PJmama's blog

So in good news... I got the job! I'll be working part-time hours this coming week, then moving to full time. Very exciting! I'm definitely going to be a busy girl.

Now that I've got the job, this weekend I'm getting a car. I know, I know. I've already gotten the "you cant buy a car in one weekend!" speech. And I know it's haphazard, but it's what I've got to do. I dont really have a choice in the matter. Transportation has become a must. It's now or never, kids! So I'm going to go out over the next 2 days and see what I can get. I'd ideally like to finance an older toyota or honda. Spend between $3-5k. But that's wholly dependent on whether or not I can get financing. My credit score isn't terrible... close to 700, but my debt-income ratio isn't all that great. So we'll see what I can get.

If worse comes to worse and I cant get financing, my employer is going to help me out and front me some money to buy something cheaper... closer to $1200. So we'll see what I can come up with over the next 2 days!

In other news, my application for examiner was accepted, so I'll be writing for them as well as associated content. Exciting I'm almost positive they pay better than AC, and they're much more selective, so we'll see how it pans out!

Yesterday was also a no-spend day. I wrote 2 articles. I only have one more to make 5 for the week. Excellent!

So it's time to be off! Wish me luck!

Well, Associated Content bought another one of my articles, so I added another $3.99 to my challenge money. My goal for today is to write 3 articles. I've got 1 down... getting the motivation to write is hard! But I'm going to continue kicking myself until I get it done. That'll make my goal of 5 for the week.

I cleaned D's house yesterday, so that got me $40 and lunch He also gave me a job offer with his company... assuming that the girl he offered it to otherwise declines. He would have offered me the job to begin with, but he said without a car it would be difficult for me to get back and forth. So if this girl declines, he's going to give me the job and help me get a vehicle (more or less give me a small loan). So we'll see how that goes. Cross your fingers for me!

I've decided that regardless, I'll be buying a car here in the next couple weeks. It's come to that point where I really need one, and it's starting to get cold... I've been scouring craigslist, so we'll see what that turns up. If I could finance something in the $4-5k range that would be fine, too. It wouldn't take long to pay off.

Either way, time to be productive! Have a great day everyone!

So yesterday was a *No-Spend Day* Woot! I did in fact paint grandma a b-day card, and had dinner at mom's. In other successes, I lined up a tutoring job for next week. $20/hr. Only an hour a week, but still. That's an extra $80/month! Hopefully I'll pick up more of those.

Today I clean. I have a weekly gig doing that. It pulls me in about $50/week, which is nice to have. So for being unemployed, I'm still making a bit of cash. Listening to my music and cleaning isn't a terrible time, either!

So I'm off to start my day. I hope everyone has a great one.

Well, I certainly spent more than I had intended last night... about $40 when everything was said and done. That was a few for me, a few for mom, and one for my newly dumped friend. Plus a sandwich. The rest of my week is going to be very low-key as a result. Either way, had an excellent night hanging out with my friend before he leaves and doing some karaoke

On the positive financial front, however, I've written 2 articles for associated content and applied at examiner.com. So hopefully things will prove successful on that front. I've also gotten 2 replies to my ad listed for tutoring services on craigslist. So that's also a win.

Today is my grandma's birthday. We're doing dinner and cake at mom's house. I was going to buy her a card, but I really dont feel like spending the money now. Instead, I think I'm going to make her one I just got a painting set a few weeks ago that I should attempt to use anyway. I think it'll be nice.

So I have a fun painting project to do as well

I have $5.67 in my paypal account from my last associated content payment. There were some accumulated per view payments in there (pennies, really, but every little bit counts right?). I'm putting that money toward my pseudo-$20 challenge. It's going into my vacation savings, anyway. I'm in the process of linking my new bank account with my online savings account. It'll all go there eventually.

So I've got $25.67 toward that vacation. I dont have much time to get all that money in order. So I need to start working on it. All my writing money is going to go toward that vacation for sure. I'm definitely going to keep track of how much money I'm banking on this writing. If I can make over $35 this month, I'll be happy. That's my goal there, then, I suppose

So many goals... so very little time. Guess I just have to kick it into overdrive!

Either way, time to go start my day (finally. haha). Hope everyone has a good one!

Well, it's already november. Again, I haven't been keeping up with my blog here, and consequently my wallet has been suffering. I need to be more conscious of my spending or I'm never going to meet the goals I've put out for myself.

I'm still in the process of looking for a job. I had 2 interviews about a week and a half ago, and no word yet. The one place said, however, they weren't doing any hiring for another 2 weeks. I'll have to give them a call here soon.

The army has managed to really mess up my pay. I'm still being paid active duty pay... good I guess because I'm getting a lot of money. Bad because they are in fact going to take it back... through my pay for the next year or so. I guess I can treat it like a loan. They also managed to mess up my job training scheduling so poorly that my enlistment bonus is up in the air...

So very frustrating.

So, I have no car still. And no job. These are kind of top on my priority list at the moment. The good news is that I'm getting unemployment, and I'm enrolled in classes for the spring. A shining glimmer of hope indeed

Also, my student loan payments once again get deferred as of January, so I wont be shelling out over $500/month on those... I'll focus more on paying down the CC then.

With my finances being so screwed up it's relly difficult to budget and predict what my income is going to be for this month. I guess all I can really do is attempt to spend as little as possible. The good news? There's a new boy And staying in to cuddle and watch movies costs nothing at all!

I'm going to start tracking my spending again. It seems to be the only way I curb my spending. With xmas coming up, I'm going to need the extra cash for sure. Not only that, but it looks like I'm going to have to fund my own trip out of the country this summer if I cant get that bonus money. I'm not going to depend on it. I cant, or I know I'm just going to let myself down in the end.

Xmas is going to be a rough one. I'm definitely planning on buying the new BF hockey tickets. Because he loooves the Penguins. And so do I. Therefore it's really like a present for both of us! Mom's present isn't going to cost me a dime. But she's going to love it I'm making the BFF a scarf. There'll be a few more $ on that, but nothing crazy. We'll see what happens for everyone else.

This week is a busy one. Going to do karaoke tonight with a friend who is in town. I'll probably have a couple drinks. I'm limiting myself to about $10. Tomorrow night is my grandma's b-day celebration. FREE Wednesday night is a going away celebration at an open mic. I'll have a couple drinks there as well. Thursday night is going out night. Sigh. More drinks. The good news I suppose is that I've been DD the last few times we've went out, so I drink substantially less. Much cheaper. haha.

No plans for the weekend, but I see it being rather low-key. I like that. The halloween hubbub has passed, and it's kind of a relief, though it was a great one

So enough of this blabbing. Time to go do something productive! Hope you all have a wonderful day.

Well, sat down this morning and went over the damage from the weekend and put it in the books. Yay. Not terrible... could have been worse.

My babysitting clients sent me a text this morning, I have a job lined up for saturday night. Woo! I'm making more extra cash here than I anticipated. Excellent news.

BFF's husband (my other great friend and roomate) gets home from his stint in Egypt tomorrow. Much excitement! So it's going to be an eventful week for sure. I have drill this weekend, so I wont be doing anything particularly crazy. Sunday is only going to be a half day, though, because I already went in and got my paperwork done.

Still need to head down to the university to get everything in line for January. Sometime this week, for sure.

Other than that, just talked to BF for a bit today. It's the first time this week we've really had time to talk. Things seemed to have calmed down a bit on base. He's feeling much better. A relief.

I'm off to get some dinner with the roomies, then I think we're coming back here and watching some movies I rented from the library. woo!

Hope everyone has a great night!

Well, as I should have expected, I spent a little more than I had intended at the Indian Festival on saturday. It was a really fabulous day, though. I bought 2 tunics, a yoga video, a henna tattoo (it looks excellent), and a bunch of amazing food. Got to have a girl's day. I would say it was worth every penny. And I was still under $100 for the trip in its entirety.

Not spending a whole lot this week, however. Last night went to dinner with Pop, BFF, and Bro#3. Pop covered the meal, which was incredibly nice of him. That's twice in one week, though. I'm beginning to feel like a mooch... bah.

I met with a man yesterday who posted on craigslist that he wanted someone to clean his house once a week. Took bro#3 with me for security measures, and it seems like he's not going to cut me up into little pieces, so I'm going over there today to start. Yay for odd jobs! I definitely need the cash flow, and he also runs an online radio station, which is pretty cool. Gave him a copy of my demo, so he may actually play it. Added bonus

Went to the movies last night with a good friend. His roomate is the manager at the theatre, so we got in for FREE So I got to see District 9 and pay nothing. A great deal, I must say. And the movie was awesome.

So other than that not a whole lot going on. Need to go to the unviersity tomorrow to get all my paperwork underway. Yoga tonight. Then meeting with a friend I'm having issues with so we can rehash the past... ugh. His idea, not mine. But I guess we'll see how it goes.

BFF's hubby comes home from Egypt here on wednesday, so it'll be quite the celebratory weekend. I have drill, though, so not too terribly celebratory for me haha. I can be DD...

Heard from pseudo-BF finally... something had gone down over in the big sandbox. Specifically, a black hawk, inside base. I found an article on it online, but there were no specifics, and he's not allowed to release the info. I'm just happy he's okay. There was one person that died in the crash and 12 that are hurt. I'm hoping they all recover successfully... I cant wait til he's home safe. It's hard to think of how much danger he really is in while he's over there. Sigh...

Welp, hope everyone has a great monday! I'm off to get my day started!

So I snagged a babysitting job last night, which is great. Only watched the girls for a few hours, but made $27. Not bad for last minute, out of nowhere!

Went grocery shopping during the day, and spent about $45. Could have done better, but BFF wanted to go to Marc's, so we ended up there instead of Aldi... next time for sure. Not only that, but I have to get back into the swing of things... cooking, planning meals is something I haven't done in almost 7 months. I'm so used to the military making my meals for me... and not having to pay for them. haha.

After the kids went to bed last night I hammered out my october budget. I'll post it here closer to October. Still working on my goals for october, but I think I've more or less finished my financial goals for the remainder of September:

*Dont use CC-- AT ALL.
*Get a job.
*Make at least $75 in extra income ($27 of which I already have covered).
*Minimal spending on entertainment.

I opted out of going to the bar last night, so I likely saved at least $10. Probably more... heh. I'm going on saturday to this Indian Festival in Columbus, so I've given myself $50 to work with, including meals. We'll eat breakfast before heading out. I'll probably pack a granola bar or two in my purse, and hope they have some cheap(er) food around the festival. It'll probably be better if we avoid sit-downs. And I'm sure I'll want to buy something while I'm there, so that gives me a little money to work with.

Going job hunting in a few hours with a friend of mine who is also unemployed. He has wheels, so it helps a bit. About to go on a nice 6 mile run here in a few. As my first sgt used to remind us all the time, "PT is free!" I should be keeping in shape anyway.

Not sure what the plans are for tonight. I may be going to watch my little sis play in the highschool band at the football game. Or I may just stay in. I haven't been feeling terribly social since I've been home. Not sure what that's all about, but hopefully it will pass.

Either way, time to get running! I've got quite the full schedule today. Hope everyone has a good one!

So I wrote out a list of things I needed to get done, and I've completed quite a few of them...

Had a job interview this morning, which went pretty well. It's an assistant teaching position at a childcare facility, which is fabulous. But they dont really have all that much time available. So I'll likely end up working there on a substitute basis. They're going to call me back with the hours they can guarantee. The good news about this is I'll still get the training for free, which I can use elsewhere. Not only that, but it's through the YMCA, so I'll get member benefits as well. So it's not all bad. And if they do end up needing a more permanent person, I'll already be around.

So there's that... I'm leaving here in another hour or so to go fill out job applications elsewhere. I've been searching craigslist, and emailed my resume to a couple other places. Checked my credit score for the first time in a while... 696 Not TERRIBLE, but not good either. No bad accounts, just a lot of debt, and a CC very near its limit.

I started car shopping online. I found a couple that look promising. The one is a great deal... 2007 Corolla with only 50k miles for $8k. The only problem is that it's a private seller (I'm sure the reason the price is so good), but I only really wanted to put $4-5k down.

See, I'm getting my bonus, which will be around $8500 after taxes are taken out. I wanted to use about $2k to pay off my CC, the other $1500 to throw into a short-term CD to use to go to Kenya next summer. I mean, paying for a car in cash means I wont have a car payment, but it also means I'll still be paying on my CC... which has an outrageous interest rate. So I really need to find either a cheaper car, or one that I can put less down on and make monthly payments for a couple years. Even so, I'm not looking to spend more than around $8k on a vehicle.

Bah... this is all so much. Also called the University, and left a message for the military student office... hopefully they'll call me back so I can get the ball rolling on all that. Left a couple voicemails pertaining to other things as well. So the day has seen some progress.

At any rate, time to go put some laundry away and do more of it! I'm going to attempt to seek employment, and everyone have a great day!

So... called the bank today. That was a total mess... As it turns out, the branch I opened my account at in PA was taken over by an entirely different bank, so my account is through a bank that is nowhere near Ohio... Fabulous. The only good news is that they had already mailed a debit card to my mom's, and I have checks. So at least I have access to my money.

I just have to open a new account locally and transfer everything and it's all a big mess. Sigh...

Went to my armory to get my paperwork all in order, which went well until my readiness NCO mentioned me being a 15V. I told her I was trained as a 15S, and she said, "oh. we may have some problems." Both jobs are "small helicopter mechanic," but they're different models. My unit doesn't carry the model I'm trained on. So it's looking like I'm going to be reclassed here in the near future... joy of joys.

Someone messed up and put me in the wrong school. It's bad because I'll have to go BACK to school, which means however many weeks more. The good news is that I'll be trained for 2 different jobs, which means more promotion points. And versatility. But it's another big pain... hopefully I'll know within the next month or so what's going to happen. They told me to still enroll in school, that they wouldn't pull me out in the middle of a semester for something like that. So we'll see what happens.

Other than that, the day has been pretty low-key. Phonecalls made, paid my student loan bill, rescheduled my job interview, and just continued trying to sort everything out. I'm going to my yoga class this evening, after having dinner at my mom's. Then back home to continue unpacking and hang out with the BFF.

I wanted to get a jump on the job application process, but my time spent at the armory was much longer than anticipated. I'll have to work on it tomorrow. I'll also have to go on a run tomorrow. I was bummed about not having time this morning, but my yoga class will be plenty of physical activity for today. And I certainly need it.

I've been awfully stressed out these last days home... it's hard to be back, with everything around me reminding me of the ex. Things with us are still sketchy and messy and all over the place. It's a really stressful situation. I think it's just going to take some getting used to. And time. And keeping busy.

Either way, hope everyone has a great night! I'm off to eat some ravioli!

So I made it safely home, thank goodness-- after almost missing my flight due to a bank error. Bleh. Words to the wise: if your platoon sgt tells you to wait to the last minute to get money out of the ATM to pay the cab driver to get you to the airport, do yourself a favor and just kick him in the face.

My checking account is frozen, zeroed out online for some strange reason. It says something about transfer balance for conversion, and I know they're switching systems here soon, but I have to pay my bills, and I cant if my money is locked in limbo. So I have to call them or go to the bank tomorrow. Yippie.

Other than that, my travel home was really quite painless. No terrible delays, spent a good portion of my layover chillin on a couch in the USO (those are pretty fabulous, by the way). And it was free! Didn't have to pay for a cab in the end, the flight, or my baggage (and there was a LOT of it).

Went to my storage unit to get my clothes out and pay my bill... mom was slacking. Told them I'd be out by the end of the month, so I'll get the rest of my stuff moved and I wont be paying for storage anymore woo! Thankfully the BFF has plenty of space in her house for all my crap.

We went out to dinner last night with a couple friends, which was *amazing*. And went out dancing til the wee hours of the morning, which is always a good time. It was a pretty excellent day. Well, except for the ex driving me crazy... but that's a whole different story. Sigh... I'm fairly certain men will be the death of me.

As for today? Art in the Park. The BFF is in the shower, and I'll be following, then we're off! And making dinner for her father in law tonight. His wife died a few months ago... everyone we know was really close to thier family, and it was pretty devastating to him. BFF goes over there every sunday to have dinner with him, and now I get to be part of the tradition

Other than that, no plans for today. Finish unpacking my clothes... try not to go insane... haha. We have to go get keys made for me. Party... haha.

Tomorrow I go to my unit to get all my paperwork copied and in order. Get my bonus paperwork in so it can get processed and I get *PAID*. Get my scholarship paperwork in and my GI bill rollin for the winter. I have to go to the university here soon as well, and get everything straight for school in January.

And job hunt... I need to do a whole lot of that too. There are a whole list of places I need to grab applications from. I did see my LES, and I will be getting paid on tuesday. Woo! So I'm not totally screwed for the month. It's a total relief. I just have to watch the spending. As soon as I get my bank situation under control, I'll get my budget in order and really buckle down on things.

So I'm going to go get my day started. Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend!

So it's come to my attention that I'll be back home in Ohio in less than a week. Holy crap. heh.

I've been trying to prepare for this for a while now, and each day it gets a little easier and I get a little more excited. I was dreading my return not a month ago, but I feel I'm finally ready. It's time.

Money is going to be INCREDIBLY tight until January. My grace period ended on the student loans, and I'm paying out about $400 a month until I'm enrolled back in school. The good news is once I am enrolled, my loans will be deferred again and I'll be getting my GI Bill-- with kicker. Which means the army will be giving me more or less $500/month. That's on top of paying for my school. So I'll still hold at least a part time job, and be good to go.

Until then, however, I have work to do. I'm lucky in that I'm going to be living with my best friend in her house, and she wants no rent from me. I'll secretly hide money in her pockets come November, but for the next couple months, I'll likely take advantage of that while I get back on my feet.

I'll get my bonus money within the next 2 months. After taxes that should net me somewhere around $8000. A chunk of that is going into a savings account for emergencies and my travel savings. The rest will be used to put a down payment on a car. I'll definitely need one come the wintertime. For job and school purposes. Until then, I'll be pedalling it on my bike and bumming rides.

I was looking at the local YMCA website, seeing if they had military discounts, and I went out on a whim and looked at job postings. They had a few, and I filled out the online application for the hell of it. Got a call a couple days ago from the director of the childcare department. I have a job interview the week I get back. I'm rather excited about that. I love kids, and I think I would like it a lot. I do need to discuss what I would be getting paid/hours I'd be working. At this point, however, it's nice to know I have the job hunt started. And with the way the job market is looking in Ohio these days, even if I'm getting close to minimum wage, something is better than nothing. I've got bills to pay.

Even if I dont get a very high paying job, the good news is that I get $150/month in drill pay. Not much, but it's something. And I do my fair share of babysitting. And I'll be getting back into my music once I get home, with a friend who is an exceptional guitarist. We're hoping to start playing out in the next few months. It would be great if that generated some income as well. Every little bit helps.

I'm going to post my financial goals here in the next week. I'll be posting much more often once I get home. My internet access out here is limited, so it's rather inconsistent. I also have to establish said goals, so look forward to them!

I've started doing some lightweight budgeting, but it's hard when I have no clue what my income is going to be. So it's a rough draft thus far. It's going to be pretty tight for the next couple months for sure. But I'm okay with that. Lucky for me, my friends and I do many cheap(er) things for fun... like playing board games and drinking haha. I'm definitely looking forward to spending time with my friends. Particularly my best friend. We'll call her DW, because on facebook we are technically married. haha. Her husband is actually returning from his deployment next month as well. It's going to be quite the party.

The only clear goal I have is going to Kenya next summer. I'm budgeting $2k for plane ticket and spending while I'm there (which will be minimal). If I use a chunk of my bonus money, monthly saving wont be too bad. But we'll see. I've been trying to get out of the country and see the world for a while now. I think this is my chance. I'm rather excited about it

So I think that's enough for now. Hope everyone is doing well, and I'll post again soon

So it's come to my attention that I'll be back home in Ohio in less than a week. Holy crap. heh.

I've been trying to prepare for this for a while now, and each day it gets a little easier and I get a little more excited. I was dreading my return not a month ago, but I feel I'm finally ready. It's time.

Money is going to be INCREDIBLY tight until January. My grace period ended on the student loans, and I'm paying out about $400 a month until I'm enrolled back in school. The good news is once I am enrolled, my loans will be deferred again and I'll be getting my GI Bill-- with kicker. Which means the army will be giving me more or less $500/month. That's on top of paying for my school. So I'll still hold at least a part time job, and be good to go.

Until then, however, I have work to do. I'm lucky in that I'm going to be living with my best friend in her house, and she wants no rent from me. I'll secretly hide money in her pockets come November, but for the next couple months, I'll likely take advantage of that while I get back on my feet.

I'll get my bonus money within the next 2 months. After taxes that should net me somewhere around $8000. A chunk of that is going into a savings account for emergencies and my travel savings. The rest will be used to put a down payment on a car. I'll definitely need one come the wintertime. For job and school purposes. Until then, I'll be pedalling it on my bike and bumming rides.

I was looking at the local YMCA website, seeing if they had military discounts, and I went out on a whim and looked at job postings. They had a few, and I filled out the online application for the hell of it. Got a call a couple days ago from the director of the childcare department. I have a job interview the week I get back. I'm rather excited about that. I love kids, and I think I would like it a lot. I do need to discuss what I would be getting paid/hours I'd be working. At this point, however, it's nice to know I have the job hunt started. And with the way the job market is looking in Ohio these days, even if I'm getting close to minimum wage, something is better than nothing. I've got bills to pay.

Even if I dont get a very high paying job, the good news is that I get $150/month in drill pay. Not much, but it's something. And I do my fair share of babysitting. And I'll be getting back into my music once I get home, with a friend who is an exceptional guitarist. We're hoping to start playing out in the next few months. It would be great if that generated some income as well. Every little bit helps.

I'm going to post my financial goals here in the next week. I'll be posting much more often once I get home. My internet access out here is limited, so it's rather inconsistent. I also have to establish said goals, so look forward to them!

I've started doing some lightweight budgeting, but it's hard when I have no clue what my income is going to be. So it's a rough draft thus far. It's going to be pretty tight for the next couple months for sure. But I'm okay with that. Lucky for me, my friends and I do many cheap(er) things for fun... like playing board games and drinking haha. I'm definitely looking forward to spending time with my friends. Particularly my best friend. We'll call her DW, because on facebook we are technically married. haha. Her husband is actually returning from his deployment next month as well. It's going to be quite the party.

The only clear goal I have is going to Kenya next summer. I'm budgeting $2k for plane ticket and spending while I'm there (which will be minimal). If I use a chunk of my bonus money, monthly saving wont be too bad. But we'll see. I've been trying to get out of the country and see the world for a while now. I think this is my chance. I'm rather excited about it

So I think that's enough for now. Hope everyone is doing well, and I'll post again soon

So... it's been a while... over a year, as I look at my previous entries. What the hell happened, you ask? Well. It would be silly to sum it all up in a few paragraphs, but this is what I'm going to do anyway

My last entry was October of 2008. The BF was preparing for his deployment, and things were getting hectic on the job front. I was wanting to rip my eyes out every day studying accounting. Things were monotonous and frustrating and I realized I was far from happy.

In November I decided to enlist in the Army National Guard. Big step, right? haha. I did it for a few reasons: Mostly money. A $20k bonus, $18k in student loan repayment, and unlimited options for future employment in a rather unhealthy job market seemed like a good combination of rationality to up and do it. There was also the notion that I would have something to do for the year the BF would be away in the big sandbox.

That's probably the best decision I've made in a long time. I spent a few months working at my original job at the poultry place because I quit that bartending job I had. My boss made me miserable.

The cons to joining the military: Gave up puppy... that was probably the hardest and most depressing thing I've ever done. I still miss the crap out of that dog, despite the fact that she chewed up my favorite cookbook, and peed all over the carpet... There will always be a special place in my heart for Madi.

I also broke the lease at my apartment, as no one would be living in it. All of my things are now sitting in a storage unit, and I'll be living with my bestest friend in the whole world when I get back.

Basic Training was one hell of an experience. I left on St. Patrick's Day of 2009. I finished up on my birthday at the end of May. Since, I've been in fabulous Ft. Eustis, VA. My job is probably the best part about being in the military. I work on these tiny little helicopters. I'm a mechanic, and I love every minute of it. Like, a lot. It's definitely not psychology or accounting or any of that fluff. Just straightforward wrench turning and pulling out and putting back in.

BF and I split about a month and a half ago. It's a looooooong complicated situation and I'm still incredibly bummed about the whole thing. It's been a rough time. Really rough. Long story short, he wanted the freedom to do what he pleased when he finally comes back to the states, and neither of us wanted me to be the one to hold him back from that. A relationship with such distance in the way is hard enough to maintain without one person not really having their heart in it. I miss him terribly.

I go back to Ohio in a little over 2 weeks, and I'm not ready in any way, shape, or form. I never thought I would dread returning home, but the fact of the matter is that I've had all my decisions made for me for the last 6 months, and it kind of works for me. For anyone who has been on this site since 2004, you've seen me live my life, seen me change my mind and make decisions that have totally reorganized my world time and again. It's hard to tell if the decisions I'm making these days will really be all that good for me. It's hard to trust a 5 year crazy streak...

Not only that, but I do love what I do in the Army, and I dont have a steady job waiting for me when I get home. I do have a rent-free place to stay, which takes much of the burden off, but I dont want to be a total mooch.

I will be purchasing a new car when I make my return. Haven't had one in the last 4 years. I'm pretty sure it's going to be essential to the job-getting process. That, and I get the first half of my bonus... so I'll put about $9k down and pay off the remaining balance over the course of the next 2 years. Have a warranty and a car that shouldn't break. I'm buying a Yaris. Drove BF's back before I left, loved it. It'll be a manual. Much more fun, and much cheaper. I'm pretty excited about it.

I need to find a job ASAP. I'll be attempting to find a full time tech position at my unit. Pays great and I'll be doing something I really love. I'll return to school either full or part time in January, depending on what job I find. If the tech thing doesn't work out, I'll probably go back to waitressing, and do school full time-- reaping the benefits of my GI Bill.

Other than that, things are just kind of suspended til I get home. The last month has been really crappy, and I'm hoping that getting back will get me in gear rather than make me feel more hopeless, which is what I'm dreading.

Regardless, I apologize for the depressing nature of this entry. I'm hoping that getting back in control of my finances will help me feel some amount of control over the rest of my life. I'm a single gal now, with endless possibilities. That should be exciting. Really, it's overwhelming because I have no idea what in the world I want to do.

Sigh.

At any rate, I want to say hello again to all the old friends hanging around still, and I hope to find some positive support here in my financial endevours. As always, what I intended to do didn't really end up happening, and the amount of money I saved/paid off my CC with wasn't nearly as much as I had hoped for through all this.

Time for change.

At this time, I'll let y'all move on to other entries or the activities of your everyday life, but I look forward to blogging with you all again

Well, I had my interview this morning. It wasn't quite as much an interview as it was a meeting with a person at a staffing agency, though. They started me a profile in thier database, and asked me some questions about my strengths, skills, etc. They sent me a couple tests for accounting, and I did okay on them.

I actually scored better on the cost accounting test than the accounting terminology test. lol. At least where percentiles are concerned. Just goes to show that when you take principles of accounting I and then wait 3 years to decide to take on business as a major that you forget a lot of that information...

They wanted me to do 2 typing tests as well, but for some reason my computer wouldn't run them... so we'll see how that goes.

I revised my resume, and have another meeting at the center for career management on monday, then a workshop on career fairs. Then a career fair on thursday to go to, so I have (hopefully) some good prospects. Those few days will give me some time to tweak my resume and research some of the companies that will be there. I dont feel terribly rushed to find anything in the next week, so it's nice to explore my options rather than settling for something.

Either way, let's hope things go well. I'm thining I may have to go buy a new top to wear to this career fair. I have one nice one, but I managed to get food on it in a couple places, so there are 2 small stains. I just need a plain white button up top. I'm sure I can find one somewhere for not too much money. I got 2 pairs of nice closed-toed dress shoes at payless last night. One pair black, the other brown. I looove the brown ones, and they're not too terribly dressy, so they look cute with jeans as well. Money well spent, I believe.

Well, gonna get going here. I think it's about time to head home and take the pup out, then get to bed. I'm pretty sleepy. Everyone have a great night!

Well, still thinking over the Pampered Chef thing, but I did have an appointment with the center for career management at my university. We went over my resume, and a bunch of other stuff. I have some homework to do with all that. I also made a call about an ad that I saw on craigslist for an "inventory administrator with accounts recievable." I have an interview tomorrow, so all I'm thinking about now is getting my resume in order, and figuring out what to wear. lol. My interview is at 11, and I get out of class at 9, so I'll have a little bit of time to do some homework and still get there early.

I'm also going to a career fair next week, so I'll have (hopefully) some other opportunities to find a job. We'll see, I guess. Wish me luck!

Puppy is doing okay. Her crate and potty training has been going alright. She had more accidents today than she has over the last week, though we were at my mom's for a lot of the day. Lucky for me, a couple of the big accidents were on linoleum. I think she gets a little too excited when she's around my mom's dog...

Either way, I should get working on this resume. Everyone have a great night!

In lieu of the start to my job hunt, I've been going over my options. I thought about my interests and what kind of job I would want to do. I've sent resumes out for numerous administrative and secretarial positions. I'm just not sure if that's what I want to do or not. I dont have enough experience to find anything in the accounting feild, though I've sent resumes out for positions there too.

One option I came up with was being a Pampered Chef consultant. I love thier products, which means I would be willing to do sales, but there's a real entertaining aspect of it that I think I would really enjoy. Also, I think it would give me a good glimpse into what it's like to run my own business. I would have to do all of my own advertising, booking, planning, etc. I think it could be a really great experience, and I would be working on my own schedule.

Does anyone have any experience with Pampered Chef, or with any other home-party based businesses? What is the commission like? How much can you expect to make? I would really appreciate any feedback. Thanks!

Well, this week will be interesting indeed.

I got a "notice" from my boss yesterday, more or less telling me that my job was in jeapordy. I wont go into details about how or why this is ridiculous, I'll only mention that I do nothing differently than any other employee at my restaurant, and for some reason get treated differently than anyone else.

I've been considering quitting for the last few months. My boss is a total a**hole, and treats me like I'm an idiot on a daily basis. I've always been told that if you dont know the answer to a question, you ask. It's terribly simple. My questions are answered with rude and demeaning comments. I've been given absolutely no training and have no experience bartending, yet I get yelled at for doing things incorrectly. I think doing things incorrectly is pretty par for the course when you're learning as you go along.

I think my boss had much higher expectations of me than what I was capable of when I took the position he asked me to take. He's used to dealing with people who have been bartending for years, and got frustrated when I didn't do everything to his liking (despite the fact he never told me how he wanted things done in the first place).

I think this frustration lead me to be the one he dumps all of his problems on. I'm pretty tired of being his punching bag. There have been a couple times he's really went off on me, swore at me, and embarrased me in front of customers. My coworkers all have told me that if he treated them like he treats me that they wouldn't be able to work for him.

I decided yesterday that I couldn't either. If he is going to threaten my job for such petty reasons as he did, he must not really want me there in the first place. It makes no sense for us to be wasting our time. I've been miserable for a few months now. It's time to go.

So now I'm on the job hunt. BF is helping me out financially until I can find something. I've been in contact with the university's career management center, so I'll be updating and improving my resume in the next few days. I plan on sending them out to quite a few places. I've been looking on craigslist and in the paper to find office and accounting related part-time jobs. I'm also going to look at the job postings board in the college of business.

I'm going to attempt to find something along these lines before settling for a non business-related job, but if I cant find anything in a few weeks, that's what it will come to.

I usually stick by the rule of having something else lined up before quitting my current job, but things just didn't work out that way this time. I tried to make it work for a while, it's just that no amount of money is really worth being verbally abused everyday.

Thankfully I have that refund check for the excess portion of my student loans coming. I'm still going to put over $1000 of it into my CC, but it will also serve as just in case money. Regardless, I'm going to be super tight on the spending. No eating out at restaurants for me. Just the bare essentials.

On the lighter side of things (not that I dont consider quitting my job a good thing. I'm actually quite relieved), BF and I got a puppy She's a rescue from a puppy mill, and a gorgeous little thing. They said she's a husky mix, though I dont think she looks much like a husky. She's 2 months old, and we named her Madi. Here's a picture of the pretty girl:



She's doing okay on the potty training. We've had a few accidents for sure, but she does wait to go outside unless she really has to go, in which case it's really our fault for not realizing it. What we're really working on is the cage training. She hates being in the cage, so it's been a noisy last couple nights. Our neighbors probably hate us by now...

She's darling, though, and I can tell she's going to be a great comfort when BF goes to Iraq in December. I wanted to get her a couple months before so that BF could help me train her. So far it's been a tough, but rewarding experience. It's really like having a kid, from what I can tell. haha. She really is just a baby.

Okay, that's enough for now. I hope everyone has a great night. Wish me luck on the job hunt!

So. I went and talked to financial aid this morning. I must admit I was a bit nervous, as my aid had not gone through yet. I've been on the payment plan, and I would have been quite short of the $1000 due this month...

I was waiting for paperwork to be processed. I had an audit put on my FAFSA, and it took about a month for them to sort things through. When I got an email from the gov, my expected family contribution was $20. heh. Mom getting a divorce was beneficial in more ways than one

Still, my aid had not showed up. We pinpointed the problem-- a processing error having to do with being a guest student over the summer. The problem was (thankfully) resolved, and my aid was indeed pushed through.

Here's the best news: I GOT GRANTS. Yes, for the first time in my college career, I got grants. I'll get more when I'm full time next semester, but it's great to know that there is $1500 I dont have to pay back... Also, I got subsidized loans for the first time. I feel like I'm in hog heaven. When everything is said and done, between the pell grant, the subsidized stafford, and unsubsidized stafford, I'll be getting a little over $2000 in the mail. That money will be promptly put to pay off the majority of my credit card limit. A 25% interest rate will no longer be what keeps me up at night.

I couldn't be happier

See, I've been thinking really seriously lately about starting to save for retirement, as well as saving for a house, a trip, and little by little, the startup costs for my first entrepeneurial endevour. Needless to say, I want to do a lot of saving. With a (relatively) high cc balance, that seemed rather far off, but I have no doubt I can pay off my cc in a couple months if I get this money. I'll trade 25% interest for 6% interest any day. My credit score is also going to likely improve dramatically. Especially considering I'm not going to have to pay these obscene fees for going over my credit limit (note, it was my interest that put me over the limit, not charging... faulty system).

I feel so secure. Up until now I've been so worried I wasn't going to be able to come up with the extra funding. I'm so used to not being able to cover my tuition with stafford loans solely. It feels great to know that I can do it. I dont have to fret. I can just go to school and feel safe that I can finish out the semester.

Yay for me!

So please, look forward to big plans and savings I'll keep you all updated!

Hello again, friends!

It's been quite a while since I've posted a blog... I've been incredibly busy with school and work. No big suprise, I'm sure

I'm not 100% on what my last post said, but things are going alright. I still have yet to get my financial aid pushed through... have to talk to the office tomorrow. Class itself is going well, but it's tough while working full time. I've been slipping financially because of my constant motion. I grocery shopped on sunday, however, so I can stop dumping so much money at restaurants Things are getting back on track progressively as I get accustomed to this new schedule.

BF and I are doing fabulously. It's 9 months now. It's scary that he's going to be leaving for his pre-deployment training here in just a couple weeks. It's coming up so soon! That being said, the new puppy will likely be bought next month. I cant say I'm not excited. I've wanted a puppy for many years now.

Work is going alright. I'm making good money, though I'm a bit miserable working for my boss. He's turned into quite the monster over the last couple months. I need to talk to the university career center and work on getting an internship or part time job for the spring semester. It's in the works.

I put together my october budget, and I'm determined to stay on track. I never put one together for september, which would explain the casual spending left and right :/ That's what happens when I stop tracking my expenses...

At any rate, I'm going to get going. There is homework to be done! (always).

I hope everyone is doing well, and I'm happy I could pop in and give you all an update!

Have a wonderful night!

Well, I'm registered for my classes. The trick now is paying for them. This is not my favorite game, let me tell you. I'm one of the lucky random students being audited for my fafsa, so it's a mess of paperwork before I can even get evaluated for my financial aid. It'll take another 5 weeks. Because of this, I have to sign up for a payment plan, which includes a $30 fee and a $500 deposit. Argh. I'd have the money if I didn't just spend it all on my summer classes...

Soooo. I have until this coming monday to come up with the money, or I'll be slapped with a $50 late fee. Then, I have until next friday to come up with the amount plus the late fee or I get my classes dropped.

Why does it always seem like I'm racing against the clock? Or the calender, as it were.

The good news is that I think I may be able to wing it by monday. Assuming that I make semi-decent money at work in the next couple days. But then again, it is nearing the end of the week, so that may not be a possibility. We have more people on staff at the end of the week, thus more people to split tables between. Let's hope there are a lot of people out there who wanna drink at my restaurant!

In a guilty fuss I'm going to admit that I *gasp!* spent money on clothes in the last week. I was at walmart and saw plain tanks for $4 each, so I bought 2 (mine are getting kind of gross because I wear them like crazy). I was also at the consignment shop picking up the last of the profit my clothes generated (a whole $9) when I spotted a pair of american eagle jeans in my size for only $14.38. I reeeeeeaally needed another pair of jeans. Mine are all full of holes, and it's getting quite ridiculous. Thus, spending the money was well worth it. There you have it. My back to school shopping. $23-ish.

It's been a stressful week, and it seems that it's not going to get any better. I've got quite a bit of pressure on me to make some money. I have tuition and books (to the tune of $200) to cover in the next week. My credit card will be maxed out, and my EF is gone. It's times like these that make me happy that I opted to do school part-time this semester. I want to get some stuff caught up and whittled down. I hope business picks up a bit.

I was hoping to go out this weekend to celebrate the new semester, or at least mourn the last weekend I'll have free. My schedule is going to be quite hectic come next week. Here's how it stands:

Monday: Work 11-6pm. School 6:40-7:55pm.
Tuesday: School 7:45-9:00am. Work 11-6pm.
Wednesday: Work 11-6pm. School 6:40-7:55pm.
Tuesday: School 7:45-9:00am. Work 11-6pm.
Friday: Work 11-6pm.
Saturday: Class 12:00-2:40pm.
Sunday: Sweet sweet relief.

Saturday class wouldn't be so bad except it's 35 minutes away, so it's more like class from 11:15-3:30pm, which pretty much kills my saturdays. Ah well. Guess it's time to put those time managment skills to work.

It's looking like I wont meet all my goals for this month afterall, but I'm hoping I will have my classes all situated before long. That's definitely top priority.

At any rate, enough rambling. I hope everyone is doing well, and good luck to the rest of you students out there. I hope we all have a great semester!

Finally, the moment of glory has come. My summer classes are all paid off. Thus, I can go into the university and put in a form, pay a fee, and register for my classes. Things are finally coming together.

In other news, BF and I opened that joint checking account today. So we're on our way to having a system down. I'm quite thrilled. I made some stellar money this week at work, so hopefully I'll have a little to contribute to it.

I've been going a little off-budget in the last week or so. All in food and dining out. Always the culprit... However, other than that I've been really good. I just need to cook more. For someone who loves to cook as much as I do you'd think that wouldn't be a problem, but I've been spending too much on food at work again. And everywhere else.

A new week is starting soon, however, so things will get a fresh new start. I'm excited to register for my classes. I feel a bit accomplished that I've almost got everything set. It brings me closer to graduation and a job, so I'm doubly pleased

Good and bad news: BF may not be going to Iraq afterall. Good news is that he likely will not be going (at least not this year). The bad news is that he really wanted to go, so I feel bad in some respect. It would have been great for him financially, and he wanted to experience it. There is opportunity for him to go with his own unit in 2010, however. So things still may end up going down that road. In the mean time, he's got some stuff to think about in terms of what he wants to do with his future and all that.

So anyhoo. I'm going to cut this here. Too much rambling and all. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Well, it's been a little while. I cant say that there is much news outside of my boss driving me absolutely crazy at work. Last week was quite hellish. I really dont get employers who give no training and expect their new employees to be perfect at their job after only 2 weeks. It's beyond me. But, for this week, I have a job. And my boss has not threatened it yet this week (of course, it is only tuesday. haha). Let's hope he removes whatever object is stuck in his rear-end.

It's getting close to tuition time, and I have almost what I need. BF owes me a bit of money (I paid the security deposit, the stuff we got at IKEA over the weekend, groceries for the last 2 weeks, etc). He only gets paid 2 times a month, and I'd rather it all be in one lump sum. That way I cant spend it.

I'm a little concerned about how tuition will work for the fall, but I'm going to cross that bridge when I come to it. Hopefully I'll be able to get on a payment plan.

Other than that, just settling in the new place, trying not to lose my mind. You know. I made my goal of making $150 in extra income already this month. I made $106 selling books on amazon in the last couple weeks, and I babysat the other day which netted me $60. So perhaps I'll shoot for $200?

I think that's it for now. Everyone have a wonderful day!

Well, not that much on the financial front. I made really decent money yesterday, which was great. Ate dinner in last night: zuchinni and shells in chunky marinara. Mmm. BF and I were both terribly tired and ended up going to bed fairly early.

I have a couple of errands to run this morning. I need to go to the bank to make a deposit, then I have to go to the post office to send out the books I sold on amazon.

Then work til 6. Bleh. Work has been going good except my boss has been a raging jerk for the last few days. We need to call in a doctor to surgically remove the stick that's been up his *ahem*. Enough griping, however.

Tonight BF and I are going to mom's for dinner. My little brother is in town (he's been doing basic and training with the Airforce for quite a while now). I'm pretty excited to see him and hang with the fam

Well, I've got to get this day rolling. Everyone have a good one!

Well, my fiscal July is over, thus fiscal august is here. I made over $100 last night at work, so the month went out with a bang

I met all of my July goals save one: I only made $108 in additional income, so I didn't hit my $150 mark, but it still wasn't too shabby.

The same goal in August will be very easily obtained, as I have a babysitting gig, an editing gig, and sold 2 books on amazon this week. That alone will bring me up to over $100. It looks like it could be a good month

As for today, it's been somewhat of a lazy day, though I need to start stepping things up. I slept in, but also didn't get home from work until a little after 3am. Bars... bleh. Still, I have to do my grocery shopping, and then BF and I are going to go to the old apartment, get the rest of our stuff out of it, and then clean. Yippie. haha.

Still have yet to tackle that desk... I may just have to do it on my own. We'll see.

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone that commented on my last post about how BF and I are working out our finances. It makes me feel a little better about things. And to reply to BA briefly: Yes, it probably is easier to just split the bills and not bother with a joint account, but it's the act of doing it together that I think is going to really strengthen our relationship financially. Considering the rate of divorce and some of the popular rifts (financial problems being one of them), I'd like to make sure we can work together when it comes to money *before* we get married. So I'm thinking of this as a sort of beginning step to marital bliss in the future

Other than that, I have no ground-breaking news. It's going to be a very busy week, but it'll hopefully be a profitable one. I need to really step things up in the next couple weeks so I can be assured that I'll be going to class in the fall.

Wish me luck!

Everyone have a great day, I'm off to grocery shop!

Well, BF and I have had the chance to sit down and talk about some things concerning our finances. We've decided to open a joint bank account for our living expenses, and split the bills 30/70, as he makes substantially more than I do. I was really uncomfortable with this at first, but the more I think about it the more it makes sense. Besides, it will fluctuate, and who knows... there may be a time when I make more than he does, and the percentages will change accordingly.

I'm fairly excited to see how things will pan out with the joint expenses. I think it will be a good experience for both of us. I think it will help work more compromise into our relationship (not that we do poorly in that area, but still), and I also think some of my frugal budgeting hooplah will rub off on BF, and do him some good.

We got set up with renter's insurance. It's going to run us about $17/month. Not bad at all. I still need to talk through my life insurance policy with ma and see what my options are, and perhaps cancel my policy for the time being. $321/year really isn't THAT much money, but part of me would rather be investing it. But we'll see...

We're almost set in the new place, but we still need to get the desk organized. That's going to be a big project... ah well, a little at a time, I guess.

I sold 2 books on amazon, totalling about $80. Very nice. It will do wonders for the tuition payment I have to make here in a bit.

I'm not going to write out my total august budget here, but I am going to put down my goals. My fiscal august starts on monday, so here it is:

*Pay off summer classes by the 15th.
*Register for fall.
*Save up at least $100 for Kenya trip in may 09.
*Make at least $150 in additional income.
*Dont touch CC (except for paying off classes).
*Stay under budget.
*Pay off at least $150 on CC.
*No buying: Fast food, clothes, CD's, movies, or books for pleasure.

We'll see how it goes. Alrighty. Time to get ready for work. Everyone have a great day!

Wow. There are so many numbers I have to work with right now. It's rather overwhelming. I'm trying to figure my living expenses per month, with a rough estimate of income monthly, then determine how much I have to spend a month on tuition, how much I should ideally pay on my CC, how much I should be putting into an EF, and how much I should be saving per month to fund a trip to Kenya in May (as well as a plane ticket to see BF in Oaklahoma in March before he ships off to the sandy cities).

Phew.

I need to cut costs where I can. Here is my August challenge: No fast food. No buying food at work. No buying clothes, CD's, movies, or books for pleasure. No spending more than $20 for the entire month on eating at restaurants (which means one or two outings depending on the restaurant).

I've decided to go without, at least for August, internet service at the new apartment. I get internet at the library, at work, at my mom's, etc. BF has a wireless card on his work laptop, so whenever he is home, we have internet. Anywhere. So it seems kind of pointless to spend the money to get it just for convenience's sake. This is a big step for me. haha.

BF and I are going to sit down and decide how we want to handle our joint expenses. This will determine too what my monthly expenses will be.

I've set my trip to Kenya date to May of 2009. This gives me 8 months or so to save up money for the trip. I'm budgeting about $1600. Most of it will be for the plane ticket. I have an organization to stay with (for essentially free) once I get there. I think setting the date and coming up with a dollar amount to save every month will keep me focused. Besides, "Saving for my Kenya trip" sounds much more glamorous when deciding on a reason to not spend money on something else rather than "paying down my CC debt."

I'm trying to decide what I really want to do with my time and money and not get stuck in the "deprivation mode" that most financial fasts bring on. What is important to me? Spending time with my loved ones, my friends, my family, learning, going to school, travelling, and many other things. I'm trying to embrace my passions a little more rather than just getting bogged down with making money.

For instance, I'm trying to embrace my job a little more. Really do the best I can. That means helping with promotion and marketing for my restaurant, doing the best job I can while I'm there, really interacting with the customers and giving them the best experience they could have to make them come back. I want more responsibility so I can take pride in the things I do, rather than just being there to make money (though that obviously helps). Eventually, I hope the time and effort I put into helping the restaurant will lead me to have more business, then ultimately more money (and job satisfaction).

I'm embracing my love for cooking and entertaining to save money. Moving into the new place has really opened up options as far as entertainment and spending time with friends. I love to cook, and I love to cook for others. Even if I end up spending a little more on groceries, it will far outsmart the grotesque amounts of money I would ultimately end up spending at restaurants and bars. For instance, tomorrow night friends are coming over to eat, drink, and likely play board games. Everyone is bringing something (food or drinkstuffs). I have everything I need at home for my pleasant evening. No dollars will be moving out of this wallet, oh no!

As far as other entertainment goes, the library has been a godsent for me this past week. I've been doing so much financial reading and enjoying my season 3 disc 2 of Scrubs (that I need to finish watching because I need to return it tomorrow). Not to mention, all this life planning has been burning some serious hours.

I have, however, been enjoying the freed up time I've had due to not having internet at home I realize that I have so many things around me I could do... play guitar, learn a foreign language, start exercising again... so many things that I could do for essentially free. Right now I'm doing laundry at mom's and working numbers instead of accepting the invite to go to the movies and see the new Batman. I have to say that I did want to see that movie, but the $8 is much better kept in my wallet.

One other thing, I've been trying to re-think the time I spend with my friends. Sure, going to the bar is a good time. But really, some of my best times were spent camping, or playing board games. We may have simultaneously been consuming beverages of the alcoholic persuasion, but they weren't upcharged 300%. And we could hear the conversation

Well, that's enough rambling for one night. I'm gonna go watch some scrubs! Everyone have a great night.

Well, we're getting moved into the apartment just fine. I'm loving the extra space and all the natural light. I never noticed just how dungeon-like the old place was until I had windows in every room!

I've resolved to not move again for at least another 2 years. This whole moving every year thing has gotten quite old...

There is no internet in the new place yet, so I've been doing a lot more reading at home. It's probably a blessing in disguise, considering the hours I waste away on the computer usually. I finished Suze Orman's YF&B, and it has definitely given me some things to think about. I'm going to start really planning out for my financial goals. Not just the small, short-term things, but also the longer-term things, such as retirement, buying a house, eventually owning my own business, etc.

I'm going to talk to my mom (my insurance agent) about different options on my life insurance policy. It's a variable policy, which means it does have an investment element to it, but I realize it's probably too expensive. All of the mail I recieve about the financial advisors and such makes me think I'm probably paying too much. So I'll get quotes on term life, and I'm going to look into opening a Roth IRA sometime in the next year or so. I'm going to do some shopping around for a while first. I'm assuming that a term life plan for someone as young as me isn't going to be very pricey, and I can put the difference into a Roth and probably fare better.

I'm also going to sit down and go over joint financial hooplah with BF. I like Suze's idea of having a joint bank account for living expenses. I think it'll be good for sorting through things together. Besides, I want to get out of that "his money, her money" mindset. We go out and I "let him pay" quite a bit, knowing full-well that his and my money will one day be the same, and he shouldn't be "paying for me," he should be sticking that money to something a little more useful (and we should just not go out to eat at all out of convenience).

Started my new shift at work yesterday, and I think it's going to be very successful. I'm pretty excited. I'm definitely ready to start making the big bucks.

I'm trying to get things in order for school this week. I have to call my university in PA and have them mail this university my transcript. I'm going to do the part-time thing in the fall, try and pay down my CC (that will be racked up to pay off these summer classes), and make up for it next summer by taking a few classes (that I will save up the money to pay for so I dont get stuck like I did this year).

It's almost time to do my July totals and budget for August! I cant believe how fast this summer is going by! Less than a month before school starts again... jeez. I'm looking forward to it, though I'm not going to get all hyped for fall until these summer classes are paid for. With my luck things will go awry and I'll have to put it all off. I'm hoping this is not the case, but in the event that it is, I dont want to let myself down.

Other than that, I dont think I have any real news. I'm just trying to get my mind-set in order to make the most money and get the most out of my job I can, while at the same time get my life in order and come up with a plan. It's strange to me trying to be a grown-up now. I'm trying to balance the things I love with paying off my debt, and planning for the future. It's a lot of work and most certainly a huge thing to tackle. But I'm enjoying tackling it, which is the nice part. I feel so much more responsible.

Either way, I should get going. I have more fun to have at the library before walking over to work.

Everyone have a wonderful day!

I do so love the library... yesterday I picked up 2 movies and a CD I had on hold, then I went and looked through the rather extensive personal finance section

I always feel like such a nerd doing so much financial reading, but the books I picked up this time seem to be really good. I've never read any of Suze Orman's stuff, though it's talked about on SA rather religiously. I got her Financial Guidebook, and "The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous, and Broke." I also picked up a copy of "Conscious Spending for Couples," by Deborah Knuckey.

I started doing the guidebook yesterday, and I've gotten pretty far. By far, I mean to part 5. I've found in many of the Personal Finance books I've read that I feel that some of it doesn't apply to me. Especially in the case of wills, living trusts, things of that nature. Why draw up pricey documents when you really dont have anything?

I have no estate, no real property worth more than a few thousand, so I dont see the point. I do have a life insurance policy, which is a variable policy (kind of like a mutual fund). I dont know too much about it, except that if I let it sit for a long time, it has a pretty sizeable cash value, and I get stuff in the mail about it all the time that I dont really understand. lol. I pay my premiums 4 times a year, and that's that.

So I skipped the will/living trust/power of attorney for health insurance and all that. I know, I know. I could die at any time, but at this point, if I die, my mom can take care of things how she sees fit and she can keep my clothes (you're welcome).

However, I did like the point in the book where it talks about earliest money memories, and fears, and all that. It's interesting to look at things from a psychological point of view. I definitely saw connections between some of my memories and my fears. And I came up with my "new truth." I even repeated it several times today, as the book told me to do.

The other thing that this book made me realize is that I kind of push off some of the things that are really important to me, like travelling. I've been wanting to get out of this country and see something more since I was 17, and have never had the money. So I'm making it a point to take a trip to Kenya in the next year. Come hell or high water. I'll save up the money, and take that trip. I'll do it when BF is away in the sandy cities. It'll give me something to look forward to. A trip like that is very important to me, just as important as paying off my CC. So whereas I wont charge the trip to my card, I will be saving an additional amount of money each month to go toward this trip. Perhaps I'll start using my extra income each month. That'll give me more incentive to make it

In other financial news, I sold a book on amazon, which I plan on shipping here in about an hour. I need to stop at the bank on the way to work to make a deposit, as today we sign the lease, and I need that money in my account to give the woman the check for first months' rent/security deposit.

It's going to be a very busy day, as I work both the restuarant and the bar. So it'll be a late night as well. I need to get a move on, then. So much to do!

Everyone have a wonderful day!

Well, we sign the lease tomorrow. Then we start moving into our new apartment. Very exciting

It's amazing to me just how busy I am this week. I've definitely been feeling it... I told the couple I work for yesterday that I was leaving them to work a better shift at my restaurant. They were very understanding, which made me feel much better about the decision. They did seem quite disappointed, however. They said that I'm a hard worker and do such a good job, and make excellent food I told them to keep my number on hand in case they needed extra help, their new person needs to take a week off, etc.

So today is my last day with them. I'm going to miss it. It's only been a week, and I've never much cared for cleaning, but they are very nice people, and they were incredibly nice to work for. I start my new schedule at work next week. So let's hope I make the big bucks.

Went to mom's and did laundry last night. That saved me about $5.

I sold a book on amazon last night, so that'll be somewhere around $22 after shipping costs. I need to take that to the post office. I also need to go to the library, as I have a couple movies and a CD waiting for me there.

I'll be packing my lunch again today. If I keep it up through tomorrow, that would be 2 whole weeks that I've gone without spending money at work. Which means I've saved about $22.50. I want to keep it up through the rest of the month.

I cant believe how fast July has gone by. I need to apply to the university by August 1, so I need to get on that. I also need to pay my tuition ASAP. I cant register for classes in the fall til I pay the balance off. That could be problematic in that I have to pay this safety deposit and first months' rent... but we'll see. It'll be tough, but I want to go back to school in the fall, even if it's just part time.

I looked back at some of my entries in April and found the challenge I forgot about... I said I didn't want to buy any books for pleasure, movies, or CD's for 3 months. If I get through July, I'll reach this goal. Exciting Thank you public library! haha.

I should probably get this day rolling. My slump passed once I got to work, I've just been really tired. It will likely continue through today as I got to bed late (up doing laundry til 12:30). I'm going to have to get used to these longer hours. Next week will be a little less stressful, however. I dont have to leave one job to go to the next. That kind of messes things up a bit. I always feel rushed.

Either way, everyone have a great day!