Groceries: $52 ($52/$100)
Cigarettes: $5.29 ($57.29/$100)
BF Food @ Work: $1.33 ($58.62/$100)
Gas For BF: $38.32 ($38.32/$600)
Laundry & Carpet Stuff: $7.71 ($7.71/$20)
3 Birthday Cards: $7.80 ($7.80/$102)
Redbox Movie: $3.18 ($3.18/$10)
Rent: $875 ($875/$875)
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Well, I lied... I am going to track our expenses on my blog. I started writing them out on paper, and I just didn't like it. It was unorganized, and it would've been hard to look back at the end of the month and see exactly what we spent money on, besides each category.
So I'm making a second attempt at doing it here, and if I run into a day when I don't have time to log on, then I'll write it down until I can.
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I still have to deposit BF's last paycheck and my $5 survey check from the end of July. I'm counting the survey check in our August income, but not his last paycheck, since that was technically a July paycheck, it just wasn't direct deposited. Supposedly, his next check WILL be deposited automatically, but we'll see.
Today has been an average day so far. I'm off, but BF doesn't get off work until 10 tonight... blah. He hates that he has to work late hours, and says it's boring when the store isn't busy, but other than that he doesn't seem to mind it too terribly bad. I think finally working somewhere BESIDES the cushy store he worked at for 5 years has really impacted him. Heck, I think the whole move up here has impacted him.
He's even told me that he's glad we moved - something I never thought I'd hear him say. To be honest, I'm glad too. I eventually want to be back closer to our families - but I don't know if I want to live in the same town. There is a certain freedom in living away, where your family only has to know what business you WANT them to know. lol.
It's also kind of empowering, to know that I moved here by myself, knew absolutely no one except my boss (that I had met once)... and now we have a happy, normal life here. Now it's weird to think that this place was ever really strange to me.
Working at a new place, with some annoying bosses, has also renewed BF's desire to go back to college. Before, he would only contemplate finishing his Associate's... now he is set on getting a Bachelor's. He is thinking about Communications, which is a good idea I think. His dream job is to be a radio broadcaster, but he's always put it off as impossible. I keep telling him that he should go after it - even if he doesn't land the radio job, a Communications degree is good for all kinds of business and sales jobs. He might even decide that he doesn't want to do radio along the way, but at least he would have figured it out.
We haven't nailed down the details yet, but I know it might be difficult with him working full-time and taking classes. On one hand, he could only take a few classes... but that would mean he'd be in school longer. On the other hand, he could only work part-time, but that puts pressure on my income, especially if we're going to plan on buying a house, having children, etc. anytime in the near future.
I'm thinking that a little bit of the pressure to "get out on his own" will be relieved now, since we live together and will hopefully be getting engaged/married sometime soon. Hopefully that will make it a bit easier for him to just focus on work and school, until he graduates.
We may talk about him starting some kind of classes when we make our next move in early 2009. He would have at least a semester, and I'm sure he could start taking some more of his general education classes that would transfer wherever.
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A bit of randomness - I cut my own hair today. Scary, right? I was a bit nervous... but then again I knew that my hair is long enough, if I make a hack job out of it, I could go to a salon and have it fixed, and still have plenty of hair left, lol. All I really did was trim the split-ends off, maybe taking 3/4-1 inch off the length. I hadn't had a hair cut in a LONG time (maybe 9 months) and it was driving me nuts.
From what I can tell, it doesn't look half bad. Nothing fancy... just comes down past my shoulders, with a bit of long layers that were already there from the last time I got it cut. At least the split ends are gone.
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BF is taking off on a Thursday sometime soon, and because I'm normally off on Thursdays, we are going to head to the beach. We may never live within 3 1/2 hours of a beach again, so we might as well take advantage. We will have to arrange for doggie daycare though, since we will be gone too long to leave him at home. I'm sure he won't mind, he's up for anything that includes other dogs, humans, or playing.
8/3/08 - I lied...
August 3rd, 2008 at 10:03 pm
August 4th, 2008 at 12:35 am 1217806527
In terms of tracking expenses... maybe an online software thing like buxfer.com might help? I was thinking about writing an entry about. It's really easy, syncs up to your bank acct. (optional), and you can't really cheat because the expenses show either way. It gives you a pie chart of what you're spending $$ on and everything.
August 4th, 2008 at 01:06 am 1217808388
August 4th, 2008 at 01:59 am 1217811563
August 4th, 2008 at 02:25 am 1217813107
I do my own bangs though.
August 4th, 2008 at 04:24 am 1217820277
By the way I am glad you guys are liking your new place
August 4th, 2008 at 11:00 pm 1217887252
It was definitely one of those things that just pushes you to the breaking point. I was desperate and thinking, I HATE THESE SPLIT ENDS. I hate to spend money at a new hair place without knowing how good they will do, besides finding the time to go. So yea, the split ends had to go... it was their time, lol.
August 6th, 2008 at 01:35 am 1217982946
i track my expenses on a spreadsheet, it's much easier. I just do a spreadsheet per month, and divide the columns by weeks, and have different areas like groceries, petrol, rent, bills, fun, etc