Reflections on My 2009 New Year's Resolutions

I looked back on the resolutions I made at this time last year, and though I did accomplish some of the goals, I definitely want to push myself further in 2010. Here is the breakdown:

Personal

• Take one non-family trip in honor of my 25th birthday.--YES! I went to NYC for my birthday and had a really nice time.
• Study as much as it takes to get good grades (minimum of a 'B') in my Spring 09 semester classes.--YES!
• Exercise on a regular basis (gym, exercise DVD's, etc). I don't need to lose weight, but I'd like to build more muscle, flexibility, and upper body strength. I'm sure there are 10 year olds stronger than me at the moment... --1/2 I really didn't put as much energy into this goal as I could have, my exercise schedule is still very sporadic.

Financial

• Get Emergency Fund up to $3,000.--YES I accomplished this resolution but now realize I could have made that number higher.
• Pay off $3,000 in credit card debt.--YES I accomplished this resolution but I still have a credit card balance on my VISA card but I really plan to throw as much extra money on that as possible to pay it down by the close of 2010.
• Stick to my budget!--NO I really fell off on this resolution half-way through the year and simpley tracked my spending through Mint after the fact. I'll try budgeting in a more exact manner again in 2010.
• Shopping moratorium for first 6 months of the year--NO In all honesty, my shopping moratorium was three months, but I might try another moratorium in 2010.

STRETCH GOALS: (1) Get car fund up to $1,000.--NO, I decided that I'd contribute to my travel fund instead. (2) Start contributing to a Roth IRA.--YES I did start a ROTH IRA and now contribute $200 per month into it.

Career

• Get a mentor and communicate with this person on a regular basis.--NO
• Get at least two freelance writing gigs.--1/2 I started blogging for the Washington Examiner (albeit sporadically...)
• Write/submit one grant proposal for non-profit (because I'd like to turn this into a marketable skill anyway).--NO I did do a bit of research on grants, but I didn't manage to write a grant proposal. This goal got eclipsed by school work.

In all honesty my focus on my finances (and blogging) kind of ebbed away at some point mid-way through the year, and I feel like I'm just getting back on track. I definitely did do some unnecessary spending and didn't save or pay off nearly as much debt as I could have with more discipline. But I feel excited for the upcoming year and look forward to accomplishing alot of goals. I'm going to make a vision board over the holidays to visualize what I want to accomplish in 2010. I'll write my 2010 resolutions and post them tomorrow, so stay tuned!


Do you even make resolutions (I know some people don't), and if so, did you accomplish them?

Cool Holiday Gifts: Echo Gloves

I absolutely love my iPhone which I have had for several months now, but I'm sure all iPhone and iPod Touch users can relate to having cold hands now that the cold weather (and snow!) has descended upon the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic area. But with these gloves, you can have warm fingers and manipulate your iPhone! This could be a nice gift for friends and family members that are iPhone/iPod Touch users, or you could just buy them for yourself if you have some money leftover after buying your holiday gifts...

What's In My Medicine Cabinet?

This post was inspired by a recent post from Fabulously Broke in the City. So what’s in my medicine cabinet?


Are there “Greener” Options Out There?
I’m one of those girls that loves make-up and beauty products, but going forward, I plan to be much more discerning in the way I purchase products. I want to monitor my spending and buy “greener” products with less chemicals. I’ve heard of both Tarte and Josie Maran touted as “greener” make-up options but haven’t yet purchased products from either company. Perhaps when it’s time to replace make-up I have already at some point next year. I love fragrances also, but many of them have loads of chemicals as well, so I’ll start looking for less chemicalized options for those as well.

My Favorite Moisturizer
Shea butter is the best moisturizer I have found out there for dry skin. Other lotions with alcohol as an ingredient leave my skin drier than it was to begin with. Shea is pretty solid and not a creamy consistency in its natural form, so you have to rub it together with your hands before applying, but if you have dry/sensitive skin, it works wonders.

Frequency of Purchases
With the exception of tinted moisturizer, mascara, eye liner and blush, I only purchase make-up about once a year. I try to stretch tinted moisturizer to last beyond six months. I make exceptions when I have to dress up for a special event and may purchase eye shadow to complement my outfit, but since I’ve built up a little collection of options, I haven’t done that recently. I try to have at least one make-up free day a week to let my skin breathe. When I feel like I’ve had a product too long, especially a products like eye shadow, eye liner or mascara, I toss it. I plan to use all of the random items I have accumulated (samples, purchases I probably shouldn’t have made in the first place) and only replace the items below:

Make – up/Beauty Products (Daily)
MAC Studio Tinted Moisturizer
Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick Bronzer
Aveda stick blush
Body spray perfume (usually from my local drug Store or Bath and Body Works)

Make – up/Beauty Products (Occasionally)
Almay liquid liner
Bare Escentals Mineral Foundation
Maybelline Mascara
MAC Concealer (I’ve never actually purchased this, I’ve been using a sample from MAC)
Eye Shadows (brown, beige, blue, purple, green)
Brow Pencil
Marc Jacobs Original Perfume

Toiletries
Aveeno face wash
Aveeno facial moisturizer with 15 SPF
Tooth paste/Tooth Brush
Shea butter (used mainly in colder months)
Lotion with Shea Butter (used mainly in warmer weather. Pure Shea Butter can be a sticky mess in the summer)
Hot Six Oil (used to moisterize and remove make-up)
Giovanni’s Invigorating Shampoo, Tea Tree Triple Treat
Aveda Dry Remedy Conditioner
Carol’s Daughter Hair Elixir
Carol’s Daughter Hair Butter
Coconut Oil/Olive Oil (I use both for cooking and moisturizing my hair)


It seems like a lot now that I’ve written it down…

I don't love money, I just love the freedom it gives me

I had a really random conversation with a fellow Metro train rider last night after leaving a blogger happy hour that My Pretty Pennies described today . I came to the conclusion during this conversation that I don't love money, I just love the freedom that it gives me. My fellow Metro rider, whose name I didn't catch during our brief convo saw me reading a book about money and the law of attraction I found at my local library. Now before some of you roll your eyes about my reading choice, while I am a bit skeptical about some of the things in the book, I believe that the major theme; thinking positively to reach your goals or "attract" them to yourself is very valid.

Now back to the conversation, here is a paraphrase of the conversation:

Fellow Metro rider: "So do you believe in this stuff *pointing
to my book*, that you can attract money?"

Me: In a way, yes, I believe that having positive, affirmative thoughts are important in reaching goals including attracting money. But it also takes concerted effort, it's not magic."

Fellow Metro rider: "Do you want to attract money?"

Me: "I really want to attract what money offers, which is freedom. I'm not money-hungry, or obsessed with it. I want the freedom to pursue my dreams that being financially comfortable offers. It would also allow me to give back to others in some way.

Fellow Metro rider: "So money can bring happiness?

Me: "I believe money can make the physical aspects of living easier and sometimes more fun. But happiness to me comes from personal fulfillment and is more so determined by emotions than material stuff."

Fellow Metro rider: You would never know that some people have money.

*Followed by a brief tangent about Warren Buffett and how unassuming he is despite his wealth.*

Me: "Well this is my stop. Nice talking to you! *Hand-shake*

Fellow Metro rider: "You too!"

I can say a lot of (good and bad) things about taking public transportation in DC, but I always meet interesting people. I once had a random conversation about the poet Rumi with a fellow rider who saw me reading the Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. I have the feeling that if I had rode a while longer with fellow rider, he would have launched into some sales pitch about a product he was selling or something; people that start random conversations with me about wealth and money usually do, but I could be wrong, I'll never know...

Have you had any interesting (or random) conversations about money lately?

Good customer service means a lot to me

I've worked several customer service jobs in me teen and young adult years, so good customer service means a lot to me. After working a string of retail jobs and seeing alternately how extremely kind and appallingly rude people can be, it makes me think twice about how I spend my money on services. Take for instance this past weekend. I set an appointment at a hair salon in my neighborhood that I had never patronized before. It was walking distance from my apartment so I was able to arrive exactly on time. When I got into the shop, no one greeted me and I sat for 10 minutes before I was acknowledged and was told that it would be another few minutes before someone would start on my hair. I continued to sit and thumbed though a magazine in the seating area. I sat for another 20 minutes and after someone else came AFTER me and was taken right away, I decided to just leave. I didn't need my hair done that badly to be mistreated and then pay my hard-earned money. So maybe the woman that came in after me was a regular and the stylist that was doing her hair was different from the person who I assumed was doing mine, but I still felt like the customer service was shoddy. I've been in shops where I've waited no more than 10 minutes before someone started my hair and they were very apologetic for keeping me waiting. I think I'll be going backto the Aveda Institute for my next hair appointment.