Upromise

I enrolled in Upromise when my son was born, and started the Florida Prepaid College Plan as well.  Now, that prepaid plan is long paid off and my son is assured four free years of college in Florida.  I, on the other hand, will be starting an accelerated RN program in January which I have been WARNED ABOUT REPEATEDLY.  It is a VERY CHALLENGING PROGRAM and I will have NO LIFE.  No life means I have to quit my job.  Today, actually, is my last day.

This has me exploring avenues for some income, any income.  I checked the Upromise account and they are ridiculously flexible with you.  I was able to switch the Upromise account to myself and sent away for my first disbursement check.  It's not a huge amount of money but every little bit helps, and it's not an insignificant amount either.  They don't require any verification on how you've spent it on education-related expenses.  You can use it to pay down school loans as well. (See? I told you it was flexible!)

The way Upromise works is that, as a member (free enrollment), you earn a percentage from online shopping, eating out, and using their credit card.  You can use all the methods available for earning money or only some.  You start your online shopping adventure through their website and it automatically calculates how much you've earned based on what you spend at the store - you just have to remember to start at the Upromise site!  They have a toolbar you can download to your computer to make it easier.

I really recommend that anyone remotely connected to a person who will attend school someday enroll in Upromise.  It is truly a winning situation for members; I've never seen or experienced problems with it.

Old Navy

I admit, I have a bit of an Old Navy addiction though I've managed to tame it lately - mostly because I don't do much shopping.  Well, I shop a bit less, I still shop way too much!

Anyway, I wanted a few things for my adventures in hiking and snow (more to come on that) so I bought some things during the Black Friday madness that befell me (I have a truly embarassing pile of boxes waiting for me at work - at least MOST of them are gifts).  I looked online today and two things I had purchased were on sale, which gives me an emotion that can only be expressed in cat language: I haz the sadz.

I called on a whim (I never do this kind of thing) and explained my predicament to the nice lady on the phone, and she adjusted the price for me!  I know for old hands at this saving money business this is probably no surprise at all, but I've never asked for a sale price adjustment.  She explained that Old Navy has a policy of adjusting the price once on an item, and that you have 14 days from purchase date to do this.  Even online!  I'm sure most companies have a policy like this but it's always good to ch-ch-check it out!  Of course, I ruined whatever savings I received by buying more stuff oO  It's hard, man...their prices are so gooood....I remember writing them an email, back in the day, explaining I was probably one of their best customers lol.  Yes, I really did do that.  I wrote them an Ode to Old Navy.

I told you I was addicted!  And I will be quitting my shopping addiction cold turkey come January...I wonder if there is a twelve step program for that???

Pinch a nickel til it slaps a restraining order on you

I am going to be making the transition from broke county employee to UNEMPLOYED nursing student shortly, so I'm hoping I'll have a lot more to say.  About being broke, that is.  Not that I'll have time to say anything if the dire warnings from everyone are true.  I personally can't imagine that being a full time nursing student will be harder than working full time and going to school part time, but we will see!

There is a certain skill set associated with poverty.  I see the undomiciled at work and, man!  Are they connected!  Their networking skills are truly enviable.  They know of every handout, every government source of income, and of every community resource available for them.  I am a total newbie, and certainly have a place to sleep (the less said about THAT the better), but I'm hoping I will learn more about living cheaply and can pass on information to you.  Yes, ALL of you ;)

I'm currently trying to get all the basics in place.  Current crisis: getting my kid to school.  I have some days with very early classes and prefer to ask Mom to take the wee one to school as little as possible because believe me, I know I'll be hearing about it over.  And over.  Again.  There's no help for it on the days I have 7am class; Mom has to take him.  But on the days I have 8am class...I checked at his school's office to see if they have a before school care I could pay for, just one day a week.  The kind school marm informed me that I can bring the kid to breakfast that starts at 7:30am.

Great!  So, I can just pay for one day of breakfast a week?

No, it's free.

Free to EVERYONE?

Yes, absolutely free.

FREEEEEEE....my hands clasped at my heart, my eyes grew heart-shaped, I trilled sweetly, FREEEEEEE...(I have a whole host of inner Looney Tunes voices-try it, there's a voice for anything in that line up)

How terrific is that?  My tax dollars at work!  I think.  So that solves THAT crisis.  I have other crisises looming, like, health insurance, student loans, and, you know, eating, but that's for another day.

The Color Run & The Glow Run

I've done a race or two in my time.  I'm not, and never will be, a badass, hardcore, or (insert any compound word of your choice here) athlete, but I do enjoy a little friendly competition and working up a sweat.  It seems that nowadays you can't open up Facebook or check your email without discovering another 5K.  Mud races, benefits, corporate runs-you could easily sign up for a 5K almost every weekend of the year and accumulate a huge quantity of practically unwearable commemorative shirts (I feel like it's false advertising wearing my ING shirt when my time was beat by many sixty year olds).  It can be a bit much, but I personally think-whatever it takes to get someone off their butt.  Really.  Whatever it takes to motivate or inspire or guilt (guilt works great!) someone into finally deciding to play an active role in their own health, I'm all for.

This is why I love the new proliferation of fun runs, as I call them.  I just made that up right now.  I'm signed up for The Color Run and The Glow Run happening later this year.  For The Color Run we already have a team of 15 (!) signed up.  (Team Colorin Colorado!)  These are NOT serious, timed, competitive races-these are all about having fun with like-minded people who don't mind going outside in daylight hours, getting a little sweaty, and getting a lot silly.  I'm sure for some people going it is their first race, and that's a beautiful thing, seriously.  No doubt some people scoff at these races, but I'm sure a lot of people will be sleeping in that day and not doing anything more strenuous than lifting the remote and ordering a pizza.  Like that meme going around says, "You are lapping everyone on the couch".

Boost Mobile

I remember when I first saw the iPhone.  Frankly, it was beautiful.  Sleek, smooth, modern, polished...I coveted it.  And OMG - in white!  That's a sexy beast. 

My dear brother handed me down his old iPhone two years ago and I switched over to AT&T.  I loved everything about it, even though it was often fickle, temperamental, and undependable.  I am using the second iPhone hand-me-down from my brother and this one has an issue of just...turning off.  Like, all the time.  I was figuring I'd wait until the new one comes out in September, cough up the 200 bucks and extent my contract another two years.  But...but!

I really don't use my phone that much.  I mean, I use it all the time but I don't really USE it.  I don't even talk on the phone; even with my 450 minute plan I have rollover minutes every month.  I just use my phone to text, take pictures, for driving directions, to check email, and to go on Facebook.  I'm being completely honest here.  So, why am I paying so much for that?

I started to comparison shop between all the mainstream cellular companies but it's pointless - you really can't save any money with them...a couple dollars here and there, but they all really cost about the same.  I started randomly googling things and found this review that rated prepaid plans.  I learned about Boost Mobile - they are well reviewed online and have great prices.  There is even a good deal of customer love expressed for them on their Facebook page, and you know how people love to gripe on Facebook pages!  They have a deal where every 6 months you pay your bill on time, your payment goes down $5, for a maximum of $15 in savings.  Their unlimited text/talk/web plan for Android phones starts at $55 and can go down to $40 a month if you pay on time (and I ALWAYS do).  Now, THAT is a savings.  If I end up at $40, that is less than half of what I pay now.

Some people complained online about the phone selection being limited but, to be honest, I hate having too many choices.  I checked out the Android phones and used the reviews at PC Magazine to help me decide...the second best choice was on sale and had a coupon code, so it was $100 less than the top choice...$199 instead of $299.  That was my choice!  Supposedly they will be introducing the iPhone in a while at Boost Mobile but they don't discount their phones.  I'd never be able to justify buying it at full price.  Besides, what did Apple ever do for me?

I already called AT&T to cancel my plan at the end of the month (to avoid early termination fees, ya know).  My phone gets here in a few days and closer to the end of the month, I'll activate it.  I'll have to get a new number but I'm ok with that...I kind of like being able to avoid people from my past by wiping away my trail every once in a while ;)  I'll have to report back once I get the whole thing up and running...how exciting!

Red Robin

I'm always excited to try a new burger place, especially one I've heard about but that was unavailable locally.  When I went to California a lifetime ago, my friends and I made a point of trying all the local fast food hamburger joints: Carl's Jr. (Captain Crunch milkshake, what???), Jack in the Box, and of course, my true love, In-N-Out Burger.  There we ate like, 3 times.  When Shake Shack opened up in South Beach I was eager to try them - and I was not disappointed.  So, when I heard that Red Robin had opened up by the Falls, I couldn't wait to see what the fuss was about.  A $10 giftcard for $5 offered by one of the coupon sites and I was set.

Part of the problem was my expectations.  I was expecting a burger place, like Shake Shack or Steak n' Shake (which I also heart greatly) but Red Robin is a sit down restaurant.  Right there you know you are going to be spending more than you anticipated.  The server was really great, and the place was crowded.  Unfortunately, the food left a LOT to be desired.  It was cold, all of it.  The flavor was only ok.  I've had better burgers just about anywhere, except perhaps the fastest of the fast foods - and at least when I go to BK or McDonald's I know what to expect.  I wasn't happy about spending over $30 for a family meal that left me disgruntled.  I didn't finish my meal or even my beer, and that's saying a lot.  Wasted beer is like a sin.  It might be that the restaurant was so busy that the kitchen was just uneven, but I really don't see that the food is worth it at all.  At least I know now I needn't venture into the depths of Kendall to eat there again.  I'll leave it to the locals.

Earth Balance

If you're an avid recipe reader like me (I find it completely normal to spend a night hanging out, reading a cookbook, and I have a binder full of recipes to try...not to mention my overly pinned Pinterest boards!) and are trying to eat healthy, you've probably noticed something.  By FAR, hands down, the most popular "buttery spread" out there among vegans and vegetarians is Earth Balance.  I go through tubs of it making this awesome Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe alone (I highly recommend the recipe and the whole blog, Oh She Glows).  I don't know what magic they use for it, but it is deliciously like real butter - much more than those "other" spreads - and without scary ingredients.  I use the regular spread for cooking and adore the whipped spread for toast.  I think it's completely OK to have, as I did this morning, a buttery spread sandwich.  Just bread and spread, that's it.  YUM!

Liberte Yogurt

Eating is such a chore.  I honestly wish I didn't have to do it at all.  Of course, that pesky, intrusive sensation of hunger besides the life-sustaining properties of nourishment don't leave me any choice - eat I must.  I try to eat healthy with varying levels of success.  Because we're SUPPOSED to, blah blah blah.  Menu planning, shopping, food preparation, cooking - all this takes a lot of time and honestly...I'm not the greatest cook.  I'm also ambitious.  I start clipping recipes for making my own cheese and fermenting my own kombucha and such, when I should be planning something simple and nutritious for that night's dinner.  It's just that regular food isn't FUN.

Anyway, in my quest to eat healthy and to save some time I have tried pretty much all the yogurts out there, from the generic store brands, to the mainstream brands, to the "healthy" brands.  Liberte yogurt is far, far better than any other brand I've tried.  I love this yogurt so much I should buy stock - I'm constantly recommending it to people.  I've gone to their Facebook page to say how much I love it.  I should be embarrassed to admit that, but I'm not.  I just happen to be a great cheerleader :)  They have a great variety of flavors and styles: Greek, Mediterranee (this word is chock full of accent marks but darned if I know how to do those), and plain.  I honestly don't look at that as much as I just pick out every single flavor the market carries, 10 for $10 if I'm lucky.

This yogurt is my dessert.  It's my treat to look forward to after a plate of vegetables for lunch.  I throw some almonds in there and I'm happy.  Well, I feel like a Hollywood starlet, dishing out diet tips to some weekly tabloid mag.  Oh!  And the yogurt separates a bit to form this creamy film on the lid of the container which is so good I scrape it off and eat it as my dessert's dessert.  Yeah, I need to get out more.  So.  Try this yogurt and you'll see what I mean.

Global Liquors

Due to reaching a new level of hunger and brokeness (thanks for the pay cuts!) I haven't been out and about much.  You need some amount of discretionary income to gad about, drinking and eating, when you have not yet met your sugar daddy.

I don't drink much anymore but the holidays, parties and birthdays do require the purchase of gifts.  I like giving liquor as a gift - as my friend Wendy once stated: If I can't eat it, drink it, smoke it, or wear it, I don't want it.  We all want less clutter and stuff in our lives, and the best kind of gift-giving takes that into account.  So, enter the liquor store.

In the past I typically frequented Gulf Discount Liquors and Wine which is close to my house.  It's a sort of clean, utilitarian place with good prices, if not the most convenient hours.  It's all right but it's not sexy, to be honest.  It's very brightly lit, you know?

I needed a gift so I decided to check out some other local liquor stores.  First I went to Old Vines Wine & Spirits.  Definitely a pretty, classy little jewel of a joint but I must have picked the wrong time to go.  There was a wine tasting going on - everyone in this hole-in-the-wall was pretty boozy - and I couldn't find anyone to acknowledge me or help me.  I mean, this place is smaller than my apartment, yet I couldn't get anyone to look me in the eye.  It felt like I was a bumpkin in overalls who had crashed a private party at the country club.  The selection is quite dismal unless you want wine.  I mean, this place is tiny.  I left the place and, already late to a party, headed over to Global Liquors just down the street.  What a find!  Happy, happy, joy, joy!

Though you wouldn't guess from the outside, Global Liquors is spacious, elegant, has a large selection, and has great prices.  No fluorescent lighting, no Walmart atmosphere.  They have a good amount of parking and are very convenient - for me, at least!  I easily found someone to help me and they even had a check-in deal for a discount, score!  They have a fancy little delicatessen in the store as well.  I definitely recommend them - I've been there three times in the last month and I always get treated well.  I only worry they don't get enough customers - they can't close, I need them.  I mean, they are only a little over a mile from my house so you know what that means, yep - walking distance.  Though, I've been hearing about the perils of drunk walking lately.  Don't drink and walk!