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Challenges are challenging

October 2, 2014 by Jana 24 Comments

Back at the beginning of September, I joined the Choose Your Own Adventure challenge. I love the concept of this because a) there’s basically no rules except to stick with the theme and b) who doesn’t enjoy a little goal setting?

September’s theme was fitness which was great because I had just purchased Focus T-25 and was totally committed to making it through the first 5 weeks. And I started off really well, too. Didn’t miss a day. And then. New Orleans happened.

It is amazing how just being away for 5 or so days can really disrupt your exercise routine. I have been exercising regularly for the last 2 years, mostly as a way of managing my depression, and since I’ve gotten back, my motivation to exercise (or do anything, really) has been non-existent. I’m losing weight, which is good, but I need to get back into working out before another episode happens and things get ugly again. Depression Jana is a mess, and she’s ugly. Like, UGLY. I actually look worse than this:

No one needs that. Which means I should probably find some sort of motivation and get my fat ass moving again.

But I digress, and as far as the challenge goes, I think I did okay. I mean, half a month of success is better than zero month of success, right? RIGHT??

Moving on.

For October, the theme is food. In the fall, I usually spend my Sundays cooking and baking, and not only does it keep me distracted while the husband is watching all the football games I don’t care about, it means we save money since there’s ready to eat meals in the house so no spontaneous going out to eat (we’ll get back to this in a minute). I don’t have any time in October to cook on Sundays because each and every Sunday means a cheer competition and of course they’re far away and we have to be there at the ass crack of dawn, and by the time we get home, all I want to do is nap. There’s no time for cooking. So, instead of committing to finding new or interesting or creative recipes to try for this challenge, I’m deciding not to drink any diet soda (and Nadine is joining me. Peer pressure, Nadine. PEER PRESSURE). It’s probably the only thing I can choose that wouldn’t be setting myself up to fail.

Now that we’ve covered the Choose Your Own Adventure challenge, let’s address Steph’s Wallet Watch. She did this back in April and it was a resounding success for me so I’m going to try it again this month.

Like the other challenge, this is a make your own rules deal. So here are my rules:

No unplanned going out to eat. My husband’s birthday is this month, and I know we’ll go out for that, but it’s planned so it doesn’t count. But we have gotten so lazy on the weekends, and it’s costing us a fortune. So that needs to stop.
Stop abusing my Starbucks gift cards. I have a few. I have a raging affinity for their green tea. Since I’m not actually paying, I’ve been going almost every day, which isn’t leaving much in my gift card reserves. I think it might be better if I just bought the tea bags and made the stuff at home.
Stay away from nail polish and other makeup. I did a huge refresh on my makeup and nail polish stash in August and September and anything I do now is just unnecessary. I don’t need to spend the money and I’m slowly running out of storage space.
Find as much free stuff to do as possible. Cheer competitions are expensive, and we have so many this month that they’re taking up all of our fun money. If we want to afford things like food and electricity, we need to cut back somewhere. Fortunately, I love my library books and my Netflix and Amazon Prime and Redbox (with coupon codes, of course) so sticking to this rule should be easy. One exception: I am taking myself to see Gone Girl. I’ve been waiting for this movie for a long time. I don’t give a shit that a matinee ticket cost $9. I have a big purse so snacks and drinks will be coming in with me. #savingmoney

I’ll let you know how both of these go in November. I’m going in confident. We’ll see how I end up.

Are you guys participating in any of these challenges? Do you do monthly challenges on your own?

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Friday favorites, volume 8

June 20, 2014 by Jana 20 Comments

This has been an odd week. I haven’t done much posting because I spent most of the week in New York at my parents’ house. And for some reason, nothing gets done when I’m at their house. I’m too busy visiting and spending time with the fam and this time, I even went to the movies (saw The Fault In Our Stars. All the cries) and took my daughter into NYC for the first time. The highlight was eating at Ellen’s Stardust Diner and if you even find yourself in Manhattan, GO THERE. Not only is food kick ass but also, the waitstaff sings. Like, really, actually, sings. It’s apparently a really famous place and a breeding ground for Broadway performers.

Definitely my favorite part of the week. But I have other favorite stuff, too, and I’m linking up with Amanda to share them with you.

Favorite song

This week’s song is a two for one deal because it also features one of my favorite singers, Brent Smith. He’s the singer for Shinedown and I would listen to him sing the alphabet. Or even Losing My Religion, which is my least favorite song of all time. I genuinely love all of Shinedown’s music but Amaryllis is probably my favorite song of theirs. It’s a beautiful, beautiful song with some seriously powerful lyrics. I can’t believe I’ve waited this long to share it.

And even though it’s live, Brent’s voice is so amazing it doesn’t matter.

Favorite frugal find

So many this week. The $1 ticket on the LIRR for my daughter. Dyeing my roots myself for a $3 box of hair dye and having it look the same as if I’d gone to my hairdresser. But my absolute favorite is learning I can take a creative writing class–for free–at the college where my husband teaches part time. You can’t beat that.

Favorite internet thing

I thought it was the Brian Williams version of “Baby Got Back”. It’s not. It’s this post, 30 Signs Made By People Who Don’t Know How To Use Quotation Marks. It’s hilarious and filled my grammar nerd humor for the week. We need to stop punctuation abuse. It’s time. (Side note: we once drove behind a truck that said the contractor was “licensed” and “insured”. Yup. That inspires confidence). Here’s a sample from the post:

Favorite thing someone else did

Again, this is a twofer. First, I love Kelli’s new blog. She did a fantastic job! Second, I posted this on Instagram but it’s worth sharing again. Because when you go to lunch and one of the servers sings “Cool Rider” from Grease 2, you share that shit. I should mention that for some reason, the video is uploading sideways and because it’s a video and I’m moderately inept, I can’t fix it so just listen while you read the rest of the post. Also, it’s short because I’m running out of memory on my phone and I’m scared of the cloud and to delete things.

Favorite funnies

Or a spoonful of Nutella

I totally throw things out when she’s not looking.

I’m old and my brain is at maximum capacity.

Math is the worst.

This weekend I’ll be working on merging my two blogs. I’m crazy excited for you guys to see everything!

Enjoy your weekend!

Linking up with Amanda

End of (wallet) watch

May 6, 2014 by Jana 8 Comments

It’s over. I did it. I survived.

Throughout the month of April, I participated in the Wallet Watch challenge. It was essentially a make your own rules no spend challenge but rather than a strict “no spend” rule, you could allow for certain purchases. Because I cheat at my own rules, I had to be strict with myself and set up parameters that I had to follow. Giving myself leeway is a gateway down the spending rabbit hole which sort of defeats the whole purpose of the challenge.

I set up 6 rules for myself that allowed for savings and spending on certain items but also made sure I paid attention to where my money was going.

Rule #1: Use coupons

I don’t really know how to analyze this one. I don’t really actively look for grocery coupons because I’m lazy but if they happen to fall in my lap, I use them. Throughout April, I don’t think I used any grocery coupons but I did use a whole bunch of Redbox codes and returned the movies on time to avoid paying for more than one day (we’ll talk about this rule, avoid stupid tax, next). We also had (and used) a coupon for a breakfast item at Chick Fil A, I found a LivingSocial deal for entry into Run or Dye, and I used my Walgreen’s discount card to save on a few things we needed.

Rule #2: No stupid tax

Stupid tax is basically the money you pay for being lazy. Library fines, late charges on bills, overdraft fees, stuff like that. I did incur a $.20 charge for my daughter’s library books but other than that, no stupid tax for the entire month. This was miraculous, particularly as the Redbox policy is confusing and I’m bad about returning movies and I almost always pay for an extra day when I don’t mean to.

Rule #3: No frivolous purchases without gift cards

I bought nothing extra during the entire month. Not a nail polish bottle, Starbucks drink, or song from iTunes. In fact, I suffered from gift card paralysis where I have them but am so afraid what I buy with them is going to suck so hard I can’t bring myself to buy anything and I put the cards away. Oh, wait. I lied. I bought one thing but it’s health related so it doesn’t count. I purchased a Couch 2 5K training app for my iPhone. Best money I spent all month, though.

Rule #4: No more craft supplies

I bought crochet hooks for $4. I figured the embarrassment I suffered at buying cat food, crochet hooks, and picking up my reading glasses all in 24 hours thereby making me question how old I actually am made up for breaking this rule.

Rule #5: Keep to my grocery budget

I don’t know if I did this or not. I’ve been pretty good about staying on a budget but honestly, I lost track. I need to start paying in cash for groceries again because using the debit card makes it too difficult to track. I did spend 3 hours on Sunday doing a ton of food prep in an attempt to keep things under control so we’ll see how it goes this month.

Rule #6: Keep up savings challenge

You might have seen the 52 week savings challenge floating around Pinterest. Basically, you put aside a certain amount of money each week and by the end of the year you’ll have either around $344 or $1100, depending on which one you do. We’re doing the smaller one and as of yesterday’s count, we are completely up to date and on pace to save $344 as a family for the year. It’s not much but it’ll certainly help towards our goal of getting back to Disney World!

What else? Well, I also wound up saving us money by: putting my gym membership on hold (saves both on the membership fee and the gas getting back and forth); registering the child for her football season cheerleading early, earning us a discount; celebrating our 10 year anniversary entirely with gifted money and free activities; and shopping for clothes with gift cards (clothes are not frivolous to me because I go shopping almost never so they’re a separate category).

I’m so glad I opted to participate in this challenge. It made me much more aware of where my money’s going which I really, really needed. I’m hoping to continue this mindfulness.

And now, a collage of shit I want to buy but don’t but might now that I’ve saved money:

Did you participate in the Wallet Watch or regularly do something like this? How does it work for you?

4 ways to use your smartphone for your fitness goals

January 30, 2014 by Jana 2 Comments

It's for more than Candy Crush and Instagram. Seriously! — It’s for more than Candy Crush and Instagram. Seriously!

Now that January is winding down, so are many people’s motivation to keep up with their resolutions or goals. Particularly the ones to lose weight. I know this because I’ve seen the crowds at the gym already start to dwindle (though, the beast of a winter we’re having might be at fault as well) and I see some of my friends in my weight loss/getting healthy support group beginning to have a hard time, too.

It’s not difficult to figure out why. It’s fucking freezing out. Who wants to leave their house to go get sweaty? A huge bowl of mac and cheese definitely tastes better than a big salad when the thermometer is barely registering 0. We’re spending so much time trying to stay warm that it’s almost impossible to think about anything else.

But what if I told you there was something you could use every day to keep yourself motivated and on track, despite the cold weather? You’d tell me I was lying but then maybe you’d want to know what it is. Since I hate suspense and I don’t want to make anyone angry, I’ll just tell you.

It’s your smartphone. And you don’t have to spend any extra money to use it to keep track of your fitness goals, either.

Seriously. I wouldn’t recommend something you’d need to spend money on (because, if you’re like me, you need all your extra money to pay for your enormous heating bill). In fact, for most of these, you won’t need to download apps (although I will give you a few, just in case); you can just use the features that come standard on your phone:

Notes–I am someone who needs to write down what I eat in order to be successful in changing my habits. I prefer a notebook, but, in a pinch, I will use the Notes feature on my phone. Not only is it good for that, but you can chart your weight and measurements, keep a grocery list of healthy foods to buy, write down recipes, and, if you’re feeling really ambitious, you can make daily notes of your thoughts and feelings. If you don’t want to use your phone’s standard notes feature to track your food, my app recommendation is My Fitness Pal. It’s extremely comprehensive and, if you’re into using your social network for support, you can add friends and work together.
Music–I have an iPhone and I love the fact that my phone syncs with my iTunes. I can use the songs I already have and create playlists for different types of workouts (when I’m not taking a class). There’s also iTunes radio for the days I want to mix it up. I also have downloaded Spotify and Pandora, and use those as well. The only problem with the radio and the apps is that I refuse to pay for the premium versions and the commercials interrupt my flow. But honestly, some of the Pandora fitness stations are fantastic. You can just use the commercials as your rest. These are especially great for at-home workouts and drowning out the horrible tunes that is usually pumped through the gym speakers. Music makes working out so much more pleasant.
Reminders–I don’t know where I’d be without the reminders feature on my phone. I haven’t downloaded any sort of fancy one; I just use the one that came standard on my phone. I love that I can create different lists in pretty colors. If you’re using your reminders for your weight loss or getting healthy journey, you can set reminders for weigh-ins, taking measurements, time to go to the gym, create countdowns to milestones or events (like a 5K or Zumbathon), or even set a reminder for a daily inspirational quote to pop up on your phone. Those extra motivational words are sometimes what you need to get through a particularly rough day.
Pictures–I got this idea from a new friend of mine (who’s lost almost 200 pounds! On her own! With no surgery or medication, just diet and exercise. She is an inspiration). From the beginning of her process, she’s taken monthly selfies to see how she’s progressed. Then, when she’s feeling particularly bad or meets someone who doesn’t believe how she used to look, she can pull out her phone and look at the photographic evidence. If you’re like me, you hate taking pictures but there really is no other way to truly see how far you’ve come. And remember, you don’t have to Instagram (the fact that I just used that as a verb makes me a little sad) or put them on Facebook. You can keep them for yourself.

If you need some additional ways you can use your smartphone for getting healthy, you might need to download some apps. For that, I recommend Pinterest (for workouts, recipes, quotes, and other inspirational ideas), Facebook (and start a support group with some friends. You can check in with them through your phone throughout the day, which is really helpful if you’re at work where there is temptation everywhere), and if you’re a member of a YMCA, ask if they have MobileFit. You need to sign up at the branch but there’s an app you can download that gives you daily workouts you can do at pretty much any gym. It’s helpful if you travel or switch between gyms or if you’re just not sure what a good workout looks like.

Getting healthy is pretty difficult and the industry will have you believe it has to be expensive. Using your smartphone and good old fashioned willpower, you can prove them wrong.

What’s your favorite app or smartphone tool to help you with your health goals?

Very Interesting Blogger Interview #4: Ian from The 30 Something Student

January 23, 2014 by Jana 3 Comments

This is the fourth installment of my Very Interesting Blogger series (you can read about Tonya, Eric, and Jeff as well). For this interview, I talked to one of my good blogging friends, Ian from The 30 Something Student. I spent a lot of time with Ian at last year’s FinCon and he’s a seriously awesome guy. When you’re done reading his interview, make sure to check out his blog.

Me: You’re a pretty busy guy, Ian. You work, you blog and you’re finishing grad school. You also play guitar in a band. Can you tell us about that?

Yeah, it’s just something I get to do with some of my real good buddies on weekends. When we play a lot, like we have been this past year, it can definitely make things pretty busy and something ends up suffering from a lack of attention. Typically, we play shows on the weekends but we usually practice during the week. If we are writing new material practice becomes fairly frequent. It can make getting to all my other obligations tough. I usually try to have way too many things going on at one time. It’s usually a bad idea but that’s what I do.

I understand that completely. Having too many things going on at once is a way of life for me.

Me: How long have you been playing guitar for? When did you first join a band? Is that band still together or are you in a different one?

Ian: I have been playing guitar for quite a long time now. I suppose something like 18 years. I definitely should be a lot better, but hey, I play in a punk band so no one is really expecting much. When I was young I was kind of off and on. I would play for a while, get discouraged and quit, and then start playing again when I got motivated.

I joined my first band as basically as soon as I got a guitar. It was super fun and I remember we had to have older friends drive us to our first couple of gigs because we weren’t old enough to drive or we would get one of our parents to give us a lift. We didn’t last that long maybe a year or so but I still know all the guys that were in it. Two of them are basically my best friends. Being in that band also was the first time I had ever been booed onstage. I like to think that attributes to my thick skin.

The band I am in now has been together since 1997, so really only a year or so after my first band called it quits. We have had a few lineup changes here and there but for the most part the core guys are still in it. Usually it’s just life stuff that makes people have to quit. I only think there was one time when stuff got bad and uncomfortable between members, well maybe twice.

Together since 1997? That’s longer than the shelf life of most bands! And marriages. Quite impressive.

Me: Do you do it for fun, to earn money, or both? If you do earn money doing it, at what point did you decide to make the switch from hobby to income earning opportunity?

Ian: It is definitely for fun. If I was doing this for money it would be a serious planning error. There isn’t a lot of money in being in a punk rock band unless you are one of the lucky ones, but that doesn’t really matter to me. It is one of the most fun things I do now or have ever done. I get to go out of town with my buddies, hang out in a new place and meet new people or see people I know from other cities on a fairly regular basis. Another thing is that it is all basically for free. The band will cover food, gas, etc. and plenty of times the bars or clubs we play will give us free food and beer.

Like I said, we don’t really go for making a bunch of cash. If a lot of people decide they like our band a lot and want to pay us, that’s great, but if not, we are fine with that as well. We do make a few bucks though and have lately been taking a little better approach to our finances and investing more into merchandise and what not. It allows us to not be in as much of a pinch when you want to record new music or drive farther away to play a gig. You definitely can earn money playing, you just have to be on the road for 200+ days a year or something crazy. I would actually be ok with that if we were taking a more serious approach. In the last year we have picked things up and hope to play around 50 gigs or so next year. That’s basically like 4 a month or two weekends a month, a very doable and realistic number.

Free food and beer are pretty good perks. However, not good enough to be on the road for 2/3 of the year. I commend your choice of a reasonable number.

Me: What’s been your most memorable gig so far?

Ian: Wow, over the years there have been quite a few but I think the most memorable one was with this band called Strung Out. They were pretty big in the late 90’s early 2000’s and actually are still doing very well. Anyway, I was like 19 and our band in general was pretty bad. Somehow we talked our way onto a show opening up for these guys. The place was pretty big and packed, I would think somewhere close to around 1,000 people. I remember walking onto the stage and just being like “oh shit” what did we get ourselves into? I mean honestly, we had no business being up there. It was the first time I had been on a stage that you could run on. I was used to tiny little stages where everyone is packed together and on this stage the other guitarist was like 20 yards from me or something silly. Anyway, it was a lot of fun and we got yelled at for eating their food in the backstage area. We thought it was for all of the bands, but it definitely wasn’t.

I seriously cannot get over what punk bands name themselves.

Me: What advice would you give someone who’s thinking about starting to play guitar or join a band?

Ian: If you want to start playing guitar I would say learn how to play a powerchord, just Google it and you will figure it out. It is essentially the basis for rock guitar. Then I would start doing the other practice techniques that you find in books and what not. When you get tired of playing “Three Blind Mice”, start busting out the power chords and play some AC/DC, Green Day, or whatever. Once you know those chords you will be blown away by how many songs you can play.

If you want to join a band I suppose there are two ways of going about it. You can be a career musician, which means you better have some damn good chops, and just be a hired hand and play with bands that will pay you well. Or you can get some friends together, figure out how to play an instrument just enough so it sounds somewhat like music and have fun. I have noticed over all the years playing, you get the best crowd reaction when you are actually having a good time, even if you are screwing the songs up. People like to have fun and if you are having a good time on stage it gets infective with the crowd. That’s pretty much it.

He’s right. If you know about 4 chords, you can have a very long and lucrative career in music, particularly punk music. Just ask the remaining members of The Ramones.

Challenges are challenging

Friday favorites, volume 8

End of (wallet) watch

4 ways to use your smartphone for your fitness goals

Very Interesting Blogger Interview #4: Ian from The 30 Something Student

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