Living Cheap (and good)

I've always been sort of a cheapskate. I don't know why, it's just in my blood I guess. I'm always big on coupons and free things, too. I'll walk that extra distance just to get a cheaper soda/coffee/lunch, whatever it is I'm all about saving money. Yet I also may have a serious shopping addiction. I've found that shopping in thrift stores will usually kick my craving to spend, it's the illusion of "shopping" and being able to walk out with great finds, and I feel like I spent a bunch of cash but really didn't. My boyfriend laughs at me because I have so many coupons that I had to create a binder and organize it with tabs. (pretty rediculous, I know.)

On that note, I love that daily deal sites are blowing up like crazy! I decided I should  make out a list and share my favorites, that way if anyone stumbles across this looking for cheap finds or great coupon sites, they won't have to look very far.

Facebook pages I follow that are great for savings: (you can search these into facebook to find them.)
Free Fun in Austin (also has a blog)
Sweetie's Freebies

Daily Deal Sites I love:
http://www.groupon.com/
http://www.livingsocial.com/
http://www.buywithme.com/
http://www.eversave.com/
http://www.dealswarm.com/
http://www.yollar.com/ (Austin)
http://www.urbandealight.com/
http://www.adealio.com/
http://www.nabthedeal.com/ (formerly the lunch deal, Austin)
http://www.gaggleofchicks.com/ (I just signed up for this today and got $10 free credit, but it's more of a mom based coupon site.)
http://www.morgansdeals.com/
http://www.restaurant.com/ (sign up for their email list! Never pay the $15 or how ever many dollars listed on the site, they send out coupon codes for up to 70% off of the list price of these coupons.)
http://www.halfofdepot.com/


Those are the main ones I can think of right now, I know there's a ton more.

I signed up with Eversave, got $5 credit, and got two tickets to an art museum in Austin for free. With Yollar, I signed up and got $5 credit, then was able to purchase two tickets to the Austin zoo for $4! Oh and Morgan's deals, they will usually send out a credit in the coupons that you get in the mail. I signed up with that credit, and was able to get $20 worth of pizza at Rudino's Pizza in Cedar Park, TX for FREE. (and it was amazing, I highly recommend it. ) Update- along with Morgan's deals, they sent out another coupon in the Valpak coupons in the mail, and I was able to get a sushi coupon, $20 worth of food, for free!

Also, if you're near a Maggiano's Little Italy, sign up for their email list to get a free $10 credit toward's your next meal! http://www.maggianos.com/en/Pages/home.aspx

I signed up for gaggleofchicks.com, got $10 credit, and bought a $25 credit FOR FREE to an eco friendly green website, all I paid was shipping to get some green cleaners and a BPA free waterbottle. It's worth it to be the crazy coupon lady!

Just googling that brought up this woman's site: http://thekrazycouponlady.com/

Also, I've found that http://www.kelloggs.com/, http://www.yoplait.com/, and other manufacturer's websites will have available coupons. Not too shabby! Update- proctor and gamble's website has coupons and samples, as well!

To anyone who stumbled upon this, hope it helps. And in the name of PinscherAdventure, I feel the need to mention some puppy deals! Head over to Dingo dog treat's facebook, http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/dingobones, Like their page and click "join the list" and you can get a coupon for $20 worth of online dingo treats! (shipping is not included in whatever you order, FYI.)

As much as no one wants to get a million emails a day, it's worth it if you're wanting to save the money. And in times like these, who can afford not to? I recommend making a seperate email for your online shopping/subscribing. (I have yet to do it.. and grumble regularly about the bazillion emails.) But don't learn but what I do, learn from what I suggest! (ha.) Update- I finally did this as well. And Boy am I glad I did, I also signed up to take surveys for extra cash on the side, and they send you TONS of emails and spam, included.

One last thing, check out http://www.redplum.com/ for grocery store, drug store, and more coupons.

For anyone who stumbles upon this, I hope this helps in your efforts to be frugal!

xoxo
Ashley

Random displays of pretty and weird

FFFound has kept me entertained today at work. The end of February is proving to be slow for my occupation, and I do love to look at pretty pictures. There is no real theme here, just things that catch my eye. That is a big indicator of my short attention span.

Let's start with pretty. I love this style of design. There are so many talented graphic desingers out there. I envy their talent! 

ooooh pretty... I wish I had a reason to wear pink glitter lipstick for once in my life. (And not look like an oddball)

On a cheesy note.. I dig it. Love the design style, too. Simple yet awesome.

Clever. I would love a poster of this in my house! 

 On to funny.. I love this. And ice cream. And I like how there is a tooth randomly that has fallen out. Story of my life. sugar overload = cavities.

I love this reocurring theme on FFFound. "Back to the future." I want to do one of these myself!

Talk about bridezilla. I love it. I feel like this is what I will resemble while planning/carrying out my wedding. Just not the dead part.

Awesome.  

I have to wonder who could wear these shoes. At least they're converse, and not crocs or something terrible.

Classic. I think this type of thing may really happen periodically!

FFFound.com just made my day. Frankenstein, pink glittery lips, conspiring dressers and furniture, inspirational quotes, and extended converse. Can't beat it!

xoxo

More LuckyLightning suitcase dog beds - and Vintage goodies

The past few months have been very busy ones for us. We were fortunate enough to meet the great folks at Austin Metro Dog and worked out a deal to sell some upcycled dog beds to them. (You can find them at http://www.austinmetrodog.com/ or in the Domain). Well now Austin News 8 will be filming a segment on them this Friday, 1/28 and hopefully they'll catch a glimpse of our dog beds! (too bad we don't have cable to watch it.. so sad)

Regardless, we threw this one together today:

And we did this one previously, which I love due to the red legs! We actually sold a suitcase out of the top & bottom pieces of it, this color was a hit. I can't believe I didn't try and keep it, it's my absolute favorite color after all!

And this one was super cute, too. We donated this one to the New Braunfels Dog Park fundraiser carnival. So much fun! (http://www.newbraunfelsdogpark.com/). And a great group of people working hard to raise money for a fenced in dog park in New Braunfels.

We also donated these hooks to the New Braunfels folks as well. They make great leash/collar or key holders, post up by your door and voila!

We've also got some great Vintage avacado green luggage up for sale. My jaw dropped when I saw this set, I had to have it! It's so hard to find a vintage set in this great of condition. You can find it here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/63176521/vintage-avacado-green-airpak-luggage-set

Luggage, Luggage, Luggage.. you probably think we are luggage freaks. (you may be right). But we have other great vintage finds such as:

Vintage avacado green Mikasa coffe/tea cup set (Sugar dish & creamer dish included!)

http://www.etsy.com/listing/65228332/reduced-price-vintage-60s-retro-avocado

Rings made from Vintage buttons: These are ALWAYS unique and one of a kind! Great & cheap as well.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/62362858/vintage-gold-waves-button-ring-free

These vintage red bow shoes are actually a hit, believe it or not! Tons of <3's on etsy, but no buyer yet.  

                                    http://www.etsy.com/listing/60553262/vintage-ruby-red-bow-shoes-80s-flats

If you are a fan of anything you see here, or other vintage treasures, follow us on twitter: @LuckyLightning. There's special discounts that only twitter followers get :)

We've also got vintage brass figures (an adorable whale & two angry birds), more jewelry, even clothes.

Thanks for lending an ear! (and a pair of eyes..) <3



Vintage Dog Beds in Austin Metro Dog

So we have been selling our vintage suitcase dog beds online in our etsy store for about two years now,
http://www.luckylightning.etsy.com/ , but we were fortunate enough to meet a great Austin dog boutique that were interested in buying some of our beds for their store inventory.

You can find metro dog in The Domain here in Austin, TX and here's their website:

http://www.austinmetrodog.com/

They have some amazing dog clothes, beds, treats, collars, etc for your pooch or kitty! They specialize in bringing in local Austin artists to purchase inventory from! (Who doesn't love that.)

And a dog party planning site featured metrodog in their howliday contest and their blog, which in turn featured us and our beds :)

http://partyanimalsatx.tumblr.com/

We finally did a suitcase dog bed with pink (which I have been rooting for!) and I love it! You can find it in the etsy store (http://www.luckylightning.etsy.com/ )

We also have some great vintage goodies in the store that would make amazing Christmas presents!

Vintage buttons turned into rings: I love these, and they're a pretty popular item!

And some great vintage 70s bowling ball bags that would make awesome carry-ons, purses, totes, or anything else! (Don't you love the plaid?)

You can find it all in our store :) Get your Christmas shopping done from a handmade/vintage store, not the department stores!

Pinscher love,

Ashley



Barton Springs - ATX

So for everyone who lives in Austin, you know what Barton Springs is. However, for those of you who don't, it's this gorgeous naturally spring fed public swimming area.

The closed it off and it's like a public little river almost, with lifegaurds, a diving board, the whole nine yards. You can chill out on the grass or hop in the (freezing) spring fed water. So neat!

 We went with our good friends Morgan and nate (below) so much fun!!

If you ever get a shot to head out to Barton Springs, do it! But make sure it's super warm outside, also, bring $3 cash because you hafta pay to get in!

Just had to post pics of it, I was born to be near the freshwater but somehow ended up at the beach all my life. Now I'm in the right place :)

 

Life in Austin - the cheap eats

So since we have moved to Austin, we haven't gotten to eat at as many places as we would like to.. however, we are slowly but surely making our rounds to the famous Austin eateries.

There's a delicious mexican food restaurant called Trudys  (http://www.trudys.com/) Great flautas, also the chorizo stuffed chicken (I know.. intense) is delish. The queso (which you get for free if you sit at the bar) is spicy and tasty. Also, we got free koozies, which is never a bad thing :) I'd say about a $$ on the price scale, over 10 bucks an entree, but worth it!

Chuys-also an Austin favorite and one that is highly talked about. Similar to Trudy's in menu selection and items, a little cheaper than Trudys. (http://www.chuys.com/)

Mangia pizza - this is close to our house, and we had been eyeing it for a while. It's "chicago style deep dish pizza", and it's amazing. It's a pizza pie, literally. We had a stuffed pizza and an italian sandwhich and they were both great. Great atmosphere and FREE WI-FI. (http://www.mangiapizza.com/) The sandwhiches and lunch specials are reasonable, to get a large stuffed pizza it's a little pricy.

Maggie's Cafe - a little locally owned place that put a flyer on our apartment door, and we decided to check it out. SO GOOD. And pretty reasonable. They've got burgers, chicken fried steak, pasta, and it's all home cooked and locally owned, which is a perk for us. We buy into the local market :) They load their burgers up and give great sides. Highly recommended! No website but here's their info:
Maggie's Cafe
12001 n. mo pac expressway suite J
Austin, TX 78758
(512) 906-0069

A good friend of ours Allison turned us on to these great coupon sites (http://www.thelunchdeal.com/, http://www.groupon.com/, http://www.adealio.com/ ) and most of they time they have deals that are like "pay $10 and get $20 worth of food". This is helped us to be able to eat out but not spend a bunch. Because of these sites we ate at

El Nuevo Mexico - We are missing our Corpus Christi mexican food. A little place, cheap food, and deliciousness. Honestly, this is the closest we have found to it! It was a little more expensive than what we are used to, but their Carne Guisada was great, and their beef flautas are also delish!  

911 W Anderson Ln # 120, Austin, TX 78757-1562 (512) 458-5454 

Hopefully we can keep up with these coupon sites, because they're one hell of a deal! Although, we ate at Jo's Coffee on S. Congress, and were a bit disappointed in the food. There were tons of people there, so we thought it would be great. But we just weren't that impressed with our Turkey Sub and Tuna, and our "italian soda" was water with cherry flavoring, and it tasted like cherry medicine. Their coffee was pretty good, although I had to add more sugar, but their Iced Mocha wasn't too shabby. 

I also at at Red Table Coffee, and I don't want to bash it, because the atmosphere was great, but the coffee badly needed sugar. I got a mocha, which was really affordable, and they do cute designs with their whipped cream, but the chicken salad sandwhich was full of dark meat (which i'm not a huge fan of) although the rosemary bread was great. It seems like a great Vegan place, as a lot of their menu options sound delish without meat.  

We recently went to barton springs, which was great-pictures to come soon. And tonight we visited the Viva La Vida fest and it was AMAZING! The Mexic-art museum put it on, and it was so neat. Dia De Los Muertos is such a neat and fun holiday to celebrate-pics to follow (we got a ton)

Much Puppy love-
A&L B&R <3

Vintage suitcase pet beds - luckylightning -

I feel the need to post.. WE ARE BACK IN BUSINESS!

we run an online etsy store: http://www.luckylightning.etsy.com/ where we created awesome, upcycled pet beds as well as other pet accessories. We also have tons of vintage goodies, hand painted artwork, it's kind of a catch-all of all our talents.

But we are finally back in action, and here's what we've created in the past two days:

A hip mustard-yellow suitcase bed, with a colorful gypsy fabric pillowcase and bright red legs. Perfect for any dog or cat.

A gorgeous hunter green Oshkosh suitcase-with two original pockets on each side (on the inside)! A colored paisley fabric, pale yellow legs. This is a big bigger so it's great for a bigger dog.






And we have an amazing robins egg blue one you can find here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/45614380/sale-reduced-hip-seafoam-blue-vintage?ref=v1_other_2

Overall, we are back. We are happy to finally creating again, as it's been a while. We love to do custom work too :)

The pups are happy to have new things to play with and smell as well.

-Pinscher love-