I'm having a serious struggle with time. It feels that now I've started working I dont really have time to do all the things I need to do... bah. It's got me worried about how the semester is going to go... But I guess I'm just going to have to work something out. I've definitely worked 25 hours a week and went to school full time simultaneously. I may just have to knock down my class load to 12 credits and go closer to full time with work for a semester.

I really just need to get financially situated, and by the summer time I want to be living in my own apt. BF and I are already talking about moving in with eachother. That will cut costs in half and definitely lighten the blow.

The new car hasn't blown up yet, though it's already giving me some minor problems. It looks like there's a leak somewhere. It's also stalled out on me a few times, and the oil light comes on when I'm idling after I've driven it on the highway... sigh... I'm still trying to finagle a way to pay my student loan payments this month. I dont have the extra cash to make car repairs... :/

I haven't done any writing in almost 2 weeks, mostly because I just dont have the time. Between work and tutoring 3 nights a week, then cleaning my boss' house for cash on the weekends... it's a bit overwhelming.

The good news is that this is the last week I go into the office. I start working from home next week I'm going to save money on gas, and free up some time with driving. Not only that, but I dont ever have to leave my pj's

I think that's about it in news. Just trying to get through these first few weeks at work, get through the kinks, get into my routine. It'll be smooth sailing from there.

Hope everyone enjoys thier day!

Well, it's tuesday. Yesterday was relatively low-expense. I worked, then went to yoga. Honestly, it's the best $5 I've ever spent every time I go. Thank goodness for student pricing

In good news, the fair trade place I went to the other day was having a drawing, and I got pulled out of the hat. How's that for good karma? I get a $10 gift certificate! Woot.

Worked today, and tutored for an hour, so that's an extra $30. I hit the grocery store on my way home and spent $22.22. That's the first time I've bought groceries this month. I dont starve by any means, but I hate eating food at home that I didn't even pitch in on. So I picked up a few things we needed for the hosue, and some food for me to make dinners, breakfasts, and the like.

I'm doing some work from home tonight, so a couple more hours will be added. I may have to put off some of it til the morning, though. I'm getting really tired. Stayed up a bit too late last night. It's catching up with me.

Tomorrow I'm not sure what's going on other than working and tutoring. May or may not be hangning out with BF. It's strange that we're both so busy now. My schedule is almost as bad as his now. lol. Come the next semester it'll be even worse... sigh.

I already miss seeing him. haha. Hopefully things will ease up closer to the holidays.

Either way, I should get some work done! Hope everyone has a good night.

Well, the week has come to a close. I didn't quite make my goals for the week, but I'm not going to be too hard on myself. I had a lot going on, and I'm still transitioning into this new schedule. I unfortunately cant do everything, and it was a drill weekend. That really limited my time to do anything this weekend.

That being said, it wasn't terribly expensive either. I did buy the roomie an xmas present at the fair trade store. I managed to resist temptation and bought nothing for myself... quite a feat. I did, however, get dinner out. $7, but delicious. And spent $7 at the coffee shop... only because I got a small bag of these delicious tiramisu covered almonds... mmm.

Stayed for the poetry reading at the coffee shop, and managed to make a new friend. A girl that was at the last poetry reading. I'll be seeing her again at this thursday's poetry reading. I have to prepare for that, now that I think about it. I need to write more poetry. One more thing to throw on the laundry list of things I have to do.

Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day. Work 10:30-4:30, then clean my boss' house from 4:30-6, then yoga from 6-7:30. Finishing up the night hanging out with the BF. Hopefully getting some good sleep. I'm going to need it. Busy busy week.

I would put up my week's goals, but I dont have them yet. Perhaps in the morning. For now, it's time for sleep.

Night everyone!

So my first week of work came to a close. Everything went entirely well, and I'm looking forward to another productive week. There is some good news on the financial front:

I apparently misheard my tutoring client when we agreed on $15/hour. Apparently she said $15/half hour. So I'm actually making $30 more every week than I thought I was... Nice So in total, I'm making $80/week in tutoring alone. 3 hours of work for that much! You cant beat that.

I wrote a review of a local business that sells fair trade goods and postHaed the link on thier facebook. The woman that runs the business is fabulous, and she was incredibly happy with the article. In turn, she posted it for all to read, and said that she owed me and would return the favor somehow soon. I'm going to be in there tomorrow evening for thier 2 year anniversary celebration, so that could mean good things for me I really do love her business and the products she carries. They're pretty fabulous, and really well priced.

Had a doctor's appt today, and perscription I'm going to have every month. Luckily, the perscription is only $18 every month. 2 months of pills and the visit today cost me $74. Big ouch. Had to throw it on my CC, which was a bummer But I'll get that paid off in no time if work is going as well as it has been. I went from relatively no income to making quite a bit. It's a bit overwhelming, but also fabulous

When it works out, I'll be making $9/hr (I'm getting a raise as of next week. Go figure, right?). If we're talking a 15% tax rate (I'm going to have to save to pay taxes next year), I'll be making more like $7.65/hr. If I work 30 hours every week, that's about $230/week.

$230 Weekly salary
$80 Tutoring
$30 House Cleaning
$7 for Writing
$347 Total per week

$347x4=$1388 per month.

There's even talk of having another raise if business goes well, so I could be up to $10/hr in no time. Things are looking good over here.

If I stay with my roomates for another few months, I'll have the money for my car and laptop taken care of, and then my CC paid off in no time. Then I'll fly the nest and look for my own apt. Good stuff, for sure

So other than my medical stuff, the only spending I did today was on gas. I went through $10 in gas so quickly! Granted, my appt today was a bit far. And I've driven quite a bit in the last week. I'll have to keep track of that so I'm not spending quite so much on gas. I forgot what a big expense that could be... Ah well.

I'm playing army this weekend, and BF is going to be out of town, so it should be a super cheap few days. Very low key. As it is, I need to get going to get ready for tomorrow. Gotta love being a weekend warrior! lol. Hope everyone has a good evening!

Well, my tutoring session went well yesterday. I'm actually tutoring this girl 2 times a week, at $15/hr. So that, plus tonight's session will make an extra $50/week

So that's going well. In other income news, AC accepted 2 more of my articles, so that's another $7.02 to add to my challenge money. I published 2 articles on Examiner, and I get pay per views. I'm at $0.30, but that's not too bad given they've been up for less than 48 hours. I've got more posting to do up on social networking sites and whatnot. I'll get those up

Also working the rest of this week. It's amazing how things just kind of exploded for me. In the course of 3 days I've got a job and a car... and all these side projects!!

Goals are coming along well, but I have a lot to do today. Better get back to work!

Well, I woke up early to get some work done, so hopefully I'll be productive this morning. Yesterday was a very busy day, and I forsee today being the same.

In financial news, I forsee today being a no-spender. Well, unless I have to get gas. I'm not quite to empty yet, and likely wont be travelling far. We shall see. Other than that, however, my goal is to not spend any money.

Actually, here is a list of my goals for the day:

*Start web content for work, possibly finish.
*Finish article I started last night.
*Lengthen my article for AC and resubmit.
*Run at least 15 min.
*Read a bit more of the book I started yesterday on constructing curriculum.

I have a tutoring job on wednesday for a little boy who has been diagnosed with ADD. Not to insult the parents, but I dont really believe in ADD. They just went through a divorce and I'm sure he's having some issues adjusting (his mom believes this as well). Either way, he's obviously going to need a little extra attention and care when it comes to tutoring, and I'm trying to do my best. When I posted my ad I mentioned I have background study in child psychology (I do), and even though I'm NOT a psychologist or therapist, I feel I can use my education to maximize the effectiveness of any tutoring that I do.

I did pick up another tutoring job, but not with a 3rd grader. lol. Highschool algebra isn't going to be nearly as difficult to tutor, thankfully. But hey, that's 2 gigs in a week So I'll be tutoring algebra this evening, and 3rd grade math and reading tomorrow. I'll have a little extra income for the week. Woo!

Alrighty, well, it's time to get running! Literally... lol. I need to be more active. Especially considering I sit in front of a computer all day at work now. Need to stay active!

Everyone have a great day!

Well, for the first time ever in my life, I am a *car owner*. Woo! Very exciting time over here. I just drove it home and I couldn't be any happier! With insurance and the money that I put toward the car, I officially have $65 left in my bank account. haha. Not pretty...

The good news is, however, that today is my first day of work. So I'll be making money the remainder of the week to pay off what I owe my boss on the car, and to make up what I need for my bills for the remainder of the month. I'm not going to be spending a whole lot on anything else until December. I really cant.

One more monthly goal to knock off the list

That's about it in news Here's my new baby:

well, I put down the money to hold my car til tomorrow, and I head to the bank in the morning. By 10:00 tomorrow morning, I will have my set of wheels Very exciting. This will be the first time in almost 4 years that I have a car to drive, and the first time ever that I have a car in my name. I'm very happy with my decision, and I think it's a sound financial decision as well. I'm throwing the insurance on it tonight, so I'll be out and about come tomorrow

That's one more goal I've reached this month as of tomorrow. I evaluated my goals for last week, and I've managed to hit every single one:

*Write and submit 5 articles.
*Keep track of all my finances.
*Have 2 no-spend days.
*Pick up tutoring gig.

I'm very content with that. Hopefully I'll do as well with my goals for this coming week:

*Write and submit 6 articles.
*Keep track of all money spent/made.
*Buy a car (obviously going to happen).
*3 no-spend days.

Ideally, I should have more than 3 no-spend days, as I really shouldn't be spending ANY money for a while after I buy this car. As it is, I'm going to be struggling to pay all my bills. I have faith that I'll meet them, I just have to make some sacrifices through the rest of the month. BF and I are both working on spending less money, so having someone in it with me is great I think we'll both have a positive influence on eachother.

I start work this week, so that's pretty exciting. I'm not really going to make any money over the course of the week, as my boss fronted me $400, but I'm still excited. I feel like things are finally falling into place and I'm getting back on my feet. It's taken a few months, but I'm getting there. It's a nice feeling.

Tonight BF is taking me out to dinner at a restaurant that just opened up and my roomies say is excellent. It's a kind of celebratory thing, and will be our last hurrah before cutting out the spending really for the rest of the month. It's absolutely GORGEOUS outside, and I'm definitely going to put on a cute dress for the occasion

So wish me luck for the rest of the week! It's going to be a very busy one...

Well, my car search has come to an end. I found my new wheels today I'll be finishing up the transaction over the course of the next couple days. Have to round up some cash-- difficult with the banks closed, it may have to wait til monday morning. However, I'm very satisfied with the car. I was really only looking for something that would hold me over for the next year or so. I honestly think this will run at least for another 3. It's a 91 Corolla, with almost no problems to speak of. Mechanically, we're looking at a possible radiator leak. But it's a cheap fix that my mechanic friend is going to assist me with.

With tax and title, we're looking at $1350. Not bad. And no car payment! Insurance isn't going to run me much, and I'll have a dependable set of wheels

In other financial news, I had another no-spend day (though tomorrow will be a major purchase). For the next few weeks I'm going to be working like crazy. Between the new job, and all these articles I'm going to be writing. I guess it works out that it's the end of BF's semester, and he'll be incredibly busy. Not only that, but after buying this car I'm going to be beyond broke. So I wont be going out much!

I guess it's a good thing I made out like a bandit at this book sale at the library the other day. I know, I probably shouldn't be spending money on books. I have so many. But I left the library with about 10 books and only spent $4.50. You really cant beat that.

The goal for tonight is to write another article and submit. I have 2 processing currently. I'm still getting set up at examiner.com, but I'm pretty excited about that. Tomorrow I have quite a few articles to write, as well as some web content for work. My boss is paying me $10/page. I also have to prepare for this tutoring session I have on wednesday. And plan to stop at the nursing home one afternoon this week. Even though I'll be busy, I still have to fit my volunteering in. And I have drill next weekend. So much to do!

Either way, it's exciting times around here, and I'm pretty pumped Successes all around. I hope everyone else is feeling as productive! Have a great evening, guys!

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.