Just Keep Swimming.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Everyone have a great day!

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

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

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

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

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

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

So, things I want to get done this weekend:

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

Seems rather managable. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

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

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

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

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

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

Hope everyone has a great day!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Now, that all being said...

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

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

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

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

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

www.myspace.com/reducereuserestyle

Everyone have a great day!

Well, I've had quite the stressful week. As mentioned previously, Sallie Mae would not approve me for the loan to take summer classes. Not even with mom as cosigner. So then we come to the first day of classes. The university dropped all of them. So I had to go re-enroll in all of them. Sigh.

The good news is that I'm enrolled in classes. The bad news is that I need to come up with $3707 by July 11. Some can go on the CC, but I max out with another $1000 or so. BF and mom both said they would help as much as they can. BF mentioned he had an empty CC we could put some of the balance on, but that would be a last resort measure.

I'm going to do it somehow, it's just a big bummer that I have to put more on the CC. I really wanted to pay it down, not rack more up. And I'm a little worried about the interest payments once it is up there. I'm already paying a little over $50 in interest a month as is. Seems as if I need to start fundraising asap.

If anyone has any ideas, let me know!

I'm not making nearly enough at work to put any considerable dent in it, so I really need to focus on saving as much as I can and finding more sources of income. As it is, I really dont have time to work a second job and go to school. In the fall I'll have time to get a second job, but right now there's no possible way. I'm thinking now is the time to start listing as many books as I'm willing to part with on amazon, get rid of anything in the house I dont really need that could bring me in some cash, and start crocheting/crafting up a storm and start attempting to sell things online.

I picked up some books at the library yesterday. I got a crocheting book, a candlemaking book, a beading book, and a book on making chinese knots. I wanted to get some inspiration. I have a whole huge box of yarn and such that my grandma gave me at my mom's. My mom also said that I could have my other grandma's sewing machine. So I've got some stuff to start with. I was thinking of starting an etsy shop, I'd really like to sell with a theme of recycling. I think I can make it work pretty well. I'm fairly creative. Besides, it gives me a reason to reuse some of the things people would ordinarily throw away, and get cheap supplies (thrift stores, garage sales, etc) as well as crafting supplies that may be a bit pricier.

Ideas are still in the works.

But all that being said, my financial world has more or less been turned upside-down, and the goals are a bit different now. My challenge money is really my college money at this point, my goal is a bit different, and focus is now away from paying off the CC, and now to paying my summer classes off. The good news is that the more I save the less I have to put on my CC, so I have quite the incentive.

As a start, I'm proofreading a paper of a friend of a friend that is paying me $100 to go through and correct her 55 page master's thesis. It's a start. Also, I didn't buy any food from work today. I ate my pb&j and thought, "wow, this sandwich tastes like my education. definitely a hint of western civ in here..." haha.

Every little bit helps. Wish me luck.

So I went over to mom's yesterday and we added her as a cosigner on my student loan. Still no approval. Sigh. It's really strange to me that Sallie Mae has approved me for $30k in loans over the past few years on a standalone basis, but when I try to get a loan for only $4k, I cant even get approved with a cosigner. So I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to pay for classes this summer.

What worries me more is that the same thing might happen in the fall. The only good thing is that I'm only taking one class at my university, rather than a whole semester- which means a fraction of the cost of my private school education. With my stafford loans I should be able to cover most of it. That bridge will be crossed when I come to it, however. I need to start worrying about now.

So what to do? The only thing I can really do right now is go on the payment plan. That means a downpayment of $200, which isn't so bad, but then only 2 payments of the rest- which means 2 payments of $1754... over the next 3 months... I haven't sat down to figure out the numbers yet, but it's pretty clear that there's no way I'm going to be able to come up with almost $2k each month.

I can max out my CC for the first payment, and it'll cover most of it. The downpayment I can do out of pocket. It's just getting to the second payment that is going to be tricky, but I still have some numbers to work through, and mom and BF both said they would help as much as they can.

Either way, I have to go attend this class. I better appreciate it this time. It's going to be a royal pain in the butt to get it paid for, and it's not going to be just signed off on a loan I dont have to think about until graduation. Bah.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hope everyone has a great day!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Either way, hope everyone has a great night!

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

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

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

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

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

I should probably run by the bank at some point too

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

So This week's goal evaluation:
[x] Keep track of all $ spent.
[x] Stay under budget (I am overall under budget still).
[x] Dont touch savings.
[ ] Dont use CC (though I'm going to pay it off this week).
[ ] Save $75 (not yet).
[ ] Pay off $150 on CC (not yet).
[ ] 3 NSD/week (I only had 1 this week).
[ ] 12 NSD in May (still only at 1).

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hope everyone has a good day!

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

*Keep track of all money spent.
*Stay under budget.
*Dont touch my savings (challenge money).
*Dont use credit card.
*Put at least $75 into challenge money.
*Pay at least $150 on my CC.
*Have 3 No-Spend days per week.
*Have 12 no-spend days in May.
*Look for new ways to bring in extra income.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Well, the beach was great! I have a crazy splotchy sunburn that makes me look like a disease, but other than that I arrive back in ohio unscathed. I just need to learn to apply sunscreen evenly

Vacation was low-cost and definitely awesome. We laid out in the sun, walked on the beach, ate chili-cheese dogs, and went out dancing. Overall, a wonderful weekend. We did decide to come back a day early... as I was sunburnt and lacking energy, and mom wanted to get back as well.

But now I'm back and in the real world again At the beach I finished the 2 books that I had checked out from the library, and mom is actually reading one of them now. I'm trying to help her out, give her some ideas to get her finances together. I'm even going to show her SA here in a bit!

I'm trying to find ways to pull in a little extra cash. I'm going to list anything I have that I dont need on amazon or ebay.

I was trying to think of hobbies that I can use to make money, and I think I'm going to start crocheting a bit more. I need to get a little better, but there's no reason why I cant have fun and get better at it, then maybe start an etsy shop like our other friend here on SA. I was looking at the events at the library, and at one of the local branches there's a knitting/crocheting group that meets once a week. I'm thinking of going. Could be really fun to meet some new people. Also, my grandma just gave me a huge box of crocheting stuff... yarn, needles, books. I still have to go look through it (it's at mom's), but I'm sure there's some stuff in there I can use.

Aside from that, I think pursuing music again would be a good idea. I'd love to join a band or start playing music solo again. I'll have a lot more time this summer and especially in the fall and spring.

I took a look at the expenses I pay on a regular basis, and what my problem areas are. And I've decided to start a challenge for myself. I want to go 3 months without buying any books, movies, or CD's for myself. Books are something that I spend a lot of money on. Much more than I should, and it's silly to buy them when the library has so many. So that's the challenge. I think I can cut down on at least $60 that way in the next 3 months.

I start work this week (tomorrow actually), so we'll see how things go! I'm pretty excited to start. I love starting new jobs. Hopefully I'll pull in a lot of money!

As for today? BF is at work until the evening. Then we're going to unpack and clean the apt. I'm sure we'll cook dinner. So it should be a NSD. I was thinking about running down to the library and I still have to go to the post office to put in my change of address form, which I unfortunately forgot when I went to mail that book I sold. ugh.

Well, I should probably get my day started!

Well, I had quite the productive day. A few things that I unfortunately forgot to take care of, but no worries.

I woke up and drove back to Ohio. $1 for the tolls on the way back. No biggie. I got back to the apt and dug through my boxes for my finance stuff, and checkbook, which was quite a chore. haha. Still so much to be unpacked... I got my piggy out and pulled out some change. I also checked the balance of a visa giftcard that I got for xmas. It had $7.20 left on it, which was sweet. I used that and some change to pay for my big box of wine to bring on vacation. I'm not drinking expensive this weekend haha.

I stopped at the library and checked out a few books. One on bartending (I need to refresh if I'm going to be working this job here next week), and 2 on finance: The Reader's Digest Penny Pincher's Almanac, and "Detox Your Finances." So I'll have some good reading by the pool this weekend I figure because I paid that $26 library fine last week, I'm going to get my money's worth! lol.

I went to the bank and withdrew the money I needed for vacation this weekend, then hit the grocery store to buy the last thing on my shopping list (the wine), then I stopped at goodwill to drop off some clothes. They gave me a 20% off coupon for the store, which was great. I went in and found a couple of tank tops that I really liked. I ended up only spending $3.40. You really cant beat that. One was a plain pink tank top that would be really good for working out in, or just wearing. The other was a little dressier, that I can wear the pink top under. It was really cute. Old Navy. I'm sure it was like $20 when it was first put on the racks!

After goodwill, I went to the post office. I had to mail the book I sold on amazon. I unfortunately forgot to put in my address request form. I was a bit angry with myself for that. bah.

After that I went to the consignment shop and they took some of my clothes, so let's hope they sell! The rest they didn't take will also go to goodwill. I pride myself on NOT purchasing a dress that I found that looked great on me and was only $12. The tank tops were enough for one day.

After that I stopped at my mom's office. It seems her and my aunt are in a considerable spat. It's really quite drama-ridden, and I was sad to find out that even adults in thier 30's and 40's can be rather dramatic. I thought that died out back in the teen years... regardless, we're still going to the beach, but it's just me and mom now. We're staying in a nicer room, but paying less than we would have otherwise. I'm just giving what I have to mom and she said she would take care of anything else. So my vacation is going to run me about $225 altogether. Really not that bad. It should still be a really great time.

I had to stop and put some gas in the car. I didn't want to leave it on "E" for BF when he comes home on friday. That was $9.20.

So the day was a bit spendy, and I'm giving mom my entire remaining $200 tonight. But that's more or less a bargain for a vacation that's going to last 3 nights. We leave in a couple hours. We're driving all through the night. All I need to do is get packed and she's going to pick me up in a bit. I bought energy drinks at ALDI yesterday for super cheap. So hopefully they'll keep me awake!

Looking back on April, I did really poorly. I was waaay over budget... to the tune of $250. So I have to pay more attention and stretch a little more this month. The upside, however, is that I still managed to pay off $361.45 on my CC (after interest) and save $145.36 in Challenge money. So things aren't all bad. I just wish that $250 would have went to my CC or my challenge money! ha. Some of the money was worth the spending, some was not. But you win some, you lose some. May will be better

I did, also, track every penny that was spent, so I met one of my goals

At any rate, time to get going! Not sure if there will be internet at the hotel, but I'll definitely get a couple pictures up after I return on sunday! Everyone have a great weekend!

Well, I avoided paying for parking today by staying in my friend's dorm instead of going back to the hotel. BF was at work all night anyway, so it worked out. I finished up my last paper and went to sleep. I'm now on my way to take an exam, then I'm done for the day.

I'll take a bus back to the car, and drive it to the hotel. Tomorrow I'll take the car to my apt and take a bus downtown, because I need to drop off my keys and stuff while I'm there. Yay fun

The rest of the day's plans? Study study study.

Last exam is tomorrow!!!!

Well, I'm officially moved back to Ohio. BF's apt is still a bit cluttered, but we're working on it slowly but surely. A little more reorganization is necessary, but that will come soon enough.

As for this week, I have an exam tonight at 6. I also have to get a couple papers done before then. So today will be busy. I also need to walk down to the library to print out notes so that I can study them on the 2 hour car ride back to PA.

BF works in PA all week, and will be staying in a hotel. I get to stay with him, since I have no furniture in my apt. No cost for either of us, but gas and parking might get a little pricey. Today, BF is going to drop me off downtown, then I'll take a bus back to my apt and get the car (which has been parked there since saturday), then I'll drive it to the hotel.

Tomorrow I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I'm only going to be down town for 2 hours. I dont want to drive it all the way back to my apt because the traffic is awful and I'll be having hour long waits. The gas situation would suck as well. But at the same time, I dont want to have to pay to park downtown 2 days in a row-- it would run me about $5/day. I guess the question is how much gas would I be wasting to park it elsewhere and take the bus back downtown? Hmm. I'll figure somehting out. It seems silly to pay for parking downtown if I still have an active bus pass.

I went to Marc's yesterday to pick up some food to bring with me to the hotel room. We have bread, peanut butter, and things of the like. But I also picked up some bananas and goldfish crackers. That should hold us over for a few days.

BF and I haven't gone out at all this weekend. We're both so broke, there's no way. haha. We made dinner at home on saturday night amidst unpacking. We had lunch at BF's brother's yesterday, and had sauerkraut and sausage for dinner last night. Had leftovers for breakfast this morning

On the good news front, I miscalculated how much money was in my checking account, and have about $30 more than I thought I did. I like accidents when they're like that. Kind of like a happy suprise in the end!

So the plans for today? Get these papers done. Do dishes and unpack a little more. Go to the library and print out notes. Study on the way to PA. Take exam. Take bus back to car, then drive car to hotel. Relax

Hope everyone has a great day, I'm going to get mine started!

Well, after thee worst weekend possible, I've finally got all of my things moved back to Ohio. Yesterday was quite the day. Hideously annoying and way too expensive.

I drove back to Ohio because I had some things to get accomplished. I had to go to the library to write up a poster needed for this morning.

The first problem was that I apparently still owed the $26 fee that I paid before moving to PA 2 years ago. Ugh. They didn't have my payment on file, so I had to pay it again. Just to get on the computers.

The time limits on the computers at the library were foreign to me. Long story short, 2 hours of work got erased when MS Word closed on me. So I had to get my time extended and redo it all in 30 minutes.

I went to Borders to return my book, and they gave me credit back on my Visa, which was great. There's another $19, which almost makes up for that $26 fee. Sigh. I guess it'll be worth it in the long run. I'll definitely check out books on a regular basis.

The move went fairly smooth. I wont get into the gory details of how crappy my day was, but I'm here in Ohio with BF, so things are are much better. His apt looks like a storage unit, but it'll end up okay. We need to reorganize and drop some stuff off at my mom's tomorrow.

We're making dinner in tonight, then possibly going to his parents' to watch a movie.

Well, time to eat! I'm starving. Everyone have a good night!

Well, today is a No spend day. So I add one more dollar to my challenge money. That makes... $128.98. Coming along nicely...

I got a free lunch today. I was nominated for oustanding student leader of the year. Didn't win the prize, but I didn't have to pack! And I'll probably be full unti later tonight. haha. I always eat so much at functions like that.

I just got home, and I have the rest of the afternoon to pack, clean, and pack. I think tomorrow I'm going to drive back to Ohio. It'll give me one trip of my stuff to take back with me, and there are some supplies there that I need to utilize to finish my poster presentation for saturday. And I can do my laundry for free there as well

I cant believe that in 2 days I'll no longer be living in my apartment. Or in PA. I've been gone 2 whole years. It hasn't seemed that long at all. I also cant believe that I'll be at the beach in 8 days!!! I'm so thrilled

I still have about 2 papers to write, and 2 more finals to take before wednesday. I'm still remaining somewhat calm, but it's still quite a bit to do!

I sold a couple of my books today. The only ones I really wanted to sell back-- my government book, and sparknotes for something I read in english last semester. I got $32.75. Half gets put in my challenge money, the other half goes to pay off my CC. So $16.38 goes to both, bringing my challenge money up to $145.36. I'm pretty excited about it, I must say. If I had any more I wanted to get rid of, you better believe I would. I really need the money right now :/

I realized that I bought a book at Borders and dont need it (its the Psychology GRE subject test prep book), so I'm going to return it. I still have the reciept, but it's after 30 days since I purchased it. So they said they would give me a giftcard with the amount. I guess that works. I'd rather use the giftcard to get a book I want/need rather than one that I dont. So I think I'm going to return that tomorrow. And perhaps get a new book A sort of congrats present for finishing the semester. haha.

I also want to stop by the consignment shop in Ohio to drop some stuff off. I cleaned out my closet... no harm in trying to get some money for the clothes I dont wear anymore.

Well, I think it's time to get packing. So much to do! I hope everyone has a good weekend!

My day started relatively early. I have to do some homework, then I hit ALDI as soon as it opened to pick up a few things. Peanut butter, bread, and a 6 pack of V8 juice. Pretty much lunch food. I had no lunch meat, and the peanut butter will keep without refrigeration when I'm staying at the dorm with my friend a few days next week. I obviously, then, did not have a no-spend day. But the good news? I only spent $4.97. I ran home, packed my lunch, and then hopped on a bus.

Class was fine. I took my exam, and I did better than I thought I was going to. Much easier than I had anticipated. So that's good news as well.

The best news? I got a call from the registrar's office of the university I'm attending this summer, they were letting me know that I had been granted Ohio residency. So the remainder of my undergrad education is going to be about half the cost than it would have been otherwise.

So I have to finish up my semester and get things all settled to move. Coordination has been a total pain in the butt, but I think everything is going to work out. My mom's friend has a truck with a trailer, so I'll have plenty of room. It seems I'll have plenty of helping hands, or at least a few.

We're trying to finish up planning for our vacation next weekend. It seems it's going to be somewhere around $130 for gas per person if we take my mom's SUV. The room is going to be about $72 for all 3 nights per person. So that leaves me a little less than a hundred to cover food and drink costs. I have one bottle of wine that I'm going to bring. I think I have another at my mom's. So I should only have to buy maybe one more [cheap] bottle and perhaps a 6 pack of sorts. We're also going to hit the grocery store and buy food to bring with us. Sandwich stuff, fruit, snack food, things of the like.

I really need to start work as soon as I get back. Bah.

Well, I should probalby get back to homework. Everyone have a good night!

So today was yet another long day. But the good news was it was a No spend day! I packed my lunch, went to class, then the psych club meeting. After that I hopped the bus home, choked down some ramen, then drove to the bar to meet a friend that was in town. We had a couple beers, a couple appetizers. It was really nice. I've been stressing out so horribly because of finals, moving, and wrapping up the semester. Having a couple drinks was well worth it. And he paid So it was an unexpected, and quite pleasant NSD. That means one more dollar for my Challenge money... bringing me up to $127.98.

I'm also getting really good at driving the manual

I did take up time that should have been used for studying to go out, but at this point I've become apathetic. Sure, I care about my studies still. But I've gotten A's on everything up to this point, and there's no way I'm going to fail anything.

I have one final tomorrow, another on thursday. I've been studying my butt off (though it still unfortunately has seemed to retain its size). I still have about 3 papers to write, and I'm hoping my friend calls me so I can do an interview with her tonight. I really need to write this paper...

Tomorrow should be a cheap day. Not a NSD because I really should hit the grocery store. I've put it off, but at this point I at least need to go pick up some peanut butter. Maybe another loaf of bread. I've got enough to make 2 more sandwiches. But I'd like to have some for next week. I'll be staying in the dorm with my friend. I can even keep PB&J there. haha. Some snack food would be nice too. Basically anything I can pack in my lunch.

Speaking of packing, I have to get that all done by saturday. Mom is bringing a truck with a trailer. She has a friend that owns one, so there should be no problems getting it all down in one trip. I have my boxes, I just have yet to actually pack a whole lot. I have to split up my books so the boxes aren't all so heavy. That is going to be an adventure, but I'll probably get the bulk of my packing done on friday. I have the whole day off.

Well, time to get to more homework. So much to do! Hope everyone is having a good week!

Well, it's my long day. I woke up at 7:30 this morning. I had to pack my lunch. I didn't go grocery shopping, so I hard-boiled 3 eggs and made egg salad (which will give me at least a couple sandwiches). I also made tea and put it in the cleaned-out pop bottle I had from yesterday. Those I'll be taking with me on campus. I will have to buy dinner, but I'm thinking fast food. Cheap.

I added up how much I'm over budget this month... not so hot. About $200 over. Bah. Between a trip to the liquor store, eating at restaurants 2 times too much, too many little things here and there, and buying Cranium at walmart the other day, I went over quite a bit. So I'm trying to spend as little as possible now. I'm thinking the dollar menu at wendy's is calling my name.

My mom owes me a little bit of money, my friend too. So I'll have another $30-40 here in a bit.

A friend messaged me today and said he was going to be in town tomorrow for a job interview and wants to grab a drink afterwards. So I'll be spending at least a few bucks on a beer. Wont be able to stay for 2 even if I wanted because I have way too much to do, but at least I have the car this week. BF is in Texas for job training, so he let me drive it back to PA. Lucky for me, that means errands dont take forever. I can get around. woo!

As for today, I have class, then I need to finish up one of my paper (at the least), try and study for my government exam on wednesday, and then I have another class. Then more studying.

Wish me luck. I really need to survive the next couple weeks.

Well, I spent a few days in Ohio and had a really good time. Despite the fact that I got NO homework done while away, I got a considerable amount of things accomplished. Including:

*Hanging out with my dad.
*Scheduling classes.
*Getting my new student ID.
*Turning in my residency form.
*Putting in a job app.
*Going to staples to get the supplies for my poster.
*Getting boxes.
*Doing a job interview.
*Getting a job
*Relaxing, as was much needed.
*Successfully driving a manual 2 hours away.

I'm not going to get into the gory details, but I did manage to get a job. A restaurant downtown that seems really nice. I like it. The atmosphere seems like one that I'd want to work in, and I'll be working mostly daytime. Other advantage? My interview was in the evening, and the owner of the place bought me a couple beers. So I drank a little cheaper that night

I definitely spent more money than I should have this weekend, but at this point, I have bigger things to worry about. We didn't really do dinner out much, but lunch and general spending were at a high. I did manage to find a couple really cute tank tops at this nice consignment shop, that totaled $12-- well under my clothes budget for the month. Those I'll be wearing on vacation.

My friend from PA came down to Ohio too, and I showed her around my hometown. It was nice. A change for her, and exciting for me.

I got the boxes free from BF's former work. I got a LOT of them, too. He used to work at a place that sells office furniture, and they had an abundance.

So here's the plan for this week:

*4 papers to do.
*1 poster that I need to get together.
*2 finals to pass.
*1 apartment to completely pack by saturday.

It's going to be rough, but hopefully after this break I'll find my second wind!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Well, mom picked me up yesterday from PA and drove me back. I got to spend some time with dad, but then went back to mom's to do laundry (for free! yay!). Got to talk with mom a bit.

Her and stepfather are trying to settle a dissolusion, so they're budgeting and whatnot, because my mom likely will be moving out of the house with my brother and sister. She cant afford to live in it only on her income, and I think she wants out anyway.

We were sitting down and figuring her budget, and it's amazing to me just how much she spends on things like groceries and utilities. Granted, my mom can budget really well (I learned everything I know from her), but I always forget that there are more people living at home. Also, her taxes are outrageous. She gets taxed about a third of what she takes home each year. I dont get it. She's a business owner (technically), as she owns her own insurance agency (though it's still a part of the larger insurance co.) Still, it seems like a lot, and when it all comes down to it, she really doesn't make a whole lot of money at all. It's kind of sad, actually.

So I'm going to help her out as much as I can-- with making meal plans and getting my sister out of the house more in the summer so she isn't sucking up so much electricity in front of that TV.

My parents have a LOT of debt. It's kind of ridiculous to me how they live life beyond thier means. Granted, I know that the bulk of it is my stepfather, who, for instance decided to buy a BMW when he had a perfectly fine mustang that was paid off. My mom drives an SUV that is rusting through (quite literally), seems to have little things go wrong with it all the time, and has twice the miles. It's also paid off. Mom's glad she doesn't have a car payment.

My parents do have a camper, and rent a campsite every year, they have multiple TVs, DVDs, my stepfather has a ridiculous amount of music equipment (which is fine if you play out, but why in the world do you need a whole PA system to play guitar by yourself in the basement?). I would call him the quintessential American consumer. He determines the quality of life by how much stuff he has. That probably explains why he never put any effort into having good relationships with his wife... or any of his children. He's the kind of guy that thinks because he puts a roof over our heads and buys us impressive xmas presents that he's showing "love." It's kind of repulsive, I must say. I'm SO happy my mom is leaving him. She should have so many years ago.

But she is going to have a rough time financially. I think she can handle it. She's a pretty smart lady. And I'll be there to help out as much as I can.

As for myself, yesterday was no NSD. It was so nice out, and I really wanted a rootbeer float It was well worth it. Today may or may not be. I'm at BF's apt right now and he's at work. He needs to go grocery shopping. haha. I had oatmeal for breakfast, but I'll probably get lunch out. I have some errands to run.

I have to stop by the university I'll be attending over the summer, and sort things out with them as far as my residency and scheduling go. Then there's a restaurant downtown I'm going to walk to and put in an application at. I need to find a job. I want to work day shifts mostly. My mom's friend is offering me an office job, which the hours wouldn't be bad, but I wouldn't make a whole lot. $8/hr, 20 hrs a week. I'd have to get something on top of that, and I really dont have the time. I think I'd make a lot more working at a restaurant or getting more hours. We'll see. If I can get a job at this restaurant, I dont mind working one or two nights a week. We shall see.

In other news, dad and mom both said they'd help me out with my books this summer! Woo! That's one less thing I have to worry about

Yesterday was another no-spend. I packed my lunch and made dinner when I got home in the evening, so that's $1 for my challenge money. We're up to $126.28.

I'm hoping today may be another, but we'll see. On the list of things to do:

*before I leave for the bus, I need to straighten up the apt, because mom will be here and will scrutinize. I also need to shower and make myself pretty Also, I need to pack up some clothes so they're ready to be picked up later.
*after class, mom is picking me up, we're running to my apt to pick my stuff up (so I dont have to carry it on the bus), and then driving back to Ohio. Yay!

Once we get there, I'm supposed to be going to dinner with dad. That should be free, but I dont like to count on such things. After that, I'm not sure what I'm doing. Likely hanging out with BF, whom I miss quite a bit. Cant wait to see him!

Tomorrow I need to go down to my old university, hand in my application for Ohio residency, and try to schedule my classes (or at least get into a position where I can do it online). Have to work this payment thing out. I've never taken summer classes, so I'm not sure when payment is due and all that.

I need to file my fafsa-- not that it counts for the summer, but I need to get it in regardless. And mom actually has her taxes done. It's amazing.

Also this weekend I need to pick up boxes, and the supplies to make something similar to a science fair project. haha. It's going to be a poster presentation of research I'm doing, but I have to get one of those board things and construct it. Fun fun fun. That will cost at least a good $10-15, with all supplies. But we'll see what mom has on hand as far as materials after the board.

I also (desperately) need to do my laundry at my mom's. I think I've held out for about 2 weeks at this point, trying to wear clean things. Starting to run out of the bare essentials tho

Other than that, I guess there's a big "yard sale" on campus on sunday. I'm going to go and try and sell some stuff if I can get a hold of someone with a car to pick me up. I'd like to get rid of that microwave, but taking it on the bus doesn't sound like much fun. We'll see. I might just list it on craigslist.

I think that's it for now. Just have to get my day started! I'm hoping this weekend isn't too spendy, given I'll be out of town. Thursday night I'm going out to the bar to do karaoke. I'll have to keep my drinks to a minimum (usually do anyway if I'm drinking, but ya know). I'm looking forward to a little fun in these stressful times regardless!

Everyone have a great day

Thankfully my long day is over, and I have seeing BF tomorrow to look forward to I didn't really get a whole lot done yesterday (outside of going to classes from 11:00am-8:30pm), but I'm not too worried about it. I'll get much more accomplished today.

I've got class from 9:40-12:50. Then I've got a psych club meeting at 4:30. Gives me a few hours in between to get some stuff done. I'll be bringing my laptop to campus today. Let's hope I can finish one paper before I hit the hay tonight.

So I had to schedule to take my government final early (it was set to be May 2, but I'm supposed to be on a beach sipping drinks and getting sun that day), and my prof said I should schedule it for next week (the week before finals). This is both good and bad. I have another final that a different prof is giving on thursday. I'm taking my government final on wednesday now. So I have 2 finals next week. gaa! The upside is that they're not all in the same week. The downside? Have to get studying. Now. sigh.

Bringing my peanut butter sandwich for dinner last night worked, except I dont think I packed enough to go with it. I was starving by the time I got home. Ah well. I still saved some money... except that when I stopped at CVS to buy razors, I also bought a bit of candy. At this point, I'll take anything that makes me just *that* much less stressed and swallow the cost. Besides, I got cream savers that taste like apple pie, strawberry cheesecake, and cinnamon buns. Had I actually bought a peice of each? Much more than $1.50, and much more calories too hah.

That was the only spending yesterday. I took a look at my numbers, too, and it seems that unless my last 2 bills come in being less than I anticipated, that I'm going to be slightly over budget for the month. Bummer. It was that trip to the liquor store that killed me... well, and 2 nights out at a restaurant.

Speaking of which, I'll be in Ohio tomorrow through the weekend. My biological father is in town. I've had a really rocky relationship with said father, who has been virtually non-existent for the last 10 years or so of my life. Yo-yo fathering is what I like to call it (goes away, comes back for a month, goes away for months, comes back for a month). I saw him for the first time in 6 years over the summer when I went on my road trip. He apologized and explained, and we've started talking since. My brother was living with him for a while before he left for basic training (not the one that is in the hospital).

So he's in town, and I'm going to Ohio to see him, as well as spend some time with my friends and family back home. I'll be doing some karaoke with him on thursday night (he's always been a fabulous singer. I picked up the gene apparently). It should be fun. He wants to meet BF, who will meet him tomorrow.

Funny sidenote: I was talking to BF about going to dinner with my dad tomorrow, and he asked where we were going... because he doesn't want to spend all that much money and it's his mom's b-day today, and they're going out to dinner. I guess I'm proud that he's actually saying "no," and capping down on his spending, or at least being aware of it. But I was told by a little bird that dad was going to be covering the meal, so no problems here

Today should be a NSD. I'm packing my lunch, and should be home by dinner time. I cant think of anything that I need to buy, so a cheap one it will be.

Other than that, I'm just trying to get all of my things together to get my school schedule straight for the summer. I have a trip to make to my old university. I need to turn in this application for ohio residency (ugh). I still have a liscence and vote in Ohio... going to be there for a while now. TAKE ME BACK, OHIO! I feel like the state broke up with me...

haha.

At any rate, I should get this day started. The sooner it gets going, the sooner I get to tomorrow... filled with fun and excitement and seeing BF Have a good tuesday, everyone!