social life: not dead

I should note that, although I am not spending money, I still like to be invited to events that require spending money. Don't totally cross me off your social lists.

finances

I have a decent amount of savings, so getting laid off is not an immediate financial emergency. But it does mean I'm living off a bank account that's only going in one direction, so I'd like to slow its rate of depletion. This has led to my new fiscal policy: Don't spend money.

It's actually kind of liberating. There's a number of activities I can cross right off my list. Shopping, for example. Most concerts and movies. Going out for drinks.

Sure, I'm still spending money on food, Netflix, and other necessities. But basically, this gives me very easy criteria for deciding what to do. Does it involve money? Yeah, I think I'll skip it. I imagine I'll start reintroducing spending eventually, as I get income, but for now I'm ok with being cheap.

getcher half-price tickets right here

If any loyal readers are on the fence about coming to see this this week (Wednesday and Thursday at Wolf Trap), let me tempt you with this half-price ticket offer. The password is Frodo. Half price tickets, my friends.

money

Is it just me, or is this one of the dumbest articles ever? I mean...seriously, there are people who don't realize that if you're making $47,000 a year, maybe you shouldn't be spending $300 a week on going out? Ok, obviously there are people who don't know this, because she writes about them.

But this quote is what really annoys me most about the story:

D.C. is also a town where networking is part necessity, part hobby. It's a town of lawyers, lobbyists and consultants, a town of power lunches, happy hours and party-hopping. There are people who make tons of money and people who make so-so money, and you don't want to be shut out of the social scene even if your salary is not up to par.

"It's a town where people want to fit in, so I think sometimes people will spend in order to fit in, and that might mean dining out a little too much or buying clothes that are a little too expensive," said Kim Reed, a financial planner with Garrett Planning Network in Chevy Chase. "It's a very prestigious town. . . . If you live here, you kind of get sucked into that."

I don't think I need to point out that that all this has basically nothing to do with my social life. Those stupid stereotypes about D.C. are so. infuriating. And it's particularly annoying when the big local newspaper, which I expect to have a more comprehensive view of the city, runs the same tired old stereotypes as if they're established fact.

decision

Ok, I gave my public radio station money and told them it was for Traditions. But I gave shout-outs to the other shows, too (...ok, except for Morning Edition, which is never going off their air). Now I eagerly anticipate the arrival of my Car Talk water bottle.

itty bitty milestone

Today the Department of Education's bank elves took their last withdrawal from my bank account. I am now debt-free.

Ok, so, this is not as momentous as it sounds - my parents paid for undergrad at OAM (thank you parents, who are not blog readers, but for the record, I really appreciate it), the master's at MFGAM was fully funded (how to get a fully funded master's: start a PhD, then quit), and I got in-state tuition and some grant money for MSGAM. But I did have to take out one loan along the way - and now it's gone! Woo!

Also, I think the government now owes me $200, thanks to some confusion about the scheduled payments. Hm. I hope they pay that back.

that's a lot of money for a pizza

One thing that *hasn't* changed since I lived in Norway is the prices. Behold this special offer from Peppes Pizza:

That's a large pizza, a 1.5-liter soda, and a DVD for only 359 kroner (plus delivery). Allow me to convert for you: that's 60 dollars. And even if the exchange rate didn't suck, that would be a lot of money.