'Cause I am a Material Girl (Sort of)

It only makes sense, after a week of us whining about money, that we write about the things we spend it on - specifically things that make us happy, but don't really need. This week's topic:

How We Spoil Ourselves

The good life.

I'm going to list off several things I do that fall into this category:

1) Manicures/Pedicures - I used to do my own nails, but then my friend showed me the good life. Having a friend who offers professional spa services out of her house is pretty awesome. I can get used to this!

2) Drinks out - I don't go out nearly as much as I used to - so when I do I really take advantage of that. Now that I'm a bit older I really appreciate going for a few beers at the pub, or having a classy night drinking $8 glasses of wine. I'm no longer into mainlining gin - though a few G&Ts still do the trick.

3) Dinners out - Dinners out always make me happy, but usually end up costing me a lot. So worth it though. You don't have to cook and you get to have something you might not be able to replicate at home.

4) Going to the movies - Oddly enough I went to the movies three times in January. This isn't normal for me, as I usually only go a few times a year. I saw True Grit, The Fighter and No Strings Attached. I'd really love to see The King's Speech.

5) Buying clothes/shoes/accessories - This is probably how I spoil myself the most. I know we need clothes and shoes to live, but I definitely own more than I need. I try not to be THAT GIRL, but I do like clothes and fashion.

6) Sleeping in - Sleep doesn't cost money, but I certainly do spoil myself by sleeping in a few days a week. Yeah, I'm more productive when I get up earlier, but some days I just need the rest.

I hope you all enjoyed this week's post! How do you spoil yourself?

This is from me to you, Tom...see ya Wednesday!

Photo of my last pedi. Sorry if feet freak you out.

Skint, Brassic and Broke in Blighty

Sometimes I dream of a world without money, where one could barter with services, exchange goods and do favours for friends. In my mind, it's a beautiful place. Of course, if on Saturday I win the lottery I'll change my tune completely. The moment the money hit my account I'd be prancing round like Liza Minnelli in Cabaret: "Money makes the world go round, the world go round, the world go round..." It would not be a pretty picture. Besides my lack of it, my biggest issue with money is that I don't understand it. Gold standards, exchange rates, inflation; these are all things that go straight over my head.

And then there are The Markets. What are The Markets, exactly? And how do they manage to buffet the little people around according to their evil whim? I physically can't comprehend how something that must have at one time been created by mankind, now rules over it. I hold my hands up and admit the there's much I don't understand, and I don't want to sound like I'm rubbishing the economic systems I know nothing about, but this is the full extent of my knowledge on the subject.

I'm writing this on the tube as I speed (I mean trundle painfully slowly) beneath the City of London, where the streets are paved with gold and a banker's bonus would pay off my parents' mortgage. Where dreams are made and payout records are broken.

I've read a lot recently about how deregulation of the bankers led to the economic crash in 2009 and, in a way, I sympathise with them. Perhaps, if when I first started on a regular salary I had saved some money, or at least budgeted, I would not be in the dire economic straits I am in today. But I was young, irresponsible and - as already demonstrated - completely and utterly financially naive. How could I say no when the bank offered to increase my overdraft? I thought it was free money. And when they sent me a credit card - the one that screamed USE ME every time I opened my wallet, how was I to resist? Other people did and do manage to resist though - and I envy their intelligence. I don't want to blame anyone but myself, but somewhere along the line I failed to grasp the true value of the coins in my pocket and the numbers on my bank statements. And, as with the banks, there was nobody there to regulate my epic spending levels.

Unfortunately, the taxpayer steadfastly refuses to bail me out; yet even so I am clawing my way slowly, but steadily, back into the black. It was a lesson I needed to learn, and part of me is pleased I went about learning it the hard way. I was ill-equipped to make any sort of financial decision and while I still don't understand the bigger economic picture, at least I've finally figured out my own.

Funnily enough, when I held my wallet upside down for the photo above, I found £1.46 I didn't know I had, and €0.20. So thanks TASG, for coming to my aid yet again!

Next instalment: Lauren vs The Dollar Bill

Going Loonie in The Great White North

I'm rich!

So we’re back to typing and writing - no vlogging this week, so I hope you enjoyed it last week - it may be awhile before any of us agree to do that again!

For our January posts we’ve been keeping them light and fun for the most part, but we all know that being a 20-something isn’t always fun. In the past we have tackled difficult subjects such as relationships, future ambitions and getting older. This week we are tackling the subject of money.

Yikes!

Here are some quick things about me and money:

• I work at a cafe and make minimum wage. My pay cheques - even though I work five days a week - are not enough to survive on my own. This sucks.

• I am currently paying back a hefty student loan. This also sucks, but I am responsible and diligent when it comes to making loan payments.

• I wish I could live without a lot of money - I just want to be happy and not care about money. But I also want a lot of freedom, and freedom costs a lot.

• I love to shop. I realize that it’s silly to buy things I don’t NEED, but my argument here is that these things make me happy (for the most part).

• For someone with very little, I am actually really good with my money. I have good credit and always pay bills early or on time. I also have RRSPs - so I’m also investing in my future.

• Greed makes me angry. I hate seeing people my age with so much, and yet they want more. I have nothing and would be happy with just a bit more - I am not cut out for capitalist society.

I wish I could do what I love and get paid for it. Is that too much to ask? A lot of people tell me that I should just do something - something that pays - and that it shouldn’t matter if I hate it because EVERYONE hates their job and that’s just how life is! I say NO! Why should I do something I hate just for money? If I’m miserable at work - and I’m at work most of the week - then what am I gaining? Money to save for when I’m too old to do anything? Yes I work at a cafe now - and it’s not ideal, and most days I hate it - but right now it’s what works for me. Yes, it’s stupid, but yeah, I’m holding out for better opportunities. At the end of the day I’ve made some awesome friends and have a few bucks in my pocket.

One thing I’d love to do is travel more - make that “perfect day” a reality (maybe split into four separate vacations though). Right now travel isn’t very realistic, unless I’m willing to go into a bit more debt for it. Everything I do puts me in a bit more debt, and then I recover, but I’m back to square one. I’m really debating that trip to the UK I mentioned before (in my what I want for 2011 post) - but what’s really halting me is lack of funds. Just say I’m still a barista when I decide to go - I’d have to book the time off - unpaid, obviously. I’d have to put the flight on my credit card, that would take months to pay back. I’d also need some spending money, and after converting Canadian dollars to Pounds Sterling, well I’d be left with a pitiful amount. What keeps me dreaming about this trip is that no one would be able to take that experience away from me - I’d always have the memories and I wouldn’t regret it. But money seems to always win. I feel like I’m too old to be reckless with the few bucks I do have. Should I stay or should I go? Should I be responsible or fun? Can’t I be both?

I do the same thing when buying unnecessary items - such as concert tickets, books, DVDs, music. While these items don’t really put me into debt, they also take away potential savings. When I get my tax money back or any government reimbursement cheque my first instinct is to spend it one something fun - because it’s like free money. But then I feel like I’m just acting like a kid with birthday money and that I need to be more grown-up and responsible. Getting older sucks sometimes!

Basically, when it comes to the little money I do have I am constantly playing tug-of-war with myself. Neither side is right or wrong, just a different approach to life. Some days my head is in the clouds and I feel myself wanting to click “Buy” on those plane tickets. Other days I close the window and try to forget about it.

I wish money didn’t always have the final say in my life. Lauren, maybe I should move to Portland, where young people go to retire.

See ya Wednesday Tom, ‘cause money can’t buy me love :)

P.S. A Loonie is a dollar coin in Canadian currency. We also have a two dollar coin known as a Toonie.

This Title is Witty

Welcome to the future! It's 2011! The TASG is still here for you! Hope you all had fun New Year's Eve's and if not, are you really surprised? Is it ever as fun as you think it will be?

One of my regular customers, a cute snowboarder/graphic designer, came in on Saturday - he was haggard and hungover and looking for coffee. When I asked if it was a fun party he said, "it was all right - but it's never the New Year's you imagine for yourself." I couldn't agree more! I gave him some water and wished him a happy and healthy 2011.

As for me, I went to a party - I wore a pretty dress and did my hair and put on lipstick...and stood in someone's dirty kitchen and drank out of a red plastic cup. This was not the New Year's Eve I dreamt of. I felt overdressed and a bit old for the crowd.

New Year's Eve!

Anyways, this week isn't about drunken (or not, in my case) New Year's Eve stories - this week is about the future. This week the Transatlantic Support Group wants to kick the year off right by talking about what we each want for ourselves in 2011!

I try not to make resolutions - I feel like doing so makes me feel like I'm breaking my own heart repeatedly. Yeah, I'd love to lose 15 pounds, I'd love to get a "real" job and move into my own place - but those things aren't guaranteed and I hate making promises I can't keep.

There are a few things I'd like to do this year and I hope I can!

1) Travel to the UK to visit my cousin and his wife.

They recently moved to Bath from London, and I love Bath (I visited there briefly in 2003 when I travelled with my family). I'd like to go alone this time - it would be an adventure and a trip I'd never forget or regret. I might go further into debt for it, but it might be worth it. While I'm still young, right?

2) Get that second tattoo I've been meaning to get.

Showing off the shoes again, plus my first tattoo!

I've been talking about a second tattoo for a while now, and I think I'd like to finally commit to that. I know what I want, it's just a matter of deciding when. I'm thinking early Spring.

3) Run another 5K run (possibly more).

I'm definitely going to do Terry Fox again, but maybe I'll do a road race this year too. I'd like to push myself and try to do a more competitive run. I'm not a great runner, but it's something I'd like to strive for.

4) Take better care of myself.

I get stressed out way too easily and I need to start controlling my emotions. I need to also get over my fear of doctors.

5) Write more.

This could mean journaling, blogging, or just my own personal writing that I may or may not share with anyone. My point is that I would like to try to exercise my creativity a bit more, even if it's just for me.

Anyways, I can't think of any more things to share - who knows what will happen in 2011! I wish you all the very best!

Love you! You all get the midnight kiss I never got!

Happy New Year Tom - can't wait to hear about your hopes & dreams for the year!

Also, I've said this before - but if there are any topics you think we should cover?

I Grow Old, I Grow Old, I Shall Wear The Bottoms Of My Trousers Rolled...

I still feel like I'm 14.

I don't care if the world says I'm 23. I don't care if people around me are getting married and having children and selling their souls to corporate entities in the name of comfort and convention. I still feel like a young, awkward teenager most of the time.

I've talked to various people about this feeling. Most people just laugh it off. Some people were born 35 and therefore have no idea what I'm talking about. But the "old" people in my commune get it. They tell me that they feel the same way - like they've stayed the same age for years while the world around them grew up. They tell me that the feeling of being 14 will never go away. I don't know if that's good or bad.

I do know this: Growing up terrifies me.

When I was in high school, I thought it would be terribly romantic to become really famous in my mid-twenties and then die a tragic death when I'm 27. It worked for Kurt Cobain and a whole bunch of other people. And when you're 15 or 16, 27 seems like a long ways off. But now I'm 23 and that concept is no longer appealing.

Actually, I decided I want to live to be 90something after watching this movie:

And if I actually live to be 90something, I hope I'll still be laughing at dumb jokes and playing loud rock music.

Anyway, that's all I've got for this week. Happy Friday, amigos.

This is the yank, signing off.

Me when I actually was about 14.

So here it is. The big 2-6. Not the most monumental of ages I grant you, but another year has passed, as much as I'd be tempted to deny it. For a start, I'm no longer in my early 20s. I think I can still claim MID-20s though, right?

Maybe late-20s would be more accurate. Either way, my first week as a member of whatever this age group is has coincided with an influx of new, bright young things at my place of work. For two years I have reigned supreme, justifying my mistakes and tantrums by appealing to my inferior age. This is no longer possible. I am yesterday's news. I am on the shelf, gathering dust.

But I don't feel like I'm ready to get old, to mature. I don't feel ready to surrender my inner child. While it's true that my mum was not only married, with a mortgage, but had had me before she was 26, I refuse to believe that my record means I'm immature.

The world changes, doesn't it? Society changes. Furthermore, society changes not only itself, but our expectations of ourselves. I can't live by the standards my parents set themselves, and neither should they expect me too. I admit that I am behind many of my age group, but I won't feel bad. I won't. Each generation struggles with its own identity, its own issues and its own time. The template that was applied to the generation born 5 years before me is already out of date - am I wrong? Am I clutching a straws?

I'm currently on the train. I'm listening to a multitude of conversations between various drunk people that have never met before. A 21 year-old girl is currently telling a 34 year-old man, after a little 'guess-my-age' game that he won't ever be a good dad because he 'looks selfish'. Hearing that, I'm not sure I even want to be young anymore. But then I remind myself that age is but a number. It's the experiences that shape you, not the time that passes.

And, more importantly, I remind myself that I will be old and grey long before I grow up.

PS: I apologise for any glaring spelling or grammatical errors in this here post, I'm pissed as a fart (as below picture should prove).

PPS: I apologise for my absence from the blogosphere of late. I've been ill; the lamest of lame excuses I know - especially when I celebrate the first day of wellness with an almightly piss-up - but it's true nonetheless. I could hardly let my birthday pass without raising a glass. I will comment the crap out of you all as soon as I am a) well, b) not at work and c) SOBER.

I love you all.

Fears, Beers, and Cheers!

In honour of Tom’s Birthday this week he has suggested the topic of “Growing Older.” This is a really common issue with 20-somethings, as we finally start thinking about how we won’t always be in our 20s...and that REAL adulthood is creeping up on us fast.

You know that scene in the movie The Wedding Crashers? The one where Owen Wilson’s character John is talking to Rachel McAdams’s character Claire...I think they’re on a beach...anyways, and he says something about how he’s still young and he has time, blah, blah, blah, and Claire blasts him with reality and says, “Yeah, but you’re not that young.”

That is my life.

I realize he was probably playing a character in his 30s, approaching his 40s, but I think the sentiment is bang on. You can pretend you’re young all you want, but eventually it’s just going to seem silly.

Tom will be joining me soon...in the mid-to-late twenties club. But, as the current elder of this collab blog, I have to say...I’m scared, man. I’m scared of turning 30 in a few years. I’m scared of being alone and poor and unsatisfied with life. I’m scared of being perceived as someone trying too hard to be hip and trendy.

In Ontario, Canada, there are several milestone birthdays:

16 - You can legally learn to drive a car.
18 - You can vote, buy lottery tickets, purchase pornography, and buy cigarettes.
19 - You can legally drink and purchase alcohol, and gamble.
25 - You are officially a Quarter-of-a-Century Old

After this, aside from the big birthdays (30, 40, 50 and so on), ages just become signals - signals that you’re getting older.

Now, I’m not really one to get depressed over age - but I do freak out over society’s expectations of certain ages. By 30 you should have a career and a steady income and a white picket fence. By 40 you should own lake front property and a boat. By 50 you should play a lot of golf and attend many banquets. When you die you should leave a large fortune to your offspring. Ahhh!

Do you blame me for pretending it’s all not happening? Do you blame me for hanging out with people who are younger than me? Do you blame me for not wanting a conventional life? If I avoid the expectations attached to my age people will be shocked and surprised when they find out that I’m 26, going on 27.

So, I raise my virtual glass to you Tom! Welcome to the club! May you drown your fears in beers! Cheers! (I’m a champion of rhyming).

I hope you’re not too drunk to post on Wednesday buddy - this is your week to shine my British friend!

Happy Birthday!

*Picture from my 24th birthday, but let's pretend those are Tom and Lauren's hands, okay?