Birthday freebies

Something I look forward to on my birthday each year are the little freebies I get from my favorite stores. I know lots of retailers offer birthday rewards, I've seen comprehensive lists floating around online (just google "birthday freebies" or something similar). These are the ones I chose to redeem during my birthday month of April.

Sephora offers a nice deluxe beauty gift to anyone who is signed up for their Beauty Insider program- signing up is free! They had two options to choose from this year; I went with the Marc Jacobs liner and lipstick, they were both so itty bitty and cute, and lovely quality. Marc Jacobs is a high end brand so it's nice to be able to try something from the range. *Redeemable anytime during your birthday month

Ulta offers a gift for its Ultamate Rewards members, it is also free to sign up. I received this very generously sized hairspray mini, which I passed along to my mom because I have a jumbo one I'm working through and she was in need of it. Ulta changes the gift each quarter (Jan-Mar received a Benefit mascara). *Redeemable anytime during your birthday month

As a Starbucks Gold level member, I received a free drink- any drink, any size. You also qualify for this as a Green level member. I went with a venti skinny iced vanilla latte. I know the new rewards program is a bit controversial, you can check out the information here. I only reached Gold level status by redeeming gift cards I received. *Reward added to your account ~2 days prior to your birthday and expires the day after your birthday

Lastly, Native Foods Cafe is an awesome vegan restaurant with the most amazing food- and this is coming from a non-vegan. If you sign up for their rewards program in store you get a $10 reward to use during your birthday month, and that is actually enough to pay for an entire meal! I had their famous Twister Wrap with sweet potato fries and ended up paying maybe a dollar for tax etc. *Redeemable for about 2 weeks around your birthday

These are the freebies I enjoyed for my birthday last month! Please share any birthday freebies you take advantage of!

Saving on beauty

I wear a full face of makeup daily, and skincare is very important to me. So, my cleansing routine at the end of each day is a three step process to make sure all of that makeup is off. My favorite step one cleanser is The Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil. I find oils are the easiest, most gentle way to remove makeup. 

Just finished a bottle today! Fresh & clean new one ready to go :)

Now this cleanser is $21 for a 6.7 fl oz bottle, which is reasonable compared to high end cleansers but still pricey. Luckily the Body Shop always has sales going on, so I waited until last month to stock up during a Buy 3 Get 3 Free sale. I also had a $10 birthday perk handy, which I combined with 10% off for being a rewards card member and 5% cashback using my Discover CC.

Total cost per bottle: $8.36 

Much better than $21! I bought 6 and passed along 2 to my mom, who also loves this cleanser. She wears makeup only a couple times a week so the 2 bottles should last her the whole year, and I'm all stocked up with my four. Love getting a great deal on my must have beauty items.

Murphy & family

Recent expenses have included:

$350 flight change fee thru Delta for unexpected visa issues with my mom's trip to Korea - this made me absolutely furious, but nothing could be done.

$2154 to the IRS for 2014 tax error - horrified. I felt sick when I got the letter.

$318.95 gifts for mom to prep for Korea - what I bought her takes care of gifts for all of this year's occasions though- Mother's Day, Christmas, birthday.

$500 to dad to use as spending money in Korea - he is currently very underemployed, a nice gesture.

TOTAL: $3,322.95

A rough start to the month. I was so gungho about my savings at the start of the year, I was all set to hit the 20k mark by May. All of this plus the $1180 I owed in taxes this year really dampened my spirits and set me back considerably. Still, I am thankful to have the savings to dip into when Murphy visits, and to be able to do things for my family. Just need to buckle down these next few months I guess. Sigh.

What I gave away/used up in April

I live in a very teeny studio apartment- approximately 300 sq ft! There is minimal storage space, which has driven my ongoing quest to only keep (and buy) what I truly use and need. I do a pretty good job of it, overall I don't really have hoarding tendencies and don't get too attached to things. However, for some reason I've recently become motivated to cut back even more, even if it's just a few small things here and there. This is what I was able to give away and use up in the past month.

-3 mugs to my church: We serve coffee and pastries every week and everyone who considers themselves to be a church member is asked to donate a mug. This church has been my home for 2+ years now and I only just "officially" became a member by bringing a mug :)

Some essentials: First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream, Soap and Glory 
A Great Kisser  Lip Balm, LUSH Ultrabalm, Tarte Maracuja Oil, 
Jack Black Lip Balm, Liz Earler Super Skin Concentrate, etc

-3 Bath and Body Works candles: A few years ago I was obsessed with these and would always stock up during sales. I finished off 3 halfway burned candles and saved the containers for storage. Pictured is the one I keep at my desk with a few essentials that I am always reaching for.
-Pink and red striped scarf from Hollister, fluffy earmuffs, bookends, and about 6 miscellaneous clothing items.
-1 highlighter: Now it may seem silly to take note of this, but I feel like I have so many pens and highlighters lying around! I'm trying to use the same ones to finish them off. It gave me great satisfaction to use up and throw away a highlighter. I know I sound crazy :)

That's all! Just a few things, but I was glad of it. I hope to be more mindful about using things up and giving things away. Decluttering is so satisfying!

My very first penalty

Toward the beginning of April I overdrafted on my checking account and was penalized $35 from Bank of America. I'm still not 100% sure what happened, but I think I transferred money over to my mom's account from mine without realizing that my rent check would be cashed the same day, and ended up going under. This is the first time I've ever been penalized for anything and I was horrified. From reading online it sounds like I could have called the bank and there is a good chance they would have credited me back the $35 since I have been a customer for 10+ years and this was my first ever error. I debated doing that, but in the end I figured it was a mistake on my part and I should own up to it, and learn a lesson! And to be honest it was around the time that I was studying for my licensing exam nonstop and I was just too exhausted and had no brain space for that kind of stuff. A poor excuse I know. Anyway a good reminder for me that no matter how careful you are, a mistake can indeed happen. I hope I go another 10 years before the next one does.