Today's Grocery Shopping Trip:

Flat Leaf Spinach $1.49
Avocado $0.79
Whole Wheat Bread $1.49
Bananas $0.88
Light Poppyseed Dressing $0.99
Baby Carrots $0.80
Peanut Butter $1.39
Frozen Berries $2.79
Tub Plain, Nonfat Yogurt $1.59
Soymilk $1.39
Can Butter Beans $0.59
Can Chunk Pineapple $0.79
Tub lowfat Cottage Cheese $2.29

TOTAL: $17.27

There were a couple extras thrown in here. I love avocados, and haven't found them less than $2 each for months, so I decided to treat myself I still have plenty of poppyseed dressing, but like other favorites I've found at ALDI, they dont always continue carrying them, and these were marked "while supplies last," so I figured I'd pay the $0.99 and have an extra. I made a kidneybean hummus the other day, and it was pretty good, so I decided to get another can of beans- white ones- so perhaps I can make a cheaper version of the chickpea favorite BF and I enjoy (he's not a fan of kidney beans). Bread I only buy every other week, same with the berries. And the peanut butter should last me a little while.

In other financial news, I worked a looong day yesterday. My restaurant did a 3-hour event, so I got paid $50 for working that. Also, when we returned from the event, the restaurant was slammed, and I took a table, so I made another $11 or so in tips, and worked a couple extra hours.

I stopped at the bank on my short-lived break yesterday and my request for the other CC was denied. Not suprised, and not really all that bummed about that. I'd rather find a cheaper alternative. Someone put a comment on my last post about lending club, and I signed up, so we'll see if anyone funds me. That would be great. The interest rate would be much, much lower.

I transferred more $ to my savings account, so now I'm up to $1510

BF and I had a really nice talk last night on the phone. He'll be home friday, so I'm pretty excited. We talked about a bunch of things, but applicable here is the topic of debt. See, I still dont know how much debt BF has. I know he has a considerable amount, mostly CC debt. He made some unwise spendy choices in the last few years, and has been a little embarrased about telling me how much. But he says he wants to sit down and go over it with me. Which I'm incredibly happy about.

Talk about getting married was brought up again, but he's still not decided. We both want to get married, the timing issue is what is up in the air. It's beneficial to us on many levels if we get hitched before he leaves for Iraq (in December)-- financially, emotionally, better for him if I can take care of his stuff when he's away, etc. But at the same time, we dont want to rush into things.

Personally, I'm all for it I guess the girl in me gets excited at the thought of it. But at the same time, I know myself pretty well, and I know it wouldn't be a mistake. There are, of course, things that could happen. But at the same time, things could happen regardless of whether or not he goes overseas.

However, I'm not rushing him into a decision. He can take as much time as he needs to think it over (well, as long as it's before he leaves! haha). But we'll see. There may be a wedding in November, there may not. Either way I'm happy being with him

Well, time to get my day started. I'm going to work out at some point, and I have work at 7:00pm. Gotta make some money!!

Everyone have a great day!

...to get a $3000 loan?? Bah. Went to the bank after work today. Needless to say, things didn't pan out as well as I had hoped they would. I cant say I was entirely suprised. Sallie Mae wouldn't give me a $3707 student loan, why would National City give me a $3700 personal line of credit? However, we discussed my options. The only thing we came up with was a possible interest back CC. This is, of course, my last resort. I'll find out tomorrow if I was approved. Aside from that, I really have no plan. The no-credit-no-cosigner loans I found online had even worse interest rates than the CC, and I dont mind paying now. Actually, I prefer it. Until then, however, I am making/saving as much $ as possible.

I took a look at my credit report today. 9 accounts in good standing, no negatives at all. So that's not it. The bank manager said it was my income:debt ratio that's killing me. Understandable. But really, how can these people expect me to pay for my college if I dont have the time to work (due to classes). That being said, I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet and get another job. If not to pay for my classes by July 11, to pay off this newly acquired CC as soon as possible.

I think I'm going to try bartending. I've done a bit at the restaurant I work at currently, and I have a pseudo-in at a local place that seems pretty laid-back, but fun. I'm going there tonight with mom to put in an application (her and her BF go there all the time. Said BF golfs on thier league and such). Even working 3 nights a week or so will pull me in some much needed cash. It'll be difficult, for sure, with classes and all, but I'm a tough cookie. I'll figure it out. It'll be much easier come mid-august when classes end.

Other than that, I have little financial news. Made decent money at work. Mailed that book finally. Funds should be transferred soon, though I hardly made any money on it. I did another pinecone survey, so hopefully I'll be seeing that check at some point. I never did get the first one. Does anyone know how long it takes them to mail them generally?

Also, having issues with etsy and paypal. I want to mail my earrings, but I want to wait til the payment goes through. It's been about 5 days since the purchase, so I would imagine it should be there by now, but nothing is showing up. grr.

Alrighty. Enough rambling. Everyone have a good night!

Well, I'm trying to get caught up with things. My Sprint contract is up the 25th, so I need to get on mom's plan to be with Verizon-- aka talking free to both mom and BF. I had to give her a copy of my bill so she could take it to them and get another phone added to her account.

Also, July 11 is quickly approaching, which means I need to buckle down and figure out how I'm paying for these classes. I did a little more research online, as I know there are places out there that will give me "bad or no-credit loans." But when I looked at the interest rates on those puppies with added "loan fee," also a percentage of what you borrow, I'll end up paying a ridiculous amount.

So I went to National City's page and looked at getting a personal loan. If I get a personal line of credit, I'll still be paying 9.5%, but that's a lot lower than a CC, and even lower than the outrageous student loans I would be paying for. So I'm going to stop at the bank tomorrow and see if I can get hooked up with one. I calculated it out, and if I pay $150/month, it'll take me about 2.3 years to pay off. Of course, after my CC is paid off, all extra money would go to that loan, as I would have to pay it while still in school.

When I think about it, it's an even better idea than getting a student loan, which would just continue to accumulate interest until I graduate. I'd be much more focused on paying it back now if I had to. haha. Of course, I also have a whole heap of debt with a much worse interest rate than 9.5% now... bah. I'm just going to hope that I can pay it off the $3707 loan quick, which doesn't seem to be a problem considering I pulled together $1315 in just a few months...

Let's just hope I get approved :/

In other financial news, brought my sandwich to work yet again. Would have been a NSD, but I bought some shisha online for BF's b-day. Of course, I used the visa gift card dad got me for *my* b-day, so I cant consider it a complete spend. haha. Lucky for me, BF and I will both enjoy that shisha, so I wont feel guilty spending my own gift on his

9 more days until BF comes back from training We're going to celebrate his b-day then. We're thinking sushi and a movie, then going back to the apartment to smoke the hookah and have a couple drinks, and enjoy eachother's company after 3 weeks of being apart. Sounds like a fantastic evening to me!

Guess that's enough rambling for now. I should probably continue cleaning, or do my paper, or something

Well, it's been a couple busy days... all is well on the financial front. Tips at work have been pretty solid thus far this week I'm also working saturday night this week, which should be lucrative. Also, my boss wants me to help cater a luau on friday evening, so that should be fun and make me some money.

Today was a no-spender. Took my sandwich to work again!

Some fantastic news... I sold my first item on etsy That was pretty exciting. I'm waiting for my paypal payment to go through, and then it's off to the post office to mail those earrings Also need to mail the book I sold on amazon still, I was waiting to do it in one trip.

Other than that, things are pretty low-key. Mom picked up my laundry yesterday and washed it, which was some pretty sweet laundry service I'm going over tonight to pick it up and hang out with lil sis, who I guess is a little lonely in the new apartment. Mom hanging out doesn't seem to help, but I guess that's what happens when kids hit the teenage years.

Really looking forward to BF coming home next weekend. Still not sure what I'm doing for his birthday-- aside from cleaning the apt top to bottom. his car, too. But I want to buy him a little something. We've been talking a lot lately about him leaving for overseas come December. I'm a bit exhausted from such emotional conversations, but it seems we're really coming to understand each other and how we feel, which is great.

Also, I made thee best salad last night, and figured I'd share:

Spinach
Chunk pineapple
cottage cheese
poppyseed dressing
tiny bit of shredded cheese.

Everything can be bought at ALDI for very little $, of course

Hope everyone has a great night!

So this weekend was a busy one. Friday I got off work and hit the craft store, then spent some time making a couple new items. Then met mom out, then saw a show, then went home and went right to sleep.

Yesterday I went to this parade in Cleveland, and that was a lot of fun. I ended up spending the night there because an old friend of mine was in town and we went to a party. Needless to say, it was too late and I was a bit too intoxicated to drive. It was a blast, and I was so happy to see him (it was the first time in over 3 years), but 2 nights of staying up late have caught up with me.

So today I'm feeling pretty tired. I'm trying to be productive despite all that. I made another pair of earrings and put my 3 new items up on etsy. Here are some pics:

Well, I had class, then went to the University health services. I had an appointment at 9:30am. As it turns out, I have a viral infection in my throat, but I basically have to ride it out. Still hurts to swallow, and again last night I kept continually waking up. But other than that, I feel fine. Perhaps a bit tired.

The best news? The visit was free, and they even gave me cough drops and a few allergy pill samples (they said it might help). Also, I found out that my university offers discounted massages in the wellness center, so I signed myself up for a much-needed 30 minute massage for $15. You really cant beat that price, and with the amount of stress I've been in lately, I can sacrifice in order to enjoy that luxury

I got pretty worried about my throat, and it got me thinking today about how much it would cost had I needed to go to the regular doctor's. I no longer have insurance because mom and step-dad split. After all of this tuition mess is taken care of, I'm going to start a medical EF. Mom is getting me just-in-case insurance, but it'll only cover things after the first $1000, but I'm going to need that $1000 on hand if things do come up...

A funny thing happened at the doctor's this morning. The nurse commented on how much she liked my earrings, and I mentioned that I made them. She said, "really?" and I said, "yeah, I make jewelry and accessories." She asked if I sold them anywhere, and I told her online. So she gave me her email address for me to send her links It was definitely a nice start to my day!

Also, my missing bobbin case came in the mail today, so my sewing machine is up and running. Need to start working on some projects now I meant to run to the craft store today, but it's not looking like I'm going to have enough time. Tomorrow I dont have class, so I'll probably go after work.

Tonight I'm going over to mom's to hang out. Lil sis is having a sleepover. Mom is going to need another big girl to hang out with

And last, but not least, once again made good money at work. $55. It's been a good work week. I'm not complaining!

Hope everyone enjoys the rest of thier day!

Well, I yet again made good money at work today... $50.96. I stopped at the bank and made a deposit on my way home. Then transferred $110 more to my challenge money. So that brings me to $1145. Not bad for less than 3 months...

I need to get some homework done and go to BF's twin's. It's thier birthday today, and they're having a cookout. Then I have to duck out early to go to class :/ Bah.

At any rate, I should get on that homework. I hope everyone has a great day!

Well, I worked later than usual today. I made a decent amount of money for a lunch shift-- $40.76. I also got paid today, an extra $80 for 2 weeks (that's including the week I missed a few days of work). I'm out of actual bills to pay this month, so most of the money I'm making will go straight to my challenge/tuition money. I need to make a deposit at the bank so I can move the funds around.

I went out last night to have a couple drinks with a friend. I spent more than I had planned to, and more than I probably should have. Mostly due to the fact that I cant have 2 glasses of wine without eating something (especially before I drive home). My bill ended up being $22.50. That's 2 glasses of wine ($6 each), an appetizer ($9- that's what got me), and tip.

The rest of the week may end up being a bit spendy. Tomorrow I have no plans, nor tonight. Thursday I'll likely spend in. But friday night I'm going to see a band play down the street. As long as I dont buy more than one drink (or any) I'll be fine. Saturday I'm going to Cleveland to see a parade and listen to the orchestra for class. That's actually free, but a friend of mine is going to the Mongolian BBQ with a bunch of friends, and I'm supposed to go as well. That'll probably be a $15 check. That night I'm possibly going to my ex's graduation party/BBQ. That'll be low-cost. Sunday I'll be recouping. haha.

BF's Birthday is tomorrow, and I have yet to decide what I want to get him. I have some time, because he wont get home from his training til the 27th, but I want to find something inexpensive but nice.

Speaking of BF, we've been having some pretty intense conversations as of late about him going overseas in December. I think up til now it's seemed far off. It's getting closer, and he seems to be worrying about it quite a bit. The reality of the situation is kind of staring us in the face. But the conversations are starting to take an optimistic turn, which I'm relieved about.

He keeps saying he doesn't want to string me along, that he doesn't want to hold me back, make me lose a year. He wants me to do what I want and not wait for him. He feels bad. I keep telling him that waiting is exactly what I want to do, and I would still be living my life. Time doesn't stop when he's away. lol. I know he just wants me to be happy, and things are definitely impossible to predict. But I know that there's no one else I want to be with. So my mind is made up. As long as he wants me to be there when he gets back, that's where I'll be

The conversations are stressful, and can be difficult, but each time it gets a little better and we both feel a little more confident that things will be okay.

When he gets back from this training we're going to look for an apartment. The lease is up in the beginning of August, so I'm going to have a few appointments set up for the week he comes back. We want to find something a little bigger. And because I decided that I'm going to get a dog when he leaves for Iraq, we need somewhere that is pet friendly.

That's right. I'm finally getting a puppy I figure I'm going to need *someone* to cuddle with while he's away. No one could replace BF, but an adorable dog would most certainly help the situation I've always wanted a dog anyway. And I have mom to help watch him, and mom's dog for him to play with, so I'll be better suited to take care of him.

I guess I'll stop here. All the rambling is probably driving you guys mad Just a lot on my mind, I suppose. Hope everyone has a great night

I tried posting yesterday, but the site went all whacky. At any rate... Yesterday was a busy day. I spent the morning running around. BF is at some 3 week training thing for the military. I had to drop him off at about 6:30am. Quite a bit early. I ended up going to my mom's to give her the anklet I made for her. It matches the necklace I made for myself, both were made using shells I got from the beach vacation we took at the beginning of May. Picture:



I stopped at the consignment shop that I have clothes at, and I've made $32.50 so far. Not bad. She wrote me a check, so I'll deposit that and put it toward my challenge money. I made earrings to match the bracelet I made the other day. I'm feeling pretty good about them:


Went to PA last night for a friend's party. It was nice to see all my friends from there. It's strange to me that I've already been away for a month. I missed them terribly. I did buy one bottle of cheap champagne ($8) and subway yesterday (another $8 roughly), paid tolls and put $15 in the tank on the way home, which I'm hoping will get me to Cleveland and back next weekend. Overall, it wasn't a terribly expensive trip.

I got home at about 1:00pm, just in time to help my mom pack and move some of her stuff. In exchange for my help, however, she bought my groceries I was at a $12.50 budget, but I probably spent just over that (when you know you're not paying, you tend to get a couple extras), but I'm going to mark it down as $12.50 saved on the grocery budget. What did I buy?

Shredded Taco Cheese (I want to make quesedillas)
Canned tomato
Granola Cereal
Yogurt
Bananas
Popcorn
Soymilk
Olives (staple of my diet)
Bread
Canned Pineapple
Poppyseed Salad Dressing

The salad dressing, soymilk, and pineapple were not planned purchases, but didn't up the bill too high.

In addition to paying for my groceries, mom treated me to Panera for dinner. So double yay for mom. All I had to do was help pack and load her stuff in 100-degree weather. Bleh.

At any rate, now is time for shower, homework, and sleep. Perhaps just shower and sleep. I'm exhausted! Hope everyone has a great night!

I did my first pinecone survey today, so I should have a $3 check coming my way soon. I made somewhat decent money at work today... $27.96. Not great, but not terrible. I really need something [more] on the side.

Having said that, I did find a babysitting job tomorrow morning for a few hours, so that'll be about $30.

I listed my bracelet on etsy. I plan on making a few more things here in the next few weeks. I also need to exchange my sewing machine. The bobbin case was missing for some reason. So a trip to Target is in order. I want the machine up and running so I can use it.

Other than that, I have no real news. BF leaves tomorrow morning for a 3 week training thing for the military. Blah. Not sure if he's taking the car or not, so we'll see.

Not sure what my plans for tonight are. I've been pretty tired all day. I've been thinking too much lately. Hope everyone has a nice evening.

So today I went to class, then work. I made $45, which is pretty good for a lunch shift. I'm happy to report this After work I went to the craft store to use one of my gift cards. I ended up buying some beading stuff. I got a set that came with 2 kinds of pliers and wire-cutters, as well as these fancy tweezers. Also I bought some beads, wire, and this 3-clasp thingy. I know no technical names for anything, I just bought what looked good together. I wanted to make myself a bracelet.

After my night class, I did it. It didn't take me very long, which is nice. I'm used to having to spend days crocheting something. This was a bit trying for my first time, but I think it turned out great. It's so very "me." And I have plenty of beads and wire left for other projects as well. I have to say it was money well-spent. Here's a picture, let me know what you think!:



So now I'll have to add jewelry to my repetoire of things I can make to sell. Woo hoo!

So I've been doing a LOT of thinking about my future and what I want to do with it. I've come to the conclusion that I'm pretty stressed about the level of debt I've already accumulated. And the closer I get to graduating, the more I dread spending 6+ more years in school pursuing my PhD. I've thought about my options, and what I've been feeling lately, and I think I may change courses again in life.

From the 3rd grade on, I've been starting "businesses." In 3rd grade, a friend of mine and I made paper bookmarks and sold them to classmates for dimes. In the 6th grade, friends of mine and I started a "beadie baby" business.. making bead animals and turning them into jewelry. We made a decent amount for 6th graders. haha. Toward the end of middle school I picked up babysitting and networked my way into quite a few summer jobs. At the end of highschool, I started playing music and marketing myself to coffee shops, on the internet, etc. So I think it's safe to say that I'm a business minded person.

Now I'm attempting to do crafty things and sell them again (though it's been a slow start). But I think later in life I'd like to start my own *real* business. I've always loved the thought of owning my own restaurant, or lately, hookah bar. haha. But this is a long-term goal. I think it sprung from an idea I had a few weeks ago.

I love this site. I love working with money. I love keeping track of every penny I earn/spend, and I love researching new ways to make money on my money, save the money I have, and find new ways to make more. When I was a business major initially, I loved my accounting course. It was easy for me, and incredibly practical.

So I'm thinking about getting my master's in accounting after I graduate in the fall. It's a funny idea, considering I'd be going full-circle (I switched majors umpteen times, and yet started out as a business major). I dont need to have a BA in accounting to get in the program, it's about 2 years to get the degree, there is a scholarship that would grant me full tuition plus stipends. And I would be certain to get a job.

I think I'd like to start my own consulting business. I'd like to do what I do for me, but for other people. Businesses or personal instances. I think it sounds like something I would be great at, and it's something that wont take me a decade to achieve.

Actually, the program I'm looking at has the possibility of starting in the spring, so if I started it next spring (the semester after graduating), I'd be almost done with the program by the time BF gets home from Iraq. Not only that, but I'd stay in my hometown, something I'm keen on doing because my family/friends are all here.

Also, I figure if I go the PhD route, the interest on my already ridiculous loans will double my debt by the time I get a job. Not to mention, if I go ahead and get my master's in psych, I wont find a program with tuition waiving, and jobs wont be quite as available.

I'm becoming really reluctant to stay in school that long. I want to start my life. I want to be a grownup (finally). I want to start a family. I never expected to hear those things come out of my mouth, but I underestimated how important these things are to me.

Well, that's enough rambling. I'm still reviewing my options. I just needed to get it down. Let me know if you guys think I'm crazy (which I am, but some encouragement wouldn't hurt! haha).

Hope everyone has a great night!

Well, yesterday I went grocery shopping and was *just* over budget. My budget for the week was $12.50 (which is pretty tight to begin with). I ended up spending $13.55. Not bad. So what did I buy?

Tub of yogurt $1.59
Frozen Berries $2.79
Fresh Mushrooms $1.19
Bag of Flatleaf Spinach $1.49
Cucumber $0.69
Pack of Hotdogs $0.59
Can of Olives $0.99
Flour Tortillas $0.99
Hot dog Buns $0.75
Granola Cereal $1.59
Cheesy Alfredo Mac & Cheese $0.79
Plastic Bag (I forgot mine at home) $0.10

I feel like I got a lot for a little bit of money, and none of it was anything I didn't need. This, my friends, is why I love ALDI so much. So what will I be eating this week?

Pasta Salad
Kraut Dogs
Veggie Wraps
Turkey Meatball sandwiches
Salad
Veggie Mac (I like to put veggies in my mac & cheese)
Spaghetti

I'll have leftovers for a couple of these days, so I may save the veggie mac for next week. I had a couple of kraut dogs yesterday, I'll probably have the leftovers today for lunch or dinner. I have to make the pasta salad, but we have so much pasta it's ridiculous. lol.

Added $50 to my savings account, which brings my total up to $1035. Which means I'm doing fabulous. I responded to another ad on craigslist for a woman looking for a babysitter saturday morning. Let's hope this one works out. I'd love to make a few extra bucks.

Still need to make it to the craft store. Today I'm supposed to go and meet these guys that want me to sing in their band. I think it'll be cool. I listened to examples of their music, they seem my style. Of course, I'm really versatile, so that's not difficult. haha. The one guy plays decent acoustic music, the other one does heavier stuff, so I'm interested to see how the mix sounds.

Either way, I should get going. Have to get ready for work!

So I got a text from my mom this morning saying that my $300 check came in the mail. Woot! Of course, that money is going straight to the tuition payment. I need to do more researching into loans I can get to cover that so I can put all that money toward my CC. That would be wonderful if I could do it. Right now, I have $685.00 in my emigrant account, with that $300, it kicks it up to $985. Not bad for just a month.

I made $36.21 at work today, still above average for the week. However, I did buy a sandwich-- only because I had nothing to pack and bring. Which brings me to my next point... I really need to go grocery shopping. I made a list, added up my estimate, and I'll still be under $13, which is my budget for the week.

On the list:
Hot dogs
Buns
Yogurt
Muesli (kind of like granola, but better)
Salad mix
Wraps/tortillas
Black olives
Cucumber

We have a couple cans of saeurkraut, and I like it on hotdogs. I figured I could make a pasta salad at some point this week because we have plenty of pasta and I have some yummy vinegars to put in it. I just needed some veggies to put in it. I have some frozen, but in my opinion, pasta salad is not complete without olives and cucumber. I can also use them in the veggie salad wraps I'm going to make using the tortillas. We also have pasta sauce, so I can also make spaghetti and salad. The yogurt and muesli are for breakfast. Oatmeal just doesn't last long enough, and I dont get enough calcium in my diet.

As long as I keep to the list, I should be under budget.

I wanted to go to the craft store, but BF has the car, so it can wait til tomorrow. I got a reply online for a potential group of kids to play music with. So I may or may not be meeting them tonight. Looks promising, and with any luck we can play out and make some extra $. I miss being in a band, I think it'll be fun.

Well, I need to do some homework. Hope everyone has a great day!

Alrighty, June is here. I have about a month before my tuition is due. That means I need to kick things up a notch. I still dont have my schedule for this week... which is rather odd, I think. Why in the world would my boss wait so long to put up the schedule? Sigh. I do know, however, that I am working tomorrow, and I worked today.

I made about $40 at work today, which is pretty good. I was pleased I'm still searching for something to do on the side that will increase the cash flow. I've responded to a couple ads on craigslist looking for a part-time sitter and another for someone that wants a housecleaner 2 times a week. But no reply yet. I sent another reply to a different person that wanted an occasional sitter. We'll see if anyone is willing to work with me.

Plans for this week are shaky. I know a friend wants to meet me out on thursday night. That will be nice. I may or may not be visiting PA on saturday night. Depends on whether or not I'm working. The rest of the week is a question mark.

I opened my new sewing machine yesterday, and the bobbin holder is missing. Not quite sure why. I'm going to call the company and request them send me one, though I think I'm just going to go look for one in the meantime. I'm sure they're not expensive. I want to take a trip to the craft store anyway. I want to use my gift certificates

A pair of my jeans ripped in the butt today :/ That kind of stunk. I only have a few pairs of jeans, so now I'm down another pair. I'll use them to make something cool though. No use in wasting the material.

I need to come up with another project to do here soon. I wanted to finish something this week, which means I need to go to the craft store either today or tomorrow. I have a few hours before class, but I'm going to stop at my mom's and make my sister dinner before going to class. Perhaps I'll brainstorm today and go to the store tomorrow. Sounds like a plan.

I stopped at the bank and deposited some money I had. I also wrote out the check for my last internet bill. woo!

Everyone have a great night!

So yesterday was a good day. After getting home from class, BF showed up with a couple pretty-wrapped gifts for me: A sewing machine (eep!), a cool sewing accessory kit, and 2 gift certificates-- $35 to Pat Catan's and $35 to Michael's. It's safe to say my crafting needs are covered for a while. I may even use the $ to make myself something

He says he has another present for me, but he's saving it for "Tara day," or tomorrow, the day we're celebrating my b-day just the two of us. He really went above and beyond and did more than I had expected by far. He's such a sweetie though.

We went to dinner last night, got some appetizers and baklavah to go. Then we went out with friends and had some drinks. That was a lot of fun.

I worked today and made a decent amount of money. Tonight BF and I are going to Columbus to eat mongolian BBQ and go to my friend's going away party. Tomorrow we're going to hang out in the Short North Art District, as long as weather permits. Tomorrow night we'll probably hang out with friends of ours. Sunday night mom wants to celebrate my birthday with me.

So it'll be a long and eventful weekend. And it's started so well! I'm having a wonderful birthday, despite being sick. I'm feeling a little better. Let's hop things look even better in the next few days

Well, it's my birthday. I'm now 22 (still a baby). I feel much more like an adult at 22 than I did at 21... I guess that's the only difference.

As for today? BF has been wonderful in just making my comfortable-- which is a godsent because I'm still a bit sick. The boss let me work an hour and a half today. I only made $10, but the restaurant was slow. Got a response to my craigslist ad about the microwave, and someone is coming to pick it up today.

I've got class in an hour, and then tonight I'm going out for a little bit, despite this continuing cold. I dont see it being a late night, but I cant stand the thought of staying at home for my birthday. This weekend is going to be great, though. I work tomorrow, but then BF and I are going to Columbus for the night. A friend of mine is having a big going-away party, then we're staying in town on saturday to celebrate my b-day just the 2 of us. Should be fun.

Sunday I believe I'm celebrating my birthday with mom

I feel a little better than I did yesterday, but I was still so sick I couldn't work. My boss doesn't particularly like his servers sneezing/coughing all over people's food (can you blame him?) The downside is that I'm out 2 days' of tips, which stinks.

I didn't have any projects to work on today, though i've thought about a few I may start soon. I really need to get a sewing machine...

A few things I did do today, however, included:

*Signing up for pinecone.
*Signing up for mysurvey.
*Listing my microwave on craigslist.
*Listing a few more books on amazon.
*Updating my myspace music page and listing an ad looking for a guitarist to work with.
*Setting up a paypal account.
*Figuring out my may expenditures.
*Doing my June Budget and goals.

So the day wasn't a complete waste, it just feels like a big heap of bad news. I figured out how much debt I have as of today, and the numbers are not pretty. Granted, they're about the same as they were last month, but still, that's not good news.

I've decided that this month I need to find a different lender to get my student loan for classes this summer. I would have to figure out part of the balance anyway, but if the interest rate is lower than that of my CC (which it will likely be), it's smarter for me to use the money I'm saving to pay off my CC rather than using it to pay part of my school costs.

So here is the rundown for May. The first number is how much I budgeted, the second was how much I actually spent:

Rent: 0.00/0.00
Electric: 20.00/8.56
Gas: 50.00/67.14
Internet: 65.00/32.82
Sprint: 67.00/100.18
BC: 30.00/52.26
Bus: 20.00/0.00
Groceries: 60.00/62.28
Travel: 20.00/10.67
Food on Campus/at work: 15.00/13.25
Clothes: 10.00/3.40
Entertainment: 40.00/44.50
Misc: 25.00/78.17

Overall I was only $51.23 over budget, which really isn't all that bad considering the areas where I mostly "went over budget" were things like my gas bill and phone bill. I just need to watch my minutes this month and get a different (cheaper) perscription. I went high in the misc category because I bought my bike this month ($30) and had to get it fixed a couple times.

June is going to be even less spendy. BF will be out of town for most of the month doing silly military stuff. so I'll have less pressure to want to go out and do stuff. I'm just fine with staying at home and crafting, reading, or other fun, cheap/free activities. Also, I dont have any utilities or rent to pay this month or next, because BF doesn't let me pay anything.

I do want to have a yardsale at some point this month, and I see a great opportunity coming up soon, so I need to start rounding my stuff up. I think a lot of the books that wouldn't really sell for anything on amazon I'll put out for a couple bucks each. At least then I'll get more than a few pennies out of them.

I need to go to the bank here at some point. I have that $100 check to deposit, as well as a little bit of cash. I wish I had worked the last couple days. I'd have a little more to put in my account. sigh. I need to mail my last check to verizon and transfer some of the money into my emigrant account. My stimulus check is supposed to be deposited by saturday, so let's hope it gets there!

Hope everyone has a great day!

Well, I took advantage of this sick day and finished my first project, took pictures of it, and stuck it up on my etsy page. So here it is:



I called it a "tee-shirt" scarf because the pink strip is actually strips of an old teeshirt that I cut and sewed together, then crocheted into it. Let me know what you guys think! There's definitely more to come (not only in the way of scarves, but other things too). Also, check out my etsy and myspace pages and let me know what you think! Thanks guys!

www.reducereuserestyle.etsy.com

myspace.com/reducereuserestyle

p.s. Still feeling sick. Hope tomorrow gets better!

So my 3-day weekend was alright... until yesterday, when a nasty little sore throat popped up. That little sore throat turned into a bigger sore throat today, and I feel not so great. I think I can sit through my classes, but I sound awful when I talk, and I'm sure my employer doesn't want me coughing all over peoples' food. The sad truth really is that I cant afford to not work. So I have no idea what I'm going to do.

I'm hoping that it gets a little better over the next few hours. Sickness always seems to be worse when you just wake up. Who knows, in the next few hours it could get a little better. I'm going to hold out until my morning class is over, maybe take a hot shower, drink more tea, gargle salt water, probably take some cold medicine.

This really is a letdown. I hope it ends soon. If it ends up spanning through the week I could be in big trouble. ugh. Not only may I have to take a couple days off work, but it's my birthday on thursday. While I dont have any plans made yet, I was intending to, and that could be ruined by this nasty cold. I guess we'll see.

The weekend was rather inexpensive. Aside from spending $10 at the grocery store, I didn't spend a dime. It's looking like it's going to be a similar situation this week. I just hope I'll be making money as well as saving it... sigh.

Hope everyone has a great day. I'm going to try and get through mine.

I would consider myself among the many, many people in this country that have a real problem saying "no" when it comes to spending money. I am also among those who for the most part live above thier means.

I'm happy to say that I'm getting a bit better considering recent events, leading me to have to save an almost impossible sum. But I have noticed that it's a lot easier when my significant other is in the same boat, and much more important in the long run.

I fall into this trap because BF's funds are still "other" than mine. If I cant afford to go out to dinner and he can, he'll pay. But in the long run, if we get married, things wont be quite the same. It will still be "our" money being spent, so letting him spend money on things we dont really need isn't very productive either. Now, I dont intend on controlling my boyfriend's spending, even when he is my husband. But I do think it is important to be on the same page, and I certainly think it's easier to say "no" when you're not alone.

BF and I are both pretty broke right now, and as I mentioned, I'm finding it pretty easy to say "no" when a friend asks us to go out. Instead I opt to stay in and spend time. BF is doing the same. This is the first time that I've ever said that I'm "not going to spend any money on anything I dont need" and really followed through with it. I think that is in part due to the fact that I'm not the only one saying "no."

But I've realized that it really isn't all that bad to live at my means, or perhaps even a little below in order to do what is important and better for me in the long run. I've always been fairly frugal, but cutting out most of the "wants" to get to just the "needs" has been a refreshing situation. I know what is really important now, and not going out to dinner 2 nights a week, or buying clothes at the mall, or those other silly things that we all spend money on isn't sorely missed. I can do without and still be happy.

Now, I just have to make sure BF sees it so that when he doesn't necessarily have to say no, he'll still be able to

I'm doing really good. Yesterday I went to mom's and did laundry, and took some of her lasagne home with me She always makes it in big batches and gives me a bunch. So that was dinner/breakfast.

Yesterday was a good mail day. I got a letter from the IRS saying I should get my $300 stimulus check by 5/30. I also got the check for proofreading that paper. And bills usually aren't good news, but this one happened to be half the cost I thought it was going to be, so it was definitely good news.

A couple friends came over last night and we had a couple drinks and watched TV. The only spending I did was on a bottle of ginger ale to do a little mixing

Today we're going over to BF's twin's house. He has some stuff he needs to help him with. That means I get to see the adorable baby (BF's niece) for a bit. Tonight is a cookout at BF's parent's. I think I'm going to make potato salad to bring over. We have just about everything we need except celery and an onion, but those aren't going to cost us hardly anything.

So it sounds like it's going to be a good day! I hope everyone else's is as well!

So yesterday BF came home (which was awesome). We went to the grocery store and craft store, then went home. I dipped some pretzels and strawberries to bring to my friend's art show. We stopped at Panera on the way home, BF bought.

The art show was nice. Not very big, but the art was wonderful. I was really impressed. We stopped at a park on the way home to play for a bit. No cost there We were going to rent a movie, but we forgot to stop and figured we had plenty we could watch. I ended up falling asleep during "Open Season" anyway. haha.

Today is the first day of my glorious 3-day weekend. I slept in a bit, then got up and did a survey on lightspeed panel. Got me 300 points. Woo! I stopped at the craft store and picked up the yarn I needed at Pat Catan's, which ended up running me less than $5, so I was pretty excited. I'm thinking I may try to finish my project today. I really wanted to start planting, but I'm beginning to think it may be an expensive endeavour. So we'll see...

If I am going to start planting, I'd have to do it today. It's pretty late in the season already. Regardless, I'd like to finish my project today. I have much more sewing of fabric and crocheting to do. BF is away running errands and such. I'm suspicious that he's also getting me a birthday present. tee hee.

At some point I want to do some laundry-- probably at mom's, though BF said he wanted to go to his twin's. That means we'll probably be having dinner over there, which is wonderful.

I guess we'll see. I'm not sure exactly what the day holds in store for me, but I do know that I feel pret-ty relaxed.

Oh, in other news, I got paid yesterday-- $170. Woo! I also made a decent amount in tips, about $53, which aint bad at all for a lunch shift.

Now I just need to take a trip to the bank so I can transfer some of that into my emigrant account. Still waiting on my stimulus payment. Where in the world is it?? $100 check for proofreading is still in the mail.

Everyone have a great day!

Well, BF comes home today (he was in PA all week long), which is quite exciting

I have no class today, which is a relief. I got to sleep in all the way to 8:00! Spent about an hour and a half working on my current project. It's coming along really nicely. I'm pretty excited about it.

I got a birthday card from grandma with $20 inside I'm going to use that to go to the craft store this weekend. I told BF I wanted a sewing machine for my b-day. If he doesn't get me one, I'll have mom get it. I really need one right now, and I'd rather get a gift that will "keep on giving," so to speak, than just money-- because I can use the sewing machine to make things that could potentially draw me more income.

I transferred $200 to my emigrant account, which is the account I'm using to hold my tuition savings money. So I'm up to $349.36. A long way off from $3707, but it's a start! I should be getting that $100 check in the mail here soon. The money for the book I just sold should also be transferred into my account sometime within the next week, so that'll be a little more.

I'm really looking forward to this 3-day weekend. I have a couple places to run today-- the craft store, somewhere to pick up seeds and soil, and the grocery store to pick up some stuff to bring to my friend's art show tonight. I'm going to go to aldi and see what is the best priced, but I'm thinking stuffed cherry tomatoes, or perhaps little brushetta toasts. I'm going to look through one of my cookbooks and see if I cant find anything else. I was thinking of maybe bringing dessert rather than food. I could pick up a small bag of melting chocolate and do some pretzels. Maybe a package of strawberries as well. That would go well with wine. We shall see...

Mom wants to go out dancing tonight, but that's still up in the air. I'm really trying to avoid going to the bar more than once this weekend, as funds are disasterously low. At least with the bar I usually go to no one actually shows up til almost 1am, which gives me plenty of time to have a couple beers at home before going, and I dont feel ashamed to have water the whole time I'm there. I'll be dancing

So, things I want to get done this weekend:

-Go to craft store.
-Go to get soil/seeds.
-Start planting.
-Finish current project.
-Start on next project.

Seems rather managable. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Well, I stopped at mom's last night and picked up the supplies I needed. I may have to stop by the craft store and pick up a few more things this weekend, but it shouldn't be too much. I've started my first project. Photos will come when it is finished.

I had class this morning, then work. I made more at work today than I did the rest of the week, so I was happy about that. I stopped at the bank on the way home, just copied out my packaging slip, and I'm on to mom's house to wrap up my book, then to the post office to ship it. Finally, I need to stop at the grocery store to pick up a couple things. But I'm leaving it at the bare minimum.

I haven't really spent any money all week, which is good. I'm supposed to hang out with a friend of mine tonight. I think we're watching a movie at her place, so that shouldn't cost me anything. I'm going to a coworker's art show tomorrow night and offered to bring some sort of food. I'm going to go back to the grocery store tomorrow and figure out what I want to bring. Something cheap. She's supplying some food, and wine. So I felt like it would be nice to bring something.

As for the rest of the weekend, I need to keep it low-key, despite having a 3-day weekend. I want to get some seeds, as I want to start planting my tomatoes and zuchinni. It's already late in the season, but considering how cold it's been, I'm not sure it would have made much of a difference anyway.

Well, I'm off to mom's. Perhaps I'll gank some food while I'm there

Hope everyone has a great day!

Well, first and foremost I want to thank everyone for the kind and encouraging words. I can definitely use any spirit anyone wants to throw at me Some responses to some of the questions, though:

I did talk to the financial aid office. The problem is that my home school in PA doesn't do any type of student aid during the summers, so that's a no-go. I would take a lesser courseload this semester, but if I did I would have to move back to PA and it would end up being much more costly, because the tuition at the university I'm attending now is half the cost of my home instiution (which is a private university). Not to mention, the cost of living out there is far more expensive than here.

As far as the CC is concerned, it will absolutely be last resort. I hope to apply for a couple more loans before my July 11 deadline, but in the case that I dont get approved for these either, I want to have as much money saved up as possible. If I do get approved? I'm putting all the saved money toward my CC to pay it off, because the interest is likely higher than any loan I would be approved for.

If I couldn't get approved for a loan with my mom as a co-signer, I'm fairly certain they wouldn't approve her for a PLUS loan, so unfortunately that idea is out. Besides, my mom doesn't want another loan. She has plenty of her own! haha.

Yes, yes it is a lot of money to come up with in a short amount of time. But I cant think in "what if I dont come up with the money" terms. I need to make/get the money. Period. If I cant it means really crappy consequences. Such as moving back to PA, and possibly not being able to get the financing in the fall for the remainder of my classes, which would be catastrophic. I'm only taking one class in the fall, which means my tuition, even though it will be through my home institution, will be a fraction of what I would spend on an entire semester. I'll have stafford loans in the fall that I'll get from the government, so I should have no problem paying for it. It's this semester that is the problem. If I cant take these classes this semester, I'll have to take them in the fall, and I certainly wont be able to $10k in the fall if I cant come up with $4k this summer.

debtfreeme-- I was thinking about continuing the editing. How did you get notice? Did you advertise? Post on craigslist? Etc? Just curious.

frugaltexan--I could do a market research group, but considering my aversion to needles, plasma donating is not in the cards. lol. Even though there's a center right down the street... I'm definitely cutting back on groceries (and everything else) for the time being.

Now, that all being said...

I sold a book on amazon. Yay! I made $14.40, which will be more like $11 after shipping costs. Every little bit helps!

I also finished proofreading and editing that paper last night. 58 pages, but my $100 check will be in the mail today according to my friend, so I should be getting that fairly soon.

Yesterday was a no-spend. I'm not going to track money associated with these anymore because basically all my money is going into my savings for the time being.

I also spent some time last night in adobe photoshop and indesign coming up with an identity for this crafting/selling I want to do. I opened up an etsy shop and made a myspace page that both (I think) look pretty good. Now I just need to make some stuff and list it. I'll be stopping by mom's tonight to pick up some yarn, and possibly the sewing machine. If nothing else, some sewing supplies. I have an idea for the first peice I want to make. Time to get started on it.

If anyone wants to check the myspace page and let me know what you think of how it looks, that would be great. I designed the logo and the banner. Blood, sweat, and tears!

www.myspace.com/reducereuserestyle

Everyone have a great day!

Today is my day off. School starts tomorrow, so it's going to be a hectic schedule all week. I have class 8:00-9:30am, then work from 10:30-2:30pm, then school again from 6:00-8:00pm. Bah. At least I live close to campus.

BF and I rode our bikes to his parent's house, then went to breakfast with his sister. We're going over to his brother's house this evening for dinner. I was hoping to do some laundry at some point, might take it over there. Or I could just suck it up and do it here later. I've only got about one load I need to get done by tomorrow. Maybe if we get done with dinner early enough I can swing by mom's and do it there, and get the loan stuff all taken care of. That may be something to think about.

Work last night was long. I really dont care for working dinner shifts. I make more money, but really not that much more that I believe it's worth being out that late. I was exhausted last night, and I still only made $50. That's really not that great for a saturday night dinner shift. I made almost $40 the other day at lunch. The good news is that this week I'm working all lunch shifts, mon-fri. So I have my saturday off That'll be nice. 2 days in a row off. Mmmm. I may have to make a visit out to PA. Maybe.

I need to go to the bank tomorrow. And to the library. I have to return some books. I have to pick up the one that mom borrowed, though. It'll be no problem.

I have to buy some of my books tomorrow for the classes that start. I can pick up the rest later in the summer when they start. I think I'm going to put them on my CC for now. Until mom and dad give me some money. It's really great that they're paying for my books. I think this is only the second time, but it's so nice of them.

At any rate, I think I'm going to go take a nap before we head over to BF's brother's. Everyone have a great sunday!

Well, yesterday I called mom and she said she would co-sign. She got approved to buy a car last week, so I imagine her credit will be good enough to make me eligible for the loan. So this weekend or monday we're going to take care of that.

I worked the patio bar last night (bartending). It went well. I'm a novice bartender, but the selections we had were far lesser than the ones in the main bar downstairs, so I did okay. It wasn't very busy, but the regular that was there kept giving me $5 tips on his drinks and buying everyone at the bar (the whole 5 of them) drinks, so I ended up making about $51 for the night. Not bad for how dead it was. I expect it to get much better.

After work I didn't go out. BF and our friends met me there and we had a drink before I went home and crashed. I was quite sleepy.

Today is my little sister's 14th birthday party out at the campsite. That's at 2, and should be fun. I have work again at 6:30 tonight. I'm looking forward to my day off tomorrow. I feel like I've been working my butt off this week.

My friend sent me her friend's paper to proofread, so I'll probably spend the better part of tomorrow doing that. Not sure how she's going to pay me, but I'm sure we can figure something out. I started skimming it, and it's not nearly as bad as she played it up to be. When she said that she made lots of mistakes because she was foreign, I expected a really intense job. But from what I've seen, she writes very intelligently, and very well. I dont imagine it to be very difficult. Seems it's going to be an easy $100

Well, I better get going. I've got to get ready for this party!

Well, I went and got that class changed yesterday, so my schedule is all set. But I had to call Sallie Mae today to see about getting a loan for my summer classes. Here I thought there would be no problem. But apparently I'm unable to get a loan without a cosigner now. I dont really understand why. I have up until this point (though I'm paying for it dearly with ridiculous interest rates). This really sucks, because I dont have a cosigner. Mom would do it, but I know her credit is terrible, so I dont understand how that would help me. So I need to figure out a cosigner, or I need to put the first half of the cost on my CC and come up with another $1753.45 by mid July. Not going to be an easy task... I'll just have to talk to mom and see what we can do.

I also priced my books today. Depending on whether or not I can get them used, they'll run me anywhere from $327-$436. Mom and dad both offered to buy the books, so I'm going to have to take them up on that offer.

I worked the lunch shift today. I'm supposed to go in again later at 7:30 to do the dinner shift. I hope I make more tonight than I did this morning...

Seems I should be a little tighter on the budget even more than expected. This money stuff really bugs me sometimes. Sigh.

On the upside, BF came home last night and was totally surprised and super happy because I cleaned and reorganized the apartment. I got a lot done, and I was really excited to have more counterspace and be able to see both the bedroom AND living room floors

Welp, gonna go take a nap before my next shift. Hope everyone has a great night!

Well, yesterday was a NSD. So that's $3 more to add to my challenge money (because I resisted buying food at work). That brings me to $152.36.

Last night mom had BF and me meet her out at the bar. She wanted to buy me a drink and hang out a bit. She had me stop at the house on the way home. I had more mail and she left me a surprise there! I've been talking about doing some gardening-- in containers, but gardening nonetheless. So while she was out shopping she found a little pail and these reusable plant markers that she left with some lipgloss on the table next to my mail. My mommy is so great

I made really decent money yesterday at work. $44.62-- not bad for a wednesday lunch shift. I did stay a little later than usual, though. The other girl wanted to go home. I wanted to make money. So it worked out. lol.

I stopped at the bank after work and made a deposit, then paid my cell bill online :/ It was a little more than I was expecting. I have to watch my minutes this month. Lucky for me, next month I'll be cancelling my service with sprint (my contract is up June 25) and getting a phone on my mom's verizon plan. Mom and BF are both verizon, so I'd be talking to the 2 people I talk to the most for free. I might just share my sister's plan for the moment because she doesn't really use hers. She just has a phone for emergencies and so my parents can get a hold of her, but they're on verizon too, so it doesn't use the minutes up. It would only run me $20/month with text messaging.

Today I have the day off, and it looks really nice outside. I need to go down to the university and change one of my classes, then pick up a summer loan app. My FAFSA was processed as of this morning, so they'll be getting thier info here soon.

I'm getting lunch with a friend I haven't really sat down and caught up with for a while. So I'm kind of excited about that. I also want to clean the apt up a little more. BF put pork in the crock pot, so it's looking like dinner at home

Not sure what is going on tonight. BF is staying in because he has a bunch of work to get done. There's a party I may go to, or I could just go down and dance at the bar down the street. There's also karaoke with my friends, if they're going. So I have options I generally dont drink much when I'm doing karaoke (cause I like to sing better, I drink water), so that may be the best of options. Especially if I'm driving there. We shall see, I suppose.

Hope everyone has a great day!

So I emailed my mom all the info I needed from her to file my FAFSA. By the time I got home from work, she had sent me everything I needed. So I got that checked off the list.

Work was decent. I made $27.71 and did NOT get a sandwich while I was there, which means I get to put $3 toward my challenge money today. Woo! That puts me at $149.36.

I rode my bike to mom's and got that check, as well as wrapped up the book I had sold on amazon. Then I rode to the post office. I rode back to the bank, but it was closed. I'll have to stop by tomorrow and make my deposit.

It's funny riding my bike around. I keep getting all these scrapes and scratches (mostly from trying to carry it up stairs), I feel like a kid again It's absolutely gorgeous out today, it was the perfect temperature to be riding around for a couple hours-- and it feels good, though my bum and knees and hands hurt. lol.

BF is on his way home. We're going to make dinner. Not sure what yet, but we'll be making something. We put out a pork loin to defrost for tomorrow. Think we're going to throw it in the crock pot.

Just have to stop at the university here in the next couple days and re-register for that class and fill in that summer loan app. Lucky for me the due date is June 2. That'll give me a little time for my FAFSA to process. I do need to price those books, though, and re-register for that class in the next couple days.

Either way, hope everyone has a great night!