...an expression that I like to hear!

Yesterday I worked my double, and despite the fact it was FRIDAY, the restaurant was dead. I got to leave early. A girl BF met in one of his classes works at this restaurant that we really like downtown. It's more than a little pricey, but BF got gift certificates from my boss for designing a flyer for Kiku (the restaurant I work at). We called up his friend and it turns out that she had just got cut as well, so she decided to stay and have a couple of drinks with me, BF, and her boyfriend as well.

Me and BF got food while our new friends just drank. We all had a few cocktails. I'm sure the bill was a bit hefty. But as it turns out, Julie's boyfriend is a supervisor/manager at the hotel next door, and he was able to "put it on the house." I felt a bit strange letting these people I just met pay for my food and booze, but he insisted, and it was the hotel that was paying for it anyhow. So I got a meal and wonderful conversation for free I have to say we lucked out... especially since we still have our gift certificates.

Today I was supposed to make more biscotti, but I still need some more supplies, and consequently, I need BF to drive me to the store. It's really cold out, and the store further away has better prices. So I may be grocery shopping today and baking tomorrow.

I did, however, manage to update my finances. I had forgotten a few things, and I'm still wondering where about $30 has gone, but at any rate, we're up to date. My challenge money has almost hit $100, and that's pretty exciting. It's only been a month! I cant believe the month is almost over as well... it seems it flew by. I've got enough put aside to pay the bills and whatnot, though. After tonight, monday, and tuesday, I feel I'll be entirely prepared for February.

I got a freebie in the mail. Celestial Seasonings tea and zinger... I'll have to see how that goes. I love tea... haven't been drinking nearly enough of it. At work I try to drink a lot of green tea because it's free and it's good for me. But I've also been trying not to run to the vending machine. Yesterday I decided instead of buying sweets that I would just make a pot of coffee, and make myself a "froo frroo coffee drink": sweetener, coffee, cream, chocolate syrup, with a little whipped cream on top. Luckily we have all these things at the restaurant. It made my stomach hurt from the sugar, but at least it kept me from buying/eating anything else! hehe.

BF is still asleep... yes, at 3:13 pm. He's gotten on this funky sleeping schedule again. Makes things difficult to schedule. At any rate, I better get going. I think I'm going to wake him up...

That's right. I got a call from the detectives yesterday and they caught my mugger! I'll be appearing in court on Feb. 1st to testify and whatnot. I'm pretty happy about that. Let's hope she goes for a good long time...

In other news, I have none. Haha. I'm trying to make today a no-spend day. It's my double at work. I know I'm gonna want to run to the vending machine later, but I'm going to try and practice some restraint. Last night, me and BF got a pizza and I got a small tub of ice cream. Not good for my wallet or my diet, but that little splurge was entirely worth it. I've been having a rough time lately. Things just kind of fell apart yesterday.

At any rate, I'm trying to get back on track and prepared for February. I'm taking a night off to go with my mom to visit family out of state. That'll be nice. I need to get away for a bit, even if it's just a weekend (and with my mother!). hehe.

I better get going, though. My break ends in about 10 minutes. Later, everyone!

So I got a call from the coffeeshop owner today... all the biscotti I gave him (40 pc) is gone! He called to order 60 more pieces. I guess everyone loved it! That's pretty exciting, and he couldn't have had better timing because I'll have plenty of time tomorrow to do some baking. I dont have a class until 6:00pm and BF will be at class the better part of the day. So baking and homework it will be! Not sure what kinds to make, and I really need to hit the store. I could use more nuts and eggs. Nuts are where the majority of the money is spent... last time I made pistachio biscotti, too. BF's favorite The cranberry orange is pretty good as well. I was thinking about making chocolate biscotti this time, but I'm still up in the air. I'm not sure how it will turn out as I use the same recipe for every kind I make, I just change what goes into it. The texture is perfect and I dont want to mess with that... we'll see though. At any rate, there's a few extra bucks I'll make! And of course, adding it to the challenge... This month seems to be pretty profitable afterall!

I bought some food on campus today, but only about $3 worth. Pretty good for 2 weeks. I didn't want to go home to eat because it was snowing pretty hard and I didn't feel like walking to my apartment and back. Talked to my mom for a bit about a bunch of things. We'll be paying a visit to my Great Grandmother some time in February, which will be nice. I haven't seen her in ages and it seems that she's really excited. I'll have to bring her something tasty She's a great cook, as many housewives were back in the 50's. It's amazing how the times have changed... At any rate, I'm pretty excited right now. I've had 2 great weeks of class, and my business ventures are picking up! Woo!

So it was the second day of class and things are going oh-so-smoothly... except I got up way too late this morning and ended up 10 min late for the first one. But at least I got there! And didn't really miss anything in the long run At any rate, I threw a few things in my bag to eat in between classes, and then walked home afterwards. I ate my leftover curry from the thai restaurant last night. Yes, I had a splurge last night (ah, to think that $30 is a splurge). But me and BF wanted to go out... sundays are my only nights off. And after all the good news that's come up in the last week, I thought it appropriate to celebrate. Besides, I haven't bought any clothes all month, so I have a little extra cash for the month anyway.

I've got work in about an hour or so. I may stop off at the coffee shop on the way to see how things are going with the biscotti and cake, which is currently in thier case. Hopefully it's selling... that would be pretty cool.

I clipped coupons yesterday, and I'll be going shopping then later this week. I didn't find as much stuff as I did last week, but some energy bars for $0.50 each is pretty good, and I eat them at school. They're quick and I only really have 10 minutes to eat. I grabbed one on the way out the door this morning to eat as breakfast too Target's got my favorite ones on sale, so I might have to stop there.

At any rate, I better get going. I've got a couple things to get done before I have to leave. Have a good day, everyone!

Thanks again for everyone who left all of those nice comments on my last entry about selling baked goods to the coffee shop I didn't get aroud to making the biscotti yesterday... a bit busy and a bit distracted because BF took the day off. But I didn't leave the house really. I DID, however, have to buy a book that I didn't realize I needed. An extra $43... oh well.

The good news is that I put that school expense on my ATM CARD, which yes, is back in action. Well, it's a new card, but my bank account is finally *almost* in order. They just need to refund me $66 in overdraft charges. But hey, I'm in the black and able to use my money that was sitting in there previous to the robbery and what I deposited after the robbery.

I'll be making that biscotti tomorrow. I've got most of the day off before I have to go in to work the dinner shift. Today, however, is my double Good money, but loooooooong hours. At any rate, I'm gonna try and make it a no-spend day. I've got some homework to do over my lunchbreak. That should keep me occupied.

Oh, and I forgot to mention my classes! They're going to be great, I can tell. A lot of work, but very interesting. A lot of research and paper writing. That's really my favorite Geez, I'm a nerd. haha. At any rate, I need to get ready to go to work. You all have a wonderful day, and I'll keep y'all updated on the baking adventures!

Challenge total $51.26
+ book sold on amazon $13.62
+ change $0.38
New Challenge total $65.26

So I've been pondering this idea for a couple weeks now... There's this new coffee shop that just opened up near my apartment. It's a really small, quaint place. I went to check it out yesterday and I inquired the owner about who does thier baking, mentioning that I do some myself. The guy gave me a free cup of coffee and said he'd try some of my baked goods. So last night, I made some Chocolate-dipped almond biscotti and one of my chocolate chip coffee cakes and brought it to the coffee shop this morning on my way to class. He gave me another free cup of coffee this morning and told me to come back later and he'd tell me how he liked it. So on my way back from class I stopped in and it turns out that he really liked the biscotti! He told me to make another batch, and told me to cut him a deal on it and he'd sell it in the shop!

I'm totally excited. For a couple reasons... I've always wanted to bake, whether I owned my own bakery or made baked goods for a restaurant etc. And even though I wont be able to make a huge profit on this biscotti, it's something! I dont mind putting in the extra time if it's baking. I love to bake!

It costs about $6 a batch for supplies. I figured if I charged him $15 per batch I'd make $9... not bad for 2 hours of work and made from scratch. If he sold them for $1.50 each, or even $1.25 each he'd still make a profit of $15-$10 per batch. He said he didn't get around to trying the cake yet. That would probably be a bit more profitable because you can cut it into more peices. At any rate, the idea of making a little extra cash while doing something I enjoy is enough for me!

I'm just proud of myself for asking. They say you never know until you ask, and I went for it! And I got 3 free cups of coffee and a cinnamon roll in the process! Doesn't quite make up for the supplies necessary to make the first batches I gave to him, but regardless I think it was worth it to make the connection.

In other news, I used my coupons and did some grocery shopping.

Campbells healthy select soup... on sale .90 off, coupon doubled makes an additional $1 off 2
Total price: 2 for $1.50 or 0.75 a can
Total saved: $2.80

Coupon for 1 free Pria Energy Bar
Total price: $0
Total saved: $1.35

Prego Sauce $2 each. Coupon doubled makes an additional $1 off 2. And I'll be mailing in to get one of them free. After rebate...
Total price: 2 for $1.50 or 0.75 a jar
Total saved: $3.00

Cottage cheese doubles 1.12 each. Coupon doubled makes 1.00 off 2.
Total price: 2 for 1.24 or 0.62 each
Total saved: $1.00

Glade air freshening spray on sale for 0.88. Coupon buy one get one free.
Total price: 2 for 0.88 or 0.44 each
Total saved: $1.00

Pure Protein bars on sale 1.00 each. Coupon buy one get one free.
Total price: 2 for $1 or 0.50 each
Total saved: $1.50

Total saved: $10.65

Yay!!! More to add to the challenge... totals to be posted later

I woke up at 10:30, and lounged and played video games until around 2:00... so I'd claim that to be pretty lazy. On the flip side, I will be going to the gym with BF here in about an hour. I was going to hit the grocery store today because it's right by the bank. But then I realized it's MLK day, so the bank's not even open. So I'll go tomorrow. I was going to hit Giant Eagle anyway when I run to best buy to pick up the WoW Expansion pack I preordered. $40, but I definitely play it enough to make up for it... and it's a highly anticipated purchase

BF designed a flyer for the restaurant I work for, and in return they gave him $100 DOLLARS in gift certificates for his work.. they were on a deadline and he got it done quickly and it looked great. But at the same time, it seemed a bit much. At any rate, $50 of it is to Kiku, the restaurant I work at, and the other $50 is a trade certificate, which can be used at a bunch of places. So BF said he was going to take me to one of our favorite restaurants! Yay!

I work tonight, and it should be fairly busy. We have a big party coming in. Usually mondays are pretty slow, but this will be a pleasant change. Besides, the big party is for a close friend of the restaurant. He's a great tipper

My coworker suggested going to this indian restaurant after we get off work. I've got $15 left in my dining budget, so I may have to take her up on that offer Besides, school starts in a couple of days. After that, we wont have much time to hang out. Especially considering I'll be playing that expansion game... hehe. I'm such a dork.

So I went into super-frugal mode today. I decided to take home a couple of my ties from work and wash them myself. They get really gross from the restaurant, and I usually just replace them because getting them drycleaned isn't really worth it in my opinion. I've probably spent $50 on ties in the last 7 months. Granted, I buy them at Burlingon, usually for about $7 each. But I wanted to experiment to see if I could clean them at home. So I took 2 of the ones that weren't shiny looking (I figured these would be the easiest), and soaked them in a solution of water, baking soda, and vinegar. They're hanging to dry right now. Let's cross our fingers! I'm not expecting them to be perfect, but not quite as spotted would be nice...

I also picked up a copy of the Sunday Paper and spent a while clipping coupons and recording them onto a spreadsheet. Then I looked through sales ads and I'll be making a trip to the store tomorrow after I run to the bank to clear up the mess that is my account. I was going to go today, but I'll be out tomorrow anyways. So today will be counted as a no-spend day because the savings made from the coupons should exceed the cost of the newspaper ($1.50).

Me and BF are eating in tonight... teriyaki steak and rice, brussel sprouts for me. Mmm. I ate leftovers for breakfast and lunch. I also planned out my menu (loosely) for the week.

It feels good to be making all this progress! I'm just hoping once the semester starts that I'll be able to keep it up. At any rate, I hope you all have a great day!

Challenge Total $37.62
+ change $0.50
+ no-spend day $1.00
New Challenge Total $39.12

Another no-spend day. Cha-ching! And I added $5 instead of $1 today for a few reasons...

1. BF suggested going to one of our favorite restaurants and I declined (not an easy task).
2. I had decided to make that Steak Au Poivre that I meant to make before instead.
3. After assessing the pantry, all I would have needed was butter and brandy, but I decided to make a recipe using things I already had in stock.
4. I ended up eating for free at work instead of coming home to cook for me and BF. I'll be making that teriyaki steak for dinner tomorrow on my day off

I've continued using my semi-envelope system. And I've continued staying at home during the day. My grocery budget has hit the $30 mark... but I'm going to try and not buy too much for the rest of the month. And I started planning my meals for the week. I've definitely got some leftovers to get rid of over the next couple of days.

We ran out of dish liquid... I'm looking for a recipe to make my own. We only really use it for pans anyway. We put all regular dishes in the dish washer. I know you can use baking soda to clean many things, so I'll be looking into that.

Tomorrow, like I said, is my day off. I plan to lounge. Not much different than what I've been doing for the last few days Which would explain why I haven't really spent any money... hehe. I might get a head start on some of my reading for class... or continue a crocheting project. Who knows. I'm definitely cooking dinner, though, that's for sure!

I'm feeling really good about cracking down on myself. I read a few articles online and decided that I dont really go to enough measures, and it's ridiculous that I'm so in debt when I make 20k a year. Granted, I do live on my own and pay bills, but seriously. How can I be almost $15k in debt already? I need to start spending less on silly stuff and pay off my loans already. The longer they sit, the more interest they'll accumulate. I dont want to be totally screwed when I start my grad work.

I'm a smart enough girl to make this work. I'm not anticipating being completely free of debt when I graduate, but I'd like to be much less in debt and save a bunch on interest

Time to start REALLY acting like an adult! Later, y'all!

Challenge Total $31.71
+ no-spend bonus! $5.00
+ change from work $0.91
New Challenge Total $37.62

So I decided to start using an semi-envelope system. Semi meaning that I'm not going to put every penny/dollar I earn into an envelope... But most of it! That way I dont have much cash on hand and I can just deposit my money when I need to write a check or such. I figured it would keep me from spending the money I have on hand. It'll also be better for my insurance, which I pay quarterly. I end up not saving anything in the off months (though I plan to) and have to come up with the whole of the bill every 3 months. If I stash it in an envelope it wont get spent. Let's see how it goes...

In other news, I started a spreadsheet of how much I pay per item on all the reciepts I've kept since May. It's interesting to see what stores have the cheaper prices. I only really shop at 2, so it's kind of entertaining. I also hopped on the ball and went to store locators for Aldi and Save a lot in my area. Not sure why I didn't do this sooner.

Today did in fact end up being a no-spend day. My coworker bought me dinner after I got off my shift. I made decent money as well. Tomorrow will be yet another night, though saturdays are generally bad for me in the earning department. I'm the last server in... bleh.

I'm hoping tomorrow will be another no-spend day. I'm rackin 'em in this week! It does wonders for my challenge, that's for sure. I'm hoping to do some cooking. I got the ingredients to make my zuchinni soup. That may be on the agenda... and I want to plan my meals out for the week tomorrow. And make a list of the purchases I've been planning for a while. Perhaps sort them into want/need categories and develop a plan for eventually obtaining them?

BF had talked about going to a party after I get off work, and though it could be fun I'm not sure if I want to foot the bill for the liquor store. I'm thinking I may just go home to a relaxing evening in my PJ's.

Me and BF preordered our copies of the World of Warcraft expansion the other day... that means I have to shell out $40 to him here soon. There goes the entertainment expense I also have to journey to the bank yet again to try and get things sorted out, because until I do I cant play my beloved game anyway... my account is heavily overdrawn so they suspended my online account. Erg. I also cant transfer any money to my emigrant or pay the interest on my loans until then as well. So annoying.

At any rate, I better get some sleep or I wont wake up until 4 in the evening. Sheesh. I cant believe how late it is. No wonder I have a headache... I need to eat.

Goodnight/morning, everyone!

Challenge total $29.25
+ Change-work $1.46
+ no-spend day $1.00
New Challenge Total $31.71

Instead of walking around here in the mall where my restaurant is located, I'm in my boss' office on SA! No money going to be spent this way. haha. It's just my saving grace that the boss lets me use his computer for personal things The lunch hour just ended and everyone has eaten. That means it's my break time. I'm shooting for a no-spend day. I brought snacks with me so I wouldn't hit the vending machine. The chefs made something good for lunch, so I was in the clear

Last night ended up being nice, though I didn't end up making dinner. As it turns out, cognac isn't very cheap... I'm just going to use brandy next time. But me and BF did end up going to Red Lobster. We shared an entree and I got water instead of pop. I dont regret it seeing as how it's my last hurrah before the semester starts. Once school starts, the only night off I'll have is Sunday. I've got a lot of planning to do as far as meals go...

So after Red Lobster, we went to KMart to get a toy that BF needed for a project for class. Go figure, I dont get to buy cool things like that for school... I did end up getting a glass baking dish for $6. I was going to use it to make Rice Pudding, and then taco dip for a get together I'm planning. I'm pretty excited.

Mortal Kombat II on the super nintendo, munchies, and beer. It's like a dream come true. All we have to do is replace one of our controllers. Luckily, they're not too expensive at the Exchange. I couldn't imagine a super nintendo controller being very expensive anyway...

At any rate, I have to go to the bank again on monday because my account is still all messed up and overdrawn. Stupid people stealing and using my ATM card. Ugh.

Either way, I hope you all have a great day! Wish me luck for the dinner shift!

Yesterday was a no-spend day. That's $1 added to the challenge money. I also did the frugal thing and invited my friend over to the apartment as opposed to going out. We watched Family Guy, ate munchies we had at the apartment. My friend brought the captain and coke. We supplied the smirnoff and rootbeer. I still managed not to have too bad a hangover this morning.

My apartment, however, is a sticky alcohol-induced mess. So I'll be doing some cleaning. BF is at class until 4 or so. I'm trying to get the apartment clean by then. I want to have a romantic dinner tonight. A trip to the grocery store may be in order... I want to make some more of that zuchinni soup as well... Yes, that's my appreciated veggie for the day I love all veggies, but zuchinni has always been a personal favorite. All winter veggies too... squash and such.

Oh, I found some change on the bedroom floor. 46 cents. It's most likely BF's, but my policy is that if it's oon the floor and it's change, it's fair game. Thank you to the cleaning fairy Either way, I'm feeling alright today. Looking forward to this dinner tonight. I think I'll make Steak Au Poivre. Mmm.

Challenge total $26.13
No spend day $1
Cleaning Fairy toll $0.46
New Challenge Total $27.59

Alright, so with all the hubbub, I never got the chance to start my $20 challenge for the year. I dont have my goal set yet, but I did count up all the change I've accumulated since the 1st and it's all in the piggy. I set aside 20 bucks in an envelope, so now it's time to roll. To date, I've contributed $5.13. I think I'm gonna hop on the bandwagon and add $1 because it was a no-spend day. That brings my total total to $6.13.

Initial $20
Change $5.13
No spend $1
Year Total $26.13

I not only finished up some organizing... ended up with yet another bag of trash. I turned all the lights off in the living room and opened up the blinds. I also packed my dinner to bring to work rather than getting snacks out of the vending machine after going to the gym. Woo! Being frugual can be quite fun.

I found a quarter when cleaning up, which was part of the change I added to the challenge. I thought about the saying, "a penny saved is a penny earned." I like it, and I've decided it's an ideal to live by. That's why I started putting all change from my day's earnings/purchases into my piggy for the challenge.

I'm so happy that things are getting back to normal. My bank account should be back to normal by thursday. Thank goodness. I hate carrying all this cash on me.

My second loan for the year was approved. That's a relief, I guess. But every time I think about how in debt I'm becoming, it's awfully scary. Perhaps I should go back to aggressively paying on it? I'll be up to $110 in interest per month alone come next week. It's pretty bad. Thank goodness I'll be picking up a second job over the summer. All extra income will go toward the debt. Or to save up for the following semester. Once my bank account gets back to normal I have to make a payment. Grr. This whole $600 overdraft BS is starting to get on my nerves.

Work has been slow this week, I'm hoping it will pick up a bit this weekend. I've got the next 2 days off. More time to hit the gym and finish preparing for the semester. More eating at home and less eating out. Perhaps I can get away with 2 more no-spend days for the week? I hope so.

Ah well, I better stop rambling. It's time for me and BF to watch a movie I borrowed from the library. Yay for free entertainment!

Okay... So I went to the bank. My account should be squared away by thursday. I mailed off the book I sold on Amazon. I went to campus and replaced the ID ($25), switched my class, and bought my books and bus pass ($202). It's an expensive day.

The upside, I guess, is that me and BF were going to go out to lunch. But after all the money we spent on things for the apartment last night (toothbrush holder, towel ring, soap dispenser, wash cloths, kitchen towels, a bookshelf, a kitchen rug, etc.), we decided that we should do lunch at home. That was fine by me because I had cooked a TON over the weekend, and consequently have lots of leftovers.

Dinner last night went well. My mozzarella stuffed meatballs and spaghetti was well recieved and a bottle of wine was finished in celebration of things getting back to normal. My guests brought dessert which was WONDERFUL. Tiramisu = Tara's most favorite dessert in the world. And it was a really good one, too.

Our apartment is starting to shape up nicely. I'm happy we got that bookshelf yesterday. It was only $20 at walmart and it frees up a lot of surface area on our dining room table. I need to go through and sort out stacks of folders/papers/books in our bedroom though. I forsee a lot to throw away.

I'm about set for school. My schedule is where it needs to be and my books are bought. A few more supplies and I'll be set. I'm getting really excited. I've got one last week of break, and then I'll be back. I'm going to work superhard this semester, and I'm determined to come out with a 4.0. Dont get me wrong, 3.7 aint bad, but I'm a bit of a perfectionist sometimes

At any rate, I have to buy dinner before I go to work, but I'm thinking I'm just going to pick up some fast food. It's cheap. I need to lighten the blow from the books! Speaking of lightening and fast food, I may have to hit the gym here soon. The holidays are still catcing up with me!

Have a great day everyone!

Well, the detectives came to my house, and I have much good news. I was able to identify the woman. And it happened to be the gal they thought it was, so they'll be making an arrest, and I'll be taking her to court. Trying to get this woman off the streets and where she belongs-- in jail.

Aside from that, I'm just trying to get things back to normal. I got my ID replaced, along with my glasses (thanks mom!) and purse (thanks Gram!). I worked last night, but didn't make too much money. Lucky for me, Gram paid me and BF both $50 to take down all the xmas decorations. I cant say it was worth quite that much (more like a $30 job), granted it was definitely a chore (BF mentioned that they employed half of Mexico to get the lights up, and there were plenty of them). Honestly, though, we would have done it for free. Especially after they replaced my purse AND took me and BF to Sam's Club and bought us close to $250 in groceries and paper products. I'm incredibly lucky to have such wonderful people in my life, really. They've been more than helpful since me and BF moved in together, and they were very concerned when they heard what happened to me. I love them like my own family... which is good I guess because they will be sooner or later!

I sold a book on amazon, and need to ship that off tomorrow. Also on the list is taking a lovely trip to the bank. It seems that the $600 purchase Ms. Wonderful tried to make with my card-- the one the bank claimed was denied-- went through with another $30 purchase I didn't make, and now I have overdraft fees as well. Tell me how the bank didn't see those when I went in the branch the LAST time?? Funny how it appeared on my internet banking but wasn't on their system... grr.

I went grocery shopping yesterday (yes, even after that Sam's Club run) to get perishables. Last night I made dinner for me and BF. Parmesan crusted sole. Yum. Tonight we're having a couple friends over (coworkers) for dinner and I'm making spaghetti and stuffed meatballs (stuffed w/ cheese, that is). I think it's due time to break open that bottle of wine the parents bought me for xmas. I need a little celebration.

Me and BF are in the middle of a great project right now. Cleaning and organizing every room in the apartment. After we returned from Ohio, and consequently Sam's Club, we really needed to reorganize our cabinets and frige to fit everything. Thank goodness. Much was thrown out, and there were things in my refrigerator that had been in there just a little too long... Last night we attacked the closet and filled 2 big paper bags with clothes and shoes to go to goodwill.

I need to get to campus for a couple reasons. I need to replace my student ID, then switch a class before the semester starts next week. I also have to buy my books. Ugh. May have to dip into savings for that one, but we'll see. I'm lacking in that $100 of B&N giftcards my parents got me for my textbooks.

At any rate, dinner tonight should be a good time, and I'm enjoying the fact that things are getting back to normal. Class will be starting soon, and I'm definitely excited to get back. I've found my love for cooking all over again, and though buying a lot of produce gets a bit pricey, I'm enjoying entertaining. I hope everything keeps up and that I can tie up loose ends with this whole robbery thing soon. I'm happy to say I'm feeling alright despite the occurence, and the only time I get a little anxious is if I'm alone in the dark. I'm holding on tight to BF from now on... anyways, thanks for reading if you got this far! It was a bit lengthy.

Have a great day, everyone!

I've read all of the comments made on my last blog about my robbery, and firstly I want to say thank you to everyone who responded. That kind of support and caring counteracts the complete disregard and violation of person. There are good people still out there, and all of you, along with my family, friends, and coworkers have helped me to keep believing that.

A couple of your responses in particular:

Tiki: Anxiety and panic attacks are definitely following. Being alone in the dark, even in my own house is difficult right now. Luckily I have a great boyfriend to keep close and a positive outlook. I'm a psych major and I have plenty of resources available to me if I need help, thankfully. I'm sure, though, it will take some time to feel really secure. And thanks for the hugs

PricePlus: This has been the one thing running through my head the most over the last few days. See, I KNOW I'm an easier target when I'm on the phone. The problem is that I always wanted my BF to be available to get me help if he wasn't there, which is why I was talking on the phone. I'm usually very aware of my surroundings, and I usually cross the street way before a person could approach me. The problem was that this woman was crouching down in the dark. I thought she was a dog at first. At any rate, I wont be walking home alone again. Period. I'd rather pay the money to get a cab. I will say, however, that I'm glad I was on the phone at the time. Had I not been, my phone would have been gone with my purse, and I'm not sure what I would have done. BF walked me through everything after the woman drove off. I couldn't thank him enough now.

And now the update... I went back to Ohio for a couple of days to replace some of the things that were stolen, along with my glasses that were knocked off. I'm lucky to have family like mine, that's all I can say. My parents offered to pay for my glasses, and BF's grandparents replaced my purse and wallet, as well as taking us to Sam's club to stock up on some essentials. I replaced my ID yesterday, and spent a considerable amount of time with my best friend, which made things feel much better.

A detective called me yesterday and said they think they know who it was. They're coming to my apartment on Sunday to show me a photo spread, and I'm hoping I'll be able to identify the woman. I'll also be giving the detective my credit card information, and hopefully those transactions will lead him further in the right direction. My landlord is changing our locks, so we'll have a little added security there.

Mentally and physically I feel okay. There's still a little bruise on my face and my nose is still a little messed up. I'm not nervous until dark. I know everything will be alright eventually. All I can do now is wait and try to get these people and thank everyone I can for all the love and support they've given me. It's meant so much to me.

I'm sad to say that this new year was kicked off with a rather unfortunate event. I got robbed last night.

I was walking home from work last night alone. BF was out of town. I was on the phone with him when a woman walking by me grabbed my purse. It was over my arm, so I was swung around and fell on the ground. In the midst of screaming, she kept telling me to let it go. I couldn't do anything but scream, and after a few seconds she punched me in the face. I let the purse go, she hopped into a car and drove off.

I'm okay, thankfully. My nose bled for a little while last night, but stopped. It hurts a little today, but nothing major.

My purse is gone with all of my money, my atm card, my ID, gift cards I was going to use to purchase my textbooks, and my keys. My glasses were knocked off at some point and need replacing. Luckily I needed to get new ones anyway.

I think the worst part, though, is the awful feeling I've had since. I was hysterical. I'm thankful I was talking on my phone at the time, or they would have gotten that too. I talked to BF right away and he stepped me through everything. I'm not sure what I would have done without him talking to me. My neighbor was home and I stuck around at his place, talked to the police, and BF came straight home.

Things are fine, I guess. I'm pretty shook up. I'll be going back to Ohio today. My boss is letting me take a couple days off. The people that robbed me used my ATM card 4 times by the time I called the company, including an attempted $500 purchase at walmart that was denied because I only had $16 in my account. haha.

The only thing that sucks is all the money I've made in the last 2 days-- aka all the money I have-- is gone. I have to get my ID replaced. Luckily I just switched wallets and forgot to take my SS card out. Unfortunately, my SS number is on my ID. At any rate, I've had a long night, and it's going to be a while before I really feel okay.

I'll never walk home alone again. Erg.

So after a week and a half away from work, home, and computer, I'm back. My vacation was great. Got to visit the family and my friends. Got a little crazy at the start of the week, caught a cold for Xmas. But overall, it was a great week... just not quite relaxing enough for my taste.

Now I'm home. I had to work the last couple of nights, including New Years Eve, so the only celebration that went down was some silly picture taking and dancing in my living room with BF, his sister, my boss, and my coworker. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't fun Nothing too crazy, a beer or two and some munchies. My kind of night. I crashed pretty early.

I'm happy the holidays have passed. There was a great deal of money spent on vacation, and I've got a fresh new start for the new year. Today I need to grocery shop-- badly-- and I've decided to put together menus for the week. I dont have school until the 17th, so there's no excuse for me to eat out whatsoever. I want to cook! I got 2 new cookbooks for xmas, inlcuding the current Joy of Cooking Book. I was so excited. BF's gram got me a nice al-clad pan, and my parents bought me a really nice blender that has an attatchable food processor. Yay!

I also go some Giant Eagle gift cards and plenty in Barnes and Noble for my textbooks. Oh! And my grades were fine. All A's except French... B+. I'm doubting that I'll be taking French again. I'm gonna hold out for another Japanese class at one of the other universities around here sometime later. I had better start buying my books! I picked one of them up before the break started. I'll be rescheduling a class, so I may pick up additional cost, but we'll see.

At any rate, I'm incredibly excited about the new year! I love fresh beginnings, and there are so many ways I want to alter my habits to promote more healthy and frugal living! And friends to be made! I've gained a couple, and that feels great! I'm looking forward to my next semester. I'll be taking mostly classes for my major, which means I'll meet more people with similar interests. Yay! *crossing my fingers*

So everyone, Happy New Year! I hope you are all as optimistic as I am! Cheers!

One more final to go in about an hour or so. Then I'm *home free*!!! I bought a new book today to celebrate: The Devil Wears Prada... much looking forward to drinking a nice cup of hot tea and curling up tonight. The house is all mine. BF went back to visit friends and family in Ohio, and though I'm pretty jealous, I'm looking forward to time away from eachother. We're always cooped up in our tiny apartment together. No wonder we drive eachother nuts! hehe. Tomorrow I'm going to look for shoes and a dress to wear on Christmas. Saturday I think I'm getting together with a keyboardist to work on some music, and then Sunday me and a friend are going to do some christmas shopping and crafting together. Yay! I feel like I have a life... and the best part is that I have NOTHING to study for. I've just got a list of books I want to read. Happiness... I just have to make it through this french test. Eh. We'll see...

... and I have an incredible lack of motivation. Translation: studying, not so easy. Grr. At any rate, I'm almost done. Other good news: I had a no-spend day. The first in a while... once I get started spending, it's really hard to stop. BF talked me out of going out for lunch. Thank goodness! Erg. I went into my bank account today and updated my spreadsheets... turns out I missed a few things, but the good news is that I had more in there than I thought I did. I forgot to record a deposit for some reason :/ Either way, I'm all up to date, and I'm going to start cracking down on myself again.

Same with my eating habits. I had quite the breakdown last week, and things started getting pretty messy in the eating area. It doesn't help that I haven't gone to the gym in a week. It's finals this week, though, so I'm waiting until all is said and done to get my butt back in gear! Still working on my goals for 2007. There's so much to think about! At any rate, I think it's going to be a wonderful year. 2006 was full of changes and excitement. 2007 is going to be about getting things under control.

I'm pretty sure we're getting a car this weekend. BF is on a mission to find a cheap Honda back home... so lets cross our fingers. I just signed $1000 over to him today to put towards the cost, but I'm trusting him... he's quite the car expert, so I have no doubts. At any rate, it's a very exciting time for the 2 of us!

I still need to finish my xmas shopping. A friend of mine mentioned wanting to come and visit me from back home, and she brought up going shopping together, which I thought was a wonderful idea. We go shopping for our boys every major holiday that we possibly can. Of course, she's single now... it'll be fun either way, though. I love and miss her so much! She and I are incredibly close and dont get nearly enough time together. So let's hope she may come up this weekend. Well then, better get off to work!

Well, this is it. Finals week. I've got one more paper to write tonight, one final tomorrow, and 3 more up until thursday night. Busy times indeed.

I've been doing waaaaaay too much spending lately, but the good news is it's the time to sell my books back (thank goodness), and I'll have more time to work over the break. woo! I'm so ready for the break to begin. I'm at that point where I'm just done with classes. I dont really have the motivation to do anything at this point... I just have to make it through the week. The good news is I could fail every one of my finals and my grades wouldn't suffer a bit. heh. I guess that's the upside to working my tush all semester... less pressure at the end.

So I really need to refrain from spending any unneccesary money for the rest of the month. I went to the mall with BF yesterday because I REALLY needed jeans. I also really need a new dress to wear on christmas. BF's family holiday gatherings are formal, and I've exhausted everything I own over the last year. I need new heels too. argh. At any rate, the trip to the mall was dangerous. I ended up buying a pair of jeans that I love, as well as a sweater that I love- no guilt there, as I need more winter clothes. But I really didn't NEED that eyeshadow I bought, or the goodies from victoria secret. BF was with me, he kinda *persuaded* me to get a couple things, but paid for one of 'em (as he should!) and the perfume I got was relatively low-cost. $15 aint bad for Heavenly. It was a small bottle, but it came with a little bottle of the lotion too, which is nice. If I bought the little bottle of the perfume separately I would have paid the same amount, so I made out like a bandit.

As for now, I'm avoiding spending too much on groceries. I'm completely out of fruit. That's a problem. And I need to buy more tea. I've been drinking so much of it. It's nice though, because if I want to stop at starbucks to get something I spend SO much less on tea than I would on a specialty drink. And starbucks is just so convenient from work. And my boss has me make coffee-runs all the time. eh.

Alright... enough of the rambling... I need to get working on this paper. Have a good night, guys!

All I have left is finals now... not to say that's not enough. I sold one of my books back today because I know I wont even use it to study. I have plenty of other material. I'm still musing at how inexpensive books are going to be next semester. It's pretty crazy. I'm used to paying over $300, and it's closer to the tune of $100 this semester. woo!

So I started a new blog. And I used adsense, so we'll see if I generate any revenue. I'm not expecting to have some huge boom, but I figure I'm on the computer enough and write well enough (when I can be snide and use plenty of profanity) to generate at least a few dedicated readers, and that's enough for me. I've always wanted to be a writer, and though it's not a novel (that'll come later on), it's a start.

At any rate, I'm working tomorrow... an extra night this week. I can definitely use the $. I think I may go do some xmas shopping on saturday if I'm feeling up to it. I know BF wants to go see the new 007 movie. I'd like to see it too!

As for spending today, I did buy one of my books for next semester after selling an old one back. I also went and got lunch at Bucca di Beppo. Mmm. Apple gorganzola salad... so good. A bit pricey, but it was well deserved. I've had a rough week and me and BF have both been super-cranky lately. A few arguments have gotten pretty out of hand due to a great lack of sleep on both of our parts. I'm looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow.

Well then, I'll end this with a bit of self-promotion... check out my links listed if you could and read my intro post to "The Modern Day Woman's Guide to the Existential Diet." Leave some comments to let me know what you think! I love input! Goodnight guys!

So the fight for this so-called vehicle that me and BF are trying to acquire continues. As it turns out, we both forgot how RIDICULOUSLY expensive insurance is, hence we will not be getting the Mazda, sadly. We're opting for something a bit cheaper, more to the tune of 7k. Most likely a Japanese something or other. We like those. So we are downscaling yet again (thankfully)!

I saw someone else post about thier credit score... I looked at mine the other day. Well, it was really a case of "all the other kids were doing it." Well, not so much kids... BF looked at his in lieu of this whole car purchase to see if he could get a loan. Turns out he is in poor standing because of a huge ordeal that went down last year. He went to the hospital, and had to pay emergency room fees. The hospital looked at his insurance card and the woman TOLD HIM that the particular hospital we were at accepted it. Well, that just wasn't the case. Not to mention, he moved from his previous residence in the student housing, so when the hospital started sending him the bills that were thought to be taken care of, he didn't get them. Nor did his old roomate call and tell him he had mail waiting there, nor did the hospital call him to inform him of anything. Eventually, collections were called upon by the hospital and they eventually found him (they have a knack for that). Needless to say, his score suffered.

He was talking to his Gramps about all this, and amidst the conversation, his grandfather asked him to look up HIS. Gramps is a bit computer illiterate, so BF got all his information. He's 2 points lacking of a perfect score. Turns out Gram has too many charge cards at dept stores At the same token, they have accounts that are still open and in good standing that date back to the 60's.

So after all this, I sucked it up and got mine. I'm in fine standing. My accounts are relatively new, and I have no credit cards. I've also had quite a few inquiries, though I noticed that most come from silly credit card companies and JCPenny for some reason. But I have a "fair" score. I'm okay with that for the time being. All my credit is student loans anyway.

At any rate, I'm still trying to put together my financial goals for 2007, but with this car thing still looming and not quite over-with, I'm gonna put it off just a while longer. For now, I'm just going with the flow and making sure I can get the rest of my xmas shopping in before the holiday actually arrives! I'll talk to y'all later!

Ugh. So I haven't written too much in the last few weeks. A lot of that has to do with the considerable shortage of time I've had between work, school, and working out. Not too mention, things have been much more negative in the financial area. So me and BF have been considering getting a car. It's not a necessity. We could live life without one, and both of us have looked at eachother and said, "what are we DOING??" But still I believe we are getting a car. Splitting the cost will make it a bit more financially "easy," and BF is also graduating in about a year and a half.

That said, we are NOT getting a BMW. I know I had mentioned leasing one in a previous post, but that is not happening. We talked about it, we test drove one, we talked about it a bunch more, but it's not happening. But we are getting a new, or newer car. And we're financing. I think leasing is pretty stupid, personally, so that is A-OK by me. We're getting a mazda 3. This is perfectly cool by me, though I'd be happy with a crappy old honda. We've been looking at older models and doing the research, but we did put a deposit down for one to be held. We get to be the first to testdrive, and if we decide not to buy the car, well then we get our deposit back in full.

We're doing a LOT of research. Insurance is a big mess, but thankfully both my mom and BF's gramps work (or worked) in the field, so we're getting a lot of our questions answered. The problem is, the whole process is rather frustrating and stressful. But we're so optomistic and really looking forward to having a car. Merry Christmas to us!

Speaking of Christmas, I'm not quite done shopping, and dont plan to be for a while... between this car coming up and my expensive healthy groceries, I'm quite short on funds. The good news is that I've been exercising a substantial amount more, and my eating habits have most definitely improved.

Finals week is next week. Ahh! Where did the semester go?? It's incredibly relieving. I'm ready for some time off to work a little more. I'm actually working an extra day this week, and though I'm going to miss my friend's b-day party, which she will not be very happy about it, it was quite unexpected. The good news is that I will save money on both liquor and booze. Not to mention, I'll have some extra funds.

Well, I better get going here. I really do have things that I should be doing. Later!

This is relatively short... hehe.

1. Me and my mom, and many times the other women in my family get together and bake a half-million christmas cookies.

2. Then we do chocolates

3. My sister is the official christmas countdown woman (she's 12 now and still loves to do it).

4. We always put up the tree the day after thanksgiving.

5. We always go to the parade and tree festival downtown.

6. We also go and see the nutcracker every year (though I've missed this year because I'm a couple hours away. Actually, my mom and sister's girlscout troop will be at the theatre to see it in a few hours here... grr).

7. We always do christmas eve at my grandparents'.

8. Me and mom always end up eating massive amounts of cookies.

9. Us kids decorate the cutout cookies... even at the ages of 20 and 18...

I'm sure me and BF will come up with our own as the years go on and we start having little beebees of our own (*someday*) I'm looking forward to it!

Got home from class today and started cleaning... got the laundry going, loaded the dishwasher. These things were desparately needed. A bunch of dirty clothes needed unpacked from the weekend, and we entertained a bit last night, so there were glasses everywhere. Wish I would have tidied up pre-entertainment, but eh. I'm a college kid, my apartment isn't supposed to be spotless. At any rate, made my bank run after class, and ran to the store to pick up a few things I needed.

I'm back on track as far as the healthy eating goes. I was gonna hop back on the bandwagon yesterday, but my boss and coworker invited me to go to lunch with them... thai food. Sooooo good, but coconut milk and corn fritters are certainly not the healthiest of choices. Pizza for dinner. erg. At any rate, I'm going to the gym today with BF to catch up on some working out... Hopefully I'll make a couple more trips this week. I guess starting this "diet and exercise plan" wasn't the smartest of ideas right before a holiday weekend

Financially, my month ends tomorrow, which means I've got some calculating to do! I know this weekend threw a monkeywrench into my spendings, but hey, a girl's gotta live! I know I didn't do half as bad as I did last time I went home, but I also have eaten at nice restaurants twice in the last week. Anyhoo, better get back to cleaning!

So I'm really not sure what the day has in store for me, but I do plan on starting the laundry and keeping to my healthy eating plan. I dont have any leftovers to taunt me, so it wont be too difficult (except for the delicious dark chocolate bars in the freezer, but those can be snacks in very small quantities).

My coworker wanted to hang out at some point today, but we'll see. I'd like to cook today, so I'll probably do some of that though I need to go to the store again, because my milk decided to go bad while I was away. I just bought it a few days ago! erg... I'd really like to have her and my boss over for a post-thanksgiving dinner. Healthier alternatives, though, of course. Eh. It's possible I'll just hang out around the apartment.

Aaaanyhoo. Better get started on SOMETHING. I feel the day slipping away...

So after a couple of days back at home in Ohio, I'm here again. I had to work tonight, so I got in about 5 pm. BF drove me, then drove the 2 hours back... I cant believe the boy can stand to do all that driving. He is a driving enthusiast, though.

Speaking of which... we're thinking about leasing a car. We went and test-drove a couple things over the weekend, and though it is incredibly frivilous and such, I'm pretty sure he's dead set on getting a Beamer. That's what he drove before, that's most likely what he'll drive this time. The one we took for a spin was REALLY nice, and I wouldn't mind driving it myself... though I have to learn stick (can you imagine, I used to change oil and I cant even drive a manual!). At any rate, I told him I would be willing to contribute $200 a month to the cause. Obviously if it was less I'd be a bit happier, but I want him to be happy, and cars are quite a big deal with him. Personally, I just dont want to have to struggle to find rides back home or carry pounds and pounds of groceries home from the grocery store in 10 below plus windchill weather. Anyhoo!

I had a great weekend. We had a busy time, of course. Relatives, relatives. Both families. Then friends and more food and many alcoholic beverages. I'm pooped. A coworker wanted to hang out tonight, but I have a date with my bed. I make okay money tonight, but I'm absolutely exhausted. BF is still out of town. He'll be back tomorrow.

As for finances... I spent a bit, as expected. I did unintentionally break the budget, but eh. It's money. I'm just happy I had a good time with the people I care about. Same goes for the eating healthy portion of this all. I blew the diet like it was my job this weekend. I had the best of intentions, but ya know... there's a trip to the gym in store for monday. It's a shame it's closed on sundays...

Regardless, I'm gonna get going with that sleep and such. Talk to you all later!

Alright, so I didn't end up going to the gym... or doing a whole lot of anything for that matter. Eh. It's cool. I probably wont go to the gym until monday. Ah well. No use beating myself up for it. I'm just so tired! I guess all that working out wasn't the greatest to "ease" my way into the habit again

On the financial front, it was a no-spend day. Yay! And I managed to do very well at work, which is always a good thing. It was definitely a busy night to say the least.

I'm very anxiously awaiting tomorrow night. I cant wait to see my friend! And my family! Yay! My buddy is driving out to where I am to eat dinner in my restaurant, and I'll be getting some food there as well before we leave. That will be a few dollars no doubt, but with my 25% discount not too bad... Perhaps a drink with him before we leave, but back home we go. The weekend shouldn't be too expensive. Considering everyone is cooking for me... my grandparents, BF's grandparents, my bestest friend is cooking on friday night. The only thing she asked me to bring is a bottle of wine, and honestly, my mama may be willing to donate one anyway The diet will be blown on good red wine this weekend, I believe. Actually, I think alcohol will be the prime budget buster this weekend. heh. Thus is the story of trips back home...

At any rate, I need to eat a snack and do some packing. I leave straight from work tomorrow. So if I dont get to check in tomorrow, you all have a wonderful weekend! (chances are I'll find a way to make a post though hehe.)

Well, I intend this to be a no-spend day, thankfully considering all the spending I did yesterday!

I just ate my breakfast- yes, this late because I was silly enough to stay up and watch a movie after work. I hate sleeping in this late. grr. At any rate, I'm contemplating whether I want to hit the gym today. My feet are still pretty sore from yesterday. Between all the time I spent at the gym, then working the night shift, they could use a break. However, I really need to get into the habit, and this may be the last time I'm able to go this week, with the holiday and all. And with the holiday, I REALLY need to go. hehe. Okay, so that settles it. I just have to get the timing down now. I slept in way too long. By the time it's lunch time, I wont be hungry yet. Oh well, I'll clean the kitchen (even though it's BF's turn... grr), have a snack, hit the gym, have lunch, then a snack before work. I'm just hoping I dont get too hungry while I'm at work! That can prove to be counterproductive

And I think I'm gonna go a little easier at the gym as Baselle said, "Wow. That's a lot of cardio." Tru dat :P