For the Loathe of Money

Obviously I'm finding time to write, so I'm putting a stop this hiatus business. Yippee!

I'm going to be completely honest about my finances - since college, I have struggled to pay off my credit card debt. Since last year, I'm finally in a place where I earn enough to live comfortably while making a dent in my debt and establishing somewhat of a savings account. But it didn't have to be that way. In fact, it shouldn't have been that way at all.

Rather than putting myself on a budget in college, I put everything on my credit card and made minimum payments. I was too lazy to apply for scholarships past my freshman year, and took out more student loans than I needed to cover day-to-day expenses. Four years after graduating, I'm still paying off that same credit card and have a ways to go on my student loans.

However, I am proud to say that as of today, I owe less on my credit card now than I did when I first opened it (all expenses for a study abroad trip were immediately charged. Rather than paying off the amount, my purchases kept mounting). I am on track to have this completely paid off in a few short months. This will mark the second year in a row that my entire tax return will be applied to my outstanding balance. I've been making $400 payments each month in order to rid myself of the drinks, pedicures and late-night food runs I didn't need in college.


I am sharing this with you because the vast majority of us have debt in some way, shape or form. Some of us are much better at managing it than others. It's definitely not the most comfortable subject to discuss. I was inspired to share this with you after reading a CNN article about a woman who went on a self-inflicted spending fast. Not a penny was spent unless it was rent, bills or groceries. No eating out, no clothes shopping, not even gifts for holidays.

While most would balk at the idea of living so frugally by choice, getting rid of $18,000 of debt doesn't sound like a shabby trade either. I was drawn to her blog, And Then She Saved (which you can find by clicking on the Blog Love tab). She has some really great tips on saving money, but at the same time, shares her emotional journey of living simply in a society that encourages everyone to spend, spend, spend. Her blog has an honesty that most financial columns don't. She doesn't take the "shame on you approach" all too familiar to Suze Orman's advice, and she doesn't yell and scream about investing like Jim Cramer's Mad Money. She admits her spending got out of hand, and that she is taking measures to turn it around - a simple approach to financial health.

Since paying down a big chunk of her debt, she has since traded in her spending fast for a spending diet, and is currently blogging about her experiences on a small budget.

Wherever you are with your finances, it's never too late to start turning them around. I finally sat down and stared at my credit card bill and simply said, "Starting today, you are going down." You have to do what works best for you, within your own means. It may take some time, but you shouldn't feel guilty over the things you should've done differently. Make a plan, and move on. I'm by no means done, but I do a little happy dance with every payment I make - a step closer towards my ultimate victory.

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but I am having a party the day I send in my payoff amount!

Sainthood, Journalism, Kidneys and Livers

I know I said I wasn’t going to update my blog but I’ve been extremely busy writing about some amazing people, hearing some amazing stories and continuously being in awe of cancer fighters, organ donors and their supporters. 

I had the opportunity to interview an inspiring woman who donated her kidney to a complete stranger. The donation occurred on the date of my mother’s birthday (who also happens to be on the liver transplant list). When I hung up with her, I sat down to write the story and just fought back tears. She was just so enlightening, and I couldn’t help but think of my mom. It was nice to speak with someone who had gone through the organ donation process and was so candid and excited to speak about it. I waited until the end of the interview to let her know what really sparked my interest in her story (my mom’s situation). 

When it was clear that I was too emotional to write anything worth reading, I stopped and opened up my email. I wrote to my mom about my interview, and just how ironic it was. It almost felt like I was meant to write that story. I believe everything happens for a reason. 

It was only a few short years ago that I felt that organ donation was just weird. I didn’t have a good reason for it, but I felt it was odd that someone else would have a part of me living in them long after I had ceased. And hell if I ever gave up an organ while I was alive.  It took my mom’s situation to change my mind about it. Donating an organ, whether you’re alive or dead, is the most you could ever give someone – their life. I feel that it automatically makes you a saint. This woman I interviewed was such a testimony to the value of human life. 

If she would let me, I would donate part of my liver to my mom in a heartbeat (the liver regenerates itself). My mom refuses to allow any of her daughters to undergo that surgery, so she will most likely receive one from a deceased person.

Today, after turning in the article (Yay! Big stressful cover story is done!), I came home to see Kathi Goertzen, an anchor on our local news, reveal what a brain tumor has done to her face. She has lost the function of the entire right side of her face, rendering her appearance abnormal. They kept talking about how much she has battled cancer, and how she was undergoing her sixth surgery to try to remove the tumor. I can only imagine how taxing that is not only on the body, but also on the mind. To see her giving it her all, and being so honest about her story, gives me hope for my mom. They are both strong women battling forces out of their control. It’s not always done with a smile. But it’s done with a purpose. 

As hard as it is to write some of these stories, I know that by telling them, somebody somewhere will say just like I did, “Wow. I wonder what I can do?” or ”Wow. I can relate. “

That is precisely the reason I love journalism and writing about other people. Journalism is the lifeline to humanity. You tell stories about lives that may seem ordinary to some, but make a world of impact to others. Everyone has a story. And I love giving people the opportunity to tell it.

Hiatus

Hi Sticks and Stoners,
I am going to be taking a hiatus from blogging (if you haven't noticed my lack of updating). I have way too much on my plate right now, and I'm sorry to have to cut blogging from my to-do list, but it's pretty near impossible with the way my schedule is going. Work has been insane, I'm taking a web design class that sucks up my Wednesday evenings, and the homework for it sucks up any other moment outside of work and physical therapy. If you'd like to subscribe to my blog via the RSS feed, you will be notified once things slow down a bit.

Sadly yours,
Hana

I'm back for my 100th post!

I need to go sit under this palm tree again.

 
Nuggets of wisdom learned in Hawaii:

• It’s nice to have people pronounce your name on the first try. Now I know what it’s like to be one of the Sara’s and Megan’s and Jessica’s out there.
• Hana (my city – yes, I am now embracing this) contains one restaurant, and three shops that have more dust mites than merchandise. While the trek was not as life-threatening as I had imagined, the town was sure a let-down for all the fuss it took to get there.
• Rinsing off after going to the beach is essential, unless you want to find sand in crevices you never thought they’d be (like ears, eyebrows and the like).
• Failing to rinse after a beach session will also cause you to find salt dried to your face in a not-so-glamorous crusty fashion.
• If you get proposed to with an onion ring, say yes, even if it’s just pretend.
• If you get seasick on the snorkeling boat, jump in the water immediately. Your barf attracts sea life, so you’ll get to see some cool things up close.
• Sea turtles are amazing. Just don’t touch them or you’ll be hauled off to PETA prison.
• If a two-foot wave succeeds at pulling you under water while taking your bikini bottoms hostage, you should probably have some nice friends to cover you up, while sending out an Amber alert for your missing companion.
• Sharing condos with friends is the only way to visit Hawaii – you save lots of money, and you get to mooch things like those q-tips you forgot to pack, and split giant bags of chocolate-covered macadamia nuts, so you don’t overdose alone. Safety first!
• Open bar luaus only serve drinks with 1000+ grams of sugar.
• OMG KALUA PORK!!! (This was said after consuming a luau drink).
• Insist to the waiter that you truly don’t want dessert, even though every morsel of lobster, rice and garnish has been consumed from your plate. After the waiter leaves, offer to finish the crumbs on the plate of your significant other.
• Double rainbows never get old – especially if they’re on the road to Hana.
• Take video while you are on the Road to Hana – you’ll not only capture the beautiful greenery outside, but also green shades of your passengers, in addition to some road rage. 
• Being separated from my puppy for eight days is really hard :(
• Coming back to snowy weather after being Hawaii absolutely blows.
• Finally, go to Hawaii with those you love- you’ll never forget it and always want to go back!

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words cannot describe how much I’d rather be back in Hawaii than sitting at my desk. GAH!