Last Friday I left for ATL and my apartment was looking CRAZY. I’m the worst packer ever…everything was all over the place. Not to mention the place was slightly junky before I even started. When I got back on Tues I was too tired to deal with it which carried into Weds, Thurs, AND Fri. Plus I hadn’t been to the gym in over a week when I was just starting to get back into the groove AGAIN. I had a really shitty week overall. On Saturday I got up and cleaned my apt from top to bottom, then hit the gym…whew, I feel like ME again.
Atlanta was great though. I learned a few things while I was there:
- Nobody in ATL is actually FROM there. The only real ATLiens that I met worked at "Hal’s Package Store" (interesting name for a liquor store innit? lol) and the Waffle House (imagine that scene in Jason’s Lyric when Jason runs into Lyric at her job…yeah it was just like that LOL). It was fabulous.
- I prefer ringing in the new year at a house party to the club, ESPECIALLY in Atlanta. The DJs go crunk and NEVER come back, sheesh.
- You can get a brand new 3 br/2.5 bath condo for less than 200k! My friend K and I stayed at her cousin’s place…his neighborhood is so new that it isn’t even on Mapquest.
- Need your nails and hair did? Well, you can do those AND go grocery shopping all at the same place! LOL
- There are men EVERYWHERE. Fine ones too! I heard that there’s a serious man shortage down there but I didn’t see it AT ALL. I dunno if it was due to the holiday weekend (people tend to come out more) or what. I don’t have any bad stories about the men either…except that one guy who tried to holla at my friend but his LIP GLOSS killed his chances. He was persistent too!
- [totally unrelated] There are just some things that you can’t be cheap with…like pots. I bought a set of "starter" pots when I moved here last year and no matter how much non-stick spray I use when cooking, everything still gets jacked up. So my stepdad bought me a new set for Christmas…omg they are like heaven. My eggs were so perfect this morning and I didn’t have to soak the pan for 2 weeks to get it clean!
*Sigh* back to reality. I made some financial blunders last year that I don’t intend to repeat. The car that I bought is sensible (a Chevy) however, I should’ve waited until I got my credit score higher before I bought it because my payment eats up a higher percentage of my pay than it should and I’ve had to make some tough sacrifices because of it. I did shop around and I went for the best interest rate, and I also got the car for a good price but if only I knew then what I know now! However, the purchase forced me to think about my money differently, and to seek out personal finance resources to ensure that I keep myself afloat.
I blew my budget straight to hell in December (and going to ATL!), and am now staring at a credit card balance that’s going to take about 2 months to pay off. Spending money before you get it is never a good idea! My problem is that I don’t plan well for miscellaneous expenses such as gifts, new glasses, etc. So, I’m updating my budget (which consists of a simple Excel spreadsheet broken down by pay period) for 07 which includes those things and I’m sticking to it. More specifically, I’ve written a list of all the (major) misc expenses that I can think of that tend to come up throughout the year, estimated the cost (or what I’m willing to spend lol), divided it by 12, and that’s the amount I’ll set aside monthly. It’s still a work in progress though.
To top it all off, I’m moving out of my apt at the end of February and am still job hunting. I’ve been saving for the move which definitely helps. I have an interview next week and if I land it I’ll be staying in Philly (I’d submitted my resume to them before I ‘adjusted’ my name so so far my experiment hasn’t worked lol)…this company has offices in Atlanta too 
. Otherwise, I’m still applying for jobs in the DC metro area as well, so I’m not sure where I’ll end up. I DO know that I’m getting the hell out of this apt complex.
I’m the worst kind of fan. You know, the one who all but gives up on the team when the star QB goes down for the season. Then when the team ends the season at the top of the division and wins the wildcard game, they’re the fan suddenly cheering the loudest. Well I’m not going to jump back on the bandwagon now. [E-A-G-L-E-S!!!!] Nope, not gonna do it. [E-A-G-L-E-S!!!]
As far as dating goes, the roster is rather empty. I met a few guys in ATL but they don’t live any where near me soooo yeah, my ‘lovelife’ is rather dry. 
EVERYTHING you said about ATL is true. There was a “package store” down the street from me LOL. The waffle house really aint that good but at 4am it tastes fabulous. There are SOOOO many men in ATL. Me and my girl would fight over who gets to go to the gas station when we needed more beer. Friday nights and saturday nights you can see men in large abundance at all the gas stations LMAO. I am so jealous of you right now!!! You didnt mention the sweet tea or the traffic though
I agree w/ you about the Waffle House…it was def a 4am thing for us! I didn’t try the sweet tea (I forgot lol, plus I’m not a big fan of tea) and we didn’t encounter any major traffic besides Friday evening on the way to Lennox mall. Other than that we were rollin.’
The liquor store differences in other states is always interesting to me. In PA they’re called “Wine and Spirits” and are state run. You won’t find soda, beer, potato chips, or anything like that…strictly hard liquor, wine, and maybe daquiri/margarita mixers which sucks. You have to go to “beer distributors” or ” delis” to get beer and Smirnoff Ice…basically just a waste of time/gas, especially if you’re having a party or something.
Comment by Peach — January 8, 2007 @ 12:28 pm
I feel you on the financial boat. We all make mistakes, the key is to learn from them and not repeat them. On that note, I recently read an article on Women’s Wallstreet about refinancing cars. The article says most folks don’t even know it’s possible to do this. Maybe you should check it out. Good luck with your budgeting! I’m still using a notebook that I carry around in my purse everywhere. I pull that thing out so much and my handy calculator..
Women’s Wallstreet? I need to check that out. I thought about the refinance option but I’m going to wait until the 6 month mark (Feb) before I apply. I think I need to get back on my pen & pad kick, I did it for a month just to get an idea of what I spend but obviously my budget still needs work lol.
Comment by serenity23 — January 8, 2007 @ 3:20 pm
LOL..EVERYTHING you said about the A is so TRUE..I’ll be going down there and I can’t wait…niggas actually dance at the club..Im finna be crunk..I definitely feel you on financial blunders, car notes, etc…Im paying off all my CC’s within the next 3 months and am only going to use them for emergencies..well all except for my Target Redcard lol..damn homey I aint kno you was movin..u got a new place lined up??
Nah I don’t have a place lined up yet. I need to handle that ASAP though…just been busy w/ the job stuff and researching that school option I mentioned on AIM
Comment by V — January 8, 2007 @ 9:15 pm
Out here in cali you can get hard liquer anywhere. Even the grocery store. Any day, any time. In ATL you cant get any alcohol on sunday LOL Girl The sweet tea out there is bomb. I miss being able to order a sweet tea with my food. I make it out here for my cousin and she loves it.
You can’t get liquor here on Sunday either. Maybe I’ll try that Sweet Tea next time I go! Is it just tea, lemon, and sugar or what?
Comment by Peach — January 8, 2007 @ 9:51 pm
Happy New Year!
Dang I haven’t been to ATL in ages, btw are those 200K homes in the city or in the ‘burbs?
Happy New Year to you! My friend’s place was in the burbs (Decatur). The city isn’t too bad either though! You can get something nice in the lower 200’s (maybe less?). In Philly 200k might buy you a little rowhouse in an okay neighborhood. Where you live that’d prolly get you a cute cardboard box and the seller might throw in a brand new roof. Correct me if I’m wrong LOL.
Comment by Honest — January 8, 2007 @ 10:40 pm
Happy New Year, Kie!!! Now, um…why are you moving again?
Happy New Year lady! Well one reason I’m moving is because parking around here is RIDICULOUS (no parking lot for a big ass complex that’s situated amongst tons of two car family homes)…people get into arguments…it’s that bad! Last week this guy put trash cans in a space to hold it until he got back. As soon as he pulled off, I kindly moved his trashcans back onto the curb and parked my car (I’d driven around the block 3 times and was NOT trying to park 3 blocks away). So he sees that, comes back and tells me that “it’s not right” to take “his” spot. Negro you don’t pay for a parking spot! He said “I was only going to my church” and I said “and I only went to work.” Then he said that he doesn’t want any misunderstandings and drove off…but what the hell was there to misunderstand LOL??? Another reason is there’s no AC and they want you to pay an arm and leg to install your own window unit (b/c they pay for electric) and it was hot as HELL up in here last summer. Then they have the nerve to increase the rent…for what they want to charge, I can at least get some damn AC and parking elsewhere. Oh yeah, and my lease is up lol.
Comment by Carmen — January 8, 2007 @ 11:41 pm
the cost of living in ATL makes me so jealous. lol
Comment by dayrell — January 9, 2007 @ 2:02 am
um…Keish..u can buy alcohol in PA on Sundays ma.lol..the state stores been open on Sunday since about 2001…lol
OOPS! LOL. It’s just certain stores though right?
Comment by V — January 9, 2007 @ 8:12 am
Kiesha here is the link for the article. http://www.womenswallstreet.com/columns/column.aspx?aid=634
Thanks!
Comment by serenity23 — January 9, 2007 @ 11:17 am
No A/C???!?! Oh HELL NO! That’s all I needed to know…good thing you’re moving..lol.
Comment by Carmen — January 9, 2007 @ 5:13 pm
The lip gloss was because he was likely bisexual. I was in the ATL not so long ago. Went partying and what not. Most of the men seemed rather ghey to me. Or at least not as masculine as I like my men.
What field are you in? I may know some folks in DC who can help you.
Check your email.
Comment by Hostess — January 11, 2007 @ 3:08 pm
Brand new home less than $200k? *faint*
I didn’t know you were looking in DC. What’s your field? Email me!
Comment by Single Ma — January 12, 2007 @ 8:18 pm
I know this is my 1st comment (because I lurk all the time) but damn it needs to be said…..Update much?!?!
Welcome to the comments section
It’s been a rough week but I’m gonna update by Monday!
Comment by bleek420 — January 19, 2007 @ 3:45 pm