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Archive for February, 2011

Tax Refund... what to do with it...

February 9th, 2011 at 01:03 pm

So my tax refund hit today, and I'm here trying to decide how I want to split up the $3k. There are bills that I still have yet to pay, so those will obviously go first. Then I'll also be having my car looked at today, so I can solve the check engine light problem. It's also my mom's birthday, and I have no idea what in the world to get her. After that, I need to figure out how much of my debt I want to pay off with it, and how much I want to put into savings.

That will be the hard part. I'm trying to save roughly $4k for trips this year-- including one to Germany. I'm also trying to pay off roughly $5k of my debt this year also. I'm thinking for right now I'll put $1k toward debt and $1k into my savings, then reassess at the end of the month where I stand... because my GI bill is messed up right now and I cant get a hold of the people to fix it... so I'm currently low on funds.

It's so exciting to think that one thousand dollars are going to be paid on my loans. Granted, that's peanuts compared to the whole, but regardless... It still is above and beyond what I get charged in interest every month. If only I could do that every month! lol. It's so frustrating to know that I accumulate $300/month in interest from just the one company. It seems criminal... ah well. Gotta do what I gotta do, I guess.

An article of mine got published at Buildipedia.com yesterday, and turned out rather fabulous. If you guys wanna take a read:

Text is Is Parking Policy Stunting Urban Sustainability? and Link is http://buildipedia.com/go-green/eco-news-and-trends/item/1400-is-parking-policy-stunting-urban-sustainability?
Is Parking Policy Stunting Urban Sustainability?

That's really all I've got for now. Still in relative shock, and needing to get to work! I have a very busy day ahead of me. I hope you all have a good one.

Spendy weekend... I need to keep myself out of craft stores...

February 7th, 2011 at 01:59 pm

As the title may have indicated, I spent a bit much at craft stores this weekend... After taking a sewing class a few weeks ago, I realized that I was severely under-equipped to do the kinds of projects I really want to do in a semi-professional manner. That's changed. In my defense, having a clothes-iron is probably a good idea regardless, and the table-top ironing board wasn't too expensive. I also got much of the stuff I bought from Joann Fabrics 50% off-- including a rotary cutter and mat.

The other great thing is that if I spend all this money on sewing stuff, I'll actually keep up with the hobby. I'm good with it. Once I have the basic supplies, all I'll have to purchase in the future really is fabric and notions. And I have PLENTY of projects to keep me busy for a while.

The weekend outside of this spending wasn't *too* bad. We entertained a couple Friday night, which was incredibly fun. I did drop a bit of money on some fancier foods for the night: cheese, olives, berries, and a couple bottles of wine. I made banana and sweet peppers stuffed with couscous, sausage, garlic, zucchini, and spinach. It was fantastic and we had tons of leftovers. We spent the rest of the night playing Apples to Apples and drinking up all that wine... I felt a bit sick Saturday morning.

Saturday night I did some shopping with a friend- at Joann, and I spent a little too much money on home and scrapbooking stuff. No regrets, though, so it should be okay. I'm not going to beat myself up over the purchases, but rather make sure to curb the spending this week. We have plenty to keep us busy now... The rest of Saturday night was spent with my girlfriend watching movies. Terribly successful.

As for the Superbowl, I spent the time reading Twitter feed about the commercials during the game, and watched the commercials when they were on. It was terribly entertaining, and far better than watching football. I hate football.

Today is Monday, and a busy one at that. Lots of homework to do. Working out this evening with my friend, then going to class. It's going to be a busy week, but things are going well, so no complaints here!

Hope you all have a great Monday Smile