2/4/09

The Survivors Club widget

What was I thinking/New idea or approach

One of my nieces’ and my grandmother celebrate birthdays in February. I certainly can’t get away with not spending any money. At the very least I’d have to get a card for each and shell out some money to my grandmother.

Oh snap, how’d I forget about Luv-Luv Day. I might be able to get away with just purchasing a card. After all, I’m sure he’d appreciate my making him a home cooked meal. But I’d have to cook something out of the ordinary, like steak or lasagna or pork chops. Let me think about it.

If all else fails, I can at least say I tried and go with March as a no spend month. Dang, my mother’s birthday is in March so that wont work either. April is my father’s birth month and May is youngest brother’s birthday. June might be promising…….LOL

Here’s another idea……what if I do 7 days a month of no spending. That would equate to 84 days, which is way more than the 28 days in February.

Houston I think we’ve got a plan. I’ll certainly post my results.

Happy Wednesday!


Peace, Blessings and Laughs
You Are Warm
You are as patient, as outgoing, and as nice as you can be.
You understand people well, and you mostly enjoy being around them.

You are a naturally warm person, but you do have times when you're feeling a bit distant.
But even when you're feeling distant, you try to be empathetic. You always go the extra mile.



Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Day 3 spending

I have a confession: My name is Laughing808 and I'm a shopaholic.

I call myself going to Target to get a rolling pin and a few other small items. I even took the iniative to jot a list of items to get. That list included:

rolling pin
aluminum foil
lunch meals (3)
chips/snacks
purse size lotion
toothpaste

Once I got in the store I totally forgot about the cards (2) I needed to get and I also needed some granola bars for breakfast. I'm glad to report that I made it out having only spent $23.

So, although I didn't exactly make it through day 3 without spending I didn't purchase too much unneeded items. And that's a start. Day 4 will definitely be much better as I have two errands to run after work, drop a card off and do my cousin's hair so I don't anticipate spending no money. The true test will be this weekend.

Peace, Blessings and Laughs

2/3/09

Carpet Estimate

I don't think I mentioned that I finally got an estimate for some carpet. Last Thursday I was on a mission with my errands, so I breezed through this carpet place near one of the grocery stores and selected a few samples I wanted to see and get an estimate on.

They came thru Friday night and the price was jive decent, first quote was 937 for the living room, stairs and the hallway up stairs. Then the estimate guy got on the phone with boss man that gave a better price of 800. I ask the question how long, how soon and if there's a deposit.

The deposit was deal breaker cause they wanted half upfront......I didn't think they'd require that much. At any rate Hubby wanted to compare against another store. So he goes in to Home Depot and the carpet is like 5 - 7 per square foot or something like that and he was given a quote of 1300 for just the living room.

So take a stab at where we are right now........yep, no carpet or prospects on the horizon. But I'm not fretting. After my no spend month, I'll go back to the first place and see what they talking about and how soon they can come and get it done.

All that to say, that sometimes the first offer is the best offer.

Happy Tuesday people.


Peace, Blessings and Laughs
Your Energy Level is Moderate
For you, life is all about balance. You keep active, but you rest a lot too.
You have enough vigor to get everything done... with a little left over for some fun.

You find that you have plenty of energy, as long as you give yourself time to recharge.
But if you don't take care of yourself, you notice that your energy levels really plummet.



Peace, Blessings and Laughs

2/2/09

Day 2 spending

I made it, 2 down 26 to go......I didn't spend not a penny today.

Hubby and I went to dinner with friends, and he paid our portion. And I might have lunch tomorrow, depends on if I eat again tonight......LOL The Closer comes on at 12 and it might get good enough for me to eat again.

I watched some of "For the Love of Ray J" and man.......that show is so whack. Homegirl did a very provocative split and bounced and he kept her in the end. He doesn't want love he wants the money from the network and more groupies.

Now the second season of I Love Money is on........*shaking my head* at VH-1


Good night blog world.

Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Oh, I'm cursing right about now.....

Why you might ask, because I get an e-mail at 4:52 telling me that things will be finalized tomorrow. And what have I been doing all this time you might also wonder, needless to say I've been lolly gagging around.......so I'm still here at work and it's 6:39pm......I should be on the train dang on near my stop.

Ok, break over.....back to work, gosh I'm such a procrastinator!


Peace, Blessings and Laughs
You Are Mac and Cheese
When you are stressed out, you seek safety above everything else.
And nothing is more nourishing than a big warm plate of carbs.

Taking risks takes a toll on you, and you prefer your comfort food to be old fashioned.
You're the type of person who could eat the same meal every night, especially when life is hard.



Peace, Blessings and Laughs

1st day of school - 2009

Today is the first day of classes. And guess who only has 1 of 4 books required for this semester. Yep you guessed it, it is I......no fret. The order was placed the top of last week and I've checked the status and the other 3 books should be here by Thursday at the latest. In the mean time, I began reading the other book. Did I tell yall the book cost 4.95 but the shipping was 6.95......where's the balance in that.

At any rate, HAPPY MONDAY!


Peace, Blessings and Laughs

2/1/09

Sunday afternoon musings....

I went out last night......the first place, the band was not my speed. The second place......well I didn't leave until 2:30 and was home by 2:45. The band was great, if you have to ask it was go-go, and they had me sweating, not alot but enough. I didn't get up today until 12 when hubby called with some foolishness.

My niece was here Friday night, because of her I spent $89 dollars in Target Friday night and I missed The Game. (Yeah I'm blaming it on her). She stayed up until 2am, she gets here and loses all concept of bedtime.

I had to wake her up Saturday morning, and of course she was hungry. She's always ready to eat, I think the only reason she comes over is to eat me out of house and home. I fed her a kid's cuisine meal, and she was still hungry so I made her some perdue chicken nuggets. I felt bad for a minute, then it set in she asked specifically for that kids cuisine meal and those nuggets.

Now, I'm watching a CSI marathon........every episode is good. I don't think I'll make it out of the house today.

Hope you are enjoying your weekend.

Peace, Blessings and Laughs
Laughing808

1/31/09

Stepping it up

I upped the any in my savings regime. In addition to the amounts I regularly put in my savings I added an additional $150 to one and an extra $30 to another. I feel good about the move. That will be less money I have access to during the month of February.

Happy Savings.



Peace, Blessings and Laughs

1/30/09

Impromtu visit

My mother sent me a text today asking me to watch my niece either tonight or tomorrow night. I opted for tonight since I'll try to go out tomorrow night. I am excited about my niece visiting. I saw her two weekends ago......but I always get excited when she's coming. I'm also usually happy when she goes home as well.

So now I'm trying to figure out an agenda for us tonight and tomorrow until my mother comes to pick her up. I think I'll hit up Target tonight to get her a movie and some popcorn. And then tomorrow I'll drag her out to run my errands. Yeah that sounds like a game plan.

RATS! she took her Diego Domino game home........I guess we'll have to pick up another game at Target as well. Oh the joys of my niece visiting. I always wind up spending money when she comes over.


Happy Friday and have a good weekend!


Peace, Blessings and Laughs

1/29/09

I didn't make it

Today wasn't a no spend day......I needed to go see about some carpet and wound up stopping in the beauty supply store to the tune of 13 and the grocery store for 8. Not bad, yeah I know but I really wanted to make it 4 straight days of no spending. Oh well, I guess I'll try again next week.

Work was cool, no sooner than I walked in the door I had something that needed my attention. And I was busy for about the entire day. I had lunch, but didn't get a chance to read my book; instead I answered some personal e-mails.

Overall today was a good day and I'm glad the weekend is beckoning.......


Peace, Blessings and Laughs

I like this video

Not sure why, but I like this video by Jasmine Sullivan for her song Lions, Tigers and Bears.





Peace, Blessings and Laughs
You Are Cute!
Believe it or not, you are much more attractive than you realize.
You don't try too hard, and that's one of the cutest things about you.

You have a vibrant glow about you, and people are drawn to your energy.
You're not perfect, thank goodness. Your flaws are part of what's lovable about you.



Peace, Blessings and Laughs

1/28/09

Bored restless

The company I work for follows the federal government as far as closing due to inclement weather, and as such I had the option of calling in today. And of course I opted to stay home. To tell the truth I'm a very clumsy person and I can easily see myself slipping and falling once I stepped foot outside.

The complex where I reside and pay HOA fees is very lax when it comes to property upkeep, so there is still (here it is after 4pm) and the sidewalks and steps have NOT been cleared of ice nor treated.

At any rate, I've been in the bed all day. BORED........I don't see how people can do this all day every day. I've said it time and time again, I'm so dang on glad I'm gainfully employed. Usually when I have or take a day off during the week, I have a slew of errands to run. But today, with the sidewalks being all icy I stayed in. And now that it's after 4pm I feel like I've wasted away a perfect day.

Yeah I watched TV. I even attempted to take a nap, but sleep would not come. I did get a chance to watch the final episode for season 3 of Dexter. But that's it.........I guess the bright side of this day is no money spent!

Well I wont bore you with any more details......hope you had a more exciting day.


Peace, Blessings and Laughs

1/27/09

Just another Tuesday

I barely made it to work this morning..............

I went to bed last night later than 11 pm. And I had a nice restful sleep, but woke up to snow. ARGH! It took me 10 minutes to clean my car off and an additional 25 minutes to drive to the subway station where I park. My supervisor was even later.

I had a pending deadline for some work and I barely got it done. I just could not focus. Lucky for me the day went by quick and I was walking out the door at 6:15 pm and headed home. Lastly I made it home without spending any money!

So I have 32 more no spend days to go.

It's after 11 pm and I'm trying to be in the bed by 11:30.

Good night.


Peace, Blessings and Laughs
Your Ideal Island Vacation is Fiji
On an island vacation, you prefer to get the full beach experience.
And for you, that means staying somewhere with few people and lots of beach.

With over 300 islands, you can find your own private spot in Fiji.
Relax by the crystal clear water, or venture off to find a waterfall.



Peace, Blessings and Laughs

1/26/09

Monday Blues

I was not feeling it this morning. I left a message for my supervisor that I'd be in about 10 or 10:30 at the latest. I finally walked in 11 am. And I had the hardest time trying to focus and get anything done.

The syllabus for my spring class was available today. I printed off a copy to keep in my tote bag for reference. I didn't get a chance to put the syllabus and other class information on a floppy drive. I guess I'll try to get around to that this evening.

I ordered my books today. One book cost 4.50, but the shipping was 6.95.......I'm outraged. The other three books totaled 95. So I was glad to make it home without stopping and needlessly spending money.

Well I'm gonna attempt to turn in early, say 11 pm. So I'll sign off now and begin my prep for another work day!

Hope you had a good day and good night!


Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Patti Labelle tribute

I missed BET's tribute to Pattie when it aired last night. And of course the vidoes are available on youtube. Here are a few that I really liked:











Have a great day!


Peace, Blessings and Laughs

1/24/09

No Spend February

I'm officially declaring February a no spend month for me. These past few days have been quite costly. Let's see, I purchased the complete series for HBO's The Wire, I paid for my spring semester course, and I signed up for AAA. I wont mention the household items I purchased as well. Yeah, I need at least a month of no spending. And now that I think about it, this month has been an expensive one with Hubby's birthday and all, even though it was planned for.

I've never been one to adhere to a strict budget; instead opting to be mindful of how much I spend and what I spent money on. Pacing my expenditures works best for me. But next month I'm gonna go cold turkey and limit my spending.

These are the items I vow to not purchase during the month of February:

clothes
shoes
accesories
dvd's
cd's
hair products
household - unless we are completely out

There are seven days left in the month, and I'll try to begin Monday. I don't expect to spend much the rest of this weekend, although I might go out tonight and I'm meeting a friend for lunch tomorrow.

Everyday I'll do a post and detail what if any monies were spent.

Wish my luck!

Peace, Blessings and Laughs

1/23/09

Cute commercial




Peace, Blessings and Laughs

I'm excited about my spring class

Here's the information posted so far for my srping class:

Class Announcements for Contemporary Issues in Accounting Practice

Welcome to ACCT 495 - Contemporary Issues in Accounting Practice - Spring 2009Congratulations for your educational achievements to date in accounting!

This is a culminating course that builds on concepts and practices learned from your previous accounting coursework. This course is a synthesis of various fields of accounting, e.g., Financial Accounting Managerial Accounting Auditing and Attestation Taxation Advisory ServicesStudents will apply this synthesized body of knowledge to a variety of business cases, emphasizing research, communication of financial information, critical thinking and risk management.

There are no tests or exams, per se, in this class. The evaluation for grading purposes will be based on Cases, Projects and Participation. Please see the Syllabus for more information.

Please introduce yourselves in the appropriate Conference area of this website.IMPORTANT NOTE: It is a very good idea for everyone to check this class website regularly...I will post information about the class and assignments. All postings will be dated so that you can catch-up on past announcements that you may have missed.

Again, Welcome to ACCT 495!MGP*****************************************************

1-19-09 - Please be sure to post an introduction in the Conference area and download/review the Syllabus. The first assignment (Case study) is due on Sunday, February 22, 2009 - for those of you who would like to get a "head start" on the case, it will be posted in the Conference area during the first week of class.

Please let me know if there are any problems obtaining textbooks or other class "start-up" issues.

Thanks and best wishes. MGP

Did you see the bolded red items?????? I can't wait for the semester to begin........


Peace, Blessings and Laughs

1/22/09

2 buy or not 2 buy????

Amazon.com has the entire series of The Wire for 81.99 with free shipping.......what do I do?

I paid $22 for season 1 and last I checked season 5 alone was 54.99


Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Inaugural Benediction

I've been hoping that the text of the inagurual benediction would be made public and availabel online somewhere and yahoo heard my plea. I enjoyed the ending of Rev Lowery's benediction where he stated:

"Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back, when brown can stick around ... when yellow will be mellow ... when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what is right. That all those who do justice and love mercy say Amen."

So I just had to post it.

Hope you have a GREAT DAY!


Peace, Blessings and Laughs

1/21/09

Twitter what? Twitter who?

And I fell for it......yep you guessed it I'm on twitter now. I'm such a follower, but I was curious and you can't just peek in you have to join. So I signed up. Not sure what I'll do with this new form of communication.

I tried to upload a pic, but um all of my existing pics are too large.


Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Payment due 1/22

I finally registered for my spring 09 semester class last week. I encountered a few problems the week before when I attempted to drop one class and add another class. Somehow the online system had my account as being on hold, but no one else saw the account in that status. I decided to give the system a few days to get some act right, which led to my registering last week. At any rate the payment is due tomorrow 1/22/09......guess when I'm gonna make the payment, yep you guess it tomorrow. I'll wait until minutes before I'm set to leave work and make that payment. Why do folk do that.........LOL

This is the class I'm registered for:

ACCT 495: Contemporary Issues in Accounting Practice (3) (Intended as a final, capstone course to be taken in a student's last 15 credits.) Prerequisites: ACCT 311, 321 and 422 and BMGT 364. A study of accounting that integrates knowledge gained through previous coursework and experience and builds on that conceptual foundation through integrative analysis, practical application and critical thinking. Emerging issues in accounting, business transactions, and financing are considered. Web accounting and business technology, accounting theory, and management techniques are used to research and analyze developing issues in the workplace. Topics include e-commerce, financial derivatives, balanced scorecards, and the changing nature of financial reporting and risk management.

This is also the class I read about on the accounting forum for my school that stated the professor doesn't give a final exam, but requires several papers throughout the semester. I'll take writing papers over an exam any day.......even though I don't like writing papers either, but it's the lesser of the evils.

Happy Hump day........


Peace, Blessings and Laughs

1/20/09

WOW

Wow, is all I can say right about now. I'm still in a state of awe at today's historical event.

I've been in the house now for about 2 hours and I'm at a loss for words.

I did venture out today to watch the ceremony at Peachez Cafe & Lounge. And I have to admit I almost cried, there were several moments where tears spilled down my face. Other times I had to dab my eyes; it felt good seeing the official transition to a new executive.

And as I sit in the comfort of my home watching the parade, I'm still in awe at the crowds and how many people came out to be apart and witness this historical event.

I'm so grateful and thankful to be alive to experience this historical event.

Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Inauguration Stickers for FREE!

Hello,

Do you want a free sticker to celebrate the inauguration of President Obama? ColorOfChange.org is giving away commemorative stickers for free. Even the shipping is free!
I just got my sticker. Click below for your free Obama sticker:
http://www.colorofchange.org/sticker

Happy Inauguration!
Laughing808


Peace, Blessings and Laughs