Zero Spending

While trolling Pinterest, I stumbled upon a pin about "31 Days of Living Well and Spending Zero."

Spending Zero?

Really?

How much do we actually spend?

According to the blogger, their family saved $1,000.

One thousand dollars.

That's quite a chunk of change, if I do say so myself.

They cut out everything but the essentials like bills, seeds for their garden, a needed part to fix the car, etc. The froze their spending habits on things like eating out, Starbucks, shopping for clothing, hobbies (crafts, golf, etc), entertainment (I'm assuming movies and concerts), toys, toiletries (what?!), alcohol and other vices, lottery tickets, and any furniture or home decor. 

It's another challenge I'm going to look into for 2014, that's for sure!

Cheers!
LC

Project Planning

Super excited! I've just been talking with my co-worker, MT, about my trip in June to Yellowstone for my half marathon. How it'll work is I fly from the Bellingham International Airport (BLI) to Las Vegas (LAS) on Wednesday, stay the night, and fly to the Idaho Falls Airport (IDA) on Thursday. With Allegiant, I'm only paying $92 (already bought!) for my round trip flight from LAS to IDA/IDA to LAS and about $152 (not purchased, yet . . . next payday!) for my round trip from BLI to LAS/LAS to BLI. So, round trip flights are $244. If I were to fly to from Seatac (SEA) to IDA round trip, the tickets would be about $514 (thanks SkyScanner.com!). From SEA to Salt Lake City, UT and a shuttle north to Rexburg (which is a 4 hour trip I've done before -- best shuttle service ever, horribly long hours), I'm looking at $286 for the round trip flight and around $55 plus tip for the four hour shuttle north, round trip. Plus, I'll be needing to stay in hotels in Rexburg because my sister will have just given birth to my new niece or nephew. So . . . Nine days in a single hotel room (which will set me back at least $75/night), plus flights, plus shuttle, plus time and inconvenience . . . 

To sum up: 

A) SEA to SLC, shuttle, 9 days in a hotel with nothing to do in Rexburg but visit family, shuttle, SLC to SEA: $1,146

OR!!!

B) BLI to LAS, stay one night, LAS to IDA, hotel for 2 nights, stay with family for 5 nights, IDA to LAS, stay three nights (mucho to do, people to visit!), LAS to BLI: $536

Ding, ding, ding!! Winner, winner, chicken dinner!! B it is!!

All prices are subject to change (except those already purchased), obviously.

If I go to Vegas, I may have company! MT was saying she'd be super excited to come down for a few days. It'll be at the end of her finals week so we'll see how things roll when her quarter starts and if she'll have to do finals on Thursday or Friday that week. 

Keep your fingers crossed!!

Cheers!
LC

Do you wanna build a snowman?

Oh, Disney, you've done it again! I'm super excited about the movie Frozen and you should be, too!

Has anyone seen Frozen yet? I wasn't going to see it, originally, because I thought it looked silly. You see, I wanted to see The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (which I still haven't seen!!) but my party had already seen it the day before. Without me. Not that I'm bitter, mind you.

Ok. Maybe I'm a little bitter. 

But that's not the point! Back to the new epic movie . . . 

Frozen was adorable and I'm so glad Disney went into the Northern culture. The music was lovely and I can't seem to get it out of my head (Pandora even has shuffled it into my "Disney" station. [Don't judge! You're just jealous that you didn't think of it first!]). You can't dislike a movie who can use the word "fractal" in a song and talks about snowmen. (P.S., I don't like the Demi Lovato version of the song. Idina Menzel does it just fine, thanks!) 

It's been a long time since I've been surprised by a cartoon and there were a couple of twists in this movie that I wasn't expecting. Yay for something new and exciting! Plus, all of the graphics are lovely.

When it comes to DVD I'll definitely be buying it. :)

Cheers!

LC

Nature

Isn't it just, though?

When you're out in the middle of nowhere, without technology, it's really something else. And I think it's a good something else. 

I can't wait for the PCT and having a few months of therapy.

Cheers!
LC

Time for a Tea Party?

Did you know US based multinational corporations like Apple, GE, Bank of America, Verizon, FedEx, Microsoft, Walmart, Citigroup, Chevron, and BP are paying around $0 on their income taxes?

I didn't.

And now I do.

Because now I really, really understand what all the Occupy Wall St. protests are actually about. 

And now I'm pretty pissed about it. 

I've been watching We're Not Broke on Netflix. I need something to settle my stomach because, good Lord, y'all. Corporations are paying $0 in taxes (some are even having negative taxes, which means the government owes them money, not the other way around!!). I'm going to pay almost $2,200 in taxes this year and corporations earning hundreds of billions of dollars  aren't going to pay a single cent to the US government.

How on Earth is that remotely fair? 

Americans, as citizens, aren't broke. We have money, we spend money. But it's amazing that the more we spend to "boost" our economy, the further in the hole our country becomes. The reason for this is the big companies are dodging their taxes. They're paying 0% of their income (sometimes they've actually earned -0.5% income, which I didn't even know was possible! How can you earn a negative?) while we're sitting here paying God knows how much each paycheck. 

What happened to "the government is there to protect the citizens"? It's turned into "the government is there to protect the corporations because without those funds and 'donations' during campaigns those government officals couldn't run their ads."

Sometimes 'Merica blows.

In order to offset the government money lost to corporate income taxes, the government proposes tax cuts to civilian services like police officers, welfare programs (like food stamps), schools and public educations, 

Go watch the movie on Netflix. Go check out US Uncut's website. 

Perhaps it really is time to join a Tea Party . . . After all, we're all mad here anyway, right?

Peeves -- Super Controversial

Pet peeves.

Specifically those found at the work place.

I hate to have them but I know I do. We all do. There's no way we cannot not have them. After four, going on five, years of working in one place, you kind of develop a list. Here are a few of mine:

• Throwing, tossing or slapping your ID/credit or debit card on the counter.
• There is absolutely no reason for this. I don't care if you're mad, I don't care if you're in a hurry -- you're being rude.
• Tapping or banging on the counter.
• It isn't as sturdy as the construction looks from the outside. Every time you bang the counter, it comes a bit loose from the wall. I can move the counter, if I want to see the crack. Also, I'm right here. No need to try and gain my attention that way. I'm sitting right here. I can see you. I can smell you. No need to be rude. Again.
• Tapping your card or ID on the counter when there isn't anyone at the window but there is a sign which reads "working in back, call for assistance."
• Tapping isn't loud enough and you may be standing there for several minutes before someone even thinks they hear you. Just say "hello?" and someone will respond. It's not our fault we don't have two people staffed for every graveyard shift -- if there were more customers, we'd look into it.
• Making out the check at the window.
• You know you're coming up here. Why not make out your check at the last game you were sitting at? Or use the other, empty, window's counter? While you're standing there, I've developed a line behind you. 
• People who don't take wishes of good luck well.
• I'm being polite. If you don't want to be wished well by casino employees whose job it is to make you stay and play more then don't cash checks. Go use the ATM or the machines that break tickets. Don't bother with human interaction. We don't want your negative vibes messing up our windows anyway.
• People who become offended when asked for ID.
• It would be impossible for me to know every single customer who visits this establishment. Also, wouldn't you feel better if the person cashing your check/debit/credit card double checked your ID and signature against the card/check? I sure would! Don't get snooty with me, buster. I'm doing my job and protecting your finances. Be grateful.
• People who become offended when asked for their SSN.
• We are a financial institution. We have the right to ask for this information. Furthermore, if you're playing at the casino and win a jackpot, they have the right to ask for your SSN. We have to do our part and report specific things to specific government entities. We're not going to steal your information and place it anywhere unsavory people can collect it. We don't even see your SSN. Don't like it? Don't play.
• People who get irritated when there's no one to assist them but there's a sign which reads, "back in 10 minutes." 
• Generally, we're back within 5 minutes. So when you claim to have been standing there for 20 minutes, we know you're a liar. And when you page us over the PA system? Why would you do that? Were you unable to read the sign? Seriously? Maybe instead of spending all this money, you should go invest in the Sylvan Learning Center or Hooked on Phonics. Whichever.
• There are several state laws which would be broken if I decided to stay at my window all night long. Such as I'm entitled to breaks and lunches. And bathroom breaks. Quit freakin'.

There. I feel a bit better. After re-reading, I didn't realize there were so many things about my job which I became irritated over! Perhaps it's time for a change in careers? I'm usually quite happy-go-lucky but some people . . . They shouldn't be left to mingle with the public. Let's just leave it at that, shall we?

This list, by no means, is meant at anyone in particular. Sometimes it's just the little things bottling up over time. I'm not trying to offend anyone -- this is my blog and my journal. If you're going to be offended you can go read somewhere else. Seriously. It's a bit like a waitress' list of peeves she dislikes about customers -- snapping fingers, always unsatisfied customers (those who moan and complain just because they can or they think they can get discounts or free meals because "something wasn't right"), small or nonexistent tippers when fantastic service was given, etc. 

I'm sure you have peeves, too. What are they? Are my peeves too peevy?

Cheers!
LC

2014/2015 New Years Trip

Plotting my travel plans for New Years 2014/2015 . . .

I like this travel group, Contiki, and I plan on purchasing my ticket through them. The trip will look something like this:

• Day 1 (12/29/14): Meet in London. Take a ferry past the White Cliffs of Dover. Evening Tour of Illumination and see the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, the Champs-Elysees, and Notre Dame Cathedral. Includes Hotel.
• Day 2 (12/30/14): Cruise down the River Seine. The rest of the day is yours. Optional Cabaret show (80 Euro). Includes Hotel, breakfast, and dinner.
• Day 3 (12/31/14): The day is yours. Includes Hotel and breakfast.
• Day 4 (1/1/15): Catch the ferry back to London; tour ends on arrival. Includes breakfast.

I think I'll fly into London the day after Christmas, arrive on the 27th and wander around for two days until the 29th. After I get back on the 1st, I'd like to stay another two days in the UK and wander some more. Back state-side on the 4th. Three days in France, four days in the UK. When I'm in the UK, I'll stay in hostels. I've used Hostel International before when I went to Hawaii and I was pleasantly surprised with my accommodations. I'll have to put $200 down with Contiki to reserve my place but after I only have to pay in-full 45 days before my trip. So make sure I have all my plans paid for before November 14th. I'll just round and say my deadline to pay is November 1. I will want to reserve my rooms, though ASAP. Hello, tax return!

Me like-y.

Here's the breakdown:

• $515 -- Contiki tour
• $1,500 -- airfare, approximately (if I buy early, there's a greater chance of it being cheaper!)
• $110-$270 ($55-$135/night) -- hostel in London, first trip, 2 days (dorm vs. private room)
• $110-$270 ($55-$135/night) -- hostel in London, second trip, 2 days (dorm vs. private room)
• $84+$105+$140=$329 -- Food: breakfast (~$12x7), lunch (~$15x7), dinner (~$20x7)
• $200 -- Souvenirs and extras

Grand Total: $3,084 (erring on the more expensive private room)

I can swing that in a year, I think. I'll start looking for plane tickets in May and keep my eyes peeled for great deals. I especially like using SkyScanner. They're a great resource for finding relatively good deals. And they send you emails whenever the trip you've got your heart set on goes up or down in price. And they have a phone app. 'Nuff said!

Enough investigating for one night!

Cheers!
LC