About sixteen years ago, I met him for the first time. My trainwreck sibling brought home this adorable puppy he had no business adopting because he had not one thing in his life that wasn’t a mess. I was furious at my sibling – he didn’t even take care of himself, how could he drag
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March 16, 2010
Now that I’ll be moving out, several things have to happen.
Moving Budget:
I successfully negotiated for a relocation allowance. They will either pay the service provider directly or reimburse me for all reasonable relocation related costs that include direct moving expenses (moving of household goods, storage, travel expenses during the actual relocation, and temporary housing). It’s a shame I can’t apply those funds towards anything else! It’s generous enough that I can afford to use movers instead of packing up a car and driving up the coast, though.
Movers:
They relieve the hours-of-driving headache, replaced by the Why-won’t-you-answer-my-calls? headache. It took a solid week for one of three companies to respond to me. Lame lame lame. An appraisal appointment has been scheduled to determine a quote for my stuff.
Packing:
I’ve begun splitting some boxes into “stays” and “goes.” After all, I’ve got to maintain the illusion I just travel a lot for work and still live at home and wield authority. Thanks to the Staples Rewards rebate offer from earlier this year, I’m set for bankers’ boxes in case I opt out of full-service movers. The concern there is that they likely won’t take responsibility for anything broken or damaged during the move unless they pack it. On the other hand, it’s probably just easier for me to organize and pack everything. Decisions, decisions.
Transportation:
My car’s likely to stay here with my parents. They need, and I need to know they’ve got, a reliable car with all the driving to adult day care and to medical appointments. But in two weeks, I’ve got to be outta here, getting ready to start my new gig. More than ever, I need to conclude my search for the new used car. Mostly because I hate the whole process, though.
In the meantime, 511.org may become my new best friend as I learn to navigate public transportation up north. Sorry Sigalert, we’ll still see each other when Friend calls for the daily traffic update.
Life:
I know it sounded melodramatic when I said I’d be leaving my hometown and friends, but the budget’s tight enough that I don’t think I can afford to travel back all that often. Not so often that I’m going to be able to have sushi nights with Robin, random comic shop stops, go hang out at Surrogate Family’s house. My family’s basic needs are more important than my hanging about with old friends, so if it comes down to a bill or charging a flight, you know what I’m going to choose.
Records:
My medical life has been rather extensive, especially over the past five years, so while I’m still covered by COBRA, I have to sign some records release forms to transfer all of those records to my new doctor whoever that may be. I’m hating that idea because my specialist doctor and my dentist is extremely responsive and helpful and I know how difficult it is to find a good health care practitioner with whom you can form a rapport.
Shopping:
Ugh, more unsubsidized spending. Behind me, the entirety of my professional “wardrobe” hulks in an assorted mass. There’s no beauty in that functional group, and desperately needs a fashionable mind to shape something of it. Honestly, a few minor additions would likely be sufficient to last the next six or more months, but what those will be remain to be seen. I wouldn’t be so anxious about it if the advice recently tendered to always dress better than my staff weren’t so true. Certainly competence and professionalism go a long way, but we all know how crucial first impressions and visual impressions are to forming an opinion. I’m going to need better clothes and even better make up to offset my superficial youthfulness and properly command the attention of an established team.
On the make-up front, I finally bow to my mom’s years of scoldings, “Wear some make-up! At least try!” [insert teenaged groan] To be fair, there were days I wouldn’t have been happy to be seen with me, had I seen me before leaving the house. But I digress. A good friend has been generously sharing her expertise and we created a list of the most basic cosmetics to form my First Time Ever make up kit. [insert more whining] More about that later.
Destination:
Now that I’ve moved past the notion that I could possibly afford my own place, I’ve come to accept that shared housing is in my future. Since living in more suburban neighborhoods doesn’t cut me off entirely from public transit, I’m much more open to that option. Besides, I don’t need to live in the more urban areas for access, I’m too old to party and will be too poor to go out! 😉
Experienced Movers (by which I mean anyone but me):
Have I forgotten anything? Does anyone have moving company recommendations?
March 15, 2010
I got the job.
<-- Congratulatory cake and root beer.
I’m kind of sad that I didn’t make it out to the East Coast like I’d originally hoped to when starting this journey because I’ve got so many awesome friends and blogger friends out there (so many, can’t link to all!), I’d yearned to take on the East Coast, and I’m a little envious of the crowd that populates the DC Blogger Happy Hour. But those are maybe not the best criteria on which to be gauging a relocation for a job, especially considering the HCOL and lack of jobs that were as interested in me.
And that’s not in the least meant to be a slight against my West Coast blogger friends (again, too many to list) because they are darn awesome too! We’re just so much more spread out over here that Happy Hours don’t actually happen.
Oh, “what about the job” you ask? Right, the job. I’ve been hired to a full time position for a non-profit in the colder, more northerly half of California. It’s going to kick my butt while giving me a chance to really learn and show what I’ve learned in more adverse conditions. I’ll officially be in charge of people and telling them how to do their jobs better. [It’s in the job description. Really. Don’t worry, I don’t plan to be obnoxious about it.]
More importantly(?), years after I defiantly made up my mind to do so, I’m finally moving out.
In light of recent developments with the family, I can’t cut the money cord so this poses some new budgetary challenges. I’ll be salaried for the first time so that’s made budgeting easier but affording life harder.
I’ve powwowed with Excel and calculated to a fare-thee-well my family’s expenses, my projected expenses against my probable take-home pay. It’s not unemployment but it’s no great shakes after all’s said and done. My savings will be a long time regenerating, and I’m definitely living on a broke student budget for at least another year. At that point, if I’ve done my job, they’ll be throwing the money at me. 😉 Just kiddin’, there are no guarantees there. I’ll also need to spend some or the better part of my 3 weeks of vacation doing freelance work.
The interview was a heck of a thing but not nearly as bad as what I’d braced myself for, only 6.5 hours, not 8.5!) I did negotiate though I’m not surprised that I didn’t get everything I wanted. I did my research, took into consideration the market and the fact that I didn’t have competing offers versus continued unemployment, presented a case in a friendly but firm voice, and let the die fall where they might.
They fell on the patch of felt marked, “this is our best offer,” and I took it.
I’m pretty nervous excited terrified nervous. I have mood swings.
I have two weeks to put my life in boxes and ship it out, I have two weeks to fully automate my family’s financials, I have two weeks to see and hug everyone one last time before I fill out a change of address and walk out of the town I grew up in.
The logistics are frustrating but I’ll get a handle on them. (It only took a week to get any moving company to return my calls! Hello! Are we or are we not in a recession? Isn’t cash-money what you want?)
I’m still working on that other part where I’m really truly moving out, except not really telling my family it’s a real move because I can’t trust my brother to act right if he knows I’m absent. I’m all kinds of conflicted about that. I need to be able to come home to a non-wrecked home and a set of live (and as healthy as possible under the circumstances) parents. I don’t see that happening should the sibling realize that he essentially has no parole officer.
But I’ve got a job. I’ve got a job.
P.S. Days of the week, like Mondays, are going to have to mean something again!
March 14, 2010
Of many possible Sunday scenarios, this was one of the good ones.
The old gang plus spouses met up for lunch but we preloaded with the cutest cake ever before we went out. Lunch was at an Italian restaurant that turned out to be Mexican food. We’re must be aging – our memories of where and when restaurants are on which corners are sorta hazy. The little one had a ball throwing her chicken, rice and beans on the floor – she’s normally much better about eating her food instead of playing with it but she didn’t approve of the chicken today. I fully approved of my enchiladas, and their guacamole was delicious!
Lunch was followed by an hour of basking in the backyard sun. We had a good long gossip, catching up on everyone’s lives: work, school, family, and health. A group of five seems to be the perfect number for these kinds of conversations.
We tentatively made plans for our next meet-up in a few weeks, probably a backyard BBQ since the weather is absolutely gorgeous, and headed out to the mall. Since I only returned a top to H&M, I made it out of there without spending. Score!
March 13, 2010
This is a guest post by Mr. Credit Card of www.askmrcreditcard.com, a website on credit card offers and deals. Today, he and Mrs. Credit Card present a checklist of recommended working attire for men and women.
The dress code for a workplace is invariably different across cultures and industries. A lucky few can go to work in t-shirts and shorts, some in t-shirts and jeans, while some offices have a strict business-suit only dress code. Below, we outline what we consider the professional wardrobe basics for men and women.
More than just making a good first impression, you want to feel comfortable and confident. How do you build a business wardrobe without breaking the bank or getting a migraine? Here’s how.
Before we start, I want to highlight the importance of finding a style that suits you best. Some department stores, like Nordstrom, have personal shoppers who can help you find the right styles and color palette and advise you on how to accessorize. Having a good start on your working wardrobe will eliminate a lot of unnecessary anxiety and stress especially if you are starting your first or a new job. It will also help you to limit unnecessary spending.
First and foremost, you’ll need a few “anchor” pieces as the designers call it. The key to a good business wardrobe is the ability to interchange the anchor pieces while keeping the Dressed for Success look fresh. Quality, cost and neutrality should be considered when shopping for anchor pieces. Always choose classic styles for anchor pieces.
Women’s Professional Wear
1. Matching suit -Black, dark gray and dark blue are very acceptable colors for any business environment. A matching set of jacket and skirt or pant suit is usually more expensive. It costs even more if you tailor them to fit. Look out for sales and stores that provide free alterations. A well-tailored business suit is worth the investment.
2. Basic black skirt – Make sure it falls just at or below the knee line. Choose a straight cut or A-line skirt so that it is less noticeable if you wear it often.
3. Basic Black Jacket – A jacket should not be baggy or have oversized shoulder pads. i.e. it should fit you well. The sleeves should drop just past your lowest wrist bones when your arms are straight down by your side. The jacket length should be lower than the top of your hipbone.
4. Additional jacket, dress pants and skirts – After you picked out a basic black jacket, select additional jackets, dress pants and skirts that will interchange well with each other. Consider 2 more colors like tan, brown, gray, navy blue and white but keep the colors muted. All these colors go well together.
5. Dress blouses – Choosing dress blouses is the fun part. It’ll help to pull your whole wardrobe together. The blouse can be patterned with stripes or colored. If you are wearing a tan jacket and navy blue skirt, the blouse can have a shade of blue. Consider buying a few whites in different styles, traditional, cuffed sleeves or flared collars and work towards 7 to 10 piece rotation.
6. Shoes and stockings – The general rule of thumb is to keep colors the same from waist down. You want to match your shoes and stocking colors to the skirt or slacks. The only exception is green and bright pink. No patterned or fish net stockings with your business suits. (You get the idea.) Stilettos are meant for parties and the runway, not for the office. Keep sexy boots and “super fancy” shoes for other more appropriate occasions. Also, avoid chunky heels and flat-soled shoes. Basic pumps and sling backs (closed toes) are good choices and preferably made of leather for comfort and style.
One useful tip I learned over the years is if you are trying to find a jacket that matches your tan pants, make sure you wear it to the store when shopping. Also, wear the undergarments that you will be wearing when you dress for business. You want to be sure if you’ll like the effect.
7. Jewelry – As a rule of thumb, it’s better to wear no jewelry than to wear too much jewelry. Save up for a nice set of costume jewelry or real jewelry. A matching set of pearls earrings and necklace (single or double strands), even matching bracelets is both practical and stylish. Sterling silver is another good choice for jewelry as it matches with many different styles of outfits. However, no “noisy” and “big” jewelry. Necklaces should not dangle between cleavages. Definitely no facial piercing.
8. Accessories – Generally speaking, you want to match purse color with shoe color. Luckily, black matches almost everything so it will be great for you to own a black pair of dress shoes and purse. Keep the purse small so you can find things. If you need a briefcase, choose a practical and small one in neutral color. Never substitute it with a book bag, backpack or a shopping bag. Somehow, digital “manly” diver watches are also not very compatible with professional wardrobes.
9. Hair, Nails, Make-up and Perfume – Always maintain a neat and conservative style with hair off the face. Reserve shocking hair colors for Halloween parties.
Nails should be clean, trimmed or sculpted. No bright and shocking colors and definitely no nail art or nail jewelry.
Have you heard that “no make up is just as bad as too much make up”? Yes, you heard right. Keep it simple and appropriate. Smoky eyes are for nights out.
To summarize, here’s what you’ll need for a women’s working wardrobe:
* One matching jacket and skirt suit
* One matching jacket and pant suit
* Black skirt
* Black jacket
* Black dress pants
* Additional skirts
* Additional jacket
* Additional dress pants
* Button up dress blouses
* Shoes and Stockings
Men’s Professional Wear
1. Suits – Obviously, this is the bread and butter of a man’s wardrobe. My suggestion would be to get 2 suits. Suits should be worn every other day. I suggest getting dark colors. Dark gray and dark blue would suit most folks. Whether you buy an off the rack suit or have it tailor made really depends on your body type. If you have a body that is “average”, then perhaps an off the rack suit and slightly altered will do. If not, get a local tailor who is reputable and have a couple of suits made. Depending on where you live, a good suit made by a tailor would cost about $500 (or more!)
2. Shirts – For me, I prefer to get 10 dress shirts. This allows you to wear 5 during the week, send them to be laundered over the weekend, and still have 5 ready for the following week. Choose plain colors – white and blue with some variations are the best. For shirts, I’d prefer 100% cotton as it looks better and feels more comfortable. For dress shirts, I do not see the need to go high end. Shirts from places like LandsEnd would work perfectly. To make them more stylish, having your initials on the sleeves or pocket look nice and makes it unique as well.
3. Cuff Links – I have a couple of shirts that need to have cuff links. I find them quite stylish. I have about 3 to 5 pairs of cuff links to go with them. Like ties, I get new ones once in a while.
4. Ties – Ties are where I would invest a little money. Ties make a great impression. I would strive for about 5 ties (a different tie each day). Buy ties with designs that will last. Plain blue or black ties will always work. A couple of ties with repeated patterns should also be included. Avoid polyester.
5. Shoes – I’d say for most, one good pair will do. You can spend as much as you want but I think the most important thing is comfort and it obviously has to be good looking and high quality. I have owned Ferragamos, Pradas and Cole Hann before. On average, I wear my shoes for at least 8 years. Good shoes do last, so do not be afraid to pay for something you can wear for a long time.
6. Belt – For me, I would say just getting a couple of belts (in case you lose one!) will do. I would suggest a black one with a gold or silver buckle.
7. Socks – I have 10 pairs of socks (different shades of grey and black) so that I can wear 5 in a week, and even if I forget to put it in the laundry, I still have another 5 pairs for the following week. I try to get slightly different designs so I will not get confused when they come out of the dryer.
8. Men’s Accessories – Unlike women, men have it easy here. A couple of cuff links (if you are into that), and a simple dress watch will do. Heck, even a sports watch is acceptable.
Black Tie Wardrobe
One more thing, you would also need to be prepared for a black tie event. For men, that means a tuxedo. For women, it means an elegant dress. You could be invited to a colleague’s wedding or a company events. Have at least one item ready for such occasions to avoid panic shopping.
Some ways to save money on your working wardrobe
Shop at Outlets – There are amazing deals at the outlets for designer labels and the choices abundant. Plan to go in January and July when the sales are going on and you get additional discount off already low outlet prices.
Use Credit Card Shopping Portals – Some credit cards have shopping portals that allow you to earn very good rebates. For example, Discover Cards’ shopping portal has merchant partners like LandsEnd.com where you can earn 5% rebates when you shop for your men’s shirt. At the very least, use a cash back credit card to earn some cash rebates or an airline miles credit card to earn frequent flyer miles.
Make use of friends who work in department stores – Department stores like Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s have sales all the time. At certain times of the year, they offer additional discounts and even allow staff discounts on top of that. We got a Denali North Face jacket for my son at $30, a great savings from the MSRP of $89! You can buy that Donald Trump tie, new wallet, watch, etc. for a lot less. Treat your friend(s) to a nice dinner or a Starbuck’s Gift card with the money you saved!
We hope you have enjoyed this post. Please share any wardrobe ideas you have.
March 12, 2010
I can’t recall how I happened across this Haven of Food Genius, but I had to try making these fantastic Pies in Jars by Our Best Bites.
My process was not nearly as cute as theirs, but the formula was about the same….
Add some of this:
to some of these (but with dough lining the jar):
[also, in the Short/Squatty jars, not the wine bottle, that’s there for scale]
And add some cute tops:
Run out of dough for the jars, make a tart with leftover “tops”
Accidentally burnt the bottom of this to a crisp.
Bake to Perfection!
This was a pretty frugal treat. I bought two pounds of Granny Smiths, was able to skip the lemon as they were superpowered and never browned after peeling, slicing or dicing = $3.95. Butter was $2, a jar of cinnamon was another $2. Other than that, I just needed flour, brown sugar, white sugar, and salt, all of which were in the pantry.
Using the following two suggested recipes from Our Best Bites as guides, I ended up with nine jars of apple pies, and two small pie-like tart things.
Pastry: yields 3 jars worth
1 1/4c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 c.+ 1 Tbsp. butter-flavored shortening
Ice water (probably about 1/4 c.)
Apple Pie: yielded 9 jars worth
6 cups peeled, sliced Granny Smith apples (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 Tbsp. butter, chopped
*I just did a butter wash and sprinkled sugar on the crust. Also dribbled some of the butter through the vents.
If you don’t factor in the manual labor, at a dollar a jar plus the cost of foodstuffs, this could potentially be a great frugal holiday gift. Since they’re made for freezing and baking in the jars, they could be made well ahead of time in batches.
March 11, 2010
The spending has begun. Or will have begun .. when I find the right car to spend it on. Well, as far as my bank is concerned, the money’s out the door. It’s time to replace my parents’ car. Or my dad’s, rather, since he’s the only one capable of driving now.
I withdrew a great stack of cash in hopes that the first used car I looked at would be
A) in great shape,
B) a bargain,
C) failing a bargain, at least a good price within Kelly Blue Book and Edmund’s TMV ranges.
D) Failing that, I was heading to the nearest or best comic shop to make it rain! Just … kidding ….
It wasn’t highly likely, but I wanted the cash ready to go if I really truly hit the jackpot first time out. It didn’t happen, so we’re back to the drawing board. As a novice used car buyer, I’ve enlisted the aid of two friends experienced both in buying used cars and buying successfully from Craigslist.
It’s amazing how awfully skimpy the majority of listings on Craigslist are, I often wonder if those people still manage to unload their cars or if they’re just skipped over in favor of a meatier entry?
I’m looking for a used sedan or similar vehicle with good gas mileage, reliable engineering, solid specs (nothing flashy), up to ten years old, sale by private owner (preferably first or second owners), low mileage (as low as you can reasonably get), as close to $5000 as possible. From the looks of things, most cars in that price range are salvage titles which aren’t necessarily dealbreakers, but I am hoping for a clean title. It’d be great if the car was dog friendly (easy to clean/control dog furrage, comfortable for a medium-large dog).
So far, we’ve met with a guy who absolutely refused to budge more than $100 on his listed sale price of $7900 on the basis of his recent $2000 investment in the car maintenance. Never mind that the “upgrades” were necessary to bring it up to the “Excellent” condition category of KBB in the first place, which was only $5500. He was determined to recoup his out of pocket costs and wouldn’t even let us test drive unless we agreed to the price.
Another guy sounded like he was barely out of his teens, knew nothing about the maintenance records, and was pretty sure it might have had some fender damage but couldn’t swear to it. Apparently his dad held all that information. In any case, I think that one’s a salvage so I’d have to check that more closely and verify that any damage was cosmetic or not structural.
The last two options on the list had cars with decent mileage for the age of the cars, but weren’t available for inspection until the end of the week. We’ll see if any of those pan out or if we find better listings as we go along.
My goal is to get this done before the end of the month so I can move on with my life!
_______________________
Edit: Right now, I can’t decide if it’s a good or bad thing to have connections with folks at car manufacturers. They can give you incredible rundowns on the cars they’d recommend or warn you from, but then that causes decision paralysis. Evidently, this isn’t an official recall yet, but 04-07 Accords have an issue with unpredictable and expensive (when it happens) transmission failures. Just because it’s not officially recalled doesn’t mean that it’s not a potential problem, nor does it mean that it’s widespread enough that I could calculate the risk we’re taking looking at them. But it’s frustrating as all get out.
March 8, 2010
No, I’m not getting ready for any major life change personally. It’s just that I’m failing to stay abreast of the tsunami of friends, friends of friends, and family friends getting pregnant and inviting me to every single baby shower, ever. Similar to the previous decade’s “We’re engaged (and we want you in the wedding)!” the watchphrase of the 2010s bodes well to be “We’re expecting!”
Then, inevitably, the baby shower. Most of them are thrown together clutches of women from separate circles of the mom-to-be’s life who are mostly there to compare gifts. I hate the cutesy games that always include a huge diaper pin or the ones where uttering the word “baby” is greeted with hoots and tallied throughout the afternoon. And the cooing. The cooing. I hate baby showers. I know, I’m a monster.
I love babies, I love showers, I even like baby clothes, and I’m very happy for the expecting. But let’s face it, your run of the mill baby shower is just awful.
And when you consider the outrageous cost of all things New Baby people register for, everyone else’s life events can easily run roughshod over your unsuspecting budget. You understand I love gift-giving, but I love good gift-giving. Lacking the yarn wrangling skills (which aren’t cheap) of Mapgirl and Mrs. Micah, I trend towards more practical gifts like clothing in a variety of sizes, plenty of bibs, feeding-related equipment, lotions and potions galore. You simply cannot compile a good baby gift using conventional methods and get out the door for under $100-200. And you know I’m not a get out the door gifter.
If we were only doing this dance once a year, I’d shut up and go along with it, but my cohort numbers at least 20 individuals, and I’m very very close with at least half of them which means I’m on the guest list for their friends and family. This decade, inclusivity will cost more than I can bear unless I “Adapt, Overcome and Improvise!” [Points to whoever recognizes which Eastwood movie that’s from.]
So how do I graciously deal? The same way I dealt with bridesmaiding: be creative and plan far in advance.
Stage 1: Baby clothes can cost more than my personal annual clothing budget, so I’ve signed up for Gymboree’s rewards program wherein I’m showered with coupons and sales notices. Twice a year, they have their Semi-Annual sale where clothes are marked down 50-70%, and combined with coupons and outlet stores, I’ll stock up on clothing for both genders.
Stage 2: Baby-related stuff, being unlimited to any season, doesn’t go on sale the way Christmas, Valentine’s Day or other annual holiday stuff does. So wrapping paper, bags, and tissue paper will be purchased in neutrals and well in advance of any shower invitation. Baskets are a great wrapping aid, and are usually most affordable when found at resale shops like Big Lots, Tuesday Morning or Ross and Marshalls.
Stage 3: My closest friends know that I’m at least financially nerdy, so I’m issuing a declaration that all gifts post-baby shower will be something toward their education. And then I’m either contributing towards the school fund or giving a modest cash gift.
Note: I buy clothing in mostly larger sizes the kids can grow into since most gifts are onesies for 6 months and under. I target 18 months and older and try to find them for $5 or less.
