11 Simple Economic Lessons to Make You a Smarter Shopper on Black Friday

As a follow-on post to my previous one, here is a good article I came by, entitled 11 Simple Economic Lessons to Make You a Smarter Shopper on Black Friday.

Did you know that Black Friday takes it's name from the fact that it's the beginning of the time of year when a lot of stores go from red to black?

I've never been out for Black Friday, but I hear it's a complete zoo. If that's your thing, enjoy it, but at least go out with a plan, and don't let the retail world win. Happy shopping!

7 Ways to Go Broke This [Holiday] Season

I'm on Dave Ramsey's email list, so every now and then I get his little newsletter. A recent one included this article: 7 Ways to Go Broke This [Holiday] Season. I thought it was a good read and wanted to share with you. Check it out if you're looking for ways to stay financially fit this Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Eve!

My way to go broke that I'm working to correct on my Christmas gift budget is the "Give presents to everyone in your family". But I'm extending it to include friends. In recent years I've purchased presents for friends who I've realized I don't necessarily need to give a present to. I'm updating my budget to give presents only to those who are very near and very dear to me this year. (Please don't hate me if you got a gift last year and don't get one this year. I'm trying to be smart with my money. It's not personal... not really.)

So, good luck to you as you build your Christmas budget and gift list. Remember, going into debt for months or more is not worth meeting the "obligation" of buying that second cousin a present. = P

PS - I'm getting really excited to share with you all how much debt I've paid off this year and to date since starting the Dave Ramsey Debt Snowball in January 2011! = ) Look for that blog towards the end of December/beginning of January.

Space Coast Marathon



It's official! I'm registered for my first FULL marathon! I'll be running 26.2 miles on Sunday, 25 November 2012 in Cocoa, Florida for the Space Coast Marathon!

I think this is perfect timing because I'll be running 26 miles at age 26! = )

My best half marathon time is 1:56'56", so I'm hoping to finish this full marathon just over double my half marathon time: somewhere around 4:15'00". However, my real goal is just to finish and have fun along the way.

Over the next few weeks I'll switch gears from sprint triathlon training to the Jeff Galloway marathon training plan (I have been reading his book called "Marathon: You Can Do It!"). 99 days until the big day!!!Be sure to let me know if you'll be at the race - I'd love to meet up with you at some point during the event!

If you're interested in participating in the full or half marathon, register here and be sure to apply one of the following

registration discount codes:

SCMDAYTONA - $10.00 off Marathon registration
SCHDAYTONA - $5.00 off Half Marathon registration

DEC 2011 Running Challenge Recap

In December I challenged myself to run every day of the month (click here to view the original blog). Here's the recap on how it all went down:

Days in December: 31
Days Ran: 26
Days Not Ran: 5
Success Rate: 84%

Thanks to Nike+, here's a nice visual of the month's runs:

Not too shabby considering that 2.5 of the days I didn't run were devoted to driving to and from Florida and Indiana (18 hours, one way). 

Overall it was a good challenge. No, I didn't "do" it 100%, but look what trying got me! 53 miles! I'll take it!

Bananagrams

This is my latest obsession: Bananagrams.

I've always been passionate about language, words, word puzzles, etc. Now I'm addicted.

I started playing Scrabble in 2008. In 2010 when I got the iPhone 4 I started playing Words with Friends. In August 2010 I was introduced to Bananagrams. Since then I've acquired my own set and introduced my friends and family to the game. For a White Elephant Gift Exchange over Christmas Break I won Scrabble fridge magnets. This weekend I bought the Scrabble Dictionary, 4th edition to use during play (either Scrabble or Bananagrams) along with the Bananagrams Page-A-Day Calendar 2012.

If you're just getting into these awesome word games or are curious, here are a few references to check out:

Banangrams Website
Buy Bananagrams ($15, Amazon)
Buy the Bananagrams Page-A-Day Calendar 2012 ($6.50, Amazon)
Scrabble Dictionary (online)
Buy the Scrabble Dictionary ($7.50, Amazon)

Happy word playing!

Thankful, Day 30

Well, this entry concludes my November goal of posting something I'm thankful for per day of the month.

On this final day of November I'm thankful for my next rotation at work. I start it tomorrow, the first of December. I'll be working with a Lockheed Martin Fellow and for a new company (IS&GS versus EBS). It will be fresh, new, challenging and a great learning experience.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Okay, now let Christmastime commence! = )

Thankful, Day 29

I'm thankful for Fitocracy. Oh, you haven't heard of it before? It's a website which has turned working out into a video-game. What? Yeah, you do physical activity to level up. *it starts to sink in. Yeah, it's brilliant. It's changed people's lives - big time. The Fitocracy Team sends out short success stories of folks who've lost hundreds of pounds because Fitocracy helped them make working out fun again. It's a game!

http://www.fitocracy.com

Let me know if you want an invitation and I can figure out how to do that for ya.

Game on.

Thankful, Day 28

Today I'm thankful that I had the pleasure of joining my leadership development program managers and a few other program participants at Gators Dockside for lunch today. I had a delicious reuben on swirled rye and some potato salad.

Thankful, Day 27

I posted this on Facebook in the wee hours last night:

Day 27. I'm thankful for my mom and my daddy. And how much they love each other. They are my heroes in a million ways.

Thankful, Day 26

I'm thankful to have a wonderful friend named Sam who is joining me to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert in a few weeks! What? You don't know who the Trans-Siberian Orchestra is? They play classical-metal music. I know, kinda interesting, huh? Here's a snippet of some of their holiday work:

Thankful, Days 22-25

Day 22 - Today I'm thankful for my Christmas budget. I've been saving towards it since February and it's been a delight not having to fret about having to forgo gifts I'd like to give. Tonight I knocked out a good chunk of my Christmas shopping. Most of what remains now are gifts I'll be making by hand. Must get on that soon!

Day 23 - I'm thankful for the up-coming long holiday weekend and the light day at work!

Day 24 - Happy Thanksgiving! I'm thankful to have family, though distant, nearby such that I can join them in a family-style dinner. I'm also thankful to have had my college buddy, Josh, join us for dinner (he won the ping-pong tournament!). And, finally, I'm thankful for my girl, Heidi - she turned TWO today! Happy birthday, Heidi-Hoo!

Lori's Thanksgiving Dinner Party

My Great Aunt Joan & I

Josh & I

Heidi looking very excited about her birthday bone (she was yawning, haha)

Heidi posing very nicely with her birthday bone

Day 25 - Heidi didn't let me sleep in today, but I took the day off from work and used it to put away the fall decor and bring out the Christmas decor! I'm thankful for the holiday season and all the fun decorations!

Thankful, Days 17-21

Day 17 - I'm thankful for my roommate, Melyssa, with whom I saw a 1 AM showing of Twilight's Breaking Dawn, Part 1. We had a great time together!

Day 18 - I'm thankful for Friday. Not a bad week, but glad to see the weekend. Also got to have dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings with my good friend, Sam!

Day 19 - I'm thankful for all of my Orlando friends who joined me at my 3rd annual dinner party!

Day 20 - I'm thankful for my dog park friend, Chuck, who was kind enough to share his afternoon with me and Heidi to take some photos with the Avalon Park Christmas Tree for a Christmas Card photo!

Day 21 - I'm thankful for lunch breaks. I'm using mine today to restore my iPhone (hopefully it resolves my synchronization issues) and take Heidi for an afternoon stroll.

Thankful, Day 16

Today I am thankful for lunch breaks. On mine today I was able to hit the bank, library and pick up lunch: a delicious sausage, egg and cheese sandwich on a toasted blueberry bagel from Dunkin Donuts. Delicious.

Thankful, Day 15

Oh. My. Gosh.

I am so thankful that Celestial Holiday teas are in season!!!!!! I am stocking up on Gingerbread Spice this season to last me the year! It's that delicious!

Thankful, Day 14

I'm thankful for getting a good night's rest. I was able to get into bed around 9 last night, read a little bit and relax before getting some shut-eye. I woke up feeling refreshed and in plenty of time before I need to leave for work.

My back is feeling much better today than yesterday, and I'm hoping to try an easy run tomorrow. This evening I'm going to do yoga, and I hope to alternate it with running throughout the week.

Thankful, Day 13

Today I'm thankful for the weekend. I appreciate the time to recuperate from the week. Here's what I did this weekend:

*took time off from running
*slept in to 9ish both yesterday and today
*got ahead on reading for a quiz in one of my classes
*wrote a letter to a friend
*took my pup and the pup I'm puppy-sitting to the dog park
*laid out by the pool for a couple of hours

What did you do this weekend?

Thankful, Days 11 & 12

Day 11

Thanks to health insurance and health funds I didn't have to pay a penny out of pocket when I went to the doctor for my back. So nice.

Day 12

Thankful for the opportunity to return a favor for a friend in watching their puppy, Angie.

Thankful, Days 9 and 10

Day 9

I pulled my back not last night but the night before last. I did something such that when it happened I couldn't fully stand up for about a minute. Scared me. It's also put a hold on my running, and I'm having to sit out the 10K race this Sunday, which I'm quite bummed about. I also had to skip out on a swing dance lesson last night. I'm hoping my back will permit me to take at least minimal part in the swing dance this Saturday, but we'll see. Anyway, I'm thankful that my roommate happened to have a heating pad that I could borrow. Thanks, Melyssa!!! That thing has helped SO much!

Day 10

Today I am thankful for advanced absence time at work. Without much trouble at all I'm able to go to the doctor this morning to have my back checked out, and then return to work afterwards.

Thankful, Days 7 & 8

Day 7

I picked up the Amelie soundtrack at the library yesterday. I'm thankful for Yann Tierson. His compositions are simply beautiful. They evoke emotion in me. Enjoy this sound bite of a song from Amelie:

Day 8:

After work today I picked up Heidi and went to the dog park. She was on good behavior and did quite a bit of running! I brought my book, Dracula, but didn't bother trying to read since I was so happy to chit chat with the other dog owners. Tony and Brian and Matt's wife (sorry, I didn't catch her name) and I talked about how our dogs could sense the time change and how they have interesting appetites and how they destroy screens from time to time. These friendly conversations are welcome and relaxing.

Thankful, Days 5 & 6

Day 5

I knocked out a lot of homework on Saturday for my master's program. I'm thankful that I am employed by a company who foots the bill for furthering education. = )

Day 6

Sunday I went to my swing dance class. We learned how to do lolly kicks! I'm thankful for those who prompted me to take the class. It's SO much fun! The lolly kicks lend themselves to something like this: