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.

TGIF | Food for Thought

it's really that simple!

happy friday and have a great weekend!

(photo found here)

Deals | Urban Decay 24/7 Eye Pencils

I just received this little gem of an email in my inbox and I wanted to share.The 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil by Urban Decay is one of my favorites and lucky for me (us), their spring/summer colors are all on sale for 50% off. Still debating whether I want to pick up a couple since I'm on this saving-spree and all but if you're looking for a new eye liner in fun summer colors, check this out here.

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.

Starbucks Adventures

The first and most obvious reason I love Starbucks is because of the coffee. I'm a self proclaimed addict and if I need a little pick me up, there is nothing better to me than a cup of joe (except for a cup of iced joe). Now, the second reason I love Starbucks is for the names they write on the cups. While my name isn't super common, I'd say it's fairly recognizable and easy to spell but the baristas at Starbucks tend to get it wrong about 90% of the time. Nothing against anyone at Starbucks - hell, if I had a line of 20 grouchy people clamoring for a cup of liquid crack every morning - I wouldn't be able to spell either. Anyways, reading my Starbucks cup has become a highlight of my days. Here are a few of my favorites:

Hmm...maybe this needs an accent mark?

Coney..as in Coney Island?

This one put a smile on my face...I might just tell everyone to call me Miss C from now on.

Ding ding! We have a winner.