Shop and Save

I was reading Liz in DC’s blog this morning and was intrigued by the “don’t go over in October” challenge she found over at Ms. Career Girl’s blog.

After I commented with “I have a shopping problem BUT I NEVER spend more than I can afford, so is it really a problem?”

I realized that no, it’s not a problem, because I make smart shopping choices.

I should explain myself. As much as I love to shop, I am good with money and I love to see my savings grow, so I live by a few simple rules:

• NEVER buy anything you cannot afford. This includes eating out, buying fancy groceries, going to the movies, buying cars, and spending money in general.
• ALWAYS pay credit cards and all bills ON TIME, IN FULL
• Whenever I have $1000 in checking that I know is surplus and not necessary to the months bills I move it into savings.
• I almost always use a credit card. It is very easy for me to spend cash and then I have no idea what I did with it. Get a credit card that not only rewards you for using it but sends you a summary at the end of the year of all expenses.
• I happen to have the Amazon Visa card and I LOVE IT!
• The end of the year summary tells you how much you spent in gas, food, clothing, home repair, entertainment and lots more over the course of the entire year and helps with budgeting purposes.

My last bit of advice is if you have no other debt and you have the resources, invest in a home. Real estate will always make you money if you buy wisely, wait out economic down turns, and only make those repairs which will increase the value of your home.

I have now lived through almost an entire year of mortgage payments and although I thought the bills would kill me and I would never be able to do anything ever again I am here to tell you that when it came to money my lifestyle did not change when I bought a home.

I love Project Runway

When the 2^nd season of Project Runway premiered a group of my girl friends and I decided that every Thursday night at 10 pm we would get together to watch..

For years Thursday night during the PR season meant wine, cheese, girls and lots of PR drama.

This season started off much the same. I was so excited because a few of my friends had moved closer to me and would be able to make it. We had five girls, lots of cheese, several bottles of wine and what I considered a very successful evening.

Well since that night most of the group has bailed, some because of school, others because of work, and some just because.

Last week I hardly saw Russ let alone had free time, but I still made time for Project Runway. I was tired, I had just come back from visiting a friend in the hospital and I only saw PW with one other girl but it was a lovely time. This time with no wine due to the fact that my friend was on medication, but we had a ton of cheese, fruit, and fig preserve. Yum!

Project Runway Night for me is not just about the show. It’s a time to relax with the girls, unwind with a glass of wine, and eat some great cheese. But it seems like the tradition of making it into more of an event than a show may be dying. People have other things to do and other people to see. I’ll be fine watching alone, but it will never be the same.

No Halloween for me.

Have you ever been really sad about something that everyone else says is no big deal?

My favorite holiday of all time is Halloween. I love the parties, the dressing up, the decorations, and best of all time with friends.

October 31^st also happens to be Samhain, the pagan new year, the most important holiday on my religious calendar.

Well this year I will have to spend it alone in a hotel in Chicago, a city where I know no one.

This has had me upset ever since I was told that I might have to help out with this conference and now that it has been confirmed I get teary eyed almost once a day. The worst part is that this conference is at the same time every year and as the most junior member of my department I am the most likely person to send, every year.

Last year I spent Halloween with Russ sitting in our empty new house that we had purchased only a few hours before, we only got a hand full of trick-or-treaters and I only put on my pirate coat. Had I known that that might have been my last Halloween at home for quite some time I would have done something more extravagant. Now everywhere I go I see Halloween decorations and think what’s the point of purchasing decorations if I won’t be home to enjoy them?

My friends and mother keep telling me that it’s no big deal. That maybe next year they will send someone else. But to me it’s a very big deal.

Oh Halloween, how I will miss you already.

Four words, Green Valley Book Fair

That is my plan for the weekend.

If you are like me and you LOVE to read then I highly recommend this as an awesome escape from the hustle and bustle of the D.C. area.

http://www.gvbookfair.com/

I leave you with some words of wisdom from Mr. Groucho and Mr. Twain…

Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read. ~Groucho Marx

I find television to be very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go in the other room and read a book. ~Groucho Marx

The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them. ~Mark Twain, attributed