38. Open a savings account

You may have noticed that the Best Friend and I have something of a love affair going with Google (granted at times it is a one sided affair). Well watch out google because ING may be knocking you off the pedestal.

I was introduced to this online banking phenomena by the Best Friend. I tossed around the idea for awhile, and was a little iffy on the fact that I couldn't actually walk into a bank. But then again, when was the last time I walked into my bank? I did a little more research and finally decided to take the plunge and try it out.

So plunge I did, and I may never go back. ING makes it so easy to set up and manage your accounts. I can decide how much will be automatically taken from my checking account and how often. I even set up separate accounts and then was able to name them the fun (well sometimes fun) things that they are going towards, like my three month cushion, vacation, and housing. It's great! So now I'm saving and working toward yet another 101 task, having a three month cushion of money set aside.

7. Pay off credit cards

Rock on! I can not tell you how amazing it feels to have this task completed!

Unfortunately, through my last year of college and a brief stint in law school I accumulated a freakish amount of credit card debt (though by statistics I have found I was better off than many people my age which is just downright scary). Over the past two years I have been slowly but surely chipping away bit by bit. And now I can officially say I am credit card debt free!

Now that I'm not forking out an exorbitant amount of money each month, I can start working toward other goals, such as building up that "rainy day fund". Woohoo!

29. Learn to drive stick shift

Did you know that some people actually choose to complicate their lives by adding a whole plethora of steps to the driving process? They call this a "manual transmission" vehicle and yes, people make a conscious choice to purchase such a vehicle. I don't know why. I mean personally my life is complicated enough, and I have plenty to think about while driving without constantly remembering to let up on gas, push on clutch, shift gear, now ease off clutch, press on gas... whew... makes me exhausted just thinking about it.

So why, you may ask, after that tirade would I have added to my 101 list of things to do "learn to drive stick shift." Well, while I was not a boy scout (for obvious reason) I do try to live by the old adage, "always be prepared." You never know when you may have to drive someone's vehicle, and it has happened to me on more than one occasion where it would have been very beneficial for me to have this skill.


And so I embarked on a set of missions. The first mission was to find someone who not only owned a manual transmission vehicle but who also possessed an extreme amount of patience. Once that was completed it was time to hit the parking lots. Unfortunately, my wonderful instructor had other ideas and we headed straight to the streets. I'm not going to lie, it was just short of pee-in-your-pants-terrifying, but it's just like throwing someone into a pool, they'll either sink, or swim. Well, ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to report that I swam... well sort of... It wasn't pretty the first couple times, and there were a couple slip ups which included me becoming overly frustrated and someone passing me on the shoulder, but hey, a girl's gotta start somewhere. And so after many jumpy rides, I set out on my own and successfully completed a round trip with the stick shift!

63. Try a new recipe once a week for a month

Part of my new living arrangement includes being responsible for dinner once a week. Now if that doesn't lend into my 101 I don't know what does! Granted being "responsible for dinner" just means I need to ensure there are edible substances available in evening, but because of this 101 task I have totally stepped up to the plate.

For my first meal, I stole an old favorite from the Best Friend and made pesto gnocci with chicken and asparagus. As my uncle would say "Yum-O!"

I got a little adventurous on week 2 and went without a recipe *gasp*! Lucky for me, my days as a waitress in a mexican restaurant paid off and the chicken and lime soup also earned a "Yum-O!"

Of course the recipe-less evening only lasted one night and by week 3 I was clicking my way through websites only to find another "Yum-O" worthy recipe. Now I am a huge fan of breakfast for dinner and the scrambled eggs with borsin and peas, ham, and homefries really hit the spot.

I went back to what I knew on week 4 and used the leftover potatoes to make a friend's cheesy ranch potatoes with hamburgers (this was done with the help of my uncle since I have yet to complete the task of learning to grill... but work with people I'm learning!).

Now let me just say the fun has only just begun. I have since made lasagna; spinach, tomato, onion, and goat cheese quesadillas; and homemade doughnuts! This is definitely a 101 task that has paid off. And my future husband will be so thankful ;)

71. Send the little sister a care package at college

Anyone who has gone away from home for any length of time knows how great it is to receive a care package. While in college it is easy to get the Charlie Brown syndrome when you check your mail box each day after class. I remember those days, so as a part of my 101 I knew I needed to include sending the sis something special.

So when she asked that I send her one of my formal dresses I figured it was the perfect time to send some extra goodies her way. I could have packed a million and one things, but my box was only so big so while it contained a lot of love, it contained a little of the following:

Warm Delights
Individual Oatmeal
Chapstick
Tissues
and of course... a Hallmark card :)

Two Month Hiatus

As I sit and ponder my 101 progress I quickly realize that, yikes, it has been two months since I last posted! Do not be deceived, dear people, for I have been a busy girl and have many updates to make in the next week or so. Though the blogging may have ceased momentarily, the 101 must gone on, and it did!

In the past two months I have moved to a new area code, started a new job, and made some grand progress on the 101 front. So stay tuned because there is certainly more to come!

21. Paint a picture that I will display in my house.

As part of The Best Friend and my 101 Weekend we visited a craft store and got the supplies to paint the pictures we would display in our homes (this was a task we had both added to our lists). I am no painter, but I decided this could be fun and if it turned out somewhat decently I would have an inexpensive, homemade decoration in my home.

The day I left for the Best Friend's apartment, I received an art catalog and decided to flip through it for some ideas (as I had no idea what I wanted to paint). I found a painting somewhat similar to the one I ended up with, but really just used the idea as a springboard. I ended up with my little autumn tree with red and pink leaves that will match my living room decor. The swirls were The Best Friend's idea as I was slightly hesitant in leaving the entire background blank.

All in all, I'm pretty pleased with my painting (which ended up costing less than $10 and took under an hour). Who knows, maybe there will be more to come!