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
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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?