Little Things, Big Impact

Tis the season of New Years Resolutions.  In honor of January's end, I've made another list of goals. 

I was reminded earlier this month how beautiful life is.  My baby nephew was born January 16th and is named Alan, after my father.  Baby Alan was born exactly one year after we buried my dad.  Pretty incredible, huh? 

I think I've been so anxious waiting for this new year that I've lost track of those little things that make life truly breathtaking if you take a step back and let them.  So here are a few I'd like to focus on this year, and every year for that matter.

I'm going to stick this list in my textbook, to remind myself everyday of those little things that have a huge impact.

 

 

 

 

How I got ready for grad school

So I may or may not have used grad school as an excuse to buy a bunch of fun supplies...but is that really so wrong?  I did a lot of research (go ahead, call me a dork) and finally settled on the following items.  But first, here is a little on why I chose Marymount University.

Why I chose Marymount: I went to a grad school fair at George Mason last winter.  I was a little discouraged because most of the schools I wanted to apply to would not accept applicants with less than 2-5 years of post-grad experience.  I had literally only been out of college for 2 months.  Finally I landed at Marymount's table and was relieved to hear they accepted applicants right out of college.  My sister spent 6 years at Marymount getting her Doctorate in Physical Therapy and I had always loved visiting!  Marymount has a Reston campus, which conveniently is only 15 minutes away from my house and job.  They have small class sizes which I think is perfect for a graduate program.  Seriously, I am one of 5 students in my class.  Big fish in a small pond theory at it's finest.

Planner: This is probably what I spent the most time picking out.  I tried going electronic, I really did.  I'm sorry to disappoint you generation y, but I just can't leave the paper planner.  Since I am only taking one class at a time, it didn't have to be crazy big.  I mulled over the Day Designer and the Simplified Planner but I knew I wouldn't utilize all the space since we primarily use Outlook at work. One of my friends has a May Designs planner and I fell in love!  It has just enough space to keep track of my one class and shifts at my part-time job, but small enough to throw in my purse.  The best part is that it's customizable!  Who doesn't love customizing the way they organize?!

Laptop: So whether or not I absolutely had to make this purchase was questionable.  I have a laptop that I got from Freshman year of college but it has since slowed down and has little battery life.  Still manageable however.  Buying a new laptop was in the back of my mind though and I was even considering going tablet.  Black Friday pushed me over the edge.  I found this baby for a great deal and snatched up one of the last ones.  It is a touch screen, has the latest version of Windows (I'm still a little bitter about purchasing my laptop in 2008 just before Windows 7 was released), and it is nice and slim!  I heard once you go touchscreen you don't go back and I'd have to say that is probably true.  I still store all my music on my old laptop and I find myself trying to touch the screen and getting confused. My new laptop is small enough to fit in my bag but big enough to type comfortably for long periods of time (hellO research paper).  I had never had a Lenovo laptop before, but so far, so good.  My only complaint is that the battery doesn't last as long as I'd like it to but it will still get me through my 2 hour and 45 minute class.

Laptop Sleeve: I decided to go for the sleeve as opposed to case this time around.  Something snug to protect my laptop from the wear and tear of my purse.  I seriously spent hours on Etsy trying to decide which was my favorite.  I finally picked this one from Bertie's Closet, though I almost picked this one.  I ended up going with the darker of the two since this will spend a good amount of time in a bag.  It arrived at my house exactly one week from the day I ordered it and it was love at first sight.  It fits perfectly around my 11.6" laptop.

Tote: Conveniently enough my sister-in-law is a Thirty-One Rep and my sister and I hosted a party a couple weeks ago.  I order the Cindy Tote in the Black Tweed print for a stylish but professional bag to haul my things to class.  It is not too big to use as a purse but still fits everything I need for class (binder, textbook, laptop, wallet, etc.).  I am a huge fan of my Jansport backpack but figured it was time to select something a little more sophisticated.  I chose not to get it embroidered because I go by a variety of names depending on where I am and where I'm working and let's be real, hopefully my last name will change within a few years...(subtle?  probably not.).

Don't worry, I ordered my textbook before all of the above and was plenty prepared for the academic aspects of grad school.

So that's my fun school stuff!  I have a couple more things on my wish list including a tablet and a nice desk.  But I have tuition to pay for instead of a tablet and I'll use the dining room and kitchen tables as desks until I find more space or get my own place.  I'd even like to have a large desktop computer eventually in addition to my laptop.  Less squinting and I'm also a huge fan of the mouse.  I'm using my mom's printer for now but eventually I'll need to replace the one that I had in college.

I spent a lot of time on Pinterest and other blogs learning about how others got ready for grad school.  I'd love to hear your thoughts and how you prepared for your first class!  Did I miss anything good?

Study Snack: Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake Muffins

Stop what you are doing and make these, whether you need a study snack or something sweet to go with your coffee.  These were a great late night sweet treat (I may or may not have eaten 4) and they were even better with my coffee the next morning after they had sat all night (I pounded another three...whoops). 

I was searching for a recipe on Pinterest involving apples because that was basically the only baking material we had around the house last week.  I found this recipe from Our Best Bites and tweaked it a bit.  Halfway through combining the ingredients, I realized that I didn't have any sour cream (...oops) so I substituted 1 cup of sour cream with 1 cup of Greek yogurt and 1 teaspoon of baking soda.  Fewer calories and no trip to the store was needed.  Win win.



Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake Muffins, recipe originally by Our Best Bites
Makes: 24 muffins
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:
1 box of yellow cake mix (I used Betty Crocker)
1/2 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup Greek yogurt (I used plain though I think vanilla would have been delicious!)
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 medium apples, peel and chopped (I used Fuji only because it was what we had)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons of flour

Topping:
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons butter, softened

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line your muffin pans with liners.

Combine the cake mix, cinnamon, and baking soda in a large mixing bowl.  Then add the oil, eggs, Greek yogurt, vanilla, and lemon juice. Mix on low for 30 seconds so that the ingredients blend together, and then high for 3 minutes.

Fold in the peeled and chopped apples.  Scoop into the 24 liners.

Whisk together the sugar, flour, and cinnamon for the muffin topping.  Then add the butter. Whisk until the mixture becomes crumbly (you may need to break apart some large clumps) and sprinkle that deliciousness onto your unbaked coffee cakes.

Pop those babies into the oven for 20-25 minutes (20 worked best for my oven) until the muffin tops are golden and a toothpick comes out clean. 

Let them cool on a wire rack or eat them straight from the muffin pan.  Whatever your little heart desires. 

These CAN be eaten in bulk without getting a tummy ache.  You're welcome.

If you build it, he will come

This week started with the anniversary of my father's passing and finished with my first day of grad school.  I spent a lot of time last week thinking about what I would do on this day.  I mulled over sleeping away the entire thing, going to work to distract myself, or making a ton of pastries and watching Harry Potter all day.  Finally, I decided to take a day away from planning, organizing, working, and strategizing and really celebrate the good times and some of my favorite memories with my father.

First stop, donuts and coffee.  My dad and I would always go to Dunkin Donuts after church on Sundays.  As I got older, this turned into Starbucks and was accompanied by my latest paper or a tutor session, but donuts and coffee was always involved.  Though he always let me pick, my dad swore by Dunkin Donuts coffee over Starbucks.  Clearly, he had never tasted a Gingerbread Latte.

Then I went to Great Falls Park in McLean.  My dad loved being in nature.  When I say nature, I don't mean the sands and the ocean.  I mean the mountains, the woods, and any other place where it is uncommon to find indoor plumbing or electricity.  Growing up I was never really a fan.  My dad always called me a city girl and made jokes about not being able to go anywhere without my hair dryer or cell phone.  But as I've gotten older, I've really started to enjoy being outside and appreciating the natural beauty in the world.  Even though it was a little chilly and I may or may not be recovering from mono, I really did feel close to him out there on the rocks and near the water.

Finally, I watched Field of Dreams, one of my dad's favorite movies.  Seriously, the man had a shirt that said "If you build it, he will come."  Call it a cheesy 80s flick but I think we can all agree there is something magical about baseball and the way it is portrayed in this movie.  Whether you lost a parent or not, that last scene makes you tear up and get all warm and fuzzy inside (don't deny it!).  I think this movie reminded my dad of his father and that is why he loved it so much.  I love to think that they are "having a catch" up in heaven right now.

It's not a secret that I was ready to move on from this year, but I am glad I got to spend a day celebrating and appreciating the life my father led.  I know I went back to school this week with an angel by my side, like I've had all year.

New Year, New Systems Part 2: Managing Expenses

If you are like me, you want to know where your money is going (even though you know it is going to clothes, shoes, and Chipotle).  I think the key to that is a good budget and a good system to manage your expenses.  So borrowing a little advice from Mr. Dave Ramsey's Guide to Financing, I developed a detailed budget and then placed my budgeted money into his envelope system.  Basically Mr. Ramsey instructs to know where every single dollar is going and to use cash in order to manage this. 

Essentially, each category of your budget (food, clothes, etc.) gets a designated envelope with cold hard cash that you take out at the beginning of the month or biweekly, whatever you prefer.  You place your budgeted money into its designated envelope.  Whenever you purchase something, you take money out of the corresponding envelope.  When you run out of dough, you run out.  There is no replenishing until next month.  So here is what you gotta do to get there:

Step 1 Budget:

I've got multiple spreadsheets going on here.  One for an annual budget and one for each month of the year.  I’ve got money budgeted from groceries and insurance, to Starbucks and dry cleaning.

Annually: Here I’ve got my predictable expenses spread out across a year.  Insurance, car payment, gas, tuition, taxes, cell phone, etc. This helps me see how much of my money is going where in a year.

Monthly: A few days before each month, I’ll plan my upcoming expenses.  If there is nothing unpredictable coming up, it will look just like the annual form.  But if I know I need new tennis shoes soon, I’ve got a birthday/holiday coming up, or I’m planning a vacation, I’ll budget for it that month.  I can also see what percent of my monthly income is going towards each expense.  This is helpful and really provides some perspective.  If 50% of your budget is going towards clothes, something is up.  I also have a column for what I actually spent, and a column for the difference.  That way when the month is over, I can plug in what I’ve actually spent and know if I need to adjust the amount budgeted for the next month. 

Step 2 Envelopes:

After crafting a detailed budget, I placed budgeted money into envelopes (you can find some fun printable envelopes here!) at the beginning of the month.  Below are the categories I chose.  I picked these because it is where I tend to spend frivolously and unpredictably.  But obviously these can be tailored to your own crazy ways.

1.      Groceries: Straight forward.  I tend to stop at Wegmans between the gym and work in the morning to pick out a “treat” for my hard workout or to grab a lunch if I forgot one.  This needs to be controlled.  Hopefully I'll end up eating less muffins as well.

2.      Clothing/Shoes: Some months are more than others if I know I need a holiday outfit or my tennis shoes are wearing thin.

3.      Leisure Activities: Anything in the entertainment department goes here

4.      Dining out/Dranks: Got to budget for hot dates, time with my roomies and friends, and of course, happy hour!

5.      Fast food: I try to avoid eating fast food, but this is for those times where I’m starving and it is not possible to get something from home.

6.      Starbucks/Coffee:  The amount I spend on coffee is ABSURD.  Some days you are just not in the mood for what your K-cup selection has to offer, ya know?  But this is just not necessary so I've capped myself off with this envelope.

7.      Gift Fund: Odds are, there is a birthday/anniversary/holiday sometime in the month

8.      Necessities: Toiletries, deodorant, etc. Things you can’t avoid replenishing every month.  We can’t have you smelling at work because you didn’t budget for soap.

You may have noticed things like gas and co-pays weren’t on this list.  I decided that gas is something I don’t spend a lot on (thank you 10 minute commute!) and when I need to go somewhere it is pretty much unavoidable.  I wouldn’t keep myself from going to the doctor or dentist if I needed it.  I’ve got these hypothetical expenses covered in my budget, but I don’t see a need to inhibit my spending here with an envelope.

Dave says spend all the money you budgeted and if you don't, you've budgeted too much.  I’m twisting this a bit.  I’m going to try to spend as little as possible and split what is leftover at the end of the month.  Half will go into savings and half will go toward my dream jar.  This will be emergency shoe cash or maybe money to put towards furnishing my new place!  We shall see.  Either way, this is an opportunity to reward yourself for not spending everything you budgeted.  But be sure to make adjustments to your budget if you continue to underspend (or overspend!).

So these are my systems!  Dave Ramsey, the bill manager, and I are ready to take on the real world.  What do you use to manage your expenses?  I'd love to hear!

New Year, New Systems Part 1: Bills Bills Bills

Towards the end of last year, I decided that I needed new systems for organizing bills, budgeting, and tracking the way I spend money.  This was mostly driven by the need to pay for grad school, the hopes of buying a home in Loudoun County, AND the fact that I almost missed my credit card bill because it had fallen under my night stand due to my sloppiness.  Not okay.  So I spent a few months Pinterest and Google searching, comparing this method to that method and picking what I thought was right for me. Posting a novel about managing your finances probably isn't the best way to attract or retain readers, so I'll break it up into two posts; managing bills and managing expenses. 

Part 1: Bills, Bills, Bills

Does anyone else have bills flying around in their purse?  Can’t remember if they have paid last month’s credit card bill?  Ask what month is my car insurance due again?  Or slack off at filing the bills you actually managed to pay on time?  I have definitely been guilty of all of these things in the past.

The second I found this idea on Pinterest, I was in love.  Turning something as boring, tedious, and frustrating as bill managing into a cute and custom made system? Done. 

This is what you need:

1.5”-3”, 3 ring binder

1 or 2, 3-ring Pocket Folders

1 set of 5 Sheet Protector Dividers

Monthly Calendar

1 set of 12+ Dividers

I’ve got 5 sections, each designated by a sheet protector divider;

1.      Bills to be paid: under this section, I’ve got a pocket folder with my current bills that have yet to be paid.  Get them in the mail and send them straight to the binder until you have time/money to pay them!  Do not stop at the stairs, night stand, purse, or dresser!

2.      Schedule: Here I have a month at a glance calendar for each month where I write the name of the bill on the date that it actually needs to be paid.  When I’ve paid that bill, I highlight it.  I bought a cute Sugar Paper Calendar from Target but you can always print these off online for free.  This is my favorite section because I can visually see where I am and what’s coming up.  I also have a list of my bills paid more than one time per year (picture to the left) next to a box indicating what month they need to be paid in.  Once you've paid the bill, check it off! This is helpful because you can see the entire year at a glance.  Print this form out here!

3.      Paid bills: Here I have the set of 12 dividers but you may need more based on the number of bills you pay each month.  Each divider is labeled by a type of bill or company.  I have one for each of my credit cards, my car payment, my insurance payments, tuition, etc.  After I’ve paid the bill, I hole punch it place it behind its designated divider in consecutive order.

4.      Budget management: This is where I keep a hard copy of my monthly budget.  Not a necessity, but a helpful tool to keep alongside your bills.

5.      Other: This section is TBD.  Right now my receipts and online purchases are here.

Some users like to keep all the bills in the binder for the year and then file that entire binder away after the year is complete.  I think I’ll wait until the binder fills up and then file it away in my box as needed.  That is what is great about this system; you can customize and file however you’d like!  Not to mention, you can pick it up and take it with you wherever you need to go!  I was so excited about this that I even made my sister one, she is hooked!

Stay tuned for part 2: Managing my expenses!

Tackling 2014

What I’d like to tackle this year:

1. My Finances: Shocker, this is my number one.  Doesn’t every 20-something-year-old try to achieve greatness in this department?  Obviously this will be a challenge.  But I’ve got Dave Ramsey on my side so hopefully we achieve a great year together.  Stay tuned.

2. My GPA: 4.0 here I come! But realistically, I'll settle for a 3.5.

3. Preparation for the big move: That’s right, I said it.  I’m getting ready to leave the nest, learn to fly, flee the coop, and any other crazy cliché used to describe this event.   I want to do my research and cross t's so that if given the right opportunity, I'm ready to pursue it.  Cross your fingers for me!

4. Run the Army Ten-Miler: What better year to set my goal than the 30th anniversary of the Army Ten-Miler!  I've done a 10k so what's 3.8 more miles...?  Luckily I've got until October.

What are your 2014 goals?  I'd love to hear them!

   

2013 Wrap Up

I’ve been struggling to come up with a good first post.  Lucky for me, the timing of starting this blog worked out perfectly with the start of 2014!  So here is my 2013 wrap-up:

1. Graduated college: Okay, so this was actually December, 2012.  But it happened so fast that it was basically 2013.  But I did it! Done!  The day I thought would never come actually happened.  I loved my time at JMU but was definitely to move forward come graduation day!
 

2.  Move back home: Just throwing this out there up front, I live at home in my childhood bedroom.  As excited as I am to one day move out to my own place, as an early twenties gal, I know I’m never going to get to live like this again.  It’s a crazy ride but I am happy to be at home with my family.  However, cleaning my room is constantly popping up on my to-do list so hopefully by my 2014 wrap-up I’ll have figured out how to fit everything I own into one room at last (any suggestions?).
 

3. Big girl job: Check!  Interesting fact-- #1-#3 all happened within 48 hours.  What a whirlwind!  I just passed my 1 year anniversary of life in the real world.  Though not anywhere close to being an expert and tomorrow I’ll probably want to take back this statement, II can safely say I’ve got my feet on the ground as of today.
 

4. Bought a new car: Wasn’t expecting this one.  Everything hybrid about my beloved Honda Civic died in early January.  I was heartbroken.  It took me a full 12 hours to recover and pick out my new baby.  Luckily I got hooked up with a great post-grad program and bought myself, wait for it…another Honda Civic!  Out with the old and in with the new.
 

5. Got my first credit card(s):  To those of you who have been earning credit for years, kudos to you!
 

6. Took the GRE: This was the last thing on my mind when I walked across that stage in December.  Grad school? Me? Heck no!  I’m still not entirely sure why I decided to take this step whether it was to go with the recent college grad flow or a desire to continue to learn.  Either way, I’m glad it happened.  I studied in bits and pieces all summer until taking the test in October.  So happy to say this is done and (spoiler alert) it paid off!
 

7. Went to HAWAII: Literally the day after taking the GRE I hopped on a plane with my mom, brother, sister, pregnant sister-in-law, 4-year-old-niece, 3-year-old nephew, 1-year-old niece and went to Hawaii to visit my other brother!  This was my first time to Hawaii and our first family vacation in over 10 years!  Such an amazing experience!
 

8. Got accepted to grad school: I did it!  In November, 2013, I received my acceptance letter to Marymount University’s MBA Program.  I am excited to start this month!  Call me a cliché but I’m even more excited about buying school supplies again.
 

9. Ran my first 10k:  Now this took some training and focus.  I’ve been struggling since high school to convince myself that I love to run.  I’ve run a couple 5ks and have done what was needed to stay in shape and eat those beautiful desserts, but never really found joy in gasping for air and not being able to walk.  I signed up for a Thanksgiving race thinking in theory, this was a terrific idea.  What better way to start the biggest food day of the year than with a run??  Wrong.  I forgot how cold November could be.  But anyways, I downloaded a 10k training ap, got some new kicks and some fancy running clothes, made some sweet playlists, and hit the pavement.  My goal was to finish in under an hour and I made it in 59:52 despite the 25 degree weather. Win.  I’ve already signed up for another 10k and I can’t wait!
 

10. Made it through the first year:  For those of you who don’t know me all that well (yet!), this year I lost my father.  It has definitely been a challenging one.  I would not have been able to do everything you’ve just read without him and I still continue to learn so much from him every day.

I think it’s safe to say this has been a big year!  I’m happy and sad to put it behind me but so excited to move forward and see what 2014 has to offer!