Finished Window Seat Cushion

It's a pale yellow and I put the red cushions from the couch on it to pull it all together. Thanks, Mom!!!

Organization: Over-the-Door Shoe Holders

In the ongoing saga of trying to find places to store all my junk, I bought a couple of those over-the-door hangers that are meant to store shoes. Now, my shoes are stacked in the hallway outside my bathroom and in boxes under my bed, so I wasn't planning on using them for their intended purpose. Rather, I installed one in my closet to hold necklaces and sunglasses (top photo) and one in the closet that holds my stockpile to hold toothpaste and other small items. I HIGHLY recommend the Martha Stewart brand at Kmart. They are heavy duty material and are well constructed. They are worth every penny of their $10.99 price tag. However, I had a $15 off of $25 purchase coupon (thank you Auntie), so I bought these, a kitchen timer, and some swimming goggles for ~$15.

New Dishes!

I've been living off of plastic dishes until I could make my mind up on a pattern AND find a good deal. Recently Amazon had a deal on this Corelle Red Floral Livingware where you got $20 off when you purchased two sets. I also had a $10 gift certificate from completing a survey, so I paid $39.98 total for eight place settings of four pieces (small plate, large plate, bowl, and mug). That would have originally cost me $69.98! I absolutely love the pattern and think it will be something that I won't get tired of for a long time.

Gettin' Crafty

Since I have all this time on my hands, I figured I'd better get to craftin'! I have TONS of yarn and other craft materials just waiting for me to do something with them. I finished a chocolate brown scarf yesterday and started this scarf. I'm about 75% done with it. I'm planning on giving my coworkers handmade items for Christmas, probably all scarves if I have enough materials.

Living Room

I tried taking pictures of the whole room so that you could truly see the adorableness of it, but unfortunately that didn't work out so well. So, you will be getting bits and pieces pictures. Use your imagination!


This is the famous red couch. I have owned it for 3 years because I *thought* I would be moving out three years ago. Oops. I have a great mama that patiently stored all of my junk for a very long time. I love this couch and it folds out into a bed. The pillows on it I just purchased from a thrift for $4 each. They are really well made out of a heavy tapestry fabric. My mother is making me some light yellow pillows that will match the future window seat cushion (below).

The rug in front of the couch!

This is to the left of the window. The television is on a cedar chest that I bought for $5 at a yard sale. The color of the chest matches the wooden legs on the mod chair below. I am seriously obsessive compulsive about things like that but I am trying to be better! Also pictured is the other book case and part of the lamp.

This is my cute mod vinyl chair and one of my bookcases. This is to the right of the window. See that wooden foot-thing on my bookshelf? I love that!

These are the pictures on the right side of the window. The top is a print I picked up for $1 at a yard sale. The bottom is a beautiful photograph that my mom took. I had it blown up to 11x14 when a photo company offered a free 11x14 print. I paid $2 shipping.

These are the prints on the left side of the window. The top print is a page from a 1913 catalog and the bottom is actually an old advertisement for a pattern.

This is the pretty window seat. My sweet mama is making me a pale yellow cushion to put on it.

This is the doily that my sister-in-law gave me as a housewarming gift. Isn't she talented! Also pictured is one of my cool coasters (.25 for four at a yard sale). Both are sitting on one of two wooden t.v. trays that serve as end tables.

I also have a vintage stool behind my couch and tons of photos on the wall. Since I'm one of those individuals who needs her privacy, I won't be showing you those. ;)

Because I Really Am Blonde Under All This Dark Hair

Note: I am starting a new "tag" category called Blonde Moments. Because my dark hair is apparently a LIE.

Okay, so my apartment doesn't have a lot of overhead lighting. It does have several of those "plug a lamp into this outlet and flip the seemingly useless light switch and your lamp will magically turn on and pretend to be real lighting" things.

One day I prepared to iron, and my iron didn't work. I was very bummed. Another day, my vacuum cleaner mysteriously quit working when I moved to the spare room. Imagine my suprise when both items miraculously started working again when my mom was here trying to fix them.

Guess who plugged them into the lamp outlets? No, not outlets. The *same* lamp outlet in the *same* room. In my defense, (have you noticed that I say that a lot on this blog???) the outlets are flip-flopped in each room, so it's hard to tell which is the lamp outlet. But still.

Just goes to show that having ridiculous amounts of education DOES NOT mean that I have smarts, y'all. Or maybe I am one of those geniuses that have a hard time completing simple everyday tasks?????

Nah.

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.

Vacation!

Last weekend, I went with a friend, her sister, and the sister's friend to Branson, MO for a mini vacation. This is the same friend that I went to Branson with back in December. It was a good time, but I have learned that I don't like spending money. I think that may be a new development since I seem to have enjoyed spending money before! I took with me the Springfield/Branson Entertainment Book and my coupon binder. While we were there, we picked up several free coupon books and received a free VIP coupon book from the timeshare. Some Branson tips:

* Search the internet for coupons before you go if you know what attractions you will be visiting.
* There is a wide range of hotels available at every price point, so you may be able to save some money there.
* Another good way to save money is to purchase some groceries and eat some meals in your room.
* Do pick up the free coupon books located at the entrance of hotels, restaurants, etc. We wound up using a couple of these coupons.
* Purchasing the Springfield/Branson Entertainment Book may be a good way to save money depending on how many coupons you plan to use. A friend had given me her copy when she moved, so I didn't pay anything for it.
* There are some inexpensive attractions available if you do your homework.

We stayed from Thursday night through Sunday morning. Here is the total price break down:

* Time-share that we stayed in: FREE (we used their grandparents' condo!)
* Giftcard as a thank-you to the grandparents: $10
* Gas money: $20
* Friday night dinner at McFarlain's: $8 including tip (used a 20% off coupon)
* Groceries: $6.02 (there was a kitchenette in our room- we prepared and ate most breakfasts in the room)
* Mascara at Walgreen's because I forgot mine: $5.59 (used a $2 coupon)
* Shopping at the Gap Outlet: $5.41
* Shopping at Payless: $2.04 (I had a $10 giftcard)
* Shopping at Bath and Body Works: $5.70
* Friday lunch at Cantina Laredo (located in the Branson Landing shopping complex): $15
* Friday dinner and show at the Dixie Stampede: $40 (used a 20% off coupon)
* Visit to the Titanic Museum: $21
* Saturday lunch at the Chateau on the Lake: $15 (and worth every penny, I might add!)
* Imax movie: $8.69 (used a $1 off coupon)
* Baskin Robbins milk shake: $3.82
* Stationery from $1 Shop: $1.09
* Pizza from Domino's for Saturday dinner: $2 (used a 50% off coupon and split four ways)
* Sunday breakfast at The Uptown Cafe: $6.44

Grand Total: $175.80

Not too bad for several days of a non-frugal vacation!

Reason Number 12,879 Why I Love Walgreens

Two Sunsilk conditioners, one Sunsilk shampoo, a 20 count bottle of Advil PM, and four packs of college ruled filler paper. I paid $7.60 out of pocket after coupons, and I will get $7.00 back in rebates! Yay!

Blogger Issues

I'm having issues with uploading pictures and changing my template, so bear with me! It may be awhile before this is resolved.

Style Quiz!

I took Rebecca's fun quiz on style and got these results:

Which Kind of Elegant Are You?

Glamorous: Your dramatically polished appearance makes you the most intimidating kind of elegant.
Take this quiz!








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I am going to try to practice taking outfit pictures this weekend, so maybe I will post some!

Vintage Greeting Cards

Lately I've been perusing my favorite thrift store for vintage greeting cards. A few weeks ago, I bought a bag of vintage-y greeting cards for under $2. On Saturday I hit the jackpot! I found lots of these vintage cards in a bag for $1.17. I have even more than is shown in the pictures above. I have been making my own cards for a while, but I think I will be taking a break and sending these beauties out. I have been looking for an excuse to start writing letters- here it is!

Frugal Tooth Whitener

I found this Natural White 5-Minute Tooth Whitener at the local Dollar Tree store. The clerk told me that one customer had come back in and purchased 11 packages of it! As your trusty frugal guinea pig, I had to buy it and try it. It is made in the U.S. and has the standard tooth whitening ingredients. You are supposed to use it 2x per day for five minutes. However, I am lazy, so I use it 1x per day while I am in the shower (~15 minutes). My teeth are fairly white to begin with, but I do believe it is working. I particularly like it because it whitens slightly further back into my mouth than Crest Whitestrips do. When I went back to purchase another package of it for future use, I found that they were nearly sold out, but you may be able to find some at your local store. They were located with the toothpaste.

I Love Tracfone!

I posted a couple of months ago asking about people's experiences with Tracfone or other prepaid phone services. I took the plunge at the end of April and just have to RAVE about my Tracfone. I love, love, love it! I bought a phone that included 400+ minutes, a year of service, double minutes for the life of the phone (example: you buy 200 minutes and it automatically doubles to 400), no roaming charges, and international calling for the same price as local calling. I can't sing its praises enough! I get great reception and no hassle. I highly recommend it!

Removing the Stench of Graduate School

Last Friday, I cleaned and packed for my upcoming move virtually all day. My room and car sparkled by 9pm. I also sorted through papers and my filing system and got rid of all excess. I guess the cleaning made me feel free or young or something. This was proven on Saturday during an outlet shopping jaunt when all of the sales people seemed to think I was quite a bit younger than I am. They greeted my mother and ignored me at a restaurant and in several stores. A sales guy at the Polo outlet called me "miss" rather than the usual "ma'am". At Barnes and Noble, the sales girl tried to get my mom to sign up for their discount program by stating that "Even your college student [looking at me] can use it!" Hee!

And now I find myself wanting to shop, shop, shop. I've bought more in the last two weeks than I have in the last two months. I'm allowing myself a bit of this until I can shake the "freedom" out of my system. I think part of it is that I have been dressing older for the last three years and now want to dress my age. I also find that I want a wardrobe/lifestyle overhaul right before every major life change.

I think it's time to reign myself in now. ;)

Frugal Eyewear Version 2.0

Last year, I blogged about my quest to find frugal eyewear. You can read about it here. As I posted before, I have crazy prescriptions AND the bonus gift of a gigantic head. Don't worry- my head does not appear gigantic in person. It is only when buying hats and glasses that the enormity of it becomes apparent.

Anyhoo, these factors complicate things a bit. I wear toric contact lenses most of the time, but it is important for me to have glasses to let my eyes rest sometimes. I get a year's supply of lenses for about $116; $101 after rebate at Wal-Mart. When I first started wearing lenses (13 years ago!), my poor parents had to pay $300 for ONE pair of lenses that had to last a whole year. Needless to say, that was a disaster, but the contact situation is now under control.

The cheapest glasses at a store such as Wal-Mart still run $300+ for my prescription. I do get the optional "compressed" lenses to reduce the Coke-bottle-ness of my prescription. I also found last year that cute plastic frames tend to hide the thickness of my lenses. Last year, I got glasses at www.39dollarglasses.com for about $118. I was happy about that but I decided to try and go even cheaper this year. I wound up using Zenni Optical for a total of $68 shipped. I'm a happy camper and will update when I receive them!

Saving For A Vacuum Frugal Style

I have wanted the Eureka 437AZ Optima Lightweight Upright Vacuum since the fall. At that time, the only place I could find it was at Amazon for $80. I decided to get creative in how I saved for it. I saved coins for a while and wound up with $35.61. I took it to a Coinstar machine and had it counted and converted to an Amazon gift certificate for free. Next, I took part in a survey that netted me a $10 gift certificate to Amazon. I also have saved random bills throughout this time- $1 here, $5 there . Today, I counted and realized that I am only $4 away from my goal, so I am going to go ahead and order it! :) Walmart.com is offering the same vacuum for ~$10 less, but by the time I found it, I already had $45 in Amazon gift certificates. At least I will not have to pay sales tax!

Sephora Order!

My dear dad was kind enough to give me a $50 gift card to Sephora for my birthday. He even walked into the store by himself to get the card, so he deserves a lot of credit. ;)

I decided to buy online since I had a coupon code for free shipping with a $50 purchase. I also went through www.luckymagrewards.com to get 7% back on my total purchase. That should nearly offset the tax that I had to pay, so ordering online paid off in that way as well.

I took the opportunity to order a couple of pricy things that I wouldn't otherwise buy.

Here's what I ordered:
* Nars Afghan Red Lipstick, $23 (the search for the perfect red lipstick continues)
* Bourjois Volume Glamour Mascara, $13.50
* Sephora Cheek Stain $6 (50% off)
* Sephora Short Handle Crease Eyeshadow Brush $7.50 (50% off)
* 3 various samples for free

I only paid ~$3 in tax which will be reimbursed to me. Yay!

The End

On Tuesday evening, I had my last class. Did you catch that? Last. Class. Whoooo!

I am done with the classes part of my degree now. I still need to finish my dissertation and will be working on that a bunch over the next couple of months. The last step for the doctorate will be the one year internship beginning at the end of August.

What will I do with all my free time????????????

Thanks to all of you bloggy friends who have been so sweet and supportive. I have appreciated your kind words more than you will ever know.

And now, let the blogging begin!

Ruth Graham

I think this is beautiful. From Yahoo! News:

"Ruth was my life partner, and we were called by God as a team," Billy Graham said in a statement. "No one else could have borne the load that she carried. She was a vital and integral part of our ministry, and my work through the years would have been impossible without her encouragement and support.
"I am so grateful to the Lord that He gave me Ruth, and especially for these last few years we've had in the mountains together. We've rekindled the romance of our youth, and my love for her continued to grow deeper every day. I will miss her terribly, and look forward even more to the day I can join her in Heaven."

Milestones

Right now I am working on the last paper that I will ever write for class.

I am SO. HAPPY.

P.S. It is due tomorrow. ;)

We Interrupt This Blogging Break to Bring You Shoes

I haven't been blogging lately because I am SUPPOSED TO BE GETTING PAPERS DONE. Ahem. Side note: Finals are next week and after that I will be blogging like crazy.

BUT. When there are shoes on sale, I must tell you about it. Flip Flop Trunk Show is having a pretty nice summer sale here. I've ordered from them before and they have good service. The shipping is kinda high, but use code TOUTIE15 for fifteen percent off your order. I ordered the beauties above for $29 down from $69. (Yes. I realize that I paid more for these shoes than for one of these chairs. Obviously my priorities are in order.)

P.S. Honeymoon girl, it's your turn. ;P

Want to See The Cutest Dog In the World???

Here he is. And I can enjoy him frugally since I don't have to feed him or pay his vet bills. ;)

My 25th Birthday

Today is my 25th birthday!!!

P.S. There are tons of food freebies to be had on your birthday if you sign up for emails at different restaurant's websites.

Delicious Grilled Cheese

Use real butter and an American processed cheese single (seriously). When you put the cheese inside, add some spicy mustard. Cook in a pan on the stove top. Creamy and delicious! You can thank me later.

Frugal Office Decorating: Volume I

When I start my internship in late August, I will have my own office! A real office with four walls, not a cubicle. ;) I decided that I would like to bring in my own chairs and decorate a bit. I was so very delighted today when I found the chairs in the top picture for $20 each. They are in perfect vintage condition. They are exactly what I wanted, but even better than what I had imagined. There is really no end to God's provision!!

The pictures and mirror in the second photo were free from a friend, as was the lamp base in the third photo. I am still on the hunt for some more items and will continue to post as I find things. I will also post a 'finished' photo in September! I would like to see how cheaply I can decorate.

Free Stuff

I inherited some stuff while helping my friend B. pack for her upcoming move to KS. I love free stuff, but I (mostly) only took home stuff I could use. I really needed a hamper (above photo) and corded phone and answering machine (bottom photo). I also received shoes, books, workout clothes, belt, purse, vase, and some movies. Some stuff I will sell, which she knows. One book has already been requested on Paperback Swap!

Bread Machine!

This has been on my yard sale wishlist for a while! I had had no luck in locating one, but then a friend shared that she had purchased one that she didn't need since she was going to inherit her mom's machine. Price: $5.

Blog Break: Housesitting

I will be housesitting for the next week, so it is unlikely that I will be able to post. I should not have taken this on right now when I am so overwhelmed by everything I have going on, but I did.

Counting this week, I have five weeks of school left. This would normally be a good thing, but So. Much. To. Do.

Two weeks from today, I will be 25. I still enjoy my birthdays!

See you in a week.

Wow!

This is my first successful attempt at changing my template! I was inspired by Frugal Upstate last month as she encouraged the blogosphere to clean up our blogs (Yeah, I know I'm late. Better late than never.). There are still several things that I am not sure how to do, but, baby steps. Baby steps.

Sometimes You Have to Strong-Arm Them

Rebate companies. Bah. I've never had problems with Staples rebates until recently. I was supposed to receive a check for three Avery label packages ($32.94), and I only received the amount of one package ($10.98). I don't have time to call companies, although that would get the job done more quickly. Instead, I emailed and got the run-around twice. Finally, I stated firmly that if this was not resolved immediately, I would file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. I can't imagine that a company as big as Staples would care, but those were apparently the magic words. My check should be on its way today.

Stand your ground!

A Crockpot Conversation

(Note: I purchased a small Crockpot for $2 a couple of weeks ago at a yard sale to supplement my large Crockpot. This is an actual conversation my mother and I had about it. It has some light stains at the bottom rim.)

Mom: I'm concerned about the stains in this Crockpot.
Me: Mmm-hmm.
Mom: I mean, you never know what people cooked in it!
Me: Yeah, that's true.
Mom: It could've been drugs or something.
Me: Oh. I was thinking something much worse.
Mom: What??
Me: You don't want to know.

Have You Noticed?

If you think that I am not posting as much lately, you are correct. It will probably be this way until the beginning of July. This semester is much busier than I thought it would be and I am still working on the dreaded dissertation. So I will continue to post, just not as often.

Works for Me Wednesday: Bring Your Own Vase

There have been many times over the past few years that I've gotten flowers for someone. This has typically occurred when one of the employees of our school clinic was leaving to take a different job. One of my friends and I always split the cost, and we always go to a discount florist. Flowers in a vase look much nicer, but when purchased from the florist (even the discount florist!) will run you $3-$5 more than the paper wrapped variety. There is a dollar store conveniently located near the florist, so one of us typically goes to the dollar store to buy a vase while the other goes to get the flowers wrapped in paper. This has the added bonus of allowing us to arrange our own flowers (and get rid of the hideous baby's breath!). Since it's yard sale season, I've picked up a couple of vases for .05 and .15 each. I now carry one in my car wrapped in paper so that I am always prepared for inexpensive flower gifts. Preparation: works for me!

Ha Ha Tonka

Today Mumsie and I went to Ha Ha Tonka State Park. The story of Ha Ha Tonka is pretty interesting. Basically, a rich dude came to the Ozarks, thought it was beautiful, and decided to build a castle to live in. Then he died, the family had a hard time keeping it together, and the castle and surrounding buildings burned down. Then Missouri bought the land and made a state park. You can read the story here. The top photo is the castle and the middle is part of the carriage house. It is really fun to hike around there!

T Minus 8 Weeks...

Eight weeks and classes are OVER...

FOREVER!