HOW TO GET DISCOUNTS AND CHEAP DEALS WITHOUT BREAKING THE BANK: PART II

Hey Ladies!


Want to know how I got this $35.00 poncho for $3.91? Rakuten (formerly known as Ebates)! (and Forever 21 having a 50% off sale) helped a sister out! 

Poncho- Forever 21

Rakuten is a cash back program on purchases you make. Every time you shop, be sure to log in through Rakuten FIRST and pick your store of choice. You will then be redirected to that store's site to begin shopping. After you checkout, Rakuten will track your purchase(s) and you will get a percentage of cash back logged in your account. Each quarter you will be mailed a "Big Fat Check" that is actual money accumulated from the purchases you have made. You can also choose to convert this amount into a gift card at one of your favorite stores. That's it! So not only did I get this cute poncho from Forever 21 at half off, I then chose to convert my big fat check from Rakuten into a Forever 21 gift card. Which made my final amount due $3.91!

Dont forget to copy and paste my referral link below to sign up!
https://www.rakuten.com/r/CANDAC2822?eeid=28187

Happy Shopping! 

Follow me on Instagram at 
@naturallycandacemarie

Love, 

Candace

HOW TO GET DISCOUNTS AND CHEAP DEALS WITHOUT BREAKING THE BANK: PART I

Hey Ladies!

Can you believe I got this $78.00 sweater from Banana Republic for $8.00?! 
I used points/rewards on TOP of the discount  (40% off + 20% off + 10% off) Banana Republic was already offering along with my employer discount (15% off). I always make sure to ask if I can stack coupons with the current promotions going on when I'm out shopping. If you're anything like me you LOVE a good deal! 

Below are some of the ways I save on shopping and get some unbelievable purchases.

Sweater- Banana Republic 

1. Employer discount- ask, ask, ask at the cash wrap before you check out about employer discounts. Most retail stores offer discounts for military, government, state, and school employees. I have seen discounts range from 10-15%. Every little bit helps, especially if the state you live in has a high sales tax rate.

2. Shop out of season/special events- retailers try to move aging inventory out at the end of each season to make room for new inventory for the upcoming season. Usually mid to late July, Black Friday, the day after Christmas, and New Year's Day are prime opportunities to get that handbag you've been wanting or to stock up on clothes for next year.

3. Coupons/points/rewards via email- retailers usually give you first dibs and coupons if you are signed up for their email notifications. This is tied in to your store purchases which is why you provide your phone number and email address at checkout.

4. Cardholder events- if you have a line of credit with the retailer they offer special deals if you make a purchase using their credit card (USE CREDIT RESPONSIBLY THOUGH!) I have seen as much as 10-20% extra off when I do this. After I charge the purchase, I make sure to pay the amount off before the interest is accrued. The key is to pay the amount off right after you charge it. If you don't you will never see the savings.

5. Downloading store apps on your phone- a lot of retailers offer introductory percentages off on your purchase if you sign up and download their app on your phone.

5. Trade coupons with co-workers and friends-  I do this often. You may have a friend/co-worker that can only use a certain amount of coupons on a transaction and their coupons go to waste. Just ask them if they would like to give up their extra coupons and offer them coupons in the future and/or trade with them.

I hope this helped. And remember the key is to be debt free and have low to zero debt all while being fabulous on a budget!

Love,

Candace

Follow me on Instagram at @naturallycandacemarie

TEARING DOWN THE IDOLS IN YOUR HEART

Hello Everyone! God has really been downloading in my spirit lots of content and this one was a biggie for me. God revealed to me how we run to so many people, places, and things FIRST instead of to Him. We put them in place of Him so many times. Here are just a few below: 

(Disclaimer: I've been in all of the below scenarios. My blog is a judgement free zone). 

Marriage- This one hits home for me. In my early 20's up until my WHOLE 30's I used to want to be married so bad! I would even go to bridal shops and try on dresses and drag my mom with me. She would happily oblige because she was down with whatever made me happy. Hey..what mother doesn't want to see her daughter in a wedding gown? This became a HUGE idol for me. Instead of realizing marriage is: WORK, saying I'm sorry when you are not in the wrong, for better or for WORSE, getting up in the midnight hour with a sick child or spouse and having to still go to work in a couple of hours, forgiving after offensive words were spoken, and so on. I only saw the dress, cake, venue, colors, photographer, honeymoon vacation, and yes I FINALLY got to have S.E.X. Oh how was I so selfish in my views! It was to the point every time I checked out at the grocery store I HAD to see the latest issue of bridal magazines on the magazine rack to get an image of "my dress" engraved in my head. I also used to religiously check bridal magazine websites to look at couple's weddings and compare their ages and careers to mine. It made me feel like I was too old and there was no hope for me. When I tell you I greatly struggled in this area! God convicted me on this; now it hardly bothers me anymore. I'm now at a place where I sometimes have my moments, but I realize that if Jesus comes back in the next 5 minutes..guess what?.. I didn't get a chance to meet someone and get married! BUT I made it to Heaven! I made it to be reunited with loved ones! I'm now taking it day by day, giving my desires to God and pursuing my purpose first. Christ is the coming back for His bride the church. Will you be ready?

Things/Cars, phones, technology- I think of myself as an intermediate techie. I love new technology and gadgets! I also have my favorite dream car on my wish list. But how many of you know that we can want things so bad and obsess over them that when we get those items we realize we have gone over budget. Or that "new thing" we just got hot off the press/car lot functions the SAME as what you already had. There were only a few more bells and whistles added. When we obsess over getting the "latest and greatest" it can take our hearts far away from God because its all we think about. It can also take us far out of our budget range. (Luke 12:15)

People/Social Media- The enemy will use people and social media as idols in our lives. We go straight to a person's page/platform for guidance instead of seeking God for the answers we need. The one thing about humans is that they will fail us. God won't. People only show you what they want you to see. Not behind the scenes. Which, in all truth, is their free will choice to show what they want because its their social media platform. I ONLY try to be as transparent as God leads me to. Everybody doesn't need to know everything. (But that's another blog post.) We will have exalted a person and or Facebook/Instagram so high above God that we can't even hear Him anymore. The "screams" of the likes, follows, and comments has ALL of our attention. When we get up every morning instead of praying and spending time with God we reach for our phone to check social media and see what we missed out on while we were sleep. Don't get me wrong, social media and following people that have a pure heart is not wrong. Using social media for God's kingdom is not wrong. Using it for positive influence is not wrong. Using it to fellowship is not wrong. Using it to further your business/gifts is not wrong. But when it takes the place of God on the throne of your heart and is misused, then it becomes a problem. When you let social media control you, it becomes and idol. (Exodus 20:4)  I am now learning to implement social media detoxes. It can be therapeutic to just rest from your phone once in a while and soak more in God's presence. Peace, clarity, and direction will be clear if you always stay close to God. Even if it means putting your phone down for a while and uninstalling apps so you won't be tempted to habitually pull up social media. As far as relationships/situationships I had no balance. If I was dating a new guy he was all I could think about. Instead of spending time with God in the morning, I was looking forward to the "Good morning beautiful" phone calls or text messages. Constantly checking my phone throughout the day to see if he called. The new guy consumed me and I started planning a life with him in my head. This took the place of meditating on God's word and spending time with Him. The key is balance. Of course we have to live our lives and cultivate our earthly relationships etc. But God wants His time too and He wants to be FIRST in our lives.

Places/Jobs/Clubbing- In my early 20's there was a prime clubbing spot all the college students went to and you better believe I was there EVERY Sunday night. Ladies got in for $1.00 before 11 p.m. I couldn't wait until the weekend so I could hang out with my friends. I would have to go shopping for a cute outfit and have my hair done just to end up seeing the SAME people at the club just with different outfits on.  The parking lot of that club soon became a high crime area. Needless to say it eventually shut down and for my own good. As far as a job I have had a very demanding job in the past to where we could not even take a vacation day during peak times. It was all about the money. There was food ordered in for us during peak times so we could stay at our desk and work, work, work. At first I thought it was a great opportunity because of the many different perks but soon I became burnt out and work was spilling over into my quality of life. If peak time was near a weekend I could never fully enjoy having weekends off because I was required to work extremely late hours. Needless to say God blessed me with another job and I have PEACE. Who can put a price tag on that?

Maybe you don't have an idol. Maybe your relationship with God is intact. Please know the enemy is suttle and sneaky and will use the very thing or person you love to magnify and push God off the throne of your heart. (Solomon 2:15) The bible says to watch and pray. (Matthew 26:41) Its okay to have hobbies, friends, a fiance/godly relationship, gadgets/technology but please know that God does not want to be pushed to the side. He is a jealous God and loves us so much. (Exodus 34:14) Remember to always seek Him first. Pray daily, fast, and meditate on God's word. Ask Him if anything or anyone is taking up His time and He will show you. Guard your heart from negative influences. My prayers often include this statement to God: "Lord if its not in your will for me... I don't want it."

Love,

Candace