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Home > Archive: February, 2005
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Archive for February, 2005
February 28th, 2005 at 04:18 pm
I spent basically what I thought I would spend over the weekend. Lots of food out (but I tried to keep it cheap), paid for my sweetie's meals to compensate for the hotel room, and bought the climbing gym membership.
This month I am really going to get back into consistently cooking and eating at home. It's healthier, I feel better when I do, it's cheaper, and I've been gaining weight (and that needs to STOP).
I fell and tore up my hand on a concrete driveway over the weekend so I can't use my new membership until it heals. It's already starting to, so it shouldn't be long. There were hundreds of people signing up at the gym last night, so I don't mind waiting a bit until the furor dies down. People's motivation will probably drop after the first couple of weeks, so it won't be as crowded...at least, I'm hoping so!
I ripped my jeans when I fell, so I have to buy new ones. That wasn't in the budget, but now I've had to incorporate it.
The wedding was a BLAST....I drank entirely too much, but everyone did, so we all had a fabulous time dancing the night away!! I am exhausted today, though.
Bye-bye February, onto March! Is it really almost March 2005 already!?!?!?
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February 25th, 2005 at 04:17 pm
ok. last night I went to the biggest mall in the entire country. you'd think I would have found a shirt, right? we went into practically every clothing store. nothing. everything right now is either lingerie (can I wear that in front of my 'adoptive grandmothers' or my boyfriend's parents? I think not) or it is something a sweet 80 year old grandmother would wear. thus my dilemma. I am thinking about leaving work a little bit early today for my final, absolutely last ditch effort. *sigh* I have never had so much trouble finding an outfit.
tonight we'll be buying dinner on the road. I'm eating work party leftovers right now. tomorrow we'll have to buy lunch and dinner (there's only one plate at the wedding, and it is chicken, not something vegetarian friendly). probably will have to buy lunch again on Sunday on the way home. we'll have to pay for our hotel room on Saturday night, and gasoline (though we're taking the hybrid, so that won't be much). Sunday we're buying our gym memberships. so....it will be an expensive weekend.
off to worry about my lack-of-shirt dilemma.....
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February 24th, 2005 at 06:07 pm
I have to find a shirt tonight. I just looooove having to do things at the last minute. grrrrrrrr. but to my credit I have been looking for an outfit/shirt for weeks with little luck.
the cabin was great. very relaxing. the bed was spectacular...so much so that it made my bed at home feel like a rock. I researched mattress pads earlier this week and bought one on overstock.com, and two down-like pillows. I cannot seem to find a pillow that does not wrench my neck and cause headaches. I bought a memory foam pillow last month to see if that would help, but it is as hard as a rock and I can't stand to sleep on it anymore. today I have a killer headache....looking forward to those pillows, I hope they help. overstock.com has such great deals, though...the mattress pad I bought was twice as much at JCPenneys.
I picked up a few supplies for the wedding this weekend last night, and some necessities. I've eaten out a little too much in the past week. this weekend will be more eating out, but I'll curb that when March rolls around. back to cooking!
I'm purchasing my rock climbing gym membership this weekend ($200 off the regular price!). I've been saving for it and I am very excited. I will have to buy some gear, but that will have to wait until April.
In March I will be paying off one of my college loans! whoo hoo!
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Student Loans
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February 18th, 2005 at 05:02 pm
last night at the bookstore I bought two bookmarks (one for me, one for my sweetie), two puzzle books for him, one puzzle book for me, a lateral thinking book for both of us, and a gift certificate for the people who are lending us their cabin. I love that place. I could buy every book in the store. someday I would love to have a den with floor to ceiling bookshelves, filled with books, warm and inviting and cozy.
I also bought shoes for $9.99 to go with my skirt for the wedding next weekend. however, I still did not find a shirt to go with it. that is a bit of a problem.
tonight we're off to the cabin and relaxing the weekend away!! yippee!
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February 17th, 2005 at 08:25 pm
not as long as I'd like it to be (that would be a permanent vacation) but three days. we've secured a free cabin belonging to a friend of a friend. all we need to bring is groceries, entertainment (books) and our battered psyches. I am so excited. it is a birthday celebration and a relaxing get-away all rolled into one. I'll get them a gift certificate as a thank you.
I've brought lunch all week and had dinner at home all week. I may have dinner out tonight with a friend. we are hitting the mall (I STILL do not have a stupid outfit for the wedding next weekend) and we'll probably stop for a snack.
I've been pretty good about impulse spending lately. I'm beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel with regard to my credit card bill, my car insurance, and my lowest college loan. another college loan will be paid off next year. I won't be seeing any light on the last one for many many years...but that's ok.
I wish I had the means to purchase a house. I wish I had a job I loved. I wish I lived in a location I loved. I wish I had the means to buy a new car. but on the sunny side of things, I have a man who loves me, a family who loves me, plenty of friends who love me, a great apartment with fish who are always happy to see me and tons of healthy plants, and plenty of junk food to keep me fat and happy.
it's a sunny day, I get to see my best friend in a few hours, and I'm feeling pretty good.
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February 14th, 2005 at 08:58 pm
let's see...apart from regular bills, over the weekend I spent about $78 on clothes, $10 on postage stamps, and $60 on a medical bill. I tried to find an outfit for an upcoming wedding, but nothing fit right. I bought a cute skirt but couldn't find a shirt to go with it. I bought a cashmere sweater on clearance, too. I'm going to have to buy shoes and a shirt if I wear that skirt....but I have no idea where else to look! I've been to five malls already! it's getting frustrating. I need to pick up some prescriptions tonight, and buy a bit more of a birthday gift for my sweetie this week.
I'm making an effort to put money away in my savings account every pay period, even if it's only $10. I need to get in the habit. it is too easy to cut that part of the budget when other areas are lacking.
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February 10th, 2005 at 06:53 pm
I've spent 16% of my income so far this month. By the time it is over, I will have spent 103% according to my budget (that includes savings). Not great, but better than last month, when I spent much more. I'm really working on paying off the credit cards, though, and that's a huge chunk of it. That and my fabulous kitchenaid mixer (insert blushing face here).
I need to get back on the cooking track. I've been eating out way too frequently lately! New vegetarian recipes are calling my name this afternoon.
I've devised a way to get my new Roth IRA up to the maximum $3000 mark by the end of the year. Now if only I can stick to my budget!! Why is it that budgets and diets are so hard to stick to?
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February 7th, 2005 at 02:44 pm
I had a GREAT weekend. It was so nice!! I spent time with two of my girlfriends on Friday whom I rarely see, and it was great to catch up. I spent a little on groceries that day to have drink mixers on hand. We went out to dinner but they would not let me pay. I made them take a few dollars for the tip.
Saturday I cleaned up the apartment and did my taxes (finally! a refund!). I spent a little at Walmart, mainly on frivolous things like makeup and workout equipment. I had a delicious Italian dinner with my boyfriend; he wouldn't let me pay either, but let me leave the tip.
Sunday I was the happy recipient of a delicious breakfast, two creamy birthday cakes, a host of wonderful gifts, and an amazing Indian dinner. Several of my friends came over in the afternoon to play games, and we went to dinner later. The best gift I received was a charcoal drawing of my precious cat drawn by my best friend. My cat passed away one year ago today at the age of 17. I miss her desperately. Luckily the waterproof mascara I had bought the night before did what it was supposed to do when I opened that gift.
Today I may have a bit of an extended birthday...my boyfriend had a hard time finding the gift he wanted to give me, and he says he will be able to get it tonight. I could use some relaxation today. I had a number of nightmares last night and am sad today, anyway.
I had a couple of friends completely disregard my birthday this year. One may have forgotten (although that is somewhat unusual for him). The other was deliberate, I know. She has been treating me really poorly ever since she got a boyfriend (and, actually, for sometime before) and I'm done with the drama. I don't need that in my life! and luckily for me, I have many close friends and family who truly love me.
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February 4th, 2005 at 04:06 pm
Superbowl Sunday just happens to be my birthday. I'm planning to hang out with some friends tonight...maybe we'll go bowling! we'll see. tomorrow I'm not planning anything. Sunday I'm going to a new-to-me Indian restaurant for a birthday dinner with some friends. a low-key weekend, but I'm looking forward to it!
last night I had vietnamese food for the first time. it was excellent. I loved everything that I had. I didn't realize I was so close to a long strip of vietnamese restaurants...so when that money tree is growing strong, I'll be visiting several of them.
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February 2nd, 2005 at 09:18 pm
working on my budget today, trying to figure out where I can cut and how I can get a handle on it.
I'd like to join a gym at the end of this month, when they have their annual sale, a very good one.
I have a wedding to attend at the end of this month. I'm debating whether or not to buy an outfit. I will go through my closet to see if anything I already have will suffice.
I bought lunch today. I brought it on Monday and didn't eat lunch yesterday.
I can always find reasons to spend money...I'd like to always find reasons to save money instead. If I'm ever going to move out of this godforsaken climate, I'm going to have to have a safety net, so I better start building one now.
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February 1st, 2005 at 07:13 pm
the interview went ok. my interviewers were rather hard to read, and it only lasted 20 minutes. they hardly asked me any questions, so I hope they liked me. they will be calling about second interviews sometime soon, if I am chosen to do one. I wrote a nice thank you email and am hoping beyond hope that I get this job. it would be great. it's only 20 hours a week, but maybe I could work out a way to keep my current job and add this one. hope hope hope.
in other news, I'm trying to find a decent humidifier. I had no idea it would be so difficult. most of them seem to be pretty crappy or overpriced. I bought one, but then looked at reviews on amazon.com, and 20 of 23 reviews were awful. I'm a little afraid to turn it on.
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