I spent the better part of twenty minutes this morning trying to fix my coffee maker because I was convinced it was broken since it wasn't brewing coffee. My roommate promptly pointed out I had never turned it on. What a way to start the day.
The BF has left for CT and I am to join him Saturday morning. I don't know what to do with the next two days since he is gone. This is rather exciting. ;-)
I have been doing some extra driving this week because I was convinced something was wrong with my car. My check engine light came on Sunday morning but then shut right off. It hasn't come on since then so I'm calling it a wash. I think all the rain might of tripped the sensor on Sunday. Here's hoping that's all it was.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
It Feels Like Fall Today
I love waking up and it being really cool and crisp ... in October. It has felt like fall the last few mornings here. It's nice don't get me wrong just odd.
I went shopping last night for food and some other little things that we needed around the apartment. I budgeted sixty dollars for this outing and I spent 59.98. That was exciting. I am hoping the food I bought will last a few weeks because with the BF going back to work next Monday he won't be eating so much!
On a side note, I can believe it's already Wednesday! That's really exciting.
I went shopping last night for food and some other little things that we needed around the apartment. I budgeted sixty dollars for this outing and I spent 59.98. That was exciting. I am hoping the food I bought will last a few weeks because with the BF going back to work next Monday he won't be eating so much!
On a side note, I can believe it's already Wednesday! That's really exciting.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
There's Something About this Week
I don't know what it is, but there is something about this week that has me on edge. I think it is all the rain we have been having.
My manager is on vacation this week so it's pretty quite at work. It's nice really. Everyone is more relaxed and it's a good change of pace. September is looking like it will be a good month for some sweet overtime. We have booked a small catering event and my job is holding a Yard Sale fundraiser that I get to work, so yay!
This weekend the BF and I are going camping with some guys from his old Boy Scout troop (insert fake excitement here). I don't know why I have to go. He is going down Thursday and I am supposed to meet him there Saturday morning. I really don't want to go though. lol.
Blah I am not feeling it today! Sorry for the lame post!
My manager is on vacation this week so it's pretty quite at work. It's nice really. Everyone is more relaxed and it's a good change of pace. September is looking like it will be a good month for some sweet overtime. We have booked a small catering event and my job is holding a Yard Sale fundraiser that I get to work, so yay!
This weekend the BF and I are going camping with some guys from his old Boy Scout troop (insert fake excitement here). I don't know why I have to go. He is going down Thursday and I am supposed to meet him there Saturday morning. I really don't want to go though. lol.
Blah I am not feeling it today! Sorry for the lame post!
Monday, August 15, 2011
It's Raining and That Reflects my Mood Today
This weekend was horrible. Not really but pretty damn close.
Saturday was wonderful. The BF and I stayed in all day and watched stupid movies and made food. It was a good time.
Yesterday, while I was driving to Target, my car sputtered and then my check engine light came on. I'm not stupid, I know the check engine light can mean anything from a lose circuit to some horribly wrong. I drove to my mechanic, who I have been going to since I moved away from home four years ago and who I trust, and on the way there the light turned off. It has been off since then. My mechanic told me that it is probably something stupid and that if the light is off not to worry to much about it. He scheduled me an appointment for next Saturday and he'll take a look for me.
That was scary for me. Even knowing that chances are it was something small I was still scared. I was prepared to move my E fund into my checking account and conduct repairs. I guess that's the moral of this story. I had some extra money, albeit not much, to handle this. That brought some calm over me.
I am still scared and angry at my car. It better hold up.
Saturday was wonderful. The BF and I stayed in all day and watched stupid movies and made food. It was a good time.
Yesterday, while I was driving to Target, my car sputtered and then my check engine light came on. I'm not stupid, I know the check engine light can mean anything from a lose circuit to some horribly wrong. I drove to my mechanic, who I have been going to since I moved away from home four years ago and who I trust, and on the way there the light turned off. It has been off since then. My mechanic told me that it is probably something stupid and that if the light is off not to worry to much about it. He scheduled me an appointment for next Saturday and he'll take a look for me.
That was scary for me. Even knowing that chances are it was something small I was still scared. I was prepared to move my E fund into my checking account and conduct repairs. I guess that's the moral of this story. I had some extra money, albeit not much, to handle this. That brought some calm over me.
I am still scared and angry at my car. It better hold up.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
I love Lazy Saturday's
I love a good lazy Saturday. That's what today is. There is nothing on the schedule that needs to be done so I'm not doing anything. My plan is to only leave the house for fun, free, things. There is a shopping plaza near us that sometimes the BF and I like to go to and just walk around. I don't know why but that always makes me happy.
Not much to report today. I splurged yesterday and bought Chinese food for dinner :-/ I paid for it in cash so and I'm not to upset about it. The BF and I haven't had takeout in about two weeks so it was nice.
My roommates mother has come to her rescue, again. She told my roommate to go shopping and put it on a credit card and then she would pay it for her. My roommate spend 200 dollars on food. For about $60 I can feed my BF and myself for a little under two weeks. We need to restock milk and some basics during the two week period but $200 baffles my mind. At least I know that her mom will cover her expenses so I am all set on rent ;-)
Have a good weekend everyone!
Not much to report today. I splurged yesterday and bought Chinese food for dinner :-/ I paid for it in cash so and I'm not to upset about it. The BF and I haven't had takeout in about two weeks so it was nice.
My roommates mother has come to her rescue, again. She told my roommate to go shopping and put it on a credit card and then she would pay it for her. My roommate spend 200 dollars on food. For about $60 I can feed my BF and myself for a little under two weeks. We need to restock milk and some basics during the two week period but $200 baffles my mind. At least I know that her mom will cover her expenses so I am all set on rent ;-)
Have a good weekend everyone!
Friday, August 12, 2011
It's Friday, Firday Gotta Get Down on Friday!
I do love paydays. I love spending the first forty five minutes of my morning reworking my budget to reflect my actual pay and I love paying bills and balancing my checkbook :-).
My paycheck was $121 more than I had expected :-). I added a little money to my household spending a little because there are some things I need to buy that I have been putting off. The rest went right into my savings account. What a good day it is!
My paycheck was $121 more than I had expected :-). I added a little money to my household spending a little because there are some things I need to buy that I have been putting off. The rest went right into my savings account. What a good day it is!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Well It's The End of Another Pay Period
It's Thursday! And not just any Thursday it's the Thursday before pay day! What started out as what I thought was going to be a bad week for money turned out to be not to shabby.
I managed to control my driving and didn't need to throw some extra gas into my tank, even after the unexpected trip to CT last weekend. I also didn't spend a penny this week.
My E-fund sits just over $300 dollars and I have budgeted adding another $50 to that tomorrow. I am hoping that with all the over time I worked I will be able to add a lot more. My raise won't be on this paycheck which is sad, but it will be on the next one and will have 40 hours of retro pay :-).
I am getting so excited just thinking about being able to tackle this debt. I am also considering a second job to help attack this debt. With the BF going back to work I am going to have a lot more free time on my hands. I only work Monday through Friday most weeks so my weekends are free and I have no problem working at a coffee shop for minimum wage. I don't know yet. I'm going to have to mull it around for a little while and see how the BF feels about it. It would be nice to have a little extra something coming in to snowball...
I managed to control my driving and didn't need to throw some extra gas into my tank, even after the unexpected trip to CT last weekend. I also didn't spend a penny this week.
My E-fund sits just over $300 dollars and I have budgeted adding another $50 to that tomorrow. I am hoping that with all the over time I worked I will be able to add a lot more. My raise won't be on this paycheck which is sad, but it will be on the next one and will have 40 hours of retro pay :-).
I am getting so excited just thinking about being able to tackle this debt. I am also considering a second job to help attack this debt. With the BF going back to work I am going to have a lot more free time on my hands. I only work Monday through Friday most weeks so my weekends are free and I have no problem working at a coffee shop for minimum wage. I don't know yet. I'm going to have to mull it around for a little while and see how the BF feels about it. It would be nice to have a little extra something coming in to snowball...
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
My Debt Free Plan is Taking Shape
I spent a good part of last night working on my plan to pay off my debt. With my raise and the BF going back to work it's time I got serious and began to attack this. Because my student loans are below six percent interest I am leaving them be for right now.
Taking a page from Dave Ramsey I have already started to put money into an E-fund. I am going to snowflake every last penny into that E-fund until it reaches $1000 which should be in just over three months.
I am more interested in saving the most money possible in interest so instead of using Dave's traditional debt snowball I am going to modify it. Once my E-fund is complete I am going to throw everything I've got at my Capital One credit card which is charging me almost 18 percent interest. If I can get that up to about $250 a month I should have it paid off about two years after I start attacking it. Then I'll move on to the next and the next. I haven't sat down and did the math yet but I'm looking at somewhere between three to four years to have them all paid off I think.
Plan starts Friday, here I go!
Taking a page from Dave Ramsey I have already started to put money into an E-fund. I am going to snowflake every last penny into that E-fund until it reaches $1000 which should be in just over three months.
I am more interested in saving the most money possible in interest so instead of using Dave's traditional debt snowball I am going to modify it. Once my E-fund is complete I am going to throw everything I've got at my Capital One credit card which is charging me almost 18 percent interest. If I can get that up to about $250 a month I should have it paid off about two years after I start attacking it. Then I'll move on to the next and the next. I haven't sat down and did the math yet but I'm looking at somewhere between three to four years to have them all paid off I think.
Plan starts Friday, here I go!
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
The Good and The Bad ... All In One Day
Yesterday was a day that was jammed packed with good and bad news all at once.
First the good. My raise went through at work and is being retro applied to my three month anniversary which was in July, so YAY! My manager also told me that if I work eighteen months with him he would recommend me to make the jump into corporate side of the company which is super exciting because the whole reason I took this job was for the chance to make a jump into corporate :-)
And lastly while I was at work yesterday my future mother in law came up to visit the BF and they spent some time shopping. Needless to say I now have a fully stocked fridge, pantry, freezer, and liquor cabinet. I tried to tell her that she didn't have to (via text messages since I was at work) but she insisted and when she insists there is no stopping her.
The Bad. My roommate asked us on Thursday to watch her dog for the weekend while she went to visit her BF, she told us that she would be Sunday night. It's now Tuesday and she is still not home. I have no issue watching the dog at all. I love the little guy it's just the fact of the matter. You ask us to watch him for a set number of days I'm going to hold you to that. If you are going to extend your trip have the courtesy to ask us to watch him longer don't just send me a text saying you will be spending a few extra days. On top of that she still doesn't have a job! Ugh!
The other bit of bad news (there is some good news in it but its selfish of me to put it in good news) is that my executive chef (who is different from my manager) got an offer to transfer within our company to another facility. He is thinking about it and said that he is unsure if he would take it since it would mean a change in his hours. He is the sole provider for this two children so being able to get of work at 3:00PM everyday is important to him. So we will wait and see if he takes this new position. If he does take it it would probably take the company a month or two to fill his spot so their would be some good overtime in the meantime.
First the good. My raise went through at work and is being retro applied to my three month anniversary which was in July, so YAY! My manager also told me that if I work eighteen months with him he would recommend me to make the jump into corporate side of the company which is super exciting because the whole reason I took this job was for the chance to make a jump into corporate :-)
And lastly while I was at work yesterday my future mother in law came up to visit the BF and they spent some time shopping. Needless to say I now have a fully stocked fridge, pantry, freezer, and liquor cabinet. I tried to tell her that she didn't have to (via text messages since I was at work) but she insisted and when she insists there is no stopping her.
The Bad. My roommate asked us on Thursday to watch her dog for the weekend while she went to visit her BF, she told us that she would be Sunday night. It's now Tuesday and she is still not home. I have no issue watching the dog at all. I love the little guy it's just the fact of the matter. You ask us to watch him for a set number of days I'm going to hold you to that. If you are going to extend your trip have the courtesy to ask us to watch him longer don't just send me a text saying you will be spending a few extra days. On top of that she still doesn't have a job! Ugh!
The other bit of bad news (there is some good news in it but its selfish of me to put it in good news) is that my executive chef (who is different from my manager) got an offer to transfer within our company to another facility. He is thinking about it and said that he is unsure if he would take it since it would mean a change in his hours. He is the sole provider for this two children so being able to get of work at 3:00PM everyday is important to him. So we will wait and see if he takes this new position. If he does take it it would probably take the company a month or two to fill his spot so their would be some good overtime in the meantime.
Monday, August 8, 2011
And Another Work Week Begins
This has been a horrible weekend for spending. My in-laws through an impromptu dinner party which meant an unscheduled trip to CT. In order to pay for gas and food this week I had to put food on my credit card :-( I should have an extra hundred dollars or so come payday this week so I am going to transfer the $40 and change over to the card as soon as I can.
That being said I seriously only have $0.58 in my checking account right now so I guess this is going to be a total no spend week. lol. The BF goes back to work in exactly 14 days and I am singing from the mountain tops! Once he is back to work I can get super serious about paying my debt down.
On a completely unrelated topic I want to quickly comment on S&P's downgrade of U.S. debt. It's about time. I think that the other rating agencies need to do the same. Only by downgrading our countries debt will the message of long term debt/deficit reduction get through to our political leaders. I may be young and I sure as hell hate paying taxes but I understand that if this country is going to have a chance to regaining it's former glory, there are going to need to be hard choices made. Taxes will have to go up and spending will have to be cut. I don't care that it is an election year our leaders need to get off their a$$es and do something because they are gambling with my future and I'm sick of it. I honestly think that the first step to accomplish this is by removing every member of the Senate and House that has served longer than 10 years. Their minds have been clouded by power and it's time they step aside and allow new blood and new ideas into the mix.
Sorry for that rant I promise I wont make a habit of it, I'm just really angry. I hope everyone is having a good Monday!
That being said I seriously only have $0.58 in my checking account right now so I guess this is going to be a total no spend week. lol. The BF goes back to work in exactly 14 days and I am singing from the mountain tops! Once he is back to work I can get super serious about paying my debt down.
On a completely unrelated topic I want to quickly comment on S&P's downgrade of U.S. debt. It's about time. I think that the other rating agencies need to do the same. Only by downgrading our countries debt will the message of long term debt/deficit reduction get through to our political leaders. I may be young and I sure as hell hate paying taxes but I understand that if this country is going to have a chance to regaining it's former glory, there are going to need to be hard choices made. Taxes will have to go up and spending will have to be cut. I don't care that it is an election year our leaders need to get off their a$$es and do something because they are gambling with my future and I'm sick of it. I honestly think that the first step to accomplish this is by removing every member of the Senate and House that has served longer than 10 years. Their minds have been clouded by power and it's time they step aside and allow new blood and new ideas into the mix.
Sorry for that rant I promise I wont make a habit of it, I'm just really angry. I hope everyone is having a good Monday!
Saturday, August 6, 2011
I need to have a tooth pulled out
A little over a year ago my dentist noticed a cavity in one of my wisdom teeth. She told me watch it and if it got worse or started to hurt we would have to pull it out. Well two days ago it started to hurt something fierce. So now I am getting ready to call the dentist to have her look at it to tell me to I need to have it pulled. Sounds fairly simple right? Yeah, not so much.
I have a rather bad allergy to most types of anesthesia so in order to pull this tooth I need to schedule a surgery at the hospital which will require an overnight for observation. JUST TO HAVE A TOOTH PULLED OUT. Even if I just wanted to have it filled I would either have to do it with no anesthesia or again do an overnight in the hospital. Ugh. I have rather good health insurance but before that kicks in I need to meet a $1,000 dollar deductible. My company covers $700 of the deductible so I will really only need to come up with three hundred plus 20% of everything over the $1,000. Moral of this story is that August is sucking wind right now.
Time to call the dentist now.
I have a rather bad allergy to most types of anesthesia so in order to pull this tooth I need to schedule a surgery at the hospital which will require an overnight for observation. JUST TO HAVE A TOOTH PULLED OUT. Even if I just wanted to have it filled I would either have to do it with no anesthesia or again do an overnight in the hospital. Ugh. I have rather good health insurance but before that kicks in I need to meet a $1,000 dollar deductible. My company covers $700 of the deductible so I will really only need to come up with three hundred plus 20% of everything over the $1,000. Moral of this story is that August is sucking wind right now.
Time to call the dentist now.
Friday, August 5, 2011
Learning to Live With Less, No As Easy As It Seems
I broke my no spend days yesterday. It was one of my former coworkers last day at the restaurant I used to work at before she has her baby so I went in to see her. I ordered some food for me and the BF which after tip totaled $25.00 (I drink for free there so it's really a good deal). It wasn't bad and I paid for it with cash, just now I have a little over $10.00 dollars for food for the next week. Oops. I'll figure it out. Ramen might be my friend for the next week. lol.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
I'm Going to Need a New Car Soon
When I started to focus on my debt at the beginning of the year all my friends thought I was crazy. I suddenly stopped going out with them and suggested having stay in nights instead of going out nights. This was completely backwards from their way of thinking which was still stuck in the college mode. Needless to say that I really don't see them much anymore, which I am okay with.
I did see one of my friends last night and I was shocked to find that he was driving a brand new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee which has a starting MSRP north of 30 grand (he really isn't the brightest bulb in the box so I would put good money on the fact that he paid almost full price for it). I honestly couldn't believe it. While we were hanging out he was complaining how hard it was to make all of his bills and how he was working a full time job as well as two part time jobs. I really had no sympathy for him because he didn't need the new Jeep. He was driving a 2008 Honda Civic that was in really good condition but he just bought the Jeep because he felt he deserved it. What kind of thinking is that?! You deserved it? I was so mad at him for it. That being said I offered to help him work out a budget to somehow make it all work for him, so we are doing that later this week.
The moral of this story is this, I know that I will need a new car soon. The one I am driving now is coming up on being fifteen years old and while it still drives pretty good I have had to sink almost seven grand (thank you mom and dad for fronting most of that money and then forgiving the debt as my birthday and Christmas gift last year) into it over the last few years. I've decided that once the next major thing breaks (which I think will be the transmission) I am going to have it towed back to my parents house because they want it back and I am going to by a new (used but new to me) car. I will most likely buy a Jeep Grand Cherokee or something similar to that because even though they are expensive and eat a lot of gas, commuting to and from my job in the winter is going to be rough and I feel safer in a bigger car.
I spent most the wee hours of the morning looking at prices for new (used) cars and I realized that while I want one really really bad I'm better off waiting another year or so before I attempt to purchase one (that is if my current car agrees). There's no way I could swing a loan right now. That fact depressed me but also inspired me to continue to pay off my credit cards and to save save save.
I did see one of my friends last night and I was shocked to find that he was driving a brand new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee which has a starting MSRP north of 30 grand (he really isn't the brightest bulb in the box so I would put good money on the fact that he paid almost full price for it). I honestly couldn't believe it. While we were hanging out he was complaining how hard it was to make all of his bills and how he was working a full time job as well as two part time jobs. I really had no sympathy for him because he didn't need the new Jeep. He was driving a 2008 Honda Civic that was in really good condition but he just bought the Jeep because he felt he deserved it. What kind of thinking is that?! You deserved it? I was so mad at him for it. That being said I offered to help him work out a budget to somehow make it all work for him, so we are doing that later this week.
The moral of this story is this, I know that I will need a new car soon. The one I am driving now is coming up on being fifteen years old and while it still drives pretty good I have had to sink almost seven grand (thank you mom and dad for fronting most of that money and then forgiving the debt as my birthday and Christmas gift last year) into it over the last few years. I've decided that once the next major thing breaks (which I think will be the transmission) I am going to have it towed back to my parents house because they want it back and I am going to by a new (used but new to me) car. I will most likely buy a Jeep Grand Cherokee or something similar to that because even though they are expensive and eat a lot of gas, commuting to and from my job in the winter is going to be rough and I feel safer in a bigger car.
I spent most the wee hours of the morning looking at prices for new (used) cars and I realized that while I want one really really bad I'm better off waiting another year or so before I attempt to purchase one (that is if my current car agrees). There's no way I could swing a loan right now. That fact depressed me but also inspired me to continue to pay off my credit cards and to save save save.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
The Roommate Situation
In order to successfully pay all the bills that come with our apartment my BF and I have a roommate. She has lived with me since we were sophomores in college, but we really don't get along. I find her to be really annoying and absent minded and I'm sure she thinks I'm controlling and a micro manager. Even with those things we make terrific roommates, we rarely fight about things and we each have a set list of things to clean that get done without any problems.
When we got our first apartment almost three years ago together (in a time before the BF and I had met) I insisted that all the household bills be in my name. I pay each bill as it comes up and she reimburses me her share at the end of the month when she gives me the money for rent. This deal has worked out really well and she has always managed to give me the money on time and without any problems. I am a little concerned about the end of August though.
A few months ago there was a change of management where she works and she got laid off in a series of events that were completely her fault. Her new manager said that we don't need your position anymore and asked her to transfer to another area she said no so he laid her off. I know that she is coming to the end of her savings and when this has happened in the past her mom has bailed her out, but I'm pretty sure her mom cut her off since she has graduated college. If she can't come up with her share of the rent I really don't know what I'm going to do. I am pretty sure that I can float this month by just fine it's just it will completely wipe out my E-savings and that really makes me mad.
This just further highlights how stupid I was a few years ago and how much I need to kick my savings into overdrive to really feel secure.
When we got our first apartment almost three years ago together (in a time before the BF and I had met) I insisted that all the household bills be in my name. I pay each bill as it comes up and she reimburses me her share at the end of the month when she gives me the money for rent. This deal has worked out really well and she has always managed to give me the money on time and without any problems. I am a little concerned about the end of August though.
A few months ago there was a change of management where she works and she got laid off in a series of events that were completely her fault. Her new manager said that we don't need your position anymore and asked her to transfer to another area she said no so he laid her off. I know that she is coming to the end of her savings and when this has happened in the past her mom has bailed her out, but I'm pretty sure her mom cut her off since she has graduated college. If she can't come up with her share of the rent I really don't know what I'm going to do. I am pretty sure that I can float this month by just fine it's just it will completely wipe out my E-savings and that really makes me mad.
This just further highlights how stupid I was a few years ago and how much I need to kick my savings into overdrive to really feel secure.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
It's Only August 2nd and I love This Month Already
My BF got an email from his manager yesterday telling him to report to work on August 22!!! In a little over twenty days we will once again have a second income!!!!!!! My share of the rent will decrease as will my share of the food budget and almost every other area!!! Words can not describe how excited I am to start having a second paycheck coming in. With him paying all his own bills again and contributing to the various budget amounts I can finally kick my E-savings into overdrive!!! It is a good day today!
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