Retirement Savings	Roth IRA: $4,031 401(a): $6,551 403(b): $14,390 Total: $ 24,972 (22,362)
Emergency Savings	Catastrophe: $ 29,352 Problem Cushion: $ 1,000 Total: $ 30,352 (29,721)
Short Term Goals	Car Maintenance: $1,068 Insurance: $2,539 Travel/Con: $401 Taxes: $3,365 Moving: $3,469 Total: $ 10,842 (8,633)
Long Term Goals	House Down Payment: $101
Investment Loans	Prosper-ish: $12,630 Personal Loan: $2,000 Savings Bond: $362 (current accrued value) Total: $ 14,992 (15,992)
Total Assets	Illiquid: $ 24,972 Semi-Liquid: $14,992 Liquid: $30,352 Expense Acct: $9,960 Goals Savings: $10,842 Total: $ 91,118 (86,841)
Debt and Liabilities	Citi 2: $177 Chase: $650 Rent: $1,360 Total: $ 2,187 (1,786)
Net Worth	$ 88,931 (85,055)

Notes and nothings:

Continuing to stash cash in the emergency fund, which may as well be called the unemployment fund at this point, and in the retirement funds to "front load" for the rest of the year in case I'm unable to contribute.

Upcoming expenses: the auto insurance is due mid-May, and I'll be responsible for paying the life insurance independently once I've separated from employer. I'm not terribly concerned, that account is relatively healthy for now. As long as I'm gainfully employed sooner rather than later ....

I spent a lot this month. On the bag which I'm still really enjoying (I haven't had a "where's my PHONE??" panic attack since getting it), and on a lot of small eating-out ventures. Small is usually about $5 or less, but they can add up, too. Not to worry, I'm still on the brown-bagging wagon. Oh, and there was the surprise bridesmaid dress.

Of late, there's been a significant shift in my mentality towards spending and acquisition. First, I really just don't want all that much stuff. Less isn't more, it's just less. And I much prefer that. Second, even though I won't part with money unnecessarily, some things are worth spending on: travel, quality goods that serve their purpose well and with class. For years, I was willing to buy cheap, and relatively cheaply made clothes that were basically "good enough." I just got sick of hunting for clothes that fit me and my budget so I settled. Now, good enough isn't good enough. A serious purge of the closet is underway, and at some point, I'll need to restock a few key pieces. And thanks to all the fashion advice in the PF world, I might actually be picking up some style points. Is this what growing up feels like? Maybe it's just what getting older feels like.

[Full disclosure: I'm still happiest in a t-shirt/tank top and comfy pants. But if I want to be taken seriously IRL, webcomic tees are probably not the way to go.]

I had the world's best homemade double-layered peanut butter cookie with a touch of oats for breakfast this morning. I scarfed mine too quickly to get a photo of it, but managed to snap one before they were all gone. Apologies for the less than stellar photography, 'twas the best I could do under the circumstances. I need the recipe for these cookies.




SingleMa's ideal vacation has been my daydream for the past three months: sun, sand, shade, a hammock, books and nothing but water lapping at the edges of my sensory perception. It doesn't have to be a Caribbean resort necessarily, but an all-inclusive would be the most sensible since I still need to be fed. And lazing about on the beach all day doesn't leave much time for the grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning I love so much.

DogAteMyFinances's reference to her "unemployment flu" made me smile. It's just the name that's funny, not the condition itself. In our circle, I don't think anyone has been left out of calls or invitations for anything due to catching unemployment. I'm grateful that we prize each other's company above all else, and rarely do we initiate gatherings with an entrance fee. Where possible, we'll split the cost for the unemployed group member. When we had an at home spa day, we clubbed our pennies together to cover a third friend though she only originally came to enjoy our company. Our broke college days aren't so far off that we can't share. Or is that they're far enough off that whose who can afford to be, are?

Not to dwell on unemployment, but Funny About Money wrote a lovely guide to plan plan planning for that oft-dreaded state. It's much more helpful as a primer than my occasional spaz-outs.

@FMFblog tweeted this NY Times article: A primer on Buying Life and Disability Insurance. I just received notification that my application to increase my (verrrry basic) life insurance from work to a whopping $200k policy was approved. This policy is portable, so at the very least I'll have that much coverage in case I don't get my crap together in time.

Speaking of the NY Times, Mapgirl was linked by NY Times Your Money! Isn't that cool??

My buddy-in-spending (and saving!!), Well-Heeled has decided to spend even more. Consciously, though, and on things that will make her happy, healthy, wealthy and wise. Wait, which of those don't belong? We've been sharing the same sentiments about this recession [so done with it] and other related matters. I may get 'round to sharing my thoughts in a future post.

Happy Wednesday all!

CVS: Picked up another tube of Neutrogena Rapid Clear, a nostrum I've hopes to cut out of my life once life and skin become less stressed (on sale, $6.99);
Trying out the Neutrogena Sunblock, Ultra Sheer Dry Touch SPF 70, to ward off sun cancer once I start all that vacationing and sunbathing ;) (on sale, $9.99);
= $18.xx, and *$5 Extra Care Bucks for buying $15 of Neutrogena products

* ECB to be used towards two packs of Q-tips (2 for $5). I hate paying real money for cotton and paper products.

Vons: Bananas, three (on sale, 86 cents);
New white potatoes, half pound for boiling (not on sale, $1.50);
Spinach, one bag (on sale, $1);
Corn, two ears (on sale, $1.58);
Classico pasta sauce, 2 jars (on sale, $4);
Store brand pastas, 2 boxes 1 lb each (on sale, free with sauce purchase);
= $8.46

Ironic: Digging through my office supplies bag from the desk, I noticed the expiration date on the Tums for the first time. (exp: July 2009) Hah! That is completely a sign of better things to come. In my world. Where I live.

'tis back to the grindstone, m'hearties!

Glad to be bringing home a paycheck for another few (9) weeks, but not so much to have to actually do it. Here. With these people. You understand.

Had a wonderfully *waiting* weekend with the BFF et al. We're anxiously awaiting her new bundle of joy and have bets going on how much he'll weigh. Your positive thoughts are much appreciated, I'm worried that he's been so quiet.

We had other good news to celebrate: her sibling is engaged and will likely be having an Aussie wedding. I promptly texted my congratulations and asked if I was invited to the shindig. :) [Yes, I am.]
I figured that I should invite myself early on to guarantee that I can find a decent flight. I'll be doing my travel research soon, it'd be so cool if I were, ah, still unemployed and able to do a NZ and Australia jaunt in the fall. [Cool minus the part where I'd still be jobless ..... priorities, priorities...!!]

Oh, and I just realized that this will be the first wedding that I've attended in years where I won't be part of the ceremony. Oh, to simply be a guest and not a working participant! Fun!

Spent $6 on admission to the Fair on Saturday, another $9 on funnel cake (with powdered sugar) and roasted corn on the cob. Friends treated us to our demolition derby tickets ($8/each).


Overspending goes hand in hand with unhealthy fair food. Refrained from buying apple butter, peach butter, cinnamon apple butter, and apricot butter. Luckily, I really only had $20 in cash, so I put a couple things on my card, and stuck to cash only the rest of the time. Total spending was about $32.50.

I wanted to treat them to lunch on Sunday for putting us up and all, but didn't get the chance to. I did run their dishwasher for them, though. Imagine that, an Asian using the dishwasher to wash dishes! Such a novelty.

The real plan is to trade them manual labor (babysitting, cooking and cleaning) later this summer when I have time on my hands. We've been such close childhood friends that we've never practiced such etiquettely habits as host gifts and bringing wine to gatherings before, I guess there's no reason to start formality with practically-family.

Or was that just my family?

I didn't even score an A- on this CNN money quiz, I pulled down a whoppin' B+ but I'm not ashamed. They dinged me on diversification, but frankly, it's because my allocation used to be 90/10 and the stock market changed it to 75/25 just for me.


I was just working out, with pen and paper, how to reallocate but instead decided to dump a whole bunch of money into the stock side of my retirement funds. That'll make up for the low contributions throughout the year and increase my exposure to stocks. That's a quick fix and easier than selling off some of my bonds in the Roth IRA and buying stocks with it. Probably. Yes? No? Whatever, I'm taking the path of least resistance for now. Until I start sleeping through the night again, I'm not making life any harder than it needs to be.

As for life insurance? I got sick of dealing with private insurance brokers and enhanced the term life insurance that I get through work after making sure of its portability. It's not much, but it's better than nothing and will serve as a safety net until I buy private life insurance. (Which I should do while I still have an income!)

Nickel's article, Economy Got You Down? Pig Out! made me laugh out loud. Just this weekend, I was taken to the grocery store for snacks for the week because, "food is the only thing that makes you happy, at work."

Too right!!

Forget the whole losing-your-job bit, now I have to listen to coworkers scheming to move their cash out of accounts to "prove insolvency" so they can claim their bit from unemployment and food stamps. Yeah. They're planning to really make the most of this situation by defrauding the system to the highest extent. Money, and keeping food on the table, is not the least of my worries, but this is just wrong.

Anyway, since there's absolutely nothing I can do about it whilst they're plotting, I'm preventing an irrational reaction by feeding my soul. And not incidentally, my mouth :)

So if Nickel's citation is true, "The calmer you feel, the less likely you'll do something irrational," bring on the comfort food!

This week's treats stashed in my "drawer of inappropriate starches" (Topher, Dollhouse):

Trader Joe's Triple Ginger Cookies
Lemon Zest Luna Bars
Middle Eastern flatbread, and tzatziki (which is actually quite good in a breakfast burrito!)
Honey whole wheat pretzel sticks

Hmm...I'm lacking salty stuff. I've finally developed a taste for salt and vinegar chips which I used to hate! FB keeps talking about golden Oreos on Twitter, though, and that's tilting the imbalance further in the direction of sweets.

I've also soothed my agitated soul by watching Psych and Burn Notice during my off hours. Friends with a ready supply of DVDs and comic books are great, I never watch TV in my normal life so this is like a free, at-home hiatus.

Of course, then I get to figure out how to repay friend for the loan and support. 'tis a cycle!

What nice things are you doing for yourselves these days?

These are the best CD rates Citibank's offering right now:



What's even sadder is that the 2.25% APY is still marginally better than my regular savings accounts which hover just around 1.5%. Yay. P'raps it'll be worth my while to lock up about 10K in the one year CD. It's certainly not worth my time to hunt around for slightly better rates if I don't want to open up yet more bank accounts. (I don't.)

My thoughts have been going 'round and 'round, producing very little of use since last week. Thus, no real posting.

Thursday kicked off my long weekend with a meeting wherein the June 30th layoff date was publicly and semi-officially announced, finally. You'd think after all my ruminations, I'd be on the starting blocks, ready to get out of here. Emotionally, I am. The environment's so toxic that I can't wait to be gone already. It's just counting down the ten weeks until that happens. And making sure I've really checked off my entire list of things to do before it's all over.

I'm also emotionally exhausted from all that and all the dire news. I mean, you can't turn around without being inundated with negative media: NPR, news online, blogs, people gossiping, everything. And it's not like I'm just trying to hide in a hole, but there's a limit to the amount of negativity this body can take.

Actually, I have been dodging unnecessary bombardment by practicing quiet in myself. I'll be back when I feel better.

Stacking Pennies has the right idea over at her blog asking, Tell Me Something Good, but I'm not quite ready to pull myself up by the bootstraps and try try again yet.

FCN has a fun post up: What Would You Do With a Windfall?

What would you do with a major windfall? For the sake of argument, let’s say that someone dropped a million bucks in your lap. Would you pay down debt? Buy something nice? Save or invest it?

Oh, if nothing else, I finally did submit my life insurance paperwork for increased benefit through my employer. And I finished my classes yesterday. Go me!

PS: I just got a notice that my 6-month CD with Citi is expiring. That flew right by, and I'm not sure what to do with it. Probably just cash it out and throw it back into savings.

My obsessiveness with the bag has subsided (though not my love for it!)

This post is to satisfy FB's curiosity about the contents of my bag. I didn't think you'd be interested, so I actually emptied it all out before taking pictures the first time around. :)

My basic work pack includes a planner - yes, I'm still operating on a paper and pen basis there, a little notebook for my scribblings, a pencil case-like make-up bag from elf.com that holds a pocket mirror, lip balm and other little essentials, my wallet, the cell phone charger, tissues in the side pocket, and lotion with SPF in the other side pocket.

Much as I love technology, there's something therapeutic about literally scribbling notes and financial calculations in a little notebook at the end of a long day in front of the computer.

Outside the bag are these little pouches, perfect for holding my Bluetooth in one, and candy in the other.

My phone and keys reside in the front side pouch which I think you've already seen.

Curiosity satisfied? :)

Back to regularly scheduled programming soon ....

Status: Food coma

Having nothing better to do on a lazy Sunday, I trotted 'round to the local Fresh and Easy in pursuit of a 77 cent/lb ham. The only available specimen was a hefty ten pounder, which I hoisted into my cart, and added a jug of apple juice and honey for good measure. The latter two items were for my honey-apple glaze, the idea for which I must thank the iPhone + Google.

For the record, I've never ever cooked a ham before. Fair warning.

The already-cooked ham was dutifully wrapped in foil, and placed in a roasting pan which, miracle of miracles, only took me ten minutes to find.


[Might I point out that this is 90% of the reason I don't cook? It's simply not my kitchen, and for all that I'm heartily grateful that my dad cooks 99% of the time, his idea of housekeeping and organizing is levels away from mine. And I cannot stand to cook in a messy kitchen, so as soon as the ham was wrapped and popped into the oven for the first-stage, 3-hour roast, I commenced 3 hours of dishwashing, kitchen cleaning, drain deodorizing, and grocery shopping. And cleaning out the fridge, packing food into actual containers instead of left willy-nilly on plates. Ugh! Also, matched up tops and bottoms to plastic containers.]


After the third hour, basting of the uncovered ham began, as did vegetable prep. I found this awesome recipe for new potatoes and green beans from A Veggie Venture. I didn't want two pounds of baby red or white potatoes, so I opted for the (cheaper) loose, bulk Yukon potatoes. Tasted delicious, but I realized the reason you want the babies during the last step of cooking: the cut-up cooked potatoes got a little smashed in transition. But that didn't affect the taste one iota.


I added rice and scarfed immediately.


Man. I'm a good kid. I made a great dinner and left the kitchen cleaner than when I started. Oh, and did I forget to mention home-made yellow cupcakes?


[No frosting, too sweet for my aging teeth.] I had to substitute olive oil for veggie oil, but that didn't affect the taste.

Ham, $8
Juice, $2
Honey, $3
Green beans, $1.50
Potatos, $1.50
Cake, $1.50
Cleaning supplies (dish soap, vinegar, baking soda): $7
Total Cost: $24.50

It's heee-rreeeee!!

I'm so glad that I'm one of those people who falls madly in love with things I have or will have.

So this is the baaaaag ..... !!

Side view, with the side pocket for the phone and keys:


A side pocket under the tab:


The innards with a side zip pocket on one side, and two non-zip pockets on the other. I love that the side pocket zipper area is reinforced:


The other side with another side pocket, and a magnetic button:


I had to get a major close up on the side pockets so you could see the quality of the fabric. I don't know if you can really see it clearly, but these pockets (non-zip) are even doubled up:


I had forgotten about the weight of leather - I think the weight via UPS was listed as three pounds! But it's not too much, I immediately switched over all my stuff and carried the bag home with all my junk in it. The flat leather straps, versus the rounded straps, make a significant difference. It definitely smells like leather but not overpoweringly so, so I don't plan to do a smell-rehab like FB has to with her beautiful leather bag.

over at Abby's: i pick up pennies.

My post about Weddings was included in the Frugality section. Thanks Abby!

I hope you all understand by now that I'm amused by the strangest things. You do, right? Good. Because a friend brought by a heart-shaped brownie, and my mission was to cut heart-shaped servings by following the existing lines and not "wasting" any brownies cookie-cutter style. Each serving was about this size:



Came from the parent heart like so ....


And I could only cut three out easily. I could have started from the bottom up for the next few servings, but I was done with three. :) Incidentally? Super yummy!

Well-Heeled is a bad influence. That's right, I said it. She is an enabler! And ... I'm weak.

I bought a handbag.

Hah, ok truthfully after three weeks of telling myself "no, no, noooo," there was no guilt once the decision to Buy clicked. The sense of peace might have been relief that I was no longer obsessing over something. Whatever the case, this time, saying "I'm weak" and shaking a finger at my enabler is pure habit. This is despite the fact that it's unbudgeted spending, hell-o, I'm still facing a layoff, and it cost approximately 6.875 times more than I have ever paid for any bag. (For those who care about percentages, it was 65% off. I only consider the final dollar price that I pay.)

It's not an investment. It won't yield any tangible, monetary returns, just personal enjoyment. And y'know something? It's fine. How so laissez-faire? Well ....

1. I won't go into debt for it.
2. This isn't habitual spending: I can count on one hand the number of times I've purchased a large ticket item: three coats and a laptop in 9 years. [The car doesn't count - that wasn't entirely my choice.] Though, feel free to chime in "didn't you just buy ...." if you recall something I don't. My memory's wacky.
3. While it's a shock to the system, I'm finally buying a quality item that will last years instead of a cute bargain that'll last months.
4. It's only money.

:O

Yep. As hard as I've worked to save every penny, the having of which is highly highly comforting in these turbulent times, what's the point if I only ever use it for rent, bread/rice, and water? And as much as I worry about it, this single purchase does not signal wholesale lifestyle inflation. I've needed a professional bag since becoming a professional, but would indefinitely continue lying to myself about buying one if I didn't let go already.

I do this all the time (example circa October 2006):

[For months ... I promised myself an iPod for the train ride when I started that new job: "when things get better, you can have *****." I'm such a liar.]

Like I said about saving, you can't reap the benefits of saving with actually saving, neither can you have nice things without spending money on them. Legally, I mean. Or without a sugar-daddy. That should go without saying, but I'm saying it anyway just in case.

My birthday bag is much loved, but after 6 months of constant use, it's getting destroyed. There's a gaping hole in the lining at the bottom, the fabric around the one side pocket is disintegrating, and the flaps/corners are fraying at an alarming rate.

Whether it's because the materials were manufacturer-quality (aka: mass produced, cheaply), or I'm just too hard on my belongings is a moot point: this poor bag will be trashed by the end of this year from what I consider normal use. I really like it, so I'd rather not have to discard it, *sad face* because it's fallen apart.

The bag I bought should arrive in about a week and it will have outside side pockets for my phone, keys, Bluetooth, headphones and mini-Snickers. That means the daily, post-work heart attacks while rummaging through current bag desperately searching for my phone? Can finally stop. *siiigh* For that alone, I might have just added an additional year to my life.

The leather will be saaaawwfft. Oh so Charmin' soft. I might be found curled up with it tucked under my chin, purring, when it arrives. I make no promises. It'll be sturdy, the liner fabric will be thick, it zips in case of inclement weather and pickpockets, and can be slung over a shoulder.

What's that you're saying? Stop talking and show pictures? Well ... alright ..... there's only one right now, though. Readers, behold my new friend!

Besides, doesn't one need a bag to be a bag-lady? ;)

Note: I swore I wouldn't do it, but I'm already tapping at the order-processing screen, and e-stalking UPS. I want my bag! It's too late for the mini-Snickers, I've eaten them all. See? In the end, I'm all about instant gratification.

Crystal from Brunette on a Budget shared with me a bit of flattery on her blog a few days ago, naming me one of her favorite seven blogs. Aw shucks, thank you!

And courtesy of that list, I'm enjoying a listen-in to Madame Bonjour's playlist which features some tracks from Carla Bruni's latest CD. I've never listened to French music before, it's intriguing. I also can't understand a word of it. :)

Saturday morning I awoke to the exciting news that I'd won one of Flexo's ten TurboTax Premier Online giveaway codes. My fingers were crossed because I wanted to provide this to a close friend, April 15th is fast approaching. Is it weird that it's almost more exciting that I won it so I could give it to someone I care about?

Of all weekends to report, this has to be one of the laziest since I was nine.

Saturday: Spent a cumulative 3.5 hours on the phone catching up with random friends who called and wanted to marathon chat. Was astoundingly fatigued all day, so, I watched 5 episodes of Dollhouse. I meant to watch one, but ... they had five posted. Sometimes I get obsessive like that. Oh yes, and I spent $140 (to start) on this bridesmaid dress in eggplant from Alfred Angelo. Of course it's a junior bridesmaid size that I bought, so I hope it won't need major tailoring. [And if anyone has a clue how to make my hair look like that? That'd be awesome!]


That expense was a complete surprise. I was informed via text message that very afternoon that our plans to "wear whatever you have" had changed to "we need your sizing to order your dress right now." *sigh* O, Bridesmaidery....

Grocery shopping on the way home was consciously restrained: I was starving and didn't want to go overboard. I'm trying the TJ's enchiladas (cheese, beef and chicken) for $1.69/package. Also, their Thai yellow curry and garlic naan bread. I'm thinking of trying scrambled eggs and potatoes with the yellow curry for lunch. Ooh, also, I bought a ten-pack of frozen hash browns. Yummm... total spend was $11.97.

Sunday: Another laaaazy day. Walked over to Fresh and Easy to pick up some eggs (99 cents/dzn) and asparagus (99 cents/lb). The weird thing was they'd clearanced out the old 9-oz. asparagus bundles, as they do, for 50% off, but it was more expensive than the 1-lb sale packages. I'm glad I was paying attention to the pricing and packaging!

And talk about your friendly neighborhood store! I discovered that they have this little Kitchen section where an employee cooks foods for sampling. They had iced lemonade with strawberries, Clementines, and lemon iced cakes laying out for sampling, with a ham in the oven. My timing was excellent. When I asked the lady about her opinion of the breads since I hate trying new, disappointingly dry, sandwich breads, she grabbed a new loaf off the shelf and made me an open-face ham and cheese sandwich! She reminded me to be sure and sample anything else I might be unsure about in the store; the employee running the Kitchen is allowed to open and serve any foods. Isn't that cool? I didn't end up buying the bread right away because I'd intended to buy a small package of ham to go with it; they only had ham shanks the size of 1.5 heads.

On the walk home, I played with the neighborhood Chihuahuas running through everyone's yards. Really, they played with my feet.

Made a quick stop at Vons for a box of $4.88 Clementine Cuties and a block of sweet butter for the next batch of Mac'n'Cheese.

I think this week's menu will include breakfast burritos, hash browns, roasted or steamed asparagus, some sort of creative curry (scrambled eggs and asparagus? and potatoes? and tuna?) and garlic naan, TJ's enchiladas, and a lot of Clementines.

Now I've got my feet up waiting for the wash cycle to complete and debating how much I like these Charles David shoes (on sale for $20).

My eyebrows still haven't crept back down from my hairline after reading the positively dismal comments on FMF's article posted over on Consumerist.com: 50% Of Americans 2 Paychecks Away From Having Big Financial Problemos

I knew that some people took exception to financial advice, but didn't realize that there were people who took personal finance axioms so personally. At first, the comments started out fairly benignly, with understandable exasperation at uncomfortable or tight living circumstances. Been there, you know?

Saboth: I'm actually surprised that it isn't "0 paychecks". Most people I know barely have enough money to pay their bills currently.

edwardso:@Saboth: Sadly I am one of those people, between rent, student loans, credit card utilities I can only save about $50 per month and most of my friends (1-2 years our of college) can't even save that.

Then people started getting agitated:

nakedscience: Seriously, ThickSkinned. People just go, "SAVE! You have to SAVE!" acting like it's easy -- but it's not. Especially if you barely have enough money month-to-month to cover the bills as it is! This is especially true for people with kids, or for those who were doing fine, got sick, then lost their jobs or something.

Not all of it is because people are irresponsible. Some people just can't get above water enough to save.

But at some point, it took a plunge into outright anger and labeling the presumably financially responsible as "smug bastards." To whit:

edwardso: I can't wait until some smug bastard gets on here and proclaims that they pay off their credit card every month and make x amount of dollars through bonuses or remind everyone of how much they would save if they canceled cable, used prepaid cell phones, etc.

jake7294: @edwardso: So true...we already have the "I pay myself first" and "when I get a raise I put the increased income in savings" comments

Yikes. Yes, everyone's having a tough time. But after working my tushie off to overcome many major obstacles (ie: major health problems, business failures, family bankruptcy, supporting a household), it's unsettling to see such vituperative comments skewering the fiscally aware. Actually, I think it's lame.

That energy could be channeled towards something more productive, like, say, learning. Fine, being told "save" isn't helpful in and of itself. But it's a basic concept: if you want the products of saving, ie: money to spare and not living paycheck to paycheck, then you have to save. Unless there's a whole other world that allows reaping the benefits of saving without actually doing it. I sure don't live there. I'd love to! I had to sweat through endless trials to create a situation where I could save and pay my bills on time. And don't think I don't understand catastrophic situations while trying to build a career. Flip through the archives. That doesn't even include the years I spent putting myself through school and food on the table. It's been 9 years of working since high school, 17 if you count the years of unpaid labor at my parents' business, and many more to go.

There is a way. Do not dismiss those of us who made savings, and paying bills on time, and not carrying a credit card balance a priority in our lives. Maybe there are a few who were born with silver spoons in their mouths, but by and large, it's work, dammit. It's sacrifice, and making choices, and being mindful, and exercising willpower. It is NOT easy to reach the point where we get to be referred to as "smug bastards" for paying ourselves first. And those with silver spoons? Still don't deserve to be called bastards.

FB makes a wonderful point in her recent post Forget Earth Hour? about taking control of your money, and the predominant attitude of those who rely on denigrating others and complaining about their less-than-legitimately "poor" circumstances:

Not only that, I find it strange to be proud of being cash-poor, broke, overdrawn, maxed out and generally penniless working paycheque to paycheque.

Maybe it's just a mechanism for people to nervously deal with what they know is a hot financial mess.

The principle of saving, and the people who point it out or live it, is not the problem here. The problem lies in a situation you're not happy with. That cries out for a solution. Ask questions, ask for help and be willing to figure what part of that help is applicable if you want an answer. But don't put us down because all you see is the end result of countless hours of toil.

There are as many ways to find help as there are to save. Heck, I'm sure if you were open to any of the PF bloggers so forcibly disdained, some of them might even have some useful information. If you ask.

I've been working on making an habit of bringing decent lunches on a very short attention span. The best way to form a habit is to actually do it. Repeatedly. Simple? It should be, but it's equally easy to fall out of the habit of say, going to the grocery store every Sunday. Things come up, y'know?

Sometimes the bringing of lunch works out wonderfully throughout the week, sometimes groceries are supplemented by leftovers from dinner, other times I have to get creative or purchase a meal or two. Here are a few of the oddities that prove I don't always eat well. :)

Normal: Leftovers from dinner.

Creative: Egg and spinach on a whole wheat bagel, 91 cents
I'd failed to plan for lunch one week, and had brought disparate ingredients that were supposed to magically coalesce into a meal. It sort of did. My unboiled egg was microwaved just long enough to make a little scramble, spinach meant for a salad served double duty as greens for the sandwich and leftover bagels brought for breakfast become sandwich bread.
This was so yummy I did it again the next day, this time mixing in leftover string cheese, for some dairy.
A huge helping of spinach topped with sunflower seeds (that I've had in my desk forever) and some balsamic vinaigrette rounded out those meals.

Deal and Coupontastic: Quiznos turkey sandwich and deli sandwich on Dutch crunch, $5.60
Armed with a Quiznos free small sandwich coupon, I picked up a small turkey sandwich (terribly puny, if you ask me), a small drink, and a small Italian sandwich at a deli joint (twice the length and width of the Quiznos sandwich) to make a lunch for two. The deli sandwich was quite a good deal, it was only $4.50 for a substantial roll and hefty meat filling. If we'd gotten the equivalent meal at Quiznos, sans coupon, it would have cost about $14.50.

Filling at the time: Bags of salad (usually $1/bag) are great when topped with some chicken or tuna, and other veggies. It's satisfying, but for a much shorter period of time.

I could use some good ideas for what to try next!