Unplanned Trips, Going Back to School, Degrees for Life Experiences

Good afternoon. I write to you today after a wonderful, unplanned weekend trip to Cherry Grove Beach, North Myrtle Beach, SC.  Having not been to the beach in over a year, we decided to take off and go.  We rode the four hours to the beach to find most every motel booked and the ones with vacancies were closed.  We rode for several more hours looking for somewhere to stay.  We started in South Myrtle Beach.  The home of The Bowery, where the famous country music group, Alabama, got their start.  This section of beach was packed to the max with only a couple of Vacancy signs flashing and offices locked up tight.  I had never thought about the possibility of a motel office being closed.  We were exhausted after working all day and riding all night.  We rode to North Myrtle Beach.  We found one hotel with a vacancy sign...it was next door to a "gentleman's club"! No way was I staying there with my daughters!  We stopped at a Best Western which was filled to capacity.  I asked her if she could recommend any other place in the area.  It was nearly 4 A.M. at this point.  She told us to go over a few streets and see what was available there.  I am so glad we followed her advice!  Doing so led us to La Dolce Vita Villas!  The motel owner was kind enough to crawl out of bed at four in the morning and show us her last available room.  It was perfect! It slept four, so there was enough room for my husband and myself as well as the kids.  It had a private bedroom, a futon sofa/bed in the living room and a full kitchen; not a kitchenette!  Among the amenities was free wireless internet connection.  They went above and beyond to make this stay a good one!

  If you are ever in the area and are looking for a great place to stay check them out!  You won't be sorry!  Do you bring your pets on vacation with you?  This is the place for you!  They are pet friendly. They do not charge extra for your pets and there aren't restrictions that you find in other places!

Thanks to their free wireless internet, I was able to check in on my school work. That's right, I said school work. I completed my first full week of classes last week. I am working on an Associate of Arts Degree in Psychology.  I am very excited to be returning to school. I chose to go to the University of Phoenix because their credits are transferable to other schools.  My experience with them so far has been nothing but good!  I feel they have a system that puts their students on the road to success!

This brings me to my next topic....Getting degrees for life experiences.  I was surprised when I first heard about this today, but it is something that you can truly do.  Someone came into my office today. We were discussing returning to school, the benefits it will offer you, the dedication and work involved with school work, etc.  He mentioned someone that he knows who went to the site below and got his degree.


www.affordabledegrees.com


It isn't buying a degree, although, I must admit that this is the first thought that came to my mind as I looked into it.  They are simply giving you class credit for the work and other experiences you have met in life.  There may be some classes required if your experience doesn't equal the requirements for the degree program.  It is much cheaper than returning to the classroom and you have your degree in about 14 business days.  This is interesting. I must admit it's not something I know a lot about. I am still looking into it.  I am enjoying my classes, so I can't even say it is something I would do...but the opportunity is there for others who may be interested.  These degrees come from an accredited school and the state recognizes and honors these degrees [at least SC does].  Do you know anyone who has gotten a degree this way?  What are your thoughts and opinions on earning a degree through life experiences rather than a classroom only setting?

I can hardly wait to hear from you all!  Please do comment as this is a  Do Follow Blog!

Blessings,

Regina

Week of Savings

Good afternoon!  I am writing to you this evening from my front patio.  I was blessed with a beautiful table for my patio.  It is so nice to sit out here and feel the breeze and listen to the crickets and the frogs...aahh the country life.

For about six months now I have been trying to find ways to save money. I started couponing back in January.  This has been a learning experience for me but one that I welcome! I mean, who doesn't like FREE stuff and saving money?

  I never realized just how much you can save using coupons!  Just this week alone I saved about $150 on my grocery bill, almost half of what I spent.  I am not as good as the ones on TLC's Extreme Couponing, but I am working my way there!  Check out some of my "LIKES" on my FACEBOOK page.  There are too many too mention them all, but check them out for ways to save on your grocery bill too!

Blessings and HAPPY SAVINGS TO YOU!
Regina