Owner: This Writer's Wallet URL:http://www.thiswriterswallet.com Join Date: Sun, 27 Apr 2008 12:42:58 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: I’m Grad Girl, often known as GG, a 20-something Chicagoan with a recent graduate degree in a writing-based field. At my blog, I chart my saving, spending and learning journey for you. Site statistics:Click here
Cool Site: Credit Card Research 2008-06-03 19:09:04 I’ve been thinking for a few months now about getting a credit card, but the one thing stopping me is that I don’t know which to go with! It’s not like I have to get one or like I’m in a big rush, so I can do this when I feel like. As I think [...] Read more:Research
, Credit Card
How Movies Set Us Up To Want 2008-06-03 14:51:51 If you, like me, find yourself more interested in movie characters’ real estate or wardrobes than the plots or story line, you’ll appreciate this post over at Escape Brooklyn.
In it, she cites a recent MSN Money article that points out the discrepancies between what movie/tv characters have and what they supposedly do for a living.
Among [...]
I’m Not Giving Up on My Jetta 2008-06-05 08:09:25 The car dealership figured out what’s wrong with my car: a burned-out clutch. This is very good news. Why?
(a) They can fix it. (b) It’s under warranty. = $0 and I don’t have to get a new car.
I can keep driving my paid-off vehicle AND there’s even more good news!
Apparently, a burned-out clutch wastes fuel. [...] Read more:Giving
New Reason to Use Mint 2008-06-06 18:42:13 I got an e-mail today that Mint’s beta version of investment tracking is available!
Previously, I could see my balance in my portfolios, but I couldn’t track the individual stocks without logging into my Scottrade accounts. Now, Mint does it for me, complete with color-coded charts, etc. (Note to self: the experts are right, over time, [...] Read more:Reason
Now and Later, Biblically 2008-06-08 06:39:30 2 Corinthians 9:6
The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
Goal reached! 2008-06-07 17:29:17 Take a look at the sidebars to the right, and you’ll see my Cali Vacation! fund is at 99% ($991 out of the $1000 saved), thanks to some recent eBaying. I’m just going to leave it at $991 for the next week and then transfer it all back to my bank account, where I can [...]
I am not going to a wedding this morning. 2008-06-07 07:49:21 A few months ago, I made a command decision: if I don’t know someone (i.e., if I ran into them, I’d feel weird going over and saying hi), I don’t have to go to their wedding
s/baby showers/graduation parties. It’s the time of year for that sort of thing, and, especially when you travel in my [...] Read more:not going
Weekend Buys 2008-06-09 06:32:15 $140 Clothing: Because I believe in buying quality over quantity and because I’ve been very, very good about clothing purchases over the last few months, I splurged at Nordstrom’s this weekend:
Deep blue dress by Lush, $44
Black t-shirt dress by Lush, $40
White 3/4-length jacket, $30
$0 Entertainment: Didn’t spend a dime and still had one of the [...] Read more:Weekend
Job-Hunting while Employed: the other perspective 2008-06-10 06:11:17 In the PF-blogging world, they tell you never to let an employer know you have another job offer/possibility unless you’re serious about leaving. This is because you’ll essentially be telling your employers you’re hunting and they’ll assume you’re not that committed to your current position. Makes sense, right? I’ve planned to follow this advice, should [...] Read more:Employed
Who Am I? (and other 20-something reflections) 2008-06-11 06:40:43 Sometimes I feel like I’m still trying to figure out my place in the world, like where I fit, which is weirder and weirder as I get older.
City life, country life and suburban life all have strong appeal, and I could see myself doing any of them.
I like Europe and I like America; I like [...] Read more:something
In which she digresses, again. 2008-06-12 22:35:05 My little brother is graduating from college. He’s doing everything smarter than I did, gaining a degree in a reputable field, finishing summa cum laude, happy to take off a month before worrying about getting his job.
He’s just so, smart. And I’m proud of him.
I think, if the world had more of kids like him [...]
2 Quick, Easy Recipes from the Blogging World 2008-06-12 08:18:45 At the end of the day, I’m a pretty simple girl. I like food to taste good, and I like it to be easy–whether that means I’m making it quickly or someone else is making it for me. (Remember, pizza is still the meal I love best.)
And lately, I’ve really taken to finding one particular [...] Read more:Quick
, Blogging
, World
Advice from Dostoevsky 2008-06-16 08:01:55 “…a youth of our last epoch– that is, honest in nature, desiring the truth, seeking for it and believing in it, and seeking to serve it at once with all the strength of his soul, seeking for immediate action, and ready to sacrifice everything, life itself, for it. Though these young men fail to understand [...]
My Weekend Wallet 2008-06-17 06:29:44 The biggest lesson I learned this weekend was more of a reminder: I have got to let go. All weekend, I was thinking how I was spending a lot of money; it just felt like it was really adding up because I was spending so frequently. I ate out 7-8 times, which is a little [...] Read more:Weekend
I Asked for a Raise, and Here’s What Happened. 2008-06-18 21:33:03 OK, blogging buddies: Thank you again to everyone (especially Full-Grown Single and Ronnie Ann) who weighed in on my March post, When Do You Deserve a Raise?
I had written it to express my frustration with an employee who wanted, but I didn’t think earned, an increase, and you wrote back with strong instructions for my [...]
Do People Go into Debt for Wedding Rings? 2008-06-18 06:46:33 My out-of-town friend this weekend, in passing, was telling me about her future diamond. “I don’t care if he has to go into debt for it,” she said. “It better be big!”
I laughed, and told her that she better be joking. She was joking, right? She just laughed.
This is something I’ve never even heard in [...] Read more:Rings
What I Loved on My Summer Vacation, by GG 2008-06-27 06:12:27 Dear Blogging World,
As you know, this summer, I went on a long weekend to California, after saving up and budgeting $1000, a little here and a little there. On my trip, we stayed at a swanky hotel, ate some fabulous food and toured San Francisco, Sausalito, Napa, Sonoma and the Muir Woods.
It was really nice [...] Read more:Summer
, Vacation
What I Aspire to Be: 2008-06-26 21:13:58 A big old YAWN.
That’s right: I’d like to be plain old vanilla, boring as can be. What does that mean? Well, I’d like to be a young, prosperous, frugal girl who lives on less than she makes and gives more to others.
According to Kiplinger’s, I’m not alone.
Hat Tip: I just read this in my Bloglines, [...]
Grand Total to Vacation: $817 2008-06-26 19:09:03 The good news is that this is way under budget, as expected. How did I spend that $817 on my trip; where did the money go? After some quick analysis tonight, here’s what I discovered:
PREPAID SPENDING:
$54 Flights
$330 Hotel
ON-TRIP SPENDING:
$193.40 Food (We took turns paying, without too much of the nickel-and-dime business)
$82.43 Clothes (Total
ly unprepared for [...] Read more:Vacation
, Grand
I’m Back from Cali! 2008-06-24 23:33:15 It’s always seemed strange to me, on returning from a trip to a new place, that my regular life should remain unchanged when I return. I’ve been to San Francisco, now! I’ve walked through vineyards in Napa! I’ve driven through Berkeley and dined in Sausalito! Over a few days, I experienced temperatures ranging from 90s [...]
SF Tips from a Real SF Girl! 2008-06-23 06:42:35 Intro: Who better than a SF native to give you tips on the city? I am such a big fan of SF Money Musings. She’s a writer. She loves good food. She gives fabulous, frugal, fun tips on her city. We are so sympatico (and I’m probably tasting some of these bakeries right now, if [...]
SF Tips from Kim! 2008-06-20 06:32:20 Intro: I’m a big fan of Kim’s Kitchen Sink. Kim’s awesome. She works at Google, she likes lists and she makes me laugh. And as a Cali native, Kim was quick to help me out with San Francisco tips for my upcoming trip. PLUS: even though she’s on her big NY trip, she was also [...]
I’m leaving for Cali tomorrow! 2008-06-19 07:51:55 I can’t believe it’s been three months since I posted about my upcoming Cali trip. Tomorrow is the day I take off, and I’m so excited!
Having saved my full goal of $1000, I am financially prepared to take in all this long weekend has to offer. San Fransisco, here I come!
Here’s the breakdown of [...] Read more:tomorrow
Do You Do Dumb Stuff at Work? 2008-07-10 06:25:02 So, in the course of yesterday’s work day, my behavior was borderline freakish, I’m being serious. I honestly don’t know what was wrong with me, but I embarrassed myself not once, not twice, but a grand total of six times.
Here’s the rundown:
1. I misunderstood a caller’s name, talking with him for a good 10 minutes [...]
Money Hacks Carnival #19 2008-07-09 22:24:24 My recent post about loaning friends money (or not loaning, to be specific) is part of this week’s Money
Hacks Carnival
over at MoneyHackers.net.
Go on over and check it out!
Quote of the Day, from Mark Twain 2008-07-09 06:47:11 “Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.”
- Mark Twain
HT: Brip Blap Read more:Quote
I spend about $.10 per mile to commute 2008-07-08 08:26:31 Squawkfox posted a handy tool the other day, the Gas-Mileage Calculator, which will show you just what gas prices are costing you.
I drive about 15 miles each way to work (give or take) and spend roughly $.10 each mile. In other words, I spend $3 a day (not counting tolls, which add another $1.60 each [...]
Finally! A use for bridesmaids’ dresses 2008-07-07 06:45:46 I’ve already been in three weddings, and while I love the couples, I have no intention of ever wearing the dresses I had to purchase again (*shudder*).
Combined, I think we’re talking about $400ish I put into these gowns, and now they just hang in my storage closet, collecting dust, never to be worn again.
Last [...] Read more:Finally
On Loaning Friends Money (or, I’d rather give) 2008-07-06 08:01:31 True story: A couple years ago, someone I know asked someone else I know (let’s say persons A & B) for a favor. Desperate, tears running down his face, A asked B for $20,000+ to help finish his new home and to cover unexpected medical costs for his child.
B loaned him the money.
Weeks went by. [...] Read more:Money
, Friends
A Video Blog Round-Up 2008-07-05 16:42:33 I’m always honored when people include me in blogging round-ups, but this time I’m also WOWed.
Randy over at Watch my Money Maker (who was so helpful when I moved this site to its own domain) has created a VIDEO round-up of his favorite PF blog posts this week. You seriously should go check it out. [...]
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