Advice

I am here to offer you advice. If you have any questions or issues with any part of life, I can give you any advice I can. If you have relationship issues, roommate issues, apartment issues, budgeting issues, job issues... ask me about it and I will give you some advice. Just post a question in the comments or e-mail me at rfwarlick@vzw.blackberry.net and I will reply ASAP. 

How to go grocery shopping

Grocery shopping is something everyone has done by the time they are our age. Most of us have done serious grocery shopping by now. This blog will give you more tips and tricks to going grocery shopping effectively, and hopefully not have to make another trip out an hour later.

• Make a list: Through the week write down things you need as you run out of them. This is most easily done on a dry erase board you can keep on your fridge, or somewhere else easily accessible. Then, on your grocery shopping day transfer this to your list! As for the rest of the list, it would be best to plan out your menu for the next week, to save gas on multiple trips a week. Write down all the ingredients you may need and buy them then. 
• Make a menu: At the beginning of each week write a menu for the rest of the week. Add these things to your list. Include, or don't include, date nights. I listen to Cosmoradio on Sirius, and they talked about one girl who would arrange her dates in the beginning of the week and then write her menu to save money. 
• Take your list! Make sure you make a list and take it with you! Otherwise, you may forget something. Organize your list based on your grocery store, to avoid having to double back. 
• Coupons!  Before you go, gather up your coupons. Check expiration dates, and pick up staple items that are about to expire even if you don't need them. I'm talking about paper towels and tissues, not chicken broth. 
• Eat! Don't go to the grocery store hungry. At least buy some fast food on your way, if you really have no food at home. Otherwise you may buy things that look good, but that normally you wouldn't actually buy.
• Check prices! Buy the less expensive brand, unless you really like a certain brand and are willing to pay extra. But things like rice, buy the store brand. 
• Check expiration dates! Before you buy something, check the expiration date. Think about when you plan on using it, and try to figure out if it will be used before the expiration date. 
• Double check your list! Before you leave, run back through your list and check for everything. Make sure you got everything you needed. 
• Pull out your card! I usually save dollars, as much as $10, just on food for me between my coupons, and my membership card. They usually don't sell your info (I have about 10 different cards and have never gotten anything, but I have heard some do), they just want to know what you buy. So make sure you have one to every grocery store you may shop at.

Make sure you bring you list everytime you go shopping! It will be your life saver. And if you don't know what you want to get because your new to grocery shopping (like me) base it on what you have coupons for. 

Figuring Life Out

I was reading a forum on 20 Something Bloggers (a social network for 20 something bloggers) and a young 20 something (20 to be exact) said that she was scared of growing up. Growing up... This is what my blog is all about. How to deal with growing up, learning independence, and not failing at this.
Almost everyone is afraid of the future. I know I am. It is a very sad and scary thought, but at any moment you may loose your job because you company may fold, someone close to you may pass away, your apartment/house may burn down. I won't go into any more detail, but it is a reality that things can go wrong fast. And dealing with any of these things on your own is an even scarier thought.
In order to deal with the possibility (and hopefully not the reality) of these things it is important to do things to make you feel more comfortable with the present and future. These things can include staying happy, having a place to go when you want to be alone, and preparing for the future.

Staying happy

• Friends! Everyone needs a good group of friends that they feel comfortable around that can cheer them up. Unfortunately, friends move, and so do you. But luckily, it is possible to meet new people: through work, through friends, through personal ads (craigslist has strictly platonic ads). So if you ever feel lonely in a new city, definitely check out some of these outlets for new people. 
• Therapy and meds: If you ever feel as though you are too unhappy, you may have a chemical imbalance of some sort... it may not be your fault! There is nothing wrong with this, and you will feel better once you get help. But professional help can be expensive. May I suggest B12 supplements. I currently take these, and I love them! Vitamins are water soluble, and what isn't necessary just passes on through. B12 makes me not stress the small things and the things I can't control. 

Have you own place:

• Sometimes this isn't always possible, especially if you have a roommate, or if you live in an apartment that you can't customize. If you have a roommate, make this place your bedroom. Invest in a very comfortable mattress or mattress pad and a really nice bedspread. Decorate your room with things that make you happy and relaxed. Go here if you ever feel like being alone, and just breath for a little while. As far as apartment living, many apartments let you decorate as you wish. If you paint the walls, you may have to put a layer of primer over dark colors, and for heavy wall hangings, you may have to hang at a stud. Ask your apartment leasing office what their policy is on decorating. If you ever realize that when you come home, you don't feel at home, paint your favorite color and hang up your favorite posters, invest in decorations because this is where you spend most of your time. 
• As I type this, this happened to me, as I hear the person who lives above me open and close his door and walk from the stone tile, to the carpeting, it makes me realize that this living arrangement is only temporary. If this happens to you, invest in a white noise machine. It makes a humming noise that somehow blocks out background noise. 

Prepare for the future

• Save! You never know when you income may stop coming in. Set up a savings account and put aside a certain percentage of your paycheck. Most people live paycheck to paycheck. It is wise to have at least two months of living expenses saved up. But don't worry about it if you don't. There is always unemployment, but this isn't very much.
• Insurance: Don't just get the bare minimum on insurance. Get as much as you can afford. I have Nationwide, and can tell you that it is great. Each insurance company has its own perks, so you need to do your research and figure out what you want. I have full car insurance at $86 a month (I have 3 tickets, one at 16, two at 21. The first two were thrown out and the last I used a PJC, I also have no accidents). I also have renters insurance at $8 a month (I have an 838 sq ft apartment). But if something were to happen, having all of this insurance helps me out a lot.
• Fireproof box: If a fire starts in your apartment or house, you will very likely loose many very important documents, including renters insurance or home insurance, necessary documents for getting help from insurance. You should keep insurance documents, personal identification documents... anything you feel is necessary, in a fireproof box. Also invest in a safe that can be drilled into the floor (if you live in a house) for your passport and social security card, and any other documents with important numbers such as check books. 

Overall, you need to live you life day by day. Live it to the fullest. Don't turn down any opportunity just because you are scared. Take reasonable risks (don't jump off a bridge just because your friends say it's cool). Don't have regrets. If you do something you wish you hadn't, think about how it really affects your life, and if it doesn't affect your life in a bad way, think about how much fun you had doing it! 

Don't ever think you have anything all figured out, including yourself. Everything constantly changes, including yourself, and the best way to deal with these changes is to adapt. Let everything flow! Nothing is permanent, this is both good and bad. Good things don't last, but don't worry, bad things don't last either. 

Money Saving Tips

Especially with the economy, it is often necessary to save money where you can, especially when you are already the bottom wrung at work. This will help you save money where you can. 

• Buy store brand- Stores are getting better at copying ingredients of the national brands. It is often a good idea to at least try the store brands, because if you do like them you could save a lot of money, $30 for every $100 spent. Some items that are good to buy store brand are your staple items: rice, flour, sugar, salt, milk, applesauce, apple juice, frozen vegetables, frozen juices, or vinegar. You shouldn't buy toilet paper, macaroni, salad dressings... 
• Use coupons and sales. Buy a divider and clip coupons every Sunday, or go online and print out coupons. Sales, especially around the holidays, are always a good idea. Before you buy anything always check your coupons or sales, or maybe even hold off for a sale.
• If you buy items online often, you should be using discount codes everytime. There are websites that have lists of shopping codes by store that can give you discounts and free shipping. Some of these include www.retailmenot.com, www.currentcodes.com and www.couponcabin.com
• Buy energy efficient light bulbs. They cost a little more and are a strange shape, but they use a quarter the energy and last 10 times longer. They are especially good if you leave a light on all the time to prevent walking into a dark apartment. Most apartment complexes maintenance teams are willing to change out any light bulbs you can't reach. 
• Drink tap water instead of buying bottled water. Most bottled water is taken out of a tap anyway. It may taste a little different, but it is something you can get used to. You can also fill up bottles with tap water, but be sure to constantly wash the bottles. 
• But fake flowers. Flowers brighten up any apartment, but spending almost $20 a week on new flowers can get expensive. If you buy fake flowers to just switch out each season, you can save a lot of money. 
• Don't continue to buy movies and TV seasons. Rent them instead. Blockbuster charges about $5 to rent a single movie, and this can get expensive. Try getting netflix. I rent two movies at a time and it costs only about $14 a month. You can rent as many as you want, but only a certain number can be out. This is a great way to watch TV shows you get into late, or you want to re watch instead of spending $50 for the entire season. DVR is also great. It costs only $7.95 a month and you can record two shows at a time. This way you aren't stuck at home all the time. 
• If you take a lot of pictures and then get them developed in an hour, this can add up. Many websites, including shutterfly and Kodak can print and mail pictures you load online for less than ten cents a picture plus shipping and handling. It only takes about a week to get them, and if you order in bulk you can save a lot of money
• Put some money in a savings account of some kind. You could add $20 to an account each week, or add 50 cents to a jar every day. Do something special with this money: Each year take a vacation with this money, use this money for Christmas presents, or save it towards a car or house. If you don't think about it and just add money to this "account," it can add up quickly. 

Update 1/14/2009

• Woot.com: This is a great website that sells very nice items for dirt cheap prices. They sell one item on special everyday, and make sure you check it out early because they usually sell out! They also sell tshirts and wines. One drawback is that it may not be something you actually need, so think for a minute about how much you'll use it, how necessary it is, and how much you have to spend. But if you have a little extra money to spend and want to buy something that takes a lot of extra money, go check it out! 

Moving in

Once you find your apartment, it's time to move in. If you're just out of college you probably don't have very much stuff to move, so you may not need movers. This could save a lot of money. You have several options: 

Hire movers: You can hire a group of people to pick up your stuff and drop it off. With this you would have to pay for the labor and also the truck. If you don't have any furniture, this may not be the way to go. 

Rent a moving truck: Once again, with limited items, it may not be worth renting a truck. But this could only cost you about $200 for an entire day. If you are moving hours or more away, it may be more beneficial for you to make that single trip.

Hiring some college students: Some college students or a group of young men move people using their own trucks for a very small amount. Some will even go a short distance for a case of beer. 
Move yourself: If you only have clothes and some decorations from college you may be able to fit it in your car or a friends car. An SUV will generally be enough for a few items. Or you can make multiple trips.

Once you have figured out how to move, you need to figure out how to pack. Cardboard boxes are the easiest and least expensive way to go. 

• Buying new boxes: Office supply stores and self storage stores often have packages of boxes made for moving with places for you to write what room they go in for easier moving. 
• Buy on Craigslist: People move all the time, and then have nothing to do with their boxes except throw them out. Some people sell them on Craigslist to make a little money.
• Get boxes for a liquor store: Liquor stores get their bottles in boxes that they have nothing to do with. Instead of throwing them out, they put them outside for people to use. These boxes would be great for moving. 

As you pack, it is best for you to mark boxes with what they contain. This way you can put the box down in the room it belongs. You should also somehow mark the boxes with things you may need immedietly, such as toiletries, clothing you plan to wear, and cooking utinsels. As you unpack you should fully unpack a box before beginning the next. If you see a huge mess everywhere you may feel overwhelmed and discouraged.