September finances and sister issues

Happy September!

I'm happy that August is over, although I made all my goals, because August was a weird month because I had two jobs and wasn't able to get as many hours at my restaurant job. I made my September budget and I have below. I also graphed the tips I received for August, mostly to learn how to use Excel better, and I added the graph on my sidebar.

September Finances So Far:

Money for September I currently have:

Restaurant Paycheck: $160

Emergency Fund:

Financial Aid Check $102

I already used most of it to pay for ballet tickets for my SF vacation, $86 spent.

Other:

Newspaper check $125

I need to spend this on a new camera because I accidentally broke it last semester (oops).

Things to buy:

Grandpa printer and paper, $46
pay sometime between Sept 1-7

Lunch Date:

I am going to budget for $15 but most likely it will be less

I want to go grocery shopping sometime this week and I'd also like to save up for a nice sushi meal sometime this week, I'll count for sushi. If I'm able to make more than $300 this week than I'll splurge.

Planned Income:

Restaurant paychecks: around $200 for the month, $300 with my other paycheck

I should be able to make around $1200 in tips for the month

I should also be able to pull in another $150 from the travel article (provided I actually get it done)

I should also receive a $30 paycheck stipend from a tv station I work at

I will be able to make my budget if I can do this.

Left over from August:

I need to put $40 into my account to cover the expenses. I am not worried about overdrawing but I want August taken care of... After the $40, I will have $30 to play with for the rest of the week. If my meal does end up being $15 then I will have $15 left for Wednesday through Sunday, not including grocery shopping. My sister should also give me around $8 for the food and movie ticket I paid for her today.

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With that out of the way, I have to rant about my little sis. My kid sister Sara is really lucky because the government sends her money every month. We were both able to receive money because we were wards of the state but I only received checks for about 8 months whereas my sister will receive them for about 5 years. And these are pretty significant amounts, about $2500 each. So my grandpa is her official guardian so he gives me $500 a month for her expenses and he stocks away as much as he can for her future. When she turns 18 she will have around $40,000 to play with.

Although it annoys me a bit that she will be so secure, her current treatment of that money aggravates me to no end. She got a debit card for Christmas and my grandparents keep a constant amount of money on it and she runs through that money like its going out of style. Last month she spent $600 on food (after I bought groceries) and clothes.

It is worrying me because she has no job skills (although I do have to remind myself that she is 16), but she can't do even the most basic math, addition and subtraction. She can barely use a computer past Myspace, and she can't spell or write. I really wish she would get a part time cashier job or something to pull in a bit of spending money and cancel her other card. Then she'd have something to put on a resume.

But everytime I mention her lack of financial responsibility she says "I know I suck at money but it's grandpa's fault for giving it to me" and frankly she is right in a way, she will never learn if she doesn't have to but when does she need to take responsibility? I'm afraid that when she turns 18 she will run through her savings and start with credit cards. I read a lot of PF blogs and I know how easy it is to run up a huge mountain of debt and she'll have no way to get a good job to pay it down. And since we have no parents or other relatives that can handle her (other than my grandparents who seem like they are giving up on her) I'll be the only one she can turn to.

Am I stressing over something insignificant or expecting to much out of her? I don't know.
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On to funner topics. It is less than 4 months till my vacation (and thusly my 21st birthday) and I have been making schedules for my five days and trying to decide what I should do and not do.

Here's a pic of my suitcase, I love it even though it will probably get messed up immediately since it's a pale color. It's a carry on so I won't have to pay the outrageous luggage fees. I just need to figure out what to pack for a SF winter vacation.

Cheers y'all!