Monday Mania!

Good morning and happy Monday, everyone! How was your weekend?

One of my mouse friends, Donna, being adorable this morning.

My weekend was busy, but full of fun. On Saturday, UCF played South Carolina in our first nationally televised game at Bright House Stadium! It was awesome. SC ended up beating us 28-25, but the first half was amazing and seeing the stadium packed to capacity was a dream come true. I had a great time with my family, and my brother and I spent the entire game making "Gamecock" jokes. I mean, seriously... the cheerleaders had a sign that just said "COCKS!" They can't be serious, right?

On Sunday, So Noted attended a Youth Chorus Workshop event to perform and participate. Upon arrival, we found out that this was a BARBERSHOP workshop and we had so much fun! We got to see a new member of our group perform barbershop with her barbershop quartet, and we also got to wow the youngins in the crowd with our performance. It was a great time. This weekend, we also submitted our video for the SoJam 2013 Competition!


As for this week, it should be pretty calm. I have an exam this morning that I will hopefully kick ass on, and tomorrow I have another doctor's appointment - but that's it! I am, of course, swamped with homework, but I guess that's what comes with college! I'm going to try to go to the gym a few times this week and either this afternoon or tomorrow I will hopefully be posting an introduction to couponing! I'm really excited.

I decided I want to post a picture of my planner every Monday and Friday - it's fun! Currently my planner is a little empty, but that's because it's Monday. I can't wait to compare on Friday.

What are your plans for the week? Have a good one!

Friday Five!

This week's Friday Five is just a random compilation of THINGS and I think that's awesome. They are some awesome things, so I hope you enjoy!

1. Have you guys every tried Zevia? It's an all-natural, Stevia-sweetened soda that you can find in natural food stores, and I think they even sell it at some Targets! I'm a big fan of Stevia, as it's natural and the taste isn't bad, so when I found Zevia at a Whole Foods a few months ago, I was really excited to try it!

After trying the flavors that sounded good to me (I'm not a big fan of grape or cherry flavored things usually, so I skipped over those - let me know if they're worth a shot!), I decided they were good, but not quite worth paying the money for the larger packs. I had one flavor left that I just could not find: strawberry. Every time I went to any natural food store, I'd go on a wild hunt for it, but always came up empty. There came a point when I was even willing to buy a six pack of Target - but they didn't have the strawberry flavor.

Well, a few days ago, I discovered this local natural food store that's only a few minutes away from my apartment, and lo and behold - strawberry Zevia! And it was a great price - $1 for one can, as opposed to paying around $2 for a can at Whole Foods - so I grabbed it and stuck it in the fridge for the perfect moment to try it.

That moment happened to be this afternoon when I got home from campus. And WOW. It's amazing. I think I found my flavor.

It tastes like someone just threw strawberries and Sprite in a blender and then just took out the solid pieces. It's SO GOOD.

2. I just wanted to link you to two of my absolute favorite organizing blogs: I Heart Organizing & A Bowl Full of Lemons! I have found myself scrolling through these blogs for hours on multiple occasions, so check them out!

3. I have a busy weekend ahead of me! My UCF Knights are playing the South Carolina Gamecocks tomorrow at noon, which is one of the biggest games we've ever played - and we're finally being nationally televised! My parents and little brother have season tickets to the games, so we'll be going together and it is sure to be insane. I can't wait!

On Sunday, So Noted will be attending and performing at a youth chorus workshop all afternoon, and then we have our monthly potluck that night! It's going to be a busy day for sure, but I certainly don't mind spending time with my a cappella group. :)

4. Speaking of So Noted, I just want to say that I'm having the time of my life being a part of the group! I've been a member for over a year, but there's just some new exciting feeling within the group that is making rehearsing and performing a blast. They make me reaaaallllyyyy happy!

5. Last but not least, my planner somehow became wildly colorful this week - so I have to show you all!

And that's it for the Friday Five! I hope you guys have an awesome weekend. :)

All About Me!

You know all about my planning addiction, you know I for some reason want to run a blog about health, budgeting, and organization - but what am I really all about?

Lucky for you - I'm about to tell you!

Let's start with the basics.

Me and my grandfather, Poppa B.

On August 28, 1993, a dream became a reality in Pensacola, Florida and I decided to grace this Earth with my presence. I couldn't wait to get started, so I broke my mom's water six weeks early, while she was at the mall shopping for patio furniture.

I've lived in Florida my whole life, except for a tiny two-year stint somewhere in New York from 1996-1998. Florida is most definitely wear I belong. Despite the fact that I'm always hot (I'm convinced my natural body temperature is lower than average), I couldn't survive in a place where it actually gets cold more than a handful of times each year. I've lived in every part of Florida except for South Florida, but Central Florida is where I've lived the most, and it's the part of Florida that most definitely has my heart.

Just one part of my beautiful campus!

I've been a Knight of the University of Central Florida since before birth and now I'm a junior here! I'm a psychology major, I am studying to receive certificates in behavioral forensics and criminal profiling, and I'm getting a minor in crime, law, & deviance. It sounds like a lot, but all those certificates and the minor really only require a couple of extra classes, and I'm way too interested in these subjects not to study them! I want to eventually be a criminal profiler and/or a counselor, preferably for prisoners or teenagers. I'm especially interested in abnormal psychology and social deviance - mental disorders and acting out of the "norm."

Source

As a psychology major and as someone whose life has been largely affected by mental illness (both first-hand and otherwise), I'm a huge proponent of mental health awareness and support. Mental disorders can affect anyone, and I think it's very important for everyone - whether you have a mental disorder or not - to actively promote a healthy mind in themselves and everyone else. I support loving yourself and positive thoughts, even if I have trouble in those very areas myself!

So Noted, ready to perform at ICCA!

My biggest passion is music. I've been involved in music for as long as I can remember! The music program at my high school won a Grammy, my high school women's choir was chosen to perform at both the Regional and National American Choral Directors' Association conferences (2010 and 2011, respectively), and now I'm part of UCF's all-female a cappella group, So Noted! I love everything about singing, performing, and even the theory involved in music. Singing is my ultimate release.

Knightro, being a wet dog.

I also loooooove animals. I'm a dog person, and my four-year-old shih tzu, Knightro, lives with my parents and is a professional at being adorable. Here at college with me I have four mice: Leslie, Ann, April, and Donna (points for you if you know where their names come from!); and two rats: John and Sherlock (I adopted them from a friend who couldn't take them with her to New York - their names are not particularly relevant to my interests though I do love the names!). I lovingly refer to myself as the rodent queen and I do my best to give that title the best face in the world.

One of my rats, John, being adorable and sleeping funny.

On a normal day, you can find me waking up around 6am (I'm a morning person), eating a simple breakfast, and either planning my day/week/month/life or clipping coupons. I cherish the quiet serenity of the morning and watching the light grow in my room through my window as the sun rises. I love mornings!

I think that's about it when it comes to getting to know me! Got any questions? Go ahead and ask! I know not many people are reading this blog just yet, but if you are - I'd love to talk to you (and look at your blog if you're a fellow blogger)!

Have an awesome Wednesday, y'all!

Addicted

I have a confession... I am an addict.

To planning. And organizing. And color coding. And planning.

I recently joined a Facebook group called "Planner Addicts" that was started by Toni from A Bowl Full of Lemons. It's provided a lot of inspiration. As you can see above, my desk space/planning zone is super organized, super stocked, and super ready to conquer every day! ...at least, that's what I thought until I joined this group.

Fast forward two days later, and I have three times the Post-It notes that I'll ever need; I've gone from "what is Washi tape?" to "I have 8 rolls of Washi tape." These ladies mean business. And I love it!

I honestly can't recall a time that I wasn't lost without a planner. I have always been the planning type. And considering that I was recently diagnosed with Adult ADHD - it makes sense. I had to plan because my brain wouldn't let me work without it!

The problem with planners is that they're boring. Or, at least, they can be. I let my planner get boring more recently, but when I joined that Facebook group... sparks were flying, colors were covering my pages, and suddenly, I couldn't wait to check off another item on my to-do list!

I'm enjoying this fit of creative planning. The plain old to-do lists were getting old and I was just color-coding out of habit. This is fun. This is what organization is all about!

I can't wait to post more about my daily planning system! I'm still working on getting my posts for this blog planned, but I have some fun ideas that I'm really excited to share. I hope you're excited to hear about them!

What are your plans for the week? I've got lots of homework and planning before UCF plays South Carolina on Saturday and I have a day full of a cappella things on Sunday! I just hope I get some time to breathe :) Have a good one!

Friday Five!

So, this morning I did some "planning" for how I want this blog to run and I decided that every Friday, I'd do a "Friday Five" post - this is just a random compilation of five things. Some weeks might have a theme, some might not, as long as it's Five things posted on Friday, it counts!

This week is going to be all about the author of this blog - yours truly! Without further ado, Healthy Fun & Frugal's very first Friday Five --


1. My name is Alexis! I'm 20 years old, a Florida native, and I'm in college studying psychology and criminal profiling.

2. I'm a compulsive planner. I have severe anxiety and ADHD, so to fight those things I PLAN PLAN PLAN. It feels like I'm constantly making lists, but I really can't say I mind - I usually get things done!

3. Though I'm young, I've been with my amazing boyfriend, Ryan, for over five years now! We met in middle school, started dating in high school, and decided we just couldn't live without each other so we stuck together :)

4. Music is my passion. I was in choir all throughout high school, attended a Grammy-winning arts school, performed at two major conferences for choral music, and now I'm in an a cappella group! I perform and arrange for the groups, and I'm hoping to learn how to do vocal percussion soon.

5. I love animals! Maybe a little too much, and a little too impulsively, but I do. Back at home I have a shih tzu named Knightro, and he is the cutest thing and so, so lovable. Here at school, I have four mice: Leslie, April, Ann, & Donna (points to whoever knows where the name comes from!), and two rats: John & Sherlock.

So that's it! I think I covered some important points about myself. Of course, as I continue blogging and people (hopefully) continue reading, y'all will learn more and more about me. Probably more than you ever wanted to know.

I have a few projects lined up for this weekend, including planning out some posts for this blog! So keep checking back for updates - I'm sure there will be something by the end of the weekend!

Have an awesome weekend, and happy Friday!

Welcome!

Hello, and welcome to my brand new blog! As I sit in my bedroom, clipping coupons, and drinking my carefully concocted smoothie at 6:30am, I decided to share my ideas with the world. I have a love for writing - so combine that with my passion for being healthy, having fun, and staying within my tight college budget, and you have the perfect recipe for a blog!

I'm still deciding just exactly what this blog will be all about, but I'm sure you can expect lots of posts about health (20 pounds lost on Weight Watchers so far!), couponing, organization, budgets, etc. But don't worry - I'll keep it fun!

Have a lovely Friday!