Subscription Addiction - The problem

So in the New Year I made an interesting resolution for myself.
(Shocker... let's enjoy the cliche)

Control the Subscription Addiction - so far this month, I've cancelled 3 subcriptions = ipsy, sephora, and loot crate.

By no means are these boxes bad, in fact I've had those 3 for a while! However, I also have a HUGE amount of makeup I need to use (ipsy, sephora) and my 'display' space for nerdy items is limited (loot crate).

I also wanted to track how much was going into all my 'subscription addiction' purchases:

Ipsy: $10 a month  = $120 per year
Sephora: $10.60 a month = $127.20 per year
Loot Crate (this was bimonthly) $39.99 = $239.94

So far for 2017 I've saved myself $466.54 of expected expenses.
(I'm sure it'll be recouped somewhere else for bills or other use, OR if I get a chance to travel)

Now.... I'm feeling all proud for cutting this so far in the new year, but lets look at the bigger picture.

Here is a list of subscriptions I've had at any given point... total:

Audible - I still have this one but hope to cancel sometime this month because you lose your credits if you cancel without using them.... refuse to lose that money so I'm looking at audiobooks haha.
Book of the Month - I'm guilty of still having this one HOWEVER this is one of the few subscriptions I've seen where you can 'skip' a month if you don't like the selection.
Bookish Box (cancelled 2016) - (I did the 3 month prepay for $84.99 -not including shipping or tax)
Fandom of the Month (cancelled 2016) - this was a SUPER cute subscription that was only $13 a month and you got cute jewelry and magnets. I still use the magnets~ best part of the box in my opinion
Ipsy - A makeup subscription box cancelled this month!
Loot Crate - I did the Firefly box since I'm a huge fan of the series and the content was interesting and the shirts were fantastic. cancelled this month!
Nerd Block (cancelled 2014)- Another nerdy fandom box subscription that was just kicking off when I joined it
Sephora - Make up subscription - cancelled this month!
Try the World (cancelled 2015)- A box a month with goodies from different parts of the world - fun box~
Wen - (cancelled 2015) Hair shampoo that I had only for two months and then did more research and saw the lawsuit against them for hair loss (YIKES)

Subscription boxes are not bad BY ANY MEANS. As you can see, I loved them/love them/will continue to love them.

There is a point when you ask yourself "how practical it is for your life?"

Do I use a lot of makeup? Yes! However, I usually ended up using only 2-3 items out of the 5-6 I would get from ipsy..... and for the Sephora - I never used the perfume samples at all.... In the money I spend on these subscriptions, I can just buy what I really want.

Do I love all things nerdy? Absolutely!!! However, a lot of the items are for 'display' aside from the shirts and items just sit there with no practical use. (except those nifty magnets on my refrigerator)

Do I love books? This really shouldn't even be a question... if you know me.. you know the addiction is real and still living. I have books for days and LOVED Bookish Box and Book of the Month. But again, it comes down to being able to pick what I really want rather getting a random assortment.

Subscription boxes are fun to try for a few months, I've done it for all of the above, but it's not practical for me in the long term.

If I were really be masochistic I would research and find out how much I've spent on subscriptions as a whole for all those so far.... (HOLD PLEASE)...

....
.......
...........
...............

 Approximately $1,418.00

^^^^^ that is not okay .... (Although it's not as bad as I thought)

~A

P.S. Yes, I've noticed the 2 subscriptions I have left to cancel are book related...... what's your point?

Purse or Clues?

So I've read a few things as of late saying that a Purse (and what's inside) can say a lot about a person and their personality ~

Well that being said.... let's see what mine says - although I could be horribly bias... ;)

Please note - I didn't do any 'pre-screen' I really just dumped the contents haha

Loud and proud? I have no idea... it's a purse?

 So things I can determine I guess from this - it's scruffy a bit on the outside, clearly I throw it around places, and is a BEAUTIFUL see, bias color~ desperately needs to be cleaned
It's a rather large purse... kind of clunky.....and it has no form... little hobo....  o.O
This got judgmental real fast... MOVING ON

So let's see what I tote around...

What makes my world go round~~ <3

Wow....that is a lot of stuff... like... can you imagine how heavy my purse is??? HAHA ridiculous...
So let's break it down into groups...

Group #1 - Girly

Oooo the variety~  kudos to me  ;)

Yep... that's 5 different lip items. Starting from left to right:
We have a wonderfully amazing super expensive colorful NARS lipstick, a moxie (bareminerals) lip gloss, a KatVonD lipstain (highly recommend this product!), an express lipgloss, and a lip balm.

Full disclosure?

I'm pretty sure I've only used two of these AFTER they've entered my purse.... that would be the balm and the express lip gloss. The other three are usually applied prior to leaving the house and then I cart them along randomly.
AKA - I really should leave the other 3 out.

So what does this say about me? No idea wow i'm bad at this BUT I'm guessing that I have a tendency to try and look presentable and prepared for the occasion - prepared is the word. :)
(And I spend WAY to much on lip product)

Group#2 - Cleanliness & Health

Survival Items - GOT THIS

These are must haves.
Tissues? - Check
Portable sunblock? - check  (SPF 70? Bonus points) *fist pump*
Glide Floss? - Check (Keepin' the pearly whites, squeaky clean)
Mirror? - In case these items need to be done on the fly! (Okay so I've only used it once.....)
Tweezers - Check!! This is a multipurpose item. Useful from splinters to eyebrows!

I'm getting the drift I'm a very prepared person. All I'm missing is a swiss army knife.... hhmmmmmm

Group #3 - Technology

NECESSITY! NO COMPROMISE!

So on the left we have charging cord and battery for my phone - this is necessary.... the world goes round by phone these days and having an extra 'oomph' is never bad.

On the right we have my sanity, book holder, new love, kindle.  :)

In a short time - I have become incredibly attached. BK (before kindle) I carried around actual book books. Which are still my first love. And the best thing ever.
This is my sanity and should never be left behind... although it is often.... the kindle... not my sanity.....maybe my sanity... *shrug*

Group #4 - Writing

2 of these things are not like the others..... 

Well... if you pay close attention, you'll notice what I did after I took this photo.
HA

Two of these are actually eyeliner. *facepalm* (Pen, Eye, Eye, Pen, Pen)
There is a really good story of why there're in there but we'll skip that part.
Pens = absolutely
I cannot even count the number of times these have come in handy. Never-ending usefulness!
........Well ..... unless I run out of ink (some things can't be controlled)

I'm really shocked by how many people don't carry pens. Not to mention, it means I don't have to wait for the pen when you go out to eat and you all have to sign after using a CC. For some crazy reason, your table of 4 8 10 only gets ONE pen.
(....not a big thing, but still convenient)

Group #5 - MISC

Uh.. random...  *shrug*

So these items are here for random reasons.
Gloves - Well CLEARLY it's been winter, so I shouldn't have to explain this.
Dry Hands - used to counteract sweatiness when exercising. Ever dropped weights on your feet? No? LUCKY YOU - I have... no seriously, I have.... it sucked. naturally 
But this is a grip for anything - weights, pull up bars, rock climbing, etc... if you need to hold on to something with your sweaty, clammy hands - this is for you!

Group #6 - Givens

Don't leave home without it~

This is just common sense - you have to have glasses, license, & money. Two needed to drive, one needed to fill up the tank.
Advil... is just needed... again... common sense   :0)

Wow.

I had to break down my purse into SIX sub groups... that's sad... and sure does explain a lot. LOL

Well - what I'm getting in this whole picture is that I'm a prepared person (or paranoid).

Either way! BRING IT ON

I wonder what the 'male' equivalent of this is.... not a wallet... maybe a car?
"What does your man's car say about him?"

Yeah... that may be it.  :)

Not sure if it's good I'm comparing women's purses to men's cars... but let's be honest.

Women carry around a LOT of stuff. Heaven help me when I have children.

~A

Hello Realistic 2015

Well Hello 2015!

I will admit... I didn't really wanted you to get here. I realize after Back to the Future and all the classic movies I love.... I am officially old *cries*

In this new year, we yet again have the bright eyed and rosy cheeked outlook to WONDERFUL AMAZING GOALS TO ACCOMPLISH - 50% effort if you order in the next 5 minutes!!
*jumps up and down*

But no seriously, I am right there with people making unrealistic goals and so - I've decided to make more down to earth goals to keep me sane~

1.) Complete the below 2015 Book challenge:

Oh yes... I'm so ready!

Why is this realistic?? Well... sadly... I read around 250 books a year... so this will do just fine... HAHA and hopefully I have encouraged others to read more than usual!!  (cough you know who you are cough)
UNFORTUNATELY this will not help my book budget per month...hrrrmmm.... *whistles*

2.) Finish Basement -
Now I know you all were there for the early blog posts of the house buying/move-in here. 
I STILL am not done with our basement *looks away guilty* ... *sigh*

...by doing nothing at all... ugh

So this one actually has a few sub bullet points: Finish painting, move furniture, hang paintings, buy furniture, steam clean all the things, etc, etc.
This is realistic goal cuz really... I SHOULD BE DOING THIS ANYWAY.... yeah... dang it.

3.) Blog more -

Or read more...or drink tea... it's a toss up...

Not that you all care really too much about my life, but hey - I enjoy writing and writing is good for the soul. (don't quote me on that, pretty sure it's not verified).
I've been trying more and more to write in general and I would like to start with baby steps (like this blog). Even baby steps count as progress!

4) Go on a Vacation -

Not that I want to kill my dreams early... but let's rip off the band-aid now..

So something I noticed when I was able to take 2 weeks off during the Holidays... I didn't take a vacation in 2014. Maybe my definition of vacation differs from others, but to me this means: Taking a least a week off, going somewhere out of town, & involves reasonable prior planning.
This did not happen in 2014 (side note: I was broke from house buying)
So this should be a realistic goal of 2015 - if it doesn't happen though... my bank won't be sad even if my mental state will suffer.

Do you all have realistic goals? I hope so!

Frankly - the gym doesn't happen everyday and bills come every month still and no they didn't forget about you, and no - you didn't win the lottery.  :p 

This shouldn't make you sad - it should slowly make you change little things till you CAN and PLAN to work out 5 times a week (when pigs fly) and you have no problem paying bills on time (when you don't stress and forget about it).

As John said "Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans." - John Lennon

Life happens - you never plan for the good or bad. You can only do what you can and realize that what you do is enough. :) 

House List To Do's and Don'ts

So it's been pointed out to me that I have a problem.
Not a huge problem but a 'doing' problem. Not so much doing but a delaying. haha

Everyone with me so far?

So we're working on one of the basement rooms currently and we actually have sanded the walls, cleaned the floor after sanding, and TCPed the walls. We are now ready to prime and then paint!
(I'll have pictures after the project is complete)

However, my mind has a tendency to not want to go forward if everything is not prepped. And not in the sense of "Is it ready to be painted?" because YES of course it's ready.
I have a tendency to delay 'doing', or in this case 'painting', because I don't have a solid ending. I don't want to buy paint, paint, clean up, and THEN - I don't have a place to store the paint....and we have a bunch of left over paint from the last owners we need to clear out and I'm uncertain of how to be rid of that paint.

In my mind - I delay starting as my finish is uncertain.
LAME!  I know it's lame but I like things to be orderly and this effs up my groove!

"You've thrown off the Emperor's groove" (mouseinfo.com)

I don't know if I picture somehow the end being a catastrophe or what but it does delay me from starting. URGH
Maybe it's because I don't like starting another task until the previous is completely done and I'm associating the leftover paint with this last pain job?? who knows - I'm weird. 




So I'm working on NOT being affecting by end results that clearly haven't happened with our house stuff. *sigh* This way I CAN accomplish and start the 'To Do' list.

Anyone care to see the list?

Items to complete in my house owning lifetime:
- Paint the basement exercise room
- Remove spare fridge
- Organize and install shelving/storage in basement closet
- Furnish Basement Living room (This will of course have sub bullets at some point)
- Upgrade furniture in Master
- Furnish Guest Bedroom
- Hang paintings in basement (and in guest room, and master room, etc.. etc....)
- Hang large mirror in landing
etc, etc, etc........

The list goes on and on.

Thankfully some of the above doesn't have money associated with it, just cleaning. However, some rooms need to be finished to get to others. Like this painting I need to do. :\

If any one wants to help paint - sign up via comment below!!! I will accept any and all help. lol

Meanwhile on the budget front..... I... I don't want to talk about it....   D:  I mean I'm sure I will but it's not pretty or healthy haha

I know this is a short post this week but just to recap~

TO DO = Beginning projects and make sure you follow through - NO DELAY
To Don't = Delay for illogical reasons that will make completion so far in the future you get frustrated.
AAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaand I'm broke. 

GO TEAM!!

 ~ A

$272 (my last post was on the fourth so this is the 4th - 14th) *cries*

August - Broke and Tired

Hello wonderful world!!

So I've been quiet here for a bit. A lot... maybe I've been ignoring this blog on purpose.guilty

Frankly, I meant to start a blog post on Friday about how I wasn't going to be spending that much money in August, how I was going to truly watch the budget and be amazingly, stupendously frugal - the Wonder Woman of budgeting, blah blah blah......

Then I spent like $70ish on Thursday
Then I spent around $50ish on Friday
Then I spent like $50ish on Saturday
Then I spent some more money yesterday (Sunday)

So basically 'Then I royally screwed my possible August budget in the first 3 days"

BUT THAT'S NOT ALL!   - I have an idea of what bills I have this month... and this month is only going to get more expensive amazing. 

So kind people - I've decided to do something fun. I plan to update weekly on this blog (let's see how long that lasts *crosses fingers*) for at least the month of August and keep a going tally of how much I've spent in Aug.
I'll just do a little red $X at the end of my posts and that will be that. And you can all see the horror and damage my shopping problem causes.
(Please note: A lot of purchases are food and I don't consider those 'shopping problems'... that's just...well... survival....) I still see you judging me!!

So I'm trying to think of all the updates everyone has missed house wise and money wise from me.... hmmmmm.... my last Post was in January.. so let's do quick summaries!

February ~ we got a new closet!!  :D

No, we didn't bulldoze the closet - more of, we got Elfa!! (<-- click that word to see amazing things) 

Our original closet kind of only held my clothes... meaning Danny had all his stuff in the spare bedroom. This had maybe something nothing to do with how much clothing I had and everything to do with how our closet was structured.

We had the typical walk in that had one shelf on each wall. For a huge total of 3 shelves with cramped hanging room for clothing. ..... It ..... sucked....

However when we got our new closet - it now EASILY holds all of Danny's clothes and mine~ with room to spare :)    We also have drawers and can fit our luggage in the closet now up top. I also can fit my shoes in here in little plastic containers and a pull out shoe rack!!

Here are some photos:

From entering the door (Left side and straight ahead)

Me crouching on the left side so you can see the right side of the closet

It's amazing~
Spectacular~
So far my favorite thing that we've had done to the house.

March ~ was mainly comprised of family, friends, food, and some snow
(a.k.a. the winter that never ended)

Here are some photo re-caps for those of you interested  :)

Delicious Kimchi Soup~~

So happy it's summer now!

This cat just does what it wants... no matter how you feel...

YAY!!  *HUGS*

Need to work on my camera holding skills.... :)

April: WINE!!

I had been planning and hoping for a new addition to the house and my dreams became real~
We bought and built our very own wine cabinet! Isn't it beautiful?

Yes I have a wine holder on top of the wine cabinet... never too much wine

May: Everything is Awesome! (-con) 

Basically Awesome-con is a convention where people (such as myself) can geek out, buy things (naturally), dress up (not me), and freak out over TV/Movie crushes (definitely me).

Firefly anyone? Jewel Staite is gorgeous!

He had the best attitude and personality - and clearly, sense of humor

Yay~ Nicholas Brendon

Hercules!!!! :D

Cary Elwes "As you wish"~

LOTR, RUDY, aka this man is awesome!

June: Birthdays all around!

This month was a blur of activities (See Danny), celebrations, video gaming (see Vi for photos), and money spending.
I have... no recollection of how much money was spent.....  There seems to be a rumor of book buying that totaled over $400.... I mean.... I don't know *halo*

Some light reading~~~~~

July: Ch-cha-cha-cha-chaaaaaaaaanges

I have been promoted at work! Meaning my July was rather tame and work focused and actually very fitness focused as well. But HEY PROMOTION!!  :D
(which may mean more money which may mean better budget more things)

P.S. Anybody have a fitbit? I need more friends on there.... ones that I can compete with and not get crushed by *cough* Tia *cough* Mara *cough*

Well this is my life up to August....

Still budgeting and broke
And still tired but working out!

GO TEAM!~~  


$115 (*dies*)

New Year Blues~

The beginning of a New Year's Tale~~

From mashable.com

All the Winter holidays are done, you're excited to be the 'new you', and you can't wait to kick off January by going to the gym, saving money, doing new hobbies, etc....etc....

(Random Pet Peeve - ETC = ET Cetera - click here for explanation) - there is no EX

Anyway - I'm not immune to the 'New Year' clean slate feeling. I want to be the most awesome me too! *raises hand*

Going to go to the Gym? Well really, I'd already planned that for last year. So I guess I'm a goal ahead since I just wanted to be in better shape in general.  *shrug*

New hobbies? Not new, I need to get back into my old hobbies~ I haven't drawn something new in ages or painted in over a year... let's do that ... yeah... let's  :)

Now here's the tricky one - really the main one this blog and my world revolves around.

You're stoked. You're planning. You're pumped to save money. You check the bank account and while again today you are not a millionaire (shucks) you are able to buy food (WIN).

foodfitnesslife.com

Then you see your credit card bills.

I'm sure some of you did awesome over the winter holiday season and stayed within budget and blah blah blah, kiss my butt. Yeah. You probably didn't eat a single piece of cake or pie either.

You....are weird. (Everyone loves pie!)  

The rest of us did the motto of 'Sharing is Caring' and as such - we nearly nulled our paychecks for December.
I shared and cared so much that I got my CC bills and went "Well ....okay... - looks like I need to pay ONLY IN CASH for Jan, so I don't think I'm a MILLIONAIRE and charge things."
No joke.
I will be doing this for January.

New Motto for 2014? See this youtube vine video~

Was my spending bad? Yes
Was it something I can recover from? Yes
Is it going to be painful with me kicking and screaming? Absolutely

So here comes the fun part - the part that I'm not sure I can keep but will update Month to Month.

I'm not going to buy any new accessories, clothes, or jewelry for 6 months. I got the idea from this post.
(Notice shoes aren't included... yeah... and giftcards don't count in this cuz...we just had Christmas!)

Will there be exceptions? DEFINITELY     Personal hygiene things are a must.  hahaha

However I'm going to start slow, I don't think I'll be perfect (who is?) but we'll see how January goes for this.

I'm stricter on my budget then most I know and frankly I still think I'm WAY to lenient. I think back to when I first graduated college and the fact that I never spent money on ANYTHING. How did I do that?? No idea, working to try and figure it out.

Some things I just can't compromise on though. I love seeing friends, hanging out, and making memories. So I'm guessing my food bills will continue to be on the gratuitous side.  :\     That's a hit I'm willing to take though.

Cheers to 2014~~
Let's do this!!

Glass, bottle, keg... we don't judge here.  ;)

~A

Vent Post - Broke Female

This is a quick vent post that is the direction of 'what really grinds my gears' type thing.

As you all know, I'm broke - and will be for quite a while... It's expected and it continues... haha

HOWEVER with the Black Friday deal, Cyber Monday, and now a Cyber week. I have an issue.
Where I understand and even participated in the 50% off deals that were going on, I had an issue.
Issue = Have you SEEN my closet?????
I have a plethora of clothing. I donated over 40 shirts to goodwill 2 months ago and I still wade through my clothes. I could probably go a month or longer without doing laundry! (No joke.... you've all seen the VS sales of 5 for $26 on underwear...so that's not a problem)

And now here's the thing - most people say "Oh donate some of it!" DONE, did it.
Or I get the response "You don't need all that clothing..." And here is the issue ... that is INCORRECT.

As a female I require/own:
formal dresses, cocktail dresses, casual dresses, work dresses, multiple pairs of shorts (especially since pastels are in style right now), skinny jeans, normal jeans, boot jeans, maybe ONE pair of cargo pants if I'm lucky enough to have occasion to wear those, dress pants, dress shirts, blouses (yes different from dress shirts), work blazers, suit pieces, vests, tshirts, tanks, casual shirts, and THEN you have all types of bras. Let's not even get into the sport clothing requirements or the PJ's I own. Or the fact that for formal dresses you have to have multiples cuz you can't wear the same dress from one wedding to another......

Anyone remember this movie?? Funny but oh so true.....

I won't even address the number of shoes I own... 

So yes, women have clothing, lots of clothing, enough to clothe a house of 15. HOWEVER, each person would look different. Cuz a woman has to be ready for any occassion!

Hiking - yes
Snowboarding - yes
Wedding - yes
Swimming - yes (5 suits to be sure)
Company party - yes
Ultimate Frisbee - yes

I'm not sure who exactly enacted the decree that we must be ready for any situation at any time or that you have enough random clothing to MacGyver an acceptable solution if needed. When sometimes you should really just not do it:

Too funny not to share.... haha

This isn't really a complaint and I know most women don't complain. We do like to dress up. But as I am currently living on the broke edge, I have to say.

This sh** is expensive.

I'm not even talking designer clothes or anything like that. Just in general, it's expensive. Even at 50% off it adds up quick. So quick.

And on an ending note..... Can SOMEONE explain to me why the average (NON FANCY) Victoria Secret Bra is $50??????    :(

Okay, vent over.