Asking for $ - and actually getting some!

 I am a student AGAIN!

I love it, really I do.  I just wish it weren't so expensive!

So I am  and have applied and applied and applied some more for scholarships.  I enter a few essay contests here and there, a few ad contests and what do you know - I received a call in June letting me know I won! 

"WHAT!"  I thought to myself as I tried to figure out what company the lady was from and what I had submitted!  Ad copy for a possible magazine ad for an organization based out of New Jersey.  I was ecstatic! 
My main thought, "My school bill just became a little less!  YAHOO!  Let's get a beer!"

I made it my goal to apply for as many scholarships as possible and get some amount every quarter to try and help with my bill.  So far I think my application count is up to 75 since April.  One of the latest applications was for a company, Castle Ink.  Their application consisted of a short essay and other info and an optional piece of using empty ink cartridges in a creative way.

Here is mine:

Silly - yes
Foolish - maybe

They choose a winner in the fall - I'll let you know how it goes!

If you know of any other scholarships I can apply for, please leave a comment!

Thanks!

Spring Cleaning - making donations!

While I was in Las Vegas over the weekend I spent a better part of a day purging  items from my mom's house!

One item being my high school letterman's jacket the other, a prom dress!  It's been nearly 10 years since I wore my prom dress, and I hate to admit it, but I never even had my letter sewn onto my jacket - my letters sit in a drawer now!  

I knew the athletes at my Alma mater still wore the same jackets so I meandered down to GVHS to see if they could find a good use for it - I figured there had to be a worthy athlete that couldn't afford one - I paid $150 in 1999, heaven knows prices have only gone up!  I was in luck!  The Athletic Principle's Secretary - yes apparently everyone has a secretary - said she knew exactly what they'd do with it.  She asked permission to use it in a raffle they were holding in a few weeks for a football player.  He has leukemia and they are raising money for his wish sponsored by Make-a-Wish Foundation, a trip to Hawaii for him and his family!  I am glad that I could do my part, clean out my mom's closet and give a little so this athlete could gain a lot.


My second donation was my Junior Prom dress - I think I have a photo somewhere...  Sometime ago I heard of a organization based out of Minnesota that received donations of old prom dresses and seamstress' time to produce new fashions for current high school girls' proms.  This ran through my head when I began my search for a good home for this said year-2000 prom dress - has it really been 10 years!?  So I looked up to see if Vegas had a similar organization.  Again, I was in luck! I found The Prom Fairy Foundation in Las Vegas to participate in a worthy cause!  In Vegas there were a few locations - so if you'd like to donate your dress, you can find a location using this site: http://www.donatemydress.org/donate.html.

Happy Donating!

Wedding Planning Bonus!

When planning a wedding you begin to realize how inflated "wedding" prices are - stupid wedding industry!  Be prepared to tack on 10% or more once you insert "wedding" in front of any purchase.

Thankfully there are perks along the way that encourage you that NOT all wedding people are devils!  One of the perks I took advantage of was Macy's Registry Star Rewards Program. 

To participate all you need is a Macy's card.  You don't need to have a Macy's gift registry to participate, simply register your Macy's card online or at your local Macy's and all of your wedding purchases will be tallied. 

10% of your purchase amount leading up to your wedding is gifted back to you!  The purchases I made were mens' ties, flower girl dress, rehearsal dress, bridesmaids' gifts, grooms gift, and a multitude of other accessories.  In addition to all of your purchases, if you choose to have a Macy's Registry, 5% of your registry purchases will be given back to you in the form of a Macy's gift card.

We received our 10% back in November and used it along with other gift cards from guests to purchase some new linens and flatware.  I waited til Macy's awesome January sales to get the best prices! 

When life pays you back -

These days, I do most of my shopping online.


Now that I live in a city, it takes a bit longer and more planning to get to shops like Target, so I have come accustomed to doing my shopping online.  But like anyone I had shipping fees!  Because of my hatred of shipping costs I scour the internet for coupon codes or wait until sales to see if places offer free shipping, or as in Macy's case, 99 cent shipping on clearance items!



Through a few sources I was introduced to EBATES.



How it works:
You sign up for an Ebates account. (email/password)
You visit Ebates site first to look up the store you'd like to shop at.
They redirect you to the shop online.
You shop.
You buy.
Your dollars spent are recorded by Ebates.
You are rewarded at the end of the year with a check.

The reward at the end of the year is an accumulation of all your purchases' % back.  Plus you receive $5 just for signing up and additional $5 for anyone you refer to Ebates.  Each store offers a different percentage back - from 1% up, all depending on the store. Some stores offer coupons only or weekly specials.

You will receive emails, but they're good especially if you're looking for something in particular.  Today I purchased, a pair of shoes that I've been eyeing at Endless.com, a site I rarely think of but they were offering 6% back today and free shipping.  Well, I paid $39 for my shoes, $0 for shipping, and at the end of the year I will get $2.34 back.  Not too shabby.

I can only image what a whole year of purchases will accumulate to especially when I think of all the Christmas shopping I do online.

Can you Imagine?

Well, Tough Times are Upon Us!

I hate to be Debby Downer today and this early on a Monday but...

My company, which will stay anonymous,(lol *cough-cough*) has made another employee layoff and this time, AND cut salaries of the remaining employees! Yep, you read correctly, they cut salaries of everyone left! Can you live with 25% less money in your paycheck every week? (To ruin the ending: I am fully employed and thankfully not affected by the 25% pay cut. Stay tuned for the details)

Frustrated, annoyed, depressed, confused, worried, desperate, shocked!

All of these words spread threw my mind and body like the plague on Wednesday when I first heard. It's hard to stay calm and think good thoughts when you're worried about your job, your rent payment and the wedding that you've already thrown thousands of dollars at.

Well, to explain why I am still gainfully employed with 100% of my salary is because my company is technically separate from the parent company that did the laying off. My company is in every sense of the word separate and because we are producing over here and are selling our product we may keep our money and jobs. THANK GOD!

That still only means one thing: I am only safe and employed for NOW! That's all you can say, all anyone can say, and all you can hope for at this time. I am worried, but my boss has given us his solemn vow to stick behind us if we stick with him! He is backing us and trying to sell our product so we can keep our jobs. Sell, Rick, Sell! He's an amazing boss and well, I thank him for many things, but now my high fives are for my job!

HIGH FIVE!