How In The World Do I Spend So Much?!

I would consider myself a pretty responsible individual…most of the time. That is, not so responsible when it comes to money.

Money and I have had a very complicated relationship over the years. I see shoes, money sees problems, I see gorgeous dress, money sees it only being worn once, and sees problems, I see red wine and plan drinks with the girls, money says, “put your wallet away Sonya, you’re not Oprah Winfrey…(yet;))!”

I’m also one of those individuals as well that goes out for a night on the town and wakes up thinking, “how did I spend so much money last night?!”. I’m also one of those individuals that can’t seem to make a meal at home…for the life of me! Thus my relationship with money needs to start being repaired, and my relationship with restaurants and shoes needs to take a break, the intimacy is great, but I feel like I owe money a chance.

So therefore, I’ve taken the following vows, and for the most part can say, it’s actually working out quite well for me. Thought I would share it with my fellow Young And Sassian’s…you know, just in case you’re having intimacy issues with money as well – he can be so moody sometimes!

1)      No more eating out – no if’s, ands, or buts about it. From now on, all meals are to be cooked or packaged from home. Including coffee, tea, or water.

2)      I have over 200 pairs of shoes and have promised myself that from now on, every time I pass a shoe store, I will either look the other way (in search of a hot male across the street?), or will admire for 2.5 seconds (the shoes that is) without stopping and proceed with random thoughts on my To-Do list.

3)      I know I’m a personal trainer and it sounds weird that I nixed my gym membership. But I have now successfully resorted to running outdoors (there’s a track right next to my place), and purchased weights and a yoga mat. There’s a reason I have a certificate, it’s so I can train myself – duh.

4)      No more drunken long distance phone calls to my family and friends in Vancouver, my love for them runs deep, don’t get me wrong. Thus will re-consider the phone call early in the morning and will send a text message instead – with love xoxo.

5)      I have a book obsession – just a little one (insert slight exaggeration), so I recently acquired a library card that has done wonders for me. Now the trick is just getting them returned on time.

6)      Clothes. Still working on that one.

7)      Girls nights out will now be arranged by everyone else other than myself. Apparently I like to have one too many of these nights, and will just have to take a back seat as the “event planner” from now on. It’s not my fault, I just love my girls. I’m guessing the next couple of girls nights will be at someone’s place? Oh Joy.

I think for now that’s a pretty good list. Anything else on there and I may just throw money out all together. I’ll keep you all posted to let you know how it goes:)

– Sonya

Please Be Environmentally Friendly!

In today’s fast paced life style, you would think they would have recycling and garbage bins on nearly every corner of every street, in every city! But of course, they don’t. (Why do I even sound surprised?)

And after having witnessed a man chuck his bag of whatever onto the side of the highway, it really urged me to write this article – ahhh, the joy of having our own blog;)

So I sifted and sorted through the world wide web, I found some amazing articles on creative ways, and also simple ways, on how you can reduce, reuse and recycle! (PLEASE… lets collectively help the environment:)):

Ways in which you can reduce (courtesy of:  http://www.nrdc.org/air/energy/genergy.asp) :

Turn Out the Lights

• Don’t forget to flick the switch when you leave a room.

Use Appliances Efficiently

• Set your refrigerator temperature at 38 to 42 degrees Fahrenheit; your freezer should be set between 0 and 5 degrees Fahrenheit. Use the power-save switch if your fridge has one, and make sure the door seals tightly. You can check this by making sure that a dollar bill closed in between the door gaskets is difficult to pull out. If it slides easily between the gaskets, replace them.
• Don’t preheat or “peek” inside the oven more than necessary. Check the seal on the oven door, and use a microwave oven for cooking or reheating small items.
• Wash only full loads in your dishwasher, using short cycles for all but the dirtiest dishes. This saves water and the energy used to pump and heat it. Air-drying, if you have the time, can also reduce energy use.
• In your clothes washer, set the appropriate water level for the size of the load; wash in cold water when practical, and always rinse in cold.
• Clean the lint filter in the dryer after each use. Dry heavy and light fabrics separately and don’t add wet items to a load that’s already partly dry. If available, use the moisture sensor setting. (A clothesline is the most

Take Control of Temperature

• Set your thermostat in winter to 68 degrees or less during the daytime, and 55 degrees before going to sleep (or when you’re away for the day). During the summer, set thermostats to 78 degrees or more.
• Use sunlight wisely. During the heating season, leave shades and blinds open on sunny days, but close them at night to reduce the amount of heat lost through windows. Close shades and blinds during the summer or when the air conditioner is in use or will be in use later in the day.
• Set the thermostat on your water heater between 120 and 130 degrees. Lower temperatures can save more energy, but you might run out of hot water or end up using extra electricity to boost the hot water temperature in your dishwasher.

• energy-efficient clothes dryer of all!
  

Set Computers to Sleep and Hibernate

• Enable the “sleep mode” feature on your computer, allowing it to use less power during periods of inactivity. In Windows, the power management settings are found on your control panel. Mac users, look for energy saving settings under system preferences in the apple menu.
• Configure your computer to “hibernate” automatically after 30 minutes or so of inactivity. The “hibernate mode” turns the computer off in a way that doesn’t require you to reload everything when you switch it back on. Allowing your computer to hibernate saves energy and is more time-efficient than shutting down and restarting your computer from scratch. When you’re done for the day, shut down.

Unplug

• Unplug seldom-used appliances, like an extra refrigerator in the basement or garage that contains just a few items. You may save around $10 every month on your utility bill.
• Unplug your chargers when you’re not charging. Every house is full of little plastic power supplies to charge cell phones, PDA’s, digital cameras, cordless tools and other personal gadgets. Keep them unplugged until you need them.
• Use power strips to switch off televisions, home theater equipment, and stereos when you’re not using them. Even when you think these products are off, together, their “standby” consumption can be equivalent to that of a 75 or 100 watt light bulb running continuously.

Ten Creative Ways To Reuse and Recycle: (Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mary_Crowther)

1. Keep a recycling bin handy and make it easy to recycle. It takes only seconds to toss an empty bottle, plastic container or can into a bin. Keep it in a nearby closet or in the garage.

2. Recycle paper. Use paper grocery bags or cardboard boxes to hold the paper. When going through the mail toss unwanted junk mail into the recycling box. Reuse blank sides of paper for notes, or grocery lists.

3. Reuse plastic grocery bags. Many grocery stores now offer an incentive to customers who bring in their own bags, offering cents off per bag. Keep the bags in the car for easy access.

4. Old bed sheets or blankets make great drop cloths for painting, arts and crafts or household repairs.

5. Spread coffee grounds and fireplace ashes in the garden to add extra nutrients to the soil.

6. Grind lemon rinds in the garbage disposal to keep it smelling fresh.

7. Plastic fruit cups can be used for small jobs around the house such as painting, cleaning or polishing.

8. Don’t throw away clothing or household items that are in good condition. Donate them to charity. Many charities will pick up your items.

9. Use plastic containers from margarine and whipped topping for leftovers.

10. Worn cotton items such as towels, washcloths or socks make perfect cleaning, dusting or polishing rags.

So please ladies, if you are an avid reader here at the Yn’S, lets collaborate and make our planet a cleaner place to live on:)

– Sonya

This Is What I Know…

I know what I believe in….I believe in kind hearts and kind words. I believe in speaking the truth, with precision and honesty and speaking even louder with your actions. I believe in people who want to make a difference in other people’s lives and I believe in people who are committed to themselves and their dreams….their goals and their aspirations. I believe in being loyal, in being humble and in being modest. I believe that you should always put others first and yourself second, that you shouldn’t allow for others to test your limits and push your buttons, you are who you are and you should not allow for anyone else to dictate the terms that you live your life on.

I know that my ways of doing things are different than most, but that doesn’t give me enough of a reason to change my ways. I know I may be stubborn, but I’m true to my beliefs. I know that sometimes I second guess the ways in which I do things, but hey, that’s life and that’s its process. I won’t dance to the beat of your drums, cause your rhythm throws me off, however if your beat flows poetically and your verses make sense to my ears, I’m sure you’ll find me twiddling my thumbs or tapping my feet….

I know that I can be quiet at times, but a silent self esteem is what the most successful people are made of. I also know I can throw you off guard with my sarcastic nature and humor, but that’s when you know I’m in the presence of good company. I know that you may boast or pretend to be someone your not, but please don’t be so fascinated if all of a sudden you don’t have a place in my world anymore. I believe that too many people out there say one thing and do another, and  let me tell you, its so harmonious when people’s audio’s are in tune with their video’s.

I believe in good family, good friends, and good laughs. I sneer at pessimism and shine when it comes to optimism. I believe in being a good listener and talking only when your entertaining those around you, not to bombard them with your problems, unless their your best friend of course. I will not listen to you if your problems are petty, that’s what mirrors are for.

I’m old school, not an old fool. I wasn’t born yesterday, and I won’t buy into your lies and deceit. You get one chance with me, and if your lucky you may even get two, but than that means your on really icy waters and better hope you don’t mess up. I’ve been jaded by the world’s chaos and narrow-minded people, but that doesn’t mean that I’m going to begin to change my ways and it definitely doesn’t mean I’m going to forget to say please and thank you. I don’t care to know what’s in style, I’ve got taste. I don’t care to know if your carrying Louis Vuitton, or Christian Dior, at the end of the day your personality doesn’t present itself to me with a price tag, I scan for wholeness not numbers. I believe in being unique, and surrounding myself with like minded individuals. I believe in quality, not quantity. If you don’t understand the above, then unfortunately I don’t understand you, and there’s really not much else to say.

– Sonya

Don’t you hate it when…

People say to you, “you look exactly like…” or “I know someone who looks EXACTLY like you”.

I hate this for two reasons:

1) I have no idea what this other person looks like, and I’m not about to ask what they look like either (ie. rude or vain), and half the time they never tell you whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing. So you sit there and have to say, “well I hope that’s a good thing” with this half smile, half anguished look on your face..

2) There are resemblances, and I truly believe everyone has a twin out there, but don’t say you look EXACTLY like someone, when you know there are just mere resemblances to this person you are referring to.

Alright, I’m done. That’s all I had to say for today;)

– Sonya

Must You Do THAT!?!?!

Okay ladies, someone had to say something…

Exhibit A

Today, for the 10th millionth time (I SWEAR!), I witnessed, yet another male…scratch himself…down there.

Now whether he was ‘adjusting’ himself (which I highly doubt), or whether he was itching something that couldn’t wait ’til he got behind a closed off area (which I often wonder too, can’t you just rub your legs together, or walk a little faster or something without really having to gravitate your hand towards your counterparts???)

ANYWAYS….MUST YOU, lure your hands towards your package to physically touch yourself, while in the presence of another woman? You saw me in front of you, didn’t you? Or what about when I’m sitting in the same room as you, and your sitting…and oh! let’s adjust! SERIOUSLY!?

What if us women just scratched ourselves everytime we felt we needed to itch down there..wouldn’t be so appealing right? Well put yourselves in our shoes!…and then you wonder why us women get so turned off sometimes!;)

– Sonya

Guys who need fashion advice!…

I swear, the next guy that approaches me, or the next guy I see wearing a pin striped shirt, with a faux hawk (that do should be called a ‘faux pas’ hawk), or a button up shirt with a half sleeve T-shirt underneath, where I can see the graphic on your tee…I might just pull a “what not to wear” on them!

– Sonya

Lack of manners…

Have manners become extinct?

Just a simple question…

Is it quite possible, that like chivalry, manners are also becoming a thing of the past?

I was at Starbucks earlier today, and the woman behind me, merely budged in front of me and then had the nerve to turn around and say, “sorry, I’m in a hurry”, and then turn back around.

Now, you see, I’m a person of ridiculous amounts of patience. So good thing for her, I didn’t begin a screaming match. So I smiled, and said, no problem. Kill them with kindness right?

But in my head I was thinking, the nerve of this woman! What?.. you couldn’t wait just a few minutes?!

In today’s society, I feel as if EVERYONE is in a rush…here’s some advice…slooow down. Life is here to enjoy, not to rush. This is why we end up hating the commodity of time so much!

And then!…a friend of mine was telling me that he was on the subway the other day, and was watching from across the cart, an elderly woman who got on, during rush hour, and had to grab on to a pole for her dear life, because no one would get up to give her their seat. Now that’s not even about a lack of manners, that’s just a lack of common courtesy.

Someone had to say something…

Feel free to vent below…

–Sonya