Stash it under the mattress

What are your tricks for saving money?

I am, admittedly and unfortunately, not a natural born saver.  I never have been good at paying myself first, building that nest egg, or setting aside for a rainy day. I'd have to say that I fall somewhere in the middle of the broad spectrum between spendthrift and miser - I don't spend foolishly or wastefully (anymore), nor do I stash away cash and watch bank balances go up and up and up with anything resembling rapidity.

Moving to Vienna obviously requires a certain financial investment.  Moving anywhere does, but there is more pressure when moving to a different country.  I don't have the assurance that I'll be able to walk into a coffee shop in Vienna and get a job as a barista to pay the bills if whatever official job I do get first doesn't pan out - those minor issues of work visas and not being fluent in the language, you know.  So, beyond the expenses of actually moving and getting ourselves (and all our stuff) there, I'd like to have as much money in the bank as possible before we go.

How's that for a goal - "as much money as possible."  Hmmm - I think it's time for some serious pecuniary planning.

One of the Big Six on my To Do List is - "Save Money."  That is the heading at the top of the page.  What I need to figure out now is what comes underneath that heading.  HOW am I going to Save Money?  What can I do to squeeze every penny out of my current income and stash it away, safely out of reach until the time comes to move?  Are there ways to maximize or leverage my money, to make what I do have and what I am able to save "work harder" for me? (Isn't that the lovely phrase that personal finance gurus use all the time?)

Some ideas and thoughts - in no particular order of importance or implementation - but things I've heard of, read about, tried myself, am hoping will work.

• Track current spending - to determine where I can cut back and how much I can afford to stash aside
• Make cuts in spending (based on above)
• Set a realistic budget (based on above) and stick to it
• Downsize (apartment, clothing allowance, etc.)
• Repair and reuse instead of replacing
• Write down every penny I spend, every day - keeping track supposedly helps you stay aware ALL THE TIME
• Eat out less, stay home more
• Establish a goal - set a specific dollar amount for how much I want need to save
• Set up an automatic transfer to savings account each month
• Make it a game
• Open a virtual Piggy Bank
• Use a real piggy bank (or some other appropriate receptacle we already own - see, saving $ already!) and fill it with every penny, nickel, dime, quarter I find
• Play the $5 Bill Game

What works for you?  Do you have any special tricks for saving money?  Tips for living on a budget?

To Do's

I've been talking a lot lately about a To Do list.  The fact that I need one, that I've thought about one, and, finally, that I started one.  It's no joke, not something I made up to make myself look good.  I did actually start one.

And here it is....

Doesn't look so bad, does it.  Just a matter of six Things To Do to get us to Vienna.

1) Move to a smaller apartment while still here
2) Save $, $ issues
3) Jobs, Jobs, Jobs
4) Paperwork, Visas, etc.  What's needed? How?
5) German - learn it
6) Moving logistics

Six things.  Six small things.  Ha!  Do you see the "Which Means" and the big fat arrow?

You see, this is, essentially, just a cover page.  Following this momma to do list are lots of little baby to do's, and that's where the real work fun comes in.

        

And so on, and so forth. And so on..and so on...and so on.  I fully expect to fill my new notebook in a relatively short amount of time!

But first.  Next Step is to sit down with my husband and create a general timeline.  Choose a date to move (!!!) and work back from there to set goals and deadlines, establish priorities and the proper order in which we must address all the various and sundry activities.  And decide who is going to do what.

Oh yeah, I like to plan.  Seriously.  It may not have come across thus far here in my blog.  I've had more a looming, overwhelming, oh-my-gosh-it's-all-so-big-I-don't-know-what-to-do-and-I-don't-want-to-start approach to the whole thing.  I've also been waiting for my husband to lead me to the planning table.  I forgot (conveniently) - I'm the planner, he's more a do-er.  He's great once the ball gets rolling, but my strong suit is to get said ball rolling.  Time to accept and work to our strengths.

Roll on.

I miss German

I must admit that I haven't done a Rosetta Stone lesson or looked at any German since well before our trip to Vienna.  UNTIL TODAY!  Phew.  I've been putting it off and the longer I do so, the harder it is to start again.  What's the German word for procrastinate? Zogern (it is actually supposed to be an o with an umlaut, but I don't have a German keyboard, so I can't type it correctly, which totally bums me out).  But today I jumped back in.  Didn't do too badly, either.

I miss hearing German spoken just walking down the street.  Not that I had any idea what people were saying for the most part, what with the speed of the talk and the vocabulary that far exceeded my font of knowledge.  Rosetta Stone is good for me.  I know.  But it has nothing on being in the thick of it.

And perhaps it sounds strange, but lately I have very much been missing what it felt like to be in a completely different place, among different people, a different culture, hearing a different language, having no idea what is going to happen, what is coming around the corner, and how I may fare in any upcoming interaction.  The feeling I had when visiting Vienna.  It was overwhelming, but exhilarating.

Feeling homesick for a place that isn't (yet) home?  I delved into my photos from our trip today because I was missing it.  It made me feel good to look at them....

Seeing these stirred feelings inside and put a smile on my face, kicked my butt into gear to start a big fat To Do List and got me to finally put the funny headset back on to learn more Deutsch.

Thing is, I'm excited to live in Vienna and I'm longing to be there.  I'm not quite as excited about doing the work that is required to get us there.  Or, at least I haven't been in the past few weeks.  Feelings of motivation are beginning to stir again, though.  Watch out!

Almost ready To Do

Slept in a little bit this morning (for me).  I faced no alarm clock, no nagging internal voice; I woke up naturally, at just the right time.  I am now rejuvenated and it is a gorgeous morning, literally and figuratively.

This is a bit of a work weekend.  My library has its annual reading festival this weekend.  Yesterday, the libraries (there are 25 of them) had all kinds of events and as one the three organizers of the Big Event, I drove around with my two colleagues to enjoy some of the festivities the individual libraries presented.  In addition to being colleagues, we're also dear friends, so it was a treat to be able to spend the entire afternoon together, work or not.  It's a little sad to think that this will be the last year we work on this huge project together.  It is what brought us together as friends three years ago and while it is certainly hard work, we look forward to it each year, as it means being able to spend more time together while planning.  Alas, today - our big author event (Dave Eggers.  Awesome!  And a huge deal for us!) - will be our last big hurrah.  And it should be great, so we'll end on a high note.  Or I'll end on a high note.  Most people at work don't know this will be my last year.  But I know.  And my two friends know, so there is a slightly bittersweet taste to the day.  

It feels like one of those big markers.  You know...last time I'll ever do this.  Last time I'll ever do that.  Who knows, maybe one day I'll work in a library in Vienna and organize a reading festival, but I'm thinking that the odds of that are rather slim! And, honestly, I'm not sure I would want to do that, even if I could.  I think it might be time to do something new and different.  Not that I won't capitalize on my library skills and education if it'll get me a job in Vienna, but any library work I can foresee will be more corporate, research-based and less public library work.  

And, ack, here comes the nagging voice....what about work, Carrie?  Have you looked into it recently?  What ARE you going to do?  How ARE you going to make a living, legally?  Is it even possible?  It is one of the many items on a very long To Do list for Vienna.  I started the list last weekend.  And now I have a nice list.  But I have to start doing things.  My husband and I set ourselves a timeline for one of the projects - selling our furniture on Craigslist so that we can downsize apartments.  Step One.  We were going to have everything posted by the end of the week.  Last week.  And somehow, here we are, Sunday, the beginning of a new week, and we still haven't done it.  What are we thinking?  

I have/we have GOT TO get our game on if this is really going to happen.  I swear.  This week.  That big To Do list.  Game on.  (It's got to be.)  

Am I my stuff?

Minor freak out yesterday morning.  I'm all dressed for work and looking for my brown purse.  I can't find it.  It's the only brown purse I own and my outfit definitely called for it.  I don't use the purse often, since I don't wear earth tones very often, but since it does happen occasionally, I own one fabulous slouchy, brown leather purse.  Or, at least, I thought I did.

As I was rummaging through my bedroom closet, the coat closet, the back office closet and time was running out before I HAD TO leave the house, I kept saying to myself, "I can't believe I would have gotten rid of it.  I just can't believe I'd do that."  But it wasn't there.

A few months ago, I made a first pass at weeding my wardrobe to prep for an eventual move to Vienna.  Who wants to cart boxes and boxes of clothes and stuff across the ocean!?  I went through my closet,  drawers, shelves - clothes, shoes, handbags....everything.   I was feeling pretty focused and intent on making a dent; I followed the Use Rule (how often do you wear/use it) and I was pretty ruthless.  And I made some pretty good decisions - since the Big Clean, I haven't reached into the closet to find something, only to realize it is no longer a part of my life.  Until yesterday.

Strictly following the Use Rule, the purse wouldn't have made the cut, so I can see myself putting it in the To Go pile.  But it is the ONLY brown purse I own.  As much as I hate to admit it, I am a matchy-matchy girl.  My shoes and purse must match my outfit or I feel off all day.  I just couldn't imagine that I'd have let the drive for minimalism trump the need to have one brown purse for those non-black-wearing days, few as they may be.

Lo and behold, just in the nick of Gotta-Get-Outta-Here time, I found it.  On the closet floor, underneath shoe boxes and various other items.  Of course I didn't get rid of it.  A sigh of relief and a huge smile.  I felt such joy!   

And then I felt a little silly, feeling such happiness about a purse.  I spent the day pondering the idea of the things we own, the things we each choose to put an emphasis on, and how we use them to define ourselves - to ourself and to others.  In light of moving and wanting to pare down to basics, what it would mean to not have some of these things?  Would I feel like myself in Vienna if I got there and didn't have all my *stuff*?  I'm not a very sentimental person.  I don't hold on to objects, trinkets, or knick-knacks much.  A few family items, but mostly books and clothes.  That's me, that's my stuff.

A friend recently asked me and my husband what we were planning to take with us to Vienna.  "Just a few suitcases?" he asked.  My husband nodded, yes.  I shook my head, vehemently, No! I probably also had a look of utter disbelief and horror on my face - a couple suitcases!?

I do have every desire to pare down to the basics and I understand the need to do so in planning an international move, but the basics for me is a totally different thing than the basics for my husband.  The question is...is it actually necessary to own three pair of black pants?  Really?  I keep telling myself - no, it's not, you can do better, get by with less (and there is a sense of accomplishment and pride in being minimalist, I do feel it), but, while they may all be black, these pants are all different styles, they create different looks and reflect different moods.

Since the time I could put my own outfits together, I've felt that the way I dress is my personal means of artistic, creative expression (Much to my mother's chagrin at times.  But in my defense, I came of age in the 1980s - think Madonna, Flashdance, big hair, jelly bracelets - what was a girl to do?).  I have grown into my own style since those high school, testing-the-self-expression-waters days.  Sometimes classic, sometimes quirky, always a little different and always very Me (whatever that really means).  To be Me, I need these three pair of black pants and a brown purse that I only use once every few months.

It's not a matter of being owned by my stuff, being a slave to consumerism and trends.  Most of what I own, I've had for years.  I do shop, but I only buy what I really need and want now and I keep and wear things for a long time.  My wardrobe is my history, my story, in a way.  To trim it to what would fit in a couple suitcases would be like cutting off an arm.  Oh the drama!  But it's true!  Am I crazy?  Am I my stuff?  Or is my stuff a part of me?

Translate This

I love Google Chrome.

I haven't always loved Google Chrome.  I've been a devoted Firefox user for years and I will admit to using Internet Explorer, but only on the job because many of my work-related reports don't function properly in Firefox.

I've never imagined myself professing my love for a browser.  Or a technology.  Or anything computer-related, really.  It's always there and it helps me get through my day, but my emotions don't get particularly piqued by technologies or gizmos or gadgets (well, except maybe my iPhone).

Until now.  Google Chrome.  I'm not a huge fan of the homepage layout with my most visited sites, although it has grown on me.  It runs a little slow sometimes and there are quirks here and there because I've been using a beta and then a developer's version.  So, why put up with this?  Why the love? For one very simple reason.  When I pull up a webpage in another language, I get a prompt at the top, "This page is in (language).  Would you like to translate?"  

How cool is that!  Not only does that mean that I can visit blogs written in other languages for my reading pleasure, it also has super practical benefits.  For example, a few weeks ago we were trying to research gyms in Vienna prior to our visit.  Aha, here's a page for Top Gym.  Shucks, I can't read it.  Look to the top of the screen and there it is "This page is in German.  Do you want to translate?"  Uh, yes please!  Presto, chango, in the blink of an eye.  Comprehension.

I will admit that the translation is a bit off here and there, but it's good enough to follow.  It is no substitute for learning German, I do realize that and,  no, no, no, that is not the intention, I swear (can I say that any more emphatically?) but I have a feeling this nifty little bit of technology is going to make more than a little bit of difference in the upcoming months of planning.

The Turning Point

Yup, she did it again!  For those who have been reading An American Girl for a bit, you'll know that this is the second layout change I've made since the blog's creation.  And for those of you who have recently found me, there's my admission ~ this is the second layout change I've made since the blog's creation!

WHY, you ask?  Or, maybe you don't really care, but I'm going to explain anyway.  It'll make me feel better.

As interesting and colorful as the most recent layout was, it was, quite frankly, a bit too frou-frou for me (frou-frou being one of my husband's favorite descriptive terms.  I like it).  From the moment I switched to it, I longed to go back to a clean, white, minimalist look, something a little more mature, professional.  But, I feared being too much the flake so I thought I'd sit with it.

Today, though, I find myself at a turning point.  The turning point being the moment at which I moved from "...hmmmm my hubby and I think we'd like to move to Vienna and we'll see what happens," to "Alright folks, we're moving to Vienna!"  It's time to get serious and kick this game into high gear!

Which seemed the perfect time to go back to a more suitable look.

What you see today is just the beginning of a new format and new approach.   There will be much to come, starting with a new title design and header (I need husband's help with that, though, so it's not ready today), pages devoted to major topics, a countdown to the move, once it's scheduled.   Who knows what else I'll come up with.

As the decision to move is now official, I am officially declaring myself a serious blogger.  Not only is An American Girl a fascinating a fun way to chronicle the experience, but it is also a serious endeavor to expand my network, make even more connections, ask  questions, gain insights and practical information.  And, lest I forget, part of this venture is to practice writing and shift my focus to that creative (and perhaps someday financially-lucrative) endeavor.

Until today, it was mostly fun.  Somewhat serious, but mostly fun.
Now, it is totally serious.  And totally fun! 

Passports have arrived!

It took less than four weeks.  Thank goodness we didn't pay the extra $60 apiece to expedite them!

The $5 Bill Game

A few weeks ago, I sat in my doctor's office, flipping through a magazine.  It was just after New Year's Day and the cover articles were appropriately promising...."30 Days to a New You," "5 Ways to Lose 5 Pounds in 5 Days," and the requisite, "10 Steps to Save More Money This Year Than You Ever Have Before."

Silly though I pretend to think these are, I will admit I have a weak spot for bite-sized self-help articles.  If you pair the self-improvement aspect with a to-do list, or 10 steps, I'm a goner.  I rarely follow through with such silliness, of course, usually because they're made up of  recycled information, already read, already tried, but I can't stop myself from peeking... just once more...just in case.

That day, I found it.  A small little gem.  Something new in the "10 Steps to Save More Money" piece.  The $5 Bill Game (my name, not the original author's.....I wanted to give it a little something extra to make it more fun for myself).  When you find yourself with a $5 bill - if the cashier includes one in your change at the coffee shop or the grocery store - put it aside.  Save it.  Every $5 bill.  Every time.

And so I am, although it's a little slow-going.  It seems I'd gotten more in the habit of using my handy check card than cash in the past couple years.  But I've made an effort to get back to the cash standard, if only to be able to play my game.  

I do realize I will not fund my Vienna move solely with saved $5 bills.  I have no grand illusions, but there is something so satisfying about the accumulation of them in my specially designated $5 Bill Savings purse.  It's like a grown up piggy bank.  And much more satisfying than checking my bank account online and watching a number on the screen oh-so-slowly increase in my savings account.  Real money is so much more fun than virtual money.

I definitely need sweaters

Crazy weather in the Bay Area lately.  It is the rainy season, so the downpours are no surprise, but the thunder and lightening that accompany them are.  Temperatures aren't low, but everything is wet, windblown, dank, and dark, which sets a chill in my bones.  My house is cold, the library where I work is cold, there is no sun, and I can't get warm.

Compare this to Vienna, where it is currently 21 degrees and snowing, and I feel silly complaining about the
"cold."  I lived for many years in New England.  I know cold. I don't mind cold.  I'm just not prepared for cold, sartorially-speaking.

My Northern California cold weather wardrobe consists of lots of thin, layering sweaters worn one over the other. I'm not even sure you can call them sweaters, but that's how they advertise them here.  I once owned a dresser full of thick, effective sweaters in every color of the rainbow and a variety of styles and designs.  Ah, how I miss them now.

So, I'm considering a sweater investment this year - a real, honest-to-goodness, keeps you warm sweater - and I'm using Vienna as the excuse.  I debate this purchase each year and put it off, thinking I just need to get through a short time of cold here and it's not worth spending the money.  But I will need sweaters next year, so why not start now?

This does conflict with the other goals of not spending money or increasing the number of possessions we need to bring with us, so I've got a dilemma.  Hmmmm.... one won't hurt, right - one beautiful, substantial sweater?  I can wear it on the trip to Vienna and save the packing space.  And stock up once I get there.

This gets me thinking.....how many pair of shoes is too many to ship overseas?  Uh oh.

Step One: Obtain Passport

That is correct. I am planning a big, fat international move and I have never been outside the United States!

Well, that's not completely true. My father was in the Air Force, stationed in Germany, so my folks married there and I (along with my younger brother) was born there. But we left when I was very little and no memories serve. Unfortunately, neither do my traveling papers from that time.

This task is quite simple to complete and doesn't actually set me on a path from which there is no return. It's a good idea to have a passport, whether I'm moving or not. I've always thought that, but never quite got around to getting one "just because". Now, getting that document has taken on much greater meaning as the first "official" step toward Vienna.

So, simple it may be, but an easy task to put off. A few weeks ago I set myself a deadline. My birthday - get those photos, fill out the form, wait in line, and get the application in by my birthday. My birthday is now 7 days away. And two of those days are weekend days. Yikes.

Turning Excitement into Exploration

At the moment, the Vienna move doesn't seem real. I imagine I'll go through this often throughout the year, but maybe disbelief will mark only this first phase, before anything has really been done or decided or scheduled. When it's still a lot of talk and not a lot of actual doing.

In fact, rolling thoughts of these "doings" over and over in my mind paralyzes me sometimes.

I had a bit of a panic attack earlier this week because the possibility of finding work, obtaining work visas and a residence permit seems just plain out of reach. And without these, there is no move. I got a bit doomsday about the whole thing and Kiefer had to talk me back from the "there's no point, there's no way, it's too hard and we'll never make it work" ledge. I like to think of myself as an optimist, but short bursts of extreme cynicism are the way I maintain a rose-colored outlook for the long haul. So, I don't know what that makes me. A cynoptimist? What we've realized, thankfully, is that while we each have these bouts of disbelief and doubt, they seem to come at different times. When I'm negative, K is positive and vice versa, so we keep each other on track.

So how to bring myself back around? I work well in phases, with time-lines. I need some sort of structure and purpose and tasks to put on a To Do list to make things real and manageable. Is there a name I can give this phase? This pre-planning phase in which it's too early to look for an actual job or an apartment, but necessary to think about it? What about the Too-Early-to-get-Freaked-Out-Just-Start-Planning-and-Researching-and-Trust-that-We-Will-Find-our-Way phase? Or, the Remember-that-Just-Because-We-Don't-Have-All-the-Answers-Today-Doesn't-Mean-it-isn't-Going-to-Happen phase? Or, maybe we're in the Turning Excitement into Exploration"phase.

Yes. I think I can work with that. Today, we're in the Turning Excitement into Exploration phase and we get to focus on building relationships, making connections and learning German - things we can do today. See, rose-colored glasses are back on.