Guest Post - Time For Savings

Hey guys! Today, Morgan over at Gray & Gabbana is going to share some awesome ideas for saving while still looking great and having a good time. Her blog is filled with great tips and ideas for beauty and style. So make sure you go check it out after soaking up her tips for great savings.

_______________________________________________________________________

Saving money is so important today.  Here are some tips that should help you to gather more information to save as you go.  

Taking advantage of online sales is important!  You will find that there are plenty of great deals to take advantage of. Several companies provide specials and discounts for shopping with them online.  

For a signature pair of sunglasses this season, both men and woman can look to Warby Parker!  They will be able to find lots of great pieces for a lot less—without sacrificing quality!  

There are several companies that offer free trials of their products.  Many of them are skincare companies, and even big retailers. You can walk into Sephora any given day of the week and ask for as many samples as you want! I would rather try the new neon pink shade of lipstick before I drop twenty-five bucks on it!   Sephora lovers should definitely take advantage of the Beauty Insiders program. This free rewards program gives customers great product for free on their birthdays and reap bargains year round!

Lifestyle

For vacations, a lady should look into special deals with hotels.  There are also package deals that she can find when she needs a flight, rental car and hotel.  The savings adds up, and she will have more money to spend for fun on her trip.

Websites and mobile apps that provide coupon codes for various products have become some of my favorite means of saving money. I especially love RetailMeNot for discounts on purchases I make both online and in retail stores. I have alerts set up so the minute I walk into the mall, I have a list of all the in-store sales occurring at that time! Amazing!

Utilizing these tips will allow a woman to get more for her money.  It all adds up, and she will find that the savings are worth the effort.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Thanks Morgan!

If you are intersted in doing a guest post, please email me at itsonlyjenpc@gmail.com!

Recently...

I turned twenty-two, it was Friday to be exact and I came to the weird realization that I am now a Taylor Swift song. I had an entire week off of work to do as I pleased and it turned out pretty fantastic!

Tuesday, my mom and I went to the Zoo. It's been ten or so years since I've been there, so the expectations where high. The drive was long, but it was worth it. We got there early and a lot of the animals were asleep or just waking up. One in particular was the cougar, so after we made it through the park, we stopped by to say hi to him again and it was well worth it. The highlight of the day was when we stopped at the Grizzly bear, who was laying on his side relaxing. When the crowd thinned out, I leaned against the rail and in a loud whisper said "YOGI!" and he turned his head to look at me! How amazing is that. Who'd have thought I was a bear whisperer.

The second highlight was with the cougar. He was at the back of the cage when we came by the second time, a couple was in front of us trying to get a picture of him, but soon gave up. After they had walked away, I stepped up to the glass for my attempt and that's when he started walking to me! He came all the way down to the glass and started walking along it, so I stepped into place at his side. I must admit, I felt pretty special getting some attention from those two animals.

Wednesday was an off day, much like Monday. I stayed in my pajamas all day and baked cookies and tried a new burger recipe that you can find here. The Inside-Out Peanut Butter Cups can be found here. Both of which are delicious!

Thursday was suppose to be spent at the mall, but something came up. So instead, Friday, my birthday, was spent at the mall. I bought a cute heart ring set and a Starbucks coffee. Mom and I ate at Red Bowl and I had sushi for the first time! I was very nervous about sushi, being that it's raw fish and all. It sounds pretty nasty, but I can't deny that I've wanted to try it for a while. A friend suggested the California roll and when I saw it on the menu, I decided that I had nothing to lose. Why not, right? What is life without trying something new? A good way to start out a new year, I'll say. So how was it? Pretty freaking good, I'd eat it again.

Saturday, I spent a lot of time on my feet at the Gun Show with my some family friends and my brother. That night we went out to watch Ironman 3. As much as I adore Robert Downey Jr. asTony Stark, the show was alright. It was good, but I think it could have been better.

Sunday was a day of rest. All and all, I think I had a pretty awesome birthday. I hope that you all are doing well! Happy belated birthday! Happy early birthday! And if by chance today is your birthday, Happy Birthday!!!!

That Makes My Heart Happy

Ever had those days when you go out and get all your groceries and necessities for the week, just to get home and realize you forgot something? That's what happened yesterday. So today we headed back uptown to get what we'd forgotten.

 

When I got inside Wal-Mart I made a mad dash to the cosmetics. What can I say, I love me some nail polish. There are a ton of pretty colors out right now for Spring and I just can't get enough. As I was skimming over them I found a beautiful bluish green called "Heartbreaker" by Pure Ice. I call it "Mermaid Nails". I also grabbed up a sparkly pale blue called "Splash!" also by Pure Ice.

 

It was after I'd picked up those two that I looked down and noticed a LG 4G LTE smart phone laying on the very bottom shelf. I thought, 'Damn, someone left their phone here'. I picked it up and pressed the power button on the side to see if it was still on. It was, but the screen was locked. I'm not sure what I was thinking, because calling the contacts wouldn't necessarily get me in touch with the owner.

 

An employee walked by and I held up the phone. I told her that someone left it here and asked her if I should take it to the Customer Service desk. Of course she said I should. So I did. With my two bottles of polish and a strangers phone in my hand, I made my way to Customer Service. The line wasn't very long and it moved quickly. This was perfect because my mom was off in the gardening area with no clue as to what was going on, I didn't want her to come looking for me and get worried.

 

After handing the phone over the the nice lady behind the desk, I went back towards the nail polish and gardening to catch up with my mom to let her know where I'd been and what had happened. I headed back to the nail polish to scope out more cute colors when I found a lady looking a very distressed, pacing the row. I knew she had to be the owner of the phone, but doubt kept me from asking.

 

She looked at me and said, "I'm sorry I'm in your way, but I lost my phone."

 

"You lost your phone?" I asked. (Durrrrrr.)

 

That's when I stepped closer to her and pointed to the bottom shelf and told her it was layng right there and I took it to Customer Service. Relief washed over her. She threw out her arms to embrace me and said thank you a countless number of times. She was headed for Customer Service when she turned around and came back to tell me that she had been praying someone honest would find it. I smiled and said "There are still some honest people out there." She hugged me again and a sweet little elderly lady jumped into the conversation. She told us of her losing her purse and it being returned to her with all over her belongings inside, however she didn't get to meet the person that turned it in. 

 

It seems like everyday, more and more people are more willing to do what's wrong instead of what's right. It was truly amazing that we got to meet. Often those that do the right thing by others don't ever cross paths with the person they helped. Today, I got the opportunity to do what was right and meet the person in need. It made my heart happy.

 

If you ever find yourself in a situation like this, I hope that you will do what's right and even if you never find out if they got their lost items back or never cross their path. Have a heart of joy for doing it in the first place. It only takes a few minutes of your time and you never know, you may be in their shoes one day. Not all karma is bad. God is good.


 

Meet Kara!

 I found this video through Tessa on youtube and loved the message so much that I thought I should share it with you all!

Here's a follow up on the above video.

I too, catch myself watching myself. I hold back because I'm innerly thinking "what will the people around me think and how will I look when I do this". Sometimes that's not a bad thing. You want to be aware of the message you are sending, but when you are out having fun and doing something you enjoy, that's not one of those times. Let loose, have fun and worry when it matters.