Brooklyn Girl's Personal Finance Blog

I'm sure many of you are doing it already, but I just started making my own yogurt.

Yes, I invested $37 into a yogurt machine (all it does is keeps a constant warm temperature, but I strongly prefer glass jars over the plastic ones, so I bought a more expensive one).

This is the second batch I'm making.
I used 1/4 gallon of organic milk to make 6 cups, so it comes out to $2.5 or 42 cents for each jar of ORGANIC, PROBIOTIC, FRESH, NO STABILIZERS or PRESERVATIVES, NO HFCS or sugar yogurt. (if I choose to, I'll add something sweet, but I will know exactly how much)

It is quite simple. All I needed was to heat milk and mix in some probiotic yogurt (I kept some from the last batch I made, so I no longer need to buy a jar to use as a starter).

Tomorrow our breakfast will be a jar of yogurt with crushed roasted almonds and a thin layer of honey on top, freshly made steel cut oatmeal, good coffee and a orange juice.

Today I did not go out for breakfast either - I made an omelet with melted in fresh mozzarella, and some sliced tomatoes covered in pressed garlic w salt/pepper and fresh basil leaves. I love weekends. Having time to eat breakfast at leisure with DH is nice.

We offered 290K.

Realtor believed it was a good offer.
It was declined a day and a half later.

Today (realtor was trying to convince the seller for 2 days) she came back saying she is willing to sell it for 315K.

She is being very emotional about it.
She originally listed it at 359K (which had no basis in reality).

We are not taking it. We can afford it, but I don't believe this is the right price. I looked up records of sales in that building and they are are nowhere near that figure. They were not that high even in 2006.

I don't know if I am doing the right thing - I really like the apartment.
But I don't want to overpay by a lot.

Now we have to wait.

We bid on............ #1!

Thank you for all your feedback. I was leaning towards #1 as well, because #2, as wonderful and lovely as it is, was really a financial stretch.

I know the common "stretch at first, you'll be glad later when you grow into it" advice... however, what would we do if the maintenance was raised?

So now I have to wait to hear from the seller...
Excited, scared...

All these questions:
Did I offer the right price?
Should I have started from a lower amount?
Is there something even better out there?

Did you guys have these fears when you bought your homes? How strong were they?

Sorry about being absent so much - we've were spending all of our free time apartment hunting.

We narrowed it down to 2 choices, in a nice area of Bronx.

Here are their pros and cons.
Apartment 1 (the one I previously described)
Pros: cheap 320K, $700 monthly maintenance
walking distance to MetroNorth
(excellent commute for me)
good light
good size

Cons: 2 windows are facing busy parkway
no window in the bathroom
building has no amenities
parking on waitlist
no outdoor space
large building









Apartment 2 (new one we just saw last week). We saw it twice now, it is so loveley:

Pros:
1,100 sf private terrace with nice view with trees and shade around. Just gorgeous.
Very quiet and green, large windows everywhere facing only greenery and pedestrian path that leads to just a few apartments.
Great area
Separate entrance, feels like a townhouse in a village setting
Quality high-end renovation (not for purposes of selling, they obviously renovated for themselves.
Attic













Cons:
Expensive (financially, it is possible, but much tighter - it is at the upper spectrum of what we can afford)
480K, almost $1,300 monthly maintenance
will have to take a shuttle to MetroNorth, adding 25 minutes each way to the commute.

There are only 2 cons, but they are big ones

Both have issues.

One is lovely, good light, good condition, walkable to MetroNorth, facing park, good condition and layout. The problem? 2nd beroom and kitchen face a very busy highway that goes out of NYC (traffic never stops there) And you can hear it a little, even with a window closed. But the place is beautiful and we can definitely afford it.

Second one is quiet, 18th floor, and has a huge terrace with a gorgeous view of Hudson river and tree tops. Just breathtaking. However, it is a 1br dump. The "dump" part can be fixed. The seller will come down in price to cover the renovation. But it is not a type of 1 br that can be converted to 2. And if we have a baby (eventually) what will we do? I can't let a todler sleep in a living room with an access to the stove and a terrace 18 floors high....

But it would be a very cool place to entertain, to have breakfast on weekends, to sit with a laptop... Like a private retreat in the sky.

I am confused and don't know what to do!

It is a useful one, no doubt. It helps you connect faster with other people, it makes travel more freeing, authentic and enjoyable, and very often – cheaper.

It makes you more open-minded and more familiar with other cultures. It can help your career (I believe speaking 4 major languages, even if 2 of them are on a basic level, gave me an edge over other candidates).

I believe that the costs associated with learning a foreign language are more than recouped by the benefits.

First time I went to China I did not know a word of Mandarin.
I after 3 weeks, I decided I would like to stay there for a while (first 2 weeks I hated it ). So I came back to the States, talked to the Head of Humanities Department, and convinced him to let me go to China for a semester and accept all credits I will earn from the University in China. It was incredible that I was allowed to do it!

So instead of paying 14K for a semester in my school, I paid a little over 1K for tuition in China, and around maybe 6K to live there like a queen, eating out every day, hanging out in cafes/tea houses/bars and having a tonn of fun.

That included traveling after the semester was over – hitchhiking through Tibet (We managed to convince a local official in a small Tibetan town to give me and DH permits) and we went by ourselves all the way from Lhasa to Nepal, than flew to Russia(I also speak Russian), met up with some friends, took a train to Belarus…. All together it was an 8 months trip for HALF the cost of 1 regular semester at my university.

I have been to China 5 times now, and my employer is paying for my language classes.
It is a very difficult language, not intuitive at all, unlike some languages - Spanish, for example(with just high school Italian you can understand about half of it, without even studying).
DH takes few months of classes though, each time we go on vacation to a Spanish-speaking country. He also knows enough Cantonese for us to travel in Southern China more comfortably. So we are able to speak while travelling across a good part of the globe. That experience also gave us confidence to travel ndependently in counties where we don’t speak the language. We have met a ton of interesting people and saw so many beautiful places…

So far we have been in half the provinces in China plus HK and Tibet
Nepal
Vietnam
Korea
Taiwan
Thailand
Cambodia
Japan
Argentina
Ecuador
Russia
Belarus
Ukraine
Poland
Netherlands
France
Germany
Austria

And going on your own is a COMPLETELY different experience than getting some tour. You really get to FEEL the place only when going independently and staying for a while. Those who have done it understand what I am talking about. Those who say they do not enjoy travel... it is because they have not travelled this way.

So learning languages takes effort. It is a long process. You have to be persistent. But it is something that you will have with you wherever you go. It can come useful in unexpected moments, it brings many surprises, and it is very rewarding.

I just bought 2 nice silk ties for DH, now I am thinking how to pair them.

The first one, I think I have an idea.
I think it would go well with a very very light pink shirt and dark navy(almost black) suit. White shirt also good.



The second one, however, is a challenge:

The obvious answer would be brown pants, but I really don't think that would work.
I am thinking maybe gray pants with white shirt. Though I am not sure.

Or maybe... very light blue shirt. Green and blue do not usually go together, but with blue flowers on it, it may be an unusual combination that may work. What do you think?

And no, I can't ask DH - he always thinks I know better when it comes to these things.

That I came so close to having - it was the best apartment in our price range that I have seen to date:









It was large, it had a tonn of closet space, the views were nice, everything was thought out, it was mint, it was close to the subway, it was in a great area....

And I'll never live there.

For far more money. Pretty much at the limit of what we can afford: 500K with $1,200 monthly maintenance.
It is a real 1 bedroom though, not Junior.

Can it all work out? I have spend so much time, energy and nerves looking for a place.

I fear that our offer won't be accepted (even though it is above the asking price).

Plus, we will need help with the down payment, which is tricky and not guaranteed.

There are so many hurdles.

We are responsible people with no consumer debt, stable professional jobs and great credit.
Yet it is so difficult!

rent $994
electric $77
gas $12.94
medical $78
health $49

groceries $417
Lunch me $67.77
Lunch DH $90.68
eating out $172.2

pets $23.87
clothing $213
accessories $64
stuff for house $415

gifts for myself $300 (down lounging jacket and slippers, pillow case)
(from Bday money, so not counting towards the total)

car repair $46
gasoline $165.05
ezpass $275
parking meter $26

grooming $65.54
laundry $10
dry clean $39

Eve online $73.84
itunes $6.48
gifts $313
Donation $70

Life insurance $834.06
DMV $78.5
ski vacation deposit $138
ROTH $410


$5225

I did well in some areas, not so good in others.

Eating out - we did beautifully. Went out only few times.

OK on groceries and eating out. We could do better.

We did not go on a weekend out of town.
DH travelled for work a good amount, so auto expenses are low.

We took care of some necessary misc. expenses.
Home category was too high.

Clothing spending is less than usual, but still over the budget I would have if we bought our own place.

I just came across this slide show on MSN money:

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/CollegeAndFamily/RaiseKids/what-the-world-eats.aspx?slide-number=1

North Carolina
Cost of a week's worth of food: $377.20
This is 1 photo from an 11 photo slide show (I don't think this family is eating very healthy).

I also have problem with the figure for China. I think they are featuring an upper middle class family, because you can eat out every meal for less than that amount. (I studied in China for 6 month and visit for 1 month every 2 years.)

But in any case, I thought this was an interesting concept.

Maybe we all should take pictures of our week's worth of groceries and tally the cost.

I live in a small apartment building and I happen to know financial situations of many neighbors, and I happen to be only one without debt (with the exception of a student loan).

Their problems range from cc debt, to months behind on rent, to collection issues...

I know that the landlord does not take checks from one of my neighbors, requiring that he be paid by a money order.

They sometimes ask my advice on these things. However, they only ask advice on how to deal with the consequences. They don't see at all that the underlining issue is that they are living a lifestyle they can't afford. It is like one gigantic blind spot.

And of course, I cannot volunteer that kind of unsolicited advice to people I have to see on a regular basis. (My mom is an exception to that rule -- she will love me no matter what and I care about her, so I take her problems close to heart.

But I still find amazing how much these people spend. That while I won't buy $800 worth of make-up and perfume in Bloomingdales in ONE trip, but someone who makes minimum wage can feel they need it.

But most of them are very nice people. Helpful, social, friendly, compassionate. They simply don't understand that they are being financially irresponsible. They think that debt is normal.

They also ask each other for short-term loans. It is considered normal to borrow few bucks until payday.

While DH and I never discuss what we bought or how much we make, it is evident that we do ok. Maybe because we don't complain or ever need to borrow money? Or maybe because they know where I work.

In any case, next Friday I should be paid back $250 from people in my building who needed the money to pay the bills due before the next payday. I am not worried about it at all(these types of loans will always be honored by them) and it is no inconvenience for me. It is just a difference in mentality.

And having to fight the itch to comment on their financial tales. Repeating to myself: "It is none of my business, it is none of my business."

For the first time in our lives we made an offer on an apartment (co-op). We offered significantly under the asking price, so I doubt it will be accepted. And there are so many other "ifs" in the arrangement...

But than again, what if?

Today is my birthday. I got a brand new ipod Touch (16GB one) and $300 to buy what I would like. And flowers, of course. And hot breakfast in the morning. Not a healthy one, but very delicious(crapes). It is OK on special occasions.

I am now relaxing in a completely clean apartment. I'm so relaxed I don't even want to go out for birthday dinner and decided to move it to another day).

Scandia down makes probably world's most expensive pillow:
http://www.scandiadown.com/
I really don't know if they are worth it (I guess if you are very rich, maybe).
But since I am not rich, I would not buy a pillow for that much money.

But, there was one on sample sale for $199 and I bought it!


Can't wait till it arrives. I was ok with that price - it is an average price of a good down pillow.
I jumped on the opportunity, and I was not the only one. It was sold out very fast. Even comforters on sale for $1,400 from $3,000+ were sold out. It just seems crazy - you could buy a car for that much money. But, I guess, the world of the rich is different.

http://store.scandiadownbayarea.com/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=SDBA&Category_Code=CONP

I have a friend who lives in another city.
She is very inexperienced with men(never had a boyfriend) and does not have a relistic view of anything that has to do with men.

When she is telling me about another guy she met online, from what she is describing, I can see a lot of red flags right away and know it is not going to end well.

But I can't tell her that because she is saying this is the happiest she has ever been, she can't believe this happened to her, she is afraid to jinks it... (she is like that every time).

And again, I don't have the heart to correct her. I was right in my conclusions every single time (and I never voiced my negative opinion to her). Instead of upsetting her by telling her what I really think of them(based on her accounting of events) I do nothing. She is very upset later, when it naturally does not work out.

And I feel bad. But would telling her what I think when she is hopeful be any good? Would it be better?

I would tell what I think to any of my other girlfriends. Because I know they would understand me and could handle it. But they don't need help reading social cues and socializing with people. This girl does. And I would like to help her, but I am afraid that if I'm honest she'll be hurt.

What would you do?

That we are seriously considering. We got as far as requesting co-op financials. This seems like a nice place in a good location. 40 blocks from work. I can walk and not depend on transportation! There is a park, it is a quiet street... I want it.

However, this is a Manhattan kitchen:


Super tiny special sink, tiny special stove, a dishwasher (luxury). the other side has only the doorway and the refrigirator. So this is the close up of the ENTIRE kitchen counterspace(I think about 15 inches)


I also won't be able to fit a large pot or the entire skillet into the sink, I'll have to wash it sideways. But I think I can manage. And this kitchen is in a lot nicer condition than some others(of the same size) that I've seen.

Final exam for my Chinese class is on Wednesday.
I am disturbingly unprepared. I have not opened a book since I came back from China.
I really need to spend the weekend studying!

My job provides me with opportunity to study the language for free, but if I fail the exam I will have to pay to repeat the level.

I am having a lot of trouble even starting to study. Always too tired, always something to do... now I am starting to panic.

It is like a financial drinking game.

Any day the DOW is down more than 100 points by 2:50 pm I manually add $100 or $150 to a mutual fund(besides the auto invest for the ROTH) to buy shares based on that day's clothing price.

I look up which sector is falling and try to put it there. Like if commodity prices are down, I'll put that $100 into the fund that is heavily invested in commodities. (those will go back up eventually)

So by the end of the day it makes me feel a tiny bit better that I bought more shares with the money and I dollar cost average.

The mutual funds that I funded in this manner are right now up 20% above what I invested. The funds where I put in lump sum are, naturally, down.

This approach also keeps me from getting caught up in mass elation when things are going well.

I know I have fell off the wagon for the last few month. I am about to start with new resolve.

In September I will track our expenses to the cent.

My goals are to keep as close to our projected "if we buy a coop" budget as possible.

That includes spending under $500 on food without compromising quality. I will have to be very mindful and creative. I am not sure we can achieve this... but I'll try my best.

Encouraging news is that 3 months of lifestyle change have yielded excellent results for DH. His bad cholesterol is down 71 points just due to eating right and exercising!

So the results of our physicals are in.
There are good news, and there are bad news.

The good news is I am super-preferred.
My rate is even cheaper than what the agent quoted based on my answers.

The bad news is, DH's quote is $72 a month!!!!! at 27! He had a car accident 2 years ago that makes him more "expensive". but to that degree? I wonder if there is something else. Should I shop around? (now the results are in the common database so I don't think he'll need to take multiple physicals.

I wonder if it is even worth it to get life insurance at that rate. Maybe we should wait 3 more years until the car accident "falls off". (will it?)

I almost did a bad thing - there were these black Italian, soft leather tall riding boots with 2.5 inch stable wide heel (appropriate for riding boots).
It was on a sample sale website (very limited quantities, sometimes one item in each size). And they were $300, as opposed to regular price of $800. So I was weak. I have a couple of outfits with which they would go perfectly. And I don't have riding boots. ( I only have one pair of boots - suede brown, and they are about 5 years old)

Few days later, I got an email from the company that said they made the inventory error and won't be able to ship my order. With apologies, they included $25 credit.
I don't know if I should feel happy or upset. But it certainly is a classy way to handle their mistake. I wish more companies took customer satisfaction that seriously.
I am sure I'll buy from them again(they have really high end designers on really deep discount), so the credit is as good as money.

Yesterday I needed to replace one item of cosmetics so I went to Bloomingdales to buy another (dangerous thing for me to do).
Naturally, I got lost there for 3 hours.

Tried on a nice dress for fall/winter. Knit wrap dress with equestrian belt detail (would look nice with Fratelli Rosetti black leather riding boots).
It looked good on me, but I did not buy it! I have so much clothing that I imposed a mandatory "cooling off" period. ( I can't just buy everything that looks good ) I really like it though...

There was also a well cut short black pencil skirt with leather build-in belt detail (unusual ones) that also was really nice (and under $100), but again, I held strong.
I may think about it few days later and want to come back and get it. But than I will know how much I really want it.

I also like this skirt, but it is not worth the huge asking price:


However, there is a good chance that as season progresses it will go on sale for half the price. Than maybe.
That is what I did last fall/winter season. I waited patiently for very expensive things I liked to go on deep discount at the end of the season and got them.
I still love most of these items, and I don't anticipate buying much this season.
But with my accidental 11lb loss I can now wear tight, narrow wasted pencil with shirts tucked in, so I am thinking about getting one.
And that dress just looked like such an easy thing to wear. Oh boy, here I go again! Must stay strong...

Anyway, the only thing I bought were things I was prepared to buy when I walked in:

Rouge Volupte lipstick in nude beige and a matching lip liner.

(different shade)

I had $20 left on my Bloomingdales gift card, so the damage was only $45. Not too bad for a 3 hour shopping trip.

I also got made up by the Yves Saint Laurent make up artist and resisted the urge to buy primer and foundation (I never wear those because my skin is really good and just moisturizer is enough), but the way he did it just made is model flawless. I am still not sure I would bother doing it on a regular basis, so instead of buying it I asked them to give me free samples of them (and I also got a free mascara sample). So I can try it few times on my own and see if I can get the same result.

DH was having dinner out tonight, so I came home thinking I'll just have a snack. But I got hungry and wanted to eat something other than fruit.

All I had was beets. So I made a dish that my Ukrainian friend introduced me to. It was the first time I cooked it though. It came out delicious! And beets are so good for you.

So here is the recipe:

Peel and grate some nice FRESH sweet beets. Saute with olive oil, covered, low heat, stir thoroughly.

On a second, smaller skillet caramelize some onions and add w small finely diced tomatoes. Add some sugar to balance the acidity. This dish tastes good a little sweet. Cook together few minutes on low heat.

When the beets are about ready, add minced garlic(I like to add A LOT of garlic), some salt and pepper, mix, pour the content of skillet 2 (onion and tomatoes) in and mix everything. Cook for a minute more. Done!

So that, with a dark bread toast was my dinner.

It cost a lot to eat healthy.

For example my lunch that I MADE myself is normally $7.

Today:
1 heirloom tomato from the farmers market $3
2 small Japanese cucumbers $1.5
5 little balls of fresh mozzarella $1.5 (it was a half of a tiny container that cost $3)
I cut it up, added salt and pepper and that was my lunch for a total of $6.
I'll also have a nectarine that cost $1.2 for dessert. Maybe a few fresh figs (so sweet and fragrant).

Prices are high for vegetables that smell like vegetables, not the ones from grocery store. I also believe that they have more nutrition than vegetables that taste like nothing.

The cost of making dinner is even higher. We eliminated almost all saturated fat from our dinners(I have a little bit for breakfast or lunch occasionally). This really limits our choices to fresh produce, fish, unprocessed grains. Most of it has to be bought in specialty stores. Good fish has to be bought at a good fish store, produce at super-expensive farmers market. Whole wheat bread - artisan bread store. Vegetarian fed free-range chickens/eggs are bought from upscale supermarkets. *sigh*

You cannot stockpile fresh food or shop in bulk. It has much shorter shelf life. So the only things we have in a cupboard are brown rice, buckwheat, steel-cut oatmeal and a can of nicer brand wild salmon. And things like garlic/onions/nuts etc. But even those have to be bought in small quantities.

I have gone to a regular supermarket few times during the year and ended up frustrated. There is almost nothing I can buy there. Most things are processed and quality/freshness of poultry and fish not to good. Fruits and vegetables are "shipping variety"(that means look ripe but taste green).

Everything in a farmers market is "in season" yet is not cheap. People just go there to get stuff that ripened on the plant, not the shipping variety.

I think I spend $40 a day on food if we do not eat out at all (breakfast, lunch, dinner) for the 2 of us. I don' see a way to cut cost without compromising quality.
But this is about quality of life and health. So for health reasons, I think grocery budget would be the last place I'll cut. I just wish it was not so expensive to eat right.

I've been reasonably good with savings in the last month, but now there is an unexpected mental roadblock.

I love travelling and JW Marriott is one of my favorite hotels. I love their bed! It is so comfortable and luxurious.

I've been looking at the total bed package (mattress, topper and all the linens and pillows) online for 2 years now. It was close to $2,500 dollars and never went on sale.

I thought I would get it eventually, when we buy our own place and move. But now it is on sale (not a common occurence) for $2,057. Should I buy it sooner, because the sale is temporary? Or should I stick with a plan and buy it later, but for over $400 more?

I love falling asleep in that bed! And it would bring an element of a luxury hotel into my bedroom. But it is over 2K.
What do I do?

45,000 miles...

I did not think it would be that much - I always fly cheapest possible economy.

Now I will have an actual chance of getting upgraded... BUT no trips planned for a while. And on the next trip I was planning to use miles. Darn!

I want free upgrades.

I weighted myself today and discovered that I lost more than 10lb since last time I checked (few months ago).

I am not on a diet or exersizing, so this was a surprise. But the scale is accurate, I've checked.

I do normally loose weight after vacation, but since I drank a lot of beer and ate a lot of meat in China I did not think this would happen. I thought I would gain weight.

I did not have much desert (I am not a fan of Chinese deserts) and no bagels in the morning.

So that could be it. I will replace all desert with fruit for a month and see what happens. I'm also cutting down on beer.

If I could loose 10 more pounds I'd be completely content. Ok, 15lb to perfection. But I don't believe in restricting food or being hungry, or taking any diet products.

So I'll try to substitute some of what I eat for a slightly healthier version and hope that cumulative effect will eventually show up.

So this made my day! (even though I am coughing up my lungs and my throat is so raw).

I think I picked up something in China. It is not fun at all. My nose is running like the Yellow River. I collapsed into bed at 9pm yesterday. Not going to work (after not being there for a month).

I have been dreaming of taking a year off and doing it ever since college.

Now, upon coming back from China, my dreams are awaken again. They are back stronger than ever.

It would be nice to have a student life again, to become fluent in Mandarin, to live in China for a while...

The only complication is that both DH and I have nice jobs that we like. It is hard to quit. And a year is a long time for the employer.
It is scary to just leave ones life here and one's career.

But I am seriously thinking about it. I want that option to be available. So I am making a budget for that year and going into the "super-charged" savings mode.

I will try to aim for next March - spring semester. Fall one, a year from now, at the very latest.

Whether we actually do it or not, I want the money to be there so that we really have that option.