Weekend Spending

One advantage of going home is that I usually don't end up spending much money. All meals are at my parent's house. We tend to grill a lot when I am there which I love. Since I don't see them very often we spend time visiting which is also free.

My brother liked his graduation gift which was great. I came in right on budget for that. I gave my dad his Father's Day present early since it was the only relaxing weekend I would be seeing him. I will see him for about an hour this weekend while traveling for my cousin's wedding. Next weekend he is helping me move. I decided neither of those were the best weekends to give him his present.

I have bee trying to spend as little as possible with the expenses of traveling for the wedding this weekend and moving next weekend. I hope to spend under $200 total this weekend. My hotel and airplane ticket are already taken care of. I put a deposit down for the move, but I am not totally sure how much additional I will have to pay. They bill by the quarter hour after the first two hours. I am hoping it's three hours at the most. I am about 75% packed.

I started training in the new department this week. It's a big change from what I have been doing. I think it will be a good change though. I should see my pay increase in my check in two weeks. I sure hope it's there! We are having a goodbye lunch in my current department tomorrow. It's going to be sad to leave them all, but this is a good choice for my career.

Miscellaneous Updates

What a week! I am exhausted and it's only Wednesday! I have managed to pack up a lot of my apartment. Most of what I have left is stuff that's harder to pack. Books, movies, pillows, etc. are all easy to pack. I wish I had more of those things. I am getting anxious to just move and get settled in my new place. I have been throwing and donating as much as I can. I gave a bag of clothes to someone I work with. I am going to see if my brother wants some kitchen items I don't use anymore. It feels good to get rid of things. I just wish I could part with more!

I have been putting a lot of time in at work this week. I am heading home for a long weekend, so I need to be caught up prior to that. I am starting to train people on my work in anticipation for switching departments in a little under two weeks. I am ready for a change!

I have been trying not to spend money, but it's hard sometimes. I went to a baseball game last weekend. We sat in the cheap section though. I am traveling with a friend this weekend, so we will be able to split the gas costs for going home. That helps since I have to travel for a wedding next weekend and moving the next. I am trying out mint.com. I am not sure what I think yet. I would like to simplify my budgeting an money management, but I can't seem to find a way to do that yet. Maybe once July comes and I have more time to devote to things like this I will be able to figure something out.

I am trying to fit working out and studying in, but it's so hard right now. I am thinking about pushing my test date out a week or two.

Limit Spending

I am working hard to limit my spending lately. I have wanted to go shopping, but so far I have not let myself. My friends keep talking about how I will have more money to spend once I move since my rent will be decreasing significantly due to having a roommate again. I however, do not intend to spend more money just because my rent will be reduced. I am hoping to save this money. My gas costs will go up a little bit due to having a further drive to work each day. I also plan to give myself a little more for my food budget so I can purchase more fruits and veggies as those are what seem to hurt my budget each month. I am planning to put the rest in savings.

I will also see an increase in my income around the same time as the move, so as of right now I don't know exactly how much more I will be making each month after taxes. I am planning to increase my 401k contributions when my new salary starts.

My hope is to save as much as possible so I can pay my car off early next year. I also want to save to move elsewhere at some point. I am still not set on staying in this area, but I am also not completely sure where I want to move to. I have some ideas, but I don't want to do anything until the economy turns around. It's too big of a risk to take. I am hoping to visit a few more places I am interested in in the next year or two. Moving to a new area would be scary and a challenge, but I don't feel like this area is the ideal place for me. You never know what will happen in the next few years though.

I will post an updated budget once I have a better idea of how much I will be making and what my utility costs will be at the new apartment.

Planning to Move

Even though we found a place to live a few weeks ago, there are still a lot of other things to do prior to moving. I decided on a moving company and put a deposit down to hold my day and time. I am just having them move the large items. I will be moving small items and boxes myself. I hate spending the money on this, but it's just something I have to do. I will recover this cost in less than one month due to having a roommate once I move, so it's not too bad.

We also need to decide on cable. I would like to get that appointment scheduled because I need to have internet as soon as I move in so I can study for my exam. I scheduled an appointment to sign the lease and pick up the keys when we are moving in. It's nice to have some of this done, but what really scares me is thinking about packing. I don't feel like I have that much, but I have more than enough to move. I am hoping to get rid of some things prior to moving.

I have a lot I want to get done over the next few weeks since things will get very busy soon. I will be starting my new job, moving, and studying a ton in the next month. It will be interesting to see how it all goes.

Switching Positions

I accepted the new position today at work!! I am very excited about this. When they called, I said that I would not accept as I wanted them to see if the could do better. They did. They went up 5% more than the original offer. I was shocked. I am very happy with this though. I might be able to keep my flex time, so that would be great. I am very nervous as this position has a lot more exposure to higher level management than I currently have. I hope it all goes well. It's a complete 180 from what I am doing now.

I also scheduled my next exam part. I am currently in the review course which ends later in May. I was very torn on when to take the exam due to the trip for my cousin's wedding and moving. I am taking the exam June12th, so I have just under two months to get ready.

So much going on right now.

HELP!!

I need advice from everyone. I received an email today from the hiring manager that I was selected for the position I applied for and HR would be calling soon with the offer. I am currently paid a decent amount less than others with the same position levels in my company and outside of the company. My current department is working to put through my equity increase in the next two months. My current boss informed me of what it would be today since he knows I applied for this position. Based on what I have heard from others who have moved around within the company, I am expecting an offer 2-3% higher than my currently salary. I am looking for something higher than that due to knowing where others are and the equity increase being put through in my current department.

So, my question to everyone is . . . How do I negotiate if I am not happy with the offer? Do I respond with exactly where I want to be? Do I go a bit higher knowing they will come down some? Do I mention the equity adjustment? Any thoughts/opinions would help me greatly. Thanks so much!

Apartment & Job Update

We found an apartment!! We really like the main living space. There is a lot of room. One bedroom has a bigger closet and one a bigger room, so there was no problem deciding who gets which room. I am very excited to have this decided. One less thing to worry about. Now I just have to move all of my stuff. I can't wait to start saving some money.

I applied for a new position at the company I work for. I am very nervous about this, but we'll see what happens. I am not sure when I will hear anything.

I bought groceries today since things will be closed on Sunday. I came in $10 under budget. I also got gas and a car wash. I came in $2 under budget for those things. I have also been trying to get a lot of studying in. I have so much to get through. I don't want to get behind. I would have liked to go home to visit my family this weekend, but I decided against it. I have plans with a friend tomorrow night instead. It's finally nice out here, so I am hoping for a good weekend.

Update

I feel like my life is just crazy right now. Things have been very busy still. I am getting over being sick. I ended up having to go to the doctor. I really didn't want to. My copay was $20 for the office visit. I also had to spend $14 for two medications. I guess it was worth it though. I just hate spending money on doctor visits. I am trying to get back into working out. The doctor said to take a week off. I didn't listen. I have worked out twice, but they have been awful workouts. I am still exhausted and tire easily.

I have also been researching where to live. I have to give notice to my apartment management office by the end of the month. It started with me thinking about moving in with one or two friends. Their lease is up the month after mine. So, the debate was should I give notice for the end of May or pay one month extra (my rent goes up $190!!!) and have my lease end at the same time as theirs. Then we started looking at renting a house instead of an apartment. It has now turned into me getting a pre-approval for a mortgage and looking at houses!!!! I am very torn on what to do. I would love to buy something, but it scares me. I would have to use a little over half my savings to purchase a home. Part of my issue comes from living in a large metro area. I am finding homes I like further from my work place than I would like. I need to decide how far I am willing to drive to and from work each day. Any thoughts on this!?!

I have also been very busy at work still. It slowed down a little, but not too much. I am curious to see what happens over the next few months. Part of why I am worried about purchasing a home is because of the stability of the job market. I guess you just never know though.

I have still been searching for clothes which fit. It's a process for me. I am also trying to find good deals and not just buy the first thing I see. I am hoping to get a few more things in April. Discover has 5% cash back from April through June for department stores and clothing stores. So, I think I will look in April once I can get some extra cash back on my credit card.

I decided to sign up for a review course for the next part of my exam. It was a lot of money, but I will get reimbursed by my work as soon as the course is over. I just have to drive downtown once a week for 8 weeks and pay for parking. That will be a change for me. This is the part which freaks me out the most, so I think this will be a good thing. It will also force me to complete sections by a certain time. I am hoping to put some time in studying this weekend to get a head start before the first class this next week.

I would love to hear thoughts on purchasing a home. If anyone is in the Minneapolis area, I would also like to hear thoughts on locations. Thanks so much!!!

This Weekend

What a weekend it has been! I spent more than I intended, but it was well worth it. I had a great time with my family. It was nice to see them again. I got sick towards the end of the week, so I slept in for awhile on Saturday before my family got here. Even with the extra sleep, I still wasn't feeling that great. I am a little better today, but I think it might be a hard start to the week. I don't like being sick. The sore throat and coughing get old quick. I have no appetite, so I haven't had to spend much on groceries!!

My parents bought me some shoes and groceries this weekend. I am very appreciative of the purchases. I was able to stock up on a few things from Trader Joe's, so I won't have to worry about going there for the next few weeks. And I love the shoes I got. They are very cute tennis shoes.

I bought myself a track jacket which was on sale. Even though I need new clothes due to very few of mine fitting, I have a lot of tanks and tees that fit. I thought a track jacket would be nice for something to throw over them when it's a little cool out.

I have a lot going on this week. I will be spending some money, but that's okay. I am trying to find a balance between doing some activities which I enjoy and saving. It's hard. I think it will take some time.

I also need to figure out if I want to take a class to study for the next part of my exam and what to do with my apartment lease by Tuesday. I am very torn on what to do.

I want to take the class because it would force me to complete things by a certain time. The discussions would also be nice. It is expensive though. I would get reimbursed afterwards by work. I worry about the economy though and what if I were to get laid off before the class is over. My savings interest rates have dropped so low that it doesn't seem like it would really matter if I took the money out for the class. (I am very disappointed by my rates currently.)

As far as my living situation goes, I am very torn on this as well. I would like to save money on rent, but that means having roommates. I have been living alone for about 2.5 years. It's been nice, but at times it would also be nice to have someone around. I live very close to work currently and end up having to drive further to work each day. I am not used to driving in rush hour traffic, so this kind of scares me. It would be nice to not have to drive so far to spend time with my friends though. We have been looking at what's out there. I am not sure if there would be two or three of us. That's part of the problem currently. Three people is hard to get all of the things we want (being a garage spot for each of us). Two people is much easier, but I wouldn't save as much as with three.

Any suggestions are welcome!!

My Life Currently

I am completely exhausted right now. I have been working 12 hour days and then coming home and working a few more hours before going to bed. I have also been working at least one day each weekend. I can't wait for this time of the year to be over with. I want to get back to my normal life. I have been managing to work out at least 4 days a week still. I am making this a priority no matter what I have going on. I think work should quiet down a little bit after this week.

My family is coming to visit me this weekend. I have plans on Friday night with a friend. I think it should be a good weekend overall. I am hoping to do some shopping. I want to find some deals for items which are on my list of clothes I want to buy. I am slowly working at buying the items on my list as I find them on sale and that fit. I struggle to find clothes that fit me right.

I have started running at the gym. I am hoping to sign up for a 5k in a few months if all goes well. This will be a huge accomplishment for me. I really enjoy working out. I feel great lately. The cost is well worth it to me.

Due to working so much, I haven't spent much money lately. I have spent a little more on groceries than I probably should be but that's okay. I haven't spent it on other items, so that's a plus. I am still under budget.

I really want to start highlighting my hair again, but I am worried about the cost. I know I probably shouldn't, but I love my hair when it's highlighted. It has so much more body and it's thicker.

The boy . . . we haven't had time to do anything this past week. We are both very busy with work and other things right now. I am hoping after this weekend we can spend a little more time together and see what happens. I really enjoy spending time with him, so I hope it works out. You just never know though.

I will post after this weekend once I know how much I spent. I hope to stay within my budget!

Update

I have been awful at keeping up my blog lately. Sometimes I wish there was more time in the day. I am swamped at work right now. In addition to work I have been spending time with some of my best friends, working out, randomly dating, and working some more. I am also trying to fit in studying and some me time. I have stayed within my budget.

I have also started the process of rebuilding my wardrobe after cleaning out my closet and giving away all of my clothes which no longer fit. I was able to get some good deals last week. I made a list of everything I want/need clothing wise and how much I can spend on each item. Everything I bought last weekend was on my list and under budget. You can't beat that since I have a pretty big list.

I know a lot of the blogs I read have been mentioning date lately. I have not dated since college. This is for a variety of reasons. I am just feeling better overall now that I am working out 4-5 times a week, so I have been more social. I met a guy who was cute, but he ended up keeping some things about his personal life from me. So, I am not planning to see him again. And then there is a friend of a friend. Not such a great idea either. And now there is one other one. We'll see how this goes.

I have been considering moving in with some friends when my lease is up in order to save some time/money. I spend a lot of time driving to meet up with them (disadvantages of living in a bigger metro area). I am just concerned about going from living alone to having roommates again. I did live with one of them a few years ago and it worked out just fine.

We got more snow this today. I am not impressed. I really wanted spring to come. I have been itching to go on vacation. Somewhere with a beach, no shoes, and a book sounds amazing right now.

My Weekend . . . And Upcoming Weeks

This is the busiest time of the year for me. I am heading to work for awhile today. I hope for only a few hours to get some things done so I am caught up for Monday. I have plans later with a friend for a movie and shopping. (Neither of us have boyfriends to go out with for Valentine's Day.) I also hope to go to Trader Joe's and pick up around my apartment this weekend. I want to be ready for the next few weeks.

Next weekend is the first of a few required work weekends for my group. It will be very busy. I can't wait for it to be a month from now so that things quiet down a bit. Work provides lunch for us on the weekends, so that's nice. It will be hard to fit much else in, so the more I get done this weekend, the better off I will be. I just need to make sure I keep up my workouts. They really help how I feel, especially during stressful times.

I spent a lot more than I planned on groceries this week. There were some great sales on things I use regularly though, so I stocked up. I also need to stock up at Trader Joe's this weekend since I won't have time to go in the next few weeks.

I am hoping to find some tops on sale today when I am at the mall. I also have coupons to use. I am planning to go to Barnes and Noble as well to pick up a book I really want. I have a $50 gift card and a coupon for there, so I don't feel so bad about buying a book.

Have a great Valentine's Day weekend!

Lack of Updates

I know it's been awhile since I have updated. A lot has been going on. I have been reconnecting with some great friends, working a ton, working out, and just trying to survive. I feel very overwhelmed right now for some reason. I want to spend time with friends, do my best at work, study, and work out, but it gets to be a lot sometimes. I am working really hard at not spending too much money and keeping my apartment in order.

I cleaned out my closet last weekend and gave a bunch of pants that didn't fit to one of my friends. They fit her great. It was hard to part with the pants (and the money invested), but I was sick of looking at all these clothes in my closet which don't fit. I have lost weight this past year and really need to invest in new clothes. I have some money set aside in my budget, but I am having no luck finding anything that fits/can afford/I like. It's very frustrating. I just want clothes that fit well and I feel comfortable in but aren't too expensive. Clothes shopping is a very frustrating thing for me.

I am really struggling with food right now. The more time I spend with other people the harder it is to not eat foods that will make me sick. They all look so good. I just want real food which is healthy, tastes good, and is easy to prepare.

Sorry for the rant! I hope to get back to regular blogging this week.

On a side note, I had a date. This is not normal for me! Dating makes me nervous. I had a good time but found out later he still has a thing for his ex-girlfriend. I told him we would not be seeing each other again because I don't want the drama of all of that.

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.

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.

Exhausted . . .

I am exhausted right now, but I can't sleep. Not good. I have my big test on Wednesday and I am starting to freak out. I am really trying to think positive that I will pass, but I am also trying to prepare myself for failure. I wish I wouldn't have told anyone I was taking this test this week so that if I failed I wouldn't have to tell anyone! Not good! I am taking this afternoon off to study and workout. Since I haven't slept much (not for lack of trying), I might also sneak a nap in for a short bit if I think I might actually be able to sleep. I need to be well rested for tomorrow.

It's freezing here right now. The cold and snow will probably keep me from doing much over the next week. This is good though because I don't want to spend any money and I have a ton to do after I get this test over with. I want to make the top of a quilt for my parent's for Christmas. I also need to make lots of sugar cookies. I will also be doing some work this weekend so that I can't head home on Tuesday and not have to worry about a thing for the next week or so. Last year I left some things until after I got back from my vacation time at Christmas. I thought about it the entire time I was on vacation from work. I decided to just work hard and get it all done before hand this year so that I can really enjoy my vacation.

I shouldn't have to spend too much money on my vacation. I can't wait to see my family, rest up, eat some good food, and relax. I want to make my 2009 goals as well over my vacation. I haven't been home since August, so this will be nice. I have seen my immediate family, but there's still something about seeing them at my parent's versus them coming here for a quick visit.

I need to update my sidebars sometime. I was able to transfer some more money to savings. This brings my total to just over $10,000 in savings. I am very excited about this. I should have everything updated by the start of 2009 with my plan for the new year in place.

My Friday

I am so glad it's Friday even though I have to do some stuff for work this weekend. The nice part is that I have full access from home, so I will be able to work from the comfort of my couch.

Today after work I went to the mall to look at a few things. I checked out cell phones. I have narrowed my decision slightly. I am going to wait until next week to do anything in hopes of them having some after Thanksgiving sales. I ended up buying a sweater. I had planned to look next weekend, but I found one I really liked today and it was 25% off. No shopping for me next weekend now!

Then it was off to the grocery store to get everything for Thanksgiving since I am having my family here this year for the first time ever. I think I did pretty good. I spent $45.02. I had planned for $45. This includes my food for today through Wednesday as well. Then next weekend will be lots of leftovers for me!

Yesterday . . . my toaster oven broke. I emailed the company since it's not even a year old, but no luck so far. I use it every morining for breakfast, so now I have had to change my morning routine. So, my no spending next weekend may go out the window if this doesn't get fixed and there is a really good sale on one.

Cell phone side note . . . I do not have a landline, so this is my only phone. I have been researching and price watching in order to get the best deal on a high quality cell phone. For me, this is a very important decision since I will have this phone for at least two years. I hope to limit my spending on this phone, but I also want somethings that is high quality.

This weekend . . . I hope to not spend any additional money. More studying this weekend! I also need to start cleaning and getting ready for my family next week. And of course work!

Busy Week

This has been a very busy week for me at work. Next week will be as well. This means no time to spend money though, so that's great. I am planning to go grocery shopping this weekend for Thanksgiving. I am really hoping to keep my spending under $45. I normally spend about $25 each week on groceries, so this is an increase of $20. I have a list which I priced out with the best ad this week, so I should be able to do it.

I might go look at cell phones this weekend if I get the itch to shop. I will not be buying a new phone this weekend though. I want to wait until after Thanksgiving to see if they have any good deals then. I would like to get an idea of which phones I like prior to Thanksgiving weekend.

I can't wait for the holidays so that I have a long weekend since mine will be cut short this weekend due to having to work. I also need to fit in lots of studying this weekend. It will be a busy one!

My Week

I am so glad it's Friday! It's cold and windy here today. I ran a few errands after work so that I can stay home all weekend. I went to Trader Joe's and Walmart. I spent about $40 total, so that's not too bad. I shouldn't have any other shopping trips until one week from Sunday when I go buy everything for Thanksgiving. That will be a spendier trip. I do have $10 in gift certificates to use at my regular grocery store, so I am planning to go there.

I still have not gotten gas, so sometime next week I will have to do that. I hope to not spend any money other than on groceries until Thanksgiving. Well, groceries and my normal bills.

My plans for the weekend are to stay home and study. I really need to get a lot done this weekend. I also want to get some things done around my apartment so that I don't have to do so much next weekend because I also may need to work some next weekend due to the short holiday week after that. Why do holidays always end up during the busiest times at work?

Have a great weekend!!

Glad It's Friday

What a week this was!! I am exhausted after a very busy week at work. I have to decide this weekend if I am going to take another part of my certification exam prior to the end of the year. I want to, but I haven't been studying as much as I need to. I am hoping to see how the studying goes this weekend and go from there. Any thoughts on how to get myself to study even after a long day at work?

I am hoping to not spend very much this weekend. I need some groceries. I hope to keep my non-grocery spending to less than $20. I also should get gas this weekend. I heard some places here are down to $2.29. How great is that! A year or two ago I would have been complaining about that price. Now I am glad we're that low ago. I am curious to see how long it will continue to drop.

The weather is getting colder here. I am still waiting to turn my heat on. I am not sure how much longer I will be able to wait. I think I can for sure make it until Sunday. I hope I can go even longer than that.