But Sleeping IS a Hobby

Dear Advice Girl,
Ever since I got a job, I've been collecting ideas for fantastic hobbies to pursue in my spare time - hobbies that could really give me something to talk and think about during those long and sometimes dull work hours. But the irony is, I can't seem to find time to do even the simple things that I theoretically enjoy, like working out and reading a good book, let alone can I imagine devoting my few precious out-of-work hours to cool, but tiring, activities! How can I get motivated to get active in my 'down-time'?

Dreamer in DC

Dear Dreamer,
Advice Girl suggests retiring now, and saving the work for when you’re too old to do other things. That’ll free up plenty of daylight hours. Oh, what? You don’t have dad who invented Hot Pockets to finance your Laguna Beach lifestyle? Right then, plan B.

Actually, Advice Girl’s first tip would be to get thee a Government Job. You know, the kind where you get in at 8 and leave at 3, and in between learn how to make macramé wall hangings from the internet. But let’s say you already have one of those. (Unfortunate Update: Advice Girl has just discovered that macramé is not, in fact, made of macaroni as it was in her mind, making it much less interesting as a conversation piece. So learn something else.)

Now, Advice Girl’s own riveting hobbies consist of attending important cultural events (like happy hour) and educating herself (by watching SuperNanny), so feel free to take on either of those. On the few occasions she’s managed to broaden her horizons otherwise, it’s been things she’s paid (a lot) for. Nothing like shelling out a hundred bucks a month to make you looooove going to the gym. Or knowing you’ll never see that Russian class tuition money from your employer if you don’t attend every single class.

But sometimes it helps to have a buddy. Finding a hobby partner can make you feel just guilty enough that you won’t be tempted to bail and just competitive enough that you’ll want to really do your best. And in other news, Advice Girl has just been promoted and will probably be traveling much less this spring. Belly dancing, anyone?

The American Dream, For You and Me

Dear Advice Girl,

I’m hopelessly searching for my piece of the American dream. To clarify I want to be homeowner (here in DC) in the near future (before 30). However currently, it seems I’m usually strapped for cash after making the normal ends meet after paying student loans, DC rent, and normal financial obligations. With my current single salary vs. my debt obligations it seems as if I will never be able to save enough for a down payment to be able to turn my dream into reality. Do you have any creative ways to save for my down payment, financial advice, or words of wisdom to convert my dream into a reality?

Thanks
Young, Fabulous & Broke

Dear Young & Fabulous,
You too can live the dream! Yes, indeed, that dream where your new best friend, the bank, owns most of your place and lets you live there. Short of selling a kidney, though, let’s look at where you can scrape together this cash. For this, Advice Girl is going to borrow heavily from the wisdom of her latest favorite financial advisor, Michelle Singletary of the Washington Post (see Color of Money over there on the left).

First up, budget budget budget. Don’t have one? They’re easy to get AND you don’t even have to pay for it! The Post has some templates ready for you, so Advice Girl won’t get into the specifics, but trust her, this is crucial. As part of the budgeting exercise, try tracking all your expenses (yep, every single one – even the 11am Coca-Cola). Do this for a month if you can, but a week will still make the point. You may be surprised where some of your cash is going.

Cut expenses. Like the “diet” part of weight loss, this isn’t fun, but it is rewarding when you start to see the results. Advice Girl won’t give you the ol’ try-bringing-your-lunch line, but think about the “extras” in your life. Do you really need internet on your phone? Can you downsize from the 3-at-a-time Netflix plan? Do you really need Netflix at all now that you have cable? Also look at things like insurance premiums – can you get a lower monthly payment in return for a higher deductible? What about roommates, would you take a group house if it meant you were saving an extra $200 a month? How about selling the car? Things like that.

Bring in extra income. This is like the “exercise” when you’re losing weight. All right, all right. Advice Girl knows, you don’t have time for a second job. But there are little bits of extras all around you – the tax refund, the tax refund from last year, the money you get back from your Flex plan receipts, the per diem from working abroad – you were doing just fine without that as part of your monthly budget, so stash it in a high interest online savings account instead.

Finally, you can start doing some of the non-saving-like-mad legwork now, too. Pay your bills on time and check your credit reports so there’s nothing unnecessary dragging your credit rating down when it comes time to apply for a loan. Check out open houses (Spring is the perfect time for this) so you start getting an idea of the neighborhoods you like and the prices the places you like are going for. There are a number of websites that’ll let you play around with sale numbers, too. (Advice Girl needs to do a little research on the exact sites she’s thinking of – zillow.com is one, but she doesn’t believe their figures are entirely accurate.) Even if you’re a few years from actually plunking down the money, it doesn’t hurt to know what your target savings goal should be.

Phew. Bet you’re sorry you got Advice Girl started on this now! At any rate, just having established this as a goal and made it a priority for yourself has already put you way ahead of a lot of others. Devote a couple more years to saving up (the cash) and paying down (the debt) and your American dream will be here before you know it. Good luck!

You've Lost that Surfing Feeling

Dear Advice Girl,
I feel like the internet is getting kind of stale. Do you have any idea how it could reinvent itself for our continued amusement?

Hugs and Kisses,
Your Laptop

Dear Laptop,

Sometimes Advice Girl will be sitting at her desk, diligently looking up per diem in Jerusalem or the most recent standardized exchange rate for Egypt, when she’ll have a perfectly normal question like “What college will my kids go to?” or “Will I have a cold this weekend?” And trustingly, she’ll turn to her good friend Google, only to discover…this information canNOT be found on the internet! Well. Some information age this is. All Advice Girl is saying is that, the internet knows everything. Is it too much to ask that it share its knowledge of the future?

When Housewares Have Too Much Influence on Your Life.

Dear Advice Girl,
Do you realize you’ve been in your fancy new grown-up apartment for almost a year now? Have us over already!

Sincerely,
It's Almost Too Cold for a Housewarming

Dear Too Cold,
Indeed, Advice Girl was just checking out the new Crate & Barrel catalogue when she came across her dream pitcher. And do you know what this pitcher said to Advice Girl? It said, “Advice Girl, puh-leeze take me home and serve sangria out of me on a table near tasty Trader Joe’s appetizers! (And by the way, while I may be a talking pitcher, I don’t do any of that singing-dancing crap those Disney sellouts do. So don’t get any ideas.)”

So…never fear, soon Advice Girl and her hardwood floors will be hosting the kind of party guaranteed to drive the downstairs neighbors nuts. Stay tuned.

Cold feet - not just for weddings anymore!

Dear Advice Girl,
I’m having heat issues. Namely, there isn’t any in my apartment. I cranked up the radiator, but no tell-tale sounds of water gurgling steamily away. What’s a girl to do?

~So Not Hot in DC

Dear Not,
Advice Girl finds bedmates to be a particularly good source of foot-warmth. Guys seem to really go for the whole cold-toes-on-the-back-of-the-knees thing. (You wondered how Advice Girl got so popular.)

Put on three more pairs of socks, and stay in bed til April. Your boss will understand.