Welcome New Followers!!!!!!!!

I saw today that my guest post at 4 Hats and Frugal was published today and I know I will get a few people over here and just wanted to say HELLO to all my new followers!

This year, I expect GREAT things to happen, so be sure to stay tuned to see how I'm saving money with the Money Saving Challenge and also how my poker is going. I really want to hunker down and hold myself accountable since I was successful in doing so in the past, and I will admit, I got a little lazy and went off track. But now, it's time to hunker down and start saving for a little one, a house and a vacation (on a PLANE!) Yes, big things are happening for me in 2012...stay tuned and see how I can help you save money, and maybe enhance your poker career!

Please feel free to drop me a line on here anytime if you have questions or comments...I love feedback!

Back to the Workforce....

So after about 3 months of being unemployed, I will be heading back to the workforce! Gone will be the days of sleeping in, lounging in my PJ's all day and just watching TV and doing whatever. I've noticed myself slacking a lot since I've been unemployed. I had a workout regimen when I worked, but since I've been unemployed, I haven't worked out ONCE! I've gotten very lazy in that aspect, as well as cooking. If I could heat something up real quick or go to a friends house or order something, I did it. DH noticed too and says that I cook LESS now that I'm home and have the time. Time? Time for what? I haven't read one book, exercised one time, caught up with stay at home mommy friends, etc. I had such high hopes for when I wasn't working....and now I sit here with all my goals unchecked off my list. Hmph.

BUT, I got the job that I ultimately wanted. I guess I kind of gave up hope after losing my job b/c it closed, and maybe that's why I fell by the wayside. It's a government job, which is what I wanted since I was in the government. It's not too far from my house, same distance as my old one, but just in the opposite direction, and it's a tad more money that I was making. But it's a higher grade level, which is great. I had put in for the job over the same, two actually. Same job, different pay band. So I went in for both interviews on the same day. It was a panel interview (which I HATE!). After the interview, I waited over a month to hear (you always wait forever). The lower pay band I didn't get, so I kind of lost hope for the higher grade. At that point of applying for jobs for 2-3 years (I knew coming in I was losing my job in 2011) I would settle for the lower pay grade. But I didn't get. A few weeks later, I heard about the other pay band. Apparently, the director didn't like the way the first interviews were done, and wanted everyone to come back in for a 2nd round of interviews, done the way they wanted it done. Oh man...another interview? So I went in and I did one thing I never did before in the other panel interviews. I asked for their business cards, and followed up with each of them with a follow up thank you email. I found out about a month or so later, I got the job! I got the call on a Friday night, after 7pm...I was so happy. My BFF was with me so he was the first to find out. I called DH and told him, then my parents. I didn't tell anyone else b/c I wanted it to be official and feared (I'm paranoid) that someone got hold of my number and called as a joke. But alas, about 2 weeks later, I got my tentative offer letter! At that point, I put it out on Facebook and emailed my old co-workers to tell them the news.

I did all the paperwork and all and I start Monday, so this week, it's all crunch time. I have my list of things to do, which I keep adding too, and not crossing many off. I had to help my BFF last night selling his motorcycle and then we had a huge issue at his house...call us Dumb and Dumber pretty much, so this morning and afternoon was spent finding him a new bathroom sink. Good times!

So this week, I'm trying to get as much done, waking up earlier, and doing what I wanted to do since I've been unemployed. I'm getting my hair done tomorrow, new job, new ME. So I think I'm going to get some highlights and a new style. Can't wait! I haven't even gone for a cut since LAST summer (2010) Yes, I'm not a typical girl...not even a trim! And on Friday, my BFF is taking off work and we are hitting AC for one last weekday casino trip since I won't be able to anymore.

I hope to be able to be more disciplined in the upcoming new year. I am in the Money Saving Challenge and I hope to post weekly updates on how I saved money. I will also post some poker reports and all. Anything you guys would like me to blog about?

Borgata Ladies Event 11/13/2011 and Deep Stack 11/16/11

Hubby Mike and I took a weekend trip to AC the weekend of 11/12/11. The Borgata Fall Poker Open was going on, and they had a ladies event, and I LOVE playing the ladies events lol. We went down in the afternoon of the 12th, checked in to B, headed over to Bally's to get tix to the Price is Right Live show, then did some outlet shopping. My name was called to 'Come On Down' but I didn't win the prize, but got a T-shirt :)

Sunday morning we woke up and Hubby Mike went to Bread and Butter to get me a bagel and OJ for breakfast while I showered. This is something new that Jersey Jay told me I NEED to do. We had an in depth talk about food/eating and tournaments. I normally never eat before a tournament, but decided I'm going to. So I had my breakfast and headed down to register. I was seated at table 1, seat 2. Which I figured was good since it meant I wouldn't need to switch tables, so I got to sit and get very comfortable. I didn't play many hands as I saw I was at a very loose table. People would call big bets all the way to the river with ace high and hit an ace on the river. I did get lucky quite a few times with Ace King. Normally I HATE that hand, but it never lost for me in this tourney. I never had any big pre flop hands...my best hand was pocket 10's late in the tourney. I hovered over the 12k mark for quite awhile. As the blinds kept going up, I needed to keep shoving all in. I would get down to like 6500, then shove all in and nobody would call, so I'd be up to about 9500. I won a few double ups with my ace king, and chopped one with ace king. That last one was a killer though. Girl that just sat down with a ton of chips kept raising pre flop. So the one time she does, I look at ace king, and I shove. She calls, but she is shaking like a leaf. Either it's really good for me (nothing for her) or she has me dominated (bad for me). But she had ace king too. Pretty much a chop pot. She held the ace of hearts, and wouldn't you know, the flop was all hearts. I dodged two bullets on the turn and river (spade/club) and we chopped, but I still picked up some chips from the blinds and antes and limpers. A few all in wins later I was up to about 21k (short stack at my table). Same girl raises, I look down at pocket 10s (best hand pre flop I had) and I shove. She raised to about 3k when I shoved. Girl two to my left, Dawn, had a MONSTER chip stack and tanked for a few. She wasn't afraid of the other girl, but was trying to see if I was making a move or not. She finally folded, as did the other girl. I told Dawn I had my pocket 10s and she believed me...she's seen how I have played in the past. At one point, I was up to about 45k, from my 6500. It was only the matter of a few hands. I was texting Hubby Mike i'd be out soon, and I'd text 6500, 9700, 12k, 21k, 35k, 45k. He couldn't believe it. When we got down to the bubble, we all put in 10 bucks and I had about 42k and figured I would just fold every hand just to cash. I've had such a bad run ALL year and i didn't want to bubble NOW. I'd rather wait and fold and cash. Of course with the blinds and antes, I lost quite a few chips, but I made the cash! It was down to 18, and we redrew for seats...I got moved to table 2. Everyone had huge stacks, and I was short stacked. Jamie Kersetter busted in 18th, and pretty much I figured any ace or big card I'm shoving. Girl in the 2 seat min raised, I had an ace and shoved. I held ace 8, she held ace 10. She hit a 10 in the window and a 10 on the turn, so I was out in 17th. I wasn't mad, I cashed finally!

On Wednesday, I figured I'd press my luck and play that deep stack event. I went down with a girlfriend of mine, and we picked up a friend of ours on the way down. We waited for awhile to buy in, but made it in time before the tourney started. This was a re-entry event as well. My table had one guy that constantly raised, every hand...I'm not kidding. That was annoying. I didn't get involved in too many hands and the pots were huge in just the first level. I got killed in the 2nd or 3rd level. I was in the small or big blind and it was raised. One guy called, as did I. I had ace queen of clubs. Flop was Queen 3 7 (to clubs). So here I have top top and an ace high flush draw. I come out betting, raiser folds, guy across from me calls. Turn is a red 4. Again, I bet out 3k this time. Guy calls. River was a red blank. I bet again, guy calls again. I flop over my ace queen. He looks at my cards, looks at the board...it almost looks as though he is folding, then flops over 3 4 off. Really? You call a pre flop raise with that, I come out firing, and you call with bottom pair, shitty kicker? Really? then he goes "I thought you flopped a set' Um, okay, then why are you calling then? Really dude? ugh, so at that point, I so just want to bust out and re enter. I'm short stacked now and pissed off. I never even won a hand at that table, not one. I busted out in the 8th level and figure I'm going to re-buy. I waited in line for 45 minutes to rebuy...I knew I shouldn't have bought back in. By time I got my ticket, got my chips and seated, right in the big blind...surrounded by monster stacks...great. blinds were 600 1200 200 ante. And of course, the small blind raises (just us two). I have king ten of hearts, so I call...he comes out firing on the flop (nothing for me, not even a draw) and I fold. I didn't get many hands in on this table. Let's say it was a bad day.

I did profit $100 playing cash (I call this a win b/c I haven't done anything in cash all year as well). So I had fun with that and may not have cashed in the tourney, but made some money back in cash.

WSOP starts next week at Harrahs...planning on playing event 1...anyone else?

This Blogger's View on the Kardashian/Hump Divorce

With all the media hype around the Kardashian Divorce, I just wanted to offer my opinion on the whole thing.

I never used to be a Kardashian fan...I wouldn't watch their shows, care about when they were coming to town, nothing. Then about a year or so ago, I was watching one of the shows. It was on after something I was watching and I left the TV on while I cleaned, not really watching it, just background noise....but it was enticing. I kept finding myself not being able to turn away from the TV. It was a marathon or whatever of the show, so when my husband came home from work, I was still watching it. He was like 'What are you watching?' and I told him it's a good show. At first he was reluctant, but he started liking it too!!!!!

So I became a Kardashian fan. Hate all you want, but Kris Jenner has formed a complete empire with her girls. She looks great after all these years herself and her daughters are all beauties. Many women hate them because they are jealous of them. I admit I was one of them. They are beautiful, rich, successful, etc. Granted a lot of people say they are only rich off of other people, but even if that's true, you have to admit you wouldn't be mad if that was YOU making that money.

Enter Kris Hump. A big Doofus if you ask me. Never liked him from the get go. And when he was in the Wedding planning part of the show, moron. Every man knows you sit back and let the girls take center stage....they get what they want. Even as we watched it, my husband is like 'Is he an idiot...why is he even talking about what HE wants at the wedding?' And then being late, growing a mustache, hating on her sisters...red flags!

Do I think the wedding was a sham/fake? Absolutely not. I really think Kim is all about family. She has stated numerous times she wants a huge family like she has now, and she's not getting younger. Meaning, if she wants her huge family, she needs to have babies RIGHT now. She also sees how her mom pressures her sister Kourtney to marry Scott since they have a baby together. So she wants to make Mama Jenner happy, get married then have kids. However, she also believes in love within a family. I think she found Kris, fell in lust, mistaking it for love, and got married, quick. That way they can have kids. She was also quoted in saying she wanted kids right after the wedding. She also wants to have a baby when Kourtney has number two and Khloe has number 1.

I applaud Kim for realizing she wasn't in love with Kris, whether it was because he's a doofus, unemployed or pressured her to move to Minnesota. I heard his comment on the upcoming season that by time the kids are in school nobody will know Kim's name. Now, that's a tad messed up since KIM bought her OWN engagement ring, and nobody knew Kris' name before Kim came along. Yea, that pad you were living in New York and LA? All Kim. Don't bite the hand that feeds you. I live in NJ and follow sports a big, not a lot, but I do. and I NEVER heard about this Kris guy until Kim. He's not even that good a basketball player!!!!! Get a job!!!!!!

I do hope Kim finds a NICE guy that will treat her well. A cute one too...so we can see some cute babies!

30 Day Giving Challenge!

I am participating AGAIN this year in the 30 Day Giving Challenge...won't you?

Yesterday was day 1 and I gathered all my expired coupons to send to my Coupons for Troops family.

Today, I 'liked' Petango on facebook and a dollar will be donated. Save a Life with a Like!

Any ideas to help me out this year?

This Country Needs a Suze Smackdown!!!!!!

*****WARNING! This is a rant! It's all my opinion, but I need to vent a little, and since this is my blog, I'm doing it here!!**********

Since I have been out of work since last month, I don't watch the news like I used to. Before DH and I would go to bed, we'd watch the 10 o'clock news, and in the morning, we have the news on while we get up and get ready. That way we were up to speed so when people at work would bring up a topic, we would be informed of what was going on. Now that I'm not working, I'm going to bed later, and our DVR and TV schedule is full, so we don't watch it at night, and I'm asleep while DH gets ready for work. That being said, I wasn't really up to speed with this whole 'Occupy Wall Street' thing. I'm still not 100% sure what the hey is going on, but all I know is a bunch of people across the country are very upset with corporate greed. I guess these people think that this 'corporate greed' is a new thing, but in reality it's been going on for quite awhile, it's just coming to the surface now. Many of these people are upset for jobs lost or what not for corporate greed. So they are outside for weeks now protesting. Do they think they are getting their points across? Probably not. I figure those on wall street, you know, the big wigs with tons of money are sitting there pointing and laughing at all of them. What's sad is that some of these people are so 'for the purpose' they are getting arrested for getting out of line. Many of these people are unemployed I figure since they can sit outside all day and night protesting. And then get arrested...which will probably go on their records. Then good luck getting a job when the 'arrest' question comes on the job applications. Good job.

What I don't understand is this. I will assume once again that many, if not the majority of the people outside protesting are unemployed. I highly doubt that they have jobs that will allow them to go out and protest and still get paid. That being said, I will guess that many are collecting unemployment benefits. Okay, so let me get this straight. they are out protesting, no jobs, no money coming in. How do they support themselves? How do they support their families, pay the bills, etc? I know some good-hearted people donated items to these people, but really people? In NJ to certify for unemployment each week, you need to answer a few questions, one of which 'Were you actively seeking work?" Of course you answer yes, b/c most people are trying to get interviews, networking, etc. FACE TIME. Not email time. Not talking via emails/text via smartphone. Hmmmmm, smart phone huh? How do these people pay those bills with no job? But I bet they all say 'Yes' when asked the 'actively seeking employment' question. My suggestion is to give a few people jobs and go around, asking for PHOTO id for everyone protesting. Can't supply it? You're gone. You can't stay. So, these people go out checking ID's and SSN's, etc. They then go back to the office and pull up these people. If they have been collecting unemployment, it stops then and there, and they will be required to pay back ALL six weeks or so that they collected. If Bloomberg or Ray Kelly or whoever gives out this information people may take them seriously. Stop living off other people's money. So, they go to the people that people will be collecting info from ID's and if you are found to be falsely collecting unemployment, you will be required to pay back the 6 weeks and no more unemployment. Bet a lot of people will not be protesting! I probably wouldn't mind as much, but people are getting hurt, arrested, etc. It just went way to far in my opinion.

I've also come across some news about Student Loans and how the government is stepping in to help. Wait, what???? I was upset about the whole saving the big financial institutions, but if the government didn't, well, this country would be a lot more in trouble then we are now. The whole issue I cannot STAND and I hear it all the time is the mortgage industry. That these big banks loaned out money for people to buy homes that they couldn't afford. Wait. The banks didn't just go knocking on random people's doors saying 'Here's 500k, want it????' NO, people would go online or call the banks or go in and ASK for the money. The bank says 'Ok, here you go' and then the people SIGN on the dotted line for their line. And in ALL that mortgage paperwork is ALL the info. But do people read it? Nope. They took out mortgages they couldn't afford. They either financed 100%(like my DH and I did) or did an ARM, where they pay just the interest, then after 3, 5 7, etc years the numbers will reset. But nobody foreshadowed the housing market crash. Really people? What did you expect, paying $3k a month in interest on a house you can't afford, then when it resets you can't afford the mortgage? Did you do your homework? NO. Were the banks greedy trying to get more interest money from you? Absolutely. But YOU signed saying you will make the payments, etc. Then you cried for the government to help you. And cried and cried until some fairy godmother came to bail you out, helping you refinance to make your payments more affordable.

Want to know what this girl did? When DH and I got engaged, we bought a house. We moved in together a year before our wedding. We went from no payments (both lived with parents) to having a mortgage payment, utilities, house insurance, grocery bills, etc. It was a SHOCK. I cried myself to sleep when we first moved in, trying to figure out how would could afford our lifestyle. Oh, and we were planning a wedding too. I did a LOT of research and started watching Suze Orman. I needed a way to afford all of our stuff. We put no money down on our house as we wanted to have money to buy furniture, etc. We got the cheapest carpets we could (previous owners had a dog and two cats, and my father in law is allergic), got very cheap living room furniture (between 300-400 dollars for a new couch, sofa AND recliner!). We made a dining room table out of a poker table. We put plywood above the table and voila, dining room table. We used our old bedroom furniture in the bedrooms. Watching Suze and researching ways to decrease spending really opened my eyes. This is when I took on couponing...started out slow and now and one of those 'Extreme Couponers' I get asked in the store if I've ever been on the show. No I reply, it's not real...but that's for another blog post. DH and I sat down, and decided after the wedding, we would pay down ALL our debt, and started ASAP we'd set up a budget. We wanted to save for our future as well. It was hard work, but we got through it. 5 years later, I'm not working currently, we have our EF plus some. We fully fund our Roths, no debt other then 8k in student loan debt at 2% and our house. I've followed a budget since then, and I watch Suze Orman every Saturday night. DH and I don't go out. Yet, our friends that claim they are broke, can't save, can't pay bills go out EVERY weekend to bars. Ones where it's $6 for a beer and $9 for a cocktail. They go out Friday and Saturday nights, then Sunday afternoon for football time...yet they can't pay their bills? Disgusting. It really irritates me.

Getting back to student loans, now President Obama is helping out those that took out too large student loans. Really? Here we go again. Nobody told these people to go to an expensive school. Nobody said going to college is a necessity...it's a LUXURY people! If you can't afford it, then don't go. Save up money and pay CASH (Suze's advice). I have student loans, from my undergrad and grad years. And I've managed to get them from over $50k to $8k in a few years. These are loans you don't mess with as they will not be forgiven in bankruptcy, they will stick with you forever. But yet people are crying it's too much money, they can't pay them back. Well, I say that if you need the government to help you, you have to help them too. You don't want to pay back your student loans? You want them forgiven b/c you can't afford them? Well, then your degree goes back too. You no longer will have a prestigious degree from a prestigious university. Bet then too people will pay back their student loans!

I just think people need to put on their big girl panties and man up and make up for their own mistakes. Stop putting your hand out asking for money or help. You want help, you have to do it on your own. Looking at corporate greed, they aren't looking at for YOUR best interests. The only person to help YOU and YOUR best interests is youself! Step up! we need to hold these people to the fire. It wasn't all the banks fault....they say the banks were greedy, well so were you, applying and taking mortgages that were WAY above your head. How can we teach our kids responsibility when adults just point the blame at everyone else for their own problems?

Having a Baby

This post is more a less a rant/vent about having a baby. I think I'm at the time in my life where it's time to have a baby and start a family. When DH and I first got married 4 years ago, he wanted to have kids right away, but I wanted to wait and enjoy married life with just us two and to get on more stable ground finance wise. We also live in a small 2 bedroom condo and never thought we'd have the room for a kid, or more then 1 kid.

Fast forward to now. We are pretty much stable finance wise, even though I'm not currently working due to my Army base closing last month. It's been 4 years of us enjoying ourselves and at this point, I think it's time to start a family. We're not getting any younger and I think 4 years as husband and wife is more then enough. I know we haven't gone on any real vacations other then AC, but that's what makes him love me. I don't need some expensive vacation to 'get away' AC is perfect...just an hour drive, free rooms, free food, gambling, boardwalk, restaurants, etc. That's why he married me, I'm pretty much a cheap date. Eventually I'd like to get to Disney with him. A lot of people say I needed to go with him first, just us two. But I don't know. Too many kids around, us not having any. I'd feel left out, Disney is a family place. I think I'd enjoy it much more with a little one.

So I've made the decision to come off BCP and I started taking folic acid. I did try the prenatal vitamins, but it made me pee so darn much, so I came off and took the folic acid. But I'm peeing a lot too, and maybe it's the folic acid. No Uti or anything, I got tested. So eventually I will go back on the PNV. So now, I have my mom telling me I don't want to have a baby. I've always been bad with pain in my earlier years. I'd get a papercut or a bloody nose and be like 'Why me? I'm dying!' I guess my mom remembers that and can't even imagine nine months of me being pregnant, let alone labor. But my mother in law says that if it was so bad, the pain that is, that people would have one kid and never have another. But people are having kids left and right. If they can get through it so can I, right?

I'm also a worry wart and worry about every little thing. My friend is now telling me that I need to be ready to have a kid up my ass for 18 years. Am I ready for that. Yes. I have never heard a mother say they'd give up their kids so they can have their freedom back. Since we were married, DH and I can do whatever we want, whenever we want...no worries. But now, I will have a baby to worry about. My friend also says that I will have no alone time. I have no alone time now anyways. I don't like to be alone. That's why I always had a boyfriend. Never had a time where more then 1 week I was alone. I like the company I guess. I think too much when I'm alone.

So I don't know, my head is spinning and now I'm second guessing everything and it's a bad feeling. Moms out there...new moms and old moms....am I just way overthinking this????