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.

So, after all of my complaining yesterday about my former landlord...he called yesterday and said he has my old place rented for June! I already sent in my July rent check, but he will tear it up. I'll meet with him this weekend to go over the checklist and get my deposit back! Yeah!!

I told BF that since I didn't have to pay rent on the other place, I could give him half of our current rent now (he already paid it in full himself, knowing that I had to pay rent on the other place). He refused to let me pay, saying that I let him stay with me for a year rent-free (which is true), and we can start splitting the cost in August. He really is a fabulous guy.

That freed up $600! I paid off my 0% interest credit card, put $50 to my Roth, $50 to savings, and $150 to holiday gift savings. That only leaves $34, but I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HAPPY to have that stupid credit card bill over and done with. I have another credit card bill to pay off later this month, but that will be easy, and I'm so glad I don't have that debt hanging over my head anymore. Really, I'm dancing around the living room.

This is also a three-paycheck month for me. I have things budgeted out, but I'm really going to try to spend less than what I've got written down. Plus, I'll have that extra deposit money coming back to me, so I'll be able to put $300 more in savings and $200 more in my Roth.

What a great day! I guess that money tree really is working. I bought one at Home Depot a couple of months ago, and it is flourishing, even at the new apartment. According to principles of feng shui, you're supposed to put a money tree in the southeast corner of your house to bring in good money vibes...that's where mine is! (or, I have a great boyfriend and have been lucky...but I like the money tree too!)

Groceries: $165 paid by me (total spent, $240)
Paid to Credit Cards: $443
ATM (cash): $100
Eating Out: $115 paid by me, no idea what total spent was
"Extras": $418
Target/Walmart: $121 paid by me (total spent approximately $430)

The only thing under budget was gasoline at $74.

Nothing to savings. Nothing to Roth IRA.

135% of income spent.

YIKES!

I also had to pay rent on my old place today. I'm locked in a lease, and I gave my landlord the requisit 2 months notice (which would be July 31), but he had been looking for a renter for July 1. He had over 50 phone calls in June and did not select a renter. I'm a bit miffed about this. It would have been nice to be getting my deposit back now instead of paying out. But, oh well, I'll never be paying that much for rent again.

Today, more shopping coming up. We're going to look at furniture and such with BF's parents. I'm not thrilled about the expenditure....my credit card bill for July is already over $300. It's really hard to keep BF (and his parents) reigned in and not spend a lot.

July goals:
-Keep grocery expeditures at a reasonable level (preferable no more than $160 total)
-Keep eating out bill at $30 paid by me (unrealistic, maybe, but we'll see)
-Keep Target expenditures at $40
-Keep ATM at $60
-Put $150 toward savings and $150 toward Roth IRA

This weekend will consist of moving heavy stuff up stairs. Enjoy the 4th holiday, USA-ers!

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. 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.

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!

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!

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.

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.

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.

Picked up the keys to our new apartment today . 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!

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.

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!

Yesterday we took a trip to Ikea to peruse their merchandise, and to get some decorating ideas for our new apartment. What a great time! I could do without the weekend crowds, but that store has so many neat gadgets and things, and most things are so inexpensive. A lot of it is too cheaply made as well, but there are some treasures. I finally found the frames I was looking for, 6/$4.24. Later I bought some white paint for them, $4.58. That will be a project for tomorrow, if the humidity drops! We didn't buy anything else at Ikea...we decided to wait until we are in the new place and can do some measuring, and will go back on a weekday when we are less likely to be trampled by the crowd. We need to make a budget for this project so we don't go crazy buying stuff!

We stopped by Target and bought too much. Even with a gift card, I spent $25.18 of my own money. I got a great bowl though, one that will work well for bread rising. Indian food for dinner (BF's treat), and he bought some red wine for dinner tonight. I've been up for a while already today and baked the cake for tonight's dessert (still have to frost it), and am working on making bread as well. I have a lot of cleaning to do before BF's parents come over (or rather, WE have a lot of cleaning to do, but he has to get out of bed first!).

Hopefully it will be a no spend day.

I went the grocery store. AGAIN. Seriously, what is my problem this month?! That brings the grand monthly total up to $264.71. It's ridiculous! I went because my BF's parents will most likely be coming over for dinner this weekend, and I wanted to prepare dinner at home rather than going out and spending their money. I say that because I know we would have to fight to get the check, and because they are paying for so much stuff for their other kids.

So, the menu will be cheese and spinach lasagna, green beans deliciously prepared somehow (a friend gave me a weight watchers recipe, maybe I'll try that), french bread, salad. For dessert, mexican chocolate cake with mocha buttercream frosting. I got low fat cheeses and all that to compensate for the decadent dessert.

I also bought a number of low-fat snacks. I know they are not the cheapest nor are they necessary, but I want to successfully lose weight, and they will help. The problem here lies in that I am not really a vegetarian. I am a carbo-lacto-tarian. I could live on bread, cheese, and chocolate happily for the rest of my life! Unfortunately that is not conducive to a healthy body...bummer!

Otherwise, I'm doing great financially. I haven't eaten out all week. I brought my car in to the shop tonight because it's had this hideous underbody rattle for a couple of days. I was cringing, thinking they would want to replace my entire muffler or something. Turns out it was the heat shield, which the guy said is basically unnecessary anyway considering my driving habits. They took it off for free and sent me on my way. I hope that was a good idea. It was free and it doesn't rattle anymore, so that's nice.

I'm still really excited about our new place! Gazing at a pile of books I have sitting by my computer, I'm reminded of all the packing I have to do...and how I should really start listing this stuff on half.com!

We decided on a place!!! We filled out an application last night, and will probably sign the lease this evening. Yippeee!!!!!!!!!! It's so nice. It has all hardwood floors, brand new kitchen appliances, a dishwasher, funky lighting, a washer and dryer in the unit, a dining room (which I really wanted), a deck, and lots of natural light. The people downstairs seem really nice too. Now I just have to give my landlord notice. and start packing!

I made three ebay sales and was finally paid for all of them. I mailed out two yesterday ($10.79) and will mail one out tomorrow. Other than that, I have been really good about not spending.

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!

It has rained 17 of the last 24 days. And you thought I was kidding about monsoon season...

Spending Log
Monday: $5 Greek dinner
Tuesday: $15 oil change & tire rotation, $7 Taco Bell for 2, Walmart trip but I didn't pay.
Wednesday: $26 prescription, $7 birthday box mailing, $8 car headlight bulb, fast food breakfast but I didn't pay.
Today: I have to mail a package from a half.com sale, probably about $2.

Yesterday I stayed home form work with a migraine. I didn't actually stay in the house all day because my landlord was having it appraised and I didn't want to be around. So, I took a bunch of painkillers and BF and I went clothes shopping for him. It was an enjoyable time. I would not have gone if it had been sunny (the light would have killed me), but that was not a problem since the sun will seemingly never come back to MN. We returned home, I took more painkillers, and we went to look at four duplexes. Only one was promising, but I'd like to look at it again after the people move out, because they had so much stuff, we couldn't even open up some doors. We came home, ate frozen pizza, and I went to sleep. My head feels full today but doesn't hurt as much. I have identified a cycle in my headaches...one day bad headache, next day worse headache, next day it feels like I have a hatchet lodged in my forehead. Drugs don't really help prevent the cycle, though I haven't tried real migraine meds. I'm not sure what the trigger is, but at least I know there is a pattern now.

Tonight the girls are coming over and we're making homemade pizzas. I had better find a crust recipe!

I can't believe how productive this weekend was. I think it is the hot pepper liquid concoction that the massage lady gave me...it has really boosted my energy!

Forgot to mention that on Saturday I also did three loads of laundry and went to the library to pick up several books on how to bake bread from scratch. I paid a $.25 library fine.

On Sunday I woke up at 6! I got up and started making homemade cinnamon rolls. I also baked chocolate peanut butter brownies, since I had the oven going anyway. I dropped off my Goodwill box, looked at two apartments, stopped by the co-op for milk and rose hips, picked up some necessities from Walmart, searched through the classifieds and made note of the new duplexes available, and ate all my meals at home. We also looked at a home for sale during an open house and ended up talking to the realtor for an hour. I spent $14 for a birthday gift, $20 at Walmart, and $10 at the co-op.

I cleaned out my closet today. It was mostly full of old empty boxes, leftovers from my move here. I broke most of them down and put them in recycling...ahh, empty closet freedom! Sitting beside me is a large box ready to go to Goodwill. I think I'll bring it over there tomorrow.

We looked at an apartment today, too. The place was very well maintained, though a little dull. The unbelievable part about it was the landlord. He was grilling us about whether or not we had jobs, what those jobs were, where exactly we live now and for how long, etc etc. I overslept this morning and had just thrown on a pair of jeans, a college sweatshirt, and hadn't curled my hair. He questioned me about the sweatshirt, asked if I was still in college, and was surprised when I said I had graduated several years ago. We mentioned that we were looking for a quiet neighborhood, and his response was, "If you like to party and do drugs and turn your music up loud, this is not the place for you." I looked him in the eye and said, "I don't think that will be a problem." Two seconds later, as if he hadn't heard me, he said, "If you like to turn your music up real loud, this won't work out." What?!?! Do we look like crazy drug-addicted loud-music players? I was appalled. I know it was all due to my college sweatshirt. We've gotten nothing but stellar treatment from every landlord we've met, but I've never worn that sweatshirt before. Another interesting aspect of this search is that people often will not return my phone calls, but if my boyfriend calls them saying he's interested in their rental (and doesn't mention that I called before), they will call him back in no time. Just little aspects of our society that I detest.

I've not done well with my diet lately, but that's ok. I'm not going to starve myself anymore.

Spending Log:
Wednesday: $15 to savings, $15 birthday gift, $10.60 book for myself, free dinner
Thursday: $80 massage, $30 concoction given to me by massage lady to increase metabolism and boost immune system, dinner at home
Friday: $21.21 gasoline for trip to see family, free dinner
Saturday: $19.07 gasoline, $20 ATM for upcoming week's events, $50 loan payment, dinner at home

yeah. no spend days are infrequent in my life.

My massage was great. She told me I am allergic to the cold - what a great reason to move out of the tundra!

I'm eating out tonight for BF's friend's moving-away party. I'm a bit nervous about eating out when I have absolutely no idea how many points things are at the restaurant (no nutrition facts online, either). I've been pretty frugal with my food intake today, though, so I'll have 15 points left over as long as I don't eat anything else until 7:00pm. Yesterday I ate 26 points. Better, but still not perfect. It definitely takes a while to get the hang of this. It's a fine line between eating enough to not get a pounding headache but not so much that I go over in points. Fiber One is the best cereal ever, only 1 point for 1 cup!

Last night's apartment viewing was Flashback To The 1970's. If I was 70's kind of girl, I may have liked it. There's something about puke yellow appliances that makes me not want to cook, though (or even stand in the kitchen, for that matter). I made a couple more appointments for this weekend. I just discovered that my landlord is renting out the main level of my current place. You can hear everything between the apartments...the floor must be an inch thick. Another good reason to get out of dodge, who knows who is going to move in!!

Goal Monitor:
- walk every day with coworker: so far, yes.
- eat out wisely on Wednesday night, and also on Friday night if the plans stay the same: hoping to!
- schedule more apartment viewings: done.
- carpool on Wednesday: didn't work out.
- clean out the Closet of Doom: pending project for this weekend.

I drank more red wine this weekend than I have in a looooong time. Birthday parties and Mother's Day, oh my! I ate horribly as well, throwing weight watchers out the window, but I'm back on today.

Friday's massage was sooooo good. She practices a mix of eastern and western medicine (actually has an MD in her home country) and told me that my gall bladder is inflamed. I am to drink rose hip tea for 10 days to flush it out (odd, considering I've been looking for organic rose hips for months...am I more in touch with my gall bladder than I knew?). She's coming back on Thursday night to work on my stress and do more acupuncture. My parents told me not to worry about the cost, but I hope she can come monthly after this week instead of weekly. It's just too costly (though she is amazing). BF and I had dinner at home after she left. Friday's Spending: $80.

Saturday was a rainy day. I slept late, and then made almost-vegan pumpkin pancakes for breakfast. I did a lot of cleaning and made some greeting cards. Made a quick trip to the grocery store for appetizer ingredients. Friends came over, we ate appetizers, went out for dinner, drank lots of wine, and came back to play games. It was a late, but fun, night. Saturday's Spending: $41.55.

Sunday was a nice day too. I called my parents. My mom loved her breadmaker. BF and I went over to his family's gathering, ate too much, and played with everyone else's kids. We looked at yet another apartment that really should have been priced at $200 less than they were renting it for. We decided to drive around my neighborhood looking for For Rent signs whilst eating a Dairy Queen blizzard. Called a few apartment owners when we got back, and I went to bed early. Sunday's Spending: $2.

Tonight...I have no idea what is on the agenda. Maybe we'll get a chance to look at a couple of apartments, maybe we'll go to the climbing gym instead. This week promises to be crazy busy...I have stuff planned virtually every evening! It's supposed to rain all week. I wish I had bought that light therapy box I was looking at, because dreary weather really brings me down. I hope the meteorologists are wrong!

Today is payday, and I paid off my not-0% interest credit card. I pay it off every month, so it's not a big deal, but I need to put that card somewhere where I can't find it, so I will STOP USING IT.

I started counting Weight Watchers points on Wednesday and am attempting to adhere to the diet.

Wednesday: no money spent, 22 points eaten, 20 minutes of brisk walking done. All the apartments we looked at on Wednesday sucked. They were all extremely run down. I had a huge headache from such a drastic drop in calories, so I went to bed early.

Thursday: no money spent, 36 points eaten (stupid Oreos taunting me from the kitchen after dinner), 20 minutes of brisk walking done. Again, a huge headache, despite the Oreos, and I went to bed early.

Today: I will be spending money on a in-home massage, and hopefully that's all. I'm doing well on the diet so far today, and I intend to avoid the Oreos tonight.

I read that you are supposed to drink half your body weight in ounces of water each day if you want to lose weight. No problem here! I love water.

It's interesting...ever since I started seriously dieting, I haven't wanted to spend. I think the two are really connected in my life.

No idea what we are going to do about the apartment search...we've looked at 22 places, and I'm sick of looking.

Monday: spent $15 on dinner, $18 on candles (on sale at Pier One), $7 on a birthday gift, $36 on electric bill. Couldn't find any clothes. Everything is lime green. Walked around mall.

Tuesday: $21 on gasoline, $92 on groceries. Made dinner at home. My freezer is completely stuffed full. Plenty of lunch ideas in there, so that will help with eating lunch out. Walked for thirty minutes with a coworker.

Today: nothing, with any luck and perserverance. I brought a salad and diet pepsi for lunch. Hopefully my coworker and I will go for another walk. Tonight, dinner at home.

We looked at another apartment last night. It was a fairly good size, very good price, kind of boring and a bit run down, but much better than others we've looked at. It's definitely staying on the list. We're looking at three more tonight.

My coworker added up my Weight Watchers points yesterday and it was astronomical (as I figured it would be). I need to get back in shape. Thus, the lettuce and walking.

I've got a massage scheduled for Friday (the one I canceled last month) and a birthday party to attend on Saturday. Those will be my biggest spending moments of the weekend.

Payday Friday! yippee!!

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.

Yesterday I spent $19.10 at Home Depot. Yes, I know I said I wasn't going to spend anything, but I needed a plant light bulb for my soon-to-be-sprouting basil and oregano, and while I was there I picked up a money tree. I didn't need it, but it is cute, and maybe having it sit in the southeast corner of my house will bring money into my home (as feng shui says).

I won a bread machine on ebay, a mother's day gift. I'm excited about it. I hope she likes it, and I hope it arrives in the near-new condition they claimed it was in. $35.11

Two apartments viewed last night, two no thank yous. The first was a very cramped three level with a weird landlord, and the second was a nice place but in a sketchy neighborhood, and had a weird landlord. Three to see tonight! I'm going to make an effort to prepare dinner before we go. Last night we resorted to Indian take out - delicious but bad for the finances.

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)

My weekend was taken over by a cold virus. I've been sucking down vitamin c ever since it hit.

I put 400+ miles on my car this weekend. It desperately needs an oil change and tire rotation. Hopefully I can get that taken care of this week.

Spent about $25 at Target on Saturday, but it was paid for with a gift card, so free money.
Post office run on Saturday, $13.
Dinner courtesy of my boyfriend on Saturday night.

Today, $25 on craft supplies for a Mother's Day project. $27 for dinner for two. I didn't buy my sister's groceries (she did), which was hard for me to do, but necessary.

Spending forecast for this week: mostly cloudy. Workout buddy is coming over tomorrow night, hopefully I can convince her to eat dinner at my house for free instead of going out. Tuesday, clear. Wednesday, sunshine with some clouds, a friend may ask me to have a drink with her to celebrate her birthday. Thursday, cloudy, attending a concert with friends which will surely be prefaced by food and drink. Friday, partly cloudy, may have to attend a birthday party at a restaurant.

No wonder I am overweight and blowing my budget!

I've been thinking a lot about the housing situation, and I haven't been listening to my instincts. The landlords of the big beautiful place make me feel uncomfortable, and they are putting more restrictions on us before we even accept the place (we can't put up window coverings in half of the rooms...what???). I have to listen to my gut and not take the place. If I'm not comfortable now, I surely won't be once I am living there! And so the search continues.

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!

Yesterday I received a package in the mail from my aunt. She sent two books (one of which was "Smart Women Finish Rich"), a calendar, and a check for my IRA. It seems that whenever I get worried about funds or do something stupid like buy climbing shoes when I shouldn't, the universe comes around and helps me out. It's really quite odd, actually. I hadn't talked to my aunt in months, and out of the blue she sent me that package. Very, very sweet. I'm going to put a portion of the money into my IRA and the rest toward my credit card bill. I'm really looking forward to reading that book!

Humorously enough, I did come home right away and google those landlords after we met them. I didn't find much online, but they told us their professions. I asked if we could come by the house again and see it in sunny weather, and also asked if we could talk to the previous tenant. They were fine with both ideas. We'll probably go see it again later this week (assuming it stops raining).

I've realized that part of my hesitation stems from not being 110% sure about my relationship. If I was that sure, I would marry him (but I'm not ready to get married right now). I'm worried about moving in together and then going through the agony of breaking up, and having to separate our belongings in the process. If we ultimately do get married, I'm worried that I will regret not having lived alone for a longer period of time. I keep trying to guess how I'm going to feel about things in 10-20 years, but that is impossible, so why do I do it??

I love having him around, and I think if we got that apartment, there is plenty of space for us to have alone time (which we both need now and then). It's not as if it's a new relationship either, we've been together for almost three years. He loves me absolutely. The problem is that I am the committment-phobe! I've been all over the map on this over the past few days...yesterday I had convinced myself not to do it, and today I really think I could enjoy it. Seriously people, I need that magic 8 ball.