How I Became a First-time Homeowner at Twenty Two

I never thought much about buying my own house.  It was honestly the last thing on my mind, I always figured I was too young and that is was something I'd do when I was older, like my thirties.  But somewhere down the line, when I found out it was possible, it became all I wanted.  And this is how I did it, how I became a first time homeowner at just twenty two years old.
First off, right out of high school, I went directly to culinary school.  A very expensive culinary school in Connecticut's own capitol city, Hartford.  This was a mistake.  I didn't research my options enough, and even though I've been taking cooking lessons since I was four and even have won some competitions, once I was in school I decided it wasn't for me and I didn't love it. 
So I dropped out after seven months and owed the school twenty thousand dollars.  Yes, TWENTY THOUSAND dollars.  This was a huge set back for me because I was only nineteen and I didn't even have two thousand in my bank account.  I was really stressed out, and my only way out was to make more money so I could pay off my student loan, because I did not want to be in debt so early on and owe so much.  And since my parents have four kids, they weren't going to help me with college and bills I had made for myself.
I already worked part time at a small jewelry store making above minimum wage, but I had to pay for parking while I worked, a dollar an hour.  It was stupid, but I had a car and I needed to pay the parking toll or else I would get  ticket.
So I got a second job working at a hotel, a Crowne Plaza.  I got hired as their hostess making ten dollars an hour, but after three months I was given a raise and promoted twice. I was able to start delivering room services and I was allowed to start serving in the restaurant and in the banquet halls; meaning tips.  And there were so many times I got nice tips working there.  After all it was a business hotel, not a vacation hotspot, where majority of our clientele was business men.  I worked at the hotel for two years, saving as much money as I could.
I used to get my weekly paychecks from the hotel sent directly to my checking account, and I'd put my entire weekly paycheck from the jewelry store in my savings account, and I lived off my tips.  If I had a bad week in tips, I didn't go out or do anything extra.  I spent my tips on gas, parking, entertainment, food, and necessities.  Luckily my tips were so good I didn't have to dip into my checking or savings account. 
The money that went directly into my checking account went to pay off my student loans,  my car insurance, and other bills I had.  However, I was very lucky because I did live with my mom and I didn't have to pay her rent.  I was able to save a lot doing this.  Also my dad paid for my phone bill and I'm still under his health insurance, another huge help so I could continue saving and paying extra on my student loan payment each month, trying to reduce the interest.
I worked nonstop, on average seventy hours a week between both jobs.  And eventually I got a third job.  I got a job serving at a sports bar, because my aunt knew the owners, but I didn't like the atmosphere too much so I only lasted three months.  Than I got a job working seasonally at a local bakery, and after that I started working as a hostess at a wine bar.
And even though I was constantly working around the clock, I even had some side gigs.  For example I sell my old clothes, accessories, and shoes on an app called Poshmark.  I don't make a whole lot doing this, but every little bit of money helps.  I even opened my own Etsy store ranking in some more extra cash.  And I use some apps for gift cards and rewards.  My favorite and one worth mentioning is Receipt Hog. 
After a two years of working nonstop and around the clock I needed a bit of a break.  I decided to go back to school, part time at a local community college real close by to my mom's house.  I continued to work, but instead of working seventy hours a week I started working forty.  This made me even more frugal with my money and spending habits.
It's important to know that I rarely eat out at restaurants, I mean I went to culinary school so I can get real creative in the kitchen.  However, at the jewelry store my bosses do buy me lunch multiple times a week, they do this for all their employees, and working at the hotel we get free food while we're on the clock.  I also never ever buy drinks, coffee or even juice drinks, and only on occasions alcoholic drinks with my friends.  I drink just water and I always have a water bottle on me.  I don't get my nails done, and I only get my hair cut maybe twice a year.  Anything I can do myself I do.  I try and only shop at consignment and thrift stores when it comes to clothes, and majority of my personal products are all bought from CVS where I use as many ExtraBucks and coupons as possible.  I love coupons!
I go out with my friends, but I've gotten real creative about finding entertainment that isn't expensive.  I absolutely love Groupon, and highly recommend it for finding great deals on just about everything, including restaurants for special occasions. 
I currently go to school full time, I take three classes on campus and have an internship at the State Capitol Building, bringing me to a total of seventeen credits this semester if I pass all my classes.  I since have quit all my jobs listed above and now work at The Sunglass Hut part time, about twenty hours a week. 
Since buying my house I have roommates.  It's a three bedroom so my boyfriend lives with me, one of my brothers, and my friend.  So my entire mortgage at the moment it paid for, and I make a little extra off my roommates to pay for the rest; oil, electricity, garbage pick up, internet, cable, etc.  Also it's really important to have good credit while trying to buy a house!  Yes I had over twenty thousand dollars saved up and incoming money, but if I didn't have good credit I wouldn't have gotten approved for a mortgage, so keep that in mind. 
I hope someone finds this interesting or helpful!

My Inexpensive Trip to New Orleans: Day Two

Waking up for our first full day in New Orleans was extremely exciting, but we didn't have any plans and weren't exactly sure what we should do first other than get breakfast.  The hotel we stayed at, The Place d'Armes, had a lovely continental breakfast where we all got coffee, a piece of fruit, and delicious pasties.  It was filling enough to go out and explore without being hungry, but we knew we wanted a real breakfast.

We walked to The French Market, which was a fun indoor flea market. My Dad was really interested in checking out.  I know he ended up buying a wallet and a few souvenirs, but nothing really caught my eye.  The items they were selling seemed to be things one could find at any flea market so it didn't interest me too much. 

However, inside The French Market were a lot of food stands that really caught my attention, but we decided to not to eat there because there were no seats and places to sit.  And since it was August it was crazy hot out, too humid to eat outside on a bench or anything.  I would have loved to tried a crawfish pie, or fried gator, or even have gotten a crepe, but it wasn't convenient with the weather.  Instead the three of us found a Groupon for breakfast real close by.

It was for a restaurant called, Belle's Diner.  I don't have a picture of it, but it was a pretty neat place.  Everything was fifties themed, and there was a ginormous Elvis statue in the woman's bathroom.  Even though it was a Groupon the food was excellent.  I got chicken and waffles, and I have to say, that was probably the best fried chicken I've ever had.

Jake got a burger, and my Dad got a typical breakfast of eggs, bacon, homefries, and toast like he has every morning.  They both said the food was good.  Jake's burger looked awesome.

Since it was so hot outside we decided to go to The Louisiana State Museum inside of The French Quarter to kill some time and stay cool. 

The museum was a bit of a bust.  Nothing inside was very interesting.  It seemed more like an excuse to make some extra money from tourists than a real museum.  My Dad and my boyfriend were pretty bored, but we tried to make the most of it.

This is a picture of my Dad looking at some Mardi Gras masks.  The Mardi Gras floor was my favorite part of the museum.

Jake and I watching one of the videos on Louisiana culture.

After leaving the museum we walked back to our hotel and grabbed the car.  I wanted to check out a cemetery while in New Orleans. 

I'm from Connecticut, and in Connecticut we bury our dead inside the ground, like most places, but not in New Orleans.  It's so swampy there they bury their dead above ground and build these beautiful coliseums for their loved ones so they don't float back up to the surface or even worse, float away.

The cemetery we went to was only two miles from our hotel so it wasn't far at all.  This was the first and only time of our trip that we left the French Quarter. 

And for anyone wondering, yes, going to the cemetery is free.

The cemeteries were in The Garden District of New Orleans so we walked around checking out some beautiful Southern style houses. 

I really regret not walking around and exploring The Garden District more, but it really was a hot and uncomfortable day.  We drove back to the hotel and decided to buy a few more Groupons.

We stopped at a local bar on Bourbon Street called The Tropical Isle, and got their most famous drink, The Hand Grenade, the strongest drink one can legally buy. 

 There were no Groupons for these sadly, but they were well worth it.  If I remember correctly they're nine dollars, but all you need is one.  Having one of these drinks was like having three.  They're made with gin, grain alcohol, melon liqueur, rum, and vodka.  They taste just like melon, and they're pretty sweet.  I got mine frozen, but Jake and my Dad got theirs regular, on the rocks.

At this point it started raining and thundering and this was the loudest and strongest thunder and lightening I've ever witnessed.  It was a bit overwhelming so we went back to the hotel room and waited the storm out a bit.

We bought a Groupon for dinner that night, at a fancy restaurant called The New Orleans Creole Cookery, located at 508 Toulouse Street.  Again, I sadly don't have any pictures of the restaurant or my meal, but my food was A+.  I got a creole pasta dish with shrimp, chicken, and sausage.  It was so filling and yummy and I had a lot leftover for a late night snack!

Jake got classic Jambalaya and it was cooked to perfection.  The rice was so soft and the flavor was excellent, but he didn't have any leftovers.  And my Dad was pretty boring and just got a steak.  He doesn't branch out much.

After dinner we bought one more Groupon for the night, a historic haunting tour by Ghostly Galavant.  Because how could you go to New Orleans without doing anything spooky? 

Our tour was done on a Wednesday night and we met the tour guide in a location at The French Quarter.  It was only the three of us and the tour guide, and it was a little awkward, but our guide was so nice and sweet and knew a lot of history so it was pretty cool that it was just us.  We talked to her a lot and the tour went over  because she showed us places where they shot scenes from American Horror Story because I told her I was a fan.  I don't want to talk about all the places and stories she showed us, but this ghost tour was my favorite part of our trip.  We learned so much about New Orleans that night.  And these weren't made up stories.  The first stop had been featured multiple times on the Investigation Discovery, the TV station, and I've heard about that story in the media.

Groupon Finds: "Gilmore Girls" Edition

If you're like me, a huge Gilmore Girls fan, than this weekend was your weekend, Gilmore Girls weekend!  With the premiere of the new Netflix revival, all I've seen on the internet is Rory and Lorelai themed items plastered everywhere, as it should be. 

But I did come across something Gilmore in an unusual place, Groupon!  So if anyone is interested I'm sharing my small but incredible find.

 Gilmore Girls Oversized Lounge Shirts

Starting at $18.99

Gilmore Girls Sweaters

Starting at $21.99

I think I'm going to spring for one of the lounge shirts.  If I do I'll definitely post about it later on.  I'm hoping they go down in price tomorrow, Cyber Monday, that'll be the real indicator if I plan on getting one or not.

"Gilmore Girls" Themed Pins

Glow-in-the-dark "Gilmore Girls" themed magnet pins, so you don't have to worry about ruining your clothes, hats, or bags with small holes everywhere.

With the "Gilmore Girls" revival, order your 'Team Jess' pin, because just like me you're hoping he's who Rory ends up with.

Pins are white with antique gold plating and black lettering. The background is what glows in the dark. Magnet is very strong, so there's no worrying about losing both pieces.

FREE SHIPPING on orders in the United States