Just Keep Swimming.

So it's the first day of what I call "my improvement." Basically my nutritional and financial makeover. haha. I have seemed to survive the day rather painlessly, and I'm awfully proud of myself. Not only did I accomplish a lot, but I made a decent amount of money at work, and stuck to my diet. I went grocery shopping today, spent about $50. I didn't hold back, I didn't even buy what was cheapest. I set my sights on what was most health concious, but I also have a menu created for the week, and I managed to only buy what was on my list. I did pretty good. Goodness, is it expensive eating healthy. But I've decided no more ramen. Some things are just more important. The good news is that I got my french book in the mail the other day a la half.com and I saved $73.51. I'm adding that to my challenge money, along with $1 for it being a no silly-spending day. That brings me to $101.51. Not too shabby! And I ordered another book today. We'll count it when it comes in though. I've got 2 long doubles ahead of me (I'm a server), and I'll be soooo tired by thursday, but lordy knows I can use the money! At any rate, time to get going. Later!

So I've been staying at my parents' house for the weekend, spending time with my friends and family. I leave to go back home today. I'm definitely ready. ha. I love going back to my hometown, but I of course spend way too much money when I do. You get lunch- and dinner- with friends at restaurants, buy way too much booze, all that. And we've partied for the last 2 nights. whew. I've got work tonight and I'm afraid I'm gonna be pretty out of it. At any rate, dont really have any updates. Just needed to breathe that sigh of relief. When I get back home, things are going to be different. I've decided to stop giving up my diet every other day, and crack down on the spending once an for all. I need all the support I can get! We've got a lot of company at the apartment this week, so it will be no easy task, but I'm really gonna try. Later then kids!

Okay. My update:
$4.00 because I had 2 no spend days this week. I'm then going to add another $4 because I stayed at work on my break rather than walking around, and I resisted Starbucks. I dont think I can get a drink cheaper than $4 at starbucks. ha. So now I'm at $28.

And just to let everyone know, I went into a Barnes&Noble the other day and managed to walk out empty handed. For all of you book addicts out there, that is no easy task and you know it

I have however spent a little money, but being out of town right now it's rather unavoidable. Lucky for me mom is helpin me out and she took me shopping yesterday, so at least now I have a new pair of jeans and a couple of tops... I was in dire need of jeans.

At any rate, I better get going. Later guys!

So I'm gonna start it today. I've got $20... for every no-spend day, I'm gonna add 2. We'll see how the day goes

Current $: 20.00

Work today!! Hope I make some $. Wish me luck! Later guys!

So to follow the trend the cool kids created The things I will not buy for the rest of 2006:

Magazines
Icecream
Books (non-academic)
Makeup
Sobe
Random Refreshments
toys
pumpkin seeds

These are the only things I buy on a semi-constant basis. My bf came up with his own list, but it was substantially shorter:

booze

Goodness it feels like ages! A couple of months have passed by with no entries... I've been INCREDIBLY busy. At any rate, school is coming up soon. I'm on a real tight budget right now, priced my books the other day. Outrageous as usual... grr. The good news is that they'll be substantially less on amazon. I had to apply for another student loan.. tuition was a little more than expected. So it's back to the ramen/easymac/applesauce diet. My bf's grandmother takes him to Sam's Club every once in a while, and we have the army supply. I had to buy a bus pass yesterday, and a greyhound ticket to go back home this weekend, but outside of that I'm doing okay. I've been looking through my reciepts and it seems that i spend WAY too much money on food. Groceries and eating out both. I'm happy to say that I've gone 2 days without making a single food purchase. That's a lot for me. And we're running awfully low on just about EVERYTHING. grr. Lucky for me, I get free meals every shift I work at the restaurant. Not to mention, I discovered this point system that National City has... I can accumulate points and get amazon.com gift certificates to go toward my books. Woo! Not a bad setup. At any rate, I better get going. I'll try to post again soon however!

Alright. So my training at the restaurant is all said and done, and finally I am making tips. A lot of tips. Actually, I'm making more money than I ever have in my life. Needless to say, I'm pretty excited about it. I only made tips for a week, and aside from the money being more than sufficient to pay rent, electric, and the cell bill this coming month, I also had enough left over to indulge a little guilt free indulgence has never been an idea in my book, but I have finally managed to accomplish it. I bought a new pair of jeans [much needed], a couple of cute tops, a new cookbook [williams sonoma yummy!], and the DVD set of one of my fave shows. Not to mention, me and the boy stopped to get a snack at panera yesterday. Baguette and coffee. Yum! Last week we went and got lunch at this fancy Spanish restaurant. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, and they had a small patio, so we sat outside and ate our delicious spanish lunch. I felt like I was in europe at a little cafe. Still cant quite afford a visit to Barcelona, but that visit to Mallorca was a nice second place!

Well. I'm all moved in, and I'm happy to say just about everything is unpacked! It's been a while since my last update... I moved in on April 1, and obviously some time has passed since. We moved in on a Saturday. I'm happy to say I had a new job by monday. It's my second week at this upscale japanese restaurant, and I got the waitressing job that I've been wanting for a while. My boss told me I would be making on average $60 a shift, though one of the waitresses says that she makes $100 per shift. I'm a beginner, so I'll shoot somewhere in the middle, but that's still great! Much more than I made back in Ohio... I think last year I made about $7000. Granted, that's working part time, and in school. I should still make at least $15,000 this year, if not more. And that's not bad when you're still in college! Of course I'll need that to pay living expenses. I just got my last 2 paychecks from Ohio, and those are enough to cover the cell payment and groceries. Thank god, though, that I'll finally have paid my boy back the money I owed him (we ran into trouble when we switched phone companies, and he pulled me out of a bind), so I'll only be paying half the phone bill again. Whew! So really, it'll only be cell, rent, electric, insurance quarterly, and my perscription every month. Let's just hope I dont get sick! I think everything should run very smoothly until I start school in the fall, and then I still think it will run smoothly. I've decided I'll probably just take classes in the morning so i can still work 5 or so dinner shifts during the week. Either way, I'll get it all figured out. As for right now, I'm just enjoying the nice weather on my day off. We have to go buy some hangers, and perhaps an iron and ironing board! My work shirts are looking a bit rough... Sorry for writing such a long entry!

These last few days have gone by quick... and expenseless. I've tried staying in the house as much as I can... it seems that everytime I go somewhere with friends I end up blowing a bunch of money I shouldn't have, and I've eaten out way too much in the last couple weeks. I'm starting to freak out about the move. Particularly because I dont have as much money as I had counted on... the lack of real job right now doesn't help a bit. I'm gonna sell 2 of my guitars. They aren't worth much, but they're taking up space anyways and I can definitely use the money. I sold a whole box of things, but the money I got has already been spent. I needed a haircut badly... and once again, I've eaten out way too much. It just drives me crazy that I've been doing so good, but I let it all go in 2 weeks! Now I'm more or less home-bound. And it turns out I have a $26 library fine I thought I paid off 2 years ago... Of course I dont have the reciept anymore. And I'm still trying to get a job in PA. I applied at 2 more restaurants... closer to my apartment than the mall... and one said they would call me around the 1st for an interview. I'm crossing my fingers! I've been wanting to get a waitressing job... make tips! There's just something about jobs with tips. I like the idea that if I do a better job, I make more money, rather than doing the same job well or badly and getting the same paycheck. Doesn't make any sense to me... either way. Better shorten this up. later!

my boss cut my hours yet AGAIN. that means for the next 2 weeks i'll only be working on the weekends. i'm not on the schedule at all at the bookstore. ugh. it's really hard to save up a lot of money when you're not making any, but i'm convinced that things will go alright. i've been severely stressed out about the move, and it's probably good for me to chill out for a while. but still, the lack of money gives me more stress. poo. nonetheless, still root for me on my interview friday! scholarships, ho!

it's amazing how soon i'll be in my new apartment, and how frustrating it is getting prepared. boo. this past weekend i had my job interview and i'm waiting for them to call this week. i'm pretty sure i'm gonna get the job. this weekend is my scholarship interview, so everyone wish me luck! that's $40,000.00 towards my education if i get it. we're crossing our fingers... other than that, things are hectic, but not too busy. things are going great with my boy, though we're getting frustrated, too, about timing. he just got his new job, and things are so much more complicated when we have to work moving around his work schedule. either way, i have faith things will go fine in the end. later.

So things are still going great in the saving department. Actually, I walked to work yesterday, so I saved a dollar. Put that in my challenge money. Woo! The only bad thing is I didn't drink any water before/after I took the 45 min walk and got dehydrated, then fainted. ha. I've been drinking a lot of water today, lemme tell ya. Well then. Not a whole lot of news. Later!

So there's a little bad news... my boss continues to cut my hours at work. boo. He's got a new house he just built to pay for. I'm deciding he's a jerk. Along with that, the woman my mom was going to set me up with is looking for someone a little more permanent to fill the position. This is understandable, of course, I'm leaving in less than a month. The good news, however, is that I'll still make enough money and have enough saved to where I'll be set when I move. So I figure if I cant work, I might as well enjoy the time off (cheaply, of course). I haven't spent one dime on leisure or food in the last week. I packed all my lunches and engaged in money-less activities with the friends. And stayed in a bit. I did, however, have to pay my life insurance and RX. Next is bus tickets and cell bill. But I'm still doing good and those are the only bills left this month. Not to mention, I got my coupon for my RX the other day! That means $5 off next month. woo! So if I keep things up, I'll be looking at plenty financially by the moving date. That's it for the update! Later.

Just another day... same old. I'm hanging out with Kimmy tonight, so I'm hoping it'll be a movie night something or other. Dont really want to spend anything more than I have to. Luckily, she's picking me up from work here in an hour or so, so there's a dollar saved! Putting that in my challenge money. I'm now at $46.56. Other good news, when I got my withdrawal receipt at the ATM, my registered balance was around $700. That means my tax refund is processing at the moment. yay! Crossing my fingers for that part time position for the CEO of the chamber of commerce. Either way, gonna get going! Later!

So I have more to add to my challenge money! yay! I sold back 2 books to the bookstore. Total of $13.50. This doesn't seem like a lot, but one of the books was one I got for free in highschool that I never really read. That puts me at $45.10. Not too bad! And I got a free smoothie certificate for the cafe here at the university compliments of zippy rewards. Woo! I'll be enjoying that after I get off work. later then.

So things are going well. I had a no spend day yesterday! woo! Signed up for a few more things online, and I'm still waiting for some coupons in the mail... It's finally hit me. I'm moving in a month. urgh. It's not that I dont want to go, but I feel so unprepared, it's not even funny. It doesn't help that my boss has been cutting my hours. boo. The good news is that mom gave me $70 to cover the day of work I missed due to my sister's illness, and a little extra for watching the house while they were in vegas. yay! Today I'm hoping only to spend $2.00, which covers my bus money to and from work. Mom also is hooking me up with a little untaxed partime work with a friend... for my days off. So I'll have enough when I get there, I just want to have a good stash of emergency money. We still have to buy some stuff for the apartment. Either way, this week should be no problem. I'm planning on being to work bright and early everyday this week. And I'm going through my room now to filter out what I'm taking with me, what I'm throwing out, and what i could possibly sell. Ha. I have a few things. Well then, better get going. Later.

So this weekend has not been the most financially promising, by any stretch of the word(s). I've decided that my boyfriend is a sort of temptation god. Any time he's in town I work less and spend more. bleh. Hopefully things will be different when we move in. ha. It didn't help that my little sister got sick the other day, and I had to stay home from work to make sure things went okay at home. My parents are in Vegas. I hope they bring me back some money. ha. The good news and bad news is that he's not coming home next weekend. That means I'll be clear to work, and not have to worry about staying up late and etc etc. Either way, I'm trying to think of ways to work on my $20 money. I dont buy groceries, but I have been cutting coupons for future use. I did clean my room the other day and found $1.20 in change. I guess that would count. ha. soooo... that puts me at $31.81. At any rate, I'm gonna work on getting some free stuff online. hehe. later.

So it was a good day. I decided to go to the mall. This sounds a little counterproductive, but really it all worked out. I've started a new practice called keeping my reciepts when I buy clothes. Then, if I go a month or so without wearing them once, I take them back and get my refund. I did this today with a sweater I bought and never wore. $10.61 into my $20 challenge, only because it's a good practice that I never really embraced before. I hate returning things. ha. But aside from that, I found the perfect outfit to wear for my scholarship interview on the 17th. I have really none of my own professional clothing, but I found a pair of dresspants on the clearance rack for $14.99 and a cute plain top to wear with it for $16.50. Spending the money seems rather silly, but it was definitely a needed ensemble, and I can wear it not only to my scholarship interview, but also the job interview I have coming up. And if I go to dinner with Noel's grandparents (Noel is my boyfriend. ha). And to work. So it all works out. And on top of it, I got good news in the mail. Another scholarship from the university! That meeting I had with the department chair really paid off. Woo! So it was a good day, and my running total for the challenge is now $30.61. Not too bad for one day.

I'm gonna start this today, though I dont really know what it is... I've gathered that I put aside $20 and try to make more to add to the "bank". It sounds like fun, but slightly inconvenient with my bank account. I think I'm going to just record on paper with little things, and when it gets to a bigger sum, such as $20, I'll withdraw the money and put that aside too. That way I'm not apt to spend the change and I dont spend it using my debit card too easily. I'm going to set my goal as... $160 by April 1. That's my moving day! I think it's kind of hefty, but oh well. I'll figure something out. So there! I begin...

So I've decided to start making a spending goal every day. At least this way I have short-term goals to work toward, and it makes me feel a lot better about my saving, and not feel like I'm missing out on the lives of those who have the funds to live it frivilously (did I spell that right?) Either way. My spending limit for the day was $2.oo. Only because that is the value of the bus to work and from work. And thus far, I have been successful. I restricted myself from buying any candies or munchies (that's my biggest problem... I'm a snacker)- that little stuff adds up quick! But I've been good today, and I'm looking forward to having a small gathering at my house tonight with some friends. Mom bought some drinks for us yesterday, and the parents are in Vegas until Sunday. My stepfather being gone has improved the atmosphere dramatically. ha. Either way, gonna get going! Later.

I'm new to the community, but I think this is going to help me with my plight, so to say. I have a hard time saving money, and I really want to try. I'm in the process of putting together a budget, so things are looking up! Thank you everyone who wants to support! I'm going to finally be on my own for once! Later then.
-pjmama.