I didn’t grow up poor. At least, not to my knowledge. But I think most anyone who has ever been a college student, had an underpaying job, or just stumbled upon shitty times can relate to The Five Stupidest Habits You Develop Growing Up Poor. It doesn’t take long to acquire these habits, but it can take a lifetime to break them.

1. You Develop a Taste for Shitty Food – Who doesn’t crave Ramen Noodles from time to time? Something from the $0.99 menu, perhaps?
2. Extra Money Has To Be Spent Right Goddamn Now! – Extra cash burns a hole in my pocket. If the bills are paid, it’s permission to spend.
3. You Want to Go Overboard on Gift Giving – I love to buy gifts and the more cash I have (see above) the more extravagant my gift giving.
4. You Become an Obsessive Bean Counter – Daily Dollars anyone?
5. You Only Spend With The Short Term in Mind – I tend to over evaluate purchases which leads to buying the wrong things at the wrong times.

Have you picked up any bad habits from living on a limited budget? Any lingering quirks from your thrifty days?

Can you believe it’s almost February? I have no idea where the month went but I’ve been trying to stay conscious of my new year’s resolutions and I think I’ve made some good progress, how about you? I blogged in detail about my 2012 financial goals, but here’s a quick update:

2012 Financial Goals

• Pay iMac in full.
• Double emergency fund, bringing total to $6,000.
• Reduce credit card debt by 25%.

Progress

• Paid $500 towards iMac
• Added $500 to emergency fund

I haven’t blogged about my personal goals because I feel like they are a little loftier and more…well, personal than my financial goals. But since Trop50 True Resolutions is all about getting real with your resolutions this year, I’m throwing them out into the universe and hoping that makes them a big easier to achieve:

2012 Personal Goals

• Read 52 books
• Lose 75 pounds

Progress

• Read 6 books
• Lost 12 pounds

I’m quite pleased and I hope I can keep up the pace. I think all my goals go back to getting myself into a better place this year so that I can go on to bigger and better things.

Now it’s your turn. Top50True Resolutions wants to know the juicy truth behind your new year’s resolution. Visit the Trop50 Facebook and answer this question:

In 2012, I want to _________________ in order to __________________.

You’ll earn a $1 off Trop50 coupon for yourself and $0.50 off for up to 50 of your friends plus a chance to one of four $1,000 gift cards. I’m a Tropicana Trop50 drinker because it gives me the fruit juice flavor that I crave with 50 percent less sugar and calories and no artificial sweeteners. Trop50 apple juice is always on my shopping list and is helping me to reach my personal goal of dropping the weight that’s been weighing me down.

Have you made any progress towards your goals? Share!

This post is sponsored by the fine people at Trop50. All opinions are 100% my own. Please see my site policy with any questions.

Good morning! Did you have a good week? Where did you spend your money?

• $56 grocery
• $5 Summermoon
• $100 deposit on website redesign

I’m super excited to be giving my personal blog a facelift and then I’ll be making some changes over here! What would you like to see?

I didn’t start wearing glasses until high school. I didn’t start wearing glasses every day until college. Both awkward times to make the transition to wearing glasses, but I embraced them as a fashion accessory (with the bonus of actually being able to see clearly) and quickly acquired a collection of bold and colorful frames. Now I have a hard time visualizing myself with out glasses and on the rare occasion that I pop in my contacts, my friends and coworkers hardly recognize me.

I know you’re thinking that my little eyeglasses habit must cost a small fortune, but it doesn’t because I have a little trick. A trick that allows me to wear designer eyeglasses and the latest trends at a fraction of the cost.

I order online glasses.

It’s super easy to buy glasses online. The most difficult part is asking your eye doctor for your prescription information – sometimes they don’t like to give out all the information but it’s your prescription, so be firm! GlassesUSA makes it easy to enter your prescription information and even has professional opticians available to assist if you have any questions. Their 110% lowest price guarantee and 100% satisfaction guarantee makes ordering a no-lose situation.

I haven’t yet ordered from GlassesUSA.com, but I’ve heard good things from personal friends and after spending some time browsing I can see that they have a great selection of name brand frames and the latest styles, not to mention all the prescription options my eye doctor offers, so I’m excited to order a new pair of glasses this new year. And to make sure you get the very best deal on your new glasses, GlassesUSA is having a new year sale, so use these coupon codes:

Take 20% off any pair of eyeglasses and get FREE US shipping with the code: NEW2012
Take 10% off any order of prescription glasses with the code: Blog10

Do you order your eyeglasses online? Have you ordered from GlassesUSA? Tell me what you think!

This post is sponsored by www.GlassesUSA.com. All opinions are 100% my own. Please see my site policy with any questions.

Yeah! We made it through another week and I, for one, couldn’t be happier. Has 2012 been exhausting for everyone?

• $29 gas
• $49 Target
• $39 DSW
• $82 Costco

I’m on a crazy paleo diet and Costco has been a dream when it comes to fresh fruits, veggies, meat, and seafood. I’m able to more easily portion and freeze meals and I’m saving 30% on average compared to the grocery store. If I ever get my act together, I’ll be visiting the local farmers market for my fruits and veggies, but until then viva la Costco!

Where did you spend your money this week?

I feel sorry for pennies. They’re always getting tossed aside and talked down to. Unfortunately, with good reason; pennies just aren’t a viable form of currency anymore. Watch the video for a compelling argument as to why the government should abolish pennies (and how our own military no longer uses pennies).

It’s been swell, little penny! We’ll miss you.

I know that I’m no pillar of financial freedom, but this infographic is just plain depressing. It seems like guys are complacent about…well, everything.

Has anyone seen a similar analysis of women? I’d love to compare.