New Job: Week One

This was me last night--out for the count

It's a good thing my first week on the job was only four days because I am seriously pooped.  I went to bed at 11:30 last night and didn't crawl back out until 8:30 this morning--even the cat seemed to understand and let me sleep in.  So many names to remember!  So much learning!  So many slightly different policies!

So far this week, I walked to work three days out of four (I had a meeting one day and needed my car), and I love it!  Even though these have been some of the coldest days we've had recently and my first night of work I got home feeling completely frozen, I am still totally pumped.  It actually takes me a bit longer to get to work walking than it did driving, but who cares!  The walk wakes me up and makes me feel good for the rest of the day.

In the interest of full bloggy disclosure, after that super cold walk home, I promptly ordered this coat:

Old Navy, 60% off, and I do not currently have any hardcore outside winter gear, because I really don't spend much time outside.  So I figure, even if I don't wear it that often, it's still probably a good thing to have.  Of course, today it's 55 degrees, but still.

Expenses this week include:

That coat (if I keep it--that remains to be seen)

Dinner last night--I insisted we go to a place near new job that I had been to in the past and liked, but then completely forgot about.  It was excellent and not too pricey, then we came home and watched Roadhouse.

It's a classic of 80's cinema!

That's it!  My first day of work, I took myself out to lunch at a place where I had a giftcard, and I packed my lunch the rest of the time.  Double bonus--New job is having a cell phone drive for a battered women's shelter, so I even got to unload a couple I had had chilling out in a drawer for years.  De-cluttering for a cause!

This week my biggest goal is to get that bike fixed--I just dread dealing with hipsters who work in bike repair and have been putting it off.  I assume they'll be assholes, but they're probably lovely--I'll let you know.

As far as my yearning to join a gym, the warmer weather helped alleviate that a little, though I did fill out a form asking the YCMA to contact me to show me around and assess my fitness (I do love assessment).  I also bought a rowing machine!  I've been wanting to try one for a long time since they're so good for a full-body workout, and I happened to find one on craigslist for $25!  I tried it for the first time this morning and I already feel fitter (by that I mean that my arms are sore).

How did you do with your spending this week?

The Lull Between Paychecks

That was almost me

I don't know if I'm the only person this happens to, but I've found that when I'm not earning money, I seem to forget the value of a dollar.  This is yet another reason that I remain glad my mother never submitted my photo to that Punky Brewster Look-alike contest where you win a starring role on the show-- I would have burned through those earnings in less than a year and would likely be living in a gutter right now.

For example, when I first moved to Rhode Island, five years ago, it took me six weeks to find a job.  That was pretty awesome as it gave me six weeks to go exploring, make new friends and acclimate to my new home, but it also gave me time to burn through almost all of the money that I had spent a year and a half saving.

Without having a paycheck to look at weekly or bi-weekly (hopefully never monthly, that would be really hard), I allow myself to fantasize that I have larger sums of money than I do. I forget that take-home pay is significantly less because of all those pesky taxes, and I forget how long it takes to save up money.  When I have that number in front of me, I can just do the math and not go overboard with my spending.  It's much easier for me to color within the lines than to go all free-form, man.

So I am presently in that lull between paychecks again, and I'm not sure exactly when I'll have some more money coming in.  It could be as much as three weeks, so now more than ever, I need to be sensible.  Also, I'm flying without a budget for the first time in four years, so everything is chaos!

So, for the next few weeks, I'm operating on a system of full disclosure.  I will be documenting every extraneous penny, and I charge you, blogosphere, with keeping me in line and calling shenanigans, should I need it.

My first order of disclosure, is to show you the awesome new boots I bought myself as an "I got an awesome job and need proper footwear for walking to work" present.  And I'm done buying myself presents, that can get out of hand really quickly.

I never thought I'd be a cowboy boots gal, but these are gorgeous!  That's it though, no more extras, focus on the task at hand which is learning how to do my new job and not just buying new clothes for this new life I imagine that I have.

OMG, That's Good

There's a restaurant down the street from me that I think I could easily call one of my top five restaurants in Providence.  They don't really have a particular style of cooking, except I once heard them described as serving "comfort food that your mom would make for you--if your mom was a really, really good cook."  My mom is not a really good cook (and she lives 1800 miles away), so I am adopting this restaurant instead.

Last time I was there, I was looking for something hearty but light, and warm because it is winter.  I'm also trying to eat more vegetables and do a bit of a detox from all of the heavy holiday foods and sweets.  Enter, The Warm Spinach Salad.  They made theirs with spinach, lentils, sweet potatoes, pumpkin seeds, shallots, cranberries and maybe something else.  As I was eating my leftovers, and scheming to get more of this salad, I realized that  I could totally make it myself! So here's what I made:

I ate a little divot in the front so you could see the layers...
No, that's a lie, I just wanted to eat it.

I didn't feel like cooking lentils (not sure why), so I subbed in some quinoa; and instead of using sweet potatoes (which I would have had to leave the house to buy), I used butternut squash (which I already had).

Ingredients:

1/2 medium butternut squash (or just use a small one, obv.)

1 c, quinoa rinsed and cooked

About four handfuls of spinach, wilted

Vegetable Bullion

Garlic

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

Other spices as desired--I'm not going to tell you who to be

Slivered almonds and Craisins (garnish)

• Peel, seed and dice butternut squash into small pieces.  Arrange onto cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil, salt & pepper and desired spices (I used rosemary--so good!).  Work the spices and oil through the squash with your hands and roast in oven for approximately 40 minutes at 400 degrees.
• Cook quinoa according to directions adding 1-2 veg bullion cubes.  That can boil on a back burner while the squash roasts, and you get started on the spinach.
• Add two glugs olive oil and 1 clove minced garlic to skillet (unless you want more garlic).  Heat and toast garlic until just brown.  Add four large handfuls of spinach (more if you want more spinach--it shrinks a lot), and cook over medium high until all spinach is wilted.
• Hang out for a bit while the squash cooks, maybe do some dishes or play with your cat (but be sure to wash your hands), or maybe you should have started the squash a bit earlier than the spinach and quinoa--did you ever think of that?  Finish up the quinoa and layer it onto plate or bowl.
• Layer spinach next.
• Layer squash on top and sprinkle with Craisins and slivered almonds (if desired).
• Pat self on the back because this is freaking fantastic.

I had  little extra quinoa, so I just piled it on top.  You can do whatever
you want with yours--follow your heart.

Top 10 for 2011

I wasn't planning on doing a list of the top ten posts for the year, but when I looked at what they were, I found it so bizarre that I had to share.

1. Blogathon Haiku-- This was a post that I did as part of last years' May Blogathon.  There were a few theme days, and I ignored most of them, but haiku is so short I couldn't pass this one up! Apparently, people really like it?  I feel like something is off here, but it has double the hits of the next-highest post, so go figure.
2. The Awkward Side of Frugality-- This makes more sense to me as this is one of my favorite posts as well.  This one was suggested to me by a friend who had just been 'invited' to take a $3000 European vacation.  Umm, no.
3. Could I Live on Minimum Wage-- My first-ever Blogher Featured Post!!  I wrote this less than two months ago, and it's number three for the year.  Not too shabby.
4. I Hate Gas-- I do still hate buying gas, and it seems that I'm not alone.
5. Tips for Frugal Gift Giving-- Solid advice penned by my friend Melissa, who is a much better gift-giver than me.  Thanks!!
6.  Food Waste Friday: A Forest of Dill-- It seems I'm not the only one who struggles to use up dill.
7. What to do With Quinoa-- I'm glad I've unpuzzled the mystery that is quinoa.  I think I might eat some more today.
8. Food Waste Friday: Rotten Tomatoes-- It's hard to store tomatoes in a way that keeps them fresh and tasting good.  This is a constant struggle.
9. Top Ten Reasons Not to Menu Plan--  This is another of my favorites and one of my most controversial posts.  I continue to not menu plan in the traditional way, and somehow life is still frugal and worth living.
10. Food Waste Friday: Nothing-- Huzzah!

I guess for 2012, I'd better write more haiku--gotta give the people what they want.

I Want to Join a Gym

...even though I know that joining a gym in January is a total cliche, and will likely make me very angry when I have to wait 30 minutes for a treadmill.  Here's why I want to join a gym:

1. It's freaking cold out and I am a wuss.  I have a treadmill in the basement, but it's a crappy treadmill and the belt is breaking.  When I go running outside in the really, really cold, I tend to get sick and my legs freeze, which makes me avoid going out at all.
2. I would like to do exercises other than run.  I want to take some classes, maybe do some yoga (I think yoga is incredibly boring, but it might be good for me).  I keep seeing pictures of people with tight abs advertising that zumba nonsense, maybe that's for me.
3. I want to run a marathon.  In order to run a marathon, I need to keep logging miles (see #1) and also do exercises with weights and stuff, or so running magazines tell me.

I was incredibly excited to find out that the health plan for new job includes a $150 credit if you go to a gym for more than three months in a row and fill out a form; and that you get a 20% discount on selected gyms.  I was then dismayed to find out that the only place locally where I would get that 20% discount is the super-fancy gym that's not within walking distance.  I secret-shopped super fancy gym last year, and it is NICE, but even though I can't remember exactly how much it cost per month, I remember that it was expensive.  

So I did what I always do in this situation, I looked at how much the YMCA costs, and then remembered that the YMCA is damn expensive.  It's $49/month plus a $49 start-up fee!  That is so much money!  I used to be a member at the Jewish Community Center (cause I had a coupon), but that place is even more expensive than the Y and you have to pay for a whole year up front.  Sigh.

BF keeps insisting that I can sneak into one of the Brown University gyms, but that makes me really uncomfortable (cause stealing makes me uncomfortable), and I'd also be working out next to annoying college girls who probably put on make up and don't sweat.  Hell no.

I also have the option, since I still technically work at academic library, to use the gym there.  But that's a 25 minute drive, would also make me feel a little like I was stealing, and I'd be working out next to super fit 19-year-olds (see above).

Then there's Planet Fitness, which is $10/month, but doesn't offer any classes.  It's also on the other side of town and a friend who goes there told me that she once found gum stuck to the track of a treadmill.  I'm not a snob (well, kind of), but that just doesn't do it for me.

*SOAPBOX* It's kind of interesting that we vilify people for being overweight, but then make it so expensive to join a fitness facility and limit the amount of public green space and sidewalks in cities.  Yes, there are plenty of things you can do without joining a gym (if you're lucky enough to life in a safe neighborhood with sidewalks, which many aren't), but then you're hamstrung by weather and other factors (like the fact that no one in RI shovels their sidewalks.  Seriously, last year several people died because they were forced to walk in the street and got hit by cars--kids and adults).  Sure the gym has to pay for the equipment, staff, etc., but man, $49/month is $600 a year!  That's walking around money.  That's one month's rent! *END SOAPBOX*

So what to do?  Is there a secret option #4 that I'm not thinking of?  Should I just suck it up and be grateful we've had a mild winter so far?  My dad runs outside year round and he lives in Minnesota, so I know that it is possible, but I'm also kind of a wuss... see above...

2012: The Plan

Generic image, couldn't think of anything clever--sorry.

As I mentioned before, with new job starting, I have no idea how much my take-home pay is going to be.  I claimed zero dependents on my tax form, which means that the maximum amount of taxes are going to be taken out of my check, and I also have health, dental, union dues and 401k.  Wow, that's a lot of deductions when you write it all down.  In an effort to not lose my mind in the coming months, I'm going to just live as frugally as I can, and start re-tracking expenses and income to come up with a whole new budget.  Obviously, since I went over in all categories last year, I need to make a change.

Also, I'm going to do something a little fun (nerdy fun).  My car is almost at the 100,000 mile mark.  When I was commuting 28 days a month, I was also putting on about 3000 miles every three months--I know this because of that little oil change sticker on my car window--MATH!  So now that I'm going to be commuting by bike or foot (I walked to new job yesterday and it was lovely!!), I'm going to see how many miles I put on that car each month.  I'm going to take it in for repairs, which I've been putting off for a year and a half, and then hopefully it will spend most of its time in the driveway.

Also, obviously, I would like to reign in my clothes spending, which I hope having a normal schedule will help me do.  Presently, I'm in the mindset that my new job will right all the wrongs in my life and turn me into one of those shiny happy people who eat right, dress well, get an appropriate amount of exercise and never complain about anything. I anticipate that this feeling will last about two months.  But seriously, folks, this is a truly fresh start, which is pretty awesome.  So instead of trying to plan EVERYTHING, I'm going to try to take it as it comes.

The plan--minimal plan:

1. Track spending and expenses to come up with a new budget.
2. Drive as little as possible.
3. Take car in for repair.
4. Take new bike in for repair and learn how to ride it.
5. Do more cooking at home.
6. Spend more time with friends doing fun things.
7. Take in some culture--man, I miss culture.
8. Do fun things on the weekend.  I've heard of these "weekends" that people are always excited about, perhaps if I manage to stay on top of household tasks during the week, I can spend these weekends doing fun things?  Is that how it works?
9. Explore hobbies--I should have hobbies, but not expensive ones like big game hunting or sailing, except I do plan to take sailing lessons...
10. Write more!  More blogging, and for god's sake get to work on that damn novel!

So, my minimal plans resulted in a list of ten items, which is not minimal.  BUT, I have some fun thrown in there too.  It's a mix, a healthy mix.  I feel good.

2011: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

It's time to start my new budget for 2012, which is surreal, to say the least.  I'm still not sure how much I'm actually going to be making at my new job though, so I can't really set up my monthly goals, and (nerdy confession time) it's bothering me more than I thought it would.  Since new job comes with health and dental plans as well as union dues, I'm not sure how much I'm going to actually be taking home.  Plus, my expenses will be changing based on re-upping my social life and driving less.  CHANGES!!!  ACK!

Couldn't resist

It's all good.

Rather than get hung up on the future, let's take a look back at the financial year that was--2011.

The Good:
--I saved a lot this year.  My savings account was very depleted from three months of unemployment in 2009 and from one year of only working 19 hours a week.  Once I got the second job, I became a mad saver.  *pat on back for that*

--I started my Roth IRA and contributed $2750.00, which is pretty alright for having it for only like seven months.  Naturally, the market took a dump as soon as I opened this account, so I'm actually down right now, but I have faith in capitalism!!  My retirement is going to be so sexy.

--We didn't turn the heat on until mid-December!  I have no idea how much that saves, but it's still awesome.

--I managed to still have a few mini-vacations this year, despite my ridiculous schedule--New Orleans, New Brunswick, Philadelphia. Plus, that conference I went to in New Orleans included tons of free food and drink, which I like very much.

--As far as personal, non-financial goals this year, I made goals to run 750 miles and read 150 books.  As of today, I've read 154 books (and I still have two days left!), and run 918 miles.  Not to bad for a girl with only two days off a month.

The Bad:
--I went over in most budget categories.  I was going over when I was doing most of the grocery shopping, and now that we've got the shared household card, we're still over.  Obviously, I need to reassess where the money is going, and hopefully, do more cooking for both of us in the new year, which should be easier since we'll both be home at the same time.

--I spent a LOT of money on running gear and races.  The good news about that is that now I have all this running gear, I should be set.  The bad news is that I ran 10 races this past year, and that is not cheap.  I have a plan for the coming year, and I'm sticking to it.

The Ugly:
--I spent so much money on clothes this past year.  I've been like a crazy person and even though I keep saying I'll stop, I do not stop!

--This past year, I have spent $1477 on gas.  That figure makes me physically ill, but it's actually less than I had budgeted for since gas prices have gone down.

Now I need to make a plan for 2012, or at least as much of a plan as I can.  Stay tuned!!

How did you do this past year, financewise?

2012 a.k.a. The Year Everything Changes

Those loyal, longtime readers will (hopefully) realize that I am not often given to grand pronouncements like the one above, that's why, after officially signing the paperwork today, I get to say that I start 2012 with.....

A NEW, FULL-TIME JOB!!!

That's right, gentle reader.  At the tender age of 32, I have finally acquired my first full-time job.  Along with the professional satisfaction of advancing in my chosen career, this job also brings:

• A liveable wage 
• Health Insurance for the first time in nearly three years
• A retirement plan with employer matching
• A civilized schedule of 37.5 hours per week and TWO WHOLE DAYS OFF EVERY WEEK!!  What the hell am I going to do with all that downtime?  I need some hobbies...
• Dental insurance
• Vacation Days
• Sick pay
• No more commuting!!

New job, which will henceforth referred to as Perfect Library Job (PLJ) is two miles from my house.  It's actually my turnaround point when I run my four mile loop, so not only can I walk to work, I can also bike to work on my swanky new bike!

Bike is currently nameless, suggestions welcome

I bought my new-to-me bike yesterday from a very nice girl who is moving to Oregon, and who threw in two bike locks at no extra cost!  I found out very quickly, however, that while one never forgets how to ride a bike, one's skills do atrophy.  I haven't ridden a bike since high school, and I was a bit shaky, but with a few practice rides, I should be just fine.  I'm a little scared, but I'll persevere!

Fear not, those who were fearful, now that I have gainful employment I promise I won't go all Hollywood and forget my frugal roots.  Even though I'm making a little more money, and saving a TON on gas, I still have student loans to pay, and have no excuse to go nuts and become an extravagant person.  I now have the privilege of saving more, is how I'm looking at it.

Posting may be a bit spotty in the coming week since I'll have company, but I'll certainly be back with a year end post, and probably some other bits and bobs too--who knows!!  Frugality is everywhere!

Blinky Link Love

This will certainly speak to many of the bloggers out there: Why your readers hate it when you make money.  I've been on both sides of this--hell I am currently on both sides of this, but as a wise person once said If you think you're going to make a living blogging, you need to think again.  Unless you live in a cardboard box completely off the grid and grow all your own food, it's just not going to happen.  Plus, if you're living off the grid, how are you blogging?

This is fascinating--there was almost a second, fake Paris.  "Located just a few miles north of the actual city, the twin was being built as a decoy. Fear of German bombers destroying the city prompted a massive-scale replica to fool the enemy into destroying the wrong Paris."

Another adorable dessert I will never make!  Gentle reader, if you live locally, please consider us non-bakers in your charitable acts this year.

Santa Hat Brownies!!

This musical number totally makes me want to sit on Santa's lap.

Food Waste Friday: A Horrifying Cucumber

I've had a little half cucumber knocking around in my crisper.  Every time I moved the salad, I'd see it and think I wonder if that cucumber is still good?  Wednesday morning, I discovered that it was decidedly not good as it was displaying white spots and squishing in the middle.  I didn't even want to grab it for fear that it would rupture when touched, but I got a paper towel and tossed it.

Instead of a picture of the icky cucumber in my crisper, I give you a picture of a sea cucumber that is (probably) perfectly healthy--I mean, I hope it is, but how do you really tell?