Getting more for less

Who knew saving money could be so exciting? While I've tried to use coupons and search out deals, it always seemed like a hassle that got in the way of relaxing and having fun. But while searching for a job, I have resolved to be more frugal with my money. Of course, I don't want to miss out on exploring the new city I've moved to. Luckily, through a job club, I found out about this amazing blog (definitely makes me appreciate bloggers even more) that highlights all FREE things to do and deals in Austin!!

Free Fun in Austin is my new go-to site for fun. While the site is specifically geared at families with children, a lot of the activities are for people of all ages. In addition to having a calendar of FREE stuff to do in Austin, they also point out restaurant and online coupons. I am just way excited!! They also filter in discounts from other sites like Groupon.com and Restaurant.com, which makes it a lot easier than checking tons of sites everyday for deals.

As our first activity from the blog, Adrian and I attended Christmas Tidings at the French Legation Museum. The museum is tucked away in a neighborhood just minutes from downtown; in fact, from the grounds there is an amazing view of the city. I learned that the main house is the oldest house in Austin (still extremely sturdy). It's a small museum but one with lots of history and beautiful grounds. Nowadays, the grounds can be rented for events and weddings (jot that down next to possible locations :). With this event a success, I'm already making plans for what free stuff I'll be doing for the rest of the weekend.    

Me enjoying the beautiful grounds.

This is the oldest house in Austin. Now, the veranda is used for weddings.

There is an amazing view of the city. This is just a small glimpse of the capitol.

Movin' on up (or actually, down South)

My prior attempt at blogging didn't quite work out. It was helpful for me, but I didn't blog often. My goal is to remedy that with a new blog that is more general about the going ons of my life. And this is the perfect time since I will be moving to Austin in 3 weeks from Salt Lake City.

No, I have never visited Austin. No, I do not have a job there. No, I do not have family or close friends there. It is a completely new experience, one I'm glad I'm sharing with my boyfriend, Adrian. It is a daunting task to up and move to a new place, so I'm glad Adrian will be with me. Already, the stressful decisions have begun.

Currently our apartment is almost bare. A few weeks ago I sold off all the large furniture, except for the bed. Last week we had quite a successful yard sale, and then took all the remaining stuff to charity. Towards the end of the month, I'll begin boxing up what remaining things we have. The rule is that we can only take what will fit in the car or in a few boxes to ship. So with all that taken care of, the biggest stress is housing.

It is quite difficult to pick a place to live when you have no idea about the area. I've talked to people who live in Austin or have lived there and tried to get as much information as I could. Online I've searched through so many apartment sites and talked to realtors. I'm finding out about differences in deposits, fees, utilities and amenities. And it seems the more I learn, the more confused I become. There are so many options and I feel like I'm missing the crucial key to understanding them. We would like to stay with someone for a few months before we sign a long-term contract so that we can have time to explore the city, but that's still up in the air. Right now I'm throwing out lines and hoping something catches. So, basically, I end with a prayer that we won't be living in our car when we arrive in Austin.