Spending Before Earning

This past weekend I decided to donate a few old clothes like shirts I haven't worn in a year+ and do some shopping! (Don't worry, only for clothes, not for shoes.) Some of my favorite stores were having sales and I also had a bunch of giftcards to use!

Here's the catch: I technically spent the money before I had it. Thank goodness for credit cards! ;) Last week at work, we were officially notified that we will all be getting a "very small annual bonus." No matter the amount, I plan on allocating $100 to clothing.

So, I spent $85.38 (after sale prices and all my giftcards) of it on one pair of dark khakis, three long-sleeved scoop neck shirts, a dress, grey leggings, a pair of earrings, a super soft hoodie, a tank top and another basic long-sleeved shirt. I'm very happy with all my purchases! In fact, I don't want to take my new hoodie off :)

Do you sometimes spend before you earn?

It's Almost Tax Time!

Some of my tax forms have started to arrive! I don't know about you, but I actually like tax time! Maybe that's just because my taxes are still so easy, maybe because this is only my 2nd year doing my own taxes, and/or maybe it's because I can do FREE e-file for both federal and state. Plus, I'm expecting a refund this year around $400-$500. :)

So far, I've received one of my 1099-INT interest forms for the piddly amount of interest I earned at my brick & mortar bank. The majority of my interest comes from my ING Direct savings accounts, and those forms are available online starting January 31st. Still waiting on my W-2 from work and then I'll be ready to file my taxes!

Are you expecting to owe taxes or get a refund this year?

Green Monster Smoothie!

Today I got to leave work early due to "expected worsening weather conditions" which means... it's raining and very windy, and Southern California can't handle that! Either way, I'm glad work wants us to all be safe. :)

I bought a few ingredients the other night and vowed to make a green monster smoothie sometime. I've been reading about them on various food blogs that I follow and finally decided to try it out. I eat healthy as often as possible and buy a lot of fresh ingredients, though I am by no means a health nut so this is a VERY healthy drink for me!

So now I'm sitting here drinking my own green monster smoothie (it doesn't quite look like the picture on the left, but close enough, lol) and it's delicious! Here's my recipe:

1 tablespoon flaxseed (ground & organic)
1.5 cups spinach
1 cup vanilla soymilk
1 small mango, diced
1 small jazz apple, diced
ice

Volunteering

One of my goals for 2010 is to volunteer.

Well, sooner than expected, I am going to make this goal! I had a meeting with the director of a volunteer organization in my city last week, and I start next weekend! I'm really excited because this volunteer opportunity is fun, high-paced and oriented around customer service at an unexpected location. I'm energetic, outgoing and I truly love to help people, so this is a perfect fit for me. :) I will mostly volunteer on the weekends, which is what I was looking for in my schedule, for 12 hours per month.

I did a lot of volunteering in high school and college. I did everything from volunteering in elementary classrooms and at nursing homes to rebuilding houses and spending time at soup kitchens. Now I'm doing something very different and I'm looking forward to giving my time (in addition to my money) to the community!

Do you volunteer? If so, how often and what type of volunteer work do you do? What type of volunteer work do you enjoy most?

Haiti Earthquake

The earthquake in Haiti unfortunately hit very close to home this week. A young woman I went to high school with, who had been volunteering at an orphanage outside Port-au-Prince since last June, died in the earthquake. She had a huge heart and was the most loving, compassionate and selfless person. Situations like this make one realize how precious life truly is, and how many amazing people give their lives while trying to make the world a better place.

When I heard the news about the earthquake (and a few days later about the girl I knew), I immediately made a donation to my and my family's favorite charity, Direct Relief International. I truly believe in giving... whether it's $5 or $500, every amount helps. (DRI is a 4-star charity on Charity Navigator, by the way.)

My thoughts and prayers are with all those in Haiti, both the citizens and all the volunteers.

Back to Reality...

First off, I have a new header courtesy of the awesome D. Ninja at Punch Debt in the Face. Thank you!

My cruise was amazing! I had such a fantastic time with my best friends. They really spoiled me all weekend. We're already planning to turn the cruise into an annual vacation, hooray! It was also really nice to be completely unplugged from all technology for a few days.

In terms of spending, I ended up going over my original budget of $150. (Really, what was I thinking, lol?) When friendships are involved, money doesn't matter too much to me - especially since I have the money in savings for vacations! Here's the breakdown:

Cruise purchases: $129.74
Other purchases while friends were in town: $88.75
Total: $218.49

I will be taking the amount from my Travel Fund, which still has over $1K in it for future trips! Really, I don't think I did too bad at all with my spending, since that was over the course of 7 days. :) Though ask me what I spent it all on, and I couldn't really tell you!

New Year, New Age... It's My Birthday!

Today is my birthday! I'm now twenty-four years old... hello, mid-twenties!

I'm really excited to be 24. I know this will be an amazing year! Two girlfriends are arriving tonight from the East Coast, I'm going out with my closest friends tomorrow night for dinner/drinks and on Saturday going on my cruise! It'll definitely be a birthday to remember. :)

My present to myself is a pedicure and appetizers/drinks at my favorite restaurant!

Have a fantastic January 7th! :)