We Don't Have to Breed

Angie was the first the tell me about Frances Bean Cobain.
"Who names their daughter Bean?" she scorned. This was back in middle school. I don't think she had anything again Frances or Kurt, rather, she was angry 'cause, to her, Nirvana stood for all the things wrong with the new Melissa. To her, Kurt Cobain represented all the reasons she stopped being our friend.

I recently found a picture of Frances Bean Cobain via Digg. The girl's kind of ugly. That's mean, I know, but it's a Bazaar photo spread! She had the very best make up and hair people working on her and that's the best she could look? I know her mom is Courtney Love but come on... this is her dad:Amazing voice. Amazing talent. Amazing looks. Amazing all around. Oh why did you have to go kill yourself Kurt? Why?

They make and sell Kurt Cobain figurine; it's him playing during MTV Unplugged, you know, on a stool, with the accoustic? What the fuck? Who is that market towards? I mean, the man was all about not becoming an idol or the stereotypical superficial rock star. It's part of the reason why he killed himself! The action figure is pretty much mocking him and his ideals and I would hope that any fan would recognize this and refrain from purchasing anything of the sort. Well, if not a Cobain fan, that who? Who did they think was going to buy it?

Optical Illusion (Ewe!)

So I was sitting on my bed, talking on the phone, kind of staring off into space, not really looking at anything in particular when I noticed a real life optical illusion right before me. Okay, so check this out:Okay, so it kind of looks like there's like a wall or an extension perpendicular to my closet, right? Well, when I use my flash...

You can see that it's actually my open closet door.

Oh, and so I google "optical illusion" and BOOM! A picture of a boob, right there on the search result page! That can't be right, what if I were like a five year old?

Again?!

Stamps are going up by 1 cent starting 5.12.08.
Maybe I should start doing on line bill pay and save my stamp money for personal correspondence.
Didn't they just do this last year?
Damn inflation!

Week End Update!

I don't think I did as badly as I feared.

Beauty: Holding steady @ 82% since I haven't bought anything in this category this week. It still exceeds the ideal 75%.
Bills: 101%- I know I said that I had allotted more than enough money in this category but Comcast raised the bill by $4 and I had decided to pay extra towards my car payment. Usually, when you over pay your bill, they apply it as credit towards your next payment, not your principal. Jamie had convinced me not to pay my car off early but I wanted to try an experiment. I attached a note asking them to apply the extra towards my principal. I'm waiting to see if they listened to me or if they just take it off my next payment.
Charity: 75%- This week's will go to Native American Heritage Association
Clothes: 142%- It's not as bad as it seems, I only exceeded it by like $22. Aside from the short sleeved cardigan from H&M when I was with Jamie, I also bought a cute polka dot-ish button down that looks like something one of the Duggar kids would wear. It sounds bad but it's very cute.
Eating: 84%- Argh! If I'm super good and only eat out during lunch, I think I can come in at budget.
Entertainment: 156%- Again, I only exceeded by like $22. The Professor Layton game screwed me over and seeing as how I've already finished it, maybe it wasn't worth $30? No, it definitely was. That game was pretty awesome.
Gas: 64%- Not bad considering I drove to Potomac Mills twice this month. I still have a little less than 1/3 of a tank left! Downside: Gas is now at $3.09 near my house. Ewe.
Gifts: 87%- Man I'm generous! I need to stop buying things for people!
Grocery: 77%- I think I can make it! Knowing me though, I'll use this to offset the "eating" portion of my budget.
House: 24%

Overall, not bad. I mean, I know I'm over where I should be in most of the categories but I think I got all the spending out of the way and I'm hoping to coast on all the stuff that I previously bought earlier this month. We'll see...

Japan Inc

I just finished a manga called "Japan Inc." It's basically a text book in manga form. They tried to simplify some concepts but it was still confusing as hell in some parts- and I was a half-assed econ major.

It did help me remember a lot of the concepts and theories I learned in class, helping me to better understand the current economic situation. That is, the book didn't really teach me anything but just kind of got me thinking of economics which in turn, got me reflecting on the current economic situation, does that make sense?

The most interesting chapter was about the conversion of hard industries (manufacturing) to soft industry (service and finance). The book basically hinted that the US economy is pretty much fucked 'cause we converted most of our hard industry to soft. That is, when the Japanese hard industries started making money, they poured that back in the R&D, where as the US companies used the profits to venture into investments and finance. As a result, Japanese technologies surpassed that of the US and their products are more innovative and cheap (thanks to the efficiency of updated production equipment).

Prime example: Cars. GMC and Ford are doing so extremely poorly it's sad.
Another example: TVs. Can you name an American brand that sells TVs? Only one I could think of was RCV but they don't make TVs anymore.

The first chapter was on international trading, recessions, deficits, and the losing value of the dollar- which I also thought was fitting for these times.

So what does this have to do with my life? Not much.. or maybe a lot. Everyone should have a basic, fundamental knowledge of rudimentary economics. And when I say basic, I mean basic, as in cause = effect. Economics is basically a study of demand vs. supply which is basically a study of cause = effect: If you do this, this will happen.

Do you want the government to give you $600? Fine, but this is what will happen as a result. Do you want the government to raise minimum wage to $7.50 an hour? Fine, but this is what will happen as a result. Do you want the government to ban public smoking? Fine, but this is what will happen.

I have no desire to be an economic think tank but I think everyone, including myself, can benefit greatly from knowing (and being reminded of) a healthy dose of micro and macro. I don't understand how people can be so disinterested in something that is such a big part of our every day lives... then again, I guess all the green, health, and or politically minded people can say that about me.

The Dude That Got What I Need

I saw the latest Boost Mobile commercial and the the first thing that popped into my head was, "Who's the white guy on the Boost Mobile commercial?" Seriously, the dude seems so random.

Apparently I wasn't the only one wondering so it was easy to find out that he's Mickey Avalon. Upon getting a good look at this guy, all I can say is, "Wow."

It's like Ville Valo and Jeffree Star had a baby and raised it to make bad, sludgy, rap-ish spoken vocal tracks. Come to think of it... bad, sludgy, rap-ish spoken vocal is what a HIM and Jeffree Star collaboration would sound like.

On a side note: In doing some google-search for this article I came across an Aiden video for "One Love". If you want to know what is so very wrong with the young scene culture, check it out. Augh! And I thought talking about spit and poop before bed would give me bad dreams.

Horray for Laundry!!!

It's LAUNDRY DAY!!!!

I really love laundry day! Josh once asked why and the only reason I can think of (that people would understand) is that there's just something really sweet about taking a basket full of dirty, crumply pile of yucky stained things and transforming it to a neatly folded stacks of awesome clean things.

I also like folding, hanging, and organizing clothes. Clothing organization makes me happy- it's weird, I know. I have my closet organized by type (dresses, pants, long sleeve button down, short sleeve button down, etc) and colorized w/in the type. I honestly don't know how anyone can not keep a closet like that but the rest of my room is a disaster area so I'm not casting any judgments.

My favorite detergent of all time (EVER!!!) is from Trader Joe (of course). Its Trader Joe's Liquid Laundry Detergent. It's "pH balanced- no harsh or petro chemicals, non polluting- all temperature" Not only is it safe for the environment but it smells like lavender, not "mountain rain" or "sweet summer breeze". I've noticed that non polluting household stuff always smell better than the polluting kind. That alone is enough incentive to switch.

I also love that the label reads, "At least 64 loads or more- depends on load size". That means, that if I fill the cap all the way to the top, I can still get 64 loads from this bottle. This is why I love Trader Joe. They could easily have included half the amount of detergent, fill the rest with water, given it a bigger cap, and slapped on a label that said, "64 loads- depending on load size" meaning, it's only 64 loads if all of them are medium loads. That's what Tide, All, and other detergent companies do. But no, Trader Joe kept it super concentrated. It costs about the same as Tide but in reality it's like half the price since I would go through a thing of Tide twice as fast.

Yay laundry!
Yay Trader Joe!

Don't Drink That!

I always used cold water to boil pasta. Awhile ago, I started to wonder... what's the point? I mean, wouldn't it be faster to boil hot water? Somehow, I got it in my head that drawing cold water to boil pasta would produce better pasta. When I stopped to think about it, I realized that didn't make sense, I mean, regardless of the starting temperature, the water's boiling when I put the pasta in so what does it matter?

I still continued to draw cold water 'cause drawing hot or warm water just seemed wrong somehow. Maybe it was instinct. According to New York Times, if you draw hot water from the tap for any reason (especially if it's to drink) you will die a horrible, painful death. Okay, you're not really going to die but you will be ingesting a crap ton of lead.

Low Standards

According to J.D. Power and Associates, Sprint/Nextel are the worst cell phone companies ever. I don't know that I agree, I've never had much of a problem with them and I've been with them for 6 years.

There was that one time when I lost my phone a month before my 1 year anniversary. I asked the Sprint monkey at Dulles Town Center if I could get an advance on my $125 credit towards a new phone if I extend my contract for another 2 years. He said no. The Sprint monkey on the phone said no. The Sprint monkey at Reston said yes. It did suck that I had to drive all the way to Reston to get what I want but Sprint is a big company. It's hard to adequately train people in a big company. Maybe the Sprint monkey at the store and on the phone were new-ish and didn't know all the loop holes. I mean, in retail it takes a good year or more to figure all the company rules and rule bending.

Then there was the recent incident where my bill was never sent. Yes it sucked that I had to spend time to figure it all out but honestly it took like 30 minute and the Sprint monkey on the phone was very nice and I was never charged a late fee.

I very rarely have problems with companies and I'm mostly happy with everyone I do business with, even Comcast! This has me wondering, am I incredibly lucky all the time or do I just have very low standards? Honestly, I think people just expect too much.

Businesses, including retail and service, are run by people and people make mistakes all the time. Sometimes, things go wrong- and yes, that sucks, but that doesn't mean the company sucks. Companies need to cut costs to offer good deals and the first cut is always staffing. If I have to be on hold for a CSR, that's fine, I understand. Low prices effect me every day, I call a CSR once in a blue moon. I would much rather be on hold then pay higher prices.

Honestly, what do people want? What makes Sprint so bad? According to the comment threads Sprint sucks 'cause they just do. One person said they don't have pro-rated ETFs. You sign a CONTRACT!!! Again, it's a CONTRACT! You can't decide to hate a company 'cause one day you want out of a CONTRACT that you SIGNED 'cause you want a Sidekick or an iphone or whatever. Another reader complained about how they can't get a real person to help them over the phone. Umm... have they tried *2 'cause that always worked for me. I mean, there's a little bit of automation but it only takes like a minute to talk to a real person.

According to the thread, T-Mobile is so awesome 'cause they don't really hold you accountable to your plan. All of the good comments went something like this, "I talked, and or texted, way more than I should have so I called them to get them to waive the over charge and they switched me over to a plan that has more hours/unlimited text." The very fact that these people feel entitled to have their over charge waived makes me angry and sad. I bounced a check once and had to pay a fee. Yeah, it sucked paying that $20 or $30 or whatever but you know what, it was my fault!

I hope T-Mobile goes into the credit card business one day. That way, I can charge, not pay it off, and call them and try to get the interest removed.

Oh, and I know the lolcat pic doesn't fit this post... I just thought it was really cute.

Um... I Suck

So...
I don't think I can fall within this week's budget... It's the end of fiscal wk 2 and I've already pretty much maxed out each areas. Argh! Why do I suck so much! And the frustrating thing is I tried. Okay, I could have tried harder. I didn't need to buy the Justice CD today but still... How lame is my life that I can't but a freaking CD now and then?

This week was a big abnormal. Due to the craziness at work and extra errands I had to run I drove back and forth, back and forth, back and forth... wasting a lot of gas. I also ate out a lot. Most of them were at cheap places although I did eat at Macaroni Grill once this week.

Well, next week should be back to normal so maybe I won't suck so much. I am seeing Jamie tomorrow but I'm not even going to try to fit that into my budget. I only see her few times a year so I'm not going to ruin it by not spending money. Pffft!

Okay, so here's how I did this week:
Beauty: 82%- The Fekkai kind of pushed it. I also bought a big thing of St. Ive's body wash. I still have several bars of soap but I like to have both soap and body wash in the shower- I like to alternate.
Bills: 72%- I made absolutely sure that I would not go over in this area.
Charity: 50%- This week went to Boys Town.
Clothes: 61%- We had markdowns again this week and this super cute Hello Kitty top went on clearance so... I have no regrets. It's very cute.
Eating: 53%- If I hadn't eaten at Macaroni Grill, I would be okay in this area. Like I said, I did buy lunch a lot at work but I only bought coffee once, which is pretty cool. I'm going to try to eat a lot of cereal and peanut butter sandwiches next week. I also ate out after work a lot. I should be closing a lot more often next week so... hopefully I can reign this back in.
Entertainment: 77%- I bought a Justice CD today, which I kind of regret 'cause it's not that good. I mean, it's not bad but I could definitely could have done without it. Oh well. Pooh. I also subscribed to Kiplinger.
Gas: 64%- Originally I had budgeted $60 a month. I tracked how much I drove today (a normal, typical day) and realized it's about 28 miles... which is about how much miles I get a gallon (city). Wow- I use up a gallon of gas a day. Since a gallon costs about $3 here, it's really unreasonable for me to expect to get by on just $60 a month. $90 might be a bit much but what ever is left over can go towards oil changes.
Gifts: 47%- Considering that I'm saving now for Christmas, birthday, etc. presents, this isn't going too well.
Grocery: 73%- I didn't need to go to Trader Joe this week but I was in the area so I figured, why not. I guess I did buy 1 or 2 things I didn't need but, on the plus side, I ate out so much last week, I still have tons of grocery left over so I probably won't need to go at all this week.
Household: 24%- Target had these really cute polka dot trim rubber gloves for like 50 cents each so I bought a few. I also got a wooden spatula and an airtight glass jar (for my brown sugar) at a really awesome price.

Deal!

I got a 4oz tube of Frederic Fekkai Glossing Cream for $13.64! It might sound like a lot for 4oz but keep in mind, it's normally $19.50 and it rarely goes on sale, let alone clearance.

I'm not normally into hair goop. I wear my hair in a ponytail 99% of the time so I don't care if it's shiny or glossy or frizzy. Besides, I have good hair- just not a nice cut. This hair goop, however, is life changing. It's amazing. I swear, it like changes my hair's molecular structure or something. All it takes is a little bit and boom! I have the kind of hair you see in magazines. Oooh... and it makes it all soft...

I was actually planning on giving it up. After all, it is pricey at $19.50 and, like I said, I wear my hair up most of the time. I don't need super shiny, glossy, soft magazine hair when it's in a ponytail. But then... boom! There it was, sitting, all alone, on a near empty Target shelf with a glorious orange clearance sticker! If there were more, I would have stocked up, alas, it was the last one.

Now Target just needs to start carrying Kiehls so they can clearance those.

Sounds Like Love

Valentine's Day is almost over but here's some song to keep the feeling going for the rest of the year. Love songs don't have to be all slow and moopy. Here are my recommendations.

Picking just one AFI song was impossible but I did narrow it down to three:

If you like your Davey natural, without the glitz and make up, then I recommend Lost Souls
"If you can't stand upon the water I will see you on the ocean floor
When you blink do you only find the misery between the lines?
Then take my hand and walk with me.
Come to me, your sanctuary,
I'll gladly accept the gift that I've been granted."

If you like your Davey all one step away from a drag then I recommend Love Like Winter
"It's in the blood.
I met my love before I was born.
She wanted love,
I taste of blood.
She bit my lip, and drank my war,
From years before, from years before."

If you think Davey without Jade is like coffee without cream, then I recommend Carcinogen Crush.
"Airs of grace, your airs of grace will fill me
Airs of grace, your airs of grace just kill me."


Good Day Sunshine- Beatles
This is a nice, happy, pure love song, no angst, no drama, no negativity, no gothy-ness, just bliss.
"I need to laugh and when the sun is out
I've got something I can laugh about.
I feel good in a special way
I'm in love and it's a sunny day."

Stick Shifts and Safety Belts- Cake
It's just a nice, fun diddy about road tripping with a special lady friend.
"Stick shifts and safety belts, bucket seats have all got to go
When I'm driving in my car it makes my baby seem so far."

Cupid's Chokehold- Gym Class Heroes
The bet has been won, it's been settled, this song is indeed a love song- and a mighty touching one at that. Think of me what you will, but this song has gotten me close to being a bit choked up.
"I know I'm young but if I had to chose her or the sun
I'd be one nocturnal son of a gun."

Tonight is the Night- La Bouche
I used to, well... still do, like house music.
"Tonight is the night, is the night of love. Forever and ever is never enough."

Closer- Nine Inch Nails
Seems so cliched, I know... but I prefer to not think of it about doing it like animals, but rather... it's about finding salvation through a women... Besides, with a voice like his, anything Trent sings is a love song.
"Help me, I broke apart my insides.
Help me, I've got no soul to sell.
Help me, the only thing that works for me,
Help me get away from myself."

Swing Life Away- Rise Against
This song definitely gets me choked up. Tim always sounds so pissed off, who knew he had a softer side (and a nice voice). It's mellow, acoustic, and super moopy, but it works!
"We live on front porches and swing life away.
We get by just fine here on minimum wage.
If love is a labor I'll slave 'till the end.
I won't cross these streets until you hold my hand."

Miss You Love- Silverchair
Once upon a time, Daniel John was super hot. Being the advant garde artist that he was, he was vegan, straight edge-ish, angsty, and sang about self esteem and depression. He was "emo" before anyone knew what "emo" was. Oh and his voice~ Now... he looks like Mr. Slave and sounds like Cold Play gone Broadway and sings mostly in girly falsettos. Oh well, Miss You Love is awesome and so was Daniel before Natalie Imbruglia and his porn-stache.
"I love the way you love
But I hate the way
I'm supposed to love you back"

Two Princess- Spin Doctor
This was the first "grown up" song that I memorized the lyrics to. I still know it too!
"Marry him, or marry me.
I'm the one that loves you but baby can't you see?
I don't got no future or family tree but
I know what a prince and lover aught to be."

Until the Day I Die- Story of the Year
Admittedly, there isn't too many good things about this song- which is what makes it so fucking great.
"Should I bite my tongue until blood soaks me shirt?
We'll never fall apart, tell me why this hurts
so much.
My hands are at your throat and I think I hate you.
Still we'll say 'Remember when..." just like we always do."

Picking just one good Tiger Army love song is like trying to pick just one good AFI love song. Well, a bit easier since I only picked 2 (though... Rose in a Devil's Garden is mighty good). I'm really not a fan of the Smith, Morrisey, or like Chris Issak, but... I guess I like it if it's Nick13.

Santa Carla Twilight
This song has like the best intro ever! Okay, maybe not ever, but I really do love the intro. If I ever get turned into a vampire, I want this song to be playing.
"And we kiss, in the Santa Carla twilight
On the beach, under a Santa Carla moon
I am lost - but I've found you in my arms"

Forever Fades Away
This might actually be a goodbye song... If I ever go stupid and decide to enter into, and follow through on, a suicide pact with some dude... this song will totally be playing while I do it.
"Under the trees, in the night
you'll find it there
In the space between heartbeats
where the whole world disappears"

SexyBack- Justin Timberlake
No, I'm not bringing it back, I don't think I would ever be qualified to go and retrieve it. The lyrics might not be deep, but the song is actually well done and definitely fun to listen to.

Boys Town

This week's charity money goes to...
drum roll please...

Boys Town!!!
With a Charity Navigator rating 56.64 and 3/4 stars, it was the highest ranked charity of the week. And with a ranking that high, you know they don't believe in sending out labels or stickers or pads... oh well.

Here's what Charity Navigator had to say about them:

Boys Town is a beacon of hope for America's children and families through its life-changing youth care and health care programs. Now 90 years strong, Boys Town provides children and families a continuum of family services to provide the right services at the right time based on a child's or family's needs, including services in their own homes, or, when necessary, family-like out-of-home services to children with special treatment needs. Boys Town works with communities and schools in order to meet the diverse needs of today's children and families. Boys Town provides direct care to more than 47,000 children and assists nearly 1.4 million each year through its youth care and health care programs.

I hope you make good use of my money and continue to beacon a lot of hope!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Pills are Awesome!

I didn't think I could look any better then I do now, but thanks to these pills, I do! I realize that came across very vain so let me explain. I'm not a beauty expert but, thanks to proper hygiene habits, make up, and years of women's magazine, I always assumed that how I look was about as good as it was going to get. Granted, there are things that I could do to further improve my appearance but all that time, effort, and money (facials, expensive hair cuts, etc.) wouldn't really justify the results. I figured what ever flaw my beauty regiment couldn't fix or hide was genetic and I should just get used to it.

About a month ago, Daria sent me two bottles of multi-vitamins (the ones in the pic that aren't from Trader Joe) to help w/ the hunger issue in my goal to eat less to save money. She said that vitamin deficiency can cause feelings of hunger 'cause my body wants me to eat more in hopes that I would eat something nutritious. Even though I don't take the vitamins as often as I should (more on that later) I have already started to see some benefits.

The first thing I noticed was that my hair was falling out less. I used to shed a lot of hair, enough make me worry. Since everyone on both my side of the family have healthy head of hair, I always assumed it was stress but I guess it was malnutrition.

I also noticed that my skin was miraculously clear. I assumed this was a sign of wrinkles to come but according to the latest issue of Marie Claire, "A combination of nutrients, including zinc, vitamin A, and antioxidants, is scientifically proven to reduce blemishes by 55% in 6 weeks and help keep skin clear and healthy." Oh my goodness! Where were these pills like 10 years ago? Argh!

The article goes on to say, "Zinc is anti-inflammatory and can help reduce redness." That line is what made me realize that the multi-vitamins were what's causing these changes. Now, normally, in the morning, I look like a big red, splotchy, poofy balloon. It takes a cup of coffee and make up to make my face look decent. A couple of days ago, however, I looked in the mirror and was rather impressed... even considered skipping the foundation!

Now I have hope that I haven't reached the peak of my beauty potential. Maybe, if I'm more mindful of what I eat and exercise I can look even better. This makes me happy... not enough to actually eat better or exercise I don't need to look better, the knowledge that I can, if I chose to, is enough.

Oh, going back to proper multi-vitamin usage...

The body is only capable of absorbing a certain amount of vitamins at a time. Therefore, those one a day mulit-vitamins are a waste. The pills in those things might contain all the % of the vitamins that it says it does in the label, but your body won't be able to absorb all of it so you'll end up pissing away most of it (literally). You should buy the ones where you have to take them in installments. For instance, to get the full amount listed in the label I have to take 3 of my Trader Dawins, 2 of my multi t/d, and like 4 of my cal/mag/zinc. I should but I usually end up taking just one a day. I suppose I could make more of an effort but... it seems like a lot of vitamins and I don't want to OD on anything. Besides, not get all TMI but I have reasons to think my body's not really absorbing all that I could.

Purging is Bad

Oh foolish me... to think, I was going to get rid of these lovely pair of shoes.

These are my Hush Puppies. If you were cool in the '90s, you might have owned a pair. According to Malcolm Gladwell in Tipping Point, Hush Puppies were pretty SOL until a bunch of scene kids decided that their lameness made them cool.

I was not cool in the '90s so I did not get them until the early '02 where I bough them for like $5 at Ross. Unfortunately Hush Puppies does not make them anymore and Ross has sold out of them so, for all I know, these could be the very last pair of the suede Hush Puppies in the entire universe.

This makes me sad.

They are the most comfortable shoes ever. The removeable insoles are a God send and makes my high heels bearable for hours. The '90s scene kids were right... they're so lame, they're really cool.

I was going to toss these pair because it's gotten pretty worn looking. The shoes must be incredible photogenic, they look about 10x worse in real life. I haven't worn them in years but took them out one day and now it's in heavy rotation.

And to think I was going to throw them away! See, this is why purging is bad. Who knows what other wonderful things I might have tossed in some foolish attempt to simplify, simplify, simplify!

I wish I was a scene kid so I could revive the Hush Puppies trend.

Scratch that, I wish scene kids would restart the Hush Puppies trend, then get over it, so that Ross will have some to sell for $5 a pair.

If you were wondering... Now the scene kids all into Wallabies and boat shoes (especially if they're indoor/outdoor slippers with fake sherpa linings). What's with these kids and lame old man shoes?

My DS

I love my Nintendo DS.

I probably average an hour a day on that thing, which is a lot for a non- gamer. It's a very budget-friendly system. The DS itself is only like $150 and the most expensive games are $35 (new) with most averaging $20 to $30 (new). Given the nature of the duel screen, there are lots of games with insane replay values. I do enjoy the occasional side scroller (Yoshi's Island), the puzzle games (Tetris DS), and plot driven games (the Phoenix Wright Trilogies) but my favorite are the pointless games with mindless activities (Cooking Mama) where the only goal is to beat your personal best. They're easy enough to be fun but hard enough that you won't get bored.

The following are games that has sucked uncountable hours from my life and will continue to do so:

1) Wario Ware Touched!- Nothing but weird 30 second mini games that are just insane and kooky.
2) Mario Kart DS- Oh my goodness!!! That pretty much sums up the game. I used to hate racing games but oh my goodness!!! Just talking about it makes me want to play it. Mario Kart is actually the reason I bought a DS. I couldn't stop playing the demo at EB Games.
3) Mah Jong Quest: Expedition- This is my latest addiction. Costing just $15 it's a must for anyone who enjoys puzzle/luck games like solitaire, Bejeweled, Zuma, etc.
4) Animal Crossing: Wild World- It's not a game, it's a freaking life style. It's like WoW only instead of killing goblins and leveling up, you make friends with cute animals and pay your mortgage. I am so emotionally invested in that game, it's sad. If Pudge were to move, I really think I will cry. I haven't played in months. I had to stop 'cause... it's like WoW. It's unhealthy. It's not real life. It kind of wore me out. I should be ready to get back into it soon. I heard the new one for the Wii is going to be a MMO. I'm going to need a Wii.

I heard that there's a new, lighter, smaller DS in production. Eeeep! I'm not into upgrading but... I'll definitely be trading in my current one for an upgrade.

Oh, and that red thing holding my DS? That's Pascal the Philosophizing Otter from Animal Crossing.

Ask! You Never Know!

Going forward, I'm going to ask around before buying anything.

Yesterday I went to the Honda service shop to get my visor fixed. My visor became almost immobile back in last October and just plain fell off about a week ago. I managed to get it back on but it won't move at all and it there's a big crack along the seam.

I had to go to the service station so that they can take down the info and get the correct parts ordered. While I was there, the dude that took my info opened up his drawer, pulled out a brand new visor, and asked if I wanted it. He said that he would order me a brand new one but that this visor has been in his desk drawer for almost a year now and that I could have it. I thought he was joking at first so I just kind of laughed it off. After he put in the order and scheduled the work, he pretty much insisted I take the visor.

I don't say no to free stuff so why not?

So now I have a spare visor somewhere in my back seat.

This got me thinking... If my car wasn't still under warranty, I would've had to pay for this visor. Seeing as how all car parts are pretty much over priced, it would've cost me a mint, right? Well... now I have a spare visor. I don't think I'll need a visor anytime soon but someone might, except, who knows that I have a visor? Who would even assume that I have a visor? Most people don't have a spare visors just lying around so no one would really think to ask, you know?

The next time I need something (or need something replaced) I'm going to ask around, 'cause who knows what people have. I could save myself some money.

Being Poor SUCKS!

I want ice cream! Unfortunately, my budget doesn't really allow it so... no ice cream for me. Pooh.
Well, here's my 1st week report for Feb.:

Beauty: 31.14%- Contact lens stuff are expensive. It's odd... I don't mind going generic in everything except contact lens solution- and generic is so much cheaper.
Bills: 68.46%- I'm not worried about going over in the category. I made sure to allot enough money to cover all my bills. Not only did I get my cell phone bill this month, but it was a few dollars cheaper since I didn't text much last month. I've been debating getting unlimited text but that's another $10 a month- $120 a year. I don't get texts that often so I think I'll hold off.
Charity: 25%- It went to Feed the Children.
Clothes: 38.98%- I bought 2 bras, one on clearance from Target, the other on an awesome sale at Khols.
Food: 18.67%- I'm very proud of this one since, last month, this was my budget buster. The real figure should be lower since I rounded up on all my numbers. I think I'm going to scratch that idea.
Entertainment: 16.88%- I bought a book on retirement saving.
Gas: 0%- I cheated... I fueled up right at the end of January after I already blew that budget. I need to fill up tomorrow so... we'll see how long that tank will last me.
Grocery: 27.74%- This is the reason I can't buy ice cream today. I usually get my ground coffee for free but no hook up this month so I had to pay $10 for a lb. Poo, I could've had ice cream today.
Household: 13.75%- I bought a Seventh Generation toilet bowl cleaner. It's better for the environment and comparably priced to the toxic stuff.

Overall... not a bad start for the month.

Feed The Children

Last week I gave my allotted charity money to.... drum roll please...

FEED THE CHILDREN!!!

With a Charity Navigator rating of 61.49 and 4 out of 4 stars, it's one of the highest rated charities on my list. Alas... they are one of those charities that doesn't send me shiny address labels and stationaries but... I found that to be a common trait amongst the good charities.

A new trend, that I've noticed, is charities mailing out very nicely printed Certificate of Acknowledgment with their letter of plea. I actually got one today from the Boys Town. We're not talking some cheap little thing printed out of someone's printer either, these are pretty nicely printed. The nicest one I've gotten was from.. the lepers? No wait... the cancer people? I forget who it was but it was printed on like those linen like papers and embossed. A pretty nice certificate considering I've never given a dime to them. I guess it was preemptive guilt certificate. There's just something Michael Scott-ish about the whole thing.

Anyhoo... here's what Charity Navigator had to say about them:

Feed The Children is a Christian, international relief organization that delivers food, medicine, clothing and other necessities to individuals, children and families who lack these essentials due to famine, war, poverty or natural disaster. Since 1979, we have grown into one of the world's largest private organizations dedicated to helping hungry and hurting people and have reached children and families in 118 countries around the globe. Through schools, orphanages and church-related programs, we touch the lives of millions of children. A key goal is to help needy families move past needing help and become self-sufficient members of their community. Through long-term development programs, thousands of families worldwide have increased their ability to be self-sufficient.

I hope you make good use of my money and feed a lot of hungry kids!!!

Eggs for Young America

I own a lot of books that I haven't yet read. Even though I have two gift cards to Borders, I'm trying not to buy any new ones until I've read the ones that I've so far ignored.

I just finished reading Eggs for Young America by Katerine L. Hester. The New York Times Book Review has said that it's, "a remarkably assured book by a wise and provocative writer". I agree it's very well written but it's really not my kind of book.

The book is a collection of 8 short stories of "colorful yet achingly familiar characters" who "often labor unnoticed" and "inhabit a fragile world balanced delicately between hope and calamity... faced with difficult choices, life-altering realization, loss, and change...". Basically, it's a story of blue collared poor people struggling in their poor, disadvantaged lives. Hester does a good job of illustrating the character's hardship without focusing on the fact that they are poor. No complaints, victimization, or "if only..."s, the characters just accept life as is.

I like reading about poor people. There's just something romantically heroic about people living the life they've been given. Doing the best they can to make their lives a bit easier. I really like that she didn't go all Steinbeck and tried to make the reader feel guilty for being middle class.

Okay... to be completely honest, I didn't really read all of the book. I skimmed through a lot of the short stories 'cause they were kind of boring. It's very "slice of life", there's no plot; no beginning or end, just the middle. I'm kind of a voyeuristic person (that's why I love reading blogs) but I like my books to have a plot.

Peanuts!

Today, I actually packed my lunch. I can't recall the last time I packed lunch so I'm quite proud of myself. I packed a bagel with peanut butter. Bagel, because I like bagels better than bread and bagels don't get soggy. Peanut butter because of Daria's advice and this CNN article.

I always thought peanut butter was gross and Jamie brought up the good point that I have a choice in what I eat so why am I eating peanut butter if I find it so vile? Other cheaper alternatives exists. This is true, yes yes, however, peanut butter is also easy. Plus, I think a part of me kind of wants to be a martyr for the cheap lunch cause. Look at me, I'm eating peanut butter! That's how dedicated I am to saving a few buck!

I bough Trader Joe's salted creamy peanut butter. I picked Trader Joe 'cause their peanut butter has a thick, thick layer of peanut butter oil sitting on top. That's a good thing! Oil is suppose to separate! So this morning I open my brand new jar of peanut butter and as I'm stirring the oil back into the butter I read the ingredients and it reads: peanut, salt.

Peanut.
Salt.

I was blown away. Really, just peanut and salt? No hydrogenated something or other? No dextro blah bitty blah blah? No natural color additive number 56994?

I took a taste and.... wow! It tastes like peanuts! Real peanuts. Peanuts fresh from the shell peanuts! Awesome!

Who knew not all peanut butters tastes like the ones inside Reeses Pieces?

My Blush

Some things are worth the high price, Nars Blush is one of them. Well, mine was a gift from Jamie so I didn't pay the high price. When I run out of it, however, I definitely will. Well, I have some other blushes I have to use up but, when I'm done with those, then I will pay the price to buy Nars.

What makes this blush so great? Well, first off, it's a very good blush with good pigmentation and what not. Secondly, I've been using this blush for... wow... almost six months now, and it's not even half way used up. Mind you, I've been wearing this blush every day for the past six months. See that tiny little dip in the middle? Yeah, that's six months of continuous use (the color is "Amour" btw).

$25 for a blush that will last an entire year... definitely worth it.

January Purchase of the Month!

I found some really awesome deals in January and I love most of what I bought last month so it was hard to pick a Purchase of the Month but I'm going to have to go with this hoodie.

It's a Mossimo hoodie from Target that Michael found in the clearance rack for like $4. I wasn't sure how much use I would get out of it but for $4, why not? It is now one of my favorite hoodies and I think there was a week when I was wearing it like every other day. It goes well with a surprising amount of stuff.

I love the cute retro print, the prairie collar, the orange and navy trim... It's light weight and very comfy.

The only thing I'm not too fond of is the princess sleeve. It wouldn't be that bad if the sleeves fit but, being short, the sleeves are too long which makes the shoulder a bit poofier than it should.

NOT an Awesome Deal

In January I wrote that I decided to start buying the Trader Joe's vegetable fried rice (as suppose to the shrimp version) because it's half the price. Well, yes, it's half the price, but I've also found out that it fills me up half as much. Half a bag of the shrimp fried rice ($3.99) fills me up, it takes an entire bag of the vegetable friend rice ($1.99) to fill me up.

According to Daria, protein will fill me up quicker and longer than anything else. Carb is the next best choice but only the good carbs from brown stuff, like wheat and rice. Vegetables, while nutritious, will do nothing to fill me up.

Well, that makes sense. The shrimp fried rice has two kinds of protein, shrimp and egg. The vegetable fried rice is completely vegan. Regardless of if I eat half the shrimp or all of veg, it'll still end up costing me $1.99. However, I imagine eating just half the shrimp is healthier, it is fried rice, after all.

I do like the vegetable version better, however. It has more varied types of vegetable and I think it's seasoned a bit differently. I hacked the vegetable fried rice and added some jumbo shrimps and egg. If you factor in those two sources of protein (and half the bag of veg.), the costs ends up being about the same, a little cheaper if you skimp on the shrimp. Therefore, I get a better tasting fried rice for about the same price, maybe a wee bit cheaper.

Jumbo shrimps can get a bit pricey, however, so instead of using shrimps, I think I'll just use two eggs, maybe sprinkle a few pine nuts for added protein.

Grocery Hack

So somebody figured out how to best maximize coupons at a grocery store. Basically, you should clip your coupons and wait a month before redeeming them. If you do, you will find that a lot of the coupon items will have gone on sale. That's great...except I'm not really into coupon-ed foods. It's usually things like steamed vegetables with bad tasting sauce, pizza rolls, hot pockets, cereal, and jello. Sometimes they have coupons for frozen dinners, I'm all over those.

I do love clipping coupons but I mainly look out for household items like toilet paper and cleaners, as well as beauty items. I guess the hack works on those as well.

However, I am all about generics now and generic prices usually beats brand name's, even after coupons, unless you're shopping at Wegman's. They must think very highly of their private brand 'cause sometimes their private costs more than the retail price of a brand name. I think Giant has the biggest price gap between private and name brand. And, with the exception of their non dairy coffee creamer, their private brand tastes really good.

I think the best prices in groceries can be found at Trader Joe. God bless Trader Joe, that place is a marvel. Their free range chicken costs about as much as other grocery store's non free range and their non free range costs half as much as other places. Same thing with organic, their organic produces are priced at about what you'll pay for regular produce at other places. I'm not into organic, but if I don't have to pay more for it, why not? Granted, the selection is really small, but my produce needs never gets any more exotic than onions, bananas, peppers, and mushroom so it works for me. They have an extremely small selection of name brand but the few they do have blow their competition away on prices. I like Auntie Chun's Udon Noodle Bowls, they're like $3 anywhere else but Trader Joe sells them for like $1.19. I've also recently got addicted to ice cream, which is why I'm so glad that they started selling Ben and Jerry's. The selection is limited but, at$3.99 for a quart (that's like buy one pint, get one free price!), I'm perfectly okay with their selection. Oh man, I can go on and on about that place. The only down sides are that:
1) It's a good 20 minutes from where I live.
2) The food there is so awesome I typically over spend.

Target is also a good place for cheap groceries, especially Super Target. Their prices are usually lower than an actual grocery store. It's also one of the few places where grocery goes on clearance (and not that sketch clearance where it's random crap inside a shopping cart with a hand made sign). And Archer Farms, for being a private brand, can get pretty exotic and gourmet-ish.

Retail Misconception #1

I came across this blog where the poster informs that Feb. is the best month to go clothes shopping. As someone who's worked my whole career in the retail industry, I know that mid to late January is the best time to get great deal on clothes for the following reasons:

1) The fiscal year ends in January. If the company performed poorly during the Holidays they'll lower prices in January in hopes of ending the year on a good note.
2) In retail, spring starts late Jan/early Feb so all the winter stuff needs to be gone before then.
3) Retailers know that after the Holidays people are either broke or very hesitant to spend more money. Therefore, they have to lower prices to get people to spend. They have also figured out that most people get their tax refund in Feb. If the consumer has money, the company has little incentive to lower prices.
4) I'm sure no retailer will ever admit to this, but... I think part of the reason why prices are so slashed right after the Holiday is to screw over the gift w/o receipt returns. Most retailers have a policy stating that w/o the receipt, you either get the current selling price or the lowest selling price in the past month(s). So if my mom paid $50 for my sweater and didn't give me a receipt, when I return it, I might only get like $25. The company makes an easy $25 profit.

I guess by Feb. you will get the absolute bottom basement prices... or not. A lot of retailers have decided that it's cheaper to sell their unsold merchandise to a third party or to their outlet division. For instance, Old Navy was running an additional 50% off clearance sale since mid January. Once Feb (and the new fiscal year) started, they took all the clearance off sale, boxed it up, and sent it out.

Do your shopping in January!

My Car

My first car was a 2002 Toyota Corolla that I bought all by myself. I found it, I negotiated the price (and got a pretty good deal, if I say so myself) and made the monthly payment myself. That first car payment... I was actually elated to write that check. I felt like such a grown up! Yeah... that feeling of pride went away quickly. I had taken out a five year loan and I was just 7 months away from paying it off when...

CRASH!!!

I got T-boned and my car was totaled.

The accident was actually a blessing. I got more for my car than I would've if I had sold it to a dealer and I also got a small (very small) settlement to help put towards saving.

Of course now I had to buy a new car but I loved car buying so that was no big.

Now, the sensible thing to do would have been to buy a nice, affordable used car so that I wouldn't get saddled with another car loan, especially a five year. A used car though... it makes so much sense in so many ways and I knew it was the smart thing to do but... My family was never about used cars. My rationalization was (and still is) if I knew anything about cars, I'd be all over used... but ignorant as I am, how can I trust myself not to buy a lemon? Besides, I had (and have) every intention of driving my car until it falls apart and newer the car the longer it'll last, right? Right! As for the life of the loan... my parents bought all their cars on a five year loan. I didn't even know 3 year loans were offered until I looked into financing.

After doing some research and some test drives I decided on the Honda Civic EX, which is considerably more than the DX or the LX. When I was buying my Corolla, I was so anti status symbol. I made it very clear that I didn't care about options or wheels or all the bells and whistles (except a CD player, that was a must). All I cared about was getting reliable car at the cheapest price. Shopping for my second car however... yeah, features were a consideration and I was willing to pay a little extra. At the time, it made sense. The LX has the best safety features, including 4 wheel disk breaks. Considering this purchase was necessitated by an accident, safety features were high on my list. The EX also comes standard with alloy wheels. The hubcap fell off my last car which really made it look ghetto so alloy wheel were very appealing. Oh...it also comes with I think 2 extra speaker (sweet!) and the windshield wipers slow down on their own when you're at a complete stop (really cool!). I think the other options didn't tell me the outside temperature... I remember that was really important for me.

Lately, I've been thinking about paying my car off early. The payment for the Civic is about what I was paying for my Corolla. The Civic I have now is definitely better than the Corolla I had before. That's not to say that the Civic is a better car than the Corolla, they're both great cars. However, I didn't take proper care of my old car. It ran fine but there were all kinds of paint damage... the inside was a disgrace... the car was feeling it's age. I don't regret my car buying decision but... it would be nice if I didn't have a car payment.

Sometimes, I think that if I hadn't gotten into an accident, I would have finished paying off my car and I would have a lot of extra money every month. I could have a healthier nest egg, a bigger savings account... My last payment would have been August 2006. However, realistically, I probably would have squandered it on frivolous purchases. I didn't really start to get serious about my finances until late, late, late 2007. I would've probably just ended up with more clothes I don't need, more books I don't have time to read, more money spent eating out. Maybe, if I had that extra money, I would never have felt the need to really buckle down, budget, and take my money seriously.

So... in the end, I guess everything worked out well. I have a better car that I actually take care of and better financial habits.

I'm still debating if I really want to pay my car off early...

Can't Do It!

According to Daria, protein fills you up better than anything else. She suggested I eat some peanut butter. Augh, peanut butter, blech! According to CNN, peanut butter will not only fill you up but it's also pretty good for you. Now that I think of it, mini Reese Cup did keep me full.

I've decided to go even cheaper with my food in Feb. I used to think spending $5 a day on lunch when I worked was a reasonable amount until I read this post by the PF blogger Gather Little By Little who pointed out that spending $5 a day on lunch is $100 a month, which means it's $1200 a year! Wow... that's a lot of Taco Bell Mexican Pizza.

I hate peanut butter and I hate cereal but I figure I'll work those into my lunch to cut cost. Peanut butter on some bagel? Maybe on some whole wheat crackers? Cereal for lunch? Why not. I can buy some milk at the Nordstrom Cafe. It won't taste good but the point is just to fill me up. Besides, it's not like chicken fingers and Mexican pizzas are a gourmet treat. I guess it'll have the added benefit of being healthier than food court crap.

I almost bought a jar of jelly but I couldn't do it, the thought of PB and J... blech! Daria also suggest trail mix as a snack, preferably not the good kind with M&M's. It sounded good in theory but looking at all those trail mixes... I couldn't do it. I'm not a trail mix kind of person.