June Books

Continuing on my Friedman kick, I read The World is Flat, which was another very insightful, albeit skimmable tome. Similar to last time, for me, it was worth reading for just a few valuable sentences and concepts

One.
The reminder that despite the repetition of the pundits, that al-Qaeda is not a religious fundamentalist group, but rather a phenomenon of political extremism. They do not focus on communication and interaction with their god at all. Rather, the focus is on a totalitarian utopian skewed vision of a kingdom on earth – i.e. an Islamic state that rules the land.

Two.
I found the connection between terrorism and humiliation quite profound: “Humiliation is the most underestimated force in international relations and in human relations.” After emphasizing the possibility for hope of economic development and financial elements of the flattening world, it was an excellent counterbalance to talk about the ways terrorism… is spawned by the poverty of dignity (not money).

Up next is Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers, oh, and I’m reading Ted Hughes’ Birthday Letters right before I fall asleep each night. Reminds me how much I miss reading poetry.

Interesting A-Ha's about COBRA

Couple new fun facts I learned about COBRA, in case you’re leaving a company soon… either by choice or not so much by choice.

1.My healthcare benefits are terminated on the last day of the month in which I terminate my employment. I was originally thinking about my last day at work being July 31st, but then I realized that if I worked one more day (August 3rd), I would then have healthcare for the remainder of August. (This was relevant to my Blue Cross Blue Shield healthplan, and I’m definitely not sure that this applies everywhere).

2.The second item does apply everywhere because it’s new legislation just implemented by Obama. Apparently, you can elect COBRA retroactively, up to two months after you terminate employment. So, I can basically not pay for healthcare for the month of August… but if I break my leg, I can go to the hospital and say “I need to elect COBRA to pay for this!” The whole impetus behind the new legislation is making coverage easier for people that are in transition. Awesome, real world implications benefitting me from having all of that hope in the Oval Office.

Vortex of Tide Detergent Choices

People have written about this before, and I know I’m not offering anything too novel here, but I was at the grocery store the other night, in a hurry and very eager to end the shopping trip, when I was remembered the last item on my list – laundry detergent. I have been a loyal Tide shopper as long as I can remember. My parents bought Tide. I buy Tide, even when I was in college. It’s not the most economical brand to buy, but I’m no laundry expert, and it just feels like something you don’t want to mess up with buying cheap – you could end up altering your clothes (far more expensive than the investment in good detergent). But last night, I was overwhelmed with a SEA of tide. Choices in size, scent, cause, intended use – front loaders, high efficiency machines. I was so frustrated. Not least of all was the difficulty to understand the true price/value of their product. So many different price points, with so many different variables left me blind to what was causing one container to be more expensive than another. While I might pay more for the larger size, I am not going to pay more for the scent of Febreze. I was so frustrated, I picked up a very small size of the exact product I had bought last time, but vowed to go to Costco and buy a different brand next time to get the most value. I can stand for some level of consumer confusion – but NOT when it comes to price!

An Early Adopter for Once in my Life

Today, I'm actually going for it... and upgrading my "free manufacturers phone" to the I-Phone 3GS. The Guy assures me that such a drastic change is going to change my very personality....

Only time shall tell, but I guess I think of myself highly enough to challenge him that this won't be the case. I will report back in a week or so to tell all....

The Economics of Living in California

So, as I move on from the Midwest and I head out to Stanford GSB… I am now moving to California. The Guy and I shopped for houses in the greater Palo Alto area a week ago… and we found a great 2BR house, with a big yard and patio and two parking spaces that actually fits our budget! But despite the cheery news, the reality is my cost of living will be going up SIGNIFICANTLY. I currently pay $1000 a month in “rent” to the Guy (helps go toward his mortgage). That includes all utilities/parking etc. The rent for our new house will be $2650, which does not include utilities etc., which we can estimate at $150/mo. The Guy has advertised that he wants to / is able to pay more than me for our housing expenses. Let’s assume that means he will pay for all of the utilities. That brings me to $1325 in rent = a 33% increase in housing costs while I eliminate all income and take on debt. Hooray. We could go with a more economical apartment ($2200), rather than a house… but I think I am going to have a hard time convincing the Guy – he’s in love.

The Guy never likes it initially when I am his voice of budget reason (recall last night, when I forced him to go to the value grocery store vs. the convenient luxury grocery store), but later (when he realized the value store saved us $25) he appreciates it. So I will keep testing the boundaries of being prudent without losing all levels of desirability.

The OutWest Road Trip!

As mentioned in my previous post, the Guy and I are going to be setting out on a crazy OutWest roadtrip, starting in two months. Origin: Minneapolis, Final Destination: Palo Alto. Duration: One week in the car.

Frugal Tactics: staying with friends and using hotel points, eating at roadside diners as highlighted in our much beloved manual, RoadFood, using Cheap Gas Finders online, or various Costco locations along the way, and planning our own entertainment in advance (each leg of the trip will have a theme – accompanied by music, readings, etc.), and buying an America the Beautiful Pass in advance to save on the national park entry costs.

Estimated Total Cost:
Gas: $350
Lodging: $0
Food: $420
Parks/Parking: $80 + $30
Entertainment: $30
TOTAL: $455/person for a week-long memory. Priceless? More to come…

Guide to "Inexpensive" Makeup Picks

I have officially switched out of my $30 bucks a pop nice MAC foundation and back to drug store brands… and am quite jubilant about it. One little recessionista step for me. I stumbled upon the April InStyle feature on Best Beauty Buys for 2009 on the treadmill this morning and instead of rushing out to the mall to buy more urgently needed makeup, I scampered over to Target.

They published a shopping list for the category, and I have listed the only items in their “inexpensive” category below, i.e. what you can find in the drug store. (A lot of the best beauty buys are apparently $100+, not so recessionista friendly. Even the inexpensive picks average around the $8-10 range, which depending on your priorities... isn't always so attractive.)

LIPS: Loreal Paris Colour Riche, Revlon Super Lustrous, Maybelline Shine Seduction

EYES: Loreal Paris Voluminous Mascara (on my list), Loreal Paris HIP Powder (I can vouch – I love this stuff!)

CHEEKS: Loreal Paris Bare Naturale Mineral Doux

FACE: Max Factor Erace Cover Up (on my list), Loreal Paris True Match Foundation (what I bought tonight!)

June Goals: Upping the Joy Factor

1. Finish planning THE OUTWEST ROADTRIP (more on this later)
2. Complete 3 weeks of training for a 5K
3. Fully Fund my ING Savings accounts to help build toward sidebar goal #2
4. Bring more joy into my life...

I was at a wedding last week on Martha’s Vineyard, and I was so overcome with the consistency at which this one attribute was cited in the couple’s life and home. To talk over and over about joy, levity, and laughter, as opposed to love, at one of these affairs, seemed much more to the point. I want that to be said about me some day, and I hope I can bring more joy into others’ lives. To help remind myself of all of the little joys I am going to try to read the principles of positive psychology once daily, meditate more on scripture, and get little moments of writing in – even if it’s not about remedying the novel – but just for the joy of it!

May Goals Update

Yes, I made May goals even though I didn’t post them here… And I did okay with them for the first half of the month but was sliding downhill the last half of the month. First the positives...

+ I passed my Excel exam for Grad School
+ I have been much more efficient at work – about a half hour or so more efficient – which I have been using for personal pursuits like planning travel and b-school prep
+ I have been devoting more time to reading.

Writing, not so much. Saving, not so much. Too be reflected in my June goals.

May Net Worth Update

A couple of things have put quite a large dent in my usual savings cushion – some pretty serious car repairs to the tune of $700 in April, wedding gifts $175, travel for those weddings, etc. and especially all of the expenses I’m attributing to “Business School Prep.” I have to buy a bike and order $330 of summer reading – mmm, who likes teaching themselves accounting! Not to mention the BLOWOUT weekend spent when my best friend came in from out of town. Worth it? Umm, I hope so.

Despite all that, my Net Worth ticked UP in May to $42,290 – up 6% or so! Mostly due to some upward swings in my 401(k), but I’ll take it. Just reminds me how important it is to actually track this once a month, even if you really don’t feel like it. Because how you FEEL about how you’re doing isn’t actually reflective of how you’re ACTUALLY doing.

The bad news is that I have not been contributing to my savings like I usually do these last few months, and am STILL not up to my goal of saving 3 months of expenses. Definitely a goal for next month.