Monday, December 8, 2008
allowance? yes please!
Last week I had $3. Lol. Way to go me. And today, it rolled over to some photos being printed at target as part of my mom's christmas present. So far today I've spent 10 for another part of my sister's present... that came out of my checking account. So I have 20 and no clue what to do with it.... I think I'll sit a bit on this one.
I've been really good with money lately - I haven't gone shopping at all this month (okay, I know Dec is only 8 days old but still).... I have been tempted but I keep reaching out to BF and my mom for support to not spend. It's rough - I'm tellin' ya. But... I hope it just for the time being.
I'm cold. In fact, I've been cold all day. It seems as if December has finally caught up with Northern CA and I might have to turn the furnace on tonight (if I can figure out its location). Temps are supposed to drop to 41 overnight - and that's pretty cold. It's so hard to get up in the mornings too! I think tomorrow will definitely be an ugg day...
Anyway. Almost time to go home here - so hooray for that.
Monday, December 1, 2008
New month, new plan
Anyway. So BF and I have kinda worked out a plan for me. Each week I will take out 20.00 for food, snacks, coffees, etc. On my lunch break (I made a sandwich today!), I went to the bank and withdrew 470.00. 450 for this half of the month's rent, and 20 cash to keep for the previously mentioned weekly cash. I did splurge on a hot apple cider today (2.80), but that was on a gift card. I do have to go pick up part of mom's christmas present today (1.50) so that will come out of my 20.00 as well. However... I did sell some unused mac makeup for 25.00 - so that is in my paypal account at the moment.
I spent about 50.00 at safeway and trader joes on Sunday. I bought things for breakfasts and lunches at work (cheeses, yogurts, crackers, salami, veggies for pasta salad, frozen pizzas) that I can prepare and bring ahead of time. Hopefully this will squash my urge to eat out in the financial district.
94.00 today went to paying my car registration... eeek. That one hurt. But at least I only have to register my car once a year - and my parents were nice enough to fill my gas tank up! And those gas prices - holy moly! I saw under 2.00 in SAN FRANCISCO this weekend! I actually snapped a photo with my iphone at one station, lol. I do owe them 60.00 for car insurance though... that will come out of the cash that I squalled aside last paycheck.
I'm trying to keep christmas presents around 50.00 to each person this year - I've already ordered my sisters (30.00+15.00) so hers is done... I have to order my mom's and finish it up and I have no clue what to get my dad. He usually asks for a shirt... and then I give him a close to 50 something dollar gift card to peets.
Soooo... trying to keep things on a low level right now. Since I now have Fridays off I'm thinking of volunteering or doing something good so that I don't sit around the house and mope all day. We'll see how it turns out.
Ooop BF and I need toilet paper... maybe costco run/$1.50 hot dog dinner tomorrow night!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Just plain tired..
Needless to say... the past day hasn't been very good. I go between feelings of anger to sadness.. I know its not the end of the world and heck I should be lucky I still have a job... but I feel so crappy. I feel like I can't afford presents this year, and I've been contemplating getting a part time job. I will hate to leave my coworkers... but hey I have to feed and shelter myself, know what I mean?
Happy early Thanksgiving... more later.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Outlet madness
Friday, November 7, 2008
I love Fridays.
With Veterans Day coming up on Tuesday, I took Monday off to have a 4 day weekend. And since I've been saying that I need a vacation for quite some time, my mom and I are going up to the wine country to overnight, relax, eat, and just have some healthy downtime. I'm quite excited - as our rooms were 87 a night - so that seems like quite a deal (compared to the other places that were 250+ a night!).
This evening some of us are going to a comedy show where I was able to get discounted tickets. If you sign up for goldstar you get a weekly email with events in your area - most of the time with half price or even FREE tickets. I'll get us some pizzas with coupons from dominoes and voila! Dinner and a show.
With the holidays fast approaching it starts to be time for holiday shopping. BF and I have already given each other gifts for the holidays - so all I really need to worry about is mom, dad, sister, roommate, and perhaps a friend or two. With my new found photo obsession I was thinking of blowing up some of my prints and framing them for my parents. Or maybe I should just stick to the peets gift card I get dad every year, but we'll see.
Anyway - time to get back to "work". Updates later..
Monday, November 3, 2008
November november
For the month I spent a bit too much money.. although I did go through a purse this morning and find a check made out to me! So I'm going to deposit it into my fun fund.
Since payday was Friday, on Saturday morning I transferred a chunk into my savings account. I also withdrew almost half of November's rent and am keeping that into an envelope to later turn into a cashier's check for BF. Sounds confusing.. but I'm hoping that it will help me cut down on costs.
My mom purchased us a slow cooker... so I'm way excited. I'm really hoping that this will make lunches and dinners easier and more fun. I'm getting a bit tired of peanut buttery and raspberry jam... so we will see. Again - I do wish we had a microwave at work! Although the bagel bites have been doing well.
Today I do have to make the journey to safeway - they have some meats on sale (i'm thinking beef stew and chili), plus I need more jam, cottage cheese, and some spices. I'm trying my best to scope out some sales so that I can save more money that way. I do need to go to Walgreeens to get my medicine...so that will be another 25 there too. Ugh!
Anyway - I think I'm going to catch up on some other blogs and I promise (really hard this time!) not to neglect this so much.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
October updates
Anyway. October has been a very expensive month, sadly to say. With the BF and my upcoming anniversary, I totally splurged on his present - an xbox 360. But now he is a happy boy and that's all that matters. Aside from that there has been some cold weather shopping and a couple of birthday parties to attend. That means money toward dinner and drinks/other activities. But this past weekend BF and I did find some free things to do around town with our public transit passes, so that always keeps costs low.
Since I seem to constantly have the struggle with what works best for my paychecks, I think I may revert to pulling out half of my rent (450) at the first of the month and putting another 450 straight into my savings. That will leave 200 left over for groceries and other necessities. I think having a much lower amount in my checking and taking 50.00 out in cash will really make me think twice about spending (especially with having to hand over cash for things.. hopefully it will make me stingy!). We'll see how that works - and of course the second paycheck on the 15th would cover the other half of rent, more money into savings, and cable, cell phone, and heating bills (2/3 paid back by roomies for apartment expenses).
Yesterday was also another expensive day as I ordedred my very first digital SLR camera. I'm so, so excited - I had been shopping around for the best price and once I found it from a shop that a coworker reccomended, I pounced! Plus - dad is giving me 1/2 the cost of the camera too! I just need to get the tracking number and hopefully get myself to sit tight until it comes.
I do still need to go through my makeup wardrobe... I have so much I don't use and its a waste! And I have to keep pushing the fendi bag I have up for sale...
Anyway. More updates to come as needed. :)
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Fleet week!
Today starts San Francisco's fleet week - so if you are out and about in San Francisco and hear a huge noise - look up! If you are fast enough you just might catch some of the blue angels flying overhead. Courtesty of www.visitfishermanswharf.com, here's a list of events going on this weekend:
Friday, October 10 | |
1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. | Air Show Practice Flights |
3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. | Blue Angels Practice Flights |
Saturday, October 11 | |
Noon to 1:00 p.m. | Parade of Fleet Week Ships |
1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. | Air Show |
3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. | Blue Angels Air Show |
Sunday, October 12 | |
10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. | Public Ship Tours |
12:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. | Italian Heritage Day Parade |
1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. | Air Show |
3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. | Blue Angels Air Show |
Monday & Tuesday, October 13 & 14 | |
10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. | Public Ship Tours |
Yay for all this - and a lot of it is free! Very excited - I just hope the weather stays good here in the bay area so we can enjoy a weekend outdoors.
Yesterday I found out that one of my closest friends is in the hospital and will need some physical rehab for her legs. I'm thinking of sending her a little care package - some cards, maybe some candies, and an eyeshadow that she really liked when she stayed with us. I wanted to save the eyeshadow for Christmas, but I figure she may need the pick me up now.
Anyway - the jets are flying overhead again so I'm going to run to the windows to look out - I swear this never gets old!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Autumn updates
I also picked up some more sweats and another sweater - all of which were on sale! I did buy another sweatshirt, but I believe I will be taking that one back. I got a great cardigan at Old Navy for 14.92 - they need sales like that more often!
With October in full force the weather is changing so quickly. It's getting darker out a lot more earlier so that means more lights on in the house. I've been trying to light candles to help out and also layering clothes inside so we avoid turning on the heater. I'm quite fond of keeping our heating bills under $25.00!
Another item that I will need to save for will be my car registration and unfortunately this year it needs a smog too. My registration is 90.00 + the cost of the smog. That isn't due until late December so I can start putting a few dollars away here and there to help lessen the blow on that one.
I also made another sale - I sold my LV accessory that I had up for sale. That will ship out later this week and help with the visa bill.
I've also brought my lunch for the past few days - that has been helping keep food costs down, although I think I will be dreadfully sick of sandwiches in the near future. Any advice on other cheap lunch alternatives would be great - but keep in mind I have no microwave or oven or anything to heat up meals here in the office.
That's all for today - will update you later :)
Friday, October 3, 2008
Feeling stressed!
I'm totally miffed over something that happened, and quite frankly I don't know what to do about it. The person that I sold my bal bag to is telling me that I misrepresented the item and she wants a partial refund! Seriously, it feels as if the bottom dropped out of my world on that one. I had so many good plans for the money - and now if she demands it back? I have no idea what to do - so I'm going to hopefully try and sit tight on this subject...
Thanks to some help from twiggers, who has her own finance blog I will hopefully have some spiffy bar charts that will track my bank and visa accounts. I'll try to get that up and running tomorrow.
Fingers crossed that the bag ends up okay...
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
October already!
Tonight my mom, sister, and I are going to a breast cancer event at the Melting Pot. I'm excited to eat there but even more excited to help with the breast cancer aspect of it. My grandma was diagnosed with breast cancer several years ago and lost one breast to the disease, but today she is cancer free. It'll be a good mom/daughter bonding event.. as long as my sister behaves.
I'm also getting the urge for a vacation. I haven't had a long relaxing vacation in almost two years! Although I did go to Europe last year we were running around the whole 6 weeks. And since I haven't taken hardly any vacation time here I think that I may just take Monday Nov 10 before veterans day off and hopefully escape to San Diego with mom for a bit of relaxing! Airfare is cheap on virgin america - 49/one way. I'm also looking at cheap hotels that may offer a kitchenette that allows us to cook to save money on meals. I'll hopefully bring the idea up with her tonight at dinner and sway her to take that Monday off.
So that's whats going on today - we'll see if the vacation thing actually comes through - and I'll still have 9 vacation days left afterward. Thats it for now, recap to come on the breast cancer dinner after tonight.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
thank goodness for payday
Yesterday was my roommate's birthday as I mentioned previously. I bought some cupcakes for her birthday, and then we joined her and some friends for drinks and tapas. The bill was $25 since we all pitched in to cover her share. Not bad - I had a great time and got to meet some new people too!
With the weather changing here, I've decided it's about time for me to brush up my winter wardrobe. I love autumn - being able to wear big fuzzy sweaters and warmer items totally makes me happy. So tonight after work I'm giving myself 100.00 out of my paycheck to get some winter basics. I'm going to look for sweaters and other fall items to keep me warm through winter. I did consult BF on this matter and he just said "it sure as hell beats being cold". True that!
Today during some off time I took the opportunity to make myself an excel spreadsheet for my spending. It has five pages in it - one for my checking, savings, and fun funds with goals, my visa amount and goals, and also a list of monthly expenses (rent, utilities, etc) that need to be paid and by what dates. I think that If I start tracking my spending down to a T I'll be able to see what things are unnecessary and that I can do without. I may even print it out and take it with me, or just keep track of it with a tiny notebook in my bags.
I'm still trying to bump up some of my sales - I have one handbag left the LV accessory. I also had someone interested in a pair of jeans that I've had up - so if those sell that would help too! I'm feeling really motivated about my spending and accounts right now, so lets hope that I can keep my spirits up!
Monday, September 29, 2008
Street fairs and reunion musings
I then picked up Tiffany and headed back to the apt to get ready for our 10 year middle school reunion. I had an okay time... I thought that people would've changed a bit - but instead a lot of them were just the same as they were 10 years ago. So I was feeling a bit emotional over the whole thing all evening. It just smacked me upside the head that no matter what to these people I will never be good enough, not funny enough, not pretty enough, not outgoing or spontaneous or bitchy or anything for them. I guess I have to be okay with that - what else can I do? Oh well..
Yesterday would have been my grandpa's 87th birthday if he was still here. So again, I spent yesterday in much of a depressive slump, half dozing around the apartment all day. BF and I did go for a walk for a few hours and then I was in bed by 9. Blargh.
Total money spent for the weekend - 65.00. Ouch. But I did bring my lunch today so that will help me save! Hooray.
And it's Monday..updates to come...
Friday, September 26, 2008
TGIF!
Last night I also made another sale... small, but the 30.00 helps! That and the bracelet I sold will be shipped out today.
Last night on my way home from work I stopped into one of my favorite stores and started talking with a gal who works there. We've chatted several times before about jewelry, bags, makeup, everything. We talked for about half an hour - and while doing so she said that the shop was actually looking for part time help and that she would gladly reccommend me to her boss. I wrote down my email and phone number and she said that she would talk to her manager about it first thing in the morning. Whether or not I get a phone call it was still nice to have someone think of me in the hey i want to work with you sense. A small job (say 10 hours a week) would help - plus the store has great things and I think I would really enjoy it. We'll see what happens though ....
Also a coworker brought me a great treat today - with MAC's back to mac program you can bring in 6 empties of any product and redeem them for a new lipstick or eyeshadow. My coworker brought me 18 empties - so that means I get 3 new MAC products! I'm very excited about this one!
I'm treating myself somewhere cheap for lunch today since it's Friday - maybe I'll be way gross and have McDonalds, haha. Anyway - more to come later.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
tiny sale plus free ice cream!
Today I sold another item - just a bracelet for 35 but every little bit helps. I think I'll go ahead and add the 35 to my fun fund. That'll bring the total up to about 80 - but its still growing! Today I'm also shipping out my bag sale - it's a little bittersweet but at the same time I'm not feeling any major remorse. I may sell off another balenciaga bag - we will see though. I do know that my tomato day will never leave me - that bag was such a steal and I love it. But obviously if push comes to shove and I ever needed money that I would sell it.
This weekend will be exciting - it's my 10 year grade school reunion. I know - it sounds weird, but since I went to Catholic school and spent 9 years with these people it will be good to catch up. My best friend will also be staying overnight with us - so poor BF prolly won't sleep since we'll be up laughing like morons. But that's okay! Laughter is good. So there will be dinner and drinks - yay!
Also - today is free ice cream day at coldstone! Today is the world's largest ice cream social
Celebrate the 7th Annual World's Largest Ice Cream Social and Support the Make-A-Wish Foundation® with Cold Stone Creamery
Throughout the month of September, Cold Stone Creamery will be selling Make-A-Wish wall stars to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation, an organization that grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions. Be sure to visit your local Cold Stone Creamery to try two new flavors, Nutter Butter® and Marshmallow, and the very special “Make-A-Wish Creations” inspired by Jack and Emily, two Wish Children.
- Jack's Creation - Marshmallow ice cream with OREO® Cookies, Chocolate Chips and Fudge
- Emily's Creation - Nutter Butter® ice cream with White Chocolate Chips, Kit Kat® and Yellow Cake
To cap off this special month, don't miss the 7th Annual World’s Largest Ice Cream Social at participating Cold Stone Creamery locations nationwide, a special night to join together and share the simple pleasures of life with a FREE ice cream and family fun. On September 25th from 5:00 - 8:00PM, guests will be treated to a 3 oz. serving of Jack or Emily's Creation. All donations will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation. (Courtesty of www.coldstone.com)
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Bit of a relapse...
I broke my makeup for that reason solely - I hadn't bought makeup since August! So tomorrow I go on the makeup ban again, only a much, much happier camper.
Hopefully more updates to come... I'll try and post an updated visa amount later on this week :)
Monday, September 22, 2008
Finally did it.
This past weekend was good, albeit way too fast. My parents had a birthday party for me and I got $150 in cash. Not too shabby! On Sunday I returned a pair of boots that when I put on made me look like an elf. So that is $120 back on my visa card! Hooray! I did spend 67 at Target though... I needed some cleaning supplies, got BF some cereal, and picked up a few winter essentials since the weather will be changing fast. Mom also totally spoiled me - she bought me a painting for our apt, new jeans, two new sweaters and a new blazer. And she bought me lunch yesterday. So needless to say I'm feeling a bit better about everything.
I'm waiting to see what my updated visa bill looks like now after the returns that I've made on it. With the money that I've made on the handbag it's more than enough to get me out of debt and start to replenish my savings. I'm very, very excited - I may even put 100 in my fun fund that I started at BofA.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Today is the day!
I also had to pay my cell phone (64) and cable/internet (89) today. Those definitely hurt the wallet. I did, however, monitor my text message usage and saw that I haven't even used 10% of the 1500 texts that I'm paying an extra 10.00 for so I canceled that aspect on my at&t bill. I'm also still thinking of selling the iphone and going back to just having minutes and texts. I don't need anything fancy - email and internet can always wait until home. The only drawback is not having email and my calendar readily available for work ... we'll see what happens with this one though.
I'm torn on a few things. I'm really feeling quite bummed out today. I did put 500 into my savings yesterday, but the utilities and cell phone bill just wiped my account out. This leads me to other thoughts of debt and monetary woes. Will I never be able to get ahead? Will I always feel as if I have to live paycheck to paycheck? What happens when I want to buy a house? I'm so scared and worried that I'll make the same mistakes that some family members have done. I desperately don't want to be like them and try to set different goals and spending habits for myself, but sometimes its just so hard. I hope BF and I are able to sit down sometime soon and make up an actual real budget that I stick to.
I sold a bunch of makeup online - so that's going to make my makeup case and my bank account a bit happier. Once I get the full invoice paid from the lady I'll go ahead and ship that off and deposit the money into my account.
The only other bill that I have to worry about for the next month is our heat - 21 split between 3 people. Somehow, I think I'll be able to come up with the $7.
Monday, September 15, 2008
weekend in review
Saturday my mom and sister came into the city. I did bring my visa card with me - but I spent $0! I am so proud of myself! My mom did buy me a tote bag, a hat, and splurged on a pedicure for me though - which was way kind and totally unnecessary. But regardless I had a good time.
Sunday I made some returns to urban outfitters - that's +43.00. I did have to get some gifts for my RAOK buddy, so that was -33.00. Dave and I headed to the supermarkets, where I spent a whopping $9 on food (I used some of my gift card at trader joes and then the rest was over at safeway - i got some stuff to make breakfast and lunch, plus some ice cream). We cooked dinner at home and I also made myself breakfast and lunch for today in an attempt to save money and be a bit healthier (cottage cheese with fruit and pasta salad - we'll see how it turned out). Overall I had a pretty relaxing weekend with not a lot of spending.
In other news... I've listed the first of my balenciaga bags up for sale. I've been thinking a lot lately about how all of these designer items are almost like a facade. Do I need them? Not at all. Do I like them? Of course I do but how many bags do I have sitting in my closet? I think concentrating on my savings and then setting goals for myself is a better idea than buying a ton of expensive bags when in reality I have all I need.
Today I do have to head to the tailors though - pants that need to be hemmed aren't doing any good just sitting in my closet if I can't wear them!
This morning I also made my first deposit into my new bank fund - I've decided that I want it to be a fun fund/bag fund/shopping fun. So I currently have 46.00! It's not much, but its still a start!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Monday, September 8, 2008
Weekend roundup
Saturday evening we went to the movies and I bought an icee and some candy. Total - $7.25.
Sunday we relaxed by the pool and did some grocery shopping but with script. Total - $0. Had to put some gas in my car though, so that was $10. And we had dinner at home, which was a total of $0.
Weekend total - $46.25. Not too bad - but if I hadn't gotten charges would've been dropped. But what can I do - work clothes are work clothes, correct?
Anyway, on the visa front - I got another birthday check and that brings the total of birthday money to $300.00 - I'm feeling better about paying down the visa. Now if only the checks from work come, that would be great. I also think I might do the freeze trick with the card - freeze it in a bag of water in the freezer so that I can defrost it in DIRE emergencies - car trouble, vet visit, something along those lines. We shall see though..
Friday, September 5, 2008
Foot for thought..

Shoes. Something that as a woman, I can't avoid - and even if I wasn't well, they are somewhat of a necessity. But moreso to the point, let's look at the shoes to the left - Tory Burch's reva leather ballet flats. No mater how hard I try I can't get these out of my head - with the adjustable elastic banding, the leather(!!), and the bling but subtle look at me gold medallion on the front. But the thing that holds me back? The $195 price tag. And with CA state tax of .0825, they come out to be a whopping $211.09 - about $105 per foot. PER FOOT! And for this reason I will continue to shove these precious babies out of my head.
$211 - what could I do with that money? Save it. Or use it to pay off another chunk of the visa bill. It could be put toward electric or the cable bill.
Perhaps instead I will stalk Nordstrom Rack to see if these ever show up. But on second thought, I think I'll just avoid shopping all together.
I think a goal for me this weekend is go hardcore go through my wardrobe and find some things that I haven't worn (shoes, etc) and see if I can somehow sell them. Twiggers and her blog of getting rid of anything and everything unnecessary that is cluttering up my life and closet is inspiring me to do so. Plus one person's trash is another person's treasure! Craigslist and ebay, here I come.
And I forgot about another thing I have up for sale - a small Louis Vuitton item that I have priced at $175. That would make another huge difference in the bill and also give me a boost in my savings. Here's to selling!
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Money goals
Here's a breakdown of my debt:
United chase visa card: 1244.03, 500.00 of which is owed to me through work and another 70 by my parents. That leaves me with roughly 674.03 to be eliminated.
So far I've received 200.00 in birthday money - bill is now 474.03.
Up for sale I have my Fendi purse, which I've priced at 650, an ed hardy hat at 40, two coach purses at 65 and 75, and another tote bag at 40. if all of those sold today it would total 870 - more than enough to get me out of debt.
My monthly income is $2200, with 900 to rent and about 63 for my phone, and 50 for both heat and cable/internet, leaving me with 1187. I should be saving about 800 of that! I walk to work everyday, try to cook most nights but I do splurge on lunches - about 5-10 everyday. I really try to keep it under 10, but sometimes here in the city it's hard.
I've also thought of reducing my cell phone bill by getting rid of my iphone for a phone that just has minutes and texts. I sometimes feel as if I don't use my iphone for what it was fully intended for, and quite frankly that 63 could be saved or put to other use!
What seems to really bother me is that since I've been working for a full year I should have a lot more in my savings. But I think I let myself - and my mom get the best of me while living at home. I bought designer jeans and handbags up the wazoo - not batting an eyelash at extraordinary amounts paypalled over almost every payday to get a new bag.
Of course I regret it now - and hope that I can tone down my collection to something that I will actually use and LOVE with most of the unneccessary items sold.
Whew, what a mouthful...