A Month of Firsts

This month will mark a big series of firsts and dilemmas for me and I am excited yet a little nervous.
The first one was Voting! I am thrilled to say that I am now a citizen who has done her patriotic duty for the first time. Yay Obama!


The second one is that I am hosting Thanksgiving dinner at my tiny apartment this year as my grandparents don't feel up to it. I'm trying to think of ways to make an absolutely fabulous dinner that will shock and awe while not breaking my budget. I have a list of foods that I want to prepare, but I may need to stop at the thrift store to pick up another casserole pan and some other things that I am not sure of. I'm hoping it will go well because I think it will be a good step in cementing my own adult identity by making my own traditions and showing my grandparents that I can cook without burning down my house.

(one can hope!)

I was very happy with myself for almost meeting my financial goals last month. I was able to hoard away $1200 in savings, well actually more like $1170 because I forgot to account for my phone bill. But $30 off is not bad. I bought myself a nice sushi dinner in celebration and enjoyed it greatly.

This month is taking off slowly. Yesterday and today were not very lucrative at work but I hope that my profits will increase through the month.

Another thing that is taking a minor hit at my finances is my attempts at a social life, but as this is something I feel is good for me, I won't chastise me too much. I have started dating but I guess I am a little embarrassed about my increasing frugality. I am proud, but I feel weird saying "I can't afford to go out to dinner" because I know he will pay for me, and I don't like it. None of our dates have been very expensive but compared to my lack of spending seeing $10 or $8 in my food category is a little depressing.

But it is a small price to pay for happiness.

On another hand, I may get my financial column. I am almost giddy at the thought. I am hoping this could provide both valuable experience and some extra cash. As my potential employer may glance over this site, I won't put an estimate but I hope to get enough to start saving in a Roth IRA next year as well as provide a bit of breathing room in my budget and save more for a potential vacation.

It is a very long way off, but I want to start saving for a big trip in three years. I haven't quite decided where I will go, possibly either Greece or Asia.

Fingers crossed on all accounts!

Happy November all, and good luck on Christmas shopping.

Fall has hit Tucson

The temperature is a steady eighty degrees, the leaves are green and still fully attached to their branches and the girls are still flaunting the mini skirts. Yes...fall is here in full course in Tucson but as we don't actually have seasons we don't notice. We see pictures of New York or Connecticut where they have falling leaves in bright orange, but all we have is thousand degree heat and cold winter, no in between.

I forgot the time of year until I went to the grocery store and I was shocked...orange and yellow and greens! It was amazing. Unfortunately I was a bit overzealous and I now have a pumpkin, several squash, a big bag of potatoes and onions and yams and corn. And for a good measure, a can of cranberry sauce. It's like Thanksgiving a month early. But when you don't have a car, carrying a pumpkin on a bike isn't fun.
Now all I need is to figure out how to cook a pumpkin.
Any ideas?
Happy fall guys!

Trying to learn the ways of my fore-mothers

Another Monday…I’m not sure whether it is the economy or something else, but it has been rather slow this last week at work. For the amount of people, my tips have been great but there hasn’t been as many customers. It has been a double hit because I am not getting as much money from my sister, one hundred less so that s hurting my budget a bit. I am still able to save quite a bit of money, but I am not able to make my goals yet. Oh well…I am trying to save money in other ways. I went to CVS last night and got a couple needles and thread. I did manage to repair a long rip and although it has a long bumpy scar, (battle wounds) it is now wearable. I am very proud, because I loved that sweater and now I don’t have to replace it. I am also going to try and hem a pair of pants, a it trickier and time consuming but it will give me something to do while watching TV. I am also excited about my next grocery shopping excursion because of all the Fall produce, squash and corn. I’m thinking of getting a pumpkin or two, carving one for Halloween and seeing if I can eat the other. I actually have never tried eating a pumpkin, other than as pie or bread or seeds. We’ll see.
My school had an internship fair last week and I came back very excited. I pitched an idea for a financial column to a smaller paper, and I didn’t get laughed at. I don’t know how likely it will be that little ol’ me will get a financial column considering I’m still figuring it out, but I hope that will be an asset. Instead of lecturing readers, I want to catalogue my experiences and those like me, starting out and confused, and have it be fun, informative and casual. It would be fun, if I get a group of legitimate experts and do a dear PF columnist and find out the answers for people. So my fingers are definitely triple crossed. If I don’t get it, then the editor said I could apply for a summer internship, which I’d love to do. I am hoping my server career ends with this job.
I just finished paying for my winter vacation and I’m already mentally planning out my next one. Give the amount I am saving for my move, I’m not sure if I should, but part of me is saying that I should enjoy the money I save as well as squirreling it away. If I do plan one, it will be a small one near the beginning of next school year, early August. It will also be cheaper because I will only have about 8 months to pay for it, which would be about $1000 to play with.

Learning from history

This sounds very strange but in some ways I am enjoying the financial crisis. Not in the way I like going to Disneyland of course, but in a 'watching-history-being-made' way. I've read in a lot of different blogs and papers that because of this crisis, we may switch to a cash-based economy. I am all for that. I'm just glad I've not too much damage to my credit score and that I'm becoming more responsible.
One of my favorite PF bloggers 'Brunette on a Budget' did a long post about the upside of the 'whatever we are in', some of my favorites are;

Climate change. According to a government study, carbon dioxide emissions fall whenever energy consumption declines. Our freezing will be the planet's salvation.

Foreign policy. In the good old days, the United States got in lots of trouble by invading first and asking questions later. Now we couldn't afford to invade Grenada if we had to.

I for one and trying to relearn some of the more old fashioned feminine skills except they mostly cost money. I want to learn to sew, because I have quite a few items of clothing that have holes or which need hemming, and I'm to lazy and frugal to take them to an alteration shop. Come on guys, $15 for a hem that takes them like 5 minutes, jeepers. I know the extreme basics, but the only sewing kit I have is one of those dinky travel ones, and I've already lost 80% of the items in it. So I need to buy a sewing kit.

Maybe this situation our country is in can teach my generation and the ones afterward about the joys of not having thousands of dollars in debt. Maybe we can grow up to be savers instead of spenders.


I also want to grow a garden, but as I live in a small apartment with no yard I'm not sure how that would work. I've thought about a window box sort of thing, but realistically, what can I hope to ream from a small window sill garden, not exactly a grand harvest.


Now onto my financial issues:

So far I have been doing very well on my financial goals. Compared to last week, I have been a very good PF blogger. Thus far I have had four no spend days, and the rest of the days have been very much in budget. I am still one with my Martha Stewart streak, in fact I really want to learn to make bread. I have not spent anything online since the last time I posted except for a couple songs for my Ipod.
I received my gloves, coat and DVDs in the mail. I am currently in love with my gloves, they are soft and pretty and furry. I also got the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series (I'm a nerd, sue me) which I am currently plowing through. I love getting DVD sets, they last forever and provide me with hours of entertainment. The only bad from the bunch was my J Crew jacket. I was really disappointed but it really was too big so I sold it to Buffalo Exchange. Sigh

Well I am going to dicth you I can work on my resume, my school is having an internship tomorrow that I'm going to crash. I am going to hand out my resume and a pitch for a financial column I'm hoping someone will jump on.

Wish me luck!

Update on life

October thus far has been financially up and down. I have done well so far in tips but I have been irresponsible financially, though I may not regret it ten years from now. I found a pair of cashmere lined, leather gloves by Coach which I looked up to be about $350, so if they fit and don't look ridiculous will be a purchase that will last. Then I won the J Crew trench coat that I had fallen in love with last month and I found it on ebay for about $60 with shipping, a very classic purchase. If I don't like it then I try and sell them both at Buffalo Exchange. But fingers crossed it won't come down to that.
I made a couple financial goals for the month:
-Have 15 no spend days, I have two so far
-Spend no more online
-Find a PT job that will give me about 10-15 hours a week so I have a buffer in case tips are lacking
-Stop spending so much time watching TV
-Get a library card and read one book a week, I am a book nerd but ever since my sister got a TV I haven't read much
-Cook more meals at home
-Actually do my homework before the day it's due

Some of these aren't intrinsically financial but they are to do with wealth and how I want my future life to be as i am starting to feel irresponsible.

I have been doing well in some areas, like I have been on a Martha Stewart streak. I mean, my apartment is picture perfect (for me anyway) no dirty dishes, no clothes on the floor, bed made. And I have been cooking for the last two days, not just average cooking, I made quarts of soup from scratch (which turned out fabulously I might add). I'm hoping this streak doesn't end.

I did go to the organic grocery store near my house. I got a lot of bulk things to help in my cooking endeavors. I got a pound of lentils and a pound of split peas to make into soup. I got some powdered soy milk which is surprisingly good, some olive oil since my last bottle shattered all over the floor (anyone know how to get oil permanently off the floor, it is still slick and I've been scrubbing forever) some cayenne pepper, dried cranberries and finally, the thing that broke the budget and I now regret, a gallon of raw milk for $12. Let me explain, I am a city girl and I have never even been to a farm, so milk and cows always has held a fascination for me and Ive always wanted to try raw milk. So when I saw the carton I had to splurge. Unfortunately I can't taste a difference. Boo. But it is out of my system.

That is all I can write now, as it is four AM and I have class in six hours.
Cheers

Monopoly

When I was a child I had a lemonade stand, a damn good lemonade stand to if I may. I actually pulled in about $20 a day, everyday during the summer, as I was obsessed with it. I had that job and many others as a kid so I could learn the value of money.

Well I've developed a work ethic and a goal to save, but I still don't know the value of money.

I think of accumulating wealth as a game of monopoly, I want to win the game and to do that I need to have the most money.

Does anyone inwardly feel this way?

Update since I've been a bad PF blogger

Sorry I've been MIA, almost 10 days since I've blogged. I have an excuse though, I have had one of the worst weeks of my life, and I am not exaggerating. Both of my grandparents had medical problems and were sent to the hospital for nearly all of last week, and my grandpa is recovering from a triple bypass (shudder), so if you can think good thoughts for them I'd appreciate it. Besides all that, I just had a string of minor bad luck, my alarm clock didn't go off, I got a bad cold, I banged up my shin, my trash bag broke all over my kitchen floor. Just bad things happening to get me in a horrible mood. Therefore, my finances are slightly off. Two of my three days at work yielded disappointing results and on Friday (my most lucrative day) I had a minor break down and went home. Nothing major, I just couldn't be perky like my job requires and I just wanted to be with my family. All I can say is I am glad my teachers and bosses have been supportive, they all let me make up assignments and helped me catch up.

Anywho...enough about the my issues and on to finances.

I will be slightly behind on my savings this month as I couldn't make as much and my mood affected my spending, so I slightly overused my credit card. Nothing that bad, I will be able to pay it off and still put about $800 in my account, not counting the tips I'll make tomorrow (I'm guessing about $60).

I've made up my October spending list and it goes as such:

Income:
Tips: $1,200
Paychecks: $150
TV paychecks: $60
Sister rent money: $500
=$1,910

Fixed Expenses:
Rent: $640
Phone: $40
Utilities: $60

Fluid Expenses:
Groceries: $140
Dining Out: $120
Music: $10
Amazon: $50
Entertainment: $20

Savings:
SF Move Fund: $1000
SF Vacation fund: $125
Christmas Fund: $75

=$1,715

I'm leaving about $200 in my budget in case I don't make as much as I hope or Amazon crooks his finger at me. I'm hoping I show more self restraint October, because September was filled with presents I bought for myself.

Cheers!