Seriously...I can't believe it is March already. This year is flying.

A sweet little red cardinal was outside my door this morning, singing away. I am so excited!! Can that possibly mean that spring is almost here?? I can't complain, it's been a really mild winter so far, but warm is where it's at.

Yesterday I paid the cable/internet bill, the car insurance bill, put some more into savings, and filled up the gas tank. Today I think might actually be a no-spend day!

Lunch yesterday was chili from the freezer (crockpots rock); dinner last night was miscellaneous stuff from the freezer; lunch today is bean soup from the freezer. I realized last night that I need to get better at eating that stuff up, lest it get kind of stale and freezer burned. Dinner tonight will be....something....I really need to go to the grocery store but I am putting it off.

I'm reading "French Women Don't Get Fat"...fascinating! I think maybe I can do this (with a few modifications). I'm sorry, but there is no way I am going to eat three courses for every meal with a separate plate for each course when I don't have a dishwasher! Nor can I go to the "market" every other day when 1) the farmer's market only exists here in the summer, and 2) shopping every other day is not financially viable nor is it logical. I'd like to have a life outside of my food shopping. Give up chocolate? No way! But I can cut back, and I can start adding more variety and more fruits and vegetables. There's another thing...Leek Soup. I wonder if leeks are even in the stores here. Guess I'll have to go take a look!!

I would looooooove to save $2000 this year, put $2500 into my Roth IRA this year, and lose 30 pounds this year. I think I can do it!

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!?!?!?

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.....

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!

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Yesterday I shopped on overstock.com and found some great deals. I got two gifts for my sweetie (valentine's day and his birthday coming up!) and I bought myself way too much. I bought a paperback I've been dying to read (it was cheaper than anywhere else I've seen, and the library has no intention of ordering it, even after I requested it), two pilates dvds, one stability ball dvd, and one yoga dvd. I am on a new path to get in shape. I received a cushy pilates mat and stability ball for Christmas, and I am determined to use them. The dvds were cheaper than anywhere I've seen them, even half.com and ebay!

I got good deals....but I didn't NEED to shop. *sigh*

last night my sweetie bought me dinner, but I'm buying him lunch today when we meet our friend! last night I also bought a butterfinger blizzard at Dairy Queen, which I DID NOT NEED, financially or weight-wise!

I'm kind of glad I'm not keeping track of my no-spend days, because I would fail miserably this week. Maybe I'll try it next month...but it's my birthday month, so no guarantees.

I took $20 out this morning. I'd like to swing by the dollar store and pick up some valentine decorations, and I have to eat out tonight (oh darn!) because I have to come back to work after hours. I won't have time to go home and come back, it's too far. so, dinner out. tomorrow I am meeting a friend for lunch, so that will be some more $$. I haven't seen her in a while though so it is worth it.

no plans for the weekend yet! maybe a no spending weekend??

are there any places online where I can pick up cheap dvds? I am starting pilates again and would love to have them on dvd instead of vhs.

I've looked at overstock.com, amazon.com, half.com, ebay.com, target.com, and walmart.com.

used or new, it doesn't matter, as long as they aren't bootleg!

today I bought lunch. not frugal, I know. I only purchased a sandwich, though - no chips or drink, if that makes it better.

I brought lunch from home yesterday and made dinner last night. I brought lunch today but just didn't feel like eating it!

I bought a upcoming wedding gift on smartbargains.com today. nice and inexpensive, perfect!

the sun is shining, thank goodness. it's up to 35 degrees, too. it's very quiet at work because most of the bosses have gone home.

turns out I didn't have to go into work yesterday. we had a major snowstorm on Friday (it took me 2.5 hours to drive home from work - normally it takes 1/2 hour), so the meeting was canceled. mind you, I didn't get the call until I was already out the door and on my way to work, but at least I didn't get too far down the road.

yesterday was a major spending day for my sweetie. he didn't want to shovel his car out on the street (it had been blocked in by plows overnight), even though I was prodding him and told him I'd help, and it got towed. it looks like he'll also get a fine. days like yesterday make me glad we haven't merged finances, but I still felt bad for him. I was pretty pist though, because what if it HAD been our money? while we were sitting in the towing office, all I could think was, wow, this a lucrative business, there will always be people who leave their cars lying around.

we went to a friend's birthday at a local bar last night. saved gasoline by carpooling with another couple. dinner was expensive but not as much as it could have been...since I don't eat meat, and 99% of the menu was meat, I ate beforehand and just split an appetizer and dessert (though I had a couple of drinks, too).

today my sweetie went to visit some friends so I am home alone! maybe I'll work on his valentine gift. I'll try hard not to spend $$!

forgot to add that I am making another batch of yogurt in my yogurt maker today. the last batch was good but a little runny. I added some powdered milk this time...we'll see if that helps! I love making my own yogurt!!

yesterday I brought lunch from home and met a friend at the mall after work. I was looking for an outfit for a wedding I'll be going to in late February, but I found nothing. I switched to trying to find work clothes...nothing. I ended up buying my dinner ($16) and a drastically reduced makeup set ($8). I am a makeup fiend...I was proud of myself for walking past the MAC counter with eyes averted and purchasing a much cheaper set with a bunch of colors to try. We are going to meet up sometime at a different mall to look for outfits again.

Tonight I am going to make coffee cake (mixed in my NEW MIXER!! it came on Wednesday!!!! happy dance happy dance) for work tomorrow. We have a big meeting and I thought I might contribute. Unfortunately I don't get paid for working on Saturday though; just comp time. However, we are supposed get hit with five inches of snow today and 3 more tonight, with wind gusts of 40mph tonight, so maaaayyyybbeee if I am extremely lucky, it will be blizzarding and I will get to stay home. I'll be keeping my fingers and toes crossed.

Tomorrow night I am supposed to go a friend's birthday party (barring a blizzard). I picked up her gift in November, and I am really glad I did.

Sunday, sleep! and maybe some baking, because I bet I'll be snowed in.

last night we prepared dinner at home and made a tasty vegetable pie. the recipe was on the back of a potato soup can and was basically frozen veggies, bisquick, potato soup, and seasonings. it was great. we also baked the few tiny potatoes we had left over from our previous bag, so we made good use of a whole bag! that's a first for me.

I brought lunch today...boca spicy chick'n patty with the fixings.

I have a birthday party to attend this weekend at a local bar/club. I've budgeted the money for it and I really need to stick to that. birthday parties and gifts really drain my budget.

I can't seem to get rid of my headaches. they dull slightly but seldom really go away. I had a bad one last night and woke up with it still this morning. I've tried acupucture, massage, over the counter meds...these things dull them but never get rid of them. I drink a ton of water every day, so I know it's not dehydration. my mom gets terrible headaches too...I think maybe they are hereditary.

I did fairly well on the diet yesterday! even resisted several temptations.

I paid little attention to my budget OR my diet this weekend. back on track today.

we ate out on Friday night at a crazy fun tiki bar. greasy food, good beer - it was great, and actually fairly cheap for all the stuff we consumed.

Saturday was cleaning day. the house looks a lot better.

Sunday we didn't do much, and then headed out to our bed and breakfast. it was absolutely AMAZING. I wanted to move in. it was a giant old Victorian home, and there was a hot tub for two and fireplace in our room. we could feel the tension leave as soon as we walked in. what a great place. Sunday night we had a romantic dinner at an Italian place down the street. that was a bit too pricy but we had a nice time. that night we drank champagne that we had bought for New Years but hadn't drunk (so I guess that was frugal), and all in all we really enjoyed ourselves.

Monday we stopped by a couple of stores on the way home, the grocery store being one of them. spent too much money there for sure. we ate lunch and dinner at home and got some reading/tv watching in.

In all honesty, the only thing I paid for all weekend (now that I look back on it) was the bed and breakfast. my sweetie paid for everything else. it was pricy, yes, but less than some others, and all I could think on the way home was "worth every penny." we definitely needed that break. I even had a dream last night that I quit my job!

I don't normally post so much in one day, but this day has been ridiculous.

I just found out that our medical premium is going up 7%. That will bring my deduction to $101.49 PER PAY PERIOD.

otherwise known as $202.98 per month.

for one person.

I've got to be able to get self-insured for less than that...I'll be doing a lot of research. Let me know if you have any ideas, please!

I ordered my mixer!!!!

yes, I should slap my mouse hand for being so bad, but I found the lowest price yet on the color I wanted (with no shipping), so I jumped on it. it will take me a month longer to pay off my credit card, but it is at 0% interest until November, so that's ok.

happy (early) birthday to me! as my coworker said, that's one heck of a birthday present...but I know I will be more inclined to bake with this mixer, and that will cut back on my grocery costs even more.

I stayed home from work yesterday. I just could not deal with working with the insanity. I am feeling a bit better today.

I went shopping yesterday afternoon, looking for a outfit to wear to a wedding coming up in February. I didn't find anything for the event, but I did buy 4 pairs of socks, which I desperately needed. they were on sale and are keeping my legs toasty warm today.

The temperature is -14 degrees Fahrenheit and the windchill is -35. I am SO glad that I don't pay for heat. so so so glad.

the month isn't even close to over yet but I know what I'll be spending, roughly. turns out I'll be spending $128 more this month than I did last year at this time. however, in January 2004 I spent:
$86 more on groceries
$42 on non-occasion gifts (not happening this year!)
$186 on eating out!! (so far I've spent $0!)
$50 less in rent
$80 from the ATM (going for $0 this month)

and this year a $145 bill came a month earlier than I expected, so I paid it off. I think I'm doing ok, even with the bed and breakfast splurge....
I'm really proud of myself for being more frugal, even if I can't control ALL of my spending urges quite yet.

The other day I drank 100 fl oz of water. Yesterday, only about 64. So far today I have drank about 16 fl oz but I am determined to fill up my water bottle twice today at work, which will be another 64 fl oz. Water is cheap! and good for you!

I brought an egg salad sandwich and carrots for lunch today. last night we had dinner at home. tonight we are hosting some friends but we are making dinner ourselves, not getting takeout. tastier and cheaper (I hope).

Today I reserved a bed and breakfast for Sunday night. Not the most frugal, I know, but we were debating taking a last minute trip to a warm climate this weekend, and this will be cheaper. The room I reserved is $50 less than the other bed and breakfast we were considering, and we are only staying one night, not two like we wanted. It's not too far but will feel like an escape, especially with a whirlpool and fireplace in the room!

I am planning a "vacation at home" sort of thing for the rest of the weekend, visiting touristy places in our own city for free instead of spending way too much money on a vacation. There are plenty of places we haven't been around here, and we can have dinner at a nice, new-to-us restaurant on Saturday night since we saved $50 on the room. Plus we can make breakfast crepes in our own kitchen, pack snacks for big days, etc, and if we just want to lounge around, we can do that in our own home. I'm excited! I think it will be fun!

Friday night we stayed in, watched tv, and made homemade pizza and cake. My sweetie asked if he should pick something up for dinner on his way home, but I told him no, we'll make dinner. I was proud of myself for not just saying yes!

Saturday we went shopping in the afternoon. I bought some Crabtree & Evelyn lotion on sale that I've been wanting for a while (buy 2, get 1 free), some greeting card-making supplies that were half off (!!), fake flowers that were half off, and a pair of brown boots for $30. I have more than one outfit that I haven't worn yet because I needed brown boots...I was so happy to find them, and for that price! Every other pair that I saw was at least $80, even in the discount stores. Then we went to dinner at Taco Bell (cheap!) and to a movie with free tickets. I bought one popcorn and one pop for us to share.

Today we stayed in, relaxed, and cleaned up the place. My sweetie's parents stopped by and gave us a bunch of foodstuffs and pop! They are the best. I made dinner and froze the leftovers for the future. yeah! I did spend a little money today...I ordered a yogurt maker from amazon.com. I hate spending money on yogurt (why is it so expensive??) and I'd rather know exactly what goes into it. I think eating yogurt really helps my health...I'm really excited about making my own!!

for some reason (I'll blame it on boredom, since every day I am paid to be bored silly), I decided to research kitchenaid stand mixers on the internet this morning. now ordinarily I can research something, find the best price, and tuck it away in my memory banks for later. today I had the HARDEST time not ordering that damn mixer. I don't know what came over me. I think knowing that it was on sale and that I could get an extra bowl with it and that I couldn't get it in the color that I want at the stores around here and that it had FREE SHIPPING (free! oh those evil words) made it harder. however, I prevailed. I am going to pay off my credit card before I buy it. my credit card will be paid off next week, and then I will reconsider the mixer. maybe by then the excitement will have worn off! I desperately want one of those mixers, and they last forever, but I don't NEED one right this minute.

brought lunch from home again and ate too many butterfinger crisps. candy in desk drawer=bad idea.

I successfully did not eat out again today. the pull has been great for the past couple of days because I know I have a little bit of cash and it is burning a hole in my wallet. I really should take it and deposit it where it has a better chance of sticking around.

anyway, I ate the lunch I brought today and it was quite satisfying, so I'm glad I did. I prepared a really good black bean soup last month and froze it, and it was was great warmed up again.

tonight I am going to battle the eating-out urge and force myself to eat vegetables and rice. I need more vegetables in my life!

my boyfriend's parents gave me an electric heating blanket and a ceramic heater for Christmas. they are both WONDERFUL. I am so excited to have both of them. I have the ceramic heater running now, as it is 60 degrees in my apartment. I don't have to pay for heat but I also have no control over it, so I am at the mercy of my landlord and his settings. unfortunately this may mean a bigger electric bill for me, but I only pay $30 a month on average anyway, so a little heat shouldn't break the bank.

I've been gone for a while, celebrating the holidays with family in the land of dial-up internet and one phone line. so no logging in to read up on discussion posts or journal entries.

however, the last couple of weeks have been quite inexpensive..I paid for gasoline to get there and back and about $40 in books and games on the day we went into town. everything else was free!

I went to the grocery store last night and spent only $26 and paid cash. I went to target and used the gift card I received and spent that. my companion covered the rest (about $20), but he has basically been living with me for a while now so I let him.

I haven't paid off my credit card fully yet but I am manipulating my budget to determine what would be best. it will be paid off by mid February at the very latest.

work potluck today. I made all my contributions from scratch so it was much cheaper than buying something pre-made from the grocery store at the last minute...and the added benefit is that my food got rave reviews.

I am so exhausted. my dreams have been much too vivid and emotionally charged for the past few nights. they are keeping me from feeling rested. I hope I can get some calm sleep tonight before my long drive tomorrow!

my coworkers really seemed to like their holiday gifts, too....I'm glad. one more stressor I can check off the list.

frugal things I did today:

- I brought lunch from home. again. just like yesterday. and it was leftovers from dinner last night and Monday night, both things I made at home!

- I used my free oil change tonight. I have a punch card and after five oil changes, you get one free. unnnnfortunatelllly....they found a ton of stuff wrong with my car. I do not have the money to fix this thing. luckily I am going to my parents' for the holidays and they offered to set up an appointment with their mechanic. I'm thinking that means it will be free for me...but I absolutely hate the guilt that comes along with it. I am a grown woman with a decent paying job. I should be able to pay for my own car repairs, even if it does amount to hundreds of dollars at a time. *sigh*

- I've been trying to stick to no more than 60mph on the freeway. it's tough with the crazies threatening to ram you even in the slow lane, but I am trying.

- I am going to package up some homemade treats to give to my coworkers tomorrow.

- I'm going to try really hard to get a good night's sleep. well rested = thinking clearly = less frivolous spending.