No, really… I moved!

26Feb09

Okay, I know I chickened out on the move this morning and posted on both blogs but really, I’m going to give blogger a go. I’m welcoming the change. I do, however, already miss a couple of things about wordpress – one of the biggies being the calm aesthetics of this post page. We’ve really developed a lovely relationship, wordpress and I, but change is good. Maybe it will recharge my dedication to saving! New, fun and exciting… just like a new dress!

Seattle Girl is Saving Cent

Filed under: awesome   |  1 Comment

Checking in with February

26Feb09

I know its not quite over yet, but the 28th is just around the corner and knowing what my schedule looks like today, tomorrow and Saturday, I can’t imagine it will make or break my goal progress. I may as well fess up to it now, right? 

February Goals: 

• Bring lunch at least 4 out of 5 days during the week. 5 out of 5 if I’m feeling really organized: Goal met! I’ve been doing an awesome job of planning ahead and having something on hand to bring. 
• Shopping moratorium is back on: If you’re wondering when it ended, I think it had more to do with blurring the lines. Okay, apparently I forgot about this goal and found myself wearing a new, work appropriate skirt from the clearance rack at anthropologie. There are no excuses for my behavior. I’ll try again in March. 
• Its all about the Efund. Fail. Per usual, I paid as much as I could towards my debt this month. 
• File my taxes! Fail. 
• Run 1 to 2 times a week + some other form of exercise (gym or dvd) 1 to 2 times a week: Yes on the gym and dvd (some days both!) but no on the running. It is snowing out there today. Snowing. I am not running in the snow. 
• Sign up for renters insurance! (I still haven’t done this since our storage unit was broken into. Ridiculous.) Still being ridiculous. 

Filed under: budgets, goals, motivate   |  Leave a Comment

Don’t be alarmed…

25Feb09

I might move to blogger. 

I signed up for google adsense, and realized that wordpress does not allow it. 

I’ll let you know if I make anything official, I might just try it out for a week or so and see what I think.

Filed under: banking   |  1 Comment

Fitness Goals Update

23Feb09

Despite the feeling that I’m drowning in academic articles and research papers for the two classes I’ve been taking this quarter – I’ve been trying to make a solid effort too keep exercise in my schedule. With all the stress of the economy, uncertainty with my job and consequentially funding with grad school, I need something to feed my brain endorphins and help me sleep at night.

This dvd I scored from Amazon.com for $8.99 is great.  Sometimes I do a couple of segments before I hit the gym; other times when I’m feeling short on time, I’ll do a couple of segments instead of going to the gym. The dvd is broken down into 5 10-minute segments: gluteal, thigh sculpt, abs, arms and stretching. The abs and thigh sculpt are by far my favorite and leave my legs sore for a couple of days. Its definitely worth it though, I feel tone and definition in muscles the elliptical just isn’t reaching. Oui!

While I do miss going to bikram yoga with my friends, I do not miss the $100 punch cards I was buying every couple of months. Perhaps one day I will be able to budget for bikram again, but until then its the gym, videos, and the great outdoors and its working out just fine.

Filed under: excercise, frugal, fun   |  2 Comments

Woo! $10 Bonus!

18Feb09

Dear Seattle Girl,
Customer Number: XXXXXXXXXX

Congratulations! One of the friends or family members you sent an ING DIRECT referral e-mail to opened a new account with us!

Remember, you can refer up to 25 friends and family members to ING DIRECT with our Refer a Friend program. We will reward you with a $10 bonus for each new person who opens an account with an initial deposit of at least $250.

Thanks for telling your friends & family about ING DIRECT!

Sincerely,
ING DIRECT

Filed under: awesome, banking   |  1 Comment

Weekend Recap

17Feb09

Dear Presidents Day, 

Thank you for my three day weekend. In the future, remind me to not make a dentist appointment on a holiday observed by my employer. It really ruins things for me. Especially when its sunny and warm and all I want to do is read on my deck or take a walk. 

xoxo,

Seattle Girl

Dentist appointment aside, the rest of the weekend was pretty great. My girlfriends and I try to take a weekend trip together every year (last year was New Orleans) but this year the trip was cancelled due to employment uncertainty. Boo. Luckily, all but one of us lives here in Seattle, and she was flying in for the weekend anyway, so we made do with the city we live in and had a great time. 

Friday: Met at the bar: $0 (someone else got the pitcher) headed to Havana for dancing $5 cover and drank $3 cans of tecate to keep the night affordable. Hit in the eye with a beer bottle during dancing shenanigans by my best friend (who feels terrible) causing a black eye I’m still sporting today. All this fun, and I still had change from the $20 I brought with me when I stumbled home!

Saturday: Met my siblings for delicious crepes and coffee at the market $30 (I paid for my brothers as a thank you for a long list of things…) picked up two lovely avocados $2 and some cilantro $1 and 2 limes $2 to make a quinoa salad for lunches this week, realized I left my bus pass in my other purse and decided to walk home instead of paying the $2 to take the bus up the hill. Thoroughly enjoyed my walk. Got dolled up for sushi dinner with the girls $0 (one of them recently got a new job and dad said he’d treat when she did. Wow. That has never been my reality. Thanks!) Came home to candles, champagne, cupcakes and my mister. Lovely valentines day surprise.

Sunday: We got together at E’s house for a slumber party. Everyone brought things to contribute…. wine, ingredients for dinner… had a great time hanging out and laughing.

Not too bad spending wise. I have, however, been feeling rather stifled by my debt lately. I think its the stress of my job, my boyfriend wanting to travel, needing to go to school and trying to find a balance between having fun with him (going out, occasionally escaping town…) and being as frugal as can be to repay my debt. I’m still working out a system that works for me, blogging about it definitely keeps my attention focused, and gives me a much needed outlet.

Filed under: budgets, consumer debt, frugal, money   |  4 Comments

Oh Bella!

11Feb09

Once again, I’ve managed to extract a couple of items from my closet that I probably should not have purchased in the first place. I really mean that. In a bluefly bag under my desk I have: 1 pair of brown bronx heels I’ve never worn because I bought them online, final sale and they are too big for me, a pair of frye heels that I’ve worn, oh, maybe four times, but ultimately should have taken back to Nordstrom, one blue cardigan I bought online at j.crew (again, final sale) which I’ve never worn because it is too big, a pair of blue flats I bought in New Orleans with my girl friends and….guess what….never worn, grey slacks from Club Monoco I have never loved the cut of, and…..a blue b by burton fleece I got online, but was too lazy to send back. Pathetic. Also two sweater dresses I feel are too “young” to wear to work. Bleh.

Luckily…

I have Ronnie at Oh Bella.

I called her up yesterday, not sure when I’d be able to bring my things in since I usually make weekend appointments, but won’t have time this coming weekend.

“Oh Bella!”

“Hi, Ronnie. It’s Seattle Girl. How are you?!”

“Oh hiiiii Seattle Girl. How have you been?”

“Well, cleaning out my closet again. I’d like to bring some things by. What time are you open until during the week?”

“6pm” 

“Could I come by tomorrow after work? Or is that too soon?”

“For you babe, anytime.”

Love her. 

….and the awesome consignment rate she gives me. Go to Oh Bella and buy my things!

Filed under: fashion, organization, saving, shopping   |  3 Comments

Minty Fresh!

10Feb09

I had created an account awhile back, but have now, officially joined Mint.com!

Checking out my dismal cash vs. debt balances is quite painful, but I’m hoping that having all of the numbers in one place will help to keep me on top of my repayment via frequent visual reminders. 

Also, I’m excited about checking out the budgeting tools. I’ve been tracking my spending since the summer on excel sheets – it does – at times – get a little dry? 

Anyone else pleased with the services on mint.com? Or do you prefer to track everything yourself?

Filed under: banking, budgets, daily tracking, money, organization   |  4 Comments

Inspiration

09Feb09

Okay, the flat iron, sure, whatever….but my mind won’t stop there. I don’t know who spiked my coffee with consumerism, but all I can think of today are the things on my wishlist. Por ejemplo: this, this and this. What I need to think about is being here (as in there, in that picture) with A, and without an outstanding balance to worry about. 

Filed under: awesome, beach, bikes, consumer debt, goals, motivate   |  2 Comments

Budgeting Fail: Pink Flat Iron

09Feb09

I am so in love with my chi. It makes silky goodness out of my naturally curly hair. I embrace the curls 40% of the time, but when its rainy/windy/bleh in Seattle, I love that I can throw a hat on my straight hair and pretend that it always looks so perfect. I’ve tried drugstore flat irons and they do nothing for me. Its worth the investment. I bought my first chi in 2002 for $100. I haven’t regretted the purchase ever. Talk about use per dollar. However, today my beloved started…

SMOKING.

Oh my god. I guess that bit of exposed wire I discovered about a year ago (puppy chewing phase, most likely) finally got to the chi. I could keep on using it, but for the sake of my hair and the safety of my apartment, its time for a new one. 

Does this fit into my $100 a week budget? NO! Of course not. I’m trying not to blow my cash monies at sephora….but this…is practically like groceries to me. Necessity.

I’ve no other choice than to finally get a new one…. and if its going to be new, it may as well match my blow dryer. Right?

I’ve no other choice but to cut back on….oh, everything… to make room in the budget this month for this little gem. 

Siiiigh. I feel better now that I’ve confessed. A little guilty, but mostly better.

Filed under: budgets, shopping   |  3 Comments