Oh No! My Vacation Is Almost Over

I have two more days here in paradise America. The weather has been perfect for me! My beach and DC mini-vacations were really fun and I got to see lots of people I miss daily. I've been doing major shopping damage, collecting items that have been on my list since last October (or even earlier!). My mom made my favorite meal for me tonight, and even celebrated my July birthday with a cake.

A few days ago I summarized my current spending and set a budget for the remaining time here. It seems totally do-able.

My to-do list for my time home is endless. Now that I'm running out of time, I have many things still left to do!

Notably:
Call L--can wait
Call P--can wait
Visit Aunt.
Finish reading through camera CD. Can wait.
Read through smartphone manual. Can wait.

Order glasses. Done, but for unexplained reasons, they will arrive way after I leave.
See H.S. friends? Probably not going to happen. Has to wait.
Start making family ancestry book. Can wait.
Start recording life stories of Mom and Dad. Need to get a list of questions together, I think. Can wait.
Make box to send to myself. 
Buy fave foods and stock up on ortho k solutions for NZ--their prices are insane.
Return amazon headphones
Send box of goodies to myself to receive in NZ (once glasses arrive). Mom to do this.

Move US contact numbers to new phone before cancelling old phone (or at least write down all the numbers in my old phone to enter later!!)
grab phone charger and holder from mom's car.
get subway; make snacks for plane.
buy vodafone top up $19 smart data plan
Make list of things I haven't been able to find or get in the US this year:

1. double wrap watch
2. UVA visor
3. Comfy sweat pants
4. Comfy/cool night shirt
5. Workout pants/tennis skirt?
6. New silver ring
7. Workout outfit
8. tights/hose
9. New wallet
10. work shirts
11. basic black and white T’s—Walmart?
12. perfume
13. nice interview suit
14. New belts
15. Flats
16. Black sandals/cazsh. If I had time I'd do Zappos. Oh well...next year!
17. Comfy heel loafer going out shoes
18. New silk long johns
19. field shirt cover up
20. ski goggles
21. Under armor top and leggings
22. compass
23. tevas
24. camp pillow
25. warm thigh length jacket
26. v. light long rain jacket

Financial:
Give mom my financial documents (will, etc.)
Coach her re: secretsync and drop box to access my latest master password list.
cancel cc that will incur a fee in October
Change T-Mobile plan from $30 monthly to pay as you go.
UUU##llld number
Unlock smartphone.
Cancel health, dental, and vision insurance. Submit claim.
Move HSBC to POD or Trust
Choose funds for my Roth IRA with Vanguard, taking care to balance my portfolio. Can wait til NZ
Go through Big Book of Everything. Can wait til NZ.


Original goals:

1. NUMBER ONE GOAL: Sleep 8+ hours a night.  (all month)
2. Use SPF every day and night cream each evening.   (all month)
3. Floss every night.  (all month)
4. Use mouthwash every night.  (all month)
5. Eat breakfast every day.  (all month)
6. Get 30 minutes of light exercise 5x week.  (all month)
7. Write in gratitude journal every evening.
8. Do or say one nice thing to or for someone every day.
9. See HS friend. (Week 1 -2 ) Planned Monday.
10. See family. (Week 1)
11. See grad school friends. (Week 2) Planned Thursday - Monday.
12. See other HS friends? (Week 2) Planned dinner outing next week.
13. See college friends. (Week 3-4) Planned during last weekend.
14. Make list of places to visit in DC. (Week 1) 
15. Finish reading through camera CD. (Week 1)
16. Call L (Weeks 1 - 3)
17. Call Aunt. (Week 2)
18. Make rubbing of grandparents' stones in Arlington Cemetery for family book. (Week 3)
19. Scan photos of family for book.
20. get B&W film developed (dropped off Week 2).
21. Talk to mom re: Europe trip. (Week 1 - 4) Looks like she can't afford it, even with a free flight and hotels on credit card points.
22. Eye appointment. (Week 1)
23. Buy new glasses/orthoK. (Weeks 1 -4)
24. Order new contacts. (Weeks 1 - 3) Not doing this. Too tricky/expensive with new scrip and Ortho K and glasses.
25. Dental appointment. (Week 1)
26. Whiten teeth and fix chips. (Weeks 1 -4) They don't offer in-house teeth whitening at my dentist here. Will have to get this in NZ.
27. Buy smartphone (Samsung Exhibit II 4G?) and US SIM (T-mobile $100 gold). Port old phone #. (Weeks 1 -4)
28. Buy backpack.  (Weeks 1 -4)
29. Buy a new watch.  (Weeks 1 -4)
30. Buy boots.  (Weeks 1 -4)
31. Buy new luggage.  (Weeks 1 -4) gorgeous samsonite 29"
32. Buy a new laptop?  (Weeks 1 -4) Nope. Next year. Hope this baby holds out for that long!
33. Buy all on my US list.  (Weeks 1 -4)
34. Spend all gift cards.  (Weeks 1 -4) Still have $100 at Old Navy/Banana Republic/GAP left!
35. Start recording life and family stories from mom and dad.  (Weeks 1 -4)
36. Back up laptop.  (Week 3)
37. confirm voter registration and fill out absentee ballot form. Called Tuesday. They claim they've sent it to my NZ address.

Financial Goals:

1. Track every penny. (all month) 
2. Save $500 to long-term goals. (Week 3)
3. Identify exactly how much I have to spend in the US. (Week 1)
4. Make sure Mom knows where and how to access my accounts and passwords and important information if I pass. Write list of assets. (Week 1)
5. Make sure she knows what my assets are comprised of. (Weeks 1 -2)
6. See if she can make similar arrangements or documents as I have. (Weeks 1 -4)
7. Visit BoA location to move account to trust. (Week 2) Done but instead, just made a POD order (payable on death).
8. Confirm all other US accounts (HSBC) can be moved into my Trust account. (Week 3)
9. Look seriously into long-term care insurance for my mom. (Week 2)
10. Decide which funds to invest my Roth IRA in at Vanguard, with an aim to get to $10K in one account in one fund to qualify for Admiral shares by the end of the year.    (Weeks 2 - 3)
11. Balance portfolio. (Week 2)
12. Go through the Big Book of Everything to make sure I've covered all my bases. (Weeks 3 - 4)

To do at end of month:

1.      cancel Amazon prime on _ _ _ # _ _ _ account before 26 September.

2.     Save third August paycheck to Non-Financial Slush Fund or Vanguard Fund, whichever needs it the most after September spending is done. (Week 4)

3.     Cancel cc that will incur a fee in October. (Week 2) (need to do!)

4.     Cancel health insurance, vision, dental as soon as the month is over and I won't be using it anymore. (Week 4) (need to do!)

5.     change t mobile plan from $30 unlimited to pay as you go (need to do!)

6.     unlock smartphone via a code  (ordered Wednesday)

Xferred

For my records only!!

Owed to cc in October for US trip: $2,359.58 USD (PAID; $2812.04 NZD transferred)
Owed to cc in November for US trip: ~$1550 USD (give or take; still have a week left!)

I've also spent $1152 USD on my Ortho-K lenses, ~$1440 NZD

Can use $4500 NZD in 2012 US trip and $1500 NZD life upgrade funds to pay this cc bill and lenses check. $247.96 NZD left after paying October due-date cc bill and Ortho-K lens check.

I owe about $1550 USD more at this point, due in November. I'm making a few more returns today, so hopefully that figure stays about there for the next week, even with more expenses before I leave. I've already made my major purchases, so that figure shouldn't grow too much more. My goal is to spend less than $150 USD (plus whatever I get back in returns today) this week.

Since I don't count vacation spending (which I've already saved up for) towards my monthly budget, I calculated that I'll have $1882.08 NZD leftover from my September income to cover all of the remainder. I only paid for rent, half of internet and electricity, $500 savings, and my monthly charity contribution in September:

	Sept 2012 Budget
Category	Spent	Budgeted Amount
Rent	$840.00	$840.00
Groceries	$0.00	$450.00
Internet	$64.50	$45.00
Electricity	$90.36	$70.00
Eating Out	$0.00	$150.00
Charity	$25.00	$50.00
Cell phone	$0.00	$40.00
Medical	$0.00	$75.00
Misc	$0.00	$600.00
Savings	$500.00	$500.00
Total	$1,519.86	$2,820.00

Income:

$3,401.94

Leftover:

$1,882.08

Need to: move $4500 NZD from two funds from Rabobank to Kiwibank to cover my cc bill. The rest of my Trip and Life funds ($247.96 NZD) plus my Sept. overage ($1882.08) [total: $2130.04 NZD] should just about cover the rest of that cc bill (hopefully ~$1700 USD?). 

US vacation expenses, SORTED! That feels nice. I was getting a bit freaked out with all the money I've been spending...

Ortho-K (Con't)

Days 4 and 5 have been relatively unexciting on the Ortho-K train. I think my vision has been improving by a little bit, but still, after ~4-5 hours of OK vision, it deteriorates to the point where I would not be comfortable driving. Not ideal. I think it's my astigmatism...I can still see far, but it is not very sharp. I've been busy eating out, hanging out with my family and friends, and lying on the beach!

I have only a few days left of my US vacation. Sigh. Where has the time gone?? And how soon can I come back?!

Ortho K Day 3!

Well, things are getting better! I skipped a night because I stayed up too late packing for the beach. You're supposed to wear the contacts for at least 6 hours, and I needed to help drive, so I needed my vision to be in a place where I could wear glasses or see well. If I hadn't skipped, I would have not been able to see well enough to drive. My fault!

At the beach, I put them in last night. I put my left one in incorrectly, I think--not centered on my cornea--and that was painful and annoying for sure, til I found the remover and the lens in my eye. I seriously can't see where it is on my eye once they're in, so I get one chance to put it in correctly each night. I know it's in perfectly when I only feel it when I blink. Once my eyes are closed, I know it's there, but it's not painful or uncomfortable or anything. 

I had them in for about 10 hours last night (I was catching up on sleep from sleeping only 4.5 hours the night before and then driving all day), and upon removal, pretty good vision. My cousin was testing what I could see on the beach today (she has 20/20 vision) and I can almost see as well and far as she can. Six hours later, I can see almost as well as I could once I removed them. My astigmatism still makes far-away things blurry, but hopefully it will get better and better. 

Oh, I maybe forgot to relay the price of the lenses+care: $1152 USD. Yikes! But well worth it if it works. 

Ortho K Day 2

Oof. Yesterday was 6 hours of wear, last night was 12!! I had terrible pain in my left eye immediately after inserting the lens last night, and I woke up after about 6 hours and couldn't take it anymore. I must have put that one in incorrectly or something. I got up after that 6 hours and took them out and immediately put them back in and went to sleep, no problems after that. I slept or laid in bed for 6 more hours after that with them in.

Upon removal, again, instant improvement in my vision, more drastic than yesterday. I don't know if it was because I had them in longer or my eyes are getting more 'molded' now, but the improvement lasted longer today. What was odd was that upon removal, I could see crystal-clear, but a few minutes later, fuzziness around edges started occurring. For the rest of the day, I was in the annoying in-between stage where my vision isn't good enough for driving, etc., but isn't bad enough for me to wear my glasses. It's nearly impossible to figure out what to do. At one point my left eye was bad enough to wear the glasses but my right eye wasn't. Very confusing.

I'll keep with it for a couple of weeks. Boy, I hope this actually works sometime soon!

My First Day with Ortho K

Yesterday I received my first pair of Ortho-K lenses. They are hard contacts created especially to reshape your corneas. You wear them at night and upon removal in the morning, your corneas hold the shape of the lenses, improving your vision. I thought that these would be a good solution because I hate wearing glasses and contacts during the day (I look better without my glasses; I have dry eyes so contacts are not fun to wear).

My eye doctor put them in for me yesterday during an appointment to test them out. He had me tilt my head back, and then squeezed some lubricating drops on my eyes, and placed the lenses directly over my corneas. I immediately started tearing up. They are really uncomfortable at first, especially when blinking or moving your eyes around. Staring straight ahead or closing your eyes helps a lot with comfort. Basically, they are hard contact lenses and take some getting used to.

I "rested" for about 45 minutes in the office with them on. I just listened to my mp3 player and tried not to cry the whole time. Once my eyes were closed, it was very bearable and the tearing mostly stopped, but I wanted to open my eyes to see what I could see with them on, so I periodically opened my eyes to check. I saw perfectly with them in--even better than soft contact lenses. It felt like something was in my eye, but it wasn't as uncomfortable as having an eyelash in there--I can't stand that feeling! In synopsis, it isn't the best feeling but it is do-able.

After 45 minutes or so, the eye doctor checked my eyes. He removed them with a little plunger/suction cup which was much less scary than it sounds. You have to place the plunger tip directly on top of your lens and then sort of 'pop' them out by breaking the suction. I noticed an improvement in my left eye immediately upon removal. The right eye was improved, but not as noticeable, but the doctor said this was normal as my right eye is worse than my left.

He checked my eyes, and in my left eye, my vision had improved by half, from about -3.25 to -1.75! And in my right eye, I went from -3.75 to -3 or so. So obviously my right eye will be the hard case, as usual (my astigmatism in that eye is really awful!). However, my vision was still bad enough that I wore my glasses home and for the rest of the day.

Last night I put them in before going to sleep. Right eye first, it was not comfortable at all. I was tearing up like crazy and had to fight myself to keep it in. All I could do was keep my eyes closed--if I opened them, the floodgates and discomfort worsened. It took about 5 minutes before I could open my eyes enough to get the left one in. Once I do this a lot and get the routine down, I know this will become easier--when I was learning to put my soft contact lenses in at 16, it took roughly a half an hour for about a month before I really got used to them.

Once I got the left one in, it was a piece of cake. The left was very easy and more comfortable than the right, although still not wonderful. But with my left, I could keep my eyes closed afterward, and just shuffled to my bed, blind. I got in bed and had to figure out how to sleep on my back--you have to sleep on your back the first few nights to make sure your lenses stay directly on top of your corneas, and don't shift downward or sideways. I normally sleep on my side, so it was a little bit of a challenge to get comfortable without turning on my side like I'm used to. I ended up using a pillow under my knees, two pillows behind my head, a pillow on each side to keep me from rolling over, and an airplane neck pillow to keep my head from moving to the side. Once my eyes were closed for a while, I barely felt the contacts. I did experience a few stabs of pain and discomfort in my right eye, along the inside corner at one point and then at the far edge another time. I just tried to stick with it and get through it. I was able to sleep like that for about 7 hours before I woke up. You're supposed to wear them for at least 6 hours the first night. Upon waking, the lenses were really comfortable, which I didn't expect at all. I could feel them in there, but I could see perfectly and could keep my eyes open with not much problem. I was anxious to see how my vision was, so I took them out. I lubricated my eyes first, tried to roll the contacts around a little to make moving them easier, and went to the bathroom to remove them. It was really easy to remove them with the plunger thingie. Once again, my left eye was pretty good but I didn't see much improvement with my right. I ended going back to sleep for a few hours on my side after that. Upon waking again, my left eye was still improved, but my right is close to what it is without any glasses.

My vision now isn't good enough to see well, but it isn't bad enough for my glasses. I was afraid of this. I can't go anywhere or do anything today because I'm in that in between stage! The doc was supposed to give me soft contacts to fill in the gaps, but he didn't. I may have to request some if this continues!

So, that's my experience thus far with Ortho-K lenses. I wanted to write it down so I had a record for myself and so that curious others would get a first-hand account of my experience.

Talking Myself Into Overspending

All of my over-spending alarm bells are going off. They started as quiet alerts as I piled more and more things into my cart and made my way to the register, "Hey, you may want to take stock about the usefulness of each item, kid." Then, as I didn't stop, they became more and more urgent as the cash register beeped incessantly. Now, they are five-fire alarms, screaming at me: you have overshot. You are spending too much. You need to stop and think about this. Return it all! Also, I hear in my head: you are talking too much, expending too much social energy. Save some for later! You still need to work! (not true, self!) What if you run out before your trip ends?

I have to keep reminding myself of what it is like in Auckland. Of how I don't ever go shopping for anything other than groceries and household items. Of how little I get to see or talk to dear friends. Of how I've diligently saved up for just this kind of spending, and made careful lists of everything that I want or need from the US, that can be purchased for much cheaper and easier than in NZ. I've earned this, I've planned this, It Is OK.

I'm setting a dangerous precedent here, completely ignoring my alarm bells and over-spending warnings that I've naturally built up over the past 6-7 years. I have to keep telling myself that it's all right for just this one month. I'm keeping track of my spending, I'm doing what I planned to do for the past year. It's all in the budget. It really is. But it doesn't feel like it, not when you're used to never shopping or spending this kind of money all in one go.

Guess what, self? I'm tracking my spending. I'm having fun with friends and family. I'm enjoying myself responsibly. You don't need to hover like an overconcerned parent. I got this.

Trip Update, Part II

Well, my jet lag is still in full effect. Today I woke up at 5:15 am after going to bed at 9:30 pm. I can't sleep through the night very well--always wake up 3-4 times.

Monday, Labor Day, I spent the afternoon with my extended family. We had a BBQ, complete with awesome summer vegetables, fresh corn on the cob from the farm down the road, salad with strawberries, watergate salad, and other assorted foods, some gluttonously fatty and Southern. It was 110 F and 94% humidity! We usually play a game after dinner, but by the time I had shown them all of my 400 pictures from the past year, it was time for them to go home. The only hiccup in the evening occurred when my young cousin decided to show us how awesome Clint Eastwood's horrible political speech was at the RNC. They hate Obama and I had to leave the room while the speech was on, I couldn't handle even the first joke about the unemployment rate being high, like that is the President's fault. They asked me why I had to leave, and if I liked Obama. I said I loved him and that he was a hero to the rest of the world. I don't let their political affiliation affect my feelings for them--they shouldn't be affected by mine. Other than that, I've luckily escaped any political ads and talk thus far in my trip, despite being in a battleground state. The politics are the one thing that I really do not enjoy about being in the US. NZ does it right.

That reminds me, I need to make sure my voter registration and absentee ballot request goes through OK.

Tuesday, I started in on my goals list. I went to my eye dr. appointment. All is good! My eyes have even gotten slightly better(?) since my last check up, but I blame the horrible eye doctors in NZ for that--they for sure diagnosed me incorrectly, because every pair of glasses I had made there with their new prescriptions made my head ache and feel like I was falling down stairs when I walked with them on. Because of that, I've worn the same pair of glasses for 7 years now. I feel like this doc got it right. I've got an Ortho-K (kind of like braces for your eyes) appointment this week, too--hopefully I can just minimize wearing glasses and contacts during the day altogether. We'll see how it goes, though.

Today I have a dentist appt.--in the US, that includes an exam, cleaning, and X-rays for free with insurance, which is about $20 a month for me, I'll cancel it after my appointment--and hopefully will get my teeth whitened and the tiny chip fixed, and any other cosmetic corrections the dentist recommends.

I've spent a lot of $$ already:

1) My eye appt was $74, even with insurance. I had my eyes photographed for $25 (healthy!), paid a contact lens fitting fee ($40 with 15% off), and my insurance covered all but $15 of my exam fee.
2) I bought a smartphone with $100 T-mobile credit to keep a number that lasts a year, when I can top up again and further extend it. The phone was $179. It's a Galaxy Exhibit 4G. So far, I like it. I am glad I didn't buy a fancier, more expensive one. It is perfect for an entry-level smartphone, for someone that has only used dumb phones before. It is like blasting into the future!! I still have my Verizon phone--my family has already paid for this month's texting and calling plan, and they can call me without using their minutes on that phone--and already, using that feels backwards and odd and very limiting to use it. I have no real idea how to use the new phone--but I think I am doing OK at figuring it out. I know how to get it online and use free wifi, and it makes calls OK. I get no service where we live, but I barely have a signal with Verizon, too, so no biggie. The smartphone at least has wifi calling, so I actually come out better with it than the Verizon phone. The touchscreen is sensitive and good, unlike the first phone I bought off of ebay. I will have to buy an unlock code before I leave for NZ, to use on vodafone, but that will only be $25 or so. Exciting!
3) I spent about $150 in Wal-Mart, stocking up and buying groceries for my parents. I had $125 in gift cards, though.
4) I spent $400 in Target yesterday, more stocking up! Some of it will be returned, and they double charged me for several items, though. Used $25 gift card. I visited Rugged Wearhouse and didn't find anything--they've gone downhill in my area.
5) Incidentals: I paid $50 for a tank of gas, and bought lunch out.

It's all on my credit card, so I have a complete record of everything I bought.

Now that I've pretty much settled in, it's time to start on the rest of my goals, like getting healthy and writing in my gratitude journal and stuff. It's a vacation, but I don't want to waste it by being slobby and fat, at least not the whole time. :)

Here's the thing: even after 4+ years in NZ, I still feel like getting things done in the US is just so much easier and more intuitive than in NZ. I should have things figured out by now, it shouldn't have to be such a struggle just to get normal things done, like buy a decent dress for a decent price, or find shoes that won't fall apart, or get my eyes checked correctly. Everything is just such a process, an uphill battle, in New Zealand, at least for me. The contrast, especially thus far in this trip, is striking. How simple and easy it all is. The worst bit so far was not knowing what to do when the optometrist new patient forms asked me about my employer insurance, and leaving it blank was no problem. I could attribute the easiness to my prior 29 years living in the US, but you know what? I think four years is long enough. I don't think it gets much better after four years of living in a new place. Even though I am a complete oddball here, where I grew up, I fit in here a million times better than I ever have abroad. We'll see if I grow tired of it on my trip, but I have a feeling that stepping on that plane to return will have never been harder than it will be this year. Sadly, I think I have long since hit my limit of overseas living. I would love to be one of those people that just fits in wherever she is like a chameleon, a citizen of the world, adapting easily to whatever ways necessary, but it doesn't look like I am.

Oh Jet Lag, and First Impressions of Home

So I've been up since 4 am and it's my second day on the East Coast of the US after a harrowing 26+ hour plane and airport stint.

I arrived home Saturday evening and immediately became sick. Fever, chills, terrible headache, and traveler's illness like I've never experienced in my life. I didn't feel all that well on the plane rides, but I'm lucky that my body waited until I was at home to get really violently ill.

There's nothing like having your mom and dad take care of you when you're sick, even when you're an adult. I was trying to manage it on my own, but just had to give in and let them baby me. It just didn't make sense to be so independent when they were there, wanting to help.

I'm a little better now, which is awesome, because I have many many plans for this week! Starting today, my extended family is coming over for a Labor Day BBQ. Hopefully I can choke down some of my dad's amazing chicken.

My first impression of being at home was that you miss SO MUCH by only chatting by phone every Sunday, as is our ritual. I need to just make my parents use skype more so I'm not so surprised by how old and frail they look when I come home. My sister is terribly overweight still, and doesn't blink when she talks to you. It's disconcerting, and the least of her problems, I'm sure. But it is very freaky to be stared at like that.

I don't think my dad has much longer to live. He looks terrible, and has been basically only sleeping for the past month. He feels very tired still, even with all the sleep. He just doesn't look good. Very pale, frail, overweight, and shaky. He can't do much anymore, and is very weak these days. Even when I was the most sick, I abhorred having him do anything for me--it took so much out of him, I almost felt like I felt better, terribly ill, than he does normally, but he insisted on helping.

I want to move back home to spend as much time with him as possible, after seeing him like this. I mean, he's been sick for the past 13 years, but this trip is the first one where I've really thought that he was going to die very, very soon. It makes me so incredibly sad. I guess all I can do is appreciate the time I have with him and spend as much of my vacation with him as possible. With a warning to my boss when I get back that I am moving home after my contract is up next April...or sooner.

Winging It

As this is published, I'll be wingin' it on my way to the grand ol' US of A. Dangit, I love that place. ...despite its many flaws, that is!

I'm excited and interested to see how I fit in this year. I feel like I've hit some sort of milestone in NZ, where I feel like I belong here more than there now. I've acclimated to the foreign words and spellings, the driving on the wrong side of the road and car, the limited options for shopping, the convenience of tropical islands and strange lands (Australia) only 3 hours away, the calm and rational political sphere and attitude, and the loveliness of having so many diverse international personalities around. Here in NZ, when I make a mistake or forget to pass someone on the left or spell a word wrong, I feel comforted in the fact that I am American, so therefore the mistakes are OK. Actually, in my mind, I'm allowed to do both the American and NZ ways (although never on the road, of course!!). Therefore, when I spell 'utilised' with a 'z,' or put the month before the day in a date, no worries, mate! They know what I mean, and it's all good.

In contrast, the US will probably feel limited in speech, and I will be expected to just know to spell things a certain way or walk a certain way--I'm an AMERICAN, after all. No room for error! It will probably host an overwhelming gluttony of options for shopping. I'll get mad many times over at the ridiculousness that comes from the impending Presidential race. I'll miss the diversity in cultures and become bored with the monotony of the same accent, same speech patterns, everywhere. I'll turn my windshield wipers on instead of my turn signal. The US will probably be the place where I am most likely to feel strange or weird this year. And that is weird--very weird to me.

I know I want to go back to live in the US, because my heart is there. But even so, I think a piece of me will be left here in New Zealand, just as I have left tiny bits of me everywhere I've lived so far in my life.

Amazing August Budget

This August was a 3 paycheck month for me. Hurrah!

	August 2012 Budget
Category	Spent	Budgeted Amount	Balance
Rent	$840.00	$840.00	$0.00
Groceries	$479.98	$450.00	-$29.98
Internet	$73.30	$45.00	-$28.30
Electricity	$104.62	$70.00	-$34.62
Eating Out	$178.88	$150.00	-$28.88
Charity	$25.00	$50.00	$25.00
Cell phone	$32.82	$40.00	$7.18
Medical	$35.95	$75.00	$39.05
Misc	$334.85	$600.00	$265.15
Savings	$500.00	$500.00	$0.00
Total	$2,605.39	$2,820.00	$214.61

Income: $5,072.91

Spent: $2,605.39

Leftover: $2,467.52

Leftover spending to go to my Non-Financial Slush Fund, bringing it to $5,617.50 NZD.

How'd I do?

Over on groceries, eating out, electricity, internet--all the basics. Under on the extraneous items, like misc. It all evens out.

Misc spending:

alcohol	$         -
entertainment	$    32.36
exercise	$         -
fees	$         -
gifts	$    54.50
goods and wants	$      8.56
transportation	$    98.50
travel	$   140.93
sum	$   334.85

That isn't strictly true--I had a few drinks at dinners I went to but included the alcohol in the price of eating out.

Entertainment was for a treetop walk near Wollongong in Australia. 

I bought several gifts for a departing intern at work and a friend who recently defended her PhD successfully.

Goods and wants were just lightbulbs and a plastic shower caddy thing.

Transportation includes two taxi rides, my cityhop car for one day, and busfare.

Travel includes a two day car hire in Oz, twin room in a hostel, and gas.

September spending will be out of control. But I've budgeted for it, so it's OK. :)

For the rest of the year, I'll continue my monthly contribution to my long-term goals and Kiwisaver retirement funds, but my leftover $$ will be funneled into my non-financial slush fund to catch up on my non-financial personal goals. Next year may include an international move (if I'm lucky), so that will eat up a bunch of cash. Afterward, I want to save up $10K in a Vanguard account to get Admiral shares. After that, who knows? I'll continue saving up for retirement, a house downpayment, wedding, and Europe trip, I suppose, and tackle any short-term needs or wants along the way.