Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Click here for free food

Ever since I was little, I remember always signing up for restaurant's dining clubs (or signing up my parents and reaping the benefits!). My earliest memory was the infamous Burger King Kid's Club. Every year at your birthday, you'd get a free kid's meal....and when you're eight, that's pretty awesome. Even in my 20's, I still take full advantage of these clubs in hopes of savings some money and still getting to enjoy eating out.

Check out local restaurants's websites and see if they offer any e-mail clubs (sometimes found under the "offers" or "promotions" tabs). For example, at Armadillo Willy's restaurants in California, you can sign up for Willy's e-Club and receive coupons and free items on a regular basis. I recently received a coupon for a 2-for-1 entree coupon and, before that, a free appetizer or dessert coupon.

Kentucky Fried Chicken and Quizno's also do e-mail clubs with valuable coupons.

Monday, May 28, 2007

There is always another dollar to be made

Anyone who knows me would say that I am always looking for legitimate ways to make more money. I won't go anywhere near pyramid schemes (or anything in that genre). I prefer to earn my money!!

My newest "moonlight" gig has been being a personal assistant for a family after work. Right now, I go over once a week for 3-4 hours and help with paying bills, filing papers, and sorting mail. I also help with general organization. I found this job on Craigslist under the "Gigs" category.

So readers, your next step would be to go to your local Craigslist page and utilize your talents! If you're great with computers, find someone who needs help installing software on their new computer. If you're a people person, look under "Talent" for brand ambassadors/promotional talent jobs (One caveat: Be sure to find out what the product is first and make sure you feel comfortable representing it). Also, don't be afraid to post your own listing in the "Services" category.

Note: If you do find an ad on Craigslist that interests you, please investigate to make sure it is a legitimate organization/business. If the job is working for an individual or family, try to talk to them on the phone first and then arrange to meet in a public place (like Starbuck's) for your interview. In any case, trust your gut! If something sounds fishy or too good to be true, it probably is.

Welcome to Frugal 'n Fabulous!

Welcome to Frugal 'n Fabulous! I created this blog in an effort to share my tips on saving money and making extra money while not sacrificing a comfortable lifestyle. My theory is that I want to save my money for things that are truly fabulous (vacations, buying a nice car, saving for the down payment on my future home) rather than overpaying for day-to-day expenses.

My expertise comes from 10+ years of living in this mentality. When I was in high school, I worked a part-time job at the local drugstore but also did odd jobs like babysitting. In college, I worked pro-bono (aka...for free) in an awesome internship program. I got great experience but I needed to supplement my income! I discovered creative ways to make money including participating in user studies/focus groups, housesitting, babysitting, and online surveys. For the last couple of years, I have been working full-time in the high-tech industry but I still use my secrets to save and make extra money so that I can be fabulous!

Stay tuned for great tips and tricks...