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A (long) note to my teenage self

July 28, 2014 by Jana 18 Comments

Welcome to the Notes to My Teenage Self linkup. After you’re done reading my letter, feel free to add yours or check out some of the other ones.

Dear teenage Jana,

I know. It’s pretty strange that you’re receiving this now, given the fact that I’m all old and you’re hanging out in 1994 at the ripe old age of 17. But I figure you’re getting ready to start your senior year of high school and it might be a good time to impart some wisdom on you to help get you through your final year in what is pretty much a flannel filled hell. I know you can’t wait to get out of those walls and start your new life but for a moment, I want you to sit back and appreciate what you currently have.

For starters, you live rent and expense free. You pay for nothing except CDs, concert tickets, books, and nail polish (incidentally, your spending habits don’t change much in your 20s. Or 30s). Enjoy the lack of financial responsibility and stress but, while you’re at it, learn how to manage money. It’s a lot easier to learn when your feet aren’t to the fire and also, it’ll prevent you from getting into debt as an adult. Trust when I say that getting into debt is fun but getting out is worse than first period math.

Second, spend time with your sisters. Especially the little one. Sure, you guys are making some memories but you’ll be moving out soon and she’s only 7. You’ll miss more than you’ll want to admit and you’re going to want more than Friday nights watching Boy Meets World and driving her to piano lessons to cling to (oh, and convincing her a monster lives in the hole you kicked in the wall and making her scared to go up the stairs? It’s funny but don’t do that. It’s kind of mean).

Third, all the stuff you’re worried about? Like finding friends you can trust or having a boyfriend or not fitting in or thinking you’re fat and ugly or feeling like the rest of your life will be exactly like it is now? I get that you’re concerned but believe me, you’re worrying for nothing. Let it go. In just a few short months, you’ll find some of the most amazing friends ever (and you’ll still be friends with some of them, all these years later) and you’ll realize that they like and appreciate you for YOU, not someone you think you need to pretend to be. Boyfriends? Don’t worry about that shit. That’ll happen (including, in 2 short years, meeting the person you’ll marry), too.

And as far as your appearance, learn to enjoy exercising and eating healthy now, make it part of your routine, and you’ll feel so much better. Because feeling good and attractive really starts with liking who you are in the mirror and no one but you is in control of that. And by taking charge of it now, it’ll make it much easier on the old lady version of you. So if you could do that, I’d appreciate it.

Now, let’s move on to the life advice.

You are talented and creative. Use that to your advantage and when you get to college, pick a major that will make you happy. Keep some practicality and ability to get a job in mind but if you choose to pursue something you love, you will be successful.
Believe in yourself. You are smart and you truly can do anything. Never let anyone, family, friends, or other, make you doubt that. If they’re making you feel bad, they’re not worth your time. Don’t let their negativity sink in. Deflect that shit like you’re wearing Teflon.
You know how you try hard to be nice to everyone? Keep doing that. Even if it backfires and you still wind up at home alone on a Friday or Saturday night, just keep being nice. You’ll love yourself for it and learning to love yourself, and having to live with yourself, is more important than any date or party. And for the record, assholes are everywhere, in every phase of life. It sucks but you’ll eventually learn how to sniff them out and avoid them.
Do your homework. Read. Learn. Work hard. Go to class (except gym. Go ahead and feel free to skip that, which I know contradicts my earlier advice about being healthy but gym is pretty much the worst). Never be ashamed or embarrassed about being smart. Smart girls are awesome and although the names Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Mindy Kaling mean nothing to you right now, you’ll understand when you’re me (and this piece of advice will make total sense).

I apologize that instead of a few short notes, you’re getting a fairly long letter. But you’ll come to realize that you are a verbose gal and once you get started, it’s hard to stop (also, you use words like “gal”). It’s one of your charming quirks.

My point is this–who you are is just fine. There is nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, wrong with you. I know it doesn’t feel like it now because high school is one long fucking nightmare filled with people who seem to have it all together. But believe me, they don’t. They are just as confused and awkward and full of self-doubt as you are. They’re just better at hiding it.

So love yourself, be confident in who you are, and remember that it’s almost over. Enjoy the good moments (and there will be more than you think) and don’t let the bad ones define you.

See you in 20 years.

Go Blue Hens!

Fondly,

37 year old Jana

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Friday favorites, volume 10

July 4, 2014 by Jana 4 Comments

Alright. Friday favorites. Let’s get to it so I’m not taking up too much of your Fourth of July time (unless you’re in another country, (Krystal), then by all means, take your time).

Linking up with Amanda, as always.

Favorite song

I really struggled with picking a song this week. Not because I don’t like any but it’s because I like too many. Which I guess is not a horrible problem to have. Ordinarily I pick a rock song but this week’s pick, Hozier’s Take Me to Church, is pretty dark and not quite rock. It has an Elton John vibe to it, and it’s seriously cool to listen to. Unfortunately, it has a really disturbing video so I’m just sharing the song.

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?

Carnival of Personal Finance #446: The To-Read Books Edition

January 7, 2014 by Jana 8 Comments

I am a voracious reader. It’s not uncommon for me to be in the middle of two or three books at a time. I’ve been known to finish 3 books in a week. I have an ever growing to-read list that will never be tamed. I’m pretty sure the librarians at my local library are pretty sick of me. And I’ve only been living here for 4 months.

Which is why, when I joined Goodreads 2014 reading challenge, I only picked 37 books instead of 50 or more (which is what I’ll most likely wind up doing). I didn’t want to force myself to finish a crappy book just to meet an arbitrary goal. There are too many books for that. So I went with a more reasonable and sane 37 (insert quote from Clerks) in honor of my 37th birthday this year.

But you’re not here for that. You’re here to see what posts made this week’s Carnival of Personal Finance. You can read on for that. And I’ve also included a few of the nonfiction books on my list just in case you’re looking for ideas to round out (or start) your to-read list:

Editor’s picks

Lenny from Best Money Saving Blog presents You can embrace Digital Marketing even on a Small Business Budget, and says, “While digital marketing definitely has its merits many small business owners are hesitant to use it simply because of the time that they believe it takes to make it work.”

Sam from The New Business Blog presents How to Build a Brand People will Adore, and says, “Many people outside of marketing think of a brand as sort of this false cover that is given to a product or service in order to con them into buying something that they do not actually want or, even worse, do not need.”

Marissa from Thirty Six Months presents The Joys of Freelancing, and says, “One of the things that I really enjoy doing is mentoring freelancers. I work in the start-up world, and freelancers are a big part of that. I get to see the ups and downs of that world every day. It is fascinating to see how people price their time, and creative abilities.”

Alexa from Single Moms Income presents Resolution #2 ? Digital Organization and Putting Systems in Place, and says, “You know when you do not check your email for a few days and then you start to dread it because you just know you are going to have like 100 messages in your inbox? That is how I was feeling yesterday.”

Amanda from My Dollar Plan presents New Year’s Resolution: Frugal Ways to Cut Back on TV Time, and says, “Cutting back on TV is a great idea! But how do you do it without filling your time with costly activities? Here are some ideas!”

Kylie Ofiu from Kylie Ofiu presents 10 Steps For Success With Goals, and says, “Setting, sticking to and achieving goals feels great, but can sometimes be a little hard. Here’s 10 steps plus tips from others on how to do it all from setting your goals, staying motivated and right through to completion of your goals.”

New Year’s Resolutions

Mario from Debt BLAG presents Don’t make New Year’s resolutions; set smart intermediate goals instead

Stefanie @ The Broke and Beautiful Life from The Broke and Beautiful Life presents 5 New Years Resolutions Worth Making

Sean Smarty from Growing Money presents 10 New Year Financial Resolutions 2014

Pauline from Savvy Scot presents New year financial boot camp: utilities and bill check-up

Real Estate

Miss T. from Prairie Eco Thrifter presents Inefficiencies in Homes to Look for as a First Time Home Buyer

Pauline from Reach Financial Independence presents Are You Ready for the Challenge of Real Estate Investing?

Pauline from Make Money Your Way presents Real Estate Investing

Marissa from Finance Triggers presents How to spot a good mortgage broker from a bad one

Investing and Retirement

Jim from Critical Financial presents Powerwave Technologies | My Ah Ha Investment Moment

Jeff Rose from Good Financial Cents presents The Prosper Vs. Lending Club Experiment

David from Financial Nerd presents Trends in Interest Rates in 2014

Aaron from Aaron Hung presents Looking for investment advice on Twitter? These new Tools will help

Michael Kitces from Nerd’s Eye View presents Understanding The Two 5-Year Rules For Roth IRA Contributions And Conversions

PK from Don’t Quit Your Day Job… presents Expected Real Returns on BAA, AAA, and 10 Year Treasuries

Graham Clark from Moneystepper presents FTSE 100 diversification ? performance of the top 10 consitutents

Emily from Evolving Personal Finance presents When to Pass Up a Company Retirement Match

Ray from Squirrelers presents Taking a Pension or Lump Sum: What Would You Do?

Bob from Dwindling Debt presents What’s the Secret to Early Retirement?

Personal Finance and Saving Money

Daniel from Make Money Make Cents presents Want to make smarter money decisions? Use these tips from Economist Noreena Hertz

Jay from Daily Fuel Economy Tip presents Hypermiling ? 5 Tactics to Reduce Gas Consumption

Oscar from Money is the Root presents Need to binge shop? Your local dollar store has bargains, but maybe not all of them

Katie from IRA Basics presents Benefits of a Budget

Alexa from Defeat Our Debt presents 7 Ideas for Saving Money on Food

Lily from Paying Debt Down presents Money Saving Holiday Shopping Tips 2013

Jason from The Money Makers presents Olivia Wilde is Having a Baby: What are the first-month expenses?

Monica from Monica On Money presents How My PT Cruiser Saved Me $27,600

Eric from Narrow Bridge Finance presents 4 Uncommon Ways to Start Saving Money this Year

Jack from Money Saving Ethics presents Holiday Travel Tips 2013

Miscellaneous Money Stuff

Natalie from Debt and the Girl presents Joy is Separate from Circumstance

Larry from KrantCents presents Technology Has Made Me Lazy or More Productive!

Holly from Club Thrifty presents Social Framing

Sustainable PF from Sustainable Personal Finance Blog presents Would You Use an Alternative Currency?

Andrea from So Over This presents Movers Destroyed My Belongings ? Saga Continues

Hadley from Epic Finances presents Why did the Founder of Barnes

Amy from Money Mishaps presents Why do some Credit Scores FALL after paying off a Loan?

Matt from Budget Snob presents Don’t Worry about your Credit Score being affected by These 5 Things

Justin from Edward Antrobus presents Is that awesome Review a Fake?

FI Pilgrim from FI Journey presents Would You Become Self Employed For Less Money?

Carnival of Personal Finance #427: The Netflix binge watching edition

November 4, 2013 by Jana 16 Comments

Although I don’t write a personal finance site, many of my friends do so I’m giving them a hand today by hosting the Carnival of Personal Finance. Hope you enjoy it!

My name is Jana and I am a binge watcher. I blame Netflix and its readily available programming for this problem. Because before this entered my life, I watched TV like a normal person. I watched one regularly scheduled episode of a few shows and then moved on with my day.

Now, thanks to Netflix, I can’t do that anymore. No. Now I must watch as many episodes as I possibly can in one day, often to the point of sleeping less because I need just. One. More. Episode.

It’s terrible. In the last year, I’ve made it through approximately 9 shows from start to finish (by finish, I really mean “what’s streaming on Netflix and then also watching the current season live”) including Breaking Bad, Mad Men, and The Killing. And I want my life back.

Yet, I kind of don’t. You see, not only does Netflix currently have several of my all-time favorite shows available for my immediate viewing pleasure (and these shows are not in syndication and are also kind of hard to find in reruns) but binge watching saves me money. Lots and lots of money.

Because it’s hard to spend money when you don’t leave your house and you’re too engrossed in the happenings of SAMCRO or cheering for the Dillon Panthers to bother to shop online. It also helps that there are dozens of great blog posts that also encourage me to be mindful of my money.

And I’m pleased to present them in this edition of the Carnival of Personal Finance (along with my favorite Netflix shows to binge watch).

Editor’s Picks

First, my favorite show of all time:

Freaks-Geeks — If you haven’t seen this show yet, cease what you’re doing and watch it.

Now, the editor’s picks. These posts stood out for me among the wonderful posts that were submitted for a number of reasons and I highly recommend that you check them out:

Sam from The New Business Blog presents Online Marketing Tips for the Entrepreneur, and says, “We put together a list of some excellent online marketing tips that every entrepreneur can use to build client lists, attract visitors to their websites and increase profits.”
Marissa from Thirty Six Months presents Things You Didn’t Know About Fall Fashion, and says, “Are you heading to the mall this fall? Here are some very interesting facts about shopping habits this fall.”
Matt Becker from Mom and Dad Money presents Beware the Source of Your Financial Advice, and says, “When it comes to financial advice, there’s so much BS out there and it makes me sick. When it comes down to it, you’re the only one who truly has your best interests at heart. There are people who can help you make your goals a reality, but you have to understand that there are likely even more who are much more interested in simply taking your money and running. And the financial services industry is one of the worst in this respect.”
Jason Hull from Hull Financial Planning presents The One Skill You Can Teach Your Children to Potentially Save Them Tens of Thousands of Dollars, and says, “Parents – teach your children this, and it can save them an enormous amount of money when they’re adults.”
Adam Kamerer from Stop Worrying About Money presents 5 Christmas Gift Ideas For Friends and Family Who Struggle With Money, and says, “No one likes seeing family or friends struggle under mountains of debt and other financial woes. It is even worse when Christmas rolls around.”

The Rest

Remember, it might not be an editor’s pick but these posts are all worth reading. And the shows are worth watching. I didn’t watch Orange Is the New Black in a weekend because it sucked.