kashi's journal

Rest of Today
Colder. Mostly sunny late in the morning then becoming partly cloudy. Highs 5 below to zero. Northwest winds 15 to 20 mph with gusts to around 35 mph. Wind chill readings 25 below to 35 below zero.

Tonight
Colder. Mostly clear. Lows 15 below to 20 below zero. West winds 5 to 15 mph.

For those of you who don't know what -31 windchill is like -- you walk out the door and it's like someone has just punched you in the chest. The air is sucked right out of your lungs. Your lips immediately begin to crack, your eyes tear up, and even though you've got on a jacket that is qualified for -30 degree weather, the icy wind somehow manages to snake its way through. The 10 feet from your door to the car feels like miles. Your legs immediately start to feel like blocks of ice. Any exposed skin immediately begins to feel like it's burning.

I can see how people die so easily and quickly in the Arctic.

Keep in mind, however, that this is not bad. Where I grew up, it gets to -90 with the windchill. They cancel school on those days (go figure!).

This morning I frittered away some time looking at ocean-front property in Oregon. A dream, perhaps, but one I'd like to make reality, STAT.

Have to buy some beer and perhaps some groceries in preparation for our party tomorrow. Less people are coming now than we originally thought, unfortunately, but the up-side of that is that we can spend less on prep.

Groceries/Eating out/Target: $30.30 left. So far, doing well with my not-driving-to-work challenge.

Yesterday I bought four sweaters for $20. Not bad. I am quite pleased with myself.

I haven't taken out cash for a while. I am tempted to keep myself in check by not taking out cash. I like having it in my wallet 'just in case' but then 'just in case' turns into 'gone in two days.'

We were supposed to get slammed with snow today, but not a flake has fallen (I'm not complaining).

Perusing a billion different makes and models of small SUVs...I made an Excel chart to keep track of what autos.msn.com says about each model's reliability for years 1998-2005. It's been very helpful. Now if only I could find one of the reliable ones for $10,000 with less than 50,000 miles. or even 60,000 miles. Not an easy task.

I found a 2002 blue Mustang on craiglist.com with 44,000 miles on it for $9500. People, this is my car. I have been pining for a Mustang forever (and preferably one in blue). I've daydreamed about rims, the sound system, the exact color... I hate the new design, though, so it's going to have to be an older one. I wish Mustangs were a little better in snow and got better gas mileage (though this one is a V6, so not as bad as the V8). Hmmm.

I was checking out all the small SUVs around me on the way home yesterday, and liked the Nissan Pathfinder and the Toyota Highlander too. I'll be looking them up today. The CR-V looks like a toy car next to them.

SO and I are having a joint birthday party this weekend (he's a February baby too). We need to come up with vegetarian appetizers and decide just how many mojitos we're going to make. I'm looking forward to it.

The cookies turned out great! I would have made a double batch if macadamia nuts weren't so darn expensive.

I bought a pair of dress pants for $6 and a sweater for $7 at Old Navy the other day. I love the sweater, so I'd like to go back and get another one in a different color before they disappear. Not in the budget, but how can I pass up $6 pants, when all of mine are tight? You can't beat that.

Speaking of tight pants...I feel like a hibernating bear. I need to get some sort of exercise regime going on here, and kick the carb addiction. Only a couple more months of winter!

I drove to work again this morning. Boooo. That is number four this month. Can I go the next nine work days without driving? We'll see.

I am so tired. I've been having nightmares every night this week, which doesn't lend itself to restful sleep. Throw in the furry monsters who insist upon tearing apart the bedroom at 5:00am every day, and the result is a very crabby me.

SO made me breakfast and lunch this morning...very sweet. I'm going to bake him white chocolate macadamia nut cookies tonight.

I now have $42.28 left in my eating out/Target/groceries category. Doesn't seem like much for only being halfway through the month.

I love edmunds.com. I think their information is so incredibly helpful.

This morning while driving through the freezing rain (the roads were sheets of ice), I noticed a Honda CR-V next to me that was spinning its tires like mad. It could hardly get going. The tires didn't look threadbare. My car had no problem getting going because it's so heavy. It made me think twice about the CR-V...maybe I should just get my car fixed.

Still haven't heard from the massage lady. Her phone is not accepting voicemails anymore either. Strange. I guess that will save me $80 this month if she doesn't call or show up. Hear that noise? It's my back muscles screaming in protest.

I have $61.14 left in my groceries/eating out/Target money for this month. It would be so great if I could hit that goal and not go over!

I have driven to work three times this month already. It will be hard to stick to the goal of four times, but I am trying. I sprinted to the bus this morning and made it. Bus culture is such an interesting thing. I always have entertaining stories after riding them.

Still wishy-washy about the car thing. Should I fix mine? Should I look for a new one? I'm sure SO and my FIL would help me look. It's such a daunting task for me, and I can't figure out why. Maybe because my parents only went car shopping once, for me. All the rest of their cars came from relatives or friends. I hate being around salespeople because I always wonder if they are trying to pull a fast one.

My sister is doing a charity event so she asked me to donate. Not in my budget, but I am going to contribute anyway to support her. I should also start contributing to other things (NPR, my former employer, NARAL, wildlife conservation organizations, breast cancer research, etcetcetc) but I'm not there yet. I suppose even an occasional contribution would make a difference, though.

Looking forward to this week - nothing is planned whatsoever until Saturday night.

What happens when SO goes to the grocery store without me? He comes back with Fritos, popcorn, chips, chip dip, donuts, the most expensive olives, a huge box of chocolate...

I'm not complaining about the chocolate, of course, but I never buy donuts, and I always get the cheapest olives. Oh well. At least he got some things that we needed, too.

Thanks, baselle. It's easy for me to feel like a complete weirdo sometimes. I do want to buy a house someday, just not here. and I'd sooner do that than get married!

The massage lady did not come last night. I will have to call her today to find out why. I'm pretty sure I had the right date written down.

Yesterday I went through every month of my budget and shuffled things around to make sure I only spend what I actually earn (crazy concept!). We'll see how that works out.

Work is soooooo slllooowwww today!! I am trying to keep busy but it is hard to find something interesting to read/do. The last couple of weeks have been super busy, so I shouldn't complain about a lull!

The key to not spending? Not having any money in my wallet. I can't buy lunch, or chocolate, or beverages, nor can I pay for parking. I'm trying to hold out until the 15th to take out any cash, too.

I have already consumed all the chocolate I brought today, which probably amounts to two or three Snickers bars (eep!). I'll attribute that to boredom and stress.

Frugalocity for today:
~ bringing breakfast, leftover bean soup, chocolate, and pop from home
~ taking the bus (finally!)
~ avoiding my favorite internet shopping sites
~ making more mini-savings goals for the rest of the year to prevent myself from spending and show myself how much I can save

Got a bit of a case of Jonesing going on - my friend is planning to buy a big, pricey home. They're already talking about having four TVs, a new computer, new furniture, etc etc etc etc. They make a lot more money than I do, but still...I hate feeling so behind people my own age. I know I shouldn't compare myself to others, but it's hard not to. Especially when we have the same background and same education (except mine was way more expensive!).

All this talk of home buying makes SO want to buy a house. I'm so afraid that if we do that, we'll get stuck here forever. He is dropping hints about wanting to get married, too. Yikes! I must be the only woman on the planet who doesn't relish the thought of marriage!

Tonight the massage lady comes - yay!

Thanks for the birthday wishes!

I had a fabulous birthday. SO and I had a delicious long lunch with my former boss (she paid). He and I went to Ikea afterwards and chipped away at a gift card we received for Christmas. I got a new dresser! I am so excited! After Ikea, we went to dinner with another couple at a great Thai restaurant (SO paid for me). Back at my place, we had ice cream cake, and I got a few very nice gifts. All in all, it was a great day. The sun was even shining - what luck! The art institute was closed, so that's why we didn't go there.

The concert on Friday was excellent, and we did eat dinner at home beforehand. I got to catch up with an old friend there, too.

We went to Brokeback Mountain on Saturday with another couple (SO had free tickets) and I paid $11 for concessions for both of us. It was a good flick. Heart-wrenching, but good.

I stayed home all day on Sunday. A migraine was building and culminated on my birthday, but I squashed it with drugs and some alternative therapy that my massage friend suggested. She's coming again on Wednesday, so I'll have to tell her that her suggestions helped.

So, not much spending on my part this weekend. It was so nice to have three days off. Wouldn't you know it, my co-workers didn't even notice I was gone! and my cube is right by theirs! Nuts. I'm glad I decided to spend the day with SO and friends instead.

It was sooooo nice to come home last night, open the door, and have the scent of dinner waft over me. I should use the crockpot more often.

Frugal things I've done lately:
- made Bisquick garlic cheese biscuits to go with the crockpot black bean soup instead of stopping at the grocery store for garlic bread
- directed the car HOME last night instead of going to any store
- baked cookies
- got a ride with SO this morning
- am resisting the urge to buy a hot chocolate, even though I am freezing at my desk, and can't have food products in my desk anymore because of critters in the office

Tonight I'm going to try to eat dinner at home before going to a concert with SO, instead of eating out.

This weekend I am going to try to eat all meals at home, even if friends stop by (I'll cook for them).

On my birthday on Monday, I'm planning to go to the art institute instead of shopping. We'll see how that works out. SO is taking the day off, too, so that will be fun!!

Need to keep plugging away at the jewelry-making, so I get better at it. It's easy to get frustrated.

Also need to practice being calm with the cats, even if they eat my bagel with cream cheese off the counter and lick crumbs off of the cookie sheet. They are just being cats (dog-like cats, really).

Groceries/Eating Out/Target ($220 goal): $54.37 spent

Driving to work goal (4/mo): one down

Tonight's dinner is simmering away in the crockpot. We'll be dining on black bean soup. I altered the recipe a little, and will toss in some corn when I get home tonight. I hope it will still be good.

Preparing tonight's dinner this morning made me late, of course, so I had to drive to work. I was still 15 minutes late anyway. I'm so glad I took next Monday off. I'm having so much trouble getting up in the morning!

I'm trying to convince SO that we do not need to buy each other birthday gifts. We have a large Ikea gift card left over from Christmas. I think it would be fun to go together and pick out presents - they'd be free, and we wouldn't feel deprived. He seemed to think that was a good idea. My birthday is first, so we'll see. Neither one of us is rolling in the cash right now, so it would be nice to do it that way. We certainly don't love each other any less if we don't buy birthday gifts. Besides, we might throw a joint birthday party later this month and invite all of our friends.

Ditto with Valentine's Day...I'd rather make dinner together and give him a big batch of homemade cookies than go all out!

Four other birthdays this month...ack!

JANUARY GOALS:

~ Get the Deathmobile fixed: NO

~ Get renter's insurance quote from my auto insurance company: tried but they responded too late

~ Have $800 in emergency savings by Feb: YES

~ Pay double on my smaller college loan: YES

~ Read starting your own craft business bk: started it but got distracted by other books


Spent more than I earned (I've never had a month when I haven't, so I'm not surprised).

FEBRUARY GOALS:

~ Pay double on my smaller college loan
~ Change Roth IRA setting
~ Cancel extra credit card (discovered in credit report)
~ Limit groceries/Target/eating out to $220 (was $370 in Jan)
~ Drive to work no more than 4 times
~ Have $1000 in emergency fund by March

Friday at 3:15pm, can't ask for much better than that...except Saturday and Sunday, of course.


The weather is beautiful. We're at 46 degrees, and might hit the record. Tomorrow there is a chance of rain - not really ideal for skiing, but we'll see. The forecasts have been pretty wrong as of late.

My hair really looks great, and the highlights that were already there are peeking out more than they were before. I'm trying not to get down about the fact that no one (except my SO and boss) has noticed (not even my best friend!). Or maybe they have noticed and had nothing good to say. I was a little paranoid earlier this week about it looking like early 90's soccer-mom hair (no offense to soccer moms, but I'm not one). I'm over it now. Who cares! When I have more cash, I'll go to my colorist and get big slashing rockstar highlights put in, and no one will confuse me with a soccer mom.

I went through categorizing posts, and realized a few things: I'm sick more than I should be, I spend way too much money, and things rarely turn out like I expect them to. Interesting.

Spent $40 at Michaels this weekend on beading supplies. Tsk, tsk. Spent $12 at the grocery store. Another $55 used up at Target, mainly for groceries. I need to stay out of Target next month, period.

We had the in-laws over for dinner last night. That's all I did all weekend, that and beading. I made a couple of things for my mom, which I hope she'll enjoy.

I'm thinking about using part of our Ikea Christmas gift card on a dresser for myself. I've been using a tv armoire for the past 5 years, and it is starting to irritate me. The cats get inside and throw everything to the floor (plus, having no drawers makes it pretty tricky to keep things neat). We'll see if I can find anything nice. Luckily, it will be free to me.

Getting my hair cut tonight at a new salon. I decided not to go to my regular styist because she does incredible things with color and it would be way too tempting to get new highlights. I don't need to spend $90 on my hair right now. So, just a cut (most desperately needed, since I've been wearing my hair in a ponytail for weeks).

Probably more eating-out spending this week....ever feel like you are just swept away by what other people want to do? I enjoy seeing people, and it normally revolves around food, but sometimes I just can't have them over to my house (lunch dates, for example). Plus, I'm going skiing with the gang this weekend, which I'm not super thrilled about but doing anyway. I'm sure it will be fun...I'm just afraid I'll break something.

I am giving my emergency fund priority over the Deathmobile. Maybe it will get fixed sometime this spring!

I'm so happy with my credit score. They even have my largest student loan listed twice, so once that goes away, it should get higher (I hope). Given my age (only nine years of credit history), student loans, and no mortgage, I'm pretty pleased. Maybe once I am ready to apply for a mortgage, it will be closer to 800.

My head is feeling a bit better today...but I am going to attend a grade school choir/play thing tonight. I hope it isn't loud. Who am I kidding? More Excedrin, down the hatch. I should really buy stock in Bristol-Myers and Procter & Gamble (makers of Puffs, of which I must use a dozen per day).

I wish ING was extending the temporary interest hike to its current customers. I have nothing more to add to my account for the time being.

My outstanding loan balance is just under $14,000 now - yay! I should get it under $13,000 by the end of May. Progress.

Head hurts today. I decided to stay home rather than inflame it further by dragging myself to work. Lying down seems to be dislodging the hatchet in my forehead, somewhat..that and a hefty amount of Excedrin (which my masseuse friend keeps telling me to lay off of because it's hurting my stomach). Sigh.

I'm invited to a friend's birthday party tonight. It's supposed to be low-key, just a few people in someone's home, quiet. We'll see how I feel later. My friend's birthday gift still hasn't arrived in the mail. I think she will be upset if I don't go.

I'm tempted to take advantage of the Victoria's Secret online sale. I stopped in the store last weekend and they only had one style of bra on clearance, but they have everything online. Have to spend $100 to get free shipping though. I'm going to think about it for a few days. I'd rather get the sale price now than have to pay full price down the road.

I'm reading a library book, Women in the Material World, published in 1996. It's interviews and photos with women in 20 different countries. Fascinating, and disturbing. It says that in Albania, a bride's parents give the groom a bullet to show him just how much power he has over his new wife (their DAUGHTER). So many of the women walk hours each way to buy food for their families, and they scrub their clothing on rocks in dirty river water. I'm far too lucky...not only because I have a car and a laundry machine, but because I can be true to myself and not have to allow any man to dictate how I live my life. How I value my independence and freedom.

Still haven't decided about the vacation. Thanks for your input, though! I was surprised by the general consensus! SO just applied for his passport, so it won't get here for a while. If we can't go in February, I'm not sure about March (spring break partiers, ish), so it might not be until April. The whales will have left the Sea of Cortez by then, so we might as well go anywhere. I'm a little bummed about that. I wish he had applied for his passport sooner.

I am so proud of Chile. They elected their first female president. Not only is she fighting for women's rights, she is agnostic, unmarried, and has two children from two different fathers. Impressive for a country that is so deeply religious! I wish that would happen here!!! When will we be as smart as Chileans and elect a female president?? Or even a person of color, for that matter?!

This morning I was all set to get to work early for once. I even caught the earlier bus, and was so proud of myself. It snowed overnight, though, so the roads were treacherous. A car gently slid into the bus, so we had to wait for a squad car. While waiting, another car rear-ended the one that hit us, and moments later a van careened headlong into the driver's section of our bus. It was moving fast. Luckily, the driver was unhurt, but there was debris everywhere and he was very upset. Everyone on my bus crammed into the bus following us...it reminded me of riding the bus in Chile...tight quarters! I ended up getting to work 20 minutes late. Oh well. Tomorrow is another day!

Ok, this is a no-brainer for all the smart, frugal people who visit this site, but SO and I have been talking about taking a vacation next month to Mexico for a week to celebrate our birthdays. It would be great if we could find an awesome deal and not spend much. I'd like to see the sun again, get some sand between my toes, and watch the gray whales. I haven't had a real vacation in 3.5 years.

HOWEVER.

This doesn't jive with my $1000 emergency fund plan, or my need to fix my car. I should really spend the money on those things instead.

The problem is, I don't want to. I have three weeks of vacation this year. I'm going stir crazy in the frozen north. Winter is depressing. But the emergency fund and car fix are more important financial issues, right?

*sigh* "You only live once," SO tells me. Yes, but....

You know you need a vacation when you wake up wishing you had some sort of ailment that would keep you at home. Maybe I'm not in the right field...maybe I'm not at the right workplace. I don't know what to do about it. My skills are not being used and I am not getting much of anything out of my work. I am the equivalent of a human grammar and spell check. It wouldn't bother me as much if the work was varied, but we are talking about the same correspondence, with the same mistakes, every single day.

Massage tonight - I'm sure she will work her magic and I will feel better. It's like stuffing a piece of chewing gum into a small hole in a giant leaking dam, but little things count, right?

I bought concert tickets for an event in a few weeks. It is an early birthday gift to myself - a bassoon concert. SO is going with me. I'm looking forward to it. We split the cost, so $27.50.

I desperately need a haircut, need to get my car fixed, and need to pay for renter's insurance this month. The electric bill was WAY more than I had planned on - what is sucking up all the energy?! and how do you get your significant other to shut things OFF? I feel like I am always shutting off lights that are needlessly on. Perhaps I should try to get him to use candles more often, since we have a ton of them! I can't figure out what else it is...maybe too many loads of laundry? I have energy saver light bulbs in place where I can. I have a programmable thermostat, so I lowered the temps even more. My mom flipped out when I told her I keep it at 62 and 67, because she thought that was way too cold! Now it's lower. I hope it helps.

Ahhhhhh, the weekends. Where do they go?

Friday night: Stopped at a craft store and picked up yarn on sale and a few beads at 40% off. I plan to crochet a new hat. Mine is looking a little ragged. Also stopped by the grocery store to grab a few things I forgot, and spent about $17. Won't shop at that grocery store again - way too expensive.

Saturday: Cleaned, did laundry, made vegetable noodle soup from scratch, and baked the best brownies ever. Went to bed early. Didn't leave the house!

Sunday: SO wanted to go out to breakfast, so we did. Also spent a fair amount at Target. I crocheted for a while, cleaned more of the house, and made vegetarian stroganoff for dinner. We played Scrabble (no keeping score, but I did great!) and again, went to bed early. I sent in a rental insurance quote request, so we'll see what they come up with.

I could NOT get out of bed again this morning! What is up with that??? The bus was very late on top of it, so I was 15 minutes late for work. The good work news is that I will be getting an evaluation and potential raise before mid-year, and then again at the end of the year! I guess I'd better start getting to work on time.

Not one piece of jewelry made all weekend...I'm rather bummed about that. Won't have time to try again until Thursday.

Looks like lost of people went grocery shopping yesterday - me too! I spent more than I meant to, and good grief, we have a lot of food now. I need to do some meal planning. Didn't buy a lot of fresh produce because it all was either ridiculously expensive or looked nasty. Ahh, winter.

SO went to the doctor yesterday and he just has a viral infection. I am glad he went. I half-expected the doctor to send him off to the ER, but he didn't, thank God. He should be over this illness soon, which is good, because I've discovered I'm not a great caretaker! I can be for a few days, but after that, I can't take it.

Yesterday I ordered the latest Spanish-language Shakira CD and the book DivaJen mentioned from amazon. I love, love, love Shakira, but only when she sings in Spanish. I am so happy that she put out a new Spanish-language CD. I'm also interested in trying the migraine/SAD therapy book - maybe it will help. Seriously, winter in the tundra sucks. I haven't seen the sun in weeks, and it is really getting to me. I take Sam-e, which helps, but doesn't replace the sun! I'm not the only one who misses it:

More 2005 accomplishments:
~Paid off smallest college loan
~Paid $200 extra to middle college loan
~Paid $545 extra to largest college loan

Things I liked about 2005:
~I moved out of my one bedroom apartment and into a larger, better, and ultimately cheaper one with my sweetie
~I donated a ton of excess stuff before the move, making things clearer and fresher
~I adopted two adorable kitties
~I got a new job, one that is a small step closer to my ultimate goal
~I had no medical issues resulting in large bills

I could go on. I liked 2005. It was one of my better years so far. Humorously enough, my 16th year was my favorite...my 26th year was one of the better ones, too. Maybe 36 will be rockstar quality?

My sweetie has the flu. I wish he had gotten the flu shot like I had asked him to. He is diabetic, which makes it much more complicated, so I have been watching him closely. He seems to be improving a bit, but I am ready to take him to the ER at any moment.

LOVE the new Avon Headache Relief. It really makes a difference. I ordered more tubes of it so I can carry it everywhere!

Spent $470 more in 2005 than in 2004.
Earned $2,625 more in 2005.
Had $820 more in savings at the end of 2005.
Put $950 into retirement in 2005 (2004=$0).

Not too bad. This year will be better.

Goals for January:
~ Get the Deathmobile fixed
~ Get a renter's insurance quote from my auto insurance company
~ Have $800 in emergency savings by February
~ Pay double on my smaller college loan
~ Read a book about starting your own craft business

My long weekend was fun, but not long enough, as usual. Sometimes I wish I lived a bit closer to my parents. My flight was four hours late yesterday, so I didn't land until midnight. We didn't even get a decent explanation from the airline, much less any compensation. I'm glad I didn't have to miss work today, but I'm irked about the airline.

Need to figure out what I am going to do with my life. Reading this article

I'm soooooo looking forward to going to my parents' house this weekend. I had a nice Christmas with SO's family, but it was totally nuts. Loud, unorganized, and people spent WAY too much on their family members. Seriously, how can you spend $500 per person? I did not receive gifts like that, thank God, but I watched everyone else open theirs. Wow. That kind of spending makes me so uncomfortable! I am looking forward to a quiet post-Christmas celebration at my family's house, where we don't spend much on each other but we enjoy it nonetheless. Plus, the quiet...oh sweet, sweet quiet... I'll also be glad to be "home" because it's nice to be around your own family. They know what you like, you are their first priority, etc. I adore my SO's family, and I know they love me, but it's just not the same. It was an interesting experience, though. I also feel horrible because my family did not do anything for Christmas, since I was not there!

Friends are coming over tonight to exchange gifts...tomorrow I'm packing...Thursday I'm leaving! Yippee!

Once I get on a spending roll, I find it really hard to stop. Let's take the holidays, for example. I bought most of my gifts two months ago. Everyone is getting more gifts than they need. I know my family is going to yell at me for spending too much (though I didn't, of course, because I get good deals). Yet I can't seem to stop browsing the web for new deals...thinking about other things I "need" to purchase (for myself)...contemplating after-Christmas sales....buying beverages in the cafeteria that I don't need to drink...etc. The gluttony of the holiday season is invading my every thought process. I just ordered chocolates for SO because I feel guilty about not being with him on New Years. Silly! Like he needs chocolates! Like I need to feel guilty! We are rolling in sweets at our house as it is (sweets we prepared, of course).

I'm fiddling around with some goals for January...like eating out of the pantry to drop our grocery bill a bit, tracking all dining out spending (mine, and his when I'm with him, anyway), and throwing as much money as possible into my emergency fund. I am putting off the car fix until January (who gets their car fixed the week of Christmas? I realized that was ridiculous). So I have that to take care of as well. The car hasn't been driven since December 12. It is interesting living without it when it is still sitting in the driveway, perfectly driveable, apart from it being a cancer machine.

I don't know what my problem is - the winter? the holidays? working overtime? I couldn't get out of bed this morning, yet again. I barely have my eyes open now. It really makes me wish I had a freelance business, so I could sleep until I felt better again!

I have a lot to do tonight. We're going over to a friend's house tomorrow night, so I have to get everything done tonight. Ugh. There are not enough hours in the day to accomodate my sleeping and what I need to get done.

Bought more beads last night, for the sole purpose of making my MIL a necklace. It turned out pretty, but I'm worried that it might be a little too flashy for her. I will reevaluate it tonight.

Looking forward to a five day break next week!

1. Pay off smaller college loan by August 2006 (current payoff balance=$1528).

2. Pay $250+ to other college loan each month, after smaller loan is paid off.

3. Save 20-25% of my salary:
- save $525 for holiday gifts
- put $500+ into family savings fund
- put $1500+ into Roth IRA
- put $1500+ into emergency savings
- continue to contribute 6% to 401k (company match)

4. Have $1000 in emergency fund by March 2006.

5. Continue to look for a better-paying job that utilizes my skills.

It was something like -25 F with the windchill this morning. A chilly walk to the bus. You know it's cold when your eyes start to water and the tears immediately freeze to your face. Ick! Yet there are still adults walking around in light polartech jackets and no hat, no scarf, no gloves. I don't understand it. I am freezing to death in my parka, heavy duty gloves, hat scrunched down to my eyebrows and scarf wrapped up to my eyeballs. I need to move - I can't stand this weather. SO and were talking about it again last night, and we need to come up with a timeline for moving out of the tundra.

Mailed the package on Saturday and the cost was very close to what I expected, not too bad. They will still get it before Christmas.

We did a lot of shopping this weekend, and then found out that none of the nieces and nephews are supposed to get any gifts other than homemade. Half of what we got will have to go back to the stores, and we will still have to make things for them. *sigh* I wish we had been told this a little sooner than yesterday (they decided this at Thanksgiving when we weren't there, and then never told us). I am worn out.

Still waiting for several packages from overstock.com that I ordered weeks ago...not sure if they are just in transit, or if my landlord has them held hostage downstairs. Mail carriers tend to drop things off at their door instead of ours, and then they take a while to give us the boxes.

I got an awesome wholesale bead catalog in the mail...wish I could order everything!!! Their merchandise is absolutely gorgeous. I am going to show it to a friend and see if she wants to go in on an order with me.

Ahhh, pay day. Yes, my check is already spoken for, but it's nice to have it in the bank, if only for a few moments. About half of it will go toward my car repair, depending on what is wrong with it and what it will take to fix it.

Speaking of which, last night I had a weird dream about going to a muffler shop. Hmmm.

Everyone came to the party I hosted last night. It was very relaxed and fun. We made homemade eggnog, and that turned out to be the hit! It was like slushy nutmegy ice cream. Yum.

Working late tonight. Need to mail a Christmas package. Hopefully I will have time to do that before it gets super expensive.

I seem to have misplaced my winter hat (or dropped it somewhere)...I hope I can find it! It's supposed to get super cold this weekend, with lows in the single digits and a high of 16 degrees - and it's planning to stick around. eep!

Ok, not so crabby today. Sorry for the rant. Thanks for your comments, they helped.

We are getting socked with snow! They have forecasted 7 inches by tomorrow. I wore my very warm (and free) boots down to the bus stop and my feet stayed warm and dry. Last night I prepared for the storm a bit by stopping at Target and picking up several jars of Classico pasta sauce on sale (my favorite). That will go well with the umpteen boxes of Barilla pasta I bought when it was $.69 per box. We made stuffed shells for dinner last night. If we get trapped, we have plenty of food, a camping stove, and fuel. The chances of that happening in the city are minimal though...I guess I still have the living-in-the-country mindset!

I have been prepping and cleaning for a holiday party I'm hosting tonight...but I'm wondering if anyone will be able to come with all this snow. If not, we have a lot of deviled eggs to eat (what a problem to have)!

Funny, Russell...I don't consider myself single. This is the first relationship I've been in where I don't feel that way. I guess legally I am, but not in any other way. Interesting. I hadn't really acknowledged that shift in mindset until I read your comment.

I have this funny feeling that when I go home in a few weeks (without SO), I will get asked why we haven't gotten married yet and when we plan to. I hope I am wrong about that feeling. I don't particularly want to try to justify my lifestyle choices. If we get married, we get married. I'm happy with things they way they are now. I don't need a signed, legal contract to be happy. Isn't that enough? Well, not for some people, I guess. It will only be a five day trip...and hopefully I am wrong about that feeling...

Yes, I know, at the mere age of 26 I should not be so fed up with the working world. But I am. I am so tired of working. I took yesterday off, and all I could think was, "I SO do not want to go to work EVER AGAIN." I wish there was some way for me to stay home and make money. The only way it is really socially acceptable to stay home and not work is to have children and become a stay at home mom (and even then, they don't get much respect). However, I don't want the children piece, so that foils that idea!

It would be so nice to be able to sleep in until 11 if I had a headache. It would be so nice to take a nap at 2 if I had a headache. A lot of wanting to stay at home has to do with my constant headaches.

My job is uninteresting and I have not made any friends. I miss the social aspect of work. At my last job, people talked to me. Wacky things happened. I had a few close friends to talk to. At my new job, I am lucky if someone says "hi" to me in passing.

Maybe if I was doing something remotely interesting at my job, working wouldn't be so bad...but editing this subject matter is like gnawing on old, dry toast. I think I am going to have to move if I want an interesting editing career.

The other thing that's bugging me is that all of my friends are getting huge raises and promotions. I have yet to hit $35K, almost 5 years out of college. I have friends in my age group making twice that.

*sigh* just sad, crabby, and sick of working today (and yes, I have a headache).

On the spending front, I've spent way more than I had budgeted. Car is not fixed yet. Enough said.