I’m going the traditional route. I plan to take my fiance’s last name after we get married, even though it’s harder to spell than my maiden name. While it is what I want to do, I’m not looking forward to it at all. Looking at all the things that one needs to do to change his/her last name looks like a mission in and of itself.

I did ask John if he is willing to change his last name to mine. Since his parents are divorced and he doesn’t like his father, he is willing to do it. But he is not that organized and I’m a bit old-fashioned, so we decided I’m changing mine.

Below are tips and a checklist for changing your last name:

Read on…

Traditionally, couples register for home items to help them start their new life. In present times, more couples have already established a home of their own before they marry, and home items are things they no longer need.  In response to this growing trend, other types of registries emerge.  Couples now have more options when it comes to wedding registries.

Wedding Registry Direct allows couples to register for wedding products and services from photography to cakes.  It’s one way to tell your guests, “I want you to help me pay for my wedding.”  Admit it brides, weddings are expensive and it would be awesome if guests choose to contribute or help with your wedding.  But of course, etiquette says you are not allowed to ask your guests exactly that.

What are your opinions about this type of registry?

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Photo from GeekSugar.com

I see myself looking at my budget worksheet all the time and trying to find a way to cut down on my living expenses.  The highest bills that I could probably lower are the heating and cell phone bills.

I still don’t have my heater on.  I just pile on pajamas and sweaters.  So I’m hoping to get a lower bill this year than last year.  But am I willing to cut down on my cell phone services?

I lived more than half of my life without a cellphone and a third of my life without any type of phone!  I also read an article stating reasons to stop using cellphones.  So I should be fine cutting some of my cell phone services or even cutting it totally, right?  Ummm I don’t think so.

I’m sorry but I love the convenience of being able to call someone anytime.  My friends text me all the time so I need to keep my texting plan or else my bill will be much higher if I pay per use.  My internet access is definitely a big expense and unnecessary.  I really don’t want to take that service away, but if need be I will.  But for now while my contract is not up, I have a reason to keep it .

How about you?

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Photo from TheWeddingPlannerIreland.wordpress.com

I’m one of those girls who started dreaming of their wedding when they were 12. Heck, I even had an inspiration board – created using cutouts from my aunt’s magazines. My dream wedding started with a church, lit with tons of candles.  I wanted to feel like a princess and walk down the aisle in a ball gown.  The groom was the last piece of the puzzle.

Now that the time has come for me to plan a real one – complete with a groom, I had a change of heart.  I want something totally different from what I imagined when I was a kid.  Now, I want an intimate wedding by the beach, walk barefoot on the sand, dressed in a light and airy chiffon gown with a magnolia on my wind-blown hair.

What about you?

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My dream engagement starts with a going down on one knee, a ring on hand, and a proposal.  But that is not what’s happening in real life.  Due to sudden and unexpected change in my boyfriend’s situation, it has become the right time for him to move to NY (he currently lives in Boston) and move in with me.  However, we agreed way before that we would get married first before moving in, or at least get married soon after we move in together.  So we jumped on the bandwagon of wedding planning - without him going down on one knee, ring on my finger, and a formal proposal.

Due to our current financial situation, we thought that it is more important to save for the wedding than save for the ring.  A lot of people say that getting the engagement ring is what makes you officially engaged.  I feel a little saddened by this because I don’t have one, and I feel that people think we have no right to plan a wedding.

But then I took a step back, breathe, and decided to not let it get to me.  Why should I care what other people think?  The ring is not important to me.  He wants to marry me.  What else matters?

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Before the blogging concept came to, we had what we called diaries or journals.  They’re books where we keep our thoughts written.  Now that blogs have almost taken over, I was wondering if people still keep diaries – diaries that are personal and kept private, sometimes with a lock and key.

I never kept a diary.  The only thing close to a diary that I have is this blog.  But this blog is not at all private.  It doesn’t contain all my personal thoughts and secrets.  Would I get a diary (digital like Diary.com or not) to write down my most personal thoughts?  Probably not.  I’m too busy as it is.  But would you?  Or do you have one?

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With unemployment on the rise in the US, it is more important now to have that emergency fund handy.  Unfortunately, according to an article on CNN, a third of Americans have no emergency savings.  And more than half of those who do, don’t have enough in it.

So how much do you need to have in your emergency fund?

That depends on your living expenses.  The article suggests that you need three to six-month worth of living expenses in the bank.  At a minimum, include the items below in calculating your living expenses:

• Mortgage/rent
• Property tax
• Utilities (i.e. electricity, heating, water, cable, phone, internet)
• Groceries
• Insurance premiums (add $400-$1000 for health insurance when health insurance is lost on unemployment)
• Car expenses (gas and loan payments) or commuting expenses
• Discretionary spending (for extra expenditures such as shopping and dining)

Click here to read the full article that includes steps to building an emergency fund. 

As soon as I read the article, I rushed to my computer to check my budget worksheet and calculated 6-month worth of living expenses.  I let out a sigh of relief when I found out that I have more than enough in my savings to cover me for 6 months.

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I didn’t like the iPhone nor did I plan to buy it since it was first introduced, until now.  With the cost going down to $199-$299, I got curious.  A lot of people discouraged me from getting it.  User reviews were not very good either.  Some of the basic features such as MMS, video recording and bluetooth data transfer are not supported.  But my curiosity got the better of me and I ordered one!  I am hoping to try it before I can either say “It’s not for me.” or “It’s great!”

It is on back-order so AT&T will have to contact me when my phone arrives at the store.  They said it takes 7-10 days.  That’s definitely a lot better than waiting in line for hours just to be one of the first to get it.  By the way, you can also buy it from an Apple store.  I have a business account and the process is a lot more complicated when buying from an Apple store, so I didn’t bother.

I will probably post a review after playing with the iPhone for a couple of days.  Since I’m not very tech-savvy when it comes to mobile phones, the review would probably be short and not very technical.

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The IRS is sending out the tax rebates as early as April 28.  See below for schedule.

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Direct deposit payment

Paper check

(source: Savvy Sugar)

How would you feel if you receive a gift that was obtained for free through a rewards program?  I couldn’t care less if I receive one.  But it is possible that there are people out there that mind.  That is why I don’t know if I could shop through my rewards program for gifts.

I was just browsing through the products available through my rewards program and they’re pretty good.  I found some items that some of my family and friends would like including a Samsonite 22″expandable spinner, The AeroGarden, Nikon Coolpix, Bose headphones, Norelco shaving system, Harry Potter limited edition gift set.

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