Weekend Plans

The sun is shining and it's above freezing here! What a nice start to the weekend. I have had a busy morning trying to get a lot of things done including paying bills that are due tomorrow. I hate writing out my rent check! I have my work holiday party tonight and then am going out with some friends. It's been awhile since I have been out with both of the girls I am going out with tonight. We usually have a lot of fun together. I am planning to stay the night at their place and then we have a Super Bowl party tomorrow. It should be a fun weekend. I will probably spend a lot more than I should this weekend. I usually don't spend much, so I think it's okay to do this weekend.

What A Week!!

I know I need a weekly update still. I am planning to just do two weeks on Sunday. This has been a crazy week. I have been trying to catch up from traveling for work last week. Yesterday and today layoffs were announced at my company. My area is indirectly affected. It still is not good though. My family is putting off booking tickets for the wedding until we see where things go. My dad's company is also talking of layoffs. My mom's has already done some. I just wish things would start to show some signs of hope soon. I am planning to go out with some friends on Saturday night. I think I need a fun night out with my girls!!! I will update more on finances this weekend.

Late on My Posting

I am late on my weekly spending update. I hope to post it tomorrow. The end of last week and the weekend were crazy. My work trip went really well. I went out with some friends this weekend. I have had a lot of other things to do these past few days, so I haven't update my budget files yet. I really hope to tomorrow.

On a side note, I really don't like apartment life. Everytime I get frustrated living in an apartment, it makes me want to buy a house. I just don't feel like now is the right time for me though. I want to save more first.

Any suggestions on where to stay in Vegas? We found a good deal on flights, but are still deciding on a hotel. We want to stay on the strip, but we aren't sure where. I have only been there once. I stayed at TI. That is way out of our budget for this trip though.

Work Trip

I am traveling for working tomorrow and Friday. I have never traveled out of town for work before. I am kind of nervous but also excited. The flight is taken care of, so I just have to worry about hotel and food. I will pay for them and then submit a reimbursement form when I return. The hotel has free shuttle service and a reduced room rate. This should run me around $100. My work does not reimburse for lunch since they expect that you would eat either way. I am planning to bring some of my own food due to my food allergies. I don't want to have to worry about not having anything to eat. Supper should be the only other item which I will have to worry about. It's a good thing I have room on my credit cards for these expenses. It usually takes about two weeks to receive the reimbursement.

On another note, I should get to meet with up a college roommate while on my trip. I am excited about this.

Week 3 Spending

I know I am a day late!! It's been a busy weekend. The company I work for changed their holiday schedule, so I now I have MLK Jr Day off. I took advantage of the long weekend and have been trying to get a ton done.

January 17th (Saturday)
- Groceries: $10.24
- Apt/PHP Items: $8.74
- Movie (Bride Wars): $5.00

January 18th (Sunday)
- Groceries: $34.50
- Gift: $2.60- Gas: $18.56

Total Weekly Spending: $79.64

This weekend was higher than I wanted. It seems to be a trend. That's not good. I don't normally go to movies, but I decided to spend time with a friend since I had a long weekend. I enjoyed the movie. There were some good previews as well. I will probably wait until they come out on DVD. I stocked up on a few things from Super Walmart. It's a bit of a drive, so I should be good on groceries from there until at least the end of February. I finally got gas this weekend. It's been three weeks!! My mileage was awful though because of the cold. It finally warmed up here. I am very excited for that. It's entertaining that people get so excited when it's above zero.

Other things going on in life that are finance related . . . I need to get started studying hard core again. I have had a month off from studying, so I figure it's about time. The sooner I take the next part of my exam, the sooner I get reimbursed from work. I have been working out a lot lately. I am glad I am using my gym membership. I was worried I would join and then quit going after a week. I have been successful so far. My family is heading to Vegas Memorial Day weekend for a wedding. I am trying to decide if I will go or not. I feel like I should since it's my cousin getting married, and we have a small family. I am not sure if it's in my budget or not though. I am waiting to find out who's all going for sure before I decide. If I can keep the room costs down that would help. The flights are around $320 for a direct flight. That seems like a lot to me. It's an expensive weekend to head out there in my mind.

Grocery Shopping & Nail Update

I went to a specialty store after work today to pick up a few gluten free/dairy free items which I can only get there. They were out of one of the things I wanted . . . AGAIN! Last time I went they were out as well. I even asked the stock people both times if they had any in the back. None. I am not very impressed right now. I can only get these items at this store, so I guess I am out of luck for now.

One of my goals for 2009 was to quit biting my nails. Well, it's been just over two weeks, and so far, so good. I have white showing on each nail which is a huge thing for me!! They need to be filed down a little this weekend. If I keep them pretty short the nails are actually very strong. I hate the sound of a nail clipper, so I only file my nails. I don't know what it is about that sound, but I just can't stand it!

Week 2 Spending

Here is my spending for the past week.

January 5th (Monday)
- Groceries: $13.66

January 9th (Friday)
- Chipotle: $6.36

January 10th (Saturday)
- Groceries: $12.74
- Batteries : $3.00

January 11th (Sunday)
- Groceries: $20.93

Total Weekly Spending: $56.69

I know this week looks bad for groceries. I went to the grocery store on Monday because I never went last weekend. I went on Saturday to the regular grocery store. I ended up going to Trader Joe's today to stock up for the next month on items I can only get there. I did not intend to go this weekend, but since the roads were good, I decided too. It's a bit of a drive, so I only like to go when the roads are dry in the winter. I should be good until close to the end of February on items from there. I ended up with more spend days than I would have liked due to this.

I did not get gas again this week. I might stop this week sometime depending on how much driving I do. I still have half a tank, but it's going to get very cold this week, so I don't want to let it get too low. I also went to Chipotle for lunch on Friday. I very rarely go out to eat, so I decided to go for lunch since it was one of my direct report's last day. I am also planning to go next month sometime with a friend who is currently on a long vacation. I want to meet up with her to hear about her trip and see all of the pictures.

I hope to spend a lot less this week!! I am planning to go to Super Target for my grocery shopping next weekend. They carry a few items I can't get at the grocery store closest to my house.

I am discovering that working out is resulting in no "no drive" days. This is okay, but it will start making a difference in my gas costs once winter is over. I tend to do more when it's nicer out and not so cold. I am currently spending a lot more time inside. I love going to the gym though and I need to get back into shape, so it's worth it!

Another Busy Week

This week has been very busy. We have a lot of changes going on at work. I am also still catching up from time off over the holidays. I am trying to get back into working out regularly. I also need to get some things done around my apartment. All of this has lead to 3 no spend days so far this week though! Yay!

I am not planning to spend much this weekend. I might go into work for awhile to get some things done while it's quiet there. It's supposed to get very cold here next week, so I need to go to the grocery store this weekend. I don't like running errands when it's extremely cold out.

I am traveling for work on January 22-23. I have never been on a work trip out of town before. It will be interesting! There are two other people from my department going. I am looking forward to meeting people in person that I talk to on the phone a lot. It will be good networking.

I decided that I am not going to a mall at all in January. I have a lot of things on my to do list, work is very busy, I am trying to save money, and I don't need anything right now. So, the best choice is to just resist temptation. Next month may be a different story though. I need to get into working out a lot more though before I can buy any clothes. Another motivation for working out more!

Other Notes

I just updated my sidebars. My overall savings increased, but none of the categories I list individually on here did.

I updated the blogs I read as well. This list is sure growing. If I forgot anyone, or anyone would like to be added, just let me know.

I keep forgetting to post my 12/31/08 net worth. It was $10,998. I am very pleased with this. I started tracking it in April 2008. It was negative then. I can't wait to see what happens in 2009.

Week 1 Spending

I think I am going to post my spending each Sunday for the previous week. I usually get groceries and gas on the weekends, so this should work out well for me. I am only starting with my spending from January 1st through today.

January 1st
-Rent: $1080.00
-Cable: $40.00
-Internet: $36.76
-Gym: $42.55

Total Weekly Spending: $1199.31

*I only spent money on the first. So, that's three no spend days so far this month already!

The week that includes the first of the month is usually where I spend the most money. I am hoping that January is a low spending month. I know some may look at my rent and think it's way too high for one person to pay each month. I do pay a lot, but I have some amenities which make it worth the money. It is also close to my work, so I don't spend a lot on gas each month.

I did not need gas this weekend. I did not go to the grocery store because I didn't feel like going out in the cold. I will stop sometime this week for at least a few things. I am not sure if I will spend the full $20 I had allocated for today or not though. I still need to look at the ad.

I am glad that there was no extra spending, just my normal monthly bills.

2009 Goals

Here is my list of goals for 2009. I may add to or alter this list in the coming weeks, but here is what I have so far. Some will be hard for me and others are listed as a reminder to keep on track with what I am already doing.

Financial (12)
Pay off car by end of the year. (This is a stretch but is my ultimate goal.)
Limit clothes/shoes spending to $300. (I am planning to buy some clothes once I get in shape. I also want to buy black dress sandals.)
Only buy personal hygiene/apartment items when needed. (I have a lot under my bathroom and kitchen sinks!)
Limit other spending to only items that are needed.
At least 4 no spend days per week.
Do not buy pop at work.
Take lunch to work every day.
Look at tax withholding in July to determine if need to change W-4.
Check credit report three times.
Check credit score once.
Limit cash withdrawals from checking account to $20 per month.
Donate to a charity every other month.


Career/Education (4)
Finish CMA Exam by end of the year. (Part 2 by June and Part 4 by December)
Get equity increase approved by February.
Make a decision on grad school by end of the year.
Update resume every three months.


Health (4)
Continue gluten free/dairy free diet.
Eat more fruits and vegetables.
Workout at least three times per week.
Try new recipes and foods.


Personal (14)
Finish quilt for parents by March.
Complete afghan for myself by June.
Do dishes three or four times per week. (I hate doing dishes so they usually pile up.)
Floss and rinse each night.
Read one book per month.
Go through all tubs to determine what to keep, throw, and donate by the end of the year.
Play Wii more. (This is a stress reliever for me.)
Think more about where I want my life to go in the future and how to get there.
Decide where I want to live.
Blog at least twice a week.
List all spending on blog in order to maintain accountability.
Take more pictures of friends and family.
Visit an art museum.
Quit biting my nails. (This will be a hard one for me.)