Dear Kelly,
Yes, I am in fact still alive. My finances are also doing rather well in a general sense but I'll admit that they're also a blur. My new job came with a new paycheck that has made me rather happy as has the fall in gas prices both nationwide and as a result of my move to a cheaper fuel area. These facts are almost enough to justify my multiple monthly 8 hours on the turnpike to see my new husband.
I'm crashing in my Aunts (canary yellow) spare room until I find a place to call my own so I have few expenses. This almost justifies the massive cash hemorrhage that actually going out with my Aunt in the evening seems to cause.
Of course just when I have a handle on my average paycheck December rolls around and I need to elect how much to put into the company 401K, and how much supplemental insurance to get. Accident insurance sounds like a rather good idea in my line of work and recreation. Sickness seems like a reasonable idea since accident doesn't cover tetanus... I see a lot of rust in my line of work.
The cost of living out here is much higher (rent in a decent neighborhood can easily run $900 a month) and I'm driving a lot more. I've done some house hunting but the economy falling to pieces is deterring me from making any hasty moves.
I admit it, I'm in a holding pattern financially and my only certainty is that it is a terribly inconvenient time to be in your 20's, but I don't intend to stay here so tune in next week (or whenever) for my exciting adventures.
Overwhelmedly!,
Althea
Friday, December 19, 2008
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Clothes (mostly)
Um, wow, so it's been... over... 3 months since our last post. We haven't forgotten you, Blog, we promise. We've just been busy. I've been trying to live through a couple of graduate-level business classes (long story) and Althea has been trying to live through getting and starting to be married.
But I actually have some bloggy, thrifty news and tips to share. First, in tragic news, my favorite clothing store is going out of business. Actually, this might be good news, because this is the store that could wheedle $100 out of my wallet faster than you could sell a beer to an alcoholic, but it still makes me sad. Where am I supposed to go to buy work clothes that fit my little self now? I can't afford The Limited, American Eagle doesn't carry office-wear, and nothing at J.C. Penny's, Sears, or Macy's comes in my size. Oh, well. The silver lining to this dreary cloud is that they have slashed 60-70% off of everything in order to liquidate their inventory. My mom and I went for one last hurrah yesterday. I sat down with my receipt when I got home and totaled up the regular retail price for all of my purchases and realized that I would, under normal circumstances, have had to pay about $260 for those items. Fortunately, I did not pay that much. :)
Second, you should really go buy this month's Glamour (yes, the one with Britney Spears on the cover). Normally their fashion tips are either a bit of a yawn or a bit outrageous, but this month they have a feature entitled "100 Perfect Outfits (That Are Already in Your Closet)." It's full of fantastic ways to mix and match clothes in ways that I, for one, would not have dreamed up on my own but am actually anxious to try now that I have seen them. It would never have occurred to me, for instance, to pull a sweater on over top of my basic sheath dress and use the dress as a skirt... or to layer a white shirt underneath the same sheath dress to give it more of a work-vibe than a cocktails-vibe. They look at pieces that most people have lying around in some form or other and show you ways to make those pieces work in lots of situations. My fantasy alter ego, the one with a capsule wardrobe a la a sophisticated (but bathed) French girl, just quadrupled her wardrobe options.
Third, and most fantastically, I have learned a way to remove the gross and nasty yellow sweat stains from the armpits of clothes! IT IS SO EASY. Here is what you do: take one part white vinegar and one part water and put them together. Take a sponge or a corner of a towel or something like that and dab this vinegar solution on the stain. It will disappear. That's it. I was skeptical, but I tried this on a white eyelet sundress last night. I haven't worn it in ages because of the nasty stains, but I loved the dress too much to throw it out. Now I am really, really glad that I didn't, because it has a brand-new lease on life... and I am all set in case the boyfriend and I ever need to elope. ;)
Tune in next time for ideas on how to decorate your walls with cool art/photography for next to nothing!
But I actually have some bloggy, thrifty news and tips to share. First, in tragic news, my favorite clothing store is going out of business. Actually, this might be good news, because this is the store that could wheedle $100 out of my wallet faster than you could sell a beer to an alcoholic, but it still makes me sad. Where am I supposed to go to buy work clothes that fit my little self now? I can't afford The Limited, American Eagle doesn't carry office-wear, and nothing at J.C. Penny's, Sears, or Macy's comes in my size. Oh, well. The silver lining to this dreary cloud is that they have slashed 60-70% off of everything in order to liquidate their inventory. My mom and I went for one last hurrah yesterday. I sat down with my receipt when I got home and totaled up the regular retail price for all of my purchases and realized that I would, under normal circumstances, have had to pay about $260 for those items. Fortunately, I did not pay that much. :)
Second, you should really go buy this month's Glamour (yes, the one with Britney Spears on the cover). Normally their fashion tips are either a bit of a yawn or a bit outrageous, but this month they have a feature entitled "100 Perfect Outfits (That Are Already in Your Closet)." It's full of fantastic ways to mix and match clothes in ways that I, for one, would not have dreamed up on my own but am actually anxious to try now that I have seen them. It would never have occurred to me, for instance, to pull a sweater on over top of my basic sheath dress and use the dress as a skirt... or to layer a white shirt underneath the same sheath dress to give it more of a work-vibe than a cocktails-vibe. They look at pieces that most people have lying around in some form or other and show you ways to make those pieces work in lots of situations. My fantasy alter ego, the one with a capsule wardrobe a la a sophisticated (but bathed) French girl, just quadrupled her wardrobe options.
Third, and most fantastically, I have learned a way to remove the gross and nasty yellow sweat stains from the armpits of clothes! IT IS SO EASY. Here is what you do: take one part white vinegar and one part water and put them together. Take a sponge or a corner of a towel or something like that and dab this vinegar solution on the stain. It will disappear. That's it. I was skeptical, but I tried this on a white eyelet sundress last night. I haven't worn it in ages because of the nasty stains, but I loved the dress too much to throw it out. Now I am really, really glad that I didn't, because it has a brand-new lease on life... and I am all set in case the boyfriend and I ever need to elope. ;)
Tune in next time for ideas on how to decorate your walls with cool art/photography for next to nothing!
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