FAFSA Blues

Ummm... don't tell my dad, but the FAFSA was reallllllly easy to fill out. This could be because I didn't have to enter any parent info - like I did when I was in college - but it seriously took only 15 minutes, max. I say don't tell my dad because I bitched and moaned back in college until he (or mom) filled it out for me - I was such a brat, and he TOTALLY called me out about it on the phone the other day. Love you dad!!!

Anyways, that is finally done. Now I all I need to do is actually pay tuition, get a community college transcript over to nursing school (for last semester's micro - which somehow I pulled out an A). And, of course, there is the studying for Tuesday's test - Happy Memorial Day to me!

Next week should be a killer - our first test on Tuesday, our vital signs skills evaluation (and first clinical ever) on Wednesday and our second quiz (complete with about 75 medical prefixes) on Thursday. No rest for the weary. Hopefully I can get some peeps to cover my shifts next weekend - so I can spend the whole weekend soaking up sun at the lake...and NOT serving food.

Oh well, I've procrastinated long enough - off to make some stellar note cards! Woot!

PS - if you don't know what the FAFSA is, believe me it's an evil governmental evaulation of what the MAN thinks you could pay for college. BOO.

A Bit Grumbly

Sooo I got an e-mail from my Micro. professor with my most recent test grade included - 79. Yes, this is better than the last test (77) - but not as stellar as I had hoped...or expected. I'll be the first to admit that I didn't study as much as I should have, but when I was walking out of there I really thought that I had made at least a B-. So, I've e-mailed her so i can see my test and maybe have a chitchat with her about how to study for her frakkin' tests (sorry, just watched TWO episodes of Battlestar Galactica on Hulu.com)...

So, I'm a bit grumbly. And, sort of worried - this is my first difficult class since I started my pre/co-reqs...and I'm not doing that well. Does that mean I'm not going to do well in Nursing School either? Sigh.

On a happier note, our school savings continues to increase, thanks to my deposited tips. However, I always feel awkward walking into the bank and depositing hundreds of dollars in cash. It seems skeezy!

That's all for now peeps.

Our Country has a Spending Problem...

So. This blog started out as a PF blog, and I was planning to return to it's roots with today's entry. I was going to ask a bunch of questions and hope against hope that someone out there would hear my pitiful plea and answer some of them. But, I talked to my friend over at American Judgment and we ended up having a 30-minute conversation about everything I wanted to rant/ask about.

So instead, I'm going to quote from American Judgment's most recent post - he asked the question that has been in the forefront of my mind ...

Explain how it is mathematically impossible to bailout the banks, spend $800 billion (plus interest) to stimulate the economy, Nationalized Health care, increase education, refinance mortgages, lower taxes for 55% of Americans (95-40% in #8), give welfare checks to 40% of Americans, and cut the deficit in half using only the savings from reduced Iraq operations and eliminating the Bush Tax Cuts for the wealthiest 2% of taxpayers. Seriously, how can anyone think that is possible? Just writing that list pissed me off....

I Agree. HOW are we supposed to do all of that at once? On borrowed money? Do these other countries know we aren't going to pay them back this century? Now, as I have said before, I'm just an English major...so if someone can explain this to me, PLEASE do! (And please, a little more in-depth than M's explanation - "we print the IOUs, so we can do it.")

Mmmk. I am going to try to be zen and happy, because really, what can we do about all this? To combat the lack of hope being reported in the media, QuarterLife Finances has followed Well-Heeled's lead and listed five things to be thankful for. I think I'll end on a similar note. =)

1. Our cat seems to be much better! No more throwing up in the middle of the night. Whew.
2. Book Club was super fun last night, and we picked an interesting book for next month - I'm excited to start.
3. I started going to the gym again, and I'm really really enjoying it (for once)!!
4. My husband is awesome.
5. Even though my current job situation kinda sucks (just an FYI, waiting tables is MUCH HARDER than my old cushy desk job), we are still OK. We can pay our rent, and eat and even do a fun thing or two. We are very very blessed.

What are you thankful for at the moment?? Leave some love and let me know!

Frugal and Fabulous?

If you have been hiding under a rock (or you didn't read my last post), you may not know that it's New York Fashion Week. Now, I ALWAYS love clothes and shoes and makeup, but when EVERYONE online is continually talking about all of the above, I get a little obsessed. So, to appease my wandering eye, I went to Forever 21's online store. Sigh. Now those of you out there that won't step into a Forever 21 - SHAME on YOU. It's a recession people, and Forever 21 may not have the best quality items...but how many times were you really going to wear that skanky little Saturday night number? Hmmm? That is what I thought.

So I was once again soothed by prices under $20...and I promptly reminded myself to set aside a $20 bill next shift - a gift to moi for not completely losing my shit over all these frakkin' changes that have gone down. So there - I will reward my saneness with frugal fashion. PS - how funny is the word "recessionista?" I LOVE it...and peeps are throwing it around like there is no tomorrow.

On another note - how sad is it that Disney is going to be laying people off??? I actually have a friend who is currently living her dream by performing at Disney World as Belle from Beauty and the Beast. I think it's hilarious - but I hope she gets to keep her dream job!!

Lastly - ummm does ANYONE in government pay their taxes?? Those kinds of stories suck the patriotism right out of me. It's bad enough that M and I have a taxes date on Sunday night...but that article just makes me all sorts of mad.

Oh well - I'm off to volunteer! Anyone having a fab Thursday?? Has anyone else fallen in love with Forever 21??

Instant Coffee?? Seriously Starbucks?

I realize that companies have to roll with the punches and chase after that next big market - but I just don't think that the behemoth that is Starbucks can really change their core audience - peeps that like to pay too much for coffee/treat themselves with expensive coffee. People want to take time out of their day and enjoy the experience - that is one of the reasons Starbucks can charge so much money per cup.

Those people (umm, I was one when I worked downtown near THREE Starbucks) love to go in and smell the aroma, wait in line, use the Starbucks lingo and get a treat. It is NOT something that can be achieved with instant coffee. Has anyone else read this artcle? Does anyone ese get a gross visceral raction to the words "instant coffee," or is that just me? It just makes me think of my grandma's house...not yummy Starbucks.

Anyways, what do y'all think? I'm about to curl up with a book and go to BED - I've worked four shifts at the restaurant (yes, I decided to do the waiting-tables-relying-on-tips-thing ... at least for now) since Friday night - so I am a little pooped.

Happy Sunday!

Ring in the New Year

Umm hi. Happy Thanksgiving! Oh, and Merry Christmas!! And BTW, HAPPY 2009!

Yeah I'm a bit behind. It seems that my last post came in OCTOBER - which is nutty, and inexcusable. But oh well. I had gotten a little over the whole blogging thing - school was a joke, my job was in a HUGE rut and I seemed to be endlessly waiting about nursing school. So I stopped writing! I kinda thought I had nothing to say.

However, 2009 has been very...exciting, to say the least. Three weeks ago, I went to my Microbiology Lab, knowing that my letter from Nursing School was sitting at home. I had to wait three hours before I could go home and open it -> and I got in!!! I was soooo excited that I finally reached that initial goal of just getting in. It is so hard to get in these days...and I could feel a downward spiral coming if I hadn't - work was blah and I was tired of these pre-req classes.

That weekend, I visited Philly (during that ARCTIC BLAST weekend) with my bestie to see another bestie. It was a crazy crazy weekend, and super cold. Umm, and that next Wednesday at work - I was laid off! Talk about craziness. I got a severance package, which rocked...but suddenly I was staring down endless days with nothing to do.

I cleaned the apartment hardcore, I reacquainted myself with the cat. I grocery shopped and cooked and went to the YMCA with all the soccer moms and retirees. I also felt really lame. Yeah I "had a plan" (nursing school in MAY)...but I didn't want to think about that plan because it's new concreteness was scary. And there was still going to be two months between the severance ending and school beginning.

That brought up another point. I had been thinking and talking about Nursing School for a little more than a year now...and always knew that I would probably have to re-enter the service industry in order to work part time while I was at school. But actually doing that...not having a real paycheck and only bringing home tips? Scary. Everything felt big and bad and grown up.

No me gusta.

Well, I'll give you an update on me trying to grow up and that whole service industry thing soon, but not now. I've written enough for today! And, my cat is acting insane. Again.

Toodleloo!
-Dani (yes, yes, yes...it's DANI, not Doris. That name was for the whole "blogging at work" thing that I was doing on the sly...)

=)

The Overwhelming Pull of TJ Maxx...

This past weekend I was luck enough to hang out with one of my fabulous bridesmaids/bestie/fashion inspiration. Unfortunately she is nearly six feet tall...which means we can't share shoes OR clothes. =(

HOWEVER, she likes to GET ME INTO TROUBLE. I look through her closet and I want new clothes. When I visit her, I immediately immerse myself in her closet. I love her closet. It's like my own personal Mecca. This doesn't surprise or bother her, since I've been acting this way around her clothes since Sophomore year in college. Anyway, while I was going through her things, I mentioned to her that she really had a billion dresses. She denied, so I decided to count. I was wrong - she doesn't have a billion - she has 65. SIXTY-FIVE! Anyway, this is beside the point.

The POINT is that three of the 65 had actually just been purchased at the TJ Maxx...and were BCBG...and were $200 less than the tag price. Sigh. That is just TOO much temptation to handle! Especially since M was in Vegas all week caddying for a friend, and had already spent his $200 slush money. (Hmm - SIDE NOTE: lately M has spent SO much more on clothing than me. When we were in San Francisco I spent $125 on clothes, he spent $275. Sheesh.)

Anyways, I vowed to return to TJ Maxx the next day with my mother - who keeps me in line and makes sure that I'm not blinded by the 85%-off price. I ended up trying on about even or eight sweater dresses...the smalls were almost all too tight (in my book anyway) and the mediums were hanging on me. Finally I found a pretty black turtleneck sweater dress...and bought it. I felt kinda bad since I really don't need any clothes and I'm TRYING to save for nursing school...but oh well. It's really classic and I'll wear it forever - or at least until I stop being a size 4.

At least I stopped myself and didn't buy the Steve Madden peep-toe leather "shooties" they had...

Dear J. Crew,

Please stop sending me e-mails with "Private Sale. 20% off. Ends today." in the subject line. You get me all excited about colored chinos and ribbon belts and statement necklaces, and then dash everything to pieces with your small print.

I don't want to spend $175 or more to receive my 20% off...Actually, I don't want to spend any money at all. Can you just send ME stuff? I'll wear it proudly and tell everyone I got it at J. Crew. Pinkie promise.

Sigh. I know I should tell you to hit the road and STOP sending me these misleading e-mails...but I can't help it. Preppie clothes are my crack.

Sincerely,
D

The End is Near

Once upon a time, a cute boy from California moved to the East Coast for job opportunities and a lovely lady named Doris. The cute boy moved in with two of his friends...and proceeded to rack up some credit card debt as cut boy was finding his way.

Later on down the road, cute boy marries type-A Doris...who is obsessed with eliminating said credit card debt because she has never had such debt, and remembers her father telling her that credit card debt is right up there with selling your soul to the devil.

LONG STORY SHORT - the credit card debt will BE GONE at the end of August.

I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS! M's two friends (the ones he initially moved in with when he came East) are shocked...not knowing what to DO without their protective coat of debt. But M and I are thrilled. Thanks to our stimulus checks, a check from M's parents and M's raise we will be DONE. And then we can reallllllly concentrate on saving. =)

woot!

I'm SOOO impatient. I want it to be gone NOW, so we can start saving NOW. But I shall sit on my hands...try not to check the online account 300 times a day...and wait. And breathe. And be happy.

The IRA Blues

I was not a business major. I didn’t even take a math class in college. And, I know zip about investing. So, when my boss pulled me aside a week ago and informed me that I was (finally) eligible for our company’s retirement plan, I was both excited and immediately filled with anxiety.

My father has always told me that investing was the key to my future security – even though he really never pursued it. Even with his do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do advice, I was still STOKED about investing … when I got older. I didn’t think that my pennies earned by summer jobs would allow me to invest. I wish I would have pushed myself to buy something though! We did a stick market exercise in 9th grade that I kicked ass at – I realize it was play money…but I made a freaking 75% return!!! BUT, it was nerve wracking, even with play money. What if I chose wrongly?

Anyway, all those anxieties came back when the boss mentioned the IRA. It’s a SIMPLE IRA since I work for a small company, and that somewhat changes the game. Most everyone at work uses Vanguard…but my dad uses Fidelity. So, this is one choice – the company to go with. ALSO looming is the giant question of what type of portfolio I want to create. I realize at my age that I should go for a little more risk…but that is scary. I am NOT the gambling kind!

Thankfully my friend J offered to talk to me tonight about what I should do. He was a business major and worked at a fairly large bank, so I feel he has a good feel for this stuff. Much better than me anyway.

Sooooo yeah. I have to decide pretty quickly about everything…so I’ll keep you posted.

On another note – only FOUR more days to take my last TWO anatomy tests. Jeepers Creepers - I need to get on that STAT.

Guest Post by Myrtle

Wow! We already have a guest blogger, which is very exciting. Myrtle is a fab 20-something with a good financial head on her shoulders...and she has some great stuff to say - let's hear it for Myrtle!!

Hello. I am Myrtle, Guest blogger #1.

I am completely in line with Doris’ idea of being Zen about money. I am a true believer in the Jedi way, thus think we have the ability to use the Force (=$) for good or evil. We sometimes get so obsessed with how much we aren’t saving and the money that we don’t have that we forget the positive things on which we choose to spend our hard earned cash.

I look at the lives that some of my friends and I live and I wonder why we spend so much time and energy fretting over our financial situation. I don’t think that it’s a bad thing to splurge every once in a while. As long as you avoid constantly splurging, I believe we’ll be ok.

A travel opportunity recently presented itself to me. The trip was unexpected and thus presented unanticipated expense for the month. For this reason I contemplated not going. After some deep thought I realized that the cost of the trip isn’t really prohibitive. ($250 for a plane ticket and a long weekend of fun.) While this is perhaps steep it’s not outrageous. I am young and unattached. If I can’t pick up and go now, then when will I ever be able to do so? It’s summer and I have no real vacations planned, so why not spend a little extra money for a little bit of fun.

Some of us are reluctant to jump on these types of opportunities when they arise because they throw off our budgets. I believe many of my cohorts and I are not strapped financially. Yes we are battling school loans and rents/mortgages and car payments and insurance on salaries that are much less than we deserve. Despite the occasional financial hiccup, we’re doing alright. We don’t yet have to worry about children and we are fortunate in that we don’t have any REALLY serious chronic health issues that require attention. We DO still get to go out and have fun with friends on occasion. We have some car payments and phone bills, but that also means we have cars and cells to use. Yes, loan payments suck… but it’s largely educational debt, which is not necessarily a bad type of debt to have.

I think we get caught up in micromanaging and we forget the big picture. We ARE doing ok. There are millions of people who are worse off than we are and we’re certainly feel fortunate to be in the position in which we find ourselves. I also recognize that by using the phrase “we” I am making some presumptuous claims, but I do believe that there are several readers who can relate. Yes we’d all like to save more and perhaps spend less, but maybe what we need most is to step back and breathe.

Thanks to Myrtle for her guest post!! I love advice from Myrtle because she always is so logical, even-headed and wise about most things.

If anyone else wants to be a guest blogger, or if you want to hear more from Myrtle...let me know. Happy Wednesday!

Back to it

Only TWO posts in May? Pathetic. And, I know it. However, in my whole trying-to-be-Zen about money thing, I kinda lost the will to post. That and I’m trying to read a bajillion books and do classwork. Yup. Oh, and I want to start volunteering. And M wants to buy a house. And, I'm slightly freaking out about changing careers and going back to school.

However, one of my faithful friends (and readers) moved all the way to Chicago, so I need to stay current on my posts. SO. I will continue to be very Zen about money…I’ll continue to update my meters (I updated them today!!)…but I’ll talk about other stuff too. Like how M made chili last night that made my mouth burn at lunch today. Or, how I woke up exactly 15 minutes before my carpool ride arrived at our complex’s front gate. Interesting stuff. Ha!

Also…I really would like to have a few guest posters. This could be friends (you KNOW who you are), or random peeps. It could be about money (or the lack thereof), or about ANYTHING. And, I’ll keep is tres anonymous if you would like. So…if anyone is interested, let me know!

I promised I would knock a bunch of work out this afternoon, so I’m going to get on it and get movin’. BUT, I pinkie promise that I will be a better blogger. Just keep your comments coming so I have a little encouragement to run on!

Happy Tuesday!

Happy Friday!

Hi.

I feel AWFUL about not posting until now, but there has been a lot going on in my life and in my head. I had to come to terms with some money things – mostly that I am more than a little OCD when it comes to money and I need to chill out – or risk hurting my relationship with M.

Not cool.

So, I took a little time off from blogging so I wouldn’t obsess. Because when I blog I’m usually obsessing over SOMETHING. Ya know? BUT I feel like I am in a better place now, and can blog without obsession – at least today. =)

Here’s a money tidbit I’ve learned over the last week:
Planning parties can be expensive – I know this is a no-brainer, but throwing parties are usually expensive. AND I am throwing a “Sex and the City” party tonight, in honor of the movie’s release. But, I tried to cut costs by using stuff I already had and making the theme (and the invitees) the fun focus of the evening. It also helps that M’s friend knows the best kind of bargain vodka (cheap, yet no hangover). He’s my personal vodka expert! We’ll see how it works out.

On another note, my car is back from the shop and ready to roll! I was hoping they could, ahem, spray the front of the car to get rid of the yellow and black scrapes I’m currently sporting, but alas they didn’t. That’s ok though – the bill was still close to $600! However, I’m NOT panicking. Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa and their decision to give me savings bonds every birthday and Christmas, I have the cash to pay for my car repairs AND my impending wisdom teeth removal.

Now, I decided to trade in all my bonds, even though some of them weren’t fully matured. But…life goes on. I need the money and I would rather take this extra source of cash and put it toward these expenses, then take the money out of our emergency fund. It’s a choice I’m comfortable with, so there. So THANK YOU Grandma. I seriously appreciate the free car repairs and surgery.

Anyway, I have a TON to do – apartment to clean, present to finish (I’ll talk about that after Mothers’ Day), party to have, places to go, bridal showers to attend, bachelorette parties to attend, old friends to see and mothers to celebrate. WHEW.

Everyone have a great weekend!

OH and a PS to my last [GRUMPY] post…I miscalculated. I miscalculated and I nearly went nuts. It’s a really good thing I’m not an accountant because I would have been fired. So we’re fine. Very fine. And, M got a raise! =)

Postscript

I really want to put some art on our dining room wall. And I want it to look like this. Right now we are about 1/6th of the way there…with one photo (bought off etsy.com) nicely framed and hanging smack dab in the middle of the wall. Sigh. Sometimes my mom’s Martha Stewart compulsions just take over and I want to decorate…too bad it’s so expensive to do so.

It doesn't help that I recieved THREE home-decorating-and-general-prettiness catalogues yesterday. Boo hiss. We still have a few hundred dollars left on various Pottery Barn and Williams Sonoma gift certificates (left over from the wedding), but I really wanted to save them and put them towards a console table. Alas, that dream is quickly fading.

Type A + Online Banking

So, I'm a first-born. That doesn't automatically make me a type-A personality, but I am one so whatever. Anyway. I'm sure the person that invented online banking thought it would be a swanky idea - Get all your bills in one place! Oh, the convenience! The problem is the accessibility...it gives us Type-A's something (else) to obsess over.

Example: This morning I was thinking about money (again) and wanted to check in on the checking account - BTW, it's my joint checking account, and I'll rant about that some other time - and so I went online. My innocent checking-in-on-the-finances turned into an obsessive play-by-play for the next few weeks. I wanted to see if we would be OK this month, even though BOTH our credit cards are ridiculously high. Thankfully, we will. I won't be able to put as much into savings as I wanted...but at least the cards won't carry a balance.

On a credit note, I am very proud of my spending this month - only $26 on the credit card so far! Granted, gas is unbelievably high and I'll have to fill up the car when we go home for Easter - but still. I'm excited!

::cough cough COUGH::

I still have that cold. No me gusta.

Anyway, I'm off - I have to go home and study study study for my test tomorrow. YAY cells, tissues, DNA & RNA!