Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Fall has hit Tucson

The temperature is a steady eighty degrees, the leaves are green and still fully attached to their branches and the girls are still flaunting the mini skirts. Yes...fall is here in full course in Tucson but as we don't actually have seasons we don't notice. We see pictures of New York or Connecticut where they have falling leaves in bright orange, but all we have is thousand degree heat and cold winter, no in between.
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I forgot the time of year until I went to the grocery store and I was shocked...orange and yellow and greens! It was amazing. Unfortunately I was a bit overzealous and I now have a pumpkin, several squash, a big bag of potatoes and onions and yams and corn. And for a good measure, a can of cranberry sauce. It's like Thanksgiving a month early. But when you don't have a car, carrying a pumpkin on a bike isn't fun.
Now all I need is to figure out how to cook a pumpkin.
Any ideas?
Happy fall guys!

Trying to learn the ways of my fore-mothers

Another Monday…I’m not sure whether it is the economy or something else, but it has been rather slow this last week at work. For the amount of people, my tips have been great but there hasn’t been as many customers. It has been a double hit because I am not getting as much money from my sister, one hundred less so that s hurting my budget a bit. I am still able to save quite a bit of money, but I am not able to make my goals yet. Oh well…I am trying to save money in other ways. I went to CVS last night and got a couple needles and thread. I did manage to repair a long rip and although it has a long bumpy scar, (battle wounds) it is now wearable. I am very proud, because I loved that sweater and now I don’t have to replace it. I am also going to try and hem a pair of pants, a it trickier and time consuming but it will give me something to do while watching TV. I am also excited about my next grocery shopping excursion because of all the Fall produce, squash and corn. I’m thinking of getting a pumpkin or two, carving one for Halloween and seeing if I can eat the other. I actually have never tried eating a pumpkin, other than as pie or bread or seeds. We’ll see.
My school had an internship fair last week and I came back very excited. I pitched an idea for a financial column to a smaller paper, and I didn’t get laughed at. I don’t know how likely it will be that little ol’ me will get a financial column considering I’m still figuring it out, but I hope that will be an asset. Instead of lecturing readers, I want to catalogue my experiences and those like me, starting out and confused, and have it be fun, informative and casual. It would be fun, if I get a group of legitimate experts and do a dear PF columnist and find out the answers for people. So my fingers are definitely triple crossed. If I don’t get it, then the editor said I could apply for a summer internship, which I’d love to do. I am hoping my server career ends with this job.
I just finished paying for my winter vacation and I’m already mentally planning out my next one. Give the amount I am saving for my move, I’m not sure if I should, but part of me is saying that I should enjoy the money I save as well as squirreling it away. If I do plan one, it will be a small one near the beginning of next school year, early August. It will also be cheaper because I will only have about 8 months to pay for it, which would be about $1000 to play with.

Monday, October 13, 2008

Learning from history

This sounds very strange but in some ways I am enjoying the financial crisis. Not in the way I like going to Disneyland of course, but in a 'watching-history-being-made' way. I've read in a lot of different blogs and papers that because of this crisis, we may switch to a cash-based economy. I am all for that. I'm just glad I've not too much damage to my credit score and that I'm becoming more responsible.
One of my favorite PF bloggers 'Brunette on a Budget' did a long post about the upside of the 'whatever we are in', some of my favorites are;

Climate change. According to a government study, carbon dioxide emissions fall whenever energy consumption declines. Our freezing will be the planet's salvation.

Foreign policy. In the good old days, the United States got in lots of trouble by invading first and asking questions later. Now we couldn't afford to invade Grenada if we had to.

I for one and trying to relearn some of the more old fashioned feminine skills except they mostly cost money. I want to learn to sew, because I have quite a few items of clothing that have holes or which need hemming, and I'm to lazy and frugal to take them to an alteration shop. Come on guys, $15 for a hem that takes them like 5 minutes, jeepers. I know the extreme basics, but the only sewing kit I have is one of those dinky travel ones, and I've already lost 80% of the items in it. So I need to buy a sewing kit.

Maybe this situation our country is in can teach my generation and the ones afterward about the joys of not having thousands of dollars in debt. Maybe we can grow up to be savers instead of spenders.


I also want to grow a garden, but as I live in a small apartment with no yard I'm not sure how that would work. I've thought about a window box sort of thing, but realistically, what can I hope to ream from a small window sill garden, not exactly a grand harvest.


Now onto my financial issues:

So far I have been doing very well on my financial goals. Compared to last week, I have been a very good PF blogger. Thus far I have had four no spend days, and the rest of the days have been very much in budget. I am still one with my Martha Stewart streak, in fact I really want to learn to make bread. I have not spent anything online since the last time I posted except for a couple songs for my Ipod.
I received my gloves, coat and DVDs in the mail. I am currently in love with my gloves, they are soft and pretty and furry. I also got the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series (I'm a nerd, sue me) which I am currently plowing through. I love getting DVD sets, they last forever and provide me with hours of entertainment. The only bad from the bunch was my J Crew jacket. I was really disappointed but it really was too big so I sold it to Buffalo Exchange. Sigh

Well I am going to dicth you I can work on my resume, my school is having an internship tomorrow that I'm going to crash. I am going to hand out my resume and a pitch for a financial column I'm hoping someone will jump on.

Wish me luck!

Monday, October 6, 2008

Update on life

October thus far has been financially up and down. I have done well so far in tips but I have been irresponsible financially, though I may not regret it ten years from now. I found a pair of cashmere lined, leather gloves by Coach which I looked up to be about $350, so if they fit and don't look ridiculous will be a purchase that will last. Then I won the J Crew trench coat that I had fallen in love with last month and I found it on ebay for about $60 with shipping, a very classic purchase. If I don't like it then I try and sell them both at Buffalo Exchange. But fingers crossed it won't come down to that.
I made a couple financial goals for the month:
-Have 15 no spend days, I have two so far
-Spend no more online
-Find a PT job that will give me about 10-15 hours a week so I have a buffer in case tips are lacking
-Stop spending so much time watching TV
-Get a library card and read one book a week, I am a book nerd but ever since my sister got a TV I haven't read much
-Cook more meals at home
-Actually do my homework before the day it's due

Some of these aren't intrinsically financial but they are to do with wealth and how I want my future life to be as i am starting to feel irresponsible.

I have been doing well in some areas, like I have been on a Martha Stewart streak. I mean, my apartment is picture perfect (for me anyway) no dirty dishes, no clothes on the floor, bed made. And I have been cooking for the last two days, not just average cooking, I made quarts of soup from scratch (which turned out fabulously I might add). I'm hoping this streak doesn't end.

I did go to the organic grocery store near my house. I got a lot of bulk things to help in my cooking endeavors. I got a pound of lentils and a pound of split peas to make into soup. I got some powdered soy milk which is surprisingly good, some olive oil since my last bottle shattered all over the floor (anyone know how to get oil permanently off the floor, it is still slick and I've been scrubbing forever) some cayenne pepper, dried cranberries and finally, the thing that broke the budget and I now regret, a gallon of raw milk for $12. Let me explain, I am a city girl and I have never even been to a farm, so milk and cows always has held a fascination for me and Ive always wanted to try raw milk. So when I saw the carton I had to splurge. Unfortunately I can't taste a difference. Boo. But it is out of my system.

That is all I can write now, as it is four AM and I have class in six hours.
Cheers