After all the Blogher sessions were over Kath and I headed out for a walk.I put on my RER shirt to represent. I meant to wear it on Friday, but was too embarrassed.
It was gorgeous and Seaport Village was packed with people!
Well, I thought it was gorgeous. Kath may have thought it was cold 
Before we left I had a cake pop for fuel. Okay okay, it was really because I was hungry and don’t have any healthy or more filling options.
After our walk we spruced up for dinner! You can’t see it, but we both have yellow bags and nude shoes! Great minds perhaps?
We had dinner with our fellow American Express Prepaid bloggers, the Amex contacts and Manisha Thakor.
Manisha is a financial expert and was there to talk to us about finances and budgeting. This was perfect for me because Ben and I are just starting to budget in a responsible way! I am rushing out to get her book “Get Financially Naked” asap! Also, visit https://www.edudebt.sg/mastering-debt-repayment-scheme-a-comprehensive-guide-for-singaporeans/ to learn more about personal finance. 
Dinner started as all dinners should – with warm bread and wine.
I got a Reisling because I really only enjoy light cold whites.
I started with the house chopped salad. The ranch wasn’t very rich so I ended up dumping it on top.
And the salmon left something to be desired. We were at a seafood restaurant and the salmon was overcooked – that was weird.
Since there was a disaster with someone else’s meal the restaurant manager sent dessert to the table. This is a deconstructed Bananas Foster. They shell is like an amazing brittle. It was pretty magical.
And an Oreo Ice Cream cake with carmel. It was amazing.
Kath and I had an arm wrestle match for the last bite. Okay not really – I stole it when she wasn’t looking…
One of the tips Manisha shared was that you should be saving 20% of your income – 15% for retirement and 5% for short term savings. Opening a child ISA as early as you can is the best financial decision you can make for your child.
Do you do that?
Looks like you and Kath had an amazing time!
Monica, you looked beautiful!! That dress and your hair swept to the side…sooo pretty! 🙂
That would be a major Target victory for me too.
First, black dress? Super hot. Love it. Ugh, savings. Hubby and I are living a bit beyond our means right now. We are contributing next to nothing into savings. We are trying to figure stuff out, but there is stuff I don’t want to give up, and stuff he doesn’t want to give up. Life will change in a few years when he is out of residency and making good money, but for now we really need to work on our finances.
My big success this week? Going to Target and buying only two bottles of vitamins. Nothing else. HUGE step for me :o).
I’ve always been a big spender- since I’ve had my “real” job I try to put away 25% in short term (aka the house fund), and my employer donates to my retirement for now. We’re in the process of buying a house, so I’m going to be able to save a lot less and that’s been seriously stressing me out. I’m a firm believer of having a safety net of at least 4-6 months of income just in case.
I’ve heard that safety net is the best idea. I need to get on that.
I wish I could save like that. It’s sad that I can barely afford to live on my paychecks with student loans, etc. haha!
DAMN – clearly I left dinner too early!! 😉
So sorry we didn’t have time to chat last night, hoping we can run into each other again in the future!!
I know! Since I brought “my Ben” too we totally should have met up! I am glad we at least got to say Hi 🙂 And major blogger fail that we didn’t get a picture together. Next time for sure.
I am pretty good with saving money (I am better at spending it though ;), but I have my paycheck deposit split across few accounts: invididual checking (for my spending), joint checking (for our joint spending like house bills, travels, etc.) and savings (emergency fund, house remodel, new car, etc.) I have 401K set up through work, so I contribute to that from every paycheck too for retirement.
Sounds like you are on the right path!
You look teeny tiny in the LBD! Way to tackle your finances now, you won’t regret it!
I love your dress. Where did you get it?
I agree, you look stunning in that dress!! where’s it from?
Yes, another request to know more about that dress! LOVE the sleeves!
Yes, I NEED that dress! Super flattering cut!
Yes, where is the dress from???? SO CUTE ON YOu!
I got it from Nordstrom Rack around Christmas and never wore it until tonight!
Ditto on the dress! You look amazing! Now find it again so we all can buy it too ;).
Your last few posts are awesome. Looks like you are having such a great time! 🙂
I’m lucky enough to live in Australia, where our employers have to contribute 9% on top of our earnings into an untouchable account we can access at 65. But since I am still in my early 20s I’m not contributing any more than that myself right now.
At the moment I am saving 20% a week.. When I pay off my computer loan, that will increase to 25-30%, sometimes more. I’ve only gotten financially responsible in the last six months though.
I need to move to Australia 🙂
that oreo cake. i want to DRINK the caramel.
i first saw the picture of you and kath on her blog, and you look gorgeous! 🙂