It started with a free lip gloss. There I was a twenty something girl barely out of college whose salary barely covered the rent. Living in NYC, one most expensive cities in the world and I could barely afford the dollar menu at McDonald’s (cue the violins). Then one day I received an email that would change my world…

Sephora had just opened a brand new store on 5^th avenue and to celebrate was offering a free bag of cosmetics to all Sephora newsletter subscribers! Armed with my umbrella (it was raining!) I trucked it on my lunch break and stood on the seriously long line for my swag. Home later that night staring at my shiny new black cosmetic bag and all the free shiny cosmetics and lotions that retailed for $100’s of dollars I had an epiphany: The world was full of free stuff and I. Wanted. More!

Now the gravy train of goodies didn’t magically happen overnight. It took time researching forums, reading tons of articles, not to mention having my inbox spammed into oblivion but eventually I managed to learn the secrets of the freebie underground. Over the years I’ve managed to get score everything free from cosmetics, magazine subscriptions, movie tickets and even cold hard cash. I also learned how going out didn't meant spending a fortune. For the price of a metrocard, I could go out and have a good time...now I have that Black Eyed Peas song stuck in my head!

I’ll be posting tips/advice I’ve acquired over the years, awesome deals that I find and personal anecdotes from my continuing quest to score free or extremely cheap…well anything. Also, I will post free or really cheap events in or around NYC that I believe are worth checking out.

Just because you have a limited budget doesn't mean you have to have a limited life. I know. Deep. ;-)