If this is your first time visiting A Gai Shan Life, you can read about me here, or follow me on Twitter. I've been blogging about life and money since July 2006 and hope you enjoy your stay! 

Your next host will be Rainy-Day Saver.

On May 5th, 1868, General John Logan issued General Order Number 11 officially proclaiming Memorial Day, originally known as Decoration Day, and became a national holiday through the National Holiday Act of 1971. It was once meant to commemorate the lost soldiers of the Civil War but grew to encompass all those who gave "the last full measure of devotion."

Today I wanted to share some of the traditions to honor those fallen soldiers, starting with the most famous war poem from World War I.   

Editor's Picks 

DanielleLiss.com: My Money or My Health

Funny about Money: A PF Blogger's Glass Ceiling?

Magical Penny: Should I Invest Using Pre-Tax or Post-Tax Money?

In Flanders Fields

John McCrae, 1915

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

Investing

Dividend Growth Investor: Why Dividend Growth Stocks Rock?

Money Obedience: Retail brokers skip financial planning

Dividends Value:11 Low Beta, High Quality Dividend Stocks

Smart On Money: Traditional And Roth IRA Contribution Limits And Phase Outs

Accumulating Money: Copper ETF Investing


Eventual Millionaire: Invest Responsibly: Make the World a Better Place

Gen Y Wealth: 7 of the Hottest Penny Stocks, Earn 112% Guaranteed

Grow Money: Emotionless Investing

MORE than Finances: Use Math To Alleviate Fear Of Stock Market Volatility

The Dough Roller: Zap Trade Launched by Zecco

The Smarter Wallet: Fundamental Analysis vs Technical Analysis: How Do You Invest?

Investing Toolkit: Crude Oil Market Prices Point To Possible Inflation

Investing Thesis: Is It Time To Buy, Sell or Hold Home Capital Group [HCG:TSX]

Financial Uproar: I'm Working On A Theory

Moina Michael

In response to John McCrae's poem, Moina pledged to Keep the Faith and began the tradition of wearing red poppies as a remembrance emblem. 

Credit

Bargaineering: How to Analyze Credit Cards Reward Programs

Ask Mr. Credit Card: How Do Late Payments Affect a Co-Signer?

Free From Broke: What's My Credit Score Made Of?

Frugality

Weakonomics: Frugality is Dead

Musings of an Abstract Aucklander: Who can say no to a good bargain?

Independent Beginnings: Ways to Save Money on Home Decorating

Credit Card Finder: Credit Card Rewards or Credit Card Regrets? PF Comic #5

Ultimate Money Blog: What's Your Average Monthly Grocery Cost?

Live Real, Now: Meal Plans

Savvy Money Tips: Savvy Money Blogger

Madame Guerin

Madame Guerin brought the custom back to her native France and sold artificial poppies to support war orphans and widows. 

Finance

Chicago Financial Planner: Financial Conferences and Stock Market Drops

Budgeting

PT Money: Stop the Money Leak or Divert the Flow

Narrow Bridge: Force Yourself to Live Paycheck to Paycheck

Modern Gal: Weighing the Student Loan Decision

Eliminate the Muda!: Nothing in Free - Everything Costs

Career

Good Financial Cents: How to Make a 6 Figure Income Working at Home: Interview w/ My Wife Quit Her Job.com

Veterans of Foreign Wars 

After the Franco-American Children's League disbanded in 1921, the VFW picked up the baton and sold poppies nationally.  This was the first time a veteran's organization expanded to a nationwide distribution. 

Saving

Len Penzo dot Com: 19 Things Your Suburban Millionaire Neighbor Won't Tell You

Balance Junkie: TFSA Withdrawal Rules

Debt 

Penny for my Thoughts: The Kids Aren't All Right

One Money Design: Emergency Fund Versus Getting Out of Debt 


Reviews

FiscalGeek: You Need a Budget (YNAB) for the iPhone Review 

VFW and the "Buddy Poppy"

The term "Buddy Poppy" was registered and trademarked in 1924; the intent was to reserve the assembly of the Buddy Poppies for disabled and needy veterans to provide an income for the veterans, maintain rehabilitation and service programs, and provide some support for the war orphans and widows. 

Money Management

Ace of Wealth:Breaking the status quo

Hundred Goals: Debt or Savings?

Financially Poor: 5 Essentials For Personal Finance Success

Free Money Finance: The Ten Worst Money Mistakes Anyone Can Make

Well-Heeled Blog: Swimming in a Sea of Consumer Electronic Devices

Hope to Prosper: How Much Should We Give Our Children?

The Digerati Life: How To Lower Your Homeowners Insurance Premiums

Studenomics: I Need To Fix My Spending Habits ASAP!

Taxes

Wealth Pilgrim: IRA Restrictions – A Guide To Your Best IRA

USPS 

 Moina Michael was acknowledged as the founder of the Red Poppy Movement when the Post Office issued a 3 cent stamp with her likeness in 1948.

Real Estate

Money Beagle: You Can Afford A Bigger House, But Should You Buy One?

Money Help For Christians: How to Pay Off the Mortgage Early

Economy

Science And Money: Sovereign Debt Worries

Personal Finance Analyst: Recession and Religion: How are Churches Faring During the Recession?

PennyJobs.com: Liberalism and Its Welfare Economics Must Die If the Global Economy Is Going to Survive


Everything Else

My Dollar Plan: 3 Ways to Use Life Insurance During Life

Foreigner's Finances: Use Google Calendar to Organize Your Money

Provident Planning: Raising a Cow for Beef: Month


As always, thanks to everyone for reading and contributing to the Carnival!

This month shows an interesting slide in both assets (primarily investments) and a nearly equal drop in expenses. Those expenses were mostly relocation-related, this month's cash usage was pretty much the renters insurance policies I bought.  

It is a little disappointing that the $5K/5K challenge doesn't show up significantly on this snapshot, but that's  because it's lost in the overall picture.  As a detail, it plumped up the emergency fund a good amount. I have plans for that emergency fund - a lot of that cash will be going into a long-term CD to earn as much interest as possible until rates go up elsewhere.  Perhaps I could even "part" with $20K?  *shudder*

I'm a cash hoarder and it's distinctly weird to lock up more than half my cash, but it's time to crush that kind of emotional saving!

I continue on the last leg of the Challenge this week and then have to decide the next step of my overall financial plan to supplement my income this year. 

$5K Challenge Reporting: I'm in a holding pattern this week, a paltry $50 check trickled in yesterday but three major invoices are still outstanding. My hope is that they all come in this weekend but it is a holiday weekend. 


Speaking of holiday weekends, I'm so relieved it's here.  Work's been running me right off my feet everyday and only careful planning and advance cooking from the previous weekend ensured that a hearty dinner was on the table by 8 pm every night. 

My exhilarating plans include catching up on sleep, bills, playing with the Guest pup one more time before the owners return, preparing the Carnival for your viewing pleasure and setting up a recalcitrant printer/scanner that's refused to work since moving.  Maybe even catching a movie with a friend who suddenly showed up in Oakland. Oh and there will definitely be eating.  I'm on the prowl for new recipes to try - please share any of your comfort food recipes!

What have y'all got on tap?

But plenty of companies, including Financial Times, clearly are. That includes my own which has had the benefit of an app developer offer his services free to develop a limited service app distributing company content. It's kind of neat.  I know at least three people I work with who now own the iPad and they love the gadgets for the techy coolth and the entertainment value, but not so much (or at all) for work or truly functional purposes.

I remain a fan of a tactile keyboard and a screen that closes over the keyboard. I'm simply too much a klutz, and not appreciative enough of the touchscreen for more than recreational purposes, to spend my money on the latest and greatest toy from the Jobs Empire. 

Speaking of Apple, I can't help but associate it with this macabre story about the tenth (at least) suicide at a Foxconn building in Shenzhen just after the company's chairman's visit about the previous suicides.  While Apple's not directly responsible, I'd consider it their duty to do more than simply "look into" Foxconn's working conditions as a major client of this company.

Watching MythBusters, I wondered if any or all of the hosts are actually as mechanically, engineerically or otherwise functionally ingenious enough to independently conceive, develop and execute their experiments that they demonstrate for the benefit of the masses. Like Zach and Hodgens from Bones, y'know?

Naturally, that led to wondering if mutual friends who are engineers or mechanical genii (genius, plural) would view this show with rather more skepticism than I, and then, of course, I start wondering what I've done with my life since high school.

That path of inquiry has been grooved deeply into my musings, though rather subsumed by the more immediate and urgent call of living life, as I approach a milestone graduation anniversary.

As it happens, I'm not attending this event because....
A) they're charging more than $100 for admission per ticket (plus flight),
B) I already keep in touch with 90% of the friends I wanted to stay in touch with,
C) In addition to running into 30% of the people I'd be quite happier never seeing again,
D) With no doubt that the 10% I DO want to see won't actually be there.

Despite my resolution to save both time and money, the event itself continues to engenders these musings.

It's a perplexing sense of insecurity, or a close cousin thereof, that leads me to question why I've not yet become an expert martial artist, developed a craft, attained mastery of some incredibly useful survivalist training in the event of near-complete global disaster. (And yet, I've had no interest in that show, Survivor.) Or at least completed graduate education. 

Now, I've been kicking about the PF blogosphere for years, bouncing around among some major achievers whose blogs have grown exponentially, admiring personalities glowing through the internets garnering praise, media attention, and financial success both related and not to their blogs.  From time to time, I turn over the same mental stones about the path to blogger success that Funny about Money articulates in her A PF Blogger's Glass Ceiling?  That doesn't make me feel smaller than I am, nor do I feel compelled to compare myself to bigger and better blogs to my detriment.

Why then does the memory of high school and the person I thought I'd be by now (delusional teenager that I was) make me step back and wonder: What have I done with myself?

I think it's something to do with the habit of competing against myself.  Perhaps there's also a touch of competing with others but at the end of the day, when you're laboring to achieve as much as you once dreamed, you've set up a tough crowd to impress.

My voice of reason finally pipes up with admonishments that competing with anyone, including yourself, for the sake of winning at life is sheer foolishness.  Living life well and happily is all one needs.

It's just disconcerting that that memory of high school can so viscerally project itself over the panarama of my real life.

The grass isn't greener on the other side, it's greener where you water it.
Stacking Pennies

"...it's just that the things I've accomplished haven't really been plans, just things I fell into."
Mrs. Micah

A man's reach should exceed his grasp, Or what's a heaven for?
Robert Browning

I'm not big on summer or high season travel but this year's trips have suddenly piled up as a California highway is wont to do on any given day.  Not having the itineraries settled was annoying me at odd times. Completely inappropriately like, say, during meetings my brain chose not to attend.  In keeping with my neuroses, I've started a joint expenses tracking spreadsheet to total up this year's travel spending now that Partner in Crime and I are in the same area at the same time.

So we sat down with pencil and paper (seriously!), computers and calendars to map out the summer months.

Airfare is no joke, folks.

I've been juicing the value of some Southwest credits (just over $600) to pay for my travel to attend a graduation, the Comic-Con expeditions, and had a little left over for a solo trip that PiC is taking.  I have no interest in traveling 3 weekends out of 5 in a month, so he's on his own for that one.  They actually stretched to pay for 7 one-way trips so that's a big fat sigh of relief, but it most certainly did not cover the wedding in LA.

Road trip! And over the holiday weekend, that last. Pray for me!


With only $100+ in the travel fund, covering my share of the rental car, food, comics, and any other gifts from Con will be an interesting challenge.  Though, let's be honest, if I do well enough on the current savings challenge, I will share some of that bounty with ... myself.

I'm also hoarding a couple other travel credits (a free round trip and some other airline credits) in case my hypothesized short vacation to see a host of relatives and friends on the East Coast this fall proves true.  But that's a whole other story. For now, I plan to be a complete homebody in the months of August and September.

What does this summer hold in store for you?

While I apply for regular credit cards with almost reckless abandon to get a new round of bonuses every year (no more than 3 per year, noted on a spreadsheet for maximum bonus and cancellation efficiency), my store credit cards have been limited to Macy’s (unused), Victoria’s Secret (unused) and Best Buy (long since canceled).

And now, Banana Republic. On my Desperate for a Sweater shopping trip, there were no coupons or sales. Le horror!  Unfortunately, I simply wouldn’t have time to shop again for weeks and I wasn’t going to survive another week in the frozen tundra of an office space so I bit the bullet and bought a lightly discounted sweater.

Confronted by the usual “do you have a store card, and do you want to sign up for a 20% discount today?” I halfheartedly waved the baited hook away until I realized that that was the only worthwhile discount option. No gift cards in hand, no coupons, no cashback. It was the store card or nearly full price.  My bargain dependent heart couldn’t take it and so I did. Take the card, that is. Oddly enough, I promptly forgot about the card. Three weeks later, it appeared in the mail, I paid the bill and noted the various ways they get you to keep the card:

1. Bonus points for purchases at their stores
2. Loyalty tiers for spending at least $800. per year.
3. Cash outs for every 1000 points, which means any points that are leftover are held prisoner until you spend more.
4. Bonus points for making a purchase outside their stores within 30 days of activation. This is to get you accustomed to spending with their card all the time.

I’ll keep it open long enough to benefit from the bonus point for signing up for paperless statements (500 points) and for making an outside purchase (2000 points). That nets me a $30 credit. But beyond that, is it worth keeping this card?


My thanks .....

to Adam of Money Relationship for including my post on Lingering Side Effects of Debt in this week's Carnival of Personal Finance.

Be sure to submit to this week's Carnival hosted by me this week!

Check out ..... 

the Carnival of Money Stories hosted by Funny About Money!

As I write this, I'm watching people on the water with my feet hiked up on a deck chair, squinting in the sun. Max brightness setting has nothing on the direct sunlight!  I've been firmly scolded that weekends are not for working.  Luckily, I did bust my butt to finish up a major project two weeks early just so I could invoice it out and claim that income for this challenge, so I can cooperate with my "orders" to rest and relax. 

The reports on the challenge for last week:

Divorcing Debt checked in via email with a balance of $347.99
Ciawy saved $215 of the intended $250 per week, brought lunch and snacks to work every day and fell to the siren call of the farmers' market. But she bought fruit so I can't really argue with that!
Candace of Cody and Candace saved another $124 which brings her to 57% of the goal.
The Fit Lounge committed to saving at least $1000.

Anyone else out there? @ConvertingMe? @tiredofbeingbroke?  Frugal Scholar?  Funny about Money? I know you're working at it, and I'd love to hear about your progress!


Not so incidentally: Single Ma is tearing up the Fitness part of this challenge, blogging about it every day AND experiencing all the glorious ups and downs of training.



My thanks .....

to Tom of Canadian Finance Blog for including my post on Late nights increase eating out in this week's Carnival of Personal Finance.

Be sure to submit to this week's Carnival hosted by Money Relationship this week!

Speaking of weddings ....


The furthest distance I've ever traveled for a wedding was Miami. [2348 miles]
The furthest distance I've been invited to go is Greece (no go, sadly). [6900 miles]

Before age 25, the furthest I'd ever gone was Atlanta, and that was also the furthest I'd been invited to travel. [2190 miles]

The lowest cost (to me) destination wedding attended: Nashville [$350]
The highest cost (to me) destination wedding attended: Miami [$500]

The lowest cost (for them) wedding attended: Los Angeles [under $100]
The highest cost (for them) wedding attended: tie between Miami and Napa [both were six-figure weddings]

It’s amazing how much you can get done without a regular 9 to 5 taking up most of your day. Your day can start as, well-rested and refreshed, you have that leisurely cup of coffee or tea, basking in the morning sun with the paper. Work and errands are queued up, run on your schedule and so much more gets done.

Or does it?

Sometimes, after a round of several appointments and errands I'd feel terribly accomplished, but there was a sneaking suspicion that it simply wasn't sustainable productivity.  After all, it was rarely producing any income. On the flip side, getting up pre-dawn for work five days a week and squeezing in the personal stuff when and if you can feels so constrictive that the lure of the open schedule is a siren song. Of course, that alone is hardly good reason to stop working full time and I'd be unhappy if I weren't being productive and earning money to hoard like a treasure-loving dragon.

There are days, though, that the idea of building an empire of something that is nearly self-sustaining, doesn't require endless meetings to keep alive or keep moving, and doesn't rely on the vagaries of a single entity for survival is awfully enticing.  That and all the new Dr. Who and Caprica episodes that I know I'm missing are nibbling away at my patience.  Ok, again, I know, not a valid reason.  As a reforming workaholic, I claim right of not yet knowing how to balance work and play.

Have you considered the merits and drawbacks of being your own boss? If you could make an honest and respectable (however you define that number) wage, would you?

Mrs Micah recently asked Are You Ready to Become Your Own Boss?

I know that's Nicole of RainyDaySaver's goal;
VH of Funny About Money is doing quite well sort of running her own show between the CopyEditor's Desk and her community college classes;
Mrs. Money's really liking the idea of ditching her full time position because she's not happy with her job, thence to perhaps become a SAHM for at least a year;

On the other side of the fence, Paranoid Asteroid has no intentions of going freelance or entrepreneurial, and several people agree with her.  Unfortunately I can't find that post! 

Which side of the fence do you prefer?

Crystal of Budgeting in the Fun Stuff and Simple Life in France recently imagined their lives without debt. Having spent a full quarter of my life in the state of debt repayment, I’d like to point out some potential lingering effects you might observe after you bid adieu to your personal interest-sucking leech.

Facial tics: when people who brag about taking on unnecessary debt. As witness, Jersey Mom’s overheard conversation by the Woman Who Wants to Wear Her House.
More severe side effects may include the barely suppressed urge to slap the person in question, or a totally reasonable rage.

Ulcers: when a loved one reveals plans to embark on a fantastic unfunded business venture. Without funding. Or a business plan. Or an exit plan. Or anything except blind optimism.


Migraines: when you discover someone deep in debt or without sufficient cash flow has purchased Yet Another Gadget.

I take a few pills of Mind Yer Own Derned Business every morning now, to offset those ingrained reactions.  That and a pair of earplugs means much less stress and (verbal) slappin' all around, at least for the people I'm not related to. 

Do these sound familiar to anyone or is it just me?

Sound off!

Because my freelance income is irregular, I didn't set increments of earning but I AM working like gangbusters to finish up the other half of a major project early.  Say, two weeks early just so I can log the income for this challenge. (Not cheating!)  While it means my eyeballs may fall out, that means I'll have more time for other things like working on my Carnival of Personal Finance theme, or dogsitting toward the end of the month.

You know what would be really cool? If Adsense came through this month too.  It won't 'cause I'm still a ways away from the payout threshold, but it'd be a cool confluence of events if it did.
My thanks ..... 

to Madison of My Dollar Plan for including my post on Employment: The First Month in this week's Carnival of Personal Finance.

Be sure to submit to this week's Carnival hosted by Tom of Canadian Finance Blog.

Check them out .... 

I didn't have anything to submit to Debt Ninja's You know you're a PFer when....  until this Friday when I tried to put my birthday dinner on my credit card because "I get 5% rewards, you only get 2%!"  Yep ... classy!

Well-Heeled's discussion about our mutual obsession-that-isn't hits the nail on the head: I have expectations for my future and paying close attention to my finances gets me there. It just makes sense.

But it does make me wonder if I should stop sharing my net worth updates - are they really necessary? I don't need to be held accountable, I just use it as a personal reference but is there any real point to them? Do they have any value to this blog?  I usually ascribe to Stacking Pennies's view that it doesn't really matter as long as we're anonymous.  And it's true, I'm actually pretty comfortable with people who don't know who I am knowing my numbers. It's when they know me AND my numbers in a non-reciprocal way that's a bit weird.

Little Miss Moneybags' Combined Finances post contained a gem that I'd never really considered before when mentally debating the joint versus separate finances issue (bold emphasis mine):

Peanut is paying off his student loans aggressively and as soon as I'm out of the grace period, I will too. By pooling our money and aggressively paying all of our loans in order of highest interest rate, we will ultimately pay less interest. We may only save a few hundred bucks, but hey, that's something. Also, I'm benefiting from the education those loans got him. And he's benefiting from the education my loans got me.

I want Rina's Mother's Day brunch dishes All The Time. Go. See. Drool.

City? Country? 'burbs?  Where would you choose to live if your job could just be there for you?  Simple Life in France guest posted and expanded further at the home site about this choice. I went with the 'burbs for a variety of reasons, but one was that it was a compromise between the country and the city.

It's been long enough since any graduations of my own that graduation ceremonies are now utterly unmotivating.  Or so I say now. May is a bit early for my taste, but maybe around June I'll feel the energy from Pomp and Circumstance! 

In the meantime, there's something about a) coming back to my old room and b) traveling on a Saturday that makes me just want to hole up like a hermit and so that's what I've done today.

I've emerged to spend $30 in pursuit of grooming and feeding. Both were good.

The latter was a catch-me-up session with a dear friend whose family news left me stunned and wandering the mall with unseeing eyes for half an hour until my brain cleared.  While there were no deaths, there was a close call, and several other life events as defined by say, your health care provider for qualification to change your plan have or will occur. None of the good ones, though. The best I could do with give great big hugs and wish things would improve, rapidly.  Y'know the weird thing? I felt guilty. It all happened after I moved, and I thought, "well crap, my world didn't completely fall apart aside from that one really tough week, but your family took the hit." 

It felt like the odd void of disaster in my family was moved to someone else I love. Crazy, I know.

In any case, I'll be writing the usual cousin check for a graduation and another four years completed. As always, I'm inmensely proud and scrambling for an appropriate card to tuck it into because darned if I didn't take the box of cards up north with me when I moved!

And can I say? I've missed this crazy SoCal sun!!  I'll have to remember how not to get sunburned tomorrow.

This gorgeous, thick, almost plush orange envelope landed in my mailbox yesterday.  It was addressed to "Revanche and Guest" - you know what that means!

Wedding bells are ringing in honor of my dear old friend. He was my one of my favorite freshman year teachers and we've kept in touch lo these many years - through college, through the dissolution of his marriage, through some incredibly tough job hunting and soul searching years. And he's found the woman who, without even meeting her, it's plain she so matches his personality that reading her writing is like reading his.  They're not the same, but it's close enough to make no never mind.

I'm delighted for him.  He's a warm and loving soul; a troubled marriage, divorce, ex-wife's hasty remarriage to the strangest match ever (oh yes, we knew the guy) and the loss of his beloved pets who were children to him didn't tarnish his quest for beauty (Whitmannish, Emersonian, Byronlike) and love.

My hope is that sometime after the wedding, I'll get to know his wife and we'll get along, and we'll continue meeting up at odd times in our lives and be friends until the end of time. 

In the meantime, it's a scramble to make sure that I've travel funds for another trip back down south to witness their nuptials and wish them well.  As luck would have it, they've scheduled it for the holiday weekend in July so with that Monday off as buffer/recovery time I'm considering driving instead of flying. It's more cost-effective when you have more than one person in the car. Tallying for two: driving would probably cost less than $200 for the weekend, compared to 2 plane tickets at $180ish each. And if any other friends want to hitch a ride down to LA for the weekend, that'd defray the cost further. 

Between this unexpected news and the flight back home for a graduation I neglected to budget for, I've emptied the well of travel money, travel credits, and travel anything else! But I wouldn't dream of missing it and can't wait to see him again.

One of my friends was suitably impressed by the dinner I prepared over the weekend and that I cook as much as I do each week.  The evidence of my evolution into frugal domesticity was rather striking this weekend, come to think.

I came home from work, did more work at home, made a three course dinner with dessert, served brunch, second lunch, picked up supplies for my friends the intrepid painters, washed, dried and folded a combination  of laundry for three, and made dinner again. 

As I suspected, several long years ago, supporting my family financially isn't all there is to running a household. Housekeeping is hard work.  I can't even begin to imagine how much more challenging this would be combined with having children.  And pets?  No wonder my parents resisted our pleas for dogs so long.  Every little bit eats away at your previous time and energy.

The extra effort in having guests who are old friends would be well worth the company alone.  In this case, it's more than repaid because they've cheerfully taken on the task of painting the apartment (not my plan or idea, but I can't get into that right now).  All I've got to do is provide support services like cooking and cleaning so they can handle the stuff my shoulder and various other joints won't allow. Our friendships don't require currency but it's nice that we're good about exchanging favors like random chores or emergency break-up moving services.

As I was folding our laundry, the thought occurred to me that the next time I buy detergent and fabric softener - a long while from now as I only use a wee dash at a time, I need a different scent. Something about this combination reminds me of someone I was once fond of but am no longer.  It's strange how something as simple as a fragrance can influence future shopping habits.

Remember that 2 meals out per week thing? It's becoming pretty challenging.

Those friends being in town didn't help - we hit the quota, and would have gone over had it not been over a weekend. Twice on Sunday! I mean, really!  But it was dim sum, and then the longest afternoon of shopping/errands stretched into a late night sushi dinner, and who was I to argue?

Still, that blew the dining out budget for the entire week so I had to veto Cinco de Mayo.  Luckily, I had made a huge pot of homemade chicken soup which heated up wonderfully for Wednesday night dinner.  Leftovers sufficed for Thursday night but we had to defrost something that night lest Friday night become another night out.

Having friends over is nice, but between that and the wonky schedule when social obligations come up or when I get home really late from work, my money management's suffering.  I'm starting to wonder if my arbitrary limit needs some evaluation.  Should I be targeting a dollar amount per week instead of occurrences?  Because I count Costco Dog Dinners as eating out - it's prepared food.

If I were to be on a monthly dining out budget, I'd just have to be more prudent in a different way, and not limit the number of times I eat out so strictly. Is that better or will it just encourage me to feel like there's more slack in the system? The grocery budget is already at a more than generous amount so I'm really wary of allowing more spending. 

How do you keep your eating out to a minimum?

Since I have such major savings targets, I've morphed into a bit of a tightwad.   (More than usual, yes.)  And with the $5K/5K Challenge on now, I'm even more motivated to avoid unnecessary spending.

My iPhone cover is giving up the ghost.
I'm considering checking to see if they'll do a partial replacement or just going without for a while because this cost $30 when I bought the iSkin revo two years ago. The visor is essential because if I'm using the phone without, there's a 90% chance I'll touch the screen and mute/hang up/do something else unintentionally.  I'd rather not spend anything I don't absolutely have to until I've regained some savings ground.  Rechecking the site, the whole thing costs $20 now.  Miiight be worth it.

I know I said I'd stop buying clothes, but does that include underthings? 
I rather need a small round of replacements. Or is that a want? Hmm. Either way, I don't want to spend the money.  A single good quality bra that doesn't fall apart is between $60-70.  Or at least all my regular bras that cost less than $20 are in tatters. Just don't want to spend that kind of money.

The netbook of my dreams starts at $1300. 
It makes the $250 "sale" look like an incredible bargain. Again, holding back the credit card.

Shoes.
I hate shoe shopping. But I've about worn a hole into the soles of my Kate & Kelly flats because I walk everydangwhere to, at, and from work. I liked walking before but I dread it now that I'm in the company of people who think nothing of trotting (aka demon speedwalking) nearly 2 miles one way to catch their transportation. And then think I should come with them for business dinners.  At this rate, I'm just going to have to wear sneakers with business trousers and that just looks wrong.

Another attempt at the Holy Grail bag, partial Fail. 
I DID spend $38 on a new bag from Etsy.  The order might have gone in on April, but I gotta pay the bill whenever the credit card comes due.

My beloved expensive leather bag that's butter-soft, got all the pockets I need, and eminently waterproof weighs in at more than three pounds. After it's loaded up, it's unmanageably heavy and has been causing serious back and neck pain.  I've picked out a new lightweight shoulder/cross body bag to get me through until I find a winter option.  I hate having too many bags but it doesn't make sense to destroy my body for the sake of money.

Since these are discretionary purchases, opting to wait is not cheating.  What are you saying "not yet" to these days?

Did I say I'd set up updates on Saturday?  I'm all discombobulated!

Cody and Candace reported: $164 of $500, reaching 33% of the goal
Danielle hopped on board with a goal of $1500 in debt reduction
The Lost Goat has joined the Fitness side planning to job 45 minutes, 3 times a week, with a 5K on June 6th.
Ciawy reports her plan to save $250/week and bring lunches to work


Notes: It's a great start, but the rest of the way is going to be quite a bit more challenging. I'm traveling next weekend so I won't have nearly any time to spend on freelancing.



Weddings in the Blogosphere 
Stacking Pennies is back from her mini-moon and raised her rent.
Red is getting married TODAY.

Interesting bits
Lazy Man fit in a couple finance related movies last weekend.  I keep hearing about Wall Street but I'm not sure my blood pressure can take it.

Frugal Scholar's daughter, Lucy Marmalade, expressed a profound thought in the course of sharing her Pink Pearls:

What if something I feel indifferent toward could, through an act of generosity and thoughtfulness, find its way into more loving hands? .... A random act of kindness (which doubles as a cleansing act of sorts for the giver) can lead to immeasurable joy in someone else's life.

My Thanks... 
Thanks to Well-Heeled for including my post, A little sumpin'-sumpin'?, in her Origins of the Five Pigs Edition of the Carnival of Personal Finance.  I was most amused by this because the night before, one of my oldest friends told me he'd never heard the 5 Little Pigs nursery rhyme. Is that what that was?

Thanks to Funny About Money for highlighting and picking up a form of our $5K/5K Challenge in Health and Dollars: A Challenge. We were thinking along the same lines at the same time, so cheers to her Lose Ten Pounds goal!

Thanks to the lovely Mrs. Simple in France for her thoughtful response to my post, A little sumpin'-sumpin'?, in the "you deserve it" trap and weekly post picks. I don't think it's a great response just because she agreed with me. :)  Her point, " Then again, treating yourself to make up for something sounds like a slippery slope as well–if taken to the extreme." is exactly what I'd be concerned about as the ultimate "If you give a mouse a cookie" sort of personality.  A very close friend is subject to that.

Thanks to Crystal of Budgeting in the Fun Stuff for sharing her experience with getting caught up in the heat of the discount in The Special That Sucked Me In... I think Crystal's version is for a much better reason than my own. :)

Thanks to Frugal Scholar for sharing a book review of Possom Living, a book about living frugally in a pretty extreme situation, and noting my attempts to occasionally be possum.

A couple friends came to town last night and up until 6 pm, I wasn't exactly sure if I was hosting a dinner or not.  I got a call to expect dinner guests in an hour and a half, so then the scramble to pull together a good meal commenced. 

Caprese salad
Broccoli, pasta, potato variation on Frugal Scholar's Broccoli Garlic soup
Roasted chicken
Garlic and spinach
Red quinoa cooked in vegetable broth
Dessert: Pies in jars

That was the last of the pies in jars so it's time to make up a new batch. (Musing: Did I buy any more flour? I did buy Granny Smiths but haven't done a thing with them.)

I've got SO very much work to do this weekend that I'm all conflicted. I only see these friends a few times a year so obviously it's important to spend time with them while they're here. On the other hand, time is running out to get a number of freelance jobbies done and commitments must be honored.  It's just going to be another weekend of juggling! 

Will someone out there have a restful Saturday for me?

What a strangely accurate (Post-it Stop Motion) depiction of people at work!



It's Friday!

If I were a mouse, I'd be playing as the boss is away, but I'm supposed to be "brilliant" so I'm still working.

Would love to see Iron Man, though! Then again, I don't want to pay full price either. Hm... priorities.  Well, an old friend will be in town again and I don't see him often so it might be a case of going along with with everyone else wants and paying more than I'd like to hang out and see the same movie at the same time. Like high school, only more expensive.

What's your stance on movie theaters?  Yea or nay? 

Also: roasted chicken or pork tenderloin for next week's dinners?  (Hint: The first one is WAY easier to make.)

I love it, you all are both supportive AND game!
Finance 

Frugal Scholar with a goal TBD
Cody and Candace with a goal of $500 for debt reduction
Jersey Mom with a goal TBD MochaTrina with a goal TBD
Serendipity with a goal of $250
Doug with a goal of $500
Divorcing Debt with a goal of saving all Amazon/eBay sales money

Fitness 

Single Ma running all five Ks
Chele
nofearingthemoney (no blog)
Tazzee
mzinspiredmind
Funny About Money with a goal to lose 10 lbs

BOTH
Tired of Being Broke with a goal of $5K and losing 7 lbs
Ciawy taking on both with a goal of $500 bringing lunch everyday to work, and signing up for a 5K race
BK Diva

Here's the plan:  I will be updating weekly so send me your updates by email or post a comment, or send me the link to your blogged update on Friday to be included in the post Saturday. 

I'm so excited to see how this works out!!

I have been gainfully employed for one full month since the Long Layoff of Ought-nine through Ten.

"How does it feel, Revanche, to be a fully contributing member of society again?"
"What does that even mean? I'm exhausted, I've worked my toes off and frankly, I'm surprised that I'm still alive!"

Ah yes, welcome back to the American workplace, indeed.

I'd mentioned before that I work with workaholics. Idealists with a vision. Idealistic businesspeople who aren't naive so much as complete fire-eaters with very little need to connect to human limitations.  What I'm saying is it's hard to keep up with them, much less excel and shine in the manner in which I'm accustomed. (Grump, much?)  Still and all, they're good eggs and I'm exaggerating at least a little.

It's been kind of a rollercoaster.

Work like a swan on water: Look smooth up top, but paddle like hell underwater.
I love deadlines. I love the whooshing sound they make as they pass me by.

It's been long enough since starting my last job that I'd forgotten how much harder it would be to start a new role with the management responsibilities I'd earned over time after starting at the bottom. I assumed that my skills were applicable across the board, which they are, and completely discounted the degree of social buy-in that's necessary to fully engage, productively, with a new team.  Oh and learning an entirely new culture and system, let's not forget that.  

When you're hired in at entry-level, people are pretty happy if you're only sort of socialized and relieved if you're not an utter mess. They are, however, not surprised if you fail at either or both. The attitude is frequently that the "first job out of college" is a significant benchmark: the fresh-minted new grad or the fresh to the workforce babe-in-arms can be readily excused just about anything.

When you've hired yourself out to the highest bidder as an experienced and seasoned veteran of the work trenches, however, it's an entirely different story. You have to, as they like to say, "hit the ground running" and be prepared to contribute as a fully functioning member of the team in many capacities: facilitator, communicator, politician.  This is not an unreasonable expectation.

What's even better is when you've taken on direct reports. You really have to maintain composure because frankly, who can really respect someone they've yet to take the measure of who appears to be a basket-case? You can excuse the long-time boss's befrazzlement to some degree, he or she has presumably long since earned both formal and informal authority.

It doesn't *feel* professionally acceptable to look frazzled and confused after your first two weeks - a seasoned professional should have absorbed all the relevant details and adapted by then, no? I can almost hear Gunny Highway barking at me: "You adapt. You overcome. You improvise. Let's move."

I'm adapting. I'm overcoming (bit by bit). I'm improving. Let's move.

Yesterday I announced a joint 5K challenge that Single Ma and I are taking on and we'd like you to join us! 

The goal:
SHE: Single Ma starts training on May 2nd and hits the race starting lines on June 5th.
ME: I will be saving every penny not needed for expenses and aiming for the highest possible amount by June 5th.

The details: She doesn't expect a perfect race, and I don't expect a perfect savings run. I know that $5000 is a huge sum, and I really want to hit that goal, but to make it realistic, I'm setting some ground rules.

First: I won't cheat by skimping on every day necessities in order to artificially win this challenge. For example, if I owe gifts to people, they won't be sent late because I'm trying to avoid spending. On the other hand, whenever I can use gift cards to avoid using cash, you can bet I'll be doing so.

Second: Since I do not make well over $5000 in any given month from my day job, savings money has to come from my freelance income. 

Third: (The equivalent of walking) I will allow any invoices for work already performed paid during this timeframe to be counted toward the total. The converse is also true: I will not book any money that has been invoiced but not received.  So if you owe me money, please pay me during this time! ;)

Fourth: Accountability! I will be posting weekly updates to my savings regimen.

Q: "WHY WHY WHY? 
A:  Well, it should be obvious why SM is doing the 5K - she's insane! ;) Nooooo, it's a great milestone to achieve. As for me, I have some major savings goals for the year and this is one way to concentrate on reaching at least one more early in the year. The more I bank, the better my position will be in as more family challenges crop up this year.

Q:  Why match SM?
A:  SM's always been inspirational and I know many of her readers feel the same way. The symmetry was poetic and I couldn't turn down the opportunity to "run" with her!

Q:  What if I can't save $5K?
A:  Not a problem - set your savings goal wherever makes the most sense for you, but make it more than your usual savings rate. The point is to stretch yourself beyond the normal day to day.

Q:  How do I have to save for it to count?
A:  You can save however you can so long as you're not lying, cheating or stealing.  Small bits, lump sums, getting your cousin Sally to pay back that quarter you lent her when you were both 7 years old, if it's ethical, it's fair game! :)  Also, no neglecting your responsibilities!

Q: What if I don't blog, can I still participate?
A: ABsolutely!  If you blog, and you're taking on the financial challenge, please do post the challenge and weekly updates. If you don't blog and want to send your numbers to me, you are most welcome to comment and/or email me and I'll keep a spreadsheet with our progress. This is a team effort!

In one month, Single Ma of Fabulous Financials fame is going to take the leap into her first 5K race! Having blazed the trail to financial success in her life, she's refocused her intensity on a new frontier. If you've missed her fabulous (of course) tweets in the past few months, she's been making major changes in her lifestyle, overhauling her eating habits and kicking the crud out of the Couch to 5K program.

She starts official training for the 5K today, Sunday May 2nd. Starting at the same time, I will be "running" alongside her in the saving spirit - I will aim to save $5000 between May 2nd through June 5th.

Will you join us in Financial and Physical Fitness?

Stay tuned for the details!

What happened?  I dreamed that my staff were plotting an insurrection because apparently my boss was an alky, and they were in trouble for bringing dozens of differently sized exercise balls into the office.  ??? 

It's been hours since I finally succumbed to the dim sum shrimp punching me in the face and knocking my brain fuzzy.  You've really gotta watch it with that dim sum - half a chance and the carbs and the fats work their diversionary magic and POW! The shrimp get ya. 

In lieu of caffeine, this Hand Ninja helped wake me up with her calisthenics (no idea what the last bit is all about).

Though dim sum is really fun, the only dish that really gets me there are the steamed and baked BBQ pork buns because I love love love BBQ pork and can't make the buns at home. I might be able to figure it out one day but for now, I'm happy with bringing home the occasional delicious bun treat.

Speaking of treats, our meal was a treat as well. The bill for 4 people after tip was $55 which wasn't bad considering we had SIXTEEN dishes (mostly small and medium) and works out to less than $14 per person.  While I try to spend less than that on food for an entire day, it's doped me up enough that I probably won't eat again until late tonight. :)

I am up and at 'em!  (Always have wondered who 'em was, though.)  It's 8:30 and the chicken stock is bubbling merrily on the stove next to the pot of eggs for the week's snacks.  I've just to fetch my mending basket and settle into the perfect curve of my sofa-pillow Fortress of Solitude whilst the breakfast hash browns are baking in the toaster oven. 

It's not a half bad beginning to the day. 

I've queued up an amazing lot of workly things to do, though.  The cookery was the easy part.  I have loads of prep work for next week, a good chunk of freelancing to tackle, blogging to catch up on, and perhaps a meal or two to eat.  Friends are in town, too, though they're really just here to see each other and I happen to be the middle at which they meet. 

P.S. Last week's chicken soup picture? Will be duplicated today! I'm so excited. I'm making the stock first, then a super sized batch will follow using both weeks' stock.

Also, I will be making Frugal Scholar's Broccoli Soup this week with the head of broc bought expressly for that purpose. It will be gorgeous!