A Lot of Time to Think

I don't think I've ever been so busy in my life, but at the same time so... idle. It's a strange combo to have, but life is so much different back at home and away from the dorm rooms, the class lectures, and friends. I'm working 40 hours a week, 8 hour days which seem to take up pretty much my entire day since I'm normally scheduled around noon. Although I love being able to work and save up for the next few years, I know I had a lot more free time while I was in college, even while working part time.
But today is my day off, part of my weekend, and this is where the feeling of idleness comes into play. At school, I'd normally be doing something on my weekends, whether that be working on some paper I procrastinated on during the week, or spending time hanging out (or going out) with friends. There was always something I could be doing. At home, this isn't quite the case. When I'm not working, I'm usually just at home not doing anything. As much as I appreciate the occasional breather where I can just relax and not have to worry about anything, it can become rather redundant after awhile. I need to accomplish something, or at least find some excuse to get out of the house. It would be much easier if I didn't live in a small town 30 minutes away from pretty much everything. I know I'll figure out something... eventually.

Summer Vacation!

The end of my freshman year at Fresno Pacific University is finally here! It's crazy how quickly the last 8 months have passed me by though! This has definitely been the quickest year I've ever had; I guess the adults weren't lying when they always said that time goes by quickly. haha. And the second semester went by even quicker than the first one. I'm almost wishing it were still freshman year, there was so much I wanted to accomplish, even things that I probably won't have the chance to do now that the school year has ended. But that's another story, and I don't really feel like turning this into a diary entry. :)

Since I generally try to keep my posts with money-saving tips and other freebies/ ways to earn cash, here's what I have to say about summer vacation: No tuition payments or room and board! How's that for some extra cash in the pocket ;) (assuming you're not taking any summer courses and your parents are as awesome as mine and let you move right back home).

Oh, and if you can get a job over the summer, even better! I'm excited to say that I just got hired yesterday to work at Costless food company. Most likely I'll start off as a bagger, but with over a year of cashiering experience at Kmart, hopefully I'll soon be able to advance to a cashier there too.

Have a great summer!

The New Glade Expressions and BzzAgent!

Now that I've started getting into the swing of things (I hope) with college, I plan to be posting a lot more often to my blog. Since I started college back in August of last year, I've been pretty inundated with assignments and reading, along with other projects that I've needed to devote my time to. Although we all know college isn't all fun and games (even though we sometimes wish it was), there are some projects that I've actually really enjoyed participating in, after all of my homework has been completed of course. ;)

One of these projects happens to be BzzAgent, an awesome site that lets anyone (not just college students) join to test out free products in exchange for their valuable feedback. Because of BzzAgent, I had the opportunity to try out two different products from Glade's new Expressions Collection.

I'm so glad I was able to try these, because I probably wouldn't have even given these a second look. The Pineapple and Mangosteen oil diffuser (although not my first choice of scent), was actually a lot better than I had expected it to be. It was a bit strong for the first few days, but after that it was just enough to permeate the room and leave it with a nice, refreshing, tropical scent. And I loved the design of it, it fit it very well with the table in our dorm living room. Here's a picture of it in the dorm!

My favorite product of the two that I tried out was the Lavender and Juniper Berry fragrance mist. The smell of it was just plain AMAZING, and it actually reminded me of those gummy berry snacks that I used to love in elementary school. It gave my dorm room a very lovely, inviting smell that I enjoy having after a long day of classes. And the design of the bottle (with a removable label) is very unique and modern to look more like a decorative object than like a plain, regular bottle of fragrance mist.

I'm so proud to be a member of BzzAgent and have the opportunity to try out these products, as well as share in my experiences with others, at no charge. If you love trying out new things, I'd definitely recommend signing up for BzzAgent. What would you like to have the chance to try out at no cost? :)

Self-Motivation

I think we all understand how easy it is to begin something, continue to work on it for awhile, and then eventually forget about it and leave it as a never-to-be-completed work in progress. I couldn't even tell you how many times I've done this. Books, drawings, projects: all worked on to an extent, only to be scattered forever amongst all of the other unaccomplished ideas.

I had a feeling this is where my blog was going for a little while. But this is where a little bit of Self-Motivation and extra effort come into play! Now I won't deny that I've been a little bit distracted with all of this getting-ready-for-college stuff, and it might still have an impact on my ability to write future posts. But I will definitely be sure to put aside a little extra time to keep everything updated.

And in other news, I am officially leaving TOMORROW for Fresno Pacific University! I am beyond excited to start a new journey as I finally begin the life of a college student! Woohoo! :)

$10 Worth of Free Items PLUS Free Shipping!

Here's an offer that's impossible to pass up. When you sign up for Vitacost, you get $10 to spend on their website!! And now through April 12, you get free shipping on your entire purchase as long as you add their Vitamin D3 Capsules ($4.99) to your shopping cart, leaving you with just over $5 to spend on whatever you want with NO shipping costs! They have a lot of awesome products to choose from: shampoo, conditioner, vitamins, food, baby products, soap. Too much for me to list here! I decided to use the remaining $5 I had on an 18 oz Nature's Gate Pomegranate and Sunflower Shampoo and Superior Bee Flower Rose Soap!

And also be sure to add two free samples to your cart. Remember this promotion ends on April 12! But even if you do miss the deadline, you can still sign up to get the $10 code. Vitacost is constantly having free shipping promotions like this, so even if you miss this great deal, save the email you received with the $10 code and keep your eyes peeled for their next free shipping promo!

Calling All Gamers!

I know that guys are usually the ones known for playing video games, but I do play my fair share of video games too. Gog.com is offering a free PC download of Fallout today and tomorrow only!! This game has 5 star ratings btw! Add the game to your account here. If you don't have an account, registration is free and easy and they give you 6 additional games just for signing up! Their site also has a great selection of games at reasonable prices, generally $10 and under.

Companies to Contact for Coupons

How is everyone doing with their savings so far? Some of you may know that I said I was going to be compiling a list of companies that you can email to get even more savings, so here is the beginning of what will hopefully be a very long and useful list of companies that will send you coupons if you ask them nicely.  


                      My successful endeavors

                                                                                 

•  American Italian Pasta Company                
• 1 Coupon for .55 off and 1 Coupon for a FREE Package
•  Kellogg's                                                    
• 3 Coupons for $1 off various Kellogg's brands
•  Sara Lee                                                    
• 3 Coupons for $1 off Sara Lee Brands
•  Bays English Muffins                                  
•  2 Coupons for .75 off Bays English Muffins
•  Best Foods                                                 
• Coupon Booklet with several AWESOME coupons
•  Birds Eye Vegetables                                  
• 3 Coupons for .35 off Bird's Eye
•  Bob Evans                                                  
• 4 Coupons for .50 off any Bob Evans Product
•  Boboli Pizza Crust                                     
•  2 Coupons for $1 off any Boboli Product
• Bob's Red Mill                                            
• 4 Coupons for .55 off any Bob's Red Mill Product

In case you're wondering what to include in your emails to these companies or any others you contact, here's a sample email that I sent to Azteca Foods (of course I never got a response from them, but this is generally how I structure my emails).

Dear Azteca foods,

My family and I love to eat tacos, burritos, and tostadas for 

dinner all the time. Deep-fried bean and cheese burritos are 

actually one of my favorite dinners as far as taste and 

simplicity. Normally we purchase La Rosa tortillas, but I'd 

love to try out your brand to see how we like it. If you had 

any coupons that you could send me, I would greatly appreciate
it. 

Thank you very much!
Allisha Gold, Burrito Enthusiast

 Good luck with your emails! I'll be sure to update the list of companies as I get more coupons in the mail!