Moving

I am moving to my new apartment tomorrow! Per usual, I have overestimated my packing abilities (particularly packing speed) and am currently surrounded by a disaster area. So today at work, all I can think about is how much I have to do when I get home. No wonder my stomach hurts.






Fortunately, I don't have to be out of my current apartment until August 8 (as previously mentioned) so I have some flexibility if time gets tight.

Warning!

I'm not a big fan of e-mail forwards. They're usually pretty annoying. I don't even enjoy the ones with warnings about carjackers or door-to-door salesmen, but I do at least read them since I know that the sender was concerned about me and has my best interests at heart. I received the email below from a relative and it got me thinking about the variations of the Warning E-Mail. I've copied and pasted mine below. I would love to for ya'll to comment and share the versions that you've heard/received.

BEWARE OF PAPER ON THE BACK WINDOW OF YOUR VEHICLE-- NEW WAY TO DO CARJACKINGS (NOT A JOKE)'

Heads up everyone! Please, keep this circulating... You walk across the parking lot, unlock your car and get inside. You start the engine and shift into Reverse.

When you look into the rearview mirror to back out of your parking space, you notice a piece of paper stuck to the middle of the rear window. So, you shift into Park, unlock your doors, and jump out of your car to remove that paper (or whatever it is) that is obstructing your view. When you reach the back of your car, that is when the carjackers appear out of nowhere, jump into your car and take off. They practically mow you down as they speed off in your car.

And guess what, ladies? I bet your purse is still in the car. So now the carjacker has your car, your home address, your money, and your keys. Your home and your whole identity are now compromised!

BEWARE OF THIS NEW SCHEME THAT IS NOW BEING USED.

If you see a piece of paper stuck to your back window, just drive away. Remove the paper later. And be thankful that you read this e-mail. I hope you will forward this to friends and family, especially to women. A purse contains all kinds of personal information and identification documents, and you certainly do NOT want this to fall into the wrong hands.

Common Sense and Logic?

The logic of my apartment complex management escapes me. According to them, an apartment is fixed up and cleaned not when one resident vacates, but when a new resident schedules to move in. The problem with this, as I see it, is that on the apartment web site it shows that my apartment will be available for rent on August 18th. There are no apartments in that size and layout currently available. Logic would tell you to get at least one unit available as quickly as possible so that someone can move in, pay rent and the complex can begin making money. Because a potential renter may want that type of unit, but can't wait until it's posted available date. So they'll lose that renter.

Really, why I find this frustrating, is that I am moving out a week before my lease ends. I could easily turn in my keys early so that they can have access to repaint and do any repairs that need to be completed. But they would rather wait and collect my prorated rent for 8 days, which is a lower rate than the new renter will have to pay, then do the repairs and then leave it sit empty for ten days and not make any money on it.

It appears that I have no choice but to pay 8 days of rent for an empty apartment but now I have to decide if I should admit to them that I'm moving out early, turn in my keys, and allow them early access to prepare it or be bitter and wait to turn in my keys at the last possible moment. Tough call.

Freezing Frenzy

The thought of a freezing anything in Texas right now is laughable, we're on track to beat out the 1882 record for hottest summer in Texas history. Regardless, I did in fact, work myself into a freezing frenzy.

I made a quick run to the store to pick up some veggies for a salad for dinner. Once there, I noticed that 1lb bags of baby carrots were on sale for 10/$10 or 1/$1, which is about 50% off. Never one to turn away from a good deal, I bought five bags, which is about 4.75 more bags than I needed for my salad. I decided that it would be a great idea to cut them up and freeze them myself, which I did. It took me about 45 minutes to slice them all and toss them into a ziplock freezer bag. It also will save me about $5 (the approximate cost of 4.5lbs of frozen carrot slices minus the amount paid for the fresh baby carrots). Not huge savings really, but it was satisfying.

Pocket Susan Advice: I've really come to value the freezer as a great budgeting tool. Not only can I freeze vegetables, but I've also started buying greater quantities of meat products when they're on sale (check the meat clearance section of your grocery store for the best deals), splitting them up into serving size portions and freezing for later use. I've gotten so I only buy chicken breasts about once per month and spread out my consumption. My grocery budget has gone down noticeably since I started this practice.

Treasury Hunting

The U.S. Treasury Department reports that more than $15 billion worth of savings bonds have stopped earning interest but are still held by investors. Visit the Treasury Hunt web site and enter your social security number to see if you hold any bonds that have matured or how long you can expect them to earn interest.

Pocket Susan: Alas, I do not have any savings bonds, but maybe you will! Good luck and happy Treasury Hunting!

Staging Like a Pro!

In case you hadn't picked up on my obsession with real estate, property flipping and home design (both interior and exterior), let me just fill you in now. I am obsessed. I've even considered enrolling in the Haverhill Institute of Home Staging just to learn more. I decided not to however, because a) it's a waste of money b) in their commercial in the "after" photos of a room they put a large fake plant directly in front a fireplace! That is a major no-no! So clearly I need to teach Haverhill a few things.

What I did get from Haverhill is an awesome little tool for space planning. This is free and you don't have register unless you want to send your plans to the Institute for them to review. I wouldn't recommend that part because, again, a fake plant in front of the fireplace! Anyway, you enter the dimension of the room you want to design, pick the type of room, and then can pick out all kinds of add-ons including structural features like niches, doors and windows and place them wherever you want in your room. For bedroom design, for example, they had 14 different types/sizes of beds to choose from so you can match the furniture you own. All of add-ons can be adjusted to specific dimensions. There are also people, pets, and plants you can add to your design if you choose.

Pocket Susan Advice: Are you as excited about this as I am? Probably not. But there is a very useful aspect to this; if you are having a difficult time figuring out how to arrange your furniture in a space or if you are considering moving and aren't sure if your furniture will all fit, you can use this tool to figure it out.

Austin, San Antonio, and Big Bend Trip

And I have the books to prove it!

Why do we need books on our shelves to prove that we have obtained an education?

I was staring at a whole shelf of books that I have collected both from my undergraduate and graduate courses that I know I will never open again. But I still tote them from apartment to apartment and state to state straining my back in the process and for what purpose? In case anyone should question my expertise on J.F.K and the Cold War? Or in preparation for a pop quiz on the Formal Structures and Policies of Medical Universities? Or am I secretly hoping that people purusing my bookshelves will be impressed by my scholarship?

Yes, I agree that you should keep books that you will use a resource, but how many times have you opened most of those textbooks since you finished studying for the final?

With this in mind and in an effort to a) pare down my belongings and b) raise a little cash for some upcoming expense, I decided to list the majority of my textbooks for sale on Half.com (a division of EBay). After all, I reasoned, if I get stuck in some sort of crazy student organization legal issue I'm not going to skim through Higher Education and the Law; I'm running straight to the legal department at my institution. (Higher Education and the Law, by the way, sold for over $50 - about half of what I paid for it.)

Pocket Susan Advice: If you can stand to part with your textbooks, now is the time to do it. Class syllabi will be out soon for fall classes so students will be hunting for deals. Plus, if you wait too long, a new edition will likely be published and make your copy worthless.

Making the Most of Your Move

I wish I had thought of this last year, but now it's too late. Since budgets are tight all around, it might be more difficult to negotiate moving expenses into a new job agreement, but it doesn't have to be a total waste. You may be able to deduct your expenses from your taxes.

The IRS employs three "tests" of whether your move qualifies for a tax deduction: the "start of work" test, the "distance" test, and the "time" test. The start-of-work test requires that you move for a job. Generally you can deduct moving expenses if you move within one year of starting a new job, provided that you meet the other two tests.

The second test is the distance between your new job and your old home. If your new job is at least 50 miles farther from your old home than your old job was, you can deduct expenses. (If this is your first job, the "distance" between old job and old home is defined as 0 miles.)

Also, your commute between your new job and your new home can't be longer than your commute between your old job and your old home, unless for some reason your employment requires you to live with a longer commute.

The third test requires you to be employed for at least 39 weeks, working 40 hours a week, in the year after you move. It doesn't all have to be for the same employer, and any vacation time, personal time, or illness counts as having worked full-time.

What you can deduct:
* The costs of packing and transporting your household goods (that includes anything you spend on movers);
* The use of your personal car, if you use it to move, or other travel (such as plane tickets) from your old to your new place;
* The cost of shipping your car or pets;
* The cost of disconnecting utilities at your old place and setting up utilities at your new place;
* Any lodging costs you incur between leaving your old place and moving into your new place.

Things you cannot deduct:
* Any part of the purchase price of a new home, or the security deposit on a new apartment;
* Any pre-move expenses you incur looking for a new place;
* Expenses related to getting a new driver's license or car registration.

Adventure Time

The following is an email I received from a friend of mine on her second day at a new job. If you know who my friends are, you can likely figure out who wrote this even though I have omitted identifying information.

Hey, it was interesting. I was here at 7:45am yesterday. No one showed up until 8:05am. And today, no one was here until 8:05am. Promptness does not seem to be important. I won't have keys until tomorrow so, I guess I'll continue my game of waiting in the hall.

I have a really big office. Well, at least I think it's big because they stuck four of us in a space smaller than this at grad assistantship. Temporary computer until the beginning of next week because the one I'm supposed to use crashed last week. There are no electronic records of past programs. Guess I get to do whatever I want.

Not entirely sure what my job is yet. There are only two programs we know we are continuing for sure: Emerging Leaders and the Leadership Awards Banquet. And I need to write a new student organization handbook this summer (?!?). Expect phone calls and e-mails about that.
Other than that, it's up in the air. The student activities person goes on maternity leave August 14 so I'll probably be doing something with that. And, I need to chair a Homecoming Committee (either King/Queen selection, Parade, or something else I can't remember). Here's the thing, I feel like way more should have already been done. But the office just took over Homecoming so I think this year might be interesting. So, who really knows what I'll end up doing.

I have nothing to do right now because I have no e-mail, Banner login, etc. until tomorrow so I've been going through old files. No one has gone through these things since the 80s. Lots of things from type writers and carbon copy paper. 5 boxes of staples, a key that goes to nothing in my office, 5 copies of a 1995 edition of The Leadership Challenge (There's a 2007 version and a new inventory) and a bunch of photocopied versions of the book. Copyright infringement doesn't seem to be a big concern. There are also photocopied versions of entire Dr. Suess books including the label that says "Property of County Public Library." I'd like to point out someone could have purchased these books at a bulk rate for less than what they probably paid in copy expenses. Oh well. So, it's adventure time.

Pocket Susan Response: Good luck to all of my friends who are still in the job hunt! Even more good luck to those of you who are starting jobs, lord knows that it's never quite what we expect!

A Shout Out to Creative Genius

People that are creative and are able to translate that creativity into something tangible always amaze me. This is why I feel inspired to highlight a sorority sister of mine, Christyn, who creates beautiful jewelry. What I enjoy most is that not only does she sell her lovely pieces, but she also posts regularly on her blog (http://beadup.blogspot.com) and shares her creative process. I love seeing how she can translate a building, a flower, or other random object into a piece of wearable art.

While this doesn't get me any closer to designing and creating jewelry (I fear that particular talent will never come to me), she does inspire me to be creative in my own way. Just as soon as my budget isn't so tight, I will be buying one of everything she has made. I have a small sampling of some of my favorites below, but you can view her full store on Etsy at www.beadup.etsy.com.

Pocket Susan Advice: Find your inner creative genius and let it out. You don't have to share it with the world, but you should definitely nurture it privately.

In Defense of the USPS

This morning on my way to work, I stopped at the post office to mail a couple of packages. The office is supposed to open at 8:30am, but several of us were still waiting outside in a line at 8:40am. When they finally opened and we were able to move the line inside, I was disappointed to see that they only had one person working out front. I kept this to myself and tried to think about more positive things. Apparently the man behind me didn't have any positive thoughts to focus on because he started to complain loudly to everyone in line.

Bitter Man: This is ridiculous. They supposed to open at 8:30am but they just open whenever they feel like it. That's the government for you -- completely ineffective.
No response from anyone in line.
Bitter Man: I'm glad that my doctor's office isn't run this way. I can't believe anyone wants the government to run the health care system. We would all die waiting in line.
No response from anyone in line.
Bitter Man: This office is the worst. I bet there are several people in the back but they only bother to have one clerk out front. They don't know the first thing about customer service.
No response from anyone in line.

Not that our lack of response stopped him. He just kept going on and on about how this was the worst post office ever and blah, blah, blah. I was tempted to ask him if he really had visited every post office in the country in order to identify the worst post office, but wisely kept my mouth shut.

Although he may have had a point, I didn't appreciate his negativity first thing in the morning. Furthermore, I felt it was extremely disrespectful for him to speak so loudly. Clearly, the clerk could hear him complain and she was trying her best to move the line along quickly.

Pocket Susan Advice: Your mother was right... if you don't have anything nice to say then don't say anything at all.

Ah the Irony

I receive a lot of forwards from a member of my extended family and I delete 99.9% of them; mainly because I get annoyed by the 5 pages of email addresses/forwards that are listed before it actually gets to the one line joke. Which often times isn't really funny. Today, however I actually looked at the subject line before deleting the email and realized that it was an email urging me to buy only American made products. The irony is that the email was sent from a family member who LOVES to shop at Walmart. I wonder how many products at Walmart are still made in the US. Delete.

Pocket Susan Advice: It seems like most major corporations have some practice or another that doesn't gel well with ethics and social justice. If you regularly spend a great deal of money with a certain company, you may want to do a bit of research on their practices and make sure they really deserve your business. If not, then you'll either need to lose the company or lose your ethics.