the grass is always greener

i have to stop visiting my friends homes. really.

i'm not trying to be antisocial. i just have this problem when i visit the homes of my more artistically inclined, design-oriented friends, i find that i become discontent with the contents/decor of my own home. i find they have such fabulous furniture and such stylish paint colors and such trendy knick-knacks and such up-to-date electronics that it's just impossible for me to be satisfied.

and i am so not the keep-up-with-the-joneses type. plenty of people have complimented my decor choices, and for the most part i'm comfortable with my home (except for a few pieces of furniture that i could benefit from owning but don't yet have.)

but now, i look around and everything seems so college-esque. those old photos in those ratty frames. that old music poster (but at least it's in a poster frame). that ill-fitting slip cover on that dog-chewed couch. that chair and ottoman which i acquired for free.

the problem is, i can't afford to make my home look like pottery barn central. i make decent money, but after the mortgage, car payment, grocery bill, gas bill, pet treats, new clothes and other incidentals are all paid for, well, there's just not much left. and what's left either goes toward my six-months' salary reserve or vacation. plus i really, really, really need to get those scratches and dents on my car fixed. sigh.

the thing is, these people with the uber-trendy homes really can't afford them either. their jobs pay worse than mine (which at times is hard to believe). i don't know if it's mom and dad paying or the credit side of credit cards, but for me, neither is an option.

i need to win the lottery. i need to play the lottery.

three's company

my mom is gone and my longish weekend is (almost) over. it was a very good, restorative weekend. i've been getting caught up in and frustrated with work lately, and while i don't think i'm quite past the blip in the road, i am glad i at least got to relax a little bit.

so the big turn in my life right now is as of tomorrow i will have a roommate for the first time in the three + years since i graduated from college. a friend of mine is having her own house built, but the apartment complex she was living in ... the same one that screwed me over ... was going to charge her and her husband like twice as much as they was paying to stay there until their new place was ready. so she and her hubby (once he's back in the country) are going to live with me instead for a fraction of the price for the next few months in my teeny tiny guest room.

i feel very much like i'm returning to college, with a roommate squeezing all her stuff into a teeny tiny bedroom. i've spent the past two days condensing my own junk into one less room, which is harder than it seems despite the fact i didn't have much in my guest room to begin with.

oh yeah, and she's bringing her minature beagle, which i'm not sure lucydog is ok with yet.

but when it comes down to it, i know it will be a good thing. i'm going to be traveling a lot this fall for work, so it will be good to have someone who can keep an eye on the place and lucydog. plus, the extra cashflow is a huge relief to my normally strapped budget.

but most importantly, i think having a roommate will keep me from the reclusive tendencies i at times lean towards. roomie is one of the most outgoing, friendliest people i know, and certainly that can have a positive effect on me.

if i don't go crazy first!

odds, ends

_ as i was paying bills and logging my expenditures into my budget, i noticed at the bottom of yesterday's kroger receipt that i've saved $120 with my kroger plus card this year. go me!
_ the blog redesign appears to be done, with the exception of a few compulsive tweaks here and there, maybe a change in the color. lemme know if you like it.