Yummy in My Tummy

It's been a while since I've shared my good finds with you, so I wanted to let you know that Friday, June 5, is National Doughnut Day. What does this mean?

FREE DOUGHNUTS!!

Krispy Kreme is giving out one free doughnut to every customer. You don't even have to make a purchase. To find out if there is a Krispy Kreme near you, click here.

Dunkin Donuts is also giving out one free doughnut with the purchase of a beverage (while supplies last). Find out if you're close to one here.

To be honest, I probably won't get one. I'm not a big fan of doughnuts, so I'll save myself for ice cream or something. But let me know what type they hand out!

Gift Emergencies Solved

Is it just me or is everyone getting married? I guess I’m sort of at that age where marriage becomes a real possibility. Then there is graduation; the class of 2009 is now out and about. And all us “adults” are working on that whole “career” deal, whatever that’s about.

All these celebrations call for gifts, too. But what should you get them? Shopping for presents is always hard unless of course they tell you what they want. During these occasions, you generally want a gift that’s useful, too. More stress.

Well stress no more because I found the coolest site: Ms. & Mrs. (I found it on SELF’s Beyond the Beauty Pages. Elaine, the beauty director, blogged about it.) This site offers “special occasion survival kits” for things like weddings, babies, college, new jobs and random emergencies.

I like the Shemergency and Working Girl’s kit most. Check it out:

Save Your Printing Ink!

As summer approaches, many of you will probably be out on the job or internship search. But before you print out that resume, check this out!

Staples has launched their "Career Stimulus Program," which entails of printing out 20 free copies of your resume and 40 free business cards! You have until June 13th, 2009 to print them, too!

So update your resume and head over to a Staples near you.

I am a Blogaholic.

Some of you may have caught my earlier post about possibly being a blogaholic. Well there is no possbility. I -am- a blogaholic. And thanks to Google Reader, my addiction gets worse and worse and worse. I'm currently at 83 subscriptions.

Ok, to make sure you don't think that I'm sitting at a computer all day, I don't necessarily read every post. I skim through a lot of it and read what interests me the most. It's so easy to do on Google Reader, too. I don't have to visit 83 different Web sites when I want to see what's happening.

Last time I got some great suggestions for new blogs. So once again, I figured I'd share a few favorites of mine and ask you about yours. What are you reading? Because here's a spotlight of what I'm reading:

Funemployed in NYC - They have a great "Job of the Day" feature where they find ridiculous job postings. It's pretty funny. They make unemployment funny, which is nice.

Save Like Me - This is SELF's money saving blog. MP Dunleavey gives you great suggestions on how to go about saving money. I like how she uses real life examples, too.

Salon.com's Broadsheet - This is my go-to blog for women's issues and current affairs. I like how they talk about serious and not-so-serious issues with a conversational, witty and amusing tone.

Almost Savvy - This blog isn't updated too frequently, but when it is, you can find some great information.

Beyond the Beauty Pages - This is SELF's beauty blog. I've learned a lot from all the women there. I love reading what they're up to and what they suggest. (I also love that my friend Ale is a regular blogger. She's awesome!)

Cheap, Cheaper and Free!

You know me, I can't resist a good deal. And, wow, there are so many out there right now. So I hope you find some of these deals helpful this weekend and the upcoming week.

- Are you a Barnes & Noble member looking for a cheap subscription to a magazine? How does 89 cents for a year of Redbook sound? Or $2.70 for Marie Claire, Esquire or Harper's Bazaar? I'm so tempted to join, just to subscribe to all of these magazines! It costs $25 per year. Or find a friend or family member that is and use their membership! Check it out here.

- Mother's Day is around the corner. Do you have a card for Mom? No? Well get over to Hallmark to make a free card (postage included!). Follow the instructions from this site before May 4.

- Have a Sonic's near you? Get a free CroisSONIC breakfast sandwich by signing up here. Or do you prefer White Castle? Here's a coupon for a free pork slider. Or you can head to KFC and get a free drink with a purchase of their grilled chicken.

- Not a B&N fan? What about Borders? Get a free 12 oz beverage while perusing books.

- Is your birthday coming up? Do you like going to Benihana? While it's not near my birthday, I do love Benihana's. So I think you should join The Chef's Table and get a $30 max dinner certificate for your birthday!

- There are so many free samples on this site, I just can't pick one to share. Check it out for yourself!

And It's Hot! Hot! Hot!

A friend and I were talking about how excited we were about the weather this weekend. We're in two different locations, but each place should be in the mid to high 80s. How exciting! I'll be trapped inside for most of the week writing essays to apply for jobs, but this weekend I'm definitely getting out. Anyways, it made me think of this site I recently found. (I forget where I found it. If it was you, let me know and I'll fix it with a shout out.) The site is called "The F***ing Weather." It's pretty funny, especially on days when the weather sucks.

I hope everyone plans to spend the weekend outside. If you're a fan of yard sales, you need to check out this site: Yard Sale Treasure Map. It will provide a map of all the yard sales near you on whatever day you want. Genius! Are you a bigger walker? Why not find out your neighborhood's Walk Score and see what's close to you? Or maybe you're moving and want to find a walk-friendly neighborhood. It's definitely a useful resource.

I have a friend visiting, so I'm be playing tourist again. We'll probably end up walking the National Mall, maybe the zoo and other fun places. What are your plans?

Are You Stressed Out?

Did you know today is National Stress Awareness Day? Do you think they picked the day after taxes are due on purpose? Because I imagine that most people are acutely aware of their stress levels right now. I also imagine some people may be much more stressed than usual.

So I thought I’d share a few things to alleviate some of the stress you may or may not be feeling.

- Back up your LinkedIn contacts! Just in case something goes wrong (knock on wood), keep track of all the hard work you put into your LinkedIn connections by following the steps on Almost Savvy’s post. You’ll save contact information for all your connections, your profile and your recommendations. Then I suggest putting those files on one of those little storage thingies. You know what I’m talking about, right? BAM. Less stress!

- Laugh a little! I already shared one of my favorite sites, Fmylife.com, but there are so many other great ones. I literally laugh out loud a lot of the time. Two other sites that make me giggle are Said In Bed and One Sentence. Maybe it isn’t nice to laugh at others, but if they’re brave enough to post it online, chances are they’re laughing, too.

- Go bowling! Before you say it’s too expensive, here’s a coupon to AMF bowling centers. With it, you can play up to 10 games for 99 cents each. The coupon is good until April 30, so take your family or friends and relieve some of that pent up stress!

- Let go! My mom always tells me to take things one day at a time. You’d think this was easy, but it’s actually not. Use this link to learn how what to let go of and how to do it. It can’t hurt to try.

Part of Why I Love New York

Again, if it must be said, I love SELF magazine. Period.

So if you're in the New York area, check out this opportunity:

SELF magazine is looking for women between the ages of 20 and 40 to help us taste some delicious, healthy foods! All you need to do is eat up and then vote for your favorites. The tests will be held at our offices located at 4 Times Square and will run from 7-8 p.m. We are looking for participants to come in on one of the following dates: Tues. April 7th, Wed. April 8th, Thurs. April 9th, Tues. April 14th, Wed. April 15th, or Thurs. April 16th. If you are interested, please email us at SelfFoodAwards@gmail.com with your name, phone number, and ALL of the dates you are available.

Unfortunately, I'm not helping out with this nor will I be around to test it. But, if you are, do it! Free food!

The Beauty of a Good Deal

With spring finally arriving and summer on its way, it’s time to shove those sweatpants and heavy jackets back into the depths of your closet and bust out the tank tops! And since you’ll probably be going out more, you’ll probably start to beautify yourself a little more. Well guess what! It’s a good time for that because there are so many great beauty sales happening right now!

My good friend Ale, over at SELF’s Beyond The Beauty Pages blog, has found some amazing deals just for you. (She, along with the other great gals in the beauty department, is also keeping track of spring trends, in case you’re clueless on what to buy!)

And if that’s not enough, check out this coupon for a free Signature Collection Body Care item with a $10 purchase at Bath & Body Works (good until April 12) and this coupon for a free mini body lotion with no extra purchase at Victoria’s Secret (good until April 12). You can also get a free Naturally Tote with a $25 purchase using the same VS coupon until April 6.

And if that’s not enough, get yourself ready for Spa Week, where lots of spa around the country are offering fabulous treatments for a mere $50 starting April 13. Some of these treatments are actually worth up to $300 and maybe more. Book your appointments now though!

Do Your Part

Oh, Ben & Jerry's. First, you leave the pint alone. Now this? How can anyone not love you by now?

TODAY ONLY: Ben & Jerry's reveals its eCONEomic Relief Plan

Ben & Jerry's is aware times are tough. But instead of giving up, they continue to find a way to help. This time they've chosen to help both you and the community. But how?

When you bring in a non-perishable food item to your participating Ben & Jerry's, you receive a delish scoop of any flavor for $1. All items will be donated to your community's foodbank. Pretty sweet deal, right?

"It's what makes Ben & Jerry's different," said spokesperson Sean Greenwood from the Vermont headquarters. "You do a good deed, the local food bank prospers in a tough economic time, and we all get a little more joy for the belly and soul." [Source: www.marketwatch.com]

Media-Go-Round: 3/17-3/23

I feel like someone should make a soap opera about all of this: "As the Journalism World Turns."

- Dear Bloggers, are you sure you know what you're doing by saying you'll pay for online content? I hope so.
- Twitter will take over the world, one newspaper at a time.
- Think I'll buy a Vanity Fair this month simply for this shoot. I love it.
- This one hurt a little. People magazine promoted advertorial on the cover. Is this what it takes to survive nowadays?
- I made my own magazine, thanks to Time Inc. More info here; make it here.
- Supposedly only the crappy magazines are dying.
- Conde Nast suffers layoffs and budget cuts. Again.
- Ellie nominations were announced.

Bring On the Warmth

Did you know that tomorrow is the first day of SPRING?! I didn't even realize it! Until I happen to come across another fabulous deal that I felt the need to share!

FREE regular Italian ice's at Rita's from noon to 10 p.m.!! My favorite part is that Rita's is located in 18 states and DC. There's even a Rita's in Carrboro, NC, and Oceanside, NY! With those two and the stores in DC, I'm fairly sure almost all of you can benefit from this deal.

Be sure to let me know what flavors you chose!

The Cold Hard Truth

I just finished dinner, so instead of actually having dessert, I'm going to blog about it. We'll see how long I'll make it before I crave some! Plus, it's getting warmer. So it's only fair to catch you up on some favorite frozen desserts.

If you've gone grocery shopping, you've probably noticed that prices have gone up and container sizes have shrunk. Well! Such is not the case for Ben & Jerry's, thank goodness. A pint is and always will be a pint! Here's part of the e-mail they sent to The Consumerist:

"One of our competitors (think funny sounding European name) recently announced they will be downsizing their pints from 16 to 14 ounces to cover increased ingredient & manufacturing costs and help improve their bottom line. At Ben & Jerry's we think downsizing pints is downright wrong. We understand that in today's hard economic times businesses are feeling the pinch. We also understand that many of you are also feeling the same, & think now more than ever you deserve your full pint of ice cream."

Unfortunately, some ice cream chains are not doing their best to help people in tight places. And by some ice cream chains, I mean Dairy Queen. According to WalletPop, Dairy Queen has started charging 40 cents each for whipped cream and nuts on a sundae. See, I love DQ and I know my family does, too. But adding extra charges for things that BELONG on a sundae? Bad form. Dear DQ, please please please leave the Blizzards and Buster Bars alone. Thanks.

No fear though. If you're truly in a sundae fix and don't feel like paying extra for anything, do I have a deal for you. GET TWO SUNDAES FOR THE PRICE OF ONE with this coupon at Baskin-Robbins! Hurry though; it expires in 10 days.

Free Resume Printing Rocks

Mark this on your calendar immediately: PRINT RESUME OUT AT FEDEX OFFICE TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2009.

Why? BECAUSE IT'S FREE! (I told you I love free things.) According to their Web site, FedEx Office is hosting "FedEx Office Free Resume Printing Day"and will print up to 25 black and white copies of each customer's resume for free. Heads up though, the orders have to be placed and picked up in-store. Getting out of your pajamas and to a Fedex store is small price to pay for beautiful FREE copies of your resume.

From the site: “We understand that the economy has affected many people in a very profound way, and we want to help,” said Brian Philips, president and CEO of FedEx Office. “Printing resumes is one small way we can use our resources to help those who need it.”

Thanks buddy! Get the details on the closest one to you at their Web site or call 1-800-Go-FedEx.

No Money? No Problem!

I'll admit it. I have a problem--a problem of having a love for all things free. I used to go to job fairs to score free pens, sticky notes (love them!), water bottles, etc. (Now I attend for a job and the free stuff.) At my internships, the free table was my daily hangout. I couldn't tear myself away. So it only makes sense that I've found great blogs with great deals for saving, right? Unfortunately, these deals aren't all completely free, but close enough!

1) A one year subscription to Glamour for $1.50. Seriously. I'm so mad I already subscribe to it. Ladies, please help keep my dream alive and subscribe. It's a pretty good magazine to read anyways.

2) Get oatmeal from Jamba Juice for $1 all March with this coupon. There are some exceptions, but hey, it's worth a try! After all, breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

3) One good thing about living in the South is that I have a RedBox again. The great thing about RedBox is the free rentals it randomly dishes out. (And a $1/night rental charge isn't a killer either.)

Unibrow Be Gone!

I've never been a fan of Friday the 13th, but deals like this may possibly change my mind.

Bliss Spa will be offering free signature brow waxes to the first 25 customers to enter their city's spa next Friday. Make sure you mention you saw the special on BellaSugar (and don't forget to tip esthetician!).

Luckily, I'll be back in NY for the 13th, so hopefully I'll get the chance to pop over. My brows could definitely use a little TLC. And maybe all you spring-breakers will end up near a Bliss Spa, too!