Feeling Posh at a Private Beach

 

A few weeks ago I tried the free community yoga class at Blue Sky Yoga. I loved the feeling of community at this studio! I looked around after my invigorating practice and saw a table with more brochures from local businesses.  One flyer was for a private beach in town call Lake Minear, and it had a coupon for free passes! My daughter and I went to that beach last weekend and it was divine! Even though the water was spring-fed, it was a quite comfortable temperature. Plus this beach had lots of nice amenities, such as a snack bar, a lovely nature path, and even free WiFi!We had a wonderful day relaxing in the sun, enjoying the picnic lunch we brought in, and taking in this beautiful location.

Even More Free Yoga!

A couple of months ago, I attended a Free Girl Night Out Extravaganza. One of the booths was for a yoga studio called Blue Sky Yoga. On Saturdays they offer a Yoga Basics class that is free to the community! "Community" is definitely what I felt at this lovely class! We were all encouraged to make the journey our own as the instructor provided many modifications to the poses. We laughed and joked, and the instructor told us about different local businesses: She was excited about a new restaurant that was opening in town. We talked about how good the coffee is at the Hansa coffee shop by the train tracks. And we waited to greet Steve who was going to drop off some local meat for many of the yoga patrons. I looked around after my invigorating practice and saw a table with more brochures from local businesses.  One flyer was for a private beach in town call Lake Minear, and it had a coupon for free passes! I went to that beach - and will tell you about it soon!
I loved Blue Sky Yoga - a beautiful setting, a refreshing practice, a wonderful instructor, a place to belong!

Sunday Share: Free Magazines!

I've been reading Rachel Singer Gorden's book "Point, Click, and Save - Mashup Mom's Guide to Saving and Making Money Online and found a whole chapter devoted to Fantastic Freebies! Did you know you can get magazine subscriptions completely free? FreeBizMag.com had all sorts of magazines - and not just business publications! In fact, I'm now signed up for Better House and Gardens, Family Circle, and Weight Watchers magazines!
Seems too good to be true? According to Rachel Singer Gorden: "Most consumer magazines don't make money on their subscriptions. They make it on the advertising. The more subscribers they have, the better they look to advertisers. The better they looks to advertisers, the more ads they can sell, and the more they can charge for those ads. So relax. You're doing them a favor by subscribing, even if you're not paying for that subsciption."

Results are in for April! What did I learn?

When I started this journey, I stated that my goal was to live a a fantastic fun life, spending little to no money. I also planned to monitor my spending habits so I see "where it's all going". Mortgage, utilities, medical expenses, basic groceries and health/hygiene needs are out of scope for this blog. Hair, makeup, clothes, entertainment, and fitness are all fair game. I'm even including my job and job-searching related expenses. I wanted to prove that you don't have to spend a lot or even any money to look good and and have a good time. So how did I spend $109 in the month of April?

Beauty:             $3
Clothes:            $0
Entertainment:  $0
Food:              $15
Job Related:    $97
------------------------
Total:              $115

And what did I get for this money? A whole new look in makeup, a breakfast and a lunch out, a dinner meeting at my local Project Management Institute Chapter, a job networking session, and new black pants and shoes for my new job as a barista. I also went on a camping trip, attended a job expo, free yoga class, free guided meditation classes, an extreme block party, a Girls Night Out, and volunteered. I cut my fast food expenses way down from last month - and now make my own coffee at home. Plus I'm eating much healthier at home.

Go Walk!

My daughter and I attended a Go Gurnee free walking event today. We both signed up to be Champions and got these blue t-shirts. There was a free raffle, and they shot the red t-shirts, one of which I caught!
Lots of communities are doing these Go events to "promote community values of health and wellness through education, service, spirit, and innovation."
For more information on Go Gurnee, go to
http://www.gurneeparkdistrict.com/programs/gogurnee

Results are in for March! What did I learn?

When I started this journey, I stated that my goal was to live a a fantastic fun life, spending little to no money. I also planned to monitor my spending habits so I see "where it's all going". Mortgage, utilities, medical expenses, basic groceries and health/hygiene needs are out of scope for this blog. Hair, makeup, clothes, entertainment, and fitness are all fair game. I wanted to prove that you don't have to spend a lot or even any money to look and and have a good time. So how did I spend $167 in the month of March?

Beauty:            $52
Clothes:           $19
Entertainment: $18
Food:               $38
Job Related:     $40
------------------------
Total:              $167

And what did I get for this money? I had a luxurious massage and steam, my hair colored, a cute new sweater, a college t-shirt, two trips to botanic gardens, a dinner meeting at my local Project Management Institute Chapter, and at least 21 trips to fast-food / semi-fast-food places. Even though I used a lot of coupons and freebies for that food, and the value of that food was at least $96, my eyes have opened a little. Do I really need to go out to get my coffee so much? Can I try a little harder to make my own coffee, or find an alternative? I'll keep you posted!

A Flower Garden for 25 cents!

I have these 13 packets of seeds that I got for free from the past fairs or charities plus 1 packet that I paid 25 cents. Then I found 3 open bags of potting soil in the garage and starter cells and trays in the shed. So I thought I'd give it a try even though it's a little late. If nothing else I had some fun using what I already had...and 25 cents!

Have Fun! Change Lives! Volunteer!

I had a blast last night volunteering at Feed My Starving Children, which provides nutritionally complete meals specifically formulated for malnourished children. My first shift of the night was pretty easy: I simply had to put the labels on the bags. As a side benefit, I had the opportunity to meet a lovely young woman who worked for a company that is renowned for being difficult to get into. So I got some networking in too! We talked about all sorts of things from what it was like to work at that company, to travel experiences. 
The time went very quickly, and our group soon packed enough meals to feed 52 children for an entire year! The second shift that came in was much smaller, but enthusiastic nonetheless. Since they didn't need so many labels, this time I worked on assembling the bags of food. Each bag was to get a scoop of vitamin-flavoring, a scoop of dried veggies, a cup of rice, and a cup of soy protein. This second group prepared enough meals to feed 21 children for a year. As we pack the food, they play energetic music - most of which I knew the words to - so I danced as I spooned the veggies and vitamins into the hopper.


 After we pack the food and clean up, we are invited to assemble into the warehouse, where we say a prayer over the food. We thank all the volunteers who came that night; we ask for blessings for those who transport the food to the recipients and pray that it arrives safely; and we pray for the recipients of the food.
It was fulfilling! It was fun! And, it was free!
Do you have a favorite place to volunteer?

Sunday Share: 35 Affirmations That Will Change Your Life

This is not my normal material for my blog, but for this Sunday Share I wanted to share these 35 Affirmations That Will Change Your Life. Is there one that speaks to you? How about, "I have fun and enjoy life with what I already have."? 

Of course, whenever I think of affirmations, I can't help but remember Saturday Night Live's Stuart Smalley: "I'm good enough; I'm smart enough; and doggone it, people like me!"

Free Girl's Night Out - So! Much! Free!!!!!

I recently perused Facebook to see what events were near me and found this free Girl's Night Out over at the Phenix Salon Suites. Wow - I am so glad I went! I've been to vendor events before but this was exceptional and far more than I even guessed it would be. For those of you - like me - who are unfamiliar with "Salon Suites" it's actually what it sounds like. It made me think of a hotel or apartment complex where each little room is an individual's privately owned mini-salon. there were over 30 such suites. Not all of them were salons. Some were used by vendors to sell everything from clothes to jewelry to handbags and even a psychic! We sipped on wine or sparkling water and munched on antipasto and even sushi from Shakou in Libertyville - yum!!! Many of the vendors in the individual suites had munchies or desserts too. 

I met some lovely people, learned more about what Libertyville has to offer to scored some major goodies! These lovely ladies are from Blue Sky Yoga!

This is Lanett's Hair Studio - wait until you see what she gave me!

This is an India Hicks distributor - jewelry and handbags.

And here is my haul, which includes 

• Rodan and Field samples from Vanessa Stalter
• Biolage and Aloxxi samples from LisaJae Hair Studio
• Redkin sample from Kenyatta Dixon at Hello Beautiful
• and a full sized matrix Biologe conditioner from Lanett's Hair Studio! 

 Plus there was a raffle from each of the vendors. Wish me luck! Any of this would be fabulous!

I got $35 of Free Groceries Last Month!

If you've ever lived in the Chicagoland area, then you are aware of the grocery store Jewel-Osco. Between their MyMixx app and their Monopoly promotion, I scored lots of free groceries last month - about $35 worth! Here's what I scored for free in March:

• 2 bottles of Organic Balance protein shakes - $6
• 1 container Yoplait Custard Yogurt - $1
• 1 box Lucky Charms Cereal - $2
• 1 box Teddy Soft Bakes (not pictured) - $3
• 2 containers Salt - $2
• 1 box aluminum foil - $2
• 1 Oreo candy bar $1
• 1 container Chobani Flip - $1
• 1 bottle Body Armor sports drink - $1
• 1 container deli potato salad - $3
• 2 bakery bagels - $2
• 1 bottle Starbucks Iced Coffee - $1
• 1 loaf bakery french bread - $1
• 1 bag Lay's chips - $2
• 1 box frozen Ling Ling fried rice - $6
• 1 bottle Sunny D - $1

That's $35 for free - and I didn't even clip a coupon! If you are interested to learn more about the grocery store Jewel-Osco, click here. Funtastic!

Sunday Share: Jill Cataldo - One of my favorite Couponing Sites!

I got my start in "couponing" when a friend told me about a blog she was following: Jill Cataldo. I attended a couple of Jill's free workshops, followed her blog, and quickly became addicted! It is absolutely fun and such a rush to get stuff for free, or better yet, have a store pay me money to take a bunch of stuff out out their store! I promise to write about some of my free groceries extravaganzas soon! Meanwhile, click here get started. But don't say I didn't warn you!

Using What I Already Have to Go To The Orchid Show!

A week ago I decided to take advantage of the membership that I already have for the Chicago Botanic Garden and go to their annual Orchid Show. Without a membership it is $25 to park a car, but admission to the garden is actually free if you just walk or bike in! I like supporting the CBG, so I have a membership. Plus, membership include a recipricol program at 300 other botanic gardens that I could get into for free. 

Their theme this year was "Orchids in Vogue", showing how orchids are used in our culture and fashions - or "Horticouture". The fragrance was intoxicating, and I felt like I was on an island holiday!

You can get more information on the Chicago Botanic Garden here. What memberships do you have that are not being used?

How I Save 80% on Salon Services

About 10 years ago I used to get my hair colored and cut at an upscale salon or day spa. I'd bounce around from place to place, eventually getting tired of each location for some reason or another, one of which was high prices. There was one Fancy Salon where a haircut with an entry-level cosmetologist was $35, and color with highlights were $135.  Without tip that totaled $170! And once that cosmetologist became more experienced they could charge even more for their services!

One day, a new beauty school opened near me. While not as luxe as a Fancy Salon, it was pretty nice and had a "salon feel" to it. Turns out prices are a quarter of what the the salon charges! A haircut was $18 and color service was $25 - that's $43 compared to $170. The only "price" for this cost savings is Time. Students take longer than a skilled professional. I usually allow for twice the normal amount of time. But everything is monitored and approved by a teacher so you do end up with quality results! I highly recommend Beauty Schools if you are looking to save money on your salon needs!

But let's see if we can reduce this cost any further:
I noticed that this school offered a special on gift cards during the holidays - for every $50 in gift cards purchased, you would get a $10 bonus gift card. So I started thinking: I calculated the number of haircuts and color services I would get in a average year, and calculated that cost. Then I purchased that approximate amount in gift cards. Let's say I color my hair every 6 weeks and cut it every 12 weeks. That would mean about 9 color services a year and 4 haircuts. So here is the math:

9 color @ $25 = $225
4 haircuts @$18 = $72
total for year = $297

I could buy $250 in gift cards, get $50 in bonus cards, and have $300 in gift cards to fund my hair needs for the year. That's a 20% savings right there! Now my $43 service is only costing $34 - that's 80% less than I was spending before!

So give beauty schools a try! Or look into gift card specials at your favorite salon. You can have the same fancy service at a much lower price. Now that's FUNTASTIC!

Back from a Cheap Vacation!

I realize yesterday I hadn't been posting lately - that's because I was on a cheap vacation! Here's what happened:
Last Sunday I needed to drive my Collage Daughter and Another Kid back to college in Iowa after their spring break. She made a deal with Another Kid that if his parents could do one of the trips, I would do the other.
Since I am still currently in Job Search, I decided there was no hurry to come home - what a perfect opportunity for a getaway! My daughter lives in an semi-off-campus apartment with 2 other roommates. They have a 4th bedroom that was unused, so I brought my pillow and sleeping bag and it's free "hotel" room for me!!
Add that College Daughter actually prefers home cooking to eating out! I only had to buy $22 worth of groceries to supplement her well-stocked pantry along with some goodies I brought from home. One day we split one of those $8 lunches you can get at Starbucks, and another day I spent $2 at a Taco Bell while getting my oil changed.  Otherwise, that $32 covered all of our meals for both of us for 3 days - and left College Daughter with plenty of food for the rest of the semester.
While College Daughter was at classes, I ran errands or just relaxed at her apartment. I even took the time to give myself a manicure and pedicure! When she was home we cooked yummy meals (such as cabbage rolls and homemade pizza), strolled through the local mall, visited the college's horses (they have an agricultural college!), and decorated her apartment with cute things I bought at the Dollar Tree for $10. One day we toured the college's botanic gardens. It was $8 for me. College Daughter gets in for free with student ID.
All in all, my little 3 day, 3 night getaway cost me about $50... and a few college t-shirts.

What are your "Cheap Vacation" ideas?

Sunday Share: Free Help for Sleepless Nights

I often have trouble falling asleep at night. My mind spins over the events of the day, or worries about what is to come. I've tried playing music, nature sounds, white sounds. I've even played the TV all night - and while I like dozing off to the sounds of the shows, the light of the TV bothers me terribly! One day, while browsing through Google Play, I stumbled upon the Sleep With Me Podcasts. I love them! They remind me of late night talk radio, with their soothing tones and stories that are just interesting enough to take my mind off of what I am thinking about, but progressively gets duller and duller until I am literally bored to sleep!
You can find his podcasts in all sorts of places, including but not limited to iTunes, Google Play Music, Facebook, YouTube, or his website.
What helps you to sleep at night?

Frugal Fun at the Green Living Fair!

Through my local township newsletter, I found out that there was a Green Living fair! There were more than 40 exhibits there, from local environmental groups to youth groups. As I walked in I was given a "passport" of all the exhibitors. Getting my passport stamped from each exhibit made me eligible for a raffle. There were so many interesting exhibits, such as clean eating, energy conservation techniques, composting, and even an exhibit dedicated to all the things around your home that you can use to clean up after your dog other than plastic shopping bags! One person made shopping bags by sewing the bottom of tank tops - how clever!

Thinking about it, Frugal Fun can lend itself into Green Living, such as enjoying a walk or a bike ride instead of driving the car. What frugal things do you enjoy that also lessens the impact on our planet?

More Ways to Take Free Yoga Classes!

Yesterday I talked about how I found a free monthly community yoga class in a nearby yoga studio. Another way that I like to access free yoga is through the many programs available via YouTube. One of my favorites is Sara Beth Yoga. But what inspired me to make yoga a daily part of my life was her Month of Yoga - 30 Day Challenge. Every day included a short video - just a couple minutes - that set an intention for the day. Then we had a yoga practice video.  At first the yoga practices were just 10 minutes or so - and believe me, those 10 minutes lasted forever for me! But as the month went on, I looked forward to each day's practice. Eventually we built up to 30 minute practices - but now the time just flies by! What are your favorite yoga channels on YouTube?

Come to a Free Yoga class and Namaste a While!

I love how the Avani Yoga and Agni Yoga Studios at Sky Fitness gives back to the community by providing a free restorative yoga class each month!! Tonight's class was simply rejuvenating! The studios are so lovely and provides everything I can think of possibly wanting to make your practice comfy, such as mats, bolsters, straps, blocks, and blankets. This is a picture of one of the free community yoga classes at Avani - I'm in the light pink shirt in the far right. 

The Agni side of the yoga studio is a hot yoga side. They once offered a free 4 week trial of a hot yoga sculpt class. It was so much fun to do yoga to 70's and 80's classic rock - it took my mind off of the fact I was sweating profusely in the 90 - 95 degree heated room!

I noticed that other health clubs near where I live also occasionally offer classes free to the public. Check out their newsletters and fan pages. Anything funtastic going on at your local health club or park district?

Another frugal way to get spa services!

Yesterday I talked about how I used hoarded gift cards to get myself a free massage.  You might be thinking to yourself "Well, that's fine for you, but I don't have any such gift cards laying around - what do I do?" While driving though town I discovered that my local community college teaches massage therapy and offers a massage clinic every week.  For $30 you can get a 50 minute massage.  In addition, seniors, veterans, and students of the community college are eligible for a $10 discount. We're talking $20 for a 50 minute massage! What a steal! Click here for more information. Enjoy!

Birthday Extravaganza Continues - Free Spa Services!

A week ago I was going through some papers in my house and discovered that I had not one, but two gift certificates for Heavenly Massage! Since I am on the email list for Heavenly Massage I also discovered that there was a coupon which greatly reduced the cost of an 90 minute aromatherapy massage! Since I never pony up for an extended massage like this, I thought this would be another frugally fun way to celebrate my birthday. The massage therapist was excellent and I partook in the complimentary private steam room and shower afterwards. My soul felt so much better after this sumptuous spa day. When the cashier checked my gift cards, I discovered that one was from last year and the other was four years old! Yikes! I felt sad and a little embarrassed! These friends and family members gave me these to enjoy - not hoard! What had I been saving these for?  It's like having fine china and never using it. I not only had enough on the gift cards to pay for my luxurious service, I put the rest on a new gift card - which I vow to use soon!

What gift cards are you sitting on? Go gather them up and plan a free funtastic day for yourself! And while you are at it, break out that fine china - even if it's just a peanut butter and jelly sandwich!

Sunday Share: Cheap Chai!

I love Chai! Well, actually Masala Chai. The word "Chai" itself means tea. I'm talking about that delicious Indian spiced tea-based beverage that is popular. And since a cup of Chai in a coffeehouse can be upwards of $5, this frugal gal likes to make her own Chai Spice Mix (Masala). It's very easy!  Here is how I make it:

Ingredients
4 tsp ground cardamom
4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground cloves
1tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground all spice
2 tsp ground ginger

After mixing all this in a bowl, I like to pour it all into an empty spice shaker, like this one.

To make a cup of Masala Chai, simply add an 1/8 to a 1/4 tsp of this spice mix to a cup of hot tea, along wih a little honey and a slash of milk.

This link was my inspiration for the recipe:
http://www.thisfoxkitchen.com/recipe-handcrafted-chai-spice-mix-and-confessions-of-a-davidstea-fanatic/

Enjoy!

Breakfast is served...and free!

When you are registered at Dunkin Donuts you get a free beverage for your birthday. I decided to use this opportunity to try their fancy-pants macchiato. Wow, that was really tasty! Then I went over to Panera and got my free bagel of the day. Today's selection was cinnamon raisin. That's a $6 breakfast for free!

Shaking Up My Job Search So I Can Work Off All These Free Bagels

A couple days ago, after enjoying my free-daily-bagel-for-the-month-of-March from Panera, I attended a free workshop at the Lake Villa Public Library titled "Shake Up Your Job Search". It was targeted for people in job search for more than 2 months. I was not disappointed in learning a few new things, because as we all know, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting (or hoping for!) a different result. I learned about this event because I am now on a distribution list from another career workshop I attended earlier this year at a different library.

Yesterday, I decided to go back to Panera to cash in on more freebies that I had: a free bakery treat and another free daily bagel every day for the month of March also loaded on my loyalty card. So for the price of a $3.60 latte I had lovely breakfast that I enjoyed fireside.

This morning, on my way back from running an errand, I saw the Panera again.  As long as I am passing by I may as well pick up another free bagel!

Birthday Extravaganza!

Yesterday I talked about how you can get lots of freebies when it's your birthday. Today I decided to cash in on some of that good stuff!  I started at Starbucks, where I had a free reward for my birthday, and a stars reward. I tried out that new Cascara Latte and a chicken and artichoke sandwich. And the barista told me that "the cookie jumped on my plate because it was my birthday". What an extra special treat! She also told me that I saved $12 on my breakfast!

After a leisurely breakfast I headed to the mall. First stop was Victoria's Secret, who gives out a $10 gift card for your birthday. When the salesperson greeted me I asked what were the specials of the day. Among other things was that the full-sized $25 bottles of fragrance mist were on sale for...guess what? $10! So my gift card made that free!

Next stop was Sephora where you get a free gift during the month of your birthday. I had my choice of either a blush/lipstick or serum/moisturizer. I went with the later. And using Caudali's full-sized bottles as a guide, I estimate the value of my gift to be $30!

After that I went to Bath and Body Works.  I recently received a coupon for 1 free "fun sized" product. I chose a yummy smelling lavender and honey scented lotion. Just look at all this stuff!

And I would have left the mall.....

but then I remembered that I previously cashed in some of my credit card points and now possessed a $25 gift card for JCPenney. Would you believe I found a cute crochet cotton $40 sweater marked down to only $5! That's a steal, even without the gift card! And I still have $20 left on the card!



Oh, but we are not done yet!  Next I went to the grocery store. Jewel loads a freebie or two almost every week, This week it was for a full-sized box of cereal and a container of yogurt.  I also had 2 coupons for free protein shakes. (You can get some for yourself at the link here) When I arrived at the store I found out that they were all out of the cereal they intended to give away, so they were substituting Lucky Charms. Eh, why not? So I walked out with $9.25 of free groceries.

Final stop: Panera.  You get a free bakery treat during the monthy of your birthday.  And for some reason I also have a have-a-free-bagel-everyday-during-March thing on my card.  So I now have a blueberry bagel for tomorrow morning, and a slice of my favorite - cinnamon crunch cake - YUM!!!

In review of my day:
$12 - Starbucks
$10 - Victoria's Secret
  $5 - Bath and Body Works
$30 - Sephora
$40 - JCPenney
  $9 - Jewel
  $4 - Panera
------------------------
$110 - total value! All free!!!!

I'm there's still More To Come!