This Wasn't Meant to be a Rant, But...

* I am having an off day. Not bad, just off. I was late getting in to work today because of train delays. About 5 min after I walked in, the heavy duty printer broke down in the beginning of printing the ever-important  month end report (Yes, I'm aware it's June 13. Why we are just closing May is beyond me, but that's not part of my job). The technician can't come until tomorrow. Then  I step away from my desk for 2 minutes, and come back to a manila folder waiting for me. I open it up- it's a card for a coworker's birthday. Normally, I'm the one to buy cards for people's birthdays and bring in snacks or whatever. However, we as an office decided not to "do" birthdays anymore, unless you wanted to do something on your own. Obviously, someone didn't get the memo. But, as it already had several signatures on it, I decided to just sign it and pass it along. I did not deserve all the "Why does it have a cat on it- she doesn't like cats she's a dog lover...Well why does she get a birthday card?... I thought we weren't doing birthdays anymore?... Oh, so now we're only doing birthdays for "special" people?" comments I received when passing the card along. Seriously people- I didn't decide to get the card. And you're all really upset about a stupid card? There's not even snacks or balloons or anything- don't you have other better things to worry bitch about?!? Everyone in the office is either in a bad mood or in meetings today. And I have no motivation to do squat!

* I have been sick for a little over a week now. Actually, I had a head cold for like 3 days last week, but then it moved into my chest and  I have had a gross cough for about a week. I started taking Mucinex, which helped a lot, but I don't want to be living off that stuff. And last night the coughing actually woke me up at like 4AM. Not cute. C wasn't too happy either, as he's been telling me to go to the doctor since about Thursday. But 1) I don't wanna and 2) I don't actually have a doctor. I have insurance, but I haven't been to a general doctor because I haven't gotten more than a common cold since I've had this job. So I went online under my insurance provider and found a doctor and called...but they were on lunch break. le sigh.

* I love weddings. I love my friends. I love my friends' weddings. I really do! But what I'd really love is a weekend to myself!!! I feel like every weekend I either have a wedding, or bridal shower, or bachelorette party to attend. It's madness! While I'm grateful that I have so many friends that want me (or C) to be a part of their special days, I feel like I need a break already! And it's summer, and I haven't had anything BBQ or gone down the shore at alll. And I don't foresee either of those things happening in the near future. And I want to plan a tubing trip down the Delaware. C and his friends used to go every summer, right before we started dating (Dang!) so I never got to experience it. He always said it was so much fun, and I really want to do it! But most of our friends are getting married as in no time to do anything but wedding related stuff. Selfish? Maybe. But while they're all getting married and honeymooning etc, I still want to do something un-wedding related!

* My apartment is a disaster zone. For realz. I walked in yesterday from another wedding when it really hit me- we're living in a pigsty! (Ok, it's not that bad- mainly just cluttered/disorderly, not like bugs and mold on everything- it's just much messier than what we're used to.) But, I didn't clean or do any laundry last week because I wasn't feeling well, and last weekend and the two weekends before that we were at (non-local) weddings. I usually straighten up on weekends. Plus, between all the packing/unpacking, the apartment was even worse than the usual day to day clutter. So sometime this week I have to clean up. I started yesterday, but it wasn't long before I wanted a nap!  Which brings me to my next point...

* Naps are seriously underrated. C gets at least an hour nap every.single.day (he's a teacher, and I don't get home until after 7). I wasn't jealous until I got the best nap yesterday. Hmmm...I could really use a nap right now actually!

Sorry for being a big pile of stinky poo today. Hopefully I'll be back to my bubbly self tomorrow. Until then...

Thug Pug, coutesy of Pink LouLou

Wine Tasting! aka Memorial Day Weekend Part 2 (Pic Heavy)

Saturday

I forgot to include this in my budget and spending, but we went to the outlets in Jackson, NJ! And I got sooo much stuff! 3 sweaters and a tshirt from PacSun, a regular white button down from the Gap, 2 pairs of pants, a skirt, a cardigan, 3 earrings, a ring, and a bracelet from Banana Republic (l.o.v.e. that store!) all for....

$100!!! Score!

Sunday

We picked up our friends and headed out to North Fork, Long Island for some wine tasting. It was such a beautiful, warm day- perfect!

 C and I!

black halter shirt dress: Express

hat: gifted from a friend

sunglasses: Charlotte Russe?

flippies: Old Navy

bag: LL Bean, bday present from another friend

biggie cup o' corks

I would like to have one of these

raise your glass!

swirl swirl like a wine connoisseur!

Lil Desiqua did NOT like that one! I'm more of a red wine drinker really

There was a farm area at one of the wineries we went to. We met some farm animals...

mega-balls

smooches with my new goat friend!

(thank goodness I didn't *actually* kiss it, I was a lil nervous!)

heading to another winery...

C bought some sauseeeg and cheese!

C also made friends with a duck family! 

Aww, he even matches them!!

In his defense, we made him wear this ridiculous hat. He does look rather cowboy in it though, no?!

Sleepy after a long day of wine tasting!

Stay tuned for Monday...my friend's wedding!

Theater Thursday!

I have seen sooo many movies recently, so I decided to finally link up with JMO over at Crazy Shenanigans for Theater Thursdays! But please beware, as there are probably some spoilers!

First up, The Hangover 2

I saw The Hangover, and I was so un-impressed. It was a huge let down. I know, I know- everyone else loved it. Maybe it was the fact that C and I watched it after it came out on DVD, and had heard all the hype already. But honestly the whole time, I didn't laugh once. 

Lucky for us, we hadn't seen previews or heard anything before we went to see The Hangover 2. 

It. was. HILARIOUS!!!

(Though warning, it did have a lot of peen!) I know a lot of people said it was just a more ridiculous version of The Hangover, but I thought it was still extremely funny. And I love Paul Giamatti. And I looooove that Mr. Chow was back!! I was totally not expecting the whole trannie bit at all. And I don't who the main Thai girl was, but she was really cute. I think my favorite was the monkey though! With his chain-smoking, Rolling Stone denim jacket wearing lil cute self!

Though I still don't really get what "Bangkok's got him" meant. 

Sticking with the Asian theme: Kung Fu Panda 2

Saw this with my girl friend on a whim. I really enjoy cartoon movies, and I really really like Jack Black as Po.   I thought this was a bit deeper than the original, as it explained where Po came from and what happened to his parents. I thought it was really well done. Though I didn't get how the Peacock was going to take over all of China when it couldn't even take over one city without the help of an army, and was pretty useless on its own, even with it's steel toes. But using its feathers as weapons was super smart- and I like how the pattern on them brought Po's memories back, but only in little bits until he reached inner peace. I also didn't understand how making it out of the channel would magically make it "The Year of the Peacock", but whatevs, he barely made it out anyway. And then Po tried to help him...I thought that was sweet. And his bonding with his dad had me tearing up a bit- but I'm a total sucker for a feel good movie and happy ending! Anyone else see a Kung Fu Panda 3 in the works?!

Back in fight mode: Knight and Day

I had to stay home sick on Tuesday and this came on. Honestly, it was pretty bad. I like Cameron Diaz, but I've never really liked Tom Cruise. The action was so far fetched and fake. It wasn't funny. There was supposed to be romance between them, but I saw no chemistry. It was ok to watch being doped up between Day and Nyquil, but otherwise, a waste of time. 

Americans aren't getting the job done; time to get some Southeast Asian influences back in, with the Mistress of Spices

Again, saw this while home sick. I had recently heard about this one even though it came out in 2005. My coworker was raving about how great it was, and how hot both Aishwarya Rai (Miss World Bollywood super hottie) and Dylan McDermott were...I had no idea he was in this movie, or for sure I would have checked it out sooner. He might be on my List. (Don't act like you don't know what "The List" is!) I asked my girl friend (who happens to be Indian) how it was- she said it was absolutely terrible. 

I think I wanted to like this more than I did. Because I like both actors. I wanted to believe they had chemistry, but they didn't. The storyline was kooky at best....unbelievable and unwatchable at worst. Basically she owns a spice shop, and helps people using her spices, but when she falls in love her spices get jealous and think she's going to leave them so they stop working. So she spends one night of passion with Dylan and then tries to burn down her shop with her inside, saying that she'll never leave her spices. Then her spices believe her, so they allow her to have a relationship and help people through spices. 

Yeah. It was pretty bad. But that actors were nice to look at!

Phew! Lots of movies recently! I still want to see Bridemaids really bad. 

Have you seen any good movies lately??

June Budget and Goals, and The Big Bang

First, a fun song to listen to (if you choose to) while you read - enjoy!

Bills

Rent: $553.50
Cable: $205.93
Phone: $94.64
Transportation: $310.00
Loan Repayment: $310.00
Groceries: $300
Netflix: $5.34
Credit Report: $15.00

Savings: $450.00 (If I can do this, I will have the flight to India for my bff's wedding covered ...eeeeee!!)

Other
Wedding Gifts: $350.00 (2 weddings)
Other Gifts: $175.00 ($50 Bridal Shower, $50 Father's Day,  $75 3 birthdays)
Hotel in PA: $140
Carl: $100 (repayment for Fl hotel last month)
Miscellany: $200.00
Total: $3209.41

----------------------------------------------

• Clean out purse(es)
• Start Blog-arage Sale
• Start Selling on Ebay
• Make $100
• De-Clutter my "Go To" Chair
• Take clothes to cleaners, alter, or throw out
• Start "Line a Day"

I'm a lil late with my goals this month...oops!

But luckily, I think these are all rather simple to accomplish, with the exception of taking clothes to cleaners/altering, because I don't have a car. And by the time I get home from work, the cleaners are all closed (I get home at almost 8). So that means I have to either take the clothes to work with me and overpay in tailoring because it's more expensive by where I work (proximity to NYC means everything is more expensive than in the 'burbs), or try to find over the weekend, which is proving very hard to do!

You may notice that there is a "Blog-arage Sale" listed...that's right, I'm going to try to sell some of my stuff right here! I already took pics of most everything I want to sell, but I've been very lazy about posting and pricing them. I will be selling here, on Smashion, and on E-Bay.

Look for more info (and a tab under the header!) in the very near future!!

Where'd My Money Go?!

I promise weekend recaps and pics are coming soon, but I've had no laptop for a week because I let my mom borrow it and I've been staying at a friend's place, so stay tuned!

5/23 - 6/6

Bills
Rent: $553.50 (I don't know why they charged us less this month, but I'll take it!)
Transportation: $207.00 (I had some unused transitcheks)
Netflix: $5.34
Credit Report: $15.00 (UGGGHH)
Total: $760.84
Entertainment
$30.00 - Phillies Game
$17.00 - Food at the game
$20.00 - Movies + snacks (this was dumb, as I still have 2 free passes, but I didn't have them on me)
$50.00 - Wine Tasting in LI
$30.00 - Brunch for Friend's Birthday

Shopping
$30.00 - Bridal Shower Gift (it was actually a $50 gift, but I had $10 worth of returns plus a 20% off single item at Bed Bath and Beyond...P.S. I love that store!)
$10.00 - sunglasses (total impulse buy- but they were on clearance at Anthropologie and fit my face perfectly...and I don't own any brown sunglasses...rationalize much?! maybe!)
$66.56 - CVS

Other
$150.00 - Wedding Present
$62.00 - Hotel for wedding
Total: $465.56

Savings
$650.00

Grand Total: $1876.40

I overspent. I actually overspent more than this, but I wasn't very diligent about tracking my spending recently, and paid a lot in cash (I read somewhere that doing that is better than debit, but honestly I track better with debit because all the spending comes up in my statement). BUT....do you see that line right before the Grand Total?! I finally opened my India Savings Account! Now all I need to do is add about $1000 more and I'll be all set! *cringe*

Also, I've been having a whole lot of fun. Expensive fun, but fun nonetheless. I am choosing not to feel bad about this because fun is necessary, and I should not feel guilty for having some while I'm still young darnit!

One more important note...

so important that it get's it's own line...

and a drumroll

**bbbbbbrrrrrrrrrruuuuuuuuuummmmmm!!!**

I have no more defaulted loans.

YIPPEEEE!!!

I finally finished my loan reconciliation program and all my defaulted student loans are now undefaulted! I know that may not sound like much, because ya know, I shouldn't have let them default in the first place, but this is major milestone in my quest to be debt-free and financially responsible, So HOORRAYY for meeee!

A Review of my First-Ever Budget!

This was the May Budget I Had Set Forth:
Bills
Rent: $834.00
Cable: $211.11
Phone: $84.00
Transportation: $300
Loan Repayment: $310.00
Groceries: $400
Netflix: $5.34

Savings: $400.00 (If I can do this, I will be a mere $250 away from being able to afford the flight to India for my bff's wedding...eeeeee!!)

Other
Wedding Gifts: $200 (2 weddings)
Other Gifts: $150.00 (5 presents, Mother's Day and 2 birthdays)
Wedding Attire: $150.00
Dentist: $5.00
Hotel in Florida: $220
Spending Money for Florida: $150
Miscellany: $150.00

Total: $3559.45

This is what I actually Spent:
Bills
Rent: $834.00
Cable: $211.11
Phone: $84.00
Transportation: $300
Loan Repayment: $310.00
Groceries: $127.00
Netflix: $5.34

Other
Wedding Gifts: $350 (2 weddings)
- 150
Other Gifts: $277.80 (4 Mother's Day, 3 birthdays, and a Bachelorette Party present I forgot about!) (almost DOUBLE what I budgetted!)
-$127.80
Wedding Attire: $140.00 (I forgot to include $$ for alterations and jewelry; lucky for me, C and mom helped!)
Dentist: $0 (no copay!)
+$15
Hotel in Florida: $220
Spending Money for Florida: $200
-$50
Miscellany: $242.05
- 92.05

Also, I FORGOT to budget in the hotel for Long Island!

Total: $3301.30

Do you know what all those minuses add up to? $419.85.
Do you know the one thing that is missing from my "Actual" List? SAVINGS!


WHAT I DID WRONG
1. Was Not Realistic
Why did I think that $150 would be enough for 6 presents? Or that 4 days in Florida partying with friends would cost $150? Well, because I've never set up a budget before! But at least I've learned to be more realistic!

2. Did not properly plan/organize
Do you know how much extra I spent in transportation this month? $85.00. That's in addition to my monthly $300 train pass! And the sole reason was because I did not plan/organize properly. I wasted $32 in one day because I forgot my train pass! I spent another $37 in one day when I stayed out partying too late, fell asleep on the train, wound up at the LAST STATION on my train line, and had to take a cab back to my house because I also thought it was a bright idea to get into a fight with C (who was home, and was going to pick me upat the station) while I was on the train, in my not-so-clear-headed state. Such a waste of money!

3. Purchased "Gifts for Nobody"!
This may be C's biggest pet peeve.
Somewhere in my personal finance reading, I heard that birthday and Christmas shopping at the last minute is what costs people too much. (Really, any last minute shopping, but the gift buying aspect is the one that stuck because that's the one I do most often.) So how did I aim to correct this? Buy things on sale and/or with coupons...mooooonths in advance! The problem with this? We don't have the space for these gifts, nor do I specify who they would be good for before I buy them, hence the name "gifts for nobody," and then they wind up going to no one!

Case in point: 2 years ago I purchased 5 plush, warm, colorful scarves becaus they were on sale at Coldwater Creek for only $5.00 each...$5! I thought "Wow, what a great deal! These would make great presents for the secret Santa at work, or an addition to any Christmas/winter birthday present!"
Then I put them in a closet and forgot about them. Not such a great deal when 2 years later, they are still taking up space in a closet!

WHAT I DID RIGHT
1. Attempted to increase my income (though not enough)
Unfortunately, commuting to and from my job and not having a car make it impossible for me to have a part time job close to home (and I don't want to be on trains really late at night on any type of regular basis). So I decided on 3 ways to attempt to increase my income: paid online surveys, mystery shopping, and selling my crap! Except, the surveys don't pay much and/or I don't qualify for enough of them, the one mystery shopping job I did got a little screwed up (will post about that another time), and though I took pics of all my items to sell online, I didn't actually post the pics! But I will continue with these 3 and see how I do- I don't think one month is enough time to say whether they're worth it or not.

2. Kept the groceries budget down!
I had heard that the best way to estimate the groceries line in a budget is to keep receipts in an envelope for one or two months to get an idea of what your currently spending. So I did that, but then never added up the totals! But I never go to the grocery store without a grocery list, our club card, and my coupons, so I was still able to keep groceries down and I now have a better (and well-documented- hello Blogger!) idea of our grocery budget.

3. Attempted my first budget!
That's right! I'm giving myself props for actually sitting down and creating my first budget! And documenting it! Though it has its mistakes, I definitely learned where and how I'm spending, where I can cut back/be flexible, and how to better manage my money. And I'm pretty proud of that, even if I did only start doing that now!

Do you have any budgetting tips or tricks you use when creating a budget?

Memorial Weekend Part 1 and OOTD!

Well hellooooo lovelies! What a busy, fun weekend!! Did you have a wonderful time? I sure did! Here's a recap of the first 2 days...

Thursday

Thursday night I was supposed to get mani/pedi with mom. But she didn't really like the salon she picked. So we wound up going to teh South Street Seaport. We thought it would be popping because of Fleet Week and all, but the docks were empty! I guess all the ships were docked by the Intrepid. Oh wells. We still had a deliciosa Cuban dinner of ropa vieja, arroz y frijoles, y platanos/maduros....y sangria (shredded skirt steak, rice and beans and sweet plantains...kinda like sweet fried bananas, but better) at Cabana Nuevo Latino.

Friday

I got out of work early, at 3! Which was awesome being that there wee only 8 of us in the office out of 25 and we/I was bored out of my mind! Ya know what's bad about getting out unexpected early? Already having too much to do! Mom and I had rescheduled our manis/pedis, but I realized that morning that I wanted an outfit for the dance I would be doing at the wedding. Everyone was going to be wearing salwars (like a much more casual pant and loose fitted top), and the only one I own I had worn to an engagement party- as in it was much too dressy to be dancing in. So I had to run over to Jersey City and quick pick out an outfit. Except when I got home later that night, I realized they didn't give me the matching scarf that they were supposed to give me. Arrrrgh. Luckily, my bff had one that a friend had given her as a present that didn't fit so she brought that for me to wear. Not that it mattered much, because in the end, we didn't even wear scarves! But I digress...

So I ran and got an outfit, then ran to NYC to meet with my mom and get my first pedi!!!  I would show you pics, but you know what? It looked exactly like when I did them- same color and everything. Le sigh. Oh well, at least now I can say that I did it, and it did feel pretty nice. My mom even splurged on leg massages. It would've felt better if I didn't have to then ride a train 2 hours home....not as relaxing.

I'll continue tomorrow so I don't bore you all with too many details, but as it is Wednesday, I will leave you with my Memorial Day- inspired outfit... that i actually did wear today!

top: Rave, from G+G (anyone remember that store?!)

navy bandage skirt: BCBG Max Azaria, gift from C

cardi: TJMaxx

shoes (not shown):  Rampage, via TJMaxx

necklace: "Keep Calm and Carry On" via here, purchased with Groupon coupon (I <3 Groupon!)

watch: DKNY, gifted