Student Loan Balance

As of September 2, 2015, this is my student loan balance. :)

Veggie Tales

So, here I am, out of the blue, blogging for the first time in five months.

I'm not going to explain where I've been or what I've been doing. It's boring. I lead a boring life.

Nope. Tonight it's all about veggies. I'm a member of a CSA. Each Tuesday I briefly leave work to go pick up my weeks worth of veggies. After work, I take my veggies home, put them in the fridge and do nothing with them until I have to throw them away because they've gone bad, spoiled, wilted, whatever. I really do like vegetables. However, I work until 7:30pm and by the time I get home, I don't feel like cooking.

At least that's what I tell myself.

Throwing away beautiful, locally grown veggies is neither fit nor frugal.

So, for the past two weeks, I've been trying to be a good girl and eat all my veggies. Actually, I've been trying to at least clean the vegetable to eliminate one excuse for not using them. I'm doing better, but it's a lot of food for just one person.

Today's haul was huge! Turnips, green beans, wax beans, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, broccoli and a small bunch of basil.

There was also a bunch of onions but I despise onions so those went to a coworker.

Oh and there's also blueberries and raspberries but those are never, ever, around long enough to go bad. Ever.

I got a little carried away with my food prep plans tonight. My dinner ended up being an odd assortment of very good veggies.


First up...tomatoes....basil....this screams caprese salad! Yum!


Next came three bean salad. It needs to chill a bit but it was still very good.


Finally, roasted turnip fries with Parmesan cheese. I've never cooked with turnips before so I checked out some recipes. I decided to start with the recipe that included cheese for my first attempt at turnips because it had cheese. These were good. They didn't get crisp, except for the cheese, but they were tasty. They have a little bite. Nothing too strong, but definitely there.

Overall it was a very tasty dinner.

Weird but tasty.

Hopefully my body won't reject the overload of veggies. It's already craving something familiar, something comforting. I believe it's time for some peanut butter. I'll call it dessert.

Slacker

Wow, I haven't posted since December?! How did that happen? I'm a slacker. A few interesting things have occurred since we last met.

I paid off my credit card debt on January 11! After I saw the $0 balance, I changed my automatic payment option to "Pay Off Balance". Even though it pains me to even think about using it, I will likely try to use my card once every month or so just to keep it active. However I want to make sure I never carry a balance.

On January 18, my credit card company deducted $1717.08 from my checking account. That was my balance at the beginning of my last statement. I went to use my debit card and was denied. When I checked my online account, I saw that I was -$500. I called my dearest credit card company and was told that the "Pay Balance" option used the balance at the beginning of the statement and didn't take into account any payments made during the statement period. I was also told that my refund would take 2-3 business days to clear. January 18 was a Friday.

On January 20 I got a $35 insufficient funds fee from my bank. I called the credit card company and they said they would credit it back to my credit balance...? Um, no. I would like it credited back to my bank account.

On January 25 I finally get my $1717.08 back. I also check my credit card account and notice I've been charged $4.82 interest. I paid this off immediately.

On February 3 I get my $35 fee refunded to my bank account. I also went out and purchased a new laptop.

February 4 was my birthday. I had a lovely day.

There's a whole lot more going on with home improvements, refinancing and travel plans for the upcoming year - but that can wait for another post.

Holiday Party Gluttony Detox

First, an update on my dairy free week...I made it 6 days. Bad planning tripped me up. I didn't really notice any major changes in how I felt. I definitely think I need to try it for more than 6 days to really notice a difference. It went pretty well overall. Thoughts of cheese did cross through my brain but it was yogurt that tripped me up.

Next, the work holiday party. I haven't been that out of control with food in a very long time. It's kind of unnerving. I don't like that I basically just went hog wild. Events at work always have the potential to trip me up but I've previously shown more self control. I have some theories about what is going on. My four faithful readers can probably fill in the blanks (guilt). Whatever the reason, I need to get this under control. I have a plan, at least for tomorrow. I'm jokingly calling it my detox menu but really, it's just planning ahead to make good food choices. There's nothing kooky, just food. I've allowed certain aspects of my life to get out of control, this is an area that I can get back on track.

Saturday's menu

Breakfast

Quinoa with blueberries

Eggs with salsa and maybe a whole wheat tortilla

Some kind of mid morning snack, maybe apples with almonds or yogurt

Lunch

Turkey soup

Spinach salad

Some kind of mid afternoon snack

Dinner

Salmon

Butternut squash soup

(This seems like a weird combination, maybe it's too much orange. Anyway I just made the soup and have the salmon thawed so it's more a matter of not wasting really yummy food.)

Dairy Free Day 1

My first day without dairy was uneventful. I didn't add milk to my oatmeal, I had iced tea instead of a mocha or hot chocolate when I met the man for coffee this morning and I avoided the string cheese in the fridge. There's really nothing else to tell. It wasn't hard. I don't typically eat tons of dairy to begin with so it really wasn't an issue.

Hey, Ho, The Dairy, O

I've been congested for the past week or so. I'm not coughing or sneezing, I don't have a runny nose, I'm not running a fever or feel run down, I'm just congested.

I've read and continue to read a lot about food and the more I read, the more I realize how fucked up the American diet is. We've taken basic ingredients and fiddled with them, turning them into additives, preservatives, fillers, the list goes on. The result, a diet that our bodies cannot handle. Food allergies and food intolerance seem to be increasing. Is it because they simply went undiagnosed until recently or is it because the more we invent, mutate, create, construct "food" the more problems we encounter?

Back to my congestion, I've been wondering if my congestion is due to a reaction to the foods I'm eating. I've been researching (Googling) which foods can cause sinus congestion. It's been interesting. First thing to note, the search results typically lead me to "alternative healing" or the like, websites. For instance, I wasn't directed to WebMD. That could simply be the search criteria I used but it's worth noting. The consensus among the sites I visited was the main culprits in food allergies are typically dairy, gluten, sugar, meat. The fact that none of this was surprising to me makes me think that although this isn't mainstream news, it's not just kooky fringe elements saying this. I've also consistently read that the best way to determine if you have an allergy (or at least an intolerance) to a certain food group is to avoid it for a length of time and see how you feel.

With that in mind, I've decided to give it a try. I'm going to attempt to give up dairy for a week. I really don't think a week is enough to determine if dairy is a factor in my congestion. I decided on a week because I want to see if I can go a week without certain food group. I think the hardest part will be to remember I'm doing this in the first place...and cheese, it will be hard to give up cheese. After a week I'll decide if I want to continue with dairy or move onto something else such as gluten. At very least, I will be refocusing my attention on what I'm putting in my body and how it might affect me. I need that. There's been way too much mindless eating on my part lately and maybe, just maybe, I'll learn more about what foods work with, rather than against my body.

Calculate That

So I put two calculators on ebay last week. Both are HP scientific calculators, one also graphs. It's crazy, the calculator I had in the mid to late 80's sold for $157! The graphing calculator from the 90's only sold for $24. Who knew a calculator could be so valuable?

I've also sold a wetsuit on ebay and a few books on Craigslist. I'm not getting rich, but it is bringing in a little extra cash.

Here's my ebay/craiglist picture taking setup. Pictured is the calculator that sold for $157. As you can tell it's very high tech setup.

With my extra cash and with closing my "Scuba Fund" savings account, I was able to send in $1300 to Citibank. Yay! That brings my remaining balance to $2200! This is so exciting. Hopefully Christmas won't get out of hand and I can still make a decent payment in December. I definitely want to get my balance below $2000.

Side note - the "Scuba Fund" saving account will be reopened but with a different bank. It was only $230 so it's not like I completely ruined my vacation fund, and honestly, the yearly Blackbeard's trip is up in the air for now so the fund isn't a priority right now.

100th Post

Oops, my last post was my 100th. I should have celebrated or commented on something more profound than my piggy bank.

I'd like to thank my loyal 3 readers. It's nice to know someone out there is paying attention. :)

-$2.79

I hate money.

Last night I balanced my checking account and came up with -$2.79. This was after I had just purchased an iced mocha for $4.27. It's frustrating that the majority of my money issues are self inflicted. I know what I need to do, but I don't do it.

Today I emptied my piggy bank and took it to the bank so I would have some cash until I get paid on Monday. I got back $46.71. Not bad. I deposited $25 and kept the remaining $21.71 for the weekend.

Debt Is Slavery

I didn't come up with it, it's the title of a book, but when I read the title it resonated with me.

House Pictures!

Ta da!

Yippee!

My house is painted.
Pictures soon.
That is all.

Little Things

I didn't do much today but I still feel good about what I did get done. Sometimes taking care of the little things can feel like a huge accomplishment.

Today I finished up the hallway with a second coat of paint, took a box of glass containers and a bunch of plastic bags to be recycled. I then purchased a big box of baking soda, sprinkled it all over the carpet, let it sit and then vacuumed. I also changed the bag in the vacuum cleaner. (It's amazing how much better the vacuum works when the bag's not full.)

Just six little things done and I feel like I moved mountains. What can I say? I'm easy. :)

A Little More

I finished priming the kitchen, it looks fabulous.

Last night I painted the hallway. It needs a second coat but it also looks fabulous.

Today I weeded and mulched another flower bed.

1943 Guide to Hiring Women

I found an article from Savvy & Sage magazine (September/October 2007) in a file folder during a post "Hoaders" viewing cleanup. Savvy & Sage reprinted an earlier article from another magazine about tips for hiring women. It's hilarious. I thought I'd post it here so I can throw away the article. :)

The following is an excerpt from the July 1943 issue of Transportation Magazine. This was written for male supervisors of women in the work force during World War II.

Eleven Tips on Getting More Efficiency Out of Women Employees: There's no longer any question whether transit companies should hire women for jobs formerly held by men. The draft and manpower shortage has settled that point. The important things now are to select the most efficient women available and how to use them to the best advantage.

Here are eleven helpful tips on the subject from Western Properties:

1. Pick young married women. They usually have more of a sense of responsibility than their unmarried sisters, they're less likely to be flirtatious, they need the work or they wouldn't be doing it, they still have the pep and interest to work hard and to deal with the public efficiently.

2. When you have to use older women, try to get ones who have worked outside the home at some time in their lives. Older women who have never contacted the public have a hard time adapting themselves and are inclined to be cantankerous and fussy. It's always well to impress upon older women the importance of friendliness and courtesy.

3. General experience indicates that "husky" girls - those who are just a little on the heavy side - are more even tempered and efficient then their underweight sisters.

4. Retain a physician to give each woman you hire a special physical examination - one covering female conditions. This step not only protects the property against the possibilities of lawsuit, but reveals whether the employee-to-be has any female weaknesses which would make her mentally or physically unfit for the job.

5. Stress at the outset the importance of time the fact that a minute or two lost here and there makes serious inroads on schedules. Until this point is gotten across, service is likely to be slowed up.

6. Give the female employee a definite day-long schedule of duties so that they'll keep busy without bothering the management for instructions every few minutes. Numerous properties say that women make excellent workers when they have their jobs cut out for them, but that they lack initiative in finding work themselves.

7. Whenever possible, let the inside employee change from one job to another at some time during the day. Women are inclined to be less nervous and happier with change.

8. Give every girl an adequate number of rest periods during the day. You have to make some allowances for feminine psychology. A girl has more confidence and is more efficient if she can keep her hair tidied, apply fresh lipstick and wash her hands several times a day.

9. Be tactful when issuing instructions or in making criticisms. Women are often sensitive; they can't shrug off harsh words the way men do. Never ridicule a woman - it breaks her spirit and cuts off her efficiency.

10. Be reasonably considerate about using strong language around women. Even though a girl's husband or father may swear vociferously, she'll grow to dislike a place of business where she hears too much of this.

11. Get enough size variety in operator's uniforms so that each girl can have a proper fit. This point can't be stressed to much in keeping women happy.

I agree with number eleven.

It's a start

I finished weeding the flower bed that I started on Saturday. With the help of my roomie, it's also completely mulched!

I also started priming my kitchen. I pulled down the wallpaper in 2007. It's looked dingy and icky for over 3 years. It feels good to see bright white.

Outside In

I believe that the condition of a person's home, inside or out, is a reflection of what is going on in their mind and heart. If this is true, than it must be clear to my neighbors that this year has been a turbulent for me. All of my flower gardens are overgrown with weeds and my house in general looks neglected.

Actually, the exterior of my house has been in a state of half paintedness (yes, it's a word) for 3 years now so I really can't use recent events as an excuse for that. Perhaps the paint is symbolic of a journey that's not complete. I've made many changes in my life the past few years, but maybe there's more to come. Maybe I'm just trying to come up with excuses and I'm really just lazy. Whatever the reason, I've decided I need to spruce up my house, and by doing so, hopefully I will find some direction for my mind and heart. And whatever the reason, my neighbors will be thrilled that I'm finally taking care of my property so that it's not such an eyesore.

So begins operation "No More White Trash". :) It's a light hearted way to describe my serious attempt to heal myself from the outside in and find some direction. Just typing that sentence brings me to tears, so obviously I'm on to something here. I'm hoping that showing some pride in my house will help me make some better decisions in my life or at least be at peace with the ones I've already made. So in order to do this, I need some kind of a plan. I don't have hard facts and figures yet, but I do have a basic idea of what needs to happen.

First of all, I've already contacted a painter to finish painting the exterior of my house. I'm going to pull money from savings to pay for it. I know that once it's completed, a huge load will be lifted. I hate that my house has looked like this for 3 years.

Next, I need to tackle my yard. Today I weeded a flower garden that was completely overgrown with weeds. It was so embarrassing. I had weeds taller than my 5' fence. I had enough weeds to fill the back of my roommates truck. Tomorrow I think I will go to the free mulch sight and mulch the area I just weeded.

Since I've proven that I get over zealous and end up injuring myself, my goal is to work on one flower bed at a time, without overdoing it. Hopefully that will also prevent me from getting burned out.

I also would like to finish up some interior painting projects. My kitchen has been in a half finished state for even longer than the exterior of my house. I need to use crappy weather days to work on patching the termite damage and then finishing priming the walls so I can then finally paint the kitchen. I've been talking with my friend who helped me paint my living room; I told her I would trust whatever color scheme she comes up with. I LOVE my living room so I see no reason why I shouldn't trust her with my kitchen. I have a feeling she's going to suggest something completely different, which is good. I need to be pushed out of my comfort zone.

So for now, that's my "plan". Get the exterior painting done, get as much cleaned up in the yard as I can while it's still nice out and then finish the kitchen. It doesn't sound like much, but they're all big projects that will feel amazing to complete.

Here are a couple of before and after pictures of the flower bed I tackled today.

Motorcycle Chick

Yep, that's me. :) I'm learning to ride at age 41. I must be insane.

An actual FINANCIAL update!

Oh yeah, the original intent of this blog was to write about my debt elimination, at least that was suppose to be a major part of it. Lately it's been like a bad Lifetime movie. So here is an actual financial update!

Current credit card debt: $3800!

Hee hee! I'm getting so close.

Frugal or sad?

Actually, neither...or maybe both?

I'm not so frugal (some would say cheap) that I cut off the end of every tube of toothpaste just to get the last few blobs of toothpaste out. No, I simply forgot to buy more toothpaste and had to resort to desperate measures. Perhaps "lazy or unorganized" would be a better description for this. Really, it's probably "all of the above".

I hope you enjoyed another little glimpse into my brain. Think it's scary? Try living here.