Freebies!

Happy Sunday, readers!

Things around the house are a little quiet this weekend... husband is gone fishing in Central Oregon, and dog-son is still recovering from a cut in his foot pad that required sutures. I've got HGTV on in the background (Flip or Flop marathon, anyone?) this afternoon while I take care of some domestic duties - laundry, vacuuming, the usual. But my weekend has also been filled with fun outings; Friday evening brought dinner with a college friend visiting from London, and Saturday was filled with shopping, Paint Nite with the bestie, and celebrating the album release of our friends' band.

All in all, another successful weekend in the books.

For today's post, I wanted to celebrate some of the freebies that I like to throw into my routines or onto my calendar. I remember learning from my high school economics teacher that "there's no such thing as a free lunch," but it's hard to argue with a good "free" deal when you find one!

1. Free REI classes

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My husband and I have attended a few of the free classes at our local REI store, and we've enjoyed learning new ways to enjoy the Great Outdoors from area experts. The ones that stand out in my mind focused on lightweight backpacking, and local hikes that are dog-friendly. I've also taken a couple skills classes through REI's Outdoor School, but those come with a fee (so they don't quite fit the nature of this list). If you live near an REI store, and you want to learn more about getting active outside, I definitely recommend signing up for their monthly email. 

2. Free tire checks and tire repairs at Les Schwab

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I remember, when I first started driving, my dad always told me to go to Les Schwab for my tires. Sure enough, they've been my go-to tire shop; I recently bought a new set from them last fall. And I'm sure glad I stopped by my local shop a couple weeks ago - I noticed one of my tires was a little low on air, so I asked if they could inflate it (which they do for free). After taking a look at the tire in question, the employee who was assisting me informed me that I had a leak, and he repaired it at no charge. Another positive experience with a great company.

3. Free ring cleanings at Fred Meyer

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I had some time to spare while waiting for Les Schwab to fix my flat tire, so I wandered over to the Fred Meyer across the parking lot and asked for a quick ring clean for my wedding ring, which they provide for free. Because I work with children, my ring often doesn't stay clean for long, so I LOVE it when I get to see it freed up from the dirt and grime that dulls it. Plus, I had a Fred Meyer coupon for two free reusable shopping bags (no purchase necessary), so it was a double-whammy of freebies that day!

4. Free Victoria's Secret panties

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A friend once told me, after she moved into her new place, that she kept forgetting to check her mailbox at her new house until she realized that it'd been awhile since she last got her coupon for a free panty from Victoria's Secret! This is always a fun freebie - just sign up to receive mailings from them, and every couple months you'll get a coupon for a free panty, no strings attached. And the options are always cute - no granny panties here!

5. Free listings on Cragislist

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This one is my favorite, both for the potential of the free items that you could find, and for the entertainment value. If you're ever needing to kill some time, check out the "for sale" tab on the website and select "free stuff." And then the fun begins. From a practical point of view, I scored a free set of really nice bar stools for my new house - the only cost to me was the 10 minutes to find the listing and the 45 minutes of round-trip driving to Portland and back. However, my enjoyment from this freebie option usually comes from the random listings for things like "free chicken broth," "free Buddhist magazines," and a listing from a woman seeking revenge on her cheating boyfriend by placing all of his fishing gear and equipment up for grabs on the side of the road. 

In a world where the bills seem to pile up quickly, it sure is nice to save some money wherever we can. What are some of your favorite free things?

A.

Favorite Things

Ha! I couldn't even stay away from this thing for more than three hours. I kept looking at my computer every time I walked past it, thinking about what I wanted to write about next.

So, I gave in. I've had a pretty great week so far, and I just wanted to sit down and acknowledge that.

Some of my favorite things from this past week:

1. Friends - the best television show ever created.

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I have all 10 seasons, and I love to just pick a random episode and have it on in the background while I'm doing stuff around the house. (Side note: when I was growing up and watching this show, I wanted nothing more than to marry Chandler Bing - or Miss Chanandler Bong, as his TV Guide was addressed.)

2. Grocery Outlet - definitely the bargain market!

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I stopped in here the other day on a whim, since it was next door to Dollar Tree and I wasn't in a rush to get home. Minute Maid Peach Tea for $1.49? Yes, please! Decorative lantern with flameless candle for $9.99? I'll take two! Betty Crocker Gluten Free sugar cookie and brownie mix for under $2 each? Time to stock up! 

3. Online shopping - oops.

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I've been bad. Like, lazy-bad. There's an Old Navy and a Victoria's Secret less than two miles from my house... but it's so much EASIER to shop from my iPhone, sitting on my couch in my pajamas! I have to admit, though, that it's pretty fun to open your front door and see a "present" waiting for you. But, to make up for bad online shopping habits...

4. Clearance sales! 

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How convenient that Michaels (and Joann's) happened to be on my way home from the gym the other day... and, apparently, it's super-clearance time! Throw their weekly coupons into the mix, and you can have yourself a pretty good time. I stocked up on some burlap and wire wreaths, and added in a few other non-essential things (mini wooden W's, votive candle wraps... and too many other things to list). I figured these mega-discount prices help make up for the semi-sale prices I paid online. Sort of.

5. Time off from work.

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As I transition from two part-time jobs to a new full-time position, I've been able to have some time off in the process. And, boy, do I love being at home more! I wish I could do the stay-at-home thing forever, but my student loans dictate otherwise. Oh, well. Instead, I'll just try my best to soak up every free moment!

Okay, I'll just leave it at five things for now. What have been some of your favorite things in the past week? What are you thankful for?

A.

The First Post

Okay. Just take a deep breath, and let it out slowly... Place my fingers over the keyboard. Look at the screen. And...? Oh, geez. Alright. Just type something. Anything. What's on my mind? Isn't that the whole reason I started this blog - to get my thoughts typed out and share them with The Internet, in case someone, anyone, might be interested in what I'm thinking about?

So, I guess the first step is to introduce myself, explain what the heck I'm doing here?

I can do that.

Hi! My name is Ashleigh, and I decided, on a whim, to start a blog. I've only blogged one other time in my life - does anyone remember Xanga? - and I think it's safe to say that my posts as a teenage girl were pretty predictable. "Oh, so-and-so is super cute, and we made EYE CONTACT today!" "Oh, I love my BFFs and we're so cool and we're going to go to college together and live next door to each other and..." Or, "Oh! My life is so difficult - I go to a great school, have a wonderful family, am surrounded by awesome friends, but my hormones are out of control! WHY DOESN'T ANYONE UNDERSTAND ME??"

You know, the usual teenage angst that plagues us all at some point in our lives.

Thankfully (for my sake, and I like to think yours, too), this is not that blog.

Disclaimer: this blog is still about me. But it's about twenty-seven year old me, instead of fourteen year old me. I like to think that alone will make for a much better reading experience.

A brief introduction: I am married to a wonderful man, and almost two years ago we adopted a black lab-mixed breed rescue from a nearby animal shelter; I often refer to him as my dog-son, and I am his dog-mom. He's covered with a beautiful brindle coat - hence the "Brindle" part of this blog's title. The "Brick" half of the blog's name refers to the purchase of my first house with my husband a few months ago.

My little house ("Brick") and my little family ("Brindle") make up the center of my universe. I am completely in love with my husband and dog-son, and I am really enjoying making this little house of ours a home.

The idea for this blog came to me at 6:45 am this morning, when my dog was lying next to me in bed and hitting me with his paw to wake me up so that I would get out of bed and feed him breakfast. I wasn't quite ready to leave the comfort of our new king-sized bed, so instead I lay there petting him, and thinking about how handsome my dog-son is with his brindle coloring. And then I somehow got to thinking about how much I miss writing, and journaling. (Don't ask me how I got there - I often have a hard time tracing my line of thought, as my mind always feels like it's spinning with new ideas and questions and comments and I can hardly keep up.) And then, suddenly, it just seemed very clear to me - start a blog. Write about the things that I love, the things that are important to me. Write about things that bring joy to my life. I figured it would be a nice way to start focusing on the positive instead of the negative, as I tend to worry and stress a lot. (I'm very thankful for my husband, who helps keep me grounded and can put things into perspective for me when I get a little lost.)

So, here it is. My blog. There's no plan. There's no timeline, or deadline, or any real purpose to this other than to allow myself the opportunity for self-reflection and ramblings without interruption.

Alright, how do I end this post... The End? Bye for now? Cut to commercial?

Ugh, how embarrassing. I'll get this whole blogging-thing figured out eventually... right?