Adventures in nail polish

I went for a lovely manicure today with my friend S from work. The manicurist talked me into trying the new Shellac gel nail polish that supposedly lasts for 14 days minimum without chipping. They put it on then dry it under a special UV light. It's dry right away and you can do anything (get keys from the purse, money from your wallet, etc) right after it's done.

The verdict? Eh. So far, anyway.

The color is pale pink, but it's much more opaque than the color I normally get. I like the look of a french manicure overlay without the white tip (my nails are pretty white naturally). This is much more ballerina tutu opaque pink. Not horrible, but not the look I was going for.

The other thing I don't love is that there is a space between the edge of the polish and my cuticle, the way a pedicure looks when it's grown out for a month or so. The manicurist said this is because the polish shrinks when it dries, but I think part of it was the application. Some people just don't do the sides of nails very well - I've had this happen with regular polish, too. The color is light enough that it's not noticeable from far away, but I wasn't thrilled to pay $30 for a mani I wasn't happy with.

My friend recommended this place so I didn't want to make a fuss, but next time I go to my regular place (where I know they do a great job) I'm going to try it again and see if the application looks different. I'll also come back and post an update on the chip-alert to see if this stuff really lasts as long as they say it does.

Have you tried Shellac? If so, let me know your experience.

Helping out those in need at Back To School time

I don't have kids, but I'm such a geek that back-to-school time is still a magical time of year for me. I love the feeling of a fresh start, new teachers, new classes. But I also know that back to school is not such a magical time for many people, including teachers and students who don't have the supplies they need to foster great learning. To that end I went looking for a charity that helps match donors with classrooms in need. I found one that seems to be very highly rated by Charity Navigator, called Adopt-A-Classroom.

I've only begun to scan the list, and am struck by how many classrooms there are that need our help. It makes me sad, to be honest. We spend millions on sports and trashy TV each year while our hardworking (and underpaid) teachers shell out their own hard earned cash just to fulfill basic learning needs.

So as you set your budget for back to school this year, consider adding a little more to help students and teachers in need. This will definitely become part of my annual back-to-school ritual from here out.

Set a decluttering goal

I've seen several web sites/posts/blogs lately encouraging people to set a specific goal for getting rid of unused, unwanted, or un-needed items in your home. A few of them include:

Throw Out 50 Things

A Thing A Day (ATAD)
(scroll down for comments - the formatting on the site is wacky)

I really like this idea, although it doesn't jive with the way I tend to do things. I declutter in big spurts (I buy in big spurts, too). But I like the idea of systemically deciding to get rid of a set number of things, identifying those things, and following through.

I'm toying with the idea of a "30 things in 30 days" challenge but will have to see what September looks like to see if I'll have the time to do it. I am getting a jump-start, though - there are two big bags to go to Goodwill and several other things earmarked for my Mom when she visits next week. I'm looking forward to having those things out of my house!

Embrace The Camera

One of my favorite bloggers posted today about the importance of capturing yourself in pictures you take of what's going on in your life:

http://www.allthingsgd.com/2010/08/embrace-camera.html

For her it was about pictures with her daughter, but I think it's important for anyone. I don't have kids, but I do travel. I have few pictures of myself in the places I've visited. I wish I had more. One of my favorite pictures actually only has a hint of me - my toes - as I lay next to the gorgeous beaches of Cancun.

What can you do to embrace the camera the next time you're doing something fun? Self-portraits. Hold your hand out in a "thumbs-up" in the middle of the photo? Get creative, get cooky, see what comes of it. I think it's a fun project and one I'll try to remember to do myself throughout the rest of this year.

What should I do with...?

Part of being organized is de-cluttering. But once you've identified a pile of stuff you no longer need or want, what do you do with it? It seems wasteful to just trash it, so luckily there are organizations all over the place that will take all kinds of things. I myself am recycling some old magazines (to the gym) and found several articles listing places to take stuff you no longer need. Here are the ones I took note of:

• Appliances. Stores like Lowe's and Home Depot may take them away when they deliver new ones. Oterhwise, call 800-GOT-JUNK. It costs $$, but it's worth the effort saved (IMO).
• Computers, printers, electronics. According to the June 2009 issue of O Magazine, Staples will take small items (larger ones for a $10 fee) and recycle them. I have also called my town, which runs a bi-annual electronics recycling day.
• Carpet. Who knew someone could recycle old carpet. But they can at carpetrecovery.org.
• Basic sporting goods (soccer balls, basketballs, volleyballs, cleats, etc). Sports Gift (sportsgift.org) redistributes stuff to underpriveleged kids. Super-cool.
• Tennis balls. Rebounces.com restores the bounce and sells them at a deep discount for use as practice balls.
• Orthotics, crutches, ankle splints, wheelchairs, knee braces. joniandfriends.org or cbmus.org.
• Expensive or bulky fitness stuff (skis, golf clubs, rollerblades, treadmills, etc). Play It Again Sports (playitagainsports.com buy and resell this kind of stuff.

If you're like me and preparing for the great pre-fall cleanout, consider donating your unwanted stuff to someone who can reuse or redistribute it. Good for you, good for others, good for the planet.

Pretty jewelery storage

I am working on redoing my bedroom (pics to come soon!) and one of the things I'm trying to tackle is jewelery and acceessory storage. Step 1 is getting rid of stuff I don't need or wear. But what to do with what's left? I currently have a very functional, small rack from Target that I hang my costume necklaces on behind the bathroom door. But then I found a great idea via Unclutterer.com that I want to swap in for that. It serves the same function, but it's much prettier.

It's the first option you see in this post on Jeri's Organizing & Decluttering News. It's an empty frame with screen in it that you hang the earrings on. The bottom has posts that you can hang your necklaces on. I love the idea of having all my stuff where I can see it because I know that makes me wear what I have more often.

I have several large picture frames that I'm not using right now that would be perfect for this. It will also allow me to move the current necklace rack and use it for my brooms in the utility closet, which is its original intended purpose.

When I do this project I will definitely post pictures, DIY instructions, and a total project cost.

Bouncing back from a bad day

I read alot of business publications for work, and Harvard Business Review is one of my favorites. They not only have great business articles, they have quite a bit on personal and professional development. I came across this one as I was getting ready to head home for the night and thought it was simple but powerful. Consider it next time you are feeling frustrated toward the end of the day.

http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2010/08/prevent_taking_a_bad_day_home.html

Keep grocery spending in check without losing credit card benefits

I use my credit card to buy all my groceries because I get 5% cash back on each purchase. That adds up to a decent sum over a year, so when I was looking for ways to keep my grocery spending in check I didn't really want to switch to the cash-in-an-envelope method (put your budget amount in cash in an envelope, pay from that, and when it's gone it's gone). I think I found a compromise, though, that gives you the best of both worlds.

If I buy a gift card at the grocery store, it should register as a qualifying purchase on my card and hence get the 5% cash back. But it will also have a fixed spending limit that I can then use for the rest of the month, and when it's done it's done. The credit card company got the money (and associated fees from the merchant) so they're happy. I get my built in budget tracker, so I'm happy. Win-win!

I have to check with the credit card company this week to make sure that all purchases at a grocery store qualify for the cash back to make this work, but if they do I can't wait to put it into practice. If you try it let me know what you think!