NO SPEND DAY!


HA HA!


I love it!

We did FAB this weekend! I'm SO proud of us! Ready, ready, ready???

OK, Spendings, Friday 7/27
$15 for lunch with the girls at work

Saturday 7/28
NO SPEND DAY!!!!!!!! (Practically unheard of on a weekend with us!!!)

Sunday 7/29
$6 on coffee

Total weekend spendings: $21

Woo-hoo! We so totally rocked this weekend.

Not much going on these past few days. Been tryng to not spend much. Spent some money this week on breakfasts b/c we were all out of cereal, bagels, etc and didn't get a chance to go shopping until last night. Spent about $15 on that. Dropped $5 at Cumby's the other night when we ran out of tp at midnight. Picked up sme from the all night store and a bottle of soda for the boy. Yeh, convenient, but fricken expensive! I hate buying things at convenience store.

Grocery shopping finally last niht. Spent $111 and change. Not bad, as we did a major shop and picked up a lot of meats. I think it's fair to say we blew our grocery budget for July, but I a going to do the math later to see how off we were. I'm not too upset, as July was the first month on this new plan and we are in assessment mode to see how much we are over or under in budgeting in some cateories.

Got a bill from the hospital from when I was sick a few months ago. Guess insurance didn't cover all of it. Didn't have the funds in out checking account to cover it all, so I took $125 from the Vegas fund to pay it and I will replace that when I get paid on Aug 3rd.

Listed a bunch (about 20) new books on half.com this week. One sold today, so that rocks.

Now that I got a better/working camera, there are some things I want to list on ebay, like my KidRobot Bunny's, some Tori Amos concerts, some NIN videos, a Louis Vuitton clutch/wallet thingy from inside a Louis purse that is no more, and possibly a Coach clutch. I dont know about that one. I LOVE it an it matched my hot pink leather jacket perfectly!!

Anywho, that's about it here. For now, at least.

Well, we did a lot of spending this weekend, but I feel ok about it. Friday night we hit the Sushi restaurant and had a big expensive dinner. It was so expensive, I’m not even going to mention how much we spent, for fear of giving you frugalers a heart attack! Saturday morning I hit the bank, CVS for meds, and the post office. The rest of the day we stayed around the house and cleaned all day. How sad, we cleaned for about 3 hours and only got partway through ONE ROOM! ACK! In all fairness though, it was cleaning out, and we threw away about 3 bags of stuff, plus I listed around 15 books online and have another 20 or so to take to the used bookstore. We ordered in Saturday night. Then Sunday we did some errands. Hit 2 used bookstores and the regular one. One bonus was we bought a book at the used bookstore for $35, then, later on, found the same book brand new for $6! So we got the $6 one and returned the other one, thus saving us a good amount of cash. We ate lunch out on Sunday, and ran to Target as well. While BF filled out a job application for there, I returned my semi-new (2 months old) camera that turned out to be a piece of crap. Luckily, they have great customer service and they gave me store credit (I asked for store credit) even though I didn’t have my receipt. I used that credit to get a different camera, exact same price. This one is much better and there was no out-of-pocket cost for it. Also got gas on Sunday. I’d say over the weekend, we spent about $200. Seems like a lot for what we did, but when you figure in gas was $30, dinner Sat was $20, lunch Sun was $20, and dinner Fri was, well about those 3 things combined, we did pretty good. We spent about $60 in books, one which was an expensive journal for myself.

A lot spent, but all the bills are paid and we still have a good amount left over for groceries, gas, and in case something happens.

Took $5.50 I had in there and deposited it into the Vegas account yesterday. But I have some spare change from my purse to put in, and when I was cleaning yesterday, I found a dollar bill. I'm really starting to like this cleaing and finding money thing! It's like I'm being paid to clean my own house!

CITB
Dollars $1.00
Quarters: $2.25
Dimes: $.50
Nickels: $.35
Pennies: $.42

Total: $4.52

Got my big freelance check in the mail yesterday: $350! YAY! That is going into the Vegas fund (which, is also my $20 Challenge fund), along wth $5.50 that I took out of Cash In The Bag. Whoo-hoo!

Vegas Prev. Balance: $130.50
Freelance check: $350.00
Cash In The Bag: $5.50
---------------------------
New Vegas Total: $486.00

I was able to bring home 3 hours of OT this week from work. Yay! I get paid time and a half for OT, so it's always a bonus when I can find some. Plus, I get to bring it home woth me, instead of staying late at the office, so that's an additional bonus.

When this amount shows up in my next paycheck (2 weeks) I'm going to transfer that right over to the Vegas Fund. I'm also expecting a freelance check for a couple hundred to show up in the mail next week, so that will boost that Vegas total right up.

In other work news, I recieved my 6 month review/raise. Not a huge rais, about $.25 an hour, but considering the company doesn't give raises to everyone, I'm happy. I do need to speak to my boss, though. On the paperwork, he has me down at $12 an hour with a raide to $12.25 an hour. Ummm, I ctually make $12.98 already. So, gotta make sure he doesn't push through the paperwork for me to be making $12.25, as that would be bad. Bad, bad. LOL

Anyways, the quarter an hour works out to about $40 a month, before taxes. Whatever it comes out to after taxes will be put directly into the Vegas fund. After the vegas fund is, well, funded, it will go towards my EF. I figure it will be about $25-$30 a month.

Anywho, off to work. Good day all!

$30 gas in the car
$.85 snack after lunch

Total: $30.85

Transferred a bit from my paypal balane into my Vegas fund. After I have recieved payment for items and the fees have been paid, I transfer the money from paypal into my account a little at a time. This way, I still have some money in there in case I find something on ebay I want or I list more items that don't sell and I still need to pay fees.

Anyways, sold some back issues of magazines and an action figure from the TV show Charmed, so I had a little extra to transfer to the Vegas fund.

Vegas Prev. Balance: $115.00
Ebay Sales: $15.50
---------------------------
New Vegas Total: $130.50

Cashed in some of my CITB this past weekend ($8 in rolled change). On top of that, we had $10 in quarters, but we did laundry here this week. When we go visit Mums and Dad, we do it there, but we haven't been up there in a couple of weeks and the clean clothes were getting sparse.

I did find some spare change in my wallet and in my shorts from this past weekend. And, there was $5 in bills in the jeans, too! So it's all getting out into CITB for the next deposit.

CITB Totals:
Dollars $5.00
Quarters $.50
Dimes $.20
Nickels $.25
Pennies: $.32
Total: $6.27

Soda at work $1.50 (my tummy has been wicked upset lately...hoping the carbination would help).

Dinner out: $30 (this is our weekly dinner, so it was planned for).

Total spendings: $31.50

Grocery store: $108


That's it. I'm happy. No outside spending and still doing good on the grocery budget.

Made a deposit today for the Vegas trip. Topped $100. Great start for me!

Vegas Prev. Balance: $65.00
Cash In The Bag: $8
Survey check: $10
Donation from the fam: $25
B/C I wanted to deposit an even amount: $7
(Total New Deposits $50)
---------------------------
New Vegas Total: $115.00

All this talk about hair lately has nudged me forward to do something with my own. I want to cut it, get something relatively funky. However, I'm not sure how work would feel about the funky I have in mind (Hot pink anyone?). So, instead I decided just to take a few inches off the end, give myself a little different look.

Did it myself last night! ANd it's even! LOL

Saved myself some money doing it myself. Although, I gotta say, I miss having it shampooed by someone else. Hmmm....wonder what BF is doing tonight...

$4 for a new headband at the festival
(lunch and a new necklace for BF were bought by Mums...how cool is she?)

$20 for dinner (least we could do)


Total: $24

Happy low numbers!

Lunch at Mall (for 2) $10.00
Drinks: $5

That was it! I got 2 new books at the bookstore, but I used my gift card for that. And I still have $25+ on it for another day.

Today we hit the festival. I'm sure we'll spend some money, but not a whole lot. I wanna run to the grocery store later as well, pick up a few things for lunches next week. Plus, I still have that deposit from last week to do at the bank. If I get time, I wanna go to Target. My great new camera I bought last month is a piece of crap. It won't work right. So, I am hoping to return it to get another one, or at least store credit to get another one.

Happy Sunday all!

This weekend, we have deiced to leave the house for something other than grocery shopping or eating out. We're about 45 mins East of Providence, RI. I actually grew up in East Providence. There are some things there BF wants to do, so we're gonna head over that way today.

Sat plans:
Go to Mums and Dads and go with the to visit my very sick aunt in the hospital. She's not going to be around much longer, and I haven't seen her in a while, so I want to stop and and see her.

Then, we're going to the Providence Place Mall. They have a HUGE Borders there and I still have some $ on my Borders gift card I got for X-mas. We're also going to go to Swan Point Cemetary to visit the gravesite of HP Lovecraft. (My BF is obsessed with him!) Also, drive around and show him some of the historic places downtown, like the house Edgar Allen Poe lived in and Thayre Street. Should be a fun time.

Tomorrow, Mums is coming up here. In the park, literally 4 blocks from our apt., is the annual Whaling Festival this weekend. It's a big faire, with carnival rides, food booths, lots of craft booths and shopping, plus games and such. We go every year. I want to look for a new charm for my braclet, but that is all I plan on buying, and they are usually like $5 each or 3 for $12.

So, we'll see how well we do. Just put gas in the car yesterday, so we should be all set there, and the plan is to eat at home before we go out.

Breaky: $4.98
Lunch with friends at work: $11
CVS: $17.18
Gas in car $30.00

Total: $63.16


Bleh, again.

Chinese $25
Breaky $4.45
DnD $1.66


Total: $31.11


Bleh.

Wednesday, did great!

$20 gas for car


THAT'S IT! ANd if I didn't get gas, I wouldn't have made it to work. Yay me!

Although we didn’t get the condo we wanted (interest rates on mortgages were just too high), we decided to keep looking for a new place. Where I lived in our current place myself for almost 4 years, BF doesn’t really feel like it is ours. More like mine he is living at. Once we get the rest of his stuff from Vegas, he’ll feel differently, but also moving into a place we pick out together will help. Plus, the neighbors are still crazy.

So, we’ve been looking for a new place, even if it is a new apartment and not a house or condo. Here comes the great story:

Last week we saw a place listed in the local paper we wanted to check out. Historic area, great price. When I called the number, turns out it was the wrong number listed. Bummer. Then Monday, BF was walking down the street and he passed a realtors. They had a sign in the window for 1 bedroom Historic apartments. So, I called them. We found an amazing place! We haven’t seen the inside yet, but the building the apartment is in is amazing! It is an old mansion in the historic district here, and was built in 1856. Used to belong to one person, now it is apartments. The apartment we are hoping to get has a living room with bow windows that form an alcove, a dining room, a large bedroom, kitchen and bathroom. It has 11 foot ceilings with crown molding. 2 marble fireplaces (LR and DR, not sure if they work, thinks one might). Our own private mini deck. All the other apartments share one large deck, but we get our own. Also, there is the main entrance and that is it for the other apartments. But ours has the main entrance and our own private entrance! Beautiful neighborhood. Accepts cats. Currently renting for $700 a month, will take $650 for it (we pay $625 now!).

Only downfall? Someone is still there, and although they are moving out, they could be there as late as October. We told them we want it, and to let us know as soon as it is available. He told us it’s ours.

So, now we just have to wait. I’m so excited! Unless there is some major issue, we’ll be moving in a few months. Oh, another bonus? It’s only 6 blocks away from our current place! Short moving trip! Same work commute! I hope this works out. We were both so disappointed over the condo. I hope we don’t get disappointed again.

Well, looks like my fancy July budget is in the crapper. I got a letter in the mail stating I never paid my June payment for one of my student loans (I was POSITIVE I did...) So, now I have to come up with $135 ($120 plus late fee) to send them ASAP.

What is really bugging meis, I KNOW I wrote out that check. I remember thinking "Oooh, this payment will be early." And I updated my Debt Tally here with it. But I checked and the check number hasn't been cashed. I guess I will assume it got lost in the fricken mail. Grrrr.

So, looks like there will be some struggles for the rest of this month, as the budget was already pretty thin. We're trying to meet new budget amounts (gas in car, gas at home, electricity, groceries, etc)but this is the first month trying it and as it is, I don't think we are going to hit those new numbers. *sigh* What's another month of struggling when you've been strugging for almost 12 years, right?

Gas in car: $20
Snack at work: $.85
Dinner: $25

Total: $45.85

OK, not really. But I got a DD from half.com today and it is going towards Vegas. So, they're kinda sending me.

Vagas Prev. Balance: $50.15
half.com DD: $14.85
---------------------------
New Vagas Total: $65.00

Today has been OK for spending. I thought it was going to be a No Spend Day, but then I remembered I needed stamps. So I bought a book for $8.60. $8.60?? OUCH! Damn stamps are way too expensive. I have taken to paying all my bills online, but these were some forms for my student loans I needed to send in. At any rate, since I don’t use stamps often, these will last me a while. And they are the Forever ones, so they’ll be good even when the price of stamps raises again.

While I was at CVS (for the stamps), I also got the new People magazine. I am a huge wrestling fan and have been following the murder/suicide of Chris Benoit and his family since it happened. He was on the cover, so I picked it up. BF will read it as well, then we’ll pack it away and in 6 months or so, put it on e-bay and recoup the money.

And finally, I spent $1.66 at DnD. I bought 2 donuts. Bad for my finances, bad for my healthy eating plan. But the carrots I had with me were very metallic tasting, and you know how you get a craving and you can’t ignore it? Anyways, I don’t want to hear a single peep about how choosing donuts was bad. I know it was. I don’t need to be told that by someone else. (If I seem defensive, it’s because of a comment recently that irked me re: my food choices and eating out).

So, spending for today is done (I hope). I’m aiming to make tomorrow a no spend day, with the exception of gas in my car.

Spendings
CVS: $11.69
DnD: $1.66
Total: $13.35

Did fairly good at spending on Sunday. Went to the grocery store, and spent $69.32 This was Fab as it was down from $83.43 after I got my discounts (saved $14.11!). Didn’t get to the bank, as they didn’t open until almost an hour after I was done shopping and I didn’t want to go back there again. It’s OK, I just needed to deposit some rolled change. It’s in my purse still, so I’ll count this as exercise (carrying around heavy coins!). lol

Other than groceries, I only spent $0.40 on Sunday. We went to the annual Summerfest here and walked around looking at all the art and crafts and booths. Admission was free, my BF treated me to a Dels from his allowance money, and we didn’t get anything to eat. I bought 8 beautiful polished stones ($.05 each!) that I am going to wrap and make necklaces with.

The rest of the day was spent trying to cool off. We watched TV and took naps in the afternoon. At night BF played his Game Boy and I finally started working on my quilt.

All in all, a good day.

Spendings
Groceries: $69.32
Stones: $.40
Total: $69.72

I think today will be relatively low key. I have to run to the bank to make a deposit from CITB ($13), and pick up a few groceries. I also need to see where we are in terms of our budget after my evil spending weekend.

We found an add for an apartment we're interested in, but the number in the paper was wrong. We have a general idea of the area it's in, so I think we're going to go drive around a bit and look for it. It's $35 less a month than what we pay now, and...has a fireplace!!

Other than that, I think we'll stay in. Neither of us is handling this heat well. Well, the heat is killing me and the humidity is killing the BF. I fnished cutting all the pieces I need for my quilt yesterday, so I want to start piecing it together. I might have to pick up some thread if I'm all out, but other than that, no personal spending today!!!

Been in a crazy spending mood this weekend! Of course that always happens when I put myself on a budget. Trying to control it though.

We got a cell phone for my BF. We got a cheap $15 one that has pay as you go minutes, so it won't be really expensive. We also picked up some starter minutes. I got a new book, which is OK since I will be getting rid of some more this week on half.com. New pens, well, they were purple and cheap, what can I say? Plus I had a coupon for $7.50 off my total purchase, and the pens were only $2.99 And there is a story behind the cheap allergy meds, but more on that later.

Yesterday, Sat, spendings:

CVS - $57.34
Prescription meds: $49.09
Allergy Meds: $9.99
Pens: $2.99
Tax: $2.77
Coupon: -$7.50

Breaky - $25.00

Target - $38.83
Book: $12.00
Cell Phone: $14.99
Minutes for Cell Phone: $9.99Tac: $1.89

TOTAL: $121.27

Yuck.

Friday night wasn't as free as I was oping. Got home and just chilled out for a bit. We were hungry for dinner, but didn't really want anything in the house. So, we went to Friendlies (a very cheap but yummy place where we can both get dinner for under $15).

Those little boogers have changed the prices. Their drinks are not $2.25 each!!!!!!!!!!!! WTF????? We spent $4.50 on drinks! We asked and they said "Oh, but they are free refills." Our reply was "Yes, but neither of us had a refill!" *sigh* Really angry.

Service was bad again, too. That's it, we decided. We're not going there for a while. Too bad, too; I love their chicken sandwiches.

After dinner, we stopped st Newbury Comis. Poked around, but just didn't find anything I really wanted. The Boy got a new deck of cards, but he used ome of his allowance for that. I didn't buy anything. Go me!

Total spendings Friday:
Friendlies $24
Break $4.45

Total for Friday: $28.45

Very little spending yesterday. Put $26.02 worth of gas in my car, and spent $3.03 on DnD for an afternoon pick me up (was never gonna make it through work without it).

Today I spent $4.45 on Breaky. Went out to lunch with a friend from work, but she paid since she owed me a few bucks. Yay! Free lunch!

Hoping to make tonight a quiet night in, with no more spending. We’ll see.