GenPink

When I first started GenPink my first goal for myself was to find some fellow twenty something, non-mommy, female bloggers. The first person I found that fit this description was Zandria. I found her blog via BlogHer. I was immediately intrigued by her 101 Things in 1001 Days List (I still plan on doing this). Over the past year I have kept up with her blog and have since found a huge network of other twentysomethings as well. I knew that since Zandria was my first internet blogging buddy that I definitely wanted her to guest write this series commemorating my first year.

This guest post was written by Zandria, a contributing editor of BlogHer and expert twentysomething blogger.

When I started writing my blog over five years ago – at the age of 22 – I was in the midst of a full-blown quarterlife crisis. I was taking college classes but I didn’t know what in the world I wanted to do; I was working in a call center (a job that I hated, but I made decent money); I was just beginning to feel normal again after having major surgery on my back the previous year to correct scoliosis (a procedure that left me with permanent steel rods attached to my spine); and to top it off – due to all the stress, the worry, to my feeling of powerlessness – I’d lost thirty pounds due to restricting my food intake.

That’s the state I was in when I started blogging. I was officially a mess.

The reason I started writing online was because I’d decided to take a semester off from college. I was leaving my home in Virginia to spend a few months with my aunt and uncle in southern California, and I wanted a way for family and friends to easily keep up with what I was doing while I was gone.

I was granted a leave of absence from my job, I drove cross-country by myself, and I stayed in California long enough to get my head together – at least “together” enough to feel ready to go back to Virginia and resume college classes the next semester. I completed my last two years of school, and I spent one of those four semesters in a study-abroad program in Amsterdam.

My quarterlife crisis? It was all about searching. I spent many hours on the internet, looking at career options, reading about people who had made big, life-changing decisions. I wanted to know how and why they ended up where they did.

I didn’t know WHERE I wanted to be, or WHO I wanted to be. I thought if I discovered the answer to at least one of those questions (but preferably both), I’d be well on my way to being happy. That’s what I would say to myself, and to other people, all the time: “I just want to be happy. I’ll move wherever I need to move, I’ll do whatever I need to do, as long as I’m happy.”

Throughout my mid-twenties, I remained in crisis mode – just not to same extent. I was able to regain some of the weight I’d lost. I returned to California after I graduated from college and ended up staying for a year. Then I moved to the metropolitan DC area in the fall of 2006, which is where I still am today.

Last summer, not long after my 27th birthday, I said that I had survived my quarterlife crisis. What had changed? How did I reach that conclusion? It’s because – although I still don’t know what I want to do with my life – I’ve reached a level of acceptance. My job isn’t perfect, but I work for a nonprofit that has a great mission, and with co-workers who believe in making a difference. I don’t live in a fancy house, but I do live in a safe, fun area, with a roommate that I like. I’m no longer stick-thin (thank God), but now I work out on a regular basis and I’m more comfortable with my body than I’ve ever been in my life.

Having accepted my life doesn’t mean I’m 100% content with where I am, but that’s okay. I’m growing, I’m adapting, I’m changing, and I’m keeping my eyes (and options) open. In the meantime, I’m not settling. I’m living.

pol·i·tics
–noun
1. the science or art of political government.
2. The activities or affairs engaged in by a government, politician, or political party.

For most of the letters of this ABC series I picked words that describe what my twenties have been like for me. For the letter P however, I opted for a word that I know very little about. Despite the fact that I was in a 3 year relationship with a guy who works in politics and has aspirations of one day being The President I have yet to inform myself on politics (I know shame on me).

I do have several friends though that have a very strong interest in the political world. I have noticed that their interests in politics has developed increasily as the years have progressed. A few of my friends are starting to find that now that they are separate from their parent’s they don’t necessarily support the same party as what they grew up with. I thought it would be a great idea to find someone who could give us a little insight into what it’s like to find your voice in the political arena in your twenties.

After some research I found Citizen Jane Politics a blog that states it is "The Modern Girls’ Guide to Picking the Leaders of the Free World." After a little email exchange Patricia Murphy, the blog editor agreed to guest write P is for Politics.

I feel the need to disclaim here: the opinion of this guest post is not necessarily the views of GenPink. *Now we may go back to our regularly scheduled programming*

Let’s say somebody wrote a movie about an election between a candidate who could be the first woman president and a candidate who could be the first African American president. In the movie, the two keep trading victories- back and forth, back and forth. Nobody knows who the winner will be, but they’ll eventually run against an almost over-the-hill, almost broke, completely feisty maverick senator with a severe problem with his Republican base.

If you gave all three of those candidates an even shot at winning, nobody would believe that movie, but you would have this year’s presidential contest, a race that is literally too good to be true.

That is the drama that brought me to politics for my first job out of college and is what keeps me coming back time after time. There is nowhere else that seems as relevant, as important or as completely entertaining that the political world. But the longer I’ve spent there, the more I’ve noticed a problem with it. There are too many guys. They’re everywhere.

Men make up 84 percent of the House of Representatives, and 86 percent of the Senate. They dominate the tops of campaigns and are most of the consultants and pollsters. Men write 72 percent of the political blogs and are anywhere from 50 to 90 percent of the guests on Sunday political talk shows.

Does it matter? I think so. In a year when the women’s vote has determined nearly every Democratic primary, when women outnumber men at the polls and when a woman has a shot at the presidency for the first time in history and many women aren’t supporting her, how could a panel of mostly men have all the answers?

To put it in terms that an all-male panel might understand, why put the Yankees pitching staff on a show about summer sports? Is it possible that insights into Roger Federers’ grass game might slip through the cracks during discussions of knuckle balls and sliders?

Having worked on Capitol Hill for nine years, I can tell you men, bless their hearts, dominate the political conversation for a simple reason- they speak up a lot more. They give their opinions. Instead of asking, "Why me?" before writing an op-ed or running for office, they say, "Why not me?"

Looking ahead to 2008, I don’t care who you vote for, but I do hope you’ll vote and that you’ll make an informed decision. I also hope you’ll speak up the next time a political conversation happens around you, or leave a comment on an article you disagree with. I hope that next president is competent, qualified and up for the challenge and that tops that make you look pregnant prove to be a tragic but short-lived phenomenon.

Ladies, the direction of this country is up to somebody–why not us?

A few weeks ago a friend of mine wrote a post on her blog asking if trading recipes made us officially old. I had that exact same thought the other day when some girl friends and I were sharing home organization advice. You know you’re getting old when your topics of conversation involve cooking and/or cleaning. Sorry to break the news.

As dorky as it is I’ve been in-love with The Container Store since I was in sixth grade. As much as I love to buy organizational contraptions I do have a bit of a problem keeping my things organized. This is why I love love love Unclutterer and Real Simple Home & Organizing. I need constant reminders, and it never fails I find something new that I’d never thought of. If you’ve never seen either of these sites you’re either a) living in a shoe box or b) living under a rock. I’m sorry but there really are no other explanations for missing out on such greatness. As if you couldn’t tell by the 3 loves I was elated when Erin, the Erin from Unclutter agreed to write O is for Organization. Now if only Erin would just live in my guest room and keep my house uncluttered.

Erin Doland is Editor-in-Chief of the home and office organization website Unclutterer. You also can find her doling out organization advice twice a week on RealSimple.com.

My sister-in-law is 22 and graduates this May from college. We often talk about her plans after graduation and her anxieties associated with this life-changing event. Her parents, siblings, and friends appear to have a limitless supply of useful career and social advice. I don’t know a great deal about her profession or the city where she is moving, so I’m focusing my advice to her on the topic of organization. Specifically, I’m focusing the majority of that advice on her kitchen, because that is where my heart is.

Here are some of the tips I’ve recently shared with her:

• When putting your kitchen together, arrange items in cabinets based on where you use them. Pots, pans, baking sheets, and oven mitts should be next to your stove. Glasses should either be next to your sink (if you’re a tap water drinker) or the refrigerator (if you prefer chilled beverages). Silverware and plates should be relatively close together since you most often use them together. Heavy items should be stored in lower cabinets, and mugs near your coffee pot.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for very specific, practical things for graduation gifts. Receiving a basket of plastic wrap, aluminum foil, zip-top baggies in varying sizes, wax paper, garbage bags, paper towels, and hand towels isn’t the world’s sexiest gift, but you’ll definitely appreciate it when you don’t have to buy these items before getting your first paycheck.
• Consider re-purposing some of your college items for your kitchen needs. An old index card file is great for holding seasoning packets and soup mixes. An over-the-door pocket shoe organizer can hold pouches, cans, and mixes on the back of a pantry door. Milk crates you used as a bookshelf in your dorm room can become bins for recycling. Your shower caddy makes a nice organizer for cleaning supplies under your kitchen sink.
• Have a list of essential kitchen tools and only focus on acquiring those items. You’re likely moving into a small space, and having something you won’t regularly use will only cause clutter. I spent most of my first years after college using nothing but one cast iron skillet for my pan set. It was cheap (under $20), and I could cook almost everything on it.
• Don’t put your trash can under your sink. Get a relatively nice trash can with a lid that opens with a foot press. If the trash can is under your sink then you have to open the door and pull out the trash can every single time you want to throw something away. You won’t forget to take out the garbage if you can see that it needs to be emptied, and the likelihood that you’ll get critters is reduced since you’ll be taking out your garbage more often. Plus, you can move the trash can around the kitchen as you’re working.

na·ked
–noun
1. being without clothing or covering; nude.
2. defenseless; unprotected; exposed.

Despite the fact that GenPink is well pink and I mention bras in my intro the majority of the posts on this blog are fairly unisex. With that being said, this is my disclaimer that this is a female specific post. I’m sorry guys I know with the word naked in the title how could this post not be for you. Perhaps I’ll make it up to you in the future.

This guest post was written by Karly Randolph Pitman, a writer, speaker, blogger, and mother of four, offers encouragement for women at First Ourselves.

My 20s were spent in a perpetual quest for skinniness, a relentless pursuit of wearing a size 2. I hated my body. I loathed it. I so desperately wanted it to be…perfect.

Is it any coincidence that my 20s were also full of depression, low self-esteem, and feelings of worthlessness?

At the time, I thought it didn’t matter that I hated my body. After all, I was in good company: most other women I know did, too. I thought the only person I was hurting was myself.

I was so wrong.

Hating my body didn’t just affect me; it affected every woman. Do you despise our culture of female body hatred, of the incessant pull towards physical perfection? I helped create that. Maybe you have, too.

Every little girl on a diet? She was simply following in my footsteps.

I look at my daughters, one a beautiful little girl; the other, a beautiful young woman on the cusp of adolescence. They are fortunate, and blessed to live in modern times. Their foremothers have paved the way for them, clearing the obstacles that hindered earlier generations: They can vote, they have a voice; they can own property. They will witness the first woman in the Oval Office.

So what will prevent my girls from pursuing their dreams? What will keep them trapped? What will stunt their growth? Buying the lie that they are what they look like; that they have to be super skinny to be beautiful, that they must loathe and control and shape their female form into something unnaturally unattainable to be okay. The other freedoms won’t matter, if they aren’t free in their mind: free to love and accept themselves.

I have the power to change that. You do, too. That is why, as a woman, loving your body is some of the most important work that you can do.

It’s important because if it remains unaddressed, it will sabotage anything else you try to do. It’s scary to put yourself out on a limb, to offer your pearls to the world, and hope that it appreciates their value. It’s even scarier if your confidence is undermined, if you’re thinking of all the ways your body doesn’t measure up.

It’s important because you can’t separate your body from the other parts of yourself. You can’t love yourself and hate your body.

It’s important because you can’t be free and clear to love and accept others unconditionally, if you’re not loving and accepting, first, towards yourself.

It’s important because you can’t be the woman, daughter, friend, or woman you wish to be, if you’re consumed about thoughts about your body.

It’s important because hating your body keeps you stuck. It keeps you in bondage, just as surely as violence, sexism, and injustice does.

It’s important because the world needs our sacred femininity.

It’s important because we can’t fix the "big" problems - war, hatred, genocide, or violence - until we first heal these issues internally, in our battle with ourselves.

If you think the world would be a better place if more women ran it, think about how we could run it if we weren’t so preoccupied on things that ultimately don’t matter. Try it from this perspective: if you had to think of a way to suppress the women of the world, what better way to do so than by feeding an obsessive distraction with appearance, so that women can’t focus their energy on what truly needs their help and devotion.

Let’s create a world where little girls aren’t dieting in kindergarten. Let’s create a world where emaciated women are not the ideal. Let’s create a world where we celebrate our bodies by using them to make the world a better place.

Let’s create our alternate universe.

First, ourselves: then, the world.

mon·ey
–noun
1. any circulating medium of exchange, including coins, paper money, and demand deposits.
2. a particular form or denomination of currency.

Throughout my twenties I have had a love hate relationship with my money. I have spent the greater part of the last few years getting myself into and now almost out of debt. Money is a topic that is never far from the back of my mind. I have had several posts on this topic because the dreaded M word is a concern of many of my friends. We are fortunate today to have a guest writer who can give those of us who live in paycheck to paycheck land a bit of insight.

This guest post was written by Michael Rubin, author of Beyond Paycheck to Paycheck: A Conversation About Income, Wealth, and the Steps in Between. Michael gives financial planning advice on his website Total Candor.

Financially speaking, we’re a country of idiots. Despite spending billions educating our children, we fail to provide some of the most important and basic of life’s lessons. For me, money, nutrition, and relationships are the most critical but neglected topics. Unfortunately, I have no credibility to write about the last two—my love affair with homemade chocolate chip cookies notwithstanding. Plus, today is brought to you by the letter “M,” so MONEY it is:

# # #

Your problem isn’t Starbucks.

Many financial experts feel that the problems of the world (and especially of young people) would instantly disappear if we could only get rid of our coffee shops.

Look, if you’re going to Starbucks five times a day, spending $100+ a week there, you’ve got problems. But your money problem isn’t the first one to address. Of course, most people don’t use Starbucks that way, and so what the financial talking heads miss is that nobody—not even the most coffee-addicted person you know—is going to find ten grand a year by pinching pennies at Starbucks.

Instead, you’ve got to put major focus on major expenses, like your housing and car choices. The typical underpaid twenty-something simply can’t live on the same block as the manager two levels up from her or drive the car her boss drives. Not yet. When you commit to high housing or car expenses, you pay them for a long time. Therefore, that’s where you want to put most of your financial energy and discipline. Remember: just because someone will sell you something doesn’t mean you can afford it.

Still, day-to-day spending can make a difference, so it’s important to stay emotionally connected to your money. Most people have no idea how much cash they have in their wallets until they find themselves at a place that has the audacity not to accept credit cards. This disconnection matters because when you’re emotionally separated from your money, you spend more. Spending cash hurts—right away. Using credit cards is painless—until you get the bill.

Leave your credit cards at home for a few days, use cash, and see how your spending habits change. They will. When you see two options for something you need, one at $55 which is “good enough” and another at $89 that is “better,” spending cash means you’ll likely take the one for $55. Handing over three twenties to the cashier feels a lot better than saying goodbye to five of them.

By prioritizing what really matters to you, constant budgeting isn’t required. The beauty of following the saving strategies is that you save so much you don’t need to micromanage your finances. Budgeting can limit your desire for spontaneity, making it hard to keep at it. But you can get away without budgeting entirely if you simply commit to saving. After all, if you’re putting away 15 percent of your income, what’s the difference how you spend the other 85 percent?

Most of all, relax.

Don’t worry about retirement. Yes, I said that. You’ve got all the time in the world. It’s only if you haven’t done anything about your retirement and are now a fortysomething that you should begin to be worried.

The key for twentysomethings is to just start. By saving for retirement while in your twenties, you eliminate the key source of worry later on: the cost of procrastinating throughout your youth. Thanks to the miracle of compounding interest (your money earning money), the amount you have to save when you are young is quite minimal compared to what you’d have to save if you wait just a few years.

Don’t worry about it, just do it.

The key is not to begin cutting all of your discretionary spending. Instead, you need to find a way to spend on the items you value the most. If it’s coffee, pull up a chair and enjoy. But if it’s not, simply keep walking.

Personal finance isn’t that hard. Your day job is much more complicated. But you were taught how to do your day job. Managing money only takes a little effort, some patience, and an occasional bit of willpower. Today, you can choose to make a big difference in your financial future. Why wait?