Sometimes I feel like brands become SO obsessed with perfecting their products, that they forget about what they are actually selling.
Stop and think.
What IS IT that you are actually selling?
A post office doesn't sell stamps, it sells a means for your mail to get from point A to point B. A grocery store doesn't sell food, it sells energy for your body to survive, supplies for a dinner party, a celebration.
If you are in the business of selling (and most of us are), take time to understand and really THINK about what it is that your end user is receiving. Are you handing over an excel file? Or are you handing over the insight needed to transform a business? Is it time saved? A shortcut? A new approach? An experience?
Serious in the Shower
I've been singing in the shower for as along as I can remember, but it wasn't until the past year that I've really gotten serious about it. And let me tell you, there's no half-singing in the shower. It's full on opera diva, rock star stuff. The acoustics are great in there and it really allows me to open up my vocals.
Just for fun, here are a few of my favorite ballads:
1. Dirty - Christina Aguilera
2. In Your Eyes – Peter Gabriel
3. Tempted by the Fruit of Another – Squeeze
4. Don't Stop Believing – Journey
5. Bennie and the Jets – Elton John
6. I Believe I Can Fly – R Kelly
7. Jumper – Third Eye Blind
8. I Gotta Feeling - The Black Eyed Peas
9. Wanna Be – Spice Girls
10. Somebody to Love – Queen
Just for fun, here are a few of my favorite ballads:
1. Dirty - Christina Aguilera
2. In Your Eyes – Peter Gabriel
3. Tempted by the Fruit of Another – Squeeze
4. Don't Stop Believing – Journey
5. Bennie and the Jets – Elton John
6. I Believe I Can Fly – R Kelly
7. Jumper – Third Eye Blind
8. I Gotta Feeling - The Black Eyed Peas
9. Wanna Be – Spice Girls
10. Somebody to Love – Queen
FYI
While you're out being frugal, make sure do yourself a favor and be smart too! I'm talking about eating healthy. Yeah, yeah, organic food is more expensive but its worth every penny. We spend countless $$$'s on other crap that doesn't matter, surely our bodies are more important than anything else in life. Don't ever compromise your health to save. If you're buying snacks like fruits or vegetables to eat at home, you'll save money in the long run anyways. Long story short, chemically and genetically modified foods are VERY unhealthy. They will surely increase your risk for cancer and disease. This is the one and only area you are allowed to splurge, eating healthy.
Indoor garden anyone?
Also these guys are super helpful on Twitter @ParadigmGardens
Indoor garden anyone?
Also these guys are super helpful on Twitter @ParadigmGardens
How about activities, you ask?
A drum roll, please, for a few of my favorite frugal activities in NYC:
For giggles, I've compiled a partial list of things to avoid:
Face it, your expensive taste will never go away. And if you're just starting out in NYC you can't give in to it, not yet anyways. Patience is a virtue, you'll get there!
- People Watching at Union Square
- Ping Pong at Bryant Park
- Redeeming Foursquare Specials
- Museum of Modern Art
- Window Shopping
- Meetup-ing
- Geothe Library
- Strolling the Brooklyn Bridge
- Yoga to the People
- Farmers Market
- Wifi at Starbucks
- $1 Slices of Za
- Trader Joe's
For giggles, I've compiled a partial list of things to avoid:
- Having a Barney's credit card
- Shopping on 5th avenue in general
- Brunching at the Four Seasons
- Celebrity Hair Stylists (Unless his name is Michael Aaron, then it's totes worth it)
- Shopping anywhere actually
- En-Suite Sky Garages
- Wanting a penthouse at the Time Warner Center
- The Rose Club
- Frrrozen Haute Chocolate at Serendipity
- NYC Opera
- Helicopter Tours
Face it, your expensive taste will never go away. And if you're just starting out in NYC you can't give in to it, not yet anyways. Patience is a virtue, you'll get there!
Wining & Dining...Revisited
Um, just because I wrote that last blog post doesn't mean I'm perfect. If you see me out to brunch with a mimosa in hand, don't hold it against me. Everything is okay is moderation. We all deserve to go out and have a little fun from time to time.
Fear not. You don't have to spend a fortune.
Wining
Ever hear the words two buck chuck? Yeah, that's because it's a $2 bottle of wine at Trader Joes. And even if you're an uber wine snob, chances are you won't be able to tell the difference. Here are some more places to satisfy your wine taste on a beer budget.
Lot18
Invino
Wine Anthology
Woot Wine
One King's Lane (On Sundays)
Dining
Bookmark these bad boys and make them your besties for dining in the city. And just because you're being frugal doesn't mean you're allowed to tip like crap. There's a huge difference between being frugal and being cheap. Tip your server like a god, the karma will pay off, trust me.
Groupon
Living Social
Google Offers
Gilt City
Pop Sugar
Are you starting to get the picture? Bravo!
Fear not. You don't have to spend a fortune.
Wining
Ever hear the words two buck chuck? Yeah, that's because it's a $2 bottle of wine at Trader Joes. And even if you're an uber wine snob, chances are you won't be able to tell the difference. Here are some more places to satisfy your wine taste on a beer budget.
Lot18
Invino
Wine Anthology
Woot Wine
One King's Lane (On Sundays)
Dining
Bookmark these bad boys and make them your besties for dining in the city. And just because you're being frugal doesn't mean you're allowed to tip like crap. There's a huge difference between being frugal and being cheap. Tip your server like a god, the karma will pay off, trust me.
Groupon
Living Social
Google Offers
Gilt City
Pop Sugar
Are you starting to get the picture? Bravo!
Frugal for Now in NYC
Okay. Use your head. If you want to live in New York City as a twenty-something you have to be frugal. You don't need a degree in accounting to know how to budget. You don't need to rely your parents for money either, in fact most of us don't even have that luxury. You just need to use your head and smarten up. It's really that simple.
Extravagance = debt. Frugality = saving.
My first apartment in NYC demanded triple the rent of my previous apartment in Wisconsin. My second NYC apartment, quadruple. My income? Not increasing at quite the same rate. So it's goodbye 85% of my income to bills and hello living on less than $10 a day. If there's anyone that knows about living frugally as a twenty-something in NYC it's me.
Of course it's easier to socialize when you're out to brunch, having drinks, or at a trendy club. But spending extravagantly now will hinder your finances before you know it. Why do you think so many twenty-somethings move back in with their parents? Default on their school loans? Can't afford their credit cards? They don't know how to be "OK" with being frugal! And they don't know how to budget.
Brace yourselves people, I'm about to unleash some harsh reality.
Drinking in NYC is the devil. Not only is it SO expensive, but it also leads unhealthy decisions like eating like crap later that night. And let's not pretend that you won't be hungover and spending the half the next day in bed either. Save yourself the headache and trade your $12 martinis for a cup of coffee instead.
And unless you're from mars, you know that dining in NYC isn't getting any cheaper either. It's time to make nice with Groupon / Living Social if you want to dine out, and besties with the grocery store for everything else in between. Home cooking...it's healthier, cheaper, and can make for some killer dinner parties. Nothing says "fatter bank account" than skipping dining out.
Embrace the frugality, you got this!
(to be continued...)
Extravagance = debt. Frugality = saving.
My first apartment in NYC demanded triple the rent of my previous apartment in Wisconsin. My second NYC apartment, quadruple. My income? Not increasing at quite the same rate. So it's goodbye 85% of my income to bills and hello living on less than $10 a day. If there's anyone that knows about living frugally as a twenty-something in NYC it's me.
Of course it's easier to socialize when you're out to brunch, having drinks, or at a trendy club. But spending extravagantly now will hinder your finances before you know it. Why do you think so many twenty-somethings move back in with their parents? Default on their school loans? Can't afford their credit cards? They don't know how to be "OK" with being frugal! And they don't know how to budget.
Brace yourselves people, I'm about to unleash some harsh reality.
Drinking in NYC is the devil. Not only is it SO expensive, but it also leads unhealthy decisions like eating like crap later that night. And let's not pretend that you won't be hungover and spending the half the next day in bed either. Save yourself the headache and trade your $12 martinis for a cup of coffee instead.
And unless you're from mars, you know that dining in NYC isn't getting any cheaper either. It's time to make nice with Groupon / Living Social if you want to dine out, and besties with the grocery store for everything else in between. Home cooking...it's healthier, cheaper, and can make for some killer dinner parties. Nothing says "fatter bank account" than skipping dining out.
Embrace the frugality, you got this!
(to be continued...)
May the force be with you!
In order to grow beyond our comfort zones, there needs to be a driving force that pushes us to move forward. Sometimes it comes from within, one's own burning desire to capture success. But most often, it comes from the encouragement in the eyes of a fearless leader, the kind words of a supportive team, and the need to accomplish an extraordinary feat.
So I've come to the conclusion that I'm not a Jedi...yet. I am however, lucky enough to be constantly surrounded by amazing, intelligent and courageous people who are the force I need to succeed.
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