Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Debt-Be-Gone!

As I get closer to finishing college forever I realize there are things I must face about "the real world" that I have ignored until now.  As Heath and I discussed our future together we came to realize that I have more debt than I realized.  I had to take out a loan to pay for college and now that I am close to being done I realize that I have to pay it off.  A loan is not free money, instead it will come back to bite you in the butt later on.  Sadly, in my naivety I didn't save a penny during college.  Not until Heath came along that is.  Now, my debt may seem small in comparison to those who had to take out loans for a private school, but the ways they affect me are still great.  Heath and I know that when we get married we will have bills to pay, bills that up until then our parents have graciously paid for.  So our goal is to pay off my debt before we get married.  As severe as that seemed to me at first, I now know the benefit of it.  With faith in God I have no doubt that we will be able to fully pay off my debt as fast as possible.  Already we have lowered it faster than I thought we would.  Heath has been so loving and kind in accepting my debt as his own and working with me to pay it off.  God has truly blessed me with someone who sees the value in not having outstanding debts and to be wise about the ways you spend your money.  These are all things that I just never gave much thought to. 
So far Heath and I have been utilizing craigslist.com to sell instruments, electronics and whatever else we can manage to find.  We have also been using half.com to sell old books, CD's, and DVD's to get a little profit that adds up quickly.  So my question for you is, do you have any special methods for making money quickly?  If so, I would love to hear some recommendations as I am constantly trying to save and make money where I can.  Both Heath and I work and every penny that isn't going towards expenses is going straight to my debt.  I am so blessed by Heath and it hurts my heart to know I am the one who is bringing the burden of debt into this relationship.  But the lessons I am learning and the knowledge I am gaining about Heath is something I am glad to learn now instead of later in life.  By dealing with these issues now we save ourselves the potential of pain and frustration in our future.  =]

Sunday, January 17, 2010

BOOKS!

You may be wondering what I have been up to lately that has made me neglect updating my blog. If you think school, then you are mostly wrong. Yes, school does take up time but recently I have been spending way too much time reading books for fun. Eventually school will become so hectic that I will no longer have the time to read for pleasure. But while I can I have become a reading machine! I have been utilizing the fabulous resource called a Library and have been reading tons of books for free! Sadly, I cannot keep these books to build my own library. My own library will have to wait until I have oodles of money, no debt and a perfect space to house my lovely books.
Taking some hints from my beautiful sister-in-law, who has her own reading blog which you can read here, I have decided to let the world wide web know what I have been reading. If instead of reading this blog you would like a snapshot glance at what I have been reading, go to this fabulous online bookshelf site here! On this site, called shelfari.com, I add the books I have read, am reading, and will read and give mini reviews to most of the books I have finished. If you read as much as I do you should definitely get one. I find it is a perfect way to keep track of what books I have read.

Below is a guide to "my" rating system which I will use for each book. (Taken from Elisha's reading blog :] )

0- Burn it. It will be a way better use of your time than reading it!
1- Terrible. Just plain terrible.
2- Don't bother opening it; the cover is the best part.
3- Bleh. I wouldn't bother, but maybe you have more patience.
4- Could be good with a little work.
5- Pretty good, for the most part.
6- Good. Solidly good.
7- Great. This book is worth reading AND recommending.
8- Holy Cow! This book rocks my socks off, but isn't the best book I've ever read.
9- Top 20 - this books tops the charts of my favorite books!
10- THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST STINKIN' BOOKS I HAVE EVER READ!!!!!!


Since I have recently read multiple books I won't create a separate blog for each one, instead just list a few here with the rating. If you have read or do read any of these books, let me know what you think!!


First book: "How Not to be Popular" by Jennifer Ziegler































This book is really cute. It is about a high school girl who moves around a bunch. She decides at the next school that to avoid getting attached and then having heartache when she is

forced to move again, she will be unpopular. The writing is witty and fun to read. I would probably recommend it more for girls as it is from her perspective. Not that some guys wouldn't enjoy it, but overall it was quite the girly book. I would give it between a 6- Good. Solidly good. and a 7- Great. This book is worth reading AND recommending.
It isn't the most original book and the plot is pretty predictable, hence the lower score. But still recommending it.

Next:

"The Help" by Kathryn Stockett
























This was a really engaging read. I definitely recommend it. The story is from three different women's point-of-view and the writing style is brilliant. It takes place in Mississippi in the 1960's and deals with issues of black women maids. Two of the women are maids, one a quite devote woman and the other a fiery woman who has a bad habit of speaking her mind. The other woman is a white college graduate who decides to write down the stories of multiple maids in a book. Their journey of writing this book and working for certain people is both moving and adventurous. I would give it an 8- Holy Cow! This book rocks my socks off, but isn't the best book I've ever read.


OK, so I have read a multitude of books that I obviously haven't posted here, but I'm running short on time. I will continue posting the books I have read/am reading so keep checking back if you're interested!