Weekend Read: Caroline On Crack & other LA Event blogs 2:36 PM

When you're new to LA, the weekend hits and you're coolest. So if you are looking to find some weekend activities, look no further than Weekend Read!

Driving into work, I heard Carson Daly discussing Caroline on Crack, and she gave us the weekend low down on LA happenings. What I like about Caroline's blog is that it's actually a blog, not a just a listing of events or a newsletter. It's easy to read and keep track of unlike Daily Candy or Thrillist (great resources, but a little overwhelming at times).

Check her out and more for this Weekend Read:

Caroline on Crack

Thrillist LA

Eater LA

Daily Candy LA

In need of travel tips? 3:21 PM

I stumbled across this article from Savvy Sugar about flying with Southwest. So many great tips that are much more efficient than my regular strategy, which is get there at 6am so you don't have any problems.

I'm also a fan of George Clooney's slip-on shoe observation from Up In the Air

What about you all? Do you have any useful tips for train, bus and air travel?

Nifty Tools To Keep You On Track 7:54 PM

I've been slacking on my blog writing and on my blog reading. My department workload at the office has been kicked up a notch from the summer so I've been playing with new scheduling and organizational tools.

1) GoogleReader, GoogleCalendar...just Google
It's amazing how Google has completely streamlined my life. My company depends heavily on Microsoft Outlook but being a Mac person, this internet juggernaut is fulfilling my needs. I can use documents to edit budgets and spreadsheets wherever I can log in. My Google Calendar not only has my social schedule but I also have been adding group exercise classes at various YMCAs in the LA area so if I want to stop in I can. I do need to work on my use of Google Tasks

2) Mint.com
I'm convinced that Mint is the tool that keeps me from going into post-graduate debt. I've placed my excel budget into Mint and it tracks my credit card spending. So I know if I spent too much on movies or need to make my car payment. However, I don't like how it mislabels line items from time to time especially money spent at restaurants, fast food, and groceries.

3) LinkedIn
If you aren't on LinkedIn, what are you doing? In this age when your future employer is pre-screening your internet presence, there is no better way to re-emphasize your candidacy than to have a complete LinkedIn. I also recommend placing it in your email signature, you never know if your aunt's niece is going to be your future boss thanks to a few clicks.


What are your favorite online organizational and career tools? Any I should try out?

Weekend Read: 9/24/10 1:39 PM

I have an upcoming post on the continuing education after college (with or without classes) but this week's been slamming. But I wanted to share something this week:

1) Sara Gallagher's guest post on your first annual review sure is handy for recent grads. I'm keeping this one in my back pocket so I don't get stumped

2) Best Cities for College Grads courtesy of Business Week. Note...Los Angeles didn't even make it on here.

3) A cautionary tale about losing your job before it even starts

4) Fabulous and Frugal Goes Green For Halloween

Stay tuned.

Weekend Read: First Edition 12:43 PM

Borrowing a term from the entertainment industry, it's time for Weekend Read! One of my favorite hobbies is finding new blogs only to be both jealous and motivated by their talent. Here are my shares this week (in addition to LearnVest of course).





Domestik Goddess If you are feeling crafty or have an urge to start a herb garden, look here for inspiration. Not only is DG funny but her advice is user-friendly for the domestically challenged like myself.



BlissTree Okay google, you have me stumped on how this showed up as a "Frugal Living" blog but I do enjoy it. I'm loving the news about smoke free parks in New York (yes please). I don't however like the slideshow about Overweight Celebrities by Caroline. It's not very becoming.



Finally, this article on FitCeleb about Trainer Bob's Walk for Farm Animal rights. You can read more about Farm Sanctuary here.

The (post-grad) Fifteen: Staying Healthy and Fit in Your New Life 10:35 AM

You think after you pass the freshman 15 that you're transitional weight gains are over. Whoever planted that idea in my head was a liar. If anything, staying healthy gets even harder after college.

Sure, the all-you-can-eat dining halls have vanished. But so has the three hour gap between Econ 101 and Writing the Essay that you used to hit the elliptical. Finding time to go to the gym when you're working full-time can be difficult for a recent graduate. Since most of us are not early risers, we're stuck at the gym waiting in lines for treadmills. It's such a miserable experience, we just stop going.

On top of that, the rush to and from includes a stop for an Egg McMuffin and a Big Mac. Then your clothes don't fit right because you've gained wait, which makes you stress out because you can't afford a whole new wardrobe and you just want to crawl into a whole somewhere.

STOP!

Take a deep breath. No use giving yourself an ulcer.

Let's discuss a few ways to keep the extra pounds off while you adjust to a new lifestyle:

1) Make It Social. As I said in my earlier post about Fitting in Fitness sometimes the best things to make things priority is to make it fun. This rule not only applies to fitness but also healthy eating. I have been motivated to eat healthier because my friends and I get to together and make dinner for each other. Is it always amazingly healthy? No but I'm sure the homemade casserole is better for me than a trip to the county fair. For the Record, I'm breaking this rule this weekend.

2) Crack the Books and learn something new. Whether you are learning how to cook vegetarian or how to do yoga. Sometimes the most invigorating experience is succeeding at something you have always been afraid of. For example, I've always been terrified of using an oven or running a 5k ( I wish I was a good runner but I'm not). I'm running a 5k for charity this fall (with friends of course! Rule #1).

3) The Price is Right. Don't let the financial labels associated with healthy scare you. We can't all afford a membership to Sports Club LA but that doesn't make you a lesser person. It's funny because I have a friend who was talking about joining a gym and he refused to join a YMCA because they had a "stigma."

I love that I joined a YMCA. The people are friendly and low-key and the Healthy Lifestyles director is always looking to improve the facilities and classes for members. Additionally, I'm not shelling out every month, being pressured to find a personal trainer or locked into a contract.

You also don't have to shop exclusively at Whole Foods or Trader Joes. There are Farmer's Markets and many chain supermarkets now have special sections for Gluten Free, Vegetarian or Kosher eating. Plus, the supermarkets have buyer rewards programs. Overall it's just about finding the price point that works for your budget. If that answer is zero, find a hike instead of joining a gym. Use meet-up.com to find a running club. Healthy living should be for everyone not just those who can afford super trainers.

How about you readers? How do yourself thin but your wallet fat?

Bookmark this: LearnVest 11:24 AM

I stumbled across LearnVest in a super strange way---it was someone's facebook status. After a quick google search, I discovered Alexa Von Tobel, founder of LearnVest and Inc 30 Under 30 Entrepreneur, knew what the problem was with personal finance books and websites. They speak to middle aged men (and sometime women) with tons of money who are saving for retirement. The advice is not helpful when you are a recent grad making $500 for 50 hours of work a week.



Thankfully, LearnVest is here to spell out personal finance for Gen Y women everywhere! LearnVest has many great tools including budgeting bootcamps, helpful articles, and a resource toolkit.



Some of my favorite parts of the site include:

• Cool calculators that help you find out how much you save buying a used vs new car or by brownbagging your lunch


• When I was looking for a grown-up credit card with a tangible rewards program, I used their Credit Card Finder tool to select my new Discover (testing now!)


• A checklist for 2010 Graduates starting their new financial adventure


• The new LV Expert bloggers! I love Dining & Entertainment and the Money Etiquette expert.

I hope you check out LearnVest. I've found it helpful so far but what do you think? What other features does this personal finance web source need to grow?