Well, tomorrow BF comes home from his training hooplah! I haven't seen him in 2 weeks. Though the last few days have gone by at what seems to be light speed, I cant say the rest of the wait was that pleasant. So I'm so very excited

As for today, grocery shopping and laundry. Groceries are going to be more than usual, as I have to get a few things that I only buy every few weeks (almonds, string cheese, etc) and BF is going to be in PA tuesday, wednesday, thursday, and friday nights, so I'm going to be cooking for us at least a few times. We talked about being broke, thus we're going to attempt to not dine out as much as possible. Besides, I tend to eat waaaay more in calories when I go to restaurants.

I'm only going to do one load of laundry today (I broke down and did 2 last week), so it should only be $2.50.

Last night I went out with my professor and a few other students working on research for a presentation we're doing at the APA division 32 conference in August. I'm so very excited. It's a big deal, and will look great on my resume. Not to mention, I've never been to Boston! We're trying to get the university to pay our travel and hotel costs. Cross your fingers for us!

Other than that, I'm slowly but surely going to have to go through my things and start packing. Only a month and a week til moving time! And my beach vacation!!!

It seems like I have just so much to look forward to

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend!

The last few days have been real downers. I'm not sure if it's just being burnt out at school or BF being away with so very little contact, but it's been rough regardless.

Today started the same way, though I had a little break last night (I made popcorn and watched "The Big Lebowski"-- which I got from the library, for free, as a side note!). I was tired, grumpy, etc. I decided before my psych club meeting to get some chunky monkey to cheer me up-- you gotta love $5 pints of icecream :/ I felt it necessary to get *something* special. And thankfully, it worked! lol. I dont think it was only that (by the way, I only ate about 1/4 the pint... I donated the rest to a friend!). I also talked to my mama, and it happened to be both daylight AND sunny when I caught the bus for home. That most certainly brightened my day

So not a no-spend day, but a low-spend day nonetheless. Tonight a friend is coming over to work out with me. I figured that with less than 2 months before my beach vacation getting in shape isn't going to hurt... then we're going to spend the rest of the night studying... something I need to do. I have a big test on thursday. Seems like it's going to be a good night!

I've been sticking to my meal plan as well. So that freezer is slowly but surely getting a dent! And at this rate, the grocery bill is going to be relatively low for the next couple weeks. woo!

The only other financial news I have is that the ticket eating machine on the bus today was broken, so I got my ride home for free I guess port authority came through for me once afterall! Night guys!

So I am home after a very long 16-day vacation. I am also broke. Quite. haha. I can honestly say it was entirely worth it, but I am broke. I guess it's back to reality

Here is my vacation summary:

Pennsylvania to Missouri, to Denver, to Las Vegas and the Hoover Dam, to San Diego, to Phoenix, Arizona, to the Grand Canyon, back to Missouri, then Columbus, Ohio, back to Pittsburgh. Whoo!

Tara has taken on the whole country! Hoo buddy!

We only stayed in a hotel one night, which wasn't a necessity but sounded fun. All the other nights we slept at a friends' or in the car. Gas total was a little under $600. Not too shabby... The bulk of the money was spent on food and such. We ate at some really fantastic restaurants and did some pretty cool things. I didn't buy too many souvenirs, just a couple things from the zoo and some postcards. It was so much fun.

Upon arrival, I recieved my tuition statement and priced my books. Yikes. Books can be much cheaper, but tuition increased yet again (big surprise). Not to mention, I have a plane ticket to buy for my trip to Florida next month. Ack!

Luckily for me, mom is paying for books this semester. Woo! Mom and I have been on great terms for the last few months, and I really appreciate the fact that she's helping me out.

At any rate, I better get going. I have work soon. I'll post some pictures up later! Everyone have a good night!

We went out to a japanese steakhouse for dinner... it was my friend's birthday. We also spent some time in the mall and BF bought a fun hat... enjoy!


Hot Pocket wasn't actually angry, he was in the middle of a yawn... but still cuddling with my mouse.


hehe.


hahahahahaha. BF is so silly.


All of us at the Japanese Steakhouse


Awww.

Today we have a pool party, and then on to Branson for Malts... woo!

So we took on the journey, and made it to Springfield, Missouri. Our travels went without a hitch. We managed to pick up a tree on our way (a bonsai tree) that we're now carting to California and back... haha. We couldn't resist, he was just the happiest, giggliest little Japanese man in all of Springfield, Ohio... Here are a few pics, including the pretty Missouri sky...


Ki-Chan, our Bonsai tree.


hehe.


No free candy? heh.






Our friend's cat, Hot Pocket, playing with my yarn.


I crocheted this mouse for Hot Pocket.


...and he LIKES it!!

hehehe.

This will be my last post until I'm on vacation. We leave tomorrow, bright and early! I'm so excited! By this time tomorrow, I'll be in Springfield Missouri visiting friends! The first stop of our roadtrip!!! yay! I ended up saving $617 to get me through vacation. I mailed my bills today and I'm finishing up the packing as we speak. Have to pack lunch and dinner for tomorrow, then hit the road after a good night's sleep. I'm going to be doing my best as far as keeping track of my expenses goes. I'm sure I'll make many posts (most likely with pictures!) throughout the next 2 weeks. Later everyone!!!

Last night at work we were expecting a rather large party of 25 people. Usually on mondays we only have 2 servers in and one of my coworkers takes the hosting position so my boss can have the day off. Because of this party, my boss came in and all 3 of us worked as servers. They called in and said they wouldn't be coming (I think it was more of a misunderstanding than a calling-off, but that's a different story). Thus, we were over-staffed.

My boss said he would go home, and we could resume our usual posts, but then my coworker that was going to host took another table! This kind of sucks for me and my other coworker (read: his girlfriend), considering we were supposed to take all the other tables (the host gets paid more than the usual $2.85 or whatever it is us servers get paid hourly). As you can imagine, my other coworker, this guy's girlfriend (a really great girl, I love her to death) was a bit upset. It seems her BF is kind of a jerk when it comes to money-making and the like and gets angry with her anytime she makes more money than him. I'd kick the guy to the curb, but thier relationship is really none of my business, though I know the interest points in the relationship and they're pretty dim (ladies, if you stay with a guy 'cause you think he's gonna get you a green card, you need to re-evaluate the situation).

At any rate, my boss wanted me to work this morning, anticipating a busy lunch shift, so I told him I'd come in if I could go home early last night. It was very slow in the restaurant, and I needed to pack and clean and whatnot. Besides, it worked out better for my coworkers because the one wouldn't be a sly cheat (my boss would stay and they would both remain servers for tne night).

It really bothers me how dishonest our one server is. He has a bad habit of taking tables he knows tip good because they are "his regular customers." Dont get me wrong, this kid has worked at the restaurant for 5 or so years, he's gonna have people requesting him. He does, however, take tables when people dont even ask, which is not cool on his part. It messes the schedule up and he does it for his own monetary gain. He's also withheld cash in our tip-out, which goes to the bus people and chefs. There are times I've thought about it (particularly when the bus boys stand around and do nothing), but I never once have. I just dont find it morally right to break the restaurant's rules and cheat other people out of money. Ugh. They would never fire this guy though, because he's been at the restaurant for so long and does his job so well.

I guess the man at the table is a bit better than the man behind the scenes.

On a happy note, however, I'm leeeeeeaving!!! Tomorrow!!! hehehe.

I got everything on my to-do list done yesterday, save getting stamps. I'll be getting a couple from my boss today, though, and mailing my bills. Oh, and I had wonderful luck at Macy's returning my gifts. The jewelry Gram bought for me ended up being much pricier than I had thought, so I exchanged it for another necklace I liked a bit better, earrings that had a little more pizzaz, and a really cute wallet that holds checkbook and all.

I looked at shoes for nearly an hour and they either had nothing in my size, or I didn't like it. My sandals are about to bite the dust, and I'm looking for something a bit more casual, but still cute. No luck whatsoever. We went to KMart to find me a duffle bag, and it seemed the shoe-fairy was shining down on me. I found 2 pairs there that were very cute and comfy. Slight heel to both, but comfy enough to where I think I can live with it. Oh, and they were buy one get one half off! woo!

Aaaaallllmost reeeaaaaady!!!! One more day of work! Wish me luck!

1. Go to Macy's and exchange the gifts Gram bought me (She gave me very serious permission in case I dont care for the jewelry she bought).

2. Make up a shopping list for vacation (about done).

3. Pick up perscription.

4. Buy stamps and mail bills.

5. Go to the bank (this is a biggie!)

6. Go to KMart/Walmart for a duffle bag and/or picnic basket.

7. Go to the grocery store.

8. Clean out fridge.

9. Clean the apartment.

I'm going to save taking the trash out for tomorrow, in case something sneaks its way in. So much to do!!! I cant believe we're leaving on wednesday! Well, better get crackin!

So with all of this talk of lowering my electric bill... it came out even higher this month. Of course this pro-active behavior came about pretty late in the billing month, but still. It was $97.81

I was surprised, to say the least. Granted, it's been hotter than it was last month, and the AC was on for a good portion of the month. It will NOT, however, be on for the majority of this month. Of course, we'll be gone for 2 weeks as well, and that should help it a bit.

Regardless, I'm limiting my computer time, trying to shut all lights off when possible, and leaving that AC off!

It was another slow night at work, despite it being Father's day. I'm trying to finish all things on my to-do list before we leave on wednesday. It seems being gone for 2 weeks takes a lot of preparation! Tomorrow brings a run to the bank, the paying of all bills, a bit of grocery shopping and picking up my perscription. Also a trip to KMart to look for a duffle bag. BF wants to buy a fan in lieu of our not using the air conditioning. I'm not sure if it's entirely necessary, though. I'll decide when I see the pricetag...

At any rate, I should get going. I need to turn this computer off! hehe. So much electricity... If only I could turn the fridge off when I wasn't looking through it... hehe.

I doubled today, though it seems it was scarcely worth it. We had 2 servers in today for lunch, and we both made about $10. I guess money is money, however. We were slow for dinner as well. I made about $65 for the day. erg.

The up-side of this equation is that it was a no-spend day. My boss also bought my coworker and I Starbucks and yummy tiramisu from the Italian restaurant nearby. Mmm. I spent most of the day learning more japanese from my coworkers.

Which brings me to my next topic... vacation NEXT year. I know it's silly to think about, with this year's coming up on wednesday (eek!). However, a trip overseas is nothing to do last-minute, so I think a year in advance is just fine to start planning. So here it is:

Japan.

It makes me excited just thinking about it, but I'm more than certain that we can do a fairly decent priced 2 week vacation in Japan next summer. I have quite a few connections, just working where I work. We wouldn't have to pay any money for lodging, as everyone I work with has family there, and they all assured me that thier relatives would be delighted to let me stay. One of my coworkers has even talked of going with us, which would be great. I wont get into TOO much detail now, however. Dont want to steal any thunder from my up-coming roadtrip

As for frugal acts of the day... 1. I finished off my leftover soup for breakfast. 2. I had a no-spend day. 3. I didn't buy a beer after work, tempted as I was. That saved me $4 in itself.

My boss said it wouldn't be necessary to work lunch tomorrow, so I get to sleep in. Woo! I go in at 4:00. I hope it gets busier! I'd like to make at least another $100 before I leave for vacation (if not more!).

At any rate, tsukareta desu. Atsukare sama deshita! (I'm tired, until tomorrow!)

I doubled today, and in between shifts, a coworker of mine and myself went to the Tokyo Store (i.e. Japanese grocery store). I had never been there, and it's probably good I dont go back for a long time. haha. I ended up spending $34 total. $13 of it was spent on a greeting card for BF. Read: Beautiful. I didn't even write on it, I wrote my message on a scrap peice of paper and taped it to the plastic the card was in. haha. BF and I love Japanese decoration of all kinds, dishes, etc. He liked it quite a bit. It was set with a fan that had sumo wrestlers painted on it. I'll have to post a pic here soon. I also picked him up some Pockey (a favorite japanese snack) and some other little odds and ends. For me, I picked up an Ogura Mocchi cake (a small rice cake filled with sweet beans, for those who are unfamiliar) and a kid's magazine. I'm trying to learn a bit more Japanese, and not only was it adorable, but it was educational as well. And imported, so it was $10. Totally worth it, though, in my opinion.

So I spent $34, but part of it was gift-purchases. I've been doing good, I'm not going to beat myself up over it. As for tomorrow, I'll be making dinner and perhaps surprising BF with oatmeal cookies. I haven't decided on that one, as I got him sweets already and he's trying to lose some weight Nonetheless, I plan on celebrating in some way! I'll figure it out between now and tomorrow evening. He goes to school for a bit tomorrow, I'll have time to plan!

At any rate, I can hardly believe it's been 2 years already! It seems so much shorter and so much longer than that all at the same time. I guess that's a good thing? hehe. Nonetheless, I think he's sticking around! Not that he has any choice in the matter... Have a good night, everyone!

p.s. Vacation savings up to $442 already! Not bad...

...I'm cracking down on this spending. For real. With vacation quickly approaching, I've realized that I should have MUCH more saved up than I do right now. I calculated out how much I'll need, approximately, and how much I'll make between now and then. It's a bit startling, but I also made my estimates based on lower income than usual. The restaurant's been doing very poorly for the last month. Lucky for me, the US open is coming up, and before vacation. I'm hoping this brings in quite a bit of traffic. The only downside is our big booming business is going to be majority foreign, so I cant expect booming tips (though if I do get them, I'll be VERY pleasantly surprised!).

My coworker has been teaching me some japanese here and there, I want to learn how to at least carry on a small conversation with my customers. Here's what I learned yesterday:

onomimono wa doonasai masuka?
(what would you like to drink?)

More will follow! It's been quite a while since my last japanese class, so the refreshment is nice. Work tonight, but it's all you can eat. erg. Not the best of nights, most of us servers dread it. Bad tips, noone really buys appetizers or desserts, and it's a total mess. More work, more I have to tip out to chefs... poo. But money is money, so I'll just have to look at things optimistically.

As for the time spent before work, I haven't decided. I bought the 6th Harry Potter book the other day (got 30% off because I'm friends with the guy at the bookstore). I believe I'll be reading that for the better part of the day. Now, where is the real question. BF has class at 2:45, and I usually ride with him downtown at that point. HOWEVER, I usually end up spending $10-15 when I do that because I'm sitting around downtown for 3 hours and the evil forces of Starbucks, etc draw me in. The other option is to take the bus. This would cost me $1.75, but that's a bit less than $10. Not to mention, I'd be able to eat dinner at home. I suppose I could pack my dinner to take with me, but I was going to eat leftovers.

I got the Silver Palate cookbook for my birthday (thanks Gram and Gramps!) and I tried a recipe yesterday: Pasta Primavera Gregory. I cut it in half and still ended up with tons of leftovers. Not that I'm complaining I love leftovers. I did, though, have to buy bags of things (produce), so I'm going to be scouring my cookbooks for recipes to use the excess before it goes bad. I hate wasting, afterall...

Speaking of wasting, it's been bothering me quite badly lately. I'm trying to be much more eco-friendly and conservationistic. I bought 2 canvas bags at trader joe's for my groceries and started trying to recycle my paper products and such. But I keep noticing all the foodwaste that goes on here in the US. I work at a restaurant, and we put veggies and potatoes and such on the plate with our eentres. 70% of the time, those veggies go untouched and get thrown away. Same with rice. Same with fruit on the plate with icecream. I went to Chipotle when I was in Ohio. I told the boy I wanted a veggie burrito, so he heated up my tortilla and slid it to the next boy down, who put beef on it. When the first boy told the second that I wanted only veggies, he threw it in the trash! A bit heap of rice, beans, and chicken! I would have told him I would still eat it, but he threw it away before I had the chance. It kills me all the wasting that is done in restaurants when there are so many starving all over the world. There are days that I want to load up syrofoam containers with the untouched food that my restaurant is throwing out, and hand it out to the homeless! Or take it home... haha. Our veggies are pretty good, you know

Either way, sorry for the superlong post. Everyone have a great day!

I went to dinner with a friend tonight. Ended up spending $24. Of course, I came home with an entire other meal... I guess that's the great thing about Bucca Di Beppo-- they have family sized meals, so we shared a meal, garlic mashed potatoes, and the tiramisu (which I also brought a chunk of home). I even brought the rest of the bread in the basked back (it's too good to waste, afterall!). So though I spent a bit of money, I ended up with mucho leftovers and caught up with my friend. We've decided to make this a monthly tradition, rather than a sporadic one. hehe.

Other than that, the day was quite uneventful. I played WoW for a bit, though I think once I get my copy of Civilization for my B-day, I'm going to cancel my subscription. It'll save me $15 a month, and we just got a wii not too long ago, so I'll have plenty to keep me busy when I'm not out slaying gnomes and the like

Tomorrow is my long day, and I'm hoping it is accompanied by large tips I may even put on some makeup to see if I make more money. hehe. As a waitress, I should probably do this every time I work, I just get so lazy about it. heh.

I think once I get done with all this vacation hooplah that i'm going to rebuild my EF. I had a decent amount of money saved up, but then stuff started happening and this and that and bleh. I should have a good EF. I'll make that a goal. I need to work on my goals... I'm just so wrapped up in vacation. Perhaps tonight I'll put something together. erg. So much money to be spent. I guess that's why birthdays are both bad and good. Bleh. Later guys!

So after much, much talk, BF and I have decided to go the roadtrip on our own, just the two of us. He told me yesterday to decide what I wanted to do with my vacation. I had considered doing something without him, and thought about it all day. I considered my options, my budget, etc. I was considering going to london for a while, but when I couldn't get myself to call my friend, I accepted that it just wasn't the time. BF came home from class and we laid around for a bit, and I realized just how much I wanted to go somewhere with just him, and I asked him where he would want to go.

At this point he kissed me a lot (haha) and told me how much he loved me and all that wonderful stuff. I think he was really bummed that I might want to do something on my own. I think he really wanted me to go with him (though he expected me to be all-flexible). So we talked about where to go, and decided that we would go through with the roadtrip afterall. No planes.

Now, in lieu of this, it was rather essential for him to teach me to drive a manual, because his car is. So we went to the chinese restaurant for dinner (I shouldn't have spent the money, but I've been so frustrated over the last couple days, I needed a treat), then went to a parking lot not far from our apartment. I think I did pretty well though I was dreadfully nervous. I did stall the car at least 8 or 9 times. But by the end of it all, he said, "Okay. Drive us home." I gave him a look of horror, convinced that I would kill us both in the process, but I managed to get home and only stall the car once. haha. We made it back alive. I think the reason I stalled was more or less because I was incredibly nervous. BF is a fantastic driver, and I feel so examined when I'm driving with him in the car. Cars are, afterall, his "thing."

So that's that. We sat down at the restaurant and tried to pull together a tenative itinerary for the trip, and it will be a total of 16 days. I have to start getting ready, planning what food we'll bring (we're taking a cooler with sandwiches and other goodies for the car ride), and figure the sleeping situation. BF wants to buy an air matress, as none of our friends have extra beds for us to stay in. I was a little weary at first, not wanting to spend any money I dont have to. But when I think about all the driving we'll be doing, it's probably best we get the best sleep we can when we get it! haha.

There'll be one night we sleep in the car-- on the way from Missouri to the grand canyon. But I think one night of sleeping in the car wont be too terrible. So yay on BF and I sorting through our problems. Yay for me for taking things a bit differently, and yay for the roadtrip. I'm finally excited again! Now I just have to work on that tan and exercise! Oh, and save up a little more for gas and food and whatnot. Either way, I'm happy again!