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

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

3. Pick up perscription.

4. Buy stamps and mail bills.

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

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

7. Go to the grocery store.

8. Clean out fridge.

9. Clean the apartment.

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

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

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

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

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

I've been posting so frequently in the last few days! Hope you all arent getting sick of me!

So I sat down and did a breakdown of my numbers currently, something I've been meaning to do for a while. I added up all the student debt I have right now. $14,964.81. AHHHHH!!!! Looking at that number makes me queasy, especially considering that's not where it ends! I still have more schooling! My measley EF right now is at $225, which is a dangerous low. My vacation savings, after you take away the rent check I'll have to pay and expenses that will be due either while I'm away or when I get back is at $95. hahaha. I'm sure this isn't funny, but the upside is that I still think I'll be okay. I've got this next week ahead of me, and I'm more than sure I'll have the alotted $500 or so I was planning on spending for the trip.

Now, some more number crunching. My estimated income for every month is around $1390. This is assuming I average $60 every night and $20 every lunch shift. Obviously, these averages are not always on the dot. Usually, I make more than this average. I added up my expenses: rent, electric, gas, cell, perscription, transportation, internet, life insurance, and groceries. That was $617 altogether. I added an extry $83 to round it off to $700 and account for things like eating at restaurants, entertainment, and clothes.

This $700 in expenses should make up approx. 50% of what I make in a month, leaving me with an extra $700 to distribute. So why is it that I dont have $700 in my checking account at the end of every month? Well, I spend it. Erg. The goal? To live on that $700 a month. I'll dip into $50 more if necessary (our utilities aren't always on the dot either), but I think that should be more than enough.

I figure the remaining $700 can be alotted to both my EF and my debt, which though I am still in school and not REQUIRED to pay off now, scares the living something out of me, and needs to be taken care of while the interest is still piling high.

So, here are my financial goals:

1. Get my EF up to $1000 by the first of the new year. I dont think this should be difficult. Eventually I want it to reach $2100 (that's 3 months' expenses).

2. Keep track CONTINUALLY of my finances, to the penny, for the next year. I have a bad habit of trailing off every once in a while... that seems to be the periods when my spending gets a little out of hand.

3. Live on $750 a month. This of course means that my "pleasure spending" needs to be capped pretty tightly. It needs to remain in that $83 range.

4. Take all money that is not spent on my expenses (within the $750) or put into the EF and send it all to my debt.

Some shorter-term goals:

1. No eating at restaurants until I go on vacation (the 20th of this month).

2. No Starbucks for the rest of this month.

3. No buying clothes for the rest of this month.

4. Save up $500 by vacation.

So after a short hiatus to work things out with BF, I feel back to normal. My finances were on the fritz for a while because I happened to not record things :P

At any rate, there have been some new happenings in the world of Tara! For one, I've had quite the social week... despite all of the homework that I *should* have been doing. But I'm relieved that things are picking up a bit in that department!

In other exciting news, I'm taking a trip for spring break! And if you're thinking Cancun, you're wrong I'm going to New Orleans with a group from my university to help rebuild houses devastated by hurricane Katrina. Hard work to come, for sure. I think it's going to be a great experience though and I'm really looking forward to it. I just have to hit the gym quite a few times beforehand. I'm going to be hurting. That's without a doubt!

Other than that, I'm just doing the same old same old... work, school. I've got a lot of schoolwork to do tomorrow, including a paper that I put off way too long. I better get sleeping! I have a long day ahead of me!

So... I talked with BF about a bunch of things that I see going wrong with the relationship, and we're going to change/work on a few things... like becoming better friends. We dont talk as much as I'd like to.

But nonetheless, I feel much better about things. We're still planning on moving--together-- in April. But our plans for marraige are going to be pushed back a bit. I want to start, and perhaps even finish grad school before then. But we'll see what happens.

Oh, and luckyrobin, my friend is gay I dont think he's too interested in stealing me away. hehe.

As for today, I'm going to campus early to work on some stuff for class. There's a poetry reading/workshop at 1:00, which I'm really excited about. I love poetry and it'll be nice to go do something on campus that isn't going to class. I just wish I had someone to go with.

After that ends, I have nothing to do until class at 6:00. Which means working on more homework/readings.

It seems as though I may have to pack lunch AND dinner today... But perhaps not. Maybe I'll stop and get Wendy's or something. I've had a good week, and I've only used 20 cents of my Food on Campus budget, which is $20. A junior bacon cheeseburger and a baked potato... or maybe chili. It's so cold! At any rate, $2.23 for a meal aint bad at all.

I need to figure out what I'm going to get/make for BF for Valentine's day. He has just about everything he wants. That makes it pretty hard. I'm not big on buying things for people for the sake of buying them. I try to put a lot of thought into my gifts. So that will be one of the day's ponderings. What to get the boy who doesn't really care for chocolate or candy, and wants nothing? Sigh. This could be hard...

CHALLENGE TOTALS:
February total: $12.72
Year total: $142.29

Some other bloggers here commented earlier this week about laziness and its pros/cons in the financial field. I'm not so happy to say that today I learned a valuable lesson:

Never go to HR Block.

The fact that I paid $60 to do what I could have done just drives me up a wall. I thought my taxes were complicated, but really all I had to do was put in one additional peice of information that I didn't have last year, and I get everything back. That information was nothing more than my tuition statement. Ugh. I could have done it myself.

Not only that, but they didn't do my state taxes... it would have been extra. So I have to file those myself. Ridiculous.

On the upside, my federal is filed and I'm getting $810 back. Not too shabby at all! Of course, the majority of it will be put back into student loans. Perhaps a hundred of it or so will go to my challenge. Just because And another hundred will go toward my emergency fund.

I packed my dinner tonight and had lunch at home. So all money spent today was on groceries, perscriptions, and tax preparation. Boo.

My grocery budget is coming along fabulously. I managed under $10 for the week, and I'm fairly confidnent that I'm going to reach my goal of spending under $50 for the month. I haven't really spent any money on campus either. 5 cents for a cup with hot water in it, but I've been reusing the cup for the last 2 days. Bringing my tea to campus with me...

I'm meeting a new friend for coffee tomorrow on campus. It should be nice. We've been talking over Facebook [for those who dont know, it's a university-based networking community type of thing]. He goes to my university and seems pretty cool. Let's hope I make a lasting friendship! I've been feeling rather social lately. I keep telling myself that I dont know anyone here, but really I've made quite a few aquaintences. I wish a few of them were closer friends, but I guess that comes with time.

At any rate, I better get going. I've got class in the morning! Everyone have a great night!

So me and BF went out of town for the weekend. We just got home, and even though we set the thermostat at 60 because we were gone, it's only 53! We've increased the temperature, but our little furnace that unfortunately couldn't is working its tail to no avail...

My trip was GREAT. I got to visit with family, and me and my mom went out with our cousin last night. I got to spend time with loved ones, and it was very inexpensive on my end. The only thing I paid for was Wendy's for mom and me because she had no cash on her. AND I ended up coming home with more than I went with for FREE. Yay!

2 pairs of jeans. Mom gave me one of hers that didn't fit her right, and we went shopping. Hit a great sale at JC Penny.
1 shirt.
1 pair of great boots.
1 can of spray to waterproof them (thanks again mom!)
1 bottle of Pinot Gregio
Half a family package of string cheese (mom wont eat the non low-fat kind anymore)
A whole container of Ferrero Rocher chocolates (Thanks to my Aunt and Uncle!)
Small package of granola.

Not too shabby! And I hit Ulta on our way to Ohio and took advantage of a freebie that was posted... a smashbox lip palette. Woo. I also had a 20% off coupon I recieved for being on their email list. AND my coworker gave me a $25 gift card there that she said she wouldn't use. So I spent $3 total and got the lip palette, moisturizer, a really cute shade of urban decay eyeshadow, and a 4 color combination eyeshadow from Covergirl. Not bad at all!!

But now I'm home and things are good. I've got class tomorrow, despite the single-digit weather. BF said he'd give me a ride to class, though. Whew!

I've decided on my own challenge for the month. In January, I spent $175 on groceries... just for me!! This month I budgeted $50, and I'm stickin to it. I'm gonna aim as low as I can. The money I save will go toward my student loans, but if I get under $50, I'm putting the money toward the challenge. Only food grocery items apply. I budgeted a separate amount for non-food grocery items. So here we go! I haven't grocery shopped at all in February. Yet. I think I'll be set for the week. I bought enough yogurt and apples to last me 2 weeks. So that covers lunch both days I'm on campus. But we'll see. At any rate, I'm gonna get going. I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Alright... here it is!

$ Earned at work: $1019.70 [not so great at all...]

Expenses:
Groceries: $172.79 [$100 budgeted] $72.79
Dining Out: $98.00 [$45 budgeted] $53.00
Food on Campus: $7.92 [$15 budgeted] $7.08
Clothes: $9.40 [$15 budgeted] $5.60
Entertainment: $55 [$55 budgeted] $0
Gifts: $3.00 [$10 budgeted] $7.00

So about $106.11 over budget...

On the upside...
$20 Challenge total for January: $129.57
$ paid on student loan: $175
Total No-Spend days: 10 [my goal was 7]

Considering the fact that $140 was stolen along with $150 in gift cards I was going to use to buy my books, I can honestly say I did well. I made very little money this month compared to normal, which sucks. But I was able to pay my bills AND buy the World of Warcraft expansion, so I really have no room to complain. And I can only see positively into February. Life is getting back to normal.

I got my final W-2 in the mail today, so I will be taking a trip to HR Block to get my taxes taken care of. I'm not sure what thier rates are, but I'm sure it's going to save me a lot of confusion, as well as money, in the long run.

At any rate, I'll be getting off here now. I have to get ready to go to court. Everyone wish me luck!

Yesterday was a no-spend day, which not only means that I'm adding $1 to my challenge money, but that I've reached 7 no-spend days for the month.

I've hit my goal!!!

I think that's pretty exciting! Today is a planned no-spend day as well. I'm off school, and work at 6:00. I'll be eating in and doing homework in the mean time. I'm sure I have plenty I could make for dinner. I'm incredibly proud of myself as I look over my budget and the money I've spent this month. Most of it was on groceries... but that was more or less because of this biscotti endeavour I've started. I haven't spent any money on clothes or food on campus. Granted, I've only had 3 days of class, but still! I went out to eat the other night, and that was unplanned, but other than that, I've stayed on budget with my dining out. And we only ate out 3 times this month as well. Not too shabby.

I'm going to come up short on my "pay myself" bill, but only because I had to buy all those books that gift cards would have otherwise paid for... if they hadn't been stolen. Overall I've done really well this month. I'm starting out 2007 right!

Challenge total $92.51
+ No-spend day $1.00
+ Change from work $0.30
New Challenge total $93.81

My challenge money is growing!!! I've almost got enough for that plane ticket to Orlando that I'll need to be buying here in the next couple of months. I've got a lot in the way of vacations planned this year (which is great because I haven't gone on vacation in years). I'm visiting my friend who lives in Orlando... I met him the last time I went on vacation many a year ago and we've been great friends since. And me and BF are taking a trip across the country. So there will be much expenses in the way of gas and such.

The tenative plan is to stop in Missouri and stay with a friend of his. Then, his friend will be coming with us to the Grand Canyon. Then we'll be driving to stay with my friend who moved to Arizona just after I moved to Pittsburgh, then we'll be driving to San Diego to visit our friend that just moved there for work. There has been talk of stopping in Denver because I've never been there and I'd love to see it. My brother lives out there, but we cant stay with him because I'm not on speaking terms with my father (we haven't been for years). It's tempting though, a free place to stay and all...

I'm taking 2 weeks off of work during the summer for the road trip. Florida will only be for a few days during the week, so it shouldn't be a big deal. I'm totally psyched, though. The furthest west I've ever been was Indiana, and that was only for 2 hours! I'm looking forward to seeing what the other side of the country has to offer! Just a lot of money to save up. I've decided that part of my tax return (assuming I'll be getting money back) is going to be put into my challenge money, and consequently will be used for my vacation(s). I cant wait until summer! Eeek!

So I spent some time baking up my first couple batches of biscotti for the coffee shop today. I got paid $20 for 40 peices. That's about twice the cost of making them, so I'm content with it. They'll be selling them for $1 each, so I'm profiting the same as the coffee shop. Fair deal. I'm much more excited about the fact that something I MADE is being SOLD. hehe. That $10 profit went to my challenge money.

Work was incredibly busy today. I have to say, I haven't seen a saturday that busy in a looong time. I guess spring and fall are the busy times at my restaurant. So winter has been a bit slow. At any rate, I walked out with $155 after tipping out 20%. That's awesome. And I had plenty of change to contribute to my challenge.

In other frugal news, I got a freebie in the mail today. Samples of dove shampoo and conditioner. A friend also sent me a Paul Mitchell set that he picked up at a hair show he was working a while back (he does lighting and camera work at these big hair conventions). So I dont have to buy more conditioner afterall! Or my favorite hair product... and it takes me close to a year to get through a bottle anyways. Also, last night when I was at Eat n Park I snagged a few little thingies of that sugar free welch's blackberry jam. It was so good I decided to snag a few. Muahahaha. Also, my coworker decided to move to Este Lauder makeup and skincare, so the Ulta gift certificate that she got for Christmas she decided to give to me. Along with 2 tubes of Victoria Secret lip gloss. I'd have to say I made out pretty well.

So things are working out well on the financial front, despite all of the setbacks due to the mugging and whatnot. Though I still have to go to the bank and have them take care of those overdraft fees. Oh, and the coffee shop owner told me that he heard that my mugger was caught. Let's hope! If so, I'll be getting a call here soon to appear in court.

Still waiting for 2 of my W-2 forms from Ohio from early 2006. Hopefully they'll come soon. I need to go to HR Block and get my taxes done. I got my form from the restaurant, and as a previous post said on here, I totally had that "I made THAT much this year?? Where did it all go???" reaction. Of course, then I take a look through all of my reciepts, and it makes sense. Food. haha. And clothes.

At any rate, I'd better get going here. I should get to bed. I've noticed my challenge money is growing substantially. I've gathered quite a bit of change... and with that book I sold on amazon and the profit I made from the biscotti, I'm not doing too bad.

Challenge total $78.63
+ Change from work $1.53
+ Biscotti profit $10.00
New Challenge total $90.16

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

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

Alright, so I've been thinking about these for a few days now. I'm going to make some changes with how I do my finances once the new year rolls around-- or next month!

I've put together a tentative monthly budget. Of course, it will vary from month to month slightly depending on certain variable expenses (needing new work shoes, medical expenses, etc.) The good news is that my budget is based on an expected income, and I usually make more than I budget for. I just try and plan for the worst-case scenario.

So here are my goals based on that tentative budget/income:

1. Pay myself first. I've heard other people say this, and I didn't quite get it until now. At any rate, I've subtracted my monthly budget from my estimated income, and it comes out to $173 per month, or $2076 per year saved. I think once I hit the $1000 mark I may look into getting a 6 month CD or researching investments, something to that effect. $2076 isn't a lot, but I'm *hoping* it ends up more than that.

2. My vacation money. I purposefully did not incorporate vacation savings into my budget. I'm going to take extra money-- after paying myself, and my bills, and my expenses-- and put it into its own account, or maybe even my piggy. And speaking of my piggy, my change will be a part of that savings. Basically, it gives me more incentive to save money on my variable expenses because that money will be used toward my vacation.

3. Extra little things I want will fall into the vacation expense as well... There's nothing I would hate worse than taking money from my vacation expense. I really need a vacation I budget a great deal of entertainment and clothing into my expenses, so this shouldn't be TOO hard to do...

4. I want to pick up a second job over the summer, or get into a tutoring program of sorts. When I'm not in school, there's no reason not to pick up another job. Extra income goes toward that vacation expense, or savings, depending on my mood that day

5. Keep up with my blog. I dont imagine adsense as a prime source of revenue in the world of Tara, but hey, every little penny counts.

6. Continue finding frugal alternatives. Every day I read a little tip or trick that saves me money. If I continue incorporating these little tricks, I'll be saving a bunch in no time.

7. Hire someone to do my taxes in april. This could be counter productive in the cost sense, but I think there are plenty of places out there that do taxes at a reasonable rate. I'm going to look into it this year, because not only am I in a tax bracket that does have to pay, but considering my change of residence, and pennsylvania vs ohio taxes, it would probably be less confusing.

8. Sell every possible thing I own that I can stand to part with. This includes CD's, DVD's, books, etc. BF has a DVD burner on his new comp, so we're in the process of burning all of our movies, and then selling them. Same with the CD's and iTunes. Books are listed on amazon... waiting for the fishies to bite.

9. Spend more time on savingadvice. Haha. Well, not too much time... I'm here pretty often and sometimes I dont get other things done, but ya know. I've learned so much from people on here, and I've never (met) such a fun and interesting bunch of people! I really enjoy the site and the blogs... It's much appreciated.

So here's to a new year, guys! Cheers!

I'm afraid eating healthy is going to have to win this one. I took a look in the mirror the other day after putting on a pair of pants that are quite a bit too snug... got the "sausage" effect my mother so loves to remind herself of (ugh). But besides the fact that I've gained a little extra padding, I'm a bit uncomfortable with it, and my sedentary lifestyle is by no means healthy. The only excercise I get is at work, which dont get me wrong, can be a workout some times. The term "exercise" hasn't graced my vocabulary, however, since before the start of the semester.

As for food, I've been eating whatever, and as much as I want. Now, people tell me I'm young, and yes I know that, but my metabolism has slowed down a great deal in the last couple of years, and I'm struggling with it. I've always eaten a lot. Since I started eating I've eaten a lot, and up til the point where I graduated high school, I was incredibly thin as well. Not anorexically thin, but a nice athletic build. Thunder thighs or none, I looked good. Now, the idea of kicking a 20 year long eating habit, ha! I need a little help there.

I signed up for the self.com reach your goal plan for a few reasons. A) It's a place online to input all workouts and meals I do/consume. B) It's got meal plans all set up for me that I can loosely work with. C) I find it fun that I can follow a set of rules, and it keeps me from straying from them. D) The recipes they give you look really good, and I love to cook.

Now, I'm not going on the food exactly because it will, in fact, break my budget. However, I will be going to the store today to purchase some healthier alternatives to the crap I'm eating right now, and I'll also be heading off to the gym today for the first time in 3 months.

It always kills me that it takes about 3 months of constant exercise and eating well to lose the same number of pounds it takes you 1 to gain. Ugh. At any rate, I'm going to enjoy my shopping trip and my trip to the gym. I've got the week off, so I'll have some time to hit the gym, and next semester I've got no early early classes, allowing me plenty of time to keep up the good work come the spring semester. Later guys!

hehe. Just a tad, anyway. Coworkers buying me drinks after work is a dangerous business. At any rate, it's my day off anyhow, and we had a good time. Slept half the day away, though, and I always feel guilty about that, like I've wasted time. Oh well!

Yesterday's spending at Burlington was great. I ended up spending about $56, but for all the stuff I got, it was pretty good, and everything was greatly needed. I bought:
1 work shirt from the little boy's dept (hehe)
2 ties, both incredibly cute
1 winter hat, greatly needed
1 pair of gloves, desparately needed
1 sweater, also needed... I dont have a whole lot of "winterwear" for some reason.

Really, I made out like a bandit. BF found a suit he liked, which is miraculous. He's a really small guy and it's hard for him to find suitjackets that fit him right. We also picked out some nice dresshirts and ties. Fun! We did end up eating out... wendy's. I always forget how cheap it is to eat fast food. I dont eat it but maybe once a month. I do enjoy it a lot that once a month, though. Mmm. Junior Bacon Cheeseburger... for only a dollar! It's amazing.

Last night I did buy 2 of my own overpriced drinks where I work, total of $10, and then I paid for me, BF, and my coworker to eat at the 24 hour place circa 4am. It ended up being about 15 for the 3 of us. Not bad... My coworker paid for the cab up the mountain, so it was definitely cool. At any rate, today is a no-spend day. I'm relaxing. I've got no school this week because of thanksgiving, but I wont be going back home until wednesday night. I cant wait to see everyone!

So I've went over the budget in the clothes area becauuse of yesterday, but no remorse. They were all practical and cheap things. No frivilously expensive mall clothes... though I've been tempted. The good news, though, is that I've managed to not go to the grocery store for a long time! ha! I think I'm gonna need to take a small trip at some point, but perhaps not. We really need milk, but that's about it. My boss brought up an excellent point to me the other day: why dont I spice up my ramen? Honestly, the thought had never really occured to me to eat it any way other than plain with a flavor packet in it. haha. But today I experimented with putting veggies in it. Tasty! I'm thoroughly pleased. Found a site dedicated to ramen and recipes including it. I'll have to try a couple of them because we have so much ramen! And frozen veggies are pretty cheap and healthy (though ramen isn't really healthy).

Speaking of healthy, I really need to get to the gym again now that I have time. I think I've gained a good 5 pounds since the beginning of the semester. I'm not positive of that, but my sides have definitely experienced an increase of plushiness, as well as my hips and thighs. grr. Luckily my schedule will allow me to get on a decent excercise plan next semester, but for now I'll have a lot of time off anyway.

At any rate, that's enough rambling for today!

So I had class this morning... rather I was incredibly late for class this morning. Ergh. I cant wait until next semester... but at any rate, it's a no-spend day. Yay! I've got my free easy mac in the microwave cooking for lunch. By free, I mean BF's Gram purchased a boatload at Sam's Club for us.

My Emigrant account is now all set up! Woo! I've only got $25 in there right now, but every little bit helps! My total debt is down to $8491.09, which is a step from the $8698.50 it was originally. I'm making progress! Still trying to make my groceries last until the 28th... not looking so hot, but I'm still going. All I can say is thank goodness I get free food at work. Thursday I get lunch with my friend at the cafeteria... buffet. I was thinking about sneaking in a tupperware container... hehehe. The thought of it makes me giggle. No reason to buy sweets if I can load up at the cafeteria and take them home with me. ha! I'm beating the system! Maybe snag a banana or something too... hmm. We'll see. I've seen people fill up water bottles with milk and juice, or grab and icecream cone and walk out with it. I've gotten coffee "to go" before. I pay way too much for a school cafeteria. I need to get my money's worth!

So I went to the same site all the cool kids have been going to and calculated my net worth. *cry* My current net worth as of today is -$6002. I'm sure that has a lot to do with the fact that I'm still in school, but it'll go down even further after next semester. grr. I guess it motivates me to save more? hehe. I also dont have any vehicles or property. The only real "personal property" included was in my guitars. I'd say that's about $550 in itself. I added on an extra couple hundred for textbooks I have a variable life insurance policy, which is more or less a mutual fund, but really I couldn't say how much I have on that. I just pay a bill 4 times a year. They send me stuff, but it's really hard to understand, even after an accounting course :/ Maybe I'll look for a website to go to that may have the value of it listed... hmm. There's an idea!

At any rate, work tonight. Last night wasn't too great, but I made the most- $67. I wont complain. It was slow. I'm not putting any more money into my savings until I've got my $450 for rent/elec/phone sitting in the checking account. Gotta cover all my bases! Hopefully I'll still have a little leftover to add to my newly acquired savings account... hmm.

Alright. So it's the midpoint of my financial month (which always starts the 28th, as far as I'm concerned). I sat down and tracked my progress in spending/savings. I have to say, I'm doing pretty good! Last month at my midpoint I was $47.55 OVER the budget. This month, I'm $141.51 UNDER the budget, so happy dance! The only area where I'm over budget is groceries... big surprise. hehe. The good news is I'm only over by 2 cents. woohoo! Let's just hope I can keep myself from buying groceries for the rest of the month. heh. We really have plenty of food. And that shopping trip to the market district was a bit pricey, but always is But the good news is that we only ate out once this month, twice if you count the money I spent at the coffee shop with my french buddies. Dining out is my one big flaw, but I did really good this month. Yay for me! Aside from that, I've put $175 toward my loan this month, and put $146.75 into savings. That totals $321.75 towards my $20 challenge thus far, which is more money than I've spent! Of course, I haven't paid rent or anything so it's a little skewed... At any rate, being a hermit is paying off! hehe.

So last night me and BF actually went out. My neighbor is a comic, and he took us to the club he plays. We got in for free-saving each of us $30. I did end up spending $16 on food and drinks, but I took it out of my entertainment allowance. Next time I'm just going to buy drinks. $6 for 2 cokes isn't cheap, but when you get into the club for free, I think it's worth it.

Today I went to class, and then scheduled for next semester. A big fiasco, but I'm happy to say that I have NO 8am classes. Yay! Not sure how my boss is going to like the schedule, but he's good at working around it. Which reminds me, I've decided to stay in Ohio for black friday. I need a little more time with my friends and family this month. Now is homework time, and then work at 5:30. Let's hope I make some money! I didn't do too well on saturday. I want tonight to turn it around!

I did have to stop at the store on the way home to buy some needed *feminine supplies*, but aside from that I'm not spending any money today. I'm still in the process of getting my emigrant account set up, but I did finally take care of setting up my online banking as well yesterday. That'll be convenient from now on. Either way, this is getting long... I better go!

p.s. That comedian last night had all sorts of jokes about shopping at costco and sam's club. It was pretty funny! I thought of you all...

So after reading the posts on my last blog, I've decided to keep some money in my national city account, and transfer the rest to an Emigrant Direct account. 5.05% sounds so nice! After thinking about how much to deposit, I've decided to not put too much in now. Tuition payment is coming up, and I need that money to be VERY readily available. After tuition is taken out, I'm going to leave the minimum in my savings, $300. Then I'm going to put $200 in the ED account. Combined, they will be my emergency funds. $500 covers my bills and leaves some room for groceries: a month's worth of expenses. I was going to leave that $500 in my National City, but I figured that if I could make higher interest on 40% of the total, why not?

Sometimes I wish I could just forget about those silly student loans. Many kids do while they're in college. I know I could be living life quite comfortably that way, but when I think about all the money I'd rack up in the meantime, and the weight it puts on me just having that 4, soon to be 5-figure dollar amount sitting there for me to pay back, I know I cant. It would be too irresponsible anyway, and that's not my style

In the meantime... I applied for an ED account, my initial deposit $25. That goes towards my $20 challenge.
ED initial deposit: $25
November total: $256.75
Running total: $467.26

This means that I reached my goal of putting $250 towards the challenge! Woo! I'm reaching all of my goals way ahead of time this month. It feels great! I really feel in control of things. Last month I only put $210.51, so things are looking up! And for all of you who dont know, my $20 consists of all money put into savings or towards loans. It includes my piggy bank, which I deposit into my savings every month. Not sure if that's how the challenge is supposed to work, but I have totals for little bits of money I save here and there as well.

As for other news, it's going to be a no-spend day today (I'm up to 7 this month, I think there's a miracle happening). I believe I'll be making those pumpkin cookies and relaxing until I have to go to work. The thermostat is set on 66 and I'm in comfy clothes. I said yesterday while hugging BF: "this is how I'm going to save money this winter." and he says, "how? by hugging me?" and I said yeah, and he replied, "I'm gonna start charging you for stealing my heat." hahahaha. He is too funny. Silly boy :P

Alright, so nothing too eventful happened today. I didn't end up making cookies afterall, but I DID make pancakes after BF woke up (or rather, I woke him up. hehe). Yum! The remainder of the day was spent playing silly videogames with BF. No spending outside of the $25 I put toward my loan. I dont count that towards my spend/no spend days. And either way, I've already exceeded my goal for the month! I just figured that my mom paid for my prescription, which saved me $25. I think she'd want me to use that money towards school. So to the loan it went... it feels really good to pay off this loan. I feel myself continually getting lighter. hehe. A part of me wishes that it was going into the ol savings account, but when I think of the 14.25% interest charged on my loan every day, it outweighs that tiny .5% on my savings. I'm gonna wait until my loan matches the amount in my savings, and then start adding to it, though I add a bit here and there to my savings either way. The next couple of weeks should bump me up either way. Especially if I cant get my boss to let me take black friday off. I really want to stay in Ohio for 2 days, but a part of me knows that he's right, it is a busy day. I'd make a lot of money, I'm just not sure if that money is worth the time lost with both my friends and my grandfather, who is to pass away here shortly. grr. Work can be so frustrating sometimes!

$20 challenge:
Thanks mom!: +$25
November total: $231.75
Running total (since last month): $442.26

Almost to my $250 goal for the month. Woo!

Breakfast: oatmeal, apple, soymilk
Lunch: pancakes
Snack: peanuts, popcorn (the 94% fat free stuff)
Dinner: tomato soup w/ cheese, crackers, and black beans, soymilk

I'm in dire need of chocolate. HELP!

8am class, that is. I'm so looking forward to the end of the semester. Not because I dont like class, but because it frustrates me so falling asleep in every class! I feel like I'm cheating myself out of my education, and yet I just CANT keep my eyes open! So I've decided that next semester, though I wont be able to work as much as a result, that there will be NO 8am classes. It's not worth it.

I woke up late this morning. Flew out the door without drinking any coffee or eating any breakfast. I had to leave in the middle of class to buy some coffee, then come back (and I wont even get into the retarded vending machines...) My prof was incredibly understanding, he merely commented on how awful it is that students absolutely HAVE to work, and how it stinks that I work nights and come to class so early. Agreed.

Because I overslept, I was forced to purchase my breakfast on campus. Between coffee during class, a bagel and creamcheese, and a bottle of orange juice (sorely needed because I have low blood sugar), I ended up spending $5 on campus. grr. I wasn't planning on buying any food today, oh well.

Bio was the same story... fell asleep numerous times. Struggled to keep my eyes open. Thankfully, this prof is understanding as well. The poor woman. I'm incredibly fond of her, and she's always so flustered and overwhelmed. After class, we talked about internships and whatnot.

Now, on the way home I was talking to BF via cell. He mentioned that he was coming to my restaurant to eat tonight. Big bucks! It's all you can eat night, so I guess it's kind of worth it, but still, it's almost $30 per person. Made me want to go and get food (I always feel left out and want to buy food out when he does things like that, like I feel I deserve it...), but I restrained myself because I had delicious leftovers from last night's cooking... or so I thought! Turns out BF ate them... I was a little peeved. Granted, I offered the food to him last night, but since he turned them down to continue sleeping I guess I thought he wasn't going to bother. He's an anti-leftovers kinda guy. So I ended up very annoyed when I got home. He ate my couscous AND he gets delicious sushi tonight! And what did I get?? Nothing :'(

But despite all that frustration and general unhappiness, I'm not giving up on my budget morale yet. My most recent payment posted on my loan today. My principle is down to $5415.79, almost $100 less than the original, and I put another $50 payment on it today. I'll make another bank run on friday, and add some more to the savings.
So my totals for the $20 challenge:
For this month: $159 in november
Total: $369.51

I'm gonna try and make tomorrow and thursday no-spend days. Try. I do usually have lunch with my friend in the cafeteria, but perhaps I'll convince her to come up to my apartment for lunch? We'll see. As far as the grocery challenge is going, I may have to give in here soon. I never did buy my eggs, though. Those were my only allowance. I'm gonna try and hold out as long as I can though. Talk to you guys later!

No, not coffee. I actually looked through my numerous papers with loan info. For some reason I ignore the fact that I dont only have 1 loan. I actually have 3. One from my old university. It is unsubsidized at interest of 5.3%. I also have another government granted loan at my university that is--thankfully-- subsidized at 6.8%, that doesn't start accruing until graduation. Then finally, my biggie with the 14.25%... ugh. This is the one I talk about. I've gotten my principle down, thank goodness. But it's still getting there.

My total debt in student loans: $8582.53

Now, I'm still in school, so really I dont have to pay any of this now. But growing up in a household where my parents always were (and still are) in a great amount of debt, I'm gonna try and save myself some money if I can. I pay the interest, and then some on my biggie every month. The other 2 have such low interest that I'm going to focus on the biggie before touching those. It just kills me that I have that much in debt! I know other people here are probably thinking "that aint nothin!"... but the fact of the matter is that it was a little surprising.

At any rate, I've got some serious saving to do. My mom even seemed surprised when I told her I've started putting payments toward my loan... of course, with the interest I'm paying she could see why!

At any rate... I've got a couple goals, or challenges, that I'm going to attempt:

1. Aside from a dozen eggs, I'm not going to buy groceries until the 16th. This looks pretty easy, but I know myself a bit better.
2. Use up what's in my pantry/fridge/freezer! I buy groceries way too often.
3. No eating out at all this week. I'm going to try and convince my friend as well to eat at my house as opposed to the cafeteria at school.
4. No spending money on clothes for the rest of the month. I bought my new work shoes. I think that's enough for the month.

So we'll see how it goes! Later guys!

Alright. So I've got class here in about an hour. I'm trying to make today a no-spend day. That'll put me at the 3 I was shooting for this month. Perhaps I'll go above and beyond! We'll see...

I double today. Grr. That means a 12 hour workday, boo. Even further in the lack of enthusiasm here is the fact that we have a 40 person party of highschool kids coming in. I guess it's a japanese class of sorts. At any rate, should be alright. I'm pretty sure it's a one plate meal, so it shouldn't be too hard to get all that out to em. Crazy day, I'm sure...

Aside from that, I just have french to study. We've got an exam tomorrow, and I hate to say it, but i'm not prepared at all. I've been incredibly unimpressed with this clas thus far, and unless my prof makes drastic changes in her teaching methods, I dont see any more progress to come :/ At any rate, the kids in my class have been meeting together outside of class on the weekends to study, so maybe she'll cut us a little slack for that. Either way, better get going. All of you have a wonderful day!

So I was determined to make today a no-spend day. And i believe I have succeeded. And then some! I went to psych class this morning, then hit the library. I had to read an article on reserve there and post on a discussion board. I was going to photocopy it, but instead I decided to just read it there and post. I'm sure my prof wants us to have a copy of it for class on thursday, but I didn't have the spare change and honestly, that article isn't worth 10 cents to me more for my challenge money...

Speaking of change, I also stopped by the bank (after returning that very much overdue movie at the library... no good), and made both a deposit into the checking and savings accounts. I managed to accumulate $20.51 in my coin jar for October, and it went into savings as planned. Yay!

Talked to mom for a while on the phone. I miss her. I miss everyone back home, but I miss my mom a lot. She's having a rough time and that's no good. I'm really looking forward to going home for Thanksgiving. At any rate, we discussed money for a while. haha. I think it may finally be getting through to her that I'm a responsible adult! (which is a relief. I've been trying to convince her for a long while now)

As for the rest of the day, I started the laundry (finally), loaded the dishwasher, and set out chicken to thaw for dinner. I'm feeling like a regular Martha Stuart right now... BF will be so happy when he gets home! Maybe I'll even put my laundry away... he would be floored. That's my one big flaw. I HATE putting laundry away. He gets on my case all the time, and it drives me crazy. I've never been able to just be my messy self. boo. Ah well. I could be nice just this once... hehe. Well, to homework now...

So it's only the first day of the month (according to my budget calendar) and I've already started spending money on food... erg.

My name is Tara Dawn, and I have a problem...

Heh. No kidding. It's sunday, which means me and 2 members of my french class get together to study. We meet at a coffee shop and do french...things. At any rate, my one friend was hungover, the other sick, and I am unfortunately suffering from a long night. Needless to say, we didn't get too much homework done. Erg. On top of it, the coffee shop had this delicious butternut squash soup that I couldn't resist! A bit over priced, but I'd say that the $5 I spent on that big bowl of soup with it's accompanying big chunk of delicious bread was well worth it. Of course, I bought a drink and a little cake thingy beforehand, so it ended up adding to about $9. Grr.

Ordinarily I would put this down as a school expense (it IS for school, afterall, haha), but given that we didn't do any real studying, it's going out of the eating out fund...

On the flip side, I ate half the jambalaya I made last night for dinner today for lunch, BF finished it off for dinner, and I used the remaining pancake batter from yesterday's breakfast for dinner. Yum! I guess you could call the soup my snack?? I think I eat too much haha. :/ At any rate, we have 0 leftovers now, and a clean plate to start with for the week in food.

I'm determined that tomorrow be a no-spend day. I had one yesterday, which puts me ever so close to my goal. There's nothing pressing I have to buy, though I may have to make a copy at the library. Blast it! Grr... perhaps I can get out of it. We'll see...

November Budget and Goals:

Rent, phone, elec, cable: $450
Transportation: $60
Insurance: $26.75
Perscription: $25
Loan interest: $65
Groceries: $80
Food on campus: $40
Salsa Classes: $20
School expenses: $20
Dining Out: $50
Clothes: $75
Entertainment: $20
Xmas gifts: $50
Misc: $20

Total Budgeted: $1001.75

Estimated income (by the 28th):
17 nights @ $60 => $1020
4 lunches @ $10 => 40
2 paychecks @ $30 => 60
Total:$1120

Goals:
1. To be under budget.
2. To be over income.
3. To have 3 no-spend days.
4. To put $250 toward the $20 challenge.
5. To only eat out 4 times this month.
6. To knock 3 people off my xmas list.

Sooooooo. I gave myself a little more slack as far as the budget goes. I realized that it's damn near impossible to only spend $40 in groceries in a month. I spent $100 last month (and me and BF keep our food separate), so I'm shooting to only spend $80 this month. Clothes is up a bit, only because I'll be buying new work shoes here in about a week. And I understand that just because I cut myself a little slack doesn't mean that I can slack off, I'm just expecting myself to be under budget this month.

Hopefully it'll work out. I took inventory in my kitchen again this month, and even wrote out a list of possible dinners I could make posted on the fridge- so when I'm wandering around saying "we dont have any food!" I have a list to look at, and say, "oh wait, yeah we do, I'll make ___." And I cooked twice yesterday, so I give myself credit. ha. Well, I think I'm gonna cut this short here, well, not really short, but ya know...

Alright, considering that October is a few days away from ending, I figured I'd jump the gun and add everything up. I need to use the figures to structure November's budget anyhow... so here goes:
Rent: 431.68 = 18.32 under
Groceries: 101.06 = 61.06 over
Transport: 59.06 = 5.06 over
Food on Campus = 43.62 = 21.38 under
Entertainment, misc: 339.68 = 289.68 over
Salsa Classes: 0 = 30 under
School Expenses: 58.45 = 48.45 over
Total: $334.55 over

Estimated Income: 980.00 (by today)
Actual earned: 1110.14
(which means I'm 130.14 over, yay!)

Total added to $20 challenge:
$190, but that doesn't include my change jar... which has over $15 in it.

Total times I ate out this month: 7 (I went out of town though... )

My Progress a la Goals:
1. Come up under budget. NO. Not quite, but my budget really didn't give me ANY slack... I need to revise for next month.
2. Come up over income. YES. I actually got this one. yay!
3. Put at least $364.25 into my savings account. NO. Midway through the month I realized I should be paying off some of my loan, as it has 14% interest... I did manage to get my principle down, though, so I feel I did one better.
4. Have at least 4 no-spend days. NO. I only got one...
5. Knock off 2 people from my xmas list. YES. I did manage to finish buying gifts for both my lil sis and BF's Gram, so that one was done.

Okay, so 2 out of 5... I guess it's better than none?? I'll try harder in November, and not forget as much in the way of my budget... going out of town really takes a chunk out of the dining out and such, so we'll see if my trip back home this month can be any better. I'll be eating turkey at the family's anyhow! Well kids, thanks for helping me along!

Today was a lazy day... woke up and blogged for a bit. Went to the post office to ship the book I sold on amazon, then finished BF's Gram's scarf, which means I made my goal of taking care of 2 people on my xmas list. I'm trying to make it a stress free xmas. Last year I put off all my shopping to the last minute, and ended up spending too much money and going crazy. haha. Cant say the scarf was cheap to make. Circa $40, but it's NICE. Very plushy and warm, thick. I think she'll really like it. Finished up with my little sis's present too, between the gift card and the book I bought her, I spent around $18. I'm buying my mom a shirt or a hoodie with my university's name/logo on it. And I got her this cutesy calendar, so that'll take care of that. I already decided to get BF a gift card to World Market. We love that place, and I know he'll like it. He's just the worst to shop for. Everything he wants is super expensive, like an iPod, or a car. Not quite in the budget. We've talked about xmas already though, I think he's gonna get me a fold-up treadmill. He'll use it too, so it'll be a good purchase. As for the rest of my siblings and my stepfather, I'm lost. I'll figure it out later though. I've got a little time.

I've got to work in a couple hours. Not really in the mood, but my checkbook tells me I better be. hehe. Yesterday's spending made a considerable dent. At any rate, better get going!

So today's shopping went over well... I guess. I bought the yarn to finish the scarf for BF's Gram. That concludes her xmas present, just have to get crocheting! I also bought the yarn to make myself a scarf... though mine is going to be a bit thinner, I wont use quite as much yarn as hers cost me. I also bought the $15 build-a-bear giftcard for my little sister. So that's the 2 people I'm done with on my xmas list. Yay! One goal reached!

Picked up the sorely missed laptop. Now me and BF can both work at the same time (that'll prevent some future disagreements!). I did not find any shoes for work, unfortunately, but a fellow blogger here gave me a little advice, and I'll be looking into that matter probably next month given the unexpected purchase I made at Victoria's Secret. No, nothing fun for BF. haha. A coworker of mine told me about this bra they have... It's pretty cool, acutally. I think it's called a vertical cup something or other, but it's incredibly versatile and pretty sexy, if I do say so myself. The most money I've ever spent on an undergarmet ($48), but I'm in need of a new bra or 2, so it was money well-spent.

The only items picked up at Giant Eagle were the peppermint mocha creamer, udon, and an avocado (my little treat!). And the book I bought 40% off at Borders ended up being about the same it would be on amazon, but it goes toward my borders rewards either way. Twas quite a dent overall to my checking account, but I'll be fine for bills due at the beginning next month after earnings made this week. Not to mention, the spending was all on my debit card, which goes toward my national city points. I use the points I earn to get B&N gift cards... I can use them at my college bookstore for next semester.

That's it for news in the financial category, except the other day I put another $50 toward my loan, which puts me under my principal. That's pretty cool in my opinion. More of that is to be done... That puts my total of the $20 challenge for me at $190. Yay! Hopefully I'll have enough money left over at the end of the month to add to the cause! We'll hope, anyway. Thanks for reading, guys!

Okay, so today is my shopping day. I'm on a mission to get a couple people off my xmas list, among other things. What I need to get today:

Yarn to finish BF's Gram's scarf (xmas)
$10 build-a-bear giftcard (xmas)
New work shoes
Pick up my laptop(apple has had it for 3 weeks!)
The Audacity of Hope (40% off coupon at Borders!)
Coconut Mocha coffee creamer

I think that about covers it. Let's hope I break a good deal on the shoes! They are sorely needed...

I got up to go to class this morning and it was pouring. I put on my new boots, busted out the new umbrella, and was still soaked when I got to class. I have to walk circa 25 minutes, and it was raining so hard! My feet were soaked for 4 hours... a little pruny... Gotta put my boots in the dryer! sheesh. And I was so cold and tired in between classes that I bought another coffee and a breakfast sandwich. I needed something warm! At any rate, that was about $4 spent on what I thought was going to be a no-spend day. Tomorrow... tomorrow I will triumph!