Back in NYC

I am back from Texas! The trip went well and I am glad that my family had the chance to meet my boyfriend. However, about an hour after we landed I lost my wallet! I think it is in the trunk of a cab somewhere but the cab company charges you $14.99 to report something to their lost and found so I am just cancelling all of my cards and having them replaced. I think that the odds of honest people finding my stuff are very slim and I don't want to pay for the hope that someone might return my things.

Packing

I am packing up and getting ready for my trip to Texas! Tomorrow morning my boyfriend and I are leaving NY for a few days to visit my family in the Lone Star State. We are taking the super shuttle to the airport because it is cheaper than a cab and my family is taking care of the entertainment portion of the trip so that won't cost us anything. The only thing I will be paying for on our trip is a haircut.

I will be gone for a couple of days but I will be back with wonderful tales of the south very soon!

Anti-Thanksgiving

Today a friend of mine is having an anti-thanksgiving party where we all bring junk food instead of eating delicious homemade food. It should be a blast!

But before that I have a free ticket to the performance in Carnegie Hall today! I am so very excited about that and I love things that are free! Hurrah for free things!

Underpants

Whoo...I learned today not to wear a thong and a dress in freezing weather! I am not wearing anything but granny panties and pants again until April. I love the cold though so it is worth it.

It's Diet Time

My clothes are getting a bit snug. I have been spending too much time and money in restaurants here lately! I can't help it because my boyfriend is so cute and it is nice to have the time to spend with him but from now on we will do non-food things together. I can't gain back the weight I've lost since I moved to the city!

Sleepy

I am so tired this weekend! I can't figure out why I am so exhausted. I think maybe it is because I've spent so much time on the subway...my boyfriend lives at the far end of Brooklyn and I live at the far end of Manhattan so it takes about an hour and a half to get to his place. I went out there Friday night and then again on Saturday to help him set up his computer and to take his PS2 and his cable box (he is studying for the LSATs and asked me to take anything that could be a distraction to him.) I am going to take a long bubble bath after I finish doing laundry and I will be sure to take a multi-vitamin so that I am awake and alert for work tomorrow.

Grocery Shopping

Yesterday I went to the grocery store. Most everything I bought was on sale or I had a coupon for it. I had some extra coupons I wasn't going to use so I left them by their items in case other people wanted them.

So Busy

I have been so busy lately! I have a lot going on with my new job and I have been spending a lot of time with a friend of mine from London who is in town for the week as well. I have barely slept! I am going to go to bed super early tonight.

I washed a small load of laundry by hand and it is hanging to drip dry in the bathroom right now. I am going to make dinner and take leftovers for lunch tomorrow. I am also going to return my library stuff tomorrow too...I have been renewing it online to avoid fines but I really do need to return everything tomorrow.

Comedy Show

Last night my boyfriend and I went to see a comedy show. They were handing out discount passes on the street so we went in and saw some very funny comedians and then we got free admission to the dueling piano bar next door. It was a lot of fun and it wasn't too expensive.

I Hate Spanx

The other day I was at the store and I saw them selling Spanx. For those of you who don't know what Spanx are they are footless pantyhose that are designed to basically smooth out your body to prevent panty lines and cellulite from showing through your clothes. They had them on sale at the Lane Bryant where they were showing a video of various stars, from Jessica Alba to Queen Latifah, who were all on the red carpet extolling the virtues of Spanx.

I looked down at my thighs and thought, "Self, you are super sexy but a little smoothing out wouldn't hurt anything. That would be a much more professional look for work too...having your coworkers see your panty lines is just not appropriate!"

Then I looked at the price. $28 for pantyhose! These had better be freaking magical pantyhose for $28! I put them down and started to walk away but then I caught the video out of the corner of my eye again. The women all looked so smooth and elegant. I want to look smooth and elegant! So I picked up a package, verified that they were the correct size according to the chart on the back and bought them so that I too could appear cellulite free because these did indeed appear to be magical pantyhose.

Flash forward to this morning when I am getting ready for work. I pull out the package of Spanx and open them, getting ready to be the sleek, smooth woman I am told I can be by the outside of the package. These were special Spanx too, designed to cover love handles and such on your tummy as well so I was super excited.

They were maybe 18 inches long and 5 or 6 inches wide. I looked down at my ass and laughed at the thought that I would be able to squeeze into that but then I thought about my smooth, streamlined figure and I proceeded to force myself into them. (If you want the appropriate mental image, imagine squeezing all of the toothpaste out of the tube and then trying to put it back in again.) It took about 10 minutes but I finally got them on properly before I discovered the pee hole. That's right, they knew that it would be so difficult to get in and out of Spanx that they added a hole in the crotch so you don't have to take them off to pee. Better line everything up correctly though or you will spend the rest of the day in urine soaked pantyhose!

Well, I wasn't going to pee through the pee hole but they will still serve their purpose right? I walked around for a minute or two to see how they would react over the course of the day and found that the legs rolled up and the top rolled down any time I bent at the waist. So now here I am in the world's most expensive pantyhose dealing with rolling up ends and a pee hole.

I took them off and put on normal undergarments before I went to work because I am not insane. But now I am pissed as hell because these are the most expensive pantyhose ever and I can't return them now that I opened them so I am basically out $28 for 10 minutes of tormenting myself this morning.

The Election

WOOOOOOHOOOOOOOO!

My New Job

I started my new job today! It went very well and I have a good feeling about this place. Hopefully it will work out to be some place I can spend the next few years.

I got to thinking today about the decisions I made and how I ended up getting this job. I quit my last job out of anger and frustration without having anything else in hand. This led me to take a crappy job for really low McWages because they would pay for my health insurance license in New York so I knew I would be able to use that elsewhwere. I used that license to get the job I started today at more than twice what I was earning at the other company.

I also met my new roommate there! She also just took a job because she needed the cash while she looked for something better and we just happened to each need a new roommate. The choice to do something that I knew wasn't what I wanted to do because it would lead me someplace better dramatically improved my life in a matter of months. Taking that crappy job was the best decision I've made in a long time.

Halloween

My boyfriend and I had planned to get costumes and go out for the night of Halloween. Due to the fact that costumes are freaking expensive and we were both sick all week I am just going to bring a couple of scary movies over to his place and we are going to lay around and watch horror movies all night. This will cost us nothing and might possibly lead to sex, which is a lot more fun than a party! ;)

The Flu

I came down with the stomach flu yesterday. The constant pain and vomiting is not pleasant, to say the least. However, since I don't start my job until Monday and I don't have anything planned for these last couple of days off I couldn't have picked a better time to get sick. I am very thankful that if I had to get sick that the timing was this good. I am staying in bed and drinking plenty of fluids so hopefully here in the next day or two I will be feeling better.

Renter's Insurance

Tomorrow I am going to go get renter's insurance. I haven't had it for a while because it was an expense I simply couldn't justify but now that I will have a paycheck again and another roommate it is important to protect my things from fire/theft/etc. It will be nice to know that I am protected in an emergency situation.

Roommate

My roommate is moving in today. She should be here in about an hour. When she gets here I am going to help her move her stuff in and then we are going to go do laundry because I keep meaning to go do laundry and then just not doing it. I'm kinda lazy like that.

My New Job

I am so excited! I got the job I interviewed for on Friday! I start on 11/3 and the pay is great, the benefits are excellent and it is right down the street from my boyfriend's office. I feel much better now...I have never been unemployed like this before and I was going a little nuts about the lack of work. Now with my new job and my new roommate I will be back to a normal lifestyle again (though I now have a huge amount of medical debt for the cats and I will be keeping the purse strings tightened until I get that paid off) and I won't have to worry about money like this any longer! Yay!

Newest eBay Addition

In celebration of Halloween I have put up a mystery envelope on eBay! It isn't spooky or anything, in fact it is full of awesome Broadway and Off Broadway memorabilia! If you are interested in a little Halloween mystery this year please feel free to place a bid on my mystery envelope!

What a Weekend!

My grandparents took me to 2 Broadway shows, about 7 different restaurants, and various tourist attractions I hadn't yet made time to see here in NYC. I have accomplished so much over the last few days just being out and about with them, not to mention the several job interviews I went on! (Is my short absence starting to make a bit more sense?) I think I may have gotten the job I interviewed for today so I am excited about that...keep your fingers crossed for me!

On another note here is an interesting blog entry I found about homelessness. I think it makes a couple of valid points but I don't necessarily think that everyone who is homeless has this untapped potential either. It is a odd subject for me because I see the homeless on a regular basis and many of them are addicts or mentally ill and need more help than society can give them. It is a subject that will make you think twice about bitching about your own life though, that is for sure!

Grandma and Grandpa

My grandparents are in town this weekend and I am acting as hotelier and tour guide. They are staying in my spare room and I am showing them around the town. Tonight we went to see St Patrick's Cathedral and we had dinner at Angelo's in midtown. The cathedral was beautiful (and free!) and Angelo's was very delicious. My grandpa paid for dinner because he is awesome like that. Tomorrow we are going to Central Park in the morning and we will do something else later in the afternoon I am sure and then Sunday they are meeting my boyfriend for the first time. This should be an exciting weekend!

Woohoo!

I was cleaning today in preparation for my grandparent's visit tomorrow and found a $25 gift card to Starbucks. I don't drink coffee but my boyfriend does so this will make an excellent gift for him. Then I moved the couch to do some additional cleaning and found a $20 Jamba Juice gift card which I will certainly use! Both of these were left behind by my old roommate and I called to check the balances and they are both full! I am going to surprise my boyfriend with a gift card on Sunday and I will have a smoothie almost every day next week. This has been a great day!

Stupid Internet

My internet connection sucks. I might actually be able to pay for internet soon though! My new roommate is moving in 2 weeks from now and I have had 2 job interviews so far this week and I have another one on Friday. Hopefully I will be employed and my rent will drop in half over the next couple of weeks and I will be back on the positive side of things. I still won't be flush or anything but it'll be much better than things are now.

Brunch

Today I went to a brunch in Brooklyn with my boyfriend. It was a potluck so we made lemon bars from a mix he had at his place and we brought coffee, so it was a pretty cheap way to spend the afternoon. Last night we made fajitas at his place so that didn't cost much either and it was a tasty way to spend the evening and not take in too many calories. It is nice to be with someone who understands the fact that I am frugal by nature (and by force at this point in time) and is willing to work with me to find things that are both fun and cheap for us to do around the city.

Internet

My internet signal at home is being buggy (I guess that's what you get when you hack your signal from your neighbors) but I am at starbucks using their signal instead. On the way down here I found a quarter!

Cleaning Out The Fridge

Today I am going to clean out my fridge. I am kind of afraid, actually, because I haven't really cleaned it out since I moved in here. I throw stuff out from time to time but I haven't ever done a top-to-bottom cleaning of it so I just know there are alien life forms growing in the back somewhere. My grandparents are going to be here to visit in a couple of weeks and I need to get stuff cleaned up so that they aren't appalled at my lifestyle. That means I have to clean the place, hide the condoms, and find cheap decorations to make it look like normal people live here. I'm excited that they are going to visit though because I haven't seen anyone in my family in a while and they will be the first ones to meet my boyfriend!

Cleaning my fridge doesn't really make or save me any money but it keeps me occupied so I am not out spending money, not to mention making my apartment more liveable for my grandparents while they stay here and for my new roommate when she moves in (and that will save me LOTS of money so it really must be done.)

Bookstore

I am going to the bookstore to return a book I bought. I really wanted to read it but I can't justify the $14 for something I can get on Amazon for less than $5 or possibly less at a used bookstore somewhere. I will be heading back to Barnes and Noble here in a couple of hours to return the book and get my money back and then I will not be going anywhere near a bookstore again until I get this whole financial thing straightened out.

Donuts

Last night I developed an intense desire for donuts. I wanted some so badly I couldn't think about much else and contemplated walking down to the deli to buy a box but I just kept telling myself over and over again that I can't afford to give into cravings like that, financially or otherwise. It makes me really sad that I have to think about my finances like this and consider a donut to be a luxury but that is the way it is for now. I applied for about 30 jobs over the last 3 days and I continue to apply whenever possible. I am also trying to make sure I keep getting out and meeting people to network with and hopefully a decent job will show up shortly. Wish me luck!

New eBay Items

I put two new items up on eBay today...check them out and bid if you are interested! The first is the playbill from Equus. The second is the playbill from Monty Python's Spamalot signed by two of the stars, including Tom Deckman!

I will probably put more items up on eBay tomorrow because my job situation is incredibly crazy here lately. I can't believe all of the crap that has gone on for me employment wise lately! It is starting to make me wonder how I ever found a job at all after college.

Walk for the Cure

Today I walked with my boyfriend in the JDRF Walk for the Cure for Diabetes 10k. It was absolutely free and we got to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and they provided us with lunch! It was tiring but fun and I was glad to have a chance to spend the day with my boyfriend at no cost to either of us. We could both stand to lose a little weight so spending the day getting a much needed work out was a benefit to both of us as well.

Mmm, Tasty!

I bought this cereal at Trader Joe's called Trader Joe's Whole Grain Chocolatey-Filled Cereal Bites and it is delicious! It is like whole wheat capsules of fudge! And it was less than $3 for an 18 oz box! Hie the hence to Trader Joe's and purchase this fantabulous product! It is cheap and delicious, which is something you don't find in every product.

Off Off Broadway

Last night my boyfriend and I went and saw a show downtown. The tickets were only $15! It was possibly the weirdest show I've ever seen and it was totally worth the money. It featured naked dancing and torturing Mr. Potato Head, not to mention the whale costume that they used halfway through the show. Then afterwards we went to Trader Joe's, which was surprisingly cheap! I got a full bag of groceries for less than $14 and all of their stuff has been pretty tasty. I highly recommend Trader Joe's if you have one in your area.

New eBay Items

I put some new stuff up on eBay today! Check it out and bid if you are interested!

The first item is a copy of the movie Bedazzled starring Elizabeth Hurley and Brendan Fraser.

The second item is a copy of the CD Good Girl Gone Bad by Rihanna.

The third item is a copy of the CD Let Go by Avril Lavigne.

The fourth and final item for today is a 2 for 1 special! It is the soundtrack to the movie Chicago but it is a combination of both the movie soundtrack and the London stage production! 2 CD's for the price of 1!

Ren Faire

Today is the Ren Faire at the park near my place. This is the biggest single event held at any park in the city, apparently, and there will be upwards of 50,000 people there! It is free admission so even though it is raining I am going to walk up to the event and see what kind of things they have going on there.

Equus

Tonight I have a ticket to Equus that I purchased many, many months ago when I had a roommate and a high paying job. I am very much looking forward to going to the theater again! I haven't been in a long time and I miss it. I'm really going to enjoy the show and hopefully Daniel Radcliffe will be signing playbills after the show and I will be able to sell it online to make some extra money!

Free Sporting Events!

My boyfriend got free tickets to see the WNBA game at Madison Square Garden tonight! I've never been to an WNBA game before and I've also never been to Madison Square Garden so this will be an awesome experience to have and it will be completely free! Hurrah!

Laundry

I needed to do laundry yesterday but I didn't have the time (or the money, quite frankly) so I just washed a couple of shirts in the sink and hung them to dry. I have my tiny washer that fits in the bathtub but I also had a very sick cat for the past week or so and I want to run everything through the mega-washer-of-death-and-destruction at the laundromat to get rid of any kind of sick cat smell. The shirts I washed in the sink were dirty before I had to haul the cat all around creation though so they should smell fine. I will do laundry tomorrow night while my boyfriend goes to CT to watch his aunt's dog for the weekend.

Discover Card

Today when I went online to check my discover card balance I found out that I had earned a $20 cash back bonus award. I looked to see where it could be redeemed (they let you turn that $20 into $25 or $30 if you take it in a gift certificate) thinking that maybe I would take my boyfriend out to dinner or something but nothing jumped out at me as some place I really needed to go. I finally decided just to credit my account the $20, so today I made a $20 payment to my credit card bill and it didn't cost me one cent! Too bad my bill is about $3000 so that $20 doesn't go very far, but free money is free money and I'll take it no matter how small the amount!

The Next Round of eBay Items

I have added 3 wonderful new items to my eBay sales! The first is a playbill for the show Curtians signed by David Hyde Pierce and Debra Monk. The second is the RENT soundtrack on audio cassette. The third is a copy of the book How to Survive Dating. If these items sound interesting to you please feel free to check them out and bid!

Chocolate Cake

I made a chocolate cake yesterday (since I had the cake mix and all) but now I am left with this massive amount of cake that will go bad if I don't eat it. I had cake for breakfast and I will have some cake for dessert for tonight too. I always feel bad throwing out food so I try to eat everything before it goes bad but I don't know if I will be able to eat an entire cake before it goes bad. I guess if I have too much to eat I can share it with the homeless man who lives a couple of blocks down the street from me. He would probably appreciate some cake.

The Universe Has Gotten Weird Lately

Okay, I must take a quick break from my regularly scheduled program to ponder some things with you.

I have never kept in contact with my exes because I find it very difficult to maintain a friendship with someone that I couldn't have a successful relationship with and, generally speaking, all of my exes have seemed to feel the same way. I have never heard from any of them afterwards unless we accidentally run into one another in public or something. So WHY IN THE WORLD have I been contacted by 3 of my exes in the last two weeks? And not contacted in a, "Hey, how have things been for you?" kind of way, but a, "Why did I ever let you go? I need you back!" kind of way.

Even if I didn't have a boyfriend right now I still wouldn't go back to someone I couldn't make it work with the first time. What is making people contact me out of the blue? Does being in a happy, healthy relationship send out signals into the universe telling everyone I've ever met that now is the time to try to get back together with me? Arrrgh!

Sigh. I feel better now for having vented here. Thanks for listening!

Central Park

Today the weather is gorgeous! It is kind of cool and breezy with a lot of sunshine. I love this time of year between seasons where summer is drifting away and you can almost see the fall marching into the city. It is just another reminder of why I love living in NYC. I am going to go down to Central Park later today and walk around a bit. It will be a bit of a workout as well as being a beautiful way to spend some time. I will even take my digital camera and take some pictures (even though I don't have a memory card yet and can only take 7 pictures at a time.)

I think Central Park might be one of the city's most incredible free things to do. It is such a fantastic place and I don't think I spend nearly enough time there. Since my boyfriend is in Connecticut visiting his mother I am on my own for the day and I would love to spend it out enjoying the weather. If you have a park near you I highly suggest you go wander around and enjoy this wonderful day!

New eBay Items

I put 2 new items up on eBay today! The first is a RENT playill signed by Anthony Rapp and Tamyra Gray. The second is the first volume of the series Fruits Basket on DVD. If you are interested in either item please go check it out and bid!

Cleaning

Since I have a woman coming over to look at the apartment tomorrow night I have been doing some cleaning. The bathroom is now sparkling and the spare bedroom is clean. I am currently taking a break before I tackle the dishes. The place needs to be acceptably clean before she gets here because I really need someone to move in and pay half the rent. She has a cat too so Joey and Oliver would have a new friend while she lives here, which would be good for them. I think the cat smell would then officially own the apartment and I would just be subletting though, because it is hard to keep the place from smelling like cat when you have so many of them. The litter boxes and food and stuff just leave a distinctive smell that makes it obvious I own cats no matter how much cleaning I do, but generally I am able to keep it controlled. If I had a huge house instead of an apartment in Manhattan (which is big by NYC standards but small by the standards of the rest of the country) it wouldn't be so bad but the size of my place does contain any kind of cat smell. I have the kitchen window propped open to air the place out every couple of days though so it isn't too bad. Now I must go wash dishes and get ready to start mopping. I hate cleaning but it is a necessary evil unfortunately. One day when I have lots of money I amd hiring a cleaning service, I swear.

Kitty Updates

Joey is still in the hospital but he will be coming home tomorrow morning. The total bill for his hospital stay, tests, meds, cab fare to get him from place to place, etc. is coming up to be just over $3000. Which sucks, to be sure. However, I did find a new potential roommate and she is coming to see the apartment on Friday so if she moves in my expenses will drop in half which would be really, really helpful. I'm hoping she likes the place and will move in for at least a little while until I get back to where I was financially before all of this stuff started happening.

And in other happy news my grandparents bought me a plane ticket home for Thanksgiving and my parents bought my boyfriend a plane ticket too so he can go with me and meet the family! I'm very excited that 1.)He is still planning to be around at Thanksgiving and 2.)My family will get a chance to meet him after all of the stories they have heard about him. Though now I am kind of nervous because I have never had to bring a guy across the country to meet my family so that puts a little extra pressure on the whole situation.

I Need Your Help

I had hoped that I would never have to do this but I am desperate.

It is 4 in the morning. I just returned from the emergency vet where Joey is now hooked up to an IV and is undergoing surgery. I have spent $2000 in less than 24 hours and the costs are still mounting to keep Joey healthy. With the crap going on at work and after the woman who was looking at being my roommate decided against moving in with me I am in a dangerous financial place. I have now maxed out my discover card and my visa is very, very full. I am running out of credit and I am paying rent out of savings while I try to improve my work situation. I have about 3 months before I will be staring down the barrel of eviction if I can't get things straightened out.

I am now begging you for your help. Please check out my eBay sales and bid if you are interested. If you just want to donate a dollar or two there is a paypal link on the right side of my blog where you can send me something to help me out. If you know of an open job in NYC that you think I might be qualified for please don't hesitate to email me the contact information. If you know someone who might need a place to live in NYC please have them contact me. I need any and all help people in this world can offer me right now.

If people do choose to send me donations through the button at the right I will keep track of how much is donated and then, once my financial situation gets rectified, I will turn around and donate an equal amount to Heifer International to help improve the lives of others.

The picture here is my cat Joey, the one in surgery right now. Anything you can do to help keep him healthy would be appreciated more than you can know.

I'm So Tired - Also, New eBay Items

Well, $902 worth of vet bills later hopefully Joey will be okay now and won't need to go to the vet ever again in his little cat life. The stress of all of the financial crap is exhausting me but at least the cats are okay now.

I do have new items up on eBay now. I have put both Fall Out Boy-Infinity On High and The Rules of Attraction up for sale. Please go check them out and bid!

Excessive Vet Bills

My cat Joey is sick again. I am taking him to the vet in the morning. I don't know how much more I can afford to spend on the cats and their medical care. Why won't they stay healthy?!? I buy them the highest quality food and play with them and they sleep in the bed with me. I pet their bellies and get them their shots and do all of the things a person should do to take care of their pets. I love them as though they were my children. I sat in the bathroom with Joey and sobbed for about half an hour because I couldn't figure out what was wrong. I gave him some pain medication and he should be fine for the night but he will have to go to the vet as soon as they open in the morning and I hope that they take pity on me and work to keep the costs at a minimum. If you are a person who believes in the power of prayer please keep my kitties in your thoughts. I am willing to go into debt to make sure they are properly cared for but I really would like to be able to have healthy pets and a positive bank balance at the same time.

Dinner Tonight

Tonight I am going to dinner with my boyfriend and his mother. We are going to an asian fusion place near his apartment. I think his mother is wonderful and I am really looking forward to getting together with her again. She will probably pay for dinner (she is just overly generous like that) so it will be a free meal for me, but I'd be glad to pay for it myself just to get a chance to spend time with the two of them.

The Post Office

I am on my way to the post office to send out a couple of eBay packages. I try to send them the fastest way possible but that isn't always a possibility due to cost restraints. I hope the people who are buying my eBay items get good use out of them. These are things that meant a lot to either myself or my former roommate at one time and I am glad that they are going to people who will use them instead of taking up space in a landfill somewhere.

I also want to take this time to send a big thank you to those people who are bidding on my items. This morning I cried tears of joy when I looked and saw that an item I put up yesterday already has 7 bids on it! If I can make a decent amount of money on these items it really helps make up for the hit my paycheck took while I am looking for something better. It means that the kitties get to keep eating their expensive cat food that the vet recommends so that they can stay healthy. It means that I don't have to sponge off of my boyfriend if we go out and I can buy my own movie ticket or lunch so the burden isn't all on his end. It means that I can pay my phone bill on time and pay more than the minimum on my credit card bills (which were empty until both of my cats got sick...the vet bills are all on the discover card.) I just wanted to send everyone who has bid a heartfelt THANK YOU!

Kitties

This morning my cats woke me up 40 minutes before my alarm clock was set to go off. They were running around terrorizing their invisible enemies by charging about like they were bulls with rabies or something. This was their way of telling me they wanted to eat. I wish I had an automatic feeder that I could set for in the morning so that they would stay calm but that is the kind of frivolous thing I can't afford right now. Getting proper amounts of sleep would be really helpful for destressing right about now...I wish the cats were more understanding about that kind of thing.

The Next Round of eBay

I have more items up on eBay! The first is The Simpsons Christmas DVD. It has one of my favorite episodes of all time, She of Little Faith, and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves The Simpsons!

The second item is The Secret Lives of Men and Women: A PostSecret Book which is a book version of www.postsecret.blogspot.com. It is facinating and I have thrown in a bonus for the bidders!

My new job is not working out very well and I am searching for something better, so if you'd like to show me some support while I am transitioning employment (yet again, unfortunately) please bid on my items. It helps more than you could ever know!

Some Advice For The Ladies

Ladies, if you lose a bet with your boyfriend and have to get a brazilian wax, be sure to pay to have it professionally done. It will be worth the cost, I promise.

If you are going to do it yourself be very careful with the wax and make certian it is hypoallergenic. And for the love of all that is holy, be careful with wax and razors near your hoo-ha! Though I am now hairless and all it is itchy! Next time I will have a professional do it, or I will drink a lot and have my boyfriend do it instead. That'd teach him to be more careful what he asks for in the future.

Atlantic City, Baby!

We had a great time at Atlantic City! My boyfriend won $100 (and then paid for my trip out of his winnings...isn't he sweet?) and I won about $6. We got caught in the rainstorm walking between The Tropicana and Ceasar's Palace and spent the last 2 hours of our trip soaking wet. We got to see the movie Wanted on the bus ride back into the city too! All in all it was a wonderful trip and I look forward to going back in the future.

eBay IV

I have two new items up on eBay, and they are excellent (if I do say so myself!) The first item is the Walk the Line soundtrack. It was a great movie about a great musician and if you like country music I think you should bid on it! The second item is a copy of the movie My Own Private Idaho. It is the 2 disc collector's edition! Check them out and place a bid if you are interested in owning either item!

Payday

Well, today I am going to go pick up my pathetically small paycheck and put it in the bank. Then I have to go grocery shopping, buy cat food and litter, pay the electric bill, and set aside money for my trip tomorrow, which means that my paycheck is already spent before I get it. And my next paycheck will be pathetically small as well. I am going to come home after all my errand running and apply for more jobs and put more stuff on eBay because this job has jerked me around quite a bit since I started there and I can't keep living like this.

On another note, my last 2 eBay items still have no bids! They are excellent items and I highly recommend them! If you are at all interested please check out the links from a couple of days ago and see if there is anything there that interests you and keep an eye out for my next set of links to go up later tonight!

Atlantic City

There is a bus that runs about 6 blocks from my place to Atlantic City. It is a $27 ride and when you get there they give you $20 for gambling. Basically they are going to take me to Atlantic City and back for $7! My boyfriend and I are going to go this weekend since we have never been before. Who knows, maybe we will come back millionaires!*

*Probably not, but it is a nice dream!

My New License

Today I tested for my Accident and Health Insurance license. I passed the test and I am now a licensed agent. I'm still not earning any kind of decent money and will end up only being paid for about 60 hours this month unfortunately, but it is another tool in my belt that I can use to find better work elsewhere. I am applying for other positions every day and I consider this current job to be nothing but a stepping stone. I will have to hustle on eBay to make up for the pay difference so that I don't have to tap into my savings too much for the month of September. Things could be worse though, so I am not worried at all. I will just keep on keepin' on and get back to my old payscale, hopefully sooner rather than later.

New eBay Items, Part III

That's right, folks, I've got another set of eBay items online! This time through it is a Simpsons DVD and a recipe book for making drinks. I have the Simpsons episodes as part of my full collection so I don't need that particular DVD and I'm not a drinker (don't ask me where the book came from...I have no earthly idea, and I have another book that is very similar that will go on eBay eventually as well. Talk about weird!) so both of these items will prove more useful to me as a way to generate a little income than their actual, intended purpose. Please check the auctions out and bid if you are interested in the items!

The Beach

This weekend I was very busy! My boyfriend took me to meet his family in Connecticut. They have a house on the beach so we stayed there and they threw a big party. They paid for all the food and everything and we stayed for free, so in essence I got a vacation to a gorgeous beach front town for the $20 round trip train ticket. It was awesome! Connecticut is beautiful and I recommend you go there if you ever get a chance.

Flies Everywhere!

I have somehow managed to get flies in the kitchen. I believe they came in with a bunch of pears I bought the other day. I am so grossed out! It is too late to find somewhere to buy fly paper and I am trying to kill these bugs with extreme prejudice! Ewww...bugs! I am going to look online to see if there is any way to destroy them with common household items.

New eBay Items

I have put some new items up on eBay! Check them out if you are interested!

The first is the Dreamgirls soundtrack. It is an excellent CD and I highly recommend it.

The second item is Calvin and Hobbes. It is the first book in the collection and has a forward by Gary Trudeau. I love Calvin and Hobbes and I somehow ended up with two copies of this book so I am glad to have the opportunity to share the magic of Bill Waterson with others.

Please check out my auctions and bid if you feel so inclined!

Darts at the Bar

Last night was my boyfriend's best friend's birthday. She had a huge get together at a bar downtown and I went with my boyfriend to help her celebrate. We played darts and hung out with a bunch of really cool people for about 3 hours. I only drank water so I didn't spend a dime and I got to meet some awesome new people.

The woman throwing the party had requested people bring canned goods to help the local food pantry. I cleared out the canned goods my former roommate left behind and brought those with me so I didn't spend any money for that either. I really appreciate that she celebrated her birthday by helping those less fortunate and I am glad I was able to help.

Roommate

I am heading to the grocery store to pick up food for the week. I have only gotten 1 paycheck this month and it was only for a few hours of work so I have had a whopping $147 income so far this month. I transferred money from savings to cover rent and utilities and such but I am still kind of panicked. I have never had to use my savings like this before so I really felt the pain of transferring over those funds.

On a happy note I think I may have found a new roommate! She works with me and needs a cheaper place to live so she is going to come over next week and check out the apartment to see if she would be interested. Hopefully that will go well and my expenses will go back down! I'll still have the lower paying job but at least I won't have to cover all the bills by myself.

Lunch Today

I didn't have anything to take to work for lunch today. I had exactly $1 in quarters and I was going to have a candy bar or something from the vending machine until I discovered a Starbucks gift card hidden in the realms of my purse! I had $6 on the card so I got a soda and 2 of those cookies that are the size of your head (the sandwiches and stuff were all $6 or more so I couldn't really use the card for true lunch-type foods unfortunately.)

It filled me up but I was wishing I'd had some protein later in the afternoon. I am making dinner now and I will be setting some aside for lunch before I take a single bite. I can't go without food tomorrow and I can't go two days in a row without a decent lunch. Thank goodness there is a refrigerator at work so I can bring food from home!

eBay Sales

The new job I accepted started me at a very low training rate. I was fine with this because I was only supposed to be at the lower pay for 6 weeks. Friday I found out that they are extending the training for another 7 weeks, so I have inadvertently taken more than a 50% pay cut for the next 12 weeks. I can't really handle having my income cut for that long which is part of why I took the part time job that I was offered as well. I still need to find a way to earn a bit of extra income though so I am looking into a few other ways to make some money.

I put a couple of things up for sale on eBay this afternoon. I need the money more than I need the items, so it seems like the right thing to do. I am hoping that I'll be able to sell them and put the money towards groceries and paying the electric bill. If you want to stop by and take a look at my listings feel free!

The first item is The Sims Complete Collection. I love The Sims but I will be working closer to 60 hours a week now for less than 2/3 of what I was earning previously and I will be spending time with my boyfriend so I really can't be playing a game as addictive as The Sims anymore. The second item is Carmen Electra's Aerobic Striptease. I've lost a lot of weight since I moved to NYC, mostly due to dietary changes and walking everywhere, but also in part to these workout videos. They are fun and provide a decent workout, not to mention teaching me some striptease basics! (My boyfriend seems pleased by what I've learned from the DVDs!) If you have an interest in either of these items or you know someone else who might want them please don't hesitate to take a look at the auctions and forward the links on to other people as well!

Preventing Library Fines

I have several DVDs and a couple of audio books that I checked out from the library last week that are due today. I have a lot of stuff to do around the house today though and I don't have time to go to the library so I went online and renewed everything so I can return them on my way home from work tomorrow without incurring a fine.

I am going to make pancakes and bacon later today since I have the stuff to make them lying around and I can't afford to go to the store yet. My paycheck from my job only covered 16 hours so I am going to be eating what I've got here at home for now.

Mmm, foodbits!

I am having a craving for steak. Thick, juicy steak with a side of garlic mashed potatoes and followed by a double fudge brownie. I can't afford that though, so I will have tomato soup instead. Stupid finances preventing steak from being in my belly!

All Sorts of Free!

Yesterday was a 2 for 1! I went to a paperback swap and got a bunch of new books in exchange for old books I won't ever read again AND my boyfriend and I went and saw The Blues Brothers at the Hudson River Flicks. It was a very funny movie but it was freezing outside! I wish I had brought a blanket or something because it was so cold and windy outside that it was unpleasant to be out and about. It was worth it though because the movie was hilarious and I will always be glad to have any reason to see my boyfriend!

Book Club Meeting

I went to my book club meeting tonight. We met at a pub and everyone else had beer but since I don't drink and I don't have any money to spend I just had water. I always have a great time with my book club and it is wonderful to spend time in intellectual conversation with people. I can't tell you how refreshing it is to talk to people about politics, cinema, and literature without having to worry that you are offending someone or having to explain yourself over and over again. Intelligent conversation and an evening out and about with good friends is always a good idea, especially when it doesn't cost a thing!

Clothes Shopping

I finally finished my clothes shopping! I now have an acceptable amount of clothing for work and home that fits me properly, including a few new pairs of shoes. Now I can't spend another dime on clothes until I shrink out of all of this stuff, but at least I won't have to wander around in clothes that are too big for me anymore.

What I Learned About Myself

After my unemployment debacle I have learned that I don't function well without a daily purpose. There are some people out there who, when graced with the opportunity to live life without working, do great things. They volunteer with charities or go to the gym and get really slim or they travel to amazing places. I spent my week of unemployment doing nothing. Literally. I have dishes to do from earlier this week before I started my new job, which is nuts because I had nothing but time! I could have been washing dishes and cleaning my apartment but instead I spent the time applying for jobs and reading web comics. I need a reason to get up at a normal hour every day. I need something to spur me into action. I can't be without a job for more than a few days at a time. Though I wish I hadn't needed to go through the horrors of quitting and then finding a new job I am glad I was able to learn something new about myself. Learning something new about yourself is priceless!

11 p.m.

It is 11 p.m. I can hear my neighbor's alarm clock going off. They are obviously not home and it just keeps going. I have ear plugs so I should be okay. Ear plugs are cheaper than murder charges, which was my other option. Okay, so maybe not murder, probably just an angry fist shaking in their general direction.

My boyfriend and I went to the movies tonight and then we sat outside of Central Park for a while. It was a nice night and I quite enjoyed spending time with him. I have to go to bed now because I am working in the morning...my new job has half a day of training tomorrow. Insurance training is kind of boring so I will probably end up bringing a soda or something to keep myself awake, but I will buy it at the store instead of from a vending machine to save some money.

When It Rains It Pours

I got offered a part time job on top of my new job offer from yesterday! Excellent! It is a job ushering for musical performances at a theater downtown, so I would get a paycheck and get to see performances for free! (I think that is officially too many exclamation points, but I am super excited and I just can't help it.)

Last night my boyfriend took me out to dinner to help celebrate my new job so I got a free dinner and since I only ate half of my meal (they give you A LOT of seasame chicken!) so he took the rest for his lunch at work today. It worked out well for both of us!

New Job

I got the job I interviewed for this morning! It will be a bit of a pay cut, but it takes 2 hours a day off of my commute and it has flexible hours so that I can go back to school and get my master's degree in the spring. I also have the option of working overtime to earn extra cash if I need, unlike my last job where I was expected to work extra for no additional pay. I start on Thursday. Wish me luck!

Job Interview

In the morning I have a job interview with an insurance company downtown. I would work in the financial district! That would be really cool. I am very excited about possibly working in Manhattan instead of having to travel so far away from home, not to mention working for a non-crappy company instead of where I was before. Wish me luck!

Today I am going to do some laundry after it stops raining. It should be the last big trip I have to take to the laundromat! Tide changed their formula and now it makes my clothes smell like deoderant tampons, I swear. I bought new laundry detergent that is both dye and scent free and I am running almost everything I own through the laundry to get rid of the Tide smell. I am also writing to Proctor and Gamble to see if they will refund my money for their inferior product.

Oooh, It Burns!

Yesterdy at Govenor's Island, despite my use of sunblock, I managed to get a wicked burn on my back. Ouch! I am going to spend today in bed (on my stomach, of course) and not move. That at least is free! Remember kids, when wearing a tank top you MUST have someone give you a hand putting sun block on your upper back or you will end up horribly burned.

Cleaning Day

Since I am no longer employed at the moment I am taking today to clean the apartment. I might as well use my time productively, right? My boyfriend is coming by tonight and we are going to watch a movie and pick up a pizza, so we have a fun but low cost evening ahead of us.

Tomorrow I am taking a free tour of Govenor's Island with some friends. I love history and educational stuff so I think it will be incredibly fascinating and it won't cost a dime!

Hudson River Flicks

I went to a movie on the Hudson River tonight. It was a showing of Saturday Night Fever broadcast on a huge projection screen on a pier next to the river. It was good, though the movie ends in a bit of a depressing note. I got to spend the evening with a friend and my boyfriend and they gave out free popcorn, which was awesome. I love free things! I think we are going back to see The Blues Brothers later this month.

Stupid Internet Connection

For the past couple of days my internet connection has been down, preventing me from updating my blog or doing many of the other things I use the internet for every day. I have been using the internet at the library to catch up with email and apply for jobs though, so it wasn't the most horrible thing in the world. Thank goodness I have the internet back though!

Last night I took an interesting class called "How to Make a Better First Impression." Since I am currently applying for jobs and such I figured it was well worth my time, not to mention the fact that it was free! It was offered through a social group I am a part of and I thought it was very interesting. Not a bad way to spend an evening!

Art Museum

Last night I went to see the Dali exhibit at the MoMA. It is free on Fridays so it didn't cost me a cent and I met some awesome people. It was a lovely evening.

I ended up spending time with a friend tonight so I will spend my Sunday morning in the laudromat washing every item of clothing I own. I was supposed to do laundry on Thursday but my boyfriend asked me to go out that night and I will pick a sexy man over clean clothes any day!

Cleaning The Mattress

As you will remember from a couple of days ago my cat got sick and peed on my bed. Well, in the past couple of days I have tried Urine Gone, Baking Soda, and Peroxide to get rid of the smell but none of it has worked. The man at the pet store recommended a product called Urine Off, so I have soaked my bed in that and I am waiting for it to get rid of the smell. If this one doesn't work I am just going to have to bleach the crap out of the mattress and then flip it over to sleep on it while I find a replacement. I don't want to buy a new mattress since I don't have $300-$600 to spare, but I can't sleep on the couch forever. The mattress is about 5 years old at this point but I was hoping to get at least another 2 years out of it before having to get a new one. It is still really comfy and I would love to keep it a while longer.

Job Offer

I was offered a position that I interviewed for on Monday. It would be a pay cut but it would be much, much closer to home. I am not sure if I want to take it though...it is a small company with very little room for growth and it is a job I am not very familiar with (commercial insurance) in an industry I don't know that I want to stay in for much longer. Sigh...decisions are hard sometimes.

On a money saving note, I have been drinking cranberry juice like crazy lately but I thin it with water. I do that with most juices, actually. 50% water and 50% juice still tastes great but it helps to cut calories and make your juice last twice as long.

More Vet Bills

I took Joey to the emergency vet last night since the peeing on stuff kind of came out of nowhere. It turns out he has some kind of urinary inflammatory thing and is now on a couple of different medications. I love him and he is worth every cent I spent at the vet, but I have to say that I hope both cats are DONE being sick for now. I just can't handle any more sick kitties! Oh well, I will give them both scritches and just be glad they are both alive and (mostly) well.

Cats Are Making Life Difficult

Great. Oliver has been sick, but after several hundred dollars in vet bills he seems to be getting better. Now Joey insists on peeing on everything that shouldn't be peed on for any reason. I am about ready to pull out my hair! I have no idea what is causing any of this and now I can't do anything about it at 9:30 at night. I am at my wit's end. I can't sleep in my bed tonight as it is full of cat pee and enzyme cleanser...I hope the couch will be comfortable.

Book Club Meeting

Today our book club meeting was held at my friend's house and she made a huge brunch! Sausage, eggs, fruit, baguettes, and various cookies and sweets all at no cost to me. We picked a book for our next meeting that should be at the public library. When I go tomorrow I am going to pick it up and try to read it right away.

I also found 8 cents on the subway today. Hurrah for spare change!

Skipping a Week

I hadn't even realized it, but last week I didn't go grocery shopping at all. Today when I got up I realized I didn't have anything but canned soup, canned vegetables, and various kinds of pasta and rice. No bread, milk, cereal, fruit, etc. at all in the house. I don't know how I was able to completely forget to buy groceries!

I went to the store and restocked the house so I actually have food available. I also bought cranberry juice to have on hand for the next week or two so that I can keep that pesky UTI from popping back up again. I spent a bit more than I had planned on but I figure since I spent absolutely nothing on food last week it balances out.

It Hit The Fan

Today I had a performance evaluation more than a month after being told I was going to be fired. They didn't fire me, but they gave me ANOTHER warning of being fired in a month.

I panicked. I turned in my 2 week notice and set up an interview with another company for Monday. I just can't live through another month of waiting for the axe to fall and I can't keep making up illnesses every time I have an interview. Because I turned in my notice they are giving me a glowing referral and giving me time to interview over the next couple of weeks.

I cried for a minute when I realized what I had done but after I got past the fact that I just freaking quit my job I realized it was the best decision I could have made given the situation. I can't keep being miserable at work and this was the necessary step to end the misery.

Sleepy

After last night's adventures I am so tired I can barely see. I am going to go wash a couple of bras in the tub and then I am going to go to bed. I don't care if it isn't even 8:00 yet...some days you need to catch up on sleep! Sleep doesn't cost a thing though so I have no complaints at all.

My boyfriend (we will call him that, for lack of a better term at the moment since we haven't really established a title for what we are to one another yet) is celebrating his 27th birthday tomorrow. We are going to Dangerfield's, a comedy club without any kind of drink/food minimum purchase, and we have a coupon for half off admission. There is no reason a birthday celebration can't be frugal!

UTI Suckage

It is 2 in the morning. I am sitting here on the couch with a glass of cranberry juice trying to flush out a urinary tract infection that popped up about 6 hours ago. I hate when this happens. I started on antibiotics to kill the bacteria a few minutes ago but that isn't going to make it hurt less now. Hopefully the cranberry juice will help with the bathroom related unpleasantness.

Musings

I have an interview on Thursday and then another interview on Tuesday. I also have a date Thursday night!

I found a dime on my way home from work, so I am 10 cents ahead for the day.

I ate leftovers for dinner tonight instead of going out for dinner and I had leftover cake for breakfast this morning...it is a leftover kind of day apparently.

Interview!

I got a call for an interview with a company in midtown! I hope it works out...I hate my job so much. I would be glad to do just about anything to get a job with a different company closer to home. Hopefully something will come along soon so I won't have to worry about this much longer.

The Pharmacy

Since I am trying to get myself fired I decided to go into the pharmacy today and pick up my prescription and get some over the counter stuff as well since I know my health insurance is still in effect and I have my medical funds account that my employer provides. This way I don't get fired tomorrow and then have to go get my prescription (which is just birth control, not insulin or something necessary to keep me alive) and pay out of pocket because I waited 2 days too long. I saved quite a bit of money with that little bit of planning ahead!

The Cloisters

Today I am going to The Cloisters (the medieval art collection for the Met) with some friends. They request a donation of $20 but there isn't a charge, so to speak, simply a donation request. I am going to donate $1 because the museum gets funded in part by the government, which means my taxes are already paying their costs. I am not going to pay for something I am already paying for! It is a neat museum, I highly recommend it.

I didn't know that!

Did you know you can watch entire episodes of Coupling on youtube? It is one of the funniest shows ever and I am so glad I am able to see it without having to buy the DVD set. I'd like to own it someday, of course, but until then I am satisfied catching episodes online or renting it from the library.

Another Date

I had a wonderful time with my date last night! I bought dinner but he took me out for ice cream later in the evening and then, not to be too telling or anything, but he bought me breakfast this morning too. He was going to cook breakfast for me but we got distracted and finally just decided to head downtown and find a diner.

He is really, really wonderful. So wonderful, in fact, that I mentally squee* everytime I think about him. Most men I have dated have been sweet and nice but have always had something that nagged at me to let me know they weren't going to be long term dating material. Either they were mean to waitstaff or they were dumb or they were proud of the fact that they don't read or whatever, but there was always something about them that immediately told me that we would not last. The last guy I really liked kept getting interviews and offers for positions overseas so I couldn't attach myself to someone who was moving within 6 months.

This guy is pretty close to perfect. I am so glad I met him, and not just because he bought me breakfast. Hurrah!


*Squee, for those of you who don't know, is the sound you make in your brain when you are overloaded with happy. Think of the sound your brain would make if you were to see a group of kittens or something. That sound is known as a squee.

This might be a bad idea...

I was told about a month ago that I was going to be fired. I got ready to be canned, cleared out my desk, and started applying for other jobs. Well, plenty of time has come and gone and they still haven't fired me. The only thing that whole speech they gave me has done is to make me hate going to work every day much worse than I ever have before. I feel outcast and tense all day long and I have to really force myself to get up and go into work every day. Well, a couple of days ago my back started to hurt. Not so much that I couldn't walk or anything, but enough that it made me think twice about going into work, especially since my commute is so long that if my back did go out completely while I was at work it would take me about 2 hours to get home again while injured.

I called in sick on Wednesday and spent the time applying for jobs. Then I did the same thing Thursday. Then again today. I am hoping that when I go in on Monday they will finally get around to firing me. I know if I quit I can't claim unemployment at all but that if I get fired I at least have a shot at it so I am trying to force them to fire me instead of quitting. I know it is a dumb thing to do but I can't bring myself to keep working there anymore. I feel like it is draining away my soul every day I have to go into that office. I got a call from a recruiter today for a possible position with another company and I am applying for upwards of 10 jobs a day so I can't imagine I would be out of work for too long. I also have 3 1/2 months of living expenses saved up to cover the time I was unemployed.

Cleaning

My date on Saturday went well, so we went out again on Monday. That also went well, so on Friday my date is coming over to my place and I am making dinner. This means that I have much cleaning to do! I swept and mopped the kitchen and the bathroom, I am almost finished with dishes, and I am cleaning the living room here in a bit. I will have to clean my bedroom too but I haven't started on that yet. It is much cheaper to cook at home and rent a movie than to go out for an evening though so I will dedicate much time to cleaning so that we can hang out here instead of spending money.

blargh

It's late. I had a date tonight. It went very well, but MAN was that a long subway ride! I am glad I had my iPod with my free audiobooks courtesy of audible.com and the NY public library!

Ultimate In Frugal Entertainment

Yesterday night I went to see Bon Jovi in concert. For free. That's right...not a dime spent to see an incredible musical performance in Central Park. It was fantastic! I was invited by a guy for our first date and I must say that the concert and the date went very well. I will be seeing him again on monday (my date, not Bon Jovi.)

Clothes Shopping Day

Today after work I went to Wal-Mart and took advantage of their insanely cheap prices to restock the very basics of my wardrobe. I got about 20 pairs of socks, underpants, a few t-shirts and a pair of jeans all for under $75. I tried to go to Target but they had nothing in my size that wasn't capri pants or see through tops and trust me when I say no one wants to see me in that kind of thing out on the street. Now I am working on replacing some of my work clothes and building up my casual wardrobe so that everything I own is in colors that suit my skin tone and hair color and a fit designed specifically for my body type. I am trying to do all of this on a minimal budget...talk about difficult! I am going to Goodwill tomorrow and see what they have there that might work for me.

Job Interview #1

My interview today went well! It is a pretty awesome company with a casual dress code that is much closer to my home than my current job. I decided that if they offer me the position within my salary range I will gladly accept it. I am very excited! Hopefully they will give me a call back soon and let me know one way or the other. I am still setting up other interviews, of course, but this seems like it would be a good fit for me.

Still Employed For Now

Well, I managed to get through my day without getting the ax! I have taken tomorrow off since I have an interview in the middle of the day with another company. I hope it goes well! I can't keep working where I am now. It is slowly draining the soul from my body and I just can't take it anymore. I am also setting up interviews with other companies for the next week or two so I am sure something great will come along very soon.

On another note, I found 50 cents on the subway today. I think that is the most money I have found at one time since I moved to the city.

Wish me luck on my interview!

Tomorrow

Well, tomorrow is the day I expect to lose my job. I have cleaned everything out of my cube so leaving won't be a long, drawn out process if they walk me out of the building. I have an interview on Thursday morning so hopefully if everything goes the way I think it will I will get fired tomorrow and start my new job on Monday.

I found 2 pennies today, so that was a bonus!

Shopping

I need new clothes very badly. I can't afford new clothes though. I went to the store and got a couple of new bras so that at least my breasts are well supported (I have lost over 50 lbs in the last year and my bras no longer fit) but my pants and shirts are all huge too and I don't have the funds to replace them. I guess this weekend I will head to goodwill and see if they have anything in my size. I would like to invest in some nice looking clothes with a proper fit so that I look like a million bucks but I don't want to spend a million bucks to look good. I will go out in search of decent sales over the next week or so as well in hopes of having clothes that fit me again.

Muffins

Today blueberries were on sale at the store! I love blueberries but they are so expensive so I almost never get to buy them. I am currently making blueberry muffins right now! I am so excited about my fresh blueberry muffins made from scratch that I can hardly wait for breakfast tomorrow.

The Box

I have been going around the apartment finding things I don't need anymore or that were left behind by my roommate and collecting them in a box. Here in a few days I will have a box full of stuff to sell on eBay when I get the ax at work. It helps me accomplish 2 things: paying the bills and keeping the apartment clean!

Happy 4th of July!

Yay! I hope everyone has fantastic 4th of July plans! I will be watching the fireworks from the roof of my apartment building tonight instead of trying to fight my way downtown to pay $25 to go to a crowded party.

Today I am celebrating freedom....freedom from debt, the freedom to live in the most incredible city in the world, the freedom to pursue my goals and ambitions. These freedoms come at a cost though. That cost is responsibility. I have to be responsible for spending less than I earn and making appropriate, responsible decisions. All freedom comes at a price. The price of our national freedom is the money spent and the lives lost in our military. The price of our personal freedom is made up of opportunity costs. I hope everyone considers today more than a time to eat hot dogs and watermelon and remembers the cost of their freedoms. Raise your red, white, and blue glass in a toast to those who fight for you overseas as well as all the things you have given up to get where you are today and the decisions you will make in the future to end up where you truly want to be in life. Take today to celebrate where you are now and where you are going in the future. I know that is what I will be doing! I will leave you with some food for thought from one of my fellow Americans, Ralph Waldo Emerson.

A man in debt is so far a slave.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

3 Day Weekend!

Woohoo! A three day weekend is always a reason to celebrate (not to mention the birth of our proud nation!) I will use tomorrow productively by looking for jobs and cleaning. I will also put in some time on the book I have started writing. Saturday during the day I am going on a date so that should be fun and exciting as well.

The most important thing I am going to do tomorrow is sleep in late. It is a rare occasion that I get to sleep past 8 in the morning anymore and I am going to take full advantage of the extra day off by sleeping in until 9 if the kitties will allow me to do so. It is amazing how much joy one can find in activities that are absolutely free! I hope everyone finds there own ways to celebrate tomorrow and makes the most out of the holiday weekend.

Why No Shoes?

I have a question for the citizens of NYC. Why are all the small children running around shoeless today? I saw no less than 4 children without shoes being shuttled about in strollers and such. Why wouldn't you put shoes on your kid? Protect the tiny feet and put shoes on them!

Anyway, I have to buy new laundry soap tonight. I had purchased an off brand laundry detergent that was on sale and now all my clothes smell like slightly burnt mold. I guess I learned that not every money saving venture is effective. I am going to write to the laundry soap company and see if they will refund my money.

Bacon

I am heading down to the laundromat tonight. I have my little washer but once a month or so everything needs to be washed and dried properly. I also have towels and sheets and stuff that need to be washed too.

When I get home I am going to make pancakes and bacon for dinner and to take for lunch tomorrow. Mmmm, bacon. Why are are the delicious foods so bad for you?

Late Birthday Present

I got a birthday card in the mail from my grandparents today with $40 cash! Woohoo! Thanks grandma and grandpa!

Dumb Trains

I had a great time in Jersey today! There was lots of food and games and such and plenty of people to hang out with in the Garden State. A tree knocked out the power for the train and I had to have someone drive me to Secaucus so I could get back into the city. I had a great time and it cost less than $20 to get to and from Middletown (which is quite a ways a way!)

Party Tomorrow

Tomorrow there is a party being thrown by my friends in New Jersey. I made a pie to take with me and I will get to see New Jersey for the first time so I am kind of excited about that. I am very much looking forward to getting a chance to be out and about with other people considering how crazy this past month has been. I am taking the train out to the party with a couple of other people from Manhattan which should be fun and exciting.

I am going to drop off movies at the library on my way so I don't forget to return them later this week. It is best to avoid late fees whenever possible, after all!

Working For The Weekend

I am so excited that today is Friday! I love the weekends! Tomorrow I am going grocery shopping and doing some cleaning, which I have been meaning to do and I just keep forgetting about. I also have to keep applying for jobs so that is what I will be doing in the afternoon. Then I am going to sit down and do some writing. I have been kicking an idea for a book around in my head and I would like to see what I am able to do with it...who knows, if it ends up being any good I might be able to go from insurance agent to author!

Sunday I am going to a party in New Jersey. I can take the PATH train out there for about $5 so it should be a fun way to spend the day. Then I get a short week because of July 4th, so assuming they don't fire me until the 9th I will manage to get in one more paid holiday before I go.

*For those who are concerned, my foot still hurts but I am trying to keep it elevated and keep my weight off of it as much as possible in hopes that it will heal quickly.*

My Hurt Foot

I found out at the hospital today that I have a bad sprain in my right foot. I have an ace bandage and an ice pack and a prescription for vicodin. My health insurance is covering everything so it doesn't cost anything, which is nice. I just found out the guy I am dating is moving to Amsterdam in a couple of months so it looks like he and I won't be dating any longer. That sucks, but what are you gonna do?

Emergency Room

I hurt my foot the other day and I have been wrapping it at night and soaking it in hot water in hopes that it would get better but so far it hasn't. In fact, it seems to be getting worse. I am going to sleep on it tonight and tomorrow if it doesn't feel better in the morning I am going to call into work and go to the emergency room instead while I know I still have a job and health insurance.

Here in a few minutes I am going to call the health insurance people and find out how much they cover for emergency room visits before I waltz on down there tomorrow. If they only cover 50% or something I will find another way to have my poor foot looked at by a medical professional. Hopefully they will tell me that they cover everything but the copay and that they will hire T.R. Knight and Patrick Dempsey to be my doctors, but somehow I don't see that happening.

New Release Movies

Today at the library I hit up the new release movie section. I found a copy of Enchanted! I thought that was an excellent movie and I am excited to be able to rent it at no cost. I also got season one of the show NUMB3RS and the movie Something New with Blair Underwood and Simon Baker (talk about sexy men!) I try not to check out more than 3 or 4 movies at a time, unlike some people (I'm looking at you, woman who rented 22 movies at one time) to make sure there are as many options for people as possible since the library isn't my personal video store.

I also picked up a copy of the book The Great Mortality which is about the spread of the Black Plague through Europe in the 14th century. I find history facinating so despite the morbid subject matter I will probably very much enjoy the book.

Excellent Opportunity

On my way home from work today I received a call from an agency looking for someone with my qualifications for a possible new job. I am going to set up an interview and hopefully I will be able to move from where I am now to this new position (which, btw, pays more and takes almost 3 hours off my total commute time for the day) and be able to get out of this horrible situation where I am working currently. I hate my boss and my job is incredibly boring so a change to a job that is a better fit and closer to home would be phenominal. Wish me luck!

It Never Hurts To Ask!

First things first, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

Okay, now that I got that out of the way, it is time to tell you all about my frugal birthday celebration! I went to the mermaid parade in Coney Island which was amazingly eclectic and absolutely free. Then we went to the New York Aquarium and the cashier let me in free because it's my birthday! Hooray! Thanks for that, aquarium lady! Then we went to dinner at a favorite haunt of mine in Hell's Kitchen called Vynl Diner. It is delicious with an absolutely phenominal musical decor. I got a bit of a sunburn but other than that I had a wonderful day full of food, mermaids, sea creatures, and good friends for less than $20. I opened presents got season 7 of The Simpsons, a digital camera, a check for $50, and new shoes. I had an excellent day and I wish you as much joy on your birthday as I have had on mine.

Good News and Bad News

First, the bad news. The cost of the food my cats eat went up $3 a bag! Talk about crazy! I can't switch their food though because changing food types gives Oliver ulcers. Joey wouldn't have a problem with it, he could be happy eating rocks if I covered them in BBQ sauce, but Oliver must have the same diet and they have access to both food dishes. I would starve before I would let them go without their Iams though so I guess I will live with it.

Now, the good news. I made the cashier at the drugstore laugh so hard she gave me a $5 coupon off of my next purchase! Since I am going to be switching jobs here in a couple of weeks whether I want to or not I asked about how much my prescription costs without insurance. I pay $59 a month right now and without insurance it costs $70. What kind of tiny, insignificant portion of the bill is that, Oxford Health?!? When she told me that I breathed a sigh of irritation and said, "Yeah, and I bet they cover all but $3 for Viagra prescriptions." She and the people in line behind me burst into laughter and she handed me a coupon for $5 off my next purchase. Thanks, pharmacy lady!

Precautionary Steps

Since it looks like I will be out of work soon I started taking steps to protect myself and my money. I had our office manager cancel the drafts from my paycheck that were being taken out for pretax transit dollars so that if worse comes to worse I don't have money I need for groceries or rent tied up on transit cards that must be used for subway or bus fare.

I called in a prescription refill at the drugstore since my company provides an extra $4,000 a year for medical expenses of any kind so I will use some of that money for my birth control pills as well as an extra bottle of NyQuil, Pepto Bismol, antihisthamines, and anything else I might need in the next 6 months. (The birth control is being stockpiled since I am not seriously dating anyone and I don't want to start taking it if I don't need it. I will have about 6 month's worth in a drawer if and when I need it again someday. I might as well get it now while someone else is paying for it!)

I am still applying for jobs online and I called a couple of friends today to see if they have any openings where they work. This weekend I will buy a Sunday paper, despite the $4 cost, to see if there are any jobs in the classified section that I would be eligible for coming available in the future.

I am also going to take some steps to see if I can maybe hold onto my job for a bit longer if possible. I will start getting to the office a little earlier and trying to accomplish more during the day to see if maybe they will hold off on the firing. I don't know if it will help but it can't hurt!

Everyone keep your fingers crossed and think happy thoughts for me finding a new job!

Job Problems

Damn. I was told in no uncertian terms today that in 2 weeks I will be unemployed. My boss basically explained that I don't fit in with the office culture and that at my annual review in 2 weeks, maybe 3 at the most, I will no longer be employed with the company. It was very nice of them to give me some warning so that I can search for a job now while I am still employed but it still sucks to lose my job.

I applied for 3 positions so far today and I am going to try and apply for 2 more before I go to bed. I am going to make a point of applying for 5 jobs every day and tapping into my network of friends to try to find a position somewhere else. If I am lucky I will find a second shift position so that I can go to school during the day and get my Ph.D.

If anyone out there knows of an open position in NYC where they could use a creative individual that is good with people let me know!

Do It Yourself Beauty Tips and Tricks

I am not the kind of woman who is generally hung up on appearances. I don't wear make up unless it is a special occasion or event, I believe in dressing casually whenever possible, and I am a big fan of the ponytail. There are, however, several things I feel are important when it comes to appearances that make a big difference in how people percieve you.

1.) I pluck my own eyebrows. I used to go once a month and have them professionally waxed, tweezing here and there in between appointments. This cost me $15 per month (including tip) that I now handle completely on my own. My eyebrows still look well groomed, I just don't have a bright red bar across my forehead from where my skin got irritated by the waxing process anymore. And as a bonus, I never end up taking a chance on a new beautician who then waxes my eyebrows so thin that you can barely tell I have any! This happened to me twice and I am looking forward to never dealing with it again.

2.) I keep my nails painted a light color. Nail polish is an absolute must for me (I have psoriasis so the beds of my nails look funny. It isn't dangerous or contagious, just weird looking) but nail polish tends to chip, peel, and smear if you aren't incredibly careful. Light colors don't show damage nearly as drastically as dark colors so I tend to stick to light pinks primarily.

3.) I take good care of my skin. I drink plenty of water, use lotion and moisturizer when necessary, wear spf 30 or higher when outdoors for more than half an hour at a time, and take care to wash my face only once a day in the shower to prevent drying out my skin. You would be amazed at the difference between clean, healthy skin and oily or dry, damaged skin and the effect on your appearance. It is easy to go from drab to glowing if you can just make sure to take proper care of your skin.

Free Movies

Tonight is Free Movie Night at Bryant Park. They will be showing Dr. No (one of the Bond films) and I will be there! I have never been a huge Bond fan but the couple of Bond movies I have seen I liked so it will be interesting to see this one as well, especially since it won't cost me anything. I will be meeting a date there and he is making me dinner so that is kind of exciting too! A whole evening of free will be quite nice, though when I get home I will have to do a load of dishes and laundry so I might be up kind of late. I think it is a small price to pay for free entertainment though so I won't complain.

CNN Article - How To Beat Inflation

This CNN article gives 18 ways to save money and try to fight inflation a bit. There is some interesting stuff here but much of it doesn't apply to me. I don't have a car or kids so the college savings and gas savings don't really help me at all but the grocery tips and the energy saving tips could come in handy.

I have to say that I love all the articles online about ways to save money and how the economy is having an effect on people and their everyday lives. I think it really helps people to know that they aren't alone in their problems and that there are other people in the same boat.

Book Review - Cash In The City by Juliette Fairley

The book Cash in the City: Affording Manolos, Martinis, and Manicures on a Working Girl's Salary has plenty of information for a woman living in a big city environment. Since I moved from a decent sized city to a city of epic proportions I thought I should read this book.

The author talks a lot about making sure you have a handle on your money, keeping a budget, and not running up credit card debt. She makes a lot of good points but also tries to make sure that the readers understand they can still look good and live a bit of the high life on a budget. I think she makes some good points, though nothing earth shattering, and that she is helping perpetuate the Sex and the City image that so many women feel they need to keep to live here. Life can be great without the Manolos and I wish more women understood that.

All in all it was informative but not the most wonderful financial book I have ever picked up in my life. The recommendations seem sort of dated at this point but she does make some very good points and she also dedicates the book to addressing the needs of young, single women instead of families which is nice because so many financial books and sources dedicate their time to older individuals and people with children.

Google Ads Coming Soon

I signed up with AdSense and they will be placing ads on my blog here in the next day or two. If you see anything you are interested in feel free to click the ad and see what is available. If not you can ignore them the way you do the ads on every other site. If they become too distracting I will cancel them since this blog wasn't started in the interest of making money, simply as a way to have a place to talk about my money issues and connect with other people who are in the same boat. If the ads are profitable and discreet I will keep them around but rest assured that the second an ad for something I have a moral issue with shows up or one of those annoying ads that follows your mouse around the screen so you can't click on anything else (I HATE those!) they will be removed from the site with extreme predjudice. If you see anything in the ads that bothers you or that you think is inappropriate let me know so I can address the issue post haste!

Library Day

Today before Shakespeare in the Park I am going to the library to return some books and check out their DVD section to see what they have available. I was out late last night so I am very tired and I don't have the energy to do much else today. I am just going to lay around and pet the kitties until later this afternoon when I leave for the show.

Tomorrow I am going to do some cleaning and go to the grocery store and try to do a few loads of laundry so that everything has time to dry before work on Monday. It will be boring but necessary. Maybe I will paint my nails and take a bubble bath to make the day more enjoyable! I might also make some brownies because that would be delicious. Mmmm, chocolate.

Oooh, Stuff Is Awesome

So my roommate left a bunch of stuff behind when she moved and will not answer my calls or emails so I can't give it back to her. It is now all officially mine. I have a new blue tooth and headset for my phone, a pair of diamond earrings, and some really expensive shampoo and conditioner, not to mention all the other stuff I am still sorting through. I am loving my new bluetooth!

Also, I found a nickel on my walk home today. Everything is coming up Rachael! :)

Date Night

Hi folks! Sorry I dissapeared yesterday but I have been really busy. I met a guy about a week ago! A really wonderful guy! He is funny and intelligent and responsible and sexy and everything I could ever want in a man, so of course I have been on the phone with him until the wee hours in the morning every day (after 8 pm when my unlimited minutes kick in, of course!) We are going out tonight for our first "date" and I am really looking forward to it.

We are going to the planetarium at the AMNH and he has already bought the tickets for the show so I am already ahead the cost of the planetarium ticket, but honestly I just want to spend time with him. We could just ride the subway all evening and it wouldn't matter to me. Wish me luck tonight! (I might need it since we decided to have our first date on Friday the 13th!)

Tomorrow I am going to Shakespeare in the Park with some friends. It is a free show that moves locations every 10 minutes, so the actors and the audience pick up their things and troop along from place to place in Central Park to see the show. It sounds like a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon! If it ends up not being very interesting it won't have cost me a dime so I have no complaints.

Pennies from Heaven

So far today I found 2 cents on the train ride to work. Well, I found 2 other pennies but they were in a pile of something wet and gross so I passed on those. I have gathered all of my things that I borrowed from the library so I can take them back on Saturday and get a whole new set of movies and books. I am also doing a couple loads of laundry and some dishes tonight. Lots of frugal things going on in my house today!

Holy Cow, It's Hot Outside

The past 3 days have been so hot that even just sitting at home has been unpleasant. I have kicked on the AC and keep a glass of chilled water with me at all times but MAN, that is some crazy heat! Take your heat wave back, American South! I moved here to get away from that stuff.

In this heat I have found that sitting on the couch in front of the AC while wearing as little as possible is the only sane idea, also possibly submerging myself in a cold bath. I have not even considered leaving the house for anything but work in the last 48 hours which is an excellent way to prevent spending money.

Last Night

Last night I had a date with a very nice guy. He took me to a wonderful restaurant where I had some really delicious lasagna! He is too old for me and might be moving out of the country in 3 weeks so I am doubting that this will go anywhere but it was good to have an evening of italian food and pleasant conversation.

**He is aware that this is not going anywhere, I did not lead him on for free pasta, I promise!**

Pets in the Recession

In this article they discuss how the recession is affecting pets and pet owners. The effect on animals is something I hadn't really thought of until recently when my own cat got sick and I had to take him to the vet but it is true that the financial state of our nation is impacting our fuzzy friends as well.

They mention people at both ends of the spectrum, those who delay getting their own prescriptions refilled and cut back on their food budget to buy food and medicine for their pets as well as those who simply abandon animals in foreclosed homes and release them into the wild. I have nothing but the utmost respect for those people doing what they can to take care of their pets. It is a hard decision to make but one that must be made none the less. People who are picking up tuna at the food banks not for themselves but for their cats and scrape their left overs into their dog's dish at the end of the night because they can't afford to feed them have my sympathy and compassion.

Those people who are just abandoning their animals should feel ashamed though. Leaving a dog in an abandoned home to starve to death or chaining them up in the yard and then leaving forever is animal abuse and those people should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. There are hundreds of animal shelters, animal foster homes, vet clinics, and big-hearted individuals who would be glad to take your pet for you. If you don't love them enough to find them a proper home when you can no longer care for them you don't love them enough to have them in your life in the first place. If you could ever see yourself just leaving an animal behind don't get one. Leave them to people who will love and care for them properly.

2 Weeks to Go

In 2 weeks it will be my birthday! I will be turning 26 this year. I have not yet decided what I want to do to celebrate though. I will be going to the Mermaid Parade on Coney Island during the day but in the evening I have no plans as of yet. I am trying to find some coupons or something to take myself out to dinner or a show but I won't go out unless I can bring down the cost to something affordable. If anyone has any recommendations for an affordable dinner in NYC or a discount on a Broadway show let me know!

Nap Time

Today I spent almost the entire day asleep. I didn't spend any money because I spent most of the day in bed. Okay, I spent a little bit of money. I spent $29.12 at the grocery store for a week's worth of groceries and cat litter. I have a pot roast in the crock pot right now, actually. I want to go back to bed but I have to wait for food to be finished so I can put it up but I have to wait until it is done cooking. I might nap on the couch for a bit while it finishes what it's doing though. I don't know why I am so tired today! I am going to take a multivitamin just in case.

Friday Money Saving Ventures

So far today these are the financial decisions I have made:

1.) I didn't call in sick to work due to a lack of sleep. Though I was so tired I almost fell asleep in the shower I still made a point of going to work. I don't get paid by the hour but I also don't need a reason for my employer to think negatively of me so I got up and went to work just like every other day.

2.) I brought breakfast and lunch with me. My lunch was pizza my roommate ordered on Saturday night that I have been eating 2 slices at a time over the past week and my breakfast was yogurt that was on sale 5 for $2. I tend to avoid caffeine in general but today I needed it so I grabbed a soda in the breakroom (they are provided to the employees free of charge) and I have been refilling my water bottle all day to keep hydrated.

3.) I will do a few loads of laundry in my tiny washer of awesomeness tonight when I get home which will cost me nothing but the few cents worth of soap I use.

4.) Instead of renting movies I will watch a DVD I already own and make some popcorn-the good kind you make in a pot on the stove, not the overly buttery and expensive kind that comes in a microwaveable bag.

5.) I will call my parents after 8 tonight to make use of my night and weekend minutes so that the call is free.

My Evening So Far

The paper back swap was a huge success! I brought 5 books and left with 15 at the end of the night (including one I am sending to my dad as part of a father's day gift) and I enjoyed a piece of apple pie and 3 mint chocolate cookies, all for $5. I got some really good books including High Fidelity, Catch Me If You Can, I Know This Much Is True, and a guide to Broadway. I met some really wonderful people and I am looking forward to getting to see them all again in the future. I don't have anything else planned until next Thursday so I am going to take the next week and really clean the apartment so that it is a bit more comfortable living environment. At least cleaning is still free, right? :)

Book Swap Tonight

Tonight is my book swap meeting! Once a month some friends and I get together and bring books we no longer want and exchange them with one another so we all get fresh reading material at no cost. This month is even better though, because I found a woman in my building throwing out books. I took them from her and I am taking them to the swap as opposed to leaving them in the garbage to rot and fester in a dump somewhere. I am doing my part to save the earth and save some money to boot! Hurrah for free books!

Emotional Roller-Coaster

Life is very strange sometimes. I am already so stressed out and dealing with all of the crap that has been going on for the past few days and now it looks like my old roommate, who I like as a friend but had serious problems living with, has decided she doesn't want to be my friend at all. I shouldn't really care and it is her decision to make so I can't let it bother me but it makes me sad that I can't get a hold of her. I want to stay her friend and send her back some of her expensive stuff! She left a blue tooth, her spare glasses, her iPod charger, etc. I want to give it to her but if she won't call me or email me an address where I can send her things I can't really return them. If that is the case I will sell them and make some money to pay for rent I guess. I wish it was next week and I could be done with the emotional crap and have moved on to better things.

As far as saving money goes I got a new phone with my new contract with Sprint so I set that up today and it didn't cost me one dime. I am going to keep my old phone so that I can have a spare in case this one breaks at any point. That's all I have for you today.

Kitties

Today I found a very embarrassing way to save money. I took the cat to the vet and they presented me with a payment breakdown for $650! I immediately started sobbing and cried while the vet tech broke the procedures down and told me what was absolutely necessary. They decided that I would just be charged for the necessary things and after the labwork came back they would determine if anything else needed to be done. Instead of $650 I ended up paying $330. More than I would have liked to have spent but less than I was originally presented with so I am satisfied with the amount. I just wish I could have been eloquent about it instead of sobbing like a child.

Taste of Times Square

Yesterday I spent the day being depressed that I live alone now so I didn't really get off the couch. I allowed myself 1 day to wallow in sadness and self-pity and now I am done with that. I feel like it was a good thing to embrace my feelings and allow myself to work through it all and now I feel much better. I still prefer to live with a roommate but I feel much less out of sorts.

Today I went with some friends to the Taste of Times Square. About 100 restaurants in Times Square set up booths on 46th street and gave out (rather large) samples of their food for $1-$3 per sample. I had chocolate cake, a steak sandwich, M&M's and Fiji water. I also won a 1 month membership to a gym downtown with a free session with a personal trainer. I had a good time and got a chance to spend some time with some interesting people.

I also had someone attempt to pick pocket me. He unzipped my backpack and when I turned around to find out who was in my bag he ran. He didn't get anything but it was still a creepy feeling to have someone try to take my things. I am very observant though so I was able to figure it out before he got any of my stuff.