Le Spend: The Summary

Well, I've been Le Spending for a couple of weeks now, I think it's time to do a little review.

Total Spent (9/3/07 to 9/28/07): $1687.35
Camping Gear: $167.72 ($95 of that is to be returned)
Charity: $87
Eating Out: $47
Entertainment: $65
Gas: $87
Groceries: $179
Gifts: $73.87
Medical: $90
Cell phone: $48
Misc: $60.86
Rent: 610.91
School Supplies: $83.49
Travel: $10
Utilities: $67.50

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Almost $1700?? This is certainly NOT following my proposed budget. Certainly not. I've been working really hard to reduce expenditures, too...from packing my lunch, to looking for discounts, to...whatever, I've been trying really hard to be conscious of my spending. I guess I could look at each category and see where I went wrong/could cut:

Camping Gear: $167.72 ($95 of that is to be returned) Ok, this should be the last of it. Maybe a few odds and ends here or there that my professor makes us buy, but that should be the bulk of it. And we can reduce my total spending by $95 since I'm going to return that one sleeping pad. I'll try for $50 next month.

Charity: $87 Blew over my $50 budgeted amount. I don't mind that I did that, though--they were all for good causes. I'll try for $50 next month.

Eating Out: $47 This should be zero. I could not get take out as much...this month was busy and for some reason, I hate all the food I've made. I'll try for $25 next month.

Entertainment: $65 this one also should be much less. $25 or less, in fact. that one night I gave away my $40 was really stupid. I'll try for $25 next month.

Gas: $87 Not much I can do about this one. I barely drove anywhere. Well within my $120 budgeted amount. I'll try to keep this one under $100 next month.

Groceries: $179 Well within my $200 budget, but I still have the weekend to go... Next month, I'll continue to keep it $200 or less.

Gifts: $73.87 These are abnormal expenses, I don't normally give many gifts. Should decrease next month by ALOT. Plus, this was subsidized ($50) by my gift cards. (Can reduce spending by $50) I'll try to get this to $25 next month (there IS a birthday coming up).

Medical: $90 Within my budget, again. $40 for 3 months of birth control pills is a great price. The other $50 is my health insurance. Next three months, this should be $50.

Cell phone: $48 Nothing I can do. I'm in a contract. This is the base price. with discounts. Next month, $48.

Misc: $60.86 Random stuff at Target. About $46 is returnable, so I'll do that. $46 off spending. Next month, I'll try to keep it under $75.

Rent: 610.91 This is normally $750 but my BF owed me $$ for utilities and the like. Well within my budgeted amount. Next month, $750.

School Supplies: $83.49 This should be reduced next month, as well. I should have most of what I need by now, with the exception of some modeling clay. Next month: $50.

Travel: $10 This should be about $400, but I used my miles to get my ticket home to VA for Christmas for (almost) free. Next month: $0

Utilities: $67.50 UGH. my cable bill increased. This number doesn't include my electric or gas bills, so this one will go up before the month is over. I'll try to get boyfriend to reduce the bill for next month. Next month (just in case): $110.

Oh! I forgot one:

Savings: $350

Roth: $100

So, final tally: $1995.48
My income: $1817.30 (paychecks), $10 (ebates), $50 (cc points), $134 (return of surgery money) $2011.30

Difference: $15.82 in the black, but I still have this weekend and my electric/gas bills to pay

I don't feel so bad, since it was the savings that really made it close. I had about a $1200 cushion in my savings account already, so I should be ok for a while if this kind of out/in keeps up. Also, my last paycheck was only for one week instead of two, so actually my income should be a little more. I'll see that extra week's pay in my next paycheck on Tuesday.

All in all, I'm about breaking even. That's ALL I ask for during the months I'm in school. I want my October budget to look like this:

Camping Gear: $50
Charity: $50
Eating Out: $25
Entertainment: $25
Gas: $100
Groceries: $200
Gifts: $25
Medical: $50
Cell phone: $48
Misc: $75
Rent: $750
School Supplies: $50
Travel: $0
Utilities: $110

TOTAL: $1558

Expected income ($19.50/hr*80 hours): $1560

This means stopping my 401K and health insurance at work to bump up my $17.90/hr to $19.50/hr, and stopping contributions to my Roth IRA and savings accounts. That really doesn't make me feel good, but hey, this is what I asked for. If I really feel bad, I may just pull a few hundred out of savings to cover my Roth for a few months. I don't like not putting ANYTHING away for retirement.

(NOTE: Insurances and annual/semi-annual payments have been paid until ~March 2008, so they will not show up in my budget, as I've already saved up to pay them then and I don't make monthly payments.)

Le Spend: I Heart Coupons Issue

Well, don't I feel smart??

I bought a sleeping pad/memory foam kit for my upcoming adventures in field camp, spending $95. I bought from a company called Moontrail.com, which I HIGHLY recommend for camping gear. They are based out of TX, and don't charge taxes or shipping for people ordering out of TX. Sweet!

Unfortunately, the product was a little different from what I wanted, and they are paying for shipping back to them.

So, I was still in need of a sleeping pad and I really want that memory foam, 'cause I'm awful at sleeping in the outdoors (or anywhere without a bed or temperature controls, for that matter). The more comfortable I can make it, the better!! So it's worth the investment.

I went onto fatwallet.com this evening, clicked on the REI webpage to get 3% back from my purchases. I went to the outlet site, buying a thick pad for $30, regularly $50 ($15 saved). then, I bought the foam part of the Moontrail pad i had previously bought. That was $65. So, I bought basically the same setup (only easier, nothing to blow up with this setup), for the same price. Then I Googled "REI discount code" and went to http://www.couponheaven.com/merchant.cfm/rei to find coupon code NWMTN7
to get 15% off one full priced item.

In addition, I still had my $30 gift card for applying for the REI Visa. My total without any discounts (not including outlet price reduction) = $103.87
With discounts:

sleeping pad $29.93 (outlet price) Save $15.06 total: $29.93
memory foam $64.95 (15% off) Save $9.76 total: $55.19
Subtotal $85.12
REI STORE PICKUP FREE
Gift Card Applied $30.00
Tax $6.60

Total Charged $61.72

Now, of the total charged, I get 3% back from fatwallet.com. that's $1.85 off ($59.86 total). My REI coop gives me 10% back on my full-price purchases, or 10% of $55.19 ($54.35 total). My REI Visa gives me 5% back on outlet and full price purchases ($50.09 total).

that's a $53.78 difference! I cut the original purchase price by more than HALF by just making a few good moves and stacking discounts (and all that isn't including the savings made by shopping at the outlet). That's also about $45 less than I spent for the memory foam/sleeping pad at the first store...Ahhh. I love it when a little bit of planning and work shows great rewards.

Yeah, I feel smart.

Spend

$10 for lunch out. Sigh. I know, I'll do better.

$40 for three month's supply of birth control pills. not bad considering my normal copay is $25 for one month.

spend spend spend

$1.50 back for a return

spent
$30 for gas (Waited 1.5 weeks to fill up instead of normal ~7 days)
$53 for groceries

My afternoon (2-6) lab was cancelled today, so...idle time! I just went buck wild and decided to visit Target and get presents for people. My sis just got out of the mental hospital, is living in a group home, and is really trying to get her life together. She's pretty bummed that every time her life is pretty much figured out, she gets sick and loses 4-6 months in the hospital (this happens every year). It's really sad to see a stupid mental illness destroy her life, and she's pretty sad. She's not really allowed to have too much stuff in the group home (16 other people live there and she shares a room with 3 other women! ...not much space), so I asked her what she would like and she said a CD player and some CD's. I went to Target with 2 of my $25 gift cards and decided to treat her to something. I love her soooo much, and I just want her to be happy. I know a CD player isn't going to solve anything, but I needed to do something for her, and I know this will temporarily lift her spirits. that's enough for me.

I bought her a clearanced Sony CD player for $18 (it had an odd design on it that I guess wasn't popular--but actually I think it's to her taste), two CD's for $24, and the next book in her favorite book series--shopaholic and baby. (can you tell I've influenced her??)

I also decided to buy my BF a book that he's been talking about (read: hinting) forever. It's the second book in the Eragon series ($11), and I was the one that gave him the first book, so it's appropriate. Plus, he's leaving on a trip to inter his mom's ashes this weekend, and also going to meet several potential advisors for his phD, so I thought it'd be nice to give him a little something to let him know I'm paying attention and support him.

I used 2 of my gift cards, but I'm including the whole amount for the 'spending' since i'd normally just spend it:

summary:
$1.50 back

$30 gas
$53 groceries
$46.87 (Misc items for household)
$73.87 (presents--$50 was gift cards)
$5.50 for a wheatgrass shot and smoothie from Jamba Juice w/ BF 'cause we were both feeling like we were getting colds...

Spend

$5 to rent Knocked Up


but got random letter from La Quinta, saying that they were depositing 11,000 points in my account. This is good for at least $25 gift card at some place like Target (7,500). More for the Christmas accounts!

I guess it's true what they say...if you give to charity, you get it back in some way. Hmmm. Something to think about.

Le Spend

Sunday
$7 for a greasy dinner for my hungover bf.
$14 for breakfast foods and toilet paper for the next month/3 mo (all on sale!)
$50 to my cousin for her refugee friends in Algeria
$610.91 'cause boyfriend owes me $$ for utilities, etc.


Monday
$10 for a plane ticket to VA for Christmas!! (I used my miles)

Plus, I received $134 back from my wisdom tooth surgery for unknown reasons! (all to savings!!)

Spendy

i fell off the wagon Friday. OMG, I spent every penny I had in my pocket ($40). here's how I fell in to that hole:

friday morning my co-workers and I had a potluck, to which I brought brownies. Yum! At this, my friend J told me he was ditching work early to go see an awesome show that only happens in my city in America, only now. the 'official show' was this weekend, but Friday was the practice for it, and tix were super-expensive for the official show. cost for the practice? zero, plus less of a crowd. so I decide to go with him, him driving, since parking would be terrible.

I ditch work at quarter to 4, bringing my credit card, id, and $40, like always. usually when i hang out with this kid, he pays for EVERYTHING. We meet up with some old co-workers, watch the show, and decide to head to a bar afterwards. I'm kinda stuck, since I didn't drive.

The bar was cash-only. I cracked one of my $20's for change for the pool table, leaving $17 in cash. I stuck it in my pocket and forgot about it. Eventually, I get super hungry and so does my friend, j.

On the way over to the restaurant, he and I start talking about what else? money. His last gf totally screwed him over, and he was just starting to get ahead, have an emergency fund, etc., and then he spent his savings plus some digging out of that hole. So now he's in cc debt.

I try to pay for dinner, knowing that he's in debt, but he won't hear it. I pull out my cash, and the ones on top of the wad with $17 make it look like it's $3. I'm a bit drunk, so tell him to AT LEAST take $3. he accepts it. Oops! it was actually $17. So after dinner, another friend (D) joins us, and they decide to head over to the first bar. as that bar is cash-only, and our friend D is going to loan J the money to pay for the alcohol. so I convince D discreetly to take $20 to pay for J's drinks.

So...basically, i gave away ALL my money last night. Ugh. I don't feel TOO bad about it, because J has paid for every drink and dinner I've had with him over the past 3 years.

I also gave $10 for a gift card for a pregnant friend at work.

$50 Friday
$0 Saturday

Today I went and watched my bf play in a beach volleyball tournament. fun! but I got a little sunburnt. We went out for lunch afterward, but bf paid.

Le Spend

spent zero today. Made about a hundred bucks today.

Going to have to really go hard and study ALL weekend if I want to keep up with my classes.

Spendy

$39 in groceries today. I went in just to buy fresh fruits and veggies, but they were having sales on things I normally buy, so I decided to stock up. I have kind of a price book for things in my head, so I know when to take advantage of low low prices...

i think i aced my quiz today. Maybe.

Oh!

And my second paycheck came today. As expected, I only got paid for one week-$359. They didn't pay me for last week AT ALL--so my next paycheck (Oct. 3-ish) will hopefully contain three weeks' pay. as it stands, I have made about $1800 this month. Hopefully that will be enough to sustain me.

My going rate is $17.90/hr right now, but that will increase when they stop contributing to my 401K and medical insurances (hopefully).

sigh. My cable bill came yesterday, too--it was raised to $140!!! How annoying--my name isn't on the bill, so I can't do anything about it, but BF is going to call sometime when he has time. He keeps trying to get rid of the cable, but he needs internet, so we'd then have get a phone installed (in order to keep the internet going). I keep saying I don't want to pay for something we wouldn't use (phone), even if it's cheaper. I don't know...I feel like I'm paying $75 for cable, which I use, and that makes more sense than paying $50 for a phone line which I wouldn't use. make sense? Internet is $65, so we'd be paying $115 for phone+internet, while we are now paying $140 for cable+internet. paying an extra $25 for something I use is better than paying $50 for something I wouldn't use, to me.*

*I know the bill is astronomical, but bf likes the high-speed booster-type internet for his hobby. We're both staunchly on opposite sides--I want cable but could do without the high speed whatever (basic $9.99 dial up would be fine with me); he wants the high speed but doesn't want cable (basic cable or even no channels at all would be fine with him). I think for the sake of our relationship he'd better stop trying to get rid of the cable...I never once suggested getting dial up to save money...it doesn't seem fair now that I think about it!

Spend

Ok, Ok, had to spend a little on (more) school supplies last night/today. I needed a better field notebook than the one I had left over from grad school. so that was around $30.

Then today, our professor's plans for our lab were thwarted by the missing program in the school's computers, so we were ordered to go buy tracing paper, STAT! for our new lab topic. then I had also woken up too late to make my lunch and my emergency food (yes, I carry emergency food*) had fallen out of my backpack, so I ended up buying a slice of pizza. Sigh. Expensive day!

Pizza was $3. Tracing paper was $4.

*I get really hungry VERY fast (I'm super-skinny due to my uber-quick metabolism) and my blood sugar immediately plummets and I get dizzy and shaky and can't do anything, so I normally carry around a granola bar, banana, or nutrigrain or something of that sort to boost my blood sugar until I can get a real meal. Pair this with the water I always carry, and I have a quick pick-me-up while shopping or a long day at work or whereever!

Spending

My spending was a whopping zero today. Between class/work/class, I have no time to spend anything!!

I guess that's good.

As I mentioned before, I will transfer the $150 I received in laptop rebates to my savings account. Plus an extra hundred for good measure. I just scheduled that now. Ooh, that hurts, actually, because I'll receive my second part-time paycheck tomorrow. I'm expecting it to be a thousand dollars less than it usually is, due to a mixup at the business office.

The good thing is, my first paycheck was what I'd budgeted to have for the entire month, so anything else I get paid will be a bonus. But now is the time that $250 feels like ALOT of money--like a third of my paychecks! I know I will thank myself come Christmastime. :)

in addition, I'm expecting a $25 AMEX gift card in the mail, and enough points in my AMEX card to get $250 in merchandise from some places in their gift mall. Suh-weet!

the best way to go shopping

I'm normally a very frugal person--I don't buy crap very often. However, once in a while I'm tempted to buy a $5-$10 something or other that I can afford and think I can actually use.

Since my BF (and me, by default) is planning on moving far, far away in less than a year (more on that later), though, I find myself thinking about moving or throwing or giving away that something-or-other I'm about to buy next year. And most of the time, it seems like a waste of $$ to buy it...nay, RENT it for 10 months. I can't buy hardly anything now! For example, there was this magazine/file holder thing that matches my bathroom PERFECTLY. it would be so so cute! and it was on sale at IKEA for $4. And...I didn't buy it. I just kept thinking about what a waste of money it would be next year when I gave/threw my goodwill bathroom set away.

I'm glad we bought a couch before this revelation, because I'm pretty sure we'd just make do with the one chair we had.

LE Spend!

Welllll...technically I spent zero, but for the purposes of this blog, I spent $12 on random toiletries and a baking pan (i'm making brownies for the potluck at work friday and I have NO BAKING PAN!). this was a case of bored spending, actually--I got really bored at home today, studying, and needed to take a trip somewhere (anywhere!). I ended up at rite aid with my gift card. I have $5 left on it, but never fear, I have 5 more $30 gift cards laying around from my prescription transfer game I played this year. yay for prior planning!

Spending

$20 in movie rentals. Lovely boyfriend paid for (an expensive) dinner out at a great mexican restaurant. During which, we were visited by a mouse and comped a drink each. The sunset on the beach (the real one) was free.

Also, ordered the $50 cash back from my rewards cc and received my $150 rebate from my laptop purchase. As discussed, these go straight to Christmas present funding. I'm expecting over $100 from fatwallet, too. If I ever get my $250 worth of giftcard points from American Express, I'll use that as well...totalling $550 so far. Gonna be a good Christmas, folks! (I'm only buying gifts for mom, dad, sister, and boyfriend.)

Le Spendy

$41 for groceries today--staples for lunch and dinner this week (eggs, milk, brownie mix for the potluck at work next Friday, chicken, potatoes, sliced ham)

$32 worth of gas. woowee so expensive!

Returned over $100 worth of clothes to Old Navy (picking up a way cute $5 shirt in the process...couldn't help myself and I'm wearing it right now). Spending $5 and returning $108 isn't half bad, is it??

LS

Received the sleeping pad from moontrail.com already!! Love this company, but I'm about to test that. I don't really like part of the pad, so I want to return that portion of it and exchange it for another pad.

We'll see.

Today I spent 0.60 on soda at work. Lunch was free during a meeting they had, but they didn't supply anything to drink. They usually do, and didn't have my water bottle or a cup, so I opted for the soda.

Not feeling great lately. I think I'm missing my grandparents, particularly my grandma, something fierce. How do you move on from a loss like that? I'm having trouble doing so, and have been getting really depressed off and on lately. I just keep wanting to talk to her and see her one more time. It doesn't help that my best friend, my sister, is no longer herself anymore. Every year after getting sick, she slipped further and further away from herself before her illness kicked in. I fear she is finally gone--the turning point was when she was in the car with my dad and she grabbed the wheel while they were on the freeway, because of one of her delusions. She nearly killed them, and it was just something my sister (or any normal person) wouldn't do. They say she probably won't ever be fully recovered--that is, never have to go into the mental hospital for half a year at a time in a calendar year. Unfortunately, most of her 'down time'--when her cocktail of medication is figured out and she isn't having delusions, hallucinations, or screaming randomly--is spent slowly getting 'better.' These times are getting shorter and shorter between episodes.

I'm sad to report, too, for those of you who have no experience with this, that this came out of nowhere. Her illness, I mean. There was no trigger, it was literally one day fine, the next attempted suicides and her saying Jesus hated her and was going to crucify her, and that she had AIDS (not true). Basically, I'm saying enjoy the people you love while you have them, and don't count on them being there later. Even if they still are alive, like my sister, they may not really be the person you know. In some ways, that is worse than if they died mentally healthy.

So yeah, I'm a bundle of joy lately. Just trying to deal, I guess.

Le spendy

Last night I treated my BF to a Thai dinner to celebrate 10 months together (high five!). He was all worried yesterday that I was upset because he didn't buy me anything for the day. I laughed. Nope, that is the furthest thing from my mind. I think I would only mind if he forgets our 1-year--I don't need 'things' to recognize a day, I just need to know I'm important to him.

I think what he was noticing was that on Monday night, the official day of 10 months, I greeted him at the door with a smile and an attempted hug, but he brushed me off and walked straight past me, not saying a word of greeting. So I made a flip comment, moved my laptop in my room (THIS is where having a 2-bedroom, 2 bath apt becomes KEY), and decided to get out of his bad-mood way and study. Monday night football was on, anyway, and I didn't want to watch or try to study with that noise in the living room. So I decided to let him have the living room and mellow out a bit before talking to him. Sigh. Of course, since I backed off, he advanced; it seems all relationships work like this. he comes in my room twelve times, asking me what is the matter. I keep explaining it, but I don't think he gets how his bad moods affect me when he takes them out on me. Even if I were in a bad mood, I wouldn't not return a greeting or whatnot--I'm very careful to let him know that it isn't him that bothers me. Anyway...I've learned to let him have some space when he gets home. I think I'm having problems with him because he SAYS one thing, and then when I take action on that statement later, he says he never said it. Like, he said that he wouldn't mind paying a little extra for an apartment since I can't afford it, and then when I was looking on craigslist for apartments $50 out of our budget range, he got mad that I assumed he would take on the extra costs, and thought I was 'taking advantage of him.' (roll eyes) I know better than to believe him when he says things like that now! I should really carry a tape recorder around. so anyway, he was afraid that I had been upset that he didn't get me a gift when I was really upset that he didn't acknowledge me at the door, even after I explained it (guys, pay attention to this story--it's not usually about material goods).

It's just funny what guys think. We were having a conversation about how he shows me he loves me--one of his examples was that he 'pays for things' like dinner or movies or whatever. I was so flabbergasted at this one that I had to interrupt him--'That doesn't matter to me. That's not love to me!' I mean, of course I appreciate it, and it would suck to be with someone who NEVER paid for going out, but it really isn't necessary all the time, you know?

So we're figuring out the landmines of dating each other still. I think we really need to figure out how to listen to each other, as we communicate very, very differently. Also, he takes out his moods on me, and although he's been much, much better since we talked about it, it still sometimes happens.

So that dinner was $20. The great thing is about the Thai food we get is that we order a few more containers of rice and I can make at least three dinners/lunches out of it!

Also, today I bought yet another school supply thing--a hand lens. It was about $9.

Annual Checkup

I've had this blog a year now...I guess it's time to do a little comparison. See old post

Last year, I was...
...in Las Vegas for a month, living out of the Hilton. Sweet room. I had a blast exploring the landscape, learning new things in my fieldwork, and meeting up with my college roommate and my grad school friend.

...still in credit card debt, but the last little bits of it.

...paying mucho rent for a place I LOVED living, with roommates I adored (well, at least one of them).

...single. and bored. and almost ready to start looking.

This year, I am...
...not living at the beach anymore. :( My new place is ok, but not as great. esp. since someone was robbed at gunpoint here last week. !

...out of cc debt and wishing there were more pro-active things I could do about my finances, like the progress made during debt removal.

...paying less rent for a place that's just ok. It's nice, it has alot of good features and a roof, what more can I ask for?

...not single. living with my boyfriend. exploring the sinous landscape of coupledom. Good and bad, lots of highs and lows. Definitely not bored.

Ok, now for the finances:

ASSETS:

Salary (last year): $50,500
This year: $55,500
$5,000 increase

401K (last year): $2,000
This year: $6,500
$4,500 increase

Roth IRA (last year): $0
This year: $1,100
$1,100 increase

Savings (last year): $2,300
This year: $15,100
$12,800 increase

total increase (saved $$): $18,400 (not including salary)

COST OF LIVING:

Credit card debt (last year): $1,875
This year: $0!!!
$1,875 decrease

Rent (last year): $830
This year: $750
$80 decrease

Utilities (last year): $35
This year: $40
$5 increase

Car/Renter's Insurance (last year) : $45
This year: $36
$9 decrease

Cable/internet (last year): $40
This year: $56
$16 increase

For a total of $68 decrease in living expenses (not including cc debt here, since the payback was spread over many months).

Pretty happy that not much increased in the cost of living dept., while alot increased in the assets division.

Next post, How I Fared After-Debt. Here were my ideas last year:

fund 401k to max (15K)
housing fund (60K?)
travel around/live in Europe for 6 mo. fund (12K?)
Roth IRA, funded to max (4K/yr)
new car fund (not new new, but this decade new) (6.5K)
shopping spree (!) -- but i'll limit myself to a couple of months of fun, don't worry. hey, i have to reward myself for 10 months of miserliness! i seriously have become a money nun. when i have a goal, i go full force. ah, now i'm dreaming: i really need new work clothes. a professional haircut would be nice...ooh, hiking gear! (2K)
wedding fund (ok, now i'm losing it) (12K)

Le Spendy

$7 in various snacks for lunch this week, 7-11.
$2 in parking for 2 hours at school (missed the trolley by milliseconds...I ran over as soon as I came up the 15 flights of steps to the platform, pushed the button to open the doors of the trolley, and the doors didn't open. The trolley pulled out a second later...literally milliseconds!!!!!). I decided to try and park my car on campus, but that was a complete nightmare, as it would have taken less time to wait for the next trolley a half hour later. I made it into my 9:30 class at 10:10. ARGH!!!

$9 total.

Le Spendy

I don't know why I like that title for my spending log, but it sounds French, and therefore fancy and expensive, so...so be it.

Monday (today) is a big fat ZERO. That's right, I spent nada. Packing your lunch is great. Sunday I did end up spending $95 for a sleeping pad (3.5 inches thick!) at moontrail.com (check 'em out--camping gear with no shipping or taxes (outside of TX)!). and $11 for a tent footprint at REI (20% off discount). I didn't end up going grocery shopping because my BF went and picked up the odds and ends (milk and bananas) that I needed to make it through the next couple of days. So sunday's tally is $106, while I have $129 and change in a credit on my REI Visa. I will be requesting that I get that extra $23 back after these charges go through.

Trent at the Simple Dollar has a One Hour to better finances theme going on every day, and while most good pf bloggers have done everything he lists, I'm crossing my i's and dotting my t's by going over his advice. Today's was: Go through your monthly/semi-annual/annual bills and see what you can cut out or reduce.

So I did. here's my list:

Car insurance: $301.30/yr (~$25/month)
Rental insurance: $127/yr (~$11/month)

These are both with State Farm, and while I could MAYBE switch to another provider and reduce the costs, it wouldn't be by much, and I am really comfortable with State Farm. I also get muchos of discounts for having a good driving record, being a loyal customer, having both policies with the same company, etc. I called and threatened to switch to reduce my costs last October or so, and they were able and very willing to pull discounts out of their behinds for me. So I'm confident that this is as about as low as it can get.

Electric:~$50/month
Gas: ~$15/month
These are both split with my roommate (boyfriend). So really, I pay ~$32.50 per month. We are both pretty good about not leaving lights on or wasting energy, and also we have a programmable thermostat. My green self is ashamed to say that we've been running the A/C non-stop this summer to keep the temp at 70 inside (it's been 110 here recently!), which accounts for the large electric bill. And this isn't as bad as it COULD be, as our electricity bill is reduced by the solar panels we have on our roof. The electric bill will go down this month, though--maybe we'll even have a credit--as we just turned off the A/C two days ago. I'm hoping that we will not have to pay much now that we are not cooling the apt. constantly. Plus, I believe having the windows open keeps me healthier.

AAA--Auto Club: $47/yr ($4/mo)
This is a must, as I drive a '98 Dodge Expresso (like a Neon) that has seen MANY better days. I consider it a necessity, and since my auto insurance is so low, I can afford this easily. They've saved my life (and battery) so many times it's ridiculous, and since I can't seem to remember to not lock my keys in the car all the time, it is a worthwhile expense. Can't really cut this out and feel good about driving around, and can't lower this expense, as it is the lowest it can get. They offered a trial run of the Plus membership for free a while ago, and I took it and then downgraded to Basic when it was time to renew.

P.O. Box: $36/yr ($3/mo)

I have moved 4 times in the past 3 years. It is necessary to have one address that will not change for various bills and important info. I use this address for everything I can. Can't lower it, can't axe it.

Here's where it falls apart:

Cable/Internet: $112/mo ($1344/yr)

TOO MUCH!!! I know this. Unfortunately, there is only one internet/cable provider in our apt. complex, and they can screw us over as much as they want. No threats to switch will work here, but perhaps threatening to cancel will? But here's the catch--we can't actually go through with the threat. BF can't live without the highest speed internet available, and I love my TV something fierce (some of my friends and I bond over various shows--it's how we stay so connected to one another's lives...talk of Heidi on The Hills invariably segues into our own lives), so we're at a crossroads: pay or kill each other. At least we are splitting it, so the cost to me is actually $56/mo. I will call and try to figure out a way to lower the cost of this shortly, esp. as my studies take over my life and I have less time to watch TV.

Cell phone: $47/mo ($564)
I definitely know better than this. I need to switch to pre-paid, but right now I have Verizon, all my friends have Verizon, and my family has Verizon. I like the free! I have the lowest plan where you get to talk free in-network ($40 for 450 min), and i pay $5/mo for unlimited text messages, which I definitely use. I also get a 5% discount through my employer. I should have done things differently when my 2 yr contract was up this past June, but...oh well. What's done is done.

So, not counting things like health insurance and auto registration, which is basically unchangeable anyways, my monthly subscription cost is: $178. I don't think that is that bad. Basically, it means that on top of rent and food and gas, I pay out about 200 bucks for things that make my life easier or more enjoyable.

From the Mixed Up Receipts of Miss Senseless T. Dollarfinder

Today I plan on going through my Old Scaby (Old Navy) and Ross receipts and weeding out the clothes I need to return. Also, I plan on buying groceries to the tune of ~$50, and ordering the tent footprint and sleeping pad from REI/other outdoor store, totalling at most ~$117. That $117 is from the double payment I accidentally made on my REI credit card, so that money is technically already spent and won't come out of my part-time budget. Also, REI is having a sale, so I will be getting 20% off something I buy from there, in addition to getting 5% back from my REI credit card.

Also, I have several rebates, fatwallet $$, ebates $$, etc., that will be mailed to me in the coming months. I hereby plan on dumping that into savings, instead of augmenting my current income. That way it won't get lost in my checking shuffle and get spent on something frivolous, just because I have the money in there.

Maybe I'll consider that my Christmas savings?? I have over $100 in fatwallet dollars that will be available to cash out in October-November. Ebates just sent me a check for $40. I have a $150 rebate for buying my laptop coming, and I should receive another $50 cash back from my credit card in the next month or two--I charged my tuition and books and got $$ back from my employer, so that expedited my gathering of 5000 points, for sure (total for tuition and books was around $2000)! That's a total Christmas savings of $340 or so already!

Le Spendy

yesterday was 0.00
today was 12.49 in rite aid accoutrements, but I spent nada cash due to my $30 gift card garnered from prescription transfer. i have many of these, and plan on doing alot of shopping at drug stores for random items like toilet paper, etc. I LOVE MYSELF!!

I spent my self-worth today...

So I think today is shaping up to be a buy nothing day. It's already 3:30 and I don't plan on going anywhere. Unless I buy some camping gear I need for school online, my total today is $0.00.

Instead, today is a rant about professors who put you on the spot. I'm pretty timid in the best of circumstances, so to put me in the hotseat in front of 50 people I don't know was a horrible experience for me this morning in class.

Mind you, I have a MASTER'S DEGREE in the subject I'm taking undergrad classes in, so everyone expects me to know everything, or at least most of it. Unfortunately, I didn't receive a 'complete' education, and that is WHY i'm taking the classes I'm in. I.e., I DON'T know most or all of everything in my favorite subject.

This morning the professor handed me a rock and expected me to know all of the technical terms for describing that rock. A half an hour later, I was nearly in tears, feeling like an absolute stupid-head. Not only because of the 50 pairs of eyes on me while I spoke--that is something I need to get over and expect in a classroom setting--but because of the professor seeming to expect me to be smarter than I shaped up to be. ugh. Stupid.

My self-worth is directly tied into my perception of my intelligence, which is closely linked to my perception of my superior's perception of my intelligence.

So that low point created a domino-effect in the rest of my day. I was feeling stupid at school, so I felt stupid at work. Luckily, my supervisor is away for the day and I have menial tasks (ones I can't really screw up too badly), so I was able to do them all from the comfort of my couch. :)

But oh wow. I'm going to be doing ALOT of studying to make up for my lack of knowledge this morning. Next time I will be better! Through effort and hard work is how I intend to earn my self-worth back.

My first paycheck (as a student)!

So today was the last of my full-time paychecks. Technically, it was for working Aug 15-31, but as I receive my first monthly paychecks on the third or fourth of the new month, I count those paychecks toward the current month. ie, September.

Also, I only worked full-time for one week of this pay period. For last week (my first part-time week), I was paid for 22.5 hours of work. I was able to add a few extra hours in there because my supervisor needed me to do something urgent for him.

Oddly, I was paid only ~$120 less than I usually get for 2 full-time weeks. What's that about?? How is 62.5 hours nearly equal to 80 hours?

Less taxes taken out is one guess; more money due to no 401K contributions is another; and I don't know what else is factoring in here. I'll have to see my pay stub to know more.

I was hoping to make $1500 a month to survive without touching my savings. I almost have that for this month, so I'm sitting pretty for now. It looks like I net ~$23/hr. At 20 hours a week for 4 weeks, I should make ~$1866/mo. Most weeks, I should be able to work a little more than that.

Fantastic!! I love when you make MORE than you thought you would. :)

Spending and Giving

Today is the first day of my spending journal...

$28 at the student bookstore for various materials I just learned that I'd need.
$25 for gas
$25 at the grocery store in bread and various snacks for lunch.
.60 for dr. pepper from the vending machine at work (i know, but I needed a pick me up, and this kind of thing is RARE indeed)


also today, I registered for Susan G. Komen's Race for the Cure.
$27 to register. This is part of my charity for the month. I'll give another $25 to heifer.com, kiva.org, or donorschoose.org.

Total: $105.60

Not starting off well...

School's In for Fall

I'm way more excited for school starting this year than I ever was for school being out for the summer.

This past week was amazing and busy. I barely slept, I was so amped and excited and scared that I'd sleep in and miss class.

My first class on Monday starts at 10 am, which means I need to be at the trolley stop at 9:48 to catch it and (barely) make it to class in time. The first day of each class I was a full half hour early--last Monday I wandered around campus, checked out the bookstore, and marveled at the feeling of being a student again. I am 29, but can easily pass for 20--I get carded ALL the time. I worry when that will stop happening, rather than being annoyed at it like I used to (as an aside, when I was 26, a rent-a-cop at a mall stopped me and asked me for ID, since they had just enacted a curfew for the 18-and-under set. REALLY?? I know I look young, but definitely not 17!). So, anyway, I fit in on campus pretty easily (I think). the only thing was that EVERYONE had junky Jansport backpacks, while I sported a new North Face. Crap. At every other university I attended, NF was the thing. I laughed at myself for noticing that--I'm way too old to be succumbing to peer pressure.

Anyway, my first professor is nice, likes to talk ALOT, and offered up a small part-time job teaching science to 4-,5-, and 6-graders on Friday mornings. The position is paid, but probably minimum wage, much less than I could get at my current job. I'm supposed to work my normal job on Friday mornings, so I don't know how I'd swing both...but the teaching sounds exactly like what I kind of want to transition into if I ever change jobs. So I'm thinking maybe I should try and do it once a month or something. Another thing is, I'm working 20 hours a week (at least), plus taking 9 credits of school, plus my classes require 10 weekends of field trips/camping between October and December. Yeah--I basically have Thanksgiving off. Great. I'm guessing I won't have alot of time for blogging.

But that camping gear will sure come in handy!!

I still need to get a tent footprint and a sleeping pad, that reminds me.

Very exciting stuff. Juggling school and work was a busy, crazy thing this week, but I think it's doable. We had a major project due this week, so I put in some extra hours. As long as that doesn't happen EVERY week, I'll be ok. We also will see how my paycheck is affected when I get paid this week.

I'm hoping for at least $1200 (I went part-time in the middle of a pay period, so I should still get paid for full-time work for one week).

Also, God bless my company. My health insurance through ehealthinsurance has not come through yet, even though I said I'd run out on Aug. 15. In actuality, I ran out on Aug. 30. So, when I called my doctor and ehealthinsurance to see what was up, they indicated that the health insurance company hadn't even contacted my doctor yet to get my records!! So it was going to be at least another few weeks before that went through. Luckily, I talked to my CFO, and she agreed to extend my health coverage. When I asked how much the premiums were and if I would pay the company or it would be taken out of my paycheck, she just said, don't worry about it! My company is paying most of the premium for my normal health insurance for the next month. Hallelujah!

On a sadder note, my sister has left the state mental hospital (I don't think I blog about this much) back home, and has entered a state-run group home. It is wonderful that she is so much better that they allowed her to leave, but so sad that she won't get to live the life that she thought she was going to. Luckily, the state agreed to pay for the home until her disability comes through. Once that goes through, we pretty much won't need to worry too much about her financial situation--she'll always have a little bit of income to sustain her and pay for her medical bills when she can't hold down a job because of her condition. It is heartbreaking to see her dreams shattered. She always wanted to have a 'normal' life--full-time job, pets, own apartment, husband, kids...she's already given up the idea of having kids, because she doesn't want to pass on her condition, or inflict her kids to having a mentally unstable mother. She is unable to hold down even a part-time job--most employers can't handle someone that off-and-on, nor deal with the mood swings and paranoia. Feel lucky if you have normal brain chemistry.

I should really start keeping track of my expenses now that I won't be making as much. I'm really not a budget person--it's kind of boring and anal for the likes of me--as long as I'm saving nearly half my paycheck, have an e-fund, and contributing to my 401K, I feel like I don't need to be crazy about every dollar. I have enough experience being frugal that I trust myself not to make stupid purchases or have a huge money leak that i don't notice. I realize where and when I waste money--it's always for convenience and I make a mental note not to do it again.

I'm pretty excited 'cause I planned this whole school thing out pretty well, and I am now enjoying the fruits of my labor. i bought camping gear on sale when I had money so I wouldn't have to in a pinch now, I saved up and bought a laptop, I saved up money to subsidize my part-time income, I saved up money to pay for my tuition and books, moved to a lower-rent and lower transportation costs area, and worked out a budget that should make it unnecessary to dip into my savings. I got a Student ID for $5, which has already saved me oodles of money when buying my trolley pass ($113 for an entire semester instead of $172 for 4 one-month passes from Aug-Dec.). That student ID will save me even more with movie passes and the myriad of student discounts available. I worked out that it was cheaper and more green and better time-wise to take the trolley from work to school instead of get a parking pass at school, find a parking spot, and trek way across campus to class.

I just love that my obsessiveness and work and research has paid off in tangible ways. The more you plan and save up for contingencies, the less they happen, it seems. the fact that I saved up crazily and then didn't even have to pay for the tuition or books is amazing.

So, now that I won't have extra left over at the end of the month, I should start keeping track of expenses and stick to a budget. Fine. I've been beaten down by the budget bomb. I'll try to post what I spend every day. We'll see what happens!