Thanks so much for your comment, Russell!!

I haven't been around as much as I used to be...I actually have a JOB to do during the day, real WORK, go figure! It's nice because the day goes by faster, but my days are longer than they used to be, what with riding the bus and all. I stare at the computer all day (which I did at my last job too, but not as intently), so by the time I get home, the last thing I want to do is open up my laptop.

On top of that, I've not been visiting this site because I've been spending way more than I've been saving. Guilty conscience, anyone?

Sadly, my other adult fish died yesterday. That is the second fish to die in the span of a few days, so I'm starting to get worried. All the water tests say things are fine, though...I'm not sure what is going on.

We've been trying to find our cat a furry little friend, but we don't want to settle on just any cat. Ours is still an only child because of that. Hopefully we'll get a chance to look at the humane society again this weekend (though I'd prefer a FREE cat, craigslist.org people either never return my phone calls or give all the cats away before I can get there).

Still wallowing in apples...I made a five pound apple crisp over the weekend, but that barely made a dent in it. I hope to make applesauce this weekend, which I hear is not that difficult.

I'd better start thinking more seriously about Christmas gifts. I have some things tucked away, but before we know it, it will be upon us! Speaking of which, I finally bought my ticket home.

I am still pretty frugal about buying things...I'll mostly buy things that are on sale or generic...but the problem lies in my stepping foot in the store in the first place! I need to spend more time at home and less time shopping for frivolous things for myself!

My first paycheck was twice what I thought it was going to be (I thought I'd only get paid for one week, but they paid me for two). Awesome! My aunt also sent a "congrats on your new job" gift. This extra cash means my Christmas gift fund is still full, and I'll be able to buy a plane ticket home for the holidays. The latter would be easier if I could get an answer out of my employer about time off, but at least I'll be able to pay for a ticket if I ever get an answer. I'm starting to feel like a pest, but ticket prices are rising as we speak, people! Chop chop!

I've been bad about sleeping too late the past few days and missing the bus, which means I have to drive to work. I don't mind driving, but it sucks up cash to pay for parking, and it's dumb when I have a bus pass. I need to figure out a way to make myself get up earlier. This morning I even had everything ready (lunch, clothes, etc) and still missed the bus!

Over the weekend we visited an apple orchard and picked thirty pounds of apples for $19! It was fun, and the weather was beautiful. We gave away five pounds of apples, but we are still swimming in them! I'll have to look up apple recipes. I made dinner from scratch on Sunday night, too. I also went to the gym last night and worked out! How do you like that? Hopefully I'm getting back into the swing of things.

I've left my old job in the past and started fresh. My coworkers threw me a nice going-away party. I am enjoying my new position, but there are a lot of things I miss. I miss knowing people at work and having comradarie most.

I bought a bunch of new clothes and don't regret it one bit. I feel more confident and I know that comes across in working with all of these new people. I have more clothes I'd like to buy, but it won't be right away, only because I am between sizes right now.

I haven't been particularly frugal this month. Not really surprising!

I've been taking the bus, and it's not so bad. I get a nice discount of 50 cents per trip. It's cheaper than driving, and I don't have to worry about traffic! It may not be quite so fun once the snow flies (which should be any day now), only because I have to walk about a mile in total.

Everything with my job application went through (they checked everything...work history, education credentials, even fingerprints). I had no worries about it, but it's a relief nonetheless.

I bought a new messenger bag on ebags today, so now I'll have a sporty one and a more professional-looking one. It looks like it has a nice shoulder strap on it - that will be nice for the walk to and from the bus. I bought

this one, in silver.

I'm getting my hair cut tonight, yay! I like revamping my look.

We had an enormous thunderstorm last night, complete with tornado warnings. I had my sweet little kitty in his cat carrier and we were ready to run to the basement if it looked like a funnel cloud was upon us. Luckily, we only got hit with a ton of rain and wind. The northern suburbs did not fair so well...I saw a number of wrecked houses on the news this morning. It appeared as though those fancy houses in new developments weren't built so well, because most of them had collapsed garages. I definitely want a sturdy, well-built house someday, not one that's thrown together!

Perhaps I subconsciously sabatoge my budget every month. I justify purchases that I don't have budgeted, and then I try to figure out how to wiggle things around so I have enough money to pay off my credit card in full, along with rent. How ridiculous. Do I like feeling like I'm on the edge, somehow?

This month I'll receive an extra paycheck, simply because I'll be starting my new job next month. That will help with my inflated credit card bill, but I'll have to set enough aside to stay afloat in October until I get my first paycheck. I want to buy new work clothes, because I feel so "non-profit" and many of my clothes are disintigrating before my very eyes (with good reason - my standbys are at least 5 years old). I'm budgeting about $100 for that, but I'd like to spend much more. I'm getting my hair cut and colored before my new job starts (last time was in June), so that will be $90.

My new job does have a discounted bus pass program, so that will help, although I'm not sure what the discount will be. I like my new messenger bag, but it's really sporty. Does that say "I work downtown"? not really. I guess when I bought it I was thinking more along the lines of "riding my bike to the library and back." I need a classy-looking fall jacket, too, because my favorite one is 5 years old, puffy, and has paint marks on it. I don't want to start my new job looking like I belong in a What Not To Wear episode.

Change is good, but stressful.

Thanks everyone!! I am really excited about my new job. Only nine days left of my current one...and my boss was at my desk for roughly half of the day today. I see that happening every day for the next 9 days. Oh well, it's almost over.

I think I'll have great benefits at my new job. Medical will be half the cost it is now, and I will have a 401k. They will match 80% of what I put in, up to 6%. I will find out more when I start, I suppose. I'll shell out less for gasoline every month because I'll take the bus to work, but I'll have to pay for bus passes. It should be interesting to see how this works out. If I'm contributing to a 401k, I won't have as much to contribute to my Roth IRA, my savings accounts, or my smaller college loan. The thought of a part-time job after work has never thrilled me...normally during the week, all I want to do is come home after work and chill. It may be a necessity, though, if I'm going to achieve my savings goals.

I asked if my car insurance premium would be lower since I'd be taking to bus to work, and they said that I'd have to drive 7500 miles per year or less. Yikes! It would only be a $63 per year discount anyway - not worth it to have them checking my mileage.

I do need to revamp my budget...thanks for the ideas. It will be an ongoing project.

I GOT THE JOB!!!! The interview I had on Monday panned out. I am so excited!!!!! I am starting my new job in two weeks. The pay is slightly less, but I don't even care. I will be doing what I want to do, all day long.

I just told my current boss that I am resigning. She is very upset. Telling her was one of the hardest things I've had to do in a while...my stomach has been in knots ever since I accepted my new position. It's over now, though, and we all lived through it.

I'll be celebrating this weekend! Yippee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I need to get really strict with myself about my budget. I never follow what I set. I manage to justify every expenditure no matter if it is in the budget or not. What I do now is a good way to keep track of what bills I have yet to pay, and how overbudget I can go, yet still pay my credit card but...that's not healthy.

I am craving chocolate and would probably go to the store if I had any cash my wallet. I have spent it all on interview parking this week, though. I suppose that is a good thing. I would ordinarily have some chocolate in my desk drawer, but last week a coworker told me that my boss went through my (locked) desk drawers while I was out. She was supposedly looking for "something" but did not tell me about it. I noticed that things were misplaced. Apparently after rifling through my things, my boss then went to my coworker and told her that I am such a packrat, and that I have a ton of candy in my drawers (I had half a bag of mint patties). That made me SO angry that I emptied out all of my desk drawers, took nearly all of the personal items off of my desk, and brought it all home. I would bet money that my boss went back into my desk drawers after I left for the day, looking for my candy. I feel so violated. I know it is every employer's right to go through employee desks...but she could have at least told me about it. Or had the decency not to go blabbing about my desk to everyone else. On the bright side, my desk is very clean and clutter-free now.

Sent off two thank you cards to interviewers today. I really hope something pans out.

Things I have left to pay for this month:
- massage tomorrow
- cell phone bill
- eye appt copay
- gasoline
- maybe a few groceries
- car insurance
- rent
- credit card bill

I am definitely not going to make my September goals. Due to my bloated credit card bill, I could only pay $50 to my college loan, $25 to emergency fund, and $25 to family fund. The only item I succeeded in completing was the $75 to the Christmas gift fund. This is what happens when I spend too much time shopping for beads and books!

Things are looking up. I had another interview today at a different business. It was hardcore - three proofreading/writing tests, then an interview with a HR rep, then an interview with the person who would be my boss. Each interviewer had THREE pages of questions to ask me. I felt I did pretty well, though. I felt I had a much better "rapport" with this supervisor than I did with the last one, too! They should let me know next week. I sent out an email thank you to both interviewers, and will write up paper thank you notes when I get home tonight. I really hope this one comes through! It would be a slight pay cut, but not nearly as much as the other job.

I am way overbudget already this month. Self-medicating with "stuff"? Could be. I have lots of beading supplies now, so I think have a great start on Christmas gifts. I just have to sit down and start figuring out how to make things. I made two bracelets this weekend, one that's on my wrist right now and another matching one that I'm sending to my sister. It's always fun to get mail when you're living in a dorm.

I don't know what my problem is, but I've been spending like crazy lately. A bookstore near me is closing, so everything is 50% off. I've been there twice already. A couple of the books I bought were Christmas gifts, but most were for me! I also bought pants and a purse for my interview yesterday, and new foundation (I was almost out). I've been buying a lot of crafty stuff, too. I also overdrafted my checking account, something I don't think I have ever done! UGH. I tried to hurry and deposit money back into the account, but I didn't make it in time. *sigh* So that was $33 down the drain. Then my employer was late with the paycheck process, so the money couldn't be direct deposited like usual. I have automatic savings account drafts coming out of my checking today, so I had to race to the bank this morning with my paper check before they went through. Big mess. I need to be more careful and leave a cushion in my account at all times.

I sent a thank you email and a thank you note in the mail to my interviewer yesterday. We'll see!

Tonight I have to buy a few groceries, but it should be quiet overall. I'll be alone tonight, so maybe I'll read, or go to the library, or play with my new kitty! He really is a darling little cat.

...and beer in hand. I took the afternoon off. Maybe I will stop by the library later.

It went ok. I can never tell with interviewers. This interviewer was rather different too...she talked to the desk the whole time and avoided eye contact. And she talked nonstop. At the end she said that those candidates with whom she felt a rapport with will be invited back for second interviews. I have no idea if I am even near the playing field much less on it. I have a tendency to clam up a little around people I don't know, and not share all the casual details of my life with them like some people can do so easily. I need to get better at that, because it is costing me jobs.

Anyhow, we'll see. I'll know within a week. I'm going to write a thank you letter to her right now. I'd take the job in flash, because I would really learn a lot!

Keep your fingers crossed...and thanks for the wise words. You're right, I should go for it if it is offered to me. I hope I get a second interview. I will be surprised if I do!

I have a job interview tomorrow in the field I want to work in. Starting at the bottom is, in my opinion, the only way I am going to break into this field, because I've been trying for three years and gotten nowhere. It's an assistant position, and I'm fairly certain it is going to pay less than what I'm making now. A lot less. As in, in New York City they are paying these people $22K per year.

I have to take a serious look at my budget and see just how low I can go and still pay the bills. But what do I do? Work in a position that might get my foot in the door and lead to something else down the line? Or work for the money? My car is dying a rapid death and I need to replace it. I can hardly afford to do that now, much less at a lower salary.

Family really means a lot to me. I bought $110 in stuff for my sister's dorm room, helped her move in, took her and my mom shopping all day yesterday, and did my best to be entertaining. We had a really nice time together, but it was too short, as usual. They stayed with us for two nights. My SO is the nicest man in the world for being so sweet when he didn't feel well at all. I'm so glad my mom came to visit...it's been a long time.

I spent way too much money this weekend, of course. This morning I discovered that I had spent more than what's in my bank account, so I had to hurry up and transfer some savings into my account. Whoops. Hopefully it will drop into my account before the rent check is withdrawn. I also completely blew my first September goal by charging more onto my credit card, but it will get paid off this month.

I got two job calls on Friday. I need to call them back today, but it's hard to slip away and make a private phone call in such a small office. I sit in a cube, so there's no door to close, and people go around screaming my name at the top of their lungs if I'm not sitting in my chair (I wish I was kidding).

I can't watch any more Katrina coverage. I bought something from Crafter's United, so I feel like I did a small part. How can our government be so slow with help? It seems like they are always rushing troops to far-flung reaches of the world, but suddenly can't figure out what to do when things go down at home. I've said it before, I'll say it again -- I can't wait for 2008. It feels like an enternity away at the moment.

August 24 Spending
$23 Michaels

I brought my 40% off coupon and got some good advertised deals. I am going to make a bracelet for a friend's Christmas gift, so I spent $10 on supplies (MUCH better than the $35 a similar bracelet would cost online). I got some sticky alphabet letter sheets on sale, $.88 rather than $1.50. I bought a small trinket to add to my sister's birthday card, $1.50. A color wheel jumped into my hands, as did two bags of river rocks for $.99 each. I put the rocks around a candle in our living room, and it looks great! Overall I got 13 items, so I was pretty pleased.

My new goal is to have a new job by October. I don't want just any job - I'd prefer one that was a little less secretarial (ok, not at all secretarial) - and I hope I can find one. I just can't take it anymore.

Looking forward to getting out of here for a few days....

My workplace is like a tomb today. It's like this every Friday in the summer, because half the staff isn't here. I wish I were one of them.

August 18 Spending
$45 messenger bag online -

this is the one I chose - thanks for the link to ebags!
$1.50 ice cream sundae from Sam's Club - good lord, that thing was huge
$26 gasoline
TOTAL: $72.50

I found another fish baby! Now there are four in the little tank. The bigger fish are really enjoying their aquarium within the aquarium.

We didn't go shopping last night for camping stuff - we'll have to do it on the way out of town. Still looking like ominous weather. Unfortunately there is an 80% chance of rain tonight where we are camping. Saturday and Sunday look beautiful and dry, though, so all we'll need is an extra tarp under the tent and we should stay dry tonight. Probably no fire tonight, so PB&J for dinner...hehe. That's fine...we can cuddle in the tent and read our books by flashlight.

Have a good weekend, all!!

I dropped my car off at the repair shop last night, and SO and I walked home from there (about a mile). On the way home, we stopped at the bookstore.

August 3 Spending:
$15 on a book I've been wanting to read that the library doesn't have, and I can't wait to start it!
$5 on a bookmark for a dear friend that I've been out of touch with lately - "The road to a friend's house is never long" - although the road between Louisiana and Minnesota IS rather long, it's the thought that counts.
TOTAL SPENT: ~$20

I think I am sufficiently supplied with reading material for a while. I have seven books waiting to be devoured. I wish I could stay awake a bit longer before bed so I could read, but maybe I should start reading right after dinner instead.

Dinner last night was delicious. My sweetie made a great fresh-vegetable stir fry.

I am dreading the repair shop bill tonight, but at least I have a good idea of how much it will cost. I also bought concert tickets to Gwen Stefani for me and SO (he says he will pay me back, but it all works out in the end). The concert is in November - I'm excited! Totally unnecessary splurge, but I only go to a big-name concert about once every two years.

Yesterday afternoon I had a 1/2 hour phone interview. They asked some strange questions, so I'm not sure what they thought of me. The job I applied for was not a computer tech position, yet the questions were about how I would diagnose problems in PowerPoint. uh....might be useful if I was sitting in front of the computer looking at the problem, people.

Tonight I'm picking up the car, forking over half a paycheck, and going home to read.

I'm still irritated with my job. I stayed home from work yesterday and tried to get over a stress-induced headache. In the afternoon, I stopped by the post office to mail out a few things to my family and my requisit half.com book. A few more groceries and home needs at Target found their way into my car. I stopped by Michaels and bought decorative candle holders for my apartment and a Christmas gift for my mother that was $20 off (I'm already done with her Christmas gift! yeah!). I wandered through Barnes and Noble and nearly came out with nothing, until I saw a magazine about businesses in my area. It had a big section on good and bad car repair shops with consumer reviews. Given my current track record of having a car shop tell me every year that I need to replace my serpentine belt, I bought it. After getting gasoline, I went home, put away the groceries, hung up my new decorations and some that had been waiting to be hung, did two loads of dishes, and oiled our new kitchen island top again. Dinner was in the crockpot and turned out ok (not enough spices, I need to get better at that). BF and I decided to ride our bikes to the library instead of vegging out in front of the tv. I really needed that! It was so refreshing! I want to go bike riding again tonight.

Post Office: $9
Target: $50
Michaels: $80
Barnes and Noble: $11
Gas: $18

Total Spent: $168

All I have left budgeted to spend on this month is one prescription, rent, my car repair, $50 to savings and $25 to Roth IRA. I'm way over budget again. I don't even want to think about it. Our pantry is completely stocked, so I need to stay out of the stores!

Just a few things:

1 - I just found out that I'm not gong to get comp time at work anymore. Before, if I had to come in early or stay late for a meeting, I got that amount of time to use as I wished (like personal time or vacation time). I'm salaried, so I don't get paid time and half for that time. Now, I'm not going to get it at all. I'm just going to be expected to do whatever these people ask me to do. Did I mention that I'll never get an increase in vacation time, either? That even if I'm here for 30 years, I'll leave with the same two weeks I started with? I'm putting my job search into overdrive. This place is NUTS.

2 - I sold another book on half.com - only $3 total, but it's better than nothing.

3 - I really am proud of paying off all my credit cards in full. My current debt (college loans) now stands at just under $15,000 (if I paid it off today). I really wanted to get under that amount, and I'm under it now! Yay!

My car is going to cost about $700 to fix...and that's only to replace the things that I can actually hear going wrong (i.e. catalytic converter rumbling and a belt squealing). I suspect I need my brakes looked at and my tie rods replaced. I can barely afford to replace the catalytic converter, so the other things are just going to have to wait. My car is probably not worth much more than $700. It's tempting to buy a newer car (and everyone is saying DO IT), but the cost of these car repairs is nothing compared to what a monthly car payment would be. If I spend $1000 a year on repairs, that's still only $83 a month. I'm not going to find a car payment for that, and even if I could, it would likely be a piece of crap car that would need additional repairs anyway. *sigh* I wish I made a lot of money so I could buy a brand new car and not have to worry about this for a while. At least the repair estimate was only $20.

After hearing that painful estimate, I went to the grocery store and blew $100. I know, silly. It's funny how I feel that repairing my car is not worth it but sugar free pudding is. We are stocked for a while now, especially in fruit.

I paid off my other credit card in full ($380). I sold a book on half.com and was paid for it today ($4).

I applied for a few jobs last week...we'll see if I hear from anyone. I need to make more money if I am ever going to get out of this state, buy a new car, buy a house, etc etc etc.

Saturday and Sunday were no spend days. I don't think I've ever said that. How refreshing!

Last night I went to Ikea and bought several things for our apartment, totaling about $64. I got

this mirror, which I had been dying to have for the dining room, and this print for our bedroom. We already have this one in the bedroom (are you sensing a beach theme?) so it will look nice. We are ticking off the days until we can get away and move to the west coast, but until then, we are making our bedroom into our own ocean oasis. I had to go to the doctor yesterday (UGH) so I felt I deserved a treat, and I got a $1 frozen non-fat yogurt cone at Ikea. They are surprisingly delicious! We stopped by the MOA, got a baby gift for this weekend, and BF bought some new clothes. We ended up ordering pizza for dinner (he paid). Not doing so well on the diet circuit, but the apartment is getting better and thus my spirits are lifting a little.

This morning I've been researching jobs. I'm trying to decide how I should reinvent myself. I desperately want to be a copyeditor but no publishing firm in this city will hire me (I have little experience) and I don't want to move to the east coast. I was looking into becoming a paralegal, but it sounds like they do most of the work, while the lawyers get the credit and the big bucks. I think next I'll look into desktop publishing.

Today is payday. I put $100 to my college loan, $100 to Roth, $100 to emergency savings, and $25 to family savings. I'm pretty proud of myself! Yesterday I went to the doctor (finally) and got three months worth of allergy med refills. It was a big outlay of money at once, but at least I don't have to worry about it for a while. AND I had the nicest doctor I think I've ever met. Bonus!

I have been completely stressed out lately. The apartment is so overwhelming, because it's all in boxes, and we are merging our stuff. "do we keep this one? or this one that looks exactly like it?" It's hard. My sweetie has been really great though, doing most of the cleaning while I do most of the freaking out. I'm at the point where I want to throw all of my stuff out the window just to make it less cluttered. I've also been feeling down about my ever-increasing weight (hello? what is my problem??) and my job. My car sounds like a lawnmower with high pitched squeal (belts and muffler, no doubt). People honestly stare as I drive by.

So, I'm a little stressed.

Luckily, my girlfriends are coming over tonight to hang out. I really need some relax and let-loose time. I also really need some alone time. Maybe I will try to get out of the house on my own this weekend.

My finances this month are equally out of whack. I've already spent over $1500 this month (that includes savings) and I have about another $1500 budgeted to spend. It's a three paycheck month, though, and I'm expecting my rent deposit back any day now. The thing that is going to throw me way off course is my car. I talked to a repair shop last night but they charge $80 labor just to diagnose the problem, and the guy was soooo condescending (I WAS a woman walking into a repair shop alone, after all). I'm going to look around more tomorrow for a place with people who don't make me feel like a stupid 12-year old girl.

Looking forward to the weekend! Hoping to keep spending at a minimum (other than the car problem). I think I need a vacation, so I'm thinking about visiting my parents later this month. We'll see if that's feasible.

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.

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!

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!

Friday: looked at two apartments (no to both), ate delicious Vietnamese food for dinner (BF's treat), read good books & surfed the internet for the rest of the evening. Spending log: $0.

Saturday: looked at two apartments (both ok, not great). grabbed hot drinks to ward off the cold rain (my treat). read books and napped. ate Vietnamese leftovers for dinner and went out dancing (BF's treat). it was so much fun! we've never gone out clubbing together, just the two of us, and we had a great time. and, three of my eBay listings sold! Spending log: $8 for coffee.

Sunday: looked at one place (interrogated by homeowner, so that was a no-go). packed a picnic, went the park, and lounged in the brief sunshine with our books. I made cheese enchiladas and spanish rice for dinner - yum! we attempted to make churros, and then watched the Motorcycle Diaries. I loved it. I wish they had shown more of Chile, but it was great nonetheless. Brought back great memories. I expected to dream in Spanish, but I slept so hard last night, I don't remember dreaming at all (a seldom occurance). Spending log: $0

I wish I only worked every other week but got paid the same amount! After such productive/fun weekends, returning to my workplace is such a bummer...it's back to staring at the computer screen for eight hours a day, and sitting in the car for at least an hour commuting. I want more free time!

We have looked at 18 apartments. All of them have had some sort of serious flaw. I really thought one today would be 'the one', but then we found out that you have to walk outside to get to the basement. I have no interest in walking down or up a flight of icy steps in -30 degree F weather carrying a laundry basket full of clothes in order to do my laundry. We've seen two places that require walking outside to get to the basement (and thus the laundry machines), and I'm not doing it. It might be different if it was temperate here, but 9 months out of the year it is freezing cold and snowing.

I'm really discouraged. I was hoping we'd find a place so I could give notice tomorrow, but it's not happening. Nothing is comparable to what I have now. Nothing has made me want to pack up all my stuff and move. I'm sad.

We've been talking about getting pre-approved for a mortgage, but I don't want to stay here for years on end, and neither does he. I want to be by the ocean. I was thinking we could find an apartment here and share it for a year or two, and then move west, and consider buying a home there.

My life on the whole is really boring. I'd like to spice it up but I don't know how. I've considered moving to Honduras, I've considered joining the Peace Corps, I've considered going to grad school in NYC, I've tried finding a new job. I feel like I'm wasting my 20s. I'm SO going to find myself in a mid-life crisis.

Nothing spent today, even though I'd like to. It's tempting to take a trip over to Ikea, but I'm going to stay at home on my couch and wallow in my self-made dispair while watching HGTV.

We are looking at 8 apartments in the next five days. There has got to be something good out there! We looked at one last night, and it was a pit, but I have hope that we'll find the perfect spot!

Spent $23 on gasoline yesterday. Nothing today, and I don't plan to. We really need to do some cooking at home to have leftovers...the fridge is full but it seems like there's nothing to eat! How is that possible?

I applied for a couple more jobs today. Haven't heard a peep from the people from last Friday's interview...but honestly, that's ok. I don't want to work downtown anyway.

I've been reading the posts about buying a house, and it sounds as though one shouldn't even consider it if one has debt. That means the earliest I would be able to buy a house (assuming I pay off my loans as expected) would be in 2011. That's not counting the fact that I probably wouldn't have enough saved up for a downpayment or the closing costs in 2011, because I'd be paying my loans off that whole time. It's really disheartening. What I want more than anything right now is to have a house...not a marriage, not kids....a house with a yard and a garden and a big dog. *sigh* My college loans don't even seem worth it to me now, so I can only imagine how not worth it they will seem in six years. Not to mention that I'll be 32 in 2011...maybe by that age I'll want a baby more than a house! (though I really hope not)

I had a job interview this morning. It went fairly well, I thought. My friends and sweetie prepped me, so I was ready for those pesky questions. The interviewers aren't going to make a hiring decision until the end of May though, so I'm not going to hold my breath.

I took the day off and picked up my sis. We're both so tired, we're falling asleep on the couches in front of the tv!

RECENTLY SPENT:
gasoline: $35
car tabs: $39.50
groceries: $44
walmart: $38
parking: $5.50
library fine: $.25
cable tv/internet: $57

no idea what I'll spend this weekend. at least another $22 on gasoline; maybe we'll eat out, but I'm going to try to avoid that. tomorrow will be really busy.

my sweetie and I went to look at that apartment again. the landlords seems a little more normal this time. the place is just simply drop dead gorgeous. we'll probably end up taking it!

Ever feel like you just don't care about your budget, and you do crazy things because you don't care? Like eating out a whole bunch? That would be me. Last night we went to a very expensive dinner, and my boyfriend insisted on paying, but still. We shouldn't get into these bad trends because I know they become habits. Today I bought him lunch at Taco Bell - much cheaper, but still eating out. I really am in a "who cares!!!" mindset lately. I'm so frustrated with work and life and housing and cars and everything else that I am tossing my hands up into the air. Bad, I know.

I think I need a break. The reason we left for Taco Bell today was because I desperately wanted to get out of the building.

I applied to several jobs yesterday and today. A few were in Portland, Oregon. I really am considering packing up my apartment and taking off.

I have no idea how people afford new cars. According to bankrate.com, I can't even afford a $10,000 loan for three years, unless I ratchet it up to a 5 year loan, which I don't want to do. I am not hurting for a car (yet) but my commute is long and my car is 11 years old, and has many miles on it for a Ford. I am really afraid it is going to blow up one of these days and that will be that. I cannot find a trustworthy mechanic in this city either ($660 for a water pump? I don't think so). I'd like to give it to my sister, who has access to a decent mechanic and does not have a car yet. However. I'm not going to spend three years paying on a car when at the end of those three years it will have just as many miles on it as my current car does. This is a such a pain. What I really need is a new job that pays me a decent wage, so I can afford to buy a car that has less than 70,000 miles on it.

Yesterday I spent $6. Today I spent $4. Last night's kickboxing was really fun and a good workout. I was exhausted by the end. I really needed that.

I read a bit on that 'Money Millionaire In The Making' site, and it just made me irritated. There was a couple on there who are 25 and 27 and are making $108,000 a year. If they each make half of that salary, they are still each making $20,000 more a year than I am, and I am the same age as them with the same credentials!!! It made me feel like my college education was completely worthless. What really gets me irritated is the fact that I will be paying off my college loans for the next six years, and my loans are what are preventing me from buying a decent car or buying a home. God forbid I have a child, because there is no way on earth I could afford it.

By the way, my sincere thanks to whoever gave my journal five stars yesterday. It made my day.