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Summer is over (even if the weather says otherwise) and I am back to school. Since I already graduated, I am just taking fun classes to kill time before I get my other stuff in order.

I am taking Screen Printing which I have been wanting to take since I started college! I bought my screen today and made my first print (which I'll post tomorrow because I am too tired). It's going to be so much fun. We will be printing on textiles too! I am also taking Graphic Design which I have always been somewhat interested in so I am dabbling my feet in it and see if I like it. I enjoyed Digital Imaging in high school so we'll see. And lastly, I am taking Anthropology Lab which is one of the last classes I need to be able to transfer but it's only once a week so that's not so bad.

I spent this past weekend catching up on mail, family reunion and being lazy. Too lazy to even go to the post office so my stack of outgoing mail is pretty big. I love when my bag is filled with mail. I love dropping it all in the mail box and then peaking in at it and seeing it all in the drop basket....all colorful and cute. I bet the post office people are used to it now.lol

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Today's blog is all about savings and free stuff!

Lets start with the free stuff:

-Fiber Choice Weight Management sample and $2.00 off coupon for any FiberChoice  product

-Harley Davidson sticker

-Tokidoki stickers! I had to send a self addressed envelope to receive them so technically they were $.88 but still! They arrived within a week, probably because they’re in LA.

I found all these freebies through http://www.freestufftimes.com/

Now to the savings...

CVS Purchase:

Moisturizing Body Wash -regular price $2.27

Chapstick - $0.80 (clearance item)

Sally Hanson Nail Polish - $0.80 (clearance item)

Subtotal: 3.87 

-$3.00 (I had another free moisturizing body wash coupon found at http://www.facebook.com/MinuteClinic and it rang up to -$3.00 instead of -$2.27 so I wasnt complaining ;) )

So Grand total was: $.87 + $.7 tax = $.94

and on top of all that I received a $4.00 off coupon of $20 or more purchase!

Next..

Walmart Purchase:

Johnson & Johnson First Aid  - $0.97 x 2 

Carefree pantie liners - $0.94 x 2

Benadryl Itch Relief Stick - $2.28 x 3

Oral-B Floss - $0.93

Sub Total - $11.59

-$.50 off x 2 for the CareFree liners

-$2.00 off x 3 for the Benadryl

-$1.50 off for the First Aid Kit

-$0.75 off the Oral-B Floss

Grand Total of $2.34 +$.90 tax = $3.24

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Spent the entire weekend up in Big Bear camping with the family and Tim. Camping is fun but I really missed my bed and I was anxious to get back home to check the mail!

Baking while camping..(and my brother setting up his telescope for the meteor shower)

Big Bear Lake

So today I have spent the day relaxing and doing the snail mail thing. Guess where I got this inspiration from? lol. I can't stop laughing at it!

In other news, the samples are coming in!

-Eucerin sample of face lotion and body lotion with 2 coupons ($1.00 off any 1 Eucerin product and $3.00 off on any 2 Eucerin products) 

-Carefree pantie liner sample with a $.50 off coupon on any carefree product

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I went to Big Lots the other day and came across a whole craft aisle and everything was so cheap! I really don't like going to Big Lots but this time I found so much great stuff that I had to resist spending the money I don't have at the moment. However I couldn't pass up a huge button grab bag! My mother and I have become obsessed with buttons and we love sitting in the dinning room table and sorting buttons. We could do it all day long!
All these buttons just for $2.00! I will definitely be going back for more soon!

I also bought a booklet of 72 sheets of 6.5" x 4.5" cardstock which is perfect for making postcards! I already made one the other day (instead of studying for my math final)

So as I mentioned before, I am starting to do the whole coupon thing and my latest find was for a free moisturizing body wash from CVS. I came across the coupon on facebook, the offer has now expired. My first $0.00 purchase was exciting!

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I participated in a mail art kit swap on swap-bot and this is what i received,


I was so surprised about how big the package was. I wasn't expecting so much stuff, especially real postage stamps! This one was by far one of the best swaps yet. I didn't take pictures of what I sent but in my package I included lots of ephemera, stamps and ink pad, di-cuts, envelopes, old postage stamps, colored pencils, deco tape, scissors and other random stuff and it was all in a big make-up/travel bag.

Free stuff I have received lately:
Nail foil stickers

I forgot what website it was from but I got the link from http://www.freestufftimes.com which included a coupon code for free purchase and free shipping. I probably won't ever wear them but they were free. 

I have been doing a lot of coupon shopping with my mother and she finds the best deals ever at CVS. On one of her most recent purchases she bought all this:

Total break-down:

Purchase #1

Nivea Lip Sticks:

$4.45 and $3.39 but they were 2 for $5.00 dollars + $3.00 off coupon!

total of $2.00

Purchase #2

Nivea Lip Sticks:

$4.45 and $3.39 but they were 2 for $5.00 dollars + $3.00 off coupon!

sub total of $2.00

Gillete Fusion Razor:

$12.99 but they were on sale for $9.99 + $4.00 off coupon

sub total of $5.99

so that's $7.99 - $6.00 CVS Reward Dollars 

total: $1.99

Everything in that picture came down to $3.99! (not including tax)

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Picked up a few postcards a few weekends ago in San Luis Obispo. I should have bought more but they're up for trade if anyone would like one.


So I came across a blog on tumblr a few weeks ago about couponing and getting free things. This lady documents all her amazing deals. On her blog she share this website: http://www.freestufftimes.com/
which is one of her many gateways to free things. Who doesn't love free stuff?! I know I do! So I have been signing up for free samples (and my grandmother because she loves getting mail too). Since it's only been a couple of weeks since I started I havent received anything besides a free sample of Vanilla Extract from http://www.pure-vanilla.com/, which I'll probably use for my soap making once I start. I am expecting the free stuff to start flowing in in about a month.

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The amount of mail that has been coming in and going out recently has inspired me to update my blog!

July was spent catching up on my mail, getting organized and finding new pen pals. I think I will create a log to keep track of how much mail I receive and send out.

Outgoing mail: August 1st


A closer look to a postcard I made for a member in IUOMA. I really love doing collages!


Now on to some of the goodies I have received recently..

Dollar tree swap from swap-bot. I love the whole color theme of everything, so soft  and relaxing and yay for glue sticks! I go through glue sticks soo fast!


What the mail man left for me today. My family jokes around that I need to invest in a larger mail box.


Christmas in July swap! I was so excited to unwrap the gifts. But i do have to admit it was a little strange opening Christmas presents while it's 100 degrees outside

The package included christmas cards, food markers, sounds of nature cd, a christmas bag with tissue paper and a home made apron!


a close up of the "Feliz Navidad" apron she sent. I can't wait to start baking!



I will leave you all with a shot of my super messy work station. I wish I had a whole entire room dedicated to my snail mail adventures!