SillyOleMe's Personal Finance Blog

We are determined again. I've been trying to track all our spending this month, but have fallen short with all that's gone on. Especially since we've been using cash more, which is ultimately hard to trace.

And so I've decided that I will continue to track our purchases, but the June summary will not reflect all our spending. I just feel like I would be leaving alot out, and I want to make sure that if I look at anything analytically, that it is a true representation of our habits. All I know for sure is that we have spent more than we budgeted for this month.

I'm also going to go back to tracking our spending using this blog... I'll just post a short description of what expenses we had each day. That way I can have it all saved for the end of the month tally.

And finally... the budget is done! It will probably always be a work in progress, but I think we have some pretty good estimates in there now. I've broken down all our expenses to monthly, even if they are actually paid quarterly. At the end of the month, we will take the money we had set aside for that eventual expense and mail it to our savings account. It can collect interest for a month or two before we withdraw it for its actual purpose.

-----------------------------------------

In other news, we converted our cell phones to a FamilyTalk plan tonight. The change will take effect on July 8th, so I'm not sure if it will be reflected in our next bill or not. Our separate plans gave us 450 anytime minutes apiece, and cost about $120 before taxes and fees. The FamilyTalk plan gives us 700 anytime minutes to share (unlimited in our network), for $105 before taxes. So hopefully in the end, we will save a little money.

-----------------------------------------

I haven't heard anything from the woman I had talked to about babysitting. She emailed me from Craigslist, and said it would be a while before she needed me, but it would be nice to have the extra money soon.

I also attempted another article on AssociatedContent, this one about living with Great Danes (something I have LOTS of experience with)! It can take 2 days for them to get approved, so once I have something published I will put the link in a blog entry or somewhere.

-----------------------------------------

I'm off work tomorrow, so yay. That means I get to do some more free (library book) reading! We might rent a movie as well, since it only costs $1 out of the Walmart machine.

I got quite a bit of my coursework done at work today. We have independent study courses that we have to complete along with our regular training, and we have been so busy that I feel like I've fallen behind with it. I was able to submit four completed courses today, and request materials for four more, so hopefully I am headed in the right direction.

Well, I'm pretty excited right now. Usually at this point (when my day off is ending), I get a little depressed because returning to work is on the horizon. But since I worked yesterday and took off today, that means I only work tomorrow... and then I'm off again on Sunday! So it's a little better to know that I only have to go back for one day.

Determined to get a little done on our day off today, BF & I ran a few errands. First of all, we ran to the vet's office to get the pup's pain medication. They gave us a 60 day supply for around $65. We STILL need to mail those x-rays, so I think I might have BF do that tomorrow while I'm at work. He'll need to go to the post office since we need a special envelope. But at least the ball will be rolling on the surgery consultation.

While we were out, we also stopped by Walmart to pick up a can of wet dog food. Our pup is so picky - he always has been. We have put him back on a better version of dog food, especially for giant breeds, to make sure that his joints are getting the right levels of everything. The problem is, it's like he senses that it's healthy, and refuses to eat it alone. So we by the same brand of wet dog food and mix it, and up until a few days ago, that has worked really well. Now the little fart has decided that he's tired of even the mix, so we'll have to adjust it. The closest place to get the good brand of food is 20 minutes away, and we didn't even know if they carried another flavor we could use, so we decided to pick up a small can of cheap food at Walmart, just in case he refused to eat at all. We also ended up getting a bottle of hand sanitizer and McDonalds. (gasp!!!)

I still haven't gotten around to updating our spending trackers and budget today. But since I don't have to be at work until later tomorrow morning, I can afford to stay up a little bit tonight. Maybe I will get around to it... if so, I will update our Budget page on here too.

-----------------------------------------

And perhaps the funnest part of my day - I talked BF into going to the library with me while we were out! It's in the city next to ours, which is quite a bit bigger than we're used to... so when we ended up downtown it was such a weird experience. Walking in, there was an actual hotdog stand out front! I have never seen that except on movies or TV... craziness. I am proud of myself for thinking to check out the books I've wanted to buy.

I ended up getting "Inkspell", the sequel to "Inkheart" that I read a few months ago. I've been looking for it in Walmart every time I go, but no luck. I'm glad that I was able to borrow it today, even if I had to go to the Children's section to get it! Books are one of my favorite things to buy, and therefore one of my biggest financial weaknesses. Even though I usually get the cheap versions at Walmart, it's still going to save me alot of money to get them at the library. Plus, a little less clutter around the house when I get done reading them!

Because I was a little embarrassed to be checking out with a "kid's" book, I also got "The Lovely Bones" to balance it out. I've wanted to read that for a while too, and I am very impressed with what I've already finished.

-----------------------------------------

And last but not least... BF told me I should write a book today. Lol. I think it's just because I actually like to read (which he finds fascinating), but he has mentioned this several times, even saying today, "What? I would read it!" Well, I would hope so!

Anyways, instead of launching into a novel, I did a little research on some freelance writing online. I ended up at www.AssociatedPress.com, where you can get paid based on the popularity of your articles. I figure there's nothing to lose, so I've submitted my first article for approval. The topic is spectacular... "How To: Free Your Pets From Ringworm".

What can I say, you have to stick to what you know, right? Perhaps someone will find it helpful. Anyway, I guess if it gets approved and is published on the site, I will post it on here for anyone that is remotely interested. Yes, expect some shameless plugs.

If anybody is interested in doing the same thing, I have my own referral link:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/join.html?refer=237343

I have no idea if that link even means anything, or if it just takes you straight to my published stuff, but I thought I'd offer it just in case. There is also an option to subscribe people (via email) to be alerted every time I post a new article, if anybody is interested in that. Come on, you know you want the answers for ringworm!

Okay, I'm done promoting. Back to reality.

1. I know alot of people regret growing apart from their high school friends, but I regret the friends that I chose to stay close to. I had a wide range of pretty good friends when I was in school, and then when we graduated and went on to college, I chose to stay close to a few of them. Looking back, these two friends have caused me more stress & anxiety than none at all. If I had chosen some of the "less fun" friends that I had, I would have more in common with them today, and maybe some TRUE friendships.

2. I regret wanting to be an "adult" so much. Why was it so important for me to pay for everything myself when I was 16, and be seen as a responsible pseudo-adult? I wish I had found a balance between working hard, being responsible, and still being at peace with being a kid.

3. I regret that I didn't take alot of time to mourn the deaths of my close family members. When my uncle and grandfather died in (separate) accidents, I was so focused on healing that I forgot to deal with the grief at the time.

4. I regret being such a brat to my mom. I thought I knew everything, and I thought she did everything on purpose. I knew she was working 2 jobs, but I could never have known the personal strife she was experiencing while trying to make our lives remain semi-normal.

5. I regret not being "girly" when I could have been. Growing up with all boys, I was obsessed with proving myself just as strong/tough/unemotional as anyone else. I wasn't a "butch", but I shyed away from pink clothes and frills because I was afraid they would make me seem weak. Now that I'm 22 and a bit beyond the age of frilly socks & hair bows, I feel like I missed out on alot of fun.

6. I regret that I didn't take time to appreciate being so close to my family. It wasn't until we were 2 states away from everyone that I really started to cherish our brief visits back home, and realizing that I eventually want to go back.

7. I regret being so hard on BF in the early stages of our relationship. I could use the excuse that we were young, but even then I knew what I was doing. While we have worked through most of it now, it was hard for me to convince him that I wasn't really that controlling/condescending.

8. I regret choosing a major/career based on money. I was so determined to land a career with excellent salary potential, that I never stopped to think about how much I would enjoy teaching, or counseling, or social work, etc.

9. I regret being the "perfect" daughter/grandkid/sister/friend. By "perfect", I don't mean that I have any illusions that I actually am. But throughout my life, I have tried so hard to show little emotion (back to the tomboy thing), accomplish whatever I wanted, and ask nobody for help along the way. Now, when I actually need a shoulder to cry on or an answer that I don't know... everyone assumes that I need no help and that everything is "easy" for me.

10. I regret racking up credit card debt. Alot of it was unavoidable, since I had to pay my own way through college, but there was also a bunch that could have been avoided through organization, effort, and discipline. If I didn't have that credit card debt, I would have made it out of college and started my career with no debt (I had a full scholarship for my Bachelor's degree). I would be in a much better position to pay for doggie surgery and plan a wedding right now.

If you've ever paid close attention to my blog, you might notice that I made a few changes today:

=Updated Debt & Savings Tracker Pages
I finally got around to updating the running totals with our COMBINED debts & savings. (Although the savings didn't really change, lol.) BF hasn't called to get the exact pay-off on his car, so the debt for the car loan is estimated based on the # of payments we have left.

=Updated 2008 Goals In Sidebar
With BF moving in and having to find a new job, my job taking us to God-Knows-Where within the next year, and our pup needing expensive surgery, I felt like it was time to update "my" goals to "our" goals, realistically. I don't want the goal for debt reduction to be so drastic that one little set-back will make it impossible and disheartening. So I set our goal for debt at $14,000 by the end of 2008. The reason? I think it will challenge us to pay off debt and not become complacent, especially through the holidays. Also, with the pup needing surgery around that time (or January), I want to have as much of our other debt paid down before we have to arrange the financing for that. The surgery/rehab is expected to cost $5,000-$6,000, so if we can get our debt down to $14,000 before this, our total debt will not go over $20,000. I would really like to keep it under the $20K mark if we can.

=Changed Monthly Budget Page
I actually just deleted what I had on there for right now, because we've been working off another version that I made in Excel. I plan to revisit the budget itself tomorrow, and then post the latest edition to the "Our Monthly Budget" page.

=Deleted "Wedding Fund" Ticker
One of the goals that I took out for 2008 was to get our Wedding Fund to $1,500. I will explain reasoning later, but since it was no longer a goal, I didn't see the need for the ticker.

=Re-Purposed "Extra Income" Page
I basically just deleted the amounts I had added to my "$20 Challenge", so the slate is wiped clean as of 6/19/08. Now I will keep track of any extra income we collect, but it will not be going to any specific account. I figured we can use it as we see fit, but I do want to keep track of how much money we're bringing in that we wouldn't have before.

-----------------------------------------

I think that may be it! If you're wondering what sparked such updates, I really have no definite answer.

I did attend my first manager's meeting today, and I suppose all the talk about budgets and sales goals and margin dollars might have triggered my financial button again.

And so I have come away from this re-working with a new strategy. Like alot of people, I have struggled immensely with the idea of saving all I can versus paying down debt. For a while I have tried to do both, but I know that with credit card interest, this does not make logical sense.

A big reason for this (I think) is that I wanted to have some money saved for our wedding. I thought I would be more frugal and less likely to go overboard if I was using my hard-earned savings, rather than taking out a personal loan or using the credit card to supplement. But now, I have realized that there are too many variables to try and do all of this. For every $10 that I put in savings rather than paying on my credit card debt, that is more interest I am paying out the back door. So for the big picture, we will be better off financially to try and reduce our debt as much as possible before trying to save for anything.

Now, the big expense on the horizon is our pup's surgery in December or January. We still haven't mailed off the x-rays for the surgeon to look at (doing that tomorrow), but if everything goes as expected, we will be keeping him on joint supplements and pain medication until he is done growing in Dec/Jan and can have the surgery. At this point we'll need $5,000-$6,000. I feel a little more confident now that I have been approved for a personal loan through two different banks. If we end up being able to finance through CareFirst at 0% interest, that will be even better. But preparing for the worst case scenario, our debt will be reduced as much as possible (hopefully to $14,000) and then we'll go apply for the loan in December.

And the expense that will someday be on the horizon (hopefully not too long, lol)... a wedding. I have accepted that there is no way I can save a substantial amount of money in our current situation, and still be able to pay expenses and reduce debt. And so realistically, we are paying down debt as much as possible. And when it comes time to plan/pay for a wedding, we will probably have to take on some kind of debt to pay for it. At that point, I will just have to be very disciplined and responsible in what I spend. It's a hard decision to make, but hey, we've all got to grow up sometime!

So that this blog isn't all depressing, I will say that there could be some rays of sunlight. For one, if everything goes as planned with my job training, we will be moving around February of next year. I have been told that this will include a raise of about 10% in my salary, which will help. Also, I am hoping to get placed somewhere closer to our home state, and that would mean a much lower cost of living. Even making what I do now, if we lived in our home state, we would be MUCH better off with disposable income. And whenever BF finds a job, we might see that he is able to make a little more than we budgeted. But, none of this is guaranteed of course, and so I want to hope for the best but prepare for the worst.

Because I had to attend that meeting today, which is typically my day off, I am off tomorrow instead. And so tomorrow will be catch-up day for expense tracking & balancing the checkbooks, as well as updating my budget on this blog when it's completed.

Stay tuned!

Well, I'll start by confessing. BF and I went to Walmart yesterday, and NOT for groceries! While much of it we could have done without, there were alot of things that we (me especially) have needed to pick up for a while and have been putting off. The loot:

PS3 controller for BF (his only purchase)
Eyeliner
Tampons (yay)
Foundation
Makeup Sponges
Sunscreen
Lotion
Lipstick
Crest White Strips
Mascara

The total damage was about $102. Not bad for things that aren't (totally) frivolous.

In good news though... my boss informed me this weekend that my employee discount applies to GAS at company gas stations as well! We're not an "oil company", so there aren't alot of gas stations around, but there just happens to be one on my way home from work. It's about 1/2 mile off the interstate, so definitely worth going to if I can save some money. Our discount is 5% above cost, but since gas isn't marked up too much at the stations, I think she said I could save 5-10 cents per gallon. That would add up after a while!

And perhaps the most exciting part of my day... I stopped by Starbucks on the way home (I still have a gift card from Christmas), and ordered a grande caramel machiatto. Apparently they messed something up for the people ahead of me in the drive-thru, and then they were mixed up about which drink I had ordered. So to make it up, they gave me the drink free! Didn't even have to use my gift card... and it was the best tasting Starbucks EVER! lol.

-----------------------------------------

BF mentioned today that he wishes he was "successful". I think the jobless-ness is getting to him. I keep telling him that there's no way he should feel bad about anything... he moved up here for me, then I had his car for 3 weeks, and he's putting applications in everywhere he can think of. He said sometimes he thinks about going back to college.

Honestly, I hope he decides to. He's so talented creatively... and has such an outgoing, likeable personality. All he needs is a little education or a diploma to go behind that, and he'd do so well. Heck, I am almost anti-social at times, and I landed a good job, so I know he could.

I think he just worries that he would be "putting his life on hold" again. But it would be different now... because he's already got the money for an engagement ring, we're already living together, and I have a good steady income. Plus, he's already halfway to an Associate's degree (or a fourth done with a Bachelor's) with a good grade history. I keep telling him that I want him to do whatever will make him feel good about himself, and happy in the future. And if he wants to do it, now is the time. We're young and energetic, and we don't have any kids (except the pets of course). So we'll see.

-----------------------------------------

His sister, bro-in-law & niece are coming to visit in mid-July I think. I have a week-long conference for work at the end of July, so they're coming either before or after that. It seems like we either have absolutely nothing going on, or EVERYTHING going on at once.

-----------------------------------------

I've got to get the pup's x-rays in the mail to the surgeon so he can check them out. But how do you mail x-rays so that they don't get bent or anything?

So yea... life is okay right now. I should say that it's great actually, because I have so many blessings that I should be counting!

After a telephone consultation with the orhopedic surgeon, I learned that our pup probably won't be getting surgery until 6 months from now. The surgeon doesn't want to do the implants until then because he is still growing so much. So, that's good news on the financial front, and hopefully everything will work out for our little guy. I had applied for a personal loan with 2 banks when I thought we were going to have to pay the money up-front to reserve a surgery date, and I've gotten calls from both of them saying that I was approved.

Now, if we can pay the surgeon through the vet clinic, I think they accept the "FirstCare" payment plan, which is a veterinary loan with no interest. That would be preferable, but if not, at least I know that I can get approved for a personal loan through a bank.

In the meantime, I'm mailing his x-rays to the surgeon, and we're starting him on some joint supplements that were recommended by the vet. We also got him some special canned dog food today, the same brand as the dry food, and he actually ate it really well when mixed. So maybe we can finally get back on a feeding schedule with him.

While we were getting his food in the pet store (it's kind of hard to find), we were looking at the cutest little puppies. It's hard to believe our 90-pound and 30-inches (at the shoulder) tall pup was ever that small! I can already tell that when BF & I have a house (and therefore a yard)... pets are going to be a problem area for our budget!

We've decided to make a meal plan this week, and see how it works out. Not only will it hopefully save us money in the long run, but it might help us to already know what we're fixing, so it's not so much stress after work.

So here are the meals for this week, and what we had to purchase at the store today in order to make them:

-Salmon w/ Lemon & Dill
Salmon Fillets ($4.18)
Butter (Already Had)
Lemon Juice ($1.29)
Dried Dill Weed ($2.67)
Garlic Powder (Already Had)
Sea Salt ($0.98)
Black Pepper (Already Had)
Peas (Already Had)
Carrots (Already Had)

-Army SOS Creamed Ground Beef
Ground Beef (Already Had)
All Purpose Flour (Already Had)
Cube Beef Bouillon ($1.59)
Salt (Already Had)
Black Pepper (Already Had)
Milk ($3.24)
Worcestershire Sauce ($1.00)
Egg Noodles ($1.23)
Bread ($0.97)

-Gingered Pork Chops In Orange Juice
Flour (Already Had)
Ground Ginger ($2.34)
Salt (Already Had)
Black Pepper (Already Had)
Olive Oil (Already Had)
Pork Chops (Already Had)
Onion (Already Had)
Orange Juice ($3.88)
Green Beans (Already Had)
Instant Potatos (Already Had)

-Mesquite Chicken w/ Salsa
Butter (Already Had)
Hickory Barbecue Sauce ($1.00)
Chicken Breasts (Already Had)
Salsa ($2.65)
Sour Cream (Already Had)
Corn On The Cob ($1.58)

-Burgers
Ground Beef (Already Had)
Sweet BBQ Sauce (Aleady Had)
Bread (purchased for above recipe)
Fries (Already Had)

-Spaghetti
Spaghetti Noodles (Already Had)
Spaghetti Sauce (Already Had)
Ground Turkey For Sauce (Already Had)
Garlic Bread ($1.37)

GRAND TOTAL: $29.97

That's not too bad at all really. Feeding 2 people for 7 meals, $30 is pretty good. Granted, alot of the meat we already had. But on the opposite side of that, alot of the ingredients will last forever for other meals. The spices, salmon, cob corn, milk, bread, and orange juice will all be extra. Hopefully that will mean in the future, I will need to buy even fewer ingredients to fulfill a recipe.

I'll have to let you all know how it goes!

In other news - BF bought a video game today. I was really proud of him, because a month or so ago he had traded in alot of older games, so that he would have enough store credit on a gift card for when this game came out. It's nice that he was prepared for it, and now he can enjoy the game without us really paying for it.

He's putting in alot of applications, so hopefully someone will call soon. I wish he would get a small office job, that way he could have a decent schedule and we'd have some time off together. Plus, it adds a different kind of experience to his resume for when we move back to our home state. AND... if he could get an office job close to our apartment, he could run home on his lunch breaks to take the pup out. We'll see I guess!

First of all, news about the pup: He is going to need surgery. While we were expecting this, it's somehow more stressful to know that we are definitely going to be scraping up some funds for it. The good news is that the orthopedic vet we went to was great. He doesn't do the hip replacement surgery (what our pup needs), so I felt like he was being very honest and upfront about what was best for us and our pet when he recommended it. It's good to know that he had nothing to gain from it from a marketing standpoint.

Anyway, we are calling to make a consultation appointment with a surgeon that does perform hip replacements regularly, and we were told to expect a total bill (surgery, hospital board, after-care, etc) of about 5-6 thousand. Definitely not pocket change, but we'll find a way to do it. The vet from Thursday also told us that most surgeons won't do this kind of surgery until the pup is at least 8-12 months old, because of future growth, so we may have a few months to scrape up the funds before we can even have it done.

So that is a little bit stressful, but then I look over at my precious pup lying on his blanket (which used to be my bed comforter, by the way) and chewing on BF's old stinky tennis shoe, and I remember that it's all worth it.

Another bit of stress is the fact that BF's parents will be here in 3 days! We cleaned quite a bit yesterday, and BF went over the kitchen today, but there is still alot that I want to get done before they get here. I don't know why I'm so nervous, I guess just because his mom is like a Martha Stewart or something, with everything always clean and perfect. That is definitely not our home, haha! I just keep thinking that they're going to walk in and think it smells like dog, or that we don't have much furniture, etc. Ahhhh!!!

AND... gas prices. Ick. There's no need to go into the details, but I just wish I had known that these increases were going to happen BEFORE I decided to save $400 a month by living 40 minutes away from my job. At this point, I think we would be paying the same amount in the rent/gas combination if we lived 5 minutes away! Ugh. Luckily, we are only here for at most another 9 months, hopefully less. And whenever we find out where the next stop is, I am determined to find a place VERY close! If we can just survive the gas costs until then.

Other than that, everything is going okay. Work is getting harder, with more projects that I need to get done and more work to do while actually at the store.

I did end up making a mini budget for us in Excel, and we've been doing pretty well with tracking our spending and bill paying for June.

BF is submitting resumes online for jobs, so here's hoping he finds something soon!

Let's see, what has happened since my last entry? My life is hectic right now.

We took the pup to the vet last week, which turned out to be a horrible experience. Long story short... we had to wait a week and a half for an appointment, then had to leave our dog all day while they did x-rays, then spent a total of 10 minutes actually talking to the vet about the x-rays. All he could tell us was that his hip was dislocated, which we could've deduced ourselves. Then he referred us to another vet, who is supposedly an orthopedic surgeon, who will tell us more about our options.

I can't even explain how frustrating it is to pay $186 for a vet visit that was not only very un-friendly, but also pretty much useless. So now we've got an appointment for the orthopedic vet on Thursday, and we're praying that we at least get some answers this time.

From what I understand, they can try to pop the hip back in place, and if it doesn't stay, they can try inserting a pin to make it stay. If it still doesn't stay (because larger breeds often have hip problems), then there is a surgery they can perform to replace the whole hip joint.

Of course, the surgery is expensive and involves alot of recovery time, but it's about 95% successful and ideally returns the dog to completely normal.

So, even though we really wanted to focus on paying off as much of our debt as we could before we start planning a wedding, we have decided that if our pup needs the surgery, he will get it.

The estimated cost depends on the vet, but the max is $5,000. According to the good-for-nothing vet from last week, prices have come down alot on this type of surgery in the past few years, so it's better than it could've been.

I know alot of people will think we're crazy for spending that kind of money, especially because we don't exactly have cash stuffed in the couch cushions... but I just can't bear the thought of NOT having it for him. Not only was he a gift from BF to myself, but he has been so good to me. So many nights he slept on my chest when I lived by myself, and when I had to move away from EVERYONE that I knew to another state, he is the only thing that made me feel safe at night. What kind of a person would I be if I decided he wasn't worth the cost of surgery?

We have researched a few different vets for the surgery (because if the orthopedic vet is anything like the vet that referred us to him, we won't be trusting our puppy's health to him)... and there are two in the area that have board-certified surgeons for orthopedics. I found out through one clinic's website that they offer a special type of financing just for vet-related expenses, and there are options for up to 36 months with no interest.

Anyway, BF has taken the money he saved out of his old savings account, and he now has it on-hand to buy my engagement ring (it's sad that I know so much, lol). I don't know when he plans to buy it, or when he's going to propose, but I hope it's soon.

In other news, we finally got my truck fixed, YAY!!! It was the starter after all, and believe it or not, once we called the tow truck and got it to the mechanic's place (about 3 minutes away), they had it done within a day. The cost for repair was $269, and the tow was $75. It's such a relief to have one major expense out of the way.

And even better, that means I can let BF have his car back! He got on CareerBuilder today and made a list of everywhere he wanted to go get applications from tomorrow. I think he's anxious to get out of the house.

His parents have decided that they're coming to visit us next week for a few days, so I'm kind of nervous about that. I just think it's going to be weird... like, are we supposed to cook for them, or should we go out, or what? And where are they going to sleep? I don't want them to have to get a hotel, especially when we have plenty of room here, but then again all we have besides our bed are the couches and a small air mattress. Oh well, I guess it will all work out. I will just have to spend Thursday (after the vet appointment) cleaning all day to get ready!

So there you have it, some parts of my life are getting in order, but most of it is a whirling mess right now.

Well, the sore throat got worse as yesterday wore on. I kept popping Motrin pills, but never felt the fever break at all. To top it all off, right before I decided it would be best to just try and sleep, BF started vomiting at regular intervals.

Apparently he had thrown up once yesterday afternoon, but he thought it was just some hotdogs he had eaten from a nearby gas station. But he ended up sleeping on an air mattress in an extra bedroom, and I ended up on the couch for most of the night. We are trying desperately not to pass whatever we have to each other. So now it's afternoon time and I have only seen him like 4 times today (mostly for his trips to the bathroom). I know he feels terrible, and I just hope that the sleep he's getting will help.

As for me, I was up for about half the night because my throat wouldn't let me sleep, so I'd fix myself a hot cup of tea. When I woke up this morning, I knew I couldn't go to work, so I called in. I always hate to call in, but today has just been the type of day when I couldn't even make myself care. I found some Vicks cough syrup which seemed to help for a bit, but I still can't get the scratchy feeling in my throat to go away long enough for me to sleep. I hate when it feels so dry and scratchy to breathe.

So here we are... I feel like the whole day has been wasted, but hopefully the rest and inactivity will do us all some good. I offered to work on Thursday (my day off) to make up for today, but I'm secretly hoping that they don't want me to, since the pup has a vet appt that morning that I don't want to reschedule. I also need to see about getting my truck towed on Thursday.

-----------------------------------------

And now on to something a little different. I have been thinking alot today, I guess because I haven't been able to do much else, and BF has been in solitary confinement most of the time.

Attending the wedding this weekend was stressful for me, and I didn't expect it to be at all. There I was, standing with BF and his parents, getting ready to deliver our wedding gifts and socialize with his family, when I spotted the bride-to-be taking some pre-wedding pictures under a huge oak tree. And that's when it hit me... that nasty, horrible tingle of jealousy.

At first I didn't really realize what was going on, because we were constantly talking to different relatives and friends, and I didn't have time to really analyze how I felt. But as the afternoon wore on, it got worse.

Now that I've had a little time to analyze things, I guess I've figured it out.

First of all, they have known each other for a little over a year now, and they're already getting married. I know alot of people would just look at that as silly... but I refuse to say that they're not ready, so it just seems unfair to me. BF & I have been dating about 3 1/2 years, and there I was in the crowd watching this all take place.

Then there's the fact that she's younger than me (and BF too), only 20 I believe. It wouldn't be a big deal if they were both older and established, but the fact that she is 20 makes it worse.

So I guess I had an inkling of jealousy somewhere inside me before I even got to the wedding on Saturday. But then seeing her, smiling and happy, and really beautiful, it just got worse. How sad is that?

She's skinny (even though she's almost 4 months pregnant), beautiful, and has such an outgoing personality. And the wedding site was beautiful, it was at her grandparent's house in our hometown, and the weather couldn't have been better for them. Everybody had a great time, and even though we had been there for about 5 hours by the time the reception was really coming to an end, nobody seemed to get bored or want to leave.

Then at the after-party, there was a moment when one of BF's uncles was joking with her about family traditions, and she said "Man, I love this family already!" I just felt so crappy after that. Of course, she has every right to say it, she is an official part of that family now, and everybody loves her I'm sure. But I just couldn't help thinking, "You don't even KNOW this family!"

Ugh... I don't even know what to say at this point. I hate that I feel this way. I think BF sensed that something was wrong at the after-party, but I didn't want to tell him that I was in a bad mood because I was jealous.

I guess it all boils down to the fact that I've always been a logical person. My whole life, I've based decisions and expectations on the theory that in the end, things are pretty fair, and you get out what you put in.

And now, I just feel like it's sort of unfair. She's younger than me, she has no set career path that she's worked for, they've only been dating a year, and she barely knows the family. And yet now, she's an official part of it, and I'm not.

For anyone still reading this... don't get me wrong. I know it sounds pathetic, stupid, and juvenile. I don't like feeling jealous, but I think it's important that I recognize the feelings for what they are, so that I can deal with the causes.

So my conclusions... I have realized somewhere along the lines today that part of my insecurity and jealousy stems from a feeling that I can't change anything. I felt helpless because she was skinny and I'm not, because she was glammed-up and outgoing, and I'm not necessarily. And I felt like I had been cheated, that in a way, it should've been my wedding they were attending.

But now I've realized that if I want to be skinny, I can be. I've been slowly losing a pound or two here and there, and I haven't even been dieting. But I know I would feel better about myself if I was thinner, and I would feel healthier too.

I've also realized that when BF & I do have our wedding, the people that we really care about will understand our story. They will understand what we have been through in our relationship, the sacrifices we have made, and how much we mean to each other. The people that really matter will know how much our wedding means, and it won't matter if it's the second, third, or hundredth one they've been to in a year.

So I think I've come away from this weekend with a healthier point of view, and a renewed sense of self.

Now I know that everything will be fine, that it's not a competition to see who has the fanciest wedding or who great-uncle Mike likes best. I have also realized that if I am jealous of girls because they get glammed up to go shopping or because they are "girly", then I should quit complaining and do something about it. I don't have to stay the same way I was in middle school, a tomboy who only gets dressed up for special occassions. I may never be high-maintenance (and I don't want to be), but if painting my nails or obsessing about my hair makes me feel better about myself, then I can do that.

Okay, I know I'm rambling. I'm sick, give me a break.

If you got lost reading all that, I basically just decided to go on a diet and get to looking the way I want to look, and live the way I want to live.

Get the feeling this is going to be a happy entry? lol. Actually, things aren't so bad.

We made the 8 hour trip home this weekend, in the middle of Memorial Weekend traffic, to attend BF's cousin's wedding. We left Friday at 6:30 (when I got home from work), and arrived at 3:15 AM Saturday morning. Then we had to wake up at 9:30 to visit our banks in that state before they closed, and then headed to the wedding at 3:30. Left there at 8:30, went to my parent's house to change clothes, then back to BF's parents to sleep. Sunday we went back to my parent's house before leaving at 1:30. Arrived home about 9:30 last night, and had to get up at 6 AM for work today.

Needless to say, I was a little tired for work today, and feeling a little sick to boot. At first it was just a sore throat & aching ears, but as the day progressed, I acquired a constantly running nose, sneezing, coughing, and what felt like a fever. Bleh.

So now I'm home, and we've decided to have Chinese food tonight. We've been doing pretty well about cooking at home (although not tracking expenses like I want to), so I thought we'd treat ourselves while we recover. I just hope I don't pass whatever I have to BF.

So what else... an upcoming expense will be the starter for my truck & the tow bill to get it there. We called to get estimates, seems like the repair will run about $300, plus about $90 for the tow. We've started to talk about a new (to me) car, but who knows. I really don't want the payment, but with gas prices increasing like they are, and my truck's reliability seeming to fail, I think it's something we can't totally ignore.

Another expense... the pup's vet visit. We have it scheduled for Thursday so we can both go, and we're hoping to hear some not-so-bad news. His hip has started acting up, and now he won't put any weight on that back leg. BF said he read that it might be a condition that alot of his breed get, which requires surgery to fix. So we're hoping for the best... even though we're not sure what that is.

Our finances are slowly starting to get simpler. BF was able to close his old savings & checking account this weekend, but we didn't have time to close mine. Hopefully by the time he goes home next month for his other cousin's wedding, we can finally put that account to rest as well.

I also acted on a balance transfer offer that I received from one of my credit cards, and so now the Discover balance has been added to the State Farm card. There is 6.5% interest on the amount until July of 2009, and because I've been paying 17% on that card, it should help some.

A bit of good news is that my company is waiving our health & dental insurance premiums for two pay periods (4 weeks). Apparently the premiums decreased for this year, so they are not making us pay at all for two paychecks. That will be about $80 total.

Most of our bills are paid for this month, but I am nervous that we're forgetting something. I am attempting to create an Excel document for us to use, if I can ever find time and create something workable. My idea is to make something with our savings/debts balances in one section, and then monthly income/expense tracker in another. We'll see.

Well, I'm starting to feel a little worse, so I suppose I'd better get off here and rest a bit. Hope everyone else is well!

Not much new to add today. I had to work, and then came home to have tacos for dinner with BF.

I've decided to start tracking each purchase again, but I'll probably wait until the the last week of May or beginning of June to do so. We worked on our joint budget a few days ago, and made alot of progress, but there are still alot of variables at this point. We have exact amounts on all our debt except for BF's car loan, so he has to call and get the payoff on that. I just like to know where we stand on everything.

The way it looks now, BF needs to find a job making at least $8/hour (shouldn't be too hard around this area), and then he'll need to work at least 38 hrs/week. Hopefully he'll get one making at least $9.50, which would mean less hours that he'd HAVE to work, but more money for the Wedding Fund if he did.

We plan to work on my truck on Thursday (my day off). Some of the guys at my work have given me some advice on determining if it's the starter, so we're going to try a few different things on Thursday morning, and then if it doesn't work, try to get it towed somewhere Thursday afternoon. Hopefully we'll get it figured out somehow.

As for this blog, I have updated much of it with our "joint" information, but it's a bit depressing. The total debt & expenses obviously increased with BF's addition to the household. I have to keep reminding myself that it's not that our debt really INCREASED that much, just that we've combined it into one place now. I'm glad that I started this blog when I did, because I think it will make it much easier for us to keep track of our joint expenses and budget now.

Anyway, time to crunch some more numbers and then hit the sack.

...since I posted last.

Things have certainly changed! BF is here, he actually ended up coming up a day early to surprise me (although he ended up telling me the night before), hehe. We have made the trip back to our home state for my college graduation, and my family had a bonfire party to celebrate, so that was awesome.

My truck has decided to quit starting completely, so thank goodness I've had BF's car to drive to work the last week. It's not starting at all now, so we're not sure if it's still the clutch switch or if it's the starter, battery, etc. Either way, we have to get it fixed soon. We bought some fuel injector cleaner tonight, and we're going to try that before we call to get it towed to the shop. *crosses fingers*

As for the budget... I'm ashamed to say that we haven't even had one written down for this month. Things have been so hectic with trying to close our old bank accounts, rearranging direct deposits and bills, odd expenses, and traveling, that it's been almost impossible.

Along the way, I've figured out that apparently my bi-weekly pay fluctuates according to how many hours I work. Not a big deal, except that I am on "salary". Why do they call it salary if I get paid less for 39 hours compared to 40 hours/week? And for overtime, I only get paid HALF my normal hourly rate. It's odd, but at least now I know to make sure I get in my full 40 hours if I want the exact paycheck.

BF is anxious to begin looking for a job here. Our original plan was for him to get one the week after we came back from my graduation, but that couldn't exactly happen with me having to drive his car to work. Even more reason for us to get my truck fixed soon.

There is a positive side to him being at home though (besides the fact that I get to see him more)... there is a lot less stress about the pup. He doesn't have to stay in his crate all day, and he sleeps pretty well at night. We've come a long way with the house training, the only issue now is that since we share the responsibility, sometimes we both let it slip our minds that he needs to go out. Usually we remember when we see him start circling, but every now and then we end up cleaning up a mess. But definitely alot better.

Since pretty much my whole budget will have to be redone with our new situation, I have alot of updating to do. I'll try to get to the My Budget page, as well as the debt/savings amounts on my sidebar. I'll have to include all of BF's expenses, and calculate about how much he'll need to be bringing in every month to cover the excess. My debts will probably go up a bit from last time, since I put many of my purchases on my Discover Card until I could transfer money from my old checking to my new. I haven't sent that bill in yet, so the balance is still there. I want the updated amount on my sidebar anyway.

Well... guess I'd better get to updating. I've missed reading everyone's blogs and updating my own. Kind of felt out of control when I wasn't posting my daily expenses or recording every small milestone in savings. It's good to be back.

---> Forgot to add... WE FINALLY GOT A COUCH!!! YAY! Actually, we got a matching set of brown leather sofa & loveseat. I feel like we got a pretty good deal too, both for $1000 delivered. We stumbled on a place that was going out of business (they were right beside a Value City Furniture, go figure), and they cut the price down for us nicely. They even threw in four really nice throw pillows that match the leather on the couches. AND now I can mark that as one goal finished on my sidebar. We're thrilled.

Purchases for yesterday (4/19):

Gas: $40.46
Snacks: $3.08 + $1.58

-----------------------------------------

It was pouring the rain when I got up this morning, but it has stopped now, so I might run to Walmart to pick up a few things today. On the list so far:

-Carpet Shampooer Solution
-Fabric Freshener
-Disposable Camera

I feel like there is more that I need, but since I forgot to write it down, I have no idea. Either way, I'm going to wait before I go, because if I don't need anything besides those three, I'm not going to waste a trip. I can go without those until Thursday (my next day off). By then I might have more to add to my list.

Because of my snacking yesterday, I'm pretty sure my food budget is gone for the month. It should be okay, because I've got stuff to make here at home & take to work, but I'll have to put in a little more effort as there is no wiggle room. I'm really trying to resist going over on the budget. It's hard when I know that I have a "safety net" in my checking account. I've just got to remember that I have a budget for a reason, and next month I won't splurge early on McDonalds!!!

So right now I've got some cheesy rice cooking, and I guess I'll try to finish the Kool-Aid that I made before making a pitcher of sweet tea. I wish I had just made tea to begin with, the Kool-Aid just isn't doing it for me.

-----------------------------------------
Puppy Update: We are SLOWLY, but surely, getting to our goal of total housetraining. Because I'm uncomfortable crating him all night right now, I am just getting up when I hear him get up in the mornings (if it's too early for me to get up) and putting him in his crate for 30 mins to an hour until I am ready to take him out. At least that ensures that he's not going to go on the carpet. It should be easier when BF gets here too, and I only have to take him out HALF the time.

-----------------------------------------

BF should be here in 9 days. Finally in the single digits! :P I can't wait, and I'm trying to come up with some neat things to do to celebrate.

I already have some cookie dough that doesn't expire before then, and that is one of our favorite things to do... make cookies together.

I also have a poster that I've decorated that says "Welcome Home"... kind of humorous because this will really be the first time it's been his "home".

We also have a $25 gift card to Red Lobster that I got as a gift for my birthday a few months ago, so we could use that to go out and eat, but will probably save it until the weekend.

So for the day he gets here, I have cookies & a poster, haha. I am going to try and have the apartment as clean as possible so he doesn't feel like he's coming home to a junkyard, and it will mean more time we can spend together not worrying about cleaning/laundry.

I also want to have a financial binder of some sort ready when he gets here, so we can start budgeting together. The May budget will likely be a special one, as we are going to be having some weird expenses (2 trips to our home state for my graduation & his cousin's wedding, buying a couch), and he will be finding a job in that time. The income part will be largely estimated, but we have an emergency amount to dip into if needed. Hopefully by June we will have a pretty standard budget in place.

-----------------------------------------

Well, lots to do today and not so much time to do it in, so I guess I should get started if I want to accomplish any of my goals for BF's getting here.

-----------------------------------------

Note: I forgot to add that I've tweaked my monthly budget again (always a work in progress, right?). This time I just changed the amounts going towards my credit cards and the amount I'm putting towards our Wedding Fund. After researching some average photographers and reception sites, etc., I've discovered that many of them ask for a deposit up front, and so we will need to have cash ready for that.

Because it's not possible for us to pay off our debts and save the necessary amounts at the same time, I talked to BF, and we decided the best thing to do would be to pay the minimum amounts (or a little more) on the debts, and put the rest towards our Wedding Fund. Any extra income from surveys, ebay, change, etc. will also go towards the Wedding Fund, as well as if we underspend for our budget one month.

So, at the end of each month, we'll mail in the total of our surpluses to our Wedding Fund savings account.

We could take out a personal loan for the wedding, but I like the idea of slowly paying down some of our debt, while saving as much as we can for our wedding. I also know that it will help us to be more frugal if we are saving, instead of knowing we are getting a loan for the wedding. We'll see.

Forgot to add yesterday that I randomly found $0.25 at work. Then found $0.02 this morning outside my apartment complex. Adding that to the loose change found when cleaning out my truck the other day, and my "cash in a coffee can" is growing nicely. I must stay on the look-out for more.

I was attempting to balance my old checking account this morning when I realized that I am on my last check. I was thinking that I had another whole book, but I can't find it anywhere. Maybe not. Either way, I had planned on using that check to pay at the gas station this morning (one of the few that will take checks) instead of using my Discover Card. BUT... I can't do that now, because I need that check to make a deposit into my NEW checking account.

I'm going to take the survey check I got in the mail this week, and my last personal check and go to my new bank today. I'm thinking I can write myself a check from my old account, and deposit it to my new one? Hopefully.

I don't want to order any more checks for the old one, because I will hopefully be closing it soon. But there are a few things that I will need checks for, so for now, I'll deposit money into my new acct, then get cash from an ATM and get a money order for what I need to mail.

I'm going to have BF get some cash from the old account and bring it with him when he comes as well. Slowly, I need to phase that one out. The timing is difficult because I have my insurance automatically withdrawn from it, and my paychecks automatically deposited. Hmmm.

Well, I've put stamps on about 12 of my graduation invites, so those will be on their way this morning. I need to get some more stamps and finish them.

I don't have much left in my food budget, but I think I might spend $2 on lunch today. I honestly don't feel like fixing anything, blah. We'll see.

Off to work!

Managed to get the truck to the shop this morning, and picked it up after work. $511.38 later, there is no grinding noise and the brakes are much better!

The mechanics said I needed new front brakes (period), and one new router. They managed to fix the other router, and cleaned/maintenanced my back brakes. I also told them about the issue of it not starting periodically, and they performed an electrical test. That guy said it was one of two things: either I need a completely new starter, or the neutral-safety switch for the clutch was going out. He said he thought it was the switch because when he wiggled the clutch, it started, but it could still be the starter.

Anyways, the $511.38 was the total for the brakes/router/labor/oil/tax today, and they had to order the switch for the clutch. He estimated that would be about $65 next week (but I'm not sure if that includes labor). I asked him how much a new starter would be, and he said with labor, somewhere between $300-$400 more. Whew! Let's pray it's not the starter, just the switch!!!

I do feel alot relieved, though. The brakes are new, the grinding is gone, and the oil is changed (next stop 119K miles). So hopefully when they replace the clutch switch next week, that will be the end of it for a good long while. *crosses fingers*

-----------------------------------------

Some random work news: I was taking out the trash before we closed the other night, and in my boss's office I saw a manilla folder with my name on it on her desk. I knew it wasn't my personnel file, because those are different looking, so I thought it must be MY manilla folder I had left in there earlier. I looked inside to see if she had marked anything else off my list, but then realized it wasn't mine. It was a manager's appraisal of my performance (monthly I guess), and with a quick glance, I saw that she had marked "Excellent" for my performance. Yay. I assume that I will see that form officially at some point anyway, but it's nice to know she thinks I'm doing good right now.

-----------------------------------------

Eleven days till BF moves in. He's already cleaned his car out and washed it, so that he can pack his things in.

-----------------------------------------

Puppy Update: Since I vacuumed/shampooed the carpet yesterday, he hasn't had any accidents. He didn't even get up last night and try to go. If we keep having problems at night though, I will wait until BF gets up here and then we'll crate him overnight. I don't want to do it now because he's my only company. (Yes, I'm a chicken like that.)

-----------------------------------------

I need to figure out something to fix for dinner. I'm out of the ground turkey that I bought. I kind of feel like making some frozen veggies in the skillet, but then again I'd also like something with a bit more flavor. Hmmm, I dunno. One thing's for sure... I don't have much money left in the food budget for the month, so I can't go buy anything.

-----------------------------------------

Now that I've got the truck expenses taken care of (I hope), we need to start thinking about a budget for buying a couch. I have some extra from my signing bonus & tax refund, but I want to leave about $800 or so in there in case we need it before BF finds a job, or an emergency.

We want a brown leather couch, and we've decided that we'd like to go with a higher quality that will last us a while, rather than the cheapest just to get by. We have the cash for it, so I'd rather get something quality, but of course we can't break the bank either. Plus, we want to eventually have brown leather furniture as the cornerstone of our living room in our "real house". (That's what we call the house that we will someday OWN... instead of renting apartments)

Anybody know about how much a good, new, brown leather couch would cost? Anything we should know before shopping, any special kinds to look for? Any help would be appreciated!

Okay, here is the list of what I was able to accomplish today:

=Vacuumed Living Room
=Shampooed Living Room
=Took The Pup Outside For Some Walking
=Cleaned Out The Truck
=Took Out Trash
=Cooked Dinner/Lunch For Tomorrow

Not as productive as I would have liked, but enough to make me feel a little bit ahead for tomorrow.

For dinner, I used the rest of the ground turkey, and the other half of my bag of frozen stir-fry veggies. I also made some white rice, and added a little cream of mushroom soup for flavor. Now as long as I can remember to clean my tupperware and pack the leftovers for tomorrow, I should be set for lunch.

While I was cleaning out my truck, I couldn't help but laugh at myself. It's been quite a while since I've actually taken stuff OUT of it (usually I'll just shove it behind the seats), but since I am taking it in tomorrow for repairs, I figured I'd better get it looking presentable. I had so much stuff in there from moving here, from work, even from when I was in college and practically lived out of my truck during the day.

A partial list of what I found:

=Facial Cleanser/Astringent
=2 Bottles of Body Spray
=Lipstick
=2 Books
=Foundation Powder
=Cough Drops
=Unopened Bag of Popcorn
=All Kinds of Old Paperwork
=College Class Papers
=Beauticontrol Lip Peel
=Umbrella
=Box of Crayons
=Lots of Clothes Hangers
=The Pup's Old Leash
=Some Random Change
=3 Deodorants
=5 Coffee Mugs
=Some Random Clothes

Honestly, I don't understand how it was all in there to begin with. The good news - I won't have to buy deodorant or body spray for a while, and I can add the random change I found to my "cash in a coffee can".

Today did turn out to be a NSD. I need to make sure my checkbook is balanced so that I'm prepared for whatever damage the truck repairs will cause to it tomorrow.

Today will be a busy day. Or it should be a busy day, depending on whether I actually get motivated enough to do all the things I'd like to do. Maybe to provide a stimulus, I'll post later tonight about everything I did (or didn't) get accomplished. Geesh... why are days off so hard to come by?

The good news is that today should be a NSD, unless I run across some bills that I need to pay. I'm not going anywhere, mainly because I don't need to spend any money, and because I don't want to risk driving my truck any more than I have to until it gets fixed. I need to take a look at my checking account balances and future expenses, and see if I can swing some new tires while I'm getting the truck worked on, too.

I did manage to complete about 20 of my graduation invitations this morning. I am going to call my mom later, because I'm sure she'll be able to remind me of a few people that I forgot about. There are also a few that I just need addresses for.

Speaking of graduation - I think I'm also going to ask my mom about having a small get-together afterwards. The actual ceremony is at 8:30 AM, about 40 minutes from my hometown. So if it lasts and hour or two, and then everybody drives back, it would be the perfect time for lunch. I'm thinking that I might be able to get my grandma to cook outside on the grill, which is always awesome. Hopefully most of my immediate family could make it - mom, siblings, grandma, aunts, uncles, cousins, and of course BF. I might even see if BF's sisters & parents want to come, but they may have other plans. Guess I might need to check with mom about it first though.

-----------------------------------------

It's a beautiful day here, even a little on the hot side. If I have time between all I hope (and need) to get done today, I might see if me & the pup can try Squirrel Frisbee again. We'll see.

-----------------------------------------

I have several things I need to plan for soon. One is a haircut, although I have no idea where to go. I might see if there is a Great Clips or anything close to me. I want to make sure I get it done before graduation. Nothing drastic, just a couple inches off the length. The other thing is something to wear to graduation... I'm not sure if people wear dresses or just dress clothes under their gown? Either way, I have no idea what I could throw together out of my current wardrobe. All of this can wait until after the truck is fixed though, so I know how much that expense will be, and also won't be afraid to drive it.

-----------------------------------------

Only 12 days until BF gets here. That is so crazy to say. I remember the first day he left, and I was thinking, 3 months is too freaking long for this. Needless to say, it got shortened to 2 months, but these have still been the longest two months of my life! It's so crazy when he talks about telling his bosses bye, or planning on switching his cell phone plan. It's really that close!

I am really excited about making our budget together. I think I may try to come up with a finance binder for us, to keep track of all the various things we've got going on. I don't want to spend money on it though... so I'll have to see if I can dig something out of my old college stuff.

-----------------------------------------

Well, that's it for now, I guess I'll stop procrastinating and try to get something accomplished today. :P

Payday will officially be Friday 4/18 (when it will be direct deposited), but I got my pay stub today:

Net Pay After Taxes: $1,079.92
Health/Vision/Dental: -$56.76
401K: $0.00
Net Deposit: $1,023.16

Included in the net pay is 1.85 hours of overtime, amounting to about $11 extra. I'm adding that to the challenge, and will deposit it into the Wedding Fund at the end of the month.

The amount taken out for my health/vision/dental is the same as last time, which is a little more than I had budgeted for it, so I'm going to go ahead and change that part of my montly budget. The good news is, the net pay after taxes is higher than I expected, so I'm going to change the budget reflecting that as well.

-----------------------------------------
Spent $2.12 on McDonalds breakfast this morning. That's what I get for being early!

Also spent $20 on the DC for gas on the way home.

-----------------------------------------
At the recommendation of a guy that I work with, I went down to the car shop in our shopping center on my lunch break. When I described what I had going on with my truck, the man there said his guess was the brakes hitting metal in the front end (whatever that means). I was able to make an appointment for Friday morning, so I will drop the truck off and then walk back to our store for work. Then they are supposed to figure out what's wrong with it, and call me to let me know. From there, I'll probably ask the same guy I work with (and maybe call my brother) to make sure what they are saying & what they want to charge are reasonable. Then, if everything is a go, I was told that they could have the work done by the time I got off work.

Right now, I am just hoping it's not over $700. I also need to get the oil changed while it's there (if they do that), and I probably need new tires if I'm going to try and keep the truck for a while. I would estimate the tires at about $90 a pop, so an extra $360 plus labor if I wanted to do that. Ugh. I really don't want to spend $1,000 or more right now, but I know the mechanics are going to push new tires, and I will feel stupid not taking them, because they are about 4 years old, and I'm constantly battling flats. Oh well, we'll see what they say and how much the first repairs are going to be.

-----------------------------------------

The good news for today is that we had free pizza for lunch at work, so no money spent there.

And finally... I am off to update a few of the pages in my side bar, and then FINALLY fill out my graduation invitations to mail. Woo hoo.

I was too sidetracked to post last night, but I spent $5.20 on cigarettes yesterday on the DC.

I also got my first check from doing surveys, a whopping $9! Every little bit helps, and I am going to add $9 to our Wedding Fund at the end of the month. Also adding that $9 into the challenge.

Did manage to get to the post office yesterday before work to pick up my graduation package. I freaked out at first because I thought they had forgotten the fancy envelope seals, but found them stuck down in another section later. So as far as I know, I can start sending the invitations out tonight, or whenever I have time outside of work. I need to get them done soon though, only about 2 weeks until graduation. I still need to try on the cap & gown, and see if grandma will need to hem it.

-----------------------------------------
Puppy Update: We're doing well now when I take him outside, but still having problems in the late evening and during the night. I don't give him water a few hours before bedtime, so it confuses me that he even HAS to go, but oh well. My new plan is to move his crate into the bedroom, and have him sleep in there. That should work, unless he barks/whines the whole time, because then I'll have to take him out so the neighbors aren't mad. Grrr.

-----------------------------------------

In other news, I've lost another pound toward my weight loss goal. Still alot more to go to get to my target weight, but only about 15 lbs to get to my weight a year ago. I have no idea how I gained so much in such a short amount of time? Craziness.

-----------------------------------------

Less than 2 weeks until BF moves in, and I can't wait!!! It feels like forever since I've seen him even, and it's going to be such a great experience to have him here all the time. Ahh, relief!

-----------------------------------------

I talked to a guy at my work yesterday that knows a little about vehicles, and he seems to think that the problem I'm having with my truck is the wheel bearings. He said his was making a similar noise and that was his problem, and that it cost him about $400 to get it fixed. The only good news is that he got it fixed at the shop right down the shopping strip from our store, so if they can do it, maybe I can drop it off while I'm at work and pick it up afterwards. I just need to get it done, before my wheel comes off!

-----------------------------------------

Well, that's it for now, but payday is this weekend, so maybe I'll have my paycheck to report later. Off to work!

Well, here I sit, checking SA blogs, BEFORE I go to work. This is getting a bit ridiculous, huh?

I've packed the leftovers from last night's dinner for my work lunch. I ended up cooking 1/2 pound of ground turkey, 3 slices of cheese (mixed in once it melted), some spaghetti broken up into little pieces, and at the end, threw in some diced tomatoes. When the spaghetti was soft and everything was mixed well, I put the mixture into a soft tortilla, and rolled it up like a burrito. I had absolutely NO idea what I was doing, but it turned out very well! So well that I think I'm going to write the recipe down before I forget it, ha!

So I've got that for lunch, and I'll probably pack a salad as well, and some more Kool-Aid. I really wish I had went ahead and made some sweet tea the other day instead of the Kool-Aid, but I gave in to the convenience factor. I think it's because of where I am from... I'm having sweet tea withdrawals.

And here's a change... instead of the pup, it's the cat that is driving me crazy at the moment. When BF isn't here (which he hasn't been for a month), I sleep with my bedroom door closed & locked. If I put the cat inside the bedroom with me & the pup, he gets up in the middle of the night and starts pawing the door wanting out. He is declawed, but the door still slightly "thumps" with his weight on it, so I'm afraid the neighbors will get mad if I don't stop him. Then when I let him out and go back to sleep, 30 minutes later he's pawing at the door, wanting back in!

And this morning I got up to find that he had knocked a little plastic container of puppy treats off into the floor, and had somehow managed to get it open, and EAT ALL OF THEM!!! Those were like $4 a bottle, and we only used them for training, so they would've lasted forever. Eh... I guess another bottle will have to come out of the Pet Supplies budget before long.

Anyway, I'm about to grab a cup of coffee (that I made at home, of course),and throw my clothes in the dryer for work. If I have time, I'd love to go by the post office and pick up my graduation stuff before work, so I can work on it tonight. We'll see.

Hope everyone has a great day!

Today started out well... it was much easier to drag myself out of bed for the early shift this morning, because I knew I had everything pretty much ready to go for work. I had already packed the leftover stir-fry and salad in tupperware containers, as well as a plastic bottle I filled with Kool-Aid. I managed to start the coffee pot, turn the clothes dryer on, and take the pup outside to pee in about 5 minutes.

Work went well, no extremely rude customers. I'm actually getting into some of the purchasing/receiving areas now, so it's a little more interesting than just being a merchandiser.

One of the assistant managers came back today after being out with a broken ankle, and when I filled him in on BF's planned move-in date at the end of the month, he asked if he had found a job yet. I told him that we hadn't even started looking, that we had a little saved to tide us over for a month or so, but hopefully he'd be able to find something soon. Then the guy suggests that BF can probably get on fairly quickly with our same company, at another store. I didn't know that was allowed, but apparently it doesn't matter as long as you don't work at the same store. So he says he will call the manager over there, and see what he can do.

Even though that store is still about 30 minutes away from our apartment, it would pay pretty well, and we'd know he wouldn't be working nights. So we'll see what happens.

-----------------------------------------
Puppy Update: Two successful trips outside before work this morning, then a successful trip after work when I got home. While I was changing the kitty litter, he went #2 inside. I actually don't mind that as much as #1, because it's easier to clean-up and doesn't leave any smell behind. But other than that, no other accidents, so we're doing well so far.
-----------------------------------------

I think I finally have things settled with my old apartment complex. I faxed my move-in sheet to them on Saturday while I was at work, and then called to verify that it got there. The property manager doesn't work weekends, so I said I would call her back today to make sure she didn't need anything else (i.e. that she wasn't going to try and charge me for the carpet). So I called today, and apparently she hadn't even looked at the fax yet.

When she finally did, all she said was "Yes, you were in my to-do file" and "Alright, yes, it's very thorough". You'd bet your bottom it's thorough, just for these types of situations! Then she told me that would be fine, and that I could just send the check for the bill she had sent me for breaking the lease & my last water bill, and it would be done.

So I made out the check tonight & will mail it tomorrow morning, a total of $994.42. I don't think I've ever been so happy to write a check!!!

Plus, this amount was about $1,000 under what I had estimated from what the other girl told me at first, so that will be that much more in our reserves to either pay down debt or tide us over until BF finds a job. I still don't know how the two people got two totally different amounts for what I would owe to break the lease, but I'm guessing that maybe because I moved for work, they didn't charge me so many penalties? Either way, I have the copy of the bill that she sent me, and I wrote "Everythingn Paid In Full" on the check, so they had better not try to come back and say I owe them another $1K later on.

-----------------------------------------

I had a note on my door Saturday when I got in from work, saying I had a package to pick up at the post office. My mom was forwarding my graduation cap/gown and invitations, and I told her to add delivery confirmation, just in case. I could have picked it up today, but the post office was closed by the time I got home from work. I will try to swing by there tomorrow morning before I leave for work.

I am very anxious to try the cap/gown on and make sure they fit! I am so nervous now that it's getting down to the wire and less than a month till graduation. I just don't want to show up in the wrong color gown or something!

I can't wait to see the invitations, either. Hopefully they didn't spell my name or my major wrong or anything. I want to be able to get them out in the mail this week, so that the people I'm actually inviting to attend can have a definite time/date, and the people I'm only sending an "announcement" invitation to can start thinking about sending me money. :P

I think I might go ahead and make a list of people to send them to tonight, so I can get them all done faster.

-----------------------------------------

Other news on the job fronts... one of BF's managers told him that he would be willing to give him a written recommendation to bring with him here, since it's two states away and all. I thought that was really nice, and shows what a great employee BF has been over the past 4 years there. And the other manager has already told him that he's on the "re-hire" list for whenever he wants to come back. What a hard worker.

I broached the time-off subject with my manager today, and I have to admit, I was a little nervous about it. I already have to ask off for my graduation the first weekend in May. I will need off that Saturday to drive to my home state, then the graduation is EARLY the next day, and then I expect that the decent thing to do would be to stay and visit with my & BF's families the rest of the day Sunday. We would drive back on Monday, but I'd need off all day Monday because there is no way I'd be able to make it back in time for work (it's an 8 hour drive).

Then BF's cousin's wedding is May 25th, which is a Sunday, so that puts me in the same situation. Although, if it's in the afternoon on Sunday, I may be able to pull off working the early shift on Saturday and then us driving the 8 hours Saturday evening/night. Then I'd only have to take off that Sunday/Monday.

AND... if BF's sister decides that she's going to do her shot-gun wedding thing in June, I will definitely need off for a few days there, too.

I explained the situation to my manager, and she seemed to think that I could probably give the dates to the assistant manager that does the scheduling, and probably work it out so that I give up having Thursdays off those weeks, and only end up using 1 vacation day for each event. So since I'm already off on Sundays, and I could work Thursday to make up for missing Saturday, I would really only be taking a day off for Monday.

But we'll see how that goes... I need to verify the BF's cousin's wedding is really May 24th, and then write out a list of my scheduling needs to give to the A.M. ahead of time.

-----------------------------------------

Phew... that was alot. The only spending I had today was $30.01 on the DC for gas.

Now I just gotta figure out something tasty for dinner.. I'm starving!!!

Finally got motivated to go grocery shopping tonight. I had roughly $33 left of my food budget for the month (thanks to splurging early in the month on McDonalds), so I planned to buy some pantry-stuffers and spend about $20.

The goods:

1 Gallon of 1% Milk
1 Can Cream of Celery
1 Can Cream of Chicken
1 Can Cream of Mushroom
1 Can of Diced Mushrooms
1 Box of Bowtie Pasta
1 Box of Shell Pasta
1 Bag of Colby/Jack Shredded Cheese
1 Bag of Pizza Shredded Cheese
1 Bag of Frozen Broccoli/Cauliflower
1 Bag of Frozen Stir Fry Veggies
2 Bags of Frozen Mixed Veggies
1 Bag of White Rice (2 lbs)
1 Can Diced Tomatos
1 Packet of Spaghetti Sauce Mix
2 Packs of Ground Turkey (1 lb each)

Total Including Tax: $21.65

-----------------------------------------

I feel like I did pretty well, and hopefully when combined with what I've already got stashed away, I can survive the rest of the month with $11 in the food budget.

I also used my gift card again, so I didn't have to actually pay out of my checking account.

-----------------------------------------

Also paid my cell phone bill today for this month. It was more expensive than I had anticipated, $116.55 instead of the budgeted $90. I'll be watching my anytime minutes a little more carefully this month, but with BF moving in at the end of April, I don't foresee another problem.

-----------------------------------------

I actually made myself dinner tonight, using some of the groceries I bought. I used 1/2 lb of the ground turkey, 1/2 bag of the stir-fry veggies, and the cream of celery. Ended up with some tasty stir-fry.

I put half of what I made into a tupperware container for my work lunch tomorrow, and also chopped the last head of lettuce that I had in the fridge to make a salad for my work lunch, too.

Now I just need to make a pitcher of sweet tea or Kool-Aid, so that I can take that in a bottle tomorrow, and I will bet set to go.

Gotta work the early shift, so I don't wanna get up any earlier than I have to!

-----------------------------------------

In other news, BF is going to be here in 16 days (but who's counting?). I can't wait, I miss him so much. Things will be so much easier and less stressful when I know that I've actually got someone here with me just in case.

Puppy Update: We haven't done so hot today, I feel like yesterday ruined all the progress we had made thus far. We have had a few successful trips outside today, but so many random accidents! Oh well, looking forward, tomorrow should be better.

Well, I'm off to do some laundry, start the dishwasher, and make some tea.

1. I know you think you want to be a veterinarian, but you don't. You'll realize when you get to college that organic chemistry with 600 other students, well, it kicks your butt. But just think about it, do you REALLY want to be jerked out of bed in the middle of the night to go tend to a birthing cow? (You know how much you like your sleep.)

2. Dorm life isn't all that bad, enjoy it. You'll be itching to get your own apartment as soon as you move in to the 7 x 15 space that you are to share with your roomie, but don't rush. You'll miss alot of good times (I don't want to ruin any surprises, so I'll just say "slip-n-slide", "hobo man", and "electric checks". There will be some priceless, cozy, Sunday afternoons spent with your new BF, too. So when you're trudging down 15 flights of stairs for your first fire drill at 3 AM, remember that it's worth it.

3. Those straight A's you got in high school, they ain't happenin' in college. First of all, get off your pedestal and crack a textbook, because professors don't care if they cover it in class or not, it's gonna be on the exam. And stop laughing at the people walking around with index cards flipping in front of their face, if you were smart, you'd have your index cards, too.

4. Your scholarships will work out, so don't waste a BEAUTIFUL day at the end of your freshman year to re-apply to as many as possible. Even though nobody will tell you that the scholarship you have is automatically renewed for 4 years, it is! So go ahead and go home for a visit that weekend, instead of holing up inside your bedroom with your laptop.

5. As a matter of fact, don't be in such a hurry to move out of your mom's house. They have plenty of extra bedrooms now, and if you feel so independent, then just buy your own groceries. Take the your $265 portion of the rent and stick it in your checking account, you'll need it.

6. If you finally do get that apartment with your roommates, be careful. Jumping on that old mattress in the parking lot probably isn't such a great idea, I don't care who is doing it. Also, even though you know some Spanish from high school, it's probably better not to yell "fiesta!" across the parking lot to the Hispanic population a few buildings over. Oh, and watch your clothes... one of your roomies is a thief.

7. You'll have an array of jobs in college, but most will serve their purpose. That job at the dairy farm, where you think you'll gain priceless experience for your vet school application, will actually turn out to be okay. If you can trudge through getting up at 2 AM to go herd cattle, and then suffer through 3 inches of standing water in the parlor as you milk them, then all your future jobs will seem like pieces of cake. You'll also have some valuable memories and friends from here... including a few with that same BF you've been dating. (Just a helpful hint here - when you two get the Gator stuck at 2 AM in the middle of a dark field, taking off your muck boots to wedge underneath the tires won't work, your feet will just be cold.)

8. Be careful with those credit cards. I know there are times when you'll have to use them, like when the towing company has your truck locked up in their shady parking lot. But just realize that it's not going to be as easy as you think to pay it all back. Even when you're working full-time and making much more money, you're also going to have to move to an area with a higher cost of living. Use them if you must, but try to cut it back to the bare essentials of spending.

9. You will graduate, even early. So don't pull your hair out when your computer locks up scheduling classes. Whether you get into that Advanced Agricultural Economics class this semester or not, it will all work out, and you'll end up very happy with your results. You'll land a great job, and be started on (I hope) a terrific future. You've got good credit, so you'll just have to pay down your debt, and you'll be in great standing, especially for a 22-year-old from a poor family. You're the first to graduate college, and you did it with a full tuition scholarship. So cut yourself some slack sometimes, and enjoy your college life a little more.

10. And lastly, I've mentioned your BF a few times here. The reason? He's still gonna be around 4 years from now. Yep, that boy that's still in high school now, the one that you can't quite figure out, he is a keeper. You'll fight, you'll cry, but in the end, you're good together. I know you don't want to hear this now, but just know that as you stumble through these early parts of your relationship, you'll one day hold his hand and picture the day you'll marry him, and what your kids will look like.

That is all.

Had to buy gas today on the DC: $20

Was VERY tempted to stop for a cup of coffee this morning, because I had a rough night and had to get up early for work. But I trooped it out and saved $1 by making the effort to make my coffee at home.

Since I have tomorrow off and therefore a little free time tonight, I thought I'd check in on the monthly budget and see where I am:

On the left is the actual amount for this month, on the right is the budgeted amount.

=Income=
Paycheck: $1075.66 / $2,090.00
Extra Income: $5.10 / $0

=Expenses=
Entertainment/Fun: $8.50 / $10
Health/Dental/Vision: $56.76 / $108
401K: $0 / $85
Rent: $875 / $875
Household Supplies: $20.55 / $10
Food: $36.65 / $70
Gas: $165.01 / $355
Bank Fees: $46 / $0
Pet Supplies: $44.53 / $50

Notes: Along with this, I decided to update my budget to include $10 in "fun" money every month. This month, I've used it to get film developed, but I don't feel like it belongs in the "Household Supplies" category. Speaking of Household Supplies, I am already over budget, but primarily because of a book of stamps and some shipping supplies, which will last me a while. Food & Gas seem to be in okay shape, as long as I cut the eating out the rest of this month and make smart grocery purchases. I'll probably end up being over in Pet Supplies too, because I'm only $6 away now, and I need to get some kitty pan liners & more dog food eventually.

Overall, I'd call it so-so, but I've still got plenty of categories that I haven't encountered yet this month (utilities, etc.).

-----------------------------------------
Puppy Update: He has had two accidents today, but I think they are my fault. I was arguing with BF on the phone earlier and probably didn't notice his signs of needing to go out. He's sleeping now, but I'm preparing to take him out again shortly to prevent any more.
-----------------------------------------

I guess I should start checking in on my monthly variable bills to see where they stand, I'll have a separate post if I end up actually paying anything.

Hope everyone is having a good weekend... only 17 more days until BF moves in by the way!

Well, I thought I'd post a pic of the pup today... just because.



Currently he is running around the apartment like a wild hog. When I took him out earlier, 3 different people stopped us to ask what kind of dog he was, how much they cost, etc. He's popular.

He's done really well with the housetraining again today. Went out this morning before work, then when I got back, he went #1, and we had a wait a little while before he could go back out for #2 because it looked like a sudden thunderstorm outside. All is calm now though.

-----------------------------------------

On the financial side, spending for today was:

Gas: $20
McDonalds (lunch): $9.50

Actually, only about $5 of the McDonalds was mine, because I picked up lunch for one of my coworkers too. (She's supposed to pay me back tomorrow.)

I had to put both on my Discover card, because I have yet to get my money transferred from my old checking acct to my new one with a debit card. But the Discover card is easy to check & pay online, so I will add my expenditures on it this month to the planned amount I was going to pay, and all should be even.

-----------------------------------------

Went off to work this morning and forgot to take the move-in sheet that I was supposed to fax to my old apartment complex. BF suggested that I use my scanner and email it to them, which is a great idea, if I can only find the power cord for my scanner/printer. I'd like to get it done as soon as possible, so I can go ahead and face whatever the next crap is that they throw my way.

-----------------------------------------

I may pay some bills later tonight, so I'll update if I end up doing that.

-----------------------------------------

There are several big financial decisions that have been weighing on my mind lately. One of these is my vehicle situation. I have had the same truck since I turned 16 and got my license. It's been great, very dependable and easy to maintain. With the recent not-starting and ever-louder grinding noise though, I am scared that it's going to be a downhill spiral. I am especially distrustful of most mechanics, and so it would kill me to hand several hundred dollars over to someone to fix my problem, and then run into another (or the same) problem soon after.

I just wish I knew exactly what was wrong with it, and if I spend the money to fix that, if it will hold up for a while yet. It's paid off, so I certainly don't want a car payment if I can help it, but I also don't want to keep dumping money into something that is going to keep taking it.

Also, if I'm going to end up selling it in the next year, I'd rather do it sooner than later, because whatever I get will be better on gas mileage. I'd also rather trade it in while it still has the most worth, and not wait until something else happens to it.

I have never car shopped before, so I have no idea where to start. I like the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic, but can't decide if it would be better for me to go with a new car and get a warranty, or get something used and hope it holds up. Bleh... I really just wish my truck was fine.

The other decision I've been thinking about is how much money to leave in my checking account for emergencies. With BF moving up here and having to start over with finding a job, I want to have enough of a stash to cover us for a month or so. Also, we will be spending some extra on gas to get back & forth to my graduation in May, as well as his family weddings in May & June.

So I am thinking I should leave at least $1,000 in there. That would cover us for a month or so, and the gas expenses to get back & forth. But maybe I should leave more to cover my pending car repair expenses?

I do think that I'm going to go ahead and get my hair cut this week. I haven't had a cut in 4-5 months, and I want to look decent for my graduation pics with family. I would rather do it now when I have a little extra in my checking, before I start paying extra on the credit cards.

Alot to think about, and not much time to think about it...

Wow. I feel accomplished. I always have big plans for doing things on my day off, but sometimes I get lazy or distracted and don't get everything done.

Today, however, I did manage to:

-Wash/Dry my living room rug
-Vacuum & Shampoo the living room
-Vacuum & Shampoo my bedroom
-Take out some trash
-Water the plant
-Clean kitty litter box

It was so nice out today (even a little hot!) that I also took the pup out to play Squirrel Frisbee (with his new 'flying squirrel' toy). It ended up being more like me playing frisbee by myself with him on a leash, but it was still fun. I would throw it, we'd both run to where it was, and then he would just run past it. Then I'd pick it up and repeat. :P

I still have a few other chores that I'd like to get done tonight:

-Wash/Dry my work clothes
-Clean up kitchen
-Get lunch/snacks ready for work tomorrow
-Take a shower so I don't have to in the morning
-Take some more random trash out (boxes, pop cartons)

My plan for my home is to try and keep it as clean as possible until BF gets here. I don't want our first few days of living together to be focused on vacuuming. With all the shampooing I did today, I think I can maintain it without TOO much effort. Baby steps.

-----------------------------------------
Puppy Update: WOW! He is doing so great today. (I don't know why I say that, I always end up jinxing myself) But there was even a point earlier, when I am almost positive that he actually went to the outside door and stood, wanting to go out. It may be just a coincidence, but when I took him out, he went immediately. Either way, he's doing so much better!
-----------------------------------------

More house matters... I've decided to make a list of everything that I would like to purchase for my (soon to be OUR) home. This list will take some budgeting for, especially because we have practically nothing right now.

For starters, I have a dining room table that I bought (with 4 chairs included) at Walmart for $105. Within two weeks, I set a bowl of hot soup on top, and the thin layer of wood material warped, so now there's a huge bubble in the middle of the table. Then it got even more wet in the move here, so there are small cracks and more bubbles on the top. Then there's the fact that I have no living room seating at all.

I had a $100 futon from Walmart, but it was so broken down that I decided not to bring it with me. I'll make a complete list and add it as a page on my sidebar. I think that will help me to slowly be able to budget and check items off as we can afford them.

-----------------------------------------

As I type this, I just saw on the news where people in Haiti are so hungry that they are making "dirt cookies" to eat. The dough consists of butter, water, and dirt. Just goes to show you that no matter how bad you think you have it, you could always have it worse.

-----------------------------------------

I've got to fax my move-in sheet from my old apartment to them tomorrow from work. Then I'll call and make sure it got there, hopefully be able to talk to the apt manager, and verify that I'm not going to be charged for the carpet. HOPEFULLY... it would be nice to have one more step behind me.

-----------------------------------------

Checked my checking acct today and noticed that a large transaction cleared, so I checked one of my credit cards:

Balance of only $3.15

Yay! I am going to go ahead and mail the rest of this small balance in tomorrow, and it should officially be done. Also had a NSD today

Today will be a much needed day off. Even though most of it will be spent doing laundry, taking out the trash, cleaning, and catching up on randomness, it's still better than having to worry about my truck starting for work or rude customers ruining my day.

I'm also expecting a package sometime soon. My mom told me on Tuesday that my graduation cap/gown and invitations had arrived at their house, and that she would forward it on to me here. I had to have it shipped there when I paid for it, because the bookstore didn't offer delivery confirmation with their shipping options. And I really don't feel like paying $187 dollars again because it got lost.

Hopefully it will come today, because if not, I will have to go one day before work to the post office and pick it up, and Lord knows my mornings are hectic enough without another stop. I also need to hurry up and get the invitations in the mail to the people who I am actually inviting to attend. And of course, the sooner I send out the "announcement" invitations, the sooner people can send me graduation money.

-----------------------------------------
Puppy Update: He is doing good so far today, although it's still really early. We made it out this morning for #1, and then after he ate, for #2. It's harder for him to concentrate when he can hear traffic on the nearby interstate, or people walking down the road, or birds chirping, etc. I feel kind of ridiculous sometimes, because I will be so excited that he's about to go, and then all of the sudden a weird bird will chirp and he's completely alert and totally distracted from his task.

The only problem we're still having is the time right before bedtime. I take him out just as much (or more) then, but we have yet to have a no-accident night. I can't figure it out, because I only give him water when I first get home from work, with his food. Maybe when BF gets here and I don't feel quite so alone, we will work on moving the crate to the bedroom and letting the pup sleep in there.

-----------------------------------------

Speaking of BF... he finally broke the news of his moving to his boss at one of his jobs. He works two part-time jobs, one of which he just started about two months ago, before we knew I'd be moving. I feel horrible about it really, because he seems to really like the job itself and could probably get a good full-time job there within a year if we stayed. Anyway, it has been stressing us both out (especially him) to think about what they will say when he leaves.

He told the boss man yesterday, and apparently it went great. He said the guy acted a little shocked at first and just said "Oh, really?" like it was no big deal. Then BF explained that I am up here by myself, with alot of stress and worry, and the guys says "Oh yea, I completely understand, man."

Then BF tells him that he hopes nobody is mad at him, and that he really liked the job and wouldn't quit for anything less than this reason. And his boss told him "Oh, I'd take you back in a heartbeat."

Yay!!! Even though we're not sure where my next move will be, or if we'll ever end up close enough to that area for him to work the same place again, it's nice to know that he does have the job if he wants it. And I know it makes BF feel better to know that nobody thinks badly of him.

Honestly, we have decided that if my next move (to be an assistant manager) isn't within 3-4 hours of our hometown, then I will quit and find something else. I really don't want to have to do that, because we've both sacrificed alot for this so far, and it's a WONDERFUL opportunity for our future (plus a stable job), but I also can't justify letting them drag us wherever they want for the rest of our lives. We want to be close to our family and friends, and they have enough stores within 3-4 hours of our hometown, that it's not ridiculous to ask for.

It's important for us to be near our families when we start having children of our own, etc., especially for BF. He has told me before that he doesn't want to live so far away that he can't decide to go watch a ball game with my brother, or visit our parents' houses on the weekend. So right now our timeline is, within 3-4 hours away for my assistant manager position (about 9 months), and then when I take the first manager job, within 2 hours. I'll do that and try to transfer to a store closer to home, but if I can't do it in 2 years, then I'll have to find something else. We'll just take it as it comes I guess.

-----------------------------------------

Today should be a NSD, unless I pay some bills. I could go grocery shopping, because I really have nothing to take to work for lunch, but I think I'll use today to get together a list of what I REALLY need to get, and see how much of my food budget is left for the month. Then I will just look at it as a challenge, to see what I can be creative & come up with for lunch and dinner for the next few days, out of what I already have. It should be interesting.

And finally... there is a website that I just remembered, and I thought I'd share it with my fellow SA'ers. It's called BookCrossing (www.bookcrossing.com), and I think it's about the greatest idea since sliced bread. Although I've only had limited participation to this point, I'm hoping to get more involved.

The basic idea is that, members of the site (it's free to join) use either old books that they have read already, or an extra copy that they have, and "drop" them places to be "hunted" by other BookCrossing people. It's like a scavenger-hunt version of a library. But, every book that you hunt, you go and make a journal entry about it after you read it. Most of the books already have a little BookCrossing label on the inside, which identifies the book to the site. But if you want to drop a book of your own, you can go there and print out a label for it.

You can go to the site, search the area where you live, and most likely there are already books "dropped" somewhere near you. When you go hunt them down, you can read & journal about them, and then you go drop them off somewhere yourself, for someone else to find. Most of the time, people will announce when they've dropped a book so that it's easy to find, but some people just randomly drop them, making it even more random when someone finds it.

Anyway, it's a fun site, and pretty much free to do. An exciting version of the library, and every book you get has a story of it's own.

*On a side note, I've also decided to track my credit score on here, although it will only be about every three months or so.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Thursday!

I've decided that April is now my least favorite month. I used to like it, it used to mean that I was finishing up a semester of school and getting ready for a summer of (even though I worked alot) fun. But since the beginning of April, I have had nothing but bad luck and horrible days. I may boycott it next year.

I called my old apartment complex today. This is the fourth time that I've called in 3 weeks, simply trying to find out how much I owe for my last month's water bill and for breaking my lease. The first time, I was told that the apartment manager would call me back the next day with a total. She never did.

A week later, I called back, and was told the apartment manager didn't work Sundays, but the lady could call me back in 30 minutes with how much I owed. I wait two hours, she didn't call. I called back after another half hour, and *coincidentally* she was calling me back at the exact same time! (Not.) Then she gives me a vague estimate and says she will have to check with the apartment manager and they will call me tomorrow. I tell them that I have to work, so even if I don't answer, leave a message for me with the amount.

Tomorrow comes, and they don't call. Fast forward a week and a half, and they still haven't called. By now, I KNOW they've got the last water bill, and decide to try and finish this business again.

So I use my lunch break to call them today, and don't get to eat so I end up starving. When I called and explained what I needed (again), I was put on hold for about 5 minutes.

When the apartment manager finally got on the phone (hallelujah), she verified which apartment I had been in, and then said that they had a problem. "The carpet is so stained and torn up that we had to take it out and install new."

I am shocked. They've got to be kidding. The carpet was HORRENDOUS when I moved in, so bad that I immediately went and bought a rug runner to cover the worst parts in the living room. And apparently, they've already taken up the carpet, so I couldn't have sent anyone to inspect what they were accusing me of anyway.

Keep in mind, I only lived here for 2 1/2 months before I had to move for work.

Trying to remain calm, I tell her that the carpet was really bad when I had moved in, and that I thought I had noted all that on the move-in sheet. Then she says "Oh, yea! That's right! We don't have one of those on file for you! I just remembered that I needed to call you about that!"

So, COINCIDENTALLY, it's taken me 4 calls to even get an answer for my question. And COINCIDENTALLY they didn't have the last water bill when I called the second time, even though I always got the water bill a week before the end of the month, so that I could pay it with my rent. And COINCIDENTALLY when I call the 4th time, they have ALREADY taken up the carpet that I damaged so badly in my 2 1/2 month stay. And in conclusion... COINCIDENTALLY they don't have my move-in sheet on file where I noted all the previous damage.

Well, it just so happens that I can be a bit obsessive and paranoid about people trying to scam money from me. So I tell the apartment manager that (COINCIDENTALLY) I had made myself a copy of my move-in sheet before I turned it back in, so I could easily fax her one.

She finally gave me the amount I'd owe for breaking the lease, which of course isn't what I think is right. She is calculating that I only owe for two month's worth of rent, minus my security deposit. The lady that I had worked with when I moved in and when I called to see how much I'd owe if I did break the lease, who has since quit to go work somewhere else, told me something different. From what she said, I would owe two months rent, would NOT get my security deposit back, would also owe discounted rent that I had received on a special promotion, which included getting half of the month of December free when I signed the lease.

So the total I come up with is around $1,700, while the total she told me was $994. I would take this and run, but now that they are trying to screw me over with the carpet, I am afraid they'll just wait a few weeks/months and then try to claim the rest of it, and by then I will already have used the money to pay down debt.

So the plan is, the lady is mailing out a copy of the bill for breaking the lease tomorrow, and when I get it, I'll make a copy for myself and mail a check with "paid in full" on it back to them. I'm faxing my move-in sheet to them tomorrow, then calling to verify that they got it, and that I am NOT getting charged for the carpet. Thank God I found the move-in sheet that I had.

UGH. I hate April.

-----------------------------------------

Puppy Update: I took him out this morning when we got up, and he peed. Then after he ate and before I left for work, I took him out again and he pooped. When I got home from work, we made it outside for him to pee, and after he ate, we went outside and he pooped. So no accidents today, but I'm watching him carefully, as late night and before bedtime seems to be our problem area.

-----------------------------------------

I will be glad when my finances get simpler. I can deal with the debt and not having much (or any) extra every month, but I can NOT deal with having all these random things hanging over my head that I can't do anything to solve. I feel like the money I have is tied up in this stuff, and I can't use it the way I'd like to pay down my debt or put away for savings.

Hopefully in the next few days, I'll have the apartment problem solved, and when BF gets here, we'll go pay for a couch. Also when he gets here, I'll take my truck to get an estimate on fixing whatever is making it not start and make a grinding noise. If it's too much, I'll see about trading it in for something. I can't even afford to think that far into the future right now. I just hope it works tomorrow.

-----------------------------------------

Days like this make it almost overwhelming to be all by myself in this strange place. Every problem is my problem and I have nobody to help. Tonight, I had to put $10.01 in gas on my Discover card b/c I couldn't write a check at the gas station.

Ugh. Life is not fun right now, and I am not enjoying it. I can't wait for BF to get here and things to get better. Sorry for whining.

Work today was not great today. It seems like it's getting harder some days than easier. More grouchy, rude customers, for no reason.

I did have time to pack a lunch today, although I forgot a fork, and had to eat my salad with my fingers. That was quite an experience!

While at work, I bought the pup a new food bowl (his old one was too small, I couldn't fit one feeding in there anymore). Now I am going to use his old bowl for water and his new one for food. It's bigger than he needs right now, but it will save me from having to buy another one later as he grows.

I also gave into a chocolate craving and bought some candy. This work candy has to stop! Got the pup a toy, too, since he is doing so much better with his housetraining, and has to put up with his crate so much while I'm at work. Pretty much, I just felt guilty. It was a "flying squirrel" disc, which is basically like a frisbee, but with lifted sides and it's more "chewable". As I was buying it, a customer said that he had one for his dog, and they LOVED it. So I feel good about my choice.

Here is the final tab for today:

2 Bags of Candy @ $1.59 each
1 Flying Squirrel Toy @ 5.24
1 Jumbo Food Bowl @ $2.77

The bowl & toy will come out of the Pet Supplies part of the budget, and the candy from the food part. The good news is, the employee discount made for a really good deal on the toy & bowl.

-----------------------------------------
Puppy Update: As of 9:27 PM, we have had exactly ZERO accidents today! He went this morning when I took him out, then again before I left for work. Then when I got home from work he went, and a few minutes ago we went out again and... success! There is still time for an accident of course, but we're being careful, and it's an improvement no matter what! We're so proud. :P

-----------------------------------------

For those of you who responded to my last post about deciding whether or not to buy the nice camera and try my luck at freelance photography, I appreciate all your opinions! While I've not made any definite choice, I talked with BF about it, because our finances will be pretty much joined in a few weeks, and I know he is scrimping every dime right now to save.

In the end, I think what I've decided to do is just wait a while. I haven't heard from the lady that was interested in me doing her reception, so I'm not going to pursue it anymore unless she does. My plan is to base my future decision on these variables:

1) Exactly how much I have to pay to my old apartment complex (if they would ever FREAKING give me an answer... that's a whole other story).

2) Exactly how much we will be spending on a couch.

3) Exactly how much I will get in graduation money from friends/family/neighbors.

All of these should be worked out by the beginning of June, and so I can purchase it then and still have it in time to practice at BF's sister's wedding. If not, I can always pursue it in the future. It's something I'll always be interested in, but I don't want to jump the gun.

-----------------------------------------

Speaking of buying a couch, BF & I are trying to decide if we want to go ahead and get a couch & recliner, and possibly an entertainment center, or just the couch for now.

I have a really cheap black & silver entertainment center from about a year ago when I moved into my old apartment. It's really more like a stack of shelves with legs, but it served its purpose.

Now, I know that I eventually want a brown leather couch, and so I thought we could go ahead and get that now, as it should last us well into our future moves & maybe our future house, whenever we get settled. Then we could get a nicer wood entertainment center that would actually halfway match the couch, but I'm not sure that we want to spend that money right now.

If we're going to have a wedding anytime soon, I'd like to make sure we've got as much money going in that direction as possible.

I found a leather couch (not sure if it's genuine leather) in a sales flyer today for $399, so I may do some comparison shopping. If it's a great deal, I'll go see if they can hold it until BF gets here so they can deliver it.

-----------------------------------------

I've had a few bites on my CraigsList clothes ad, but everyone seems to want to buy individual items, and it's not worth me driving 15 minutes to drop 5 shirts off for $1. I guess we'll see what happens.

The thought of getting a part-time job has crossed my mind recently. There are a few restaurants near my apartment, so if I could get a few hours a week there on my days off from my real job, it would be a little more towards the savings. I just don't know if I could find something that flexible.

Today was a normal day, no too expensive either.

I spent $1 on lunch at McDonalds, but I can blame that on the fact that I was going to get food for a mother/daughter pair that I work with, that didn't have a car. But between the two of them, they spent $10.50 on food for lunch. This is very judgemental of me, but seriously... could you not save $2000 and get a car if you're going to spend $10 a day on lunch for two people?

Anyway. I also went to Walmart and picked up the roll of film I had getting developed, thinking it was the missing roll from our trip to the casino for me & BF's 21st birthdays. So 5 minutes and $8.50 later, I find out that it isn't the casino roll. It's a random camera that my little brother was snapping pictures with, so about 20 of the pictures have no faces in them. Then about 8 are from Halloween, pics of my brother & cousins trick-or-treating.

The good news is, I plan on getting some frames and using the pics of my cousins as some cheap Christmas gifts to my aunts/uncles.

-----------------------------------------

Puppy Update: He has done pretty well today. He went as soon as I took him after work, and then I brought him inside and he ate. About 10 minutes later, I saw him circling around and took him out, and he immediately went #2.

The night is young still... but hopefully we can get through it without an accident!

-----------------------------------------

I posted some of my old clothes to sell on CraigsList yesterday, and ever since then I've had something on my mind. There was a post on there about someone needing an amateur photographer to take some pics at their wedding reception, and it made me think about all the times that I've said "I'd really like to do that."

Now that I'm focused more than ever on controlling expenses and generating extra income (other than my salary), this is like a double-edged sword.

On one side, I genuinely think that it is something I would be able to manage effectively. I've always wanted to have something to do on the side to bring in some extra money every now and then, and I absolutely love pictures. If I could work as a freelance amateur photographer, I wouldn't have to be responsible for all the "big money" shots like at the alter and coming down the aisle, etc. I would really like to be able to focus on the in between moments.

On the other side of the argument, I would need to upgrade my camera. I have a very cheap digital one now that I've had for about 2 years. It's only like a 3 megapixel, and I would need at least a 9 MP. From the research I've done so far, I would end up paying in the neighborhood of $450 for a good resolution camera with multiple lense capability and the appropriate zoom features. This is by no means a "nice" photography camera, but it would do to start.

Anyway, out of curiosity, I emailed the person who had posted that ad. She responded saying that this is the second marriage for both her and her fiance, and they are not looking for anything fancy. I told her that I didn't have much experience, and that I would feel most comfortable if she had a professional photographer as a primary, and I would be the secondary.

To this, she said that they only need a few pics during the ceremony and then just a little while at the reception. I told her that if I was going to do it, I'd like to do it free of charge, and then if they liked any of the pictures that I took and wanted them, they could pay on a per-photo basis. This way, it's fairly risk-free for us both. She gets a free photographer and pics if she wants them, and I get experience without all the pressure.

Now she says that sounds perfect.

So I'm at a crossroads. Do I shell out the money for the camera and work my @$$ off to make some extra money, or do I forget about it?

Some other variables in my decision process: The wedding that I would be working is not until September, so there would be roughly 5 months for me to get the camera, get used to it, and make sure I feel comfortable with the quality photos I'm able to develop.

Also, as all of you who have read my blogs regarding BF's sister's shotgun wedding know, I will have a wedding to attend in June. This would be the perfect place for me to "practice" my wedding shots and see what I'm able to do. They won't have any photographer at all there (besides her mom w/ a disposable camera), so I'm sure she would appreciate any decent pics I'd be able to take.

BF says that I should do it, because "you only live once" and "you are good at everything you try". But I'm a little hesitant to spend the money. I have a $94 gift card to Walmart, assuming I could order the camera online, I could use that and cut down the cash cost to me. Also, I do have some money left over from my signing bonus that I haven't done anything with yet, so I would be able to pay for the camera out-right.

Ahhh... decisions, decisions.