You can call 1-888-919-2345 or log onto www.kiplinger.com/yourretirement/jumpstart/.
XOXO,
Fruga
aka
NO BUY MONTH QUEEN! 
January 2009 Archives
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P.S. Are you ready for No Buy Month? Yay! I can't lie, I'm getting my car washed on Saturday. I don't want it to look like a snow cone by Monday.
Greetings, Frugalistas! Well, it's coming up on my blog anniversary and I'm returning to how I started. Yep, that's right. In February, I will do another no buy month. I'm not getting my hair or nails done. No eating out. No car washes. I'm not buying anything other than necessities like groceries and gas. No, I'm not spending money to socialize either. I did this last year and saved $400. This year, though, I want to add a little twist. I am going to burn calories too. Miami was recently named the fattest city in the United States by Men's Fitness magazine. I've done my part to contribute to the chubbification of Miami. 
But, during the no-buy month, I vow to work out at least four times a week. Yay!
BURN CALORIES, NOT CASH!
What say you? Are you in? Are you ready to save some cash? Are you ready to see me whine because I can't buy an album release that I want? Do you want to see me sweat? Frugalistas UP!
Greetings! I ran across an article on slate.com about how to escape the law-school debt trap and have a career in public interest law. According to the article, lawyers working in nonprofits earn $35,000 less than corporate attorneys. Yikes! That's a year's salary for many journalists!
For some reason, most of my BFFs in Miami are attorneys or they are married to attorneys, so I feel like I have a front-seat view of law school debts. . Also, I've written about how prosecutors have lobbied the Florida's Legislature for programs that pay back loans for government attorneys, to no avail. Many of my friends have deferred their law loans, so the debts are
looming and they know when exactly when they will have to start repaying.
Many law students are averse to becoming prosecutors or other government attorneys because pay isn't sexy. If you have six-figure debt, taking a corporate job makes financial sense. Corporations can get the best because they pay the most. However, I want the best attorneys working as prosecutors and public defenders.
Anyhow, check out the article and tell me what you think about the suggestions given on how to be a nonprofit attorney, love your job and pay your bills.
Do you think more states should have programs that repay the student loans of government attorneys? Should the attorneys work in a corporation and then try to work for the government? Do you think our justice system is suffering by not having having attorneys who want to make a career out of public-interest law?
Hey Lovebugs! I created a Frugalista facebook group. Just type in Frugalista in Facebook's search and I should pop up. Make sure the Frugalista group that you join has my name, Natalie McNeal, as the creator!
xoxo,
Fruga!
P.S. I loved Aretha's hat. Did you?
A Georgia senior citizen is able to retire after almost 40 years of working at McDonald's. Her retirement cushion? Winning the lottery! On Dec. 14, she won $750,000 in a Georgia State scratch-off game! Yay! But yikes! Isn't it horrible that you can work a steady job and you still can't afford to retire as a senior citizen? What are the odds of winning the lottery?
I love going to CNN.com"s money section for info on retirement savings. It makes me feel better about the future.
Do you play the lottery? Is it a waste of money? Isn't it great that this hard-working woman gets to finally rest her feet? What do you think about the lottery retirement plan? It seems a little risky, no?
Have a great and frugal weekend!
Yes, add another one to the bunch! Tennis champ Serena Williams has taken a vow of frugality! I mean, she's rocking a $12 American Apparel bag these days! If a multi-millionaire like Williams can rock an American Apparel bag, there is no need for us to break the bank for a Gucci. Now, if you can afford one and want one, have at it. But no sense in running up the credit cards for the next it bag. Williams sure isn't!
This is what Williams told the reporter:
"I really cut back, you know. I don't know if it's because it's everywhere in the media, the financial crisis, but it's low tide for me. I'm not out there buying crazy things.
"I've always been kind of been conservative, but we'll see. It's never
going to be too much toned down, but I'm not going out there just
throwing my dollar bills everywhere."
Yay, Serena! I wonder if she will bring BFF Kelly Rowland into the frugalista mix? I hear Kelly has a shoe fetish that is out of control! Does anyone know if she is dating rapper Common? Smart, athletic and fiscally responsible! Go Serena! Go!
Hello Frugalistas! Forgive me for the past few days. I went to Washington, D.C. to witness the inauguration of Barack Obama and First Lady Frugalista Michelle Obama (I love a woman who mixes J. Crew gloves and Jimmy Choo shoes) and it was remarkable. I'm still processing everything and thawing from the cold. So, I wanted to let you all know that this week is Bring Back Thrift Week.
A little history:
In 1916, with the First World War looming imminently on the horizon, the leaders of America's major civic organizations launched an ambitious education campaign designed to ready the American public for a wartime economy. Dubbed "National Thrift Week" and sponsored primarily by the Young Men's Christian Association (Y.M.C.A.), the campaign became a recurring celebration, beginning each year on January 17, in honor of the birthday of Benjamin Franklin, the "American apostle of thrift."
Yay! Who knew that Benjamin Franklin was a frugalista? See, I knew we were in good company! Also, there's a book that I'm reading: Thrift: A Cyclopedia by David Blankenhorn. Here's more info if you want to purchase it. Or, you could check it out from the library. So frugalista of me!
In honor of "National Thrift Week" I have some buttons that I will mail out to the first five people who email me at frugalistafiles@gmail.com asking for one.Please email me your address. I can only mail to U.S. addresses.
Are you thrifty and nifty? Is thrift the new black? If Ben Franklin were here, would he read The Frugalista Files? I wonder if he would be excited about the giveaway?
Happy Thrifting!
