5 Ways to Save Money Next Quarter

Being a college student is not an easy task. Most of us have to have jobs to pay for living. Going to work and school is more challenging then it seems. Since most of us have minimum wage jobs while we go to school for our dream jobs, we have to live on budgets. There are a few things that I’ve learned from living on a budget. One of those things is to look for discounts in every aspect of your life. Here are some of the basics.

Transportation. Instead of wasting gas driving around campus to find a parking spot, just park at the Sears lot and take the shuttle. Another good option is to ride the bus, which is a lot cheaper than gas. If you really must drive to school, try to carpool with friends and share the expenses.

Books. One thing that all students pay for is books. You can save a lot of money by buying used instead of new. A good website is Amazon.com. They have a lot of used and new books that are significantly cheaper than the school bookstore. After the quarter is over, you can even sell your books back to Amazon. You can even get free shipping with an Amazon prime membership ($79 a year or free for six months to students).

Food. Buy in bulk. If you have roommates or friends with similar taste in food, buy a membership at Sam’s Club or Costco. Not only can you split the cost of the membership, but you can also split the food that you purchase. The quantities are usually larger than you would normally buy, so why not split the price as well as the merchandise? However, you should always check the unit price. The larger quantity item is not always cheaper than the smaller quantity item.

Sales. When it comes to buying new clothes, shoes, and other gadgets that college students use, always shop during sales. Even better when you find extra deals on top of the sales. Sometimes stores, like JCPenney, for example, will have a “Save $10 when you spend $25” coupon that you can find in your Sunday paper. A lot of stores have extra deals like these that you should take advantage of when shopping for new items. Also, don’t rule out used and refurbished. I once bought a refurbished cell phone that looked and worked as good as new.

Coupons. If you really want to save a lot of money, use coupons. I’ve used coupons for seven months now and I’ve saved a lot of money. Sometimes I even earn money to shop! You can use coupons for all sorts of things, food and toiletries being the most common. If you want to learn more about couponing, go to TheKrazyCouponLady.com. The site is actually run by two women, and they are great experts on couponing. They can take a coupon virgin to seasoned pro in no time. Try it out! You will save hundreds!

Color Inspiration - Bedroom

I will be moving out (hopefully!) in a few months and in the meantime I've been thinking about color schemes for the apartment. I will be living with my long time boyfriend/fiance so I don't want anything too girly, but he said he doesn't mind some pink. Regarding my bedroom, I do want some girly touches because it will be half mine. What do you think of these colors?

All of the pink will be on my side (mostly my vanity/desk area), but I still want to go together with the rest of the room. Please let me know what you think! :]

20 Facts About Myself

I don’t really have an about me page (yet, but soon!) so here are a few facts about myself that you may not know. If you already knew it, then pretend that you didn't.. :)

1. I live in the rainy state of Washington.
2. I love enjoying artwork, especially paintings and drawings.
3. I love photography, my future career.
4. I miss my favorite foods from Hawaii: meat jhun, chicken katsu, and Portuguese sausage.
5. I live with my parents, but saving up to move out (in Feb – hopefully!)
6. I love books and journals but never seem to finish one or the other.
7. I love to write, but I’m not really good at it.
8. I am a girly-girl, pink lover and all.
9. I was born a Taurus and very stubborn.
10. I love the sun and warm water, too bad I live in WA.
11. I love anything that’s pink, black, and white.
12. I almost always wear my hair up, with a flower in it.
13. I love to travel – and anything travel related.
14. I have a part-time job and I go to school.
15. I've been couponing for 7 months.
16. I have three tattoos - and plan to get more.
17. I live in a city surrounded by water - but it's cold.
18. I own a Ford - love me some American muscle.
19. I love receiving, and collecting, postcards.
20. I’m only 22 years young.

Rule Breakers

Does anybody follow any rules anymore? I'm sitting in the school library, trying to get work done, and all I hear is chatter in my ear. These people talk REALLY LOUD, not giving a care in the world about the people around them. They also sit there on the computer, sipping on their drinks, eating their chips, even though there are signs on EVERY computer that say, "NO FOOD OR DRINK AT THE COMPUTERS." Crazy, right?

This rant is brought to you by the letter A - for ANNOYING. Thank for you listening.

Time To Get Focused

After realizing that I haven't worked on ANYTHING since September, my goal for this month - and the rest of the year - is to get FOCUSED. I have a few challenges that I want to work on this month, as well as mini goals for myself. I've always loved my blog name, but I never really been able to define what it means. I've finally realized what it means. This blog is about my life, that part is obvious. I used to think my name meant to explore the world, learn to love it, and grow from my experiences. But it's even bigger than that. It means explore my inner self, love my passions, and grow from experiences.

As for challenges, this is what I plan on working on this month:
1. 101 Challenge - I need to put effort into actually completing this goal.
2. 21-Day Journaling Challenge - I love journaling (especially being a scrapper!) and I think this would be good for me to explore my inner self, my #1 goal for this blog.

Shouldn't be too hard, right?