Got A Problem Closet?

Found this online this morning and had to post it here!

This is precisely the method I used to organize my closet over the summer - and I didn't even know it!

That's all I have for now. I'm still desperately working away at my coupon binder. Yesterday I was about to start organizing the un-filed coupons when I decided that I didn't like the system I had and I wanted to change it.

Change involved an extensive spreadsheet that still is not done.

But damn it I WILL post my coupon binder by tomorrow, if it's the last thing I do!

I'm spending today cleaning the whole apartment (somehow while I was working over the weekend everything in our common areas got sticky and gross) and relaxing. They sound like complete opposites, but don't worry, I enjoy cleaning too much.

Hope you have a lovely Wednesday!

Monday Mania!

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend. My weekend was busy and tiring and went by way too quickly, but it was awesome!

The Florida Mall

Firstly, I started my new job this weekend! I had such a good time. Saturday I just spend 8.5 hours being told anything and everything about running guest services at the mall. Saturday was my most tiring day; it was very long and we had basically covered everything by around 7pm (we were off at 9:30pm) and the mall wasn't very busy by then so I didn't really get to put it into practice!

On Sunday, I worked again, but I got to put my new knowledge to work! It wasn't really busy at guest services, but I did get to sell gift cards and coupon books and do all of the paperwork for sales at guest services. I was told that I did a really good job, and I enjoyed it a ton. I think my favorite part, though, is how we weren't very busy at all for most of the day, so I just worked on my statistics homework in my down time.

Speaking of statistics, I am totally rocking that class. One might even say I'm enjoying it. I've been in a back-and-forth discussion all weekend with my TA/lab instructor about calculating certain statistics on our exam 2 scores and while I feel like a total dork, it's kind of fun, so I will forgive myself.

So Noted News: Friday we started my arrangement of Sara Bareilles's "I Choose You"! The rhythms are taking everyone a bit to get into, but I think by tonight's rehearsal we'll have the hang of it. I didn't really arrange a difficult piece, it's just busy. Hopefully not too busy... but just hearing the first 8 or so measures that we worked on the other night was awesome.

I also was chosen to co-arrange a song for our ICCA set! For those of you who aren't aware (or haven't seen Pitch Perfect... shame on you!), ICCA stands for International Competition of Collegiate A Cappella. It's basically our biggest event of every year. There are a couple of regional competitions before reaching the top: the national competition in New York City. Every year, we arrange a new set from scratch for our regional competition for ICCA. This year I, along with two other lovely ladies, will be arranging "Lois Lane" by Bean. It's a lighthearted, fun, sweet song and I think we're going to have a blast doing it.

Over the weekend, I somehow managed to catch another cold. I wasn't even fully recovered from my last cold, and next thing you know, my throat is swollen on Saturday and today I have no voice. It's really cute. Especially since we have two solo auditions this week that I'm really interested in... sigh, life is rough. But Zicam and Alka-Seltzer Plus have become my best friends. It kind of creeps me out that this "citrus" flavored Alka-Seltzer comes in a white tablet and then turns my water pink. But it helps me feel better so I'll overlook that for now.

This week I'll hopefully be getting around to posting about how I organize my coupons! I've been putting off that post for like two weeks now just because I've felt too lazy to maintain my binder and therefore it's a bit messy right now, but this week I actually need groceries so I'll get around to it and take some pictures and tell you all about how I conquer the stores with my coupons.

Last but not least, a Monday look at my planner:

Have a great week y'all!

Friday Five!

Hey y'all! Hope you all have had an awesome week. I've had a busy week full of rehearsals and homework! ...as usual. However, I just received the following message from my statistics professor, so I'm feeling pretty good:

Anyway, on to the Friday Five!

1. I got a new job this week! I filled out the massive amount of paperwork and got my official fancy button-down shirt and it's official! I will be working as a guest services representative at the Florida Mall (my favorite mall in the world!), and I think it's going to be really awesome for me. I'm a naturally hospitable and helpful person, so any opportunity to help someone out is a great thing for me. I'm also really excited because this job is going to allow for growth and a variety of assignments - so I won't just look at my schedule every month and be like, "great, I get to spend 8 hours at a desk 20 times this month." I don't want to jinx things (though I'm sure I will), but I think I might be able to stick with this job for a while. I'm excited!

Here's a cute pug in a cowboy hat to help illustrate my excitement.

I'm currently in the library getting all of my homework and blogging out of the way so that I won't be stressed out over my 14.5 hours of work this weekend! It's going to be a great weekend, though, I'm sure. I just have a really great feeling about it!

2. And what would Friday Five be without So Noted? We finally voted on our set for ICCA, we submitted our SoJam audition, and tonight we're starting my arrangement of Sara Bareilles's "I Choose You" (above)! I'm really really excited and really really nervous, because this is the first time anything of mine is actually being performed! I've told the group on multiple occasions, though, that I'm open to thoughts, ideas, and constructive criticism, so I think that even if it turns out not to be the best arrangement in the world, we'll make it an awesome performance. I love those ladies. They make my week so much better!

So Noted receiving a little theory lesson from Clara, one of our Soprano 2s!

We'll be missing a football game while we're in Vegas - so my dad mailed me our season tickets for that weekend to give away! Only for true Knights, though :)

3. At the end of this month, I will be going to Las Vegas with my family for the Life Is Beautiful music festival! I hate traveling and plane rides and not being away from home, but I think this will be a fun time. I love music and my family is pretty cool when they're not...being my family (ha, I mean that in the nicest way possible!). I'm super excited to be seeing Andrew McMahon, who has been one of my favorite musicians and musical/life inspirations for the entirety of my adolescence. I've seen him four times (twice as Jack's Mannequin, once as Something Corporate, once solo) with my best friend and I'm excited to be seeing him again! It's going to be a good time.

Andrew McMahon, my hero/inspiration. (source)

4. My boyfriend, Ryan, has been working on designing an Android app with Air Force ROTC "Warrior Knowledge" as a reference tool for anyone in AFROTC. While I'm no graphic designer or anything, I offered to help him design an icon (at least until he makes trillions of dollars and pay for a super nice one) and I think it turned out pretty nice! We spent like two hours at the library yesterday trying to get it to translate well into the app, but I think it's a really cool looking icon considering my lack of skills!

5. And last, but not least: my planner! My week wasn't too busy, I just had a lot of homework to do. But of course, I made my planner look lovely!

What are your plans for the weekend? Leave a comment and let me know! Whatever your plans, I hope you have the best weekend ever! Until next weekend, of course.

I am now off to work on my large amounts of homework. Wish me luck. :)

My desk!

I just wanted to show off some pictures of my desk today! The planner photo challenge of the day is "where you plan" and I ended up taking a lot of pictures, so I'm posting them. I really love my desk/office corner - I've built it to be PERFECT for me and it's awesome!

The office space! I love it so much.

Mission Control. Where the magic happens. My home.

The planning side of my desk (side note: Washi tape is taking over my life. Two weeks ago I didn't even know what Washi tape was! What is happening?!)

This sign hangs on the wall to the left of my desk to remind me and everyone else of who I really am.

And I leave you with an artistic picture of a candle, because I always have candles going here, it seems!

Have a beautiful Wednesday - I'm off to fill out new hire paperwork at a job I was just offered! Hooray!

Intro to Coupons!

I'm a couponer - that's no secret. Most people think I'm insane when they first find out. They huff and they puff and they think, "oh, you're the one holding up the checkout line to get an extra 25¢."

Then they see me get razors to last me four months for $5 and suddenly it's "SHOW ME YOUR WAAAYYYYSSSSS!!!!!!!"

Now, let's get this straight - I'm not like the ladies you see on Extreme Couponing. I don't have a garage full of 3500 shampoos and conditioners, and I've never bought more than 4 of one item on a coupon-venture.

I am 20 years old, I only have to feed myself, and seriously who on earth actually NEEDS 87 bottles of mustard? Seriously????

My point is - you can coupon effectively without being too extreme. Here are some main points I've learned about couponing, on a budget, for one person:

• First and foremost, do not let the excitement of saving money get the best of you! Yes, if you bought all 72 rolls of toilet paper - with the sales and coupons, you'd only be paying about 30¢ per roll! But you're on a tight budget, living in a tight space, and you already have enough toilet paper to last you through the end of the month. Save the coupon. Save your money.
• Stockpile! Yes, I have a stockpile. No, it's not huge. It takes up about two square feet on an otherwise empty shelf in my closet. If you are low on money and space, keep your stockpile to the necessities - I consider my stockpile more of a back-up for items I know that I absolutely will not live without. I've managed to keep it under control by only stocking up on things that I use on a daily basis, and if it's already in my stockpile, I won't buy any more until I need more. I keep a running inventory of things that are in my stockpile so that I can keep track of it, and it's pretty simple. Main things I keep in my stockpile are hygiene products (deodorant, shampoo, razors, body wash, etc.), vitamins, over-the-counter medicines, and cleaning products. Having a stockpile really does make couponing worth it, if you're able to keep it realistic and keep it organized - especially when you get in the shower and realize you're out of shampoo. I tell you, I'd rather walk to my closet in a towel and get some nice shampoo that I know I only paid 20¢ for than drive to the grocery store and pay $3 for the same thing.
• Be realistic. You're couponing to save money, right? Right. So, just because you have a coupon for something, doesn't mean you should use it. Even if it's on sale! Even if it's free! There's just no sense in that. At this current moment, I could probably get a lot of men's deodorant for free. But I prefer women's deodorant and have no desire to smell exactly like my boyfriend. So those coupons get set aside and I save my money for things I actually need. Which brings me to my next point...
• Be generous. Don't be greedy. I usually clip ALL of the coupons in the newspaper, and sometimes when I'm printing coupons I'll print one for a friend or family member if I see one - just because I'm the coupon queen, and I'm the only one who's ever going to see these in my little circle! Printing and clipping and organizing coupons is hard work, but I find I enjoy it more when my roommate says "I need _____." and I can respond with "I have a coupon for that!" In addition - DON'T THROW AWAY EXPIRED COUPONS! I started just putting my expired coupons in an envelope because I figured there HAD to be something better I could do with them - and then a friend of mine let me know that you can send them overseas to military! They can use coupons up to six months past their expiration date, so save your expired coupons and send them over every once in a while. You can find more information about that here.
• Be organized. You don't have to go full-on mom mode and have a massive coupon binder (although I have, and I highly recommend it - I'll be posting about my binder soon!), but try to keep it organized. The few minutes you spend clipping these valuable coupons are wasted if you can't find the coupon!

You can get coupons from a seemingly infinite amount of resources. Most major store websites have printable coupons, Publix does digital coupons, Target has the awesome Cartwheel app, and then you have websites like Smart Source and Red Plum - not to mention the Sunday paper! Do a little research, and you'll definitely find your coupons.

Lastly, and the most important piece of advice I can give you: keep up with weekly ads. That's the basis of the art of couponing - matching coupons to sales. THAT is how you save money! My Sunday mornings generally consist of some relaxing music, enjoying the sunrise, printing new coupons, and checking out the weekly ads.

To conclude: if you put in the time and effort, you can save a ton of money. Be dedicated, and be organized.

And this is just the beginning - I have a ton more to tell you about coupons! Like my coupon binder, where I get my coupons, other ways to save money similar to coupons, and more - all in future posts.

Have a beautiful Tuesday, everyone!

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!