And Firmoo was his name-o

I thought some of you out there in blog land may need or value this information on where to get really good glasses ~ CHEAP!  I saw a video on-line by Jennifer Brooks about a company called Firmoo and I was desperatly in need of replacement glasses (I had the same pair for over 10 years).  I went to the site and checked out what they had to offer.  They have a special that if you have never used the site before your first pair of glasses are “free”.  I upgraded the glasses to include anti-glare and photochromic lenses.  The total including shipping came to less than $40.00 and I also ordered a pair of glasses for my son recently, those are about $40.00 too!  The glasses came with a hard case, soft bag, cleansing cloth and glass repair kit.

 

 

I LOVE these glasses, the cost was sprinkles on-top of a beautiful yummy cake of awesome.  I would have paid more than $300.00 for the same quality at my usual store...now why would you purchase anywhere else is beyond me?

"Fall"ing for style OOTD

Today’s outfit started out without the scarf but I am having some issues with the air conditioner blasting cold air onto my neck….I think it still ‘works” please don’t correct me if you don’t think so J 

Anyway, the dress is from Fashion Bug, by way of Salvation Army for $3.99 last year.  Orange “sweater” is a part of a set QVC Susan Graver Susan Graver/QVC purchased at Label Shopper for $3.00.  Scarf already worn this week and was in yesterday’s OOTD (I forgot it on my desk, Thank GOSH!)   My shoes are Bass   Bass Shoes purchased at Swirl  for a $1.00 in the Dollar Bin. 

Who turned on the Heat?, What to wear on a hot out there day!

Today’s outfit needed to be both professional for the office and casual enough for a lunch date with a friend.  The weather is steamy hot outside but the air conditioning is blasting.  Layering is the only way to go today so I can take off or put on layers to keep myself comfortable.

My outfit includes: 

Denim full skirt by Jones New York, Cream sleeveless top by LOGO, Tan cardigan by Ana.  Jewelry all by Lia Sophia    

The most exciting parts of this outfit today are not viewable in the above photo...My shoes are platform sandals with animal print purchased at Dress Barn on sale last year for $6.00 and my animal print infinity scarf  I got for a $1.00 at the Salvation Army last winter. 

 

 

The infinity scarf can be worn as a shrug if the long sleeve cardigan was too much ~ options and versatility!

Feeling Blue Outfit of the Day

Today is pretty blah if you ask me, it’s rainy and a bit chilly.  Since I knew that today was going to be a busy day of filing, processing, meetings and errands I opted for an easy business look.  Today’s outfit includes: gray trousers from Lane Bryant but purchased at Label shopper for $4.00! The blue T-shirt is from Silhouettes also purchased at Label shopper for $3.00.  Infinity scarf purchased at Wal-Mart $3.97 and peeking out from under the scarf is Efflorescence from Lia Sophia.  Cuff bracelet also from Lia Sophia and gray suede flats are a gift from my lovely friend Susan (Wheeze).

You can't really tell but the shirt has small pockets in the front which are perfectly sized to stash a cell phone! This outfit is not for the busy hustle and bustle of a big city, but a private College in Vermont…PERFECT! Tomorrow is supposed to heat up, almost 90 degrees ~ wait to see what I have in store for tomorrow's outfit!

Summer to Fall Fashion Transition OOTD

Okay Ladies, you wake up and its 36 degrees outside and the weather man says it’s going to warm up to 77 by early afternoon. You know fall is in the air but you don't want to let go of your summer favorites just yet. What is a lady to do? LAYER!

Layering up your summer dresses with shirts, boots, tights and jackets can extend your wardrobe and choices while transitioning into fall. Using these options also gives you opportunity to change up your look throughout the day as things heat up.

Here I have used my summer animal print tank dress and layered a cream blouse and belt over it to accentuate my waist. Tall chocolate brown boots add additional warmth and coverage while grounding the outfit.

 

To add additional warmth, throw on a scarf, chocolate colored Jacket or sweater and tights.

Dress was purchased at Dress barn $29.99, shirt was a find at Label shopper for $3.00! Belt was .99 cents at Salvation Army. Boots were purchased last year at Savers for only $9.00.



The Race for more Aid

Your student is preparing to go off to college in the Fall, has the school picked out and acceptance in hand.  Now the questions looms, how to pay for it??

The first thing you need to do is complete the Free application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at www.fafsa.ed.gov The application for the 2015-2016 year became available starting January 1st.  The application is the Department of Education's site and has a nifty tool to pull your IRS tax information into the application.  You need to have already filed your taxes for it to work, but you can use estimates based on last year and once you file your taxes go back onto the site and update.  

The next thing you need to do it find out what additional steps need to be completed at the school your student is going to.  Check with the aid office, they typically have a website dedicated to spelling out the steps or you can always call.

Once you know what additional forms need to be completed, DO IT.  Don't wait on submitting, you could miss out on some opportunities if your student isn't "complete".  

Check with your local librarian, guidance counselor or State website (I suggest all 3) to find private scholarship sources to apply for.  If your student writes a really strong essay, they can use it again and again to apply for scholarships if it fits what they are asking for.

Check a search engine for scholarships like www.fastweb.com cast your net wide to find obscure little scholarships that your student would be eligible for.  I received in my undergraduate program a scholarship for Brown Eyed girls ~ legitimate scholarship that provided $500 a year that added up to a whole lot of books by the end of my degree!

Make sure that your student applied for any scholarship available through the school of choice and look over all paperwork that comes in for deadlines.

Once you have your award offer in hand, remember ~ it's not a bill, it's an award and not all awards are equal. 

If your student is applying to more than 1 school and you are deciding which school offered the "best" $$ you have to look at total cost for the year and then scholarship offered.  What looks like a huge scholarship may only cover 10% while a small offer and a low cost school could be covering 75%.  You also have to take into consideration Fit.  If the school is not right for your student and is not going to offer the degree they want, services they need or climate they are used too (climate can be cultural, size of school and Temperature) then sending them off because they offered more scholarship funds is spending good money after bad.  You want your students’ college experience to be a positive one.  If you pay out of pocket even $500 a semester to find out after a year it's not a good fit and your student is going to transfer you have just wasted your money. 

All things to keep in mind when navigating the financial aid waters ~  

Don't bame me for your poor planning!

Don't get me wrong, I wish I could do more for you, but when you wait to apply for financial aid until the last possible minute, don't apply for private scholarships and have not saved any $$ towards your education...why would poor planning on your part be my responsibility to fix??? IT ISN"T! 

Here is the scenario, Joe Blow from Idaho wants’ his son to come to my college.  My college is expensive, he can possibly get state grants, private scholarships, Vocational rehabilitation funding, and we also provide very generous scholarships...we don't cover the whole bill.  We are not a charitable foundation; we are a college that needs to make sure we have enough cash flow to keep us going... You waited until mid-June to apply for aid; -our priority deadline is March 1st!  You want a full ride, we can offer you half.  You think I am not being generous enough and call the President.   Will you ever learn that old saying "early bird gets the worm?"  Will you ever teach that important trait to your kid?? Not likely but I have hope.

So here goes, for all of you out there sending your little kittens off to college for the first time, here are the rules.

1. Know the deadlines, stick to them ~ they are not suggestions; if you had a deadline at work would you blow it off?
2. Review the financial aid website for your school, get to know what the steps are for aid and follow them.  If you had a task handed to you to complete and given a manual...would you just wing it?
3. Contact the financial aid office to make sure you've completed what you need to do, Don't HOUND your financial aid office by calling every day.  If your boss gave you a list of task's to take care of, would you follow up often to get the list again?
4. You've received some paperwork from the financial aid office and it looks like someone made a mistake, you should call and check with the office to find out.  The office either confirms that it is correct or confirms that it is an error and corrects it.  You do not then call every other office to complain (unless you actually get horrible customer service).  If you received a polite apology and immediate corrections are made, thank the person for helping and leave it alone.  The financial aid office is staffed with people, not robots.  Errors happen on occasion ~ we are all human, if you call and continue to harass the staff after they have fixed the issue ~ that makes you a problem that they do not want to deal with, and when future opportunities open up, you will end up on the bottom of the list!   (You catch more flies with Honey, vinegar makes you stink!)
5. Even with all the extra effort, you find that you still have a gap in funding and it looks like you won’t be able to send your child.  Call the financial aid office, tell them exactly how much you still need to come up with and ask them if they can point you in the right direction to find the funding.  If they still have scholarship funds available and the amount is reasonable, they will add it  If funding is not available, they will let you know about private scholarships, loans etc.  (look at #4, if you gave them vinegar the last time you called ~ you are out of luck!)

Happy hunting