The glamorous life?

I won't be able to blog much this week because I'm an extra in a TV show pilot, and we're working about 16 hours days. I got up at 4 a.m. this morning, and here it is almost midnight, and I'm still up. I'm exhausted.

I can't share too many details just yet, but what I can say is it takes place in the 1960's, so I spent my entire day in a crazy fun costume. I had to wear huge false eyelashes, which as I said on Facebook, are the most annoying and uncomfortable things I've ever worn. I really don't know how the Kardashians do it. All day the ends of them were stabbing me in my eye, and every time I looked at someone all I saw was black hair. My hair was so teased and sprayed with Aqua Net, I was pretty sure if someone dropped a match next to me, I'd go up in flames. And that was a real possibility, considering every 3rd person or so had to smoke. Unfortunately, it was my turn today, and with shooting all day, I ended up smoking an entire pack. Luckily there are Herbal and I didn't inhale, so I can still run for President.

Oh yeah, and between my tight pantyhose and huge bra, it created the perfect storm for a muffin top. Gross.

And you think high heels are uncomfortable now? Let me tell ya, they were a bitch in 1963. Mom, how did you do it??

When it rains it pours

Why is it when you get one bill you get like 20 others? You can go weeks without thinking you owe a thing, and then wham, your mailbox is full of white envelopes that say "Open Immediately" or "Change Service Requested." I really hate those.

Today my "open immediately" was a $240 bill from the City of Chicago. Yep, it seems our city parking sticker (you have to have one in order to park anywhere within the city) is expired, so when we parked at our friend's apartment on a quiet street on January 14 to enjoy a nice dinner, we didn't know a parking attendant was sealing our fate (And really, they work at 8 p.m.?). Apparently the ticket was originally $120, but since we moved, the city sent the bill to our old apartment, hence why we now have late fees. And we still need a new city sticker.

Oh, but that's not all.

I also opened a bill regarding our Cobra insurance coverage which we need until our new insurance kicks in. Apparently the $1800 I already sent wasn't enough...we owe $417.56 more. Sheesh.

Oh, and did I mention gas in Chicago is now $4.09?

In other news, I'm starting to sell things in order to make some extra cash. Let me know if you need a Chihuahua or a kidney...or a Chihuahua's kidney. (Okay, that made me giggle.)

To 'Burb it or not to 'Burb it, that is the question

I've realized there comes a point in every city couple's life where they question should we or shouldn't we? The should or shouldn't I'm talking about is moving to the 'burbs.

Courtesy: oznia.wordpress.com

This city is a lot of fun and offers great restaurants, museums and night life. You can get a late night taco at 4 a.m. You can walk to Michigan Avenue and some of the best shopping in this country within minutes. You feel the energy and know there's opportunity around every corner.

But when it comes to doing the little things like running to Target or going to the grocery store, it ain't easy. When we lived in a high-rise going to Target was like a 3-hour ordeal by the time I walked a mile to my car, drove there, shopped and then stood in line forever, drove back, double parked, unloaded, drove the car back to our parking spot a mile away and then walked a mile home. Phew! When it came to the grocery, I ended up going every few days because I could only buy what I could carry home. In a city, sometimes you feel like all you're ever doing is running errands or sitting in traffic.

Courtesy: Downsize to thrive.com

However, no one ever wants to be the first couple to give in and move to the 'burbs. We all worry we'll have to give up our fun cards, and we'll never get invited to cool parties anymore. We worry we'll be thrust into a boring life of diaper changing and parent-teacher conferences. We worry we'll all start to look alike and live in cookie-cutter homes.

But then again, we would have more space. We'd actually have a yard! We could quickly run errands and park right out front of the store. Can you imagine that? We would no longer see drug deals in our 'hood and probably wouldn't have to carry mace when we go out at night.

Hmm.

No one ever warned me that being an adult came with some very tough decisions and constantly wondering if you're doing the right thing. Um, hello, 22...remember me? I'd like spend more time with you.




If Brooklyn Decker can make it work, so can I!

As many of you read in a previous post, it's been a traumatic couple of weeks for me after cutting off 7 inches off hair. Totally not ready for such a look-altering decision, I've cried and wondered what the heck I was thinking.

Now, I'm feeling soooo much better.

Courtesy: Brooklyn Decker

Last night I was scrolling through People.com and saw the headline, "Brooklyn Decker Chops 10 Inches Off Her Hair!" For those of you who don't know Brooklyn, she's a super sexy Sports Illustrated model who's married to tennis pro Andy Roddick. She's also starring in the new movie "Just Go With It" with Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston. Brooklyn oozes sex appeal and could probably turn a gay man straight.

In the article, Brooklyn's hair stylist Ted Gibson says, "Brooklyn's updated, modern bob is on trend for 2011. Shorter hair can be sexy, confident and super modern, and I think hair that is too long isn't chic or fashionable right now."

Yes! Bless you Mr. Gibson.

Brooklyn tweeted that she "Loved it!" and she totally should.

Courtesy: Jeannie Crofts

I'm not going to lie ...seeing this sex kitten with the same haircut as mine totally made my night. Instead of me thinking I had the 'do of a 12-year old, I know realize it's actually the same 'do as a 23-year old smokin' hot model. Yep, I can live with that.




Follow a small town girl...

I've had so much fun the past year and a half sharing my life with you through this blog. I've shared the joys of a new marriage, the crazy things I've seen in Chicago, and the ways in which I've adjusted to living in a city of millions after growing up in a state with only thousands. I truly appreciate all of you who have continued to support me by becoming followers and sending sweet comments and feedback.

But I think it's time for a change. When I first started this blog, I put in the description, "Follow a small town girl trying to navigate the big city of Chicago. She's unemployed and planning a big, fat Italian wedding, so it should be entertaining."

Then after we got married and I got a part-time job, I figured it was time to change the banner. It became: "Follow a small town girl trying to navigate the big city of Chicago. She's an underemployed newlywed who gets annoyed with large crowds, so it should be entertaining."

As life continues to change and I'm no longer underemployed, I think it's time to update this again. Any suggestions? I'm thinking about, "She's a semi-neurotic smart mouth who gets annoyed with large crowds and is no longer afraid to take the L train by herself." (In daylight hours, of course.) Or "She's a small town girl who can't believe Chicago drivers are so crazy and isn't afraid to yell back at the crazy homeless people yelling at her."

Your thoughts?



2011 is the year of savings

In January, I decided 2011 is going to be the year of savings. The year of never paying full price. The year that I become more fiscally responsible.

I'm here to tell you it's totally working. 2011 savings so far? $678.76!!

Here's the thing...if you dig enough, you'll realize there are ways to save money everywhere. Before I order anything online, I first type in the product name in a google search along with the words "coupon code." About 75% of the time I find ways of not paying for shipping or getting 10-25% off my order.

There are great websites that offer daily deals such as Groupon, CBS Local Deals and Living Social. These are fantastic for finding deals on a wide array of things such as facials, dental care and travel deals. Now there are also websites that have capitalized on the popularity of these, like The Dealmap, that combine all the deals into one e-mail sent to you daily. Also, Restaurant.com is great too, offering gift cards to restaurants for incredible prices. It's not uncommon to find deals where you only have to pay $2 for $25 off.

In terms of the grocery store, there are oodles of ways to save. Many stores have their own cards you swipe when you check out, and I found out you can go online and electronically load coupons on to those so there's no clipping. I saved $43 on one shopping trip that way! There are also plenty of other coupons you can cut through places like Coupon Mom and Coupon Suzy.

Do you feel like you always have coupons to clothing stores but inevitably leave them at home? I started keeping a Ziploc baggie in my purse with all my coupons so I always have them with me. As soon as I get one in the mail, I put it in the baggie. Also, don't be afraid to ask! I've saved more than $60 in the past few weeks by asking store workers if I could use coupons on sale items (at Macy's you sometimes can), and also asking another store if they could still give me a discount even though I forgot my coupon. (When I worked in retail, I would always take care of polite people.) 

Hopefully these tips help you save too! Let's make 2011 the best one yet!

P.S. Thanks for all the nice Facebook comments on my hair! My shameless way of asking for compliments totally worked!!

Hair Trauma!

It's been a traumatic 48 hours in the Evanchan household. There's been a lot of crying, pouting and moodiness, and no we don't have a 2-year old. I'm talking about me.

That's because 48 hours I did something I wasn't ready for. Something I instantly regretted. I....sigh...got my hair majorly cut, I literally mean chopped. I'm talking about 7 inches of hair that just sat on the ground like a sad little pile of regret.

Here's the thing...I didn't cut my hair because I wanted to. I took a job as an extra in a TV pilot and they gave me the gig as long as I agreed to get my hair cut. (Yes, I'm going to be on TV! I'm dying to spill all the details....but I can't just yet.)

So there I was, with my back to the mirror, feeling my hair drop first to my shoulders and then to the ground. I suddenly noticed my head felt much lighter. I turned around, and after being told my hair would be cut to shoulder length, this is what I saw. (See picture) Apparently a bob is the new shoulder length cut. Yowsers. I saved my tears for when I got home, because I never cry in front of the stylist. (I save that for Mike.)

Yes I know, hair grows, get over it. But growing out my hair was really important to me. It represented freedom...the fact that after 8 years in television news and being told what length and color to keep my hair, I could finally call the shots. I started growing it out for my wedding, so it represented what I wanted for the best day of my life. I also felt like my long hair was a way to hold on to my youth. (Yes people, I'm a woman. We analyze EVERYTHING in our lives, get over it.)

After a long chat with my girlfriend, a.k.a. therapist Holly, I decided I'm going to embrace this change. I'm going to enjoy the stages of it growing back out. I'm going to channel my inner Jennifer Aniston.
(However, it would really help if you assure me that it's cute. Again, I'm a woman, therefore needy and insecure. Thank you in advance.)