Rabbit Style News

I picked up a copy of Woman’s Day from the magazine pile at work. Months ago I started a magazine exchange system, bringing in magazines I had already read and hoping others would do the same. I added an Ikea magazine holder and a note. A few people have joined me and I periodically bring home issues to read. (Get it? Periodically?) So far it’s mostly Woman’s Day, Ladies’ Home Journal, Men’s Health, and several-months-old People in addition to my Time, Domino, and O: The Oprah Magazine.

The cover of this issue told me that I would learn to save $5,000 this year. Alright, tell me more!

– Order water at restaurants instead of soft drinks. Already on top of it, especially since I gave up caffeine.

– Go out for one less meal with your family per week and skip one movie a month, trim back other entertainment like sports events and concerts. I suppose I could eat out once or twice a week instead of twice or thrice, but skipping a movie a month will take me from zero to zero. Seeing “Definitely, Maybe” last week was the first movie since, I dunno, “Transformers” last summer maybe. I am going to the Sharks/Coyotes game this month, however. I’m willing to splurge on two games per year, especially since I didn’t pay for the first one.

– Wait longer to get your hair done, for five weeks instead of four, for example. People get their hair done once a month? Seriously? I’m looking at six months right now and am considering a haircut sometime this month.

– Do your own nails. “If you can’t face that possibility, cut your appointments in half.” I just painted my toenails yesterday after going bare for months. And on my nails I do a clear gloss once in awhile. Although if picking at my cuticles counts as doing my nails, then I am all over this one.

– Adjust your cable package. “You could nuke it altogether and go back to the three major broadcast channels. Just kidding!” I don’t own a television. I get all my desired tv from the internet (”30 Rock” at nbc.com, for example) and from friends with televisions.

– Lock up your debit cards so you stop paying overdraft fees. The article says that people who pay with their debit card 20 times or more per year average $223 in overdraft charges, compared to $40 for those who don’t. I haven’t ever paid an overdraft charge that I can recall, so I think I’m set on this one.

My overall savings? Not so much. As they suggest, I will look into getting a new cell phone plan that better matches the few minutes I use, however. I need a new cell phone anyway — the charging cord takes a few minutes of wiggling to connect to the phone.

I’d be home by now on a regular Friday which means that my vacation time is done and it’s back to a regular weekend.  As can be expected, I didn’t complete a whole lot of extra projects or do anything spectacular. That digital picture project I mentioned last week? Not so much.

I did go to the gym three times, and I sunned myself by the pool twice. I drank wine one night I normally would have refrained. I slept until between noon and one o’clock every day. I reread the Dragonlance Chronicles trilogy yet again.

Tonight I’m going to finish my latest quilt while listening to the Sharks v. Chicago Blackhawks game. San Jose is a better team and hopefully they’ll play like they are and extend their winning streak to eight games.

I went on a movie date tonight.  We saw the 10:20 showing of “Definitely, Maybe” and it was a surprisingly bad movie.  It was still an enjoyable experience, however, because we were the only two in the theater and got to talk right through it.