Update

I am still trudging along.  My raise went into effect this paycheck, and now I am making $30 more every two weeks.  Not great, but better than nothing.  Also, my expenses should be officially going down.  I just paid the last electric bill from my old apartment, and should also be getting a refund for a few bucks from my last cable bill.  On Monday, BF's phone contract is up.  I had a plan, then added him to my plan to make it a family plan, but my contract is not up until the end of December.  I am going to switch the BF to prepaid on Monday and buy him a $100 credit.  He doesn't talk on the phone much so that should last him for a few months (1000 minutes).  Also, he has a work cell phone he can use if needed.  His main concern, since we don't maintain a house phone/land line, was that he needed to keep his cell phone number since it's on so many documents, and he doesn't want to update everything with a dif. number.  In December, I too will make the switch from contract to prepaid.  My cell phone currently costs me $1200/yr with myself and my boyfriend.  If I can save half of that, I'll be happy.  I will try to use it to screen calls and then call people back from my BF's work phone.  I'm going to do a little research to see if switching my plan or switching carriers would be a better idea before I move his account on Monday.

Annoyed

I had an issue with a textbook I bought online-- the package arrived---
with delivery confirmation, but the back of the package was cut open,
and no textbook was inside. And, since the postal clerk did not mark
the mail, Without Contents, I'm having a hard time proving to the seller
(I bought the book on half.com) that I did not receive it. So far, I've
had to file a claim with the post office and I've sent a few emails to
the seller as well. I know it is not her fault, but she was paid on the
condition of me receiving the book. Since I never received it, I feel I
am owed a refund. Not only am I out the $53 I paid for the book, but
now I will have to pay another $100 to go buy a new book at the school
bookstore. This totally sucks! Hopefully they still have it in stock.
I don't want to fail this class and have it ruin my GPA! Also, this
class cost about 2grand. I think I will charge the textbook; I know
this is going to increase my balance, but I feel this is essential. I
could pay by cash but I'd rather not. I will make up for this next
paycheck.

Need or Want?

With class starting, I really would like a computer backpack for my laptop. I have a sleeve to put it in, but I think the backpack would get a lot more use, and is more portable, and fits textbooks in it as well. Since I have an older (bigger) laptop, one of the few decent backpacks I've found is the North Face Borealis II. I think this would be a good laptop because when I travel, I can use it as well. It looks pretty sturdy. The bf has a North Face, and took his all over Europe and is still using it years later. I think I would want it in black. I found this on eBags and it costs ~$80. I think I'll buy it when I get my next paycheck... I know I'm supposed to curb spending, but I have researched backpacks, and I'm certain this is the model I want.

State of Things- Weekend Spending

I knew this weekend was going to be a little pricey. I had a dinner party on Friday, and four of my friends came over. I spent $32 bucks on wine, which ran out quickly, with the guests rushing out to buy more before the liquor store closed. I spent $73 on groceries. The party turned out to be a success, with everyone getting well-fed and tipsy. For about ~$20 a head, we had a chocolate fountain with fruits, marshmallows, pretzels, and pound cake, veggies, chips & dip, to start. Then I made a salad with romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and mushrooms. For the main course, I made fettuccine alfredo with a choice of chicken or shrimp, and garlic bread. For dessert I made a cheesecake (from scratch) with strawberry topping. There was enough food leftover for everyone to take home an extra meal with them, so I sent everyone home with a container or two of food. On Saturday, it was raining like crazy, but there were essentials I needed to stock up on at Costco. I bought garbage bags, Clorox Clean-up, toilet paper, laundry detergent, Oust, and new boxers for the bf. The bill ended up being about ~$70, but that should last a year, since it was a year ago we joined and bought all that stuff. Since the bf is out of the country until next weekend, I'm also paying the water bill ($35) this month. After Costco, I went to Target and picked up more boxers for the bf, some super-cute Nick & Nora sock monkey pj pants, and a little metal shelf thing (etagere) to go ontop of the toilet. I was going to get it set up before bf gets back, but it needs to be screwed into the wall, and we want to paint the bathroom, so I want to go over the colors before painting. Anyhow, it's getting put aside pending a discussion. The total spent at Target was ~$67. Today I spent about $ 5 on Subway. My total weekend spending was: ~$282. That's kind of a lot. There are 11 days left until my next paycheck, and I have : ~$100 in the bank, $60 cash, and $158 being deposited to my bank account this week from half.com from textbook sales. That leaves me with about $300 bucks to last me until the next paycheck. I am going out tomorrow night for Indian food with my girlfriends, but I have a restaurant.com gift certificate for $25 off $35, so dinner shouldn't be too expensive, and that would buy enough food for me and a friend. Also, I am expecting a nice package from a Tastefully Simple party. I had never heard of it until I moved to PA, but I went to a party last weekend where the host makes all this food using Tastefully Simple mixes, and almost everything was amazingly delicious and easy to make. Since the bf is coming back next Saturday morning, I'm hoping my package comes this week so I can have some of those treats made for him!

Goal Eight: Get A Better Job

This is probably going to be the most difficult goal. Although my expenses are low, my debt needs to be eliminated before I leave the comfort of my job (though it doesn't pay enough). I don't want to have a gap in employment either, because I'm really scared of being without health insurance. Also, I have used up the majority of my vacation days and don't have time to take off for interviews. I think the best thing to do is to wait until I have my master's degree, and look for a better job then, but then I am losing out on all that potential income I could be earning. Also, if I stay at my current job, I am looking at a possibly decent bonus in February, and in June I will have been at my job 3 years, and will be eligible for 3 weeks of vacation. Even though my job is terribly boring with no room for upward mobility and does not pay well, I would need a significant raise to justify switching jobs, because in addition to vacation days, we can take our sick days as vacation days, we get personal days, we get our birthday off and we also get all bank holidays off. Since my family lives out of state, this time off is very useful.

Goal Seven: Make an Etsy Site

I am pretty crafty and good at drawing and photography. I know I can create some really neat pieces of art, and I even have all the supplies here to do it! I have a Canon Rebel XT, given to me by my best friend, which I still need to master, and tons of paper, canvases, paints, pencils, and pens. Since I haven't done much lately but go to work and school, I haven't felt inspired. Well, my boyfriend inspires me, and he's v. hot and a good art subject, but I'd like to keep that for myself. Before I make my etsy site, I would love to learn html and other stuff like that.

Goal Six: Finish Reading Books I Own

This goal will be a hard one to accomplish. In addition to finishing the books, I will be trying very hard not to buy new ones, and I would like to sell or donate the books once I'm done with them. They are contributing to clutter, and I rarely read books twice. Also, I discovered the university library has a great selection of best sellers, even some that I've bought! I wish I had gone there sooner. On my to-read list at the moment :

Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea - Chelsea Handler
BONK! (Checked out from the library!) - Mary Roach
The 4-Hour Work Week - Tim Ferriss(In my quest to improve my financial situation)

I am a fairly quick reader, but with work, and school, and everything else going on, it is increasingly difficult to finish and absorb a book like I used to. I also subscribe to and read (every month) :
Cosmopolitan
Marie Claire
Glamour
Budget Travel
Nylon
Men's Health (my boyfriend's)
Details (free subscription)
Martha Stewart Living (free subscription)

I can't help it. I feel the compelling need to consume information. Though this time could be better used studying and improving my academic situation.

Goal Five: Find Additional Sources of Income

I've been contemplating joining elance.com and bidding for jobs, but am scared to take the first step. In order to have access to the most jobs, you need to pay a monthly fee. So, although I could potentially make money, this could also end up being an additional expense if I'm not careful. I've also considered waitressing a few nights a week, but I have waitressed before and was not very good at it. Also, with my school schedule and difficult courseload, I don't want to overwhelm myself and end up with bad grades. I've looked on craigslist, but nothing seems to work with my schedule. I did a gig through there once, and ended up pocketing about $300 for a few days work selling promotional items for a musical, but it was labor intensive and took alot out of me. I did get to watch the musical and got some free promo items out of it, but those jobs are hard to come by.

Goal Four: Lose Weight

In alot of pf blogs, I've noticed that the discussion has come up that weight and health often seem to be linked to financial state. I definitely agree with that. As I have gained debt, I have also gained weight. There is alot of stress associated with owing money, especially to family members, and I think this has led to stress-eating and weight gain. I am glad that my mom does not need the money back right away, but for personal reasons, I would like to pay it back as soon as possible. My boyfriend and I both gained weight since we started dating, but he has spent his summer getting back into shape and is looking fantastic, while I spent my summer in class and not doing much else. I am only 5ft tall and have ballooned to 150lbs! I am curvy, but that is a very unhealthy weight. In high school, I weighed 95-100lbs.! My ideal weight for my height would be 110lbs. I love to eat, and am also quite a good cook. There is a community gym available to me, as well as a gym available at school. Additionally, there is a gym I could join that has personal trainer service, but I don't know if I should spend the money to join just for that when there are 2 other venues available to me. It is so hard to get motivated! I even bought a bike at the begining of summer, but only rode it a few times. My goal is going to be to formulate a food and exercise plan, stick to it, and actually make it to 110lbs. (or close) by my birthday in February.

Goal 3: Travel Fund

Actually, I have already started my travel fund through ING Direct, but there's only about $50 in there. I would like to have enough money to take a trip abroad once my boyfriend finishes grad school next summer. He does travel a decent amount for his job (he's in Brazil right now), but we would like to go to Australia or South Africa on our own schedule. The goal for this fund is $3000 by next summer. In the meantime, we will take different weekend trips to tide us over. Living in Central PA, we are within driving distance of NYC, Atlantic City, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Pittsburgh. Taking little trips is probably counter-productive to my financial goals, but I think it will help maintain my sanity. I also travel a few times a year to see my family in Houston (where I moved from), but my dad takes care of that. I would like to start buying my own plane tickets for those trips as well.

Goal 2: Create an Emergency Fund

I realized much of my initial credit card debt would not have been incurred had I planned properly and had an emergency fund in place. I have recently opened up an account on ING Direct to save for travel, and think I will start my emergency fund through them as well. Since the money is not easily accessible, it will be out of sight and out of mind. I think an initial goal of $1000 dollars for my emergency fund will be a good starting point. It is enough to fly me home on short notice, to pay the car insurance deductible, to make a mortgage payment on my bf's townhouse, to get an apartment if needed, and to pay the medical insurance deductible in case anything major happens to me. Ideally, I would like to have more saved, but would prefer to get my debt paid off first.

Goal 1: Get Out of Debt

I make approximately 33k per year at a job I don't really care for. But I am trying to finish grad school, and they work with my schedule, and there is a lot of time off. Even though I know I can find a better paying job that I'm not completely bored at, I haven't made the time to look for other opportunities. I am very lucky, because my parents are paying for grad school. Thanks to them I have a car that's paid for, as well as car insurance (though that may be changing soon). Also, I recently moved in with my boyfriend, and no longer have a large rent expense. With my parents and boyfriend helping me out in the major areas, there really is no reason for me to be broke, but somehow I can't seem to get out of the red and into the black. Here is a breakdown of my financial state:

I make : ~$930/paycheck every two weeks= $1860 a month after taxes

My regular expenses:
Rent: $200 - paid to my boyfriend
Cell phone: $100/month for my bf and myself (I will be changing the plan in Sept. and Dec. to lower costs).
Netflix: ~$10/month

I owe:
My Mom: $1900 @ 0% interest. She lent me $2,600, but I still owe this much. She is going on vacation at the end of November, so I'd like to have at least half of this paid to her by then.
My Credit Card: ~$3000 @ 19% interest. I can't even remember what I bought! Alot of it is from expenses I had when I moved here two years ago!

Upcoming Expenses:
Dad's Birthday Gift
Dental Work
Christmas Presents
Car Maintenance

I realize with such a high interest rate, it would be wise to pay off the credit card first. But since my mom did lend me the money more than a year ago, I think it is important to get at least $900 of that paid before she goes on vacation in November, and have the balance paid off by the end of January. I need to automatically set aside $300 a paycheck to send to her. I also need to look into additional sources of income or into getting a better paying job.

Background Info - My First Post!

I've been reading a ton of pf blogs the past few months during work, and decided it was time to take the plunge and write my own. My urge to spend has often gotten me into unnecessary trouble; things that could have been avoided with a little planning and know-how. Through this blog I am going to examine what my goals are and how I plan on reaching them.