Best of 2011

So it's the end of another year and I want to hop on the "Best of ____ 2011" bandwagon by making a post about what was awesome in 2011. Unfortunately I'm not as professional as other blogs so my Best of List is sort of hodge-podge slapped together.

Now that I've enticed you with that lack-luster opening, without further ado here is Pour Girls Best of 2011 List:

MUSIC

1. Aunt Martha

Without a doubt the best band I "discovered" in 2011. My ex made me a mix CD featuring "Emilie" and I was hooked. I can't even begin to count how many times I listed to this CD over and over again in my car. Do yourself a favor and go to the bands website HERE and listen. Personal favs include Neighbor Song (anyone who has ever missed an ex will understand), No Excuses, and Carolina.

2. Adele
In a world where Pop stars have to where meat dresses for attention all Adele needs is a dude on a piano and her amazing voice. If you didn't cry or feel immense loneliness/sadness the first time you heard Someone Like You you might not be a human.

TV SHOWS
3. Sons of Anarchy

I had heard about this show being okay and one night when I was bored I randomly decided to watch it simply because it was on Netflix instant. I was hooked from the get-go. Violent, funny, extremely well written and action packed. I want to say I finished all 3 seasons (just in time for season 4!) in 2 weeks. Also, I have made serious plans to marry Opie, without a doubt this dude is my dream man (well...without some of the ho plot lines...but physically...my God he is perfection).

4. Vampire Diaries

I'm so freakin' ashamed to admit it but I love this show. I'm 26 years old and I'm obsessed with a teen drama about VAMPIRES and WEREWOLVES. Ugh, such shame. Again, one sad and lonely night I was drinking and saw that the first two seasons were on instant and AGAIN I managed to catch up in like two weeks. It's just so campy and fun and honestly some of the plot twists are insane. I know I'm too old for it but it's my guilty pleasure.

ANIMAL THINGS ON THE INTERNET
5. The Maple Kind?

I should probably be ashamed about how many times I watched this video. But I'm not. Without a doubt the best animal related youtube video this year. I made everyone I know watch it. I could watch it over and over and over. It's simply perfection

6. Animals being Dicks

This is the best website for assholes like me who could watch animal related gifs everyday. Everyday a new .gif is posted of animals being dicks. So simple yet so genius. Dogs, cats, turtles, birds, jungle creatures...it doesn't matter, as long as they're doing something dick-ish it's featured.

MOVIES
7. Final Harry Potter

This movie was fucking amazing. I bawled my eyes out. Again, I'm a grown ass woman and during the course of this movie me and one of my best friends HELD each other. "Does it hurt to die?" FUCKKKKKKKK. Maybe I'm partial because I love the Harry Potter books but this movie was so good even non-fans enjoyed it.

PERSONAL LIFE
8. Graduating school/getting a real person job

So I graduated school again (I collect college degree like Pokemon) and I finally got what I call a Real Person Job. They give me health insurance. I have benefits. The best part? I really, really love my job. I love my co-workers, I've learned to love the hours, I love what I do. And even if in a few years time the love starts to fade I finally have something (besides internships) to put on my resume. My student loans may be fucking me nine ways from Sunday but I'm so thankful for the opportunity to have this job.

9. Growing up

I've done a lot of growing up this past year. I've changed in subtle, nice ways. I've learned to forgive whereas before I couldn't move on. I understand that mistakes happen. I know what it means to make grown up decisions. Don't get me wrong, I'm not completely there (and considering I kissed my ex last night I may have taken a few steps back) but I'm proud about (most) of the decisions I've been making. I'm looking forward to being in an adult relationship, one built on trust and mutual respect and love. I no longer secretly relish in dramatics or fighting. 2011 hasn't been the easiest year but in the end it's been really good and I'm looking forward to life in 2012.

What I'm Thankful For

So I've realized that often times I sound incredibly ungrateful on this blog. Despite my best efforts I can easily slip into a "woe is me" pity party. SO, because I don't want to be that kind of person I've decided to compile a list of things that I am thankful for. Perhaps I should have done this on Thanksgiving but Christmas day is a good enough time to take a second and appreciate how lucky I really am (even if I'm broke as a joke!).

What I am Thankful for:

1. My family (especially my Mom). There's a MILLION reasons I'm so thankful for my family. I doubt I could list them all if I tried. My family loves me, they support me, and I have zero doubt that they would do anything for me. While I grew up poor, I grew up loved which is so much more important. In my line of work I see what can happen to women who grow up thinking that they don't deserve a certain level of love. While I may be single and broke this holiday season I'm in this position because I was able to get an education and because I knew I deserved a higher level of respect and love from a boyfriend than what I was receiving. If that's not a blessing in disguise I don't know what is.

2. That my "poor/broke" is first world level "poor/broke". Yes, I'm broke but I'm not third-world-I'm-about-to-die-of-malnutrition-broke. I may struggle to make ends meet but I have a home. I have access to a heater on these sort of cold Texas nights. I have food. I have a TV for Christ's sake! I'm so blessed even in my broke state.

3. My Job. I love my job. Seriously. I love my co workers, I love what I do, I love the fact that I have job security and I don't pay a single cent for health care. That's amazing. I'm proud of what I do and not many people can say that.

4. My Friends. I could almost copy and paste what I wrote for my family and stick it here. I have the best friends in the world. When I was going through a really rough home life with an ex they gave me a place to stay. They took care of my dog. They send supportive texts and emails when I'm sad and despite the fact that we all lead such busy lives we all make time at least once a week to see each other. I trust them and I have a hard time trusting ANYONE. They've seen me through highs and lows and I love them like they were my family.

5. Booze. C'mon. It's awesome. Also, I have no addiction to it which is pretty rad. I've cut WAY back due to my cough and the fact that I don't want to get pulled over on "No refusal weekend". I've seen the way that alcohol addiction can destroy lives and I'm thankful that I can enjoy booze but I'm not a slave to it. Heck, the other weekend I was the designated driver, Go me!!

6. That nothing REALLY unfair and shitty has happened to me (*knock on wood*). Lots of unfair and shitty things happen every day. Some poor girl got her hand sliced off and may lose her eye because she walked into an airplanes propeller. She did so because she turned around too quickly because she wanted to thank the pilot. That fucking sucks. It came out this year that Penn State was perfectly aware that Sandusky was molesting children and they didn't do shit about it. Imagine if you were that child. You're getting raped in a shower and an adult walks in and you think that you're saved and that grown man just turns around and leaves. That's beyond shitty, that's inhuman. While I believe my loan re-payment is completely unfair it's not even CLOSE to how sad and unfair life can be sometimes.

While this list doesn't even come close to giving thanks to how amazing my life is it's definitely nice to see in black and white how truly lucky and blessed I am. I have a car so I can easily get to work, I can vote, I have enough extra money so I can live in a safe area, I have enough extra money to get beers with friends. Life is amazing and if my only complaint is that my student loans are bananas then I am beyond blessed.

Get ready: coming soon, my New Years Resolution and What Rocked Me the Most in 2011. Gotta love end of year lists <3

Dark Chocolate Peppermint Ice Cream

What you'll need:

-Ingredients for basic vanilla ice cream for an ice cream machine (eggs, sugar, milk, cream)

-Peppermint extract (store brands are super cheap)

-Crushed peppermint candy

-Dark chocolate chips

If you don't have an ice cream machine just use the No Machine Ice Cream recipe listed in this post. Seriously easy; heavy whipping cream and sweetened condensed cream. BAM.

I got a little fancy and bought Hershey's special dark chocolate and pre-crushed peppermint

Helpful tips:

-Make the regular recipe for vanilla ice cream (except go easy on vanilla and add a dash or two of peppermint extract to taste) and run it through the machine. Pour the thickened ice cream into a bowl and THEN mix in the crushed candy. Trust me on this this. I tried to save time or whatever by mixing the candy into the liquid-y before stage and ALL of the candy sunk to the bottom and stuck to the ice cold canister. It was a freakin' mess.

The result, note, at home versions may turn out less Instagram-y.

Now, I'm going to sit here on my first day off in 13 days and enjoy Christmas ice cream and Law and Order on instant Netflix.

It's never easy

My weekend is almost over but like they say there's no rest for the weary. My weekend was spent picking up shifts from my old retail job and battling a cold. Each alone is perfectly fine but combined makes for a very grumpy Pour Girl. But I'm the first to admit it really doesn't take much to make me grumpy. While my cold isn't terrible the idea of feeling slightly under the weather and going and working a 10 hour shift setting up a Christmas show isn't exactly having me jump for joy. I am, however, incredibly thankful that my old job gives me shifts because I am dead broke.

So, because I can't update with new recipes because I haven't had anytime to cook, here are a few news articles and general internet updates that affect my life.

Tips on Fighting a Cold

1. Strategy #1: Eat an Antiviral Breakfast: All I have/can afford is eggs for breakfast. Whether or not they'll cure my lousy cold is up to God.

2. Strike back with Stress: apparently a little stress is good for your while too much is terrible? I'm either the healthiest person in the world or I'm a ticking time bomb of death.

3. Brew a cup of Cold virus killer: aka drink hot tea (no shit)

4. Recharge your immune response: aka sleep more (again, no shit, if sleeping more was an option trust me I'd be there)

5. Vitamin D: My God really? I feel like some poor sap had to create web site content and slapped this list together out of the most obvious pieces of information.

6. Take a Walk: I wake up early to make sure I can make it to the gym but does the cut time sleeping negate the time at the gym? This shit is confusing.

7. Get a Massage: too broke :(

8. Fire up the crock pot: Definitely did this. I made a giant vat of chicken noodle soup yesterday that I think is actually helpful.

In news that is infuriating/life is all a giant joke: Woman leaves $13 million Fortune to Cat

Not the actual cat in question but I think it's safe to say this cat has more money than I do

Are you kidding me? Are you FUCKING kidding me?? Millions of dollars left to make sure a cat is okay???? Don't get me wrong, I love animals, I was a vegan for years because the idea of eating animals honestly upset me but this is too fucking much. $13 million is the kind of fortune that can change lives. There were probably children starving within a mile radius of this old bat but her primary concern was whether or not a cat was taken care of? Cats can take care of themselves! They can live on the streets and eat mice and be perfectly fine. Children cannot. She could have given the money to shelters that help abused woman, schools that are underfunded, the homeless, AIDs research, ANYTHING but one cat. I don't want to be cruel here but maybe the reason that this old bat suffered from loneliness her whole life was because the people around her got really fucking sick of her making stupid fucking decisions like giving a fortune to a Goddamn cat.

I can't. I just can't.

So I was going to post another article about the benefits of coffee because I like the idea that my daily habit is a healthy one and not a terrible choice but unfortunately I have to run and work my second job. Because I'm broke. Here's the article. Enjoy.

Getting older is hard

Lots has changed and lots has stayed the same. I'll try to wrap up the last few weeks of my life concisely but I'm usually long winded and rambling so just deal.

Things to cover:

1. Thanksgiving

2. Boyfriend stuff

3. Birthday

Okay, Ready, Set, GO!

Thanksgiving:

It was lovely. Went home, I rarely get to see my family due to my schedule so hanging with them was awesome. It was the first Thanksgiving in 7 years that I ate meat so everything tasted extra delicious.

Everything tasted so delicious and my Mom sent me home with tons of left overs. I didn't have to buy food for a week. She also sent me home with around 9 giant bags of pasta. I think she worries that I don't eat.

Fudgy Pecan Pie a la mode.

I wish I could say that I was the genius that come up with a chocolate-pecan combo pie but alas that was (my hero) Bakerella. Woman is a genius with decadent desserts. Here is the recipe. Super easy and surprisingly cheap. Pecans can be a bit pricey but since half of the pie is taken up with brownie batter I only spent $4.00 on pecans.

Boyfriend and Birthday

I guess I can combine number 2 and 3. I broke up with my boyfriend on my birthday. Which sucked but sort of didn't. It's hard to describe. My ex is an amazing person who has honestly made me better in so many ways. But I was having a hard time dealing with some things that happened while we were still courting (is that term acceptable to use by someone under 60??). Of course he had to make it hard for me by buying me a bunch of sweet presents. He knew I wanted an ice cream maker but didn't have the money so he bought me a nice one. It has a candy crusher too :(

He also got me other sweet things: holiday themed flavored coffee creamer (my grocery store doesn't carry it), cute Halloween stickers, and a shot glass/measuring cup.

Breaking up with him sucked and I cried my eyes out but it had to be done. I couldn't keep picking the same fight. Being mad without any resolve was a terrible feeling and I care about him too much to constantly make him feel bad. He told me that he "closes the book" on exes which means he was never going to talk to me again. Apparently his resolve isn't that great because he texted me this morning. I had sent him an email last night with links to the shows we used to watch together so he wouldn't miss out. He texted me saying that he had the tub to my ice cream maker and wanted to make sure I got it. We're meeting for drinks tomorrow.

Other than that not much has changed. I did revamp my Ebay store because I was just having drama that I did not want to deal with. A few people weren't getting their packages and I don't have the time to deal with things like that. I'm trying to sell the rings whole sale and I haven't even listed the earrings again. Basically, my only desire in this whole world is to sit on my couch all day long and watch Netflix instant. Winter always brings me down and I have to make efforts not to be so slothful.

So if you're in the market for whole sale jewelry here's the link to my store.

1 Minute Kahlua Brownie in a Cup

I have the worst sweet tooth of all time. OF ALL TIME. I love cake like a fat kid loves cake. As a child this love did in fact contribute to me being a fat kid. And while there's nothing wrong with being fat (or chubby!) in any way that's not really a place I want to go back to.

I've battled with my sweet desires as best I can. For instance, after Girls Night I force any left over sweets on my friends. Most of them live with husbands/boyfriends so the sugar can be split evenly where as in my case if I take a pan of brownies home all of them will be shoved into my gaping mouth hole. Another key tactic is to just not buy the junk, if there is a pint of ice cream in the freezer I will eat it all.

Unfortunately I can't be strong all of the time but there are ways to get a sugar fix without busting my pants! A few years ago I discovered the most beautiful thing in the world: Single serving brownie in a mug ready in one minute. So perfect. So simple. Now instead of trying to portion out a pan of brownies when a craving hits I can just make one brownie and enjoy!

Recipe

1 T Vegetable oil
1 T Water
dash salt
1 T Unsweetened cocoa powder
2 T Granulated sugar
2 T Flour

**The recipe at the link has the portions doubled and also has vanilla but I prefer a smaller portion (sometimes) and no vanilla.

Now, if you've been following this blog I'm sure you know booze helps me through most of life. Not that my life is particularly hard but anyone who spends as much time as I do on hold with Wells Fargo needs some fucking liquor. That is why I, in all my glory and wisdom, have improved the wonderful Brownie in a Cup recipe.

Kahlua Brownie in a Cup

1 T Vegetable oil
1 T Kahlua (or more, you know, for flavor and shit)
dash salt
1 T Unsweetened cocoa powder
2 T Granulated sugar
2 T Flour

So wonderful and goes nicely with Pour Girls Kahlua Cocoa:

Soy Milk

Kahlua

Cocoa

Enough marshmallows to kill a man

I find booze-y sweets very nice as I sit in my apartment and contemplate breaking up with my boyfriend and possible crying....a lot. Ah, the joys of my mid-twenties.

I don't want this post to end on such a sour/sad note so here is a picture that gets me through hard times:

Have you ever seen anything so wonderful????

Wells Fargo is Mind Fucking Me

So after weeks of pure hell trying to deal with Wells Fargo it looks like I might finally get my loans consolidated. YAY, right? NOPE. It appears that Wells Fargo is the king of mind fucks. Seriously, I doubt anyone could touch the bull shit this bank has put me and my family through.

If you remember my original loan monthly payment was $821. My new monthly re payment is......* Drum roll*


Yep, $748.68!! A whooping saving of $72.32. After weeks of tears and stress and ulcers that kept me up at night it's all worth it because I saved less than a hundred-fucking-dollars. Don't worry it gets better.

As it turns out I have a special relationship with Wells Fargo. So special that I get a MASSIVE discount of 0.250%. All along I thought Wells Fargo was fucking me out of hate and spite but it's clear they're fucking up my life out of love.

I always thought I was good at math but after looking at this bank statement it's clear that I know nothing about numbers. I borrowed around $80,000 which is somehow $91,000 and then $91,000 equals $224,000. SUPER. I could have gotten a better deal with the mob. The original amount of $821 a month projected I end up paying around $147,000...how did consolidation make it worse????

I fucking hate this whole thing. I should have never gone back to school, the increase I get in pay with another degree will never equal what I will pay out in a life time. I feel like I will never escape this debt. It feels like a punishment, a life sentence of stress. I'd have an easier time trying to empty the ocean with a teaspoon. It's to the point I'm starting to think crazy thoughts, like, maybe I should do porn or nude photos. So glad I got a great education that can only be paid back through whore-dom. Also, throwing myself in front of a city bus or maybe black mailing a politician. Both equally appealing at this point in my life. Charging my boyfriend for sex? SEEMS REASONABLE. Rob a casino a la Oceans Eleven? TOTALLY DOABLE.

I'm emailing friends asking if they know about jobs, I'm picking up shifts at my old work, I'm trolling Craigslist like a fiend. I just want to live in world where re-paying my student loans doesn't mean killing myself with work or having to live the life of a pauper.

Since there's nothing I can do about this bullshit (at least at this point and time) I'm going to use the last hours of my day off to drown myself in a bottle of skunk wine and television. Also, eventually brownies. And yes, I did say skunk wine. I have to drink old skunk-y wine because I can't afford a $5 bottle of Yellow Tail.

p.s. please buy stuff from my Ebay. Please.

Awesome Week Rap-Up

So Fun Fun Fun Fest was a blast. I wasn't able to attend Sunday but the shows on Friday and Saturday were amazing. The tickets were around $160 for the 3 day fest (purchased before my financial crisis....or sort of at the beginning....the line up was totally worth breaking out my credit cards).

Despite the hefty ticket price I didn't spend that much money. I transferred $50 from my Pay Pal account to fund whatever I might need. It was nice to know that I had earned enough money through re-selling to fund some fun. The fest was located downtown and I was worried about the parking situation. I found out that my job provides free parking at a garage downtown so for the two days that I went I didn't pay anything for parking and I only had to walk a block to the show. My tummy's been on the fritz all week so I wasn't craving a ton of alcohol which was good because booze was hella expensive. A 24 oz can of beer was $9 :(

So giant in my tiny, tiny hand.

The crowd was giant and the line up was amazing.

The crowd behind me at M83.

The crowd in front of me at M83.

Sno Cone heaven.

The Damned closing out the night on Saturday.

After Fun Fun Fun I didn't think my week could get any better or be topped in any way. Then my girlfriends surprised me with a sweet Dia de los Muertes themed birthday party.

Tres Leches cake.

The amazing spread.

So my week has been amazing. I have great friends and I'm eating left over cake for lunch. I still haven't heard anything about a second job which is upsetting but I'll figure it out. Jewelry sales have been steady and good, I'm not rich but I'm getting good reviews and that makes me happy. I'll probably order a few more pieces and really push hard for Christmas. Life is really good.

Happy Halloween!

I'm exhausted but I'm only on day five of a eight day work week. I would complain but I'm working this long so I can attend Friday and Saturday of Fun Fun Fun. PARTY.

ALSO: Homemade Halloween Ice Cream:

You can find the recipe for my homemade ice cream in this post :)

I'm new to this whole Ebay thing......

is there a nice way to say, "bitch, give me my money"?

Life and Loans

Married to the Sea only speaks the truth.

Wells Fargo is the bank that holds my student loans. Long story short I didn't qualify for federal student loans so I had to get private bank loans. About a week or so ago I received a letter saying my payments were set at $821 a month. Cue crying. Lots and lots of crying.

I called and tried to explain my situation and Wells Fargo did a really great job of not giving a fuck. They told me the only way to lower the payments was to consolidate. So I tried and got denied. They asked for a co-signer. My mom and I got denied. They asked for ANOTHER cosigner. My mom, my dad, and I got denied. They asked if I could ask some friends. I told them I don't know anyone without debt. My parents and I all have credit scores in the 750+ range and yet we still didn't qualify for any help. Supposedly Wells Fargo wants my money but they sure are being dicks about how they take it. I can make payments of around $300 a month and that apparently isn't good enough.

I won't lie this whole process made me pretty depressed. Whenever I start feeling this way I allow myself one epic evening of pity party fun. I went out and bough a stuffed crust supreme pizza, hot wings, and peanut butter cup ice cream. I drank whiskey and stuffed my face and felt so sorry for myself. I cried. I ate. Cried some more. I got pretty drunk and watched animal videos on youtube. I got every ounce of self pity out so the next morning I could get to work.

The next morning I started looking for a second job. While it may suck I know it's possible to work the job that I currently do and have other employment. My lead does it and in my mind she's a superstar. She works TWO full time jobs and goes to school for her masters. If she can do it, I can do it. I used to be a barista so I dropped off a few applications (I got a call back today for an interview, fingers crossed it works out). If I can't find new employment I can always pick up shifts at my old job. Either way, I'm working more. I called Wells Fargo back to see how much money I would have to make to qualify for consolidation (I was told one of the reasons we were denied was because the debt to income ratio was too high).

I was told that not only was my debt to income ratio too high but that since I had only been at my job for a month that I didn't have a long and stable work history. I told the guy that I had been at my last job since 2006 and I was technically on the payroll and still worked some shifts. He ended up crunching a few numbers and just that small fact lowered my payment by $200 bucks. He told me to have my dad re-submit his information because maybe he forgot to include the contract jobs that he sometimes does and we could finally qualify.

So, here's the thing that I don't understand. The fact that I made more money than originally thought LOWERED my payments. How does that work? Shouldn't it be the fact that I'm broke as fuck and don't have an extra $800 that lowers my payments? If I had more income I should be expected to pay more. It's like when places like Baskin Robbins or KFC give celebrities life time free cards. You know, the same celebrities who make millions and millions and can afford a $5.99 meal. Companies should be giving poor and hungry families life time free cards but that's not how it works. While I've somewhat known it all along the system is really set up to fuck the poor. Fuck them good and hard. All I want to do is pay back my loan and still be able to eat food and have electricity and Wells Fargo is making it close to fucking impossible.

I already told the guy I will call back every day until my loans get consolidated. EVERY DAY. Sold a piece of jewelry on Ebay? Better call because that $5 sale could lower my payment. Get this job as a barista? Gonna call so I can get closer to qualify. I got all of the sadness and the tears out of my system and now all that's left is piss and vinegar. Wells Fargo doesn't know who they are fucking with. As God is my witness my loans WILL BE consolidated and my payment WILL be lowered to a reasonable amount.

Sellin'

I just sold my first piece of jewelry on Ebay. While I know it's not that big of a deal I'm all like:

Ballin

More Jewelry!!!

Finally took the time to list the other jewelry I got in. I really hope that I can make extra cash from this. I'm not even looking to get rich but some extra dough to pay student loans would be freaking amazing. Also, still no word on my student loan payments, I think they're trying to kill me by taking FOREVER.









I wish I had a nice camera or Photoshop so I could make my photos look all profesh. But until I can steal Photoshop from the internet (don't you judge me) or someone gives me a camera I'm stuck using my iPhone and Microsoft Paint.

And once again if you see this post and you think my feather earrings are cute please feel free to head over here and shop away!

JEWELRY!!!

This morning (after yoga and before work) I was able to post some of the jewelry I got in. I'm still learning about Ebay so I might have to tweak the post (in order to show up on more search results) but so far I'm pretty proud of what I've done because I've done it all on my own :)

Lookie:








I currently have 4 different finishes in my store: gold, pewter, bronze, and silver. The rings are adjustable (which I love because I have tiny tiny fingers) and they measure about 2 inches by 2 inches. I, for one, love big statement jewelry. I love rare and unique little pieces that reflect my odd and eccentric personality. I just love how big and bold this ring looks on my little hand (seriously, I'm 5ft 9inches tall but I have the hands of a dwarf).

So lets say you're looking at this post and you're totally in love (you should be!) just click this link and shop away!

C.R.E.A.M.

So, I don't know if anyone remember my post from a few days ago. You know, the one where all my hopes and dreams came crashing down because Wells Fargo was high on drugs and actually thought that I could pay $800 a month on my student loans? Well, that problem is still hanging out all not fixed. What has happened so far is that I called and told them straight up that I just can't pay that. They agreed to work with me and said that the best strategy would be to consolidate the two loans that I have through them, extend the repayment time, and to get a loan co-signer. I really didn't want to ask my Mom to co-sign, she does so much for me and me getting another degree was about finally getting a good job and supporting myself and being an adult. Unfortunately I had to ask. She agreed and didn't mind because she is the best most supportive mother ever. She gave them all of her info and initially they turned her down, not because she has bad credit but because she has SO much in her name (house, multiple cars, my loans, etc). She told me that she got a little spicy with them on the phone. I've always been curious as to where I got my attitude from; my Mom is angelic and I can sometime (lots of times) be a mega bitch from the pits of Hell. After my Mom told me some of the things she said to the bank representatives over the phone I realized I inherited my Mom's spunky spirit. Which is awesome because if I inherited that maybe I've inherited more of her awesome traits.

Anyways......I'm still not sure where the loans stands. No matter what they're not getting $800 a month. Not because I'm mad and don't want to pay but because that's half of my pay. Literally. If I paid that much an entire paycheck would be going to them and I simply can't live that way. I've already budgeted out $300 a month and hopefully that can do for now until I can get promoted or earn some extra cash.

I've been thinking about ways to make extra dough and one is selling stuff on Ebay. So far it's going pretty well. I've sold 2 shirts and a CD set and I've made $75 bucks. Because I'm a new seller I don't have access to the full payment just yet but hopefully I can establish myself and sell more and have quicker access. I just placed an order for beautiful jewelry to re-sell and I'm hoping to start making extra cash soon. I only ordered 36 pieces because I want to see how this first batch goes but my ultimate goal is to make a couple hundred bucks a month. If I can sell each piece for $5 bucks then I've made $180.

Look at how gorgeous this stuff is!







I should get the stuff next week and I'll put it on Ebay right away. My plan is to hopefully have a good run during October, establish myself as a Gold seller or legitimate seller or whatever, and hopefully sell a ton of stuff for Christmas. I'm not looking to get rich I'm looking to make big payments on my evil student loans before they kill me and my credit.

Birthdays and Booze Cupcakes

So it was my honey's birthday and I wanted to make him something special. He had seen this post on Bakerella a while back so I decided to surprise him with Bourbon Sweet Potato Cupcakes. The recipe was surprisingly easy and cheap. The only thing I had to go and buy was a sweet potato which was only a dollar or so.

Bourbon Sweet Potato Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, room temperature
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup whole milk
1 cup cooked sweet potatoes
1/3 cup bourbon

I used Jack Daniels Whiskey instead of bourbon. Despite my love of booze I have a hard time remembering the differences in the whiskey family. Like, what makes Scotch, Whiskey, and Bourbon different? It either has to do with the main ingredient or where it's grown or both. Like, corn grown in Kentucky makes bourbon. I DON'T KNOW. The only thing that really matters is that whiskey is the best drink on this planet (tied with coffee and Dr. Pepper) and mixing my two loves (sweets and booze) together creates some new, incredibly amazing thing-that-I'm-crazy-about.

ANYWHOOOO

I didn't follow Bakerella's recipe for the icing. I like playing around with icing and the one I made was insane and really complimented the pumpkin pie spice and sweet potato in the cupcakes.

Buttercream Maple Frosting
2-3 cups Powdered Sugar
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp shortening
Maple syrup

I've been making homemade icing for so long that I don't even really measure anything anymore so I sort of guessed with the amounts. All homemade icing really requires is a ton of powdered sugar and some sort of liquid.

Crushed

Remember the other day when I posted about how happy I was? It was like life was finally working itself out and I had figured out a way to make it. Yesterday I received a letter in the mail from the bank that holds my student loan. I have to start repaying it next month. My payments are set at $821 a month.

This is how I feel now:

I have no idea how I'm going to make it through this. How am I going to survive?

Going Martha Stewart Up on Everything

Saving money has been freaking delicious (and probably fattening).

I've been making my own bread for a while now and I really enjoy it. The recipe makes two loaves (I tend to give one away) and I only have bread in the house when I know I'm going to use it. Plus, fresh bread is on a whole other level.

Look at this kick ass sandwich:


I've been wanting to make apple butter for a while ever since I saw this recipe. Apples went on sale at my local grocery store for $0.97 so I figured it was time. I can't even describe how amazing my house smelled. It was also a great way to bring in the fall (FYI fall in Texas is when it drops below 90 degrees and there's a slight breeze). After reading some of the comments I modified the recipe by reducing the sugar to only 1 cup and using some Agave Nectar I had in my cupboard. Despite my best efforts it turned out more like apple sauce so I had to give it a whirl in my food processor. After that it was perfect. Next time I might process the apples before cooking and add another cup of sugar to thicken it up.


Tomorrow I plan on making fresh buttermilk biscuits and going to townnnnn. I hope leggings are still in fashion because I doubt I'll be able to fit in any of my pants for much longer.

Unfortunately I wasn't satisfied with the sugar overload of apple butter. I wanted more. MORE. Lately I've been all about ice cream. After 4 years of being vegan I now want to try every single flavor my pals Ben & Jerry can offer. That got to be an expensive habit so I wanted to try my hand at home made ice cream. The only problem is that I don't own an ice cream machine and I certainly can't rationalize spending $40 on something I don't really need. So I googled my heart out until I found a recipe for home made ice cream sans ice cream machine.

I found this recipe from a blog called Kevin and Amanda and I don't know how my heart is still beating. There's only two ingredients: Heaving whipping cream and sweetened condensed cream. Jesus. The blog also gives recipes for cinnabun and Nutella ice cream. I decided to keep it simple with plain ol' vanilla. The recipe was easy and cheap (around $3 for 3 full mason jars of sweetness!!!).


So good. The only difference between this and store bought ice cream/ice cream made with a machine is that it isn't as cold. It is, however, ridiculously creamy and satisfying.

Oh Happy Day

1. Tomorrow is pay day
2. I got all my insurance stuff in the mail so I can finally get a check up
3. Tonight is my friends birthday party

This is how I feel:

Before and After: Yellow Edition

Because I'm just now becoming an adult I don't have nice furniture. Well, my bed is pretty nice but other than that my apartment is furnished with laminate furniture from Target and barely put together items from Ikea. My natural instinct is to donate everything and just buy new stuff. My natural instinct is probably the reason I'm broke. Now that I'm trying to save/make more money my new natural instinct is to try to sell it on Craigslist. Unfortunately for most of what I own it'd probably be pointless. My dresser is poorly assembled and laminate and I could probably get MAYBE $30 for it which wouldn't really be enough to buy a nice/sturdy dresser. Even if I managed to find an old dresser that I could fix up I drive a Hyundai....how would I get it home? My boyfriend is thinking about trading his car in for a truck so maybe if that happens I can start purchasing bigger items but until then I'm on my own.

So the only solution was to take what I already owned and make it better on the cheap. Once again the solution is paint. Seriously, paint can fix anything.

Vase Before:

Not bad but incredibly boring and didn't mesh with the look that I'm going for in my apartment.

Vase After:

So pretty! While it's not much of a change the bright yellow (and dried flowers from my honey) actually looked like a put in effort to designing my living room. Plus, it was incredibly easy to do: Step 1 Clean dusty vase. Step 2 Spray paint vase and let dry. EASY.

Now on to my sad laminate dresser. Fun fact, if you ever want heartache and disappointment try to spray paint laminate. IT WILL ONLY END IN TEARS. Luckily, I learned that lesson on a small bookshelf/night stand thing (that I sort of fixed with layer upon layer of acrylic) so I knew to suck it up and hand paint my dresser. I wanted the shabby chic look without the shabby chic price (Shabby Chic dressers are listed at $300+ on Target.com!!!!) so I used this Crackle stuff from the Martha Stewart craft line. Basically, you coat whatever you want to paint in the crackle gel, you let it dry, and then you paint over it. The crackle gel cracks underneath the paint giving furniture an aged and vintage appearance.

Dresser Before:

Pic stolen from Target.com because I forgot to take a before and I'm far too lazy to do it now.

Dresser After:

Again, so pretty! I know it's not much but it has made all of the difference in my bedroom. I never really put much into design techniques but just by painting two items in my room it looks completely different and so much better.

Up close:

The crackle effect gives the laminate depth and the extra I spent on new knobs from Home Depot really paid off. I'm so freakin' in love with this new dresser and even though it won't last me for the rest of my life it's perfect for right now and cost me a total of $20 bucks to fix up.