After having a long discussion with Kelly today about how I have been feeling too wasteful and materialistic lately, I have decided to take action.
Ever since I got my job in Atlanta, I have been spending like a crazy person. Well, really, it hasn't been that bad. I have no credit card debt, a 401k that I contribute to monthly, and do manage to save extra money every single month, so I'm already ahead of most of America. But still, I am spending frivolously and am not saving nearly as much as I could. I love buying clothes and shoes and jewelry--always have. Its just that now I have money of my own, and buy way too much of that stuff. I have more clothes than any person would ever need. Its time to cool it down, and start saving for more important things such as vacations (ok, I know that's not really "important", but it is to me--to relax and recharge and see new parts of the world) and a home for myself! Here's what I'm going to do about it:
-This weekend I plan to count every item in my closet. Every top, every dress, every shoe. I'm going to write it all down, and commence being disgusted with my materialism. This will be eye-opening, and I will report back on Monday.
-I am going on shopping hiatus for exactly one month. My goal is to refrain from and clothing or shoe purchases for the month of August. I have allowed myself one day of browsing/possible purchasing when I go to Auburn mid-month (because it is one of my favorite places to shop, with lots of affordable boutiques!), but really the goal is to not even buy anything there.
-I want to stay accountable, so I'm going to blog about my journey of becoming less material-driven. I want to find new activities to spend the time I usually spend shopping. Hopefully this will include going to the gym, seeing friends, trying new recipes and giving my home a little extra TLC.
Kelly has agreed that she has been feeling the same way, so hopefully we will go through this experiment together. I can honestly say I am scared and very anxious about doing this--which is really just one more reason that it has to be done.
Desired outcome:
-Be less materialistic in general.
-Save much more money.
-Realize all the blessing I have, and appreciate them more.
-Learn to spend free time alone in other ways besides mall trips.
Wish me luck, and let me know if you've been feeling the same way or have tried similar experiments yourself. I'd love to hear!
Friday, July 30, 2010
Weekend ready
Looking forward to:
-Dinner with the girls in Vining's tonight.
-Yoforia frozen yogurt after said dinner.
-Massage tomorrow morning.
-Spending time with the bf grilling out and playing with the dog.
-Watching copious Youtube videos of outrageous local news stories.
-Cleaning my apartment.
-Enjoying the oppressive heat (not sure if that is possible).
-Seeing Inception.
-Making this recipe (from The Lo Down):
6 ears of corn (keep them in the husk for roasting)
½ c. chopped red onion
½ c. fresh basil, cut into ribbons
1/3 c. feta cheese, crumbled
¼ t. chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
Dressing:
2 T. olive oil
2 T. white wine vinegar (I would have used cider like Ina, but I only had white wine)
½ t. salt
½ t. pepper
What To Do:
Set your oven to 350 degrees. This is where Ina’s salad and mine differ in terms of prep. I roasted my corn, and she boils hers. Anyway, once the oven is hot, place all 6 ears of corn, in the husk directly on the racks. Roast the corn for 30 minutes.
Chop the onion and basil and set aside. Put together the dressing and set aside.
Once the corn is roasted, carefully remove from the oven. Peel off the husk while wearing oven mits, as the corn will let off a lot of steam. Once they’ve cooled a bit, hold each ear in the salad bowl and cut the kernels off, going from the top to the bottom of the ear. This will save you a lot of mess by cutting the corn directly into the serving bowl.
Add the onion, basil, feta cheese, and chili powder to the corn. Salt and pepper it just a little, and toss with the dressing.
Sounds yummy! What are y'all up to this weekend?
-Dinner with the girls in Vining's tonight.
-Yoforia frozen yogurt after said dinner.
-Massage tomorrow morning.
-Spending time with the bf grilling out and playing with the dog.
-Watching copious Youtube videos of outrageous local news stories.
-Cleaning my apartment.
-Enjoying the oppressive heat (not sure if that is possible).
-Seeing Inception.
-Making this recipe (from The Lo Down):
6 ears of corn (keep them in the husk for roasting)
½ c. chopped red onion
½ c. fresh basil, cut into ribbons
1/3 c. feta cheese, crumbled
¼ t. chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
Dressing:
2 T. olive oil
2 T. white wine vinegar (I would have used cider like Ina, but I only had white wine)
½ t. salt
½ t. pepper
What To Do:
Set your oven to 350 degrees. This is where Ina’s salad and mine differ in terms of prep. I roasted my corn, and she boils hers. Anyway, once the oven is hot, place all 6 ears of corn, in the husk directly on the racks. Roast the corn for 30 minutes.
Chop the onion and basil and set aside. Put together the dressing and set aside.
Once the corn is roasted, carefully remove from the oven. Peel off the husk while wearing oven mits, as the corn will let off a lot of steam. Once they’ve cooled a bit, hold each ear in the salad bowl and cut the kernels off, going from the top to the bottom of the ear. This will save you a lot of mess by cutting the corn directly into the serving bowl.
Add the onion, basil, feta cheese, and chili powder to the corn. Salt and pepper it just a little, and toss with the dressing.
Sounds yummy! What are y'all up to this weekend?
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Some pretties to brighten your day
palm trees 
annie the cat
parents 
boyfriend
best friends
sailboats 
summer baseball
new orleansTuesday, July 27, 2010
Antiques Roadshow dream come true
This CNN article about a man buying an estimated $200 million worth of Ansel Adams photogrpahy plates at a yard sale is basically my dream come true. All the other Roadshow lovers out there would agree, I'm sure!
Good things about Tuesday
-Chatted up my old friend Jimmy last night for the first time in a couple of years. He's (most likely) moving to Atlanta within the next month. Hooray!
-Have a Yoforia date tonight with Lauren, and I'm going to pick her up in my new ride :)
-Did well on WW yesterday (although I slipped and had an ice cream cone last night. Oops). I've started out well today too, and am even going to the gym at lunch!
-Caught up with bff over the phone last night, and am incredibly jealous of her upcoming trip to Roma.
-Had a work trip to West Palm Beach (my favorite) canceled yesterday, but realized I might be able to replace it with a personal trip to Disney! We'll see.
-Have a Yoforia date tonight with Lauren, and I'm going to pick her up in my new ride :)
-Did well on WW yesterday (although I slipped and had an ice cream cone last night. Oops). I've started out well today too, and am even going to the gym at lunch!
-Caught up with bff over the phone last night, and am incredibly jealous of her upcoming trip to Roma.
-Had a work trip to West Palm Beach (my favorite) canceled yesterday, but realized I might be able to replace it with a personal trip to Disney! We'll see.
Monday, July 26, 2010
First blog inspired home decor project!
Apparently the home decor blogs have finally gotten to me. I picked up two chairs (only one is pictured) for free a few months ago, and I've decided to recover them myself! By the looks of it, this should be an easy peasy job--if I can do it, any of you can do it too!
The chair with the new fabric (apologies for the bad lighting phone photo).
The chair with the new fabric (apologies for the bad lighting phone photo).I bought the fabric in NC this weekend at a huge fabric outlet on I-85 in Burlington. It is upholstry heaven--high quality fabrics, HUGE variety, and I didn't see anything more than $12.99 per yard! This fabric is navy blue with cream for the pattern...its very nautical to me, and reminds me of ship knots or something. Love it! I'll post pictures once I actually finish the chairs--maybe even tonight!
Lots of new things:
This weekend was spent in the fabulous Raleigh, NC with some of the most fabulous people I know! I had a great time shopping and having dinner with Erin on Thursday (even though we wanted to go to the Beach Music at North Hills, but it was 100 degrees...ugh). I also had fun shopping and erranding around Raleigh with Mom on Friday, and then the fam and I packed up in the air conditioned car and went to Winston Salem for the day on Saturday! Oh how I do love that place.
New items bought:
-Citizens of Humanity jeans (retail: $240, on sale @ Uniquities at CV for $45!)
-pink double strand glass bead necklace at Talbots (also on sale)
-WFU sticker for my new car and a new t-shirt (never enough Deacon Shop merchandise!)
-Replacement Sperry Top-siders (my old ones have been hanging on since high school)
-a few hundred photo prints (from California, the winter, the spring....I don't print very often)
New goals established:
-do one social thing during the week with friends...this will be hard for me!
-get serious about Weight Watchers. I got my dad's books fro home this weekend, and have lots of good new recipes!
-go to the gym 3 times per week. 3 times is not that hard, Brittany.
-call my faves who are elsewhere more often. I have amazing friends, I just need to call more!
-start budgeting on mint.com. a bunch of my friends use it and like it, and i'm hoping it'll help me save more money and manage better now that I have a car payment.
Other news:
-I saw the Jeep on Thursday. It was in good condition, just a little dirty inside and out. I was very emotional about it, though, which sort of surprised me. It really freaked me out to see that these people (ick) had been riding around my cds (all amazing, of course), my mittens left in there from winter, and even my post-it notes grocery lists covered in my handwriting. Sitting in the driver's seat was a very odd experience. So, of course I cried and cried. Again. But I am obviously very happy they found it and it was in good shape, and now it can hopefully be sold to someone else who will love it and use it! Also, I'm hopefully going to be able to get my stuff back this afternoon! Hooray!
New items bought:
-Citizens of Humanity jeans (retail: $240, on sale @ Uniquities at CV for $45!)
-pink double strand glass bead necklace at Talbots (also on sale)
-WFU sticker for my new car and a new t-shirt (never enough Deacon Shop merchandise!)
-Replacement Sperry Top-siders (my old ones have been hanging on since high school)
-a few hundred photo prints (from California, the winter, the spring....I don't print very often)
New goals established:
-do one social thing during the week with friends...this will be hard for me!
-get serious about Weight Watchers. I got my dad's books fro home this weekend, and have lots of good new recipes!
-go to the gym 3 times per week. 3 times is not that hard, Brittany.
-call my faves who are elsewhere more often. I have amazing friends, I just need to call more!
-start budgeting on mint.com. a bunch of my friends use it and like it, and i'm hoping it'll help me save more money and manage better now that I have a car payment.
Other news:
-I saw the Jeep on Thursday. It was in good condition, just a little dirty inside and out. I was very emotional about it, though, which sort of surprised me. It really freaked me out to see that these people (ick) had been riding around my cds (all amazing, of course), my mittens left in there from winter, and even my post-it notes grocery lists covered in my handwriting. Sitting in the driver's seat was a very odd experience. So, of course I cried and cried. Again. But I am obviously very happy they found it and it was in good shape, and now it can hopefully be sold to someone else who will love it and use it! Also, I'm hopefully going to be able to get my stuff back this afternoon! Hooray!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Two fascinating pieces of information
1. THE POLICE FOUND MY CAR. Yes, you read that right. They notified me in a very nice (NOT) form letter that cam in the mail yesterday. Unreal. Details to follow...I still don't know how they found it or anything like that, but I am going to check it out at the impound lot today. Bracing myself for the worst...but maybe some of my belongings (read: my best cds) will still be there and I can have them back! More likely, the hoodlums who took my car saw how awesome my music was and took it. Sigh.
2. I'm getting away from all this craziness and am heading to Raleigh in a few hours. Erin is picking me up at the airport, and we're going straight to Cameron Village. I will take this opportunity to say again how much I love Raleigh and NC in general. Very excited to be there and see friends and family this weekend and get away from the insanity that is Atlanta.
2. I'm getting away from all this craziness and am heading to Raleigh in a few hours. Erin is picking me up at the airport, and we're going straight to Cameron Village. I will take this opportunity to say again how much I love Raleigh and NC in general. Very excited to be there and see friends and family this weekend and get away from the insanity that is Atlanta.
Have a great weekend!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Redesign
No, not the blog. More like my life...or maybe just my apartment.
I'm actually very content with my life right now. More so than I have been since I moved to Atlanta over a year and a half ago. I feel (slightly) settled and very happy with my friends and boyfriend and career. I wish that I had more time to see friends..this is easily my number one complaint. There are lots of people around the metro area that I love to hang out with, but I don't. Unacceptable! I need to get myself out of my apartment/cave during the weekdays--gasp--and see more people. If you are an Atlanta friend reading this, please help me! I want to see you so much more often, and I promise I have not forgotten about you at all. I'll probably be calling soon to get my social life back in gear.
I'm also getting a little sick of my apartment. Its small and my couch is beige and I can't arrange my living room or dining area any other way than the current set up. Its boring. I think when my lease is up in December, I'll finally be ready to commit and purchase a condo. This scares me a lot, for a variety of reasons, but I think its time to make the leap. Again, friends out there, if you feel like browsing condos on the weekend, hit me up!
Otherwise, life is really great. I am fortunate to be doing what interests me and actually progressing in my job. I know that once September rolls around, it will be December before I know it with all of my work and personal travel. And I'll be another year older, and probably not any wiser, but I like that.
I've been thinking a lot lately about my actual career progression, which is odd. Up until now, finding a job/career was my career progression. Now I'm finding that I can actually pick my own direction and finetune what I like best. It is exciting.
What has been exciting you lately? Anyone else feeling content or not so content with their jobs/significant others/friends?
I'm actually very content with my life right now. More so than I have been since I moved to Atlanta over a year and a half ago. I feel (slightly) settled and very happy with my friends and boyfriend and career. I wish that I had more time to see friends..this is easily my number one complaint. There are lots of people around the metro area that I love to hang out with, but I don't. Unacceptable! I need to get myself out of my apartment/cave during the weekdays--gasp--and see more people. If you are an Atlanta friend reading this, please help me! I want to see you so much more often, and I promise I have not forgotten about you at all. I'll probably be calling soon to get my social life back in gear.
I'm also getting a little sick of my apartment. Its small and my couch is beige and I can't arrange my living room or dining area any other way than the current set up. Its boring. I think when my lease is up in December, I'll finally be ready to commit and purchase a condo. This scares me a lot, for a variety of reasons, but I think its time to make the leap. Again, friends out there, if you feel like browsing condos on the weekend, hit me up!
Otherwise, life is really great. I am fortunate to be doing what interests me and actually progressing in my job. I know that once September rolls around, it will be December before I know it with all of my work and personal travel. And I'll be another year older, and probably not any wiser, but I like that.
I've been thinking a lot lately about my actual career progression, which is odd. Up until now, finding a job/career was my career progression. Now I'm finding that I can actually pick my own direction and finetune what I like best. It is exciting.
What has been exciting you lately? Anyone else feeling content or not so content with their jobs/significant others/friends?
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
No I still have not bought a car.
But I just might do that this afternoon! I won't say more because I don't want to jinx it, but I found something very promising, and the lovely Kelly has offered to drive me to the dealer this afternoon! Updates to come.
_______________________________________________________
The weekend was fabulous because:
1. I spent the whole thing with John.
2. He helped me find cars and drove me around to do all my errands before I was carless for the week.
3. We ate Bojangles.
4. I got a pretty one-shoulder purple dress from the Loft.
5. I cooked a delicious meal of ground turkey and tortellinis!
6. I finally got to talk to Matthew after 6 long months of him being abroad in Spain.
7. Finally caught up with Kristin also (even though that technically happened today).
8. Emailed with Julie and learned she's coming back to America in less than 1 month.
9. Watched Chris Rock's Good Hair documentary, which was both hilarious and informative.
10. Got back into Rob and Big. I missed that show!
11. Did I mention I found the car?!
_______________________________________________________
The weekend was fabulous because:
1. I spent the whole thing with John.
2. He helped me find cars and drove me around to do all my errands before I was carless for the week.
3. We ate Bojangles.
4. I got a pretty one-shoulder purple dress from the Loft.
5. I cooked a delicious meal of ground turkey and tortellinis!
6. I finally got to talk to Matthew after 6 long months of him being abroad in Spain.
7. Finally caught up with Kristin also (even though that technically happened today).
8. Emailed with Julie and learned she's coming back to America in less than 1 month.
9. Watched Chris Rock's Good Hair documentary, which was both hilarious and informative.
10. Got back into Rob and Big. I missed that show!
11. Did I mention I found the car?!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Beaching It
Ok, so really I am working it this week, but we just so happen to be staying at the beach! Contrary to popular belief, there are no tar balls to be seen and no oil in the water. I've gone into the ocean about waist deep for the past two days after work, and I've come out clean (a little salty too:). It is beautiful here, so if you are in the market for a beach vacation, and can't make it to NC (love), you should come here and enjoy!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Long overdue update
Hi friends,
I'll start by apologizing for my lack of posting in the last few weeks, but its been for a good reason. First off, the car situation has been more complicated and frustrating than I could ever have imagined. Everything went so smoothly at the beginning with getting the rental, etc, but things took a turn for the worst right before I should've gotten my money from the (mean, terrible, horrible) insurance company. I spent approximately 8 days of my life in a full on fight with my claims adjuster. I never really knew I could be so mean and bitchy, but it turns out I can! I don't generally like the fact that I had to get the claws out and treat someone else badly, but I would never have done it had he treated me with the respect and helpfulness that I think I deserved. The fact that he low-balled me on my amount really just put me over the edge. But thankfully my bad attitude paid off, and I managed to get another $1,700 dollars out of them! Hooray! Bottom line for those of you out there having to deal with insurance like this in the future: don't be afraid to get ugly and stick up for yourself. Their job is not really to help you, but rather to make money for the company. Keep that in mind.
Needless to say that took up a lot of time and energy. And so has searching for a car online. And waiting for my check in the mail. Sigh. I've seen a few vehicles that I liked, but they've all passed me by while I've been waiting around for my money. Fingers crossed that there will be something around Atlanta this weekend for me, or maybe even something in Raleigh next weekend when I'll be home for a visit. I just never even realized what a process it is to purchase a car. I got preapproved for my loan--but I still have to figure out how they'll get my loan docs and money to me in time to buy the car I want. And if the dealer will let me drive the car off the lot before everything is actually finalized. Because of course to add to the complications, I do not currently have a car--the rental expired on Sunday. And then there's the issue with getting insurance in place. Ugh. Will I ever be able to make this purchase? Its questionable. At least I've decided what I want though: the Honda Pilot! I love it and am very excited to make my purchase (whenever that might be...). I will post plenty of pictures once I finally get one.
As for other life in general, I've just been working and traveling. I went to Nashville for a week (lots of fun) and I'm currently in Pensacola, FL which is gorgeous. I love the white sandy gulf beaches. And contrary to what you might hear on the news--there are no tarballs here! The water is clean and the sand is perfect. Love.
I also had a visit from Sarina this weekend! We had a fabulous time just hanging out and enjoying each other's company. We watched tv, cooked dinner and a fabulous cobbler and even went to the Clermont Lounge. What a weekend. I was also happy that she got to meet John, because they are both very important people in my life. We had fun, and it made me wish so much that she lived closer. I miss her!
What have you all been up to lately? I'm going to get back into posting regularly hopefully, so you can look forward to more trials and tribulations regarding my car purchase, I'm sure!
xoxo
I'll start by apologizing for my lack of posting in the last few weeks, but its been for a good reason. First off, the car situation has been more complicated and frustrating than I could ever have imagined. Everything went so smoothly at the beginning with getting the rental, etc, but things took a turn for the worst right before I should've gotten my money from the (mean, terrible, horrible) insurance company. I spent approximately 8 days of my life in a full on fight with my claims adjuster. I never really knew I could be so mean and bitchy, but it turns out I can! I don't generally like the fact that I had to get the claws out and treat someone else badly, but I would never have done it had he treated me with the respect and helpfulness that I think I deserved. The fact that he low-balled me on my amount really just put me over the edge. But thankfully my bad attitude paid off, and I managed to get another $1,700 dollars out of them! Hooray! Bottom line for those of you out there having to deal with insurance like this in the future: don't be afraid to get ugly and stick up for yourself. Their job is not really to help you, but rather to make money for the company. Keep that in mind.
Needless to say that took up a lot of time and energy. And so has searching for a car online. And waiting for my check in the mail. Sigh. I've seen a few vehicles that I liked, but they've all passed me by while I've been waiting around for my money. Fingers crossed that there will be something around Atlanta this weekend for me, or maybe even something in Raleigh next weekend when I'll be home for a visit. I just never even realized what a process it is to purchase a car. I got preapproved for my loan--but I still have to figure out how they'll get my loan docs and money to me in time to buy the car I want. And if the dealer will let me drive the car off the lot before everything is actually finalized. Because of course to add to the complications, I do not currently have a car--the rental expired on Sunday. And then there's the issue with getting insurance in place. Ugh. Will I ever be able to make this purchase? Its questionable. At least I've decided what I want though: the Honda Pilot! I love it and am very excited to make my purchase (whenever that might be...). I will post plenty of pictures once I finally get one.
As for other life in general, I've just been working and traveling. I went to Nashville for a week (lots of fun) and I'm currently in Pensacola, FL which is gorgeous. I love the white sandy gulf beaches. And contrary to what you might hear on the news--there are no tarballs here! The water is clean and the sand is perfect. Love.
I also had a visit from Sarina this weekend! We had a fabulous time just hanging out and enjoying each other's company. We watched tv, cooked dinner and a fabulous cobbler and even went to the Clermont Lounge. What a weekend. I was also happy that she got to meet John, because they are both very important people in my life. We had fun, and it made me wish so much that she lived closer. I miss her!
What have you all been up to lately? I'm going to get back into posting regularly hopefully, so you can look forward to more trials and tribulations regarding my car purchase, I'm sure!
xoxo
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