One Day To Go

There's only one day left in October, and my spending is pretty much set.  This month's goal was to save $3K, and I knocked that out pretty easily due to the three-paycheck month.  Spending was overbudget, yes, however this was mostly because I counted my charity project money towards spending.  Here's how it breaks down--I don't anticipate it changing much. 

[edit:  $2,425.05 in spending; decided not to count the $100 in cash I took out as spending.]

Income this month from paychecks equaled $4,785.87.  I had an overage of $850 from last month, which also counts toward my income, bringing it to $5,635.87.  If my roommate ever gets herself together and pays me what she owes me for the use of the garage, I could have up to another $80 in income for October.

Rent: $840.  As usual.  Right on target.

Groceries:  $428.71.  With the GST increase, stores had to re-label all of their items.  I think they also took the opportunity to increase their prices more than the 2.5% GST increase warranted.

Internet & Electricity:  $51.65 and $79.12.  I'm hoping both of these go down as summer approaches and we're either out of the house more or letting the natural sunlight filter in through the windows.

Eating Out:  $42.50.  Got Thai takeout twice and Sal's pizza another night. 

Charity:  $297.67.  Donated the bulk of that money towards Drop In The Bucket and the rest to Kiva.

Cell Phone:  $101.94.  Special case--my old cell phone, given to my by my XBF in 2008 when he bought an iPhone, wouldn't charge anymore due to corrosion.  I hated that phone anyway.  I bought a new one on ebay for $81.94.  It has lots of awesome features like FM radio and a camera, so I'm happy.  I also topped up my Vodafone account with $20.

Medical:  $6.  Went to the Dr and paid $6 for two prescriptions.  Love NZ!

Misc:  $677.46.    This is over budget, but I bought several items that have been on my Wish List with the overage from last month.  I also bought items to help me get healthy:  workout pants, several fitness classes, a concession card.  Here's the breakdown:

Transportation:  $3.30.  Various busfares.

Gifts:  $45.86.  Friend's birthday cards, a 2011 NZ scenic calendar, Dad's birthday card, $30 USD for 6 movie tickets for my dad for his birthday, bought through Groupon.  

Fitness:  $160.70.  Several Zumba classes, yoga, and other dance classes.  $22 for workout pants.  A 10 class concession card good for a year (still have 8 classes left on it).

Goods and Wants:   $429.61.  The biggie here is a $201.39 for REI hoodie and field pants that have been on my Wish List for a year or so.  I also took out $100 worth of cash.  I'm still unsure of how to count this in my budget, since I haven't actually spent it yet, but it will deplete the amount of money that I can transfer into my savings account [edit:  decided not to count it as 'spent'--because it's not!].  I spent the rest of the money on tennis balls, a light hoodie, a haircut, nail polish remover, fairy lights, a storage bin, a Chinese lantern for my room, and Natures Organics Care brand Shampoo, Conditioner, and Body Wash (I love this brand!  It's from Australia and sooo cheap compared to all the other name-brand toiletries, plus it doesn't have many of the bad chemicals and the packaging is made from corn).

Savings:  $3,000.  This also includes the $340 I save each month to Long Term goals.  This figure is approximate, as I still have ~$3,110 left over from my income after expenses and I still don't know if my roommate will pay me.  In any case, I have almost enough surplus to knock out my $3K Family Emergency Fund (see sidebar).

Next on the goal list is to start filling up that $5K Move To America Fund.  This will pay for shipping items form NZ, start up costs such as security deposits, and go toward new furniture and a car, as well as anything else I'll need to start over my new life in America in a few years.  After that, I'm not sure what to save up for:  I'll have everything I'll need and want and can possibly plan for.  Perhaps I'll make a plan to travel the world while I'm between continents?  Get LASIK?  Get carpal tunnel release surgery?  save up for laser hair removal?  a maid?  Personal trainer/gym?  Cooking classes?  Flying lessons?  Save up to get a PhD?  Take more classes?   Give more to charity?  Update my wardrobe??   I regularly have $400-$600 leftover each month...I need to have goals for the money so I have some motivation to not spend it frivolously!

Rampage

WHERE CAN I BUY HALLOWEEN CANDY IN NZ?!

I'm going a little crazy.  A colleague brought in candy corn to work this week, and I'm hooked.  I went to go buy a bag today, but there's nothing in the Warehouse or New World.  I asked for the 'Halloween candy display' in both stores and got a blank stare.  Where did the candy corn come from?!?

I'm dying!

[Image from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candy_corn by Willc2, used under Creative Common license.]

Time To Live Alone?

I don't know what is going on with me lately, but for the past few months, I've been really annoyed at my roommate.  Even before the garage debacle, things were building up.  Now?  I just find myself avoiding her and going into my room straight after getting home.  I work out, make dinner, eat it at my desk in my room while working or watching TV online, shower, and then retreat back to my room.  Over and over.  I just can't handle socialization sometimes...a lot of times, lately.

Things just build up, and like a bad marriage, I just get so angry at the tiniest little things.  I have certain 'rules' about the way that I live and maintain my household, and while I don't expect everyone to adhere to them 24-7, 100% of the time, I do expect a base level of decency.

I feel like I told her my trigger issues when she moved in, but she still does them!  Even with reminders!  Can I just vent and list the things here and you can tell me if I'm being crazy?

• leaves dishes out for DAYS at a time. Days. I will wash a roommate's dishes once in a while to be nice, but not every day.  My rule for myself is I wash them within 24 hours of dirtying, unless I have an extremely busy and/or forgetful day.  Even with that rule, my dishes are usually washed within 2-3 hours of the meal.  Exceptions are when I have a late night snack--I do those dishes the next morning.  When I left my breakfast dishes in the sink the other day because I needed to get to work, I sent her a text to apologize for the mess and said I'd clean them when I got home.  Courtesy.
• Likewise, doesn't wipe the counters after preparing a meal.  No one is that clean.
• does not clear out the dryer lint.  EVER.  OMG, this is my #1 pet peeve!!!  (How weird is that?)  I came home from my 2 month trip, and the lint trap was choking.  She clearly hadn't cleaned it in 2 months!!!  When we got the dryer, I told her how important it was for fire hazard & energy efficiency reasons (and for my sanity) for her to clear it out every time.  A few weeks ago, I showed her AGAIN how to do it and told her that it could catch fire.  Did she start cleaning it? N.O.
• she is scared of the garbage disposal, yet uses it and in fact throws things down it that she knows cannot go down it.  Again, this was made clear when she moved in:  no citrus peels, it'll break it.  Today I found a teaspoon in it.  Now, I am totally frightened of the thing, having seen too many gory scary movies, but I don't let that stop me from fixing it.  She also doesn't turn it on.  EVER.  It just fills up and stinks up the place all day.  Grrr.
• I recently discovered that she turns on the shower and lets it run for 15 minutes before even getting in.  WHY?????  All it does is confuse me, because I think she's in the bathroom and that the bathroom is therefore unavailable, when in fact, it IS available.  Not to mention the wasted hot water/electricity.  The shower curtain gets mildewy because she crumples it up in one corner after showering, and she drops water all over the floor, so I can't wear socks in there.  I get so grossed out by wet socks...(I know the last two sentences are totally nitpicky.)
• Likewise, when I get home, EVERY light in the entire apartment is on, regardless of the room she is sitting in.  Kitchen, bathroom, entry way, balcony, living room, her room, doesn't matter--they are all on, sucking up energy and wasting our electricity.  Particularly disturbing is that the living room lights are on the ceiling, which is 20 feet high and therefore completely inaccessible to either of us shorties.  Once those lights go out, we aren't getting them replaced for months, until my landlord's fixit guy can come over, and one of us is home.
• lack of guest warning etiquette. Particularly when guys are over, I need to get a warning so I can not walk into the kitchen in my white tank and short pajama shorts with no bra on, like I did last week when two of her guy friends came in the apartment at 11:30 pm on a Wednesday.  AWKWARD.  And her boyfriend is always coming over at random times nowadays.  I don't mind him now, but when they first started dating, there was zero warning that there was a guy in the apartment that I didn't know.  ZERO.  My roommate was in the shower one morning (I saw her enter the bathroom while going to the kitchen), and while preparing my breakfast, I hear a noise that is decidedly NOT coming from the bathroom and then a guy walks into my living room.  Had never met him before, ever.  And he's in my house at 6:30 am.  NOT COOL.
• never takes out the garbage bins to the curb.  never ever.  when she does take out the trash, she puts it in other people's bins.  
• I guess I shouldn't complain about this in the face of the other issues, but she has weird cleaning habits.  Like, I have a face towel I use every. single. day.  I get it wet every morning, and hang it on the hook to dry.  Every day, it is back in the cabinet, and I have to take it out.  Every. day.  Why on earth is she wasting time folding it and putting it away when I obviously use it daily?!
• I swear she uses a third of the toilet paper roll every time she uses it.  The roll is changed every other day.  It ain't me using it all up!  I use like two squares to pee!  I don't want to be a total TP Nazi about it, but sheesh, I refuse to buy nice TP if it is wasted like that.
• She wads up TP & overflows the bathroom trash (a ha! the mystery is solved), why not put it in the toilet instead of on the floor?!   And why not put a plastic bag in the bathroom trash to control the germs?

Oh man, there are so many more of these.  I think that, as much as I love my apartment and sharing rent and utilities expenses, I need to seriously consider living on my own when she moves out.  Given the situation with her boyfriend, I think it is only a matter of time before they move in together--I give it 6 months before this happens!  Especially if she has similar complaints about me or my nagging to correct the above.

Nerd Alert

Something good is coming out of the new SuperCity merge:  access to more library books!!  I've always found the Auckland City Library's selection somewhat sad and outdated compared to the selection in libraries in the US, so this is great news!  From an email:


"From 1 November library services across the Auckland region are merging and you'll immediately have access to 55 libraries and approximately 3.5million items including fiction and non fiction books, CDs, DVD's, games, audio books, foreign language and reference materials, plus over 100 databases providing access to the world's information."


I'm an avid reader, but too frugal to buy books at $30 a pop (yes, that's paperback), so I only read books from the library.  Lately I've been on a self-help kick:  pulling books about nutritional health, how to cook, how to meditate, Getting Things Done, 4-Hour Workweek, etc.  Along with the self help books, I usually grab a few fiction items--usually a book from the classics section to keep my brain working, and a few fluffly (yes, FLUFFLY) chick lit books.  My faves are the ones about 20 or 30 something ladies trying to juggle relationships, career, money...sounds familiar, eh?  If they throw in an element of magic, even better (going back in time?  seeing what life would be like if you made the OTHER choice?  YES.)  Lauren Weisberger, Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus, Kathleen De Marco (Cranberry Queen), Sarah Mlynowski, Karyn Bosnak (see sidebar for her blog, Pretty In The City...she's hilarious and I've followed her since Save Karyn--that book actually was the one that got me into personal finance and inspired me to get debt-free in 2004!).


Soooo...any book recommendations?  Because I now may have access to it!

Charity Paralysis

I fully funded my Charity Project with 10% of my salary last month, and I still don't know where to donate it.  I'm stuck!  I want to give where it makes a difference--the most difference it could possibly make.  Every charity I choose, I research and find either a better charity suggestion, or that the initial charity I chose is bad for X reason.  So frustrating!  Actually, it reminds me of when I tried to choose a Roth IRA company and funds.  :)

Like the Roth IRA decisions, there is only one right answer:  just do it.  Pick a fund or charity that you're interested in.  Do a little research on it:  Check morningstar.com or charitynavigator.org.  Look at index funds for low fees and decent returns; look at charities with low overhead and admin/program expenses.  Then go with your gut.  The quicker you donate or invest, the quicker that money can do someone a world of good.

I had to break it down to myself to choose a charity.  I, personally, am interested in people--helping those less fortunate, specifically.  I'm an environmentalist and love animals, but I want to take care of people first.  I want to give a tiny bit that will make the most difference.  So, what would make the most difference to a person with nothing?  If I had nothing:

1)  I'd want a clean continuous source of free water close by.
2)  I'd want good continuous source of nutritious food.
3)  I'd want shelter and warm/decent clothing.
4)  I'd want medical attention or necessary protection from any preventable diseases.
5)  I'd want an education.
5)  I'd want to be independent and make a living for myself to take care of my family, using that education.

So there I go:  those are my priorities.  First, I need to donate to charities and organizations that develop sustainable water purification and supply systems, educate people about proper water sanitation systems, or provide clean water programs to areas without a continuous supply of water.

I'm a big believer in small changes that make a big difference, like flossing.  It's kind of like the 80/20 rule:  80% of the good comes from 20% of the effort.  I hope my donation to Drop In the Bucket does some good!

House Vs Life

At my salary, and in the places I tend to want to live and work (large cities in warm/pleasant climates near both mountains and beaches), any house options are well beyond my financial reach in my current lifestyle.  Today I was looking at my House Down Payment fund on my sidebar, which now shows that I have $980 saved, and realized that at this rate, I will literally never be able to afford to buy a house.  

And, I'm OK with that for now.  Not investing large chunks of my salary toward a house downpayment, a house itself, or maintenance and upkeep or HOA fees allows me to live the life that I want:  somewhat itinerant, carefree, filling my travel dreams, and saving a whopping ~1/3 of my salary each month to buy fun things and experiences. Right now, buying a house is in the far, distant future.  I'm thinking about it enough that I know that it is important that I get in the habit of saving for it, and to have a little bit of a head start so that the endeavor doesn't seem so daunting when I am ready to buy, but honestly, $70/mo will not even make a teeny dent in even closing costs.   It makes me feel like I'm saving for my future, though, so I do it anyway.  And I can always turn it into a Wedding Fund if I meet someone awesome, or a LASIK Fund, or something like that.  In the end, it's a Future Fund, but I'm happy to label it 'House Down Payment' for now.

$20K Update

I shouldn't jinx it, but it looks like all is a 'go.'  At the last hour (3 pm yesterday), a colleague came through with a recommendation for the money and I sent it on to the people who have the money for approval.  Today at 11 am, they requested that I get quotes from all the vendors.  So I was running around today like a madwoman, getting quotes from Malaysia, Australia, the US, and the South Island for the myriad equipment and associated accessories.

If I can get everything into the people in charge (ie the ones with the money to spend) by Tuesday AM, I think they'll have time to order the setup and get receipts before November 1.  

Honestly, I'm not sure how I got myself in this position.  I don't work for the people with the money, and the equipment won't help the project I'm on very much.  I'm kind of caught in the middle of the two people that should be speaking directly with one another.  They even know each other, in fact the one with the money referred me to the one with the answers, but I'm ferrying information back and forth between the two.  What?  My boss isn't paying me to do this, but she told me to 'deal with it' so I am.  (Initially this money looked like it was to go to buying equipment for a project I'm doing.)

Oh well.  The next week is work, work, and more work.  Even on the Monday holiday, Labor Day--so no big holiday weekend plans for me!  What is cool is that I've gotten to celebrate two Labor Days this year!  One in the US, and now one in NZ.  Fun!

So, because I was frantically trying to collect quotes, I'm off to do the work I was supposed to do today...at 9:30 pm on a Friday.  I love my job, but...le sigh.

$20K to Spend...

I'm in an odd position at work:  I was basically given nearly $20K to spend on equipment that is to be used 'for the good of Auckland'  in a specific capacity that is tangentially related to my research, but this is well beyond my, and my boss's expertise.  She gave it to me to sort out, but I'm flailing.  Badly.

The experts that I've sought out are all giving ideas which are basically impossible--equipment with $40K EURO price tags!  And their suggestions are not exactly fitting to the needs of Auckland, either.

So I don't know what to do.  $20K is a LOT of money, and if it isn't spent in the next week, it will be lost.  Forever.  In the sea of the SuperCity.

I'm waiting on a few more experts to chime in their opinions, but it is looking like we won't find anything to fit the bill.  It hurts to have this money wasted!!  I could do SO much else with it in my research, but it is earmarked for this specific area.  Doh.

On the bright side?  I'm eating some pasta that I made that is DIVINE.  Anything with a cream sauce is my best friend.

Also pondering:  Will I ever get sick of feeling like I'm being looked down on because I only have a (four year!) Master's, not a PhD??

Living 'Rich'

Yesterday, I was wandering around Auckland and happened to go into a grocery store where they sold lottery tickets in the lobby of the store.  The line was 10 people deep at each register (is the jackpot really large this week or what?!).  It got me thinking:  what things would I indulge in, if I just had a little more money?  I know I'd keep my job, so my life and lifestyle wouldn't change that much, no matter how much money I had.  The things that I could think of to do differently were quite random.  On my list:

1. get my pants tailored.  I'm that weird height in between petite and average (5'4"), and therefore I can't find any pants that hit me at the right ankle length.  Most of my pants are too long (don't want to go with the flood waders!) and I have to cuff them.  NOT professional!  And yet I think tailoring them all would be too expensive, esp. since the all pants I buy are only ~$10-$25 each.
2. Buy water filters for my tub, shower, and sinks to clean out the chlorine.
3. Buy a car.
4. Go on more weekend road and flying trips; see family more often for shorter periods of time (like for a week at Christmas).
5. Get my hair cut at a fancy salon instead of the Sharing Shed (not a pleasant experience today!).
6. Buy a juicer, blender, a chopper, a chef's knife, some nice pots and pans and stick blender.
7. Live in an apartment with my own bathroom (with tub!) and a nice balcony/garden area.
8. Join a gym.

There's not much else I would change--maybe upgrade my electronics (mp3 player, laptop, camera, phone) and give more to charity.

The thing is, a lot of what is on my list is completely affordable to me right now, I've just prioritized saving for other stuff over these items.  I deem them 'luxuries,' so I don't 'indulge.'  I wonder how much it would take for me to live my 'rich' life, right now, on $50k/year?  Maybe I should look into that.

Floating Around the Blogosphere

visited 23 states (46%)
Create your own visited map of The United States



visited 7 states (3.11%)
Create your own visited map of The World

My world map is so sad!!  For all the traveling I do, even my US map is pretty blank!  Ah well.  That is why I'm saving up.  :)

Work It Out

So far this week, I have gone running for an hour on three days, worked out in the gym of my roommates' spa for free (where I got a free manicure) on another day, attended Zumba class (whew!), went to a stretch/yoga class, and tried to walk it out in a hip hop class (I'm a good dancer, but make me do specific moves?  and I choke a bit).  Later today I'm playing tennis with a friend at some free courts; I'm borrowing her roommate's racket and she's supplying the balls, too.

I don't really know what has gotten into me lately.  Whatever it is, I'm going with it.  I just decided a few weeks ago that I wanted to work out for an hour a day, and it's been wonderful.  My mono- or thyroid-related stuff is acting up, for sure, but I'm trying to push through the fatigue and awful symptoms.  For a change, I can ignore them and love feeling active and strong and healthy--I wish I could take dance/workout classes all day, every day!  I think it REALLY helps that I spent two months in the warm US weather and then came here, where the weather is getting better and better as summer approaches.

That's the silver lining.  The very expensive gold lining?  Total expenses for fitness this week:  $28.40.  Even with all the free stuff (running, spa gym, tennis), it is costing me a pretty penny!  Maybe I should look into joining a gym with free classes?  Or is it less expensive to keep going as I have been?  Any recommendations from Aucklanders out there?

New Year's!

I think I have plans for New Year's Eve now!  I was so worried...last year really sucked.  It was the first year I didn't go home for Christmas, and then do something fun with my US friends for NYE.  Christmas last year was a small affair, but at least I had people to celebrate it with (my roommate and her friends); NYE was me in front of the TV watching movies and watching the SkyTower fireworks from my balcony (my roommie + friends didn't have room in their car for me for their road trip up north).  Nice and zero hangover, but pretty lonely.  I swore to myself that I wouldn't let that happen again.  This year, every option I have pursued has become a dead-end, but today something popped up out of the blue and I sort of invited myself.  The trip is actually what I'd do if it weren't kind of weird to travel alone on NYE--it's on my NZ bucket list!  Win-win!

Still not sure what I'm going to do for Christmas this year, but at least one worry is knocked out.  :)  I'd love NZ if it weren't such a lonely place, I think.

Not Just Another Tuesday

Today was pretty awesome.  Mostly because I skipped out on all but 3 hours of work after working 60 hours last week and 20 hours over the weekend, and a normal day Monday.  Whew.  Too much working!!  (Note: my bosses are both out of town so I had no need to be in the office today.)

In the AM, I had a Dr's appointment--my first since cancelling my Southern Cross insurance policy, and my first dr's appointment as a resident of NZ and fully on the government's PHO.  I have some carpal tunnel issues (and 'crepitis??') and needed an eczema med refill.  The doc gave me some recommendations, ordered an anti-inflammatory for the wrist, and an eczema refill.

The dr appt was FREE!  I swear, I always go in there prepared to pay, so I go up to the desk whenever I'm done and they always wave me away.  Shouldn't I pay something?  NZ'ers--do you normally pay a little?  I thought I'd have to pay $17, according to the chart on the wall.  Weirdness.

My two prescriptions were only $6!!  AMAZING!!  I heart NZ.

In the PM, I worked 3 hours and then ran off to a free manicure that my roommate set up for me at the spa she works at.  This manicure normally costs $90 at her spa!  But they have a new person that they have to train, so they let me be a guinea pig for her to practice on.   Works for me!  It was totally lux, as you'd expect for $90 (still not worth that much--maybe $35 or so).  I opted for a dark purple color for the nails--didn't think I'd like it, but decided it was only nail polish, WTH.  It looks awesome!

I have to say, I've only had a manicure one other time in my life--for prom, 14 years ago--and I didn't really get why people paid someone else to do their nails.  Now, though, I can see how I'd treat myself once in a while.  Once every few years...I'm not a complete convert.  Most of the time, I have NO REASON to have nice nails.  I work outside in the dirt a lot!

Then I was able to use the spa's workout room and pool for free.  Awesome!  It gets boring running outside every day for my workout, so I was happy to switch it up.

After that, two of my friends came over for movie night at my place.  One friend brought dinner and Frost/Nixon, and another brought dessert (chocolate mousse).  My roommate's friend stayed with us a while ago, and he left his projector at our apartment.  We have a big blank wall, so we just turned the couch and played the movie on our wall!  It was a great time.

I looked at wrist braces in a pharmacy today, and they were $65!!  I found the exact same wrist brace on Amazon for $8 USD--so obviously I bought it online tonight.  It will NOT cost the difference--$50 NZD--to ship it to NZ.  I don't know what these people are on, charging so much for items that cost half as much in the States!  That's just ripping people off.

All in all, a great day.  I am so glad I took a break from work.  Tomorrow--back into it!

Bought Stuff

A few items are gone from my wish list:

1)  REI hoodie.  I tried this on when in the US and I fell in love, but the $119 price tag made me choke on my turkey sandwich (can't get that here, argh).  I decided to wait until the REI fall sale to see if I still liked it, when i'd get 20% off.  I tried it on again before I left the US, and still thought it was perfect.   The $100 price tag STILL makes me gag, but I did what I could.  I previously bought a hoodie from Kathmandu, on sale for $60 NZD, and it is horrible.  I mean, this is an expensive NZ outdoors store and it is selling hoodies that the wind goes straight through!  In AUCKLAND, City of Sails!  Not acceptable.  I made sure to read all about this REI hoodie, and the reviews, before I was convinced that it would suit my needs in NZ.  I need a replacement for the jacket that I got for free from my workplace in 2004.  I wore that jacket every day, and it is starting to look it.  I think 6 years with the same every-day coat is long enough, right?

2) another pair of hiking pants.  I need these for work AND for play.  I bought a pair during REI's Labor Day sale when in the US, and wore them almost every day of my two-week camping trip...and they are AWESOME.  The exact kind (convertible) I bought before wasn't part of the REI Fall sale, and I used up my 20% coupon on the more-expensive REI hoodie, but the same kind of pants, just non-convertible, ARE on sale.  I tried these on when in the US, too, but didn't get them due to the non-convertible issue.  As it turns out, I never used that function on the convertible pants.  Also, these pants are great for traveling (light weight, no wrinkling) and are fantastic for the office.  To boot, I got free shipping from REI on all of it because it was more than $75!

The only pair of hiking pants I'd wore in the past were either cotton (BIG no-no) or way too large and made me look like I was celebrating HammerTime.  And that I needed to wear a diaper.  They only recently started making pants in my size, and in petite.  So yes, these were necessary to make me look like a professional at my job while in the field.

What I look like in my old hiking pants.
From: http://tinyurl.com/sensehammertime

3)  I have detailed my woes to you before, but I need a new NZ cell phone.  The back up cell phone will suffice for a week or so, but it doesn't charge very well, either, turns on and off at will, and switches ring tone volumes at random.  Not acceptable.  I'm buying a quad-band GSM phone from ebay and having it shipped to NZ.  And buying an NZ charger from trademe.  LOVES IT!

4)  I am now comfortable enough with my workout habit to say that I have a new dedication to my health.  I have only one pair of long workout pants.  They get sweaty every day, so I need to have another few pairs to alternate until it is warm enough to wear shorts/capris.  I found two pairs of workout pants for $22 at an op shop (thrift store for you Americans) today.

5)  OK, OK, I'll admit it:  I'm addicted to jackets.  and hoodies.  and fleece outerwear.  I get cold easily, what can I say? Also, I've lived in a tropical (grad school) or So. California climate for the past 10 years, so I have a lot of time to make up for.  And now I have an excuse:  I live in a place that actually gets...COLD.  I bought a lightweight hoodie for the NZ summer at another op shop for $25 today.  Shoot me.

6)  two dance classes.  This will keep me fit and trim!!  All part of working out an hour a day.  $24.

All in all, an expensive couple of days, and these don't include groceries ($55) or rent ($420), however, I am totally happy with all of these purchases.  AND I had the wish list fund to cover it ($540).  (Charity still to be decided...)

Blank Slate

Back up everything, and then back it up again.  That is what they tell you.  But honestly, I'm not sure I could have prevented the predicament I'm now in.  At least, not without a crystal ball and devoting two weeks to the task.

I opened an email account ten years ago on yahoo, as I was exiting college and knew that I'd lose my .edu address, which my first ever email account (opened in 1996, people, give me a break!).  This was back when yahoo! gave you some ridiculously small amount of storage space and you had to delete all those joke forwards because they took up too much room in your 'Friends' folder.  That yahoo! email address has followed me through four years of grad school, a move to the West Coast, and moving to NZ.  It's been great--even after 10 years, it gets about 3 spam emails a week, because I only gave it out to close friends and family.  I have a separate address that I use to sign up for stuff, for my bills, etc.

This past Monday, I woke to several messages on Facebook from people saying that my personal account was sending out viagra ads.  Uh....obviously a mistake!  So it turns out that my precious, close-to-the-vest email address was sending out these links to everyone in my address book.  EVERYONE.  Amongst about 40 others, these people included 1) the ex-best friend I no longer speak to because of a horrible falling out, 2) a college professor that I was close to and now ask for references from from time to time, 3) an old boss, and 4) my MOM, who is clueless about internet things and quite obviously clicked on the link, thinking it was legit.

Oh noes! is right.  I had about ten bounce-back emails in my inbox when I checked it.  Then I happened to check my Sent folder to see who the virus/worm/hacker/whatever sent all these things to.  EVERYTHING IS GONE.  My folders are all empty.  Everything except my inbox has been cleared.

Gutted doesn't describe it.  These emails detail everything that was going on in my life, and my loved ones' lives, for the past ten years:  my sister's illness, the formation and the subsequent breakup of two major relationships, all the drama my friends went through, including a very close friend's divorce, emails from grandparents and an uncle who are now deceased.  My email account was basically an online journal, storing detailed snapshots of what my life was like, what I was like, for the past ten years.  I loved reading and looking back through all of the funny/sad sh*t I wrote, and that all of my best friends wrote back to me.  How do you get that back?  I kind of feel like I'm grieving.

The websites that I looked at afterward suggested changing my password from another computer and clearing out my contacts folders so no one would get these emails from my account ever again (don't know if that actually works).   I wrote to Yahoo! and they said that there is a teeny, tiny possibility that everything could be reset back to the way it was before the hacker/worm/whatever, but it's been 5 days and it hasn't been done yet.

Today, my NZ phone died, suddenly and unexpectedly.  The charger won't work on it today, and it ran out of battery in the night.  Vodafone said it was dead.  I lost many photos, texts, and all of my NZ friends' phone numbers.  Whoops.  Much less of a big deal than the emails, esp. since I have an old cell I can use til I get a new one.

But all this got me thinking:  am I too sentimental?  Maybe it is better this way.  Maybe I should carry my memories in my heart, rather than remembering through a computer screen.  I have just forgotten so much already, though.  And I loved the funny, silly, very naive girl I have been, and I want to carry a good memory of her with me, wherever I end up.  I wonder if there was anything I could have done differently?

I < 3 October

You know why?

Photo by Trustella, used under Flikr's Creative Commons license.

First and foremost, Halloween!!!!  I know it isn't big in NZ, but dang if I'm not still dressing up for it and trying to creep myself out with some graveyard tours.  Secondly, October is a three-paycheck month for me!  And we all know what that means:  lots and lots of saving.  :)   I bet I could save $2K this month if I tried!  Shall I?

Generalities...

Just an update:

1)  I got to go to a VERY cool event last afternoon/night for my job.  I was fed free appetizers, plied with free beer and wine, and mixed and mingled with movie stars, and then watched a movie on the big screen, with the stars of said movie.  The movie stars are semi-famous actors in NZ, mostly people from Shortland Street and the like, but still!  MOVIE STARS!  This was during work hours, and afterward, the production company started an open tab at a bar and my coworker and I drank a bit too much cider...  The actors were all exceptionally nice and friendly and told us about the behind-the-scenes stuff that no one else has heard.  The main character of the movie is very loosely based on my boss, and she helped the directors get the science details of the movie correct, plus the project that we work on is directly related to the movie, so that is why we got to go.  Speaking of work...

2)  Could I be more in love with my job??  My boss is hinting that I may get to do a project that I've been DYING to do for the past year and a half.  I have been working non-stop since I got back from my trip, and my sole wish is that I had more time so that I could work more.  Seriously, I have been working 10 hours a day, even on weekends, and my to-do list barely has a dent in it.  There are just so many cool, fun things to do!!  which brings me to...

3)  I am trying to be more organized but I'm having troubles.  I have made a daily, weekly, and monthly to-do list for myself, and while I am working more than ever, the things I am getting done are not the highest on the priority list.  So while the webpages that I have to manage look AMAZING and are up-to-date, that paper that I am supposed to write by Nov. 1 sits untouched.  How do I make myself work on the tasks with the highest priority but largest time investment, when there are so many things that only take a half an hour to do?  It just feels like I get so much more done by doing the littler things...and I keep telling myself that once I get the little stuff out of the way, I will have time to do the bigger things...but more little things keep popping up.  Speaking of priorities...

4)  I have been forcing myself to work out every day and get up at 7 am.  I don't normally work out and I usually wake up around 10 or 11 am every day, so this is quite a change!  I have decided to focus more on my personal priorities, which are as follows:

a) My health.  Working out an hour a day is mandatory, as is getting my 10 hours of sleep.  I usually eat OK (not fantastically, but not horribly, either), and I'm at a very satisfactory weight, but I need to keep my heart and lungs healthy.  I'm naturally skinny and can eat crap and not gain weight, which means that there is no gain-weight punishment for not working out.  Slim people need to work out too--something I didn't really 'get' until recently.  So, like my every day flossing, a daily hour long work out is mandatory!  It doesn't matter what I do, as long as I go outside and move around for an hour.  This will also help my team win the 10,000 steps/day challenge that we're participating in.  I'm captain, after all, so I have to be a good role model!

b)  My family and friends.  Finding time to call and email and write and keep in touch is very important, but I don't make time for it.  Also, I need to devote more time making friends in NZ, since I think I'm staying here for a while now.

c)  My career.  I love, deeply love, the subject that I study and am involved in at my job.  I need to devote time to it every day, reading up on the latest news, re-learning the basics, etc., so that I am on top of my game and can give my best at work.

d)  Giving back.  I'd like to find time to volunteer somewhere.

e)  Being secure, financially.  I think I've got this one sorted...  :)  I have spent the past 3 years being obsessed with this subject, and I finally think I'm where I need to be, or at least I know what I need to do.  I'm in a good place with this, so it needs to start taking a backseat to priorities #1 and 2.

f)  Traveling.  Exploring.  Learning.  These things make me happy!

g)  Personal improvement.  Things like, I need to dress better and make sure to get my haircut and keep up-to-date on the news so I have things to talk about with people and am well-informed, etc.

What are your priorities??  I bet there are some I've forgotten here...

and 5)  something I forgot to mention...my Yahoo account got hacked (not my sense one, my personal one).  the hacker emailed my contact list, but my friends are smart and knew not to open it.  More importantly, I've had it for 10 years, and the hacker deleted all of my precious emails from back in the day.  Including emails that I received from my now-deceased uncle and grandparents.  I'm pretty heart-broken about it, but there is nothing that I can do.  Yahoo has known about the security breach (from the online searches i've done, it sounds like this has happened to thousands of people), but hasn't notified any of us, nor will they restore the deleted sent and received mail.  Terrible service.

6)  terrible service:  it is basically un-heard of in NZ to return stuff.  I waited for 10 minutes the other day to return in the store where I bought some body wash.  I had found a more appealing body wash for cheaper elsewhere, but they looked at me like i had four heads when I explained that.  they eventually let me return it after an interrogation, because I had just bought the body wash the night before (not even 24 hours after the fact), but with the warning, "We won't let you do it again."  Whaaaat?  And I asked another store clerk about their return policy, because I was buying storage containers, but I wasn't sure how many I'd need, and he also looked at me funny.  Initially, he said within 7 days, and I was all, 'cool.'  but then he added the caveat, "if it is damaged."  Coming from the US, land of the customer is always right, where they don't blink or even always ask why you want to return something, I find this odd and off-putting!  The clerk said, if you don't want something, why are you buying it?  Point taken, but there is the hassle of coming back to the store to buy more of something if it turns out you will need it...at least if you're returning something, there is a chance that you might actually need it.  so, i don't get why stores don't allow returns for deciding you don't want something here...

10% Charity Challenge Goal

Earlier this year, I challenged myself to donate the full 10% of one month's salary to charity.  I seem to have an extra $850 NZD leftover from September that I'm not quite sure what to do with.  All of my savings numbers are where they are supposed to be, and all of my bills are paid up.  Because of this, I will use part of that money to fulfill my Charity Challenge.

I don't have a specific charity in mind just yet.  Usually, I feel 'lead' to give to a certain charity each month, or an acquaintance will mention a charity they are involved in that needs help, and after checking it all out, I give.

I also am honestly not sure where to put the overage after fulfilling my Charity Challenge.  $540 is a lot of money to me, and I don't want to waste it.  However, I don't feel like I need to put it toward my long-term goals, or either of my new short-term goals:  $3K Family Emergency or the $5K Move Back to the US Funds.  I'm not sure why I'm not super-excited to save for either of those goals.  I think that I think that if I prepare for a family emergency, one will happen.  And, for undisclosed reasons, I think I may be in NZ for longer than I was planning (was planning to leave after the next NZ summer--March 2012).

Maybe I need to do something more exciting, like save it towards a wedding (no, I'm not even dating anyone!) or a trip to Japan or something, or maybe I should just give the whole shebang--all $850--to charity.  I feel like I was so incredibly lucky to experience a nearly 2-month long paid vacation, and I kind of feel like it would be selfish of me to spend some of the $850 on myself, after spoiling myself for two months.

I don't know right now.  I'll figure it out soon.  For now, I'm moving the $850 to a temporary savings account so it doesn't get lost in the shuffle.

Trip Costs Redux

OK, OK, I finally got curious about how much it cost me in each category during my trip.  These costs are certainly not exhaustive, as I paid cash for some of my trip (leftover in my wallet from 2009) and I pulled out some cash from my bank in the US, and my family gave me some money for my birthday and I covered some costs with the cash and friends paid for other things...but, give or take a few hundo's, here is what I spent on my trip, according to my credit card and bank statements:

Groceries:  $426.34 ($300 of this was split with my travel partner, but she paid for other stuff to pay me back)
Transportation (gas, car rental, parking, airfare fees): $431.33
Eating Out:  $340.99
Drinks:  $45.76 (is that all?!  I was drunk like the entire time.  :)  )
Lodging and Merchandise:  $1,195.64  (wooo!  Shopping!)

Grand Total!  $2,440 for two months (in USD)
Or, about $3,500 NZD, or $1,750/mo.

I normally spend ~$2000 NZD per month.  With my spending in New Zealand (still paying for rent) at $2,260, I spent ~$5,750 NZD in August and September.

My income is more than my spending, so I'm good.  It does not all add up, though, because look at the following:

Income:  ~$6,700 NZD (paychecks, AECT dividend, roommate reimbursements, garage lease)
Saved:  $1,576.78 NZD ($340 each month to long-term savings, $488 to US Travel Fund in August, $408.78 to US Travel Fund in Sept.)
Leftover:  $850  This is my ending balance for September after replenishing all of my bank accounts to the levels I want them at and paying my credit card bills.  I did have some $$ carried over from July in there to begin with, but this is all free to save/spend now!

The numbers are not really adding up (at least, not how I can make sense of them), but I a) have replenished my savings accounts in the US, b) have transferred enough money to pay off my US credit card bills, c) my NZ savings accounts balances are where they need to be, and d) $850 is left over in my NZ account.  Also, I just got paid, and this paycheck will be used to cover the first two weeks of October.  This makes that $850 overage free and clear for saving.

All the Free Stuff

You guys just saw what I did on my trip in the pictorial, but I haven't talked about what everything cost.  In particular, I was able to do this trip very cheaply while also feeling like I was doing a lot because I got a bunch of free things during my 50 nights away.  So much stuff!!  Let me count the ways:

Michigan:  stayed with my aunt and uncle in their humongous, gorgeous lakeside house for 5 days.  All of the food and boat rides, etc. were paid for by my mom and her siblings (I tried very, very hard to pay my share--they wouldn't have it).


Home:  quite obviously, I stayed with my parents while there, for 22 nights of the 50 I was away.  Most of my food was paid for by my parents, but I did a lot of grocery shopping and errand running for them in return.  They had a car I could borrow.

Boston:  stayed with my friend who lives there, for 3 nights.  I gave them $40 and a card in return.  I was granted free admission to a museum that my friend works at.  I attended a wedding while in the northeast, and stayed at the house that the wedding took place at.  Free dinners and breakfasts, etc., although I paid for my lunches and treats (Boston Chowda!  Cannolis!)


San Diego:  Stayed 4 nights at a friends' house.  They also fed me breakfast and lunch each day.  I bought them several dinners out.  I got to see the Zoo for free because my friend works there.


Las Vegas:  This was the Holy Grail of 'free!'  My friend works for Cirque de Soleil, so my friends and I were able to get free tickets to view a show from the lighting booth--normally this costs $100 per person!!  Also, my friend gave us a backstage tour of the show after the show was over.  SO AWESOME!  It was very cool to see where they train and the set and the acrobats up close and learn all the tricks behind-scenes.  (I bought my friend a very nice buffet dinner in return--$30 value).  Stayed in the Excalibur for ~$25/night for a total of 4 nights.

Las Vegas, cont:  If you have the number of a promoter (easy to get), you text him and ask if there is anything going on that night.  They'll text you back with the list of clubs you can get onto the lists for, and mention if there are any free specials going on (free alcohol from 11 - 12, for example).  So I texted this guy that my cousin gave me the number of, and he put us on the lists for Tao, Tao Beach, Pure, and Lavo.  We were instructed to go to Lavo by 10:30 pm, where there would be free alcohol until 11:30.  Then we were given VIP bracelets to sit in the roped off area of Lavo, and the bracelets gave us free alcohol at the bar until 12:30, and then after that, the alcohol was free at our roped off booth for the rest of the night.  We couldn't believe our luck.  I mean, club admission is usually $30, and individual drinks run about $10 or more!  We also had our own platforms to dance on, a place to sit whenever we got tired or wanted to sit and drink, and didn't have to deal with all of the sweaty, grabby people on the dance floor.  It was IDEAL.  And all we had to do was text a guy and show up at the right time!  (There are unwritten 'rules' associated with the deal, though--a) if the promoter puts you on a list, you HAVE to show up at some point or when instructed, otherwise it makes the promoter look bad because they are promising numbers of girls to the club, b) NEVER EVER call a promoter, unless they ask--only text!, c) don't bring guys, d) look cute and get drunk and have fun!  They don't want to see sloppy people moping around.)

I don't know how these promoter guys know that we weren't 50 year old grandmas wanting to get in...as long as you're a young(ish) girl, though, the Vegas is FREE!

around the Southwest:  my friend's family gave her their gas card and a car to use for the trip, FREE!  This cut down on costs considerably.  we stayed in Bakersfield with my friends' friend one night and Fresno with my aunt and uncle another night.  The friends' friend works for an oil company and makes MEGA-bucks, so he took us out to dinner.  My aunt and uncle were happy to feed us for a couple of days and get us drunk (they are awesome), and they have a plane, so my uncle took us up for a free ride!   Other than that, we camped cheaply ($15/night or less), stayed in a Vegas hotel ($30/night or less), ate groceries, and did free stuff around the national parks (hiking, climbing, etc.).  We also bought a National Parks Pass for $80 and definitely got our money's worth with it--we would have paid twice as much for park fees without it.  Plus, my friends' family can use it for the whole year (September 2010 - September 2011)!

When I look back at all the free stuff I was given, all I can say is that I'm the luckiest girl in the world to have such awesome family and friends.  :)  My life is so great!  It makes me all the more excited to give back to the world via my Charity Challenge (see upcoming post!).

Pictorial of My Trip Abroad

Firstly, I went to a family reunion in Michigan.  My uncle owns a house on Lake Michigan, and we rented a boat one day and the entire family floated through a maze of interconnected rivers and lakes.  Torch Lake, in particular, was as beautiful as advertised:

Torch Lake, Michigan.  The Bahamas of the Mid-West.

Michigan sunset.

 Then I went home and hung out with friends and family and took day trips to the beach and mountains.  It was awesome (and gloriously, luxuriously hot).

120 F + in the sun with >50% humidity.  Coming from wet, windy Auckland, I LOVED IT!!

Beach!  Warm enough to swim.  :)

Where I went to college.

I visited a county fair while I was at home.

Ferris Wheel at the County Fair (yes, I had funnel cake!).

I witnessed my very first hot dog-eating contest!!  County Fair.

Prizes for eating the most hot dogs.

This guy had prize-winning pigeons at the County Fair.

The bane of my existence--my family's 'Family Room.'  How do they live like this?!

My aunt's home-made purses.  What a joy.

While at home, I went to Boston and surroundings for a weekend catch-up with my 5 favorite people in the world.  

If ever you are in Boston, TAKE the Freedom Trail tour.  It was the best tour I've ever been on, even in the pouring rain.

Granary Burying Ground.  Lots of amazing, famous people are 'buried' here.

Including Paul Revere!

The balcony is where the Declaration of Independence was first read out loud to the public on July 18, 1776.  Old State House, Boston.

Ceiling of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Egyptian heiroglyphics, MoFA, Boston.  

Then I traveled to the west coast and spent a weekend with friends from a former life there.  While on the west coast, a friend from NZ came over and we traveled around the southwest from Las Vegas, seeing Bryce, Zion, Grand Canyon, Death Valley, Yosemite, Devil's Postpile, and Sequoia National Parks.  We camped the whole time, other than a brief respite in Vegas in the middle of our trip to do laundry and catch up on (bed) sleep.

San Diego, CA.

Las Vegas, NV

Partying in Las Vegas.  Everything was FREE.

Slots!  (penny)

Poolside, tackily.  Las Vegas, NV.

Chihuly installation, Bellagio.  (this is on the ceiling)

Zion National Park, Utah.

The Narrows day hike, Zion.

The Narrows day hike, Zion.

Bryce National Park, Utah.

North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Arizona.

North Rim, Grand Canyon.

Driving through Death Valley, CA.

Devil's Postpile, CA.

Beautiful Yosemite Valley, CA.

Black dot is a bear!!!!  Sequoia National Park, CA.

Sequoia trees, CA.