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Archive for June, 2005

all moved in!

June 27th, 2005 at 02:37 am

Bit the bullet this weekend and moved all of my stuff into the new place. It took all day Saturday and Sunday. It's amazing how much crap there is lying around the house, and how much space it takes up. I'm really happy to be in the new place, though. Smile It has SUCH a good vibe.

Spent $52 on dinner for moving helpers. $5 on packing tape. $22 on gas (yikes! price went up again). $5 on donuts.

I'm exhausted! and my sweetie's stuff will arrive this week, so more stuff to move in the near future. I have no idea where we are going to put it all. Right now the whole apartment is chaos! I can definitely use the exercise, though.

putt-putting car

June 23rd, 2005 at 05:20 pm

My car has recently decided to begin resembling a lawnmower in sound. It's loud enough that people stare as I drive by them. I'm not quite sure what it is, and I really don't have the time to be dragging it around to repair shops. I have yet to find a trustworthy mechanic in this city. Everywhere I go, they want to replace the serpentine belt, flush the transmission, flush the power steering, replace the air filter, etc etc etc. I know enough now to know that is bogus. My serpentine belt cannot possibly need to be replaced every three months.

Now I'm thinking that maybe I should postpone my lofty goal of paying off that college loan at the end of this year, and instead funnel my extra cash into a savings account for a newer car. I could have $2000 saved up by December (more, if I paid the minimum on that loan, but I don't want to do that).

The question is, what kind of car do I get? I want an environmentally friendly one with good gas mileage...that pretty much means a hybrid. It would be nice to have a hybrid SUV so at least one of us had a car that could carry larger things. I trust Ford about as far as I can throw them, though, and I think that's the only option for a hybrid SUV right now!

the cold that will not die

June 22nd, 2005 at 06:08 pm

Moving is so expensive. I'm lucky to be getting a break on rent soon, and my deposit back, to compensate for it.

I have a cold that just will not go away. I can't believe how much it is NOT reacting to cold medication, or vitamin c, or zinc, or orange juice, or massive amounts of sleep. I don't think my system is so run down that I can't fight it. Everyone around me seems to have it as well, and they can't get rid of it either. ugh.

Friday: payday. paid some to credit card. was home alone, so I ate frozen pizza and watched tv.

Saturday: packing, packing, packing. moved stuff. returned something to target, bought more stuff for the new place, but boyfriend paid. dinner at home.

Sunday: moved stuff. visited with friends, who took us out to dinner. free day.

Monday: ordered pizza, boyfriend paid. gasoline, $16. fell asleep as soon as I got home.

Tuesday: stayed home from work, sick, slept most of the day. groceries and cold medication: $50. haircut and color, $90. I would have canceled the hair appt had it not been for my interview the next day.

Wednesday: interview went pretty well until I started choking and coughing. if I don't get the job, I will blame it on that, because I am completely qualified for the position. paid cable bill, $57. paid more to credit card. I need to get an anniversary gift for my sweetie, but I am so tired. I don't feel like shopping tonight. I feel like going back home and crawling into bed.

TGIF

June 17th, 2005 at 03:20 pm

I have a job interview on Wednesday. It's basically the exact same position I have now but at a larger agency and hopefully for more pay. I'm not too thrilled about it, because I'd like to get away from this job, but I'm going to go in and talk to them anyway. The nice part is that it would shorten my commute down to about 5 minutes.

Weird dreams last night...about two of my cats that have passed away. They were both alive in my dream, of course. I've had fitful sleep all week.

I've eaten out a couple of times this week but didn't have to pay for it. Still, not good for my ever expanding waistline. My coworker and I walked four times this week though, so that's awesome. I'm seeing more definition in my legs already.

Paid off my credit card again but put more on it last night - new things for the new apartment. Lots of cleaning supplies. I mopped all of the floors except for the room with the most stuff in it. I'm going to go back with more stuff this weekend and really scrub the rest of it. I hate moving into an apartment that isn't pristine, and since most people (and landlords) don't clean things, I'm taking it upon myself. I really don't mind though, because then I know how clean it really is. It turns out that BF's stuff is not coming until the end of June, so now I have more time to clean and lug my stuff over there.

I have a cold, but it's much less severe than everyone else's. I've been sucking down vitamin c like crazy!

The massage fell through this month, but I'm getting a haircut and color touch up before my interview. About the same amount of money, so it fits in the budget.

Hoping for a productive weekend with good sleep!

new plan

June 14th, 2005 at 09:16 pm

One of my college loan payment places is saying they never received last month's check. I've paid it early or on time every single month for the past four years. From the tone of the email, you'd think I had been late on every single payment. I'm really irritated with them. This is the second time they have not processed my payment; last time it showed up and I received no apology.

So, here's my new plan. Since I just paid off one of my college loans, I'm down to two. This one will not take me long to pay off, the other one is still in in the tens of thousands. I was going to pay this one off slowly and put more money toward my savings account and my Roth IRA, but now I think I am going to put lesser amounts into both and work really hard to get rid of this stupid loan so I don't have to deal with these people anymore. I've mapped it out in my budget, and I think I can do it by the end of the year. With my previous plan, I would have paid it off by the middle of next year. I'd rather get rid of it faster. I'm considering taking on a part time job just to get rid of it even faster.

It's probably not what the loan company was going for...I imagine they like having people drag their payments out for an eternity. Perhaps if their customer service representatives were more amiable, I would have stuck with my longer-range plan and racked up more interest. But now, I have a challenge...how much can I throw at it every month? I'm also going to pay them online instead of by check from now on. No "it got lost in the mail" that way!

zzzzzz

June 13th, 2005 at 03:08 pm

Friday: Didn't have to pay for lunch - nice!

Saturday: Went to look at a table and chair set for sale, but it was too big for our new place. I was soooo tired all day long. I didn't want to do anything. We went out for brunch, BF's treat. I tried to pack up some stuff as best I could. I was really wiped out...from what, I don't know. Everyone around me has been ill lately, so maybe I was fighting off an illness. Frozen pizza at home, and I went to bed early.

Sunday: Woke up super early and jumped online (first mistake). Logged on to amazon.com and placed an order for several books (second mistake). I got really good deals on them, but I am supposed to be downsizing here! Total was $53. Packed up both cars with my stuff and moved it to the new place. It was a hot, sticky day yesterday, but at least it wasn't raining! We went to Target to buy a ton of stuff for the new place; BF paid. I paid for a few more bathroom things at another store ($26). I bought dinner for both of us ($25). By then we both had pounding headaches, so we went home.

My apartment is being viewed again by another potential renter today (*crossing fingers*). I tried to make it look as nice as possible, and it looks pretty good with two carloads taken out of it. My massage therapist is coming tonight, that will be another $80.

I'm going to try to make at least one more trip to the new place with a bunch of stuff this week, before Thursday. We really need to get cracking on cleaning over there, before his stuff arrives. I imagine I'll be over there every night for the rest of the week.

I listed 11 books on half.com yesterday. What I'm wondering is, how can I possibly compete with wholesalers who list brand new books for $0.75? I think my like-new hardcover book is worth much more than that.

finally, it's almost the weekend

June 10th, 2005 at 03:32 pm

Spending Tues/Wed/Thurs:

- groceries paid for by BF, approx $75
- magazine renewal for two years, $16
- donation, $12
- gasoline, approx $18
- groceries for Thursday's dinner, $9
- ATM $40

I have a lunch meeting today, which I will most likely have to pay for, so I took out cash.

Tonight's girls night is a quiet one, no club hopping, which is just fine with me. It looks as though it will never stop raining, so I'd rather stay in anyway. Besides, more money saved that way, since dinner is NOT at my house for once.

I still have no idea when I can move out of my current apartment, but I'm going to start moving stuff over there anyway. I have a lot stored away in my closets that could just as easily be stored over at the new place. Hopefully it will stop raining long enough this weekend to let me carry boxes in and out. I'll wait to move out the big stuff, like my bed, until the last minute. BF's stuff will get shipped here next week, so next weekend will be us moving him in. I'm really hoping to fully move in during the last weekend in June. That would be SO nice because I wouldn't have to pay so much rent for July, and I am really itching to get into the new place. We'll see.

I've been doing a lot of walking and keeping my caloric intake somewhat under control this week. Maybe I'll be thin someday!

Still need a Father's Day gift idea...I can't think of anything. He is so hard to shop for! I wanted to go home to see him, but now we'll be moving BF into the new place instead. Which means I still need a gift. No idea.

chipping away at debt

June 7th, 2005 at 04:37 pm

Monday's Spending:

$147.78 to pay off stupid credit card that I need to put into a bowl of water in the freezer in order to stop using it.

$100 to 0% credit card. Hope to put another $100 toward it when the bill is due later this month. Should be fully paid off in July.

$135 payment to utterly pointless college loan that will haunt me until I am 32.


and that's it! no shopping. I found out that my apartment will be viewed by two prospective renters tonight, so I busted my butt to put things into boxes and out of sight. Also did a ton of measuring at the new place. We are devising a plan to redecorate to our liking and create more counter space in the kitchen and stay within a modest budget. Tough.

I got my makeup primer in the mail yesterday! So exciting. My t-zone is still nicely matted, 3 hours after applying it. It came with a few free samples, including lip plumper. OH MY GOD. It said "expect a somewhat intense tingle." I thought my lips were going to fall off!!! Were they plumper after I endured that pain? I have no idea. They felt swollen, in any case! Not something I would do on a regular basis.

and it's Monday again

June 6th, 2005 at 04:37 pm

Seriously, why does it always seem to be Monday?

We went out of town to visit relatives on Saturday night, so I haven't spent anything since then. It was nice to get out of the house and go somewhere else! We got back late last night, though, so not much accomplished around the house. and no packing done whatsoever.

My fish are all still alive. I am going to test to their water again after work and see how they are really doing. I still need to call the pet store and see how they feel about me bringing fish in.

Tonight: heading to the new place to drop off a bunch of BF's stuff. We may end up doing some shopping (cleaning supplies, new toilet seat, all that fun stuff) and maybe go to the grocery store too. I'm not sure which of us is going to pay for that, or if it will be dutch, or what.

The rest of the week is pretty wide open. I might go over to a friend's house for a girls night sometime this weekend. I'm not sure if it will be a stay-in sort of night (cheaper!) or a go-out-on-the-town sort of night. I'd be happy with either one, but I'd be happier with less spending.

saturday spending

June 5th, 2005 at 12:13 am

Picked up the keys to our new apartment today Big Grin. I'm so excited. I wish I could move in right now. The place is sooooo nice. Plus, my new neighbors downstairs appear to be rather loud individuals...making me really happy to be moving.

Bought a sale book at the bookstore, $6.37. Four t-shirts (desperately needed for work), $30. Target, $19.28. Lunch, $11.

I've been monitoring my fish closely and treating their water for parasites and fungus. The other large fish is behaving erratically now. I think it has a lot to do with the babies, which have matured now. At least four of them are males, and they are chasing my females around like crazy, wearing them out. Most of the females have taken to lurking in the back of the tank or at the bottom in the corner. I have to call the pet store to find out if they will take most of my males, because I don't want them killing my females!

Thanks for the kind words on my last post. You all are the best. That's why I like this board so much!

sad realizations

June 3rd, 2005 at 12:08 am

I came home tonight to find that one of my first fish had died. She had been behaving a bit oddly for the past few days, but with no visible symptoms, I didn't know how to help her. Very sad. It's a toss up for me - do I get a pet that will live a long life (like my 17 year old cat), and know that I will get attached and be devasted when that animal dies, or do I keep pets (like fish) that have much shorter life spans? I still manage to get attached.

Also, I've come to the realization that I've been spending much less time in the Discussion section of this board lately because of the influx of people just dying to pick a fight. I've liked this board more than many others because people ordinarily carry on civilized conversations and agree to disagree about things. However, I'm not interested in hearing about how all democrats are evil and all republicans are wonderful (or vice versa), that by shopping at Walmart I am devil spawn, and that (speaking of devil spawn) I had better hurry up and embrace someone else's religion, or else. If I wanted that, I would frequent a politically-based message board, a social justice message board, and a religious message board. I'm here because it is a savings message board, something that you'd think all cultures, religions, races, and political biases could relate to on some level.

I assure you I am not talking about everyone - there are plenty of people who share different values and political/religious beliefs from my own here, and they don't bother me one bit. It's the people who are just here to pick a fight. It's unfortunate that every message board on the internet draws in that mentality eventually. Can't we all just get along?

*sigh* I'm going to get a beer, turn on the tv, and mourn my fish.

tick tock tick tock

June 2nd, 2005 at 05:14 pm

I just placed an Avon order with a coworker who just started selling. I know how much she and everyone else in her position makes (I did payroll for a while during a crisis) so I feel good about helping her out. Non profit pays nothing, particularly to the people doing the dirty work. My salary isn't huge or anything (especially not considering my education) but I'm still amazed that I get paid what I do. and I feel a bit guilty as well. Anyway, Avon order, $24.

I also ordered makeup primer online, a bit of a splurge at $38, but it keeps my face happy when wearing makeup. I have a lot less breakouts when I use it under foundation. A small bottle lasts about 8 months, and I'm all out.

Paid my electric/gas bill, and all my bread baking must have ratcheted up the bill! It was almost $40, a new high. I will enjoy that price while I have it, though, because at the new apartment it will probably average $100 (electric heat).

Yesterday's gasoline for the car: $18.13, and cash: $20. I got free tickets to a major league baseball game yesterday, so BF and I went to enjoy ourselves. He spent a ton on concessions, but his money is his money, so I didn't hassle him too much. It was my first baseball game ever! and tons of fun. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it, but I think a big part of it was his company. He explained a lot of the game to me too, and that made it more enjoyable. We also took the new train for the first time. How I wish it extended throughout the whole city!

Tonight, cleaning is on the agenda. I think today will be a no-spend day!