Monthly Recap February

Monthly Recap February Well hello! This month I  announced  that  Ms. Career Girl is in the process of getting a makeover  and let me tell you, re-branding and organizing 4+ years of content is not a quick or easy task.  In my moments of seemingly endless critiquing of logos, designs, features and the editorial calendar this month (after working all day and feeling like I was making no progress), I started to ask myself what this new magazine-style blog I was dreaming of was really about.  What was my why? I went to my sister Ashley for advice (who also happens to be our newest columnist woo!)  and she listened to me as I rattled off taglines and values.  I said things like a blog for busy girls and for women who want it all.  Ashley rolled her eyes at me and said that those phrases were totally annoying and pushing perfectionism on people who probably wanted nothing to do what it (you tell me: was she right??).  I realized that that what my Ms. Career Girl mission really boiled down to was life hacks beyond the 9 to 5. In other words, how can todays dynamic girl tackle all areas of her life a little better, faster and/or cheaper so she can enjoy those all those  OTHER things she  ALSO loves.  What we do at work affects us at home.  What we do at home affects us at work.  How we deal with ourselves affects how we deal with others.  Its all a big circle made up of Work, Home, Self and Plus Ones, so thats what well be talking about here from now on. (Ok I suck at keeping secrets heres a preview of our new logo!) Whats Happening at Ms. Career Girl this March Starting this month well have regular features, monthly giveaways, more videos and a whole lot to look forward to.   Youll also be hearing from our two newest columnists: my sister Ashley a PR pro by day and beauty vlogger  by night  who will cover beauty,  and my friend Katie a teacher who will dominate everything Home DIY. This months giveaway is A  $50 gift certificate to Club W!  Have you heard of this yet??!  Its  a monthly wine club that Im totally obsessed with.  In addition to a reader giveaway, Club W also gave me a free $50 gift  certificate  which I (very quickly) redeemed.  Ashley, Katie and me will be sampling in a Favorite Wines Under $15 video post.  Watch our Facebook page  for the chance to win! A Few March Highlights Book Club: Nice Girls Dont Get the Corner Office read along if youd like, otherwise Ill provide a summary and some things to consider. Home Improvement: Bathroom Rehab Low Cost, High Impact Apartment Decorating by Katie Beauty: Instant Uplifters and Dirty Hair Confessions by Ashley The start to our Awesome Women Interiew series Real Networking Email Fails lets hope that one of these isnt yours Now for the RECAP part of the post Here are our favorite posts from February 2013! Best in Work Stuck in Your Job: Tips to Improve Your Finances So You Can Move On Ok who HASNT, at one point or another, made a decision to stay in a situation due to financial reasons?  If you say no, youre probably one of the lucky few.  But for the rest of us, Shannons post is one to bookmark and study carefully.   If youre sitting in your cubicle counting the minutes until your escape, read this post again.  If you are dreaming of a new career path, get ready to take some action.  In order to make an escape you have no choice but to get your shit together.  This post may require a follow up. Best in Home Getting Ready For The Week: Easy Lunch Prep Ideas Im a huge fan of pre-prepping just about anything I can in life, but especially food. I love Katies post because it makes cooking easy no matter what diet youre on, what your budget is or how much time you have.  If you havent tried pre-prepping meals yet, you really should do it at least once.  You may end up like me and try to pre-prep your whole life.  If youre working all week and trying to stay healthy, time efficient and budget-friendly try out a few of her tips.  Katie will have lots more easy cooking and pre-prepared meal tips in the coming months! Life Hack of the Month Inbox DETOX: Clean for 2 Months! This is a great example of a life hack. Its a small adjustment that takes seconds yet adds hours to your life.  The magic word for productivity this year is UNSUBSCRIBE (and perhaps un-friend if youre getting sick of Facebook strangers like me).  Try it out and  tweet us  if it helped you! Best in Self Becoming More Confident and Assertive at Work and School The other day my co-worker said she felt bad when other people give her kudos on our internal message board because she doesnt want it to take away from others who are working just as hard but not getting recognition.  She works her butt off and deserves every bit of recognition and more.  I hear this kind of stuff almost every day whether its from female co-workers or readers who write in.  Ladies: you need to become more confident and assertive at work regardless of how experienced you are (yes this includes you recent grads)!  This situation is exactly why our first official book club article in March will be on Nice Girls Dont Get the Corner Office. Best in +1 Balancing a Career and Family. Wait, what? 23-year-old columnist Megan bravely tackled the subject of what I call the baby bug.  It hits many women at some point or another, but it hit (and escaped) Megan earlier than expected.  Can you relate? A Response to The End of Courtship Laurens posts are the shit, duh, and heres another post where she calls attention to a sad reality: courtship is dead.  It has been replaced by texts, booty calls and other lame things.  Definitely read this if youre currently dating. Calling Your Boyfriend Raise your hand if youve ever felt weird about using the word boyfriend. My hand is raised.  Lauren starts a great discussion on how to properly introduce your new beau (a word she doesnt like) and what other alternative titles can be.  Join the discussion. Reader Question of the Month I dont have cash for the big things HELP! Weve all been there but what if changing this predicament just involves changing the way you organize your money?  In this post I answer reader Annas question and caution her to beware of deals, sales and putting all of your money into one checking account.  Check out my recommendation for using THREE checking accounts and a real example of how this could work for you. Happy March and thanks so much for reading! Nicole