The tale of loose pockets.

Yesterday at work, my last five bucks for the week fell out of my pants and disappeared into the office chaos. I was really annoyed, and walked around the corner to the atm to get some lunch money. Grumble, grumble.

Then I noticed that the mexican chain restaurant had flyered the place with ads. In one corner, they had left a stack of five dollar gifts certificates! I grabbed about a dozen of them, and got myself a huge bowl of nachos for 13 cents! and for lunch today, I got a big bowl of gumbo for 51 cents! I'm heading by the atm soon to see if there are any more, and I'll be eating cheap for most of August!

Sometimes loosing five bucks can save you $50!

hmm, yesterday was pay day, by my tax exemption change didn't go through. Oh well. I'll be travelling for the next couple of weeks and I'm so nervous about my spending! I'm putting myself on a strict budget and will not give in to temptation! I'm also bringing a really full bag so I'm not tempted to fill it up! If something is so fantastic that I must have, I'm going to have to lug it to a post office and ship it to myself. When I get back, it'll likely be 70-hour work weeks through september, and then I'll try to cut back to 55. I need to put a dent in this debt to keep myself motivated!

Tax Man

I've been reading lots of blogs that talk about tax withholdings and how to not let the IRS keep your money longer than you have to. I always claimed zero to make sure that I don't have to pay uncle sam at the end of the year, but I'm going to try claiming one and see how much more I get in my check. I'll get paid on Friday, but the change might not have proceeded by then. I'll be holding my breath to see what the new number is!

I was a little worried that my brother's visit would throw my budget off, but he actually arrived with a late graduation present of cash! We went shopping and I spent about half of it on a watch, which will be a nice reminder of his generosity and also keep me from being late. The other half is marked for savings, but I wouldn't be adverse to spending it in his company over the next few days.

My job should slow down after next week and be slow through the middle of September, so I'll be ramping up the hours at the second job. Money, money, money...

I had to work late at work today, and I wasn't expecting it. I went over to the Whole Foods on the corner at 7:30 to grab some food to keep me going, and got robbed! They charged me $10 for a side of mashed potatoes, a side of caprese and a peach! Gahhh! I won't be doing that again...

On a happy note, my big brother is coming into town this weekend! He's one of my financial heroes. Two years older, just school debt and a mortgage, and making six figures. He plays hard and saves hard. I can't wait to see him.

The New To-Do List

Things I can do that don't cost money:

1. Volunteer.
2. Finish knitting that scarf that I've been working on for years.
3. Start sewing the quilt I've been meaning to make from my favorite old t-shirts.
4. Study for the class I'm taking this summer.
5. Go to the gym.
6. Go to the library.
7. Go to the aquarium (I've got some passes).
8. Read the books that I spent money on, yet never read.
9. Do laundry, the dishes or just clean in general.
10. Go visit my mom. She even feeds me.
11. Keep an eye on my retirement account.
12. Clean out my inbox.
13. Play board games or soccer or guitar hero with my friends.


I don't need to spend money on movies or clothes or other things to entertain me. I have lots of things on my to-do list.

Got paid Friday, so the Emergency Fund is now up to $500. Woohoo! My monthly fixed expenses are about $1,000, so I think that $500 is enough of a buffer to keep me from adding more debt in a pinch.

check up on expenses

I've been really good about spending lately (mostly because I don't have any money in my checking account). Aside from bills, I've spent:

$10 on groceries
$15 on a birthday gift for a dear friend
$24 on my gym membership (For the entire year! I love my job perks!)

No too bad, right?

Progress.

I got paid from my part time job early, so I moved money back into my savings account that I took our earlier in the week. On Friday, when I get paid from the regular job, I should be able to raise my emergency fund to the $500 mark. Yippee!

More Money

After paying all my bills, I had about $14 in my checking account until payday this Friday. So I was delighted when I got a call to babysit! Not only did I have a great time playing at the park with a five year old, but I got paid $65 to do it!

After the parents came back, I stopped by the grocery store to pick up a few necessities, and I found an unclaimed CoinStar ticket for $18.06. So I picked up about $29.50 worth of stuff, saved $7 in sale prices and coupons, $18 with the CoinStar slip, and paid only $4.50. Hurray for food.

I'm planning on seeing a movie with friends tomorrow, but I'll be sneaking in snacks and trying not to spend any other money. Then it should be smooth sailing through the rest of the week. I got an invitation to leave town for the weekend, but I think I might cancel, so that I don't spend more cash. So sad.