Monique's Life #6 - Baseball Game

One of my dad's clients gave him tickets to yesterday's Yankees game against the Toronto Bluejays. So my parents and I made the trek to the Bronx to watch the game. If anyone has been to Yankee Stadium, you know the prices of everything are crazy over-priced. From food to souvenirs, it can really add up. So here are some things I learned yesterday that I hope you can learn from or find entertaining:

• Public transportation: From where I live, we have to cross the GWB ($13.00 toll) and then parking is around $30.00 or $40.00. So we took the bus into Manhattan and then the subway into the Bronx, which for three people in total was about $25.00. (My mom works in the city so she had cheaper bus passes!)
• Even though public transportation takes longer, it is DEFINITELY cheaper and you won't get stuck in car traffic over the bridge (if you're from the area, you know how bad it is).
• You can only bring in unopened bottles of non-alcoholic drinks. So repeat after me: DO NOT BUY BOTTLES OF WATER FOR $5.00. Such a waste!
• I'm not sure if there's any way to avoid the majorly over-priced food because A.) I love the food at baseball games and B.) ya gotta eat! But at least you'll have water! ^^^ (:

Enjoy the game!!

xx,

Monique

Tiny Tip #5 - Coupons Fa' Days

The hype surrounding coupons has definitely grown over the past few years. With blogs and reality TV shows, coupons have become quite the hype. I do think that with all this buzz, coupons can seem intimidating and overwhelming. But for me, I'm not aiming do save thousands or pay $6.00 for a week's worth of groceries. I just wanna shave off a few bucks wherever I can. As college kids or post-college "adults", couponing can seem way too time consuming to even attempt.

Here are a few tips that I find are quick and easy ways to save $$$:

• Sign up for your local supermarket or convenient store rewards program. - They give points that add up, discounts for just being a member, and special coupons.
• Just don't sign up for too many or it could get out of hand!
• Create an account on P&G Everyday's website; they offer so many new coupons you can print out each week for major brands like Tide, Old Spice, Scope, Crest, Olay, etc.
• Stack coupons: this means you can use store coupons and brand/manufacturers coupons at the same time!
• Bed, Bath, & Beyond will accept their store coupons no matter how expired they are so you can save them for more expensive purchases.
• If you have a CVS Extra Care card, you can send coupons to your card so you don't have to worry about printing them out.

Comment below if you have any couponing tips!

xx,

Monique

Monique's Life #5 - Atlantic City

My boyfriend and I were lucky enough to go to Atlantic City for his 21st birthday. It was so much fun. But let me warn you.. NOTHING is cheap down there. Every restaurant and bar jacks up prices because they know people will still dish out the cash to have a fun experience. This can be detrimental to your wallet as a young adult from the temptation of drinking the night away to going on a shopping spree at the outlets the next day.

Thankfully, his mom found a deal on LivingSocial.com, which included the incredible room (with a view of the water), a dinner at Bobby Flay Steak House, and a comedy show.

I've been to AC twice: this occasion and my friend's 21st celebration, and seriously guys.. use sites like Living Social or Groupon.com because my money disappeared the other time I went.

Another tip is bring your own alcohol to have before you go out because there is no drink below $8.00.

xx,

Monique

P.S. Don't let the gambling suck you down the rabbit hole! Quit while you're ahead.

Tiny Tip #4 - Everyone Loves Free Stuff

I recently found this awesome website FreebieFrenzy.com. It posts daily on current free samples and giveaways.This is a cool way to try out product or win amazing (expensive) products.

I know there's a lot of sites like this one out there, but this is one that I've found to be legit. It just has links to the actual sites of the samples and giveaways.

I've already ordered a ton of free samples, and now I'm just waiting for them to arrive since sending out free products isn't most companies' first priority. 

This is an amazing way to pinch a few pennies while trying out products before you waste money on some that you may not like.

Will do an update once I get my first sample!

xx,

Monique

Monique's Life #4 - Wedding Style

This past weekend, I attended a wedding with my boyfriend and his family. Now, when I was planning for this event, I basically made a checklist that definitely could have put me into a serious $$$ hole.

The checklist went something like this:

1. Dress(es) = $60 (each)
2. Jewelry = $40
3. Shoes = $100
4. Hair = $25
5. Makeup = $20
6. Nails = $30

This rough estimate is $275 that I'd be spending on one, yes, ONE DAY. Outrageous if you ask me, and that's saying something because I am an ultimate girly girl who loves this kind of stuff.

Here's what I did to save some major cash. I borrowed a dress for the church ceremony from my friend Catherine and wore a dress I ordered on sale (50% off!!) from tobi.com for sorority recruitment to the reception! I borrow my favorite diamond ring of my mom's and my necklace and bracelet I already had. I wore my favorite nude heels, which went with both dresses. I did my own hair and makeup with everything I already had being the girly girl I am. I was planning on doing my nails, but my boyfriend's mom treated me to a mani/pedi! (:

So there is proof that you don't need to spend a lot of money when you're going to a wedding. My number own tip is ask around for outfits that friends already have, it's easy and simple and hassle-free!

xx,

Monique

Sale Alert!

So just like my last post, Urban Outfitters is having a huge sale! They are offering an extra 50% off ALL sale items in store. Now, I'm a person who basically only shops in the sale section at Urban due to the store over-pricing everything, so I fully encourage visiting an Urban Outfitters near you to take advantage of this deal while it last. It ends on July 9th so you have exactly one week!

Happy shopping!

xx,

Monique

Sale Alert!

Kate Spade is offering an extra 25% off of ALL sale items. The code to use at checkout is MORESALE. This deal ends on July 7th so while it may seem like to have some time to debate a purchase, I suggest doing it fast before all the good stuff is gone. A splurge like Kate Spade will feel much better knowing you got an awesome deal.

I'm going to Aruba in August and have a long list of travel essentials I need to buy. One of the most important is a big makeup/skin care bag to put in my suitcase. So this baby might just end up in my possession soon..

Happy shopping!!

xx, 

Monique

Internet Gold #2 - Financial Empowerment

That's a pretty intimidating phrase.. or at least it is to me. This Refinery29 article gives A LOT of great tips to become more aware of what's happening to your money and ways to increase your income.

Now with everything else I put on this blog, definitely edit advice and tips to your own life. Never feel like you have to follow them down to a T.. that will most likely end up in disaster or at least a bit of failure attitude.

My favorite tip from this article is "Look Where You Want to Go" aka SET GOALS!! For me, that's not having to rely on my parents to support me after college or being able to rent an apartment soon after college (I have a lot of goals, call me an optimist).

xx,

Monique