Tuesday, July 16, 2013

A Thrifty and Saavy Twenty Something

When you think about the following words, what type of person comes to mind: thrifty, frugal, spendthrift and economical? Most people think of a woman in her 30's or 40's with a kid or two, trying to squeeze every penny out of the family's paycheck. Or at least that's the gist I got when asking my friends.

There is definitely a certain type of person or people that come to mind that would embody frugality more than others. And it's easy to say that we judge others based not only on their outward appearance, but their age and the setting we find them in. It's easy to think that person buying 12 buy one get two free t-shirts is a savvy shopper, but in reality, they could be great at 'spaving' and be up to their eyeballs in credit card debt.

There are tons of people out there who believe in the generalizations that have been fed to them about the different generations. When you deviate from those ideas, they look at you pretty funny and start to wonder what you are up to. It definitely takes a lot of courage to break away from the ideas of the mainstream and start down a different road. There are times when I find it difficult to say no to a dinner or a certain outing because I don't constantly want to be viewed as the homebody who doesn't want to go out.

And let's not even start with the grocery store or my favorite place, Target! Do people look at you odd when you hand the cashier over a stack of coupons, half printed from the web and the other half clipped, and then stating that you saved over $40 on your shopping trip today? They usually do for me, because no one is expecting a 20-something to be willing to put that much effort into anything, especially to save money. They see us as the lazy and entitled generation, not the clipping coupon and stooping to pick a penny class.

I've come to accept what people will think about me, and what sometimes my friends think about me. Those who have stuck around, even when I suggest a walk in the park followed by ice cream instead of dinner and drinks are those who are meant to be there. Logging onto Facebook and seeing those that have purchased their brand new car or a 5 week vacation to 8 points in Europe, reminds me that we grew apart for a certain reason. Not because they are not nice people, but our priorities in life at this given point are different.

Have you ever met someone who didn't fit your 'frugal' or 'thrifty' image? Have you ever seen someone save a whole bunch with coupons and give them a mental high-five (I have!)?

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Where am I Supposed to Be???

Today was one of those days where nature was really calling my name. Even though the clouds were rolling in for the rain that's expected later today, an hour long walk gave me some time to clear my head along with some fresh air. It also gave me some thoughts as to my

As you guys found out in the last post, I'm pretty much underemployed. And by that, I work in the restaurant sector. It's definitely a salary that covers the basics along with leaving me enough to make progress on my loans and not be eating soup or mashed potatoes for every meal. Anyway, it's not that fun, nor is it that mentally stimulating, and most of the time, aka all the time, leaves me physically exhausted at the end of the night. 

So, it must have been picking the wrong major right? Actually, no. I have two degrees in the hard sciences, which means that jobs should have been mine for the picking. Except not. I didn't want my mother to support me at any point of my life, so I went ahead and got a part-time employment that gave me something not only to do, but also as a way to meet people and not be a complete introvert. Yet, it left me, and still leaves me at times, feeling somewhat resentful of the cards life has dealt me. 

There are days I wonder if years later, I will look at all this free time as squandered because my appreciation was so lackluster. Because the other people around me were able to move onto the next step at a quicker rate than I was. That they were able to obtain employment right out of college, or able to get a car so they no longer relied on public transportation. Some days, I easily forget that the purpose of life is to enjoy the journey and not rush through each checkpoint. 

There are tons of opportunities in our daily lives that we do what others expect us to do, and it comes out with positive results. But what about those times when you just have this nagging feeling that all is not quite right in your world. That what you are doing is so you can hold your ground among the group. But that might not be your group, you might not be even on the right land per se. 

Not all achievements are made to be placed on the wall or displayed outwardly with a pretentious smile. That day you made the perfect apple pie or finished reading the novel before the renewal date, those are also accomplishments that leave an inward feeling of satisfaction. 

So to all those who feel they need to keep on rushing to finish this stage, collect the reward and move onto the next major hurdle, slow down. That slice of apple pie is meant to be savored, not gulped down.

As for me, it definitely is a day to day journey. I have to learn to appreciate where I am right now, and what I have to give to the world. 

Friday, July 5, 2013

It always seems...

that the minute you go and start to do something, the most necessary thing you need has disappeared from right under you. Yup, you guessed correctly, the laptop was it. Luckily, against my ex-bf's thoughts, I had purchased the extended warranty and the issues should be covered. However, the week to two that it will take seems to be dragging right along and when you are sharing a laptop, it becomes a bit more of a tug of war than ever before...

Apart from enjoying the holiday somewhat laptop free, I ended up finishing a few books that I had started reading quite awhile back (including a PF book which I'll review) and doing a much needed thorough cleaning of the living spaces. Yay for clean and clutter free! While cleaning though, I was thinking of a few goals for July and here's what popped into my brain:



To start off for July, I definitely, and I really mean it, need to focus on not spending anymore money on clothes. Between finding a discount store, buying a vintage purse and taking advantage of a few sales around the mall to update my 8+ year old summer wardrobe (and yes, there are probably clothes that I have worn since middle school in the mix, a bit scary to think about it) my clothes budget is a bit overextended at this moment. It's not that clothes are bad, no they are truly wonderful inventions, but they can definitely destroy a girl's budget if you aren't careful.

Second, focusing on the vegetable patch. It's been pretty rainy these days, and it always seems to rain when I'm not at work and do have the time to weed and spread a bit more compost. Within the next few weeks (we started much later than we had planned, but so is life) there should be a few things ready for the picking,

And third, continue networking to find a mentally fulfilling job. It's something I'll definitely blog about later, but I am definitely NOT, in the field in which I studied for 4+ years. It's been extremely difficult these past few months getting interviews along with any type of job offer. The current job I'm in is actually a really great side gig and something I will continue once a FT job is secured. Let's hope that this is my month!

For those of you who made this a long weekend (lucky!) continue enjoying your holidays and hope your July 4th was great!

What are your goals for this month, including fun stuff (which I never do, jk)? Also, have you ever been in a position of being underemployed for an extended period of time? How did you handle it?