Otherwise it’ll come back to haunt you:
From postsecret, one of my favorite sites…
08.03.2009
03.03.2009
After trying to make a few necklaces like the one in my previous post, I realized I’m not the best at symmetry. And one that looks symmetrical one minute looks totally off the next (I had a one-person dance party to test out how the necklaces would react). So I did a little more searching (and another incredibly long Michaels trip) and I came up with these. What do you think?
Weaved look: Attempt 1
Or is this one better? Or do both suck?
Weaved look: Attempt 2
The next attempt will be something from Macys.
Sphere: Related Content25.02.2009
Happy Lent!
Giving anything up?
24.02.2009
I’ve been very careful (maybe TOO careful) not to burden my bridesmaids with much when it comes to my wedding. My amazing maid-of-honor wouldn’t take no for an answer and is throwing me a shower, and my oldest sister, who can do calligraphy like a pro, addressed all of my invitation envelopes (and did some shopping to find me some cute wedding-day accessories…AND helped me pick my colors!).
Aside from those things above, I’ve tried not to ask for anything. Rather than pick out a dress that nobody in this economy should be forced to buy, I’m asking them to get a simple knee-length black dress (most of them already have one) and black sandals to match it. After that I figured I’d buy them all some matching jewelry as a thank-you and that’d be that. That is, until I did some searching to find a cute necklace and came up virtually empty-handed.
Armed with a 40% off coupon, I made a mad dash to Michaels (OK, this “mad dash” happens about once a week) and stared blankly at the wall of beads and beading supplies until an idea for a necklace took shape. I also perused several books on DIY beading but knew where they’d end up (back of the closet, on top of my book on quilting and book on painting). I took my purchases home and on Saturday I finally got a chance to make an attempt. Two hours later and…
DIY necklace
What do you think? Brutal honesty is OK, I promise not to be offended!
Sphere: Related Content23.02.2009
Found a recipe for Spinach Feta Pizza on allrecipes. A quick shopping trip and 20 mins of cooking later and…
Spinach Feta deliciousness
The only change I made was to use the Pillsbury pizza dough instead of doing it homemade (making from scratch takes too long when I get home at 7pm), and cooked for 15-20 mins instead of 35-40.
Sooo good. And not too overly unhealthy (or at least that’s what I tell myself)
Sphere: Related Content16.02.2009
What has it been…a couple of months? Once I realized my wedding was only 3 months away, I went into full planning mode. I had the dress and the place, but aside from that…nothing. No addresses, finished invitations, wedding favors, flowers, alterations, hotel blocks, DJ, shoes, etc. The list literally goes on and on. Rather than talk non-stop about it, I opted to zip it instead.
Hiatus over. Most of it is finished…if anyone cares I can go into details about what I’ve done thus far to cut corners. Just let me know!
On another note, yesterday morning I hopped on this deal: 8GB iPod Touch, $229 from FYE AND a $150 rebate. After taxes it’ll be around $90. People have had issues with the rebate not being accepted for the 2nd generation Touch, but the issues seem to be quickly resolved with a phone call. I’m debating whether or not to open it (or wait to be sure the rebate will go through), but I’m guessing that will only last another couple of days. It’s hard to look at it everyday and not rip it open and start playing.
Incase you’re interested:
Click here to go to the fye rebate/promo search engine. Under “Product Purchased”, select “8GB IPOD TOUCH”, put in today’s date (”02162009″) and select “FYE” under “Purchase Location”. Two rebates should appear. They have different valid purchase dates but otherwise seem to be identical.
Call around, if I got one you can too! Just don’t come after me if for some reason the rebate doesn’t work out…I’ve never been burned on rebates so I’m pretty optimistic 
11.12.2008
- Marry rich.
- Don’t sign a pre-nup.
- Divorce.
OK, those aren’t MY secrets, but I know for a fact they’ve worked for some people (*cough* K-Fed *cough*).
About 6 months ago we (fiance and I) set a savings goal…it wasn’t outrageous, but was enough that it required a bit of pinching. I’ve got the purse strings tied semi-tightly anyway…my Mom trained me that eating in is cheaper than going out, and coupons are my friends. Even with this knowledge drilled into me, I had to change my habits a bit. Here are a few of my tips:
- Pay off the car, and buy something reliable. I paid off the Honda almost a year ago, and in that year I’ve been able to save an extra $350/month… that’s $4200 a year. Tip? Buy something that’ll last and keep it until it starts costing more per month than a payment or lease.
- Don’t order drinks if the price isn’t listed on the menu! This one was learned the hard way. We went to a Lebanese place and he was craving a Red Bull/Vodka. I got an $8 beer (this should’ve tipped us off!) Out came the bill and guess how much it set him back? $15. $23 total. 2 drinks. 0 buzzes. That about sums it up.
- Pack a lunch. $3 for a loaf of bread and $3-$5 for whatever meat floats my boat that week (AND is on sale). There’s your main dish. Top it with a baggie of baby carrots and a tablespoon of ranch dressing and there’s lunch.
- Resist the vending machine! I know they look delicious. Trust me I know. A year ago I would make it until around 2 and then fish through my enormous purse for change to blow on Fritos. But not just any Fritos…Honey BBQ Twists. I’m hungry just thinking about it. Anyway, now I scan the weekly ads for snacks that look tempting, and then buy one bag for the week. Snack-sized plastic baggies are perfect to prevent overpacking (and therefore overeating). This brings me to…
- Stick to the weekly ads whenever you can. If there’s a great deal on something (ground turkey, for example), buy a few pounds and freeze it. Most veggies can be frozen too (see the link for which ones and how to do it)
- Cut coupons. Harris Teeter is my favorite grocery store in Reston because it offers double savings on any coupons under $1 AND most, if not all, items that are offered as “Buy 1 Get 1 Free” ring up at half price (rather than having to buy two to save). I subscribe to the Washington Post on Sundays only, just to snatch the coupons up.
- Hand-me-down furniture can save a TON. This one is a bit harder to cash in on. I’ve got a weird aversion to used furniture, unless I know the person I’m getting it from, although I snagged 2 bar chairs for $15 from Craigslist. I’d also go for just about anything that my head doesn’t rest on (ex. coffee tables, end tables, nightstands, bookshelves, etc). As far as the rest goes, in my living room right now I’ve got a couch, chair, and coffee table from my great Aunt Maudie, and a La-Z-Boy recliner from my friend’s grandfather. All comfy and all free, although whenever I sprawl across the couch with a nice cold beer, I picture Aunt Maudie’s jaw dropping in shock…
- If you’re craving a big purchase, wait one month and re-evaluate. I haven’t followed this one this month (see my previous post on the PS3), but it has saved me in the past. When the new Nano came out my friend bought one and the craving for my own kicked in. My current mp3 player felt heavier and looked more like a brick everytime I used it. Having the latest and greatest is great, but if you’re trying to save just remember there will always be something later and greater. For me, entering all of the Nano sweepstakes I could find and getting a couple of new CDs for my brick helped me stave off the urge.
- Slickdeals. If you absolutely must have something, this is the place to go to find a sale. Warning: for any one thing you wanted to buy, this site will make you want to buy 5 more other things.
- As far as wedding planning goes:
- Almost every week Michaels prints a 40% off coupon. If you have the patience to go once a week for a few months, you can save hundreds on invitations, centerpieces, place cards, programs, and more.
- We’re renting out a restaurant that isn’t charging for Linens, place settings, chairs, or even an overall rental fee. To top it off it’s locally owned and one-of-a-kind.
03.12.2008
- Raising my APR for purchases from 9.99% to 16.99% (70% increase!)
- Raising my APR for cash advances to 21.99%
- Raising the default APR to the Prime Rate plus up to 23.99%, which they can charge if I
- don’t make the minimum payment
- go over my limit
- Balance transfer charge of 3%
- Late fees of: $15 on up to $100, $29 on up to $250 and $39 on anything above $250
- $39 over-the-limit fee
- $39 returned payment fee
- $39 for request to stop payment on a convenience check
Wow. I wonder if all credit card companies are taking similar steps? And if so, is it to chase away the people with bad credit? There is an advantage for them to have some people that frequently make late payments, go over their limits, etc…they end up paying mostly interest and late fees and the companies benefit bigtime. Also with all of the layoffs going on, Citibank should be careful not to scare off their customers in good standing.
I’m just lucky I can afford to pay mine off each month.
Sphere: Related Content02.12.2008
By this time everyone has surely heard about the crisis for US automakers. And then they did their best to anger the taxpayers by flying to DC via private jet to beg for handouts. Clearly these folks don’t understand what it’s like to struggle, and to add insult to injury they’re going to drive out for their next trip. Maybe I should’t be offended by this, but I don’t want them to pretend they’re paupers for one trip. Plus I’m pretty sure it’d cost more in gas to drive out from Michigan than to take a coach flight.
My question is: IF you get the bailout money, what is going to change? I heard rumblings of the higher ups taking a $1 salary for a year, but if they made $5 mil last year (that’s just a guess), then their combined 2 yr sal is $5,000,001.00. Wow, life is rough for them, huh? Seriously though, they need something to prove that they won’t just lose the money like they have in the past. Someone called into DC101 this morning and told us that this car is supposed to be what does it. Here’s a pic:
Anyone else feel like the car appears to be squinting at us with those little headlights? It’s a hybrid, so at least it has that going for it…takes approximately 6 hrs to charge and should be able to get you 40 miles without using any gas. I’d be curious to see how the cost of 1/8 tank gas (to go those 40 miles) vs the cost of electricity to charge is.
Sphere: Related Content