I LOVE THIS COMMERCIAL

Even though I think Axe is the "Coty Musk" of the 21st century:

Bring on Spring

I'm tired of Mother Nature being a tease. It was 70 degrees a few days ago, now it's like 25. STOP MESSING WITH MY MIND!





The good news is, I can bundle up and hide my fat rolls a little while longer. Maybe if I can step up my workouts and tone down my snacking, I'll be presentable by Easter.





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This past weekend, Jackson experienced its first "V-Day," and the Vagina Monologues was presented for the first time here with a wonderful cast that included many good friends of mine. I stayed in the background, serving food and wine, and enjoying the play twice in a row. I'm so happy I got to be a part of this performance, and I'm already looking forward to next year, where we undoubtedly will see if we can push the envelope just a little bit further...

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On the money making/saving front, I am doing pretty well so far. I have only gone to the grocery store maybe 3 times in the last two weeks, and only one of those trips was a "big" trip. I have received some help from family members, which I did not ask for, but surely do appreciate. And I am still planning to sell my gold, I just can't seem to remember to go down to the jewelry store. I better do it soon, before they decide something else is worth more money. I'm also still saving cans and have a rather nice pile going near my trash. Now I just need to find somewhere that will pay me for my tin.

Last night after the Vagina Monologues, I was invited as an "honorary cast member" to the cast party. It was at the home of one of the other cast members, and her home was AMAZING. Awesome, open living area, totally made for entertaining, and an even more impressive back yard complete with fire pit and goldfish pond. I was totally jealous, of course, but also very inspired. The owner told me she bought the house herself years ago and put nearly every penny she made into making it what it is today. She had only recently remarried. So even if I am dirt poor right now, I still feel like it's possible for me to have a nice home one day too, if I really want it and work for it hard enough. I'm tucking that away as a non-immediate goal, but a goal nonetheless.

I'm actually into the Oscars this year, so I'm going to stop here and go back to watching that little gold man hop into the hands of various and sundry celebrities.

Ok, so...

So here's the deal. I just found out I owe a little less than $3000 to Uncle Sam. Why, you ask? Was I trying to be like that guy who is now the Treasury Secretary? Well, sort of.

He somehow didn't realize he wasn't paying taxes on his income, then paid them later (more like $30K than $3K), blah blah blah... my situation is pretty much the same, except I caught it before it got ridiculously out of hand. I filled out my forms correctly when I started my job, but somehow it didn't get keyed in right, so not enough was being held out each check.

So. I really don't have beef with Timothy Geithner, because I know how easily something like that can happen. Although, someone in his line of work should probably know more about taxes than me. I'm a real dumbass when it comes to numbers. I looked at my checks over the last several months, but I didn't see anything amiss. Now, unfortunately, my checks will be even less, yet I'll be paying out the wazoo to make good on this debt. Wahh.

I had a big cry over this when I first found out. I was upset and angry for the stupid mistake. But I was also upset because I feel as if I can never get ahead. I've been very slowly paying off the small bit of debt that I already have, and doing things to try to save money, like getting a cheaper car, going out to eat less, bargain shopping, etc. And I felt like I was making some progress. I started making plans to save up some money in order to move to a rental house. (I even gave up on the idea of buying a house!! Of course, the economy helped me make that decision, but still!!)

So it was really frustrating to think about having to put my pithy little dreams on hold for a bit longer. But, after a few drinks and a trip out of town to watch the Grammys in Memphis, I realized that my situation will never get better if I am going to just sit around and mope about it. It's time to get smart, get creative, and yes, get used to doing without a few things for a while.

Being in a recession makes this a really good time to find new ways to save money and make money. I plan to blog about the things that I come up with so that you all (wherever you are) might benefit as well.

Here are my first three ideas:
(I don't expect points for originality, but bear with me!)

1. That old coin ring from 8th grade? Gots ta go.

I pretty much stopped wearing gold jewelry in 1996, so I am gathering up a lot of rings, bracelets and necklaces to sell to a local jewlery shop. I don't trust those "Cash 4 Gold" through-the-mail scams, but a few stores here in Jacktown have advertised that they will buy gold. I promise to report what I sold and for how much. And I am actually keeping my coin ring, it has sentimental value. ;-)

2. HEY! You got any cans? I'm the can man!

Some weird old man once jumped out at my sister at a gas station and said that to her. He left her alone, but he had the right idea, sort of. I drink enough Diet Coke (Diet Dr. K these days - budget soda y'all) to fill the reservoir, so I figure I should be able to get a decent return on all those cans that I normally throw away. I don't plan on scaring people into giving me their cans, but don't be surprised if you see me on the side of the street picking them up.

3. Get thee behind me, Kroger

If one were to take a look at my bank account, one might think that I have at least 4 kids. That's because the majority of my money goes to groceries. I only have one "kid," and she eats dog food. The problem is that I love food. LOVE FOOD. I have become a bit of a "foodie" in the last few years, and I am constantly wanting to try different recipes, foods, etc. Or I get a craving and swing by the store to fulfill whatever it is. This all adds up to around $500/month on groceries. Now, granted, I do cook at home more than I go out, which saves money, but I also feel that I could definitely cut down on my trips to the store. My mother used to always go to the store on Saturdays. Mainly this was because it was the only day she had free, but I think it also helped to cut down on needless spending. If we ran out of something, we were just out until Saturday, unless it was TP or something. But somehow we never seemed to run out of things like that.

I would like to try from here on out to limit my trips to the store to once or twice a week. Preferably once, but there is always that chance I'll run out of dog food or milk when I really need it.

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That's all for now, but I hope to update at least once a week (really!) with more ideas or reports back on whether or not this stuff is working. Maybe I can get one of those thermometer things to show my progress on paying off Uncle Sam. I have to make this fun and creative for myself, or else y'all are gonna find me on the 6:00 news for crashing my car in the front lobby of the Internal Revenue Service. And orange is really not a good color for me.

A Year of Going Without

I will explain this more later, but this blog is about to take a turn toward a different subject, based on some really bad news I just received in re: my taxes.

In lieu of packing up my clothes, cooking utensils and the dog and high-tailing it to Costa Rica, I have decided to get creative and give up some things (as if there are many more things I can really do without anyway, but I digress...) in the next year so that I can hopefully, MAYBE, one day, have the life that I really want. And believe it or not, that life is not the one you see in Crate & Barrel and Brooks Brothers. But it is going to require a bit more financial stability than what I currently have.

Stay tuned, and after the booze has worn off, there will be more details...

VDAY - get yer tickets, donate here

As previously mentioned, I am helping with Jackson's first production of the "Vagina Monologues," to benefit the Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the Women's Fund. The event is Feb. 20-21. If you haven't gotten tickets yet, you better hurry up, because we already know it's going to sell out. Click below to donate, and go to www.jfptickets.com to get your tickets.

Sorry I'm Late

Yeah, I've been really really busy. January is gone in a flash, yet I'm still having trouble remembering to write "09" on checks and whatnot.

I'm half-assedly watching the Super Bowl right now. It's pretty obvious who's going to win, I think. And John Madden's questionable choice of adjectives to describe plays really cracks me up.

Earlier today, I went to the annual "Soup-er Bowl," which is a benefit for the Salvation Army. It was my first time to attend, but I am sure it won't be my last, especially if Steve's Downtown Deli will be there again next year. Oh my Lord, their Senegalese Peanut Chicken soup was the best soup I have ever tasted. And I'm not one for sweeping generalizations, but I really could eat that soup every day for the rest of my life.

Some friends and I have made a weekly "soup night" tradition, where one of us makes soup and the rest of us bring side items/booze. We've had some mighty tasty soups, and I thought I knew all there was to know about soup, but I was so wrong. I may have to try and recreate this peanut-chicken deliciousness for a future event.

What else... my sweet little niece turned 2 yesterday and we had a big party for her. She is so cute, has so much personality -- I can't wait until she is a little older and she can talk better so we can really have fun. Right now I just try to interpret most of what she is saying. She is going through a possessive phase right now -- everything is "my cake," "my toy," even "my Andi," which I agree, I do belong to her. I've never been big on kids, but that little girl has definitely stolen my cold little heart.

I am working with a group of lovely women on Jackson's very first VDay this year - please click on that link and find Jackson so you can get more info and donate or buy tickets. Yes, we are doing the "Vagina Monologues," and I am really interested to see how Jackson's businesses and citizens in general react to that. It's such a scary word, that va-jay-jay word. I am limited in my ability to garner sponsorships because I work for a fundraising organization during the day, but I will do what I can after hours. It is going for a good cause - The Women's Fund and the Mississippi Coalition Against Domestic Violence will split the proceeds and make sure the money goes to help victims of domestic violence. I'm really excited about this program finally coming to Jacktown, and I hope that we can add it to the list of cool things that go on in this city each year.

Gotta go do my American duty and drink more beer whilst watching football, but before I go, here are a couple of links to some new favorite websites:

Food Network Humor

Make Your Own Short Animated Movie

Design Your Own Warning Sign