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Home > Archive: August, 2008

Archive for August, 2008

A/C back on, Entertainment, Pepsi Stuff

September 1st, 2008 at 12:37 am

Went to the movies and an early dinner with mom today. She needed some cheering up and it was well worth it, but it was spending (from my entertainment budget) that I was hoping to avoid today. Oh well.

Turned the AC back on this evening. Its very hot and humid and unlike most days in the last two weeks, I'll actually be home tonight and all day tomorrow. Might was well be comfortable.

I am working on a meal plan for the week. I'm hoping to not spend any money Monday through Thursday. No eating out, no snacks at work, no happy hours. It used to be that these days were common, but lately, I've been all over the place with my spending. Time to get back on track.

I earned a $25.00 Amazon gift certificate from a credit card that I use & pay off each time. It was a planned benefit and that gift certificate is going towards my Christmas shopping.

I also stocked up on soda at the store today. Its rare to see a sale on 12 packs at 5 for $10.00. So I stocked up. I then took the codes from the 12 packs and signed up for Pepsi Stuff for the first time. Sometime next year, I might get something free from that. Never hurts. I'm also going to ask coworkers to give me their points if they're not using them.

Spent too much last night & AC off again

August 30th, 2008 at 02:32 pm

Spent a bit much last night. All cash, but still it was WAY more than I wanted to spend. At least I had a great time Smile

I've had my A/C off since Wednesday night and I was loving it. However, its been threatening rain since last night and the humidity is high. Not so good for the allergies.

My goal is to keep my A/C off at least 10 days this billing month for my electric. So far, I'm on day 3. Definately doable.

Weekend Plans and Money Plans

August 29th, 2008 at 02:35 am

This weekend, I have lots of plans. Tomorrow, I'm going to a happy hour with work friends then meeting other friends at a nearby bar. I plan on having dinner - the shrimp at this place is AWESOME! I'm going to keep the total night's spending under $20.00

Saturday, a friend and I are going to look for dresses to wear to a wedding. Its pretty formal and I have nothing that fits anymore. Hope I can find a good deal, because my budget is TIGHT!

Sunday and Monday are completely unplanned. I have some movies from the library and a few novels. I have a well stocked kitchen for yummy meals. I plan on going to my parents one day and hiking the other. I hate to travel this holiday weekend.


As for money plans, I have a lot of planned spending coming up:

Next weekend, I'm going to the beach since I missed out on going last weekend. Just for the day.

The next weekend, I'm going camping and whitewater rafting.

The following weekend is free. Then the next, I have a concert Saturday night and a wedding Sunday afternoon. We're planning on getting a hotel room for the wedding and heading back Monday morning.



So lots of stuff going on. Now I'm looking to do this without breaking my budget. I want to be able to put extra funds to the student loan, which now has a balance of $6,579.98! Woohoo!

On the upside, my electric bill was only $69.01! I had the air back on the last few days and was able to turn it back off yesterday. I want to keep it off as much as possible for two reasons: I LOVE fresh air and I love the lower electric bill Smile

Another Theft and Busy Weekend

August 25th, 2008 at 02:37 am

Last week it was my credit card that was taken. This Friday, I went to a Happy Hour and my cell phone was taken. UGH.

The theif has cajones. He took the phone right off the table. There was a lot of confusion due to it being a LARGE table with lots of different people coming and going. So I really shouldn't have left it out on the table.

At least I was able to shut it off immediately after I realized it was gone. And I was able to get a new phone on Saturday for $19.99 after rebate.

I've been spending like crazy, bought some more new clothes. Its been out of control lately. I'm a little mad at myself for gettiing so off track.

So, I'd like to talk about the things that I'm doing right.

-Turned the A/C off Friday morning til this afternoon. Humidity went back up and I had guests today. Still, my electric usage has been a LOT less than last month.

-Air dried 2 loads of laundry this week. One of which was towels and sheets, which I normally use the dryer for. I ended up hanging a couple of sheets off doors since I only have drying racks & hangers, not a clothes line.

-Made a meal plan for the week. I have already premade meals for tomorrow.

-Got a decent deal on low-fat ground turkey - bought two packs of 3 pounds each. I browned 3 pounds up tonight and packaged them as two 1 lb packages, and five 1/5 pound packages for individual meals. Took a third of the 2nd package and made meatloaf muffins. Tomorrow night, I'll make sloppy joe with the other two pounds. I just need to get one thing from the store first.

-Cleared more clothes from the closet. Organized my Fall/winter stuff and I know I'm set for the season.

-Cleaned the smelly cat litter boxes with water and vinegar and it REALLY made a difference. Nice, cheap solution!

-Did my own nails. I actually find this to be relaxing to do myself.

-Bought bananas and blueberries really cheap and have frozen a bunch for baking and smoothies later on


I also have several big expenses coming up. In the next two months:

- Concert with friends. Ticket, gas and at least one drink while there: Estimated $100.00

- Camping and white water rafting, gas, tent site, food: Estimated $150.00

- Wedding of coworker, slightly out of town. Gift, gas, hotel (a group of us are sharing a room), and breakfast: $130.00

- One more trip to the beach and boardwalk. Gas, tolls, parking, dinner, and maybe games: Estimated $80.00. (Gas being around $50)

***All of these expenses are probably over estimated, but I'd rather overestimate than underestimate.

My credit card was stolen

August 20th, 2008 at 12:48 am

My credit card was stolen when I went to a bar on Friday. I know it happened at the bar, but I'm not sure how. I didn't even know that my card was missing until the fraud department called me Saturday morning.

They called asked me about the charges. Let me know I wouldn't be responsible for the two large gas charges and one T-Mobile bill that the theives used. They said I'd get a new card and they'll send me an affidavit to sign.

Even if they hadn't called, I pay off my credit cards as soon as a charge posts, so I would have noticed the fraud charges. But it was great that the company noticed them first!

In other news, I turned the A/C back on last night. Getting humid again. I don't think that it ran much during the day since I kept my blinds closed and set the temp to 80. But its run a few times since I've been home.

Old Navy and Kitty Litter

August 15th, 2008 at 03:17 am

I needed some new pants and shirts for work. I WAY overspent. I plan on taking back a few of the items. I had 20% off and didn't do too bad, but I got a few unnecessary items.

Today was a no spender for work food. But, I did stop off and buy romaine lettuce, tomatoes and peanuts from the produce store.

Then I got 2 25 pound bags of kitty litter from Walmart. I went with their brand, which is cheaply packaged, but is pretty good. The brand I previously bought was 30 pounds for $5.52 ($0.184 per pound). The new brand's bag was $3.94 ($0.1576 per pound). Great deal, since I buy a lot of litter Smile

A/C off still and a BIG hike

August 12th, 2008 at 09:44 pm

I turned the A/C off Thursday night and its been off ever since. Weather has been beautiful here. Lots of breezes and fresh air blowing through the house. I'm loving it! Plus so little electric used!

Today I was going to head to the beach, but I woke up in the middle of the night with the nastiest sinus headache and I decided that the beach wasn't such a great idea after losing hours of sleep.

So I slept in, took a drive through a very scenic area about a half hour away and then went to a different, but local State Park. $3.00 admission, since I never got around to buying my yearly pass. This trail was 3.6 miles. It should have been an hour hike, but... took a wrong turn on the trail and ended up backtracking a bit due to some missing signage. I ended up hiking for an additional 40 minutes! I was beat by the time that I was done, but I made it Smile

No eating out today. I made myself breakfast at home. A sandwich for lunch at home. And I'll be making dinner at home later. I was thinking about getting some take out since I'm 'on vacation'. But I'll be having dinner out with friends tomorrow, so I'd better save it for then!

Feeling better - lots of updates

August 9th, 2008 at 03:29 pm

Kidney stone is 100% gone. Thank goodness! Its been a rough week. I haven't made food at home in days, so now I need to get back on track.

I turned the air off Thursday night and have opened up all the windows. It was SO nice out. I was even a little cold last night! I have been trying to keep my electric bill low this month.

I stayed in last night, but did get takeout for dinner.

Today, I'm going to cull more clothes from my closet and clean the upstairs. I am hanging out with a friend tonight. We'll probably head out to dinner. Nice and low-key. Maybe watch a movie.

Tomorrow I'm going with my mom to visit a family friend who is ill. I hope seeing me will cheer her up. She keeps asking about me.

I'm off work Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. No big plans, I just wanted a few days off. I plan on heading back to the beach. 2 hour drive. I'll pack drinks, breakfast & lunch. Splurge on some beach fries. Spend all day at the beach and head back late afternoon.

Other than that, I'm just going to be doing stuff around the house. watching movies borrowed from the library and catching up on some books that I've been meaning to read.

In regards to the student loan, I've sent another $62.56 to it. I hate that it takes SO long to have the payment post to the account. I really can't wait to pay it off!

As for the second job, I had postponed my interview at UPS due to being sick. Then I postponed it a second time for the same reason. This wasn't a real interview, just a group walk-through and paperwork fill-out. Well, now, the shift that I wanted no longer has walk throughs available. BOOO! With my current work schedule, the only other shift that would work for me, would mean that I have to go in at 3:30 am. Thats so not going to work.

So now, if I want to pay off this loan by my April Birthday goal, I need to find roughly $2418.00. I am going to work on it, including selling some of my aunt's furniture that I don't have any use for.

Right now, I have $15.00 cash and $80.00 in checking. (after monthly bills). $20.00 goes to my Weigh Watchers fee. $15.00 goes to stocking up on cat food/litter/supplies. $25.00 for groceries. $35.00 spending money until Friday, when I get paid.

If there are any leftover funds, they go towards the student loan. So I'm going to work VERY hard to make that happen.

$2,050 to Student Loan #2

August 5th, 2008 at 09:55 pm

Deposited the check from my mom today and immediately set up an online payment of $2,050 to the student loan.

Woohoo! Once it hits, I should have a balance around $6,760.86. Sweet!

Weekend Plans Ruined by Kidney Stone

August 5th, 2008 at 12:45 am

I was prepping for the party on Saturday, only to have pains in my side. I had a kidney stone a few years ago and knew what was going on. Called my mom and spent 12 hours at the hospital. UGH.

All they could do is confirm I've got a nice big one. And its 1/2 way through, but stopped for the moment. They sent me home with meds to wait it out.

I'll get a bill, $50.00 for a copay, everything else will be out of pocket.

I spent yesterday at my parents house. Nothing happened. Still waiting for the stone to pass. I went into work today, but was so tired and uncomfortable, I made plans to stay home tomorrow.

I talked to the urologist's office that I used for my previous stone, they told me if the stone doesn't pass on its own, then I'll need to go in Thursday for a procedure. Lucky me.

I'm drinking TONS of water. I'd rather pass it than have any procedures. I'm at my house again tonight. I've been cleaning and mopping in the hopes of moving around might get the thing going. I'm prepped with meds and if it starts moving again, I'll take them right away.

Luckily, I have sick days at work. And although its the worst time ever to be out of the office, I think they'll be ok without me.

Happy Its the Weekend - and Planning

August 2nd, 2008 at 02:56 am

Today I packed breakfast (cheerios & milk), lunch (pasta salad and grapes) & snacks (carrots and strawberries) for work.

On the way in this morning, I filled up the car with gas at 3.69/gal! Glad I did it, on the way home that same station was sold out. The next lowest price in the area was $3.80. I spent $48.58 of my $60.00 budget. I've put the remaining funds $11.42 in a savings account.

After work, I headed into the area around the University. (5 mins from work in the opposite direction from home). I parked in a free parking lot and walked two miles around the campus. I got a little nostalgic as this was my undergrad school. (Yay free healthy exercise, de-stressing and entertainment all in one)

I've been trying different places for walking as I tend to get bored. I'm definately going to keep the University on my list!

After work, I headed home. Made dinner (Big salad, with pasta and a side of baked fries).

And now I'm vegging. The cats are fighting, so I have to keep yelling at them Smile I'm watching free movies from Comcast, giving myself a pedicure and playing on the internet. Great start to the weekend!



Tomorrow morning, I'm getting up early & heading to a local state park for an hour long hike. $3.00 admission, but its so worth it!

Then in the afternoon, I have a party to go to. Its a big cookout with crabs and beer. Its a little far away and pretty much an all night party, so most of the guests camp out. The guests chip in $20.00 and bring a dish. I'm bringing brownies.


And just cause I'm still ridiculously happy about paying off my student loan, I've been making all kinds of spreadsheets. I REALLY want to have this paid off by my 30th birthday, which is in April. It would be a HUGE stretch, but I'm going to try.

I'll get the check from my mom this weekend and the first thing I'll be doing is putting that $2047.54 to the student loan. (Which is the original $5,000.00 minus the payoff on Student Loan# 1 minus funds set aside for a complete new wardrobe when I hit my weight goal and vacation funds).

Once that hits Loan #2 and the extra payment I just sent of $225, I'll have a balance of roughly $6,744.74. Down from today's balance of $9017.28. Thats a pretty great start!