The following Frugal Feature is a guest post from my blogger friend Jonha:

Wanting to earn more than I currently make in my day job, I decided to take the path of freelancing as a Social Media Strategist. When I quit my day job, the one where I stayed for more than 4 years, I already had a goal of not just earning more but most importantly being able to save more than I used to.

I thought freelancing could open a much larger cash flow for me. However, things didn’t go as easy and as fast as I’ve expected it to be. It’s not just like shopping, or finding the best satellite tv deals on the web, or deciding which makeup to put on. When freelancing, you have to constantly compete with other freelancers in terms of rate, deliverables, speed and over-all performance whereas with your day job, the competition seems to have watered down. It’s like you don’t have to worry about other sharks constantly waiting and on the look out to snatch your current projects – unless of course if you’re VP on that competitive executive level.

The kind of competition with the freelancing world has helped me strive to prove a little more, double my efforts and be constantly motivated to reach my financial goal – to earn more than I used to earn at my nine-to-five job.

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From where you stand now, it probably seems like a long road to debt freedom, especially if you’ve been paying just the minimum up to this point. But, there’s some good news. By reducing your spending and putting that money toward your debt, you can shave a significant amount of time off your debt repayment. Even better, you may be able to save thousands on interest paid.

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The following is a guest post to highlight the frugal offerings of David’s Bridal:

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I have a $500 prom dress that has been sitting in my closet since that one and only day that I have worn it. And my dress was actually a lot more affordable than many of the dresses worn by my peers.

This brings me to the question: Is it really worth it to spend that much on a dress that you are only going to wear once? I wish I had known back then that David’s Bridal has prom dresses. I just saw their new 2012 Prom Collection and the dresses are not only of a great value, but absolutely beautiful! Check out some of my favorites below.

Don’t these make you wish you were back in high school again?  (Shannyn’s note:  I’d rather not revisit high school- instead, I totally would sport this for my own frou-frou appropriate shindig! Or you know…tromp around the apartment since that’s what being a bloggger is really like everyday.)  A lot of the dresses in the collection would actually be great for formal events other than prom, as well.

Check out the site and you can even sign up to win a dress!

One of the best ways to feel beautiful is to take good care of your skin: we moisturize, cleanse, wear sunscreen, use anti-aging products, and more in attempt to attain great skin. Sometimes, however, we need some help from the pros by way of a facial or an exfoliating microdermabrasion treatment at the spa or salon – which are great, but pretty costly. What if there was a way to get spa-worthy skin in your own home, without the spa price tag?

Thanks to great new microdermabrasion at home products, you can achieve perfect skin every day, in the comfort of your own bathroom!

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 I don’t wear glasses but have curated a small collection on killer ‘shades since I want to protect my eyes and look fab.  I’m always looking to score a deal, but I also want to make sure that I get a quality pair.

I love saving money- but when it comes to eyewear, don’t go too cheap.  I have learned that in the long run, investing in a high quality pair will ensure a longer life of your item.  

Not only do high quality pairs usually come with a case, a warranty and are made to last- but you treat them better  overall.

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