Starbucks, it's not you, it's me

It's funny that one of my Anon commenters recently PISSED me off with the the comment about living outside of my means.  While I want people to comment on my blog, I'd rather people who do not know me lay off leaving insulting comments behind the safety of anonymity.  Either way, the comment came at the best time.  In living within our means and making more of them, the husband and I have implemented some money saving ideas.  Everyone would like to have a little more money in their bank account, and every time I swipe my debit card, I cringe a little.  I  thought it might be fun to blog our ideas as we go and watch our savings build.

We're taking a few tips from this article on Dumb Little Man.  We don't believe in completely depriving ourselves of fun, so we're implementing some of these easy adjustments to our daily spending.  Don't worry, I'm not going Extreme Couponing crazy on this (although, if someone could give me a crash course that doesn't look more exhausting than my 8 hour work day, I'm game).

First up:  Making my own coffee

You may remember the post when I was de-scaling my Keurig and discovering cheddar cheese popcorn?

After that project, the Keurig was never the same.  I couldn't get the vinegar taste out of the coffee, and I tried EVERYTHING Google suggested.  Over the course of the last month and a half, I've spent too much money on lattes, and decided it was time to start making my own again.

really, I'm sorry...

I remember a friend telling me that Bed Bath and Beyond replaced her Keurig when it malfunctioned...she'd had it for a while and no receipt, box, etc.  I figured it was worth a try since at this point it was only taking up space.  I took it up and explained what was going on, they looked up my model number and saw that it was within the warranty period, and replaced it with a new one!!

I never get this lucky.  I'm always coming up a little short in these situations.

So, our first money-saving effort has been put into place without having to spend money on a new coffee maker.  Now I just have to figure out to to successfully de-scale this thing when the time comes.

Next up:  More cooking at home.  This is something the husband is heading up.  We're sitting down for our first planning meeting this week.  You know you love the total commitment here.  I'll keep you posted...

dilemma

I won an award at work.

It was an award for being awesome at doing my job, and I'll take it...I've not worked this hard in years. 

The award was a $250 American Express gift card.  So, I decided, with my first work award, that I would buy myself the Michael Kors watch that I'm about a year behind...or more...getting.  I do not wear a watch, and I could use one - especially running all over the building grabbing candidates and taking them to meet their interviewers. 

But then....I got a speeding ticket.

I am queen of those.  My foot is made of lead naturally...I got the ticket on April 19, and it hasn't posted to the website yet - maybe he "forgot" to report it...I know I don't have that good of luck. 

My dilemma is this:  Do I use my award to buy myself the watch I really want?  OR do I pay for my ticket (or pay myself back with my award)? 

I'm feeling like I should probably suck it up and pay for my ticket with this money...but Macy's does have a Friends & Family sale happening now, and I'd get $64 off....I'm just sayin'....

Megadesk

 

I'm working from home today and while the emails are slowing down for the holidays, I thought I'd blog.  I didn't so much enjoy blogging on my work computer the other night for fear the email/computer police were reading every word as I wrote - who knows?  I'm paranoid and prefer to blog it out in private so I can edit as I go.  

Today's post is going to be kind of bitch-fest.  No one reads this blog.  I have more followers than I do daily hits, and yeah, I write for myself, but  there's something to be said about a somewhat decent following.  It kind of keeps you going.  So, if I promise to write on a more regular basis, I wonder if some of my loyal readers wouldn't mind pimping me out?  I mean, this is pitiful.  

Did readers who followed me from kindredly enjoy kindredly more?  Should I fire up that site again, or would that be totally cheesy?  Should I start a completely new blog?  Should I hang it up?  Seriously, let's be honest here.  I got caught up on my girl, Slightly Undone this morning, and she always writes the best stuff - I just have a hard time being that candid about something like a hole in my butt - but how funny is that post (if you haven't read it, go - read - now).  

That's all.  I'm getting back to work at my Megadesk.  Think about these options.  Keep Junk or trash it?  

is it too early for this?

me and the husband don't usually have big christmases.  we'll get each other a little something, but we usually just buy things for ourselves as we need them - how romantic.  i think we're going to do it differently this year.  this year will be a throwback to the good old dating years when we spent all of our money on each other all the time.

i have a plan for him - - but i'm not sure how often he checks this, so i'm not going to say anything.  i just don't know if he has a plan for me.  i caught a hint that he's been thinking about getting me the kindle (i think he came up with it by himself.  love it), and i love that idea (the kindle with wifi, just to specify *wink*)...but i also love the idea of owning my very own ipad...

you all may not know that i am a closet mac lover.  like....i love apple.  i try not to be one of those people who loves it too much - like those people who purchase an ipod shuffle then put the sticker on their car and hang out at the apple store all day (hi!  if you're reading from apple!).  truthfully, the reason i love it so much is purely aesthetic.  it's pretty.  and clean.  and clutter free.  and the dock, dashboard, dragging capabilities, apple shift f4, the list goes on...it's love.  when the husband and i were on the hunt for a new computer, i was really cheering for mac, but my argument lost when the computer we purchased was $500 less than the basic macbook with nothing on it.  so, long story longer than ever.....i want an ipad.  this way, i'll have macness and an e-reader all in one.  it's a win-win!  but....at least $200 more than the kindle....errr...

so, readers, what do you think?  do some of you have ipads?  kindles?  what are your thoughts?  give it to me straight.  my first big commission check (i.e. in two years when the market turns), i'll buy myself a macbook as a celebratory and now-you-can-work-from-home gift (i wonder if the ipad will link up to my office network?? - something to look into).

what do you guys think?

OR

that is the question....

pretty girl swag

all i can say is thank goodness for long waits at the dentist office. i was randomly perusing a self magazine from a few months ago and came across the following gems that i had to share. please know that i will be testing each and every one of these products out.



first up, fuze healthy infuzions. i actually picked this up at the grocery store the other day, and me likey a lot. i opted for slenderize because i read it contains chromium and l-carnitine both promoting a faster and better metabolism (self magazine did have to tell me those things do that, and fuze's website explains it too!). i need that! i've gotten so used to my plain old water that i couldn't finish the whole bottle, which only has 20 calories, by the way. it's suprisingly tasty and sweet and delicious. a-plus in my book! i think this yumminess has graduated to a permanent spot in my fridge. it's also usually always on sale at kroger, so check it out!

l'oreal paris go 360 clean. when i saw this commercial i was excited, then this magazine tested it out and confirms it works and works well. i'm a dedicated user of noxema (make fun - i love the clean smell), so i needed a tester to confirm the little scrubber thing makes all the difference. i just purchased a new bucket of noxema, so it will be a while before i try this. if any of you have used this magic, leave a comment and tell me about it!


tarte multiplEYE primer. ya'll - i can't live without my primer. i usually get the mascara with the primer on the other end, but i've decided i want to just buy a big tube...the mascara always runs out before the primer and i'm forced to be wasteful (another confirmation for you - I am cheap). so...apparently tarte has a whole system, including a serum, for making lashes longer. the primer pretty much does the trick for me, so i won't be spending the $60-something on the serum. i will splurge for this $22 tube of primer and let you know how it goes.

the most exciting thing on my list is this pair of farmacell milk shorts. my problem areas includes my thighs, butt and stomach pooch - these shorts were made for me. i will sacrifice the sexy to experience the proven results from these shorts. blurb from bliss::

You can ‘milk’ these shorts for all they’re worth—and considering they moisturize, smooth, stimulate circulation and detoxify, that’s quite a bit.

Made with a revolutionary natural yarn derived from milk proteins, they’re designed to help diminish the appearance of those dastardly cellulite dents while you sleep. (Hey, who wouldn’t want to wake up looking a bit more ‘skim’?) With a high waist that lets your belly get in on the bod-bettering action.

where have these things been all my life?? they are $69, and i think that's a small price to pay to finally win the battle against thigh and ass dimples.

all of this fab info was found in this issue of self magazine ::



pretty girl in 5....4....3....2......1

lighten up

i'm not someone who puts a lot of thought into my hair. or at least i don't think i do. i've got dark hair - really dark hair - and whenever i highlight it, it ends up brassy. i gave up the highlights a couple of years ago because i was spending a small fortune on keeping them a normal color. i was having lunch with some blogger friends last week, and the discussion of blonde hair and all the woes that go along with finding just the right blonde came up. i work in an office full of blondies, so i finally understand all the different blondes you can be, just in listening to them go on and on.

when i color my hair, i go black, and i still might opt for that, but my blogger lunch dates recommended going light, a la kim kardashian, my celebrity-by-association crush.


i facebooked my stylist last night only to be ignored - ?? - i'm writing to inquire about taking my hair in a total direction; therefore, giving you lots of money, only to be ignored?? ridiculous. so, i called another salon and they told me that in order for me to go from drastic dark, a la kim kardashian as a brunette ...


i was going to have to come in and spend three to four hours waiting for some chemical to take my hair light. and it would be $50/hour. i guess $150 - 200 to make my hair light isn't that much, but what if i hate it? that's $150 - 200 down the drain for me to have to have them put back to dark. you all know how cheap i am.

what to do? thoughts?