The time really does fly by...

So let's take a look at spending for the month:



I'm overall really happy with how I did. Though I definitely went over budget in a few areas- mainly with restaurant eating, as usual- I'm still quite proud of the accomplishments of the month. I spent half what I did last month on food, and I think I only purchased coffee one time.

I had a few just really stupid expenses that I shouldn't even have bothered with- $20 in TV that came on Netflix 4 hours after I bought it on Amazon, and $20 in iCloud storage because I'm kind of an idiot when it comes to technology. That's $40 that could have been put to MUCH better use. Sigh...



Not included in this breakdown was the $1,562 payment to clear my CC, the $748 put toward my EF, or the $100 in car repairs I made.

It also doesn't include the $25 in Gas I spent today, which wont clear for a couple more days.

I didn't make any freelance income this month, which did put me a bit behind... but I still ended up with money leftover (though it's getting rotated into paying next month's bills at the moment).

Now on to budgeting for October!

I'm going to pad my EF a bit more, because I still haven't found a job to replace mine when the contract ends. I'm already a month ahead on my Student loans, but you can never be too careful. I don't have a CC payment anymore, so there's no reason why I shouldn't be able to add another $1,000 or so.

So here we are. Another week, and we're a little over the halfway mark in September. I can't believe just how fast time is flying...

At any rate, here is my update:

This past weekend was drill weekend. I ended up staying in at my place Friday night, so no spending there. I wasn't feeling well and just ended up taking a long bath and watching Netflix.

Saturday I got gas on my drive down (it's an hour to get to where I drill, which is about 5 min away from my mom's house. That's where I stay so I don't have to drive back). Spent about $25 on gas.

I always end up going out to lunch on drill weekends- because they usually give us rather unappetizing boxed lunches and it's our time to take a break from the day. Saturday we hit chipotle. I spent about $6. Yesterday, we went to Piada- that was roughly $7.

Saturday night I stayed in, had leftovers from mom's fridge, and worked on an online graphic design class that a friend of mine is paying me to take for her. I kind of feel bad- I generally wouldn't do something like this. Education is important. But she's never going to be a graphic designer, and it's a win-win for us. I would have paid to take this class, and I'm getting a bit of cash out of it. And she doesn't have to spend time struggling through it. This is how I rationalize it, and that's that. heh.

Last night was pretty chill. Ice cream Sunday with the boy, and then watched some TV and went to sleep. This week is going to be a really busy one- so I wanted to get some rest.

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Today I ate breakfast at home, brought in coffee. I tried my Aldi Donut Shop coffee for the first time today. Not terrible. I put so much flavored creamer in it that it really doesn't matter what coffee I use regardless. Brought a can of soup for lunch.

Tonight I'm going to the mall with BF so he can buy a suit for his sister's wedding this weekend. Hoping I don't feel the urge to purchase anything. It's hard to trust myself in malls... but I have faith that I will maintain my self control.

Cooking dinner tonight so I can take leftovers for lunch. I didn't go grocery shopping this weekend, but I should be okay for the next few days. I may hit Aldi for a few things, but I'm going to try and hold out until the weekend if possible. I have plenty of food at home right now.

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Mid month breakdown:



The green bars are for this month, the yellow are for the same period from last month. As you can see, food and dining spending is way better this month than last. I was also able to pay a lot more on the student debt this month, which is awesome.

I used my CC for all purchases this weekend (to get the rewards points), but I paid it off this morning, so I'm back to a zero balance.

Right now I have $60 in amazon gift cards from rewards points-- thanks to PNC points and Swagbucks. I'm going to start piling them up as much as I can to buy xmas gifts and little things that pop up. I'm at about 100 swagbucks right now. I'm earning them pretty fast these days...

Anyway, time to get back to work. Hope you all had a great weekend, and have an equally great week!

What. a. week.

I happily reported on my little victories the other day, but I'm having quite the hectic week regardless.

Yesterday I worked through mid afternoon, then left work early to drive down to Columbus to see the USMNT beat Mexico 2-0. That was pretty amazing! I did buy us food on the way down, as BF covered both tickets and drinks while we were down there. That was about $14-- so nothing crazy.

We did end up driving back last night, but it was still a late one. I woke up not only exhausted this morning, but my allergies were raging, and other fun factors have my stomach in a bind (unfortunately, not alcohol related).

I ate breakfast and lunch at home today-- took my car in to get the muffler fixed. I was happy to come out of it only spending $100. There's another piece that will likely break at some point, and they quoted me $300 for that... but it'll just make it a little louder and wont actually hurt anything. So I opted to wait until it gets bad to deal with that. Still need to fix my windows (the front ones don't roll down anymore), but that's another expense I can procrastinate. It's about to get cold anyway, I don't need to roll my windows down Paid the bill with the CC to get the reward points, but I'll be paying it off in full as soon as it posts.

That being said, I have an extra $400 in the budget to reallocate. Which will, of course, be going to that student loan account. I'll be able to dip under $12k this month. That's pretty exciting!

In other good news, I had talked to BF previously about the potential of him giving me a "loan" to essentially refinance some of my student loan debt. I usually wouldn't intermingle my expenses with a significant other, but given that we're planning on getting married in about a year, it seems alright. I'd never ask him to pay my loans off, but from a joint financial perspective, him paying off my loan so that I can pay him back at zero interest is going to save a lot of money in interest over the course of the next decade or so. The faster I pay off my loans, the sooner I can contribute more to things like downpayments on a house and saving for having kids/college/etc.

We talked about it for a while, and he was a bit uneasy because he still hadn't sold his car and wasn't quite where he wanted to be in terms of saving. We had also originally talked about him paying off the total $12k.

Yesterday, though, we revisited the topic-- as he finally sold his car and is back where he was in his savings. The arrangement we agreed on was that after I cut this loan in half, he's going to pay off the last $6,000 on it, and then I'll pay him back at zero interest for that one. Kind of a testament to my dedication to all of it, and it gives him a little time to save up a bit more as well. Nonetheless, that's still quite a bit of money I'll save in interest-- and it'll likely move into a situation where that same money just revolves after a loan is paid off. It could save us a lot in the end.

Needless to say, the BF is a pretty awesome dude. And I'm so very fortunate that he is in the position to help out where he can and already does.

All that being said, it's time for me to get back to work. I have a lot of catching up to do! Hope you're all having a great week.

So I hounded my boss enough that yesterday he cut me a check. Our payroll person has been out for the last couple of weeks, and I guess a problem with our servers has made it difficult. Nonetheless, I am $4500 less poor. At least for now.

I deposited the check this morning, so hopefully by Monday I'll be able to move it all around. That's when the fun starts. Pay off the CC, put about $750 in my EF, and then fix my car. After that, it's time to hit those student loans. I just need to make sure I keep enough in my account to cover rent and utilities for next month, and some grocery money, and the $200 I set aside for medical expenses (I need to schedule an appointment).

I sat down with my spreadsheet and worked it out, and it seems I'll be able to put a total of $1,250 toward student loans comfortably, assuming a budget of $500 for car repairs. I'm reeeeeally hoping it's not even that much, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.



If I pay off the CC, pay up the EF, and put $1,250 toward my loans, I should be left with $1,569 in my account-- which will get me to my next paycheck, ideally, including those repairs. Potentially more, if I underestimate a couple of those expenses. That would be nice...

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So that's spending on big ticket items, here's the recap of spending over the last week:



"Health and fitness" is my insurance payment, and my rent should sneak in next week when my landlord cashes my check. But as you can see, food and dining is only at about $63-- which only includes a $10 non-grocery purchase (ice cream for BF and my weekly Sunday tradition). Woooo!!! If you compare that to the same time period last month, you see a rather large difference:



Have I mentioned I love Mint?! Something about being able to visualize the difference graphically really resonates with me.

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Last night did end up going out with friends. All of my drinks were covered by BF and his roomies, as I drove home (so I only had a few anyway). Cooked enchiladas before going out. BF really liked them. We'll be making that again.

Not sure exactly what the plans are tonight, but hopefully it won't be too crazy. I'm exhausted from going out last night, and not really wanting to do too much celebrating. I'd be happy just lounging around my apartment all night, in all honesty.

Tomorrow I'm hoping to really do a number on my apartment. It sorely needs to be cleaned. It's probably not a terrible idea to look at my grocery situation and decide what I'll be cooking this coming week. I'm happy to say that I actually cooked all 3 meals I intended to make. That's pretty good for me. I usually have grand plans, and then end up throwing food away because I'm too lazy to cook... ugh.

Nurturing better habits here!

Hope you are all having a fantastic weekend!

So the last couple of days have been good. I broke down my budget and what I'll be making through December, and came up with a few goals.

September 15: Pay off CC (8/28: $1,563.88)

September 15: Have $1,000 in EF (8/28: $252.56)

By End of year: Get SM4 Loan down to $6,000 (8/28: $12,729.32)

Really, the big goal is to get my highest interest rate loan down to $6,000- cutting it in half, essentially. It's definitely going to be a challenge to do so, particularly with interest. But I think if I can really keep my eye on the prize that I can do so by the end of the year.

The other two goals will be met as soon as I get my paycheck. I get paid once a month, so I'll get those out of the way first thing. It'll be good to pay off the CC (again) and have a little money in my savings account.

There are a few big ticket items I have coming up in the next few months as well, and hopefully they'll come in under budget:

Car Repairs - $500 (I'm really hoping this is less)
Plane ticket to Seattle - $500
Spending money in Seattle - $200
Spending money in Europe - $1,000
Christmas Presents - $200

BF said he would buy me a plane ticket to Europe for my graduation gift, but we wont be able to take the trip until after the election, so we're planning to go around the holidays. One of my best friends moved to Seattle a couple of months ago, and I'm going with another friend to visit him in November. We'll be staying with him, so it shouldn't be a costly trip overall.

What I didn't include in here is medical expenses. I reeeeeally need to go to the doctor, but haven't gotten around to navigating my insurance yet (I'm on military insurance, and we can only see certain doctors, etc). I should probably factor in at least a few hundred for that-- as I'm likely going to need some testing done at the dermatologist.

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Now. The last couple of days have been good. I walked to the store and picked up some groceries (finally). Yesterday I didn't buy coffee or lunch. I packed and brought it to work. BF bought dinner. I did, however, purchase two beers at an event that we went to in the evening. And they ended up being far more costly than I had anticipated. Sigh. Ah well. $14 with tip gone, but I suppose it could have been much worse.

Today I'm working from home- so I'll be eating all of my meals here. I'm going to mail my rent check in today, and hopefully not spend on anything else. No plans for tonight yet, but I'm thinking it will be low-key. I really need to finish that editing project, and today I'll be filling out job applications along with working, so it might be a late(r) night.

I hope you all enjoy your Friday, and have a great 3-day weekend!

So November is now in the past, and unfortunately my results weren't quite as stunning as those of October in terms of the budget... but I still wasn't terribly over and I still managed to make $850 worth of payments toward debt, so I still count it a win!

In the last couple of weeks I've been slacking with keeping up with my finances and recording all of my expenses, etc. It's crunch time at school, which essentially means I stop cooking altogether and start eating convenience food... which does very little for my budget, as we all know. I'm going to do my best to not let the next two weeks face the same fate. It does add up, after all.

Put together my budget for this month, and though I was hoping to make a bigger debt payment this month it will likely only be marginally bigger. Christmas of course is going to put a strain on my finances, as well as the fact that the suspension on my car is really starting to go now.

That silly automobile is such a money pit. I keep reminding myself that I don't make a car payment, and I spend about $20 on gas every month, but it's so obnoxious spending so much in repairs. I was quoted a few months ago that this would be about $900... so I've anticipated it. Parting with almost $1k is going to be sad nonetheless. I'm honestly probably going to put it off for a month or two. I budgeted in a few hundred dollars to put in my savings toward it, but with how little I actually drive the thing, I don't see it as an immediate need. I'll tackle it either January or February.

I paid the remaining $150 from last month on my SM7 loan today-- probably should have done that yesterday, as I accrued about $50 in interest. Payment wouldn't have posted that quick anyway, though. Ah well. I'm really looking forward to seeing the number drop below $12k. It's definitely going to feel good

Other than that, I don't have much news... this weekend I'm working on a project due Monday, all next week I will be working on final papers and projects. It's a hideously busy time over here. Just cant wait to be done with this semester. I feel like it's been particularly awful and I'm really looking forward to some break time to really get some work done and recharge before starting up again for the spring.

Hope you all had a great November, and are as excited as I am to finish out 2012 strong!

I can happily say that I have paid off my very first loan!!! I know it's the smallest one, and the one with the lowest interest rate, but it feels good to cross one off the list I've also simultaneously reached a goal an entire month and a half early. Paid the final $399.72 today because I got paid yesterday. I feel the progress indeed.

I'm still under budget total for the month. I over-budgeted for the vet, but that savings funded a new set of gloves, a hat, and a scarf for me. Considering I've treated myself very little in the past few months, I feel okay about the purchase despite the fact that they weren't necessarily a *need*.

I still feel that I'll come out of November under budget. I can't say I'll have much extra income... mostly because I've been strapped for time recently and not devoting as much to my freelance work. I still need to squeeze in at least 8 more hours this month just to make what I budgeted for. With the holiday coming up this week I'm hoping that's possible. I'm looking forward to xmas break. I feel like I'm going to really bank with the extra time I'll have. My client has another project he'd like me on as well. There just aren't enough hours in the day.

I've been eating at restaurants a bit too much as of this week, though I'm still under budget. Just have to watch it in the coming weeks and stop with all the Dunkin Donuts coffee and wraps... Paid my internet bill today, and got all caught up on tracking. Feels good.

So the next goal... Paying off my highest interest loan by the end of next year. That's $12,802.56 in 13 months, or $884.81 every month-- or really more than that, because that doesn't include the tax. We're looking at close to $1,000/month-- so we'll see if I can reach the goal. I have faith (and more importantly, determination). I'll have a leg-up in January because I have a $1,000 in scholarship money coming my way. In April I'll be using any tax return money to put toward my debt, so that will also help.

Regardless, that is my mission and I hope to accomplish!!

Time for me to get to work. I hope you all have a fantastic rest of your weekend.

Hello everyone!

I hope you all had a wonderful October, and are managing to stay warm and dry. I've been without power since Monday night, but nonetheless am doing well. My thoughts are with all of those (severely) effected by the storm.

It's the first of November, which means it's time for my recap. This is the first month I'll be analyzing after deciding to do a serious financial makeover... and I'm happy to say that it's done well for me.

Here's how I panned out with the budget:



I ended up being in total $34.38 under budget for the month. This is pretty pivotal for me. I don't think I've ever created a budget for myself that I was able to stick to-- and that was including a $530 contribution to my emergency fund.

I don't think that's the best part, though. I ended up making way more money this month than I anticipated. Because of my raise at work, selling off over $200 worth of books on Amazon, returning items to IKEA, having a longer drill weekend than usual, taking on a big freelance project, and that little bit I got from doing a friend's laundry... I made $951.76 over my budget. Needless to say, I'm pretty pumped about that!!!

And every little bit of it is going toward student loans.

BOO-YAH.

It feels great to be making progress. I've budgeted $850 toward debt for November, which will have me reaching my goal to pay off the SM7 Loan a month earlier than I had hoped. I feel great about that. I applied a $650 payment this morning, which put me under $1k. Once I get my GI Bill payment I'll add the balance from October, and start paying toward my budgeted amount for November.

Then it's on to the next loan!

I struggle a bit with Dave Ramsey's logic. I went with the smallest loan for this first time around, and it happens to be the one with the lowest interest rate. I know I should be tackling the ones with the higher interest rates, but I agree with his logic that making progress is energizing. I'm thinking the next goal will be one of the mid-range total pricetags and interest rates, that way I get a bit of both worlds.



I adjusted my budget a bit this month, and it's a bit bigger-- to account for a larger debt payment and a couple of big items I need to address. My car, of course, is the big one there. My brakes are getting even worse, and I need an oil change. I also need to take my little fuzzball to the vet for some shots. In both cases I'm hoping the charges are not outrageous, but it feels good to know I have money available to me if something crazy happens nonetheless.

I think the real challenge will be keeping up with the workload that is supporting this progress. School is certainly gearing up and will be over before I know it. There's really only a little over a month left, after all.

I have a feeling I'll be able to make it work, though. And winter break I'll have even more time to pare away at this debt! Very exciting thoughts

So here's to a successful October, and looking to an equally successful November!

I feel like this weekend went by in a whirlwind. Friday night didn't end up doing much. The BF and I went out to dinner, then I was so exhausted when we got back to his place that I fell asleep... at 9:30. ha. We were supposed to go out with friends and I am so happy those plans never really came to fruition. Considering I slept a full 12 hours, I needed to catch up on the Z's.

Yesterday we went with a friend to figure out the Halloween costume situation. This is always my favorite holiday, and I've been a bit bummed because I didn't have the time to pour into a really snazzy costume. I love to sew and Halloween is usually my time to shine. I did not, however, want to spend a lot of money on anything. The end result was a $1 pair of fairy wings from the thrift store, roughly 4 yards of green tulle, and some random flowers and ribbon at the craft store. I was Poison Ivy a few years ago and reused the same green leotard and green tights. Voila. Tinkerbell. I think I spent about $11 total... and putting together the "tutu" was pretty painless.

The three of us went out to the bar and had a few drinks. BF went at Bob Ross and he quickly became one of the most popular people there. haha. Who doesn't love happy little trees?

Had a bit of a spendy weekend, however. Bought BF and I dinner yesterday, a round of drinks at the bar. Today I went to Giant Eagle and picked up a few things-- cat food, conditioner, a few other things. No terribly frivolous purchases, but at the end of the day spent $35. I'm still under budget, by about $70 (I think. I didn't save my bar receipt and it hasn't hit my account yet). I'm going to definitely adjust my budget a bit next month to account for more grocery money. I certainly don't regret any of the money I've spent in the last week, but it's tough seeing it go. haha. I consider that a good thing.

I finished up with my first round of getting paid to wash laundry. He needs to pick it up and pay me, but it was pretty painless. I looked at some of the rates per pound that people pay, and calculated it out. I'm charging him $1/pound, then additional per load because my apt has coin operated. All in all, I'm making $30 and that's not bad in my opinion for a little bit of work. In the following weeks I'll just be washing it with my own laundry because there wont be quite so much volume. This kid clearly went a few weeks. haha.

In other financial news, I've negotiated rates for a project I'm taking on-- a strategic communications plan, website development, and social media account setup and training. I'm terrible about selling myself short, and because I would still consider myself to be an amateur graphic designer, I tend to sell even shorter. Originally talked about $15/hr. For someone who has to this point never worked a big girl job, this sounds like a lot. I'm still stuck in college employment and internship mode. I figured I would value myself a bit more and went $20/hr, which they agreed to. I still feel like it's a success, despite knowing what some people charge for these kinds of services. It's for a nonprofit, so I feel better not charging them like crazy. At the same time, though, I really need to get a feel for my worth in this business at some point that's fair to my skill level and creative talent.

Baby steps.

At any rate, I hope you all had a fantastic weekend and enjoy the rest of this Halloween season! BF and I will be carving pumpkins Tuesday night. Pretty pumped! Cheers!

This week has felt like an eternity!

I've returned from my trip to Boston. The meeting went fantastically. I am, however, absolutely exhausted. Very long days, very busy, on my feet practically all three days. Got some phenomenal shots and got to see some really well-known figures speak. It was exciting, but I'm elated it's all over. For those of us planning the trip and getting it underway, it's a relief to not have to think about it much anymore.

I ended up spending barely any money. Really, just Dunkin Donuts in the airport on the way there, a bottle of wine ($6, nothing crazy), and some nail polish and lipgloss... All of my meals were covered, and I didn't have to pay a dime for the flight or hotel room. I did have to make sure I put everything into my app to update. I'm still way under budget for the month- particularly because I sold yet another textbook Friday. I should be getting my deposit from Amazon shortly.

Looking out now, I should have at least a couple of hundred dollars extra from the budget to throw at that loan. We wont know until the very last day of the month, though.

Grocery shopping tomorrow! And working on midterms. And a wedding Saturday. Busy times, these.

Hope you all enjoy your weekend and I'll leave you with a photo I took of David Gergen at our reception Monday night!

I cant believe I leave for Boston in less than 2 days! We've all been killing ourselves at work for this national meeting and I'm finally at the point where all of my projects are essentially done or (very) under control. From here on out it's packing and tying up loose ends. Very nice to not feel overwhelmed and I'm very proud of myself for taking control of my schedule this week.

I got my new camera lens yesterday. Work paid for it, because I'm going to be taking the majority of the photographs next week. It was only $100 and I wish I would have went with the pricier one in retrospect, but I was trying to do right by the organization and my photographer friend said the next step up was only marginally better in terms of quality. Either way, I want to do a little reading and tinkering in the next couple of days. This will be the first event I photograph on any scale.

I'm really excited, though. There are a great spread of speakers showing up, nationally and in some cases internationally renowned. One of my personal heroes-- Ed Glaeser-- is a keynote speaker, and the chance to get to meet him is really exciting! Looking forward to meeting and taking photos of people I really respect. I've also never been to Boston, and we're doing a tour of Fenway park, a harbor boat cruise, and a few other really cool things. There will be mayors and the Gov of Mass. It's all very overwhelming and exciting and holy crap what in the world am I going to wear? haha.

That's actually been a big thought on my mind. I want to look nice, of course, but I'm also going to be on my feet for many hours a day and don't want my feet to kill. Always fun. I will be heading to Target tomorrow to grab a neutral cardigan. My budget is way capable of handling it.

It's been a very low spend week. I did buy lunch for the BF and I today, but I've still got plenty left in my budget for groceries and eating out at restaurants. I've spent absolutely zero of my "going out" budget. Apparently I've been really boring this month haha.

Tonight I'm getting things ready for my trip and doing some homework. I have midterms coming up and a few papers I really need to get some headway on.

At any rate, I should get to work on all this! Hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

Now that I've made my goal for the month, I'm geared up to tackle the next one. I got paid today, so my first instinct is to throw it all at debt. But of course I cant do that. lol. I have to start thinking about what expenses I need to cover for the rest of the month, and then how much I'll be able to put toward that pesky loan.

I sold yet another book on Amazon today, and my payments for the last 3 should come in on the 14th. Drill pay this month will be a bit more than usual because it's a day longer than usual. All that being said, I know I have a little bit of extra cash to work with. At the same time, I don't want to leave myself with zero money for food. lol. I added in that extra income and adjusted my budget for the extra payment to my EF this month and it matches almost perfectly. So I'm not entirely sure how much I'll be able to put toward debt until next month unless I come up under budget in a few areas- and I could. But I still don't expect to be able to throw more than $50-100 toward debt this month. But we'll see! Another income source could come my way I don't know about yet

I put an extra $100 away in my savings for car repair savings. I know that thing is going to need some work before long, so I may as well start stashing some money now. That was budgeted for, though. I made my internet payment today as well.

Grabbed a coffee and a couple of wakeup wraps at Dunkin Donuts today for breakfast. $5.57. That's the first time this week I've spent money on food. I consider that a huge victory for me. There have been weeks in the last few months where I've eaten out for almost every meal...

At any rate, time to get my apartment in order and packed for this weekend. I'll be at drill, so meals are all free there Woo!

Everyone have an awesome day.

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

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 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 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!

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!

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!

Well, I in fact lied because I didn't get a chance to update yesterday. No worries, however, you will all be caught up

Spent the morning and a bit of the afternoon finishing up an assingment, which is good because we need to do a payment. I told myself I would not go to the pool until it was finished, and finish it I did. That being said, I certianly went to the pool.

I went and finished the book I was working on, then bought a beer and hung out with a couple of the guys from my class. Mom ended up calling me after a bit, and I talked to her for quite a while. No luck yet, and she was feeling pretty down.

It seemed she sounded a bit better by the time we got off the phone. The deposit I made for Mother's Day went through, and though she claimed it was "too much," she sounded incredibly appreciative. I feel I did good by that decision. I'm just happy that I've taken control of my finances and am in a position where I'm able to help her like that.

I'm sad I cant be there to hang out with her today. I called a bit ago, but she's out grocery shopping with my grandma. BF is stopping over there tomorrow to give her the card I made, and to take her out for a bit. He's such a sweetheart. My sister is at her grandma's today, my older brother is in jail, my younger brother is stationed in GA (and was supposed to be up, but it fell through), and I'm over here in AZ. I know she's bummed about it... I really wish I could be there.

I finally got to see my LES for my army payment coming up... good news and bad news. The good news is that it is more than expected. The bad news is that it is much, much less than it could have been. When I got back from my initial training, the army was paying me active duty pay for a couple months, and consequently I racked up a debt. Because I'm still paying that debt they took a HUGE chunk out of my check. I could have made over $2k in these last 2 weeks, but instead I'm getting $625. Ouch. Ouch indeed.

I guess the good news is that my debt will be paid faster this way. I'll start getting the full amount for drill weekends rather than $50. lol. And if they take the rest out of my bonus, it will only be $1k I'm losing out on. As long as I have $5k to pay for a car, I'll consider it a success.

So that kind of sucks, but I'm trying to remain positive about it. Again, it's still more than I thought I wsa getting.

Today is definitely going to be a work day. I have to finish up quite a few assignments. I want to get them done quickly, as well as get a lot done during the week coming up. Next weekend I'm forbidding myself from doing any work. I'm just going to let go and spend time with BF. We're both so excited. Haven't seen eachother in a month! This is the last week, though, and we're starting to get really impatient. lol.

My little sister's b-day party is saturday, and we're doing dinner and cake at my mom's, followed by laser tag. I know the laser tag is expensive, but mom had money put aside for a trip that she never went on, and my sister is turning 16, so she feels she should get to do what she wants. You only turn 16 once.

I obviously wont let my mom pay for my or BF's tickets, and I offered to purchase the DQ icecream cake as my contribution and gift to my sister. I'll probably still grab her a card and throw $10 or something in it, but that's one less expense mom has to worry about. We're doing dinner at her place, probably pizza.

So BF and I will be hanging out with my mom and sister saturday night, then going to visit his family Sunday. It should be a good weekend.

Well, I suppose I should get to work! Hope you all have a great Sunday, and Happy Mother's Day!

Well. I sent an email off requesting more information about a job I saw posted on Craigslist. It's really a dream job (at least for me)... a "Waterfront Director" for a local camp for special needs children. This I know will be an incredibly rewarding job for me, and it is a much better application of my education in sociology and psychology than a waitressing gig would ever be.

It pays better than my current job, and I was told today I will likely be laid off after tomorrow anyway. This was entirely expected, and thankfully I have built myself a situation where being out of work for almost a month isn't going to kill me or leave me hopeless. I will thank whomever for giving me the kick in the butt I needed to get saving and pump up that freelancing career. It has saved me.

The job pays alright. Not fabulous, but I'm obviously not in it for the money. The tough spot lies that this position is a live-in position-- something I apparently missed when I initially looked at the ad. Despite learning this, I still got more information about the job, and told the guy I would call him tomorrow with a decision. He said he appreciated me taking the time to think about it... someone had already flaked out on it.

I talked it over with BF for a while... obviously the key issue of this job is that I'll spend far less time with him than I anticipated this summer. We were supposed to move in together come July. Obviously plans would have to be changed and I would only get to see him three nights a week, only stay over two of those nights.

Certainly not an easy decision, but after reflecting on the pros and cons for a few hours, I've decided to go through with it. It seems silly to pass up an opportunity for a meaningful summer job just so I can have a bit more free time. The financial benefits are great as well.

Even though the job only pays $250/week, there's a weekly $35/week bonus that gets paid in one lump at the end. Not only that, but I dont pay for lodging, and I dont need transportation. I've been worried about how I will get to any new job I pick up because even though my enlistment bonus *should* come within the next few months, I dont count on the Army to do anything right anymore. Ever.

So I will save on gas, insurance, groceries, rent, utilities (for the months we'll push back moving), and entertainment purely because I wont have the time or freedom to go out and spend money. I'll still do some freelance writing in the evenings, though I understand I probably wont do quite as much. I've figured this all into my budget.

That being said, if I go through with it and take the job, I will in fact have my CC paid off in July. This is INCREDIBLY exciting for me, as I wont have a payment to make every month, and I can start working on my next savings goal-- $3000 for vacation in December. As it is, I've worked out my projected budgets and income from now to December, and I'm about $1k short for the trip.

On one hand, I have not included any of my present savings in that budget (a bit over $1000), nor have I included my enlistment bonus. This bonus is supposed to be $10k. Granted, after taxes I'll be happy if it ends up $6k. Regardless, only about $5k of it will go toward a car if this is the case, and the remaining cash will go toward this vacation. If it's more than $6k, that money will start going toward those pesky student loans and saving for next year's vacation. It will be so much easier with that CC payment out of the way!

It's nice to take a look at my budget and know that one way or another I'll make my goals. Even if I dont get my bonus in time (which I better), my CC isn't maxed to high hell and I could charge a portion if I needed to. I'm going on that vacation no matter what. Micronesia and Australia, here I come

The prospects of 2011 are really exciting. Again, I wont have my CC payment to make, which frees up $2400 for the year. I'll start grad school in 2011, and that's also very exciting! 2012 is the year BF and I will get hitched (assuming things are still going well), but I dont anticipate having to save too much for the actual ceremony. We're planning on having a really low-key wedding and a big party. Nothing fancy. I'm not down for spending thousands of dollars on one silly day when I could use that money to travel the world

Hopefully by the time we get married I'll have a decent amount of my debt paid off. I need to figure out how to get my military student loan repayment going, and start agressively attacking them when that vacation is saved up for. I have to prioritize these things, and I've made it important to take one vacation outside of the country every year with my darling BF.

Anyhoo... If I'm going to reach these goals, I better get working! Hope you all are having a great week! Later!

Well, as look back at April, I feel really good about myself:

[x] Stay under budget
[ ] Don’t spend any money on clothes
[ ] Don’t use CC at all
[x] Generate $100 in Freelancing Income
[x] $50 max spending w/ BF per week
[x] Keep track of finances all month
[ ] Make Moving Goal ($400 more in Savings)

It looks like I didn't make 3 of my goals here, but when it comes down to it, I did. Well, I did spend a tiny bit of money on clothes when I got here to Arizona... mostly because I didn't pack enough. But it was under $20.

I did in fact use my CC a few times... but only because I had transfers going on I wasn't sure were through and so I didn't want to risk and overdraw. The difference is that I promptly paid that off when the transfers were complete. Also, I charged my plane ticket here to AZ because my unit screwed things up, but I'm getting reimbursed.

My moving goal is another tricky one. I currently have $1150.00 in my savings account-- $50 away from my goal. But you have to keep in mind that I transferred $500 out to my checking to cover any travel costs or expenses while I'm here, and that will be paid back once I get my first army paycheck out here. So I really went above my goal in reality.

To look at April professionally, quite a few things happened. I lost hours at my job, but I've picked up the cash doing more freelancing work-- which is going great! I nailed a few more permanent gigs, that are progressing nicely, and I've developed my own professional brand a bit more by getting out my website and printing some business cards. Here were my totals for freelancing in April:

Freelancing Revenue: $424
Freelancing Expenses: $18.98
April's Profit: $405.02!!!

This is well beyond my $100 goal

It's nice to see that my hard work is paying off... I just picked up another gig this past week. It's just getting better and better.

Now for May Goals:

[ ] Stay under budget
[ ] Don't spend $ on clothes
[ ] Don't use CC at all
[ ] Generate $500 in freelancing income
[ ] $50 max spending w/ BF per week
[ ] Keep track of finances all month long
[ ] Make savings goal (only $50 more)
[ ] Pay $800 on CC

Every one of those goals is do-able, and I'm excited to see if I can meet the challenge (and go above and beyond!)... I know I can if I work hard enough.

This summer is going to be really exciting for me. I'm very much looking forward to moving out of my roomate's house and into my own apt come July 1. So for the next couple months, I'll be working hard to pay off my CC, and looking for new places to live I'm $50 away from my savings goal-- that $1200 is for security deposit, first month's rent, starting a container garden (mostly herbs and a few veggies), redoing my couch (couch cover and fabric to sew new pillow covers), paint and gloss finish for my table (another project), and possibly a new desk. Any extra will be put aside for emergencies or added to the start of my next savings goal: vacation. I'll start attacking that one after I pay off the CC.

And hopefully (crossing my fingers), I'll get paid my enlistment bonus, so I can buy a car. I haven't decided if I'm going to buy one now, or wait til closer to the fall. I'd really like to take advantage of the nice weather to ride my bike as transportation, and save money on insurance and gas for a couple months. I work from home, and gotten along just fine for a while. We'll see what happens, I guess!

I'll stop now, as this has gotten entirely too long, and I have much work to get done this weekend! I hope everyone enjoys thier saturday and welcomes May as happily as I do Peace.

Alrighty. Well, my "April" started today, so I figured I would do the breakdown of the month... as I said in previous posts, I went to Columbus this weekend. I ended up having a wonderful time, though I spent a bit more money than I had anticipated. Regardless, I have no regrets... my March was pretty excellent financially. Here is the breakdown:

March Goals:

[ ] Stay under budget
[x] Dont spend any money on clothes
[x] Pay off laptop 3/1
[x] Pay off tuition
[x] Don't use CC at all
[x] Write at least 12 articles this month
[ ] $50 max spending w/ BF per week
[x] Keep track of finances all month
[x] Put at least $500 in savings

March Budget:



As you can see, I was $34.79 over budget. What you don't see here, however, is that I put $764.77 into my savings account this month So I really cant beat myself up too bad...

I made $50 more this month than I thought I would writing, so that's excellent. I'm hoping it to be even higher in these coming months.

In bad news, my hours got cut at work. The good news is, however, that I'll still be making about the same as I had anticipated, due to cutting my hours back for army training starting the 18th. So my budget is more or less unaffected for the next 2 months. I may start looking for another job once I get a car this summer, however.

Other than all that, there really is nothing new. Just busy with writing and getting everything set for later this month. It seems through networking and a bit of internet research that I'm getting some really great leads for freelancing. All very exciting stuff. I hope everyone had an equally wonderful weekend! Take care everyone!

Here it is! The weekend is upon us! Very exciting, as I have quite a bit planned. Tonight going swimming at the rec with the BF. We're staying the night at his place, and driving to Columbus tomorrow afternoon to go see the Crew game (woo!). Hopefully the weather will be nicer there than it is here... snow?? Bleh...

I published a couple more on AC:

Daily Haiku Poem: Ohio Spring
Games that Strengthen Mental Acuity

Got another lead for a freelance job... so that's again good news I'm calling him today.

Other than that, no real news. Just a packed schedule! I did put more $ into my savings account yesterday-- more revenue from writing. I'm now up to $74 in articles this month, and $796.77 in my savings! I feel I'm making excellent progress

Mom got into quite a predicament changing jobs, and now has none... so that sucks, and I'm sure will be a big stress on her. I'm hoping things will pan out and I'm keeping an eye out for her. Said she has an interview tuesday, so I'm crossing my fingers.

Not sure what I'm going to do as far as the budget goes this week... it's one of those funky months where the last week half falls in the next month. So I'm not sure if I'm going to just stick it out through the 31st, or if I'm just going to start April's budget this week. I have about $2 left in the grocery budget, so there's no way I would stick to it this way.

At any rate, I hope everyone has a wonderful day and weekend

Well, it's been a busy publishing week! AC accepted another article:

Surviving a Long Distance Relationship

Other than that, just working today! I'm writing another article to submit. Trying to do one a day. I've already made $10 this month... hoping to meet my goal of $20, and I don't see it being a problem.

I went grocery shopping yesterday, and I'm still well within budget-- I was a few dollars over for this week, but I was about $15 under last week, so it's more than balanced out.

Today is wednesday, which means coffee with the BF after class tonight

Well, vacation came and went. I very much wish it would have been longer, but it's back to the real world now...

Great news about vacation (other than it being warm and very fun): I budgeted $75, and only spent $23 The family totally spoiled me. But that means $52 more towards savings. I'll be adding that as soon as I deposit the cash I've got on hand.

Three more of my articles got accepted:

*

Dr. Seuss gives us hope for racial equality: The Sneetches
*Surviving Bootcamp: What to Expect
*Top 10 Restaurants in Akron, Ohio

So all together it added up to be $9.65. Hopefully I'll get a decent number of page views! Regardless, every little bit helps. I need to keep writing, though!

I'm supposed to get my tax return friday. Let's cross our fingers! Then the tuition will be paid off. All bills except that one are paid for this month. Woot.

As for today's plans, I'm working, and I'll probably run for a bit on lunch. I need to start getting in shape again. Then after work I'm gonna walk down to the bank and make that deposit. Do homework, then class tonight. Busy busy. I cant believe it's already tuesday. I love 4-day weeks!

In other good news, the SUN IS SHINING. So happy to come home to warmer weather Hope everyone is having a wonderful week!

[x] Dont use my CC
[x] Pay off $200 on CC
[x] Keep track of finances all month
[ ] Write at least 3 articles per week ll
[x] Minimal entertainment spending.
[x] $50 max spending per week when BF and I are together.

So I accomplished every one of my Feb goals except writing at least 3 articles per week. That's one I can work on more in March. As for being under budget... I didn't have a formal Feb budget set out, but my spending was as follows:

Entertainment: $123.77 (but that includes both my mom's b-day and valentine's day)
Misc: $170.28 (It is only this high because I ended up paying $130 to replace the lens in my glasses)
Groceries: $126.30
Food On Campus: $6.80
Gas: $28.43

All the rest are fixed amounts. Not really too bad. I went through my accounts to see if there is anything I regretted spending the money on, and I came up with nothing. I guess breaking my glasses was incredibly dumb, but aside from that I have no regrets whatsoever.

I hope that March goes as well (actually, better) than Feb did. My goals for this month are as follows:

*Stay under budget
*Don’t spend any money on clothes
*Pay off laptop
*Pay off tuition
*Don’t use CC at all
*Write at least 3 articles per week
*$50 max spending w/ BF per week
*Keep track of finances all month
*Put at least $500 in savings

and my budget is as follows:

Rent $200.00
Car Insurance $0.00
Phone $55.00
Meds (3 months worth) $36.00
Groceries $150.00
Clothes $0.00
Transportation $30.00
Car Repairs $0.00
Entertainment $100.00
School Exp $0.00
Florida Trip $75.00
FOC $0.00
Yoga $10.00
Misc $20.00
CC Payments $200.00

I'll have quite a few sources of additional income this month, so I should in effect not only be able to put $500 in my savings account, but also make a hefty payment on my CC. I know this is a REALLY strict budget, but I think if I stick to my guns I'll be able to manage it alright. I just have to utilize the willpower. lol.

This weekend I didn't spend *too* much. Mostly food... which I guess could have been avoided, but oh well. Stopped at the grocery store to buy the remainder of the ingredients needed for my sweet potato soup, and that ran me about $6, but I also have leftovers... that I'm eating for dinner tonight

Talked to BF today a little bit about money, and he made the comment that he thinks I care about money more than he does.. but also acknowledged that I have a bit more to worry about as well.

It's kind of sad, really. I dont want to care this much about money because I'm not terribly materialistic, and I dont worry about money so much because I want to lead an extravagant life... really, my debt is the only thing that really makes me worry about it so much. The sad thing is that 97% of my debt is due to schooling costs... Not to say that I couldn't have made some smarter choices, but I have a lot of debt that is due to just wanting to go to school and living a pretty low key life.

I explained what really stresses me out is that the possibility of us getting married in the next 5 years or so is pretty high, and I certainly dont want to bring a boatload of debt into the equation, especially considering he really has none. So it's definitely something I think and worry about. I'm just happy that I've gotten to a point where I feel a bit more optimistic about things. I know that my goals for this year will be achieved, and that makes me feel really secure.

At any rate, it's time for me to get some homework done. No more spending today! And I think it's going to be minimal this week. Of course, friday I leave for FLORIDA I budgeted $75 for the weekend. I'm hoping dad is going to cover most of my expenses while I'm there, but I'd much rather over-prepare than under-prepare.

Either way, I'm off. I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

Alright, filed my taxes... I'll be getting $1185 back from the fed and $151 from the state. Woo! Not only that, but the money sitting in my paypal acct that I had on hand in case I had to pay taxes is available for me to use So it was more like getting a $1500 return.

Of course, all that money is going straight to the financial goals I've got goin on the sidebar. Specifically, it's going to pay off my tuition. Well, most of it anyway. I have money coming from my dad to cover the majority of my flight to Florida next week, and money a friend owes that will likely cover the rest of it.

So that's one debt out of the way. I'll then pay off the laptop and start agressively paying off the CC and putting money in savings. I just have to pay off my tuition before I sign up for summer classes, which I want to do here soon. So that's certainly high on the priority list. The savings are for moving costs and whatnot. I plan on moving out of my roomates' house at the end of may/beginning of June. The BF will be moving in at the end of June, and my cousin is supposed to live with me as well. So I've been scouring craigslist looking at apartments and houses, just to get an idea of what is available. It's looking like a 2 bedroom, I'm shooting for something in the $600 range. I would be okay with a bit more, but not too much more. Still, everything split 3 ways cant be beat.

After I've moved in it will be agressively pay off CC and save for vacation in december. I'm expecting the plane ticket to run me $2500... perhaps a bit less, but I'd rather plan for more. I'm going to get my bonus money after I complete this training, and that will cover the funds for a new car. I cant wait! After the CC is paid and the car is bought, all I have to worry about is those pesky student loans! Oh, student loans...

I'm gonna try and pump out a couple more articles today, because even though I dont get a large sum of money for them, every little bit counts. Cleaning my boss' house on sunday, so I'm expecting at least $40 for that. I do need to go grocery shopping at some point, probably tomorrow. That wont be too bad though. Still have some stuff left from this past week. BF is coming over tonight and we're making soup

It was a good weekend, financially. I really didn't spend anything! Well, I guess friday night I did go to Borders and buy a few books. The one in our area is going out of business, so they were having a sale. The good news is, however, that I only spent $13.66 Not bad for 3 books...

I went grocery shopping friday as well. My goal was to spend $30. I spent $44.38, but because my goal was $60 for the rest of the month I'll just try to stay under $15 next week. I'm making sure I eat the perishables I bought this week first, that way if I end up not eating something from this week I can carry it over to next week. So staying in my budget should be no problem.

Other than that, didn't spend a dime all weekend. I had drill, so I didn't really go out. And even though they didn't really make anything for lunch both days, I opted to eat MRE's and not spend money going out like everyone else did.

As for this week, I'm going to try and not spend too much again. Of course I have my coffee date with BF on wednesday. But it's his week to pay Yoga saturday morning, but it's only $5. Other than that, I'm going to try and not go out. I have a lot of homework to get done this week. Shouldn't be an issue. Besides, BF and I both agree that it's oftentimes much nicer to just stay in than it is to go out anyway.

So the army changed the dates on my schooling, so I'm leaving in April instead of June. Consequently, I have to miss 2 weeks of school and finals... that's going to be a joy to fix. The upside is, however, that I'm going to get my money faster, and only go without a car for about a month and a half. I'm going to junk my car. It's not worth it to put the money into it. Even if I could get it running I have to get it to pass emissions testing, and I dont forsee that happening without spending quite a bit. I'm just going to buy another car when I get my bonus money anyway. So it's going. I'll save the money I would pay for repairs, plates, testing, gas, and insurance.

Other than that, not a whole lot of news. Just busy! So I better get back to work. Hope everyone has a great day

So my first week of work came to a close. Everything went entirely well, and I'm looking forward to another productive week. There is some good news on the financial front:

I apparently misheard my tutoring client when we agreed on $15/hour. Apparently she said $15/half hour. So I'm actually making $30 more every week than I thought I was... Nice So in total, I'm making $80/week in tutoring alone. 3 hours of work for that much! You cant beat that.

I wrote a review of a local business that sells fair trade goods and postHaed the link on thier facebook. The woman that runs the business is fabulous, and she was incredibly happy with the article. In turn, she posted it for all to read, and said that she owed me and would return the favor somehow soon. I'm going to be in there tomorrow evening for thier 2 year anniversary celebration, so that could mean good things for me I really do love her business and the products she carries. They're pretty fabulous, and really well priced.

Had a doctor's appt today, and perscription I'm going to have every month. Luckily, the perscription is only $18 every month. 2 months of pills and the visit today cost me $74. Big ouch. Had to throw it on my CC, which was a bummer But I'll get that paid off in no time if work is going as well as it has been. I went from relatively no income to making quite a bit. It's a bit overwhelming, but also fabulous

When it works out, I'll be making $9/hr (I'm getting a raise as of next week. Go figure, right?). If we're talking a 15% tax rate (I'm going to have to save to pay taxes next year), I'll be making more like $7.65/hr. If I work 30 hours every week, that's about $230/week.

$230 Weekly salary
$80 Tutoring
$30 House Cleaning
$7 for Writing
$347 Total per week

$347x4=$1388 per month.

There's even talk of having another raise if business goes well, so I could be up to $10/hr in no time. Things are looking good over here.

If I stay with my roomates for another few months, I'll have the money for my car and laptop taken care of, and then my CC paid off in no time. Then I'll fly the nest and look for my own apt. Good stuff, for sure

So other than my medical stuff, the only spending I did today was on gas. I went through $10 in gas so quickly! Granted, my appt today was a bit far. And I've driven quite a bit in the last week. I'll have to keep track of that so I'm not spending quite so much on gas. I forgot what a big expense that could be... Ah well.

I'm playing army this weekend, and BF is going to be out of town, so it should be a super cheap few days. Very low key. As it is, I need to get going to get ready for tomorrow. Gotta love being a weekend warrior! lol. Hope everyone has a good evening!