Southern Belle in Training

Fashion, Travel & Lifestyle Blog || Est. 2012 || Virginia Beach, VA

January 20, 2016

Midweek Ramblings + Recent Purchases.




{Follow on Instagram & Snapchat @miss_alk!}


     My goodness, do I have a lot to ramble about today! Bear with me. :-)


Ramblings:

  • Savings plan: One of my goals for 2016 was to build up my savings account again. I had done a great job in 2014 of putting several hundred dollars in it which was untouched, but in 2015 I traveled a lot, and pulled from it a couple times to cover travel expenses. My new goal for my savings account is to have over $1000 in savings, and to use it only for emergencies! I found an awesome savings plan for 2016 that a sorority sister of mine shared on Facebook. It is so simple- it runs over the course of the 52 weeks in a year, and for each week of the year, you put that amount in dollars into your savings account! For example, the first week in January you put in $1, and by the 52nd week of the year at the end of December, you put in $52. You're supposed to have over $1000 by the year's end! So far I've been doing good, and have already doubled up on a couple weeks of the plan since I've been working a lot lately. Did any of you have any financial goals for 2016?
  • The BIG Question on The Big Bang Theory: Something that you may or may not know about me is that I'm about 150% obsessed with the television show The Big Bang Theory. (You would definitely know this if you follow me on Snapchat because since I have no life I generally post snaps when I watch the show live! Ha.) I think that this show is one of the funniest on television, and has only gotten better as the seasons go on. If you've been watching this current season, you might enjoy this commentary on last week's episode! It discusses a question which most viewers were wondering... I know I was! 
  • Job searching: As y'all know: one of the biggest passions currently is the city of Charlotte. I have absolutely fallen in love with this place since I started school here a few years ago. At this stage in my life, I know that I have to do whatever it takes to find a job that will keep me in Charlotte post-graduation, since this is where I have found my happiness. However, I do also realize how competitive the job market is right now for new graduates! This is why I am already taking steps now to start my job search, as I know that my semester will only continue to get busier as graduation approaches. So far since this semester has started I have finalized my resume, begun tidying up my LinkedIn account, met with my career advisor to develop a plan of action for the next few months, and tried to set up some networking opportunities with business people whose careers I admire! I only want to continue to do more as well. Recent college graduates: do you have any additional tips for me on things I could be doing this semester to proactively help my job search?

Purchases:
  • I purchased this fun necklace this week... it already has me in the Spring Break mindset! 
  • Speaking of Spring Break... something that I did purchase this week though was flights for my upcoming (and final) Spring Break trip!! For the past two years, my dad and I have gone to the Dominican Republic for Spring Break. We absolutely love the DR and hope to return again someday, but I didn't want to be traveling for the whole week this year, as it's such a busy semester for me! I am SO excited about where we are going to though- and also so excited about the super cheap flights that I was able to find! Would y'all be interested in me sharing a blog post sometime soon about how I book flights / look for cheap travel? 


     xoxo Miss ALK
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14 comments

  1. The one thing that really got me bogged down when applying for jobs was writing cover letters. Take some time to practice writing them, and even put together some samples for careers in your field so that you have a starting point to go back and revise once you have the job description in hand!

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  2. I feel like I'm in the same boat as you. I have fell in love with Charlotte and cannot picture myself going back home after college. I'm trying to figure life plan out now and hopefully I get to stay in this beautiful city once I'm graduated. I wish you all the look in your job hunting!

    xoxo
    Amy

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  3. I adore this photo of you, you're the cutest! I wish I had tips for finding a job quickly post graduation but sadly I had to hop around a lot (but I did get to stay where I wanted to). You're so prepared though I am sure you will find something fabulous in Charlotte!

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  4. I know for sure the career week fair would definitely help for job search :). Some of my friends has gotten their job that way after graduation. Prepare a one page resume as they don't usually flip to the second page and talk as if you are already in an interview :).

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  5. I always enjoy reading your ramblings, sister. I'm also working to build up my savings account, but my shopping addiction is definitely not helping with that. I would love to read a post about your travels on a budget!

    XOXO
    mQs
    www.shorelifeofm.blogspot.com

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  6. I'm sure you'll find a job that you'll love in Charlotte! I need to work on my savings!

    Lauren | The Arizona Prepster

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  7. Love reading about your ramblings! They are so interesting! :) Yes, please do a post on how you get cheap flights! I love to travel, and this would come in handy. :)

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  8. I love these posts! Best of luck on your job search. My best advice is to be flexible, and just identify what you priorities are. You can find so many jobs, but they need to satisfy what will make you happy in the long run.

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  9. Cover letters are so hard sometimes, but have a couple templates you'll use! Also, don't be afraid to reach out to someone at the company, or find their HR people on LinkedIN! Good luck!

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  10. You're doing such a great job! I love that you're following a savings plan, I think it's so important to have an emergency fund that is touched ONLY for emergencies so you've got the right concept!

    I'd say that the most important step in searching for a job is networking and making an effort to make face to face meetings. Find the LinkedIn profiles of employees who work in the company you are interested in and e-mail/message them letting them know that you are interested in this company and also make sure to show them that you have done your due research. My mistake during my job search was just submitting resumes and cover letters and hoping that was enough. Once I learned that this was a mistake, my results changed significantly! Good luck!

    Jadoregrace

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  11. Would love to see a blog post about cheap flights and travel! I love The Big Bang Theory... my bf and I watched it a lot over the summer. Good luck on the job search! I'm going to start looking into grad schools soon which is terrifying... hopefully we both get lucky!

    Kayla | kaylablogs.com

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  12. Job searching can be so stressful! That casual look is so cute!
    www.kayleighskloset.com

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  13. I also love the Big Bang Theory! I honestly couldn't even tell you why I like it so much - i just do! One of my goals for this year is to also save up some serious cash in my emergency fund!

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  14. You are the cutest ever. I want to watch the Big Bang Theory! Everyone I know loves it. Ah! I hope you find a job that lets you stay in Charlotte. Fingers crossed for you <3
    xo
    Lauren

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