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It’s just a job

By on June 3, 2013

StudyingI’ve had this post on my “topics” list for a while, and it seems fitting to post it on a Monday morning as we all go back to our jobs. I was inspired to write it by Live Love Work’s post a while back called Stop taking work so seriously!

Being a blogger who writes about happiness, some of my blogger friends are passionate members of the lifestyle design movement…particularly, the people who believe that traditional jobs are evil and the only way to be happy is to strike out on your own.

Don’t get me wrong, I love these people, and I am so inspired by the things they’re doing in their own lives. My friend “Cordelia” over at Cordelia Calls It Quits, for instance, just left the day job she’d been at for 12 years to be a writer and blogger full-time. I’ve been following her journey to do this for the past two and a half years, as she slowly built up her side business until it was big enough to do full-time. And I could not be more happy for her. (PS – stay tuned for an upcoming guest post from her, which I can’t wait to feature!)

But for me personally, I just don’t feel that way about work. For me, a job is just a job. Does that make me a bad happiness blogger, or just a different kind of happiness blogger?

To each his own

While I get where these bloggers are coming from, I don’t have any dreams of becoming an internet tycoon or a digital nomad or whatever. I’m perfectly happy doing my job from 9 to 5, then coming home and having my nights and weekends all to myself and my little family, no work involved. I like the structure. I like being able to leave my work behind when 5:00 comes.

I don’t “love” my job, but I don’t hate it, either. It’s got its ups and its downs, but I like my coworkers, I feel good at what I do, and I just don’t have that drive to stay up all night or work on the weekends to build some side business of my own. (I don’t even know what that side business would be.)

And I think a lot of people are like that.

Again, I don’t mean to criticize other bloggers at all. It’s more of a “to each his own” thing. The last thing I’d want to do is judge someone else’s lifestyle, because the whole point of B&B is to encourage living a balanced life…whatever that means for you. My balance just happens to include having a regular old job and then unplugging in my “me” time.

A job is what you make of it

I think what it ultimately comes down to is how you approach your work. If you’re the kind of person who hates the idea of a 9 to 5 job, no matter what it is, then you won’t be happy unless you are doing your own thing. You need to know yourself and go after what will make you happy.

But if you like the predictability and set hours of a regular job, that’s cool, too. Then it’s up to you to learn how to be happy at that job, even when things sometimes get crazy and stressful.

There is no right or wrong way…there’s just what’s right for you.

What is your job to you? Is it a passion, or just a paycheck?

 

~Heart,

Em

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photo credit:  Michael J Mandeville

Categories: work & careers12 Comments

Avoiding Incurring Debt When Purchasing Clothing

By on June 3, 2013

Luxury Shopping[This is a guest post by Colleen Moyer. Think you’ve got what it takes to be a guest poster? Contact Em at em [at] blondeandbalanced [dot] com to learn more about becoming a guest poster yourself!]

 

Good-looking clothing is needed for work, school, and other excursions, but purchasing new clothing can be very expensive. Many people make the mistake of incurring debt to purchase the clothing they desire, but this only makes the clothing more expensive through interest charges and financing fees.

Planning for your clothing purchases before you go out to shop can help ensure that you get the items that you need without having to incur debt to get them. Here are some good tips for how to avoid incurring debt when purchasing clothing.

Strategically Save Money For Clothing Purchases

Because you know that you will have to purchase clothing when your child gets bigger or when something you own wears out, plan to strategically save money for your clothing purchases.

Putting $20 into an envelope designated for clothing purchases each pay period will ensure that you always have money available to buy the clothing that you need. It also ensures that you won’t have to use your credit card to buy replacement clothing.

If you find that you aren’t spending the full amount you have saved, or there is a very large amount of money in your clothing envelope, take a portion of the cash and put it into your savings account to be saved for future needs.

Purchase Clothing Online

In many cases, the clothing items that can be found at online retailers like DAAN are less expensive than similar clothing purchased from retail stores. Retail stores have to mark up their products to cover the cost of the building and all of the employees that work there, while many online retailers have a minimal physical presence.

Shopping for clothing online also allows you to compare prices for similar items across a wide range of retailers so you can get the best deal on the items you need.

Shop Off-Season

Another good way to save money on your clothing purchases is to purchase the things that you need off-season. For example, long-sleeved shirts and long dresses are usually put on the clearance racks as soon as the weather begins to warm, and short-sleeved items are designated as clearance items once the summer is over. Purchasing your clothing off-season can lower the price of the clothing you want by 50% to 90%.

However, this may not be a good tactic for purchasing clothing for children because they grow so fast that they may not be able to fit into the items you purchased when the proper season for wearing them rolls back around.

Photo credit:  Ktoine

Categories: guest postsLeave a Comment

Blog Roundup (5-31-13)

By on May 31, 2013

I always love sharing my favorite blogs with people, so each week I’ll be giving you guys a roundup of the posts I’ve really enjoyed reading.

If you like them, make sure to subscribe and follow these great bloggers on Twitter and Facebook to share the love!

~Heart,

Em

Are there any great posts you came across recently? Share them with us in the comments!

Categories: blog roundups6 Comments

Easy ways to be greener around the house

By on May 29, 2013

Green LivingThe Hubby and I have been trying lately to be a little greener when it comes to the way we run our household.

We’re not going to go all extreme and start using washable cloth TP or anything (that was either an episode of Extreme Cheapskates or Extreme Couponers, but whichever it was, I will not forget the way I felt when I first heard about it!) What we are doing is trying to make small changes in our daily routine that will help the environment and, hopefully, also help us save a little money at the same time.

Here are some of the changes we’ve brainstormed so far:

  • Only run the laundry when it’s full, and run everything on “cold” unless it’s really super dirty.
  • Line dry laundry when it’s nice outside. (So much nicer anyway!)
  • Turn off lights in rooms we’re not in. (We’re both really bad about this.)
  • Shut our computers down when we’re done with them instead of letting them go into “sleep” mode.
  • Start taking shorter showers. (This will be tough because I love my long, hot showers!)
  • Get The Hubby to stop leaving the water running when he brushes his teeth, hand washes dishes, etc. (Hear that, Hubby?) :)
  • Recycle more on a regular basis.
  • Use cloths and rags for cleaning instead of paper towels.
  • Buy some inexpensive, easily washable cloth napkins instead of using paper all the time.
  • Maybe start a compost pile in the backyard? (Has anyone done this before? Any tips?)
  • Buy more natural/organic cleaning products. (Not necessarily price smart, I know, but I think I’d feel better with Big Dog and Little Dog around if I was using safer options…and I’m sure it’s better for us, too, not to be around too many chemicals.)
  • Setting up rain barrels in the yard to collect water we can then use to water our garden!

How do you make your household “greener”? Any other tips we can try out?

 

~Heart,

Em

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photo credit:  Artondra Hall

Categories: green living, home ownership4 Comments