Money Freeze

So I am officially putting myself on a money freeze for the next 4 days. I had to pay my car registration and went a little overboard on the eating out. I could probably rationalize it all away. But in the end, I just really failed at having any sort of will power in the month of August. So I officially have about $200.00 left until I get paid.

I feel like I should make some goals for the month of September. So here it goes:

1. This looming medical bill for $450.00 …I should pay it so I’m not worrying about it anymore. I’m going to call to see if they will reduce it a little, since it’s really their fault my insurance won’t pay it.

2.Save up a shopping budget for my girls trip in October! My VP gave me a $250.00 giftcard to Banana Republic, so I’m saving that for the San Antonio outlets. I’d also like another $300 to set aside. Don’t judge me. I’ve done a really good job of not buying new clothes since I started this money journey.

In reality, I won’t have an extra $750.00 this month. So we’ll see how it goes. I have part of October to save too, and my birthday is earlier that month, so maybe my parents will send me a little birthday money. I mean, they didn’t last year, but a girl can dream.

Anyways, that’s all I have to say for now!

One year down, a lifetime to go.

Hello dear readers,

I’ve kept this blog for about a year. August of 2012 marks my 1 year anniversary since making my commitment to becoming debt free and taking control of my finances. I can truly say I’ve made a lot of progress when it comes to checking my bank account and working through the fear and anxiety I’ve had in relation to my money.

Over the past year, I’ve had a lot of people reach out to show their support of my blog and my financial journey. And I have to say, it means the world to me when someone tells me that they read my blog. To  me it’s like they are telling me, “I am cheering you on! Keep it up!” I’ve also had people tell me, “Wow, I can’t believe you put all of it out there.” or “I feel like I know too much.”

Well, that makes sense. I knew the only way I would be able to keep myself accountable is if I kept people informed. And the only way anyone would read this stupid blog is if I kept it honest and genuine. I think that’s why it’s been so successful this far. And I understand, money is really personal. Not everyone is comfortable discussing their debt in such candor. There are a lot of emotions attached to money, including shame, guilt, anxiety, etc. I have experienced all of them at multiple times in this journey.

And I also understand that because my blog is so open, someone could probably figure out how much money I make in a month, or what my monthly expenses are. I am not embarrassed by this at all. I work hard for my money. I don’t spend extravagantly. Could I have made better decisions in my past? Absolutely. But I can’t take it back now. I can only control how I handle my finances moving forward.

At any rate, for those of you who are simply appalled that I could discuss my money matters in such an open forum,  I say to you, don’t read it.

And to everyone else who has called, texted, emailed, commented or subscribed, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I could not have gotten through this first year with out the overwhelming support I have received from all of you! I am just as committed to this difficult and scary journey as I was the day I started it.

Financial Freedom – you will be mine.

Only in LA

I found my second part time job!

I should have put this post in code.

Because so many of my readers know my family, you probably know that someone close to me is getting married in a few months. Well, that brings up the variables of wedding gifts, travel, new outfits, etc. I don’t know how many of you know this about me, but I am a Sari Snob. I grew up wearing my mom’s old sari’s and blouses that drowned me out and made me look like I was wearing a brown paper bag. Well then I moved to California and met my dearest friend who showed me the ways of modern sari fashion. I have never looked back.

So anyways…there are two things I need to save for because of all of the festivities. 1. I need to save for a wedding gift. I have a number in mind of how much I would like to give said person and person-in-law when they tie the knot, and it requires a bit of planning. I don’t mind at all though. Like Dave Ramsey says, live like no one else so you can GIVE like no one else. I love that. 2. I need to save to have a new sari made. I’m not quite sure how many events there will be to this celebration, but I know that I’ll need at least one new sari, and it needs to be in the latest of fashions. And that means I’ll probably have to drive down to Orange County a couple of times and spend around $500.00. I’ll probably be able to wear it again….maybe. Whatevs.

At any rate, the good news is that I have about 6 months to save for all of this. It might slow down my snowball a little, but I think that’s okay. After all, it’s just money 🙂

I wasn’t looking

No posties for about 2 weeks! Sorry about that guys. I know you were all missing my witty financial musings 😉

Well, literally for the past two weeks I haven’t thought about my money that much. I don’t even remember what I was doing. Basically, working a ton. I think I was in Santa Barbara three weeks ago, and I had two busy weekends. (hiking, trampoline dodgeball, flash mobs…I mean..come on. My life is seriously sweet). And yeah…I just took a little mental break from money I suppose.

BUT…while I wasn’t looking, my checking account grew to a pretty fantastic number. I think it has to do with the pay cycles and me not really spending that much on anything apart from groceries and gas. I spent a grand total of $36.00 in South Dakota. $25.00 of that was for 5 drinks!! Seriously, things are so cheap there I can’t even believe it.

So I checked out my numbers and after I deduct the rest of this months expenses including rent for June, I still have enough to put $500 towards my checking account and live pretty comfortably until I get paid again on June 1st. I am so blessed. PLUS, I won’t be tempted to spend all of this money because I’m traveling to NYC tomorrow for an entire week for work. I probably won’t have a ton of time to do anything besides have fun dinners out. And those will be covered by my per diem. Woo-Hoo!

I am definitely buying that new swim suit now 🙂

April payments

It’s a good thing I wrote this post before buying that swimsuit online because I just gave myself the incentive to not buy it so I can make a credit card payment. The goal after this week is to put $200.00 towards the last credit card. Not as hefty of a payment as my last one, which was $500, but I really needed to go shopping, so whatever. It’s hard to be super disciplined all the time!

Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

This post has nothing to do with money, and everything to do with how excited I am my team has made it to the final game! No one expected them to play this well. Not even me. And this is our “rebuilding” year! Can you imagine what we will do in the next 2-3 years!?! I can’t wait! Even though we have a history of choking in this tournament, it makes the wins that much more exciting. Because every Kansas fan knows that we could poop the bed at any time. So with that, I hope you all join me in cheering for the Jayhawks as they play to win another NCAA Championship title. I will absolutely be leaving work tomorrow early to watch!

Also, on the gambling front. I lost $30.00 total from all my pools. Money well spent if you ask me. But, I did bet my new marketing VP (an Ohio State grad) on last night’s game. Kansas wins, I get a day off. Ohio wins, I take on 2 more projects. Either way I look like a rockstar. I will absolutely enjoy next Friday off! Holla!

Rock Chalk Jayhawk! Go KU!

 

Feeling Good

Okay, Here’s my update since my last post. If you recall, I chose not to make my $800 credit card payment because I kept forgetting about other expenses. Well, it’s a really good thing I chose to hang onto that money because my $25.00 oil change turned into $209.00 worth of preventative maintenance. I’m not sure I needed to do this, but I always feel good about getting all the check ups and stuff because I’d rather not be stranded on the side of the freeway with smoke billowing out of my car.

I have a dream

Hey all, I updated my I have a Dream page. Apparently, I’ve been dreaming a lot and not writing any of it down! So check it out! I can’t wait to have the money to buy all of this amazing stuff!

Back to the Money Grind

Hello! Welcome to 2012. Now that the holidays are over, I am back to my chipper and money enthused self, so you can expect my regular blogging schedule to resume effective immediately. Let me start off the new year by giving you a brief synopsis of the last 2.5 weeks of my life.

1. I worked all the way through my Christmas break. I was given a 1/2 day on Friday and the Monday after Christmas off. I proceeded to work all day Friday, Saturday and Monday. This is what the scene at my home looked like:

Please note the champagne and candy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. I bought my Mac!! It is the prettiest thing I have ever owned, and I am absolutely in love. I also got a sa-weet discount because someone I work with has a boyfriend who works at the store. So I ended up getting a 13″ Mac Book Pro + Microsoft Office + a nifty little carrying case for $1300! And I paid cold hard cash…well I used my debit card, but still. It’s the same thing. It felt pretty good to decline the finance option 🙂

Here is a picture of my new baby. I’m still trying to think of a name for her. Let me know if you have any suggestions 🙂

Isn't she delightful?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. I had somewhat of a Christmas Miracle. True to my word, I made gifts for my friends and delivered baked goods to my co-workers. And as I was handing out my gifts and cards, I got a very real sense of happiness. Because giving to people is a really good thing to do. And that was really the only thing that gave me real joy through the entire blasted Holiday season. That and my wonderful Mac Book Pro. I even mailed a couple of gifts and as I left the post office I was like…yeah!! hahahaha, I’m still working on handing out the gifts I made because it’s hard tracking down addresses and making sure you see people.

Here are some shots of my handiwork:

my holiday goodies to coworkers

As I was making these, I realized that I have a lot of people I care about in my life. I am pretty darn blessed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Okay, back to the numbers. I had pretty high hopes for the month of December, and I think I kind of failed. I thought I was going to be able to put at least $600 towards my credit card debt, but last night I looked and was only able to put $300.00 towards CC#2. I suppose $300 is better than nothing. But I’m starting to get really annoyed with myself. It’s mostly because I like to eat out so much. I’ve had a lazy month (or 2) when it comes to cooking, and now I’m kicking my ass for it. I know I can do better, it’s just been a matter of will power. Anyways, as of today..January 2nd, I’m resolving to do better.