The Last Post

This is the last post – not to be confused with The Last Song which my friend Claire talked me into watching last weekend.  I made it 12 minutes before I had to turn it off.  I just can’t take seeing a slutty hillbilly pretend to be a good singer.  I can say things like that because she’s a bazillionaire and I’m not.

Also did you know…

THIS IS THE LAST DAY OF THE BENJAMIN BUDGET!!!

It’s bittersweet to be done with the budget, but really more sweet than bitter.  I would be lying if I said I wasn’t excited to buy this Prabal Gurung for Target dress:

 

I will probably still wait for it to go on sale though.  Just because the budget is over doesn’t mean I’m suddenly a dummy.

I’ve actually learned a lot from this whole blog thing.  I’ve discovered the thrill and advantage of renting a dress instead of buying it (perfect for weddings!), I rarely order diet coke or coffee anymore (they are silent wallet killers) and I don’t buy weird crap like eyelash growing serum or hair lotion anymore.  Hence, moving forward I should still be able to save more than spend – just not to the extent that I have been.

I must give a special thanks to the copywriter.  I’m not sure this whole thing would have been nearly as fun if I didn’t have him around to help me.  I know it’s pukey to say, but he’s pretty awesome.  He never complained once about the shortage of money on my end and he was always willing to help out.  It’s because of him that I didn’t have to give up the cheese counter at Surdyk’s.  True love forever and ever and ever and all of that.

Here’s where the last two and half weeks ended up:

Week Fifty:

• Lunds: $19.88
• Panera: $5.53
• Target: $43.03

I went over by $8.16 so I allocated that to Week Fifty-One:

• Keys: $16.59
• The Local: $25.45
• Lunds: $57.36

I went over by $7.56 so I allocated that to Week Fifty-Two:

• Caribou: $6.66
• Lunds: $29.76
• La Loma: $9.35
• Zelo: $18.51
• Orpheum Theater (Book of Mormon): $25.00

Savings from Week Fifty-Two: $3.16

I’m definitely not done with blogging forever.  It’s a lot of fun.  I’m just going to take a break until I think of something else to blog about.

Thank you so much to all of those who have followed me and listened me complain about acne, paleness and money.  You’re the greatest.

XO,

Megan

 

 

 

5 Things Women Always Regret

1. Getting bangs

After seeing 500 Days of Summer, I wanted to be as adorable and desirable as Zooey Deschanel, so I went to the salon and boldly got thick 60s-style bangs. Then I drove straight to my sisters house, crawled into her bed, hid under the covers and cried.

2.  Buying really trendy unflattering clothes

Harem pants.

Ankle socks.

Both of these make everyone look fat.

3.  Late night booze-induced eating

Taco Bell coined the term “fourth meal” for a reason – because nothing sounds better at 2 a.m. than a cheesy gordita crunch.  Then of course you wake up bloated and smelling like salty garbage.

4.  Buying expensive shampoo

After spending $60 on shampoo you convince yourself for a week that your hair has much more volume than it used to.  Then you realize it looks the same and you go back to buying $4 shampoo.

5.  Sleeping in instead of getting ready

In the morning sleep is all that matters.  Then when you catch your reflection during the day you realize it might have been worth the extra 15 minutes to run a comb through your hair.  I regret this at least once a week.

 

Here’s where Week Forty-Seven ended up:

• Panera: $9.24
• Lunds: $23.95
• Target: $59.35

I allocated $8.41 to Week Forty-Eight:

• Lunds: $4.17
• Eddingtons: $9.06
• Lunds: $26.32
• Aveda: $20.00
• The Burger Place: $9.45
• BWW: $14.76

I put $7.83 into savings.  Here’s the spending for Week Forty-Nine:

• Tucci Benucch: $20.66
• Jimmy Johns: $10.19
• Cosi: $10.83
• Caribou Coffee: $6.23
• Lunds: $10.18
• Rainbow Foods: $22.06
• Lunds: $20.00

I allocated $0.15 to Week Fifty:

• Republic: $19.69
• Lunds: 19.88

Budget for the rest of Week Fifty: $60.28

 

I wish I was British

Brits are really in right now.  Downton Abbey, Kate and Pippa, and the guy from Homeland all make me wish I was British.  Plus English accents make everyone more charming.  My bff Ashley and I knew this early on in life and would try out our English accents on baristas at Caribou Coffee consistently in junior high.  We also wore knee high socks with Adidas and white eyeliner so you can imagine we were pretty sophisticated.

Besides just wanting to be British, Downton Abbey has made me wish I was a Lady in 1912, except for of course the risk of dying from a fever or being called a harlot because a man saw my knees.

Here are the reasons to be obsessed with Downton Abbey:

Being bored and putting on a gown and gloves to contemplate life.

 

Living here.

Dancing like this.

And of course the clothes…

 

 

The women could really just walk around for an hour in English gardens wearing great clothes and I would still love this show.

Here’s where Week Forty-Five ended up:

• Target: $27.87
• Chipotle: $8.00
• Lunds: $32.91

I allocated $11.63 to Week Forty-Six:

• Zelo: $17.95
• Kowalski’s: $33.75
• Bulldog: $7.76
• Lunds: $26.97

Savings from Week Forty-Six: $1.94.

Here’s the status of Week Forty-Seven so far:

• Eddingtons: $7.87
• Noodles & Co.: $8.00

Budget for the rest of Week Forty-Seven: $84.13

Notice how all of my money goes towards food?

 

Christmas $$$

It has been hella long since I last posted and here’s why: Christmas.  Also, I’m lazy.

Here’s what happened since I last posted my random ramblings…

I rented another dress for a holiday party.  Here’s what it looks like on a model:

Whoa, that’s a big picture.  Thank God it’s of someone else.

The Christmas season is always so awesome and busy and fattening and fun.  I love it.  Usually I get a little sad the day after Christmas, but not this year.  I have multiple gift cards to Noodles & Co. in my purse and they will be well spent.  Also, I am absolutely obsessed with my incredible family and most of them have a bunch of time off this week so we’ll get to hang out.

I will admit that outside of the Benjamin Budget, my little sis and I decided to get a gym membership.  The idea is that we’ll go to the gym and get wicked hot.  We even signed up before New Year’s so we can pretend to be the regular gym goers who aren’t just signing up for a few months as part of a New Year’s Resolution.  We’ll probably roll our eyes when the treadmills are occupied and sigh and blame the New Year.  Then I’ll exhale a sigh of relief that I can just do ten minutes on the elliptical, pick up Chipotle and call it a day.

Here’s what I’ve been dreading – the list of spending since Week Forty-Two.  I vow never to neglect this blog for such a long time again (unless I do):

Week Forty-Two:

• Lunds: $31.79

I allocated $7.95 to Week Forty-Three:

• Rent the Runway: $30.00
• ASOS: $15.00
• Target: $38.26
• Red Stag Supper Club: $11.00

I allocated $2.21 to Week Forty-Four:

• Target: $32.32
• Lunds: $33.46
• Surdyk’s: $35.27

I allocated $3.26 to Week Forty-Five:

• Surdyk’s: $15.43
• Target: $24.16

Budget for the rest of Week Forty-Five: $57.15

 

 

 

Recipe Fail

I love to cook… mostly because when I do I end up with delicious food.  Last night however I ended up with food that tasted like feet.

I made Giada’s crostata with apples, walnuts and gorgonzola last night.  It was basically an open-faced apple pie with cheese – kind of an Italian version of the apple pie slice with a Kraft single melted on top.  I’ve never had one of those by the way, but I’ve seen enough pictures to know that it must exist somewhere.

 

Normally Giada does not disappoint.  I’ve made her mushroom crostata and it was delicious.  Plus, I like that she doesn’t make me feel poor by requesting good olive oil and good mayonnaise like the barefoot contessa does.  Also, she’s really skinny so her food must be good for you!  I prefer to judge the calories of my food based on the size of the chef who created it.

Here’s where the spending ended up for Week Forty-One:

• Lunds: $62.27

I went over by $54.61, so I allocated that to Week Forty-Two:

• Greek Grill: $7.41
• Chipotle: $9.14
• Target: $5.00

Budget for the rest of Week Forty-Two:  $23.84

 

One Direction vs. N’Sync

One Direction:

N’Sync:

When did boy bands get so young?  When I was in junior high, boy bands were much older with creepy goatees and chunky highlights.  Plus, at least one member was usually in his thirties and overweight (Joey).  Now, boy bands have barely hit puberty and instead of having twangy Southern drawls, they have adorable British accents.  Also, they’re all skinnier than me – which I am totally okay with most of the time.

When is one of them going to grow an impromptu afro like this…

… and which one is gay?

N’Sync was just the best.  Their Christmas CD is still awesome.

I know it’s been a million years since I’ve blogged, so my list of spending is extensive.  I blame Thanksgiving.

Here’s where we left off:

Week Thirty-Nine had a remaining budget of $73.69:

• Lunds: $10.86
• Target: $12.81
• Surdyk’s: $28.38
• Surdyk’s: $23.37

I went over by $1.73 so I allocated that to Week Forty:

• Anchor Fish & Chips: $25.50
• Surdyk’s: $34.25
• Lunds: $32.50
   

 

Savings for Week Forty: $6.02.

Here’s the status for Week Forty-One:

• Target: $46.58
• Eddington’s: $7.87
• Punch Pizza: $9.87
• Vincent A Restaurant: $28.02

Budget for the rest of Week Forty-One: $7.66

 

 

The Facebook Status

Facebook can be really great and it can be really annoying.  I’m not dogging facebook because it’s the reason I get weekly updates on my little nieces, nephews and cousins.  I love finding great links to cool websites and stalking my brother.  The issue I have is some facebook status’ make me barf – and half the people at my job already have strep throat or the flu, so I can’t afford to get any sicker.

Here, in no particular order, are the 10 most annoying status updates on facebook:

1. The over-the-top love status: “A year ago today I met the love of my life – the man who makes me feel beautiful on the worst days…”
   1. Why can’t couples just communicate face-to-face like the good old days?
2. The work out status: “Just went on a four-mile run and feeling great!”
   1. I know you’re proud, but just go home and tell your husband or your roommate like a normal person.
3. The FML status: “My computer broke.  FML.”
   1. That’s too bad… but I’m not buying you a new one.
4. The food brag status: “Made risotto for the hubby tonight :)” (accompanied by an Instagram picture of risotto)
   1. I also cooked dinner tonight.  I’ll cook it again tomorrow.  No one cares.
5. Political rant status: “Really Romney/Obama?  You believe that planned parenthood…”  blah blah blah
   1. There’s an eCard that sums this up:
6. Child photo overshare status: Picture of baby drooling at breakfast, then smiling at snack time, then wearing a hat at lunch, then yawning at nap time, then touching a fork at dinner, then smiling again at bed time, then sleeping…
   1. Your baby is really cute and teensy tiny and I absolutely adore her – but stop being the paparazzi in your own house.
   2. Note about previous comment: I don’t have kids, so I might turn into this someday
7. Slutty college pic status: “Out with my besties!” (accompanied by a bunch of girls in little black skirts getting wasted and making kissy faces).
   1. I actually used to post stuff like this, but it was before the time that my employer and all of my relatives were on facebook.
8. The who cares status:  “Buying a refrigerator at Home Depot”
   1. Who cares?
9. The religious status: “Jesus Christ and His power are evident today…”
   1. Oh man.
10. The horrible grammar status: “there, their, its, it’s…”
    1. You’re a smart person, but your grammar mistakes are making you look like a dummy.

That concludes the annoying facebook status list.

Now that I’ve written it, I’ll probably go ahead and start doing all of them.

By the way I’d like to note that I do a whole bunch of annoying stuff in my everyday life that people probably hate – I crack my knuckles, make a frown face when I concentrate, drive like a grandma, sweat when it’s cold out and display tons of pictures of the copywriter and me in the same pose all over our house.

Here’s how Week Thirty-Eight ended up:

• Surdyk’s: $15.07
• Maeve’s Cafe: $3.00

Total savings for Week Thirty-Eight: $3.06

Here’s the status on Week Thirty-Nine:

• Lunds: $16.31
• Chipotle: $10.00

Budget for the rest of Week Thirty-Nine: $73.69

Sock Buns and Obama

Sorry it’s been a while since my last post.  The election had me pretty distracted.  Now that it’s over I can focus on more important things like catching up on Modern Family and trying the Pinterest-sock-bun.  I failed miserably.  I think you have to be a cute college girl for it to work.

Buns always look so cute on Pinterest.

Speaking of Pinterest, will people please stop posting recipes that look delicious but taste like crap?  Just because you can put it in a crockpot, doesn’t mean you should.  Moving forward I’m sticking to Real Simple, Giada and Ina.

On a completely separate note, I ran into Obama today.

What a great guy.

Here’s how the spending ended up for Week Thirty-Seven:

• Rusty Taco: $18.32
• Asian Max: $6.97
• Target: $15.92
• Lunds: $14.12

Total savings from Week Thirty-Seven: $1.33

Here’s the spending so far for Week Thirty-Eight:

• Lunds: $60.17
• Target: $8.14
• Punch Pizza: $10.56

Budget for the rest of Week Thirty-Eight: $21.13

Ay caramba.

Ferris and Sloane

 

 

 

The copywriter and I had a Halloween party to go to on Saturday and we decided to dress up as Ferris and Sloane.

 

The costumes were actually pretty easy.  Mine consisted of big shorts from Goodwill and a shirt and boots I already owned.  I only ran into a speed bump when I was looking for the leather fringe jacket.  Did you know leather fringe jackets are hard to find and expensive?  I finally found the perfect one on Etsy and the copywriter generously offered to pick it up for me.  I freaked out and jumped up and down a bunch of times and offered to cook him dinner for the rest of his life.  He’s a pretty nice guy.  He also apparently had a thing for Sloane growing up.  Man, was he quick to make that purchase.

We had such a fun time playing Sloane and Ferris.  Being children of the 80s, we both grew up watching the movie.  Neither of us were as cool as Sloane and Ferris in high school though.  Well actually maybe the copywriter was – he was cute and good at basketball.  I was just a lanky weirdo who took ballet classes and liked to read.

The party we went to was hilarious and awesome.  I only wish I would have taken more photos of us before I started drinking cauldron punch.  All of our pictures turned out shaky and blurry.

 

 

Such a fun night.  Plus, I’m at the age where I don’t dress like a s*** (rhymes with but) anymore on Halloween, so I was actually warm and comfortable.  Growing older has its advantages.  I mean I’m 26 so I know a thing or two about getting older.

Here’s where the budget ended up for Week Thirty-Six:

• Lunds: $19.34
• Lunds (again): $25.98
• Surdyk’s: $8.75
• Chipotle: $9.21
• Good Day Cafe: $11.75

I went over by $13.06, so I allocated that to Week Thirty-Seven:

• Target: $30.28

Budget for the rest of Week Thirty-Seven: $56.66

 

 

This is not about the Presidential Debate…

… it’s about Halloween costumes and grocery shopping.

Fact 1: Halloween costumes always seem like they’re going to be cheap, but then they end up being expensive.

It is difficult creating a costume at a reasonable price. This year is even more of a challenge than usual because the copywriter and I are dressing up in two different sets of costumes.  I’m not going to disclose what we’re being for Halloween yet.  I don’t want to ruin the thrill everyone gets when they jump on Facebook November 1 to see everyone’s updated profile pictures.

I dare someone to go as Anastasia Steele.  Actually probably about a thousand college girls are already planning on it.

Here are the past costumes we’ve embarked on.  Fair warning: the copywriter and I are obnoxious and do lots of couple/group costumes.  If that makes you barf, then close your eyes and scroll down for three seconds.

Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox

Wizard of Oz

Sesame Street/Yo Gabba Gabba

See, that wasn’t so bad.

Fact 2: Shopping at Rainbow Foods is not glamorous.  Every cart has a squeaky wheel and the lights are fluorescent.  It’s almost as depressing as a highway in Florida.  The one plus?  It’s cheap.  Ipso facto – it’s a necessary evil, especially if you need to buy food the same week you need to buy Halloween costumes.

Here’s the spending for Week Thirty-Five:

• Ragstock:  $16.98
• Sunnys Hair and Wigs: $20.39
• Goodwill: $6.00
• Rainbow Foods: $34.60

I went over by $20.83 so I allocated that to Week Thirty-Six:

• Ginger Hop: $17.20

Budget for the rest of Week Thirty-Six: $61.97