Photo Credit: 46137

We’re getting ready for a little get together tonight. My husband is in charge of the sausage dip appetizer and I’m working on the roast chicken. 

When I was in college we tried to find ways to have a good time without going broke. We still use the tips because we’re able to enjoy ourselves, saving money is just a benefit.

• Find a restaurant with a fantastic early bird special and invite friends. There’s a local spot in our old place that offers 50 cent tacos and half off drinks. Get a drink, eat a bunch of tacos, and it will cost less than $15 for two persons! We found a great Italian place downtown where lunch is big and the prices are half of dinner. We can also order pizza by the slice, which is great for smaller meals.
• Host a movie/video game night at your place. Having a small party is a lot of fun without a huge hassle. You provide the entertainment and drinks and your guests bring some food. It’s a win-win situation. The Nintendo Wii is a great game system for parties. We making an appetizer and some chicken and our friends are making the rest.It reduces a lot of stress and there is usually some leftovers. 
• Play tennis, volleyball, basketball, or baseball at the local parks. It’s free, you can hang with friends, and get a great workout.

What are some of your tips for having a good time on a budget?

Please check out Studenomics. He  interviewed me for his site. It was fun and a bit awkward,though, talking about myself. He has a great blog and if you enjoy it, please subscribe to his site.

Photo Credit: Pink Sherbet Photography

We’re leaving tomorrow at 5am (yikes) for a road trip down to Orlando, Florida. I’m excited and nervous about the trip. I’ve cleaned the apartment several times this week and when I get home this evening, I’ll do a once over and leave it alone. 

Handling a Car Rental for the Trip

We’re picking up a rental car for the trip.  We saved about $90 using Priceline’s bid option and we got a ‘name brand’ rental place. After last year’s problem with roadside assistance, I checked with my car insurance company to see what is covered with rentals.  Our policy will transfer all our liability and collusion coverage. 

Packing for a Road Trip

I’m trying to pack fairly light so, I have I’m bring some capri pants, regular pants, a few shirts, and a dress. I twittered some of my buddies to see their suggestions. 

I usually fit everything in one suitcase, but I want to reduce ironing at the hotel. I found some tips on properly packing your bags for a vacation.

1. Pack clothing using the time-honored “roll” technique. Lay two or three items on top of one another, smooth to flatten, and roll them up like you would a sleeping bag to save space and prevent wrinkles. For added wrinkle insurance, place a sheet of heavy tissue or packing paper between items of clothing before rolling.
2. Pack sweaters and underwear in reusable compression bags, which can create up to 75% more space in your luggage. (They lock in odors, so they also work for storing dirty laundry, but make sure they are dry.)
3. Enclose toiletry containers in airtight plastic bags to prevent contents from spilling into your suitcase in the event of a leak. Wrap socks or pajamas around breakable items to cushion them.

Source WikiHow

We’re loading up the car tonight, so when we leave at 5am, as zombies, we can just locked the apartment and start driving. 

Finding a Good Hotel Cheap

We used Priceline again to bid on a nice hotel and ended up saving around $60/night. We got a nice place for the price of Days Inn. We happened to reserve a nice spot in the middle of everything, but we were fine with driving a bit more to get a good deal. 

Dining Out Inexpensively

We have breakfast included with our hotel. Our plan is to eat out for dinner and eat the leftovers the next day for lunch. It worked pretty well last year. We checked and the hotel has a kitchenette included, which is great. 

We’re bringing the laptop, so we’ll check reviews for value (quality of food and service). I’m taking a big cooler for when we’re hanging at the beach to cut down on expensive impulse eats. 

Do you have any suggestions on good places to at in Orlando? Please tweet me!

Souvenir Shopping For Friends and Family

Getting some gifts for friends and family is usually a part of our trips. We just want our loved ones to know we’re thinking about them. For our friends out of state, we’re mailing a package to a mutual contact, saving on some postage.

Last year I did an unofficial price comparison on Disney Souvenirs:

I bought a Small Donald Duck doll for $5 plus tax(6%). The next day we went back to Disney World and I kept an eye out for a comparable doll. I didn’t have to find a comparable doll. I found the exact same doll, for $13 after taxes. (Disney seems to have a standardized price on dolls based on size.)I don’t know the wholesale price of that doll, but I’ll use Wal-Mart’s price since they claim to have the lowest price. 

Be sure to look around before you just impulsively buy something. Besides, you don’t want to clutter up your friends places with knick-knacks. 

Have Fun!

I’m going down to celebrate our 2 year anniversary, so I’m going to have fun no matter what we do.  It’s a happy occasion and I want to enjoy it. Enjoy your weekend!

Photo Credit: crowt59

I hope everyone had a good week. My mother in law and her friend came to visit today and we managed to have some fun. Here are some articles that caught my eye this week:

• Cash Money Life did a  Commentary on Food Stamps and the Economy. There are no cut and dry answers to the system. My family had to temporaily had to use food stamps
  
• No Credit Needed offered  5 Free (and inexpensive) Ways To Reduce Your Debt. I’m working on getting my debts done, so this information helps.
• I’m so glad My Two Dollars showed 5 Ways You Can Save Money  On Gas. It’s around $4.04/gallon over here. I’m watching my errands to reduce needless car trips.
• Blueprint For Financial Prosperity presented Best Online Banks: It’s Not Just About Rates. Jim is right there are more factors to consider than a fraction of a percent of interest.
  
• Millionaire Money Habits:  5 Investing Tips I Wish I Knew Sooner. Don’t we all…
• WSJ Editorial: We Can Lower Oil Prices Now. The title caught my attention from All Financial Matters.
• Prime Time Money and friends offered the Summer Savings Series.

I really enjoyed reading this articles and I hope some are of interest to you.

I decided on some Sundays, I’ll post some interviews with people working on achieving a dream and/or goal. It doesn’t make sense to just focus on saving or making more money. I think money is a tool to use in prsuig your dreams.

This week, I have an interview with a friend and fellow blogger, Ani Allen. She started TheStepLife as a way to help herself and others make the transition easier.

Could you tell me a little about yourself?

My name is Anielka Allen, I was born in Nicaragua raised in Miami, FL, yea baby! I love the hot weather all year round. Anyways, I am a shy girl with a lot of personality to show but hides it all the time. Once someone gets to know me I become unforgettable, or so I’ve heard. But, all in all, I believe myself to be a good person still trying to come out of my shell.

What motivated you to begin blogging about being a stepmom?

Make money of course! No, not completely true. For the most part it’s because I didn’t think becoming a step mom would be an extreme hardship. I mean, I knew that it would be hard, but not this hard. Basically, everyone going through this hardship can only find comfort in someone who is going through the same thing as you are. That is why I’ve created a blog about step parenting, so we can upbuild each other to become the best second parents.

What makes your perspective unique?

The idea to have a blog about step parenting is not unique due to the fact that it is so universal now. However, I always find myself rummaging around other sites about step parenting for different concepts and guides. I believe my site to be unique because I bring all the anguish, fears, expressions, comforts, and guides all into one site. Aside from that, everyone can comment in the about each posts in the same site and speak to the same people all the time instead of having to go to another site for another question you have or another article you couldn’t find in the other site. I want my site to be inclusive, where you’ll have everything you need right here.

Tell me one thing that no one in the blogging world knows about you?

Aside from being a step mom, practically nothing, They don’t know me at all. Duh! =)

(I don’t know what you mean by this ehheh sorry)

What posts on your blog should all visitors read?

Every single one that pertains to them, they are all great and helpful. There is a category for each person such as step parents, step children, etc..

What do you hope to accomplish in the next year?

To be proud to say that I have helped out many in becoming a better step parent and step child. Also, make a better step parent out of me.

If your blog ended today, how would you like people to remember it?

They would riot to get it back!!Thank You!!

Thanks Ani. If you enjoyed this interview, please check out Ani’s blog The Step Life.

Do you know anyone pursuing their dreams? I’d loved to talk to them. If you interviewed someone, please send it in and I’ll post it.

Photo Credit: Pixar

We got back from watching Pixar’s movie Wall-E and I loved it. Whether you have kids or not, you should see it. We went to the 7pm showing and the crowd was mixed between families with small children, older ones, singles, and young couples.

I look forward to the little cartoon shorts before Pixar films and this one was cute. Wall-E had a great mix of humor and while kids will enjoy it for the cut characters, I think I just loved the attention to detail. The graphics were fantastic. Space has never looked so good in CGI.Each character was funny, touching, insane, or somehow special in his/her/its own way.

If I had to recall a movie that it reminded me of, I’d think E.T, with a very lovable hero. Pixar does a great job of creating Wall-E , even without a lot of dialogue. My one piece of advice:

• Try going matinee to avoid crowds and the extra price for tickets. I was fortunate to sit next to a quiet kid, but I know people who had a movie stink just because of who they sat with.

Bonus double-post (sort of)! Blue Panda’s reaction:

WALL-E is, like most Pixar films, a great movie. It has some very obvious social commentary which stands on its own and so I won’t even go into it.

The film manages to introduce the setting and plot without words in many instances, much like I Am Legend does. The viewer sees what is happening, and it just makes sense. The previews seem to keep a lid on the plot, so I’ll just summarize it as “go see it.”