Independent Beginnings

Personal Finance, Frugality, and Independent Living for Young Adults

Frugal Friday: Best Deals of the Week 12-6 through 12-12

Welcome to this week’s edition of Frugal Friday! Here, you will find this week’s best deals form around the blogosphere, and with Christmas just around the corner these deals are greatly needed. This week, it looks like the mall is the place to be for great deals. Make sure you bring these coupons with you, though!

$10 Off $20 Purchase at Yankee Candle. Until December 13th, you can use this printable coupon to get $10 off your purchase of $20 or more at Yankee Candle. This great deal is available at all participating stores excluding outlet stores and Target. Hurry up and take advantage of this before it expires!

25% Off, Free Shipping, and Double Points at Gymboree! Right now in Gymboree stores and on Gymboree.com, everything is 25% off and there is free shipping on all orders with no minimum purchase! It is also a Gymbucks earning period and you will get double points! I am not sure when this ends so don’t miss this great deal!

Free $13 Item with $10 Purchase at Bath and Body Works! Well, Bath and Body works always seems to have a good coupon out. This coupon gives you a free item up to a $13 value when you make a $10 purchase. The offer excludes 3-wick candles, Scentbug, and gift sets. This can be even better than a buy one get one free deal! This offer is valid until December 24th.

$15 Off $15 or More at The Limited. This coupon is one of my favorites this week. It gives you $15 off your purchase of $15 or more at The Limited. This means FREE STUFF! If you buy $100 worth of stuff, the discount rises to $30 and if you buy $150 worth of stuff the discount rises to $50. This deal is only good until December 13th so take advantage of it today!

Other deal reminders:

1. Make sure to check Ebate for great cash-back offers every time you shop online. Up to 25% cash back!!!
2. Don’t forget to print out your free coupons at Coupons.com. Many are available!
3. Make sure you use Swagbucks for all of your web searches. I am up to $100 in Amazon gift cards!
4. Sign up for YouData to easily make money viewing ads. I get paid each Friday from this site!

Did I miss any great deals? Make sure you let us know!

Similar Posts:

• Frugal Friday: Best Deals of the Week 7-5 through 7-11
• Frugal Friday: Best Deals of the Week 5-24 to 5-30
• Frugal Friday: Best Deals of the Week 9-13 through 9-19
• Frugal Friday: Best Deals of the Week 7-26 through 8-1
• Frugal Friday: Best Deals of the Week 5-31 through 6-6

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Swagbucks Black Friday Gift Card Blowout Starts This Week!!!

This is probably the most exciting news I have heard all season! Swagbucks is going to be having a Black Friday Gift Card Blowout! What this means is that each day, starting Black Friday and going through January 1st, Swagbucks will be dramatically lowering the amount of Swag bucks needed to redeem one of their gift cards. This can mean MORE FREE GIFT CARDS FOR YOU! They are not announcing which gift cards will go on sale which day, so you are best off if you check each day starting Friday as early in the day as you can. You can only redeem two of the same gift cards per day. I personally hope that they put the Amazon gift cards on sale. I have earned about $150 in Amazon gift cards since I joined a few months ago and I have some Swag bucks saved up to redeem some more. Don’t miss out on this great event!

For those of you who have not joined Swagbucks, what are you waiting for????? Swagbucks is a search engine that randomly awards you points, called Swag bucks, when you search the web. It is powered by Google and Ask.com, so the search results are usually very relevant, although I do sometimes notice some advertisements in the search results. When you earn enough Swag bucks, you can redeem them for prizes. For example, a $5 Amazon gift card costs 45 Swag bucks. You will usually earn about 3 to 5 Swag bucks a day if you search the web regularly. In addition to these points, you can get more Swag bucks from finding Swag codes hidden throughout the internet. You can find out if a Swag code is currently available by checking out the Swagbucks widget on the right sidebar of this block and clicking on “Swag codes”. You can also earn Swag bucks by completing special offers (which I do not do), shopping, and by winning contests. The best way to earn points, though, is to refer your friends! For each person you refer, you will earn 1 Swag buck for each Swag buck that person earns, up to a maximum of 100 Swag bucks per person. Swagbucks is free to join and can be quite rewarding. Join today!

Good luck finding great gift card deals! Let me know which ones you find!

Similar Posts:

• I Just Redeemed a $5 Amazon Gift Card on Swagbucks
• Now You Can Search Swagbucks Right from this Blog
• The Search for the Perfect Credit Card: Part 2
• Frugal Friday: Best Deals of the Week 12-6 through 12-12
• The Search for the Perfect Credit Card: Part 1

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Sometimes Life Throws You Curve Balls

Imagine that you are up to bat in the last inning of the last game of the World Series. You step up to the plate, lift up your bat, and look up at the pitcher with a “give me your best shot” glare. You are not scared. The entire series so far, the pitcher has been sending fastballs right down the middle of the plate. You have been knocking them out of the park! This time, you have the chance for a grand slam and you are sure you are going to get it. The pitcher winds up and sends the ball speeding towards you. You swing with all the force in your body and the ball connects with. . . air. What!?!?!? You cannot believe it. After all the fast balls you had been getting, the pitcher had thrown a curve ball. The game has just changed. What are you going to do now?

Sometimes life is like a baseball game. For a while, life may send you good things, or fast balls. You get used to these good things and start planning for the future assuming these good things will keep coming. Just when you least expect it, however, life may throw you a curve ball. An unforeseen situation, often a negative one, happens and changes the “game”. At that point, you must decide upon a new game plan or you just might lose the game.

I recently had a couple of “curve balls” thrown my way. Last month, I had a miscarriage. My husband and I had been so excited for the new addition we were going to have to our family. We told everyone we knew and started planning for our future baby. When we least expected it, however, our dreams were torn away from us and we had to adapt to our new circumstances. A few weeks later, we discovered that we needed quite a bit of dental work done and we had no dental insurance. Before we knew it, we were scrambling for a way to pay for the dental work as well as all of our normal bills. By the end of the month, we were wondering if life would ever start throwing us fast balls again.

Luckily for us, we were at least somewhat prepared for these curve balls. We had an emergency fund that we were able to use to cover the unforeseen medical and dental expenses. We also had health insurance. Without these preparations, we would never have been able to pay for these bills. Although these situations were still extremely difficult for us, I truly feel that the emotional recovery has even been somewhat better because we were prepared financially and did not have to deal with additional stress due to finances.

So, how can you prepare for and deal with life’s curve balls? Here are a few suggestions:

1. Always, always, always have an emergency fund. An emergency fund is vital in preparing for life’s curve balls. Whether you lose your job, need medical work, or total your car, an emergency fund can cover these unforeseen expenses. It is reassuring to know that you will survive if the unexpected happens. For more information about emergency funds, check out my article about setting up an emergency fund.
2. Make sure you are insured. Although insurance premiums may seem high, they are nowhere near as high as the expenses you will face in the case of a serious emergency. Because of this, it is extremely important that you are always insured. Some of the most important kinds of insurance to have include medical insurance, life insurance, home owner’s insurance, and car insurance. Some other kinds of insurance that may also be beneficial include dental insurance, vision insurance, renter’s insurance, disability insurance, etc. Decide which kinds of insurance will be important for your family. You will be glad you have them when you need them.
3. Remember that YOU are in control of your actions. When curve balls are thrown your way, it is easy to feel that you are not in control of your life. When I had my miscarriage, for example, I felt completely helpless and like I had no control over anything. While there are, indeed, many things in life that cannot be controlled, remember that you are ALWAYS in control of your actions. You can CHOOSE had to respond to any situation. You can change your game plan when curve balls come your way and face them in the future with confidence. You can choose to make the most of any situation.

So, next time life throws you a curve ball, don’t let it defeat you! You are strong and you can be prepared for such a situation. You can change your game plan and on that next pitch you can smack that curve ball out of the park! You really can achieve that grand slam.

How have you dealt with life’s curve balls? How have you prepared for them and grown from them? We would love to hear from you!

Similar Posts:

• What Comes First? A Step By Step Guide to Financial Independence. Step 1: Set Up an Emergency Fund
• Where to Put Your Emergency Fund
• What Comes First? A Step-By-Step Guide to Financial Independence. Steps 3 & 4: Complete Your Emergency Fund & Set Up a Retirement Fund
• What Comes First? A Step-By-Step Guide to Financial Independence. Step 2: Pay Off Your High Interest Debts
• Using A Strengths-Based Approach in Personal Finance

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Coupons.com Current Coupons

Each week, Coupons.com updates their coupons. You can find great deals on groceries, household items, professional services, and many other things without having to hassle with clipping coupons from newspapers! There is absolutely no cost to print these coupons, so this site can be a great resource for any bargain hunter. When you see a coupon that you like, make sure you print it right away before it expires. For your convenience, I have included a list of this week’s coupons below (list obtained from Nicole’s Nickles). Each time that you access Coupons.com from one of the links on this blog and print coupons, you are also helping to support Independent Beginning’s. Enjoy the savings!

Any Brand 2 lb or more Cheese, $1.50/1
Any Brand Chocolate Milk, wyb 2 Gals. of Milk, $1.00/1
Any Brand 6 cups Yogurt, $0.75/1
Accelerade, $5.00/1
Alka Seltzer save $1.00/1
Alka Seltzer Plus, $1.00/1
Barbara’s Organic Cereal, $1.00/1
Bayer Heart Advantage, $3.00/1
*NEW* Benefiber, $2.00/1
Betty Crocker Cookie Mix, $0.40/1
Betty Crocker Frosting, $0.50/1
Betty Crocker Warm Delights, $0.50/1
Big G Cereals, Cheerios, $0.55/1
*NEW* Big G Cereals, Chex, $1.00/2
Big G Cereals, Kix, save $0.75/1
Big G Cereals, Multigrain Cheerios, $0.75/1
Big G Cereals Total save $0.75
Bisquick, $0.60/1
*NEW* Bissell, $1.00/1
Blue Dog Bakery, $0.50/1
Bridgford, $0.55/1
Buddig Meats, $1.00/1
*NEW* Budding Meats Fix Quix, $1.00/1
Burts Bees Acne Solutions, $2.00/1
California Pizza Kitchen, $1.00/1
California Pizza Kitchen, $1.00/2
Caribou Coffee, $2.00/1
Cats Pride Cat Litter, $1.00/1
Chex Mix, $0.50/1
Chex Mix, $0.50/1
Challenge Dairy Product, $0.55/1
Citracal, $1.00/1
Clorox 2, $1.50/1
Cosamin ASU, $4.00/1
Cosamin DS, $3.00/1
Cosequin, $1.50/1
Crunchmaster, $0.75/1
DiGiorno, $1.50/1 …
DiGirono, Flatbread Melt, $1.00/1
Energizer Hearing Aid, $1.00/1
*NEW* Enfamil, Enfagrow Premium, $5.00/1
Ester-C, $2.00/1
Fiber One Frozen Muffins, $0.75/1
Fiber One Muffin Mix, $0.50/1
Flinstones Vitamins, $1.00/1
Forze, $1.00/1
Foster Farms, $1.00/2
Gorton’s, $1.00/1
Hormel Refrigerated Entree, $1.50/1
Huggies Overnights, $2.00/1
Jergens, $1.00/1
Keebler Sandwich Crackers, $0.55/1
Keebler Flipsides, $1.00/1
Kellogg’s Cinnabon Bars, $1.00/1
Kelloggs Corn Flakes, $1.00/1
Kelloggs Mini-Wheats Little Bites, $1.00/1
Kelloggs Special K Bars, $1.00/2
Kelloggs Special K Blueberry Cereal, $1.00/1
Kelloggs Special K Chocolatey Pretzel Bars, $0.75/1
Kelloggs Special K Protein Shakes, $1.00/1
Kings Hawaiian Bread, $0.75/1
Kiss My Face, $1.00/1
Litehouse, $1.00/2
*NEW* Manns Fresh Cut Vegetables, $0.55/1
Mariani, $1.00/1
Maxwell House, $1.00/2
Maybelline New York Pulse Perfection Mascara, $3.00
Milk-Bone, $1.00/1
Milk-Bone Essentials Plus, $2.00/1
*NEW* Mighty Dog, $1.00/4
Minute Rice, $0.50/1
M5 Magnum Razor, $2.00/1
Natures Bounty, $2.00/1
Nature Valley Granola Bars, $0.40/1
Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters, $1.00/1
Nexcare, $3.00/1
*NEW* Nivea Body Wash for Women, $2.00/1
Nodor, $1.00/1
One A Day VitaCraves, $1.00/1
Opti-Free, $1.00/1
Ore-Ida Steam ‘n Mash Potatoes, $1.00/1
Phillips Colon Health, $1.00/1
Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls, $0.75/2
Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, $0.50/2
Pillsbury Grands, $0.30/2
Pillsbury Italian Meal Breads, $0.40/2
Pillsbury Refrigerated Cookie Dough, $1.00/2
Pillsbury Rolled Refrigerated Pie Crusts, $0.50/2
Pillsbury Savorings, $1.00/1
Pillsbury Simply Refrigerated Cookie Dough, $0.55/1
Pillsbury Sweet Rolls, $0.40/2
Progresso, save $1.00/2
Progresso Broth, $0.50/1
Poise liners, $1.50/2
Poise pads, $1.50/2
Pure & Natural, $1.00/1
*NEW* Purely Decadent, $1.00/1
Purina Busy Chewnola, B1G1 Free
*NEW* Purina Moist & Meaty, $1.75/1
Reeser’s Fine Foods, $1.00/1
Renuzit Adjustables, B1G1 Free
Renuzit Adjustables, B2G1 Free
Rice Krispies, $1.00/2
Ronzoni Smart Taste, $1.00/2
Schiff MegaRed, $2.00/1
*NEW* Schiff Vitamins, $2.00/1
Similasan Dry Eye Relief, $2.00/1
Similasan Anxiety Relief, $3.00/1
Similasan Ear Relief, $1.00/1
Similasan Sleeplessness Relief, $3.00/1
Similasan Stress & Tension Relief, $3.00/1
*NEW* So Delicious Cocunut Milk Beverage, $1.00/1
*NEW* So Delicious Coconut Milk Yogurt, $2.00/4
StarKist, $0.50/1
*NEW* Steamfresh Meals, $1.50/1
Steaz, B1G1 Free
Truvia, $1.00/2
Wanchia Ferry Dinner Kit, $1.10
Wanchai Ferry Frozen Entree, $1.50/1
Welch’s Juice or Light Juice Drink, $1.00/1
Whole Body Cleanse, $5.00/1
Yoplait cups, $0.50/6
Yoplait, $0.80/2
Yoplait Delights, $1.00/1
Zyrtec Eye Drops, $1.00/1

Store Coupons

*NEW* Rite Aid save $5 on your $25 purchase
Target: GE Energy Smart Compact Flourescent Bulb save $2.00
Target: GE Reveal compact fluorescent lighting product
Kroger: 8th Continent Soy Milk, $1.00/1

Non Food/Household Items:

CountryRxCard, 75% off
Hasbro Mr. Potato Head or Mrs. Potato Head, $2.00/1
Hasbro Mr. Potato Head Silly Suitcase toy, $5.00/1
Hasbro Mr. Potato Head Spud Buds toy, $5.00/1
Hasbro PlaySkool Activity Ball, $5.00/1
Hasbro PlaySkool Busy Ball Popper, $5.00/1
Hasbro Dance Cam, $10.00/1
Hasbro DinoRoars Hatchlings, $5.00/1
Hasbro DinoRoars Stompers, $10.00/1
Hasbro My Little Pony, $5.00 off your $20 purchase
Hasbro PlaySkool Lullaby Gloworm, $3.00/1
Hasbro PlaySkool Musical Sit ‘n Spin, $10.00/1
Hasbro PlaySkool Step Start Walk ‘n Ride, $5.00/1
Hasbro PlaySkool Tumble ‘N Twirl Top, $5.00/1
Hasbro Swing ‘n Score Baseball, $5.00/1
JC Penny Optical, 2 eyeglasses for $129
Quick Trip, Sandwich, Wrap or Salad, $1.00/1
Sears, 20% off

Similar Posts:

• How to Save Money on Groceries
• Really Great Collection of Money-Saving Tips
• Frugal Friday: Best Deals of the Week 7-26 through 8-1
• Frugal Friday–Best Deals of the Week 7-12 through 7-18
• Frugal Friday: Best Deals of the Week 5-31 through 6-6

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AMAZING Microsoft Office Deal for College Students!!!

Sometimes, there are some really great perks for being a student. This is one of those times. For those of you who have not heard of Microsoft’s “The Ultimate Steal”, you are in for a real treat! “The Ultimate Steal” really is all it is cracked up to be–it is like you are stealing Microsoft Office! This website, run by Microsoft itself, allows college students with an .edu email address to purchase Microsoft Office Ultimate for only $59.95–91% off the retail price!!! This is a deal you just won’t find anywhere else. Microsoft Office Ultimate comes with Word 2007, Excel 2007, Powerpoint 2007, Outlook 2007, OneNote 2007 (my favorite!), Groove 2007, Publisher 2007, Access 2007, and InfoPath 2007. This is a heck of a lot more than you can find in Office Home and Student! To help you understand how good of a deal this is, let me tell you that my college (Brigham Young University) offers Office Home and Student at a highly discounted price of about $75.00. “The Ultimate Steal” offers more programs that Office Home and Student for a significantly cheaper price! You don’t want to miss out on this!

Okay, so you are probably wondering why I am so excited about this and if this deal is actually too good to be true. Well, before you start doubting, let me tell you that I have personally used this program to purchase Microsoft Office and so has my husband. For both of us, the process was so easy and so much cheaper than any other option. When you purchase Microsoft Office through “The Ultimate Steal”, you are able to download the programs right then and there onto your computer. If you have any problems downloading them, which we didn’t, they are available to re-download for thirty days. Also, you are given the option to purchase a back-up CD for $13.00 which will be mailed to your house (you do not have to buy this CD, you can make your own back-up disk if you prefer). Neither my husband nor I have had any problems whatsoever with our programs. This is why I am so excited. This offer is legitimate and is a great help for us starving college students.

I am so happy to finally be able to share this great offer with you! It has really been great for me and I hope it will benefit you as well!

Similar Posts:

• The Search for the Perfect Credit Card–Part 3
• Frugal Friday: Best Deals of the Week 5-31 through 6-6
• Save Money This Father’s Day Using Cash-Back Programs
• Frugal Friday: Best Deals of the Week 9-13 through 9-19
• How to Get a Good Deal on a Used Car

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Independent Beginning’s Weekly Spotlight

Welcome to Independent Beginning’s first ever Weekly Spotlight! From now on, ever Saturday I will be spotlighting what I feel are the best personal finance articles I have read during the week. There are a couple of reasons I have decided to do this. First of all, while I do my best to provide you with the best possible articles I can write, the fact of the matter is that I can only write a limited number of articles per week. Doing this will give you, as readers, access to a wider variety of personal finance articles without forcing you to sift through hundreds of articles to find the best ones. The second reason I am doing this is to thank those other bloggers that I learn from every day. Not only do they keep me informed about the latest financial news, but they also teach me how to be a better blogger. I could never have started this blog without their help, even if they did not know it! I hope you will enjoy this new feature of Independent Beginnings! Anyway, let’s take a look at this week’s picks!

Baker at ManVsDebt presents Tyler Durden’s Guide to Personal Finance. Did you know the movie Fight Club could teach you a lot of personal finance lessons? This article is very in-depth, well-written, and interesting!

Cap at StopBuyingCrap challenges wonders if you can Live on Half Your Income. This article not only discusses why you should live on half your income but also how you can live on half your income. Very useful!

Ray guest-posted on Frugal Dad about How to Destroy Your Investment Portfolio. It’s amazing how learning what not to do can teach you so much about what to do. This article gives you some key things to remember about your investment portfolio.

Sarah at WiseBread teaches us how to Eat Healthy This Winter Without Spending a Fortune. This article is loaded with ideas on how to prepare to eat healthy this winter. Don’t miss out on this one!

Hank guest-posted on Budgets are Sexy about How to Pay Rent Volunteering for Science Experiments. This article made me laugh as I thought about all of the fliers calling for volunteers posted around my school. While I don’t agree with every suggestion listed, I think this article lists some great ways to make some extra money!

Congratulations to those of you who were chosen for this week’s spotlight! I am always on the lookout for new articles, so if you have an article you would like to have included next week, make sure to shoot me an email!

Similar Posts:

• Carnivals of the Week: 5/17-5/23
• Carnivals for the Week
• Last Week’s Carnival Roundup
• Using A Strengths-Based Approach in Personal Finance
• See My Guest Post on Bargaineering.com

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Frugal Friday: Best Deals of the Week 9-13 through 9-19

Welcome to this week’s edition of Frugal Friday: Getting Back on Track Edition! I am back in action and ready to share the savings with you! In this edition, you will find some great deals that you will not want to miss out on! As always, make sure to check out my Saving Money page for more ways to save money online and in-store. So, what can you save big on this week?

$10 Off Juniors Fashions at Sears. Use this coupon to get $10 off your next purchase at Sears! There is no minimum purchase! You can use this coupon in-store or your can use the code 17SEARSAPPAREL to redeem the coupon on Sears.com!

$10, $15, or $20 Off at JCPenney. Use this coupon to get $10 off your next $50 purchase, $15 off your next $75 purchase, or $20 off your next $100 purchase! Hurry up though, this coupon is only good through tomorrow (Saturday).

$1 Smoothie at Jambie Juice. Currently at Jamba Juice, you can get a 16 ounce smoothie for only $1 when you use this coupon and purchase any other sized smoothie at regular price. Don’t miss out on this one!

Free Sub at Quiznos. Right now you can get a free sub at Quiznos when you buy another sub and a regular drink at full price. Use this coupon to take advantage of this offer!

Other deal reminders:

1. Make sure to check for more great cash back deals at Ebates and Cashbaq. Up to 25% cash back!!!
2. Don’t forget to print out your free coupons at Coupons.com. Many are available!
3. Make sure you use Swagbucks for all of your web searches. I am up to $100 in Amazon gift cards!
4. Sign up for YouData to easily make money viewing ads. I get paid each Friday from this site!

Did I miss any great deals? Make sure you let us know!

Similar Posts:

• Frugal Friday: Best Deals of the Week 7-5 through 7-11
• Frugal Friday: Best Deals of the Week 6-7 through 6-13
• Frugal Friday: Best Deals of the Week 5-31 through 6-6
• Frugal Friday: Best Deals of the Week 7-26 through 8-1
• Frugal Friday–Best Deals of the Week 7-12 through 7-18

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Whoah!!! Have I Gotten Off Track or What?

Before I say anything else, I would like to thank my dedicated readers/subscribers who have stuck through this quiet period on Independent Beginnings.  I am amazed out how loyal you are.  You are the best!

Now, I would like to apologize for the recent inactivity.  A lot has been going on and I feel like I owe you an explanation.  First of all, I have returned to school for my final year of college!  While this is a very exciting time it is also very stressful.  When I first returned, I went on a two-week geology field trip.  During this time, I did not have any access to a computer.  When I returned from the field trip, my husband and I were busy moving in to our new apartment, which also did not have internet.  A few days later, classes began and I was busy as can be.  Well, we finally have internet, we are completely moved in, and I am finally settling in to my classes.  Whew!

I really am excited to get back to work on this blog.  I want you to know that I have every intention of keeping this blog going throughout this school year and beyond.  Keep a look out for new posts!

Thanks again for your dedication!  I can’t wait to interact with all of you!

Similar Posts:

• Sorry for the Delay in Posts
• HP Back to School Giveaway Entry
• The 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Workbook
• Does a Four-Day School Week Make Sense?
• Three Time Management Tools for College Students

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HP Back to School Giveaway Entry

With the start of school just around the corner, the Back to School: Better Together Giveaway is underway. One of the blogs participating in this giveaway is Student Bloggers. To enter the giveaway on this blog, you must write a blog post describing your best back to school story. I have decided to participate in this giveaway, so that means that I have a story to tell you. I call this story, “The Tale of the Flirtatious Fowl”.

The first few days of my third year of college seemed just the same as my first two years of school.  I had just moved in to a new apartment with five roommates I had never met before.  My classes were going well, I was making friends, and things seemed to be going as I hoped they would.  Then, one day I met a guy named Bret and my school year went from normal to extra special.

I liked Bret from the very beginning.  My roommates hung out with his roommates and him a few different times.  After a couple weeks, it became clear that there was an interest growing between the two of us.  So, one day he invites me to go bowling with him and a couple of his roommates.  I bring my friend along and we have a blast bowling.  After bowling, we went to a local Malt Shoppe and Bret paid for my shake.  I was incredibly excited as the evening transformed itself from a fun night with friends into a date with Bret.  After the Malt Shoppe, we went to Bret’s apartment and watched a movie.  The whole evening was a lot of fun.

After the movie, I return to my apartment in a wonderful mood.  However, when I saw my roommates, the first question they asked me was, “Do you have your key to the apartment?”  Confused, I answered “Of course I do”.  However, when I checked my purse for my key, it was nowhere to be found.  My roommates explained to me that they had pranked Bret’s apartment earlier in the week and that he and his roommates were now looking for revenge.  I ran back to his apartment, but it was too late; he and his roommates had left.

My roommates and I stayed up late that night hoping to ward off any revenge ideas attempted by the boys.  After a long while, though, we decided to go to sleep.  Then, in the middle of the night, my roommate got up to use the restroom.  A few seconds after she had left the room, I heard a scream coming from the hallway.  We all got up and ran out to see what was going on.  To our surprise, there was a goose sitting in our apartment!  Luckily for us, the goose seemed to be quite calm considering it was surrounded by screaming girls.  We were able to get it out of our apartment without much trouble.

The next day, we confronted Bret and his roommates.  Bret admitted that he had stolen my key out of my purse while I went over to the jukebox at the Malt Shoppe.  The nerve!  Luckily for him, I got over the incident very quickly and went on to date and marry Bret.  We still joke about that goose today!

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• How to Save Money on Textbooks
• Stacations–Great Ways to Have Fun Close-to-Home
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• “The Skinny On Credit Cards” Giveaway Winner

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What Comes First? A Step-By-Step Guide to Financial Independence: Step 7–Build Wealth Through Wise Investments

Similar Posts:

• What Come’s First? A Step-By-Step Guide to Financial Independence: Step 6–Pay Off Your Low-Interest Debt
• What Comes First? A Step-By-Step Guide to Financial Independence. Steps 3 & 4: Complete Your Emergency Fund & Set Up a Retirement Fund
• What Comes First? A Step-By-Step Guide to Financial Independence. Step 2: Pay Off Your High Interest Debts
• What Comes First? A Step By Step Guide to Financial Independence. Step 1: Set Up an Emergency Fund
• What Comes First? A Step-By-Step Guide to Financial Independence. Step 5: Set Up College Funds

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