I Had a Valentine!

I've been dating a boy (dubbed Airport Boy thanks to where we met!) for the past month. A few weeks ago he asked me to be his valentine and of course I said yes. He didn't strike me as the romantic or planning type so I figured we would have a low-key night, maybe cook dinner together or watch a movie. Well, that wasn't quite how the night turned out!

On Valentine's Day, he came over all dressed up (he usually wears jeans and plain t-shirts, needless to say I was stunned as he cleans up WELL!) bearing flowers, my favorite wine and a home cooked meal! He pre-made it at his place as a surprise, since his only instruction to me was to be ready by 6pm. We ate dinner at my place where my roommates were seriously impressed.

About an hour later he told me he also had dessert reservations but would give no hints as to where, other than I would need a warm jacket. We hopped in his car and off we drove...and drove...almost 30 minutes later, after my multiple guesses as to where we were headed, we end up at a hotel. I'm thinking there must be a nice restaurant in the hotel with good dessert. Try again! We were going for an evening GONDOLA RIDE!! He had also brought champagne for us to share and there were complimentary chocolate covered strawberries. The weather was absolutely perfect, the blanket that was provided was comfy and the entire hour we were steered around in the water was bliss. We cuddled close and talked the entire time. It was really romantic, a little bit cheesy (he told me he likes all that stuff for special occasions) and a LOT of fun! I've never done an all out Valentine's Day ever so I LOVED it! Plus it's been three years since I last had a valentine which made it extra exciting. :)

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Weekend Miscellaneous

I'm ALMOST done with my Christmas shopping! So far, I've spent $355.84. The last (and most important) gift on my list is my Dad. He likes running, travel, golf and Anthony Bourdain. Last year I got him an awesome Anthony Bourdain shirt (since my Dad already has ALL his books!) that he goes running in so I hit on two of those topics. I'm completely stuck this year on what to get him, and I want it to be great because he's helped me out tremendously in 2010. I have enough left in my Gift Fund to spend around $100. Any last-minute suggestions?

My fender bender is now behind me. The woman got a few estimates and the lowest was $450 which was below my $500 insurance deductible so I just paid her outright. We met up today, I wrote her a check and had her sign a note stating that the matter is hereby settled. Still glad that no one was injured, I know that accidents happen and I'll just be extra careful in the future!

In an unexpected turn of events, I heard back from my dream job! They want to schedule a second phone interview because the hiring manager did not feel like they had enough time to talk to me during the initial one, which was only 30 minutes between two people. The dynamics of hiring have always intrigued me and I know companies will set ideal dates...but that there really are no hard and fast rules at the end of the day. I'm excited and I know I'll be less nervous for this round! (Now if only I could find my dream boy...and have him stay, heh!)

Then I can go on vacation to Jamaica with my family and de-stress for the remainder of 2010 after all this craziness. :)

What I'm Thankful For

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here's what I'm incredibly thankful for this year, all year...

Family: They are so amazing! My parents are incredibly supportive and helpful. My Mom is my best friend and we talk every day. They send me awesome care packages, they pay for some of my flights home and they like to give me monetary gifts every once in a while...oh and I'm still on their cell phone plan! I'm good to break the umbilical cord, but apparently they aren't ;)

Friends: I have fantastic friends. Most of those closest to me unfortunately live in other states, but even if weeks/months go by without talking... it doesn't matter because we can always pick up right where we left off! I put a lot of effort into my friendships and those that reciprocate are my true friends. There might not be many of them, but they are completely worth it. :)

Health: I love going to the gym. As a petite with a high metabolism, I know I don't need to - but it makes me feel good and it's fun! I also eat well as often as I can, including a few all-vegetarian meals a few times a week. I go for health screenings every year to make sure that my levels of calcium, iron, etc are all where they should be and adjust accordingly. I go for annual doctor visits as well as two dentist appointments to make sure everything is good!

Job & Health Insurance: This is basically self-explanatory, especially in this economy. Even though I've done some complaining before, I still actually have a job and I have really good (cheap!) health insurance. Also... I inquired again about a raise this past Monday (thanks to some encouragement by new boy who is himself a manager) and my boss told me that it's most likely that everyone will be getting small salary increases in April and that I should expect a bit on top of that due to the extra work I've taken on and my skill level, plus the fact that I've been at the low end of my pay scale and not had a raise in over two years! I am so excited to know that my hard work is paying off and that they recognize that I deserve an increase. Finally.

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving season?

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July 4th Weekend (Expensive but Worth It!)

What I Did
Lunch with roommate after our half-days at work on Friday
Farmer's Market with my co-worker
Shopping/Errands
Dave & Buster's on Saturday night
BBQ with friends & day drinking/games at a local park
Beach for amazing fireworks and a marshmallow fight after! :)
Lots of reading and relaxation

What I Spent
$16, Lunch w/ Roommate
$13.68, Trader Joe's (groceries)
$17.50, Farmer's Market (crepe for breakfast, gerber daisies, some produce)
$16.30, Marshall's (crossbody bag!)
$20, Dave & Buster's (I used a coupon to get $40 worth of games for half-price)
$5, Pizza (3 large pizzas split between friends)
$12.31, Walmart (pair of 3lb. free weights, some grocery items)
$5.84, Grocery store

Total Spent: $106.63

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

It's Christmas Eve here on the West Coast. In my family, we open two presents each on Christmas Eve (German tradition) and the remainder plus stockings on Christmas Day. We also had a fantastic Christmas Eve dinner where each person in the family made one dish. My Mom made lava cake for dessert and then we watched a foreign movie. Overall, a fantastic night! :)

Christmas Vacation!

I flew home last night for my Christmas vacation. I arrived home to a beautifully decorated house and my family! I am going to have a very lazy but fantastic week with them... some shopping, lots of baking/cooking, lots of movies/TV and just being together! It feels SO nice to not have to study, either!

I am also done with my Christmas shopping! I spent $212.81 on gifts for my family and friends, plus a work Secret Santa event. I could have easily spent more but am very happy with all my purchases! Plus, this completely wipes out my Gift Fund... but hey, that's what it's for!

Now time to finish my delicious homemade mocha (courtesy of Mom), wrap Christmas gifts and write some Christmas cards! :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, whether you are with family, friends or both! I am thankful for so many things...

• My amazing family! They are so encouraging, supportive and loving. My grandmother died last Friday, and my parents put me on an earlier-than-expected flight home so I could spend time with them just when I needed it the most.
  
• My friends! They are so much fun, they keep me laughing and treat me so well! :)
  
• My health. I rarely get sick, I eat well and I stay in shape.
  
• Personal finance. Without that knowledge, I wouldn't have an emergency fund ($11K!) for peace of mind or already be saving towards my retirement! I'm on the path towards financial security.
  
• My job. I am so glad to be employed! My company has been nothing but fantastic and they continue to impress me and treat me well. Case-in-point, it was announced last week that all employees will be receiving a mini "holiday gift" based on tenure (for me, that means ~$500 pre-tax) and an annual bonus for 2009! Yeah, unexpected income!! :)

What are you thankful for today?

Updates!

In bullet point form!

• Studying, studying, studying... I've been doing practice exams and problems. My scores aren't quite where they need to be to pass, but I'm not giving up. 3 weeks to go, I'm hitting it hard!
  
• My finances are still doing good. I have almost invested $4,000 into my Roth IRA for 2009! I might even be able to make it to the fully-funded $5K mark. I also treated myself to some much-needed shopping (retail therapy, anyone?!) recently... $280 on 2 new pairs of high heels and 1 pair of rain boots plus $23 on a new sweater. (And I opened a store credit card in the process - but it's where I do 80% of my shopping, no annual fee, rewards and of course I'll pay it off in full each month!)
  
• I have a few Christmas presents done... Mom, Dad and roommates. Still need to buy for friends and brother.
  
• I had a few car expenses this month for tab renewal and new insurance. Thank goodness for my car fund!
  
• The guy I was recently dating for a month pulled the disappearing act on me out of nowhere, just after Halloween. I was really falling for him, so it was (is!) both confusing and depressing. I'm just glad I have my studying and great friends to lean on when my heart is hurting. Sigh. :(
  
• I'm going home for Thanksgiving and Christmas! I can't wait to see my parents and my brother soon for extended periods of time. Both breaks will be much needed, though Thanksgiving will mostly be devoted to studying.

Happy (Late) 4th of July + Long Weekend Spending!

Hope you all had a fun and safe 4th! I had a great time with friends. We had an all-day BBQ/beach fest yesterday and it was a blast - especially the food and drinks! I ended up only getting slightly sunburned on spots I missed and met some new people that I got along with, which is always fun. However, I managed to spend a fair amount of money this weekend, especially since I had a half-day on Thursday which didn't help matters! Now I have pulled pork cooking in my crock pot (using my Mom's recipe!) and am doing some studying.

Thursday (half-day)
$20.97, Costco (party food, K spent over $100 total)
$7.70, Frozen yogurt
$13.50, Dinner with roommates

Friday
$16.34, Groceries (mostly party food)

Saturday
$8.50, brunch at a food stall (didn't have breakfast and the BBQ wasn't until 1pm)

Sunday
$30.70, Groceries (finally - for myself!)
$33.53, gas
$3.74, laundry detergent (on sale plus $2-off coupon)

Total: $134.98

Quick Update

Just a quick update. I didn't get around to doing my usual weekend spending recap, but I definitely spent at least $150 over Memorial Day weekend! $60 of that was towards my car for an oil change, tire rotation and a new air filter (paid for out of my Car Fund!), $25 on some new earrings and just a lot of little things here and there: $9 at the bar, $15 on groceries, $50 on a wedding gift for my friend, etc.

I had a good weekend: the No Doubt concert was FANTASTIC (so much energy! and they played my 3 favorite songs!), went on a long hike with K and went out with some friends on Sunday night. This week I've been running around doing a bunch of things and yesterday I dealt with the HOA about my towing incident. Bottom line with that, they are going to "review" it and let me know if I'll get reimbursed...which makes me think it'll be HIGHLY unlikely. So, thank goodness for my 3rd paycheck of May tomorrow!

I've been putting of studying for the industry exam I am taking in December so I'm dedicating tonight (after the gym/dinner) and tomorrow to catching up some. I've been trying to study for at least 1 hour per night, 4x per week - taking Tuesday, Friday and Saturday off.

Happy almost Friday!

Care Package + Long Weekend!

My Mom surprised me with a care package this week! She sends me one every few months and I am always surprised at what I get. This time I got an adorable summer purse (with a bazillion pockets, which I love!), a new mascara and two items she knitted for me: another sweater, this time in teal, and some fingerless gloves for my freezing office. This is why I love my Mom! :)

I have a 3.5 day weekend (my office gives us half days on any day prior to a holiday) and I have a lot planned: shopping with some girlfriends, No Doubt concert tonight, a movie or two with K since I have some free passes, going out a night or two, and a lot of errands.

I'll post my errand list to see how much I actually get done:

• Take pants to tailor
• Take car to the shop for oil change/tire rotation
• Organize dresser & take old items to Goodwill (including shoes)
  
• Hair appointment (really just a bang trim)
• Buy wedding present for my friend (gift card plus something small attached)
  
• Pick up necklace I bought at Nordstrom
• Check out Target for new earrings
  

Happy Memorial Day! Have fun!

Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2009! I am still recovering from my incredibly fun and very out-of-control Vegas weekend, plus I am now splitting my time between 2 departments with my (long) job transition. (It's extremely busy; I've already put in a bunch of OT and it's only Tuesday!)

I will *try* get back to regular postings later this weekend/this weekend, though it's my birthday tomorrow and I plan on celebrating this weekend with friends. A quick pf update: I do know that I have at least $200 leftover from last month's budget and as well as $200 leftover from Vegas - both of which I will post about soon. :)

Anyway, I hope you all had a fantastic New Year's and are looking forward to 2009 as much as I am!

Last Weekend of 2008!

Since I was at home and mostly house-bound due to the extreme snow conditions, I did not spend too much. I went to a party with a friend on Saturday and shopping on Sunday before my flight back to California. I had a wonderful holiday and it's good to be "home," though it's still weird to think of this city as my new home.

Friday
$0, I spent the day at home with my family (we were snow-bound almost all week!)

Saturday
$4.46, 7-11

Sunday
$63.11, New tote! (I used the rest of my holiday bonus to pay for it and I have $15.28 leftover that will go into my Travel Fund.)

Total: $67.57 (This was all I spent from Friday, December 19th until yesterday!)

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas (if you celebrate it) and are enjoying the holiday season. I have had a great and relaxing (if a bit boring!) week with my parents and younger brother. I'm almost finished with my second book as I type this.

Today was fantastic and I received great gifts: clothes, a spice rack, a food processor, 3 cookbooks and a purse, among a few other smaller items like a globe paperweight and a world map with pins for my cubicle. (Sensing a few themes there?!)

I always feel spoiled but my parents always say they want to give more - lol. I'm just happy to know that they are very financially stable and can afford to buy lots of gifts for my brother and I during the holidays.

Merry Christmas! :)

Done Christmas Shopping!

I was able to get to the mall this afternoon to finally buy my Christmas present for my Mom. What I got her ended up being on sale and cost me $63. Since I had $90.07 left in my Gift Fund, the remaining $27.07 will be put into my Travel Fund to help with Vegas!

On another travel note, my parents offered to pay for my Vegas flight as my birthday present since I won't be home to celebrate! So, the $190 that I paid for the flight is going straight back into my Travel Fund. Hooray!

"Deep Freeze"

At least, that's what the news is calling the storm that is happening in my home state at the moment. I'm glad I arrived when I did on Friday, as the airport has been nothing short of a disaster since Saturday. However, my family and I have been cooped up inside as the roads are now layers of snow upon ice upon snow upon more ice. Dangerous!

The worst part? I was planning on buying my Mom's Christmas present when I got here. I'm hoping the roads are clear before the 24th so I can make a quick trip to the store. (I know exactly what I am getting her and unfortunately it is not available online but it is in stores.)

At least the snow is fun to play in and watch! Plus I'm all cozy with blankets, chai and my family. :)

Happy Holidays!

I am home in the Northwest until the 28th. It's wonderful to be back with my family (including my younger brother, who just returned from a semester abroad in Europe) and our dog. The house is beautifully decorated for Christmas by my Mom and there are all sorts of yummy things to eat. It's nice to get all my favorite meals while I am home!

It's a perfect white winter wonderland here with another snowstorm expected tonight. That means I'll be inside for the entire week, though that will certainly include a few restaurants/bars with old friends - some $ has to be spent, right? ;)

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday wherever you are!

Rain in Southern California?

Yes, that is correct! It rained ALL day on Monday and again all day today. (And it's still pouring as I type this.) Being from the Northwest, it's funny how much my California city cannot - in any way/shape/form - handle the rain. It floods, people freak out, people can't drive, etc. It's amusing to me!

Yesterday I went to happy hour with 2 girlfriends to celebrate the fact that they are graduating from college this semester. That was $11. I also got them each a gift, which was a total of $10 and they loved what I got. That came out of my Gift Fund a few weeks ago.

I was also notified that my new department is doing a white elephant gift exchange tomorrow during out team building event that I will be attending as the new hire. So, I made a trip to the store and picked up an amazing, wonderful-smelling mulled cider candle in a glass jar. It cost me $14 (just under the $15 limit) and if worse comes to worse, I will keep it for myself! That is also coming out of my Gift Fund.

Now I only have to purchase a Christmas gift for my Mom. I have $90.07 left to use and will buy something this weekend when I go home from December 19th-28th. :)

Holiday Bonus!

I went into work today and was happily surprised to find out that my company gives out holiday bonuses based on years of service! What a generous benefit.

Since I am under the 1-year mark, I received a pre-tax bonus of $500. After taxes and 6% into my 401k (automatic with any direct deposit), it came out to $256.25. Plus, due to some OT I put in, I received an extra $54 on today's paycheck direct deposit, for total extra income this month of $310.25!

$100 has already been sent to savings (split evenly between E-fund and Travel Fund) and the rest of it will be used for frivolous spending that I don't do very often! Which will mean it will help to offset my expensive weekend.

Happy Holidays indeed! :)

Black Friday? Not For Me!

I have never shopped early on Black Friday. My Mom has gone with my brother before for computer-related/electronic items (flash drives, external hard drives, etc.) but I would much rather sleep in. Or catch up on my TV shows I missed from earlier this week - which is what I did this morning while the rest of my family played golf.

However, I will be going this afternoon to do some poking around and to see if I can find anything that's left over. Enjoy the rest of the long weekend! :)