Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Self Indulgent Googling, SuperFun Budgeting...and more!

Sometimes I like to Google myself, just to see what comes up. Sometimes it's good to know what the other people who share your name are up to, so that when someone asks you about your Swedish Therapeutic Chair Massage services in NY, or compliments you on your dart throwing championship win, or wonders about your Amazon.com wish list and why it says your birthday is May 16th, you know what they're talking about. Maybe that's just me. I do like some of the things that The Other Kim has on her wish list. She has good taste in cookware. But don't buy me a book of things to do in NY (maybe she's the chair masseuse!) or funky chunky earrings. It's not my wish list! And y'all know I am not a member of any American Dart Association. Right.

Anyway, I found a few things by Googling myself (both as Kim and Kimberly) that I didn't know were online. And some of them are kinda cool. The coolest, I think, is a credit for processing a finding aid for the Romo Vincent Collection at UCLA. I didn't even know I was credited for it. Neato. There's also a link to a letter to the editor I had published in the LA Times Calendar section, but it's not available online anymore. Awww. There's the stuff from Awaken and the Young Artists Ensemble, and Captain Ahab too, and a few things from the Daily Bruin. And for some reason, my Friendster profile, which I never log on to, is 2nd on the list of results. Odd? I think so. There are several pages of links pertaining to myself and the other Kim Weisbergs out there (I'm guessing it's about 3 or 4 of them from the links), but you can pretty much guess that if it's relating to theatre, music, dance, UCLA or cooking, it's me.

How self-involved can I be? Honestly! oy.

In non-self-involved news, check out this laugh worthy article from OgMog.com. I laughed, and I didn't even go to the website they're talking about. Also, am I the only one in the world who is a little creeped out by Spanx??? This was sent to me by Daily Candy, and I'm a little confused. A husband and wife team that comes to your parties and hosts wine tastings? I think?

In financial findings, this is a really great article about financial freedom from The Simple Dollar. As you know (unless you're a new reader who hasn't spent hours reading backlogged entries), I have hopped on the Budgeting Bandwagon and am really, seriously, starting to think about planning financially for my future. Wow, that's some Real Grown Up Talk, isn't it? Seriously though, I'm going to open a high-interest savings account (I just decided when--on my 23rd birthday. That's the day I'm doing it. Happy Birthday to Me.), and keep up with my Spend No Money Budget, and really just start soaking up as much personal finance advice and information as I can. It feels like All Of A Sudden I'm a Grown Up and I know nothing about Finances or Mortgages or Taxes or Anything, and I want to start learning now, while I still have no money or property or RealScaryGrown Up Responsibilities. Just a little quick (not scary) math: Right now, my goal is to put $100 a month into savings. Not counting interest, if I do this for the next 20 years, I'll have a little pocket of $24,000 saved away. Not bad. When I get a job, I'm thinking about putting even more in savings--$100 in an "emergency fund" that does not get touched, as well as some yet-unspecified amount into a 529, 401k, or other long-term savings account to be used towards future things, like buying a house or sending kids to college (in the case of a 529). Yeah, these things are FAR off in the future, and no, I'm nowhere near even thinking about having kids, much less sending them to college, but the biggest advice I'm getting from parents, grandparents, mentors, teachers, the financial advisor who spoke to us at work, and anyone who is older-than-I-enough to give advice, is Start Saving Now. Even if you can't imagine what you're saving for, you'll be glad you did when expenses arise.

And that sounds pretty darn good to me.

If you're interested in other fun budgetary, smart-financial-planning-type things, check out these two things: How to Eat Cheap and Healthy and 10 Herbs and Spices to Make Cheap Taste Good. Like I've said, The Simple Dollar and I are becoming fast friends. I really enjoy getting my daily briefings. You can too!

And that's all for today's little ole humble blog. L'chaim!

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