Good morning! I hope your Wednesday is off to a good start.
My day began as all Wednesdays seem to around here. By 5:30 a.m. Ryan and I were peddling away on side-by-side ellipticals, pounding out a quick 20-minute light cardio session before it was time for some strength training.
Today’s workout focused on leg and abdominal exercises.
| Exercise | Reps | Sets |
| Stability ball split squats | 15 each leg – slowly! | 3 |
| One legged leg press | 15 each leg | 3 |
| Step ups | 15 each leg | 3 |
| Deadlifts | 15 | 3 |
| Lunges | 15 each leg | 3 |
| Various crunches on stability ball | 50 | 2 |
| Plank hold | 60 seconds | 1 |
In and out and on with my life!
Breakfast
It was an egg sandwich kind of day around here.
On my plate: Two fried eggs plus a whole wheat English muffin topped with muenster cheese and raspberry preserves.
Time to discuss something fun!
New Girl Scout Badges
Have you guys heard about the new Girl Scout badges?
According to Girl Scouts of the USA spokeswoman Alisha Niehaus, the organization added new badges "that will help girls build the leadership skills they’ll need for success in the 21st century."
Some of the new badges include:
- Public Policy
- Website Design
- Financial Literacy
- Entertainment Technology
I was a brownie and a junior in Girl Scouts and I remember wanting my sash to be filled with badges! I think it’s great that Girl Scouts is expanding their badges to include skills that are applicable in today’s world. Hopefully the new badges will help equip the girls with valuable tools for the future.
I know my dad would be all over the Financial Literacy badge. When I was in college he made me take Personal Finance even though the class was not required for my major because he thought it would teach me skills I would need in the real world.
I remember my Personal Finance teacher saying, "I know you’ll likely leave this class and forget the formulas we discuss, but it is my goal to help you acquire knowledge that will make you question fishy situations and help you know when you should research something further to make educated decisions."
I also remember him saying that money is one of the leading causes of divorce because spenders and savers are often attracted to each other.
Questions of the Morning
- Are you a spender or a saver? Do you find yourself attracted to people who are financially the same as you or your financial opposite?
- If you could add a new Girl Scout badge to the program, what badge would you add?
My answers:
- I am a saver and am attracted to savers. Frivolous spenders make me nervous and antsy!
- If I could add a new badge, I would add an animal rescue badge where Girl Scouts would learn about animal rescue organizations and pet adoption.
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I’m a saver attracted to savers. My hubby is the same which is great. We stay on a budget and always discuss purchases over $100, no matter what they are. It makes for great unified decisions and neither of us feel the other person has lost sight of our personal financial goals. It’s a big commitment (and sometimes sacrifice…ex. he put me through grad school…no loans) but so worth it in the end.
I’m definitely a saver and attracted to savers. I have a hard time spending more than $20 on a shirt! My parents always emphasized the importance of being prepared for emergencies so I guess that stuck with me!
I used to be a spender, but my husband is a saver and he’s helped me with saving. I still spend some, but not a whole lot.
Learning about personal finance is great! My parents didn’t have much teaching on it, but they learned a lot to be able to help me growing up. 🙂
I’d totally add anti “anti-bullying” badge.
agreed!
*i mean AN “anti bullying” badge! haha.
my husband and I are both a little bit of both.It’s a good balance. Now that I have a daughter, I am SO excited about girl scouts! I would want a running badge. I can’t wait to run with my kidS!!!
That’s awesome! Those are “categories” that are really important now, so it’s good to see that the Girl Scouts are trying to help prepare girls for their futures!
I’m a saver! And am attracted to savers as well. It’s nice to splurge sometimes, but I definitely don’t like making that mentality the norm.
I used to be a major saver (I get it from my dad…he’s the kind of person who washes foil or ziplock bags to reuse them). My husband, before he was my husband, was more of a spender but not crazy. Over time we’ve really evened each other out. I treat myself more often and my husband is less impulsive when he spends. We’ve never had a fight about money, knock on wood!
I am definitely a spender but I like to think that I know my limits. I don’t really care if someone saves or spends to be attracted to them but I do not like when people obsess over money in either direction. It’s something that I don’t like to talk about or hear about.
Right now I’m all about trying to save what little money I have (poor college student days, haha). But I remember when I was in girl scouts! Getting a new badge was so exciting, it was like a gift! I still have my badges saved 🙂 I think the animal rescue and pet adoption would be a great idea! Who knew girl scouts would come much further than selling delicious cookies? 😀
YOu have got me addicted to your egg andwiches. 🙂 I even made a green one. he he!
I’m either a spender or a saver (depends on the week). I go through stages. I wish I had a good middle of the road. ha!
Not sure about the badge…….
My mother always said Spend a third (of your wage packet), Save a third and Give a third to your mother 😉
But also, I think my tip for life would be to never let your lifestyle go above the spending limit of one wage packet, so for example rent, bills etc should be able to be “covered completely” by one of you, should the worst happen! It’s great advice and something to keep in mind when moving – rent might not seem like a lot but with everything else you have to be careful!
I LOVE this!
My mum was very good at stuff like this 🙂
I used to be a spender, but my boy-friend (saver) changed me to his ways of being a saver as well haha.
I remember being in GS too! I was a brownie 🙂 I didn’t last very long ha.
I am a spender! And man, I need to get it under control. Thankfully my fiance is a saver. 🙂
Both my hubby and I are spenders. We are trying to become savers but it’s hard to change our frivolous ways!
I was a brownie and junior girlscout too! I can’t remember much more than learning to crochet, learning the world was going to run out of gas very soon, and selling girl scout cookies! ;p
* Are you a spender or a saver? Do you find yourself attracted to people who are financially the same as you or your financial opposite?
I am a deal hunter. I will save until I find a really good deal and then I will spend. Josh is the same way, so I guess we’re attracted to that characteristic in each other?
* If you could add a new Girl Scout badge to the program, what badge would you add?
I LOVE that they added a financial literacy badge, I think that one is most important. Knowledge is power and I feel so lucky I had good classes through junior high, high school, and college about finances. It helped me open up a roth ira when I was 16!
I was a girl scout too!! Although we had very few badges… Haha we spent the time more as a fun activity time; clearly we didn’t take it too seriously. If I could add a badge I would add something about fighting cyber-bullying! It’s important for kids to understand the impacts their words can have on others. Also I have no idea who I’m attracted to. The only guy I dated for very long was a spender and it drove me crazy; I’m a big saver!
I am a saver and so it my husband. We’re pretty lucky. A friend of ours talked about lowering his credit card interest rate, and I just kept thinking “I pay it off every month, so I don’t have to worry about my interest rate.” To each their own I guess.
My boyfriend and I are both savers….BUT we still know how to have fun and relax when we happen to “overspend” or break our budget. It’s all about balance, people!
I love that they’re adding badges that teach real world skills. Even when I was a brownie, I didn’t like the sewing badge and some of the others because they seemed antiquated to me. This is a pretty awesome development.
I’m totally a saver and so is my husband (he’s in finance), so we’re a good set. I don’t think I could be with a spender. Too much anxiety!
I am a spender by nature (also dating a spender) who is trying very hard to become a saver. It’s rough!
I’m definitely a saver! I would much rather save than spend.. but I have been known to “save up” for something irrational and quite expensive. ie. Shoe Addiction.
No doubt about it that I am a spender. Lucky for me, my husband is a bit more frugal and yet never really gives me a hard time for the spending.
Oh, the pet adoption one is a GREAT idea. Investing 101, 401k type stuff. Something about different types of medical plans. Resume skills. PC skills. Those are all good.
The Kidless Kronicles
I am a saver, but I have spurts where I NEED to spend. I am attracted to someone in the middle. I don’t like super savers, but not crazy spending. I like someone who is a bit spontaneous and not so nervous about money.
My new badge would be kindness to animals. Doing some sort of community help w/ rescue animals.
Suzanne
I’m glad the Girl Scouts are revamping some of their badges. I was in Girl Scouts for a year and was so mad that the badges were nothing like the Boy Scouts. Crafts and baking were just not my thing. Love that they are changing with the times even if it’s a little late in my opinion.
HA! I didn’t make it out of the Brownie stage….Girl Scouts wasn’t my thing. Oh well…at least I tried it. I like the cookies though! 🙂
Keith and I are both about 50/50 when it comes to spending versus saving. Some months are better than others. Ha!
i feel ya on the month to month thing. i feel like when it comes to spending it’s like “when it rains, it pours” and expenses are crazy!
Mmmm your jam and cheese combos always look so delicious! And I think I’m probably a spender when it comes to money- I just love shopping! But I try and be smart about spending and think a lot about my purchases before I buy!
That’s great that the girl scouts are redoing their badges! I think it would be nice if they did something for the elderly or the homeless- not sure if either of those are already badges but it would be nice to teach girls compassion for these groups at a young age.
I love your questions this morning 🙂 i used to be a girl scout as well and I loved getting badges…i’m not entirely sure which one i’d add to the mix, but I adore your idea about the animal one (big animal lover here as well!)
I think i’m both a spender and a saver. I do buy some indulgent purchases once in a while but i think about them carefully before I buy them, i’m not a IMPULSE buyer (which I think gets people into alot of trouble)…I do also try to do an equal amount of saving and I dont buy things that I know I absolutely cannot afford.
I thought I was a saver until I met my husband. He is a scrouge. I never bought anything I couldn’t afford, and I am very good at finding deals, but we even each other out. Now he isn’t such a scrouge and I am much more conscious of my future finacial needs.
Yay for the Financial Literacy badge! That is right up my alley being a director of Financial Education! 🙂
I love the new badges! I was a girl scout for 14 years and can say that it made a huge impact on my life and growing up. Some people think it’s all about selling cookies, but we did a ton of charity work and fundraising for trips to Europe. 🙂
I am definitely a saver and every time I open my wallet to spend money my family always says the “moths are flying out”. I think it’s a good thing!
I feel like I am the outsider here, totally a spender! I may have gotten into a little trouble, but well on my way out of my hole 🙂
Thankfully, I met my fantastic boyfriend who is a saver and has been teaching me the budgeting ropes!
on your way out of trouble is great! so many people just keep digging! 🙂
I’m such a saver! And I’m attracted to them too. BUT I would like someone who could take me out for an indulgence every now and then 🙂
I used to LOVE girlscout badges. My sister was a girl scout when I wasn’t and I was always stealing her badge book and doing the challenges to get the badges even though I wasn’t enrolled!
I had the same breakfast 🙂
I SPEND but in serious moderation, putting most of my money into savings. I like to budget myself, and I am attracted to savers too. Although we all like to spoil ourselves sometimes, I think it’s better to look into the BIGGER, further away picture: our futures!
I used to be a spender, when I was going through a really rough emotional time a while ago.. and now I am dealing with the consequences of those actions and trying to dig and save myself out of it. Money is the root of all evil! 🙂 Well, can be anyways!
I wish the girl scout movement was bigger in Aus when I was growing up 🙂
I feel like I’m in the middle. I have quite a bit in savings and our only debt is the mortgage, so many would probably classify me as a saver. But on the flip side, I love bargains and do a lot of online shopping so I’m a spender too. But that’s probably because our salaries are pretty high and I can do that while still putting quite a bit away in savings each month. I probably would do less shopping (as opposed to saving less), if we made less.
ha! i think i’m a saver unless i find a bargain. 🙂
So random and nothing to do with the post, but I wanted to relay this depressing news the last few days but kept forgetting…..
http://www.thestreet.com/story/11274882/1/stock-up-on-peanut-butter-before-prices-soar.html
Amen I just got 4 coupons for 4 free jars from Peanut Butter Co.
awful!!
terrible! Way worse than pumpkin shortages……a very very epic and sad day in PB Finger land…….
I was a Brownie for three years and a Junior Girl Scout for one (that was the year my MOM became our troop leader–so long girl scouts for me!) 🙂
I am a saver, married to another saver, but my husband and I do have disagreements on HOW best to save. I think he has too many separate accounts with little pots of money everywhere, and worry about keeping track of it all. He thinks that keeping the bulk of my assets in a single low-interest savings account is absolute madness.
And god forbid we have to make a large purchase! We drive each other crazy looking up reviews and comparing prices for months! The timer on our washing machine broke, and we dithered for months about buying a new one (the machine still worked, it just had to be advanced manually, which was a pain, and repair costs would rival a replacement). And wouldn’t you know the timer miraculously fixed itself two months later? I think the machine was sick of listening to us. 🙂 Case in point–it took us 18 months to agree on a new-to-us used car.
Our common philosophy is that we don’t bother “keeping up with the Jonses” now, because we’d like the option to retire relatively early (around 60 or so).
YES!! ryan is the same way w/ a lot of smaller accounts. i like everything in one spot!
I’m definitely a spender… I’ve never been in debt, but if I know something will genuinely make my life easier I buy it. My longtime bf is the opposite he will think about something for weeks before making the purchase so we’re a good fit! My bff however is like minded and we could compete in online shopping sales haha
I like how they are adding technology badges – it’s a huge part of today’s society. I also like your idea about the animals! and I’m glad they have a financial one… I never learned about that as a kid and wish I would have!
Just curious- When you say “light cardio” on the elliptical, what do you consider light cardio?
cardio done at a pace where i can comfortably talk a lot and/or read a magazine.
I like the website badge! I wish there was more emphasis on these things as I was growing up.
I’m definitely a spender and I’m attracted to savers because I want to be one so badly! When I’m around spenders it’s difficult for me to control myself.
I’m a saver and I am usually attracted to spenders. Even though it ends up irritating the hell out of me haha. And I love your answer to question number two. I think I’ll go with that!
I’m a saver, my husband is a spender, but he has really come around lately and he is meeting me somewhere in the middle, about all I can ask for. I love your idea of the Animal Rescue badge, that’s a great one!
I’d say I’m someplace between the two, but leaning towards being a saver. I definitely can’t understand how people can be comfortable not putting money towards savings, but I wouldn’t just want to save, save, save and not enjoy life, either. There are certain things I’m wiling to spend money on and then things that I just can’t!
hmm.. i think spender/saver is really relative, i.e. what could be considered a splurge for one person wouldn’t be for another. i don’t buy things that i can’t afford (no credit cards for me!) but i’m bad with not having any large amount of $ put away. i like to work & spend what money i have left after bills!
i am attracted to spenders… thinking more along the lines of friends vs. romantic partner (my bf is balanced & smart in terms of spending/saving). i’ve always liked the slightly irresponsible “live in the moment” people best… haha
I am a saver, but at the same time I sometimes have trouble not buying things for others when I know it’s something they would love. I’m pretty sure that if I had $1,000 dollars lyin’ around I’d spend the majority on someone else. I am attracted to savers and am with a saver , even though sometimes it’s frustrating because he will not buy something he really wants for himself even if he will use it every single day.
I 100% agree with the animal rescue! I trap, neuter and release ferrel cats in St. Pete with my boyfriend and his mom. If they can be socialized we try and get them adopted. I probably wouldn’t have earned the badge though because I was a horrible girl scout. The only person that would buy cookies from me was my mom. One year in and I was done.
Probably a saver, i’m very hesitant when it comes to buying things other than food-I have to think about it for at least a month before I buy it (usually by that time I can’t find it or it’s sold out) but i’m attracted to people the relatively similar. As for badges if they don’t already have a wellbeing or nutrition badge I think that is really important with all the mixed messages being sent via tv commercials
I work with the girl scouts in my job, so I am still waiting to see what the badges entail so I can plan programs around them! I have a general list, just not sure about the details yet.
I love some of the new badges, especially website design and financial literacy. I think girls need to learn about communications in the workplace or practical career guidance at an early age. So important to communicate well in general in life.
I am a saver and I married a spender.
I am totally down for an animal rescue badge.