Post College Expectations

If you are anything like me, then you also had GREAT expectations for what it would look like when you finished college.

My expectations included some of the following descriptions. I planned to have a large house, maybe not immediately, but surely by 27 (the age I am now). I'd be able to decorate it with matching pieces of furniture. I planned to buy nice clothes (like Banana Republic, etc.). I thought that I would be wearing those nice clothes to a nice paying job that I would enjoy. I assumed I'd find a husband, but wasn't that positive about my hopes for marriage (which have changed greatly and will be addressed in another post.) I figured I'd be able to eat out regularly at fancy restaurants if I wanted to (I didn't know how to cook until age 25ish). I thought I could afford a nice car as well. I figured I'd be making slightly under 100K (before 30:) and be successful at work. I always planned to work outside the home and be able to pay a sitter. I figured I'd travel across the county often and take lots of "little" side trips to the neighboring states.

Ohh, foolish me. What I didn't anticipate was my debt or how my major in sociology would effect my ability to get paid 100K. Somewhere in my mind I thought I'd make enough money to outrun my excessive spending, simply because I'd be getting paid a lot. I figured I'd slowly pay off student loans/mortgage while I quickly made a lot of money.

How do things stack up now that I've been done with graduate courses for two years? I don't make 100K. I actually made better money delivering pizzas (tips included) in high school. I made about 10$/hr to deliver pizza and then made anywhere from 2-15$/hr in tips. Wow, maybe I should look into that again. Ok, really I love being a crisis counselor. I love to help people in need. But, people in need can't afford to pay for services. So most of my income comes from the government and grants. I make about 11$/hr at my morning job. My afternoon job pays a bit better at 13.75$/hr. OUCH. That is not what I expected to be making at 27.

I do have a house (that we can afford), but it's filled with my families second hand stuff. My house actually looks like my grandma's living room twenty years ago:) I can't afford to buy new pieces so nothing matches. Or, perhaps I should say it's "eclectic"?? My closets are filled with clothes from since I was 16. My new clothes are generally second hand from Plato's Closet. I don't have a new car, but I did purchase my Buick from my grandparents. I can't complain for a second about my car. Traveling has happened some for us. We got free plane tickets (thanks to getting booted off another flight) so we have visited our friends in Colorado. We also saw some friends in New York buy signing up for a credit card that gives you free tickets (I don't recommend this).

I learned how to cook. Actually my husband I both learned from the Food Network. We don't have cable anymore, but we did have cable for our first two years of marriage. I loved watching and ultimately my  hubby and I learned to cook. Which is a good thing because it is so much cheaper to make your own food at home. This also allows for leftovers. We can't afford to eat out very much.We have actually become very picky about our food and where it comes from.

I did find an amazing man and have changed many of my (previously bitter) views about marriage.

What happens when expectations don't meet reality? Well, I'm working on learning to be content with what I have. I have always had a creative mind. I have ideas flowing out of me. For example, I plan to write a book someday about relationships and am using this blog as a way to practice my writing. I can easily see how I could sell a million books and be successful financially. On the other hand, I have not sold a million books yet and need to live with my 20$ couch from Craigslist for the time being. I am trying to balance contentment with the possibilities of tomorrow. It's a slippery slope balancing dreams of tomorrow with the reality of today. It takes practice and some days that balancing act gets the best of me.

How do you balance contentment today with setting goals for tomorrow?

Billy's Bakery - my favorite one in New York City

Just Do It

I've done it. I found the courage to start my own blog and share my thoughts with the world. I hope it's as interesting and practical and I imagined it would be.

Tonight my hubby is at the bar watching Monday night football. He does this because we choose not to pay for cable. We gave up cable about 5 months ago. At first it was painful. Every time I sat down to eat in the morning, I could not watch the news I was used to watching. Every time I went downstairs to workout on my treadmill, I had to deal with not having my recorded shows to watch. I actually felt myself longing for the Food network. I definitely went through withdraw symptoms. The first 30 days were the hardest. I was mad at the TV when I turned it on, and it gave me nothing but our local 2, 7, and 9 channels. When I came home for lunch in the past I could skip right to the show I wanted. I thought I was saving myself time by paying for cable and the DVR. Oh man, was I ever wrong.

Giving up cable allowed me to reclaim the time I usually spent watching TV. I wasn't a 3 hour-a-day kind of TV user, but it was amazing how often I craved my Food network after we cut the cord. I probably stumbled around like a zombie for short periods of time throughout the days after giving it up. I had to re-purpose my time.

Today, 5 months later, we have a lot of time on our hands that we didn't before. I can't say that I've re-purposed all my time for more practical things. However, I can say it's helped to change us. I hardly think about the TV (except in the morning at breakfast...I love watching the news). I wound up getting a Jillian Michaels workout video (6 pack abs). The workout is harder and faster than anything I did while watching TV. Also, my hubby watches less sports:) You can imagine all the extra things he has time for now...I know I can. I've barely mentioned all the extra money we save. Actually, it's going towards payment on our DEBT. It's great to know that our 80$/month cable bill is now going towards our debt!

Ladies and Gentlemen, thanks for reading my first post!