Back to College? Save Money On Books While Saving Lives!

This is a sponsored post by CampusBookRentals. I've received compensation for this post. All opinions are my own.

Seriously guys, can we just talk briefly about the crisp air and falling leaves? This season has blown in so quickly, my sunscreen is still wet! To be honest, I was never a fan of fall. Growing up, fall meant school...and that was NOT a good thing for me. As I grew older and started college, I didn't mind it as much. It was amazing walking around Boston with a warm button up jacket, cozy scarf and an armful of books. Oh, yeah...books by the truck load.

That was about 2834838949 years ago. Okay, fine...it was 11. I wish there were companies like CampusBookRentals back then! Students and parents spend hundreds of dollars for college books they may only use for one semester. Raise your hand if you still have dusty college books in your collection? Yeah, I thought you did.

There are major perks that can help your Ramon noodle budget through this website:
- Save 40-90% off of bookstore prices
- Free shipping both ways!
- Can highlight in the textbooks
- Flexible renting periods
- With each textbook rented, a donation is made to Operation Smile 

Holding Hands and Hearts, Operation Smile (source)

Operation Smile provides help and healing for children who suffer from a cleft-lip or cleft palette. These conditions have taken innocent lives and with each textbook that is rented through CampusBookRentals, a portion of your money goes to transforming a live and rebuilding smiles!  How awesome is that? Find out more about Operation Smile right here on their website.

Another amazing thing about CampusBookRentals is their new program, RentBack. It is new initiative that allows students to rent the textbooks they own - to other students... which is awesome because it makes them 2-4x more money compared to what they'd make through buyback options! (selling their books back at the end of the semester) Isn't that awesome?!

Here are two videos that can explain things better.



This may seem like a lot of info but it would be worth your time to check out CampusBookRentals and be involved in the great things that they are doing! You can potentially save money on your books AND help save lives. Mind blown. Oh AND possibly make some money by renting out your old books? What can be better than that?

I love getting to know my readers!

Are you in college? What are you studying?

5 Not-So-Secret Secrets

I thought today I will bring you something fun (hopefully.)
You guys rock for following my blog, seriously...I don't even know if I would follow my own blog, ha!!

So I wanted to tell you some secrets about me...well, maybe they aren't secrets to those close to me but anyway, we can label them more "fun facts." Ready? No? Perfect, let's go:

5.) I AM THE OLDEST OF FOUR
Yup. I am the oldest which means I am the boss (not). Next is my sister Leani, 5 years younger, then the twins Meli & Nikko, 18 years younger. That's right...I had just graduated high school when they were born! Lucky for me, I was on my way to college and left Leani to change all those dirty diapers hehe
(Not to worry, I am now paying for it with my own baby boy!) This bring me to my next "secret"...

4.) I  "WENT" TO COLLEGE FOR FASHION DESIGN
Well lets define "went"...if we mean 6 months then dropped out to come back home, then why, yes, I DID go to college! I love fashion and drawing, so I "went" to the college in Boston (which I loved btw.) I realized in the middle of my fashion history class during a lecture about the history of the bra, that the industry was not for me. I would have to mingle and build relationships with a mess of shallow Barbie dolls who thought they could design clothing because they got dressed in the dark. Eh, not for me but thanks anyway.

3.) I'VE ONLY BEEN IN CHURCH FOR FIVE YEARS
Coming up the six!! Yup, I am still quite a newbie believer. I've had people tell me they thought I was raised in the church but I was not. I do feel privileged, however, to be raising my son in church. My husband was and I have to say, I am kinda envious (gasp!) because I didn't have those fun awesome church camp services as a teenager, or those super amazing Sunday School classes/field trips. However, the Lord's timing is perfect and all of my experiences are now being used for His glory! The Lord is SO good!

2.) I AM PUERTO-RICAN
Because of my light complexion and hazel eyes, I NEVER get mistaken for JLO (though my maiden name IS Lopez...pretty sweet huh? My husband says he wishes he could have had MY last name instead of the other way around. Lopez is a pretty awesome last name.) I was brought up on rice and beans and Telemundo. Yes, my mother threatened me with a chancla (sandal....spelling? My Spanish stinks...that's another secret, for free, you are welcome.) My father was the lead guitarist and writer/composer for a local salsa band in the city of Hartford, so I also grew up with a lot of chachacha's and aleba's...

1.) I USED TO BE A "POP" HEAD
This HAS to be number 1 because I was soooooo obsessed with BSB, N 'Sync, 98 Degrees Britney Christina (not X-tina, that was post-innocence), Five, Spice Girls and pretty much any other pop artist from the 90's. My dad took my sis and I to a dozen concerts and we even got to meet LFO when they were in their prime (I use that term lightly.) I even went to a Spice Girl's concert after Ginger left, where there were t-shirts being sold with her face crossed out. *Sigh* The crowds of screaming little crazies as middle-age men-boys danced across the stage, blowing kisses while dancing in synchronized semi-circles...memories I will never forget...

Do you have any not-so-secret secrets?