Thoughtful Thursday: Maybe We Should Be More Like Animals...

This week a lot of animal clips have come through my inbox and DVR that reminds me of how people could learn a lot from animals.

Baby and Boxer


Bella and Tara


Christian the Lion


Do differences really matter?

(house)Work Wednesday: Spring is in the Air

Two Sundays ago Lisa, YM, and NEB went to the Southern Ideal Home Show for a very domestic double date. Plus we won free tickets so why not?

Anyway after an afternoon of searching the fairgrounds for the perfect hot tub, closet organization system, and appliances for my future house, we headed to Cameron Bar and Grill for a late lunch. Lisa and I had the Strawberry Salad and it was amazing...

...so amazing that I wanted it again for my late dinner...but I couldn't justify $16 in salads in 5 hours. Sigh. So instead of getting the salad, I headed to Harris Teeter for the weekly produce trip and went to get all my lunch meats and such. As walked through the deli a light bulb went off in my head: MAKE THE SALAD YOURSELF!!!

Now I know most people might have thought of this, but I am not the type to think of restaurant food as something I can DIY-ify but this seemed like a good start.

Here's how it broke down-

• 1/2 pound of fresh Salad Mix: $3


• 1 1lb tub of strawberries on VIC card special: $1.25


• 1 bottle of light raspberry vinagrette dressing: $2.49
  


• A dash of sugar because I don't like the candied pecans in the original salad: $0
  


• Some feta cheese from my fridge: $0

= 3 Strawberry Salads for $6.74 + tax.

And voila!!!

Isn't it pretty?

Teach It Tuesday: My new "favorite" foods

I went to the doctor a couple weeks back and after some blood test was told that I have high cholesterol. I expected it to be a little high from my awesome college eating habits, but didn't expect it to be as high as it was...especially since I'm in my mid 20s.

Luckily because I am in my mid 20s, there's changes I can make now to get it back down where it should be and keep it there without medication or too much worry about long lasting damage. In honor of my cholesterol enlightenment, here are some facts about it that I hope will help you all out.

• Your cholesterol should be under 200mg/DL and your triglyceride level should be under 150 mg/dL.
• One of the main sources of cholesterol in the human diet is animal fats (especially in red meat and eggs.)
• Foods that are high in saturated and/or trans fat are usually also high in cholesterol.
• Cholesterol is required to built and maintain cell membranes but your body creates cholesterol on its own, so you don't have to eat it to get enough of it.
• A person with normal cholesterol levels should limit themselves to 300mg of cholesterol a day to remain healthy. Those who need to lower it (like me) should stick to 200mg or less.
• If you want to lower your cholesterol, foods that are high in soluble fiber will help a lot.

This is the "increase these in your diet list" from my doctor:

• Soy products
• Red wine
• Oatmeal
• Almonds
• Fish
• Garlic

High cholesterol can lead to a higher risk of heart disease because cholesterol will sit on the walls of your arteries like spackle, making it difficult for blood to flow properly. Ewww.

Here's an additional source for more information: American Heart Association

Money Monday: 10 Commandments- Courtesy of MSN Money

I came across this Financial Commandments for Your 20s and I thought of all the people who I know who need to read this article.

Basically:

1. Thou shall plan ahead
2. Thou shall live WITHIN your means
3. Thou shall make saving a habit
4. Thou shall pay off your credit cards
5. Thou shall start investing
6. Thou shall establish credit
7. Thou shall develop a marketable skill
8. Thou shall cut the financial umbilical cord
9. Thou shall marry wisely
10. Thou shall have fun

I think I'm in good shape but it's always nice to have a easy to understand reminder.

Sabbatical Saturday: Day trips can help you make it between vacations

My Yankee Manfriend and I have been trying to get away for a long weekend vacation for awhile and it just isn't working out and isn't going to anytime soon. Finally we (mainly Y.M.) decided that just because we don't have time for a full blown trip doesn't mean we can't get away for the day and enjoy a change of scenery.

So we woke up this morning and headed to the NC Zoo (which we've been trying to do for the last two years...) Most def a needed break from town after the last couple weeks of work and will tide me over until I can get away for a real vacation.



Secondary enlightenment: People watching at the Zoo might be more entertaining than looking at the animals...but that's another post...

Teach It Tuesday: Hypoallergenic Dog Breeds

I have quite a few people in my life that have pet allergies and quite a few that are pet owners, which can cause a clash when trying to have events or company.

E shared a list of Hypoallergenic Dog Breeds with me as we were looking to see if our friends would have a reaction to the newest addition to their family. Here's the abbreviated version (of dogs I've actually heard of):

Bearded Collie
Bolognese
Fox Terrier (Wire)
Greyhound
Goldendoodle
Irish Water Spaniel
Italian Greyhound
Maltese
Poodles
Poodle hybrid
Pomeranian
Schnauzers
Scottish Terrier
Welsh Terrier
Yorkshire Terrier

For a more complete list and the reason each breed is hypoallergenic go to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypoallergenic_dog_breeds


So will there be a problem? Nope, the little addition is a Pomeranian. :-)

Edit: Too bad Y.M.'s furry child is not on the list...and sheds enough to make a floor length coat every three days. Thank goodness for the Dyson.

house(Work) Wednesday: Medicine Cabinets

Since me and Y.M. have resigned our lease for another year (blah...) I've decided that I need to do a little sprucing up around the townhouse to keep my nesting instinct at bay. (After all, I've moved every July for the last 6 years and now I'm going to miss my yearly redecoration.)

Since saving to pay of student loans is a higher priority than redecorating in the allocation of my finances, I'm always looking for cost effective ways to nest in my rented space.

I saw this on medicine cabinet decoration on Real Simple and I think it would be a cute Saturday afternoon project for the guest bathroom. I think it's too girly for Y.M. (who gets the medicine cabinet to himself in exchange for me getting all the other cabinets in the bathroom) but who knows...he may not even notice it...

Money Monday: Credit Myths in 60 seconds

This came through my RSS from Lifehacker and I thought it was worth passing along.

Money Monday: Career Log

In my RSS feed this week came up a "How To" that I think everyone should do:

How to Keep a Career Log

I have a lot of friends that are in the job market, or are fearfully they soon will be, and are having a hard time with getting their resumes to speak to the people they are hoping will employ them. By keeping a Career Log it's easier to reflect on projects and roles you have experienced that may help you land that next position. :-)

Money Monday: Why do you do what you do?

I am one of those people that is lucky enough to love my job but this post from my sorority sister at Darling Dexter got me thinking because a lot of my friends that are 1-2 years out of college seem to be dealing with this same internal issue.

Just thought I'd pass this along because I think this is a good articulation of a problem a lot of 20 somethings (and beyond) face.

Thoughtful Thursday: Resolutions Revisited

So I thought this Thursday I would look back and see how I was doing on my New Years Resolutions.

1. My Thoughtful Thursday resolution: Do a better job of deciding what I want and making a plan to get there. So far this is going pretty well, I've planned out my 1, 2, and 5 year career plans and discussed them with my boss so we're all on the same page.
2. Fabulous Friday: Resolution #2: Shop more. Check. Spurred by the need to do some shopping for a fabulous weekend in Vegas with my girls, I have increased my spending on clothing and have purchased one item suitable for the 9-5 every two weeks. Additionally, with the help of Lisa's plan to also eat in more during the week (Lisa, her boy N.E.B., my Y.M. and myself were double dating it 2-3 times a week), I've cut my "Restaurant" spending by $50 in both January and February. Yay!!!
3. Sabbatical Saturday: Resolution #3:Vacation more. Already hit Vegas (and was under budget by the way...) with the girls in February and I have a plan to go to Houston and Dallas in June taking care of quarters 1 and 2 of this year.
4. Selfish Sundays: Resolution #4: Take one day a month off to do NOTHING but exactly what I want to do. Sadly this is one that I'm failing on so far. The second half of January and all of February came and went without a day where there wasn't something on the agenda. I guess I'll have to take two days in March...
5. Money Monday: Resolution #5: Track my finances using the Mint.com. CHECK! I love Mint as much as I love Google...and that's saying a lot.
6. Teach It Tuesday: Resolution #6: Take classes. Hmm...I have failed to sign up for any classes so far this year. Need to get on that...
7. (house)Work Wednesday: Resolution #7: Cook more meals at home. In January I cooked my one meal from scratch (Simply Chicken Parm from Allrecipes.com) but in February I didn't cook a single meal and I was supposed to do 2...boo...

So here's where we stand-

• Done (100%)- 4
• Half assed (50%)- 1
• Haven't even started (0%)- 2

My resolution score: 64% completed

How are you doing with your goals?

Money Monday: Haggling...umm...Negotiating

Got this article about haggling prices from Ladies Home Journal (yep...LHJ...I'll admit I get a weekly newsletter from them.)

How to Save Money on Just About Anything

What are things worth haggling for? According to LHJ...

1. Big ticket items
2. Hotel rooms (FACT, saved my crew $300 on a trip to Vegas recently...)
3. Bulk purchases
4. Anything damaged
5. Anything already marked down
6. Healthcare

Selfish Sunday: Rainy Days

Rainy day + stuffy nose day 10 = Changing my agenda for the day from meetings all day to my favorite pajamas + a book + my bed + Advil Cold and Sinus.

Sometimes you just have to take care of yourself. Just sayin'.

Teach It Tuesday: "Did You Know"

I put this as an entry to the McKinney blog (http://www.fivewords.mckinney.com/) but I decided to share it with all of you as well.





My how things have changed...

Fabulous Friday: The new way to shoe shop

I like comparison shopping. I hate walking/driving around to do so. I hate even more when I buy something that is 90% what I want to find something that is PERFECT a week later...usually after the receipt for the first purchase has found it's way to the trash can.

Thanks to the people at Lifehacker I found this site: www.modista.com and it's AMAZING.

1. You can click on a shoe (or purse) that you think is cute.
2. The site shows you the item you selected and then items that are similar to it in shape and/or color.
3. Find something you like better and then click that and the process repeates itself.

And you can look at the prices at of all the items so you can see if there's something very similar for a good chunk of change cheaper. Love it.

(house)Work Wednesday: Cleaning for Guest

No one likes to clean bathrooms. But having 4 people share one bathroom for a week (must get at least two full baths next time around...) means that the bathroom has to be cleaned before our guest arrive.

Here's a quick bathroom cleaning guide from Katie at The Hyper Homemaker.

Bathroom done in under 10 minutes. Love it.

Teach It Tuesday: Stretch Marks...yay...

I'm back from my blogging hiatus.

It's February and the holiday hangover is long gone and it's time to start thinking about getting ready for bathing suit season. I know a lot of my friends are concerned about stretch marks as they have either lost or gained weight rapidly in our post-collegiate lives.

Here's a link from wikiHow on how to get rid of them. I'm a fan of doing #2 with the cocoa butter.

Good luck people.

Thoughtful Thursday: First Class Brains

This quote has hit my inboxes multiple times this week and it's totally worth a really thinking about it for a moment.

F. Scott Fitzgerald said: “The test of a first class mind is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in the head at the same time and still be able to function.”

-Are you first class...or not?

-Are you first class in some areas because you don't care about them at all and you have no opinion or because you care about them a lot?

house(Work) Wednesday: Winter Wonderland

Here in North Carolina we had our first big snow of the season and I felt unprepared. In thinking about how to winterize my life, I started thinking about about frozen pipes. Now like most 20-somethings, I'm a renter and I usually wouldn't even think about the pipes BUT since I just changed my renters insurance policy (to USAA, the best insurance company EVER) and one of the things they mentioned was burst pipes in the winter, it was a little more top of mind.

Here's some tips from State Farm about how to prevent burst pipes that could flood your house, apartment, or condo and cause thousands of dollars of damage to your building and property.

Stay warm.

Teach It Tuesday: Presidential Knowledge

In honor of the inauguration of our 44th president I thought some random presidential knowledge was appropriate.

• The U.S. President serves as both the head of state and the head of government. (In the U.K. the Queen is the head of state and the Prime Minister is the head of government.)
• Obama is the 5th youngest president elected.
• Because of the 22nd amendment the longest a person could be president is 9 years 364 days.
• When the Obamas got home from the inauguration 93 people had put all of their belongs away for them so that when they got back after the festivities their new home was ready for them.
• The plane that George W flew out of Washington on is "Executive One" instead of "Air Force One" since he's no longer the President.
• Even though Obama's oath wasn't taken until 12:07ish, he became President at noon because of the way the 20th amendment is written.
• There have been 56 inaugural parades in Washington, D.C.

Every wonder how much the Pres makes? Here you go, courtesy of Wikipedia

DATE Salary In 2008 Dollars

September 24, 1789 $25,000 $566,000
March 3, 1873 $50,000 $865,000
March 4, 1909 $75,000 $1,714,000
January 19, 1949 $100,000 $875,000
January 20, 1969 $200,000 $1,135,000
January 20, 2001 $400,000 $471,000

There's your knowledge for the day.

And if you live in North Carolina, I hope you had a happy snow day. :-)