Something Old, Something New: A Tandem Post

While considering the question 'what is the best piece of financial advice someone has given you', I automatically started thinking about credit cards, bills, 401(k)'s, and interest rates. While I have heard tons of advice about the pros and cons of the above, the best piece of advice I had ever been given about finance was an unspoken rule in our house; don't buy something unless you really need it.

A prime example of this would be our family cars. Mom and Dad both had cars, but they always bought used (duh) and they drove them until they cost more to repair than they were worth. The local car dealership owner, Tom, once told my mom that he knows hes not going to make a lot of money off of my parents because they used the cars for all they could. Tom also had a bad habit of chain smoking in his small office. I also believe the office had wood paneling, because it was a dark, smelly place. Neither my sister or I liked to go car shopping.

Buying new furniture was also something that wasn't a necessity for our household. Our house was full of furniture bought or given to us by family members. It doesn't make much sense to spend a lot of money on furniture that you know will get stained from countless glasses of split tea and captain crunch falling through the cracks in the cushions. Now that my sister and I (okay, it was mostly me) are not living there anymore my parents are now enjoying the ownership of new furniture; and I've already spilled things on it (sorry mom).

I am so grateful for this unspoken family motto. I've saved a lot of money by adhering to it. In fact, our 'desk' that I am typing this on was from my Granny; it's actually a vanity! I love it! Our apartment is full of family members furniture, but for every dollar we didn't have to spend on a new desk, sofa, or car is another dollar going towards knocking out my college debt. There will be a time when we might have new and matching furniture and nice cars, but what we have now is more than enough. Plus, that is why the Lord invented slipcovers!

*This is a tandem post with Abbigail and Rose; check their blogs out too! Not only are they smart ladies... but hey have great blogging skillz*

Potpourri

Sorry for the blogging break friends, but I was actually working... as a volunteer coordinator it always gets a bit busy before major holidays. Everyone wants to give back at the same time!

Anywho...

Things are going well here in good ole Indiana. Since it is the holiday season (YAY!) the husband and I will be spending a lot of time in the car traveling from here to there... which really means that he will drive and i will play sudoku and we will both listen to NPR for 3 hours straight. Because we are slightly obnoxious NPR fans, almost all of our stories start with "I heard on NPR that..." We are okay with this, but I'm not sure everyone else is.

My sister's baby shower went so well! My sister looked beautiful of course! We played the required game, ate delicious food, and she got a crap ton of awesome stuff! It was a great time and I got a ton of compliments on the invites, which was nice. Okay, very nice.

Now that the shower is dont I have to get cracking on the Christmas presents I am making. I am only making gifts for 2 people, but I am also going to make a ton of coffee sleeves... they will be great stocking stuffers! Speaking of gifts, the husband and I decided to forgo expensive gifts and to go on a trip/adventure instead. We still wanted something to open on Christmas though, so we are giving gifts of 20 bucks to each other. I'm pretty excited about this!

On another note, the husband and I are starting to build actual adult wardrobes. We are shopping clearances, sales, and consignment stores for all the 'essentials.' Goodbye ironic t- shirts! Hello v-neck sweaters and knee-length dresses! Of course I will still be wearing my vintage wear and retro dresses; they are the epitome of classy! And to top it off, this was not even my idea; the husband stumbled upon a mens fashion blog and the rest is history!

Okay, one more thing: I have started going to therapy again, and let me say the it. is. life-changing. I REALLY like my therapist. She knows what shes talking about, she gives me practical exercises and tips on how to manage my anxiety, and she makes it fun! We are focusing on my fear of storms, tornadoes, fire, water, and anything else that can potentially kill you and/or your loved ones. We are using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to treat the anxiety, and let me say... it is empowering!

I hope you all are doing well too; enjoy the holiday!

[Insert Clever Title Here]

Sorry i've been MIA lately friends! Many things have been happening here for the husband and me. Here is a quick run down:

• Ive started therapy again! I like my therapist so far; she seems to know her stuff and she also tries to make things fun. Plus she called me smart. :) I'm doing therapy for my anxiety.
• My sister's baby shower is next week (yay!!) so i've been busy preparing for that as well. I can't wait to see her and Baby Girl!
• The husband and I have paid off about 22% of our school loans! 3% more and we are upping the allowance we give ourselves each month! Woo-Hoo!!
• Our anniversary trip went splendidly! We piddled around small towns, ate out a lot, went to a state park, and finished the weekend off at Apt 16's Werewolf Bar Mitzvah Party. We had SO MUCH FUN!!

Ill post pictures of our fun times soon!

A bit of this and that

I haven't posted lately mostly because I have been very busy making my sisters baby shower invites. I would LOVE to tell you all about them and the kick ass party coming up (on NOVEMBER 14th at 2:00pm), but the theme is a surprise! So the post about that will have to wait until I mail out the invites, which will be early next week.

Another thing I have been up to is vintage hairstyling. I am proud to say that after about a year and a half I have mastered the victory roll! My hair is long enough to roll the front now, so thats exciting! I haven't quite figured out how to marry my hairstyles (ie rollers) and morning exercising though. While I have no problem with people knowing that I wear rollers to bed, I do have a problem with people seeing me in my rollers whilst walking downtown at 6:15am. this may be another reason to try pincurls though; you can put a bandana around your head and no one can tell you have them in!

The husband and I have also been watching Mad Men. It has been praised for its realistic settings, outfits, and hair. It also has been praised for its accurate portrayal of life in the 1960's, which is a bit scary to me. This is because of the way that men treat women in the show. Only 1 woman so far has a high position in business, the men all treat women like they are not as smart as the men, and the men are also constantly making jokes about women and sex. ugh. No wonder there was another surge of feminism! While it has taken me a while to get used to seeing that, I do like the show. It is not my favorite (big love is better), but it is good!

So thats what this lady has been up to lately. I hope that you are all doing great!

I didnt mean for all 3 to start with an H; i'm not that kind of girl.

Sorry it's been forever friends; i've actually been busy at work! I think things are a bit slowed down now, which is good. I like being busy, but I do not like being stressed out!

Anyway, I thought i'd give you an update of sorts.

1. Health - I went to the Doctor for my newest lab results and my cholesterol went down 30 points! It was my triglycerides that made the biggest difference; they went from 360 to 153! Im excited about that, but I still have work to do. My good cholesterol is still too low and my bad cholesterol is still too high, as are my triglycerides. I am going to start taking a supplement that my doctor recommended. It is an Omega 3 pill that is filled with high quality healthy fats from fish. I also will continue to eat healthy. I am also trying to up my exercising... that is the key for the good cholesterol to increase. my dictor also said that my thyroid levels are good. My next update is in 6 months. Oh, and I've also lost 12 pounds, which is 1 pound a week! I am happy with that.

2. Hobbies - For my wonderful sister-in-law's birthday I sewed her a laptop case. I forgot to take a picture, but trust me - it is awesome! I was impressed that it turned out so nicely! Right now I am in the process of making a headband for one of my good friends baby. I am also attaching a flower made out of ribbon on it. As it is going to a little one and will most likely end up in her mouth and not on her head I am being extra careful in constructing it with child friendly materials (ie... I am not using my vintage buttons). I also got my first real pattern in the mail; an apron. I am excited to make it; it will be a great challenge! It also is a good step towards my goal of sewing vintage dresses.

Might I also add that I am PUMPED about my sister finding out if she is having a boy or girl so I can get to sewing multiple things for her or him!

Oh, and it is also vintage hair weather; thank God! I was getting so bored with styling my hair the same way. I hope to post pictures soon. I also have decided to take a big step and try pincurls. I have been avoiding them like the plague, but I think it's time.

3. Halloween - I am going to be a sailor girl for Halloween - words cannot express how excited I am! The husband has not idea what he wants to be, so any suggestions would be helpful!

Funny Tidbits

This past weekend some funny things happened:

• While turning off the lamp on his night stand before going to bed, the husband knocked a full glass of water on his head and on his side of the bed. It was awesome. We covered it with a towel and promptly went to sleep.
• While napping this weekend, I was dreaming about knitting, sewing, and crocheting when the husband woke me up. I responded with "big crochet." What that means I have no idea, but apparently he can crochet big. Also, I was very mad at him because he laughed after I said "big crochet." After all, he was supposed to know what I was talking about! :)
• Our nephew apparently sneezed on the communion at church on Sunday; we were in the second row.

Also, a no-so-funny but rather important tidbit of info: my sister officially received her masters of Education Diploma! Congrats Sister!!! I am proud and a bit jealous!

An Update of Sorts

This past weekend the husband and I had so much fun with our friends! On Saturday we went to the college. The husband went on a nature walk, to a presentation, to a college bowl competition (its like scholastic bowl on steroids), and ate lunch with our music professor. I had a celebration for our 100th year anniversary of our sorority! I had a lot more fun than I thought I would! After my sorority thing was over we went out to eat with friends. It was great, except for the fact that we forget how loud we are... and before I knew it everyone else in the restaurant had left! Oh well. :)

Saturday evening we were supposed to go to the local bar but decided to play a game with my sister and her husband instead. We all had a good time, even though the husband won. Side note: I don't think my sister and I had played a game together since Girl Talk circa 1994. Luckily this game didnt involve prank calling our crushes.

We got to spend time with some family on Sunday, which was also nice! Our nephew Rett learned to say our names; it was adorable! my sister-in-law also made a FABULOUS and DELICIOUS cake for my birthday (yes, I m still celebrating my birthday.... weeks later). The frosting was to die for!!

So this week the husband and I don't have anything planned... which is awesome. I am hoping to go to Hobby Lobby and Lane Bryant to spend some gift cards that are burning a hole in my pocket. We also need to clean the apt, which is never fun... but life in generally more enjoyable when the apt is clean-ish.

I also plan on taking the second step in my sewing adventures; sew a ribbon onto a washcloth. it may not sound like much, but it is a good first project. I also finally found someone who gives sewing lessons, so I am going to start those sometime soon. I decided that if the husband can spend 40 bucks a month on a gym membership I can spend the same amount of money on sewing lessons.

So that's life these days. Nothing too exciting, but also nothing to complain about. I'd consider that a good life thus far.