Things I Would Tell My College Self

They say college is the best four years of your life. I can't say whether I can agree or not just yet, I'm sure I have many more great life experiences to come. But my college years were definitely some of the most important in my life. I grew up, met amazing people, and started figuring out what I wanted to do with my life. But at the same time, if I had to do it all over again, I would do some things differently. I'm not one to regret but there are definitely things I wish I knew during my college years to help me make better decisions. Here are a few:

1.  Take classes that have nothing to do with what you intend to major in or what your interests are- I was very generic with the classes I choose to take to fulfill my basic requirements...english literature, statistics, intro to chemistry, etc. Pick things you normally wouldn't. It's one of your only chances to explore.Who knows, you might just find a new interest or even your career path.
2. Study Abroad - I had considered going aboard for a semester but in the end, I didn't because I was too scared to be so far away from home. But I should have. When you're in the so-called 'real world', it's hard to take months off just to travel and explore.
3. Roommate with a stranger - For the two years that I lived on campus, my roommate was someone that I knew from high school. We had known each other for years so we didn't have any awkward new roommate phase to go through... we were already comfortable. But it was a missed opportunity for me to meet someone new, someone with a completely different story than myself. Roommate with someone you don't know if you have the opportunity to.Yes, it might not turn out to be the perfect situation but on the other hand, you could meet someone really awesome.
4. Figure out what you enjoy and then figure out how you can make a career out of it - I always followed the path that I thought I should follow - major in something I can make money in. I ended up with a business degree. I don't regret it but do I think it's what I want to spend the rest of my life doing? No. Figure out what you really enjoy doing and then figure out how you can make a career out of it. Money isn't everything. Do what you love and you'll love what you do.
5. Have fun - Some people wish that they took college more seriously. I'm the opposite. I was a little too serious and spent too many long nights in the library. It was worth it but I could've spent a little more time living a little. Go out, party, have fun (responsibly of course). You'll have the rest of your life to work. 

These are things I wish I did or knew. So if you're heading to college this fall, take some time to think about what you want out of the next four years. Work hard at it but don't forgot to take some time to have fun along the way. Four years go by faster than you might think.

Living More...With Less

I stumbled upon an article in the New York Times a few months ago that struck a chord. It was entitled Living With Less. A Lot Less. In it, Graham Hill talks about his success launching a start up, selling it off, and making the big bucks. With the money, he ended up with all this 'stuff'. He eventually sold it all, traveled and started more companies right from his laptop. Now, he lives in a 420 square foot studio - and he's happy. It really got me thinking, what is my relationship with 'stuff'? I've come to the realization that its not the healthiest.

I love to shop. I live in New York City- arguably the mecca of over indulgence and consumption. Everywhere you go, there's something you can buy. And, I've never been good about resisting. Don't get me wrong, I'm not bad with money. I end up saving about half of my monthly take home income. But I still don't think I'm saving as much I can. I buy because of wants, not needs. Do I need this dress? No but it'll look good on me when I wear it. Do I need a $5 latte? Of course not but it tastes so good. The list can go on and on.

As I've gotten older with more money to spare, I've started to really think long and hard about how I'm spending and what I'm spending on. I've never really thought about what my goals were - financially, personally, professionally. I've always pictured being a home owner some day. But I don't have a solid plan. I've always thought that I was too young to think about these things But if I want to own a home in the next 3 years, is it too early? Or am I already too late?

I also love stuff. This might sound sad but I love the thrill of finding something I like and then calling it mine. But is it worth it? Most of the time, no. I don't really need another shirt. It might shrink after a few wears. Or I might even throw it in the back of my closet and forget about it. Is there something I could be spending more wisely on? Perhaps a trip? I'm sure the memories of traveling with stay longer with me than new shoes.

And so, I leave this post with a lot of open questions. That's because I haven't really answered them myself yet. But it's a least a first step to realize that I need to reassess. That was the easy part.

Last but not least, I want to share with you a documentary I saw recently saw called The Queen of Versailles. The film follows the Siegel family in the midst of building the largest home in America and then hitting financial turmoil during the economic crisis in 2008. It's quite thought provoking...and really makes me love my one bedroom apartment that much more.

Setting Goals

I've never really been one to set goals and keep them. And I've never really had a reason to before either. In all honesty, I've always had a rather blasé, go with the flow attitude about most things, from work to relationships to what I'll eat for dinner. Well, I've come to the realization that I've got to get my act together. You can call it a quarter life crisis of sorts. I've always had quasi-goals and passions but what have I done to achieve them? Nothing really. For instance, I've been saying for the past year that I want to run a marathon in the next couple of years. And what have I done to achieve that? Nothing, zero, zilch. In fact, I've actually done more to stop myself from reaching that goal, such as sitting on the coach watching Real Housewives with a cup of Haagen Dazs. The problem is that my goals aren't attainable. Yes, I want to run a marathon but how am I going to set myself up to get there? That's the problem with most of us. We like create things that sound nice in our heads like New Year's Resolutions, subconciously knowing we'll never reach it. Come on, who can really plan a whole year ahead of time? So instead, I'm focusing on baby steps - starting small with goals at are attainable and measurable. Crawl before I walk, so to say. I'm going to document my monthly goals here and provide some updates on how they're going. Something about writing it down makes it feel more real. 

July Goals

• Cook dinner 3 times a week. I've realized that my boyfriend and I spend around $180 a week just on take out. If I can cut this back 3 times a week, I can save $90 a week or $360 a month.
• Exercise 3 times week. So no, I'm ready to run a marathon. But I can at least get my butt into shape. I've been a fan of Blogilates on youtube- anything to make a workout more fun!
• Sign up for driving lessons. I'm a city girl so no, I can't drive. I'm getting to an age where I feel like I need to learn.
• Cut back shopping spending to $200. I've never really budgeted how much I've spend on frivolous shopping but I feel like setting my budget to $200 is a good start. This includes clothing, personal care items, and anything else that it not food/household related.
• Blog 3 times a week. If you look at my archives, you know I'm not a consistent blogger. Yes, I started in 2008 but then there was 2012 were I didn't blog at on. Well, July 2013, I'm getting back on track!

 There you have it, my five goals for the month. Baby steps, guys...baby steps.