I was so excited to hear it! If you meet certain qualifications, you are eligible to file your federal tax return for free. Go to the IRS Free File page to select a company. Most states also have agreements with certain companies to file state tax returns for free if you meet the guidelines. Go to your state department of revenue site to find out more. If you live in Missouri, the information you need is here. Please note that for most of the state returns they are only free if you file state and federal together. I used TaxSlayer and it was one of the easiest things I've ever done. It took me *maybe* twenty minutes. If you have complicated returns, you may want to see a professional such as the wise and astute Liz. Good luck and many happy returns!