Paid!

Holy crap, I got paid for the first time in two months. Though I was on vacation for two weeks in January, I figure my job still owes me two paychecks from December, though it’s kinda hard to bring this up when it seems like it was such a struggle to get payroll processed for this round, but… If it’s gonna be another two months, I want my $$$$.

I’ve also learned that co-workers who are asking for ‘emergency funds’ to tide them over between phantom paychecks are getting them. Ask and ye shall receive. It’s time to start asking while there’s still money left. Give me ma monay!!!

Beauty for Broke Folks

As I mentioned earlier, my job has gone from a 50% pay cut in October to waiting on three paychecks, as of tomorrow. None of this is that tragic for me personally, as my husband and I can scrape by on what he makes and what we’ve saved. Mostly it just means getting really smart about money, and not spending very much beyond the basics.

Back when I was making a pretty good living and was spending money left and right on anything I could justify as wedding-related, I got hooked on a few high-end beauty products. Needless to say, Aveda and Kiehls are now too rich for my broke ass, so I’ve come up with some cheap beauty alternatives that I like almost as much as their fancy-schmancy counterparts.

       1. Instead of Aveda shampoo, Organix Shampoo & Conditioner.  

I use the tea tree variety and it smells amazing and doesn’t strip your hair like a lot of other cheap shampoos.  Though it’s not SUPER cheap (about $7/bottle normally), I did happen to buy it at a Walgreens for a 2-for-1 deal, working out to be about $3.50 a bottle.  It volumizes/moisturizes just about as well as the Aveda volumizing shampoo, and let me repeat again that the smell is pure heaven.  There’s something kind of sugary about it in a totally natural, non-digusting way.  Looking forward to trying the other delectable-sounding ‘flavors.’ Cost comparison: $28 for Aveda shampoo and conditioner; $14 for Organix shampoo and conditioner (or $7 for both in my case).

 

2. Instead of Kiehls antiperspirant, Dove.  

I’d originally purchased this for travel because it was less likely to explode and make a mess than the Kiehls, but quickly realized this was a fairly decent, non-gross-smelling deodorant (I think mine in unscented).  It works pretty well and seems easy on the skin.  Cost comparison: $8/$11 for Kiehls (large/small bottle antiperspirant); ~$2/$4 for Dove.

  3. Instead of Aveda tinted moisturizer, Neutrogena Healthy Skin Enhancer. 

I’ve actually used this moisturizer for a long time, but took a hiatus during wedding stuff because I was convinced I needed a higher end product.  It’s great because it’s makeup quality but still has an SPF 20 rating, and other good-skin stuff such as Retinol.  I also like the Healthy Skin Enhancer powder. Cost comparison: $20 for a ~1oz Aveda bottle; ~$12 (cheapest I’ve found is $10 at Target) for a 1oz bottle of Neutrogena.

If you’ve got beauty product money-saving tips (or any kind of money-saving tips for that matter), I wanna hear them!

Recession Eats: Gorgonzola ‘Mac and Cheese’

Trader Joe’s 99-cent boxed mac and cheese is a good deal for lean times, but fresh is always better. Gorgonzola is surprisingly cheap, and this is both a quick and satisfying dish that makes 3-4 meals for about $5.

All ingredients from Trader Joe’s:

• 1 Wedge of gorgonzola ($2 or less)
• 1 Package of bowtie pasta ($.99)
• 1 Box of grape tomatoes (~$2)
• Olive oil, salt and peper to taste

Cook the pasta and drain it.  Coarsely grate about a cup of gorgonzola.  Dice about a cup and a half of tomatoes.  Combine with pasta immediately after draining for a melted cheese texture, or wait until the pasta cools for a crumbly cheese texture.  Add a dash of olive oil, salt and pepper, and mix until the pasta is coated.

Easy and YUM!

Travel Dreams Dashed

So even before the salary cut was official, we decided to cancel our trip to South Africa. Again, not a life-altering event (like losing your job and savings in stock market crash), but a bummer. I guess we will have to have a belated-belated-honeymoon.

The Recession Hits Home, or Work Actually

It’s finally happened.  I haven’t been laid off (not this week anyhow) but my hours have been cut in half. Effective today.

I’m not particularly bitter because a) it’s affecting everyone at my company; b) we get to keep our health benefits (though my gym membership is a no-go, but boo-hoo, right?); and c) the company promises to pay us back once it gets funding (*if* it gets funding).

I’m *also* not bitter because I’d entertained the idea of working part-time while I go to school.  The program I want to do doesn’t start until January, so that gives me a few months of just plain working part-time. Maybe I will look for tutoring or temp office jobs, like I’ve done in the past.  Or perhaps I will watch every cycle of America’s Next Top Model, read the complete works of Dickens, and go for a 5-mile run everyday.

Ok: tiny bit of bitterness here: one idea my boss suggested to me and a coworker who are both relatively low on the payscale at our company was this: “come in at 10:30, take a long lunch, leave a little early.”  Um, this might be dandy if your salary was cut from $120k to $60k.  For those of us whose rent (for a small apartment, mind you) will now be 75% of our income, it might actually behoove us to get another job.  End of rant.

All I have to say is that I am very very lucky to be married and be able to get on my husband’s health plan if my job goes completely in the crapper.  That is one of the many reasons I will vote no on prop 8.  I am also thanking my lucky stars that I didn’t lose big $$ in the stock market, and that I actually *have* some money in savings.  I know many who are losing income or their jobs right now are not nearly as lucky.