As a child the term princess was often used to describe me. I was known as the “Daddy’s little princess” and even “princess of the house”. It was engrained in my head so well that to this day I still use the phrase “Jazmyn, like the princess” when people ask me what my name is. The spelling is unique and that often throws people off. It wasn’t until recently that I realized that being a queen was so much better than being a princess.
My mom loved her coupons and could make a dollar stretch longer than a country mile. She taught us the value of a dollar at a young age and that lesson stayed with me through adulthood. She passed when I was 14 and my dad and step-mom continued those life lessons. We were raised to enjoy our lives and to not be afraid to enjoy them frugally. The suggested retail price was just that, a suggestion and most things could be negotiated. The bargaining tools I learned from all of my parents, combined with today’s technology has allowed me to become the #QueenOf a good deal.
Ask anyone at work and they’ll tell you that I’m constantly jet-setting, showing up to work in funky specs or a cute handbag and that I will find a coupon code for anything. They’ll probably even tell you about the time I found a coupon code for a holiday bar crawl! Now I won’t got into too many details because I’ve shared some of these tips before, but I wanted to give you guys some pointers on how you too can become the #QueenOf a good deal.
Travel –
Travel Blogs: ‘Secret Flying’ and ‘Thrifty Traveler’ are two blogs that I check daily. They post flight deals and mistake fares, along with other travel tips. In fact, I found out about my Dubai and Paris deals on Thrifty Traveler.
Skyscanner & Momondo – These sites search everywhere, imagine Indeed for flights. I love that you can put your where you’re starting your trip, pick dates and then put ‘Everywhere’ on Skyscanner and it’ll search for the cheapest flights everywhere in the world during that frame. It’s great when you know when you’ll be taking a vacation, but need a bit of help deciding where. You can also use Momondo to book rental cars and hotels, but I mainly use it for flights.
Google Flights – I love that you can set alerts on here and that it has as fare calendar and flight tracker. It also has that ‘Everywhere’ feature that Skyscanner has.
Glasses –
Ordering online: I’ve worn glasses since the 7th grade, in fact my first pair were a blue wire framed ones and my next pair looked really similar. In fact, it wasn’t until about 2009 that I found out about ordering glasses online and upped my optical game. I’ve been favoring Firmoo recently, but I’ve used Zenni Optical and EyeBuyDirect. They have full pairs of glasses for less than $30, and some even as low as $7 for single vision lens. Yeah, cheaper than a lunch out at work. They don’t accept insurance, but their prices are so cheap that you don’t need it.
Coupons –
Retail Me Not: Online shopping is huge right now and the easiest way to save money doing that is with online coupons. The first place I go when I find something I like at a store online is to Retail Me Not. I’ll plug in the store’s name and see if there are any active coupons, and often times I’m able to save between 10%-20% off of my order!
Ebates: This one is more of a way to earn money back, versus saving it up front. And with Ebates you can earn money back on just about everything you buy online. I’ve also found that it’s a bit more convenient to download the extension for whatever web browser you use so that you can just click the toolbar button instead of logging onto Ebates’ website for every shopping trip.
Like I said, these are just a few tips for y’all to use to help you become a #QueenOf a good deal, but even if you do you won’t be as much of a queen as Teresa is on ‘Queen of the South‘. I was beyond excited when I heard it was coming back to USA for a second season because I loved the first one so much. I was tuned in every week last year watching as Teresa escaped Mexico and had to deal with all of the ups and downs that came after the love of her life Guero was supposedly killed. That twist at the end of the first season almost made me spit out my sweet tea! I watched week after week as Teresa and Brenda showed just how much of a badass they could be, fighting to protect themselves and their families. I watched as Camilla took over her husband’s business, gaining the respect of her peers and his peers!
Things shift in season 2, it goes from focusing on Teresa’s survival instincts to showcasing her growth in the cartel underworld. From what I’ve seen in the previews we’ll get to watch her come into her own as she starts to recognize her power and potential. She’ll learn what it takes to become a Queenpin, but will also learn that it comes with a steep price. Loyalties will be tested, love becomes a vulnerability and moral compromises are going to be made. Camila will be both friend and foe when it comes to Teresa’s rise to the top and by the end of the season we’ll recognize that there can only be one queen.
Season two kicks off on June 8th on USA Network (check with your local cable provider for exact times and channels), but prepare for it binge watching season one OnDemand or streaming it!
What are you #Queenof? Comment below or tweet me and let me know!