So after one of my favorite PF Bloggers (KrystalAtWork)  went the Jillian Michaels route, I thought I’d give it a try.

I am pretty healthy. I have a BMI of 21.9 and have no problems doing weights and cardio on a fairly regular basis.  I am mostly good about eating healthy and staying away from super junky food.  Being vegetarian also helps! Also, the DVD cost $11.00, which I thought was a pretty good deal.

I popped in the DVD and got ready to get my @$$ kicked.  The hubby joined in the fun too! He thinks Jillian Michaels is HOT so I figured we could both benefit.  Level 1 wasnt bad….AT ALL.  My only downfall is the push-ups.  I cannot do push ups consistently to save my life!  Doing flys and  about 25lbs is easy. I just can’t do the push up! Grrr…. So I ended up doing 1/2 regular and 1/2 girlie push ups.  I did not get as winded as I would have liked.  tonight’s another session and I think we will have to move up to level 2 pretty soon.

I woke up this morning with slightly sore muscles (YAY.)  I’m excited to try out another session.  I may have to buy 5lb free weights. I have 2 x 3lb weights (I used last night) and a few 10lb plates that I can’t use for this without risk of injuring the dogs, the hubby or myself.

Pretty damn cool…. Pretty damn simple…. I’m liking it!

#1  My job has been a zoo! Too much work, not enough time, not enough help. but hey, I’m employed…so no complaints there.

#2 My CFP classes have been kicking into full gear.

#3 I got engaged!  Ha! Yes, it happened.  And I couldn’t be happier. Had a really bad stomach flu and the bf wakes me up at 6am with a bunch of flowers and a ring and says “I love you and will be there for you in sickness (hahaha) and in health.”

#4  I got married!  Yup, you heard right folks!  Engaged on 12/24 and married 1/1.  And in case you’re wondering, I’m not preggers.

Our wedding was the best damn party this side of Lake Michigan!  The best part about it was that it was awesomely intimate, fun and reasonable.  We entertained 30 guests with appetizers, dinner, dessert and drinks for under $2,500.  This amount included decor, the bow ties for our doggies, the booze, flowers, his suit, my dress, plates, cups, napkins, chairs and the judge. We had a blast! Our guests had a blast! Most importantly, we didn’t break the bank.

So, yeah, thats why I’ve been out of the loop.  I will earnestly try to post more promptly.  And yeah, as much as I thought married life was for the birds, I’m loving it!

*This was not an impulse buy by any means.  My current running shoes are on their last, well, soles and I need a new pair. In fact, I was telling ex-bf the night before after our run that my shoes were wrecked. Of course, I also have weak shins and knees and these shoes address those issues. So there!*

Vibram Five Finger Classic

At First Look

I sent the link to my sis who is the ultimate fashionista. She threatened to disown me and blathered something about me turning into a hippie or something like that…. Oh yeah and that if I ever intend on picking up a guy at gym I better think twice cos no man’s gonna come up to me with weirdo shoes like that…. (Sometimes I wonder how the hell we’re sisters but whatever )

Anyhow, seeing these babies in person were something else. My first thought – “Geez, I’m gonna have caveman feet!”  The toes and sole are rubber with very interesting looking bottoms.  Before you actually put them on, they kind of contort and look very odd.  They are incredibly light and flexible which, I assume, would be great for running.  The color selection was decent.  I preferred the Grey/Orange combo.  The Classic model runs about USD$75.00 which isn’t too bad.

Actually wearing them

The sizing was very weird.  The site said to get your feet measured for the best fit.  The sales woman thought I would be fine in a Size 40.  I’ll be honest, I had a little bit of a hard time getting them on.  My pinky toes had minds of their own. No matter how what they kept going into the wrong toe hole.  It’s even weirder since I was wearing them without socks (which you’re supposed to do.) Finally, after snickering in the corner for 10 minutes, the sales woman comes over and tells me that the best way to put them on is to lay them flat and slide your feet into it and adjust.  I did, and a little pinky toe wrenching later, we were good to go. The 40′s were very snug, my toes were right up against the front of each little toe hole. With regular shoes it’s always good to have a little space but with these, having that snugger fit is better.  I bounced around the store a bit and they felt pretty good. I couldn’t bust out the running man right there (the store was too busy) so it was hard to tell if they would work on the treadmill.  After a few minutes I sorta lost feeling in my middle toe and figured I should size up.  She brought out the Size 42′s which I tried out too.  The only drawback was that they came in Black/Black only.

The Test Pattern

I bought them and tried them out at home. In between running up and down stairs, on carpet, hard wood and tile, they did pretty well. I was a little nervous about them putting too much pressure on the ball of my foot but they held up okay.  The only issue was that my pinky toes felt too stretched out, as in different zip codes kinda stretched out.  That’s fine for 10 minutes but after an hour, it hurts.  The instructions advise that you start off wearing the shoes for small amounts of time at first so your foot can adjust and strengthen.  I wore them for about 2 hours.

The Verdict

I plan on going back to the store and getting properly measured again. I think I’m in between sizes which is not ideal.  These shoes need to fit like a glove for them to work.  I am not ready to give up on them yet.  Check them out at Viberam Five Fingers.

Destructive Love

I know they say love is blind but is it stupid and naive too?  We’ve all done stupid things for love but you’ve got to draw the line somewhere.

This post is about JP (a fraternity brother of mine) and LL (his love interest.)  I lost touch with JP after college and recently found out that he lives in my neighborhood.  We  re acquainted and I got a chance to meet his lovely (then) girlfriend LL who was living with him.  JP lived an EXTRAVAGANT lifestyle. I’m talking a blinged out version of Jay-Z where “making it rain” was a full-time career.  The one time we went out together he dropped $450 on bottle service at a club. He drove a fancy Cadillac and spent money like water.  He worked as a regular minion at a software company doing sales type stuff. I’m almost positive that I made more than him.

Fast forward to last month.  LL messaged me on Facebook, devastated. I’m talking hysteria, tears, cartoon like drama.  I felt bad and suggested we go out to dinner. Over pad thai and wine she went into the gory details.

In short, JP was the world’s biggest douche bag.  He bought his condo (which he’s foreclosing on) and she completely furnished his apartment for him by putting close to $3k on her credit card.  (She works in the non-profit sector and makes very little.)  He insisted on buying a pure breed Boxer who has severe skin and food allergies.  LL bought all the food, paid for all the vet bills, etc.  When he lost his job she paid his mortgage and took care of his bills.  Turns out JP was a major player too… as in making Hugh Hefner look saintly…  He never took her to dinner (they had McDonald’s for her birthday) or treated her like she actually meant something.  He came home at 6am every other day and spent most of his time playing video games on the X Box she bought him.  The icing on the cake? When he lost his job and stood to lose his fancy Caddy, she CASHED OUT her 401(k) so that they wouldn’t repossess his ride.

And now he decided to kick her out.  Apparently, he found a new plaything and wanted her out. She had 3 days to pack up her stuff and leave.  He gave her an ultimatum… she can choose between the dog or the furniture but not both (knowing full well that she was very attached to and fully responsible for the dog.) Oh, and he gave her three checks for the money he owed her, told her to wait to cash them and then put stop payments on all of them.

By the end of dinner I didn’t know whether to hug her or strangle her for being so DUMB.

The rest of our dinner went something like this:

me: Look, I know its difficult but JP has completely taken advantage of you.  You have nothing in your 401(k) (which has penalties by the way,) your credit is ruined and who knows what issues you could potentially have cos of all his sleeping around!

LL: Yeah I *sniffle, sniffle* know! But I still love him! We could have been happy together!  But can you believe he wants me to choose between the furniture and the dog???!!!???  Maybe if I give him some time he’ll come around.  He has to realize how good I’ve been to him!!!!

I was beside myself.  I got the check, paid for dinner and walked her to her car.  I told her to call me if there’s anything she needed. She ended up moving to her own apartment and took the dog. I advised her against seeing him.  Hell, he wasn’t really dealing with her until he needed more money anyway.  Over the next few days/weeks, I would get random chats from her saying things like:

LL: man..i let JP see dog…big mistake

I got the Bad Credit Blues...

As credit restrictions are becoming more severe, its important to make sure that all the information on your file is accurate. One little error could end up costing you points off your FICO score which will end up costing you mucho dinero down the line. (Think insurance, apartment rentals, car loans – if you’re lucky to qualify….)

Step 1: Get a copy of your credit report
Step 2: Check for errors in payment, history, etc
Step 3: If you find an error, read on! If not – Congratulations! File/shred your report and get another a year from now!

HIGHLY recommended that disputes for all companies done over the web.

Official FTC Dispute Instructions:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre21.shtm

The 3 Credit Agencies

Transunion
Web: http://annualcreditreport.transunion.com/entry/disputeonline
Phone: 800-916-8800
By Mail:
Transunion Consumer Solutions
P. O. Box 2000
Chester, PA 19022

To get the mail in form, go to:
http://www.transunion.com/corporate/personal/creditDisputes/submitDispute/mail.page

Equifax
Web: http://tinyurl.com/d55fmb
Phone: 800-685-1111
By Mail:
Equifax Information Services, LLC
P. O. Box 740256
Atlanta, GA – 30374

Experian
Web: http://www.experian.com/disputes2/index.html
Phone: 888-397-3742
By Mail:
Experian operates in several regions. The only way to dispute information with Experian by mail is to first get your credit report and write to the address disclosed on the report.

I want it NOW!

It struck me recently that we are a generation of instant everything – emails, phone calls, shopping, you name it. Heck, even Starbucks fell prey and Via was born. In a way its convenient and great. I can respond to an email thirty seconds after getting it. I can view my life Ala Mint at a click of a button. But think of the mindset it creates.

If you’ve ever watched that Visa Checkcard commercial you see the evils of wasting time and not swiping that card for the instant cash and stuff. How many of those folks in the ad can really afford to swipe that card and get whatever they want? No one there is stopping to check the price or to ask themselves whether they really need the item they just picked up. Every one’s automatic and instant.

Our thirst for instant gratification may be our greatest downfall. A good portion of us grew up with great parents who gave us everything. We whined for that dollhouse, we got it, we expected that car at 16, that college education at 18 and got it. Now at a time when adults on the cusp of, or already in retirement are seeing their life savings WIPED, you begin to wonder how the generation afterwards are going to survive.

Didn’t we all graduate college with a giant sense of entitlement? Show me one person who after college didn’t immediately want the fancy clothes, the nice house, the fancy car? We expected ridiculous high paying jobs straight out of college. I know, I was one of them. (I didn’t succumb but I did think about it.) Our parents and grandparents worked their butts off to get what they have. Now we have the 20-30 somethings that expect all those things like yesterday. Why do you think we have insane amounts of credit card debt, ridiculous car payments and houses we cant keep?

This recession and economic downturn may be just what we needed to get our heads screwed on straight. We need to relearn the value of honest hard work and a dollar (w/inflation.) Principles and beliefs need to be adjusted and we need to get back to basics. The WSJ had a frightening article about the lengths people today have to go to just to get a job. See here. This is the first time since WW2 that we are really counting our blessings and being grateful for what we have. I hope from here on out, we learn that if we want something, we work and save up for it. Our country already shouldered us with a tremendous amount of debt with wars and bailouts. I hope that as individuals, we don’t do the same thing to ourselves and retire the mindset of instant everything in the areas of our life that will hurt us.

First off, I am anti label. I refuse to wear anything that has giant logos splashed all over. For the record, I think the Coach, Louis Vuiton, Gucci logos are lame.  I dont like the design, I dont like the colors and I just refuse to pay an arm and a leg for the name. In fact, my sister (who LOVES labels) bought me a very subtle Coach bag for my birthday. I refused to take it and she thought I was nuts!

But, it’s very good quality you say?

It very well may be good quality but c’mon, who are we kidding?  Those labels aren’t shouting out “YoooHoo, look at me, I’m great quality!”  No, its saying I’m rich and don’t care that I’m dropping a freaking fortune on a purse!  If it were about JUST quality then why would LV destroy extra merchandise instead of just discounting?  Talk about a waste of resources there….

Does that mean I’m cheap?

If I see something that I like and I CAN AFFORD IT without carrying credit card debt, then I will buy it. It’s that simple.  Of course, I give myself contemplation time to see if I really need said item. If after 24hrs/10 days/whatever, I would most likely got out and buy it.  Now, my rule of thumb is that I will not spend one weeks salary on a consumer item. But that’s just me.  I recently bought a purse. I stalked purses for MONTHS, not kidding.  I agonized and ached over style, quality, color and most importantly price.  I finally settled on the Butler Bag which I absolutely love!

The final price was $85 without tax and shipping.  Now to me, the price was right and the bag fit my needs. I splurge on good shoes and jeans (I live in them!) and think that’s fine.  I’m about function, purpose and quality. I simply don’t need to pay to be a walking billboard.

Up until Dec ’08 I thought insurance was an evil entity designed to suck the funds out of your wallet for that odd chance of something catastrophic happening.  My ex bf’s parent’s home burned down.  We’re talking about a barely got out alive, barefoot in -30F Chicago weather kind of burned down.  The house was destroyed and they were homeless.
And then came Farmers Insurance (cue cheesy music.)  We were adequately insured and Farmer’s helped us get a place for them to live, paid out for the complete reconstruction of the homFe. They  will move in a little later this year.  They now have a beautiful home that wouldn’t have been possible had they chosen some shady insurance company with little to no coverage.  That being said, finding the right insurance coverage is kind of like playing musical chairs in the dark with no music… and no chairs… It is a frustrating experience….

How to get the right insurance coverage at the right price…

Credit Scores

Insurance companies WILL check your credit scores when they insure you.  If you’re missing your payments and don’t care what’s happening on your credit file, chances are that you wouldn’t care about your driving record or making sure your home is maintained, etc.  A bad credit score can end up costing you at least $200 extra in premiums for them to cover you!

Which Company to go with?

There are a lot of choices out there for insurance.  You can go with the mom and pop insurance company with a shady payout ratio and history of claim denial or you could go with the larger companies that have better financial standings and ratings.  I check out insurance company ratings at AM Best before deciding calling up the agent.  A quick google finance search of the company will also give you an idea of their financial situation if they are publicly traded.

I found a company, now what?

Look online or in the phone directory and call up your nearest agent.  The next step is to open up your trusty old excel workbook and start listing your policy details.  This is a mock-up of my actual policy workbook.

Insurance workbook for easier comparison

Insurance companies have various names for the same coverage. It’s important to sit down with  the agent and go line by line over each item. Don’t be embarrassed to ask questions.  You’re paying for the coverage, why not understand what youre paying for?

How much insurance is enough?

Make sure you are adequately covered.  If your home is worth $1 mill, dont insure it for the bare minimum required. You’ll pay the price if something happens.

On your autos, if you are driving around a junky old car, dont buy comprehensive coverage.  If you have assets, buy more than the state required minimum coverage.  Chances are, if you’re in an accident and it’s your fault, the injured party’s medical bills alone will eat through your policy pretty quick.

Consider an umbrella policy if you have substantial assets as this coverage kicks in when your first policy depleted.

Make sure you clarify whether you are getting an actual cash value or a replacement cost on your policy.  Lets say someone breaks into your home and steals your stereo system that cost you $1,000 in 1984.  Under actual cash value, the insurance company will say that the stereo was only worth $30 and will give you that amount.  Under replacement cost, they will ascertain a fair price for a comparable stereo in today’s dollars and pay out accordingly.

Check if you qualify for other discounts.

Often, insurance companies will give you a break on premiums if you insure your home and auto with them.  Is your kid getting good grades? Mention that for a better rate.  Take a defensive driving course.  These courses cost very little and can save you a decent amount on your coverage.  Are you a Gamma Alpha Zeta Mu Mu alum?  Ask if they have a discount for that.  Mention that you have a home alarm system and a fire extinguisher in your home.  All those count too!

Check and Recheck your coverage and policies

The biggest mistake people make is not checking whether their coverage is up to date.  With falling home prices, you need to adjust your coverage to fit the lower values.  Don’t feel compelled to stick with the same agent or company. Shop around using your trusty excel workbook and make sure you’re getting the best deal for the coverage.  I have taken my business to 3 different companies in the last 4 years.  My average savings are between $2,000 to $3,000 over the life of my policies.  Taking the time out to do the homework will help you understand what you’re paying for and how to make the most of your coverage at the right price.

Who am I?

I am a woman with ties to 4 different cultures. I’ve grown up a product of a multifaceted cultural, historical, economic and social universe.  In my 20 something years I’ve learned that true freedom comes from financial independence and a recognition of the difference between wants and needs.  My job consists of number crunching, personality management and strategic flair.  I love what I do, am good at it and am always looking to be a better person.

Snapshot of the Financials…

I am passionate about making sure I’m financially stable.  I put myself through college using good grades (scholarships) and working full time.  I opened credit cards and used them wisely (never carried a balance and didnt buy stuff I couldnt afford). I bought my first property, socked money away, invested a little in the stock market and took money out of every paycheck for my 401(k) and now my Roth.

Other words I try to live by…

There’s plenty ‘o’ drama in this world, try to simplify life by not adding to it.  If friendships become one sided, cut that out.  If your work is draining you, change the situation. If you’re stuck in a professional rut, go back to school.  Find time for self reflection.  And finally, if you’re hit by a bus tomorrow, what will you remember about your life?  What will others remember about you. Be the best person you can be and if you’re doing something you’d be ashamed to tell your mom about, don’t do it.