My $10 tank of gas

I've been more vigilant about coupon savings and spending on food lately. Groceries are the weak point in my frugal armor. When I was in grad school, the only thing I let myself spend money on was on food--after all, it's a necessity. I can deny myself new clothes til the cows come home if i NEVER NEED ANYTHING, but if i HAD to buy one shirt every week, you can believe i'd overspend. And it's so easy to do in a grocery store! A little here, a little there...and voila. $400 spent on food every month. for a single, little person. I can't even eat that much at a time! I don't ever, EVER finish what's on my plate at restaurants--I prefer to eat a little bit 6 or 7 times a day. It works for me.

Also, I only eat prepared/frozen/ready to eat foods. The microwave is my best friend. I'm so exhausted from my 10-14 hour days sometimes, all I can do is stick something in the microwave for 6 minutes and collapse in front of the tv. On a lucky day, I will maybe prepare a salad with spinach leaves, some kidney and garbanzo beans, and feta cheese. Yummm. But those days are few and far between. That kind of food is expensive.

So...I spend way more than I should on food.

Lately I've been reading about this lady on the WIR board who regularly buys a weeks' worth of groceries for like 12 cents. She uses double coupons and scours the newspapers and internet for free deals. I don't have that kind of time, but it hurts me that I pay so much for stuff that I could be getting for free. My budget leak would stop on a dime! I would be rich if I could get my groceries for 0.12 cents a week!!

Von's is doing some sort of promotion now that names a thousand items in a "savings rally." If you buy ten of those 1000 items at one time, they give you a $10 voucher to use the next time you get Von's gas or groceries. Now, one of those items was Mac and Cheese, for .80 cents each. If you buy ten of those, that comes to 8 bucks. and you get ten back. Score! Not to mention, some of those items are stuff I actually would buy and use anyway, so i'm not buying useless stuff. (Note: the mac n cheese has now been pulled off the Savings Rally list; guess they caught on!)

So, being the savvy shopper I am, I did this last week. The register didn't catch that I should get a ten dollar voucher, so I actually had to go back and get one. argh.

Also, Von's ran a promotion a while ago where if you bought $50 worth of groceries in one sitting, you got .10 off each gallon of gas at the Von's gas pump. I also did this regularly.

So, last night when I went to go pump, I brought my ten dollar voucher in, punched in my Von's number, and also got ten cents off a gallon! Sweet. My total was something like $9.82 for a whole tank of gas. I don't have to go to work on Monday, and also I'm flying to NY for a week next Friday, so that ten dollar tank of gas should actually last me until the beginning of March.

Yay!

It is my solemn vow to stock up on non-perishable savings rally items that I use anyway (they are also on sale, so it makes it worth it to buy) in order to maximize the promotion. And, I will start scouring the internet and my flyers for coupons. I need to start cutting down that grocery bill. You have my word.

Taxes

I did my taxes. Thanks to a complicated mistake involving my sister's and my money market mutual fund (my sister's is still in my name, from a long time ago when my parents didn't want that $$ to count in her FAFSA), I had to fill out the 1040 and schedule D. argh. I don't even know if I calculated it correctly, but I did the best I could. I owe $228 to the feds, $50 of that will be reimbursed by my mom for my sister's fund.

My state owes me about $50. Mom also owes me $28 for the money not being reimbursed by Cali.

So, grand total: $100 bucks owed. Not too shabby.

Bereavement Leave

Oh. man. yesterday was insane. Lots of phone calls, lots of trying to figure out how to go to my grandpa's funeral.

I get three days off for bereavement leave, but I want to help my mom pack/sell/give away all of my grandparent's things. It's her birthday next monday, too--I want to spend it with her and hopefully help cheer her up. She is an orphan, just in time for her 58th birthday. So, I will be taking off more like 8 days. My company will understand.

I just don't know. I guess it's good that there's so many people up there looking after me--maybe now some things will start to go my family's way--but it sure gets lonely down here without them.

More Airplane tickets...

Looks like all the money I have been saving up for school will have to go towards a last-minute plane ticket to NY...my grandpa--my last living grandparent--died tonight suddenly of a heart attack. I hadn't seen him since my grandma (his wife) died, but he was supposed to visit me next weekend with my mom, aunt, and sister. I would give up all the money I have ever made to have that still on schedule and get to see him again.

Please, please call your loved ones and let them know that you love them. You just never know.

You can't put a price on it...or can you?

My boyfriend and I are getting more serious. While I really didn't expect it to happen over long-distance, and the future is highly speculative, he is already talking about later this year. Coincidentally, he has applied to a PhD program at the same school I'll be going to in the fall/spring.

So he may be moving back to my city. It's up in the air right now--he has to GET IN first, I realize, but he's pretty determined, and I have complete faith that they'll accept him.

And once he gets here...my lease will have just ended. And neither one of us will have a place to live. I really don't want to have new roommates, and will need to move someplace alot cheaper and nearer to the school/work anyway, as will he...this led us both to the conclusion that the easiest thing to do would be to move in together.

AAGGGHH!!

That is what the cynical part of me is screaming when I think about that. We've been together for 3 months now, almost exactly, and have lived in the same city for about two weeks total. It's a bit rediculous to me. If I heard about a friend doing this, I'd be insanely skeptical.

On the other hand--it makes sense. the timing, the convenience, and how well I know him assauge my freakedoutness. We lived together for a portion of last summer when my place was being remodeled; we weren't together then but it was really fun and we got along really well. Also, I've already told him that we'd need to treat this as a roommate situation--not like us living together, even though that's what it is, technically. I need my own space, my own room, my own bathroom, I'd pay my portion of the rent and go halfsies with the cable, electricity, etc. Our CD collections will stay separate. We won't share one bedroom, we'd do our own laundry (unless it was inconvenient to do so), and split the cleaning. That is, not fall into domestic roles and play house just because. I am definitely not ready for that. If at any time either one of us feels wierd, we'll figure out how to move out/get out of the lease.

Its kind of a relief, because I was stressing about how to swing the rent in a place by myself while going to school and working only part-time. I really didn't want to live with any a roommate other than the one that is getting married in August.

In the meantime, we're spending a mint on traveling to see one another. So far, we've seen each other 6 times! It's topped a thousand dollars total. I'm expecting my mom and sister to come visit me in a few weeks, so I'm spending this weekend preparing for their visit instead of spending a couple hundred dollars more visiting him. I am not going to see him for a looonng time, but i'm making the decision purely on the money issue.

It's funny how money can accelerate or hold relationships back...it shouldn't be a factor but honestly, most couples divorce over money issues, so I guess it should be brought into focus early in a relationship. Right? What are your views? Is it positively stupid to move in together after only 10 months together, when it is purely a financial convenience? Once we know for sure that he is coming out here, we will need to think about how this could negatively affect our relationship.

Classes! School! ...Broke again?

I heard back from my supervisor this past week about my email regarding going part-time and taking classes. Basically, it's a yes. Of course, I didn't expect any other answer, but it's debateable whether it will actually happen. I did everything I was supposed to do. Now, it's their turn. I need to stay on the ball in the coming months and make sure they remember what my supervisor and I talked about.

I'm ecstatic!! I've been angling for this move since I started at my company. Of course, it means I am going to take a huge paycut--I'm cutting back to a minimum of 20 hours a week. And honestly, I'm not sure how I'm going to swing that one. I'm taking two classes in the fall semester, and one class in the spring. I also plan on studying and taking the licensing exam next March. We'll see...!

I have no idea what they'd pay me--I'd have to get disaster health insurance, move to a less expensive place, and probably dip into my savings, but I'm hoping the hourly wage is commensurate with what I'm getting paid as a salary. That's roughly 28 dollars an hour, before taxes, 401K, insurance, etc. I am hoping to take home about $1500 a month--it's enough to live on without doing drastic things like cutting my Roth contributions. The fall semester will be really hard--I would be taking 9 credits; the spring will be much, much easier. I'll be able to take on more hours and the coursework should be much easier. So...more and more changes are afoot. My life is certainly not boring lately!!

Scary.

My thirties are rapidly approaching...my hope was that by then, I'll have a solid financial foundation, my career and salary could grow/become more established, and i wouldn't have to worry so much about money. Then I read this article.

It looks like your thirties are when you are really supposed to buckle down. That saddens me; when will I go on my worry-free trip to Europe? When can I stop being so money crazy?

Unfortunately, I've come to realize that unless I get a major windfall, I will always have to worry about money. There will never be enough of it, and I'll always want a little more. Good thing I like looking for deals!

Standard of Living Upgrades

All the personal finance advice columns mention living way below your means for as long as you can--if possible, like a college student. Well, I was a college student for 4 years, then a very poorly paid (and poor) grad student for 4 more years after that. I have paid my dues. I've learned that when it comes to your daily life, there are a few things that I just can't compromise on. I give you, my list of necessities:

Housing:

Rent, preferably around $625, not including utilities. The only year I've gone above this amount is this year, at $830. I'm not paying for a better housing situation, the rent on my old place ($615/month!) hiked up that much!

--non-coin washer and dryer. SUCH a big time and money saver. Believe me, I won't agree to live in a place without these. Ever.

--Cable DVR and wireless internet. Awesome.

--my own bathroom. with tub. seriously.

--microwave. it's the only way I eat hot food, besides buying it.

Also, I love my balcony and my garage. My place is 10 blocks from the beach; my room is 15X14, has two huge closets, and gets alot of sun--those things are nice, too.

Car:
--air-conditioning
--stereo, preferably with cd or tape player
--power locks and windows
--4 door automatic
--keyless entry
--less than 70K miles when I buy it

General:
--nice sheets. not necessarily 500 count or anything, but 250 is pretty good. you use these EVERY DAY! a decent bed is nice, too (mine was $250 new).
--good shoes. athletic, work, or whatever, you can't put a price on happy feet.

So those are my deal-breakers, the ones I am willing to fork over my hard-earned money for. I may be a cheapskate for everything else, but I do have my limits.

State of the Moolah Address, February 2007!

Ok, folks, time to do the boring dance and cackalate my moneys. I really need to get a standard format for this.

ING: $0 just transferred $50.24 to Checking (to go into HSBC account as new money). This category will disappear in future Moolah updates.

HSBC: $ 4,260.16 ($1000 of new money is gaining 6% interest until April)

VanKampen Money Market Mutual Fund: $0. I cleaned this one out at the start of the new year (so it goes on next year's taxes) and by lucky coincidence, HSBC started a new promotion--all new money gains 6% interest until April! Lucky stars! this category will also henceforth be eliminated from Moolah updates.

Savings: $0 I cleaned this one out to put into HSBC recently, too.

Checking: $2300, minus Rent, cc bill, cable bill, and money owed to my bf for travel: $600 left until 2/17.

401(K): $4,181.54
Roth IRA: $297.30 (my bond index fund is tanking)

Total Retirement Fund: $4,478.84
Total Emergency Savings: $4,260.16

Compared to:
Total Emergency Savings (09/09/06): $2,035
Total Emergency Savings (10/14/06): $2,583
Total Emergency Savings (11/19/06): $2,977
Total Emergency Savings (12/22/06): $3,225.97

Total Retirement Fund (12/22/06): $3,485.99

My goal is $5K in my 401K before I quit work. That should be another 2 months of contributions (at $500/ month). I don't know why, but I think I heard that if you have at least 5K, you can leave it in there for awhile and not have to take it out right away. guess it depends on company policy or whatnot, but I like having that goal, too.

My savings goal is 10K in emergency savings. It's enough for three to six months of expenses, or a new car if mine breaks down, or enough for me to live off of if I go part-time for two semesters. But not all three... I hope to have that goal reached by September.

They have 'Groundhog Day' on repeat on the Comedy channel today. Now that's some irony.

I AM a cheapskate!

I've known I was cheap for a while, but the more I save, the worse it seems to get. This is how far I've gone, my friends:

The other day I was happily sifting through the clearance bins at Express, dreaming of walking out of there with my free shirt, skirt, or pant (yes, 'pant,' i'm trying something new) with my $10 off ANYTHING coupon (got with a spending spree a couple of weeks ago; most of which I promptly returned once I had time to calm down. I get flustered at the sight of $108 sweaters and jeans for $20, and apparently HAVE to buy them.). I used care to choose things that I would actually wear, otherwise, what is the point? just to get a free shirt? that's kind of a waste of time. I had an armful after about 15 minutes, so I left to go to the dressing room, where I spent a good amount of time examining myself at every angle to make sure I actually LOVED what I bought. Otherwise, it's a waste of closet space and will eventually cost me money to transport to the local Goodwill. I finally found a pretty gray top that I absolutely loved--and at $9.99, it fit perfectly into my ten-dollar budget.

So I happily skipped up to the counter, presented my shirt with coupon, and waited for the salesman to give it back without me having to pay a penny...and waited. He kept trying to punch the coupon in, but it wouldn't work. The coupon did not say that it wasn't compatible with sales or clearance, so I was sure I was in the clear, but he wouldn't have it. I asked to see his manager, but she was on a half hour break. He looked at me disdainfully for a moment, and then called over another salesperson, but they couldn't get it to work, either! I had attracted a crowd behind me and a remarkably nasty attitude from the original salesguy at this point. Not fun. He kept making snotty remarks, and saying stuff like, 'But it's only $10 dollars! Just hand me your credit card!'). Eventually, to get me to go away, he even tried to give me a 20% more discount on the shirt, but I wasn't having it. NO, i said, I'm supposed to get that for $10 off, not 20%! I left the coupon and the shirt on the counter, and the guy came back to me with the coupon, I suppose hoping that I used it there to buy something super-expensive. I accepted it, but didn't bother to thank him.

I was rude, I was demanding, I was everything I hate about cheapskates. Why not just pay $8 for a shirt i lovingly picked out? Why not just cave in?

Because that is $8 I don't need to spend. Part of me still argues that it is the principle of the thing--I was rightfully using a coupon, and they didn't honor it. Anything other than the spirit of the coupon (i.e., spending money) would not suffice. But, I concede, I didn't have to be rude about it.

Later, I went to a different Express and quickly picked out a $9.99 shirt I liked (but not loved like the gray one). They honored the SAME COUPON and the salesguy was absolutely mystified that I got the shirt, at long last and much anguish, ...for free.

To further annoy myself, I am considering writing to Express to 'express' (ha ha) my discontent in the way I was treated. Even cheapskates have feelings.

Update on my goals

Over the weekend, I wrote a post and said that I would accomplish the following this week:

1) talk to my supervisor about the part-time/classes idea. get it out there, at least. if they refuse, I will tell them I can't stay on with the company for much longer. (is that wise, or should I just search until I find something, and then quit?)

STATUS: in progress. I gathered up my courage today, carefully worded an email to my supervisor (which went through an intense editing session w/ my bf), and sent it out. My supervisor's back in town tomorrow, but I didn't want to lose my nerve. Plus, this way I say everything I need to say, make all my arguments, and give the company time to answer me/adjust the schedule if necessary. I have a feeling i'm going to get the runaround on this one for the next 8 months... I am a total coward about standing up for myself and my needs, so tomorrow is going to be very hard.

2) apply for the County job. the cons here are minimal. This seems to be my best course of action.

STATUS: In progress. Although, I heard from a girl that used to have this position (God Bless Networking!), that the management at the place is terrible. ach. I think I'm still applying. My rough draft is mostly done, you WOULD NOT believe the length and number of questions on this application. whatever happened to just submitting a resume??? it is also undergoing an editing session by BF.

3) apply for the far-off position. it really is perfect for me. I think I need to give it a try. at the very least maybe they'd fly me out to the state to interview and I'd get to see mi amigos??

STATUS: Need to start on the app. Need to email contacts again.

4) start packing. i'm going to have to move in june, anyway. might as well cut through the clutter. send some stuff back home with my mom and sister when they come to visit.

STATUS: Still need to start...

Well, I think most of this is going to wait until the weekend to get done. We'll see. I'm so grateful to have someone to bounce everything off of.


Cross your fingers for tomorrow!