If you're a frugal shopper, you sometimes learn that you can buy items in the oddest places. Better yet, sometimes they're cheaper there! Here is a list of things I've found, and those locations (some of them strange!) where they are often cheaper to buy.
Trash Bags (Drawstring Kitchen Style)
Home Depot 150 bags for $12.97 = 9 cents a bag
Walmart 120 bags $15.88 = 13 cents a bag
Cosco 200 bags $26.00 = 13 cents a bag
(currently in progress. If you have your own cheap surprises, let me know!)
Beyond the Book Pages
Shared post from my book blog:
While I love books of all genres, styles and lengths, there is a certain form of book that can quickly rise to the top of my 'favorite' list. This book isn't a casual relationship: I don't put it down, walk away, and never look back. This is a book that makes me a fan, and oftentimes, this is a book that is more than what's on the pages. Whether it features an interactive website I can find bonus content on, a scavenger hunt, or later turns into a movie, my favorite books transform themselves, and take on their own life.
While I love books of all genres, styles and lengths, there is a certain form of book that can quickly rise to the top of my 'favorite' list. This book isn't a casual relationship: I don't put it down, walk away, and never look back. This is a book that makes me a fan, and oftentimes, this is a book that is more than what's on the pages. Whether it features an interactive website I can find bonus content on, a scavenger hunt, or later turns into a movie, my favorite books transform themselves, and take on their own life.
Some might say these books use transmedia storytelling to accomplish their goals. Basically, the story is told in more than one format. Video game, website, book, artwork; transmedia storytelling gets to me as a reader because it allows me to become part of things. Harry Potter did this with Pottermore, The Lunar Chronicles have begun to do this with their marketing campaign. Piece by piece, they build communities where readers can engage in the stories they've come to love.
With the rapid rise of the e-book industry, I feel storytelling looses some of this magic. Books come out so rapidly, stay in our computer screens, and struggle to break free of those confines. While I love Indie works, and I read my fair share of e-books, I think this is a challenge authors need to address. A book can't always just be a book. To thrive in today's market, it needs to be more.
Fans embrace whatever outlets are given to them. If I find a good book, I can review it, I can talk about it, but sometimes, that is the end of our relationship. To truly engage in a book, bring my friends, and share it together is the next step up. Not every book can capture this sort of magic, or bring itself to life. But those that do earn my respect. Art, online content, interaction: however you choose to break the dimensions of a story doesn't matter. Just let it live a little beyond the book pages.
Bargain Shelf Book Reviews
As an author, free books are somewhat of an intimidating topic. Whether it's an ARC, a beta read, or a Kindle deal, I find myself torn when I know I'm not supporting the writer. With beta read and ARCs, I at least feel like my feedback is the return for the free book; while I am not giving monetary support to the author, advice, suggestions, and a second pair of eyes is my half of the exchange. But what about bargain books, second hand, and other freebees? Is it possible to be frugal while supporting my industry? I think the concept of free and bargain books is something all authors have to consider from one time to another.
I would be lying if I said the idea of millions of sales is appealing when you're a writer. Making an honestly living off a book is a prize few of us attain. But it's hard to compete for sales when you're surrounded by hundreds of 'freebees'. Each book I download on a free run is adding to the strength of that competition. It seems tough to compete with 'free'.
On the other hand, it's hard to justify spending hundreds of dollars on books I may never read again. It's hard to give emerging writers a shot when you have money in the equation. Even 99 cent books add up over time, and it takes a decent salary to support a hungry reading habit.
In the end, I just become more selective about which books I buy. I pick up my normal freebees, support authors with my reviews and feedback, but when a book truly dazzles me, that's when I make the effort to purchase. I found one of my favorite authors through a second hand store, and now each book I buy from her comes from my dedicated reading budget. While I can't support everyone, I feel it's important to do what I can for the authors who have the most impact on me.
While I don't feel there is a 'right' answer on this topic, that is at least my take on it. Here's a little info-graphic to leave you with.
I would be lying if I said the idea of millions of sales is appealing when you're a writer. Making an honestly living off a book is a prize few of us attain. But it's hard to compete for sales when you're surrounded by hundreds of 'freebees'. Each book I download on a free run is adding to the strength of that competition. It seems tough to compete with 'free'.
On the other hand, it's hard to justify spending hundreds of dollars on books I may never read again. It's hard to give emerging writers a shot when you have money in the equation. Even 99 cent books add up over time, and it takes a decent salary to support a hungry reading habit.
In the end, I just become more selective about which books I buy. I pick up my normal freebees, support authors with my reviews and feedback, but when a book truly dazzles me, that's when I make the effort to purchase. I found one of my favorite authors through a second hand store, and now each book I buy from her comes from my dedicated reading budget. While I can't support everyone, I feel it's important to do what I can for the authors who have the most impact on me.
While I don't feel there is a 'right' answer on this topic, that is at least my take on it. Here's a little info-graphic to leave you with.
A Cold Cup of Tea: Reviewing Past the Problems
Recently I've started doing more book reviews, and one of the most difficult things to deal with is picking up a book that just isn't 'your cup of tea'. As a reader, the usual instinct is to put it down and start something else, but as a reviewer, you want to give an honest opinion of the whole story, which can mean continuing even after a story lost you. The best way I found to do this was actually a rather simple concept: identify the problem, and go on.
Let me explain a little. Things will bug us as readers (a book talks too much in asides, the narrator thinks they're funny when they're not, there is too much profanity, or the prose is flawed). A reviewer has to find those things and isolate them. So you don't like the prose style. Set it aside and look at everything BUT that. Does the story line transition well? Are the characters dimensional? Is the editing okay? Each time you find a problem, isolate it and move on. The more of these stumbling blocks I find, the lower my review may be. But at least I can look at the story as a whole, and be honest why it doesn't work for me. That way, no book is punished because one thing bugged me.
Bonus Paragraph: What do I Review On?
When I review, I try to look at some key elements of a novel: readability, transitions, prose, characters, and plot. These are my big players whether I like or dislike a book. If a book has editing problems, word choice or organization issues, that's a mark down for me. If a book has awkward transitions from one scene to another, or one paragraph to another, that is another bad mark. If the prose is flat, and the story isn't written well, a mark. And if either the characters or the plot fall flat and aren't shaped well, a mark. World-building can fall into readability, which I also consider believability. In many ways, this helps me decide between a 1 and a 5 star book. A truly bad book would be missing all of these, and my favorite books execute them well.
Let me explain a little. Things will bug us as readers (a book talks too much in asides, the narrator thinks they're funny when they're not, there is too much profanity, or the prose is flawed). A reviewer has to find those things and isolate them. So you don't like the prose style. Set it aside and look at everything BUT that. Does the story line transition well? Are the characters dimensional? Is the editing okay? Each time you find a problem, isolate it and move on. The more of these stumbling blocks I find, the lower my review may be. But at least I can look at the story as a whole, and be honest why it doesn't work for me. That way, no book is punished because one thing bugged me.
Bonus Paragraph: What do I Review On?
When I review, I try to look at some key elements of a novel: readability, transitions, prose, characters, and plot. These are my big players whether I like or dislike a book. If a book has editing problems, word choice or organization issues, that's a mark down for me. If a book has awkward transitions from one scene to another, or one paragraph to another, that is another bad mark. If the prose is flat, and the story isn't written well, a mark. And if either the characters or the plot fall flat and aren't shaped well, a mark. World-building can fall into readability, which I also consider believability. In many ways, this helps me decide between a 1 and a 5 star book. A truly bad book would be missing all of these, and my favorite books execute them well.
Sleep Deprivation and Other Forgotten Currencies
There is something magical about those hours between twelve and six in the morning. The times when sleep should come, and the body should rest for the coming day. I've come to find that sometimes, my best work arises in these moments. I've also come to understand that the reason early morning creations are so magical, is because reason has already gone to sleep.
You see, when we are awake, we have this habit of correcting ourselves. We have this habit of thinking, or processing, and following all the formal training and preparation that we need to. For writing, there is the distraction of the grammatically correct, the full sentences, the proper spelling. For art there is the proportions, the accuracy and the planning. While all of that is good and well, the magic of late time work is that creativity is allowed to thrive. Words can run where they want, unbound by the rules a wakeful mind would put in place. Pictures can scribble beyond the lines, and composition is abandoned to passion. Work in early hours may be sloppy, true, and certainly I don't think it is perfect. But the essence of creativity is so strong and undeniably vibrant, I treasure what I accomplish during these hours.
Sometimes, we need to let reason sleep while our bodies stay awake, if only for the creative venturing of a mind released.
You see, when we are awake, we have this habit of correcting ourselves. We have this habit of thinking, or processing, and following all the formal training and preparation that we need to. For writing, there is the distraction of the grammatically correct, the full sentences, the proper spelling. For art there is the proportions, the accuracy and the planning. While all of that is good and well, the magic of late time work is that creativity is allowed to thrive. Words can run where they want, unbound by the rules a wakeful mind would put in place. Pictures can scribble beyond the lines, and composition is abandoned to passion. Work in early hours may be sloppy, true, and certainly I don't think it is perfect. But the essence of creativity is so strong and undeniably vibrant, I treasure what I accomplish during these hours.
Sometimes, we need to let reason sleep while our bodies stay awake, if only for the creative venturing of a mind released.
Why It's Awesome to be a Nerd
"I think a lot of us have realize that being a nerd is not about what you love, it's about how you love it; [It's about] the way you find other people that love it the way you do."
-- Wil Wheaton - Why It's Awesome to be a Nerd
When some people are little, they aspire to be things like police officers, firefighters, doctors or lawyers; when I was little, I wanted to be a superhero. But since I couldn't do that, I settled for being an artist because I could draw super heroes.
Part of that has never changed.
Every Halloween I'd have some elaborate costume like being Nightcrawler or Gambit, and hand my mom a picture that would take her 3 months to decipher and build. She had a lot of patience with me, and she let me go ahead and be a fan of whatever I wanted to whether it was X-men, Stargate, Legend of Zelda or Pokemon. My Christmas stocking has been a ninja turtle, a Stargate, a pokebal, and one of these days it'll probably have a triforce on it. So long as it's only up once a year, mom let it happen.
I wasn't extreme with my collections like some people; I had a stack of Pokemon cards, a box of beanie babies, a few figurines, that was it. But as I grew older, I kept much of this to myself because most people around me expected me to just 'grow up'. When you're younger and you aspire to be a super hero, it's cute. When you're older, they just think you're a nerd.
In middle school we dressed up in cloaks and had Elvish Names. We wrote books about middle earth and we tried inventing our own languages.
When I reached High School we made our own comic books, and conventions started to be the thing. We stopped dressing up as much at school, but that didn't mean we stopped dressing up entirely.
Now that I'm in college, I am a Con Artist, and I travel conventions and sell my art in artist alleys. I guess I'm turning into what you can call a 'professional nerd'.
I'm painting the bathroom cabinet like a T.A.R.D.I.S. And for once I don't care who rolls their eyes.
I guess I never grew up. But you know what? I think I'm ok with that. I get to spend a weekend wearing an elaborate costume, talking to people, doing art, and being with people who like the things I do. I get to meet people who make their livings drawing comic books and dressing up. I've discovered that what you love, and what you do for a living can be the same thing.
And the best thing is, we get to be geeks together.
The problem sometimes with society is what's acceptable to become is forced on us as children. When I was little, I thought I had to learn to be 'professional', and I thought I would have to get a 9-5 job to survive. But no one let me do what I love; so I did it anyway. And you know what? I'm surviving. I still went to college, still am getting my degree, but I'm doing it my way. I went to get an art degree when everyone said Biology was more useful. I went and pursued a job of convention hopping even though getting a 'real job' would be more stable. And the budget may be tight at times, but I haven't fallen on my face yet.
I don't need to be rich. I'm already happy.
I think there is a difference between honesty and fear. We fear letting people pursue sometimes 'childish' because we fear they will never learn to be adults. We fear letting people dream because we think they'll get let down. But the truth is, what's childish isn't always bad. What's risky isn't always damaging. If we never take a chance and jump, then we may never know how far we can reach. So that's why I love the nerd culture.
I love fandom conventions. I love comic expos and art shows. I love meeting people who love things the way I do. Because they aren't afraid to do something that society isn't always as accepting of.
Being a nerd is awesome because we get to be that rare variety of dreamers who isn't afraid to jump to see if they can fly.
