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

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

this one, in silver.

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

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

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

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

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

Change is good, but stressful.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

August 26 Spending
$21 gasoline
$11 lunch for two
$500 credit card payments
$25 emergency fund
$25 family savings fund
$50 Roth IRA

TOTAL: $632

August 27 Spending
$0

August 28 Spending
$0

August 29 Spending
$7 beads

August 30 Spending
$10 lunch for two

August 31 Spending
$0

What a nice visit to my parents' house. We came back with the kitty so now we have a furry buddy to play with! He is the sweetest little thing, and hardly made a peep all the way home. My mom gave us all the necessary items for him, so we are set for a while. She also gave me a bunch of stuff for my new cake decorating hobby, and I'm really excited about that. I bought more beading supplies at half off the regular price, so I'm going to start fiddling with that again. Band starts up next week. Looks like hobby season has arrived! My mom gave me $60, completely unnecessary, but I have to pick up a bunch of things for my sister's dorm room this week, so it will be helpful.

Goals for August:
$150 to emergency fund: not quite - only $50
$50 to family fund: CHECK
$100 to Roth IRA: CHECK
$100 to Christmas gift fund: Put $125 in!
$100 to smaller college loan (twice the payment due): CHECK
get my car fixed (the main part, anyway): CHECK

GOALS FOR SEPTEMBER:
Pay off current American Express=$138, charge no more.
$100 to smaller college loan.
$50 each to Roth IRA, family savings, and emergency savings.
$75 to Christmas fund.
Keep spending at less than income. (sounds so easy, wish it was!)

August 25 Spending
$15.25 lunch with coworker

Is anyone else shocked that it is the end of August already? Summer always flies by sooo quickly!! I wish it was the other way around -- short winter, long summer.

Looks like an inexpensive end-of-the-month ahead...gasoline should be the only real cost. There are no good restaurants where my parents live, so we'll probably be eating in the whole time (mom's cooking! yeah!).

SO and I have been watching a Mexican soap opera on Univision for the last few months, so I can brush up on my Spanish. He never studied Spanish but is learning. I translate what is happening for him with the help of closed captioning (it's easier for me translate quickly when I'm reading rather than just listening). Mexican telenovelas only last about six months, though, unlike our never-ending storylines in the USA. The one we've been watching is wrapping up, and it is so exciting! It's like watching an extended movie and now it is getting to the really good parts. We're going to miss it for the next few days, but TIVO has us covered. Watching it really is helping me regain my Spanish skills, though...I find myself thinking and dreaming in Spanish more frequently. I'll have to find a replacement after this one ends on September 5.

August 24 Spending
$23 Michaels

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

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

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

August 23 Spending:
$115 makeup
$12 dinner
TOTAL: $127

1/3 of that makeup is my sister's birthday gift, 1/3 is my mother's Christmas gift, and 1/3 was for me. I am completely done with my mother's Christmas and birthday gifts, and done with my sister's birthday gift. Now I just have to figure out what to get everyone else for Christmas. My mom is always the easiest for me. I had a great time shopping and chatting with my friend, too...definitely worth the $12!

I woke up with a headache this morning...never a good sign. I took painkiller immediately upon waking up. I hope it kicks in soon!

We may be getting a free cat this weekend! My mom has one that she rescued, and she says he's very sweet. If we're not allergic to him, we may take him home with us. We'd want to get another one to keep him company during the day. I miss having a cat. I wonder how he will take to a seven hour car ride...?

What beautiful weekend weather! We got poured on on Friday night, but we stayed mostly dry, and the rest of the weekend was gorgeous. It's funny how tired you can be after a weekend of camping, though!

August 19 Spending:
$25 camping groceries & supplies at Walmart
$10 more camping groceries
$11 beer
$25 year-long state park parking sticker
$3 firewood
TOTAL: $74

August 20 Spending:
$0

August 21 Spending:
$6 chocolate shakes at a fair

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

August 18 Spending
$45 messenger bag online -

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

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

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

Have a good weekend, all!!

I can't keep cash in my wallet. It pours out like water.

August 17 Spending:
$6 Target
$4 Petsmart
$58 bassoon reeds
TOTAL: $67

I bought a baby saver for my fish tank. There are already too many fish in there...I know...but I can't stand the thought of the little babies starving to death in the tank (they don't seem to be eaten by the bigger ones, just don't get any food). I captured three of them and put them in the baby saver. It's so fun to watch them grow up! They are too cute! I'm going to have to figure out what to do with all of them, though. I wonder if the pet store will take fish from people's homes. SO and I are tossing around the idea of getting another tank, but I'm not sure where we'd put it.

Tonight we have to pick up some camping supplies. Hershey's bars for sure. I hope it stops raining. I'm excited about being out in nature and getting away!

August 16 Spending
$20 coffee beans and two mochas

Not a no-spend day after all. We biked to the library, checked out a bunch of books, and picked up coffee along the way.

Thanks for the bag ideas! I found some that were nice, but not exactly what I am looking for. I'm being kind of picky about it, I guess.

I'm also debating about getting my hair cut and colored. My roots are something awful and I really need a cut (short hair really can be a pain in the butt!). I don't feel like spending $90, though. Maybe if I ask her to dye it closer to my natural color, I can stop having to go in every other month. It was fun for a while, but I'm growing tired of it.

Have to buy some bassoon reeds tonight...I haven't bought any for years, and band starts up again next month. Probably about $45.

SO and I are going camping all weekend - I forgot to include that on Monday's spending! Whoops. Campsite, $30.50. We'll have to buy a parking permit ($25) and I need a fishing license ($18).

I'm starting to feel guilty about my car. It cannot possibly be within emissions standards...not that I have to worry about that in MN...but I hate feeling like I am doing my part to harm the environment. Since practically all the dealerships have those "you pay what we pay" deals going on, I'm thinking about going to look at the trade-ins. Maybe I'll start by looking online.

August 15 Spending
$54 car insurance (automatic)
$3 ice cream
$15 copay
TOTAL: $72

Tonight I'm going to the library via bike. I resisted going out to lunch with a coworker and ate what I brought to work instead.

I just canceled an order I placed for a hemp messenger bag back in July. They had it backordered until mid-August. Ok, it's mid-August, and they haven't returned my email from last week asking what the status was. I wrote to them today and canceled the order. $91 saved. I really want a messenger bag, though. It would be nice to consolidate my lunch, purse, and exercise clothes into one bag rather than several plastic bags. Maybe I will go out into the frightening world of pre-school sales and see what they are offering.

This might turn out to be a no-spend day!

August 11 Spending
$11 restaurant dinner with my girlfriends (kind of spur of the moment)
$64 credit card payoff
TOTAL: $75

August 12 Spending (payday)
$25 to family savings fund
$25 to emergency savings fund
$50 to Roth IRA
$125 to Christmas gift savings fund
$135 college loan payment
$100 college loan payment
TOTAL: $460

August 13 Spending
$100 ATM (but only about $20 spent - didn't go to the Irish Festival as we had planned)
$64 Target
$11 Petsmart
$150 Ikea (two more barstools, two DVD racks, and a birthday gift for my sister)
TOTAL: $325
Got my rental return in the mail, $291 to deposit.
SO paid for groceries, $62. We went out to a movie with his parents, and they paid. Very sweet.

August 14 Spending
No spend day!

I have decided not to go with the first Lasik place I went to. The doctor didn't bother to call me back until today. I'm pretty irritated about their lack of customer service, especially about something so important - MY EYES. I went to a new optometrist today and had a bunch of testing done. He referred me to a retinal specialist to have a look at something odd in the back of my right eye, just to determine if I really can have Lasik done. Apparently I have a scar in the back of my eye, which could be adversely affected if I have Lasik. As in, I could end up with a blank spot in the center of my vision. Not cool. I can't believe that other Lasik clinic was so hellbent on getting my money that they didn't want to explore this issue further! I'd much rather play this safe than sorry. The doctor today said something rather disturbing - after seeing that scar in the back of my eye, he is surprised that I can see as well as I can. YIKES. So, we'll see what the specialist says next week.

SO and I were both feeling rather crappy all weekend. We couldn't pinpoint anything bad that we had eaten..maybe it was just viral. Feeling better today!

August 9 Spending
$0
earned $3.21 from half.com

August 10 Spending
$30 Indian restaurant lunch buffet for three

I'm waiting for a doctor at the Lasik clinic to call me back so I can ask some questions. I'm going to make my decision after I talk to her. I am getting so sick of wearing my glasses!! Today I put my contacts in. I will take them out tonight and leave them out if I decide to do the surgery next week. I'm meeting some friends for dinner tonight, and wearing my glasses is giving me a major headache, so I put the contacts in.

Today feels like Friday. All day yesterday I thought it was Thursday! Payday can't come soon enough, I guess.

I'm really not sure what to do. I went to my appointment today and it went fairly well. It's just going to be rather expensive...like $3300. I can get a $0 down 0% interest for one year thing, but that will still be $275 a month if I don't want to pay interest. I'm really not sure. I want to get the procedure done but the payments don't sound appealing at all. But when do they ever? My eyes are dialated and it's giving me a headache. I will have to consider this more when I can think straight. I scheduled a tentative surgery date, though, and it's next week, so I need to do some quick thinking.

August 8 Spending:
$7 mochas for SO and me

He bought some groceries at the whole foods market, about $24. I offered to pay but he said he would!
We made an Indian dish for dinner and I made a raw dessert (interesting).

I just read about Peter Jennings in the paper. How sad. It scares the crap out of me too, because I know the smoker in my life will never quit (my father). Everyone has tried talking sense into him for years, but he'll never quit...he's too stubborn. *sigh*

August 5 Spending:
$0!!!
SO and I went to the art fair, where everything is beautiful but way too expensive. He bought dinner for us both, ~$8.

August 6 Spending:
$35 Super Target (saved approx $3 with coupons)
$27 Walgreens (prescription was finally filled)
TOTAL: $62
SO bought groceries, ~$50.
Saturday was the most productive day I've had in quite a while. I baked four loaves of bread and a peach pie and made hummus, and we washed three loads of laundry and one load of dishes. We also bought groceries, some things at Target, and picked up both of our prescriptions. In the evening, we watched a movie that we had checked out from the library, and had a frozen pizza for dinner.

August 7 Spending:
$21 Gasoline
I took a drive to have lunch with friends. It was a nice, mellow (and low-cost) day. I paid my half of the electric bill too, but I'm not going to track regular bills like that here.

I went to pick up my car last night, expecting the checkbook blow....and it didn't come. The part they thought was bad was not, so they only replaced a gasket, to the tune of $65. My car is a LOT quieter now and I am so happy about the price!!! I think the healthy money tree is still helping me out! hehe. I'd better go home and give it a thorough watering.

August 4 Spending
$124 concert tickets
$65 car repair
TOTAL SPENT: $189

This daily spending log thing is an eye-opener.

Dinner last night was grilled corn on the cob, grilled eggplant (not good..I wish I knew how to prepare it properly), and vegetarian chicken burgers. Yum.

Tonight I think I'm going to an art fair, tomorrow I'm baking bread and cleaning, and Sunday I'm taking a drive to meet old friends for lunch. Laid back weekend!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks for the bit of encouragement! I made a free consultation appointment with the Lasik people for next week. I know it will be expensive. I've worn glasses for 19 years and contacts for 12 years, and I think I'm ready for a change. The procedure seems a little scary to me, but maybe that will be cleared up during the consultation. I also have this other funny thought in my head...my eyesight is really pretty bad, so without correction, everything is blurry unless it is about three inches away from my nose. There is something oddly comforting about having the world be a blur when I go to sleep (maybe because my sight has been so bad for so long?). But, there are lots of good reasons to get the procedure done. I can't imagine being able to swim and see. I've never had that luxury, unless I've had my contacts in, and then they get all crunchy and stuck to the eyeballs.

August 2 Spending:
$5.45 grocery store for lunch
$3.57 soy mocha coffee

We went to Super Target after work for a few groceries and home things, but SO paid (I've decided to stop calling him BF because he is obviously much more than that). For dinner we grilled delicious corn, peppers, onions, and zucchini. I battered and fried an eggplant as well. Delicious. Tonight we'll be grilling again, because there's still a ton of veggies, and I don't want them to go bad!

$15.86 gasoline
$12.18 three used paperback mystery novels (one was signed by the author! how crazy is that?)
$18.34 dinner with a friend (good company but bad food, won't be going back to that restaurant)
$14.99 cute skirt

Total: $61.37

I'm not taking the cake decorating courses this month. I'm sure I won't have any problem finding things to spend the money on, though.

Last night I really had the desire to give up on trying to save money and trying to get thin. I'm obviously not very good at either, so what is the point of pretending? I'm still here showing everyone how much I'm spending, though, so I guess I haven't given up yet.

I'm thinking about going in for a Lasik vision correction consultation. I got a card in the mail saying that it's $0 down and 0% interest until 2007, but only for the rest of the month. It's tempting. I'm really getting sick of wearing contacts and glasses.

Today I got up early and went to the Farmers Market. I was reading an article this morning in my latest Organic Style magazine about how it makes more sense to buy locally grown produce when you have the chance rather than organic produce at the market, simply because it's much fresher (duh). So, I headed out, and $13.25 bought:

Two green bell peppers
Two white bell peppers
Two purple bell peppers
Five zucchinis
Three eggplants
Six ears of corn
A bunch of greens (Indian Spinach, I think)
Several tomatoes

I stopped by the grocery store and picked up three avocados, a head of romaine lettuce, three gigantic peaches, and a package of organic eggs ($15). I also bought the Sunday paper ($1.75). I walked into Michaels to pick up their August class list and did not buy thing.

Later, I realized that the toilet had broken, so I paid $5 for a new flapper, and fixed it myself.

I'm pretty happy with the day. My August savings goals may be in jeopardy because I may take a few cake decorating courses with a friend (they are half price this month). I'd have to buy decorating tips too, so it would end up being approx $58. However, I have bought almost all of the groceries this month (almost $200) so BF can take care of that next month.

I just realized that I didn't spend much at all on eating out this month (maybe $10 max). BF and I didn't eat out together much either. That's why that grocery bill is so darn high *sigh* but better groceries than restaurants, I guess.

Off to figure out the tastiest way to prepare eggplant...

What did I just say about needing to stay out of the stores? I stopped by JcPenney last night because they were having a big sale (as always) and I knew they had lots of curtains. I bought some for our bedroom. I'm still not sure if they are perfect or not; I'll have to live with them for a few days to see. They were half price, though. I also bought a skirt at half price, which I'm wearing today, and I've already received one compliment on it.

In any case, I spent about $70 yesterday. I made a dessert last night for a dinner party we're going to tonight. BF is going out of town for the weekend, so assuming I stay out of the stores and keep myself busy at home, it should be a no-spend weekend. Today is payday, so I put $75 in savings and $25 to my Roth. The prescription still isn't ready and probably won't be until next week, so that goes into August's budget, along with my car repair. All I have left to spend on this month is rent.

I put 17% of my salary into savings & retirement this month. I think I've been calculating my "percent of income spent" wrong, because I'm counting things twice on my spreadsheet (once in the category, and again in the credit card part if it was charged). If I'm looking at it right now, in July I spent 81% of my income and put 17% toward savings, so that makes for a total of 98% used. Not bad. I had a lot of cash flow this month, though, with an extra paycheck and my rent deposit returned (and no rent paid in July). Next month will be tighter. Time to batten down the hatches!

Goals for August:
$150 to emergency fund
$50 to family fund
$100 to Roth IRA
$100 to Christmas gift fund
$100 to smaller college loan (twice the payment due)
get my car fixed (the main part, anyway)

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

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

Total Spent: $168

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It's always Monday.

I didn't bring my car in this weekend. I did a little shopping on Saturday (just some necessities and a couple of small gifts). Ate lunch at Taco Bell but ate dinner in. Wasn't feeling too well in the evening, so I mostly read my book. On Sunday I ran to the Farmers Market and bought the most beautiful petunia plant. It's about three times the size of a normal hanging plant. I can't wait to hang it up on the deck! It's been in the 90s for almost two weeks though, and close to 100 all weekend, so I haven't hung it up yet. Today we've gotten a bit of relief, finally, with 77 degrees. The weather here is nuts, and that's one of my primary reasons for wanting to get the hell out of dodge. My sort-of-not-really-in-laws bought us lunch on Sunday, and I made dinner for all of us.

I got my rental deposit back from my previous landlord today - YEAH! I'm so happy it came. I'm going to pay off my other credit card with it, and this month's bigger college loan payment. Not the most exciting to most people, but I know savingadvicers will appreciate how good it feels to pay off a credit card. Of course, it will be a temporary happiness if my car repair is exorbitant.

Hoping to get back into my frugal ways this week...

Also, I'm wondering how Laura (FrugalTexan75) is doing. Haven't seen her around lately....hope things are ok!

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!)