Life Happens: Because Life is More than Money

leslie February 07, 2011 Tips 12 Comments

When I started this blog, I had several high interest debts and a strong desire to get my personal finances under control. I was focused on financial information and my debts weighed heavy on my thoughts.

Between writing about frugality and practicing it, it was something I thought about often.

Then, life happened.

I got a new job that, between commuting and working, takes up 13 hours of my day. I paid off my high interest debts and only have an interest deductible student loan remaining. While I do not have as much savings as I would like, I do something of an emergency fund that would work for, well, an emergency.

Also, I ended a four year romantic relationship and dealing with that as a personal issue has consumed my thoughts far more than the debt has.

Budgeting on Autopilot

I still keep my budget and in fact, am glad that I practiced tracking my expenses when I did. Now, budgeting is an automatic behavior. Even though my mind is consumed with other thoughts, I still complete my monthly budget.

My passion for finances may have dwindled temporarily, but the exercises have not failed.

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Friday Flicks: Leslie’s Netflix Instant Picks (February 4-6)

leslie February 04, 2011 Entertainment, Netflix 9 Comments

Every Friday I will list personal recommendations of movies that are available on Netflix Instant Watch so you can enjoy a frugal weekend instead of buying that $10 movie ticket.

Weekend Picks: February 4-6

Julie & Julia
Julie & Julia
Genre: Dramas Based on Real Life
Mood: Inspirational, Cute
123 mins; 2009
Leslie Rating: 2/5
Summary:Boring, conceited blogger Julie & lovely, dedicated, ambitious Julia.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Genre: Drama
Mood: Heartfelt
166 mins; 2008
Leslie Rating: 1/5
Summary: The Curious Case of Forrest Gump

Aliens
Aliens
Genre: Sci-Fi Horror
Mood: Creepy
137 mins; 1986
Leslie Rating: 4/5
Summary: A solid, creepy movie even if you’re not into sci-fi.

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How To Find A Therapist

leslie February 03, 2011 Expenses 3 Comments

Reader, Dee recently asked how I went about finding my therapist. This is an excellent question because that was my excuse for not going to one for a long time.

As frugal as I might be, I do not price-shop when it comes to medical services and prefer personal recommendations. While it is acceptable to ask for my co-worker’s dentist, asking for their therapist is a bit awkward; that is if you even know they are going in the first place.

Unfortunately, therapy is a topic people rarely discuss, especially with those who are not close friends. So, where else should we turn, but to the Internet!

Therapist Personals

Thankfully, I have an amazing friend who shared the following resoruce with me: Psychology Today’s Find A Therapist. Put in your zipcode and what you would like your therapist to specialize in and welcome to the world of therapist personals.

Just like dating personals, Psychology Today’s therapist directory offers a bio and photo of each therapist along with their specializations, price range and treatment type. Once you picked one you think you will like, you can email them directly through the PT website.

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Happy Groundhog Day!

leslie February 02, 2011 Entertainment, Netflix 1 Comment

It’s not Groundhog Day without Bill Murray! Celebrate today’s furry holiday by watching Groundhog Day on Netflix Instant Watch.

Groundhog Day
Groundhog Day
Genre: Comedy
Mood: Bill Murray
101 mins; 1993
Leslie Rating: 5/5
Summary:Who wouldn’t want to be able to live a day without consequences?!

Non-Recipe: Pesto Pasta

leslie February 01, 2011 Food, Tips 12 Comments

Pesto Pasta

With busy schedules, finding time to cook, especially if you do not enjoy it, can be difficult. Many “quick and easy” recipes are subjectively so. Numerous steps and ingredients can be overwhelming to someone who is used to take-out. When cooking solely for yourself, things like plating and appearance can take a back seat to quickness.

For those of you who don’t know, I spend a minimum of 13 hours a day doing work activities (including commuting) and am never home before 7p. Although I do enjoy cooking, I do not want it to occupy my entire evening. Since I am only cooking for myself, the quicker the meal is to make, the better.

Some might scoff that this isn’t a recipe at all, but we all have to start somewhere. Putting together this easypeasy pesto pasta (say that three times fast!) is still better than take-out.

Yes, I know fresh-made pesto will taste better, but it’s winter. And sometimes, there just is not time for that.

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Monthly Budget Recap: January ‘11

leslie January 30, 2011 Budget, Monthly Expenses 8 Comments

Since incomes are relative, my recaps are in percentages instead of dollar amounts.

january 2011 budget recap

Fixed Expenses

Once again, I went over my texting plan. This happens from time to time but still not often enough for me to up my plan to unlimited.

However, other utility bills were under budget this month, bringing my total fixed expenses under budget.

Total January Fixed Expenses: Budgeted – 63%; Actual – 62%

Variable Expenses

This was the first budget where I broke “entertainment” out into three separate categories: miscellaneous, clothing and entertainment.

I also made the new category “misc transportation”.

Creating these additional categories really helped me to gain a better idea of my spending, without over-complicating the budget.

By breaking “entertainment” out into other categories, it’s noticeable that I really don’t spend that much on actual entertainment at all.

I really over-budgeted that this month since I was not sure of my actual “entertainment” expenses. For February, I will adjust accordingly.

I did realize that I spend more on “misc” than I had thought, since I was previously including this into “entertainment.” I went over budget in this category, but not enough for a percentage change. I will increase my budget in this for February.

Total January Variable Expenses: Budgeted – 25%; Actual – 20%

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How To Deposit A Check Using Any Bank Account Without Leaving Your House via PayPal

leslie January 22, 2011 Expenses 6 Comments

While the USAA and Chase mobile apps do allow you to deposit checks via your mobile phone, they also require you to have a bank account with them. This is not convenient for those of us who do not want to change banks.

Thankfully, PayPal came out with a mobile app that allows you to snap a photo of a check with your phone that is then deposited to your PayPal account. From there you can easily transfer the money into your regular bank account.

The downside is that this takes sometime. For the money to be accessible in PayPal, it can take up to 6 business days. Then the time it takes to transfer into your own bank account. However, for someone like me who never drives past the bank and always forgets to deposit checks, this is far more convenient than even ATM depositing.

Ready to change the way you deposit checks forever?

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Friday Flicks: Leslie’s Netflix Instant Picks (January 21-23)

leslie January 21, 2011 Entertainment, Netflix 3 Comments

Every Friday I will list personal recommendations of movies that are available on Netflix Instant Watch so you can enjoy a frugal weekend instead of buying that $10 movie ticket.

Weekend Picks: January 21-23

Amelie
Amelie
Genre: Foreign Romance Comedy
Mood: Subtitles, France
122 mins; 2001
Leslie Rating: 4/5
Summary: A cute girl does cute things in France.

The Saint
The Saint
Genre: Heist
Mood: Mindless Action
116 mins; 1997
Leslie Rating: 4/5
Summary: Hired thief must choose between love & money.

War Games
War Games
Genre: Suspense
Mood: Classic, Early Matthew Broderick
114 mins; 1993
Leslie Rating: 4/5
Summary: Kid plays Global Thermonuclear War with a computer.

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Leslie’s (New & Improved!) 2011 Budget Template

leslie January 19, 2011 Expenses 18 Comments

A budget is a flexible financial document that provides a guide to keep you living at or below your means. Budgets are not meant to be fixed in stone and are more successful when they are not. Our circumstances change every few months or so and certainly every year. This is why it is important to make a new refreshed budget at the beginning of the year.

If you are looking for a budget that is simple yet gives you complete control, look no further:
Download Leslie’s 2011 Budget Excel Sheet

Monthly Worksheets

Take charge of your finances by manually tracking your expenses every month. Set aside 15 minutes once a week to go over your online bank/credit card statement, adding each expense to the excel sheet. This is also useful to check the accuracy of automatic withdrawals and to be aware of cashed checks.

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Friday Flicks: Leslie’s Netflix Instant Picks (January 14-16)

leslie January 14, 2011 Entertainment, Netflix 4 Comments

Every Friday I will list personal recommendations of movies that are available on Netflix Instant Watch so you can enjoy a frugal weekend instead of buying that $10 movie ticket.

Weekend Picks: January 14-16

Chicago
Chicago
Genre: Crime Musical
Mood: Musicals
113 mins; 2002
Leslie Rating: 4/5

Desperately Seeking Susan
Desperately Seeking Susan
Genre: 80’s Comedies
Mood: Madonna
103 mins; 1985
Leslie Rating: 4/5

Roger & Me
Roger & Me
Genre: Documentary, Michigan
Mood: Michael Moore before he was Michael Moore
90 mins; 1989
Leslie Rating: 4/5

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Balsamic Vinegar Chicken

leslie January 10, 2011 Food 2 Comments

As part of my 2011 goals, I said that I would try one new recipe a week. Here’s this weeks adapted from AllRecipes.

I didn’t actually measure much of the ingredients. Instead I mixed everything together to taste, then added the chicken and made sure it was covered. The chicken does come out tasting pretty balsamic-y but I loved the taste even without searing it beforehand. It came out great on the foreman, though I am sure you could also sear full breasts on the stove then bake with potatoes/vegetables to add even more flavor to your meal. Even better, plan ahead and marinate the chicken overnight. As usual, he longer you marinate the better the flavor but mine were in for 20 minutes and tasted great!

What You Need
1/2C Balsamic Vinegar
1T Soy Sauce
1t Brown Sugar
1t Garlic Powder
Salt/Pepper to taste

What You Do

  1. Mix all ingredients together and marinate 3 thin sliced chicken breasts.
  2. Remove chicken from marinade and put onto a pre-heated Foreman grill for several minutes.
  3. Eat!

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Friday Flicks: Leslie’s Netflix Instant Picks (January 7-9)

leslie January 08, 2011 Entertainment, Netflix 4 Comments

Every Friday I will list personal recommendations of movies that are available on Netflix Instant Watch so you can enjoy a frugal weekend instead of buying that $10 movie ticket.

Weekend Picks: January 7-9

Shutter Island
Shutter Island
Genre: Psychological Thrillers
Mood: Open ending
138 mins; 2010
Leslie Rating: 3/5

Timer
Timer
Genre: Indie Romance
Mood: Awww cute
99 mins; 2009
Leslie Rating: 4/5

Rosemary's Baby
Rosemary’s Baby
Genre: Horror Classic
Mood: Odd suspense
136 mins; 1968
Leslie Rating: 4/5

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DIY: Homemade Deodorant Experiment

leslie January 03, 2011 Beauty, DIY 10 Comments

baking soda

I ran out of deodorant over the weekend, completely forgot to pick some up and found myself desperate come Monday morning!

After doing a quick google search, I decided to concoct my own powdered deodorant and see how it goes. I figured anything was better than nothing.

Powder Mixture

After reading that some people found baking soda to be a skin irritant, I decided to mix 1/4t baking soda with 1/4t cornstarch. I then used an old kabuki brush to brush the powder mixture under my arms.

I used just about the whole thing, as I really was not sure how much I would need. You could barely see the dusting under my arms and I just brushed it on as you would apply any other powder.

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2011 Financial & Personal Goals

leslie December 25, 2010 Expenses 13 Comments

Last December, I made some life goals for 2010. Even though I was laid off in the beginning of the year and ended a long-term relationship at the end of the year, I still was able to complete a majority of them.

Let’s see how I do in 2011:

Financial Goals

Pay 10% of my monthly income as a student loan payment
Currently, my student loan payment (my only outstanding debt) makes up 6% of my income. If I continue at that rate, it will take me ten years to pay it off. If I increase that to 10%, it will take me five years. Hopefully by the following year, I can contribute even more.

Double my emergency fund
I will refocus and prioritize putting money into my emergency fund every month.

Track entertainment, clothing and misc expenses better
I have never quite specified what I consider “entertainment.” If I buy someone a birthday card, buy myself a new shirt, or bring wine to a friend’s house, I put all of that in my “entertainment” category even though it does not quite apply. Unfortunately, using such a broad category makes it difficult to track spending effectively. So, my 2011 budget will consist of a separate “clothing” and “misc” category. This is because I want to see just how much I actually spend on these items a month.

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Friday Flicks: Leslie’s Netflix Instant Picks (December 17-19)

leslie December 17, 2010 Entertainment, Netflix 2 Comments

Every Friday I will list personal recommendations of movies that are available on Netflix Instant Watch so you can enjoy a frugal weekend instead of buying that $10 movie ticket.

Weekend Picks: December 17-19

A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol
Genre: Classic
Mood: Holiday
100 mins; 1984
Leslie Rating: n/a

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Genre: Fantasy
Mood: Hobbits
178 mins; 2001
Leslie Rating: 5/5

Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire<br />
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire

Genre: Drama
Mood: Inspiration
109 mins; 2009
Leslie Rating: n/a

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