summer reading list

Coco and Nuxa are both bookworms. To put it plainly, we’re big nerds. We just disguise our nerdiness with cuteness.

As soon as our last exam has been written, we start working on our summer reading lists. First on the list was a “re-read”: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, as we anxiously await the release of the latest HP movie.

As soon as we’re done that, we need some new material. Which is where you come in, delightful readers…

What is on your summer reading list? Any favourites you’d like to recommend?

oh bother

Michelle Obama was spotted at Good Stuff Eatery today!

 

For the most part, I think this is awesome.

 

 

a) Spike, the owner and former Top Chef contestant, is Canadian and really nice. His restaurant definitely deserves the publicity (not that he needs it).

 

 

b) We get to ogle more adorable Michelle outfits. I’m sure grey capris and a ponytail will be the outfit of the summer.

 

 

c) The Obamas have seriously re-energized this city. Everyone seems happier and more peppy (though that could be the Friday afternoon long lunch with beers). It’s just so nice to know that this family, who technically have no ties to Washington except that they happen to have had to move here, are so committed to supporting the schools, the charities, the businesses, and the people. After the barely-there Bushes, believe me, it’s refreshing.

 

 

d) The food at Good Stuff Eatery is phenomenal. They have big, juicy burgers with just the right touch of gourmet, to-die-for fries, delicious milkshakes, sweet little cookies, and an interesting selection of local microbrews. The First Lady clearly has great taste!

 

 

The downside?

My coworkers and I were passing by Spike’s restaurant yesterday, and we remarked that we should go back to Good Stuff soon because it was soooo good the last time we went. Now there is exactly zero chance that we’ll even be able to get within two feet of the place for the rest of the summer. It is the new Ben’s Chili Bowl.

Obamas never strike twice, people! Tourists, try to pick other random restaurants in the hopes that the dazzling First Couple go there next! Just stay away from my BURGERS!!

 

-Coco

across the universe

why y’all gotta waste my flava?! damn!

How have we never noticed that Jason Segel was in one of our favourite ’90s teen comedies??

The entire movie is available on Youtube and on Netflix’s InstantWatch. Go forth and be entertained, dear readers!

we heart shoes

We both found this picture independently (on Desire to Inspire) and immediately saved it as perfection incarnate.

This way, we can justify any purchase as decor AND fashion. We’ll be able to buy twice as many shoes!!

We also came across this ingenious shoe storage idea on Apartment Therapy. What appears to be wall art is actually hiding a plastic shoe bin. Our mothers would love these, as they’re always nagging us about shoes being left out in the foyer.

We’re toying with the idea of trying this out ourselves in our new apartments. Of course you can count on seeing the results if we do!

And lastly, if you’re in the Toronto area (or are planning to visit sometime this summer), why not check out the Bata Shoe Museum? Go to their website to find out more about special events and exhibits there this month.

budget suggestion #1: know where your money goes

At the end of last summer, we realized, to our horror, that we had both spent a lot more on shopping, seeing movies and going out than we’d ever intended. This affected the school year in a big way– we were forced to bow out of some fun but expensive evenings with friends and had to forego the little luxuries that usually get us through the stressful months of exams and papers.

This summer, we have vowed to change. We’re determined to save as much as possible so that we can relax come September, knowing that we’re in a good place financially.

So we’re going to start a series of posts with suggestions for successful budgeting. We’re not quite experts, but we have some great ideas and resources that we’re looking forward to sharing.

Budget Suggestion #1

Why don’t you…

Track your spending?

It’s all too easy to justify every purchase when you feel like you’re making a good amount of money. But this illusion of affluence can often lead to overspending. The best way to avoid spending money you don’t have or need for something else is to write your purchases and earnings down and refer to this document often.

Here’s your first task, before you even decide on a firm budget (that’s our next post!)– create an Excel spreadsheet or a find a notebook where you’ll track your spending and non-essential earning. Here’s Coco’s example:

 

Her computer-savvy boy set it up to automatically calculate the total amounts spent and earned (and it’s even colour-coded!). You can include your regular salary in this as well, but since Coco has several babysitting, dogsitting, housesitting and overtime hours every month, she’s chosen to put those earnings towards her more frivolous spending and save the vast majority of her day job’s salary for the school year.

Ideally, you would aim not to spend any money you hadn’t already earned. However, we’re being realistic here, and we can’t expect any of us not to slip once in awhile. In this case, Coco will be out $34.24 until she takes on another babysitting job and she keeps this in mind when she goes shopping.

 

Our challenge to you today is to set up a way to track your spending and earning. You can make an Excel document like Coco’s, jot things down in a little portable notebook, or even make a huge poster to put on your wall– whatever works best for you. When you get home from a shopping trip, pop to your computer/notebook/poster, quickly enter the information from your receipts, and then proceed with your busy day.

Share your purchase-tracking experiences, tips, and woes in the comments– we’ll all need a little moral support with these financial challenges. Good luck!

ways to feel happier

Feeling a little blah, blerg or yuck? Well, summer is just around the corner and life is about to get a little brighter! We found this list of easy ways to find the sunny side of the street, even on the worse of days…

Simple Pleasures

Once something becomes familiar, we stop paying attention to it – even if it’s pleasurable. Ever had a piece of chocolate that tasted gorgeous, but then you didn’t notice the rest of the bar disappearing down your throat? Start making a note of the simple things that bring you pleasure as you notice them. This way, you heighten the experience and focus on the positive feelings they inspire.

Random Kindness

Positive psychologists have found that one of the most effective strategies to lift people from depression is for them to help others. As social beings, we’re hardwired to get a reward of feelgood hormones in return for a positive act towards others. It’s easy to forget this in the day-to-day chaos of life, but if you set yourself the goal of performing an act of random kindness for the benefit of a stranger, it will leave you feeling better about yourself for hours.

Count Chimneys

It sounds odd, but it’s harder to feel unhappy while you’re looking up. Obviously, don’t do this when there’s a danger you could fall down a manhole, but otherwise give yourself an incentive to look up. There’s a reason for the saying “you’re looking down” when someone seems unhappy. Try it – and things will really look up.

summer’s here?

When I left Ontario yesterday morning, it was a breezy 18 degrees Celsius, give or take a few degrees.

This morning in Washington, D.C., it is 32 degrees.

I packed all my summer stuff, but… well, it’s been awhile since I wore most of those clothes. 8 months of french fries, ice cream, burgers and cookies later and I’m in the market for some looser-fitting outfits.

Problem is, I don’t get my first paycheque for a few weeks and I’m on an uber-budgeting kick this summer. Lucky for me, there’s a lot of selection out there. I’ve put together three great, versatile looks that won’t cost me more than $50 US.

(sorry, Canadian readers, but I’m in the land of the strong dollar and crazy-good sales now– but I tried to look mostly at stores with locations in both countries!)

 

Old Navy:

$29.50

 

$8.00

(since the neckline of this dress is so striking, this necklace looks best as a bracelet looped loosely around the wrist)

$9.99

 

 

Total: $47.49

 

These outfits are pretty simple, which is ideal for mixing and matching, but cute and fun too. I can punch them up with some more original finds– like a vintage cuff bracelet or a scarf from my favourite boutique– to make the look less mall-catalogue and more my own. With outfits like these, I’ll feel comfortable, pretty, and budget-savvy. 

Two more looks after the jump!

 

MSN Monday: The One Where We Almost Forgot

Coco says: arg, I have nothing saved that is msn monday-ish

Nuxa says: quick! write something funny!

Coco says: ummm… a mime in a woodchipper!

Nuxa says: what?!?

Coco says: I dunno

Coco says: it wouldn’t be able to scream

Coco says: I guess that’s more creepy and awful than funny

Nuxa says: omg. i leave you alone for a weekend and you think “a mime in a woodchipper” is funny?!?!

Nuxa says: what has he done to you?!?!?!

Coco says: ok, ok, you got it out of me– we put a mime in a woodchipper

Nuxa says: *sob*

Nuxa says: he’s ruined you! in more ways than one

Coco says: meh, that was good enough, we can post that

(In non-MSN Monday related news, Coco has moved out of the house and is currently on her way back home for the summer. Nuxa feels like she’s lost half of herself.)

what we learned this weekend…

Nuxa and Coco should not be allowed to make decisions in the kitchen.

Also, champagne can NOT be left in a freezer.

(Seems simple enough, doesn’t it?)