$2.02 for limes for Margarita Girls Night In
$17.98 tequila for the margaritas plus vodka for the jello shots I am bringing to a party this weekend.

Not too shabby... but I had to pare down the grocery budget even more to cover it! lol.

Well, I packed food 99.99% today as I bought a soft pretzel. I will be getting rid of that habit starting tomorrow Breakfast, lunch & snacks are already packed for tomorrow.

Today, I worked 7:30 to 4pm. Then I stopped by Joann Fabrics and picked up jeans patches. Unfortunately, my favorite jeans got worn in the inner thigh, so I used the $2.99 iron on patches and tried them out. Worked ok although they weren't an exact match. I'm just hoping to get the jeans through the next month or so of weight loss, when I have slightly smaller jeans that will work just fine.

I ate dinner at home & then met my parents at the movies to see Piranha 3D. My dad & I share a love of cheesy, over the top horror movies - the more crudeness the better. My mom was not as thrilled as we were, but we all had fun. $12.25 ticket.

My parents also followed me back to my house and dropped off a weed whacker and electric hedge trimmer that I asked to borrow. I am planning on taking care of the yard this weekend. I have a very small lot and can get around doing major yard maintenance too frequently. As long as my parents don't mind sharing, I see no point in buying those items myself.

Tomorrow, I am having some girls over for girls night in. We plan on making margaritas. My buddies are bringing stuff to make nachos and I am picking up some tequila and supplying the margarita mix. We should have a blast!


Today's spending:
$0.55 pretzel (from spare change in desk)
$12.25 3D movie ticket

Cash Envelope Balances:
Groceries: Start $110/ Current $64.82
Entertainment: Start $65/Current $43.90
House/Lowes: $40 plus coupon
Kitty Litter: $10

Welcome to September! I'm looking forward to cooler weather where I can keep my windows open and not run A/C and therefore save some money. Unfortunatley that isn't happening this week. Its in the mid to high 90s here.

Yesterday was payday, I spent 8.85 on pub night with friends (entertainment budget) and $42.19 at the grocery store to get most of my staples for this pay period (thru the 15th).

I have been working hard to make my money work for me. I paid some bills - bought gas, paid cell phone, car insurance and my cable bill with my Old Navy cc. They are doing triple rewards points and that plus the balance I already had, will yield me a $10 gc. Which I will use with another gc I already have to get some fall pants I am paying the cc off as soon as the charges post to the account, which will leave a $0 balance.

I also reduced my 401k contribution (while still keeping the company match) and all that extra amount is going straight to my credit cards.

I have lowered my entertainment budget to $65 per pay period and my grocery budget is $110 for this pay period and about $70 for my next pay period. I am going to work extra hard to stay within these budgets.

I also have finagled $40 in funds to use with a $10 off $50 coupon for Lowes. I need a new basement window cover, some weather stripping, carpet tape & CFL bulbs. And purchasing all at once will save me $10

I an reinstituting my Lunch Challange for myself for September. I went off plan a little at the end of August and really want to be back on track. So my goal for Sept is to pack breakfast, lunch, & snacks 100% with 2 exceptions for the month. One exception is today where I bought a 0.55 pretzel.

I would like to state that I don't mind the lunch challange because 1. I save money 2. Its easier to stay on my WW plan and 3. I'd rather spend disposable funds on being social

Finally, I plan on lowering my gym plan from 19.99/month to $10 a month. I can switch on the 24th of Sept and already have it on my calander. I also am returning a cable box that I have in my bedroom. Promo ran out & returning it will save me $9/month.

Cash Envelope Balances:
Groceries: Start $110/ Current $67.81
Entertainment: Start $65/Current $56.15
House/Lowes: $40 plus coupon
Kitty Litter: $10

I haven’t been around much this weekend, but I have been checking out everyone’s posts!

This week, I stayed on plan with my August Lunch Challenge. I have stayed on plan with my weight loss and exercise plans. And actually, the extra activity has helped with me spending less for entertainment/eating out.

Monday – I worked 7:30-4, then walked 4.75 miles with a friend near the University – FREE

Tuesday – I worked 7:30-4, then went to the gym for strength training – Paid subscription to gym

Wednesday – I worked 7:30-4, then went to the grocery store & home (no unplanned spending)

Thursday – I worked 7:30-4, then walked 2.9 miles at the local reservoir. Was supposed to meet a friend, but he got stuck at work – FREE

Friday – I work 7:30-3, then I will be meeting friends at a local bar to sit outside and enjoy the gorgeous weather. I have $10 to spend. That will be 2-3 beers plus tip. NO food. I will eat dinner when I get home

As for weekend spending, I have $24 left in my grocery budget which I will spend on veggies, fruits, and dairy. No crazy spending there!

Saturday, I’m planning on getting up early & hitting the gym. That afternoon, I will be going with a friend to his company picnic. I know a lot of people he works with, so it should be fun. This will be free.

Sunday, will be a walk in another park (Possibly with a friend), then a small bbq at a friend’s house. I have offered several times to bring something, but she’s refused it. She’s not a drinker, so I can’t show up with a nice bottle of wine, so I’m kind of stumped. I hate to show empty handed, but I also don’t want to show up with food and duplicate something they already have. Spending should be $0-$5?

I have been sticking to my strict entertainment & grocery budgets. I have also been staying on plan with my August Lunch Challenge & look forward to doing another one in September.

Money-wise, not much is going on. I use cash only for my discretionary spending & I have very little left between now and the 31st. Its doable. I have $20 in entertainment left. $10 will be to the movies with my dad and $10 for a work happy hour.

Last post (and I know its been a while), I mentioned the Wellness program at my work. Jump through a couple of hoops for points. Points turn into dollars and I can improve my wellness and earn up to $200 for the year.

I have been a week and a half back on Weight Watchers. I also have started weekly activity goals. One of the wellness options (hoops) is to engage in physical activity based on the CDC's standards.

CDC recommends '150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity OR 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity (or a combination of moderate & vigorous activity) per week. PLUS muscle strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week that work all major muscle groups'.

My Wellness program offers $20 a month that you meet the guidelines weekly for up to 5 months ($100 total). There are other goals I could meet much more quickly, but health and exercise is something that I'm personally working on. So I decided to make this half of my Wellness goals. I will take the $100 I've earned after the 5 months & buy myself some (hopefully) much smaller clothes.

This is all money related because:

-Good health means less medical costs
-watching what I eat means I plan (and therefore budget) food more carefully
-Getting more activity in means more free or semi-free activities.

Last week, I had 253 minutes of moderate exercise and 40 minutes of strength training. This included a hike in the state park with friends ($3.00 entry fee), a walk into a private park near work with some coworkers/friends(free), 2 gym trips (monthly fee $19), and a walk around a county park with another friend (free).

This week, I have already taken a 90 minute walk with friends (free) and hit the gym (no extra funds out). I figure by the time the whole 5 months end, exercise will be a HABIT

I came back from my beach vacation last night. I unpacked and crashed on the couch I paid cash for everything, except the room, which I put on a card. But I transferred the funds for payment to the credit card this morning.

I had a great time, we stayed in a a very nice hotel. The weather was fun, and I am reallllly relaxed. Great week!

This morning, I am right back on the frugal wagon. I sold an extra wireless router I had lying around - $20 cash. Then I stopped by my parents & brought them the sugar free fudge from the beach. They treated me to breakfast at IHOP. Thanks Mom & Dad!

I paid some bills, got some groceries and headed back home. All of this was done by noon.

I am now watching a movie and when its over, I will be doing some laundry, cleaning & decluttering. The cats definitely missed me, as they are following me room to room. And I now have 2 additions to my pet family - 2 hermit crabs. I haven't had any of these since childhood. They were a total impulse purchase. But boy, are they fun!

For my envelopes this pay period, I started with $40 for gas, $100 in grocery money (need to stock up on some stuff), $10 personal items, $5 car washing supplies and $45 in spending money). I plan on sticking with it!

I was able to turn the A/C off today. Its a little hotter than I like, but with ceiling fans, its very comfortable in here.

Hope everyone has a great weekend, I know I already am!

Today, I got up, went to the Farmer's Market $5.25 spent for salad stuff. Then I returned some books/movies to the library. I was expecting a $0.25 fine, but the person who returned the dvd to the system made an error and I ended up with no fee My lucky day.

I then went to the Grocery store where I spent $4.48. I picked up a movie at Redbox, $1.02 and headed home.

I have eaten breakfast, lunch and soon to be dinner at home. I had someone come pick up a cookie press that I had put up on Craiglist - $10.00 paid by a very excited pre-teen girl, LOL.

I've been doing a bunch of cleaning and laundry. And then I spent 4 hours dealing with a nasty virus on my computer. I purchased an anti-virus package, but they couldnt help me, so I cancelled the package (and will get a refund), then actually found a free program (from a reputable site) that was able to fix the problem. Yay Took a lot of time and patience, but my computer is working again!

Today has been great weather - I've had the windows open and ceiling fans on. I'll definitely take the electric savings!

All in all, a frugal day. I had a very social night last night. Took some beer to a friends house for a game night. We got a little rowdy So tonight, I'm having a movie night in.

My total Craigslist profit has been $40.00 for 3 items sold. A lamp $5.00, a calculator $25.00, and the cookie press $10.00. Woohoo

I've had plans in place for a year to take a couple days down at the beach with my best friends. We will rent hotel rooms for 2 nights and unfortunately because of scheduling conflicts, we've changed the date around and are not really getting a good deal on prices. But this is really important to me (isn't everything that I WANT? lol).

I have cash to pay it, but thats a few hundred dollars that really could be going to my debt. So I am working to sell some things on Craigslist to help suppliment the debt.

I have listed about 10 things & have sold 1 so far. None are truly big items though. What I sold today, was an Ikea lamp that I paid $15.00 for and got a good 7 or 8 years out of. I sold it for $5.00 cash.

I also have someone coming to pick up 2 dvd sets tomorrow night and a graphing calculator. They would be worth more on ebay, but I have a definite hate on for ebay after being scammed. So I will take the cash & if the person who purchases makes a profit, so be it I should get $16 for the dvds and $25 for the calculator.

The calculator was an expensive purchase in 1996. I used that thing through high school, college and grad school and its been sitting in a drawer for the last 5 years. So I definitely used up the original cost!

I also have a duvet cover set, more dvds, a scientific calculator, some picture frames, a wireless router and a cookie press. I have a bite on the cookie press, so hopefully I can sell that tomorrow too ($10.00).

I have made a budget for the mini-vacation. We are planning on doing some costly activities - renting jet skis and doing parasailing. I have researched & found the best prices and coupons, but I hope to still be able to do both. At the very least, I'd skip the jet skis and just do the parasailing.

In the meantime, I have $5.00 in my entertainment fund & roughly $25.00 in grocery money.

Book club is tomorrow night (which is always held in a restaurant), I plan on ordering a soda and with tip, that will take most of my $5.00

Today, I met up with a friend and we headed to some local Goodwill for Super Saturday. 50% off all clothes. I came home with some GOOD deals.

- 2 pairs of jeans. I currently own one pair & they are getting a hole in them.
- 2 pairs of work pants



- 6 long sleeve shirts
- 1 short sleeve shirt



- 1 pair work shoes (brand new condition)



- 1 pair snow boots (brand new condition)



- Christmas decoration (to be a gift for mom)



- 3 Clue puzzles, 2 board games



Total Spent: $35.00. $7 of that was the games -a splurge since that wasn't 50% off

We went next door to a farmers market (diff than the one closest to me) and she bought a gift for a party & we both tried tons of yummy free samples

Next we hit a liquor store, where I scored a GOOD sale on a wine that I like. Ended up with 3 bottles at $6.99 each (normally $11.99).

And at the liquor store, they were providing wine & cheese samples. Between this & the farmer's market, we didn't even have to stop for lunch.

It was a great day and I am very happy with ALL my purchases.

Where I live, the temps have been on average about 90 degrees this summer, without having a real spring. According to the paper, 'June and the three-month period from May to June were the hottest in 116 years of record-keeping'. So yeah, its hot. I've been utilizing the programmable thermostat and ceiling fans, but the A/C is still running... a LOT.

In other news, as of 3pm today, I am officially on vacation for a week! I am not going anywhere specific and I am looking to not spend a lot of money. But I am planning on having fun.

I have the weekend and Monday to just hang out and have some down time. I am hanging out at home with some friends, reading & watching movies. I might have lunch with my mom Sunday, but its all open to what I feel like doing. Which is definitely different than what I have to do, or what I already committed myself to doing. I am only going to do what I feel like doing (I hope to keep spending to about $25)

Tuesday, I am getting a mani/pedi with a gift card (free) and attending a birthday party in the evening ($25 budgeted).

Wednesday, I am heading down very early in the morning to go to the beach. My sister & her boyfriend rented a house with their kids for the week. I plan on bringing mid-week groceries in exchange for a night on their couch. We plan on going on a Pirate Ship ride ($20), hanging at the beach (free), having dinner & hitting the boardwalk.

Thursday, I will hit the beach alone (which I LOVE) & head back home at a reasonable time. For the 2 days at the beach, including gas & dinner out, I'm looking at at budget of $145.00

Friday, I am attending an all day concert. With food & drinks we will be bringing, parking & emergency water for the 100 degree weather, I have budgeted $90. I hope I am WAY overestimating. But if water inside the complex is $10/bottle, I will be forced to buy it becuase Heat exhaustion is no fun.

Saturday, I am heading to the state fair with friends, we will be seeing Paramour. Entrance into the fair, plus some fun stuff $40 budgeted. Hoping I overestimated here too.

I have cash for all of these activites, but am definitely looking to shave off spending anywhere I can. Tonight is a night in by myself. Roommate is out and I am planning on laying around and enjoying the house to myself. $0 spent for that!

Well, the insurance confirmed they won't be covering anything with my car incident. I figured as much, but they wanted to check the car out anyway. If there had been any true fire damage or body damage, they would have paid something out. So basically I was left with a not working car.

The car place gave me $500 for the car. Given the car was 9 years old with 88.5k miles on it and the blue book value for that car in 'pristine' condition was $1700, I"m very happy getting $500 for a car without a working engine.

I did have to take a loan to buy the car (booo). The loan is 0% and is 4 years. I hope to have it paid off in 2. I am going to be working very hard to minimize my budget & throw all I can to my debt.

This is not the most ideal situation (I would have wanted to pay cash) but I am already starting to plan for future car expenses/purchases. I won't be surprised by circumstances again.

In other news, I've packed breakfast, lunch & snacks every day of work until today. I didn't get home until late due to the car buying and I was so stressed from this week I just sat on the couch for an hour then went to bed. So I bought breakfast today ($1.05). I have peanut butter crackers & cottage cheese for lunch & popcorn for snack, so I'm cool wtih that.

I will be reworking my paycheck budget for the 15th and my monthly standard budget for the rest of the year to add in the car payment & extra payments. That should be fun.

I also have a few things to put up on Craigslist. I want to use the extra cash for the vacation week that I have scheduled in 2 weeks. I am selling some dvd sets, a wireless router, a cookie press and some other things. Wish me luck!

And lastly, I am back to doing my 5 Things lists. Here are 5 things I will accomplish today:

1. Add new car to insurance
2. Take pics & put up ads on Craigslist
3. Change sheets, put away clean laundry.
4. Pack food for tomorrow
5. Deposit rent check in bank & make payments/transfers as budgeted for the rental income

I'm still in a holding pattern on the car situation. Although I can't imagine that the insurance is going to cover anything, they want to send someone to look at the car. I"m not going to argue if they really want to do it.

My mom is still allowing me to use her car. I am doing chores, ect for her in exchange. (Her physical capabilities are limited & my dad has a bad back).

Today, on my lunch break, I went to the library, which was packed! I'm assuming it was so busy because the library was closed Sunday & Monday for the holiday. I picked up 7 books and 1 movie (The Fourth Kind).

I packed breakfast, lunch & snacks today. Tonight I plan on spending $10 on my regular Tuesday night outing with friends. I have taken my spending to pretty much none, but I am going to go out tonight and have a beer and play some darts.

I also plan on buying some contact supplies, but they are covered by my HSA. This is the last year for that benefit!

Had a good relaxing weekend! Got a lot of things done yesterday, including finishing updating the downstairs bathroom. I still have to put baseboards on, but I'm waiting to have a little more cash to do that. It really won't cost much, but I have a lot of one-off expenses in the next month. I hope to put up pics of the bathroom tomorrow.

In addition, to what I already accomplished yesterday, I watched some movies, created a budget for the next payday (Wed), made cookies, made a big thing of pasta salad, planned my meals, did some gardening, cleaned up the cat area and got my hair cut.

My mom stopped by to see the bathroom & the hair - I got about 7 inches off. Not loving the cut, but the hairdresser did what I asked - I just impulsively asked her to cut it to my shoulders.

Tonight, I'm watching redbox movies (to be returned before 9 tonight). I will catch up on True Blood at 9 & am in bed by 10.

Monday, Tuesday & Wed should be no spenders. I'm hoping anyway

I have a tight budget for the weekend. I'm going to a girls only product party Friday night. I have $20 and a bottle of wine (recycled gift). I will buy 1 small item to support my friend, but thats it. Afterwards, I'm staying behind and we (my friend, her daughter & I are watching a horror movie).

Saturday & Sunday, I have absolutely NO plans. My goals are:

1. Walk or hit the gym each day (FREE)
2. Finish painting the downstairs bath - have to paint the ceiling (FREE - have all the supplies)
3. Put up toilet paper & towel racks as well as mirror in downstairs bath (FREE - already purchased)
3. Replant some basil plants from medium to larger pots (FREE- reusing pots, using leftover soil)
4. Clean the house (FREE)
5. Grocery shop - Budgeted
6. Hit Barnes & Noble - still have not spent my gift card & I want to pick up the new Janet Evanovich book if its out (FREE with bday gift card)
7. Watch movies from library (FREE)
8. Read books from library (FREE)
9. Make a few new recipes (FREE-ish)
10. Organize all the junk in my bedroom closet (FREE)

I went to my nephew's Little League playoff game. They had lost the last one and this is a double elimination tournement, so it was very important they win tonight.

The game was really cut-throat. The other team's managers were actually being a little shady - trying to influence the ump and insisting that a base coach pushed a kid when in reality, he patted him on the back to keep running (causing the kid to be out). I understand there are rules, but the coach - a grown man- practically had a hissy fit.

Still, the game was close, tied 8-8, went into an extra inning, we went up 3 points & then our pitcher closed out their batters, winning the game.

It was great! I took a chair & a snack and sat with my mom and my sister, screaming my head off. Very frugal outing.

And I found out my nephew is doing baseball camps this summer. 2 weeks for 5 hours a day for a total of $330. I pledged $15 towards it since I'm on such a tight budget this month.


Oh, and as a lunch challange update - I am holding steady - 1 breakfast bought & 1 snack. Woohoo

Today was payday. I paid my car insurance, funded some savings accounts, paid for my gym membership & set up the rest of my budget.

I have a $49.24 Entertainment budget to last from today until the 30th.

Today I went to my nephew's baseball game (free) and met some friends at my Tuesday Pub night. Played darts & had 1 beer. Total $5.00 for 2 hours of fun.

Tomorrow - I am meeting friends for a walk at a local park (FREE)

Thursday - I am meeting different friends for a walk at a different park (FREE)

Friday - I am going over a friends for horror movie night. I'll need to bring a snack & we already own the movies. Expected spending ($5.00?)

Saturday or Sunday, I might see a friend in a local company's rendition of Willy Wonka. I think tickets are like $18.00, and I'm not 100% sure if I'm going.

I'm hoping to buy paint for the downstairs bath tomorrow and start the painting this weekend. I really can't wait for the 'makeover' to be over!

Today I woke up with some stomach issues & ended up buying breakfast at work. THis is the 2nd time I've bought food at work, and its been due to not feeling well both times I needed a lot of carbs in my stomach to help with acid, so I got a bagel & some breakfast potatoes.

However, to make up for it, lunch was free! We had burgers (and hot dogs for whoever wanted them), potato salad, macaroni salad, cookies and water. I also got a 'free' casual day at work to use when I want, and some little toys to keep at my desk. ALl in all, freebies are fun.

THey were pushing the foodbank donations at work and last time, I brought in a ton of stuff. So am going to work on getting some in this week.

I also need to rework my budget. I'm hoping to be able to buy some stuff for the AnySoldier.com program that Elisabeth was talking about in her last post.

Tonight, I have 5 Things I need to do:

1. Eat dinner at home, pack food for tomorrow
2. Work on Budget
3. Go to nephew's playoff game
4. Clean litter box
5. Organize list for home depot trip tomorrow

So I have the $475 cash that the new roomie gave me for first months rent. I plan on depositing it today & sending off

$100 to savings
$50 to fun money (For next pay period)
$325 to my credit card

I LOVE having more money again. I hope she lasts a good long time!

I am still shopping for car insurance. If anyone has Progressive - how do you think their services are?

Geico was too expensive and Nationwide was a little crazy in their prices too. I could save a 100-200 dollars by switching from my insurance to progressive, but I'm not sure about their service.

Last night was a blast. One friend bailed, but the other & I went out and had an awesome time!

I provided snacks ahead of time. Made my own bruschetta with stuff from my garden & the farmer's market. And put out some crackers & had beer leftover from the party. So we had a pre-event party with no money (outside normal groceries) spent, nice!

The event itself was awesome! We had a great time and had a few beers and split some fries. With tip, I spent $31.48. So I went over my entertainment budget for this month, but took $5.00 from my grocery budget, so I now have $0.08 to last me until the 15th. This should be fun!

I'm going to put up a couple of things on craigslist. If I get extra money, then I can use 1/2 for entertainment!

Today will be a lazy day. I plan on taking a walk, doing some laundry, and prepping food for this week's lunches. All will be free!

Haha - now I have that song in my head! Well, today is Saturday and I have a big girls night out planned. My two good friends conned me into going to a male review at a local bar. Tickets were $14 and there will be drinks to buy when we are there.

To help keep spending low, I invited them over for some pre-event drinks. No money out of pocket since I have beer & margarita mix left from my last party.

I have exactly $22.56 left in my entertainment budget. This is tough becuase that could all be spent tonight & then I'd have nothing again til the 15th. So even though this is against my goals, I'm probably going to have to finagle some funds from my grocery budget to put a little more into enteratinment. Boooo.

Tomorrow should be a no spender, I'm planning on doing some yardwork & hanging out around the house.

Hope everyone has a good weekend!

Well, today is Day 4 in the lunch challanged. I packed breakfast, lunch, snacks & drinks for work Tuesday, Wednesday & Thurdsay. Today, I had an unexpected day off, but I've been eating at home, so I still complied with the challange

Yesterday's spending:
$14.00 dinner date - paid for my half. Date was a dud
$5.00 drinks with friends at my local bar. Good couple of hours, 2 drinks & only $5 spent. GREAT deal!

Today's spending:
$0.35 library fine
$19.06 Farmer's market

I got a big bag of baby spinach, 12 roma tomatoes, 8 large garden tomatoes (I love tomatoes & will be using some to make a chunky pasta sauce and homemade bruschetta), 3 cucumbers, celery, 3 green peppers, a quarter watermelon, pint strawberries and a quart of blueberries all for $19.06!

In other news, a little while back, I splurged & bought a pack of the perfectly portioned Purdue chicken breasts. They're prepacked into individual servings & perfect for a single person. But they're expensive, so I rarely buy them.

When I pulled 2 out the other day, once they thawed, I found that the packaging was broken and I found them to be unsafe to use. I emailed Purdue & explained the situation and I received an email back, they're sending me a $10.00 check. Nice!

In other news, the air is on... it was nearly 90 degrees out today & very humid. I hope we go back to some milder weather before we really enter summer.

I have someone coming to look at the spare room today. My sister sorta lit a fire under my butt when she suggested I rent out the spare room to her boyfriend. They are drama and I do NOT want to go there. So I answered an ad on Craigslist & put one up of my own. I will be meeting this girl this evening to see how it goes. Wish me luck!!

Happy Memorial Day to everyone! I've been having a fun weekend. Saturday was horse races, yesterday was a BBQ at my sisters (and a no spender!). Today is getting stuff done around the house. I spent $40 in gas for the car & the lawn mower. But thats it!

Its very warm out (HOT!) but I still have yet to turn on my air. I have house fans going & am drinking lots of cold drinks. As long as I'm not super uncomfortable, the air stays off!

I'm looking forward to puttering around the house today. When my house is clean and organized, I feel clean and organized. So even though there's lots to do, I'll be doing it while watching tv or taking breaks. Anything I don't get done, just doesn't get done.

My to-do list is as follows:

1. Laundry (DONE)
2. Mow lawn (DONE)
3. pull weeds
4. Work on container garden
5. Clean kitchen, vacuum floor, oil kitchen table (DONE)
6. Wipe kitchen blinds
7. Clean, dust, vaccum living room
8. Clean basement floor, change kitty litter
9. Vac spare bedroom, fill in holes left by old roommate, use magic eraser on walls
10. Clean bedroom, change sheets, vac floor
11. Clean upstairs bath, scrub tub
12. Make meal plan (DONE)
13. Food prep for the week, lunch & dinner at home (DONE)
14. Clean out car (DONE)
15. Organize stuff for verizon rebate (DONE)
16. Anything else that I can fit in! haha

So I found some extra money in my budget & upped my entertainment budget from 5/28-6/14 to be $104.19. Which is good, because 2 days in & I've already used a LOT of it.

Last night, I had dinner at home, then met friends at a bar for drinks. They had dinner, I stuck to my one beer. Total $6.00.

Today, I got sandwiches from Subway ($10), waters & snacks ($3.17) for my friend and I, grabbed some beer leftover from my last party, packed a cooler and headed to some horse races. $15 to get in, we set up a table, had our drinks and sandwiches in a cooler, sat on a blanket and watched horse races, while playing games in the sun.

There were some promotional tents set up and I scored a small reusable grocery bag and 2 travel size sunscreens. Fun!

Tonight, I am watching tv/dvds that I have at home. I declined going out and am ready to enjoy a nice meal at home.

It's been very hot out and I've been able to resist turning the heat on with the help of ceiling fans. Yay!!

Well, I had hoped this weekend was going to be a total stay at home and get stuff done weekend. But of course, its not. Darn me for being so social! ha

Tonight, I have a work happy hour for a higher up that is being promoted. Should be fun & it doesn't hurt to schmooze. (Estimated spending,including some food, $15.00)

Then off to a 2nd bar where my sister is hosting a little birthday celebration for her boyfriend. I am planning on buying them both a shot. (Estimated $15.00)

Friday is a friend's birthday at a local brewery. PLan on eating at home, but will have a beer or 2 ($10) Also need to get a bday gift ($25)

Saturday, I'm driving to the next state with some friends for horseraces. All day event, $15 to get in, plus food/drinks that we can bring as well (estimated $30)

Sunday, my sister is having a bbq. I'm brining a veggie tray - (est spending $7 for veggies & dip)

Monday - a TRUE day off! I plan on hitting the gym & maybe starting to get my downstairs bath ready to paint. Hopefully no spending is needed.

Next week, I have another happy hour (I swear I don't drink a lot!) on Wednesday and a potential date Thurs or Friday.

Also, thanks to those who commented on my June Lunch Challange post! I will repost an invite on Monday to see if anyone else wants to join, or comment!

I went yard sailing with my mom today, from 8am to 12pm. There were a ton of community sales, so we found a lot of bargains. I personally spent $20 and hit pay dirt in the board game catagory. I've been trying to add to my board game collection. Here's what I bought (with pics!)



Yard sale 1: 7 round planters for $3.00. I'm going to grow leaf lettuce in most of them. And some cat nip in one. Also hoping to transplant some mint so I can grow more this year.

Yard Sale 2: Slap Scrabble game & 2 picture frames $3.00



Yard sale 3: Bon Appetite Sign $1.00 (to go in the kitchen)

Yard Sale 4: 3 board games - Sequence, a strategy game I've forgotten the name of (not pictured, as I left it at my friends' house) and Mindtrap $1.00 total.

Yard Sale 5: Bottled water (from kid's stand) $1.00, 7 games & puzzles (Mind trap 2, 4 player air hockey game, Buried Blueprints puzzle, Scatagories, 7 piece combo game set, Jenga, Impossibles puzzle) all for $3.50!!

I found it funny that I found Mindtrap at the the one yard sale & Mindtrap 2 at the next! Also, the air hockey is for my nephew. A present for finishing school & starting summer.



Yard Sale 6: 10 piece gardening kit and Tabletop grill $4.50





Yard Sale 7: 8 paperbacks and 1 hardback for $3.00 (also not pictured)

After yard sailing and a flat tire on my mom's car. I went to the Farmer's Market with some friends. I also brought some of my new games over to play & ended up leaving one at their house. Boooo!

At the farmer's market, I got: Bok choi, strawberries, cucumbers, tomatoes, vine tomatoes (for a mozzerella, basil & tomato salad), celery, carrots, basil, garlic, green peppers and apples. Spent about $19



In the evening, I went to my nephew's ball game, then home to unpack my car! Busy, busy and spendy day. Tomorrow hopefully will be much less

So today is payday I have spent the last few months being crazy with spending. Today is my first day back on track. woooooo

I have a budget and its TIGHT. I'm holding a Skincare party Monday night and have a small budget for food/drinks. I'm doing this for my sister, who has decided that selling these products is a GREAT way to earn money. Personally, I just feel strong armed into pushing a bunch of people to come to my house and listen to a pitch for skin care products.

Therefore, I am planning on providing yummy appetizers and plenty of wine!

Then later this month, I have 3 vacation days from work for my birthday. I am having a little party on the Saturday before. I decided my theme is Mexican. I got some decorations from the dollar store, I'll have a taco and nacho bar. My friends are bringing extra blenders and we'll have a bunch of margaritas. I'm keeping it small, but tacos for 10 people is still not cheap.

Today I spent: $4.95 on food at work today (BOOOOO)

I have a HUGE to-do list for this weekend.

-The roomie is 80% moved out and I'm gonna take the time to do a BIG clean.
-Plant some seeds and transfer the 1 tomato plant I'm attempting this year
-Planning/shopping for food for Monday
-Planning food/beverages for birthday party

I'm glad to be in control of money again. I'll update my information soon, but the #s aren't pretty.

Well, the surgery went well. Thanks to all the well wishers! It was NOT cancer, so this will be the end of it. The only process now is to treat the scar on my neck and hope that it becomes minimal soon

Its been a week since the surgery. I am going back to work Wednesday. I used 5 of my own sick days and 1 day of leave, which is covered 100%. I am still tired & could stay home more (per the doctor), but I think I just need to get back in the swing of things. All in all, I'm a lucky girl!

I made my March budget. I slacked a little on tracking spending the last 2 weeks, but I'm back on track today!

I did some spending today:

$3.49 Easter candy
$25.78 Lunch with mom after doctors
$14.98 Vitamin E oil & ointment for scar
$10.24 special suncreen for scar
$2.04 Redbox movie rental
$50.30 Cell phone
$133.15 Car insurance
$20.00 Mom- money for groceries that she picked up for me post surgery
$10.00 sent to Christmas fund
$43.00 sent to Rent Increased Utilities Fund
$74.72 quarterly water bill


Because of the surgery, I'm passing on going to a concert that I bought prior to knowing I'd need the surgery. A friend is buying the ticket, so I'll get my $60.00 back.

I plan on putting $25.00 of that money towards a ticket to a beef & beer to benefit a foundation in the name of a friend's child. The rest will go to my entertainment spending (and likely be set aside for another concert in the summer)


My goals for March are the following:

1. Stay 100% on budget
2. Track 100% of spending
3. 8 No spend days
4. Review Medical HSA & medical budget. Will need to restructure monthly budget to add funds throughout the year. (I am expecting $450 in hospital bills/copays/ect).
5. Pack lunch 18 workdays of the month

Well, I've never really put it out there, but here goes. I got a raise & my new annual salary is $41,000.00.

Per my work information, the company's estimated yearly cost of benefits are as follows:

Retirement $1325.83
401k Match $2328
Health & Income Protection: $3817.20
Social Security & Medicare: $3037.05

TOTAL: $10,508.08

So, my total annual compensation is roughly $51.5k.

I also get tax breaks for using my HSA which arent counted in this.

So I guess I'm not doing too bad. But one of my financial goals for this year is to look for a new position in or outside of my company that will challange me more (as well as pay more! lol).

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So I re-started at the part time job last night. We were sent home an hour early, so only worked 3.25 hours. Today I would have worked 8.5, but no work due the snow. So now, my 12 hour week turned into 3.25

This week (starting tomorrow), I'm scheduled 16 hours. Then 12 hours the following week.

I like the 12-16 hours. Definately do not want to be working the 20+ that I was during the holiday season.

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As for the roommate. He'll have been here 1 month this week. Paid when agreed, is neat and courteous. He stays up in his room most of the time, but he's starting to come out of his shell. This is definately working out!

When he pays me on the 9th (the agreed upon date based on the day he moved in), I will be taking the $487 and putting:

$91.30 to pay off the vet bill.
$45.00 to home repairs
$82.00 to increased utilities fund (includes the comcast upgrade he asked for)
$39.17 to pay myself back for a grocery splurge
$229.53 to the credit card.

LOL. Sometimes its who you know! My mom's old coworker's son in law does handyman work. And apparently is VERY reliable (from references).

I called to have him give me an estimate on replacing an existing ceiling fan & light in my living room. I'm just not comfortable tackling the job myself, so I'm willing to pay to have it done. He'll give me an estimate tomorrow afternoon, so hopefully it won't be too bad. In the mean time, I need to go shopping for a fan!

In other news. Although the roommate isnt officially moving in until Saturday, he has been bringing stuff by the house. He's very nice and polite. Since he's not officially moved into the house, he has called prior to stopping by to drop stuff off. AND he noticed the new rods in the closets and thanked me for installing them!

Today, I've spent $1.90 on a soda & soft pretzel and another $1.35 on a second soda. I really need to cut out the soda addiction. But in the meantime, I need to buy some cans so I don't pay for soda at work anymore!

Its inventory time at the part time job and crazy me signed up for extra hours. Because its a store and cannot close during normal hours, the inventory hours are 9pm to 6am. Its mandatory that I'm there for the inventory in my department (Thursday) until 2am and then they ask for ANY additional hours we can give them to help other depts.

So now I will be working the following:

Thursday 6pm to 2am
Friday (OFF)
Saturday 6pm to 2am
Sunday 10:45 am to 7:15pm
Monday 6pm to midnight.

Then I'm off the spare job until the following Sunday. But I'm still crazy.

LOL. Sometimes its who you know! My mom's old coworker's son in law does handyman work. And apparently is VERY reliable (from references).

I called to have him give me an estimate on replacing an existing ceiling fan & light in my living room. I'm just not comfortable tackling the job myself, so I'm willing to pay to have it done. He'll give me an estimate tomorrow afternoon, so hopefully it won't be too bad. In the mean time, I need to go shopping for a fan!

In other news. Although the roommate isnt officially moving in until Saturday, he has been bringing stuff by the house. He's very nice and polite. Since he's not officially moved into the house, he has called prior to stopping by to drop stuff off. AND he noticed the new rods in the closets and thanked me for installing them!

Today, I've spent $1.90 on a soda & soft pretzel and another $1.35 on a second soda. I really need to cut out the soda addiction. But in the meantime, I need to buy some cans so I don't pay for soda at work anymore!

Its inventory time at the part time job and crazy me signed up for extra hours. Because its a store and cannot close during normal hours, the inventory hours are 9pm to 6am. Its mandatory that I'm there for the inventory in my department (Thursday) until 2am and then they ask for ANY additional hours we can give them to help other depts.

So now I will be working the following:

Thursday 6pm to 2am
Friday (OFF)
Saturday 6pm to 2am
Sunday 10:45 am to 7:15pm
Monday 6pm to midnight.

Then I'm off the spare job until the following Sunday. But I'm still crazy.