Monday, December 29, 2008

What kind of rich do you want to be?

So, I was pondering my financial goals for the New Year - there will be a week long dedication to that next week, so get excited! - and I was wondering what kind of rich I want to be in the near future.

I've been thinking about it, and there's a couple of types of "rich" that can be observed in everyday life:

Family rich
: rich enough to have and provide for a family, meaning a comfortable house, decent clothing and food, and enough to go on a vacation once a year or so, along with being able to provide memorable Christmas and birthdays. Think: the family in Home Alone

Glam rich: rich enough to have the newest of everything: electronics, clothes, and accessories, all while living in a well decorated home with a live in chef. Being able to take your 10 closest friends to dinner or on vacation even and not worry about the price tag. Think: most celebrities and/or entrepreneuers,or Paris Hiltion

Humanitarian rich: rich enough to be able to donate copious amounts of your income to charities to help further the cause. Being able to travel to foreign countries and donate your time and even more money without worrying about work because you make enough money to be able to leave your job for months at a time. Think: Angelina Jolie, Bill Gates

Retirement rich
: rich enough to not have to work after a certain age because you have worked and saved long enough to take care of your basic needs and wants for the remainder of your life. Able to take time to travel and give gifts to children and grandchildren without worrying about who will pay for your next prescription or meal. Most importantly, being able to die with enough left over to cover your final bills, funeral costs, and give some to your loved ones. Think: the old people who live in Capstone Village, your grandparents.

So, in ten years, what kind of rich would you like to be? In twenty? Fifty? Is there another type of "rich" you can think of?

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Merry Christmas

Ok guys, I am going on Family Hiatus for a while, but I promise an update for the New Year. Have an amazing holiday and get excited - 24 Hours of A Christmas Story starts at seven!

Here's one of my favorite clips:



Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!

Saturday, December 20, 2008

"You're Fired." "I quit."

So remember how I was telling you how great it was that I had a job waiting for me when I got back home? Well, not so much...

So I walked in to the office, ready and prepared to work, when I soon realized that there was virtually nothing for me to do. Everything is electronically filed now, so there is nothing paper to deal with. My actual boss was caught up with her own personal files, and told me she "had some documents to be typed, and you can sort this drawer out."

I, Erin Williams, am not a drawer sorter.

So, we both realized that there was not enough for me to do to keep me occupied for the next three weeks, so I quit/was fired. It was pretty bittersweet, since I had been working there for almost seven years, but sometimes you have to go.

So now, I am pretty much living off my assets until school starts again. But, on the bright side, I am having a really good break. I finally got around to cleaning and sorting out clothes in my closet, I washed everything, and have gotten caught up on every Christmas special to date.

So what about you? Have you ever been ousted from a job?

Monday, December 15, 2008

A Couple of Links

So as you can tell by my sporadic posting, I am officially on Christmas Vacation. I am going to leave you guys with some links to keep you posted over the weekend, and I will be back before the holiday with a few holiday stories of my own.

So, how much do the 12 Days of Christmas Cost?

Go to your local Wal Mart and read the most popular book this season

It's time to start thinking about next year's financial goals

For the Fashionista in your life, her are 15 gifts under $50

Bored? Catch up on a semester's worth of shows here

Friday, December 12, 2008

SPLURGE!

So, with today having been the end of my final exams and with me raking in about $80 from selling my books back, instead of being sensible and investing it or saving it, etc, I decided to treat myself today and gave myself an early Christmas gift- that's right, I splurged. Jealous???

Ok, let me stop.

But I did take a trip to Stamp Your Feet and picked out a FIERCE new pair of boots to last me through winter, and I even got 10% off of them for singing karaoke :-) For dinner, I went to my favorite restaurant, Bento, and had great sushi. It's always awesome there. The 70's soft rock, the mints when you leave...

Anyway, my point is that every once in a while, it's good to splurge on yourself. Whether it be something like a new magazine or a movie out or a great dinner, being broke shouldn't be dreadful. I know I am going to look hot this winter, and that I don't know where I'll find great sushi like that when I graduate, and it feels good to treat yourself every once in a while.

So, what do you do to splurge?

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Another cheap gift idea...

So Sunday night, while avoiding studying and finishing up final papers, my mind wandered to what I should give to my relatives that I don't see at Christmastime - you know, aunts, uncles, cousins - the extended fam. My mind drifted to my wallet, which is lucky to at least have my ID in it, and I came up with a great idea: personalized Christmas CD's.

I have always been one to create my own holiday CD every year. I turn it into a production, starting way back in the first of November gathering up what songs I want to use from old cd's past, watching ebay for one cent cd's and compiling my playlist. I always make a copy for myself, or course, my mother, and close friends who request it, but I decided to share this gift with my extended family as well.

So I bought a case of CD covers, used burned CD's that I had on hand, and bought six of those envelopes with the bubble wrap. I made the CD, tucked it inside the case along with a special message, and addressed and sealed it. The next day I went to the post office, where shipping only cost me about $1.50 per envelope. Total cost? Around $20 total. When divided among the six? About $3.33 spent on each of them.

Merry Christmas to me!

So if you have a talent that you are keeping under wraps, share it with the world and turn it into your Christmas gift! Crochet! Bake! Paint! It'll be the gift that keeps on giving, and you'll feel better for having not broken the bank.

Monday, December 8, 2008

Knock out everyone on your Christmas list for under $10 with this gift:

Magazine subscriptions!

I don't know why I didn't think of it earlier! But I was trying to figure out what to get for my 22 year old male cousin. I tried to think of what other guy his age were into, and I remembered that he always considers himself such a suave, dapper gentleman (haha) and decided to gift him with a one year subscription to Esquire. It's a gift that continues to give month after month, and will only cost me about $8. How great is that?!

So, in no particular order, here is a compiled list for ever character in your family:

For your mom: Good Housekeeping

For your younger cousin who is 12 going on 20: Seventeen Magazine

For your sister/girlfriend who is going to work out "like, tomorrow!" Women's Health

For your brother/boyfriend who is secretly coveting David Beckham's abs:
Men's Health


For your tough cousin who is concerned about issues from an urban perspective: Vibe

For the young career woman Martha Stewart Wannabe: Domino

For the metrosexual in your life: Details

For your dad to read when he has a little peace and quiet: Reader's Digest


Do you have anymore cheap gift ideas? What are you giving this year?

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Sunday Blogroll

We're in the home stretch for school - hang in there!

Ehow.com offers these tips on Winterizing your car

Remember your mom's Crock Pot? Well now it's a budgeter's food dream!

Hey, so apparently only Californians can afford college.

Start the children off young with learning how to invest. Like, at the age of seven.

Take a minute to stop worrying and have a laugh.

Happy studying!

Thursday, December 4, 2008

The Cost Of: Car Repairs

So my car has been having a noted problem with braking ever since the beginning of November. I have been trying to ignore it - the fact that I have to brake five minutes before my intended stopping point; that grinding sound; the fear I have pulling on to the highway. I know, I know I should be slapped for voluntarily putting myself in that kind of danger, but I have a good reason: I just don't want to pay for it. Got it? Good.

Paying for things like that always come out of my personal savings, which is a pain. And this isn't the first major repair I have had to fork over for. In November 2007, I had to have a whole new engine put into my car at the steep price of $1000. Can we say vroom, vroom?

To me, the logical solution is to get a new car for graduation, (or now, for that matter), but my mother isn't biting. At least I don't think she is...

Either way, I have decided before I drive home two hours on the highway, which is always a crap shoot when it comes to braking, I am heading down to Firestone bright and early to get new pads put in, at the cost of $149.99 a set. The guy over the phone said that it's rare that both sets have to be replaced at the same time, but knowing my luck I wouldn't put it past me.

In addition to big things like brakes, I always foot the bill on my quarterly oil exchanges and any other incidentals, like tire rotations. Who knows how long Jake, my 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee (I named it that because I think it's rugged) will have to last me in this economy?

That reminds me, I need to buy coolant for my car. It is heater time, after all...

So tell me: How much do you spend on car repair? Do you foot the bill?

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Hey! We're in a recession!


In case you didn't know...

We are officially recessed. Apparently since December of 2007 - who knew?

And then, the Dow dropped almost 700 points yesterday - it just keeps getting better!

So what does this mean for you?

For graduates, at the least, it means a long job hunt...

Who's thinking about graduate school now???

Thoughts???