Thinking ahead...

Cha Ching! Exhibit A: http://www.restorationhardware.com/rh/index.jsp

I love practically EVERYTHING in this store! There is a particular couch and pair of side lamps that I am lusting after... Only to be perfected after I acquire a certain bed, bedside tables, desk, rug(s), appropriate lighting (because I must have a minimum of 20 lights going at all times), and a few art pieces that are currently on display in the Portland Gallery... *sigh*

How will I ever afford this lifestyle? I know that I should be saving mulah towards a place of residence (perhaps for a while) but all this stuff is so dag-gone tempting!

Then there's the wardrobe to GET the amazing job, to earn the amazing amounts of money, to buy the amazing house, in the amazing neighborhood, to fill with the amazing furniture, to then be destroyed by the immanent impulse-buy of a furry friend... or two? (I'm a sucker for puppies...)

I was kind-of interested as to where I was going with that last run on...and on sentence... it was as if it should have ended with "in the house that jack built." For those of you on whom that reference was lost... you had a deprived childhood. 

By the way... For those of you who have alerted me to my seeming disdain/disregard for the English language - Have no fear!!! I do (in fact) respect the English language. I respect it as an ever-changing force that cannot be hemmed in by people who make (and therefore keep) rules. Look at history! The English language has been ever-changing from the times of Beo-wolfe, to Shakespeare (another free-thinker!), to the likes of the Dickens!!! (both Emily Dickensen and Charles Dickens.)

This accounts for many years of conquerings, plagues, and so on and so forth...

One thing I will apologise for (profusely!) is my agregious spelling. It is appaling. I am sorry. You are all the better for traversing through its... its... muckiness? irksome-ness? blech? hmmmm.... not really sure how to end that one.

oh well! Merry Christmas Comrades!

Wishing I could clean like the heavens... cover it all with snow!!!

Yesterday I just about tripled my carbon footprint... cleaning with a fury worthy of inspection by 20 hordes of old "you're never going to be good enough" aunts...

I listened to an odd assortment of Christmas carols and old classics like "Wild Thing" as I whipped our downstairs into relative-worthy fare. I sewed couches back together (thank you sweet beagle of mine), dusted the thousands of square footage we call home, and scrubbed the stairs carpets till it gleamed with fresh-from-Empire-Carpeting (800-588-empire Today!) splendor!

ah... snow...

I am also getting together with my high school cronies for a holiday party. oh dear. What should one wear? there will always be the cute staple of jeans and t-shirts for that occasional snowball fight... but what if one's old flame shows up? There's the stunning leg-baring yet cozy long sleeved t-shirt material dress and Frye boot combo. A definite score in the eyes of all the old men who saw me at Starbucks the other day and insisted that all my coffee needed was some Schnopps... yeah... right...

That's right. I know how to to rock the old-people homes. *sigh* The trouble with being "classy chic" I guess...

At the end of this all I'll really need is a quarantine with a buff masseuse/chef/conversationalist/ personal trainer/part-time model.... for Calvin Klein... preferably.... I guess I can't get to choosey though. lol!

Merry Christmas everyone! And a Happy New Year!

Finances - Helping the Masses

Today I found my passion. I think I've known about it for a while but today I knew it for certain.

I want to help people organize their lives and achieve their goals. I want to help them get their finances in order and live their dream. Not only to help them with the day-to-day living problems but to also help them in a spiritual sense as well.

Frugal living does not need to be a life surrounding Top Ramen, Rice-a-Roni, and stealing wifi from the neighbors. You can eat well, dress well, and even splurge a little if you make a PLAN!!! You should know at all times how much is exactly in your account. If you spend money easily then just think of it this way...

- at minimum wage you make around 8 dollars an hour.
- that coffee you just purchased for neigh 4.50$ just cost you a half hour of work.
- that tank of gas was 5 hours of work. (for a 20 gallon tank at 2.00$ a gallon for gas)
- Christmas presents? at around 25$ (or more in my case) a pop for four family members that's almost a week of work for me!

When I start doing the math I wonder if I would do the same amount of work I currently do if I were paid in the things I buy. If the answer is no then you have unwittingly admitted to different priorities in your life.

I go this process all the time.

I still eat out (once a month), get coffee for myself (3 to 5 times a month), get groceries (15-20% of pay check), pay rent (50%), tithe (10%), and even have some left over for savings (around 15%).

Practicality at it's greatest. Budgeting has helped me overcome the constant urge to spend my money. I look for investments and sales on basic items, clip coupons, and will return items that are unsatisfactory/un-needed.

Don't think that these measures are set in stone, because no matter what we will always have those "oh crap!" moments when our savings come in handy. Splurges are also okay, but make sure they are not a constant in your life.

Also! There are so many sites out there that help you live frugally! The Reader's Digest alone gives hundreds of sites and tips every year. (and you can read them at the library for no cost!)

I would invite the more adventurous of you to invest your money. Now is the time to buy, when things are low and (as a college student) we have nothing to lose! The stocks will return to normal eventually and when they do that stock you bought for a pittance will have been an amazing investment!

Just some thoughts guys. I really don't have all the answers seeing as how I'm still a student living off minimum wage at 13 hours a week. The real world hasn't hit me yet, but I hope that this planning will help me when I get there.

Good luck!

Definitely Maybe

The Turmoil which had engulfed our nation seems to rest more heavily upon those of us who are on college campuses. Just this morning I have heard so many exclamations of thankfulness... mostly because the time of robo-callers, flyers in our streets, door-to-door harassment, and the red-faced persons who would like to have us bow to their "superior knowledge" on how our country should be run.... is over.

I know that all of you would wish to linger in this state of mass confusion and dissent. (haha!) The time has come to move on. What did the news stations show before the election? Oh! Is THAT what Paris Hilton has been up to? shocker.

Come to think of it. Election-time has always been a point of reflection for me. A what-the-heck-do-I-believe wake up call. I am always interested in the Economic situation, but what are the implications of each candidate? Are they actually going to follow through?

Missing Clevenger's class. Only the most dynamic History teacher I have ever encountered who actually knew exactly why he believed what he believed. He also knew EVERYTHING there was to know about any given situation and welcomed new ideas from all of his students. His plumb line was something that every Junior and Senior at my highschool relished. It wasn't the mounds of work we memorized, but the life lessons we learned that were actually applicable into our lives.

Who knew that the Klu Klux Klan's application looked so much like a gathering of Christians instead of murdering individuals riding on their beliefs of white supremacy? Who knew that so many of our founding fathers' beliefs contradicted the word of God? (and this was being taught at a Christian School!)

Lies we'd believed were debunked as we were encouraged to always question everything, and also to have a solid foundation on which to base your claims.

We should all be so lucky.

Happy 4th!

A Perch, a Peace, a Panorama

Confrontation, no matter how PC (politically correct) our society is, will always thrive on college campuses. It seems as though individuals are always ready to challenge the modern equivalent of normal.

The election, our economic situation, the billions of dollars generated by corporations, the seemingly relevant topic of fairness (or the lack thereof), and whatever else one could come up with. This plague upon humanity has created more emotions than reason.

Is it immoral to make large sums of money when so many people are losing everything? Is it the person's own fault for creating large mortgages that they could not pay back? Should the government bail out individuals?

In spite of all these questions and the equally weighty answers that many people have prepared for "just such an occasion." Are there not more important questions? More immediate? More answerable by the common person?

Why do we long to have such a huge connection to the outside world? Why do we long for such global knowing-ness? Is it a superiority complex? A sense of connected-ness? Why do we ask questions we cannot answer? Why do we not trust those in leadership who have impressive amounts of knowledge above and beyond that we, ourselves, possess? (for the most part... there are those who actually know what's going because they have alternative means of information beyond that which the press has pre-packaged, refined, and labeled for us.

What happened to being a good neighbor? Playing board games? Enjoying a book now and again... and possibly even again for those of us who are so lucky as to have a luxury like that. Fall is HERE!!! I cannot say it too many times. Walks in nature does the body so much more good than a majority of other quick fixes.

OK... ok... then there are those retail therapy sessions that do so much good. Both for you and the economy that your bank account has just stimulated. Oh goodness! But for a pair of Ralph Lauren Pink Suede 2 1/2 to 3 inch stilettos.... maybe.

Therapy like this can only be celebrated by the strictest of measures. Namely going out with friends and eating ridiculous amounts of calories which will be laughed off in the process. Why should it be a vicious cycle? Could it not be like a permanent adrenalin rush? A thrill ride for the ages?

Rant. Rave. Really funny to watch. (that would be the overall description of this writing style I'm experiencing... and yes the correct word would be expiriencing because I feel a little as though I am in the passenger seat. And for those of you that have never been in my passenger seat... oh dear. I pray that you will never have to. I personally have never been bothered by it BUT others tell me it a fearsomer thing to behold.

Now I must return to my midterm-the catalyst for this. I think you should all hold it personally resonsible.

And check out the LV video at the bottom of the page. The cat-walk one.

Mmmmmmmm!

Later friends!

Crunchy, Crispy, Sweet!

Fall is my favorite.

It's that You've Got Mail beginning plus crunchy leaves and the onset of the most amazing food you've ever tasted in your life! Jeans get tighter, wallets get looser (in anticipation of Christmas), and soon we'll be sleeping in a whole hour! (thank YOU daylight savings!)

We've got pumpkins to carve and Christmas cards to begin working on, projects and parties, and mom is planning the family get-together this year so... and would you mind? and...

Stress sets in. Robotic Frostys and Santas garble their Christmas carols from every convenience store isle, you still don't have a something for that person who has EVERYTHING, and your car is frozen solid. Grrrreat. When you first move into this area all you see are people in shorts and tank tops sunbathing with a few shirtless hotties practising whatever sport they do best in the park and you think "I could live here forever" then.....

bum bum BUM!!!! Reality sets in. Not only are you living in an old apartment with tinging heaters (at all hours of the night) BUT your roommates are sick, the local coffee locals are a half hour walk away, and you are stuck inside with only spider solitaire to keep you company. Don't get me wrong though. The first snow is beautiful. Gorgeous. Postcard pictures galore. It's when that first snow melts and then freezes over and THEN it snows on top so that you can no longer either drive, walk without severe bruising to the bum, or even keep your coffee to a decent temperature for more than 15 min.

Ahh! Life!!!

This year I'm resolutely charging at the wall with projects! friends! ridiculous amounts of wool! and my amazingly wonderful wedge heeled, snow-proof, with matching coat--- logger boots!

Happy merry making! Make sure to carve a pumpkin, grab a hot chocolate, and do justice to a pie or two!

Katie

The Erotic Art of Shoe Shopping

I am in love.

All it took was 300$ worth of confidence, strut, and I-will-wear-nothing-else-so-long-as-I-live.

Perfect!

Many of you might think that my little investment in the clothing artists of our time is beyond extravagant. Could I achieve the same high for less? yes. But today I had a fling in the Nordstroms shoe department and... forgive me if I have the first and last impulse buy of this year.

Shocking? yes. I am a Scrooge McDuck at heart. I will spend more than 50$ on food per month although I also feed my monstrosity of a boyfriend and two roommates occasionally. I have priorities.

for 20 Starbucks drinks (Caramel Machiatto 180 degrees) you could already have an amazing coat or an arrayment of tops, a new fragrance, and that amazing scarf set from Barneys!!! (ok ok maybe you'd need to skip a few more drinks than 20. But 20 drinks at 4-5$ a pop adds up quickly!!!)

New Blog

Hopefully this will be a great source of information for you.

My goal is to always bring up new questions, a different perspective, and answer any questions you have.

Thank you!

Kate