Holy cannoli - it's been QUITE some time since I've posted something with real content! I appreciate you all sticking along for the ride with me.
Since our move, I've just been focusing on school and getting this house put together. I have more things than I know what to do with - and more things than I do storage. It's just CRAZY!
In the next couple of weeks, I'll be loading up my TPT store with new products, writing posts about these new products and how you can use them in the classroom, sharing what my craft room (or corner) looks like as it's developed, discuss some book recommendations for various subject areas, and share some crafty ideas with you all once my table gets put up and I can have a place to work!
It's been a long journey trying to get our house to where we want it, but it's slowly, and surely, coming together!
Oh, and for holding on for SO long... I'll show you some pictures of our soon-to-be-baby boy, Tucker! :) He's a bulldog and we are SO excited to be getting him soon!
Hi y'all! I know it's literally been FOREVER since I've written. I'm struggling with my blog, while balancing everything else. This move has definitely taken a toll on my "fun" - decorating, settling in, and now I've started my second semester of grad school for my Master's program!
If you're like me, you have close to $500.00 in college textbooks each SEMESTER. I'm not kidding... that number kills me. My first quarter (I started school when we had quarters, not semesters!), I spent $750.00 in BUYING books... want to know how many times I looked at those books after I bought them? ZERO.
I am not kidding you... I didn't open the books and they just sat in my room. Why? Selling back was going to give me $15.00 ... from the $750.00 I spent. Yes, yes, I know $15.00 is better than nothing, but I wasn't going to waste my time and just gave them to incoming freshman the next year that were taking the same classes...
But, multiply those textbook costs by 3 (for the 3 quarters) and you're already at $2,250. NO, I wasn't going to do that... no way, José!
So, the next semester I began renting my textbooks. Yeah, renting! Books that would cost me hundreds upon hundreds of dollars, I began saving anywhere from 40% to 90% off the sticker price. YES, I'm not kidding... that much. It was unbelievable and I knew something was up...
Nope, nothing was up.
CampusBookRentals.com gives students this amazing deal to rent textbooks (flexibly) instead of buying... should you need your books for another quarter - easy peasy. Just extend your rental period - for still LESS than you would pay to BUY the book.
The other perk is that, while you're not picking this book up at your local bookstore and instead, you're getting it shipped... shipping is FREE. Yes, free! BOTH WAYS. Whaaaat?! You get it shipped to you for no cost, and once you're done, shipping back is free! Cool, huh?
Oh - how many of you highlight in your books? Raise of hands - me! I have to.. it keeps me in line. Welp, with CBR, you can highlight, underline & take notes in any book - similar to what would happen if you BOUGHT the books. Only, you're not paying the same price!!
Beyond that... how many of y'all like to donate to different charities? Ever heard of Operation Smile? Well, it's a children's charity for cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries. How amazing is that?
Well, CampusBookRentals.com donates to Operation Smile with every single textbook rental. Now, if that's not a reason to use CampusBookRentals.com alone, I dunno what is!
Anyways... now that you know all about CBR, you should probably know about another program they run - RentBack.com. Those books that you've bought and don't want to sell back for next to nothing... well, they can go to RentBack.com and be rented to other students - just like you! For as long as the book is in demand, YOU get paid each time someone rents your textbook you "sold" back to RentBack.com.
Now, if you're still not sure what's up with all this and are a little uneasy about renting - why the heck should you rent versus buy?! - watch theis video below.
Now, how many of y'all are going to start renting?? I love renting and am SOOO happy I found out about the process before it was too late (and I was too in debt).
I hope that this post helps some of YOU save money in the long run. As college students, we all know about that "M" word.... or lack thereof ;)
8. Blog at least 3 times a week about MEANINGFUL things. Not just posts that are about nothing... maybe about some goals I have, my family, what I'm doing currently, and so forth.
9. Take care of ME. This includes taking vitamins, drinking 64 ounces of water DAILY, and just eating better. I get headaches daily, stomachaches daily, and some days, really nauseous. SO, taking better care of me is a definite.
10. Travel to at least 3 places. This year I want to take as many trips as we can... even if it's to not so far away places. We're 2 hours from New Orleans... now how cool would it be to just visit? Same with Florida. We've got the time, why not do it now!?
Welp, that's it! Those are my 10 resolutions this year. Some of them are obviously very cliché, but I WILL accomplish each goal.
Tomorrow begins a BRAND. NEW. YEAR. Many people will be making resolutions, while others could care less. I'm one of those "make resolutions" people - as you will see tomorrow ;)
Anyways... Farley has put up her currently - the first of the new year - a day early, so I thought I would join in!
listening: the fireworks are going CRAZY where we live. They're legal here, so they'll be going off for daaaays. The Goonies are also on - my fav!
loving: my family comprised of Cody & Socks. These two make my life veeery interesting!
thinking: I've got so many crafts that I've got to make a "craft corner" which is going to consist of shelving, bins, a table, and all kinds of things. Just a place to do me :)
wanting: a nice, cold milkshake - self explanatory :)
needing: our house is a WRECK. There are boxes upon boxes all over the place from when Cody's things got here, so I technically "can't" clean... hehehe
OLW: grateful. I'm going to be grateful for EVERYTHING this year. Those that are in my lives, the opportunities I'm blessed with, the activities I get to participate in. EVERY. SINGLE. THING.
Hi all! Quick post between having dinner made and cleaning up!
Casey from Second Grade Math Maniac is hosting another fantastic linky for a TPT sale. Participating in this sale are a BUNCH of other teachers, myself included!
I thought this was SUCH a fun swap with a great idea. Kelly from Messy.Dirty.Hair, Janna from Perception is Everything, and Tabithia from My Cliffnotes decided to host a giving season swap and it was actually a SECRET SANTA swap! We were NOT allowed to tell our partners who we were, but rather, they are coming around to our blogs to see if they can figure out who their partner was.
I played secret santa to Ricci from A Beautiful Mess. Ricci, I hope you enjoyed everything I got for you, Ricci. I had a LOT of fun choosing things out (boyfriend helped!) and I'm glad you were the one I was santa to. To see what I got her, click here!
Here's what I got! My secret santa KILLED it. Love every single thing she got for me.
Dunkin Donuts french vanilla coffee - PERFECT. Oh, hi Socks.
Apple Cinnamon Spiced Berry candle - I needed more candles! Burnt through my others already!
Cute little tumbler with floating snowflakes in it - LOVE. Hi, again, Socks.
WHAT. Something for ME? From Socks. My secret santa got something for Socks - whaaaat! How perfect.
As you can tell, he can't decide which ball he likes better but has been constantly playing with both.
The prettiest, most perfect scarf ever. I love how lightweight and how pretty it is!!
Secret Santa, THANK YOU!!! I'm still not sure who sent things to me, though! I'm going to go through the blog swap and see :)
