Hello lovely Windy City Bloggers! I’m the deal-finding sleuth behind Chicago Cheap Ass. My blog focuses on enjoying city life on a budget. Some of my best articles involve getting into Lollapalooza for free, saving thousands on international travel, and guest posts from my talented friends on topics like beauty, fitness, dating and finances (one of my favorites).
I’m relatively new to WCBC and have just started attending events and meeting people. For any prospective members out there – stop wasting time and sign up already! Our group harnesses influence and information in numbers. My favorite part of being a part of WCBC is the connections I’ve made – I’ve already met so many motivated and interesting members. So my Friday Five is going to focus on my favorite posts from people I’ve met in person.
- Mischaela of Big City Blonde was the first blogger I met in person. We went to an event that didn’t turn out according to plan, but made the best of it and gained a friendship when all was said and done. What I love about Michaela’s blog is that she’s created a platform where she can talk about anything – and it works! She works with a lot of premium brands, but is still very down to earth. I love her “Dress for Work in Two Minutes” post because she offers tips that anyone would find useful.
- I met Deanna of Chi City Mom after randomly seeing Mischaela at my next official WCBC event. Deanna told me about “the struggle” of being a wife/blogger – sometimes your other half doesn’t make the connection between what you do and the benefits you reap. She talked about strategies she’s used to get him to see the light – and they work! Instead of sharing my favorite post, I’ll take the opportunity to help her promote her latest giveaway – a $500 Target giftcard! You know I’ll be entering 😉
- Katie reached out on our awesome private Facebook group, looking for bloggers to collaborate with. I love her “Coffee and Core” series where she and another blogger try out an interesting workout (there are so many to choose from in Chicago), then go for drinks afterwards to learn more about each other. Katie and I are scheduled for one of these sessions and I can’t wait! In the meantime, I had an opportunity to meet her at another event. Katie talks all things paleo on her blog, Personally Paleo. I’ll admit that I’m not one to normally choose to eat paleo, but this seared steak with avocado cream is a simple thing to implement into my cooking routing. Keep up the great work, Katie!
- The last two bloggers on my list I just met a few nights ago at a media dinner. Let’s talk about the Hungary Buddha – how much do you love that name? I think Chrissy and I are soul-sisters. As she describes on her about page, “I like to eat. I like to travel. I like to cook.” She gets me. I looked through one of her biggest tags – Europe – and found this recipe for chocolate ganache-covered marble babka. I just ate breakfast and I’m already hung(a)ry again.
- I love the concept of Katie’s blog, Dining at My Desk. She’s got a great range of topics to cover, and in fact… I stole one. A month or two ago, I looked through a bunch of WCBC member blogs for inspiration – What affiliate programs are people using? How are people using their blog’s real estate? What brands should I get involved with? One of Katie’s posts was about Smart Soup – a gluten-free, vegan, and low-calorie soup available at Costco. I reached out to them and am happy to say they’ll be getting a nice write up from myself as well! Thanks for your awesome ideas, Katie.
image via Jennifer Claire Photography for Windy City Blogger Collective