Backin' Up, Backin' Up... Well, Cuttin' Back, Anyway...

In an insanely strong effort to reduce the amount of money I burn every month, I've recently been considering switching to a "pay-as-as-you-go" model for my cellular phone use. Currently, I am a T-Mobile customer. They have been my only phone company since ditching the land-line cords when I was 19. Strange to think that I've been with them for so long, seeing as the reception, though slowly improving over the years has never been that great. However, I stuck by them because of their customer service skills. I have never been dissatisfied with any of their performance except for the odd dropped call. Over the years, I have had, maybe three different plans. Now, seeing as I text more than talk, I find it a bit silly to pay almost $60.00 a month for some minutes I don't need and processing costs. My plan, which I had them add unlimited texting to for $15.00 a month, before taxes/surcharges/blah blah blah, is actually only a $35.00 plan. So, after texting, I am still paying $10.00 a month just to have a plan.
Dumb.
Any of you ever have a "pay-as-you-go" phone/plan? Pros? Cons? What company did you use? What were their pros and cons? After a little, light research, I've discovered a company called Earth Tones. They have relatively decent plans, a few okay phones and they donate 100% of their profits to environmental causes! That last one is the clincher for me, really. Because, honestly, I'm tired of all of the whistles and bells on my cell. I waste my time enough without screwing around with that thing, too! :P Also, I think that a "p-a-y-g" plan could be good for me. It will limit my monthly bill spending, keep me from buying ringtones or games that aren't even transferable (which I haven't actually done since last Halloween...) and it will give me an excuse to cut conversations short because I really dislike talking on the phone. "Sorry, I can't use up too many minutes, can we text or meet and chat?" Perfect!
It looks like I've gone between 150 and 180 minutes in the last three billing cycles, with one of them only 50 minutes! Of course, the texts are usually around 150 to 200 a month. But that's alright. That's what text plans are for. Anyway, Earth Tones has a few "plans" that could suit me.
200 Anywhere/Anytime minutes is $25.00. 400 minutes would be $35.00. Of course, I'll need to add a text plan onto that. For $5.00, I can have 200 texts available to me. Since I have been sending and receiving over 200, the next plan up would be the way to go at $10.00 for 500 texts. 500! I'll have to look into it further, but if they don't have surcharges and all of that other crap, I could have a way better plan for $10-$15.00 less than what I pay now. And their coverage map actually looks pretty impressive. So, we'll see.
Just so everyone knows, this has not become an ad blog. I'm not getting paid or even asked to mention any of these companies or causes. I am simply mentioning businesses and causes I think are worth mentioning and helping out.
Anyway, again, if any of you have had pay-as-you-go plans, please chime in with your experiences and recommendations. I'd be ever so grateful!
Thanks pallies!

Here, There and Nowhere in Particular.

I love bullet points, don't you?

~ Finally, I feel that I can share with everyone that, yes, I bought a car. New to me, but far from new. In the end, I fell in love with a 1997 Volvo 850. She's a beauty! Silver exterior, black leather interior (Don't look at me like that fellow Veggies! As long as people eat meat, leather will still be a by product. Also, it's so much better for the environment than vinyl. Besides, now that we've hit our peak on oil, you'll be seeing less and less cheaply made vinyl crap, anyway.), heated seats, automatic everything, anti-theft, moonroof/sunroof! What a glorious beast! Safe as can be and all I have to do is take care of her as best as I can. It's nice to be able to breathe again.

~ Created a new profile on OkCupid. After the last debacle, I'm ready to try again. So far so good.

~ I rearranged my living room this afternoon because I gave my sis and her boyf my coffee table. I didn't want it anymore, and they were going to buy the exact same one anyway. Why not reuse, eh?

~ Oh, yeah. I've added an IFAW.org banner to my blog. I'm not getting any money for it. I just figured that it's time to get a little more dedicated to the creatures of the world. After all, in case you don't already know, things are going downhill fast for, not only women and our freedom to choose our own healthcare, but for all kinds of animals. Nothing is safe. Well, the last heard of genetically pure bison just narrowly escape a huge dent in their population. But only just. Animals all around the world and even in our own wild country are in grave danger. It's up to us to educate ourselves and fight for them. As the ASPCA says, "We are their voice."

~ I'm determined to use up all of the groceries I have in the cottage for two weeks (if I can make them last that long.) For the next two months, since I'll have car payments for the next four months, every dollar counts. Every penny must be stretched as far as it can reach. Luckily, I have at least a cup (dry) of at least four different kinds of grains! One dry cup is four whole servings! Hopefully, this will also help me retrain my mind to stop thinking that breakfast has to be the typical, dessert-like things we're used to in this disease-ridden, fat nation. Other countries eat rice and veggies for breakfast, even! In addition, I really want this to make me stop eating past six o'clock in the evenings. After all of my other attempts to improve my eating habits, let's see if this one will stick. After these groceries are gone, I'm budgeting myself to ten dollars, that's right: $10.00 a week for groceries. Once spring hits, I'll be able to get plenty of fresh produce for free from work. All I have to do is pick it myself. That's it! So simple. And free! And healthy!!

~ Hmm...I feel like there was something else. I dunno. Anyway, have a great night, everyone.

P.S.: Looks like the Christmas gift post and the "turning this blog into one about my art" ideas are moving to the back burner for a while, eh? *U_U*

The Greatest Thing You'll Ever Learn...

Ah! Valentine's weekend.
To be honest, I've never really had a personal opinion on V.D. (heh...) I mean, as a kid, I loved getting candy. Still do, but it's not as special now, as I can go out and buy as much as I want whenever I want. In my elementary school years, I enjoyed coordinating red, pink and white outfits for the class parties, decorating and the papercrafts that accompanied the working holiday for lovers. My favorite part was creating my valentine box. One year, I used the ease and fun of papier mache' to make a bunny form. The body, with a silt cut out of the back was the recepticle for cards from classmates. That was the first year I recieved compliments on my crafty way. Otherwise, cards were never in great number for me. I wasn't a popular girl in grade school. Most of the time I think the boys would have rather pushed me down into the mud and dirt just as soon talk to me. I digress. The excitement of mingling and "partying" rather than study was the source of thrill for me back then. As I got older, I feigned interest in the tradition only when I had a "boyfriend." Even in high school I was not a "physically active" girl...if you know what I mean... All the more reason I wasn't particularly into the hype of St. Valentine's Day.
As an adult, in adult relations, my attitude didn't change. Maybe that was because of the laziness of counterparts I may have been dating whenever the fateful holiday came along? I dunno. If I was without a boyfriend on any given February 14th, I feigned mild anger and disgust at the couples rubbing their happy relationships in the faces of the single people. I was among the multitude of singles, after all. Really, I was neither angry nor jealous. I was, and am always happy for the people out there that have found someone. It makes me happy to see someone happy with someone else. Maybe that's strange. Again, I dunno.
At any rate, my indifference to a day devoted to lovers (regardless of how vehemently naysayers may claim that St. Valentine's Day is a non-federal holiday created by the candy and card companies to boost sales) remains.
I celebrate the relationships I've had in the past for all of the growth they have inspired in me.
I celebrate my singledom for all of the strength it has and continues to instill in me.
I celebrate the loneliness I feel at times that I may find the depth in my heart that may be lacking my attention. In finding that depth, I address whatever facet of myself needs love from me, and find still more strength to live a life of happiness, light and truth.
Sure, I get lonely. We all do; even those of us in relationships can feel lonely from time to time. You've all read my posts on lonely times. People aren't meant to go it alone. People, also, are not meant to be weak and unable to be comfortable in their own skin. If we can't love and accept ourselves, we cannot love and accept another. It should go without saying, but I know a few people who just can't face themselves as singles. We cannot love another until we love ourselves.
So, this year, as in numerous years passed, I am my own valentine. *^_^*

Just For You!

I wanted to post this Saturday night (which I did do) so that you can have a bright, joyful morning tune to start the day! (The video is quite silly, but not important to the song; so you don't have to watch it. I find that it's a grand melody to have a little dance to wake up the body, do some minor morning tidying or do some wake up stretching.)



In other news:
DAY OFF!!!! Woot! First day off of work in 9 days. Possibly 10. I've lost track. And oh! How grand it feels! Maybe I'll practice my flute. I really should. It's been too long. I could even start reading another classic! I finished Daddy Long Legs ages ago, and started reading another book I was given at Christmas, only to find that it is Volume Two in a series. Crud! I'm interested in finding the first volume because the second book begins so dramatically!

On Monday, rain or not, I intend on test driving two or three cars. I have to! The sooner I get rid of my car and get something a bit more reliable, the better. It'll also give me a better idea of how much I'll be able to save each month for my trip to Ireland next year. Also, my sister closest to me in age has expressed an interest in sky diving, too! And we think we need a "local" vacation. Really, we would like to stay in a hotel in Boston and just hang out in the city for a weekend or have a spa-cation. We had such fun hanging out the other day when I got out of work early and a sister weekend sounds really wonderful. We both feel like we need some time away and to get pampered; even if it's only a little. Admittedly, I was pleasantly shocked when she told me how much she's always wanted to sky dive when I mentioned that it's something I want to finally do within the next couple of years. Tattooed and pierced, she still never struck me as someone crazy enough to jump out of an airplane 40,000 ft in the atmosphere. I'm thrilled that my first time sky diving can be shared with one of my best friends. *^_^*

And now, though you are most likely reading this on, or after the day for which it was intended for consumption, I am going to bed. For me, at this very moment, it is still Saturday.

Have a beautiful, song-filled day, darlings!

P.S.: Are you wide awake, now, but having trouble getting motivated to get out of your computer chair and into action? Here's another great motion song! (I really like the video for this one, but it's not mandatory you watch while listening.) Unfortunately, the poster has disabled the embed option. If you follow the link to their YouTube page, though, you won't be disappointed. *^_^*

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfb8HFtgW8s