$ money money money $

I've really liked reading some of the posts I've come across of things different bloggers I read are doing to save money. I thought I'd share a few of the things I've been doing lately to save myself some $.

Some of these changes are super recent, as in since I've gotten an apartment alone and no longer have a roommate to split 1/2 the bills w/, and some have been changes I've made over the past few years. I made better $ at my first job out of college, but we lost our funding {it was devestating} so that left me pretty much scrambling to take what I could get job wise, so I took a pay cut when I came to my current job in 2009. Yes, it was HARD to take a pay cut, but plenty of people have had to in this economy. Luckily, I've found some ways to make my $ stretch!

1. One of the first changes I made when I took a pay cut was starting to buy makeup at WalMart and CVS. When I was in college I discovered Benefit and it was ALL I bought from then on out. Of course in college I worked for disposable income and NOT to pay bills (hello student loan, I hate you). I had to discontinue that (although sometimes I will still splurge on Hoola bronzer or Erase Paste-loove Erase Paste for undereye circles/darkness) and go drugstore on my makeup. Overall it has not been bad at all and I think most drugstore makeup works just as well! I think this bronzer from e.l.f. is about as good as Benefit's Hoola. And the best part is it's $3!! Can't beat that. My verdict is that department store makeup is just not worth it.

2. My biggest change of late has been letting an extended digital cable package with onDemand go. To me saving $ was worth letting channels go (although I miss being about to watch The Young and the Restless after work). I feel like I'm at work for most of the day anyways, not at home watching TV, so why have a million channels? Plus, most of the shows I want to watch are on regular old channels, such as The Bachelor and American Idol.

3. The other change of late was that I decided to sell a lot of my old pageant stuff. I realized as much as fashion and fads change and come and go, I have to part with it now or it will become dated. No time like the present, right? There was a lot of pageant stuff I was hanging onto for absolutely no reason. I've aged out of pageants and it won't be getting used again. There are a few dresses I have that I will never ever part with because of the sentimental value, but lots of other stuff can go! I've already sold a pageant swimsuit on eBay and it felt good to earn some $!! In the coming weeks I'm going to list more of my pageant stuff on eBay and hopefully get some new clothes and spending $ for my trip to the Virgin Islands.

Hopefully someone found this helpful!! If so I might try to do it again in a few weeks. Let me know what money saving tips you all have!

Be thrifty!

Hump Day Loves!

I'm on a pretty tight budget (sad!) so I'm not saying I'll be getting this bag, but I wanted to post it because I love love LOVE it!!

MARC BY MARC JACOBS 'Dotty Snake Hillier' Faux Leather Hobo

Do you LOVE it??

I (hopefully) might have something new in the works so that my budget will not be as strict in the future. Let's just say I'm ready for some {big} changes in my life!

I've enjoyed reading some of your posts about saving $ so I might do my own soon! I've figured out a few things to cut back and cut corners that I've found helpful.

Today makes 66 days until I leave for the US Virgin Islands with my boyfriend! Monday I did spinning class, last night I went to Pilates (another new LOVE), and tonight I'm going to zumba with a friend. I have GOT to lose 10 to 12 pounds before I go on the trip. I spent all of last summer not feeling comfortable in a bathing suit and I DO NOT want to feel that way this summer! My biggest problem is consistency. I'll do really well for a while and then get busy and not so much as darken the door of my gym for a week or more and totally fall off the diet train. Add to that I love my new apartment so much I just want to stay home all the time now! I think 66 days is a good amount of time to accomplish my goal-I just have to stay consistent.

Audrina has a great swim suit body.

Happy Hump Day!! I'm so happy this week seems to be going by quickly!

Newest Obsessions!

I'll skip any updates because there really aren't any and jump right in with my newest obsessions. First, I've started using this Olay pore scrub and I love it. It was a little harsh the first time or so I used it, but then my skin got used to it. I'm pretty sure I only bought it because Carrie Underwood was on the commercial. I like that it's supposed to be detoxifying. I only use it a few times a week, not every day. I also use a lot of moisturizer (CeraVe at night) and I've been pretty pleased with how my skin is looking recently.

My other serious obsession right now is stripes. I got a black and white striped French Connection short sleeve shirt (from Marshalls) and now all I want to wear is stripes. I wish I could wear this shirt every day. I've got to get more stripes in my wardrobe!

I pinned this on Pinterest, it's not me, but you get the idea.

Source: simplyme091909.blogspot.com via Frances on Pinterest

Right now I'm rocking a brown Guess bag (from Ross), but I could totally incorporate a striped bag for spring/summer! Speaking of, I CANNOT WAIT for summer to get here.

Source: polyvore.com via Frances on Pinterest

Happy Hump Day!! I need to get caught up on reading and commenting on blogs. Since we've had someone retire all of us in our office have been spread thin!

TGIF! My moving day!

I just got back from getting the keys to my new apartment on my lunch break! I'm so excited to move in when I get off at 5.

I ended up taking a ton of stuff to donate to the thrift store and plan on taking more when I start unpacking. My new bathroom will be sans leopard print and will be neutral colors w/ some beach inspired accents. Not the most original I know, but I figure I can get away w/ it since I live in SC.

An example from Pinterest of some beach inspired accents, although I don't plan on having tables w/ stuff sitting on it at all. I'm sick of clutter, too many picture frames, etc.

Source: Uploaded by user via Pamela on Pinterest

As if I wasn't already happy because I'm looking forward to my move, today I got an email from my bf and it was a flight itinerary for our trip to the Virgin Islands! After talking about it for months, the trip is finally booked. I'm already spending time day dreaming about what to pack and it's not until April! We applied for our passports last Friday so we can go to the British Virgin Islands if we want. Anything you just have to do/see in the Virgin Islands? We are flying into St. Thomas and staying on St. John.

Source: google.com via Patty on Pinterest

That def makes a good day even sweeter! I know that I am very lucky to have such a good bf.

I hope you all have a sweet weekend! I'm NOT as excited about the actual moving and unpacking.

Countdown to Moving!!

I'm in a super happy and excited mood today because:

1. The sun is out for the first time in dayyyys. It's been so gray and nasty here for about a week and the sun finally decided to come out of hiding. To my thinking if the weather is cloudy and gross it may as well have low temps bringing SNOW (one of my favorite things), otherwise I'm ready for spring weather after the holidays are over.

2. Friday is the day of my move! I'm looking forward to getting rid of "my old headache" and moving into a fancy new place. It will be so nice to live in a peaceful environment!!

That brings me to a question for you readers, what stuff do you get rid of? Clothes that you haven't worn in how long?

I'm using this move as an opportunity to revamp (example I'm sick of looking at my leopard print bathroom and am getting rid of all of that stuff in favor of neutrals). This pic is just an example of a neutral color scheme and I plan on posting actual pics once I get moved in.

Source: centsationalgirl.com via Brooke on Pinterest

I still have like every purse I've ever owned and last night I decided to donate all of my purses that I haven't used in a while and keep only the expensive ones (Coach, Prada). Not that I have a ton of expensive bags, but I've received several as gifts. I donated one Coach to a thrift store here in town b/c I haven't touched it in probably 4 years and I'm not going to carry it b/c it's from an ex-bf. It made me feel really good and I know it's going to make someone's day to find a Coach bag in a second hand store! I hope the purse has a happy new life w/ a new owner :).

Any tips on what stuff/clothes to get rid of and how to decide what goes or organizing a move would be greatly appreciated!

Okay, Later Gators!

Any Advice from Pizza Makers?

Hi Bloggie Friends! If I even have bloggie friends anymore. Work has been non-stop since I got back from our holiday break. We've had someone retire in my office so we are short staffed. Blogging has fallen by the wayside.

When I was little there was a place in my home town where you could buy pizza ingredients. That's all they sold. For some reason I LOVED going there when I was a kid. It was called Pizza Plenty. I loved going home and building my own pizza. (I stole this pic of kids making pizza off the internet.)

Lately I've been thinking I would like to do that at home. I was even thinking ahead and I think it would be fun to do for Valentine's Day for me and the bf!

Do any of you make your own pizza? I wish there was a place like Pizza Plenty where I could go pick out all my ingredients. I've even looked online for a place I can order them from with no success. Do you get all the stuff at the grocery store? Obvs I have no idea what I'm doing.

Is it just me or is this week going by super slow? I'm moving into a nice new apartment (minus a headache/bad living situation) alone and the time cannot pass by soon enough until my move-in date! (Jan. 27th and 28th.) I'm getting tray ceilings and a gas fireplace and I'll post pics! I've got some new decorations and kitchen stuff I'm excited to put to use.

I'm also SUPER excited because I'm seeing Jason Aldean Friday with my Love!!

Happy Hump Day and hurry up Friday!!

Happy New Year!! (just a few days late)

Happy New Year Bloggies!! I'm only a few days late. I'll jump in with updating about NYE this year and I also have a sweet Christmas story to share.

For NYE this year I did something totally different from what I normally do and it was absolutely fantastic! Normally I go out and I'll be honest-that's gotten old (or maybe I'm getting old? lol). This year I participated in a pot luck with friends. We each made a dish (I made my crock pot macaroni and cheese *recipe here*) and Wassail (I'd never heard of it either, but will share the recipe soon, it's Apple Cider) and rang in the New Year in our pjs! This is all the girls. It was 4 couples and a blast.

Not sure why I'm posed in the "sorority squat" but whatevs!

For the sweet Christmas story-remember when I posted this vest? While I was out Black Friday shopping I found one very similar. I wanted to get it and they had one in my size, but I felt I should be buying for others and not for myself. I was shopping for family members and also for the toy drive we do at work. We do the toy drive every year and this year was our best ever. We got amazing toys, blankets (one sweet co-workers dear mother even hand crocheted two beautiful blankets for the shelter), and all sorts of things really. I went to deliver it all with a few of my co-workers before Christmas and it was a really wonderful feeling. I got amazing bargains on Black Friday and didn't give the vest a second thought. I was shopping with my boyfriend's sister on Black Friday, so she was with me when I saw the vest.

Fast forward a few weeks and my boyfriend and I opened a large box we got in the mail from his sister. She had several gifts for him and she included the vest for me!! I think that is seriously one of the sweetest things and I was SO surprised b/c I had totally forgotten all about the vest. I think that is the magic of Christmas!

I'm impossible to surprise and I think I actually screamed out loud when I saw the vest.

I'm wearing the vest tomorrow for casual Friday (along with the Michael Kors watch bf got me for Christmas) so I will try to remember to take an OOTD pic!

Happy New Year!