Today I picked up my D80 from Best Buy since I got it serviced. While picking it up I decided to get a Wacom. Here are two doodles.

1. Flatland
2. About a Boy
3. —–
4. —–
5. —–

21. Learn Tagalog
22. Relearn Spanish
23. Go on a hike
24. Swim a mile without stopping.

I will not overspend this month. I will not buy anything unless it is a necessity: food, school, work, or for the development of my house. I will not waste my money on clothes this month. I will not buy any fitness products because I have a gym membership. I will not go out drinking because it leads to spending more money. I will not offer to treat anyone for lunch unless its my family or my boyfriend.

I will save money.

I will save  money.

I will save money.

Note: Taxes are due in April.

So last year, I started this whole “birthday resolutions” which I have been striving to accomplish. Last year, I turned 23 and completed 14 out of the 23. This year, I made 24  because I’m turning 24. What I like about these resolutions are that they are so very personal. And its great to sync it up with my birthday since it’s like the more I get older, the wiser I become and the more I have to take care of myself.

1. Cook at LEAST once a week
2. Go to the gym at LEAST three times a week
3. Learn how to sew/mend/alter my own clothes
4. Start my homework the first day it is assigned
5. Save at least $700/month
6. Do more thoughtful things for the people I love
7. Eat healthier
8. Open up a CD. (Those money CDs. Not a compact disk, haha)
9. Finish school
10. Travel outside of the country
11. Cook more Filipino food
12. Completely know how to use my Nikon D80
13. Sell the stuff in my closet that I don’t use anymore (books, hobby stuff)
14. Do my laundry and iron regularly
15. Start a photoblog
16. Volunteer at a non-profit
17. DJ a gig.
18. Learn to use a road bike.
19. Run 9min miles (hey, it’s been a long time since I ran)
20. Read five books for leisure
21. Learn Tagalog
22. Relearn Spanish
23. Go on a hike
24. Swim a mile without stopping.

…how I don’t get credit for the shit I do.

ugh.

…most likely will cry in car tomorrow.

- Couch/Sofa
- Dinner Table
- Chairs
- Plates & Silverware
- Bed Frame
- Mattress
- Desk
- Media Center
- Pots and Pans
- ottoman storage

So that’s a lot of furniture and not a lot of money. One particular piece that I want is a nice desk since I am a student and would like a workspace where I can use my computer and have room to write on. With that desk I wanted extra functionality… some place to hold my writing stuff and a file cabinet to hold all my important paperwork (bank statements, payslips, mortgage papers, etc etc). And since I liked flashy things, I decided to look at crateandbarrel.com for that piece of furniture.

I found the following piece (Crate and Barrel Oak Park Compact Office) and fell in love:

However, I did not love the price. It was $999.99! Adding the California sales tax of 9.25% the grand total comes out to be $1092.50. That is half my budget! So I had to find another workstation solution…. a much cheaper solution…

With hours of online searching, I found the following desk (South Shore Metropole Credenza). It has a similar layout… I think its made out different wood and has different details and hardware. But it is much cheaper!

This piece of furniture is $269.99!!!! With the California sales tax it comes down to $294.96! That is about $800 less; nearly 4x less than the Crate and Barrel desk. I think I am going to get it. With that extra $800, I think I can make me a foam mattress and buy all my kitchen stuff.

Lesson learned: While Crate and Barrel has really nice sh*t, you can find similar stuff if you’re willing to search. You can save yourself a pretty penny or $800.