Disqus - Latest Comments for Michelle

Re: Grocery Bill Doubled In 9 Months: We Have A Problem

Michelle — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 19:02:27 -0000

Wow, that's a hefty bill! We just did our shopping at Trader Joe's and our bill was about $30 more than usual.

We've started splitting our shopping among a super cheap bargain store, Costco, and TJ's. At Costco, we can get a good stash of pantry stuff, and things we can freeze. Cheapo bargain place is where we get our other staples, that we're not too choosy on, like bread, dairy products, paper towels, etc., and we can use coupons there, saving us even more money. The only problem there is getting good meat and vegetables... it's kind of a tossup as to what's good in there...

And then we go to TJs, Whole Foods, Hows or Vons for the fresher stuff, like produce, and organic stuff -- I totally believe in shopping local, too!! Fortunately, we live pretty close to all those locations, so we're not killing our gas by spreading our shopping out.

Re: An Open Letter To Soledad O'brian Regarding CNN's Black In America

Michelle — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 17:04:20 -0000

@rocketc: No, you don't have to contract HIV if you make the proper choices in life. But by saying this, you admit that the swath of black women who are between the ages of 18 and 30 with HIV all made horrible choices -- it's simply not necessarily the case. Yes, it's a preventable disease, but nothing can prevent it 100 percent of the time.

And no, people shouldn't solely rely on their government. People should be afforded the opportunity to work hard and achieve the amount of success that we put into our own lives. That's a very American value, which is one of the best things about this country.

It frustrates me beyond belief to see people living on welfare, not pursuing their education, not mobilizing to live in better lives.

But because many of us live good lives doesn't mean we shouldn't care about others. I'm far beyond living as a statistic -- I have a college degree, working on my MA, and I'm living a decent life in a great job, just as most people who read this blog probably are. But, as I previously mentioned, poverty, health, education, economic development, etc. are not simply black issues. These are things we have to address as a nation. Saying "well, it doesn't effect me" is the absolute wrong way to look at these problems, because in the long run, this effects all of us.

Re: An Open Letter To Soledad O'brian Regarding CNN's Black In America

Michelle — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 00:38:51 -0000

yay, I'm Afro-Caribbean too!

Anyway, I didn't see the doc. I didn't want to. I figured I would be pissed if I watched it. My in-laws (who are sweet, radically liberal white folks) saw the whole thing and went on about how educational it was. I think we do have to merit CNN for at least shedding light on some of these issues that are glaring problems in the black community, and for women -- a lot of people who would otherwise care less were at least provoked to think about "how the other half lives" for at least a few moments. But from what I know, it was basically more of CNN pointing at people of color sighing sadly into the camera, "those people are so poor and so black."

There are definitely problems across the board -- women as a whole earn an average of 77 cents/dollar a man earns. Black and Latina women earn even less. Being a 23-year-old black woman, I'm more likely to contract HIV than my coworker in the cubicle next to me, who is essentially the same age. Just because many of us, especially those of us who would read this type of blog, have good lives with college degrees and are educated, doesn't mean that a majority of African-American women are OK, too. I think we have to address these issues of poverty, health, education, economic development, and others as a nation, and not just in "brown communities." As Christy up top mentioned, these are American issues, not just African-American issues.

Michelle's last blog post..Dear Olympic Athletes

Re: Quarter Life Personal Finance: 5 Tips To Manage Your Money In The Midst Of Chaos

Michelle — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 18:18:29 -0000

I think the curbing-the-spending thing is the most important out of all of those tips... well, at least it was for me. The first time you get a paycheck, like a real paycheck and not one from Baskin Robbins, you freak out and you think "gee I have so much money!! I'm going to by those shoes I've wanted forever, and then have lattes every morning, and maybe think about buying a new car!"

Re: On Food Stamps And Still Hungry @ $280 A Month

Michelle — Tue, 20 May 2008 01:30:07 -0000

My fiancee and I spend about $70 on groceries each month in addition to going out to eat somewhat frequently. While its just the 2 of us, I would imagine that if we only went out once a week and cooked for the rest of the month, we would probably save a hell of a lot of money. I don't think people shop smart. Did anyone see that post on Consumerist a few days ago about the woman who crazy bargain shops and ends up getting $200 worth of groceries for like, $15? That's wicked awesome and that's how people need to be thriftier.

Re: Rethinking the Cost Benefit Analysis of a Hybrid

Michelle — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 19:22:21 -0000

yeah, I just take public transportation... in LA of all places!

Re: 8 Frugal and Cost Cutting Tips for the Newly Independent

Michelle — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:13:25 -0000

certainly great advice, Ginger, thanks! I will totally forward this to my little sister who's graduating next year (she goes to U Maryland, so I'm familiar with the DC area haha... NE haha)

Definitely a lot of things here that I learned along the way, too!

Re: Get A Motivation Boost From Nike

Michelle — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 21:49:16 -0000

I don't know what it is about Nike and Gatorade specifically, but their best commercials have put me on the verge of tears. Especially when they have young athletes, and girls featured in their commercials. They're seriously amazingly inspirational, and probably the only companies who have commercials that give me such an emotional reaction.
.-= Michelle´s last blog .."Cute’s good. But cute only lasts for so long, and then it’s, Who are you as a person? Don’t look at..." =-.

Re: McCain on SNL

Michelle — Tue, 13 May 2008 20:41:50 -0000

ugh. McCain.

Re: Hillary Sexism Watch, Part Ninety-Goddamn-Nine

Michelle — Thu, 22 May 2008 18:11:05 -0000

I'm not the biggest Hillary fan but um... wtf.

I've been a fan of politics & government since i was 6, but THIS election is killing my spirit.

Re: Hard Times

Michelle — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 19:59:56 -0000

1. Matt Taibi and I have to get married and have babies.

2. It's sad how this is going down. It's enough to make a 20-something freaking scared. Credit card bills, student loans, gas, groceries, rent, health insurance, utilities, etc... one slip up from the usual paycheck-to-paycheck living and you're completely screwed. I didn't go to college to fear being in poverty because our economy is so messed up -- no personal fault of my own other than deciding not to be some greedy corporate monger. Actually, they're losing money, too, so we're all screwed.

Re: Random YouTubery: Falling Slowly

Michelle — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 18:10:19 -0000

Yeah, I liked this movie and all, but the music was AWE-SOME!!

Re: Question of the Day

Michelle — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 03:03:47 -0000

a flattering pair of well-fitting dark jeans and the perfect bra for these annoyingly ginormous boobs.

Re: Question of the Day

Michelle — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 03:49:49 -0000

Oy, there's so many! My big four are the environment, healthcare, sorting out the wars in the Middle East, and education... And when you think about it, they're all related (or at least they can be, depending on your school of thought).

Re: Top Chef Open Thread

Michelle — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 03:52:06 -0000

I am in LOVE with Fabio. Can I just say that?

Re: PETA Dresses Up As KKK

Michelle — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 12:21:23 -0000

Wow. This is just so many levels of crazy and horrible.

Re: Always A Tramp: Lil Kim On Dancing With The Stars

Michelle — Tue, 12 May 2009 14:03:54 -0000

Woooow, that is awful. I know the judges try to be salacious on the show and all to drum up excitement and get people tuning in, but that's just freaking WRONG!

Re: 2008/09/05/new-facebook-is-coming/

Michelle — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 20:01:13 -0000

Honestly, every freaking time that Facebook redesigns, people are up in arms about it. It gets on my nerves -- no I'm not joining your stupid group "1 million against the new facebook."

I actually kind of like the "new" facebook. Yes, it has its issues, but it's a free service, so can you really complain all that much?

Re: Recession-Proof Your Life Before It’s Too Late

Michelle — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 19:15:56 -0000

Good list; There are definitely a few things I can do here. This site is fantastic. Thanks!

Re: Adventures in Joint Checking

Michelle — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 23:11:28 -0000

hahaha -- you should just tell him to make your lunch for you =)

Re: Yes, I’m Going to Work For Brazen Careerist

Michelle — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 20:24:41 -0000

we're Amy. I'm an ENTP hehe

congrats, Monica!!

Re: Graduating Soon? Here are some Recommended Resources

Michelle — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 21:11:31 -0000

I would also suggest learning a little bit about the oh-so-fun quarterlife crisis... good times.

Re: I May Never Be a Mother. And That’s Okay.

Michelle — Tue, 06 May 2008 19:28:30 -0000

The whole kid thing is hard. I'm the youngest person on my staff, and no one at my job has kids. We're journalists, so I've been quite scared of the prospect of having a child and being a full-time magazine editor. My hubby-to-be is a writer too (for TV) so it looks like he would have a better chance at being the parent that the kid spends the most time with.

It kind of ended up being that way when I was growing up: grandma took care of us, Dad worked until 6, Mom worked ALL day at a horrible job that kept her until the wee hours of the night. But she still made time for my sister and I. Even if she was coming home at 10 p.m., she checked our homework and made sure we had lunches ready for school the next day.

I fear that I won't be able to be such a great mom. She's fantastic, and I think my sis and I turned out OK.

Re: Seen in (Cold Spring) New York: Hockey Stick Chair

Michelle — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 23:43:41 -0000

reminds me of my hockey-obsessed college. Sweetest chair ever.

Re: Watch this ad, then tell me what it's for

Michelle — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 12:42:45 -0000

Yeah, that's a good point; I know what Prop 11 is ONLY because I looked it up when i saw a "No on 11" ad the other evening! If it's such a great proposition, why don't they give a little breakdown on what it's all about???

Re: It’s hot, I want to hit the beach, but are there sharks in them thar waters?

Michelle — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 16:42:05 -0000

we were just at the beach (literally 30 minutes ago) and we saw dolphins. Some people were dumb enough to think they were sharks, but it was kinda obvious that there were a bunch of flippers in the water.

Re: Jonathan Nail interviews Hancock viewers

Michelle — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 13:16:46 -0000

did anyone else notice that Jason Bateman was sipping Dunkin Donuts coffee in the beginning of the movie? Yeah, we don't have those here, so suck it, Hancock.

Re: Kokomo Cafe – The location of the new Beverly Hills 90210’s Peach Pit

Michelle — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 13:14:51 -0000

ummm... I have little faith in this show. I'm really hoping it's going to be better than The Hills, which people worship around here for some reason...