Just Keep Swimming.

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

A couple of your responses in particular:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I'll never walk home alone again. Erg.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Well, much time has passed since my last post. I only have 2 more people to buy for! I still have yet to wrap my presents, but that will all be done tomorrow before I LEAVE FOR OHIO! WOO! I'm a bit excited...

At any rate, a friend of mine and I went shopping the other day. I bought all ingredients needed, then made cookies, biscotti, chocolate covered pretzels, homemade chocolates, and hot chocolate jars. Whew! It totalled 7 hours all together. I took some of my bounty into work yesterday, everyone was pleased. I put together a tin to go to BF's grandparents, but am also making one to go to my parent's house and my grandparent's house. I need to make more biscotti! It turned out awesome and consequently I ate too much of it. Yet another task to complete tomorrow before I leave.

We got the car. I finally saw it when BF came back home. 2001 honda civic, pretty cool. He just has to teach me to drive it now... manuals... ugh. So things are all well and today is my last day of work until right before new years eve. Exciting! I haven't had a vacation like this since I started, so it'll be nice. Spend some quality time with my family and friends...

At any rate, I hope everyone has a great holiday! It sure creeped up on us quick! hope it didn't catch anyone with thier pants down I know it did me! (heh. I'm not quite sure what that means, but it sounded appropriate. haha). Later everyone!

Well, this is it. The finals are over, and now it's time to... SHOP! erg. Not so frugal this time... I found my Christmas dress. Not at the most frugal of stores and certainly not the most frugal of prices. But as BF's Gram said to him today, "every girl has to do that every once in a while. She has to make herself beautiful." And boy, is that what I intend to do! The only things left to get are earrings. I need some pretty pink ones... and pink nail polish too, all I have is reds and purples for some reason. My dress is BEAUTIFUL. I love it, and it is one of those dressy but not so much that I have to wear it to a formal event. Actually, I put a suitjacket over it and wore it to host at work the other night. Glamorous. And I got the shoes-- rampage-- for only $23.

And now that the crisis over what to wear has commenced... I need to buy presents. Erg. Now here's the update: I'm crafting gifts. Which is awesome. I love home made gifts. I'm doing hot chocolate jars and cookie tins. The problem: BF. We had decided to not get each other gifts this year, and just go shopping after Christmas for stuff for the apartment, but nooooo. He had to go shopping with his buddy today and got me something... well, he got me 2 things.

He wouldn't tell me what he *bought*, but he let me know that one of my presents was that I didn't have to pay for ANYTHING on the car. WHAT?! He said he's giving me back the $1000 I gave him to put toward the car and that I wouldn't have to pay anything on it, unless I wanted to claim it as my car when it comes time to get a second, and we'll figure it out then. That's a pretty cool deal in my book. He said I'm financially stressed enough, and I work too hard. I'll take it!

Now you're probably wondering what the problem is with all of this, and well.. I dont know what to get him!!! I thought I was in the clear! But nooo. Erg.

The upside is that he said Gram might be getting me all-clad pans!! *Shriek*! I guess they would match the all-clad measuring cups and spoons she got me last year... I always love her gifts I suppose that's the upside to dating a boy that comes from a wealthy family, but sometimes I feel a little akward. This whole foray about what to wear on Christmas drove me up a wall until I broke down and went to the most expensive store I could think of. (I wont even utter the name on this site, I think God would strike me down instantly) The good news is that it honestly wasn't too expensive for what I got, especially considering the prices for most items not on sale there... and I did pay full price. The crappy thing I noticed, though, was that even though I shopped online for about a month before I set out to buy dresses, the selection was entirely different in the store than it was online. This had an up and a down. Up for the dress, and quite down for the shoes. I cut a great deal, but they weren't necesarily shoes that I liked too much. Eh, you win some, you lose some.

But we have a car!!! And I have a beautiful new dress. Life is good right now... ah, must not forget, NO SCHOOL FOR A MONTH!! Woo hoo! Night, all!

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

...but the good news is that it was a no-spend day! Just a long double at work. And a bunch of bad mishaps. A friend is jealous because I'm friends with her boyfriend. Both of these people happen to work with me. Let's just say it was an akward-type day when she came in. We usually do things together... her, me, BF. But if my boss (her boyfriend of sorts) takes me out to lunch, then I get disowned. What??? She didn't really talk to me, which was fine because I was already stewing over a bad phone call I got earlier... words of wisdom: stay away from the low-budget movie-making crowd... there are some real low lives and things can get pretty ugly.

Aside from all that, I've got my last 2 finals tomorrow. Everyone wish me luck! I really cant study right now... too much on my mind, and I feel like I'm gonna cry. I only have 2 FRIENDS in Pittsburgh, and for some reason they're arguing over ME. I dont get females and jealousy at all.

I'm just lucky my boss let me take a shot of Captain right after I clocked out... it relaxed me a bit :/

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This is relatively short... hehe.

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

2. Then we do chocolates

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

... and it was okay. I say okay because there was a good deal of unplanned spending, and a little excessivity in a few areas. Groceries kind of creeped up on me in the end because of this reformation in my eating habits. But next month shouldn't be too horrible in the way of things like clothes. It's just all that xmas shopping! Erg. At any rate, I'm hopeful in the face of December. Let's see how it goes...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

So I went to the grocery store. Ouch. I forgot how expensive healthy eating is. I thought my debit card was going to instantly burst into flames. $80. The total allowed budget for groceries, doubled this month... I'm sure I'll be able to make this stuff last for a little while though, at least I hope On the exercise front, I'm doing tremendously. Aside from lugging all of those groceries home- literally, because I have to walk to the grocery store- I hit the gym for the first time in 3 months. 40 minutes on the treadmill and 30 on the elliptical machine. Not to mention, it's a half hour walk each way to the gym itself. At any rate, I'm feeling good about this. Speaking of which, I'm gonna have to start making my dinner soon. I've got work at 5:30...

Breakfast: Instant oatmeal with a tsp of brown sugar.

Lunch: Sandwich: whole wheat bread, a thick slice of fresh mozzarella, 3 slices of tomato, and basil leaves. Spinach leaf salad w/tomato, 1 tsp of olive oil and a dash of balsamic vinegar, 1 kiwi.

Snack: 1 banana (yum!)

Dinner tonight: Cubed chicken sauteed in olive oil, garlic, and onion, veggies with brown rice. Spinach salad w/ carrots. Skim milk.

Snack at work: String cheese, baby carrots.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Alrighty. so I decided that I wanted to post a picture of myself... Just because (perhaps it will start a new epidemic among savingadvice users??), but mostly because I like putting a name to a face. I'm sure many of you are the same way...


This isn't a current picture, my hair is much different now...


My hair pretty much looks like this, but I'm wearing stage makeup in this pic and it makes me look MUCH older than I am...

Aside from all that hoo-hah. Going to Burlington today. I need to pick up a new tie for work, as well as get a pair of gloves and look for new work shirts.

As for the saving/paying off loan deal, I've been doing a lot of thinking. I'm in debt, yes. And I'll be further in debt ever semester, and the minimal amount I can pay on those loans now will not make that big of a difference in the end. So what I've decided to do is pay off the interest, and then put all other extra funds into the savings account. I'll worry about paying those large sums when I have the job to do so. At any rate, I better get going. I've got to run errands before work. Later guys!

I usually have fridays off, but in leu of my city's big festival we were incredibly busy and ended up hosting at work. Not too bad, I made a couple friends, which is pretty cool. Before that, I basically hung around the apartment and did little else. It was a no-spend day. I'm looking forward to wednesday. My best friend is driving to eat at my restaurant 2 hours away, then drive me back to my hometown. It's his birthday, and I'm excited to know that he wants to hang out. eh. I'm really tired and unenthusiastic right now, I should just get off the computer :P

1. Everything I cook never comes out the way it's supposed to, but tastes great.
2. I'm a firm believer that you get out of life what you put into it.
3. I've got a thing for pajama pants. I wear them EVERYWHERE. To class, the grocery store, at times even parties. That's how I got the nickname.
4. I love brussel sprouts. I've loved them since I first ate them as a child.
5. I sleep with a stuffed animal. Or 2. One is a kangaroo named "Pontouf," the other is a build-a-bear named Edward. I love them both.
6. I dont have any secrets, but keep others' like a safe.
7. I dont really wear makeup. Or do my hair. My clothes rarely match. I dont care. But I can look smokin if I wanna.
8. Most of my friends are male. I have a general distrust for the female kind. I had a rough time in middle/high school. That's probably why.
9. My family is beyond screwed up, but I love them dearly. The same goes for my circle of misfit friends.
10. I'm nearly fluent in spanish, but have also studied japanese, croatian, and I'm currently taking french.
11. I LOVE music. I'm a singer/acoustic artist. I've played in coffee shops etc back home. I love karaoke and just about anything else involving singing.
12. I have a complex when it comes to control. My parents were incredibly controlling, and I have a swift, serious defense mechanism that springs anytime someone tells me to do something. My boyfriend knows this well...
13. I hate, HATE putting laundry away.
14. I'm bisexual. I dont believe in putting restrictions on myself in any way. In the same light, I'm agnostic. And independent politically.
15. I drink all liquids out of LITTLE cups. My favorites include sippy cups without the lid, or those old welch's grape jelly glasses. I only use salad forks and teaspoons.
16. I'm a total bookworm. My favorite is Ernest Hemingway, and Shakespeare.
17. I'm still friends with most of my ex's. I dont think it's right to abandon friendship with someone you've been incredibly close to. My boyfriend is, however, a little uneasy about my best friend being a past relationship.
18. I love my boyfriend, and have never met anyone I've had more fun with. We'll be getting married here in a couple years (post graduation). He is a saint.
19. I'm an intellectual elitist by nature. I love stimulating conversation.
20. You've never met ANYONE like me. I'm the most unique, honest person I know. I'm confident, and to a select few people, I'm funny as well. I'm incredibly easy to talk to. I'm incredibly friendly, and at those rare moments pretty bubbly too. In most ways, I'm a walking contradiction. But hey, I'm a gemini.

Sooo... I forgot to pack my snack this morning for post-class munching. Ended up spending 2.50 for a breakfast sandwich thingy. The lunch made at work was not so great, so I bought out then as well. 3.75. So, not a no-spend day, but it could have been much worse. I'm not gonna worry about it. I have a big bio test tomorrow. Everyone wish me luck! My feet hurt quite a bit, worked 12 hours. boo. We got the electric bill today. Close to $100! A bit shocking... we turned the thermostat down a bit. Last month our bill was closer to $60... let's hope it gets better and not worse! Working an extra day this week, I hope it's profitable! And anxiously awaiting next week. Yay for breaks! I'm looking forward to it... a little relaxation before finals. Sweet relief. Night guys!

So I'm happy to say that for the first time in a week, I made decent money at work. Scratch that, I made GREAT money at work. $111 in one night(5 hours) is fine by me, I'll say. Woo hoo! It feels good after the crappy tips that people have left me all last week. Reminds me that the server's job can be very rewarding at times.... or perhaps I'm just lucky

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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