Just Keep Swimming.

So September is wrapping up and I'm getting my finances in order to be on the right track for the rest of the year. I have my budget all mapped out for October:



I broke down yesterday and cancelled my Netflix account. If I really want to watch something, I can use the BF's account, anyway. The hard part was canceling my Birchbox subscription. I'm a bit obsessed. But after accumulating quite a few products I still haven't used, I feel that I can at least take a break for a while. So that frees up $17.99 more a month. Not a huge leap, of course, but every little bit helps and I have to be committed to this thing.

Went to the grocery store today- and putting that expense on October, as I'll actually be eating all of the food in that month. Went to Aldi, only spent $23.47. I still have a bunch of stuff from last week, and I of course wont use everything this week. I'm sure I'll still have at least half the bag of chicken breasts I bought next week. I'm trying to stick with only frozen veggies these days. I just don't have time to cook, and I like the idea of not everything going bad before I have the opportunity to make it. I am, though, about to make a huge pot of chili to eat throughout the week. Last Sunday I cooked two different meals and it lasted me pretty much all week. I'm hoping to eat out at restaurants even less this week.

Verified my enrollment in the GI Bill system, transferred some money from my oDesk account I forgot was there, and have some money coming from a couple of text books I sold over the weekend on Amazon.

My emergency fund is sitting at $387.21 right now. My budget for October is $1,601.34 and my projected income is $1,607.58 (not including the extra income I've generated in the last couple of days). I factored in a $400 contribution to my emergency fund in there, but that income will (hopefully) be added as well. If I could hit $1,000 by the end of the month I would be absolutely stoked.... so that's the goal I'm shooting for. I think it's entirely do-able.

I'm going to keep my eye on that goal for the month, and it'll be my only one. If I hit it much sooner than later, even better. My next goal will be paying off my smallest loan- which is $1,603.26. It's not the smallest interest rate, but I totally believe the logic behind Dave Ramsey's smallest-first pitch. It's not my lowest interest rate, either, so I don't feel awful about tackling that one first. I think my big (and potentially far too lofty) goal is to have that one paid off by the first of the year. That really only gives me 2 months to pay it off after saving up my $1,00 in emergency fund money. But we'll see if I can make any miracles happen. Baby steps!

Hope you all had a great September, and have a successful October either way!

Writing today is interesting for a variety of reasons. It's been over a year since I've been on SA, and even longer since I made a visit to Pittsburgh. Given that I joined this community (and started this blog) in preparation to move there, my visit there coinciding with a refreshing of its contents seems rather timely.

As I was showing my friends the city, I was reminiscing about the different places I went, where certain events occurred. And I casually mentioned, "Oh yeah, but that was about 7 years ago." Then it hit me and I had to repeat it to myself: I moved to Pittsburgh 7 years ago. It feels like just yesterday I was a 19 year old moving out of her parents house, embarking on the fringe of the real world. Paying bills, continuing on with college, you know... the stuff of adulthood.

Fast forward almost a decade(!), and it seems like my entire world has evolved in a way that I never even imagined when I signed up for this little site, hoping it would help me save up some money for my grand transition into adulthood. I didn't stay in Pittsburgh. I moved back to Ohio 5 years ago. After a very long journey, I finally got my B.A. I joined the army. The guy I moved in with in PA was my first really long-term relationship. I've had two more since. I've started grad school, laid the foundation (I believe) for a very successful career, met the man that I know I will marry in just a couple short years, and will be graduating in only 7 months.

I've also amassed almost $60,000 in student debt. And it's a scary. Pardon my french, but that's a lot of f*&#ing money. It's really scary given that some of my debt has a hefty 9.75% interest rate attached to it, and all taken into account, my monthly payments will total at minimum $500. It's a very serious reality that I'm struggling with, but I still don't count it a total financial failure of the last 7 years.

When I moved to Pittsburgh, I had a waitressing job, no car, zero credit, and a serious dependency issue when it came to men (both financially and emotionally). I now work in a management position of a national nonprofit, have my own apartment for the very first time in my life as of a year ago, never struggle to pay my bills, paid cash for my car (though I worry daily it could explode on me), and rely on absolutely nobody in my financial life. My credit cards were at one point maxed, but they rest at a big fat $0 balance as of last week.

Needless to say, I have a lot to be proud of. But a long way to go yet.

Last week I downloaded an app on my iPhone (exhale. It's only a 4, not even the 4S, and I had a flip phone up until this summer. ha) that is supposed to help in debt reduction. I had to go in and put every single loan I have into it. It's probably one of the more depressing things I've done lately. Not an easy number to look at. But the positive here is that it really put into perspective what I'm dealing with here, and made me realize just how important it is for me to start taking care of this now. As a student for the last 8 years, it's been easy to ignore my student loans. They were always something I would have to deal with at some point, after I graduate.

Well... yeah, about that.

I downloaded Dave Ramsey's money makeover on the iTunes credit I had with the purchase of my laptop this year, and started reading through it. Though I can't say I *love* everything he says or every story that's in it (and I do skip through a lot), it highlighted some things I need to start doing, and emphasized something that I really need to put into context: I need a behavior change.

Though I live comfortably and don't struggle to pay my bills, I live way above my means when I take into consideration that looming debt. I'm a girl that loves food, loves eating at restaurants, is a total beer snob (and frequent drinker of microbrews). I tend to buy more clothes than I should, and have a bit of a Starbucks weakness during the school year. Whereas I don't think there's anything wrong with treating myself every once in a while, it's like, woah buddy. We need to take a step back.

So I suppose that's the first step. I've admitted I have a problem. I put a face on it. A big ugly, 5-figure face. And I'm ready to take control of it. I'm generally using Dave's system. I paid off that nasty credit card before reading that, so there's that. But now that it's done with, I'm working on that emergency fund. That car's exploding, and I feel it's exploding soon.

I'm in the process of trying to find more creative ways to add to that emergency fund so I can hit $1,000 and start on the debt. In the last 24 hours I've sold two textbooks and returned $80 worth of stuff I hadn't yet put up in my apartment from IKEA.

Let it be known that when I returned that stuff at IKEA today that I didn't make one purchase afterwards.

I know this sounds silly, but it's a huge step. The BF was absolutely amazed. My two friends were absolutely amazed. I was absolutely amazed.

I'm learning to say no and bring my coffee from home in a travel mug. I'm cooking dinner for a week so that I'm not tempted to stop and get something before class.

We're getting there.

I know this is a lot of information at one time, but it's also been a while. And today I felt really good about my financial behavior. Before heading to Pittsburgh for the day, I withdrew $50 from my bank account, limited myself, and still came home with $12 (as well as the $80 that will be credited to my CC account). I had an amazing time with two of my best friends (a much needed and well-deserved getaway), and there's not one purchase I regret- mostly because it was all tolls, transportation costs, only two beers, and one very delicious Primanti's sandwich.

I feel like this is yet another journey I'm starting in this community... and in many ways starting in a very similar way. Thinking about the person I am today, however, I feel much better equipped to make the kinds of choices I need to make. I'm older, of course. 26 feels worlds apart from 19 at this point. I also have quite a few important decisions to make in the next few years: what job should I take? Where do I want to live? When will I get my PhD? Should I get that second MA instead? When do I want to start a family? Buy a house? All of these questions are really a "we" instead of an "I" as well.

There are a lot of unknown factors... but I do know that my debt will affect where I'll be able to live, because making a certain wage has become incredibly important. Ridding it will open me up to a much wider range of possibilities. Though the BF having a really great job and earning potential is fantastic, I'm never going to let that fact solely dictate my future. I have to be able to do it on my own if need be.

So here we are. I've got some goals. I've got some methods. I'll talk about those a little later, but I wanted to at least give anyone who bothered reading a little frame of reference.

For all of you who have supported me in the past, thank you so much. The things I've learned on this site have truly informed me (though my time away certainly shows a lack of regard for that knowledge). For those who will help me along this particular journey, I'm equally appreciative, and hope I can be a source of knowledge and inspiration for you as well-- because these things aren't easy to do. It's nice to have a little support.

To cut this novel a little short, hope you all have a wonderful night, and I look forward to reintegrating myself into this community! Cheers!

So I did good this week. Didn't spend any money out at restaurants, and spent minimally elsewhere. I did purchase my camera this week, so that was a bigger one. But the going out, the little extras were none. I count it a win.

Today is Sunday, which means grocery shopping day. I'll be hitting Aldi, then Marc's as usual. I'm expecting this week to be on the cheaper side, thankfully. Our grocery bills went through the roof last month. Too much stuff we didn't really need and extravagant meals (though those bacon wrapped scallops were totally worth it). This week we'll be utilizing as much stuff we already have on hand as possible. I'm back into super saving mode.

Why am I back into super saving mode? I looked at my student loans again I feel like I'm consistently right where I started, and I'm getting really aggressive with it now. Because my CC has been paid off for a while now, there really is no excuse. I made a $500 payment the other day, but I'd like to throw at least another $100 by the end of the month.

After grocery shopping I'll be heading to my mom's to make sure my sister is still alive (mom is away in FL this weekend) and make dinner. And work. I'm trying to maximize the amount of $ I can make this week. Next week is spring break! That means playing catchup with my school work, trying to make even more money, and taking a day trip to Columbus with a friend. Very exciting

At any rate, I should get this day started (for real). It's already 11:00, after all! Hope you all have a great Sunday!

So I got that tax money in, and finally decided on the allocation. I immediately put $1,000 of it toward my student loans, which of course only put a dent, but every little bit helps! I also put $1,500 of it in my savings account. The rest was split between new glasses (so happy), a haircut, and a few other random things. February was a VERY spendy month. There were a few essentials, but I also spent too much on things I really didn't need, or food out when I could have easily cooked at home. Not this month.

I have made two purchases this month. The original Dream Phone game from Ebay... for a 90's throwback sleepover I'm planning with some girlfriends. I also purchased a new camera. After debating what traveling I wanted to do this year, I decided against using my savings to make a trip to Europe. The flight tickets are absolutely atrocious, and I don't see them getting any better any time soon (particularly due to all of the unrest in the Middle East currently). Instead, I decided to cut the cost by $1,000 and purchase a nice camera. I bought a Canon EOS Rebel XS, and I'm waiting for it to arrive at my house. Very exciting!

I will be taking a few trips inside the country this year, however. Chicago at the end of this month, New Orleans at the end of April. I'm also hoping to visit my dad in Denver over the summer. Thankfully, however, only one of those trips will involve flying.

I took a look at my debt today, and it is still fantastically depressing. I put a $500 payment down, and enthusiastically await the day when I get the rest of my sign-on bonus. It'll be nice to make a $5,000 payment in one chunk. Maybe then I'll feel like I'm actually getting somewhere with it. I'm going to start more aggressively attacking it. I just can't stand looking at that $35,791.16 go up every single month. And that's only my loans with one company! I still have a little over $15k among the other two...

So yeah, I was going to go out tonight, but I think I'll be staying in and saving money instead. Perhaps even making money! lol. I have to be up early to take my mom to the airport, so I wont be going out with the BF anyway. We'll be going to a hockey game tomorrow. I got a fantastic deal through Living Social-- only $12/ticket. Not bad.

I have some spendy weekends coming up here, anyway. Taking a trip to Pittsburgh next weekend, spending a day in Columbus during spring break (which can't come soon enough), Chicago at the end of the month. Woo! So while I'm still in my own city, I need to keep things under control. Cooking at home, not going out and spending too much on alcohol, restaurants. I'm going to be working as much as possible to increase my income as well.

That's about all I have right now! Hope everyone has a great Friday

So my tax refund hit today, and I'm here trying to decide how I want to split up the $3k. There are bills that I still have yet to pay, so those will obviously go first. Then I'll also be having my car looked at today, so I can solve the check engine light problem. It's also my mom's birthday, and I have no idea what in the world to get her. After that, I need to figure out how much of my debt I want to pay off with it, and how much I want to put into savings.

That will be the hard part. I'm trying to save roughly $4k for trips this year-- including one to Germany. I'm also trying to pay off roughly $5k of my debt this year also. I'm thinking for right now I'll put $1k toward debt and $1k into my savings, then reassess at the end of the month where I stand... because my GI bill is messed up right now and I cant get a hold of the people to fix it... so I'm currently low on funds.

It's so exciting to think that one thousand dollars are going to be paid on my loans. Granted, that's peanuts compared to the whole, but regardless... It still is above and beyond what I get charged in interest every month. If only I could do that every month! lol. It's so frustrating to know that I accumulate $300/month in interest from just the one company. It seems criminal... ah well. Gotta do what I gotta do, I guess.

An article of mine got published at Buildipedia.com yesterday, and turned out rather fabulous. If you guys wanna take a read:

As the title may have indicated, I spent a bit much at craft stores this weekend... After taking a sewing class a few weeks ago, I realized that I was severely under-equipped to do the kinds of projects I really want to do in a semi-professional manner. That's changed. In my defense, having a clothes-iron is probably a good idea regardless, and the table-top ironing board wasn't too expensive. I also got much of the stuff I bought from Joann Fabrics 50% off-- including a rotary cutter and mat.

The other great thing is that if I spend all this money on sewing stuff, I'll actually keep up with the hobby. I'm good with it. Once I have the basic supplies, all I'll have to purchase in the future really is fabric and notions. And I have PLENTY of projects to keep me busy for a while.

The weekend outside of this spending wasn't *too* bad. We entertained a couple Friday night, which was incredibly fun. I did drop a bit of money on some fancier foods for the night: cheese, olives, berries, and a couple bottles of wine. I made banana and sweet peppers stuffed with couscous, sausage, garlic, zucchini, and spinach. It was fantastic and we had tons of leftovers. We spent the rest of the night playing Apples to Apples and drinking up all that wine... I felt a bit sick Saturday morning.

Saturday night I did some shopping with a friend- at Joann, and I spent a little too much money on home and scrapbooking stuff. No regrets, though, so it should be okay. I'm not going to beat myself up over the purchases, but rather make sure to curb the spending this week. We have plenty to keep us busy now... The rest of Saturday night was spent with my girlfriend watching movies. Terribly successful.

As for the Superbowl, I spent the time reading Twitter feed about the commercials during the game, and watched the commercials when they were on. It was terribly entertaining, and far better than watching football. I hate football.

Today is Monday, and a busy one at that. Lots of homework to do. Working out this evening with my friend, then going to class. It's going to be a busy week, but things are going well, so no complaints here!

Hope you all have a great Monday

So I sat down today and went through TaxACT to file the numbers. Wow. That's all I can say. In fun news:

*My gross adjusted income was $23k. Surprisingly better than usual.
*Roughly 3k of that was made freelancing- pretty good considering I didn't really get into it until April.
*My tax return is almost $3k. WHAT?!

It's a bit shocking, I must say. I mean, last year it was a bit over $1k. But wow. I checked all my numbers 300 times, included EVERYTHING. I was probably more honest than every other person in the country. lol. All of my freelancing income was reported, along with babysitting money and the crap that I bought online and didn't pay sales tax for. I mean, I made more than I did last year and got more education credit because I went both semesters, but jeez. How exciting!

Needless to say, the money will be going into savings and toward debt. I guess I've got a bit of a head start on saving for that traveling. Entirely fantastic. I can also afford to go and get myself a new pair of glasses (finally). I guess thank you, Uncle Sam, for giving me my money back- at a time I can really use it.

I guess being in a low income bracket has its perks! Yay for me

In spending news, I paid the $18 to file my State taxes. Well worth it, I would say!

It seems the time is flying just as quickly this year as it did the last.

That being said, January was a loooong month. Not long in terms of how it felt, but in terms of how much really went on. I wish I could say I came out of the month as good as I did going in, but it's kind of a crap time at the moment.

I started the semester, and I'm happy with how my classes are going. There's only one that is really painful-- compared to all of them last semester. I certainly count that a win. I feel challenged, and that's the way I prefer it. The book total for this semester, however, was not quite as satisfying. I had more trouble with books this time around than I ever have, and they totaled close to $400...

Things with the BF are a bit shaky at the moment. I was very close to calling it quits-- even packed up a bunch of clothes and went to mom's for a few days. Things are a bit better now, though, and I feel like we'll be able to push through. The last few days have been rough, more because I haven't felt well physically than emotionally, but I know it's all intertwined and stress is just getting to me at the moment.

Speaking of the physical, I did work out 2 times last week, and will be back on track this week (meaning 3 times) with my exercise, as well as my eating habits- which were also crap this week. Because I wasn't really at home last weekend, we had no groceries here and I spent a bit too much out at restaurants and on fast food. Not this week.

I'm really just hoping to find a bit more normalcy in my life this week. I have a lot going on academically and with work, so I think I'll be able to get back on track if I can find a way to focus. That's been difficult this week. Perhaps I need to employ a few yoga techniques, and just take a bit of time every night to chill and not worry. Perhaps read.

BF and I sat down to discuss all of the traveling we wanted to do this year. It's exciting to think about, but when I sorted out the tentative prices for everything, it was a bit disheartening. For him (with his fancy job paying over $50k) it's not so difficult to pull a few thousand dollars together, but for me it's quite. He says he'll help me out a bit, but I feel strange taking on charity, so we'll see. I know I need to start paring down the budget a little bit... and actually STICKING to the budget. There are some expenses that are pretty unavoidable right now, though. Like a new pair of glasses (very much overdue) and (finally) figuring out why it is my check engine light has been on for almost 5 months...

I'm trying not to let things get me down. I'm usually an incredibly optimistic, energetic person. This stressed, sad state is rather foreign and frustrating for me. I keep telling myself it will all work out alright, and I know that's true... I just need a vacation! lol. Given that I just returned from vacation I feel a bit silly saying that, but in my defense, that vacation was far from relaxing, or even entirely enjoyable.

In good news, however, I located and purchased a fabulous deal from LivingSocial.com for a night in a 4-star Chicago hotel. I've never been, and I'm taking a girlfriend of mine for a true girl's night on the town. It's pretty much the most exciting thing in my life right now, so I'm incredibly pumped. I'm in desperate need.

I'll stop rambling now, but I hope you are all doing well! Hope you have a great week!

So a couple of days ago I returned from my incredible 3-week vacation in the Pacific Islands. It was a good time-- there were certainly some rough spots, and I'm very relieved to get home, but otherwise it is a beautiful place and I would love to visit again.

While I was away, Christmas passed. Then my favorite time of the year quickly approached-- The New Year. I'm one of those people that really loves the feeling of a fresh start. Call it corny, but this makes the first of the year my favorite day. I spend hours formulating my yearly goals and coming up with strategies for obtaining those goals. This year was no exception.

I've had "themes" for many of my years passed. Last year was the "Me Year"-- mostly focused on gaining personal independence both emotionally and practically. That year was incredibly difficult but also incredibly successful. The year previous to was the year of my ex boyfriend and the craziness that surrounded his deployment and my experiences in basic training. Very happy to be past all that.

This year (again sounding quite corny) is the "Love Year." When I say love I don't mean it necessarily in a romantic way. I think of love as a very anti-fairytale like action rather than a feeling. It's about being supportive, caring, respectful, committed, and giving. Now that I've gained my independence, this year is about loving myself, my SO, my family and friends, as well as the world community around me to the best of my ability. I guess I could call it the "Giving Year," but I think love is more appropriate.

That being said, the majority of my goals are geared toward this theme. I of course have the usual weight-loss goal carried over from last year. I also want to pick up my yoga practice again and do some projects (sewing mostly). Improving my relationship with the boy is on the list, however. Spending more time with family and friends is as well, and getting more involved with volunteer work. The boy and I sat down and had a "workshop" determining what aspects of our relationship we would like to improve, as well as a way to address these problems. We don't feel our relationship is BAD, but it seems silly not to approach our recurring problems in a constructive manner. One of our goals is to commit to those solutions and actually follow through-- to reduce fighting and strengthen our bonds even more.

One of my other important goals is to simplify life. I'm a workaholic. A big one. I pack my schedule so tight that sometimes I have trouble finding time to breathe. As a result, I'm trying to slow things down a bit, so I can spend this extra time with others-- or just relaxing. This will carry over to the financial realm as well. If I can use what I have, and don't really NEED anything, I can simplify and not get more stuff. I really don't need more stuff, anyway.

My goals for 2010 were fairly successful. There were many that I did accomplish, and am quite happy with (ex. buying a car and moving into my own apartment). Some that I'm not crushed didn't happen (ex. getting a tattoo). Overall, I can't beat myself up at all. I grew and matured a lot in 2010, and I'm a MUCH healthier person (emotionally) now than I was a year ago. Much.

I'll stop rambling on now... lol.

***

Spent $10 for my Yoga class today, which is money well worth it. Usually a class for students is only $5, but I only had a 10 on me... Next week I'll bring correct change They don't really have a "register," per se. Just a basket where you throw your payment.

Went grocery shopping yesterday, and spent $67 for the two of us. Not terrible, not great. Because I'm now on a diet, my grocery list is including a couple specialty food items and much more produce. We also had to grab a few things, though, that we just needed to replenish and will last us a while (ex. olive oil and garlic). Many things we bought will carry us through for a while.

This week coming up is the first week of my last semester as an undergrad. It is also the boy's first week of work at his new job. I'll be packing lunches all week long. No use in spending an arm and a leg on food at the university. It'll be a better chance of eating healthy as well. I still have a couple books to purchase, but otherwise they weren't *too* bad, depending on what you consider bad. It'll probably be about $250 when it's all said and done.

I got my check from the university from my leftover grant money, so I'll be heading to the bank Monday. Trying to keep the rest of the weekend low/no spend, but Sunday will be rough. The boy and I are doing brunch at a restaurant with friends, spending lunch with my friend (we'll probably cook though), and doing dinner at my mom's (a make-up Christmas). Busy busy!

I'll stop here. Too much to catch up on, but so much to actually do as well Everyone have a great day!

So I dropped the ball a bit this month-- I already knew that, but totaling up my spending for the month certainly brought the point home. I ended up $400 under budget, but only because I still have yet to get my car fixed and I didn't really put any money into savings :/

This coming month will be interesting, because I'll be across the world for half of it. The same is to be said for January. One thing is for sure, however: I need to stop spending money on stupid crap. I spent about $60 on clothes in November. I guess this isn't awful considering I haven't purchased clothes for months, and I got a LOT. I discovered Plato's closet. If you've never heard of it, it's a consignment shop chain that has name brand clothes for incredibly great prices. I got a pair of Old Navy kahkis for $7. A shirt for $2. I've really been wanting to update my wardrobe recently. I've been feeling like my clothes are too "teen-like." As a result, I dont really feel comfortable wearing many of them. I know I'm only 24, but I'm still feeling the pressure to dress my age and not look like I'm in high school. It's also encouraging me to wear real clothes and not sweatpants out everywhere.

Beyond that, BF and I hit too many restaurants this month. I need to make a conscious effort to avoid that. I've been having incredible cravings for Thai food... I think I just need to stock up on curry fixin's and find a great recipe for coconut soup.

This week is the last of class this semester. I'm knee-deep in take-home finals and tests. Lab notebooks. I'm happy to be saying goodbye to that stupid thing. I'm looking forward to the end of this semester. It was a long, not so pleasant one.

That's all for now. I've got work to do!

So I had to get my lady checkup today-- the army requires it, and it's mandatory to get my prescriptions refilled every year. But because it's been a year, Planned Parenthood had to reassess my financial standing.

Hot diggity, I qualify for donation-based care.

It makes me both happy and sad. Happy, of course, because that means less money out of my pocket. Sad because it means I'm really darn poor. lol.

I gave them a $50 donation-- which is MUCH less than I would have paid for the exam and 3 month supply of my prescription. I think last year I paid $80 for the exam, and 3 months of pills for me usually runs $36. I figure every three months I'll give them a $10-15 donation and call it even. How exciting!

Last month I had to get a dental check-up for the military, and the hygienists gave me a free cleaning-- very exciting for someone who hasn't seen a dentist in prob 2 years. Let's hope the free health services train keeps rolling!

I think the only other thing I need to do soon is get a new pair of glasses. I heard walmart does exams for very affordable prices, and a friend of mine grabbed a few pairs online for next to nothing and loved them. I think I may have to go that route. If I could get a new pair under $100 with the exam, I will be thrilled. Guess we'll see how things go!

Alrighty, back to work for me. Just had to share the happy but bittersweet news. lol.

So it's been a while. I've been wrapped up in school, work, and taking the awful GRE. I didn't do nearly as well on the GRE as I had thought I would, but my score is good enough to qualify for my top choice program. That's all that really matters.

In good news, BF got the job he applied for. This is fantastic, as he's been looking for a while. He graduates in December, and as soon as we get back from vacation he'll start full time, making a salary of $52k per year. Not bad It's really exciting for both of us. Obviously it will benefit both of us financially, and it eases many of the anxieties we had about finances when we come home from vaca.

It's amazing to think that in the "real world" in higher paying jobs that people really make that much money. I've never made more than $25k. He'll make in one week what I make in almost a month. Insane.

Obviously, this also brings hopes of marriage in the next two years a bit closer. Very happy times over here

Other than that, I have no real exciting news. The GRE is over, and I'm organizing my finances for November. It was a bit of a spendy month, but I still dont have my car fixed up for winter... I need to get on that ASAP. I also have my lady check-up this week, so it'll be another $80 or so, and grad school application fees will total up to $110 this month. Income is a bit strapped this month, as well. It's rather sad. I'm really broke again.

We could have done much better in October. We didn't go out and buy anything frivolous, but we did eat out at restaurants more than we should have. I had to dip into my savings a couple times to cover basic expenses. Not cool. This month we're going to be better, at least after this first week.

We have a wedding to go to this coming weekend, and we're taking a trip to Pittsburgh the night before the wedding for some fun. I don't think the actual wedding will be bad, but that trip out to PA will obviously run us for food and such. It'll be spendy, but it'll also count for our "date night" this month. If we decide to do anything else special this month it will be at home, probably watching movies on the couch because it is FREEZING in our apartment. We will not be eating at any restaurants after next weekend.

We have yet to turn on the heat, despite frigid temperatures. We're trying to hold out a bit longer, but we'll see how bad it gets. Groceries this week were fantastic. For the last month or so we've been at right about $60-- for all of it, which we split. This week we totaled $37. Fantastic, and I have a great menu lined up on top of it We had some leftover stuff from last week, so that's part of the rationale behind the drop. But regardless, that saved money is certainly needed.

I looked at my loan totals again to update my net worth. It's depressing to see it drop every month. I amass about $300 extra dollars every month in interest, if I don't make any payments to Sallie Mae. I'm trying my best to free up cash to contribute to my debt, but it's been really hard. I'm still trying to save up for vacation money and dipping into my savings. Needless to say, I wont be purchasing that camera. I'll just have to make due with what I've got. I cant really afford to amass another $800-1000 in debt for something that isn't entirely necessary. It was a want, not a need. It's more important for me to fix my car and apply to grad schools right now, and Christmas is coming up next month.

I'll stop here, as I don't have much more to report and have a TON of work to do. Hope you all enjoy your Halloween!

So quick update: No major spending, but I have a few expenses coming up. Need to replace my windshield, take the kitty to the vet, and get my yearly checkup at the "girl doctors" (lol). And, of course, vacation is coming up in December. And Xmas. And getting that camera I want so bad.

What I guess I want to bring up here today is my student loans. I updated the totals on October 1, right... and got on Sallie Mae yesterday to see what the total was, because I was thinking of making a payment on it.

October 1: $34,017.09
October 15: $34,124.76

wtf???

It truly amazes me that I gained over $100 in interest in the matter of 2 weeks. So this got me thinking, and I pulled up a loan payment calculator, and put in some figures and realized that if I wanted to pay it off in 10 years that I would have to pay over $400/month. That is absolutely ludicrous. If I want to pay it off in 20 years, still $300. Gaa!!!

So.

These are obviously scary figures, and I need to develop some sort of action plan. I mean, that isn't even the entirety of my student debt. That's just what I've got through Sallie Mae... It is, however, the highest interest rates I've got (9.25% for the majority of it).

I'm going to try and pay a target of $300/month, and obviously any additional income will go towards debt/savings as usual. It's just rather sad that my schooling has cost me this much. I'm not sure if calling them up and asking for a lower interest rate would do anything. Regardless, it's a bit distressing. I can cover my bills alright, and even put a bit into savings, but this is kind of ridiculous.

Income for this month hasn't been as high as I had hoped it would be, but I'm working on it yet, and I have a few payments due that haven't been sent to me yet. I also have drill this weekend, which will provide a bit of income also.

Regardless, I was highly motivated to make a $50 payment on those loans yesterday. I know, it's not much. But every little bit counts!

In good news, the Army requires me to get a dental examination-- which I got today. The Army does NOT cover cleanings, but the fabulous people at the office I went to donates them to soldiers for free So I got my first cleaning in about 2 years for free. Happy day. I take terrible care of my teeth, and I thought I would have cavities, but as it turns out I don't have one... but my gums are in bad shape. I need to start a better regiment. Thankfully, the office also gave me a goodie bag (I love that), so I'm stocked on toothbrush and even more toothpaste, and mouthwash.

It's rough not having any medical insurance. I know that it's going to be required here soon, but as of this week I'm not *too* concerned about it. Mostly because the BF got a job He's going to be making over $50k per year, with benefits. Though we're not married yet, we plan to be in a couple years. So by the time that I'm required to have insurance, I should. Crazy to think about. BF getting a job is a big step, as he's graduating with his masters in December, and he's had a lot of trouble finding anything. The market is just horrible right now. But he's good to go now, and I'll start my last semester of undergrad. Woo!

I have a campus visit at the Grad school I really want to go to next week. I'm really excited, but also really anxious-- because that means the GRE is even closer! I haven't studied nearly as much as I want to. I need to step up my game.

I should stop rambling now, and get to work. That money's not gonna make itself!

So yesterday was my and BF's 1 year anniversary. We decided to celebrate a couple times-- once yesterday and also this weekend. The thing is, we're both pretty strapped for cash. Gifts will in fact be exchanged this weekend. I would have opted out, but I really wanted to get him FIFA 2011 He's been wanting it for a while. So that's what I'm getting for him. The actual celebrations, however, weren't/wont be too pricey.

Our first date was to see a movie, then we stopped at Steak n' Shake for milkshakes and french fries. Though neither of those things happened last night, I did make a delicious steak dinner for us (his request), and we did watch a movie at home. For free. Oh, and I made milkshakes It was nice to make dinner together, and to relax and cuddle a bit.

This weekend we're heading up to Cleveland to have dinner at this fab little wine bar and go see the orchestra play. Whereas the wine bar will certainly be an expense, I get free tickets to the orchestra just for being in the military. Woo! So dinner will be the only celebration expense in all this hubbub. Not bad!

Other than that, not really tons of news. I'm entirely swamped right now... which explains why I'm procrastinating here on SA. I had 2 phone interviews today for two pieces I'm working on. My deadline is tomorrow and I haven't even started writing. Bah. At least I got the interviews all done... and I'm elated because one of them was with an interior designer that's done celebrity work-- which is really cool. She was incredibly fabulous to talk to, as well.

These two articles are grossing me a nice amount of cash, so I want to make sure they're quality. I'm excited to write them. I do love writing about design and interiors.

Work is as busy as ever, but I'm also knee-deep in all of this grad school craziness. I'll be happy when the applications are sent and everything is dealt with. It's quite a process.

I suppose I should stop procrastinating and get back to work now... I just wanted to check in. Hope everyone is doing well! Cheers!

Well, it is in fact the last day of september. I can't believe that the time has flown by so quickly!! It was a rather exciting month for me because... it's the highest total for freelancing income I've hit yet! Nothing *terribly* groundbreaking, but I made a total of $542.51 this month freelancing alone. With drill pay and babysitting income it pulled my total income for the month to $870.82!

While this doesn't seem like much (and it's not), I didn't have my GI bill payment. So starting in October, that income will be raised by $533, and I'll be doing well (at least well enough). I'm also hoping that the freelancing income will improve. I picked up 2 new clients in the last week, and I also have to big articles that I'll be publishing this month ($100 each woo!). So I know this coming month will be a good one.

It's exciting to think about. If I can build my career up even more, I'll be in a really good place.

I haven't really made any business-related expenditures yet, but I think a big one is coming up... I really want to buy a good camera. A digital SLR, and very possibly a Canon Rebel. I'm really looking to spend under $600, and I know I just paid my CC off, but I'm definitely willing to charge it-- because I really want it before vacation. My trip to Micronesia in December will be so much better if I have it... I really want some stellar photos, and I can certainly use the camera for my writing and blogging.

I dont really make too many big technological purchases. I spent a whopping $300 on my laptop. I had the same phone I got free with my contract until the contracted ended and I got another free one. I'm really not into frivolous purchases, but I really want to learn more about photography, and have the proper equipment to do it well.

I'm not really trying to self-justify here. I'm getting one, no matter! lol. It's just really important to me (I guess important enough to bore you with it).

What I'm curious about is if I can list it as a business expense when tax time comes around... hmm. If so, that would be pretty stellar. I'm rather excited for tax season. lol. I'm expecting a rather large(r) return this year... and it wont all go to my CC

So. Other than that, there's not much to say. My goals this month were:

[ ]Stay under budget
[x]Don’t spend any money on clothes
[x]Don’t use CC at all
[x]Generate $400 in Freelancing Income
[x]Keep track of finances all month
[x]Put $200 in savings

The only one I did not accomplish was staying under budget. BUT, I was only $20.65 over-- and I had the unexpected expense of paying for my GRE registration ($160). So really, I count it a total win. Of course, I did not get all the car repairs I had planned on getting done... so that means a bigger budget for next month. Thank goodness I'll have so much extra income!

Alright, I'm done for now. Cheers, everyone!

I feel like every time I write a post here it's discussing the crazy business that I experience... this time is no different. It really is the story of my life.

However, I'm one of those people that really enjoys being busy (and by that I mean goes crazy if I'm not). Thus, it is a blessing. It also means that I'm making money.

Between homework, several clients, one that I picked up again (and very happy about), studying for the GRE, trying to figure out what grad schools I'm going to apply to, cooking, writing this new food blog I've got going on, trying to kickstart a new business, lose about 5 more pounds, and spend some quality time with the BF... I'm pretty booked. lol.

The good news is, though, that I'm juggling all this relatively well. I do have a couple tests this thursday I probably should start studying for. And a couple big ticket articles I haven't really started on that are due on the 6th... but I haven't gotten my questionnaires back yet for those...

Regardless, things are good.

It wasn't a super spendy week. That's the glory of being so busy. I did go out both friday and saturday night. It's been a while, so I certainly deserved it! Friday I went with a friend to dinner... mostly to catch up. I only spent $15 with tip. Later hit the bar to do some dancing. Only had one drink, and my friend paid for it So good stuff there. I got the plates for my car on friday as well. That was about $45.

Last night was date night with BF

So today was grocery shopping day. BF and I hit the store, and came out with relatively low spending-- but mostly because I already dropped $50 at the Asian grocery store this week. Also had to stop at Borders to grab a GRE study book. Ran me $30, and of course I couldn't get out of Borders with only that Bargain books will be the death of me... lol. I picked up a copy of Stephen Colbert's book (steal my heart), and a copy of one of Suze Orman's books to give to my mom. I felt she could use a little uplifting reading.

This week shouldn't be so bad on spending. Tomorrow I'll be neck-deep in homework, and BF and I are hitting the rec in the afternoon. Then class. The rest of the week I dont really have anything planned. Except the weekend-- date night! However, I bought a coupon on Groupon for the restaurant we're going to, so that should cover the majority of our dinner date.

Other than that, not a whole lot is going on. Just trying to keep the spending low. I upgraded my phone today, so that should be coming in the mail soon. I always get the free phone. I was surprised looking through those available-- I could have gotten all sorts of Blackberry's or Palm crazy phones for free, but they all require the outrageous data plans... no thank you. I dont want anything with a keyboard, touch screen, or internet. I want a phone. I want to make calls and send texts. That's it. I've had the same one for the last 2 years, and I'm only upgrading because it's not holding a charge as well as it used to But hopefully my new Samsung will be as wonderful to me as my current one.

I have my drill pay hitting this wednesday, and have to get plates for my car before thursday, so there will be a bit of spending, but some income as well!

Overall, the week is going to be incredibly busy. It seems there is never enough time in the day... Ah well, hope everyone has a good one!

So on my list of goals for 2010 was improving my credit score. Up until today I hadn't looked at it, but upon paying off my CC I was hoping it would have improved. As a matter of fact, it did!

I took a look at my score last year about the time I was trying to buy a car, so November. Then it was 710, which certainly isn't terrible.

Today, however, when I looked at it I found a big gaping 819 I improved it by over 100 points. This is incredibly exciting for me, and I am definitely proud of myself. I feel so in control of my financial well-being. It's incredibly uplifting!

So that's the big excitement for this weekend.

I've started thinking about my goals for next year. I think it's going to be a different kind of year, though some goals will be similar. Obviously, I'll want to whittle down even more of my debt... but now it'll only be student loans! I plan on taking a vacation to Europe next year, so there will be saving for that. But I also have grad school to look at, as well as my new goal: trying to publish a book.

Publishing a book is something that's been on my life's goal list for a long time. I figure, why wait?

But anyhoo... 2011 is still a few months off, and I have other goals to work on in the mean time.

As for the remainder of the weekend, it should be relatively low-cost. I bought the bulb for my headlight yesterday, and I also went to the Asian grocery store... needless to say, we'll be eating a lot of Japanese food this week. Still have to go to the American grocery store, because I need to get stocked up on veggies!

Healthy eating is coming along well still. Slipped up a bit yesterday at breakfast. BF and I usually go out for breakfast on fridays, and I gorge myself on biscuits and gravy. Thinking I would save the calories, we went to Panera and I got an egg soufle. 540 calories! I'm glad I decided on tea instead of coffee... certainly didn't need that creamer!

Other than that, I made a Thai Massaman Curried Sweet Potato Soup last night for dinner. Whereas it may not be the healthiest thing in the world, it's not *too* bad. The only ingredients:

*Massaman Curry Paste
*The tiniest bit of olive oil
*A can of coconut milk (this is where all the fat is)
*A can of low-fat chicken broth
*Fresh Ginger
*A bag of sweet potatoes, with skins

So like I said, the coconut milk is where all the fat is in the soup, but that's pretty much it. Certainly not a balanced meal, as there is no real protein source-- but my goodness is it delicious! For anyone that likes Thai curry, it's definitely a winner.

Tonight I have 2 parties to go to. One for my mom's BF, and the other for my best friend from high school. Wont be bringing anything, except maybe a six-pack, which we already have.

So that's it! Now I just have to get some work done...

Well, it was incredibly long, but incredibly productive week... and it's not even over yet! lol. It was the first week of my revamped diet, and exercise plan. I'm really trying to lose 8 pounds or so. I'm not really overweight necessarily, but I'm too heavy compared to where I'm used to being. I think eating healthier is just a good idea in general, anyway.

So monday was salsa class. BF and I both went, and it was a really good time, and free! The only issue is that when we do too much spinning I tend to get nauseous. Nonetheless, I think we'll be back again next week. It's free the first 3 times, and then only $20 for the year. Yay for being a college student.

The rest of the week nothing particularly exciting went on. Worked a lot. Been busy writing, especially with this new client. I'm making about $25/day with her alone, just for a few articles. A few of them have been really obscure topics, though...

We had friends over wednesday night for dinner. I babysit their kids wednesday evenings now, so we figured we'd entertain this week. I made chicken parmesan-- for the first time-- and it turned out fantastic. Tuesday night I cooked enchiladas for the first time and they were absolutely delicious. Probably not the healthiest option, but so good, and packed with black beans and spinach, so at least it has a little bit of nutritional value.

Lunches were all packed. I still have yet to spend one cent on food on campus. Very exciting I eat healthier, and cant afford to pay $5-10/day for lunch.

I'm having these crazy pains right under my left rib cage a lot recently, and it's starting to worry me. I've always had them, but usually I only get them every few months or so, and never for more than a minute or so. My mom has gallbladder issues and gets them, too. She told me to take tums, and it works. But I'm not sure if it's gallbladder problems. Everything I looked at online points to my symptoms-- the back pain, the nausea, but those sharp pains are always said to be on the right side with gallbladder problems...

I did a bit more research and thought maybe it could be kidney issues. I guess there's some crazy freak thing that happens with nerves that could cause it, too, but if that was the case the tums wouldn't help it.

I guess I just need to see a doctor. Like I said, I've had them for a long time, even since high school-- but they usually come and go quickly. They kept up for over a half hour a couple weeks ago, and only when I took a tums. I dont see how my diet would contribute to it, as I haven't really eaten anything greasy lately, but who knows... maybe it's all the cheese! lol.

At any rate, it's going to be a busy weekend. Much work, and much homework to do! Today BF and I are supposed to hit the rec, do some swimming. Should be fun. He's heading back home tonight, and I'll probably stay at home and relax. I need it!

Well, I had drill this past weekend, and it was certainly a long one. Muta 5, which means we go friday night, saturday, and sunday... It was particularly long because saturday I had to go make up my weapon qualification, which meant a long day on the range. I did, however, qualify at 35/40 targets hit-- one away from being deemed an "expert" marksman, err markswoman

My PT test, then, was yesterday morning. I didn't go above and beyond for the pushups and situps, as I wanted to save my energy for the run. I had no idea how I was going to do. my pass rate would have been to do the 2 miles in 19:30. I ended up finishing at 16:06. Not bad! Certainly much better than I thought I would do... I'm glad I started running at the Rec when the semester started.

I dont have to take another test til next year, but I'm going to focus on continuing this physical exercise, and eating healthy. I weighed myself yesterday-- 147 lbs. Better than the 152 last time, but still... I'm not comfortable at this weight, though I would by no means call myself fat.

So I'm going to start working on losing 8 pounds to begin with. I want to be under 140. So healthier eating, here I come! And more physical activity!

As for spending over the weekend...

My flatiron decided to short out on me in the middle of straightening my hair... lol. It's pretty necessary that I replace it. It was also like 3-4 years old... so I'm not surprised. That was, however, a $35 replacement. On top of that, I needed to do some grocery shopping for the week. We planned our meals, and the total came up to about $36/person (BF and I split groceries in half every week). Not bad, but not great-- however, we're trying to eat healthier and we're also having friends of ours over for dinner wednesday night.

Also put gas in my car. It turns out that $20 lasts me about 2 weeks. Very nice.

HOWEVER, my check-engine light is on, I need to replace a headlight bulb, and the windshield (as it has a rock chip, and I dont want it to continue spiderwebbing when it gets cold). I also need to get plates by the end of the month... Oh, the joys of owning a car... I did not miss them all those years.

So to wrap this up, money will likely be tight the rest of the month, but that's okay. At least my CC is paid off!!! Every time I look at my online banking it makes me smile

Hope everyone has a great monday!

This morning I decided to [finally] schedule my GRE test, seeing as how my applications to graduate school will need to be done before vacation and I leave December 15. Therefore, my test is set for October 29-- which will hopefully give me enough time to get the results back and send those applications in on time!

The registration, however, was an unexpected $160... a bit hefty, but a necessary evil. Thankfully, when I went to look at my bank account this morning there was $140 magically sitting there from the US Dept of Treasury. What for, I have no idea. I'm sure some sort of adjustment on taxes or who knows what. Regardless, it was certainly a help!

The hunt for a good grad program I think has come to a halt. I think I've found what I want to do, and I'm fairly excited about it. Sort of a mixture between what I do now with my writing and the world of academia: a masters in communications. I think it'll be great, and I have 3 schools I'm considering right now. Application time!

Alright, time to get to bed. Playing army this weekend, and it's a full schedule. Night everyone!

So BF and I purchased our plane tickets to Micronesia for December. Though my bank account is now $1858 lighter, I feel so great about it. I've been trying to leave the country to see new places since high school. It only took 6 years... So exciting!

The better news is that I'm not completely broke, even after making such a large purchase. I'm certainly not rolling in the dough, but things are good. Really good.

I picked up an assignment for a website I wrote for previously, and they want me to cover a couple articles for them-- at $100/pop. Woo! Guess I don't feel too silly for giving them the last one for free. That'll be a nice push in the income for October, and they have a couple more coming up in November and December that they'll throw at me. Yay

The writing has been fabulous this week, and I'm feeling rather productive. Not really spending a whole lot. Did have to take Baby to get his shots at the vet this morning. That ran $32. I bought another Groupon... these things are pretty sweet. Restaurants and bars I would go to anyway, and it'll cut the cost down in half.

I've got drill this weekend, so the spending should be way down. Still haven't spent a red cent on campus for meals. Yay for being a packer

Alright, it's really time for me to get to sleep now. I think I'm getting delirious. lol. Just wanted to share in my celebration (there have been so many of them as of late)!

Night everyone!

It was a rather low-key weekend, with minimal spending. Good stuff. Now it's back to class for me, and back to work. I picked up another writing gig through oDesk.com, so I'll be doing some writing on a wedding blog. Different for me, but pretty exciting!

Business is going really well, actually (outside of one client who doesn't seem to ever want to pay me/respond to my emails). It's nice to see that things didn't completely drop out over the summer and I can still make a bit of money doing this. Even better? I've gotten to the point where I can be fairly picky about what I write, which is really nice.

Today I'll be on campus all day, so I'll be packing a lunch. I have yet to spend any money for food on campus. Woo! Granted, it is only the 3rd week... ah well. Come to think of it, I cant believe it's already week 3! Time flies these days...

I'm going to try and make this a low-spend week. I've got drill this weekend, so it wont be too bad. No plans for the weeknights yet, so we'll see, I guess. Still have plenty of gas in my car and went grocery shopping yesterday. Probably spent a bit too much, but I cant beat myself up for that. I'm trying to eat healthier. At least I'm not off spending my money on stupid stuff, and wont be eating out at restaurants all week.

Come to think of it, I'm going to try and keep unnecessary spending down altogether. Last month was Art in the Square, so I spent a bit of money on jewelry/hand crafted soap/produce, etc. This month I dont have a whole lot coming up. Just date night and perhaps a Crew Game. Or possibly a trip to Pittsburgh. We'll see.

I really need to get saving for this trip in December! It's not too far off... so exciting! Oh, and we have to buy our plane tickets this week. It'll be pretty official, then. Good stuff

Alright, off to the grind. Everyone have a great day!

Well, I feel pretty awful today. My allergies went into hyperdrive, and with no meds that seem to do a thing, I'm pretty miserable. Along with that once a month ordeal us girls deal with, it's been quite a day. I'm pretty tired as well.

As it were, BF and I were supposed to go camping this weekend with friends of his. He left a few hours ago, and I decided to stay home. I was sad to not go, but if I'm going to be miserable the whole time, and out in the woods with more plants (read: ragweed), then it doesn't seem to me a good idea. Besides, we were going to take Charlie (the new kitten), which would have been fine, but it's a 2 hour car ride. I figured I'd spare him.

I've been having a rough night's sleep all week because Charlie gets bored and decides he wants to claw at/bite my feet while I sleep. It may seem like a fun game to him, but it's been doing a number on my energy levels.

So this weekend will be spent in a productive manner. I have a ton of writing I can get done, of course, and homework as well. I think tonight I'm going to write a couple articles, then relax a bit. I made dinner already-- a crazy concoction using butternut squash, pineapple, and rice-- with indian spices. Pretty good for something I randomly threw together using what I had at home.

I'm trying to make this a low-spend weekend. Potentially, I could get away with just hiding out in the apartment. I think I may get up and go to yoga in the morning because I missed it on wednesday. I'm sure I can use it, but we'll see how I feel in the morning. I may just do it at home.

My financial situation is alright for the time being, but it seems I have more expenses piling up left and right. I forgot Christmas is coming up... and I'm going to have to replace the windshield on my car probably next month. There's a spot where it looked like a rock hit it, and I dont want it to get really bad when the weather gets cold.

I'm also going to need to buy plates, and tell our landlord we got a cat, so there will be a deposit for that as well. And we have to take the baby to the vet and start vaccines.

So yes, my CC is paid off, but I'm more or less broke again. lol. At least I'll be able to buy that plane ticket next week. But otherwise pretty broke.

So what does that mean?? More writing. I'm starting to babysit once a week, for friends of BF. That'll be $25 extra income per week. But until the 31st, I have no GI. Once I do, things will be a bit easier.

Well, I guess I should stop procrastinating and start writing. This money's not gonna make itself!

Well, I have nothing terribly exciting to report today. No class, and I spent the majority of the day NOT working... bah.

As for spending:

Put about $20 in my tank, which put me at about 3/4 full. Not bad. I'm hoping this will last me all week, and part of next week. Trying to keep my gas under $80 for the month.

Went to the animal clinic not far away to pick up some flea meds for the baby. Got Revolution, and applied it. I'm sure that will help the problem, and avoid some future problems when I take him camping this weekend. Also stopped at Petsmart. I needed to get him a harness. Person at the animal clinic says she walks her cat and the collar does no good. I suspected as much, but my silly boyfriend doth protest everything. I also picked up a different brand of treats. He wont touch the ones we got him, but these seemed to go over really well. Apparently the kid likes fish flavor and not chicken. Also picked up a couple cans of Fancy Feast. It's more or less Charlie crack.

After baby was taken care of, I ran to Staples-- had to get a notebook for my chem class and some post-its.

I was going to go to Yoga tonight, but decided to stay home and get some work done, then hang out with the boy instead. Haven't gotten so much done, per se, but at least I saved $5, right? lol.

I did get some things done today. Not a total waste. Just not as productive as I generally like to be. Too much messing around and not a whole lot of actually working. And yet here I am procrastinating more

Alright. Time to go and get to work!

So keeping up with the theme, August was the month of many good financial things-- my big Army windfall helped out a lot with all this, but it was much overdue.

Today's big news, as you can tell, is that my credit card is PAID OFF. I made the payment just a few minutes ago. I'm worried that the interest may still be charged, because it takes a couple days to process the payment and it's the 31st. Regardless, I still count it a win as it is a big fat zero in my spreadsheet!

So what now? As you can see on my sidebar, there are only 2 longer term financial goals listed... save up for vacation money (as the plane ticket money is already in my account), and pay off my student loans. That will be the big one, for sure.

I also want to start an emergency fund after my vacation money is saved up (which hopefully wont take too long, esp considering I wont be making CC payments anymore).

I feel so much more financially stable than I did earlier this year. I've completed a number of goals for the year, and I'm super pumped about that. It feels like things are really coming together, and I feel a bit more financially responsible. It's a really good feeling.

Next? Once the payment goes through, I want to check my credit score It's been a while, and I can only imagine that paying it off improved it, which was the goal. I'll be crossing my fingers!

Alrighty, time to get moving! Class soon!

So we brought our kitten home today-- Charlie. And I have fallen in love. I believe it's something that goes along with watching him fall asleep in my purple suede ballet flat... absolutely adorable. I think the only thing that beats it is him falling asleep on ME





Bad news? Baby has fleas. Didn't notice til we got him home, though it wouldn't have mattered. He's got 'em. A good deal of his fur is white, so they're easy to spot. I'm happy I read up on it on the internet, as I assumed you could just put topical flea treatments on kittens, but as it turns out... no.

I took the advice I found, which was bathing him in Dawn dish liquid. He did really well for it being his first time in the environment and BAM. Bath time! He fought, of course, but I finished with minimal scratches. We pulled about 12 adult fleas off of him with the flea comb. When I stopped finding them, I finally let him go and got him with the blow dryer on low. Little guy was shivering a storm, even though he had been partially wrapped in a towel for the entire process.

I've seen a couple on him since, and tried to snag them with the comb, but those buggers are a pain and he was fidgeting. Doesn't make for easy removal. I dont want to give him another bath too soon. I'm thinking in the middle of the week.

We're taking him camping next weekend, so there was a good chance he could have contracted something in the woods regardless, but I still dont want him to be miserable or contract anything from them.

So any tips on getting rid of the pests? I'm going to continue combing him, and I'm taking him to the vet right after labor day. I'm worried about bathing him too frequently, but I dont want the little guy to suffer until he's old enough to get frontline. He's about 7-8 weeks now.

Well, aside from Charlie, there is no real financial news. Went grocery shopping. Nothing crazy. Still had a lot of stuff from last week that we never cooked, so it was really just the essentials.

Finally grabbed that check from my old house, so I'll deposit it tomorrow and make a big payment on the CC. It'll be paid off so soon!

That's about it. Looking to have a low spending week. This past week was a bit much. Went out too much is all, really. Fun times, but a bit exhausting-- both to my person and my wallet!

Hope everyone has a great night!

Well, went and looked at that snazzy 2001 Toyota corolla... and bought it. It was exactly what I was looking for, and handles great. Ran me less than expected-- $5300 out the door, and with less than 100k miles. And it's a manual

So I have a set of wheels, and just set up insurance with Geico. They did me well before and have discounts that applied. So I even got full coverage (mind you, with a $500 deductible), but for only $65/month. Not bad.

I've updated my sidebar... I have the money to pay for a plane ticket (and will be doing so within a couple weeks), so my savings for now is for actual money to be spent on Vacation. Woot. I put a $500 payment on my CC and I'm down to $764.20. I'll get that reimbursement check from the university today, deposit it tomorrow, and pay off the balance next week. Wooooo hoooooo!!!! Everything not spent on the CC will be put into savings, naturally

So very exciting to be in this great financial place. Today not much going on, except we need to get stuff for the kitty that is coming home sunday. I'm veeery excited about this, and cant wait to get the apartment all set up. Tonight is board game night with friends. Good times all around. So more spending will commence here in a bit, but nothing too crazy. Groceries need to be bought, and cat stuff. woot.

Just wanted to share my excitement. I would post pics, but my battery charger has been at camp since my job ended. I'll be picking that up today as well. Yay errands... yay being able to drive myself to said errands! lol.

Later, guys!

Well, it's back to school for me, and it's certainly been a busy week. Not so much busy with classes, but everything else!

Car shopping continues, and I plan to look at a couple tomorrow (because I have no classes). I'm finding a lot in my price range on cars.com and Craigslist. I'm feeling good about the two I'm planning on driving... So cross your fingers!

I'm picking up that check from my old roomates tomorrow, as I haven't had time this week. I'll then deposit and put a big payment on my CC It's fantastic to know that it will be paid off within a couple months. Then I start on those pesky student loans!

In other financial news, I'm getting a kitten! I miss having a fuzzy creature around the house, and they've been told to be much less maintenance. That being said, I've only raised a puppy, not a kitten. I think it'll be a great experience. We looked at the little guy yesterday, and he's very much full of spunk and energy! I think it's going to be a great match...

That being said, though, it's also going to cost a bit. He himself is free-- dumped on a doorstep in a box with a few brothers and sisters. He's only about 6 weeks old, though, so he'll need a vet visit, shots, and everything else. I plan on making all of my own cat toys (and plenty of them!), and a cat bed. But he'll need food, dishes, a scratching post, treats, etc.

As for spending, we went out with BF's friends both monday and tuesday night. We'll be out again tonight. Not really my preference, but while he's driving me to campus, I dont have much of a choice. I'm a bit tired of it, but next week wont be so bad. Last night had dinner at mom's and did laundry. Brother is back in town and out of the airforce. Had to see him, and my cousin came over. Very nice

Tomorrow we'll be car shopping, then stopping at the Rec (free), and having a boardgame night with friends (not out paying $4-5/beer).

Today I have class and will be working. A lot. My writing is coming along nicely, and I've already hit my $200 mark for freelancing income this month. Good stuff

It's going to be a good weekend!

I recently wrote a blog entry celebrating the $2k I found in an old bank account that had been there since June. That was the GI backpay that was owed to me from last semester.

This weekend, I FINALLY got paid my enlistment bonus pay-- minus the $2k or so I had debt to the army because they had overpaid me when I got back from AIT. This means about $5k showed in my usual bank account... holy crap! I can finally buy a car

It's even better though, because my balance with the university is a big fat ZERO. This means that my army scholarship processed correctly this semester AND I got grant money from the government to cover the difference. Best part? They covered MORE than the difference, which means I should have money coming to me from them as well.

Even better... I got notification that my GI bill is set in motion, and will be the correct amount this semester.

Even better... now that my debt with the army is cleared up, I get my full drill payments-- which means closer to $160/month instead of $55/month.

I'm able to buy the plane ticket for december without charging a red cent to my credit card, I'm able to buy a halfway decent vehicle to get me back and forth without incurring any debt, I dont have to work a full time job outside of writing this semester because my GI will cover my bills, and because of all this I will also realistically pay off my credit card in the next few months. WOW. I've never felt better

I've worked so hard for so long, and things are finally paying off.

My vacation was pretty amazing, too.

That's all for now. Just wanted to share my excitement