Just Keep Swimming.

Well, this weekend has been pretty fun thus far. Last night I went to work, but it was so slow that I sat for an hour with nothing to do, and they sent me home. I work again tonight, hopefully with much better luck.

This morning I sent another resume out for an executive/office assistant position. It's 30 hours/week and it only pays $8.50/hr, but it's still far better than what I'm making currently.

I went grocery shopping with a friend of mine. I introduced her to the glory of ALDI. Then we stopped at Giant Eagle because there were a few things that I needed that ALDI didn't have.

The damage:
ALDI
12 pack of Toilet Paper $5.29
1 Grapefruit $0.59
3-pack cucumber $1.19
1 Red onion $0.49
1 Bag of spring mix salad $1.99
1 quart soymilk $1.39
5 tomatoes $3.95
1 bag radishes $0.89
1 can chunk pineapple $0.89
1 box granola cereal $1.59
1 tub yogurt $1.59
1 tub cottage cheese $2.29
1 thing peanutbutter $1.39
1 can black olives $0.99
1 bag baby carrots $1.19
Total with tax: $26.05

Giant Eagle:
Feta Cheese $2.00
Soy Sauce $3.09
Can Chickpeas $0.60
Sesame oil $2.99
Firm tofu $2.99
Green onion $0.79
Total: $12.46

Complete total: $38.51

It seems really high, but BF will be reimbursing me part of it. Also, shopping today convinced me to cook lunch with my friend as opposed to going out to chipotle where we each would have spent $10. He bought the avocados, I bought the tomatoes we needed to make our shish kabobs and our tomato-avocado salad.

Also, I have to confess... I've been cheating a little. I bring my sandwich to work every day, but that's never enough food for me. And I know this, of course. So every day I've been splitting a meal with my coworker. I only usually spend a max of $2.25 every day, but if you take an average of $2x5 days of work, that's $10/week. $40/month. I bought extra groceries so I cook more, and I'll be taking my leftovers to work.

Speaking of work, as I was getting back from grocery shopping, I got a call from the place I sent my resume to this morning. We talked a bit, and set up an interview date-- monday at 3pm. Yippee! I need to figure out what I'm going to wear now...

Monday morning BF and I are looking at an apartment. We really need to figure out where it is we're moving to. The lease is up the first week in august.

So my friend and I went to my mom's and we cooked lunch. It was nothing short of amazing, and we both had leftovers to take home. And mom got a nice meal for free. All she had to do was the dishes It was a really nice time.

Tonight I have work, tomorrow I have some cleaning to do around this apartment, and I'm getting together for lunch with my coworker. Then it's off to the drive in to see Wall*e again after BF gets home.

Got a pinecone check in the mail today

This coming week is going to be a very busy one. Still chugging away at that to-do list, it's been a slow process, but I see things looking up. Anyhoo, time to finish getting ready for work!

Everyone have a nice evening

Well, still didn't make that great money today. Boo. I'm really glad for this second job thing. Also, I got a call today from the woman who had me babysit her 2 girls a couple weeks ago. As it turns out, her and her husband have season tickets to the football team out here, and they need a sitter for quite a few of the games. They're going to pay me $60 every time, so that's pretty exciting. She emailed me the dates, and it seems like it wont be a problem for any except a couple (work would interfere and all that). But we'll see. I'm not sure what my schedule is going to be like at the new place.

Other than that, I dont have much financial news. I've been thinking more about my school situation. It occured to me last night that it was ridiculous to finish my degree in sociology and then get a master's in accounting. I could finish my BA in accounting in 2 years, and it would take me a year to finish up my BA in sociology + 2-3 years for a master's program. So I may just go into the business college, finish up my BA in accounting, then take the CPA exam. I may eventually get an MA, but I really want to get a decent job sometime in the next few years. I really need to start paying down this debt.

BF will get home tonight about the time I get out of my exam. Not sure what we're doing tonight. I know he has some paperwork to do still, so it's looking like it will probably be a night in. I guess that's fine with me, I got 3 movies from the library today: Cinderella Man (a good one I haven't seen in a while), Casino Royale (a favorite of mine), and Ratatouille (which I have not seen, but am totally stoked to watch). So I suppose I have things to keep me busy, and I'm sure BF is going to want to relax a little. He's had a looooong week.

I've got saturday during the day to do whatever. That'll be nice. I still have a hideous to-do list. Sunday I have plans with friends and my co-worker to go out to lunch and have a couple drinks. My only entertainment money spent this week. Sunday night mom suggested going to the drive-in to see Wall*e. BF and I have already seen it, but loved it so much we'd be willing to pay the $2 each to see it again. So we'll see.

Well, have to get to my exam. It's the final, so after today I'm done til fall. I'm pretty relieved. I didn't really care for this class, afterall. And I get to sell the books back

Have a good night, everyone!

Well, today was a NSD. I ate leftovers for breakfast, packed my sandwich for work. I made okay money today, but not really all that great. I'm definitely going to need that extra money from job #2 this week. Did the dishes and all that. Went to class. Tomorrow is my final, and then classes are done til fall.

At mom's now helping her put together a budget. We've made some progress. Still a little more to put together, however.

I've got some movies and CDs on hold at the library now. Hopefully my movie will arrive at the branch here tomorrow. It would be nice to have something to watch with BF sometime this weekend. As it is, we wont have a whole lot of time to spend together, but I will see him tomorrow night and sunday night. He has drill saturday and sunday, and I work friday night. I am looking forward to seeing him. I haven't all week, so it'll be nice. And I'll be done with my class, which I'm also excited about.

Not much other news. I have a lot to do, and I'm dragging my feet, which I shouldn't. It's just that between school, finding a new apartment, and job hunting, I've got a lot on my plate and it's awfully overwhelming. The massive hunk of debt I'm trying to pay off, along with tuition, doesn't really help much either. One thing at a time, I guess.

There are some things I need to get selling. My textbooks, my various other books, that willow tree thing mom gave me to sell, more jewelry, etc. Still waiting on those articles on Associated Content. Another pinecone survey wouldn't hurt either. haha. I have a loooong to-do list, just not enough time to do. haha.

But at least my dishes are washed.

Babysteps... hehe. Everyone have a great night!

Well, I made better money at work today than yesterday, thankfully. It still seems to be not nearly enough. I sent a couple resumes out yesterday for receptionist positions. We'll see if anyone bites. I did find my second job, working at a bar a few nights a week. I start friday evenint, which I'm very excited about. I was hoping I would be able to start this weekend. I definitely need the money. Besides, BF is out of town this weekend anyway, so I'll need something to do (my friends are obviously not part of the equation. haha).

Did my laundry at mom's last night. Still waiting to see if my articles get published. Trying to keep busy and make some money. Today is my last week of class til the fall. Final is on thursday. I'm not really looking forward to that. It's been a rather lazy day. I haven't really wanted to do anything. I'm trying to motivate myself to go to the gym, as I really should. I'm paying all this tuition for essentially 2 classes, so I may as well take advantage of the perks.

I have an endless to-do list, and it's so overwhelming. I wish I could snap my fingers and all that debt would erase itself... ugh. At any rate, better get on those billion things I have to do.

Hope everyone has a great night!

Well, the weekend was exciting. Quite busy. Spent some time with friends, family. Didn't drink too much, probably ate too much though. haha. We saw the fireworks twice, both times were pretty good. The first ones we saw we were so close we were being showered with ashes-- some of which got into my eye, and that wasn't quite pleasant. But otherwise, it was a great weekend. Got to see Wall-E and Hancock. Both were good, though I would reccomend Wall-E more. It was nothing short of amazing.

Think I found my second job. Need to go in tomorrow to find out what my schedule is going to be, and when they want me to start. The manager wasn't in today. I wrote another article today, so I'm waiting for that one and the last to be approved. I published another poem on associated content:

Persephone

I put on my sidebar a list of the articles and poems I've published if anyone wants to check them out. I like to think my poetry is pretty good, so if you're into that kind of thing, definitely check it out!

Still apartment hunting. I called a few places on saturday. I'm starting to get some calls back about them, so I'll be looking at there here within the next week. Unfortunately, BF is out of town most of the week for work, and then has drill this weekend. It feels like he's always gone! Likely because he is... haha. I guess it's something I'm going to have to get used to. Good practice for him going to Iraq.

Didn't make good money today. The restaurant was dead. Makes me want to get a job with more hours. I feel bad deserting my restaurant, though. I'll think over it some more. I've been scouring craigslist every morning, looking for a better paying job. but once school starts up again in the fall, I'm going to need a flexible job, so I'm trying to steer clear of anything too serious. I'll only be able to work a couple more months, afterall.

I need to go to the university and get a bunch of stuff in order. Paperwork jungle all over again... I'm not really looking forward to it. I'm just trying to stay optimistic and be excited about it all. I do love change, after all.

Either way, I should get going. I have some homework to do before class. Only a week left, and no more til fall. Yay!

Hope everyone has a great night!

The last couple days have been absolutely horrendous. It seems that even though lending club approved me for funding a week ago, that the same credit information wasn't good enough a week later. I lost my $1000.

That being said, things have to change. First of all, I had to drop a couple of my classes. Had I not they would have dropped them anyway, and I would have paid full price. As it stands, they're only reimbursing me for 30% of the one because it had already started. Total BS. I have to talk to someone higher up. But that's neither here nor there at this point.

I have to transfer schools again to avoid moving back to Pittsburgh, where I would face tuition that is way too much. I'm starting to kick myself in the butt for ever having moved there and enrolling in a private university... but it was my decision, and I have no one else to blame.

I'm switching majors, as the psych program at this university is drastically different from the one in PA. I'm going sociology, it'll be much less painful than going through a cognitive-behavioral psych program, and I can specialize in social psycology. I'm actually a little excited about the program itself.

I talked to a transfer counselor, and I would only have to take 1 or 2 gen ed courses, so the bulk of what I would have to take would be major courses. It would potentially only put me back a semester. It'll be a little more money, obviously, but not much considering the price difference between the universities. My tuition in PA is $20k a year, here, it's $10k. So an extra semester will be about the same, if not less.

So it's bad news, but I'm trying to make the best of it and remain optimistic. I always knew there was a chance that I wouldn't be able to pull the money together, and I did my best, but no cookie.

Class ends next week, and then I [hopefully] start my second job. I'm pretty sure I'll be hired. I met with the manager the other day. I'll be bartending, hopefully 3 nights a week. So let's hope I make some cash! I made a nice amount at work yesterday. I'm hoping the trend continues.

BF is back to work and stressed again. It really sucks sometimes, because I feel awful. He works terribly long days quite often, and in times when I really need him (like over the last couple days), he's been unable to really be there for me. But I understand. I think it's great that I'm mature enough to realize that I have to deal with things on my own, that everyone has thier own problems and not everyone is able to support another when they're dealing with themselves. We got into a bit of a spat yesterday, but we're okay again. We're both stressed, but lucky that we are both willing to work things out and be understanding.

My last article I submitted,

Eating Healthy on a Budget, didn't make the grade for an upfront payment. I guess they have too many articles like it. But they did publish it, and I'm still getting pay per clicks. So give it a read if you could please haha. I wrote another this morning, so we'll see how that goes.

I like writing articles. BF made a comment last night when I asked him to throw out a topic idea, "You trying to make your next $3?" haha. I can proudly say that $3 is worth quite a bit to me. Because it all adds up I've gotta get this boy on track! haha.

I'm supposed to get together with a woman next week to go over the children's book she's writing. She saw my ad on craigslist for editing/proofreading and sent me an email. So I have an editing job! I've never edited a children's book before, but I'm pretty excited. I guess the illustrator is doing his job now, and we're going to sit down and go over the text with the illustrations, and I'll be checking the text as well. I'm afraid I'm probably not charging her enough, but I want to be reasonable (I am a bit inexperienced afterall, and a children's book is minimal page count). But still, I find it rather exciting, and it could open up opportunities in the future.

I think that's really all the news I have now. I'm supposed to go see mom soon and help her get her finances in order. I sent her the link to SA, and I think she might join haha. Guess I should stop talking about her all the time now. haha.

I hope everyone has a great day!

Just a quick plug. One of my articles got published on Associated content:

5 Pieces of Financial Advice for the Young Adult, by a Young...

Well, BF is back. Big smiles there We started celebrating his birthday last night. We went to dinner with a few friends (I bought), and then went back to the apartment and smoked the hookah. The sweet melon shisha I bought for him was amazing, per usual. And it'll last a good long while.

The rest of the weekend we'll be celebrating as well. Tonight we're supposed to go out to the bars. I think I may be DD, and only have a couple. My wallet would appreciate it. Tomorrow we're going to the Mongolian BBQ for lunch, and I joined thier email list, so they sent me a coupon for a free stir fry. Thus I'll be eating for free I think we're going over to mom's for dinner tomorrow night, which will be free as well.

So that sums up expenses for the rest of June. My financial July starts as of monday. I did some totalling for June, and the results were a bit more than expected, but overall not bad:

INCOME:

Work Total: $1085.57

Additional Income:
Consignment: $32.50
Free groceries for helping mom move: $12.50
Stimulus Check: $300
Sold book on amazon (after shipping costs): $3.67
B-day present: $50
Babysitting job: $40
Pinecone Check: $3
Sold book on amazon (after shipping costs): $13.09
Sold article on Associated Content: $3.19
Total: $457.95

Total Income: $1543.52

Granted, it wouldn't have been as much without the stimulus payment, but still, I met my goal of $150.

Expenses: budgeted/spent
Rent $0/0
Electric $0/0
Gas $0/0
Internet $0/0
Sprint $67/62.86
Perscription $30/0.00
Groceries tba
Travel $10/43.81
Food on campus/at work $0/20.77
Clothes $0/0
Entertainment tba
Insurance $80.25/80.25
Misc $40/58.33

Entertainment is going to be way above. But BF was also out of town, thus I didn't have someone here paying parts of my bills. haha. I did spend a little too much a couple nights I went out. That hopefully wont happen in July. Travel was more than expected because I went out of town a couple weekends, and BF was gone, thus no free gas from his work :/ I probably wont spend too much in July. The misc was over budget because of B-day gifts for BF. The tin of shisha was $26 on the internet, and the book I bought him at Barnes and Noble was about $30. I spent too much on food at work, but I'll cap that this coming month hopefully.

I've got my budget set for July, and I think I'll do a little bit better than I did in June. Though I'm still pretty happy with my results. There really were no purchases that I look back on and want to kick myself in the butt for. That's a good sign, I think

As for my June goals:

*Keep track of all $ spent. check
*Stay under budget. nope
*Dont touch savings. check
*Dont use CC. nope
*Make/save as much as humanly possible by July 11. check
*Make at least $150 in additional income. check

I only used my CC for textbooks. Though they were terribly expensive. It's hard to stay under budget when you set the standards as high as I do. I should work on that And I'm up to $1510.00 in my savings. I still have a bit to go before the 11th, but we'll see. I did get $1000 funded on lending club, and my listing is open til the 4th. I hope I get at least another $1000...

Well, I'll post my July stuff here in the next few days, after the weekend. Hope everyone his having a great day!

Well, it was a NSD. Brought my sandwich to work. Made okay money. Not really all that much. I sold a book on amazon, though. And one of my articles got a $3.91 offer on Associated Content. I also heard back from a woman who saw my craigslist post about paper editing. It seems she wants me to edit a children's book she's writing. She lives in the area, we'll be getting together in 2 weeks. So that should pull in a little bit of extra cash.

Also, a friend of my mom's BF said he was looking for an occasional sitter for his 2 girls, and I gave him my number. I guess him and the wife dont get out very often because they dont want to hire a sitter they dont really know. Totally understandable.

I got on the elliptical machine for an hour today, so my workouts have been kept constant. I'm pretty proud of myself, I must say.

At any rate, I should get going. I have cleaning and sleep to catch up on. Everyone have a great night!

Well, this weekend was quite profitable. The extra hours at work pulled me in an extra $120 or so.

I applied for a second job tonight, so we'll see how that goes. BF is a little apprehensive. I think he's worried about not seeing eachother very often... I think 2 or 3 nights is pale in comparison to missing him a year he's in Iraq. And it's kind of a necessary evil (you know, paying bills). But we're going to talk it over a little more.

In other news, I took a 10 mile bike ride today, from my apartment to my mom's. It was about an hour and a half, I most definitely felt the burn. lol. Feels good to be active again.

My new class starts this week, so we'll see if I'm going to actually need the book. Hopefully not. That would be awesome if I didn't have to pay $70... I lucked out with my music class. Cross your fingers for me!

As far as my update on Lending Club is concerned, I'm 1/3 of the way to the total funding I was looking for. But if I only get funded for $2000, I'll still be okay. Also cross your fingers that I get that last 2/3!

I think it's going to be a busy week, though I have no idea what my work schedule is like. Guess I'll find out tomorrow. The boss does a terrible job of giving us any notice...

Oh, and BF comes home friday night!!! So there's something to look forward to!

Today's Grocery Shopping Trip:

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

TOTAL: $17.27

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Everyone have a great day!

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

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

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

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

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

Alrighty. Enough rambling. Everyone have a good night!

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

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

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

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

Let's just hope I get approved :/

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hope everyone has a great night!

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

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

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

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=12551200



http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_2&listing_...



http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_2&listing_...

I sent that email to the nurse, so hopefully she'll send it along

I also published a new poem on associated content, so hopefully it'll get some page views. If any of you guys enjoy poetry, you should check mine out (I like to think it's pretty good). You can also listen to one of my songs there:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/105776/tara_dawn.html

And I sold a book on amazon. Yay! There's $5 more that I can add to my tuition payments.

Well, I think I'll stop barraging everyone with my plugs now

Hope everyone has a great night!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hope everyone enjoys the rest of thier day!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hope everyone has a great night!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Everyone have a great night!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sunday I believe I'm celebrating my birthday with mom

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hope everyone has a great day!

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



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

www.reducereuserestyle.etsy.com

myspace.com/reducereuserestyle

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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