lucky bandit | RVA based lifestyle blog

Friday, April 07, 2023

frugal friday

Regrowing romaine hearts. They're already about two inches tall!

Another week (or months with how my blogging is) of how I've made or saved some cash.
  • The electric company sent over a refund check for a span of a few years or something and I got back a whopping $1.02
  • I picked up a free 40pk of water with coupon at BJ's and a huge bottle of Gain for $16.49. With coupon, BJ's Gain was 11¢ per load (146 loads) compared to Target, where I normally get my detergent, at 14¢ per load (107 loads) for $15.99. Pennies make dollars! 
  • I batched errands and all in one day took off my rather accumulated pile of recycling (the facility is only ten minutes away but it's out of the way), utlizied the last few days of my health insurance until the new kicks in to get three more months of my prescription for free, shipped a sold Poshmark item using a recycled polymailer, redeemed a free order of breadsticks with rewards points from Pizza Hut, and then worked my gig job for a bit and made $125 in five hours. While out, I got gas at BJ's and it was significantly cheaper than other stations.
  • My first day at my new job was Wednesday and I love it so far. I finally have my nights and weekends back! 💃
  • While I no longer have a balcony, I have some huge windows. I planted some basil seeds and I'm hoping they come up. We'll see. 
  • My best friend let me redeem her free year of MLB TV from TMobile 😍⚾
  • I redeemed a coupon for a free bag of Tostitos tortilla chips at Kroger. I've gotten a free bag each month since I moved to the area in 2018.

Things I've continued to declutter since I moved!
  • A piece of art I didn't want, to a coworker who loved it
  • I went through a bunch of my plant items and sold three plants stands for $35 total, four small pots for $10, and gave away a few small terracottta pots
  • A few more sold items on Poshmark, shipped in recycled bubble mailers
How I avoided food waste!
  • I've been eating through my freezer and I just thawed a large bowl of chili - it's as good as the day I made it!
  • Even though I overbought on produce, I finished all but maybe a cup or two of romaine. 

Tuesday, January 31, 2023

frugal friday

my $3 thrifted umbrella 

As always, here's ways I've saved and made a buck (here and there in the last six months)!
  • My Verizon anniversary came around and they sent me a $10 Amazon giftcard (it's only been 19 years, no big deal *eye roll*)
  • I had an absolutely wonderful coworker save me a TON of boxes at work, and between her and my pilfering of boxes that otherwise would've gone on to the landfill or recycling, it saved me pretty penny on moving boxes
  • At the end of September I signed up and received my second Covid booster shot for free at Walgreens and today I received my free flu shot from my place of employment
  • I received a $50 Visa giftcard from Xfinity and applied it to my credit card balance that was due. I also deposited a $4.89 refund check from my insurance company for overpayment of premium!
  • I sold several items on Poshmark and a bunch of furniture and flower pots on FB Marketplace
  • I worked on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day and made time and a half along with a few bartending shifts that pay more per hour.
  • There was an issue with my cellular data so I called Verizon and we got that straight while upgrading my plan and saving me $14.99 a month as Hulu/Disney+/ESPN+ is now included in my upgraded plan for free
  • I redeemed a $10 coupon off a $10 order at Ulta, and redeemed $3 in rewards
  • When I moved I changed my renter's policy's coverage and they sent me a $77.80 premium refund check (what! I'll take it)
  • Amazon Prime gave me a seven day trial for HBO Max, so I finished the third season of His Dark Materials for free
Things I've decluttered in anticipation for my move/after I moved:
  • A bunch of jars and lids I'd been hoarding ("that's a good ass jar!"), recycled
  • I've used up a BUNCH of condiments, sauces, and skin care
  • Several Poshmark items and recycled polymailers
  • A large ceramic pumpkin, a stack of Dollar Tree organizers, sold & given away on FB
  • My entryway table, desk, and large plant stand, sold on FB marketplace
  • A small space heater, to someone in a free FB group
  • A stack of books and cereal bowls, to two friends
  • A dozen or so planters, sold on FB
And how I've avoided food waste:
  • I had a cooler full of frozen food that I wasn't going to eat (hashbrowns, half bags of vegan chicken nuggets, some spring rolls I didn't like) and my best friend went through it and grabbed what they'd eat
  • Even though I get free lunch at work, I don't have a microwave at my new apartment so I take meals in because I'm more inclined to eat leftovers if I can easily heat them vs. using the oven

my poshmark closet | shop my mercari
lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

*All affiliate links will be marked with an asterick.*


Saturday, December 10, 2022

mini book haul

I recently moved to an apartment downtown and I've been having a lot of fun wandering around my area. I was passing by Fountain Books and noticed they had a box of free books outside. I'm never one to turn down an opportunity to get a new book, so I took a look inside.
Exciting! I first noticed The Prisoner by B.A. Paris, as I'm a fan of Behind Closed Doors. I wasn't familiar with any of the others, but I snagged Raw Deal by Chloe Sorvino. I never really eat meat, but I enjoy non fiction themes like this.

I, once again, am not going to complete my reading challenge, unfortunately. I started reading It by Stephen King and that's kept me pretty occupied (over 1,100 pages!) despite how quickly I can read! Maybe 2023 will be the year I finally, for the first time ever, complete a reading challenge.

my poshmark closet | shop my mercari
lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

*All affiliate links will be marked with an asterick.*

Tuesday, September 20, 2022

empties #25

It's been a while since I've used up a bunch of products, but I finally can get all of these out of my apartment! As usual, I'm going to mark the items that are not cruelty free.
Pacifica Pineapple Cleanse Face Wash // Pacifica products just work for my face. I'll continue buying them! 

Treehut Moisturizing Shave Oil  // This worked well for shaving, however, I have come to the conclusion that I just cannot stand how oils feel on my skin.

Bath & Body Works Aquamarine Shores Foaming Hand Soap // not cruelty free // All of the B&BW items in this post were gifts. It's soap, it did the job. 

Beauty 360 Gentle Eye Makeup Remover // not cruelty free // This was a hand-me-down. It worked, but left a residue and isn't CF.

Trader Joe's Microdermabrasion Scrub // In store, I thought this was a chemical exfoliant (which I prefer). It's not, it s a cream scrub. I ended up just using it on my elbows and knees because it kind of hurt my face. I wouldn't pick it up again.

Suave Powder Deoderant // Suave is now cruelty free! This is my go to deodorant brand.
Bath & Body Works Champagne Toast Hand Sanitizer // not cruelty free // I have so many of these little hand sanitizers to use up! These work fine, but B&BW isn't CF.

Petal Fresh Guava Nectar Body Butter // This was a Ross find. It was your standard, run of the mill body butter. I'd pick it up again if I needed some.

Amnh Peach Booty Tightening & Lifting Polish // This was a fun little pick at Marshall's! I didn't notice any buttcheek tightening or lifting, but it was a decent little exfoliant!

Glamfox Retinol + Collagen Serum // Another Marshall's find. I felt this did make a difference in my skin, making it more even and tight. I'd definitely get it again.

Ulta Rapidly Renew Overnight Renewal Cream // When I got approved for my Ulta card I went a little nuts with ordering skincare and got this as part of that order. This was super thick and I felt it really did a great job deep moisturizing.

Azure Hemp Collagen Nourishing Eye Serum // I never thought this bottle would end. I saw a very slight difference in my undereyes, but other products have definitely worked better.

Estee Lauder Gentle Eye Makeup Remover // not cruelty free // Another hand-me-down. It did the job, but isn't CF.

Bath & Body Works Pretty as a Peach Shower Gel // not cruelty free // I used to keep a couple of these on hand for gifts, but frankly I got tired of storing them so I just started to use them up. This was a fine shower gel, but B&BW isn't CF.
Freeman Anti-Stress Clay Mask // I rarely get around to using masks (and only clay/liquid masks - I can't do sheet masks at all) and I knew I was just not gonna get to this enough to finish off the bottle, so I decluttered it. I didn't really notice much of a difference after using it, other than it was so hard to wash off.

Bath & Body Works Creep It Real Hand Sanitizer // not cruelty free // Another of these. Not CF.

Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Special Conditioner // I have eczema/psoriasis on my scalp that gets easily irritated so I try to try out sample sizes first. I really liked this conditioner and how it made my scalp feel. I'll definitely be ordering a full size.

Pacifica Pore Refine Deep Detox Mask // Like I said above, Pacifica products just really work for my skin. I could tell a difference every time I used this.

Sand & Sky Australian Pink Clay Deep Pore Cleanser // I got this in an ipsy box. It was alright. I think I like their mask more than the cleanser.

Pacifica Clean Shot Hyaluronic & Flowers 5% Solution // Are you seeing a pattern? Haha. I liked this. It was light and made my skin more even.

Goldfaden MD Doctor's Scrub // This was another ipsy box item. I didn't really like this one.
Ulta Poreless Face Primer // When I first got this I liked it. It made my pores less noticeable and really smoothed my complexion. It's since gone bad and just pills up on my face so I decided to chuck it.

Pacifica Rose Jelly Underye Gel // I LOVED this stuff. It made a HUGE difference in my undereyes. I'm trying to use up some other eye gels right now, but I'm definitely going to get this once I'm done with those.

First Aid Beauty Coconut Skin Smoothie Priming Moisturizer // not cruelty free // FAB isn't cruelty free anymore, and this moisturizer was a little greasy. I wouldn't purchase a full size.

Badger Headache Soother // This is a declutter. I never used it, so I can't attest to if it works or not.

Ulta Juicy Jelly Lip Gloss // For a gloss this was really thick and moisturizing. I actually used it as a night lip mask with great results.

e.l.f. Lip Exfoliator // These work a lot better than tubs of scrubs that get everywhere, but inevitably they always break off before I can use the whole thing.
Pacifica Indian Coconut Nectar Hand Cream // This is my favorite hand cream, hands down (no pun intended). I'll keep buying these.

Olay Regenerist Whip Hydrating Moisturizer // not cruelty free // I actually quite enjoyed this moisturizer and would consider buying it if Olay every went cruelty free.

Bath & Body Works Christmas Candy Cane Hand Cream // not cruelty free // This scent is cloying, as I find most holiday scents.

Shiseido Urban Environment Oil-Free UV Protector // not cruelty free // I know this is sunscreen, but I had to wash it off my face. The texture is all wrong.

Dermologica Clear Start Cooling Aqua Jelly // I liked this. It was nice and light and would be great after a day in the sun. I'd buy a full size.

Raw Sugar Natural Lip Scrub  // This was a bit greasy, but I liked it.

Bite Beauty Agave Sugar Lip Scrub Set // A Sephora birthday gift. The balm was a bit too thick, but the scrub was nice. I don't know that I liked it enough to buy full size versions.

Prada Candy Perfume Sample// not cruelty free // Not a fan.

Biossance Squalane Omega Repair Cream // This wasn't bad, but the price for a full size is outrageous.

Simply Shea Sweet Pea Body Cream // A nice little cream. I think the Simply Shea part of Simply Soothing might've been postponed due to the pandemic, but I'd definitely get some of that line if it came out later.
More lip balms I'm decluttering. The Aquaphor (not cruelty free) actually works really wekk for my chronically dry lips, so I will continue buying it despite it not being CF, since I consider painful lips and what helps them to be medical. I wanted to love the rest, but they just didn't work for me so I got them out of here. Thus ends another empties post!

my poshmark closet | shop my mercari
lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

*All affiliate links will be marked with an asterick.*

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