tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80916518141986691322024-03-05T23:58:02.264+01:00The Money Blog Revisited"It's all about bucks kid. The rest is conversation." - Wall StreetDH @ The Money Blog Revisitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857118129605096015noreply@blogger.comBlogger101125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091651814198669132.post-22541183942243711932011-02-01T23:47:00.001+01:002011-02-02T00:01:56.682+01:00Getting In Gear For The Oscars: The Last 3 Movies I’ve Watched<p>So the Oscars are coming up and I’m in the midst of watching all of the Oscar nominees before the event. Hehe, hence the 2 last movies. The movie “127 Hours” is nominated in 6 categories including Actor In A Leading Role and Best Picture. While “The King’s Speech” is nominated in 12 categories including Directing and Best Picture. </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirc6Dlu8tTXdsXZiuYlLl6nGmGEHO2EAVNFY0mkxLiBSwkHJv6mk42olgvafUoJ9HZZLCv9gQIbb8nOLJ-MXq9pMe5KWH5F_-IRjBK11IfF7ABy1b0aC35K3szi7mZhYMkqyTGKl-P1zhe/s1600-h/The%20Oscars%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="The Oscars" border="0" alt="The Oscars" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TUiNdjxme3I/AAAAAAAAAuA/TUnOVb-Cq88/The%20Oscars_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="298" height="178" /></a></p> <p><strong><em>As for the actual Oscars evening</em></strong> I’m still not completely sure where I’ll be watching it, but both my colleagues at work (we’re in the film industry, remember ;) and a few of my nearest friends (also in the film industry ;) are both planning to arrange something where we can watch the event together. So it’ll either be at my work or at my friend’s place that I’ll be watching the Oscars this year. I’m excited! ;)</p> <p> </p> <p align="center"><strong><font size="4">THE LAST 3 MOVIES I’VE WATCHED</font></strong></p> <p align="center">1. <strong>DAS WEISSE BAND</strong> (Dir.: Michael Haneke)</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TUiNeLnMLJI/AAAAAAAAAuE/zv0US-cRpIk/s1600-h/Das-Weisse-Band2.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="Das Weisse Band" border="0" alt="Das Weisse Band" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP_ANhtynxgSxJ9KDpui_x_xFt4MK3X8X0GBrcsUOjd2_DQIioW82eaLzINGU8pRDcGPyKomzuKuPV6JrW6sDY3nkVpO4w0VOKf0_jIqjBvQPMRyLywIi_RCpad2U70Yk4tAEe-na95gtq/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="168" /></a></p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center">2. <strong>127 HOURS</strong> (Dir.: Danny Boyle)</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TUiNe2WmllI/AAAAAAAAAuM/EMVlWGRPZcE/s1600-h/127-Hours2.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="127 Hours" border="0" alt="127 Hours" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TUiNfOHcQAI/AAAAAAAAAuQ/xHIQEZqvp0U/127-Hours_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="164" /></a></p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center">3. <strong>THE KING’S SPEECH</strong> (Dir.: Tom Hooper)</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TUiNfXhq-oI/AAAAAAAAAuU/54rtyMiI92E/s1600-h/The-Kings-Speech8.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="The King's Speech" border="0" alt="The King's Speech" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TUiNfwTJ5EI/AAAAAAAAAuY/DgDwdpxTTSU/The-Kings-Speech_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="164" /></a></p> <p>I’d write a review of each film but I really don’t have the time right now, hence the short “quick-and-dirty” post. But I’ll definitely keep you all updated on my Oscars movie progress. And if I were to quickly say which ones I think were best then I’d definitely give <strong>127 HOURS</strong> the top spot, followed by <strong>DAS WEISSE BAND</strong> and lastly <strong>THE KING’S SPEECH</strong>. Bye again, I’m heading off. :)</p> DH @ The Money Blog Revisitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857118129605096015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091651814198669132.post-78910026792487244792011-01-27T01:10:00.001+01:002011-01-27T01:24:02.753+01:00Earning Money on Fiverr<p>Fiverr is a website where people can buy and sell tasks (<em>‘gigs’</em>) for $5. To learn more about Fiverr, I  recommend reading this entertaining <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2010/03/16/what-will-people-do-for-5-fiverr-lets-you-find-out/" target="_blank">review</a> by The Wall Street Journal since it gives a pretty good description of the site.</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilPAMvgiKEJTyxFaN3Kb7xm64Jb8CcpMV9shMhRX4YOcm26pMbIGaNL-noc4oAwuGRkZ354Nf7B1tSjV7LwMbY4fHjbwETufVd3DbYjuJ2wSUDKcc_Zuo2akqjc5_21DHiUsuEKWTSQFuG/s1600-h/fiverr%5B13%5D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="fiverr" border="0" alt="fiverr" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TUC37JRanaI/AAAAAAAAAts/dc7bRS44Y6c/fiverr_thumb%5B11%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="457" height="150" /></a></p> <p>I recently signed up for Fiverr in my humble attempts to earn some extra money, and I absolutely love the site and the site’s concept. I’m offering 2 gigs there - and just recently I got my first <strong><u>buyer</u></strong>.  Being a total newbie however I totally overshot on my gig, meaning that I offered to do something for $5 ($4 actually, because the site takes a percentage) that took me 7 (yes, you heard me, <strong><em>7</em></strong>!#"?!) days to do. Well, in all fairness it was 7 evenings and not full-days, but still, that must’ve been the worst paying job I’ve ever done, lol :) </p> <p>So I think I’m going to have to edit my gigs and offer a bit less for my $4. Because the amount of time it took me to complete that one gig was ridiculous. I’ve learnt my lesson. There’s an amount of work I’m willing to do for peanuts, and this went well beyond that. I felt like I could’ve spent that time <strong><em>waaaay</em></strong> better. But just to clarify things, it really isn’t the website’s fault at all, it’s completely my own fault because I was the one who made the offer and set the rules. I’ve become wiser since then and will change my gigs so that it reflects more realistically what I’m <em>willing</em> to do for $4.<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TUC37nxrp1I/AAAAAAAAAtw/oNxtkMPWyMc/s1600-h/five%20dollar%20bill%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="five dollar bill" border="0" alt="five dollar bill" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP0iDbGnz48NH1CtgDexkNLLl2BsyOiHVTdfbW861XjoFcI-eNYaJDcbLeyL2_y_sdB0CJCXEf0ddUlN9EG_BNLmFgDHV1w_4KsBVTB9cSNoxYXJoe4aFd8pV4ZeR1aKf1dGganAWw59DO/?imgmax=800" width="212" height="240" /></a></p> <p> </p> <p>But still, I’m happy for the money earned. :)</p> DH @ The Money Blog Revisitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857118129605096015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091651814198669132.post-51883036752058965862011-01-24T19:12:00.001+01:002011-01-24T21:40:32.052+01:00My Ex-Boyfriend’s Toothbrush Laying Around – Throw It Away Or Re-Use It? (Hahaha, yes, I’m that frugal)<p>So yesterday I found my ex-boyfriend’s toothbrush laying around in the cabinet in my bathroom. My first inclination was naturally to throw it away, since I didn’t want it lying around my apartment reminding me of him. However, then I realized that, hey, maybe I could keep this as a spare and use it myself when I need a new toothbrush. Then I would save money. Because I know that it was brand-new when he brought it over. So it’s still got some mileage in it. Hahaha :)</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TT3jY-zBmpI/AAAAAAAAAtY/TKncuyrTNfM/s1600-h/my-ex-boyfriends--toothbrush1.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="my-ex-boyfriend's- toothbrush" border="0" alt="my-ex-boyfriend's- toothbrush" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrg3pVrS2NeZ4QQQOYW3R4QMEiy2fKS6ixTMQtgzhSsHhQYPemBpAFto4J3NarAD0u5VNQefbNupY4T-oPPBZI1ZWXEnJ7ZGwQBd5vDk6tsT-sEg8vztC8Fmg3jZcz92QiYzKA7F090Afd/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a></p> <p>What do you think? :) Am I being too frugal on this one? :)</p> DH @ The Money Blog Revisitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857118129605096015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091651814198669132.post-64329834200309189342011-01-17T20:01:00.001+01:002011-01-17T20:01:37.224+01:00It’s Time To Read My Electric Meter Again<p>Well, it’s that time of the year again. The time to read my electric meter and send in the results to the electricity company. </p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TTSSDolfSTI/AAAAAAAAAtA/uo9XEc75Uz8/s1600-h/measuring-electricity-usage-for-bill%5B2%5D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="measuring-electricity-usage-for-bill" border="0" alt="measuring-electricity-usage-for-bill" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigsUwhHjFWw5ojzyr9VSu99bgCXDb5mY24UAJ6xYuEW9kQak-FcSMz0jT83OOuYR-zmADIg9rgyBv05czQY1wclnmT-C4Wo7N6paTomeLW-rKkT3H0dch7VwxdH6D-6KbWH8lSvEZWQ3zC/?imgmax=800" width="243" height="244" /></a></p> <p>I always feel like I’ve used too much. But in actuality, I use well below the average amount of electricity that a household my size (1 person, 50m<sup><font size="2">2</font></sup>) uses during one year. (If you’re wondering how I know this, then it’s because my electric company has charts and graphs on their webpage that the costumer can compare one’s electricity usage with. I’m a blend between a geek and a frugalista in that I actually spend a good amount of time comparing myself to those charts and graphs of average electricity usage. Geez, I should really get off the internet more :p )  </p> <p>I also think I used a bit less electricity this last year (2010) compared to the year before (2009) because this past year I’ve had a 9-5 job, so I’m only home in the evenings, whilst in 2009 I was home ALL THE TIME - 24 HOURS A DAY because I was writing my university thesis. So obviously, I would have had to have used less electricity this last year (2010) because I’m simply out of the apartment 8 HOURS A DAY. There’s got to be a cut in the electricity bill there.</p> <p>But you never know, the price of electricity has increased during this past year (it does so every year at the moment!), so what I’ve saved in actual electricity usage, will probably be eaten up by the price increase. We’ll see. You’ll probably hear all about it because I’ll most likely be publishing a post about my electricity bill, when it arrives. </p> <p>But here’s hoping that it’s a little less than last year. I’m keeping my fingers crossed. :) </p> DH @ The Money Blog Revisitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857118129605096015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091651814198669132.post-61526671318856310392011-01-16T22:09:00.001+01:002011-01-16T22:37:21.109+01:00LOVE WHAT YOU DO<p>I saw this over at at <a href="http://greenbuck.blogspot.com/2006/07/love-what-you-do.html" target="_blank">Money Management Made Easy</a> and since it totally encompasses my view on work and loving one’s work I decided to share it here. Enjoy!</p> <p><em><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TTNejyIRSXI/AAAAAAAAAs0/Dt7ad6m1FRM/s1600-h/love-what-you-do%5B21%5D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="love-what-you-do" border="0" alt="love-what-you-do" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM2BvUubAf33ExDxYf7hF8Q4oi1wBRs27Q7MzSQuziNHOYs7Eoc2okTJtKSI2NsNICnQTBNEW0crB_i4fgBSVjUmmquufbSN7AP3uh7EYqIruM4sbP6Z7u6yZSTwrcOzrhybw8YwLMydn5/?imgmax=800" width="206" height="212" /></a></em></p> <p><em>When your vocation becomes your vacation, <br />you'll never work another day in your life. <br /></em></p> <p><em>No one can succeed in any endeavor that they don't like. <br />If you don't love what you're doing, then don't do it. <br /></em></p> <p><em>Your chances of success are directly proportional <br />to the degree of pleasure you derive from what you do. <br /></em></p> <p><em>Do something that you have a deep personal interest in. <br />Do something you'd enjoy spending twelve to fifteen hours a day <br />working at, and the rest of the time thinking about. <br /></em></p> <p><em>Don't set compensation as your goal. <br />Find work you like and the compensation will follow. <br /></em></p> <p><em>Work is not your punishment. <br />It's your reward, your strength and your pleasure. <br /></em></p> <p><em>Real success is achieved when you like what you do. <br />Work is love made visible.</em></p> <p>I love this saying! :) However, I don’t quite agree with the line “<em>If you don't love what you're doing, then don't do it</em>” because obviously, most of us need to eat. ;) And sometimes we don’t have a choice as to as whether we get to do our dream job or not (right away), but we should at least strive for it. Apart from that line, I absolutely love this mantra! It embodies my whole view of work. </p> <p>While others are talking about the “4-Hour Work Week” and the whole “Work Smarter Not Harder” thing, then here I am a little workaholic advocating the “Do What You Love, And Love What You Do, And You’ll Never Work A Day In Your Life” point of view. Heck, if I didn’t believe this view of work, then I would’ve chosen a different professional industry to work in. ;)</p> DH @ The Money Blog Revisitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857118129605096015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091651814198669132.post-56848795129610928582011-01-16T17:06:00.001+01:002011-01-16T17:06:06.606+01:00Blog Reboot: The Money Blog Revisited – A New Direction<p>As I’ve mentioned in an earlier post named <a href="http://mymoneyandsavingsblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/re-branding-transitioning-your-blog.html" target="_blank">RE-BRANDING: Transitioning Your Blog When You’ve Come To A Different Place In Your Life</a>, my blog is going through a period of change – mainly, because I myself am going through a period of change. SO the previous post addressed the whole issue of the blog going through a transitioning. Now is the time for the actual blog REBOOT. </p> <p> </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzgV09S9JXXTl6zwr3vNBnyR-xr4pztzpZEYbfPJfPB8rYoo8MiDwdIj3Q7s9AdxS6-hzfbNPi5ErGgn0NRNzQ09NSJ2QrOmYtcDv1iQBcdkIp3l3jl1RdwlLqgbmOKJFpWFW5ecVL7Qjq/s1600-h/car-changing-lane-blast2.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="car-changing-lane-blast" border="0" alt="car-changing-lane-blast" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TTMXbtnX49I/AAAAAAAAAsA/40-8PyplvAE/car-changing-lane-blast_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="164" /></a></p> <p align="center"><font size="1">Photo credit: <a href="http://gettingtheloveyouwant.com/blog/marriage-counseling/couples-therapy-changing-lanes-and-your-partner-too-part-1/" target="_blank">changing lanes</a></font></p> <p><strong><font size="4"></font></strong></p> <p><font size="4"><strong>THE CHANGE OF DIRECTION FROM SAVING TO EARNING</strong></font></p> <p>This is going to be the biggest change to the blog, as I have now shifted my focus in my real life from saving money to earning money. As you can see from the URL of this blog, my focus was savings. I began this blog in college/university and so the main focus back then was to save, save, save so that I could have as little a loan (student loan and family loan) as possible. But now that I’m out and in the work force, this is the time to start earning and to start paying back my loans. </p> <p>So EARNING more has become extremely important to me in my real life, and you’ll therefore see me blogging about job applications and the like, because I’m dead set on finding a higher-paying job at the moment, and hence EARNING more. My mental focus shift from saving to earning will reflect now in this blog also. I will naturally still focus on saving, but you will definitely see a shift in weight towards blog posts about earning. That’s going to be the new order of business around here.</p> DH @ The Money Blog Revisitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857118129605096015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091651814198669132.post-30228137661912900442011-01-16T01:39:00.001+01:002011-01-16T02:13:49.719+01:0010 Tips On How To Organize Your Job Hunting<p>When sending out job applications a systematic approach to job search helps. These are tips that I personally use to optimize and organize the process.</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TTI-RSfw_OI/AAAAAAAAArw/6XzlUkkTclU/s1600-h/job-listings%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="job-listings" border="0" alt="job-listings" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TTI-Rx4Zj0I/AAAAAAAAAr0/YvviWvUjOqU/job-listings_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="211" height="187" /></a></p> <p><u>Here are 10 tips on how to organize your job hunting:</u></p> <p>1. Set a goal for a specific number of job applications each week (i.e. 2 job applications per week).</p> <p>2. Schedule a specific time (i.e. Sunday evening at 6 p.m.) for writing and sending out job applications.</p> <p>3. Have stamps and envelopes in a drawer ready to use.</p> <p>4. Use a binder to organize your job applications.</p> <p>5. Print out a copy of the job application (and put in binder – Section A).</p> <p>6. Print out a copy of the job listing (and put in binder – Section B).</p> <p>7. Print out a copy of the reply (and put in binder – Section C).</p> <p>8. Use a calendar to keep track of job interviews.</p> <p>9. Keep track of sent job applications in an Excel-file (and use it as a “Table Of Contents” for your binder, if you wish).</p> <p>10. Review your progress weekly and monthly.</p> <p> </p> <p>Extra tips:</p> <p>1. Use an online calendar (i.e. Google Calendar) or you the mobile phone’s calendar to keep track of job interviews. </p> <p>2. Use a secure autofill form to quickly and easily fill out electronic recruitment forms. </p> <p>3. Use a free PDF-writer (i.e. <a href="http://www.cutepdf.com/products/cutepdf/writer.asp" target="_blank">CutePDF</a> or <a href="http://www.dopdf.com/" target="_blank">DoPDF</a>) to professionally convert your job applications, resumes, etc. to PDF files in order to easily attach to e-mails or electronic recruitment forms - <em>for free</em>.</p> <p>4. Organize your job applications by having a specific folder on your computer named “Job Applications” with subfolders, and do the same in your e-mail.</p> DH @ The Money Blog Revisitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857118129605096015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091651814198669132.post-44070328141851466862011-01-12T20:48:00.001+01:002011-01-16T17:22:11.066+01:00Silk Spectre II v.s. Tomb Raider<p align="justify">Ok, if these 2 hardcore action ladies where to meet in a dark alley somewhere and thug it out, it would be interesting to see who’d win. I definitely know who I think would win the fight, how about you? ;)</p> <p align="justify"> </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TS4FlYcJJCI/AAAAAAAAAsI/eH3378xxge4/s1600-h/Silk%20Spectre%20II%5B1%5D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Silk Spectre II" border="0" alt="Silk Spectre II" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TS4FlnARGQI/AAAAAAAAAsM/JOdkwU2pxEs/Silk%20Spectre%20II_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="196" height="196" /></a>    <font size="6"><strong>V.S. <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TS4FmFhek7I/AAAAAAAAAsQ/wtZSlcsT6G4/s1600-h/Tomb%20Raider.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Tomb Raider" border="0" alt="Tomb Raider" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TS4FmiZYv2I/AAAAAAAAAsc/7jMkvgkjN5w/Tomb%20Raider_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="199" height="199" /></a></strong></font></p> <p align="justify"></p> <p align="justify">But in actuality this post is about something rather different, because I’m actually debating with myself which one of these 2 gorgeous kick-ass heroines to dress up as for a friend’s costume party on January 29. </p> <p align="justify">I’ve searched high and low for all sorts of Silk Spectre II and Tomb Raider costumes on the internetz, and I’ve also looked through a couple of do-it-yourself videos. The thing is – as it always is –  is money and the price of said costumes. </p> <p align="justify">I want to dress up for the costume party – but I don’t want to spend a sick amount of money on a costume that I might not use a second time. We don’t really celebrate Halloween here in Europe to the same degree as in the U.S., so chances are that that costume probably won’t get used again. So I’m still trying to figure out “money-wise” which costume to go with, and if it should be a rental or a home-made version of the same.</p> <p align="justify">But there’s still some time before Jan. 29, so there’s a lot of time to think about this matter -  and plan it (money)wisely. I’ll definitely let you guys know, which one of the 2 cool hardboiled ladies I end up going as!!! :) </p> DH @ The Money Blog Revisitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857118129605096015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091651814198669132.post-85160838017234632252011-01-12T20:24:00.001+01:002011-01-12T20:29:26.074+01:00Movie Trailer And Poster: Sucker Punch<p>I’ve been a huge fan of Zack Snyder’s ever since “300” and I’m really looking forward to his next movie “Sucker Punch” coming out in movie theaters in 2011. You can watch the trailer here:</p> <object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6dzikBZTUy8?fs=1&hl=da_DK"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6dzikBZTUy8?fs=1&hl=da_DK" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object> <p> </p> <p>And for those of you who can’t wait for the movie, the posters are out already, so you can buy one (through Amazon) here: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004FW531K?ie=UTF8&tag=mymobl0f-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B004FW531K">Sucker Punch Movie Group Emily Browning Poster Print - 22x34</a><img style="border-bottom-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; margin: 0px; border-top-style: none !important; border-left-style: none !important" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=mymobl0f-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B004FW531K" width="1" height="1" /> </p> <p><font size="4"><strong><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Sucker Punch Poster" border="0" alt="Sucker Punch Poster" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj1yGU2Dysl-2JNVV_3g8tB-VfpEWERir6-TMWfiB3FyVlS64XR2gM8PVmjqhU2OA4T2SimzvgL_MqOO-TBYXihUSxPJHr1qA8Tn5-zWywgUnjNuK-c7pQP5qfvhZAbOeyYVTLCBqN_z9z/?imgmax=800" width="576" height="335" /></strong></font></p> <p><strong><font size="3">I’ll see you guys at the theaters! :)</font></strong></p> DH @ The Money Blog Revisitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857118129605096015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091651814198669132.post-32899066775554403152011-01-10T20:26:00.001+01:002011-01-10T20:34:18.875+01:00Buying A New Microwave<p>So my old microwave is breaking down *sniff* :( I’ve owned it for nearly 8 years, and it’s the first microwave I got when I moved out of my parents home and into my own place, which was a dorm room at the time. I’m a bit nostalgic about the old thing, and I know that I should let it go. It’s paid it’s service for 8 long, faithful years. Plus the protective sheathing on the front glass is starting to peel, so that can’t be too healthy... </p> <p>So I’ve been looking on the internet on this online store of this shop that I know of, nearby where I live, and I found these 2 good candidates:</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TStdayATZ5I/AAAAAAAAAqQ/HnIuD2f1398/s1600-h/Logik%20microwave%5B4%5D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Logik microwave" border="0" alt="Logik microwave" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TStdbd6O9NI/AAAAAAAAAqU/8o7zxuAVMqA/Logik%20microwave_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="242" height="242" /></a>  <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TStdbiqTiSI/AAAAAAAAAqY/x5Zj8IX0Pfo/s1600-h/UPO%20microwave%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="UPO microwave" border="0" alt="UPO microwave" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TStdcP3YdpI/AAAAAAAAAqc/NyVPwuLYSYY/UPO%20microwave_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="242" height="242" /></a></p> <p>                Logik Microwave                                                        UPO Microwave</p> <p>They’re both exactly $100, so it’s just about choosing the right one for me with most of the features that I need. They were unfortunately the cheapest ones. Had there been any ones that were cheaper, then I‘d have definitely have taken those. Ah, but I guess that’s the way things are.</p> <p>But I’m going to have to go to the store to check these ones out in person. Then I can decide from there, and take the best one (for me, at least) home with me the same day.</p> DH @ The Money Blog Revisitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857118129605096015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091651814198669132.post-10907683886573861722011-01-02T23:00:00.001+01:002011-01-02T23:00:43.761+01:00Back to work tomorrow<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibIzIbsO0aRgnrGWYGeAnjtDaaumo-3akyG173CpsjTyG74OIomGnu_mOpf83q8JgjTnGi39LGPpQ9NWSbvdbD5eCnt9PMttJqmxNnIPmHfVPOlLPr-C1SqntvlT8VzKwtgo3ha56Z35yW/s1600-h/man-seated-at-computer-in-office%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="man-seated-at-computer-in-office" border="0" alt="man-seated-at-computer-in-office" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TSD1i3eAbvI/AAAAAAAAApU/TaaDfuSzZ4c/man-seated-at-computer-in-office_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="240" height="185" /></a></p> DH @ The Money Blog Revisitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857118129605096015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091651814198669132.post-14537938598847747482010-12-31T01:33:00.001+01:002010-12-31T01:35:21.080+01:00HAPPY NEW YEAR!<p>Happy New Year Everyone! I wish all my readers an awesome New Year’s Eve – and a great new year ahead!</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TR0k5v_K0II/AAAAAAAAAoU/ubTxnSxkD2M/s1600-h/fireworks1.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="fireworks1" border="0" alt="fireworks1" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TR0k6fJbZYI/AAAAAAAAAoY/d07qA1k9KRo/fireworks1_thumb.png?imgmax=800" width="244" height="244" /></a></p> <p>Thanks for reading my blog, and I look forward to seeing you next year! :)</p> DH @ The Money Blog Revisitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857118129605096015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091651814198669132.post-58028852912609208662010-12-27T00:10:00.001+01:002010-12-27T01:01:44.315+01:00Good Quality But Expensive Or Poor Quality But Dirt-Cheap? A Story About How You Get What You Pay For<p align="justify">This last summer I had just bought a pair of gorgeous new high-heeled boots. They cost $73 brand-new. While that definitely is pricy by all means, I still thought of that as a bargain buy, since these kinds of boots often range in the $110-180 price spectrum. So happily, I bought these boots and took them home. </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TRfLQiaRXNI/AAAAAAAAAnk/LLQdIDt3Me8/s1600-h/high-heeled%20boots%5B4%5D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="high-heeled boots" border="0" alt="high-heeled boots" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TRfLQ1pl57I/AAAAAAAAAno/d1pGs0cgSn0/high-heeled%20boots_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="227" height="227" /></a></p> <p align="justify">A week or so later I was going out to a party. I put on my brand new sexy boots, walked out the door and down the street to catch the bus. </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TRfLRe1wHMI/AAAAAAAAAns/Ky3lgQ1v_FE/s1600-h/night-bus-street%5B4%5D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="night-bus-street" border="0" alt="night-bus-street" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TRfLSZEt8ZI/AAAAAAAAAnw/4fSbikEWcYU/night-bus-street_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="238" height="337" /></a></p> <p align="justify">It wasn’t more than a few minutes of walking when suddenly one of the heels of my gorgeous new boots had fallen off(!) I was mortified. With broken heel in one hand and bruised pride in the other I had to wobble all the way back home to my apartment again to change my boots. I entered my apartment door, quickly changed my boots, swore a little (maybe, a lot), and made a mental note of taking the boots to the repair on Monday. I couldn’t return them because I bought them at a market, so the vendors where long gone by now. Maybe that should have been a warning sign to me to begin with, not to buy boots at a market. But I’m frugal, so I’ll do anything to save a buck or two. So off I went to get my boots repaired on Monday after work. The cost of this, you ask? It totalled at $27.</p> <p align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWmL4n5rrQSkrZRCS64tR8DTjvqvyUqHEHXbK03JEEH9dAycIEpt7GLAphytx6EAlKsWyafU4ps_4Cpp7N5BKP7pC69VKwbYk8ZdKOd8oIKYUS2NmeoQX40teSSV-E3ASbAiNaJAkFvoiu/s1600-h/shoe-repair-sign%5B2%5D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="shoe-repair-sign" border="0" alt="shoe-repair-sign" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TRfLTKgFkEI/AAAAAAAAAn4/VyK22_catxc/shoe-repair-sign_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="198" /></a></p> <p align="justify">Ok, so there I was, newly repaired shoes and all. Happy as pie. So I had plans to go out again the next weekend…</p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TRfLTZHY-VI/AAAAAAAAAn8/Yygo9WcgTac/s1600-h/night-lights-city-street%5B7%5D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="night-lights-city-street" border="0" alt="night-lights-city-street" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TRfLToy_qgI/AAAAAAAAAoA/5r0fpY5VA2w/night-lights-city-street_thumb%5B3%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="418" height="315" /></a></p> <p align="justify">So the next weekend I got ready to go out. I put on my new boots and walked out the door. And sure enough a few minutes down the road – my other heel broke. Yet again I had to wobble home down the busy street, cursing and swearing, back to my apartment. The following Monday (you know the drill…) I went to get my boots repaired again. This time I had a lengthy argument with the shoe repair man, because he wanted to charge me $27 for the other heel. I thought that he was ripping me off, so I argued tooth and nail to get a discount. But no go, unfortunately. His prices (meaning price pr. heel) were fixed. </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TRfLTw7w83I/AAAAAAAAAoE/WCBqrII3mDU/s1600-h/shoe-repair%5B15%5D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="shoe-repair" border="0" alt="shoe-repair" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_jIkFO-FGby2BnbHeEa19m9nyoq-8O1JCZy8o8QNjMlRb9zqdO5IJvhrGytLT1jYo3s1s3AmfC8XFiOfXj_NmhSo_7Wj-sw83DEh1DUQsVE9JHKUv2kaLlwpNpnCt2lgUUgRoQzJp6QjB/?imgmax=800" width="240" height="98" /></a></p> <p align="justify">So there I was forking out <em>another</em> $27 on top of the original $27 for the first heel and on top of the original $73 dollars that the boots cost originally. </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TRfLUs0IpPI/AAAAAAAAAoM/I5szbpW7NQU/s1600-h/100-dollar-bills%5B2%5D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="100-dollar-bills" border="0" alt="100-dollar-bills" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TRfLUyzoSqI/AAAAAAAAAoQ/XPgQlZn7Hvc/100-dollar-bills_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a></p> <p align="justify">So all in all <strong><em>I ended up paying $127</em></strong> for my pair of boots.</p> <p align="justify">Yes, you heard me, $127, I could have bought myself a good pair of quality boots to begin with and spared myself all of the hassle. In this case, I really did get what I paid for. Poor quality boots. At a cheap price, sure, but what good are they if they have no heels. So in order to get “fully functional” boots, I had to fork out the extra $54. So sometimes it really does pay to buy good quality. I know the 3 dvd-players (the latest one is on the fritz by the way, so it’ll probably be 4 very soon) that I’ve owned during the last 8 years  are a solid testament to that. Making electronics that don’t last more than 2 years is very normal nowadays, as long as it’s priced at a bargain, then we accept it. But I guess, if I had bought good quality from the get-go (both in terms of the dvd-players and the boots) then they would probably last me longer. </p> <p align="justify"><strong><em><font size="2">What’s your take on all of this? Better to buy good quality products but that are more expensive or buy poor quality products at a cheaper rate? I’d like to hear your thoughts on this, so do leave a comment in the comments section. I’m interested in hearing other people’s experience with this. </font></em></strong></p> <p align="justify"></p> <p align="justify"></p> <p align="justify"></p> <p align="justify"></p> <p align="justify">By the way, if you knew me in real life, you’d know that I’m a very frugal person and that these boots were in fact the only pair of shoes I’ve bought in the past 2 years. So maybe that’s why it angered me so much, when they broke (twice!) So <strong><font face="Bookman Old Style">normally I would say that buying cheap and compromising on quality is okay with me. But after that experience, it made me wonder.</font></strong> In fact I was so pissed of that I talked to my dad on the phone complaining to him about boots, hahaha, can you imagine. :) What dad’s have to go through with their daughters.</p> <p align="justify"> </p> <p align="justify"><font size="1">Photo credits: </font><a href="http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&q=high%20heeeled%20boots&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1419&bih=675" target="_blank"><font size="1">1</font></a><font size="1">, </font><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/--sam--/3175348284/in/photostream/" target="_blank"><font size="1">2</font></a><font size="1">, </font><a href="http://citysquares.com/b/david-shoe-repair-9508" target="_blank"><font size="1">3</font></a><font size="1">, </font><a href="http://colordesktop.blogspot.com/2008/09/street-light-effect.html" target="_blank"><font size="1">4</font></a><font size="1">, </font><a href="http://www.neon-signs.com/neon-signs-s.htm" target="_blank"><font size="1">5</font></a><font size="1">, </font><a href="http://www.501c3.org/blog/how-to-get-funding-for-your-nonprofit-part-ii/" target="_blank"><font size="1">6</font></a><font size="1">.</font></p> DH @ The Money Blog Revisitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857118129605096015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091651814198669132.post-39396224935561075772010-12-23T23:16:00.001+01:002010-12-23T23:36:32.468+01:00These Are The Christmas Gifts I Got For My Family This Year<p align="left">I just finished my Christmas shopping today and I wanted to share with you the Christmas gifts that I bought for my family. So if you’re a last-minute shopper (like I am, this year : ) and still haven’t gotten any presents for your friends and loved ones, then this list might help you get some last-minute gift ideas:</p> <p align="left"> </p> <h2 align="center">FOR MY BROTHER</h2> <h4 align="center">FOOTBALL MANAGER 2011 COMPUTER GAME (FOR PC)</h4> <h3 align="center"></h3> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TRPOtH3CXtI/AAAAAAAAAms/IemV1y6_9w8/s1600-h/Football%20Manager%202011%5B12%5D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Football Manager 2011" border="0" alt="Football Manager 2011" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TRPOt2qrysI/AAAAAAAAAmw/0piblFqg8Uc/Football%20Manager%202011_thumb%5B7%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="203" height="320" /></a></p> <p align="left">For my older brother, who is 31 years old, by the way, I got this PC version (because his X-Box is broken) of the computer game FOOTBALL MANAGER 2011. He has been an avid fan of these football/soccer-managing games since we were both teenagers and used to play them on our Dad’s Windows 95 computer. He also owns both FOOTBALL MANAGER 2008 and FOOTBALL MANAGER 2010, so when I saw that the 2011 Edition had come out, I just knew I had to buy it for him.  </p> <h2 align="left"> </h2> <h2 align="center">FOR MY FATHER </h2> <h4 align="center">KINGSTON USB STICK 8GB and SANDISK EXTREME III 2GB SD CARD</h4> <h3 align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TRPKP-U3AeI/AAAAAAAAAmI/Af_Tem7hX2Q/s1600-h/Kingston%20USB%208GB%5B5%5D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Kingston USB 8GB" border="0" alt="Kingston USB 8GB" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX2MVCeBRII3mD6VOfxbeBAw7oOR3IfcUoNHPCS8QkMVVU51krLfHjBaXupbU_H89Dfsi8nhSgs60TUsJrY0cvCw0o2kuawg9wboai5oppSitHchsCV0DCdsKm1J-IQEvX0TqRxrwPtrNW/?imgmax=800" width="240" height="320" /></a><font size="6"><strong> + <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TRPKRYcs52I/AAAAAAAAAmU/Zv_QLsMWobo/s1600-h/SanDisk%20Extreme%20III%5B4%5D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SanDisk Extreme III" border="0" alt="SanDisk Extreme III" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TRPKRu---PI/AAAAAAAAAmY/v5POeWd7WvA/SanDisk%20Extreme%20III_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="160" height="320" /></a></strong></font></h3> <p align="left">For my father, well, as you can see, I had a really difficult time figuring out what to get him this year. So I opted for practical. Something that he <strong><em>needed</em></strong>. I remember him recently telling me that he didn’t have a back-up for his computer (documents, emails and music) and while 8GB is not really that much storage space – believe me I’ve seen my Dad’s computer, 8GB is more than plenty. The SD Card I got him because his old SD card is filling up to the brim, and he needs a new one. And as you can see from his computer, he doesn’t store his pics on the computer, he keeps them in the card. He uses his card as storage :) And I know my father well enough to know that instead of trying to change his ways and convince him to store his photos on the computer, giving him the brand-new SD Card instead will make him happy.  So storage, storage, storage is my dad’s gift.</p> <h2 align="left"> </h2> <h2 align="center">FOR MY FATHER’S WIFE (STEP-MOM :)</h2> <h4 align="center">REMINGTON HAIR STRAIGHTENER (TRIBAL EDITION)</h4> <p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxgrggdcM2QEe7ZMVSIe6rv_GFZWeTv7R3KAlPIbHVxDEpJ5pGOJL_IOdVw2hyIBmmA1_IQUfzBaeX5TcNxvqxVXvovPPpIxrIQKjkzkW0x8nYPYV3G2tvvNf0nRHEUO7yVDgcHIg3V6bu/s1600-h/Remington%20Hair%20Straightener%20Tribal%20Edition%5B4%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Remington Hair Straightener Tribal Edition" border="0" alt="Remington Hair Straightener Tribal Edition" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TRPKSgMa-uI/AAAAAAAAAmg/Labygu2E7bg/Remington%20Hair%20Straightener%20Tribal%20Edition_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="240" height="320" /></a></p> <p align="left">For my father’s wife I bought her a hair straightener from Remington. She’s over 50, but she’s young at heart, so I have a feeling that she actually will like the tribal edition and think it’s fun and playful. I bought this hair straightener for her because she sometimes goes to get her hair straightened professionally at the beauty salon, but when I asked my dad if she had a hair straightener at home, he told me that she didn’t. So I think she’ll be really happy for this gift. I think she would really like a hair straightener at home, but she’s always been too frugal to buy one for herself. So now she gets one from me. :)</p> <h2 align="left"> </h2> <h2 align="center">FOR OUR LITTLE COUSIN</h2> <h3 align="center"></h3> <p align="center"></p> <p align="center"></p> <p align="center"></p> <h4 align="center">THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG DVD</h4> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TRPKS1lA9mI/AAAAAAAAAmk/AOWNjS80N6k/s1600-h/The%20Princess%20And%20The%20Frog%20DVD%5B4%5D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="The Princess And The Frog DVD" border="0" alt="The Princess And The Frog DVD" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TRPKTU4OlMI/AAAAAAAAAmo/c5g3MFhXh2Y/The%20Princess%20And%20The%20Frog%20DVD_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="240" height="320" /></a></p> <p align="left">For our little cousin me and my brother got her a DVD with Disney’s “The Princess And The Frog”. Because she’s a little girl. That’s all the reason needed. :) Me and my brother, however, never buy our cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. any presents usually. However, because we’re spending Christmas with our extended family this year, my brother thought that it would be a good idea to get our little cousin something. And so we did. :)</p> <p align="left"> </p> <p align="left"><font size="4"><strong><em>What Christmas presents did you get for your friends, family and loved one this year? And why?</em></strong></font></p> DH @ The Money Blog Revisitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857118129605096015noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091651814198669132.post-83843974028772375542010-12-22T21:50:00.001+01:002010-12-22T21:53:27.237+01:00So my boyfriend and me broke up this weekend<p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TRJlMKuBCLI/AAAAAAAAAl4/zY7MU_qFlr4/s1600-h/break-up%5B4%5D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="break-up" border="0" alt="break-up" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TRJlMR2mlYI/AAAAAAAAAl8/yrmWO7N-egY/break-up_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="240" height="159" /></a></p> <p>So my boyfriend and me broke up this weekend. I feel very sad right now, but I know that in the end it was for the best. And what a time for it to happen, just before Christmas. :( :( :(  We’d only been seeing each other for 5 months, so we fortunately don’t have any shared finances, children, shared housing, etc. We don’t even have that much of a shared history, lol. (Let me laugh about this, I’m trying really hard to find something to laugh about). But somehow we still had something together, and it always hurts to see that end. 5 months seems like a long time for me right now (even though I’ve had longer relationships) because I’ve only been working at my new job for 7 months. Meaning that throughout most of the time I’ve worked at my new job, I had him as a boyfriend… and now I don’t anymore. </p> <p>We broke up because lately he began treating me like sh**, like standing me up, not returning my phone calls, etc. So there’s only so much a person can take of this madness, so I broke up. Yes, you heard me, so I was the one who broke up. But I’m still feeling sad. Because I really did like him, but I just wouldn’t put up with his sh** anymore. So I left. As I said, I know it’s for the best, and I do see better guys for me in the future. So I’m single again, but hopefully that just means that there’s a new love (a new guy ;) in store for me in the New Year. But hey, if there ever was a time for change and new beginnings, I guess this time of the year would be it ;)</p> <p>Thanks for reading this. I just needed to vent a little. And if some of you out there are thinking, “5 months, that isn’t a long time…”, I’m thinking, “Wow, 5 months, was waaaaay toooo looong a time.” ;) I’m glad I got out, with my dignity and self-esteem intact. All it cost me was my time, a bruised ego and a broken heart. The last 2 of which will heal in time…</p> DH @ The Money Blog Revisitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857118129605096015noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091651814198669132.post-86151927282769451602010-12-16T22:15:00.001+01:002011-01-16T18:28:10.565+01:00RE-BRANDING: Transitioning Your Blog When You’ve Come To A Different Place In Your Life<p>When I started this money blog I was a college student. I had 2 years left of college (grad school), I had a part-time job, I was accumulating student loans, I was saving, saving, saving – oh yeah, and the times were good. I started this blog during the summer of 2008. It wasn’t until autumn that year that the global financial meltdown began, and the times-they-were-a-changing. </p> <p>Now, a number of things have changed. I’ve since graduated (written my thesis and gotten my Masters degree), I’m working full-time, I’m in the process of paying back my student loans – and the current times are, well, not too good, to say the least.</p> <p> </p> <p>I “branded” my blog back then both in blog directories, comments, meta tags, etc. as a “student-money-blog”. As you can see from the sidebar of this blog, I still have remnants from that time. For example the entire link list titled: “Links To Money Saving Tips For College Students”. There was a reason why that was placed there. But now it just seems a bit out of place.  </p> <p> </p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TQqBXJSojkI/AAAAAAAAAlQ/LBhiGAENeFg/s1600-h/bridge-man-looking%5B5%5D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="bridge-man-looking" border="0" alt="bridge-man-looking" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TQqBXR18idI/AAAAAAAAAlU/zu4z6vByeXU/bridge-man-looking_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="164" /></a></p> <p> </p> <h2 align="left">BLOGS THAT DIDN’T MAKE (OR HAVE DIFFICULTY MAKING) THE TRANSITION</h2> <p><a href="http://www.brokegradstudent.com/" target="_blank">Broke Grad Student</a> was a blog that I loved to read and followed vigorously back then. But as you can see from his header - he crossed out the word “student” a while back – that he had difficulty transitioning from a student-money-blogger (which was a good, profitable and exciting niche) to a working-man-money-blogger. You could tell from his last dozen posts that he was struggling – to find ideas & the motivation to write about something that he wasn’t a part of anymore, namely, college life, and that he was more interested on occasion in writing about this new and exciting time in his life, namely, as a young, ambitious man beginning in the work force and his experiences and observations here within. </p> <p>Ultimately, he abandoned the blog completely. And the last post was made on September 1, 2009.</p> <p>There are 2 other noteworthy student-money-blogs that I followed back then were <a href="http://www.brokeass-student.com/" target="_blank">Broke-Ass Student</a> and <a href="http://www.frugallawstudent.com/" target="_blank">The Frugal Law Student</a>. The Frugal Law Student is still posting, but, the posts are far and wide apart. While Broke-Ass Student (Jennifer) has in the meantime become entirely debt-free and so decided to abandon her blog. Her last post was on September 10, 2009.</p> <p> </p> <h2 align="left">TOPICAL (THE NICHE) TRANSITIONING</h2> <p>When you transition from one time in your life to another, your blog naturally transitions with you, however, the topics of your posts change and so do your keywords. This can be a bit difficult, because you are suddenly veering away from your old niche and into a new, different, perhaps more competitive niche.  As you are able to see from the sidebar of this blog, I still have artifacts from that old time, and that my blog is very much still in a phase of transition.</p> <p> </p> <h2 align="left">RE-BRANDING AND KEYWORD BACKLINK-BUILDING (AGAIN)</h2> <p>I’ve submitted this blog back then to multiple blog directories, however the prominent keywords back then for this blog were student, college, money, blog, savings, etc. To re-brand this blog today I would probably go with keywords like work, employment, money, debt, … You get my drift? All of a sudden my blog topic has changed, my blog direction has changed, and I still get some visitors who “mistakenly” visit my site through my old keywords like “college/student/thesis/university- savings”. Poor them.  ;) I would need to build backlinks with my new relevant keywords again, again. :)</p> <p> </p> <h2 align="left">PSYCHOLOGICAL TRANSITIONING</h2> <p>Most importantly, I think, is the psychological aspect of one’s blog transitioning. Had I started this blog as a clear-cut debt-reducing blog with well-defined goals back in the day, I think my debt reduction would go faster. However, I’m still in the student-loans-savings mindset on this blog, but I’m working really hard to try and transition it to the aforementioned type-of-blog. But old habits die hard. And as you can see, if I’m nostalgic enough to keep (now) non-relevant links in my sidebar from my old niche just for sentimental reasons, then you know that I’m the kind of person that has trouble with quick transitionings ;) But slowly, but surely this blog will change into a “working girl’s” blog from being a “student blog” – in natural synchronization with my own inner psychological transitioning in real life. </p> <p> </p> <h2 align="left">LAST THOUGHTS</h2> <p>There are, however, plenty of blogs out there who have made successful transitions like <a href="http://www.dooce.com/" target="_blank">Dooce</a> or <a href="http://www.bloggingawaydebt.com/" target="_blank">Blogging Away Debt</a>. As well as there have been many blogs that have struggled and failed. My blog, however, is still within the Personal Finance blogging niche, so my transition is of course far smaller, and the effects above are undoubtedly exaggerated when it comes to my blog, but I felt the need to blog about this issue, because I feel a concrete shift in my mindset (in real life) and in my goals for this blog. </p> <p> </p> <p><em>Thanks for reading! And if you have any thoughts, you’d like to share, then do feel free to do so in the comments section. I love receiving comments, so by all means, shoot one my way! :)</em></p> DH @ The Money Blog Revisitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857118129605096015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091651814198669132.post-86704844031354155302010-12-14T01:45:00.001+01:002010-12-14T01:51:51.082+01:00Company Christmas Party<p>So last Friday was my company’s annual Christmas party. Great food, drinks, good company and loads of dancing. </p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TQa-DtNW0MI/AAAAAAAAAlI/ycSm9aadSk4/s1600-h/Christmas%20Party%5B2%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Christmas Party" border="0" alt="Christmas Party" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TQa-Dwhxq7I/AAAAAAAAAlM/MOoJmbTIXpk/Christmas%20Party_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="244" /></a></p> <p>All in all a good evening, that lasted until the wee hours of the morning. :)  I didn’t get home to bed until around 8:30 in the morning. So it was a fun night, definitely. :)</p> DH @ The Money Blog Revisitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857118129605096015noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091651814198669132.post-33505467420248229392010-12-08T22:47:00.001+01:002010-12-08T22:50:26.234+01:00Spending Habits: How much money I have spent this week (November 29–December 5, 2010)<p>This is a weekly review of my spending habits for the week of Nov.29 - Dec. 5, 2010. </p> <table border="2" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="541"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="134">Date</td> <td valign="top" width="403">Amount</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="134">Monday Nov. 29</td> <td valign="top" width="403">330.30 kr. ($60)</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="134">Tuesday Nov. 30</td> <td valign="top" width="403">233.95 + 193.20 + 44 = 471,15 kr. ($42.50 + $35.20 + $8 = $85.70)</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="134">Wednesday Dec. 1</td> <td valign="top" width="403">342.45 kr. ($62.30)</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="134">Thursday Dec. 2</td> <td valign="top" width="403">160.90 + 200 = 360.90 kr. ($29.25 + $36.40 = $65.60)</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="134">Friday Dec. 3</td> <td valign="top" width="403">280.95 + 625 = 905.95 kr. ($51.10 + $113.70 = $164.80)</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="134">Saturday Dec. 4</td> <td valign="top" width="403">0 kr. ($0)</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="134">Sunday Dec. 5</td> <td valign="top" width="403">0 kr. ($0)</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p>TOTAL: 2410.75 kr. ($438.40)</p> <p>So there you have it. A tally of what I’ve spent during the course of the week. I’ve split things up with plus’es (+) because I wanted to differentiate between my actual spending habits and bills. So the first amount is my actual “spending habits” (this is mostly food and some toiletries) while everything after the first amount are bills.</p> <p>So there you go. An overview of my spending habits for said week. </p> <p>If you’re interested in reading my posts for the previous weeks, you can take a look at them here: </p> <p><a href="http://mymoneyandsavingsblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/spending-habits-how-much-money-i-have_14.html"><strong><font size="3" face="Arial Narrow">Spending Habits: How much money I have spent this week (November 8-14, 2010)</font></strong></a><strong><font size="3" face="Arial Narrow"> </font></strong></p> <p><a href="http://mymoneyandsavingsblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/spending-habits-how-much-money-i-have_21.html"><strong><font size="3" face="Arial Narrow">Spending Habits: How much money I have spent this week (November 15-21, 2010)</font></strong></a></p> <h5><a href="http://mymoneyandsavingsblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/spending-habits-how-much-money-i-have_27.html"><font style="font-weight: bold" size="3" face="Arial Narrow">Spending Habits: How much money I have spent this week (November 22-28, 2010)</font></a></h5> <p>This is week 4 of my expense tracking:</p> <p>On Week 1 I spent $80.</p> <p>On Week 2 I spent $189.</p> <p>On Week 3 I spent $143.50.</p> <p>On Week 4 I spent $438.40. (Because it’s the 1st of the month, and <u>all</u> my bills come in at this time.)</p> DH @ The Money Blog Revisitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857118129605096015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091651814198669132.post-56684675687208165792010-12-05T18:37:00.001+01:002010-12-05T21:31:37.852+01:00To Do List: Dec. 5<p>I have some things that need to be done today, so I thought I’d post them on here on this blog. I was inspired by <a href="http://beachgirlsblog.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Beachgirl’s Budget Blog</a>, who has often had to-do-list posts on her blog. So to help inspire me and to track my progress on my efforts, I’m giving you a to-do-list post as well. </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia6Z8UxAD7rU9YrRAjlq5a_e3qNH7iH4czKWdOuOdB9vKVz7lK-8Hc5g7I7LqoH8cKpUN3XdZprms54R2wuK85Kw5CVFeTYbqfvB3egpfU9CtiPZa6cxXbMBNvUn3vYr-ZdQuxjtm_p8IK/s1600-h/to-do-list%5B2%5D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="to-do-list" border="0" alt="to-do-list" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-s_oIONnndv3YkE1qWtTfMOGTRYHfXc1uiUeNdoCpWNDliz5amyrahlOY2WAS1v1Ho0Xa_vwiojxha7XB__Y4BrFVT-FXKY4bWWozfRyEgVq-T4YSxdZ3QZKrE6qqkG4cfPJpF-nOhq4s/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="155" /></a></p> <p><font size="1">Photo: <a href="http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/back-to-basics-your-task-list.html" target="_blank">lifehack.org</a></font></p> <p><font size="4"><strong><u>TO DO LIST:</u></strong></font></p> <ul> <li><strike>Write and send a job application</strike> <font color="#00ff40" size="2">(completed!)</font> </li> <li><strike>Write and send another job application</strike> <font color="#00ff40" size="2">(completed!)</font> </li> <li><strike>Note your sent applications in your progress tracker</strike> <font color="#00ff40" size="2">(completed!)</font> </li> <li><strike>Fill out the important questionnaire</strike> <font color="#00ff40" size="2">(completed!)</font> </li> </ul> <p>So this is my to do list for today. As you can see I’ve already gotten ahead of myself and completed some the tasks today already. Perhaps that’s why I needed to write this blog post. Since I didn’t really feel motivated to write and send the 2nd job application. But I have to. I just got to get myself together. And just get it done. I’ll be reporting back later on. When the task is completed. And then cross it off my list! : )</p> <p> </p> <p><strong><font size="3" face="Lucida Bright">UPDATE:</font></strong> All done! Phew, it took a while. But I managed to even send an extra job application! So I’ve sent 3 all in all today! I ‘m really happy. There’s no better feeling than a job well done! So, now it’s 9:30 p.m. local time, and now I can relax the rest of this Sunday evening! : )</p> DH @ The Money Blog Revisitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857118129605096015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091651814198669132.post-26346973443631875252010-12-04T14:47:00.001+01:002010-12-04T14:52:00.531+01:00Architectural Digital Rendering<p>While I was browsing around DeviantArt I found this great artist who does architectural-digital rendering. He’s a young architectural designer  & 3D digital artist from Malaysia that goes by the name Artzen03, and you can visit his profile <a href="http://artzen03.deviantart.com/" target="_blank">here</a>.</p> <p>In the meantime enjoy a few examples of his works.</p> <p><a href="http://artzen03.deviantart.com/art/Bali-Villa-172953375?q=special%3Add&qo=0" target="_blank"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Bali Villa" border="0" alt="Bali Villa" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5V4LRssDHFgL7_Yc6TyZdzhdxUGziJ5-nvHnOuVmW9CndiiS5oApw08E-TfMtGDbgFAZVt-g8P845njjGuq5-Ju_Sm5pTn-2uRlw5p3fGzoTChyphenhyphenbA7IcxfT4g5vvSD496U1WnqIGxlLlr/?imgmax=800" width="599" height="401" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://artzen03.deviantart.com/art/Sigura-kos-VOID-kitchen-156395012?q=gallery%3Aartzen03%2F2536637&qo=2#/d2lfjt2" target="_blank"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="VOID v3" border="0" alt="VOID v3" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TPpGa9jFTLI/AAAAAAAAAkk/EhsAoHhV1rU/VOID%20v3%5B14%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="328" height="328" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://artzen03.deviantart.com/art/Sigura-kos-VOID-kitchen-156395012?q=gallery%3Aartzen03%2F2536637&qo=2" target="_blank"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="VOID kitchen" border="0" alt="VOID kitchen" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TPpGcEn9EBI/AAAAAAAAAks/usHZRW5HBI0/VOID%20kitchen%5B7%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="293" height="344" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://artzen03.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d2l430c" target="_blank"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="VOID1" border="0" alt="VOID1" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TPpGdECD2EI/AAAAAAAAAk4/z6LSNwdPV8s/VOID1%5B10%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="570" height="429" /></a></p> DH @ The Money Blog Revisitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857118129605096015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091651814198669132.post-30942389877847070252010-12-03T00:39:00.001+01:002010-12-03T00:45:39.391+01:00Pay Day<p>So it was pay day on Tuesday. Hence I’m writing this post today to give myself a better overview of my money situation.</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgON-mYqyhyphenhyphen1FGrvE8LXczjp4UqLibUME5dWNqmFC_qGc29pRCURgTuESWErlkCvyymhi9a2XetKCWnbNNcnHkiiA9tGme4upnAgBVQpuDjYhFgS4yBGNjgk_BXKhaeoy1jTFl9qjx7iM3I/s1600-h/Happy-Money-Guy%5B5%5D.gif"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Happy-Money-Guy" border="0" alt="Happy-Money-Guy" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TPguFX2EdHI/AAAAAAAAAis/5j6IPje46Qg/Happy-Money-Guy_thumb%5B3%5D.gif?imgmax=800" width="150" height="152" /></a></p> <p>Income after taxes: 10,768.46 kr. ($1,957.90)</p> <p>Amount left after the fixed bills are paid (not including electricity, phone bill, public transportation, et.al.):  4,229.56 kr. ($769)</p> <p>Snowflaking toward debt: 500 kr. ($90)</p> <p>Snowflaking toward savings: 500 kr. ($90)</p> <p>Budgeting for presents this Christmas: 850 kr. ($154.50)</p> <p>Buffer: 300 kr. ($54.50)</p> <p>Week 1: <font color="#008000">400 kr. ($72)</font></p> <p>Week 2: <font color="#008000">400 kr. ($72)</font></p> <p>Week 3: <font color="#008000">400 kr. ($72)</font></p> <p>Week 4: <font color="#008000">400 kr. ($72)</font></p> <p>Week 5: <font color="#008000">400 kr. ($72)</font></p> <p>This post probably makes more sense to me than to any of my readers. But I really needed to break it down in the above manner. For my own sake. This probably isn’t the most exciting post, so feel free to browse around my sidebar and my archives for more informative posts. This post was, admittedly, solely for me and my overview. And for my peace of mind.</p> DH @ The Money Blog Revisitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857118129605096015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091651814198669132.post-79651138476913273892010-12-01T12:20:00.000+01:002011-01-01T09:37:08.172+01:0030 Easy Ways To Save Money - Day 3: Brown-Bagging Lunch<p>So over a year ago I started this blogging series called <a href="http://mymoneyandsavingsblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/30-easy-ways-to-save-money-am-i-doing.html" target="_blank">30 Easy Ways To Save Money – Am I Doing All Of Them???</a>, that tackled Dumb Little Man’s blog post <a href="http://www.dumblittleman.com/2008/01/30-easy-ways-to-save-money-and-no-you.html">30 Easy Ways to Save Money (and No, you are not doing them all!)</a> and the 30 different savings tips that were presented there. I’m a huge fan of serial posts, so I wanted to dedicate a blog post for each individual entry on the list. The time has come for no. 3 – or Day 3, as I happened to call it back then. I had it in my head that I wanted to do this over a 30 day period. Obviously, *ahem* it’s been a little longer than that ;) But anyways, I’ll go ahead and continue this blogging series, as I think they are immensely fun. </p> <p><strong></strong></p> <p><strong>A few notes before we begin:</strong> </p> <ul> <li>The original and first post <a href="http://mymoneyandsavingsblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/30-easy-ways-to-save-money-am-i-doing.html">30 Easy Ways To Save Money – Am I Doing All Of Them???</a> was written on April 21, 2009. </li> <li>The second post entitled <a href="http://mymoneyandsavingsblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/30-easy-ways-to-save-money-day-2-coffee.html">30 Easy Ways To Save Money - Day 2: Coffee</a> was written, as far as I can see on my blogger dashboard, on April 22, 2009. </li> </ul> <p> </p> <p>So the logic behind the Day 1 and Day 2 was pretty much there at the beginning :)</p> <p> </p> <p>I’m however going to disappoint you people who are expecting a daily posting on this series, as I am not of yet, a daily blogger. Due to time constraints I currently only blog 1-2 times a week. This blog is, of yet, just for pleasure, not for pay, so I’m taking my time and taking it easy with all my postings. I’m thoroughly stressed out enough in my real life as it is, I don’t want my blog to contribute in any way to that as well. So don’t expect Speedy Gonzales when it comes to this blogging series. It’ll probably take a while :) But anyways, I’m happy. And I’m enjoying it. So that’s the most important part.</p> <p> </p> <p>On we go.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong><font size="5">This is Day 3</font></strong> on my series “<a href="http://mymoneyandsavingsblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/30-easy-ways-to-save-money-am-i-doing.html">30 Easy Ways To Save Money – Am I Doing All Of Them???</a> based on Dumb Littles Man’s list of 30 different ways to save money.</p> <p> </p> <ul> <li><strong>3.</strong> “<a href="http://www.dumblittleman.com/2008/01/30-easy-ways-to-save-money-and-no-you.html" target="_blank">Brown bag lunch at least a few days a week</a>: <em>Lunch times are great opportunities to network and make connections that could improve your career growth. So unless there is a common eating area for brown baggers, you may choose to limit brown bagging lunch to three days each week. Find a balance between saving some money and making the connection. In my case, I take my lunch with me 2-3 times a week and eat out the rest of the time.”</em> </li> </ul> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TPHNvF9QgWI/AAAAAAAAAig/SDHufx8BjnU/s1600-h/brown%20bag%20lunch%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="brown bag lunch" border="0" alt="brown bag lunch" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TPHNvtM_7FI/AAAAAAAAAik/1azsddGkHCU/brown%20bag%20lunch_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="163" /></a></p> <p align="center"><font size="1">Quoted from original post at: </font><a href="http://www.dumblittleman.com/2008/01/30-easy-ways-to-save-money-and-no-you.html"><font size="1">Dumb Little Man</font></a><font size="1">, Photo: <a href="http://www.mybadpad.com/save-it/frugal-tips-when-does-100-133" target="_blank">brown bagging.</a></font></p> <p>No one knows this, but I actually brown-bagged my lunch for a while at first when I began my new job. I eventually reverted, because of the very reason that was stated in the above. Lunch for us at my job was centered around the in-house cafeteria. A lot of socializing and networking and old-fashioned cameraderie would take place revolving around the in-house cafeteria, and for a young just-out-of-university newly hired employee who was ambitious and driven, this was unfortunately too good of an opportunity to pass up. <strong>BUT!!! </strong>I consiously have made this decision, so I am well aware of the fact, that I have to make up for it in another area of my life – so I only eat bread for dinner. My daily <em>hot meal</em> is eaten at lunch at the cafeteria, and when I get home in the evenings I eat bread with some meat slice or spread. That’s my dinner. So I’m completely aware of the fact that, if you have to choose one thing and make that a priority (for your career), then something else must go. Which I’m fine with. </p> <p> </p> <p>So there you have it my thoughts in this particular saving tip. This wasn’t actually how I wanted this blog post to go, as I would rather have taken the specific saving tip to heart, and tried it out in my real life, so that I could save. However, on this particular post, I ‘ve had to put my foot down, and state that I’ve already done this, but that it however was not the right way for me to go in this particular stage in my life. I however have made compensations in another area of my life - to even out the fact.</p> <p> </p> <p>So there you go, my Day 3 on this blogging series of mine. I look forward to the next time :) See you there.</p> DH @ The Money Blog Revisitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857118129605096015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091651814198669132.post-81851157182003539342010-11-27T22:43:00.001+01:002010-11-27T22:43:03.738+01:00Spending Habits: How much money I have spent this week (November 22-28, 2010)<p>This is a weekly review of my spending habits for the week of Nov.22-28, 2010. </p> <table border="2" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="400"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200">Date</td> <td valign="top" width="200">Amount</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200">Monday Nov. 22</td> <td valign="top" width="200">$24.50</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200">Tuesday Nov. 23</td> <td valign="top" width="200">$24</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200">Wednesday Nov. 24</td> <td valign="top" width="200">$15</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200">Thursday Nov. 25</td> <td valign="top" width="200">$43</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200">Friday Nov. 26</td> <td valign="top" width="200">$37</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200">Saturday Nov. 27</td> <td valign="top" width="200">$0</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200">Sunday Nov. 28</td> <td valign="top" width="200">$0</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p>TOTAL: $143.50</p> <p>The last 2 weeks I’ve made similar posts: </p> <p><a href="http://mymoneyandsavingsblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/spending-habits-how-much-money-i-have_14.html">Spending Habits: How much money I have spent this week (November 8-14, 2010)</a> </p> <p><a href="http://mymoneyandsavingsblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/spending-habits-how-much-money-i-have_21.html">Spending Habits: How much money I have spent this week (November 15-21, 2010)</a></p> <p>This is week 3 of my expense tracking:</p> <p>On Week 1 I spent $80.</p> <p>On Week 2 I spent $189.</p> <p>On Week 3 I spent $143.50.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong><font size="4">Final Thoughts</font></strong></p> <p>I started this rigorous expense tracking 3 weeks ago to take a closer, introspective look at how I was spending my money. Very honestly and very openly. I’ve already had a couple of those “aha” or “Eureka” moments during  these weeks. I normally pay attention to what I spend, but when you’re living on around $537 a month after all fixed expenses are paid (not including phone bills, electricity, or food) , you not only have to pay attention…you  really have to <em><strong>control</strong></em> every single coin and bill that goes out of your wallet. Keeping a close eye on every cent you spend. So this expense tracking has really helped me get a clear and concrete overview (one that I realize I needed) of how much money I spend daily and weekly. </p> <p> I realize that I spend on average $75 a week. However, this average is misleading as I was sick on the first week. So the average should be based more on the last 2 weeks, which should be $166.25.</p> <p>So I realize I spend on average around $166.25 a week.</p> <p>I realize that I should budget for $181 on average a week - to give myself a realistic buffer. </p> <p>However, $181 a week would be $724 a month, and as mentioned above, I only have around $537 a month to spend. So no wonder I’m in the hole right now and having difficulty beginning my paybacks to my Dad. I really needed to see this black-on-white. I’ll have to take a good look at my paycheck next month, take a look at the bills I need to pay (because I know that there’s a $124 annual bill that’s coming up very soon), and then budget weekly. What I mean by that is make a budget for each week. And take an overview every fortnight, as well as weekly & monthly. Just to really keep a close eye -and close hold- on my spendings.</p> <p> </p> <p>Well, that’s all for now. Bye, again.</p> DH @ The Money Blog Revisitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857118129605096015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091651814198669132.post-22535306498382340672010-11-24T19:29:00.001+01:002010-11-24T19:41:30.708+01:0025 FREE Things To Do When It’s Snowing<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUg0LL-T8378EHN673Srp3-540Te_pxz9LR5oQOiSve3rp6EsLYh4EyH17Mhgcf2v7_3xQK1WTEPo5uiC9SA1bdez7om_qOjLVScbdqEcILp1qVtpYmp71OrmpuRYUjCT-cKfosr2UfjFQ/s1600-h/winter-days-tree%5B14%5D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="winter-days-tree" border="0" alt="winter-days-tree" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TO1ZkKSweOI/AAAAAAAAAh0/RU1QQwpsid0/winter-days-tree_thumb%5B12%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="187" /></a></p> <p align="center"><font size="1">Photo credit: <a href="http://www.eyefetch.com/image.aspx?ID=1048105" target="_blank">Alexey</a></font></p> <p>So it’s been snowing heavily these past few days, and I must admit, I thoroughly  enjoy the snow! :) It’s cold, yeah, but its’ cozy (indoors) and lots of fun (outdoors)! :)</p> <p>Here are 25 activities that you can do for <strong><em>FREE</em></strong> in this wonderful snowy winter season:</p> <p> </p> <h1><strong>OUTDOORS</strong></h1> <p><font size="4"><strong>Casual</strong></font></p> <p>1. Snowball fight. </p> <p>2. Build a snowman.</p> <p>3. Make snow angels.</p> <p>4. Go sleighing down a hill.</p> <p>5. Go for a walk in nature and enjoy the pristine, newly fallen snow in the fields or in the forest.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong><font size="4">Hobby </font></strong></p> <p>6. Ice fishing.</p> <p>7. Ice sculpting</p> <p> </p> <p><font size="4"><strong>Sports</strong></font></p> <p>8. Ice hockey.</p> <p>9. Ice skating.</p> <p>10. Go skiing.</p> <p>11. Go snowboarding.</p> <p>12. Go bobsledding. </p> <p> </p> <h1><font style="font-weight: bold">INDOORS</font></h1> <p><font size="4"><strong>Art, literature, music & film</strong></font></p> <p>13. Read a good book</p> <p>14. Paint a picture</p> <p>15. Curl up in front of the television and watch your favorite movie or tv-series.</p> <p>16. Listen to some good music as you look out the window at the beautiful snowfall.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong><font size="4">Drink</font></strong></p> <p>17. Drink hot cocoa – preferably with whipped cream.</p> <p>18. Make a good cup of coffee to warm yourself up.</p> <p>19. Make tea and make it a little extra special by adding honey, a lemon slice or other fruit like berries. </p> <p> </p> <p><font size="4"><strong>Food</strong></font></p> <p>20. Bake (and eat!) wonderfully warm bread, cakes, cookies, muffins or pies. </p> <p>21. Eat delicious hot soup to get yourself warmed up again.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong><font size="4">Love</font></strong></p> <p>22. (<em>If</em> there’s a fire place somewhere in sight) curl up with your loved one in front of the fire. </p> <p>23. Sit down to a romantic candlelight dinner just the two of you. </p> <p>24. Curl up under the warm sheets and watch a good movie together.</p> <p>25. Drink a glass of wine each and sit by the window to enjoy the beautiful white cityscape, landscape or just the snowfall.</p> <p> </p> <p><em><font size="2">Disclaimer: For some of the activities on the list to be free would require that you actually have the necessary things at home already lying around, like say, for example reading a good book wouldn’t actually be a free activity, if you went out and had to buy the book first, nor would the skiing be free if you had to go out and buy a pair of skis first. So you get what I mean ;)</font></em></p> <p><em></em></p> <p>There you have it 25 free, fun and romantic ideas for activities to do when it’s snowing outside. I’ll be heading off again – to embark on a combination of activities #17 & #18 – I’m off to make myself <strong><em>a good cup of coffee <u>with</u> hot cocoa</em></strong> to warm myself up. And afterwards I think I’ll grab a chair by the window to enjoy the wonderful winter wonderland outside. Have a good, cozy evening everyone!</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TO1Zk3BiwOI/AAAAAAAAAh4/kRL0EV2syps/s1600-h/cup-of-coffee-heart-cozy-winter%5B6%5D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="cup-of-coffee-heart-cozy-winter" border="0" alt="cup-of-coffee-heart-cozy-winter" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_lZ9pKiroPIk/TO1ZlUdFsSI/AAAAAAAAAh8/Chi2I_ubVps/cup-of-coffee-heart-cozy-winter_thumb%5B4%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="163" /></a></p> <p align="center"><font size="1">Photo credit: <a href="http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/coffee" target="_blank">coffee</a></font></p> <p><strong><font size="5">What do you think? Do you have any good ideas for FREE fun things to do when it’s snowing outside? I’d love to hear some of your suggestions. Do feel free to leave a comment below. </font></strong></p> DH @ The Money Blog Revisitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857118129605096015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091651814198669132.post-31953126876622272532010-11-21T19:46:00.001+01:002010-11-21T19:57:58.541+01:00Spending Habits: How much money I have spent this week (November 15-21, 2010)<p>This is a weekly review of my spending habits for the week of Nov.15-21, 2010. </p> <table border="2" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="400"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200">Date</td> <td valign="top" width="200">Amount</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200">Monday Nov. 15</td> <td valign="top" width="200">$43.50</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200">Tuesday Nov. 16</td> <td valign="top" width="200">$0</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200">Wednesday Nov. 17</td> <td valign="top" width="200">$33</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200">Thursday Nov. 18</td> <td valign="top" width="200">$33.50</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200">Friday Nov. 19</td> <td valign="top" width="200">$39</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200">Saturday Nov. 20</td> <td valign="top" width="200">$40</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200">Sunday Nov. 21</td> <td valign="top" width="200">$0</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p>TOTAL: $189</p> <p>Last weekend I made a similar post  named <a href="http://mymoneyandsavingsblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/spending-habits-how-much-money-i-have_14.html">Spending Habits: How much money I have spent this week (November 8-14, 2010)</a>. </p> <p>I began only just last week to rigorously track my expenses everyday. This is week 2 of my expense tracking.</p> DH @ The Money Blog Revisitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857118129605096015noreply@blogger.com0