The Secret To Wealth on Any Budget

via daaaabe

Times are tough. Money is tight. But you still want to have a little fun. That’s what money’s for right? How can you trim your spending in a way that still makes you feel fulfilled in your purchasing power and have some leftover for fun nights out? Here are some tips to keep you in check.

Know Your Budget
I live by my budget. It’s how I know when I can afford to go out or not, and is built around my needs so they’re always taken care of. If you don’t have a good budget, spend some time making an excel sheet or just sketch one out by hand. Take into account all your monthly expenses – rent or mortgage, utilities, groceries, car payments, gas, student loans, public transit, gym membership, credit card payment – all the things you regularly need to spend on. I suggest trying to make sure you put money into a savings account every month, even if it’s a small amount, so factor that into your needs as well. Now subtract that from your monthly income. What’s left over is your fun money. If you’re spending more money than you’re making, try to trim some of your expenditures, like taking public transit or giving up your gym membership. The important thing is to know, and monitor, those numbers. I use the geekerific, free Quicken Online for the handy pie charts and graphs.

Avoid Shopping Addictions
This one seems obvious, but it lurks just below the surface of all of us. If you consistently make purchases just when you’re having a bad day or have a closet full of clothes you’ve never even taken the tags off of, take a hard look at your spending. It’s easy to get into a spending = happiness spiral, and really hard to get out, especially if you’ve got some debt riding on that. Seek professional help if you feel that you may have or are at risk.

How to Impulse Buy Without Blowing it
I know, I should be telling you not to impulse buy right? Sometimes though, a little shopping therapy can go a long way. The key is to not take your credit card in the store. If you know you need a pick me up, take out cash of what you can spare, $10, $20, $50, or whatever, and leave the rest of your wallet in the car. Now you can spend that money any way you want. You still get something fun, and stay within your budget.

Know What you Value
Do you have a shoe addiction, or are you a bag lady? Do you need every new video game when it’s released, or are you more of a movie person? Make space in your budget for what you love to do, and prioritize those spending purchases over other slightly less fun things. You’ll feel more rewarded in your purchases and stretch your dollars a little further by enjoyment.

Saving for a Goal vs Saving for Nothing
I’m one of those people who gets an insane amount of joy just from looking at how much money is sitting in my savings account (even if it’s not an insane amount of money). If you’re not one, it helps to think of saving for a goal. Maybe you want to take a cross-continental trip next year, buy a house, or own a Gucci trench coat. Whatever that is, keep it in mind when you’re tempted. Write it in the front of your checkbook or have a photo on your phone. Think, “If I make dinner at home tonight, that’s a dinner out I can have in Paris.”

Sales: Best Friend and Worst Enemy
I love sales. The gimmick of taking three dollars off so I can buy more and feel good about how much I saved gets me every time. And sales can be good. If you know you need new work clothes or appliances sales can be awesome. Travel sales are currently at their best prices in years, so take advantage of that if it’s within your saving goal. The part where you get into trouble is when sales produce impulse buying. Don’t let a sign for 40% off let you shirk off your budget. If you keep to the impulse buying rules we outlined above, then a sale can really take you a long way.

Enjoying your Purchases
You’ve thought about your fun priorities and you bought those amazing new shoes you wanted, or you impulse bought a book that had an intriguing cover. Whatever you do, don’t guilt yourself about thoughtful purchases. We have things because they’re supposed to make us happy. And while obviously nothing will be the ONE purchase to end all others, they’re all little steps that help us feel better, a little more extravagant, or just something silly to brighten our day. If you associate good purchases with good feelings, you’ll be well on your way to managing your budget and your money-life.

How do you feel rich without a Prince’s Ransom?

10 New Year’s Resolutions Everyone Should Make

via Ya Ya

I’m not big for resolutions usually. I think they’re staid and mostly set you up for disappointment. That said, I think setting intentions is a much better way to re-imagine New Year’s Resolutions. The most important thing is just to take those first steps, and each next step will be easier from there.

Here are 10 that I think we can all benefit from:

1. Laugh more
At yourself, jokes, movies, LOLcats, whatever makes you feel good. Smiling and laughing increases serotonin and endorphins in your body, which is always a good thing.

2. Get fit
Whatever that means to you, whether that’s training for a marathon or walking an extra 15 steps every day, make an effort to be healthy. I would urge though, not to make a “lose 15 pounds” goal, instead, make an effort to be healthier, and that way, as long as you’re incorporating healthier foods and exercising, you’ll meet your goal!

3. Make time for those you love
I often neglect this one, being states away from my family and on different schedules than most of my friends, but I’m always happier after I’ve spent a night sharing wine and stories, regardless of how badly I need to do laundry.

4. Plan ahead financially
This might mean get out of debt, or simply making ends meet for a while, but make a budget and do your best to stick to it. You’ll be much happier and sane when it comes to money issues. And balancing your checkbook every month will reveal your shopping habits and explain the mystery of “Where did all of my paycheck go?”

5. Volunteer
See this post for ideas and reasons. Bascially it will help you in the long run, as well as make you feel infinitely wealthy in the process. And helping someone in need comes back to you in the universe as well!

6. Try new things
The weekly challenges here at FnF are a great way to start stretching yourself a little bit at a time. Don’t throw away your current life to become a professional scuba diver if you’ve never seen the ocean, but start taking classes, get your feet wet (I’m so funny), and explore new opportunities as they arise.

7. Minimize and organize
This is certainly on the top of my list. I am a bit of a clutter-person, and I need to start streamlining my life a little more. Having things tidy or at least in order will help your creativity flow and help you stop procrastinating.

8. Travel
Physically to a new place or just in your head with a fabulous book, traveling expands your mind and gives you a much needed break from everyday gridlock.

9. Break a bad habit
Smoking, drinking, picking your nose, whatever you do that you need to quit, make the small steps now. If you’re not sure what your bad habits are, I’m sure your spouse, lover, or close friends could help you find one!

10. Look Ahead
At work or at home, make decisions in the now but try and see how they might affect you down the line. This could mean applying for a new job, or going for that promotion, or even ditching and starting your own jewelry line.

What are your resolutions my dear dears?

The Importance of Unplugging

by Boopsie.Daisy

It’s really important to work hard at what you do, but it’s also just as important to take a break, reflect, and really relax so you can work hard the rest of the time. So often we keep going pell mell until we end up dragged out, sick, and tired. If you take time to have meaningful breaks, you can avoid those burn-outs and be a more productive, more pleasant, and more healthy you.

Here’s a few strategies I’ve found particularly effective:

Take Weekends off

Go to your element
Some people prefer solitude to unplug, and others distractions and excitement. I like a mix of both. I like to sleep in late, and not change out of pajamas until 4 or 5 in the afternoon on Sundays, but on Saturdays, I like to do something, go apple picking, carve a pumpkin, or sit at the park. Whatever you do, don’t do it because you “think you should” run out and go shopping, or lie in bed when you love to go for a morning run. Do what feels natural and most relaxing to you.

Separate Work from Play
Sometimes we can’t afford a lot of time off. For those times, especially if you work a couple jobs, or like me have a day job and a few night gigs, it’s even more important to separate your work time from your play time.

Unplug from Technology
I’ve talked about how I don’t watch television before, but on weekends I go further and most of the time turn off my cell phone so I’m unreachable. This may be extreme (especially if you’re meeting up with people), but at least take a break from your internet habit for a day. Once again, simply being out of the “loop” is what’s important here. Just relax.

Learn to Take Naps
Most of the greatest thinkers in history only worked mornings, or evenings, and they took a lot of naps. While we can’t take time out of our day to take a two hour nap to reset our creative talent, if you can sneak into your car or unused office for a 20 minute nap during a particularly stressful day, it’ll usually help you feel better. A note on naps though, I don’t recommend less than ten minutes or more than half an hour, otherwise you’ll probably just end up grumpier. Follow Harvard Medical School’s instructions for making the most of it.

Lower your Expectations
Just because you wanted to sew your entire Halloween costume, mop your house from top to bottom, and start a garden this weekend doesn’t mean you should. Sure those may all be things you enjoy, but the point here is to take time for yourself, not run yourself into the ground even more. The only person who has to live up to your expectations after all is you, so give yourself a break every now and again.

Give in to Lounging
Our culture is very anti-lounge. It says you should always be journaling, sketching, networking or otherwise working because those who work hard get ahead. Ignore this. Those who take breaks, who are healthy enough to see what’s working and what’s not, those are the people who get ahead and stay ahead. So if you just want to sit on the couch all day watching soap operas, do it, and don’t you dare feel guilty about it. Even if you’re just starting out in your new creative outlet, don’t be that freshman who burns out halfway through the semester. Take breaks and you’ll be excited well after you’re old hat at it.

What steps do you take to make sure you don’t crash during a stressful time?

Sweeping Up

via concrete cornfields

Hi Kittens and Pups,

Oh I’m so tired from this weekend! The marathon was fantastic. I ate a ton of bad food and soda, and my insides weren’t very happy with me, but the movies were fun, the audience was mostly hilarious and riotous, and the company couldn’t be beat! Hope you all had a restful and/or playful time off.

I’m doing a little housecleaning and experimenting on the site today so there likely won’t be a more substantive post today, but tomorrow we’ll be back on schedule as usual!

I really want to start doing weekly, or sometimes monthly, challenges though for all of us. They’ll be fairly vague usually, so you can apply them to whatever creative focus you’re on right now. My question to you lovers is, would you prefer the challenges to be in a newsletter format and then the best answers posted in an article? Or would you rather enjoy a forum space on the site to play with?

I’m leaning more toward the newsletter and article, because I feel like it would showcase your hard work on the front page, but if you want to convince me otherwise, I’m all ears.

How to Make the Best of Intentions

via Martha Madness

I intended to write this article earlier, but I didn’t set an intention to do so, and therefore I am now, apologetically, late.

If you have goals that you want to achieve but are worried about the hows and the day-to-day distractions, then setting intentions is a great way to keep yourself on track. They don’t have to be grand or detailed, just small reminders to no one but yourself about your goals for the day, week, or month.

Know what you want
You can set intentions on anything from intending to get up at 7:30 every morning this week to intending to seek the best in people this month. The point is really to think of a goal, and intend to make it happen. I would argue that you have to intend out loud to really cement it, otherwise you’re just hoping to achieve something. So try it! Say, “I intend to achieve my goals this week” if that’s all that comes to you right now, and develop it later, but intend something and get the ball rolling.

Measure Twice
Though you need some intentions are just “I intend to have fun today,” it’s important for bigger goals that your intentions have real measurable outcomes. So make sure you have time frames, I would suggest no less than a day and no more than a month, and a level of success. So don’t say “I intend to get skinny this year,” say “I intend to eat fresh salads and work out three times a week this month.” It will be more rewarding once you reach those success lines, and help you actually suss out how to get to those goals.

Positivity will take you far
Not to be cheesy, but make sure your intentions are positive ones. Don’t say, “I intend not to screw this project up like I usually do,” but instead, “I intend to make a fresh start and finish this project.” It really will help your entire attitude if you set yourself up to win. Little positivity intentions like, “I intend to not let traffic get to me today,” (one of my favorites) will also help your attitude and energy throughout.

Focus
while there are times when you need to just make a quick intention during the day to straighten out your attitude, it’s important when you can to focus your intention to be as clear as possible. Take time to say what exactly you intend to do, so rather than simply saying “I intend to work my best this week”, perhaps say, “I intend to finish all my orders and organize my office this week.” The point is to be concise, clear, and really get at what it is you want.

Forget it
I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but say it and forget it. An intention is a fire starter for your subconscious. Even if during the day your conscious brain forgets the intention and you get bogged down by everything else competing for your attention, the back of your brain will be saying your intention over and over. Some people write their intentions down and keep them in plain sight all day, but I think it’s better if you just let your sub-self mull it over rather than trying to make yourself remember one more thing. The point is to simplify your life, not add to the clutter.

I’ll be writing more on inspirations, goal setting and ways to keep it up in the coming weeks, and if you’re stuck on how to begin, read this post!

Do you set intentions? How have they helped and what method works best for you?

How to write a Dazzling Cover Letter

via SideLong

I know a lot of people just out of college, or making transitions from internships to jobs right now, and I’ve had the enjoyment (nerd alert) to look over their resume and cover letters before they send them off.

My work as an acquisitions editor means I see many, many writer and illustrator CVs and cover letters each week. Most of them are tearfully boring so when I do get one with a sense of humor or a personality, I take notice.

The always insightful and gorgeous Gala Darling wrote an exceptional piece on how to write a great CV a while back. I want to focus more on your cover letter. If your resume is a list of your accomplishments, your cover letter should be a tiny slice of your best self, including your personality, wit, accuracy, and maybe even your chai addiction. Your cover letter needs to be sparkly, fresh, and most of all, you at your sexiest, most charming, and most professional.

These are the basic ingredients:

Start off with a bang
Your opening line is perhaps the most important thing in your entire letter. You have to grab them, or they’re just going to skim over your letter. If you hook them though, they’ll pore over it like a well-written short story. And that’s what it should be. You’re writing a short biography, one where you can craft any job or life experience the way you want it. Say something surprising, or something funny. Give them just a taste, and they’ll be more intrigued to meet you. These great opening lines are mostly journalism related, but are easily modified to any career.

Details details
They want to know who you are and what to expect before they commit their time to interviewing you. Details are a wonderful way to stand out. Instead of writing, “I’ve been an intern at three places and am very good at it.” Write “I’m the fastest coffee-maker in the business and I can sort through more mail in an hour than the US Post Office” -if it’s true. Recruiters started out like everyone else, so remind them of that. For my last cover letter, I wrote about my life as a magazine intern and how I was well-skilled in “slipping CDs between pages 84 and 85.” In the four interviews I had due to that letter, each interviewer mentioned that phrase, and most said they’d had jobs doing the exact same thing!

Don’t be shy
If there was ever a time not to be shy, this is it. This is all these people know about you, so make it good. What would you want someone you had a crush on to know about you in your first meeting? You’re flirting with the job prospect in the same manner. Don’t lie, they’ll find you out and it’s bad for your karma, but do make yourself as good-looking as possible. If you love jump roping and were the regional junior champion, put it in, even if it has nothing to do the job. Your resume will speak to your applicable experience, but your cover letter will make them remember your name, or at least “the jump rope girl.”

Break up your text
Brevity is worth more than a thousand words. Pick your specific details, but make them important, and worth some one else’s time. Even though your paragraphs may be beautiful works of prose, if the information can be better conveyed in a bulleted list, do so. The reader will be thankful for the break and more likely to see your strong points if they’re put in a straightforward manner instead of buried in windy sentences. Don’t take out your personality, but put yourself in the shoes of the recruiter, looking through hundreds of cover letters, and make yours the one they spend the longest with.

Charm their pants off
Mention glowingly of how much you know about their company (you did your homework right?) and why you are THE person for the job. Everyone likes to be flattered, and if you’re enthusiastic, you’ll have a huge advantage on everyone else who sent a form letter. If you’re responding to an ad that doesn’t give the company name or through a temp agency, just do your best to show how enthusiastic you are to be working in your field, and make yourself look like you can handle any task they throw at you.

Make a showy exit
While I might advise against signing your name “Wiliam Wadsworth, the Fourth, Earl of Suburban Bumbly”, you will be much more memorable if you come up with a nice signature. “Best”, “Thank you for your time” and “Good luck in your endeavors” are all nice and appreciated, but if you can, add a little oomph to your last line to make it pop. Be professional, but slide just a little bit off the scale in favor of perhaps referring to that great opening line you had, or a bit of humor. Photographer Ansel Adams was a prolific letter writer, and used endings such as, “Cheerlow, luff, and all that.”

Sign on the dotted line
If you’re sending a snail mail letter, be sure to physically sign your name. If you’re emailing, it helps if you can scan your signature and include it, but it’s not necessary. Do include your name and all your contact information, even if it’s all in your resume, just in case the two get separated.

Be Accurate!
This is perhaps the single most important thing you can do. If you don’t trust your grammar skills, find a friend, or your mother, or anyone else to do it for you. I normally do not even consider cover letters with one misspelling. It’s sloppy and makes it look like you didn’t even take time to spell check your work, so why should I spend my time on you? That may sound harsh, but it’s the truth. Accuracy counts for so much. Also, please please please, if you’re addressing it to a particular person, spell their name right! If you’re not sure how it should be spelled, check. There should be at least one imprint of them on the web, and if not, I would daresay leave it out. Also, a small pet peeve I have, is that a lot of people assume genders, and they assume wrongly! It’s not a big deal, but remember the flattery part? Don’t make assumptions, be certain.

Quintessential Careers has some great examples of cover letters for every level of employment.

Cheers and pandas,

William Wadsworth the 4th
Earl of Suburban Bumbly

The Surreal Life: Without Television

Put on your Wonka goggles boys and girls

Fish nor Fowl’s goal, taking risks and experimenting, all sounds well and good, but where does the time to do those things come from? There is one minor life adjustment I’ve made which has significantly helped me start to achieve my goals.

I do not have TV. I do own a television, but I get one channel in clearly, and it’s in Spanish.

Let me go back a bit. I grew up without cable, which was no big deal because I was only allowed to watch two shows a day anyway. One before school and one after. We could watch movies or National Geographic specials (usually while eating pizza or something equally unappetizing when watching lions hunt and kill on the Serengeti), but to watch any Nickelodeon I had to go to a neighbors’ house.

This never bothered me that much until I went to college, where my dorm room was blessed with free cable. I did my homework in the blue light of the television screen, soaking in the sounds and goofy hi-jinks, watching re-runs of the shows everyone else watched as a kid so I could pretend I had also. I don’t think addiction is the right word, I wasn’t glued to it and still went to class and fed and dressed myself, but TV took up a large portion of my off time. I would come home from class and plop on the couch while my ramen noodles cooked (don’t judge, you did it too) and watch hopefully something interesting on the History Channel or Discovery, but if nothing was on I’d resort to crappy reality shows and MTV dramas.

The next year I lived alone and I will say I was glad to have cable then. Even if I wasn’t watching it, the sound of other human voices and music, even as background noise, was comforting. But when I graduated, broke and in need of a new apartment, my roommate and I decided the cost of cable was one we could do without. That was two years ago, and I haven’t regretted it yet.

I’m not a “Television is the mind killer” type of person, but I do think the negative effects of TV outweigh the positives. If you want to be a more creative, fulfilled, and take more time for experiments in real life, I think television has to play a smaller part first.

Weigh the Negatives
Not only can TV make you fat, it more importantly teaches you dissatisfaction. The ads between shows tell you all the things you need to have, and the shows themselves generally portray people who are prettier, skinnier, and more successful than you, even if they have emotional breakdowns every episode. I also feel a lot of shows tend to harp on a gossip-y culture. They encourage cattiness, over-the-top behavior, and general rudeness. This is of course not true of all shows, but I bet you could find a couple playing at any time of the day or night.

What are you exchanging for TV Time?
The average American spends more than four hours a day watching TV. I know, it’s really nice to just relax and not think about anything and unwind in front of the TV, but in our already cramped-for-time world, what else could you be doing, and enjoying more, with that TV time?

I found that my excuse of never having time to read evaporated after TV, and I suddenly found more time to be creative while unwinding by writing, doing a crossword, or simply spending time with friends in active conversation.

How to cut back
I’m not proposing everyone chuck their televisions into the streets and start a riot against the capitalist system, but simply, how to make your time watching TV a treat instead of a default.

For most of us, cutting back is not that hard. We simply have to be mindful of how log we’ve been watching TV and cut our time accordingly. What shows do you love and can’t live without? How many hours does that accrue? If it’s less than five a week, make a point to turn the television on when that show comes on, and off right after, so you minimize that time.

On the TV making you fat front, don’t eat and watch TV at the same time. You’ll eat more, and not really enjoy or be present in what you’re eating. Even if you slopped together a sandwich and some chips, make time to appreciate what’s going in your body first, and then watch a show as you digest.

If you have 50 shows a week you religiously watch, start paying closer attention to how you feel during and after the programs. Is it really making you happy and satisfied? What else do you want to be doing? What goals are you putting off to watch The Girls Next Door? Once you become more aware of the TV’s hold, you can start to let go and peter off your screen time.

Make your exceptions worth it
There are a few shows I really enjoy watching, Modern Marvels or basically anything on the History Channel, and Pushing Daisies (which is going to start it’s second season Oct 1st!!) to name a few. I watch the History Channel at the gym, since all the running and elliptical equipment have TVs attached. It keeps me distracted and it makes sure I run long enough to finish a show. It’s also a really good motivation to work out! I have a few other friends who share my love for Pushing Daisies, and so I go to someone else’s house to watch it each week, and get to spend time with friends while doing it. If I need to miss one, they’re available online from ABC anyway.

On the days that I absolutely feel drained and just need some outside stimuli, I’ll pop in a DVD of a show I or my roommate owns and watch that and do a puzzle or knit, something to keep my hands busy and engage my mind just a little, to keep me from becoming TV zombie Freya.

Beware the Interweb
I’ll admit, I still struggle with this one. The immediate availability of the internet is so very attractive. There are always new things to read, watch, and consume. Beware! This can be just as, or more, destructive as a television habit. Use the same discretion with your time online as you do with TV, and you’ll find more creative ways to utilize the web for your benefit.

What are your tricks for keeping yourself on a creative path?

Let’s Start from the Very Beginning

Photo by Compound Eye

All my journals start the same way. The blank page stares at me menacingly, and the little voice inside my head says, “Why even try? You’re not going to write anything good anyway.” It can be crippling at times. But as soon as I put a pen to the page and just start writing, I conquer him (I think of him as a small ugly green leprechaun).

So how do we motivate ourselves? I have a friend who, when I told her that I was starting FnF, asked me to write about how to start, well, starting, whether that’s training for a marathon or becoming a world-class juggler.

Make your heart go pitter patter
Shake off however much time you’ve let accumulate between you and your goal. I know for me, the longer I think about starting something, but don’t act on it, the more insurmountable it becomes. But really, it’s the same amount of work it was the very first time you considered it, which is probably a much less than you think. Get away from the guilty feeling of “well if I haven’t done it now, I won’t” and back to the reasons you wanted your goal in the first place.

Do battle with your critic
Think of all the reasons why you haven’t started yet. Really let your critic loose. Write them down in a list; close your eyes, and tear up the list. This should help clear your head of all the negative reasons for not following or pursuing something you really care about. And once you (literally) discard them, chances are none of those reasons will seem that important anymore.

Silencing your inner critic from the social emergence factor, Metafilter, is worth a read if your critic is still bothering you. Not all the suggestions are helpful, such as one response: “I strangled him, weighted the body, and dumped it in the deepest part of the lake,” but knowing how everyone struggles and overcomes can be a cathartic experience.

Knowledge is power
You’ve thought through everything, you’re excited, and you’ve erased your negative reasons. There’s nothing left now but to just start! Make the first small step toward your goal. If you want to run a marathon, start by taking a long walk today. If you want to learn how to sew, find a simple pattern and buy a sewing kit. Buy a book, find an article online, or better yet, take a class with and find other people with the same goal. Classes are a great motivator and come with built in deadlines and minor goals.

One thing I find helpful is making a list of things I want to do. That way when I feel down or unmotivated or foggy-headed, all I have to do is look at my list and try something. 43 Things is a great resource for listing, yep 43, things you want to accomplish. People have goals that range from drink more water to Take over the world. My list in progress can be seen here.

Make time for treats
Once you’ve started, keep your enthusiasm and energy up by taking time out to reward yourself for the hard work. Maybe that means just lounging on the couch for an evening, or perhaps you want to show everyone just how much your cooking skills have evolved since you’ve been inventing recipes. Anything you enjoy that will make you glad you’ve spent your hard won time and effort (and possibly money) on.

What are your favorite “starters”?

Freya West

Burlesque Warrior, Fire Eater, and Headmistress