Well, this week seems to be going very well thus far, though I haven't really gotten a whole lot done. We need to change that today. I've got a few things I need to do at the university-- namely registering for a class, because apparently the computer doesn't register that I meet the prereq. Ah well.

I have to [finally] file my FAFSA, which means I have to get mom's info too. I also have to put in a summer loan application.

It's my little brother's 20th birthday today, have to give him a call.

I also need to mail that book that I sold on amazon, after looking through it and copying a few recipes

Mom called yesterday and said what was left of my safety deposit came in the mail ($40ish). They use part of it to clean the carpet, and it was only $100 to begin with, so it's not that much, but the carpet really needed cleaned.

I should probably run by the bank at some point too

I've got work from 10:30am-2:30ish. I'll have to do all this after work, but it really works out because it's supposed to be beautiful today, and I'd love to ride my bike around for a good part of the day.

Last night was fun. BF and I went over to his twin brother's to make ribs and hang out. Got to visit with the baby (BF's neice, she's 6 months. ADORABLE). Ended up staying a little late, but I was so tired from the food and the couple beers that I had that I ended up falling asleep on the couch about 10pm. Good time though, and great food. I paid for the beer we brought over, only because BF paid for all the groceries he bought the other day. Tonight we'll probably make dinner here at home.

Speaking of being "home," things are starting to shape up here at the apartment. There still needs to be a considerable amount of unpacking, and some moving of stuff to my mom's, but aside from that, there's a lot more room in the apt.

Hoping today will be a NSD. Just have to resist those sandwiches at work! It's so hard having so little willpower. That's it. If I have a NSD today, I'm going to put $3, not $1 into my challenge money (that's how much I would spend on a sandwich at work anyway).

Anyhoo. I should get this day started. Everyone have a good one!

Well, this weekend was a little spendy. Yesterday for mother's day me and the sibs went to lunch with mom and grandma. Me and big bro paid for the meal-- though my $14 was puny compared to the rest of it! Then me, mom, and grandma went paint shopping and house shopping. Mom signed a lease on an apt, so she'll start moving in next month. While we were at bed, bath, and beyond, I found a bathroom carrier thing that I bought for my stuff in the tiny little bathroom I've got now. None of my stuff has a place :/

Saturday night was pretty crappy at work. I got there at 5:00pm. I didn't have one table for 3 hours, and ended up being one of the last people cut. Just kind of worked out like that. I didn't complain really, which was good because the girl that was complaining got sent home (thus why I was cut after her), and the owner and the manager were not too impressed with her attitude. I did what I could to help and keep busy. The worst part about it though was that I only made $43 for the whole shift, which was 7 hours long :/ I guess you win some, you lose some. It just wasn't busy at the restaurant. I'm counting on this week to be better.

Total made at work this week: $157.72. This is something that I can survive on, but I'm still counting on it getting better.

As far as spending, I'm only over budget on my "Misc" category-- mostly due to my bike and the 2 repairs. I also put the restaurant cost on mother's day and the bathroom carrier in this category. So I'm $50 over budget in that category. But I haven't spent a dime in my grocery or "bus" category. BF went grocery shopping the other day without me. I'm going to ask if he wants a few bucks, but odds are he wont accept any money from me.

I sold another book on amazon yesterday. I made $10.15 on it. That will get split between my challenge money and CC. Which reminds me, I have to pay off what I put on my CC for my most recent bike repair ($7.43). That's not going to count toward my CC payments for the month, because I really didn't want to use it.

Did laundry yesterday at mom's. And cooked dinner for the family. All no-cost. Love it

So This week's goal evaluation:

[x] Keep track of all $ spent.

[x] Stay under budget (I am overall under budget still).

[x] Dont touch savings.

[ ] Dont use CC (though I'm going to pay it off this week).

[ ] Save $75 (not yet).

[ ] Pay off $150 on CC (not yet).

[ ] 3 NSD/week (I only had 1 this week).

[ ] 12 NSD in May (still only at 1).

So I've got work today at 10:30am. I'll ride my bike there, so I wont have to worry about parking meters, or gas for that matter (not that it's really all that much, but I'm looking forward to riding my bike).

When I get home I need to start filing my FAFSA. I should have had it in a while ago... I also need to print off an application for a summer loan, and go switch one of my classes. Finally, I need to price my books. Class starts next week! Eek! It's gonna get busy!

In other news, Mom is giving me her sewing machine. Very cool. I need to go get it, and take a look through the crocheting box.

Well, time to get this day started! Hope everyone has a good one!

I've been thinking about buying a bike for a long time now (that's a bicycle, not a motorcycle). I wanted an easier way to get around and be friendly to the environment (and my body!). I've been driving BF's car, but I'd rather not, if not just for the cost of gas. Every little bit saved helps, you know.

So I was talking to one of the girls I work with about it because she rides her bike to work everyday. Then she said she had an extra one laying around that she would sell to me really cheap. So I took a look at it. It's a mountain bike. It had a pedal missing and was in dire need of some air. It had been sitting in her dusty basement for a while and was covered in cobwebs, but it seemed like a nice bike for $30. So I took her up on it.

I loaded it into the car and drove it to the bike shop by my apt. They put the pedal on-- which ended up being a pain for them because the threads weren't doing so good. I may have to get a new crank shaft eventually-- and aired it up. That cost me about $16 (for 2 pedals and labor). So overall the cost of the bike was $46. Really not all that bad, I think. And I'm sure I'll save a lot on gas and bus tickets-- and perhaps lose some weight! I just need a good bike lock. BF says he's got one he has to pick up at his parents' (where his bike is). He wont be using his to commute, so until we both go on a bike trip and both need to lock our bikes up, I'm going to hold off on buying one.

So the bike put me further over budget, but I'm really not too worried about it. It was a planned purchase, I just forgot to put it into my budget!

Last night I hopped over to the bar for a bit (it's right down the street) with $5 in my pocket. When I came home, that $5 was still there. I decided I was thirsty for water while dancing Saw the ex and a bunch of his friends there. It's odd. Me and the ex can talk no problems, it's not hostile, but some of his friends in his presence will act so strange with me. It's quite awkward, and I dont really get it. If he's not there they act entirely normal. Eh. Silly people.

My stimulus payment was supposed to go through today, but I'm not sure if it's going to. It's not showing up in my online banking. I filed pretty late. Not quite to the 15th, but late nonetheless. So I'm guessing that's why I dont have it.

Next on the list? FAFSA. Yeah, that seems to get filed late every year... Have to dig out my tax info and get mom's for last year. Then I have to put in an application for a summer loan, or I'm not going to be able to take my classes. That would not be good.

Yesterday I listed 5 cookbooks on amazon. Let's see if anyone bites. Also, I got a message from a friend who has a foreign friend that needs someone to proofread a 60 page paper for her and make corrections. She's going to pay someone and $100 to do it, and I volunteered to be that person. Her paper is due the day I start classes, so it'll be perfect.

Other than that, I have no news. Today is day 4 of work. And I'm hoping to make some big $$. I'd have to make $51 in order to reach my goal tips for the week, but we'll see. I'm really hoping next week will be a little more lucrative.

Well, my 3rd day of work has come to a close. I didn't make very much yesterday, but I only got 2 of my own tables. Today I got the amount I was supposed to, but there were 3 of us working today (as opposed to 2 yesterday). So I'm remaining optimistic and thinking that it can only go up from here.

As for other financial news, I went and picked up my perscription today. I've had samples for the last 3 months or so, so this is the first time I've had to pay for it. $52! For one month of pills! I mean come on now. My last brand was only $25/month. I'm thinking I'm going to have to call my doctor and discuss my other options... or go to planned parenthood. lol.

So I'm a bit bummed because due to my gas bill and perscription cost both being higher than anticipated I'm already over budget $40 for May (in both categories, that is). Which means I'm going to have to cut back in other areas. Especially considering I'm likely not going to make the amount of money I needed to make this week to cover it. grr.

I think I'm going to list a couple more things on amazon. Finally going to get to my cookbooks. I've got 5 I'm going to list. I'll write the recipes I know I want to try down before I ship them out.

I'm on my way now to look at a bike. This girl I work with said she has an extra, and she'll sell it to me for really cheap. I want one to ride around for commuting purposes. I'd rather do that than use the gas in the car. Besides, it's better for the environment, and my body! So hopefully that'll work out.

Tonight BF is getting back a little late, and I'm going to try and have dinner ready when he gets home. He's been super stressed, but it seems like things are going to be different after talking to his boss-- which is a relief. We're going to try and get more done with the apt. Mom came by today and picked up one of my tables and 2 chairs. I'm hoping she'll give me a few bucks for them later on.

Right-o. Well, off to look at that bike!

It went well. I went in at 4:30, left about 10:30, so I stayed 6 hours. I made $31 in tips. Which really isn't that great, but it had a lot to do with how they set it up. Basically a big party of firemen came in (they had thier convention at the restaurant), and there were 3 of us working the bar-- getting drinks, and then cleaning up after the guys. There were about 100 people or so. We split the tips. That was the $31. After that I spent the rest of the night following someone, and I didn't make any tips. However, I believe today that I'll be taking my own tables, and I'll make some money. Other than that, the people are nice. I think I'm going to enjoy working there I just have to see how much money I'm making.

After work, the boss bought me a drink-- which was convenient because I was going out after I went home and changed. I only had a couple beers at the bar, then. I spent $11 at the bar (2 beers for me, one for a friend, plus $2 tip for the bartender). So I have $29 left in my entertainment fund for May.

I got a few things done yesterday, including disconnecting the internet service at my old apartment. I had forgotten when I moved back. Bummer. I'll be paying for about a week that I wasn't even there. My fault, though. I also had a perscription called in yesterday. I have to pick that up today.

I have work at 11:00am. Yesterday I drove, but today BF took the car because he had drill. It's close enough to walk, so I'm just going to do that. Besides, it saves me the parking meter rates. I paid $0.75 yesterday. And it's good exercise

I want to look into buying good shoe inserts for work. My back, legs, and feet were killing me when I got off last night. I have to get used to being on my feet all the time again :/ Ah well, if it's bringing in cash I really cant complain.

Hope everyone has a good day!

Well. I've come up with my May goals:

*Keep track of all money spent.

*Stay under budget.

*Dont touch my savings (challenge money).

*Dont use credit card.

*Put at least $75 into challenge money.

*Pay at least $150 on my CC.

*Have 3 No-Spend days per week.

*Have 12 no-spend days in May.

*Look for new ways to bring in extra income.

Also, I set out a challenge for myself-- no buying books, movies, or CD's. For 3 months. So this is month #1.

I've been thinking about the extra cashflow... I started thinking about my cookbooks. I have a few really nice ones. The problem is that I never use them. And generally, if I find a recipe I really like, I just write it down in a notebook I keep specifically for this purpose. Now, there are a couple that I wouldn't part with because they are not just cookbooks (like the joy of cooking). But for all intents and purposes, I can check cookbooks out at the library. I can also take them into the cafe at barnes and noble and copy recipes out of them while I sip on tea (which I've done in the past). So I'm going to look into selling a few of the really nice ones I have (Paula Deen, Williams-Sonoma ones, Jamie Oliver, etc).

I plan to list my microwave on craigslist. We dont need 2. Mom is taking one of my tables and 2 chairs, and I think she's going to give me a little money for them. That will also clear up some space in our apt.

Also, I had mentioned the idea of doing more crocheting and crafting and possibly opening up an etsy shop. I picked up a few books from the library today on crafting to sell, being a "weekend entrepreneur," so we'll see if I get any other ideas.

Because I put half of extra income into my CC and half into my challenge money, I would need to make $150 in extra income to meet my goal. Or $126 if I meet my goal for No-spend days. I think this is do-able. So we'll see. Oh, and today was a NSD, so I'm on my way!

Either way, it's my bedtime! I have a busy day tomorrow. Going to do some cleaning and unpacking, and then I start my first day at the new job in the evening! Wish me luck!

For those of you who have asked, I wanted to write a separate blog to explain what a hookah is. It's a device, originated in India, that is used for smoking. A sort of pipe. I would say it is akin to a "bong," only because the smoke is filtered through water, and pulled through a hose.

As to what is put in the hookah, traditionally and in my case, shisha is used. Shisha is a mixture of tobacco, flavoring, and usually molasses. It is absolutely not illegal in this country. You can buy it at many tobacco shops, or at a hookah bar (usually where I pick mine up). There are hookah bars all over the states (3 I know of just in my area), that legally run, and people can get together and smoke incredibly yummy flavors. I've had everything from mango, passionfruit, sweet melon (probably my favorite), cappucino, pumpkin pie, apricot, coconut, etc etc etc.

Because it's pulled through water, it's not quite as harsh as a cigarette. It also tastes FAR better. I'm not a smoker, nor will I ever be, but I do love a good hookah every now and again. It's relaxing, it's fun to get people together and smoke and talk, or drink.

Now, there is still nicotine in the tobacco that you would be smoking. I'm not advocating the use of hookahs or saying that anyone else should be doing it, I'm just merely explaining what it is. And also clarifying that I do NOT put illegal substances in my hookah, nor would I be stupid enough to talk about a drug habit on the internet. I only use tobacco. Anything illegal that I could put in my hookah would make it taste bad, and that just kind of defeats the purpose for me. I know that there are people out there that have done so, but I do not.

If anyone has any other questions, you can consult the almighty of almighties-- wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hookah

Well, today I'm staying in. So it should be a minimal spending day. I'm trying to decide if I should do laundry today, tomorrow, or just put it off til wednesday or thursday when I'm in Ohio at my mom's. We'll see. I'll probably put it off and wear some stuff I haven't in a while. haha. It'll save me about $5.

Yesterday was a bit spendy. BF and I went to the liquor store, as I had no wine and really wanted some. I ended up buying 2 bottles (I couldn't decide between them and I like having wine on hand anyway) and a bottle of generic Bailey's. Because I love it in coffee. It'll take me a while to use the whole bottle. That trip ended up costing me about $40. Which is a big ouch. I really should have just stuck to one bottle, but hey, this saves me a trip to the liquor store for a looong time.

Aside from that, we went to the grocery store. I needed to pick up just a few things for my lunches this week. Though I forgot that I'm only going to be packing a lunch 3 times this week (I'll be in ohio from wednesday evening til sunday). Because of that, I didn't really buy anything to make "dinner" food. I'll just scrape together what I have at home. Not to mention, BF bought some stuff, and as usual left most of it at my place when he went back. So I've got some snack food as well.

My tax return cleared, and I finally decided what to do with it. I put $300 toward my CC. Then I put $100 of it in my emigrant account for my china trip, along with the $3 in NSD money I've accumulated thus far this week. Hopefully today will be another. I think it really depends on the laundry situation, and how desperate I get for clean clothes. lol.

This brings my challenge money up to $123.98. Woo! And still rising!

Other than that, today is a clean and homework day. We had a couple people over last night and we drank some wine, smoked the hookah, and talked. It was a good time, though my friend seemed to be a little bit snippier than usual. bah. Oh well.

I've been really stressed for the last week, with all the things I have to do. BF leaving didn't help. It seems that when he's around, it's so much easier for me to forget about all my work, and I'm so much happier. But he and I both know that I have things to get done, so he went back to Ohio about an hour ago. I miss him already.

At any rate, I should get going. I have an apartment to clean and a great deal of homework to get done. I did manage to finish one paper yesterday, and make a denet amount of headway on another, but there's still quite a bit left to do.

Everyone have a wonderful saturday!

Sunday means homework homework homework... Too bad it's so nice out... I'd love to be out doing something else. Ooooh well...

I have love/hate relationship with mondays. On one hand, I love the concept of having a fresh start, a new week. At the same time, however, mondays are my long days. I'm on campus 11:00am-9:00pm. Sigh. Today has been relatively okay, however.

I packed my lunch this morning, and hopped the bus to go downtown. I had to stop at the bank to get cash because I'm not able to use my debit card to buy my bus pass. I sat down yesterday and calculated out the least expensive way to handle my transportation this month, and it seems that buying a bus pass was the cheapest route. So I bought one this morning.

Other than that, I have to buy dinner tonight, which will come out of my "food on campus" budget-- something I decided to reintroduce because I'm on campus so late on mondays. I figured it was better than taking that $5 or so a week out of my entertainment budget (part of the reason I went over budget in that category for march). I know it's technically still March, but I wanted to start fresh this week entirely, so here were are, pseudo-April

I thought I was going to boycott using my CC for the moment, but unfortunately I have to pay a registration fee for a conference I'm presenting at in August-- it's super important, and is going to look fabulous on my resume, but it's still $250 out of pocket, just for registration. Boo. That'll be going on my CC, but other than that, the boycott continues.

I'm sending a job application in soon for a home-care position for mentally handicapped children. I'm pretty excited about it, and think it will be invaluable experience for me as a future psychologist (possibly child psychologist). So cross your fingers, everyone!

At any rate, I have tons to do, and never enough time, so everyone have a great day!

So March is coming to a close, and that hellish month April is upon me. It's going to be a BUSY month. Now, busy usually means less spending for me, but we'll see how things play out. I'll be in the apt less often on the weekends because I need to be downtown a lot, and BF isn't going to be around as much on the weekends (both a blessing and a curse). He's got silly military stuff to attend to a couple weekends, and I have mucho tests and homework to get done. I'll be happy if I make it out of the month alive.

I finally filed my taxes, and I'll be getting about $600 back from the fed. Assuming I filed my PA taxes properly (questionable), I should be getting about $300 back. And then there's my stimulus check coming at some point-- most of which will be put into my credit card payments. I'm going to keep at least some of the fed return just in case I dont find a job in Ohio right after moving.

March totals went well. There were categories in which I was over (entertainment spending this weekend got a little bad, though it could have been much, much worse). Overall, however, I was $12.35 UNDER budget-- which I am happy to report, I put toward my CC payment. Woo! Every little bit helps!

I may have a couple big expenses coming up this month though. I'm setting aside $300 for vacation, though it should be less than that (we'll see). And I might have to take this test to get out of a class at my university, though it seems I may be able to get credit from my highschool spanish classes (cross your fingers!).

This weekend was alright spending-wise. BF paid for a LOT (including the few items that made up my groceries for the week!). I of course really appreciate all the help he gives, especially considering he's got some hefty debt himself. We never did get around to going over his finances, but he'll be back to PA on tuesday for work, so perhaps we'll have time this week. I did take a trip to the mall to use my $50 American Eagle gift card. I got the bathing suit I've been looking at, and also a cute shirt. I spent a little over the $50 (about $20 when everything's said and done), but I'm not fretting. I need some more summer/spring clothes.

I wrote out (a much more detailed) budget for April. I think some of my expectations for last month were a bit silly. Maybe not, considering I was under budget, but I was a little more specific this time around. My goals for the month are the same as last month, though I'm not seeing as many no-spend days.

I need to contact verizon, my gas co. and electric co. to let them know I'm moving at the end of the month. Hopefully that'll go smoothly. I should stop at my mom's house and make all those calls though. I dont want to use up all my minutes on my cell plan. We'll see.

Other than that, I'm just babbling and tired, and I really wanted to clean my apt tonight, but I got so wrapped up in taxes and budgeting that I seem to have run out of time. It's already getting late and I have class in the morning. ugh. I feel like I didn't get a break all weekend. I did homework constantly, even while visiting in Ohio. Sigh.

And I'm going to have to start packing soon! I move in less than a month! Gaa! Someone help me, I'm going to drown in all of these things to do!

I'm really gonna need that vacation at the end of the month

It seems like the end of the semester is closing on me, it's coming up so fast! And yet it's so welcomed and feared in my book. I have so much to do! Papers to write, a presentation to plan, tests to take. Sigh. I got an A on both the tests I got back this week. We'll see how the paper I wrote was.

I managed to work out yesterday... for a measly 20 minutes. But still worked out. I had a terrible day, a sort of issue with one of my professor/friends. I was upset just about all day, but I think things will work out. We're going to get together on friday to talk about it some more.

BF is in PA this week for work, so I'm lucky to have someone to cuddle with every night That is undoubtedly making my week happier!

Today should be a no-spend day. It's my early day, so I'll be catching the bus after class at 2:40 and coming home to do homework, clean my apt, and make dinner with BF. Then more homework. I'm trying to finish up a couple papers this week.

Tomorrow night I'm going to have a few friends over. That should be fun, and relatively cheap. We'll be smoking the hookah, but I've got plenty of shisha here and there's nothing really that we have to go out and buy. Friends will bring thier own alcohol.

That's about it! I'm hoping it's a low-key and very productive day. Wish me luck!

Hello all!

BF made it home safely, and we had a very nice reunion at the airport when I picked him up

We ate lunch at home saturday (I made chicken salads), we did go out to dinner with his family saturday night, but he paid (sweetheart), so when we went out with friends to the bar I bought him a couple beers. I still only ended up spending about $20 at the bar (with tip).

Easter was fun. We went and did easter lunch with BF's family, and then swung by my grandma's for some (more) dessert and spent some time with the family.

Mom offered to drive me back to PA, so I bought her some gas, and paid the tolls on the way, so I spent about $30 there. Which is still $10 less than I would have spent on a greyhound ticket to get back. And BF didn't have to drive all the way back in the morning. Much appreciated

Yesterday was my long day at school, so I took my ritual once-a-week trip to subway and bought my kid's meal. I'm back to healthy eating after a rather unhealthy easter (way too much candy). Tonight I get back on my exercise routine as well.

I got my abnormal psychology test back last night... A! Woo! Guess I can pick the crazies now

I'm trying to make today a no-spend day. Shouldn't be too difficult. BF is supposed to be coming to PA tonight and spending the rest of the week here for work, so I'll have another to cook for this week! But I've got my meals all planned out. Well, gotta get going! Everyone have a good day!

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!

This is the first NSD I've had in a few days. It feels great It seemed like the day drug on, but here it is 10pm and I'm not sure where all the time went! Had class, came home, did my dishes, not sure what else until my friend came over and we worked out for an hour and a half or so. And now I'm settling down to start a paper. Woo-wee!

It was a very dreary day, and I cant wait for the weather to improve. I'm looking forward to BF coming home saturday afternoon. He's indeed grabbing the earlier flight, and I'm going to pick him up at about noon. Very exciting! It's been 2 weeks... hehe.

I've been eating semi-well, though I know I've slacked a bit. They were giving out free pizza at my university... that didn't help. haha.

Spending has been tight still, though there were a couple things I bought I could have surely done without (Diet Arizona Green tea... cheap, but gave me a headache!). I only bought food once this week... monday, because I have class until 9pm. I grabbed a subway kids meal. Mmm. Still under $5, not bad.

The only other news I have is that I'm down to 132 pounds Keeping up with these workouts has given me so much more energy... but I find that it makes it harder to wake up in the morning. Still trying to keep it up though!

Everyone have a great night!

Well. It seems like it's going to be another NSD. I've got an event at the university tonight, but it is after dinner time, so I'll eat before I go. I'm going to drive BF's car (gulp). I've been doing well for the last couple days driving it, but this'll be the first time I take it on the highway. No matter, it's usually the getting-going that gets me, not the actual driving part. hehe. Silly manuals... I just need to get decent at it so I can drive to the airport to pick BF up on saturday. I'm so excited to see him! Less than a week now!

I'm going to work out here in a bit. I need to keep up on that. Especially since I baked chocolate chip cookies last night to cure my lonely. They were free, but not healthy in the slightest Baking cookies makes me think of home, though, and it definitely helped!

I planned out my meals, but want to come up again with goals for this week:

1. Keep track of all spending (did good last week!).

2. 3 No-Spend Days again.

3. Stick to my meal plan (as to eat as much of the food I already have).

4. Keep to the Budget (I was under this week, exciting!).

5. Avoid dining out with BF. We're really bad about this, and it eats up our money so easily! I think this'll be easy considering we're both very strapped for cash and we'll be eating Easter dinner with our families on Sunday!

I want to write out a list of free/cheap things that BF and I could do together. Or even do with friends There are so many things, afterall!

At any rate, everyone have a great day!

I just finished up my grocery shopping. I stuck to the list I brought with me (with the exception of a .49 can of beets I thought would spice up my salads). I actually spent less than I had anticipated. I had expected to spend something to the tune of $16, and spent $14.40. Incredibly cheap, eh? Well, I'm surely cutting corners and trying to use up the food I have stocked up at home. So really I'm only buying things to pack in my lunch, and a few odd produce items. I was a bit disappointed they didn't have my hummus this time around, but I can put light mayo on my sandwiches, it'll be fine. And the best part? I'm $5.60 under my budget for groceries this month. It's just me, so I shouldn't be spending very much on groceries anyway.

In other spending, it's laundry day, so that'll be $2.50 for one load. I like to prioritize and save my towels for when I get to go back to my mom's. I have plenty to hold me over. lol. And I'll be there this weekend, so I'll get free laundry services

Other than that, the plans for the day are to finish up some homework, and work out... though I'm taking it light today. My calves are still a bit sore from yesterday. I spent a whole hour on the treadmill! I did put my bathing suit on for the first time since this summer. It was a bit motivating, though not too bad! lol.

Better get working! Have a great saturday, guys!

It's been a fairly productive day... I planned out my meals for next week, as I'm going grocery shopping either tomorrow or sunday morning. Also was on the treadmill for an hour and I'm down to 133 lbs, which is exciting news!

Yesterday was my test, and it was better than I had expected it to be. I stopped by the bookstore yesterday and bought something that I could use for one of my papers, and something that I just wanted anyway. That was $13.86. I also took a trip to taco bell last night with friends... yes, unhealthy AND an extra expense. But as that's really the only entertainment (hanging out with my friends last night) expense I've had all week, I didn't feel bad. And I definitely worked it off today. lol.

Today is a no-spend day. Which makes 4 for the week. Tomorrow I'll likely be doing my grocery shopping and laundry, so I'll spend a little. Hopefully only around $20. I made up my grocery list today. So my weekly goals have thus far been achieved

I kept track of my spending, kept to the budget (actually, thus far I'm under), for the most part kept to my meal plan (with the exception of that taco bell last night), and I had 4, not 3 no-spend days this week. Overall I'm pretty proud of myself!

I'm going to celebrate by spending the next day doing homework. lol. Perhaps I'll watch a movie tonight or something as well...

Have a great day, guys!

It is a beautiful day The temperature is getting up there (41 degrees!) and the sun is shining. I cant express how drastically this improves my mood.

I've already reached my weekly goal of 3 no-spend days! And I'm 1/4 of the way to my monthly goal. I've been keeping track of the spending still (though that may have more to do with the fact I haven't been doing much of it! haha). And I'm sticking to my meal plan. Tonight is whole wheat spaghetti with turkey meatballs.

I'm going to work out again later as well. I need to get in shape! I've set a goal to lose 11 pounds. I've gotten down 1 in the last few days, just improving my eating habits a little (haven't been going to restaurants... that helps substantially). Let's hope I can reach at least some of my goal in the next couple months!

In other news, I must have gotten on the same bus today because my ride downtown was again free! Another $1.60 saved. And at my university they had "Stress free day" and were giving out free cereal and energy bars, as well as some other little things. I found that exciting

Well, time to study and work out. I've got a big test tomorrow! Wish me luck!

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!

Well, I've got no-spend day #2 My march goal is coming along, even though I didn't actually start counting til the 8th. I happened to get dinner for free (a friend of mine put me on as a guest on her meal plan at the school cafeteria. woo!), so I didn't spend a penny.

I avoided buying a caffeinated beverage, even though I left my travel mug at home (but brought my tea. ugh). Probably better that way.

Turned in my paper, took a test tonight. Hope I did well. I have one more on thursday, so it's going to be a looong week. I'm just beat. I'm feeling awfully burnt out and missing BF quite a bit. Sure, it's been only 4 days since I've seen him, but when you're used to multiple text messages and at least a couple phone calls through the day, going a whole day with nothing is kind of rough. I haven't heard from him yet... he should be getting out of his silly military class any time now. He's off at some training thing til easter. I'ts gonna be a long couple weeks...

Guess I should get used to it. He's leaving for Oaklahoma for training in January, then off to Iraq in March. No BF for a year... It's going to be a rough year.

I'm looking forward to seeing him though. Easter should be fun! We're both going back to Ohio to spend time with both families. I absolutely love his family. They're so down to earth, so much like my family (though we're awfully crazy. haha). Lucky for us, his parents live a whopping 3 blocks or so from mine, so travelling between wont be an issue!

I've decided I need to color easter eggs at some point. That'll be a fun activity for me and my friend (cheap too!) yay for holidays involving large amounts of chocolate!

Well, not really lazy, as I have a paper to write and a test to study for. But a sunday inside nonetheless. In my pajamas

I made out my list of dinners for the week yesterday, so I'm going to try to stick to it the best I can. I move in less than 2 months now. I have to start using up the food I have as much as possible so I dont have to transport it. Not only that, but BF doesn't really have a whole lot of room in his apt for anything more. It's going to be a squeeze... I'm likely going to have to put my stuff in storage for a few months until we move into a bigger place.

I decided to write down my goals, as I haven't re-evaluated them for a while. Looking at the ones I've had posted, I think they're too long term, which is why I stray so easily. So I put down some goals for this week, and then a few that are a little longer-term:

This week:

-Keep track of my spending. Every penny. For the whole week.

-Stick to the budget (that kind of goes for the month too).

-Stick to my meal plan.

-Dine out at most once this week.

-Have at least 3 no-spend days (not including bus fare).

Longer Term:

-Use up as much food I already have as possible before the move.

-Do more cheap/free things w/ BF-- especially dining out less.

-Find a job/internship to start in May.

-Sort out debt, and come up with a plan come May to start tackling it.

I'll be out of school for a year, so my grace period will be over next Feb if I graduate in August. I have a bit of CC debt accumulated because of the frozenness of my checking account in January (I couldn't touch it because I was waiting for my school loan check and had to pay my bills). Not to mention, I had to buy new furniture (Ex-BF took all his when he moved out).

I need to file my taxes- my entire return is going to the CC. It's kind of sad, but it was the plan from the minute I put a $500 IKEA charge on it. haha. Still, $500 to furnish an apartment aint bad. I want to eliminate the bulk of my CC debt by the end of the summer. I've got about $2700 on it now. After the CC is paid off, it's on to the student loans. I'm not even sure what those numbers look like now, but pretty soon here I'm going to have to look.

In the meantime I'll be looking at grad schools, etc. So much excitement! And living in Ohio with BF/friends/Mom (who is now in the middle of the divorce proccess).

In good news, I used my national city points to get a $50 American Eagle giftcard. I thought about using it for something practical, but I know me... not only are spring and summer coming up, but a beach vacation and my birthday in May as well. I'm going to want to buy clothes. Better than putting them on my CC! haha.

And it's going to be a no-spend day I was going to buy a book on amazon, but I decided instead to get it from the library. Yay for free!

Well, off to do homework. Everyone have a great day!

Hmm. It seems every time I get on here there's some new dramatic change in process. Well, not too much this time.

That roommate never did move in, so I'll still be living alone til my lease is up. Lucky for me, though, its up May 1! So I've only got 2 more months in this apt.

I'll be moving back to Ohio that week. Living with BF for the time being. His lease is up in August, then I'll move into my own apt likely and he'll live with me until he's deployed in january. Then it's a year of BF in Iraq.

I'll either be graduating this summer or in the fall. I have to talk to my university about transfer credits, but if I can get all the classes I want transferred over, I'll be living in Ohio for the next year. Which is what I want to do. I cant go to grad school until next fall (not this coming), so I'll get a job or an internship, make some money. And apply to grad schools.

I have a couple of those in mind too, but I'm not done researching. I'm taking my GRE this may, so I'm studying for that on top of the work I'm already doing. It's going to be a loong next few months.

I'm also trying to get a head start on organizing/packing my things for the move. I dont want to put it off to the last minute, especially considering I'm supposed to be moving during finals week!

Regardless of all this, life is exciting. Unbearably busy, but exciting. Spending has been a little too loose, but that's something I'm used at this point (unfortunately) and need to really start cracking down on. I always forget how expensive being in a relationship is. lol. BF and I had a good talk this week about finances though, and we both agree we need to start spending less. It was actually the first time we talked about our bills/finances/etc. I mean, we've talked about money, but we didn't really know how eachother stood-- debt wise, etc. It's a good conversation to have, though, if we're going to be living together before long.

It seems like things are happening awfully fast. I'm so incredibly happy though. Actually, depsite the fact that I'm absolutely swamped with school work and graduation stuff, I'm the happiest I've ever been. Except BF could be here... I usually spend the weekends with him because he works and I have class during the week and we live 2 hours apart. He's got this military training thing until easter though. Bummer. At least I have a little more time to get work done!

Oh, and today is a no-spend day! yay!

I dont get it. Still no reimbursement check. And now the student government screws things up and the bus subsidies are no longer quite as substantial... I'm going to have to pay $60 instead of $45 each month for a bus pass... ugh. What else can go wrong?

Who knows.

Other than that, I've been doing really well not doing any uneccesary spending. Well, except yesterday I got dinner with friends. I only spent $9, but that was still money I shouldn't have spent. I guess you have to live a little though. I didn't put it on the credit card either. I get to send off my internet bill tomorrow because I picked up my paycheck and it just covers it. Thankfully I get my last paycheck here on friday, so I may have cash to buy groceries too. Yippie! haha.

I have been good with tracking how much I'm spending as well. The weekend got a bit shaky. I guess there was some uneccesary spending there too. I spent $20 at the hookah bar. I of course have my own hookah at home... but it was fun nonetheless to go out with my friend. We dont do it nearly enough. BF paid for just about everything else this past weekend, which of course made me feel awful. But I really cant afford anything right now, and he knows that.

This weekend hopefully will be a bit less expensive. Thursday night BF and I are going out with a group of friends to a tiny comedy club downtown that I didn't know existed and apparently only costs $3 to get in. That's pretty sweet. Friday night there are people coming over to my apt to smoke the hookah and eat and drink. That should be pretty low-cost. We have to buy some shisha, but aside from that, we're set. It's the remainder of the weekend that will be tricky. We tend to go out to eat way too much when BF is in town. I'm going to have to cap down on that.

Good news, though. I think I've found a roommate. I may have already mentioned it, but it looks like it's going to be a for sure thing.

Oh, and I think I'm moving to Ohio for the summer! This is going to be substantially cheaper than living here in PA. I'll probably stay with BF for the few months. And possibly go to school as well, I worked some numbers today and it seems that I can save a couple thousand dollars in educational costs by going a semester in Ohio, if my university will let me. I have some people to talk to tomorrow.

Oh, and BF got the job he applied for!

Oh, and I got a 100% on an exam I took last week!

So I guess there's some happy stuff hidden in here too

So I finally sat down today and worked out my budget for the next few months. It's going to be incredibly tight, but I think I can pull off stretching my loan money until I get a new job. Why? Because I quit today. Something about soliciting people for money over the phone just doesn't jive with me. And dreading work on your 5th day just doesn't seem right. Call me crazy...

So that's good news. The bad news is that I'm still waiting on that check, though it should be here soon. Hopefully REALLY soon. I have my internet bill to pay...

I sold a game yesterday and rolled some change. I also get my paycheck (one of two) tomorrow. I need to get that into my account, because I need to buy a bus pass and groceries! I've been shopping at Giant Eagle for the last couple weeks because I haven't been able to touch my checking account and Aldi doesn't accept credit cards. I'll have enough cash to shop at Aldi this week, which will help quite a bit.

I've got my grocery list all planned out and my dinners planned for the week. Should be a light grocery bill.

Me and a couple friends are having a girl's night tomorrow, which I'm pretty excited about It's been a while, and I'm stoked. I just need to watch the spending a bit. BF is coming down on Saturday to stay for a couple nights too. It gets a bit pricey when he's in town... we tend to dine out a lot. I'm gonna have to let him know that we'll be cooking at home for the most part, well, unless he wants to cover dinner

I'm looking forward to not wanting to rip the hair out of my head. I've been so exhausted for the last couple weeks. I really dont have 12 hours a week to put into something not my studies. And my studies have suffered. Because I haven't had as much time, because I get stressed and can do less work, because when I'm tired I get cranky and my relationship suffers, which stresses me out more. lol. It's just not worth it. I'll find a job sometime later in the semester. As long as I have one by may I'll be fine. And by May 1 I'll be living in an area with much more to offer in the way of job options. I'll find something at least for the summer.

For now I'm just happy things are back to normal and I can continue focusing on school

Well then... It's been a while. I think September was my last entry, and I can definitely say a lot has changed. So... here goes.

In October I quit my job at the restaurant. I decided that investing more time in school was worth the lack of paycheck, and I began living on student loans. I still think it was the best decision I could have made. The rest of my semester went wonderfully, and there are exciting things going on in the educational world of Tara.

I never did get a car. The BF continued pressuring, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized it was a terrible idea. After quitting my job, there was no way to do it anyhow, so I still remain without car.

The biggest news yet: BF and I broke up. Thanksgivingtime. It was long in coming, and the best thing I could have done. Cant say it wasn't messy, but we're finally at a point where we can talk and be civil, so I'm a bit happier about it all.

He moved out that week, so I've been living alone since. I've been having a terrible time finding a roomie because I live so far outside of the city. The problem is, however, that I cant pay my bills without getting a job because not even my student loans will cover the cost *sigh*. Lease is up May 1. Counting down the days...

I spent the entirety of my winter break at home with family and old friends. I mooched off my parents, which was cool, and also kindled sparks with a very old friend, who is now the new BF as of Christmas[dont waste any time, do I??]. Things are going very well at the moment, though I'm busier than ever. Not only do I have mounds of schoolwork to do, but now I try and get it all done during the week, because new BF lives in Ohio.

I move to PA to be with boyfriend, break up with boyfriend, then get new boyfriend in OH. Sweet irony.

People ask me if I'm going to move back to Ohio. Likely not, because I love my education here way too much (despite the fact that I could get one far cheaper in Ohio). The fact of the matter is that I'm in a terrific program that is everything I could ever want. And I've only got til the fall and I'm finished. If only I could decide what I want to do after I graduate... haha.

So I mentioned the roomie problem. Yeah, well that's still going on. I got a few interested parties, all of whom were male and strangers. Needless to say I'm still rather apprehensive, and no one has offered to move in. Thus, as of last week, I started at a new job.

I'm a phone-canvasser for a political non-profit/advocacy group trying to push through environmental legistlature. It's $11/hr, with potential bonus after 3 months, and I like it so far. Not my preference above all, but it's good money and it's a good cause. I get to work anywhere from 3-5 nights a week, and it works with my schedule.

The only downside is I dont get home til 10:30 every night. Last week was fairly tiring, but you'll have that. Gotta pay the bills! I'm hoping things work out with the job, and I dont completely lose my sanity. I really didn't have 12 hours a week to sacrifice, but it could be worse, I'm sure. And I dont really have a choice in the matter.

Still super involved at school, and I'm having a fantastic semester thus far.

The only trouble I'm running into now is financial (obviously). I'm still waiting on my loan check and W-2. I need to get my tax refund soon because I need to pay off some of my credit card (which I've been living on due to the delay on my loan check... ugh). Not to mention, I had to practically re-furnish my apt, so a trip to IKEA got me a futon, a coffee table and seating cushions, a small dining room table and 2 chairs, a lamp, and about $500 more debt. That tax refund is going toward all that. Yay fun.

I am happy to report, however, that I'm still on my parent's insurance and have managed to get new glasses for relatively cheap, and went to the dentist for the first time in 2 years now, for free, and had no cavities! woo!

So yeah, as soon as this loan check comes in I'll be listing some goals and refiguring my spreadsheets. I just need to know what I'm working with in order to budget. So wish me luck. I'm a busy, busy girl! haha.

Hope all is well with everyone, and I look forward to getting back into the groove of things!

That's right. I've found it. We looked at old Hondas aplenty, and a friend of the restaurant I work at came through. 1996 Honda Prelude, 1 owner, no accidents (outside of it running into the curb. He's replacing the suspension this week), and all for the low cost of $2500. *Fantastic* deal. He's giving it to me for wholesale price. He and the man that own the restaurant I work at run this car rental business, and they're getting rid of some of the vehicles that have higher miles on them (this one has almost 200k, but still, that aint bad). This guy is taking care of me, and I'm quite appreciative of it. BF and I looked at the car today. I'm super excited. I never thought I'd ever drive a red car, but it is quite so. I'll have to make sure and not speed :P

In other news, I've [finally] gotten signed up for my online class, and they made a mistake in saying I have PA residency (though technically I dont think I do- my liscence says Ohio), so I only had to pay $310 for the class (out of state I would have paid double that).

I packed my lunch today, ended up getting subway for dinner. The kid's meals there are awesome. I got a mini sub, a baggie of apple slices, and milk for $3.70-- and a TOY, which I was quite excited about The yo-yo ended up being a flop, but I was happy to have it regardless.

Well, those are the highlights of the day. I'm sure I could keep rambling, but unfortunately I have things to do. Everyone have a great night!

I had a really fun weekend. I gained and lost financially. Recap:

Yesterday, BF and I went shopping. I managed to spend about $160 on clothes. However, I bought a pair of jeans I love (I've really been needing new pants), and a couple bras (which I was in desperate need of). I got 2 new shirts- one of which I wore with a pair of dress pants to dinner last night, the other which is a nice plain teeshirt (versatile). I managed to only spend $7 at the bar... very nice.

Today, BF's Gram took us to Sam's Club unexpectedly. This was fantastic. The amount of money we'll save in food will more than compensate for the money I spent on clothes. Just trust me on that one For brunch, Gram cooked popovers and other breakfasty goodies (delicious, by the way). For dinner, BF and I went to my parents' for a cookout (also delicious). So the only money spent today was on flowers for mom (just because, and just because they were on sale for about $2- very pretty), tolls and gas money, and the tomatoes and lettuce mom asked me to pick up for the BBQ.

I feel quite spoiled between the dinner and Sam's Club run BF's grandparents provided for us. They're incredibly wealthy people, but I'm still trying to figure out why I deserve such treatment. BF and I talked with them about money over brunch, which was an interesting experience, if not a bit entertaining. They are a true testament, however, that if you scrimp, save, and then work the stock market, you can be very financially comfortable later in life Still practically kids in thier 80's, I love them to death.

So overall it was a great weekend. BF and I have been having a bit of fun before this semester really kicks into gear. I have a few more snags to work out as far as registration and my loans go. I have some calls to make in the morning before class. At any rate, I should get going. I need to pack my lunch for tomorrow. It's back to the 'ole routine! And we're looking at cars tomorrow, I believe. woo!

Have a great night, everyone!

Well, I survived the first week of school, rather painfully in a financial sense. I was adjusting to my new schedule, and of course bought a bunch of crap food on campus. I'll have to fix this next week.

I'm down to 3 nights a week, due to school. It seems this week, however, I have more entertainment activities. Thursday night we went back to Ohio to see Rush (which was a great show, by the way, that some of you more "seasoned" listeners would have appreciated). My mom met up with us, which was really nice.

Today I'm off to Ohio yet again to hang out with BF's grandparents. They're taking us to Hyde Park tonight (I know... fancy). I was formerly considering going to buy something to wear, but then after going through my closet, I'm going to tell myself to shut up because I have more than enough clothes as it is. Should be a nice dinner, though

Tonight we're off to the bars to dance with friends. I'm quite excited about this one, but not planning to drink quite as much as BF says he's going to, so I'm hoping my bar tab isn't too awful.

In other financial news, we're taking our laundry to Ohio to do it at either Gram and Gramps' or at my parents' Tomorrow we're going to a labor day cookout at my parents', and I'm pretty excited. I get to see mom twice this week!

I reorganized my spreadsheets today and in them updated my puny savings account figures and such. I spent way too much money this month, but it was still a bit better than usual. I need to get to the bank to deposit this money... BF gave me his half of the rent and utilities in cash, mom gave me that check for books, and I have all the money I made at work in cash right now as well. I'll have to do that on tuesday. At any rate, sorry for the rambling, and everyone have a wonderful holiday weekend!

p.s. BF and I are doing much better.,, so far.

So, I've been having a lot of problems in my relationship over the last 6 months or so. I also have a great history of commitment issues and general problems not having independence in general. That being said, I broke up with my boyfriend. It's a long story (much too boring to be shared here), but the good news is that we got right back together again :P

We decided in the end to try and work things out. So here's the kicker: I'm getting a car! I think a lot of my smothering feelings are coming from being so dependent on him to give me rides, etc. So now we're shopping around. Getting a car at first seemed like a really bad idea financially, but after thinking about the consequences of not getting a car (moving out of my apartment, having to pay the living expenses of 2 places because I cant break my lease, etc, etc), I decided it's exactly what I need.

I have more good news. I know a guy who owns a car rental place, and they're selling a few of the cars. He'll sell them to me for wholesale price, so I'm going to take a look at a couple. I'm looking for something around $3000. He told me he had a Mazda 3 he'd give me for $11k, which is a great price given the year and the milage, but I think that's a bit too much considering I might be moving to Japan in a year... cant really take the car with me.

So let's hope that having a little more personal freedom will help my relationship. If it doesn't, we're ready to accept that, but hoping things will work out.

In other news, class starts tomorrrow, and I haven't paid for it yet. Mom didn't get me my FAFSA info until 2 days ago, and she still needs to sign. I applied for a loan, but it's still in the process of being approved. I also need to grab my last few books. Mom is sending a check to reimburse me for the full amount.

I also got my credit card in the mail. Haven't used it yet, but I may put the cost of the online class I'm taking on there and pay it off over a couple months. I have to see what my payment options are. Lucky for me, that class doesn't start until the 4th.

At any rate, I'm happy to be getting into class again! I miss it, admittedly. Wish me luck, everyone!