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*

Website Wednesday: Thursday Edition

Rats... I was going to do this yesterday but forgot!

This weeks featured website is If It Were Not My Home. I just discovered it today, but it is pretty neat. here is the intro:

The lottery of birth is responsible for much of who we are. If you were not born in the country you were, what would your life be like? Would you be the same person?

IfItWereMyHome.com is your gateway to understanding life outside your home. Use our country comparison tool to compare living conditions in your own country to those of another. Start by selecting a region to compare on the map to the right, and begin your exploration.

Have fun!

Turning a new leaf... again.

Over the past 2 months I have digressed in my life change. I have eaten way too many sweets, given up exercise, and have not been watching my portions. Suffice it to say i've fallen off the wagon. Is it disappointing? A bit Am I going to beat myself up over it? No. It is a '2 steps forward one step back' kind of thing... so at least ive made it one step!

Now that I am once again committed to a healthier me, I have decided to try a few different things. I am taking the advice of this article I read in Eating Well magazine and setting goals. My goal is to make it to a size 12 by losing 1-1 1/2 pounds a week. Of course my ultimate goal is to be healthy and have optimal cholesterol and triglyceride numbers, but losing weight will help me achieve that goal! I am also going to give myself a reward. When I reach my goal I will be able to go to a neighboring town to buy a cute vintage dress!

I have also just started an online journal to keep track of the foods I eat. I tend to think that if no one sees me eat unhealthy things than it doesnt count. That way of thinking has not served me well over the past couple of months, so it is time to change. By writing down all that I eat I have to face the fact that all food I eat contributes to my health.

I also need to start exercising again. Last week I walked to work all week. Doing little things like this is a goal that will help me achieve better 'good' cholesterol levels, which I need in order to be happy. Exercising also gives me more energy throughout the day.

All of this leads me back to you, my support system. I will need you to encourage me and be there for me while I get things back on track. I know I can count on you all to help me live better... you have all been wonderful so far!

Thanks!

Birds and Hypothetical Houses

Well, Christmas has come and gone once again. I had a great time in Illinois with the fams and friends. We got to see a lot of folks over the holidays and it was great! There were some friends I didn't get to see, but we did the best we could with the time we were given. The husband and I were even able to squeeze in a trip to the local museum, which was showing original prints of the paintings John Audubon created in the 1830's. For those not married to a bird watcher, John Audubon is a pretty big deal. Obviously, the husband was in heaven. I had fun too. The prints were in amazing condition and had great detail.

And I overheard boy having a conversation with his father:

Boy: Dad, that owl has BOOBS!!

Dad: [ignores son]

Boy: [Louder] Dad, that owl had BOOBS!

Dad: [unimpressed by sons observation] No, those are his feathers. His chest is just puffed out.

Boy: oh.

I can totally see the husband having a conversation with our hypothetical children like this.

I like to speak and think about hypothetical (and hopefully eventual) situations. Currently I am enjoying pretending to own a house. I fill the kitchen with fun, expensive gadgets, big chill appliances (in red), vintage canisters, and beautiful vintage table linens. I fill the whole house with decorations from the 1040's and 1950's of course. The bedroom contains matching bed and dressers, and I have my own dressing room and a fabulous wardrobe to fill the room (it is decked out with hats galore and vintage hair advertisements). My hypothetical house also has either a wrap around porch or an enclosed deck. And most importantly, connected to the house... is a garage. A nice, clean, 2 car garage. Oh how I long for a garage!

Someday, when i'm older and hopefully not so much in debt, we will have some of these things. In the meantime I will still enjoy the small, mismatched, comfy home I share with a beautiful cat and great husband.

Learning Curve

Our Apt is decorated, the tree is up, and the gifts are wrapped. Hooray, Christmas Season is finally here! I've learned a few things this year that hopefully will help me be more prepared come Christmas 2011.

• Start Projects Early - Every year I find great things to make people and every year I wait until the last minute to create them. I am a procrastinator but I do not thrive under pressure, which is very unfortunate. Mrs. Attempted Domestication, on the other hand, is a first-class procrastinator. In college she would wait until the night before a term paper was due, grab a box of cheap wine, and go to town. by 7 am she had written a masterpiece professors would fawn over.

• Take time for yourself (and your spouse if you have one) - Last night The Husband wanted to take some time and relax together, but I told him I didn't have time. After all, the floors needed to be swept and mopped, I needed to continue my sewing projects, and he had dishes to do! However, I then decided that those things could wait until tomorrow. The Holiday Season isn't about a clean floor and dishes; it is about the love that God gave us through Jesus and each other. Spending time with yourself, loved ones, and fabulous friends is not only a great gift, but it is also a necessity! So we relaxed, and it was wonderful. It gave me time to refocus, which was just what I needed!

In therapy I am learning to take responsibility for my actions and thoughts. In essence, it is up to me to change this behavior. It is hard to re-learn how to do things, but it is also empowering. I have the power to change things in my life in order to make things better! So, I am going to change this for next year. If I fail at it next year i'm not going to kick myself over it, I will brush myself off and try again.

Happy Holidays!

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!