Can't afford the expensive Chicago salons?

Well, I have just the answer for you!!! www.salonapprentice.com is a site which lists free salon services in your city. Licensed cosmetologists that need to further their training offer free or discounted services. Simply look on this site and book an appointment!

I just scheduled an appointment for my first facial ever. I guess I haven't gotten one before because I always considered a facial as a hundred dollar single face wash. Well, my sister swears by them and claims if she were to win the lottery, she would get a facial every day. I made an appointment at the Aveda Institute here in Chicago for a NINETY minute facial for $42!!! Nothing beats that (unless of course, it were free). I will let you know after tomorrow if I will become a spa brat like my sis! I'm so excited!!!!

Can't afford to move???

Well, NEITHER CAN I!!! I unexpectedly had to move home from Chicago :( for rather unfortunate circumstances and what was more stressful for me (over leaving my friends and quitting my job) was how I was going to afford to move. I called around for moving quotes (Chicago to West Des Moines, IA) assuming it would be no more than $800. Was I ever wrong...$2,200 for someone to move my stuff home for me. So I looked into storage units...I'm most likely going to be home for about four months so storing my items could have been ideal. However, a storage unit in Chicago is about 80-90 dollars a month...PLUS you have to rent a truck and movers to move everything. The cheapest I found movers was 65 an hour and 20 for the truck plus about 90 cents per mile. So, again about $800. I was about to give up and throw all of my furniture to the curb, when I last minute decided to post a GIG on Craigslist. Realizing that no one would seriously consider moving me for the price I desired, I went low. My headline..."Looking for someone to move my one bedroom apt from Chicago to West Des Moines, IA" My first response (about ten minutes after posting) was "Are you kidding, you'd have to pay me at least $650." I went to bed, exhausted, still not knowing what I was going to do about this move. I woke up in the morning, checked my e-mail to see if anyone had written me to rent my apt and LO AND BEHOLD, I had over FIFTY responses to my ad from guys willing to move me for my asking price! The guys that I finally booked came within an hour, moved everything within an hour and were in Des Moines within seven, no damages, no problems whatsoever...AND OFFERED TO DO IT FOR $350! I don't know how I got so lucky, but let me tell you, God was on my side yesterday morning.

Now if only someone would respond to my APT SUBLET ad...if anyone's looking for a huge one bedroom in Chicago (Lakeview) for $860 a month, I am your girl!!!

Moral of this post. You will always find someone to do work for the price you want. ALWAYS.

Can't afford a gym membership??

NEITHER CAN I!!!

...and thanks to my sister's great internet browsing abilities, we don't need to waste our money on one! www.exercisetv.tv has FREE workouts (from full length to mini's if you don't have a lot of time). www.yogatoday.com also has great yoga videos and blogs for you yoga buffs out there. This one used to be completely free, but since the high demand, they've started charging a small monthly fee (I think it's $3.99 a month).

Although working out at a gym has the major appeal of meeting new people, I know I can speak for myself when I say I never get as great of a workout in. If you're not waiting for a machine, you're talking to someone that is or being interrupted by someone else that doesn't want to workout. It takes up such a chunk of time...parking here in the city is godawful and if you're not paying $17 for it, you're spending a good twenty minutes searching for it.

Take my advice. Save at LEAST $60 a month, two hours a day and just workout online. You get a much better workout as well since you aren't as likely to care who sees you drippin' sweat.

Definitely check this out. I will not be getting a gym membership now until this site starts charging!!

I just did the Bootcamp Calorie Burn...WHEW!!!

Now, off to shower and then to bed (so I can read more of the third book of the Twilight series--talk about a guilty pleasure) to wake to my first day of working two jobs!!!

Coupon Clippers

So I used to make fun of people that clipped coupons until I realized the magical thing they did! They filled up your wallet!!! I've signed up for two great sites that are great for those of you who love eating out or just going out! Sign up for both www.restaurant.com and www.groupon.com! Once you do, groupon sends you daily coupons...80% off particular salons, practically free tabs at various bars and restaurants, $10 for $100 worth of detailing for your car, boat, jet (if one of you has a jet, you probably don't need to subscribe to groupon) and so many more great deals! Restaurant.com is just as great. You type in your zipcode and tons of great restaurants pop up. They offer $25 coupons for $10 and if you're a subscriber, they e-mail you a coupon code for an additional 80% off...$25 coupons for $2!! Yep. You've got to get on there.

On an AMAZING note, I got TWO job offers this week. This job market has been drowning me here....but I just accepted two offers today! I should be out celebrating...but I have to wait until I am rolling in the big faces until I do that (which will probably be when it's negative two degrees out there). I'll be waitressing at John Barleycorn in Wrigleyville and as a case manager at Albany Care! I am SO excited. I feel like I'll be able to do more than window shop online now!!

As for now, I'm just staying up late watching I Love You Man. Thank God for the creation of Redbox. Who would ever think you could rent a new release for a dollar a night!? If you're not already renting solely from there, START!

My account is pretty much negative right now. I advanced money last month to pay my gas bill (they still turned it off so I still can't make pizza) so my paycheck basically never showed up at usbank.com. It's okay though. I now know what to do when you're broke. Fall in love. Money doesn't matter when you're in love...cuz it's the biggest feeling that exists. I believe that we live to love. Nothing more.

Tip of the day. Instead of buying those jeans you need, go to the library and check out picture perfect by jodi picoult. There's no better smell than an old FREE (tax-paid) library book. And don't buy bottled water in Chicago. It's a waste of your dollar bills. You don't even need a Brita here. That's how good this water is.

Penniless and JOBLESS in Chicago??

Now THAT would not be a good combination for me today. I almost walked out on my boss today. I hit a pretty deep low today and almost thought that my penny pinching ways just weren't worth it anymore in this city. It's kind of bizarre how one particular person can have such an impact on every aspect of your life...as in, MY BOSS, Clamina. I have a job which should NEVER be taken home, yet somehow, thoughts of my job absolutely consume me every single moment of my life. I wake up dreading her (my boss)...I come home, miserable, just thinking about how rotten my day was because she was there...I even DREAM about her. Even if I had money right now, I don't think I'd even be in any mood to go out and celebrate it because the only conversational piece I would have to add would be something about my rotten boss. Wow. Why am I letting someone as insignificant as her control my happiness? Sounds like I need to break into that pig and buy myself a cookie...or seven.

So, I'm currently desperately looking for a new job. I've applied to pretty much everything I've found...barista (not enough experience), waitress (too much experience), sandwich artist (not creative enough), dog walker (not strong enough), unpaid intern (to about 7 different companies--no longer a student), personal assistant (not organized enough), receptionist (can't handle being the office slave), case manager (I don't know why not), nanny (not enough connections), janitor (I don't know why they didn't want me), housekeeper...NOTHING. I haven't gotten any hits yet. A few interviews, but nobody wants me :(

I'm a total downer tonight. Katie (my sister) always has better names for me though...Irritable Izzie, Bitchy Betty, Catty Cathy, Angry Allie, Pissed off Polly, Miserable Molly, her list goes on. I think she has a name for each letter of the alphabet. Don't get the wrong impression, I'm a pretty jolly person. I've just been down today about my job...and I just really want to go shopping and get a gym membership and pick up a skinny vanilla latte and go out to dinner and get bottleS of wine and buy a boyfriend. But I can't.

time to get over that broke hump

So, after several requests and pleading sessions from my sister, Katie, I've finally decided to start a blog for myself (mainly for her). I moved to Chicago in September of 2008 and still have yet to figure out how to live in a big city on my own without breaking into my piggybank every other Thursday night before payday (those two weeks can be such a looooong stretch). I'm going to blog as often as I can (I work 41 hour weeks...that feel like 90 hours plus thanks to my boss :) ) about how real people like me function in huge cities on tiny paychecks and still manage to absolutely LOVE this city! I basically can't afford to eat out, shop, go out to the bars, get manis and pedis, get my skinny lattes, watch t.v., do yoga or even DATE...but SOMEHOW, I still manage to squeeze everything into my budget! This blog will hopefully teach you the secrets of getting by with NO MONEY...and teach me a few the more I blog!!!