kashi's journal

Thank you for all the well-wishes! My birthday was great! SO and I took the day off. After bringing my mom to the airport at 5:00am, I went back to bed. SO made me breakfast, picked up my free Caribou Coffee drink (free email club!), and we headed over to the Science Museum. The exhibit on race was fascinating and very thought-provoking. One of my favorite parts of the exhibit was a grid of photos of faces. A person's voice was played, and you had to mentally match the voice to the person. Then you hit a button to see who was actually doing the talking. I didn't do as well as I thought I would, and some really shocked me. In this online world, it's easy to forget about personal things like that.

Later, a friend and her husband came over for my homemade lasagna dinner and chocolate turtle cake. I talked to my mother twice, my dad once, and my aunts in Texas. One aunt congratulated me on my birthday and then informed me that now I'm halfway to 56! Thanks! All in all, it was a really nice birthday.

This weekend we're going to an incredible Thai restaurant with friends to celebrate a bit more. I love this restaurant and haven't been there in ages. They have a delicious mock duck curry, the best pad thai, amazing tropical drinks...really, it's all delicious.

I love when birthdays spread out for a week. It makes it much more "real". SO mentioned last night that big events in his life tend to happen during odd-numbered years, and my life is quite similar. I was born in an odd year, graduated from high school and college in odd years, have moved to a new place every odd year since then, and started dating SO in an odd year. Perhaps 2007 will pick up...?

When your uncovered skin instantly stings...

When you feel every nostril hair seizing and freezing...

When the gentleman across from you on the bus has icicles dripping from his mustache...

You know it's winter in Minnesota.

This morning I stepped out into a balmy -15 degrees F. Luckily, there wasn't a breeze.

More sad family news - my parents' last indoor cat passed away over the weekend. He had cancer, poor baby.

My 87-year-old great-aunt was in a car accident last week and shattered her knee. She lives alone in a two-story home in Florida. Turns out my mother was listed as her emergency contact. Mom is taking the Greyhound bus here today, to fly out of Minneapolis tomorrow. Too bad her flight leaves at the crack of dawn; we could spend more of my birthday together. Mom will be back in a couple of weeks. She just doesn't need more stress!

I'm taking tomorrow off, so after dropping Mom off at the airport, I'll be heading home for a quick nap. Then I'm planning to check out the

race exhibit at the Science Museum. Later, a birthday dinner of cheesy lasagna, salad, and chocolate turtle cake. Yum!

I finally did it...wrote a long post, and then *poof*, lost it. *sigh*

Last night we really wanted to pick up a pizza for dinner, but resisted. We were out looking for the

Winter Carnival Medallion, a treasure hunt put on by the local paper (cash prize if you find it). We walked around in sub-zero temps for a few minutes before realizing we could better strategize from the car. I am pretty sure I know where it is, but alas, I'm working today and cannot search for it. We had a mediocre frozen pizza at home instead of takeout.

I've been thinking about what LuckyRobin said about migraines and diet. I think in order for me to do it, I'd have to list what I can eat and come up with a meal plan - menus, perhaps. It would probably be good for me to try it. My problem lies in that I truly hate cooking during the week.

My former boss is finally retiring, and her goodbye party is tonight. I crocheted a wool scarf and hat set out of super-thick, reddish-black yarn. I hope she likes it. It's hard to believe she's truly leaving the organization after so many years at the helm.

Last year for our birthdays, my SIL gave SO and I a gift certificate to the vegetarian restaurant where we had our first date. We haven't used it yet, and it expires next week. Hopefully the migraines will stay away, and we will dress up and go out on the town this weekend!

Fighting a migraine again today...has anyone tried Topamax? I think that's my last option before visiting a neurologist.

I've been trying very hard to think positively...things like, "I am a money magnet" and "I am a job offer magnet", and it seems to be working so far. I revamped my resume, sent out a few applications recently, and am getting postive responses. I am a job offer magnet...big money...

Last night was our first pottery class this semester. SO is taking it with me this time. I made five pots last night...guess I was on a roll! It's fun having him with me.

My dad is creating gorgeous wood carvings these days (in addition to searching for a job). He has made some incredible Native American-style things and matted and framed them, and I really think they could sell. I created an

etsy.com seller's page. I've considered eBay, but I'm a little burned out on that. I looked into local art galleries a bit yesterday. Any other ideas? He has taken photos, but their digital camera sucks. I've been researching Canon cameras and am contemplating buying one for them. The A540 has more power and zoom than my beloved Olympus, and is currently only $175. If they are serious about selling their handcrafted goods (my mother is a weaver as well), they need a good camera. I'm just still licking my wounds after getting the car fixed for the umpteenth time.

I worked lots of overtime last week, so my next paycheck should be a nice one!

I stumbled across this site recently:

www.myfootprint.org *

After answering several questions, it tells you how much your lifestyle is affecting our earth - your ecological footprint.

My score is 12. What's yours?

I feel good about it in that my footprint is half the average American's...but if everyone lived like me, we'd still need 2.7 plants. Food for thought.

* If you're getting some weird site when you click on this link (like I am), copy and paste http://www.myfootprint.org into your web browser to get to the right page.

I have six $7 off Nicoderm CQ coupons, expiration date 12/31/07.

Interested? Let me know in the comments field, and I'll email you to get your mailing address.

I have lots of coupons at home that aren't going to get used, so I'll post those soon, too.

SO and I headed out last night, determined to be social little bees and attend our first meetup.com event. We arrived at the designated restaurant to find it closed. Apparently the owners decided to remodel it (last night). There was no sign on the door telling us to go elsewhere, and no one standing in the street, so we walked to another restaurant and dined alone. A bit of a bummer. The group organizer claims to have put a sign up on the restaurant door, but there wasn't one when we got there.

Tonight I may bake a birthday cake for a friend. She's mostly vegan, and I found a great

vegan cheesecake recipe that I'm dying to try. We'll see if she's up for that or not...if not, I may just bake it anyway. It looks fabulous.

Today is Vegan Friday. I had a wheat bagel with peanut butter for breakfast and a banana. I've got an apple and dinner leftovers for lunch - vegetable curry with rice and vegetable pan-fried noodles. What to have for dinner? hmmmm.... I talked veganism over with SO last night, and he doesn't feel he can give up eggs and cheese too easily. We decided to start with one vegan day a week and see how it goes. I became vegetarian without any prep (cold-turkey, as they say) but slowly working on vegan meals feels better. SO still sometimes eats seafood when we go out, but doesn't cook it at home, thankfully.

I never feel good when the credit card bill is higher than a paycheck. I've taken the money out of savings to pay for the car repair bills, but still...it's too high, too scary. February will be a new year for me...more contemplation, as I become an even-numbered age again. At some point, I've got to move from contemplation to action.

Picked up the car last night...why did it start sputtering again on the way home? I guess I'll drive it this weekend and see if it still does it.

I've been reading a lot of vegan blogs lately. I've found some really fun ones:

-

Vegan Eats & Treats
- Fat Free Vegan Kitchen
- Vegan Cookbook Tester
- Vive le Vegan!

Once again, I'm seriously contemplating trying a vegan lifestyle. My dependency on dairy products is pretty bad. I've got to start taking more baby steps toward veganism - maybe some soy yogurt, more soy milk, egg replacers, etc. I've simply GOT to get more veggies into my diet. It's time to start facing the facts - I can't continue to subsist on bread, cheese and chocolate. (ok - it's not that bad - but bad enough.)

I'm reading a non-fiction tome on Elizabeth I. After a bit of an argument with a friend about how much control one's spouse should have over one's life, I realized that I really like Elizabeth I because she never married. She lived in the 1500s, a time when women were expected to get married, raise kids and be utterly subservient to men, and she never married. She never caved to those societal pressures, and she managed to rule a country just fine.

Speaking of ruling a country - England allowed a woman to rule in the 1500s, yet we can't seem to elect a woman (or a person of color) to power in the United States? Give me a break. Sometimes I feel like we are going backwards.

And, something finance-related: I need to set up a high-yield savings account for my parents, and figure out where to move their 401k savings. I am trying hard to not get stressed out about the whole situation, but when dad says mom needs my support right now, and mom says sister needs my support right now, and everyone says dad needs my support right now...well, I just want to curl up into a ball and wait for the migraine to pass. Thank God for painkillers.

Thanks for your comments. I know my blog has not been particularly positive lately...this too shall pass (right?).

On Monday, I drove my car around town and it ran just fine (after adding antifreeze, of course).

On Tuesday, I drove it to work. It had a hard time starting up in the morning, but I assumed that was because it was our coldest overnight temperature yet this season. It ran just fine after warming up.

I went out to the car after work, and it had a hard time starting up. Again, I assumed it was because it was -4 degrees. It ran just fine after warming up.

On the way home, I stopped at a gas station two blocks from my house to fill it up. Shut the car off, filled it up, paid for the gas, got back in, and....nothing. All the electrics worked, but the engine would not even attempt to turn over. SO came and tried to jump it (we didn't think it would work, but tried anyway). We pushed it off to the side and waited an hour and a half for a tow truck.

The car is sitting at the shop...again. I could scream. I'm waiting to find out what the problem is this time, and how many hundreds of dollars it will cost.*

And can I just say...there were tons of people at that gas station. SO and I were trying to push that thing off to the side for at least 15 minutes (those big lumps in the concrete, mixed with icy snow, weren't so helpful). Only one person stopped to help us. One person! (A very nice, petite woman, I might add.) Bubbas in their pickup trucks were zooming around us (irritated that we were in their precious way) but did they stop to get OUT of their pickups and help push?? Nooooo...

* Looks like it will be $375 to fix this stupid thing. The starter needs to be replaced...again. After this, I have no more savings.

At what point is it a good idea to change jobs? If I had a potential opportunity that paid slightly more but offered less benefits, meant a longer commute, and was potentially just as boring as this job, is it worth taking? Just to get away? I had a terrible time getting out of bed this morning after a three-day weekend. All I could think about was how boring my job is, and how I wish I was doing something else. Trading boring for boring may not be the best choice, but it would be different, I guess.

I started up my car yesterday, and it sounded awful. I popped the hood, and voila! No antifreeze! None whatsoever! So I dumped some in, and now it's fine. You'd think those people I just paid $430 to would have noticed that there was no antifreeze. Grrr.

We spent $100 on spices this weekend. Yes - $100 on spices (half of it was for my mother) - at

Penzeys Spices. We got some great curry powder, a cheese blend, the Bangkok Blend (sweet peppers, garlic, ginger, black pepper, galangal, hot peppers, lemon grass, basil, cilantro), shallot salt, Vietnamese cinnamon, etc. I adore that store.

We also spent too much at Target, but what else is new?

Coming up this week: maternity clothes shopping with my pregnant friend, a meetup.com event, and a friend's birthday dinner.

Wednesday migraine! Wha-bam!

It was a weird one. I waffled between taking an Imitrex and just toughing it out. A wave of mildly-Excedrin-masked pain came over me, so I took the Imitrex and went to bed. On Thursday morning I could tell the headache was still lurking there in the background, waiting to pounce (guess the Imitrex didn't kill it). I avoided dark chocolate, caffeine, artifical sweeteners, and (sadly) a drink at the bar during a friend's celebratory party. I'm feeling a bit better today, but it needs to just GO AWAY. Seriously. What headache needs to linger for days on end??

The celebratory party was for a friend who finally graduated with her doctorate degree. She will be moving on to do her post-doc in Manhattan. I will miss her. She is the only friend I have who is not gung-ho about getting married and having kids.

I joined another group on meetup.com and am planning to go to my first meetup next week. It's a dinner, and SO is coming with me. I hope it's fun. I tend to be shy in social settings, but I need to branch out and make new friends.

SO and I signed up for the next round of pottery-making. Yes - I lured him into it!

Long weekend, yippee!! The Christmas tree will come down tomorrow. Otherwise, not a thing on my schedule. Nice. I need some down time.

My head is killing me this afternoon. I know all the triggers this time - stress, staring at the computer all day, and the two beers I had last night.

Stress. It makes me eat more, eat poorly, crave chocolate and salt, want to curl into a ball, be snippy with my SO and the incessant meow-meows, feel down, and creates one big headache. The only thing it hasn't done yet this time around is make me spend money friviously.

I am $437 poorer today. I am grateful that I have a job and make enough money to be able to cover the car repair. The shop owner told me that I should only consider a new car when my average repair bills total $300 a month. $300? I couldn't afford a $300/month car payment. I am seriously considering getting rid of this car, though.

I got the first two seasons of Grey's Anatomy for Christmas, and finished watching season one last night. A friend turned me on to the show last fall, and though I'm not much of a medical drama fan, it's mindless entertainment.

It's amazing how stress can feel like a real, tangible object - like a (fat) monkey sitting on your back, weighing you down. I'm sure everyone here has experienced that feeling when it comes to financial struggles. It's shaking him off that's the trick.

2007 is off to a seriously crappy start.

My car started shuddering violently on Friday. I took it into the shop last night, and the repair estimate is $437. That's if they can get the spark plugs out (apparently they are rusted in place). I have about had it with this car. I don't have another $436 to spend on it, unless I take money away from my vacation plans. So much for Mexico. I cannot get ahead.

Our electric bill came yesterday. Last month it was $90 - this month, $146. I have no idea what that is about, but I'm not happy about it. We have a programmable thermostat. Maybe it was all the holiday baking, but an extra $56 in holiday baking??

My sister's university will not give her any more financial aid this year. I'm not sure what that will mean for her.

My parents are in rough shape. I'm not close enough to check up on them and force them to eat and sleep. I feel helpless.

Yes, I wish they had planned better. I wish they had saved more for retirement. I wish they had been able to pay off more than a fraction of their house. There's not much we can do at this point but look back and wish things had been done differently. The thing is, they don't have new cars, they don't have expensive toys, and they don't frivolously waste money.

I hope they can get past the feeling of desperation and hopelessness and try to move forward. This is why living paycheck to paycheck is very, very bad.

Thank you for your thoughts and advice on my family's financial situation. Keep it coming, if you think of anything more. I am really not sure how they are going to do this. I just edited a letter from my sister to send to her financial aid office, asking for more help...hope it comes through. Your comments have really been helpful.

I'm considering getting a part-time job to help out my family. There are lots of stores nearby, including Michaels and Barnes and Noble. However, retail really doesn't pay that well. How does one come across freelance writing/editing jobs? What other things could I do that would pay a bit more than retail?(Besides standing on the corner of Hennepin Avenue, of course)

We just picked up a Yucatan travel guide a couple of days ago, but I don't really feel good about taking an expensive trip to Mexico at this point. Maybe it would be better to forego the pricey island getaway and find something cheaper around Cancun or Tulum. I still really want to go, but am feeling guilty. SO and I need to discuss this further. I don't feel good about moving away, either. It's amazing how one little incident can change perspective on everything.

I'm so glad it's the weekend!!

Devastating news today - my father was fired from his job yesterday. He worked there for 25 years. They have been slowly trying to force him out for the last several months...it's a long story, but the end result is that now, he's jobless.

He has no college degree. My mother has an AA degree but has not worked in 24 years. My sister has 1.5 years of college left.

How can I help them?

I asked them to send me their resumes so I can update them. I told him to ask friends for job references. He is getting a severence package, but it won't amount to much after taxes.

What does one do after 25 years?? I can't believe the audacity.

Your thoughts, suggestions, advice...all welcome.

Today I'm jamming to Imogen Heap (got her I Megaphone album for Christmas - it's great) and contemplating my future.

I've been skirting around leaving this state, finding a real career, being happy, for years. I'm tired of being wishy-washy about everything, just staying here because it's easier, applying to hundreds of jobs but getting nowhere. It's ridiculous. Something is going to change, and it is going to change this year.

I'm also losing 30 pounds this year, period. There is absolutely no reason for me to have the body I have. I have no children, and I'm not having any children, so why am I carrying all this weight?

My only New Year's resolution - start living my life the way I should have been living it all along.

2007 Financial Goals
~ Finish off smaller college loan
~ Emergency Fund: $1000
~ Family Fund: $350
~ Moving/Vacation Fund: $4000
~ Roth IRA: $1000
~ Retirement: continue with 6%

Happy 2007!!

Is it a relief to anyone else to finally find the holidays behind us? All that prep work, all that planning, and then *poof*, it's done. I, for one, am glad for it.

It seems that late 2006 was a baby-making year. I personally know four people who just announced that they are pregnant, one of which happens to be my best friend. Another friend of mine recently told me that best-frienddom ends once marriage enters the picture. She must be right, because I had no inkling that my best friend wanted to have a baby now (or, three months ago, incidentally). I am officially out of the loop.

News like this inevitably makes me reflect on my own life and its apparent stagnation. Everyone is pursuing careers and creating families and doing that which makes them happy. It's time I make me happy. I am tired of being the person who is always there for everyone else.

I applied to a few jobs in Oregon today and am researching the safest Portland neighborhoods to live in. Any recommendations, Oregonians? Mexico may have to wait...I'm ready to leave Minnesota.

I leave for my parents' house tomorrow evening. I can't wait! I'm so glad this busy week is almost over.

I've been working overtime this week, trying to get everything wrapped, organized and packed, meeting up with people, cleaning the house, etc - just like everyone else, I'm sure.

Last night I saw the movie, "Pursuit of Happyness", with my friend from Boston. The movie was great...a little slow, but with purpose. It definitely gave me something to think about. It was good to catch up with him, too. A year had passed since I had last seen him, but it felt like a day. I guess that's what's called comfortable...? He may be working here next summer, which would be great.

I can't complain about the cost of the movie - $6.50 each - but a large popcorn and two drinks was $15.75. Ouch! I so rarely go to movies, though, that it won't break the bank.

Tonight SO and I are having dinner with friends/family members (Indian food, I hope!). We got socked with a bizarre mix of rain, ice pellets, and enormous snowflakes yesterday, so I hope the roads are decent this evening. Just a quick plug for

Yaktrax - I pulled mine out yesterday in anticipation of the ice storm, and they ROCK. They easily strapped onto the bottoms of my shoes, and I didn't slip at all. What a great invention!

Seriously, is it really December 22? Wasn't it just October?? Where has this year gone?

I'm retreating to the land of dial-up internet for a week, so enjoy the holidays!! Take time to concentrate on the best things in life (the free stuff!).

What a nice day!

Someone on another team complimented my team, so we all got little balloons on our desks. Nice. I had my annual review this morning...not sparkling, but my boss assured me that I am doing a good job, and told me to keep on doing what I'm doing. No news on a raise yet, but we'll all be finding out soon. I realized that any raise I receive will go straight to inflated medical costs - insurance went up a ton this year.

I'm the new employee trainer again today...not my favorite thing in the world, but I just have to remind myself that next week I won't be at work!

Bittersweet moment last night...I know my massage friend is happy to return to her home country, where she is a doctor, but she's sad about leaving too. She invited us to visit someday. I'd like that.

Trying hard to concentrate on my big savings goal -

Mexico 2007. So far, I've got $360 in the account.

We have only spent about $150 on groceries this month, and that will be all we'll spend. That's some sort of record, especially for December! We picked up four very cheap artichokes at Trader Joes, steamed them, and had them for dinner the other night. They were sooooo good. I love artichokes...they will always remind me of Chile. I ate them constantly there. I wish they were cheaper here!

I'm reading the Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri (it's a bunch of short stories). She crafts a great story, and is quite skilled, but every single one so far has been depressing! I hope at least one ends well.

We don't have a flake of snow on the ground, but they say a storm is on its way. I heard people on the bus complaining about the lack of snow. I couldn't be more pleased with 45 degrees!

I went a little overboard on stocking stuffers.

Organic chocolate, raspberry chocolate, peach buds, ginger candy, rice candy (no idea what that's like, but that's part of the fun), Swiss Army knife-shaped chocolate, chocolate from England and Switzerland, maple candy from Vermont, rose candy from somewhere, mini-hot sauce, mini-saffron tubes, mini-summer sausage - the list goes on and on. I stopped by World Market, and their international food section is such fun.

SO started feeling lots better on Friday (thanks, mjrube94!).

We baked and baked and baked this weekend - spiced biscotti, orange almond biscotti, chocolate almond biscotti, honey lavender biscotti, snickers fudge, raspberry truffles, orange truffles, and chocolate covered pretzels. SO dipped some of the biscotti in melted chocolate as well. Most of it is packaged up and ready to go out. What happened to "I'll start this earlier next year"? I'll say it again - I'll start this baking thing earlier next year.

In addition, we finally tossed lights at the tree and bought a few ornaments. The living room is so cozy.

Work is so incredibly slow...I could be so much more productive at home, wrapping gifts and packing.

Tonight our massage friend is coming over for the last time. She is moving back to her home country. We will miss her, and our monthly massages!!

Thursday I'm getting together with a friend; Friday we're having dinner with relatives; Saturday we've got to give the frog prince to the birthday girl; and then I'm off to my parents' house for a week! Yowza!

I finished the annual Snickers Fudge yesterday, and used much easier methods. It turned out better than it ever has. It's still time-consuming, but the microwave and non-stick foil makes it much easier!


EASIER SNICKERS FUDGE

Bottom Layer
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup butterscotch chips
1/4 cup peanut butter chips

Filling
1/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup evaporated milk
7 oz jar marshmallow cream
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups chopped salted peanuts

Caramel Layer
14 oz package caramels
1/4 cup whipping cream

Top Layer
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup butterscotch chips
1/4 cup peanut butter chips

Directions
Cover the bottom and sides of a 13x9x2 pan with non-stick aluminum foil. Fold excess aluminum foil over the sides of the pan, so you can easily pull out the fudge later.

Bottom Layer: Combine the ingredients in a microwavable measuring cup; microwave in one-minute increments, stirring between each minute, until smooth. Spread onto the bottom of the prepared pan. Refrigerate until set.

Filling: Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sugar and milk. Bring to a boil; boil and stir for 5 minutes. Remove from heat; quickly stir in the marshmallow cream, peanut butter, and vanilla. Add peanuts. Spread over bottom layer (work fast!). Refrigerate until set.

Caramel Layer: Combine caramels and cream in a microwavable container; microwave in one-minute increments, stirring between each minute, until smooth. Spread over the filling. Refrigerate until set.

Top Layer: Combine the ingredients in a microwavable measuring cup; microwave in one-minute increments, stirring between each minute, until smooth. Pour over the caramel layer. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Grip the excess aluminum foil and pull fudge out of pan. Gently flip the fudge onto a cutting board, and slowly pull off the aluminum foil (if you've used non-stick foil, this should be easy). Using a large knife, cut the fudge into one-inch squares. Wrap fudge in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.

My Target run the other night went pretty well. I stuck to the list and spent my budgeted amount of $60 (only a few cents over!). However, I couldn't find a few things:

- parchment paper
- cellophane bags (to put fudge into)
- a cat toobrush and toothpaste

My furry little girl has tarter on her teeth, so we need to start scrubbing. We'll see how well that goes over. I'll just look at a pet store for that.

Parchment paper and cellophane bags have me mystified, though. I know we bought those cellophane bags at Target last winter. Where else should I look? Would the dollar store have them? Walmart?

Last night was biscotti night. I made a spiced biscotti, and it turned out so well! The first attempt yielded fabulous results. I need to pick up a few more ingredients (where did my bottle of honey wander off to??) and I'll finish my holiday baking this weekend.

SO has had the flu this week, so we haven't collectively accomplished much. The tree is still untrimmed (still beautiful, though!). I'm fighting off the illness with lots of tea, Halls Defense drops, multi-vitamins, and Airborne. Maybe it's just the placebo effect, but I love that Airborne stuff.

So glad it's Friday!!

Yesterday I talked to a friend about how much I've spent on car repairs this year - $1368. Now, that's only about $114 a month (much cheaper than a car payment), but it doesn't get driven much these days, since I normally take the bus to work. I think as it sits idly in the driveway, it concocts new clunking sounds, lights to burn out, and parts to throw to the ground. As I drove to work this morning, I contemplated my future with this car.

Since I don't drive much right now, I don't really need a new car. I am pretty tired of throwing money at it, though. The engine had a brand new whine this morning when I started it up.

I expect to pay off my smaller college loan next summer. If I could find a car payment that tops out at $200 a month, I think I could swing it. The only problem is that the cars I like are twice that much. Something to think about. I'm glad I have the luxury of time and alternative commuting methods.

Last night I avoided Target...tonight, I will not be so lucky. The key is to walk in with my list and not deviate from it. I need cellophane bags for fudge and mini muffin cups for truffles. I'm nearly done with my crocheting projects! Whoohoo!

I'm hoping to get a raise soon. Overtime work this fall has not panned out like I thought it would. I need to canvass the house and throw some things up for sale if I'm going to have enough cash for a vacation. I think I'll try amazon.com for books and such.

Free breakfast and lunch at work today, with vegetarian options this time! Yeah!

Two years! I can hardly believe it. I joined Saving Advice in November 2004, and started this blog just a couple of weeks later. Back then they were called "journals" and were integrated into the forum website. Though we switched over to this great blog format, I kept the original name (journal), because it feels more personal and intimate. I write about all kinds of things happening in my life, and most of the time, they affect my finances one way or the other.

I've learned so much from this community of warm, wonderful, respectful savers. It's truly a blessing to have a place where everyone has a common goal - saving more. In a big bad world where keeping up with the Jones is the norm, it's refreshing to step into this little "safe" zone and talk about washing plastic baggies! and saving on toilet paper! and clipping coupons!

Thank you, Jeffrey and Nate, for creating this welcoming environment. Thank you, dear reader, for reading my posts and responding with thoughtful, insightful advice. I've learned far more from everyone here than I ever thought possible, way back when I started this blog!

Happy Tuesday!

I have a friend who complains bitterly about the quality of food served in our cafeteria (aren't we lucky to have one?) and not having any money. I finally told him that there's an easy remedy to both problems - pack lunch. But - it's too much work! I don't have time! I don't know how!

Look, it may be hard at first, but it packing lunch can become second nature, just like anything else. I've packed lunch nearly every day I've worked in the past five years. It normally takes me about 5 minutes to pack my lunch in the morning.

~ Eat breakfast before you walk out of the house. I spend 5 minutes cooking and eating my bowl of oatmeal every morning, and it keeps me going until my 10:30 snack.

~ Always have lots of snacks on hand, stuff you can quickly grab-and-go: apples, bananas, grapes, pears, oranges, yogurt, granola bars, mini V-8 cans, string cheese, chocolate, pretzel rods, raisin boxes, crackers, etc.

~ If you cook dinner (and you should be, if you're trying to save money and your waistline), make things that create leftovers. After dinner, pop what you've made into individual microwavable containers, and slide them into the fridge (or freezer). In the morning, grab one of these containers, a few of your snack options, and viola! Food for the day.

~ If you eat dinner out, and you can't eat it all, box up the rest for lunch the next day.

~ Keep non-perishable goods in your desk drawer. I've got a jar of peanut butter, a variety of tea bags, and some ketchup/salt/pepper packets. Sometimes a simple tablespoon of peanut butter keeps me going until lunch. If you just can't eat breakfast at home, bring a box of shredded wheat to work and tuck it into your desk drawer. I'd keep a bag of chocolate there too, if I could keep my hand out of it.

~ Make lunch the night before. If you're having burritos for dinner, fold up an extra one and wrap it in plastic wrap or foil. Toss it in your lunch bag with a snack or two and a beverage, and place the whole thing in the fridge so you won't miss it the next day.

~ Buy frozen meals on sale and with a coupon. Stock your freezer for the inevitable no-food-in-the-fridge mornings. Just be careful not to rely too heavily on them!

Any other lunchtime tips and tricks? I know I've saved tons of money over the years by packing my own lunch.

I'm happy to say that Friday ended uneventfully! I have no idea what that feeling was about. I spent two hours on the phone with my mom, though, and it was good to catch up.

I spent most of Saturday's holiday party talking to my nieces. Sometimes six-year-olds are the best conversationalists. A sister-in-law announced that she is pregnant again. I'm happy for them, but too bad they don't have health insurance.

My colorist repaired my hideous haircut and pumped up my highlights. I feel loads lighter. I think I'm done coloring my hair for a while...I decided this morning that I should enjoy my natural hair color before any gray hairs start peeping through.

We found the perfect Christmas tree at a perfect price! We stumbled upon a local Lions Club selling 7' trees for $34. Can't beat a deal like that. We'll trim the tree tonight, though I don't think it needs it! I'm happy with a beautiful tree decked out in nothing but white lights. I love sitting on the couch and basking in their warm, pine-scented glow. Two weeks until Christmas!

I've got a weird feeling about today. It's been following me around since last night. I can't pinpoint it...it's not anyone's birthday, I have nothing going on tonight, there aren't any work meetings I'm missing, my bills are paid, my cats are healthy, my SO is just fine... What on earth could it be? I'd better call my parents tonight. I hate that lurking feeling of uneasiness.

I'm halfway done with one niece's scarf. I think I'll finish it tonight. My aunts' annual holiday package for me arrived yesterday, which means I need to get my butt in gear and get theirs mailed out!! I can't believe it is December 8th already.

My soon-to-be two year old niece is getting this frog prince for her birthday:



The mouth zips and unzips to reveal a sewn-on fly.

...that you inevitably end up spending more than you have left on the gift card. Last night we stepped into Ikea with our $13 gift card, and walked out with $100 in stuff. It was all good, useful stuff, and we found lots of gifts (and a set of beautiful blue-gray dishes, six place settings for $18!), but not exactly within in the budget. Then, the Gap. I found a gorgeous men's zip-up sweater hoodie for me, perfect, and bought it. I used up my gift card and spent an additional $47! Yowza! I did a little better in Sephora - used up my $52 gift card and only spent an extra $8. Yes, I'm one of those people who has ridiculously expensive lipstick on my wishlist. I'd never buy it myself, but that's what a wishlist is for - wishing. I certainly don't expect it to be sitting under the tree. I'd be just as happy with something much cheaper.

All in all, we were very productive yesterday, and the shopping atmosphere was perfect. Virtually no one was at the Mall of America. There's no way I'd step foot in that mall on a December weekend, but Wednesday night was great.

I've got a holiday party to attend this weekend...a very religious holiday party (i.e. having the children dress up and reenact the birth of Christ). I'm going to need to build up my patience reserves between now and then.

My take on the holiday season is this - I'm not religious, but if you want to be, go ahead (just don't force it on me). Personally, I take this time to sit back, take stock of all that I have and am thankful for, and show my love and appreciation for my family and friends. I love buying and making gifts for people. I love the spirit of giving and cherishing those you care about. I like making others happy. That's what the holiday season means to me...and I feel good about that.

I'm pretty happy today. Yes, perhaps it is because of the square of 70% dark chocolate I just ate...but I'm pretty jovial. Most of my holiday shopping is done, and though I'm having trouble with a couple of homemade gifts, I'm not going to sweat it. I have a lot of baking to do, but that is one of the enjoyable parts of the holidays. My trainee is smart and catching on fast. I'm going "shopping" tonight with my sweetheart, gift cards at the ready. All in all, life is good.

I'm reading the "How to Ruin Your Life" series by Ben Stein. It includes "How to Ruin Your Love Life" and "How to Ruin Your Financial Life", in addition to the first. Really funny stuff. I just finished a fabulous (but long and somewhat intense) novel set in medieval times, so this is nice and light.

I am envious of DivaJen's ability to meet so many of her 2006 goals. I met only four of my own. I'm not sure how to change this budget and goals slump I'm in. I've got to ruminate on that a while...

I just went through my stash of gift cards. I've got to use a few up this month before they start deducting $2 a month from the balance. Coffee? Makeup? A sweater, perhaps? Twist my arm.

I like gift cards, because they give me the power of choice. I just have to remember that they are in my wallet. I've taken up labeling them with small post-it notes so I remember how much is left on each card. We have used up almost all of our grocery gift cards - those really are the best. Having paid for them in advance and then using them at the checkout makes me feel as though I'm saving money (even though I'm not). The credit card company should be mailing our cash back check soon, and it's going straight into the vacation fund!

I finally got a bit of overtime last night. There hasn't been much extra work, but now that the holidays are fast approaching, hopefully that will change. I could use the overtime.

Training the new person is going well. She's rather bored right now, but that won't last long.

Winter finally hit us here. The morning windchill has dipped below zero for several days. I'm back to asking myself how many more winters I want to go through...might this be my last?