Sephora saves the day

If you live in the city and want to change your look for an after-work event, head to Sephora and make yourself over by trying out all their makeup for free. I've done this more than once and it works fabulously. Just make sure you have your own mirror with you so that you can check the amount of makeup on your face before you go anyway. The lighting around those mirrors really makes it seem like you have half of the amount that you actually have on...last time that happened I left the store looking like a clown!

Blogs to Live By

Below are some of the blogs that I visit everyday in my search for money-saving deals:

Frugally Blonde

The Budget Babe

A $10,000 Wedding

All are so creative an informative! Worth having a look.

In other news, my very thoughtful sister sent me a Starbucks card in the mail, which I will use to buy lunch for a couple of days....a saving grace since I have to save everything I have in order to pay rent and my cupboards are currently empty, aside from some leftover pancake mix.

Introduction

I love nice, lavish things, and I love to help others. Kind of an odd combination in my opinion, but it works for me. I moved to NYC about three years ago, where I promptly found a cushy office job that paid me $68,000/year. Although not an extravagant amount, it was more than enough for a single 20 something girl with hardly any responsibilities. A year after that I quit my job to go to graduate school full time. I am now finished with graduate school, and have found myself a job that pays me $32,000/year. That's right. Less than half of what I used to make. And now I have a fiance, which means that expensive wedding plans are looming over my head and that I have to start thinking about our financial future! This might not seem like a huge challenge for those of you who are financially savvy, but for me it's nearly impossible! Saving money was never a priority for me. Given a choice between "fun" or "wise", I always opt for "fun". Which means that I'll buy those pairs of boots with my rent money, because who needs a roof over their head when they have HOT boots to walk around in? Do you see why I'm worried? I believe that writing this blog will help me manage my money better. It will make me more accountable for my frivolous purchases, and hopefully I will get some great money saving tips from any frugal New Yorkers out there. IthinkicanIthinkicanIthinkIcan!