Cameron and I in many ways have a VERY similar style. We both enjoy simple, rustic, and modern feels, but we like things that make a statement. When we were planning Hawaii, we had a short time frame. In a way, this is preferable. Short. Quick. and Sweet. We didn't have a budget in mind, but with the flights and hotel to pay for, we wanted to keep things within reason. The internet became our BEST friend.
Having our island and hotel already selected helped us narrow down our choices of wedding planners, as we wanted someone that could provide transportation to a location within under an hour of where we were staying.
We worked with Sweet Hawaii Weddings and our wedding could not have been more beautiful! They arranged everything, from our transportation, to music, to flowers, to photography, and even provided information on how to obtain our wedding license (a very quick process, mahalo!). We met with CoCo, our officiant, the day before the ceremony. He welcomed us into his beautiful home and we sat out on his deck with the backdrop of a waterfall while we talked through the next day's details. Talk about paradise! Did I mention he made the bouquet using orchids he grows in his own home? I could not believe all the beautiful colors!
The day and evening went off without a hitch. Afterwards we enjoyed a beautiful dinner together at Sarento's at the Top of the I. We had the "wine room" to ourselves, which afforded privacy for extra hilarious jokes and just the intimate feel we were looking for at the end of our perfect small Hawaii wedding.
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
Friday, May 22, 2015
Forbes worded it very well - see their "Why youre thinking about your budget all wrong" article
http://www.forbes.com/sites/maggiemcgrath/2015/05/22/why-youre-thinking-about-your-budget-all-wrong/
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Why you should banish the boring from your budget
We've all inadvertently asked this question before - first, it's why can't I seem to save for that new pair of shoes? Then, it's why can't I treat myself to a fancy meal? Then, it's why shouldn't I have a new car? Why shouldn't I live somewhere nicer? Maybe a house?
This is the old - "if you give a mouse a cookie" - scenario. One thing seems "reasonable," then another, then another, until suddenly your savings have drifted away. Or the dial has stopped ticking up.
When I first graduated college, I was very careful to avoid this trap. I found the cheapest rent possible, kept up my old accord Betsy, kept haircuts to a minimum, only ate out on happy hour specials or the local deli's deal of the day, and the list goes on. As I watched my student debt go down, I wanted to give up on that diet and loosen the belt I had tightened around my financial waist.
Over time, I have found myself loosening that belt again and again. "What's the point of all this hard work if I can't enjoy it?" I find myself wondering. Each time I have reached a milestone, a different budget line item has gone up and sometimes multiple. Then suddenly, I'm not saving at all.
Each time I aim for a big goal - like paying off student debt or getting a promotion - I have a big beautiful picture of the future in front of me - something worth looking at and something to keep aiming for.
But when I reach that goal, I lose focus.
Not because I am bad at budgeting, am a wilder spender, or am a generous person giving it all away. Rather, when I plan for the one big goal, I don't properly plan for the next.
Here's my typical process: 1. What $ amount do I have now 2. What $ amount do I want to have/do 3. What day will I have it. 4. What other $ amounts do I want and what date do I want them.
Did you spot the theme? This process is numbers based. Dollars and dates. As a serial budgeter and numbers focused person, I don't consider my emotional state when I budget.
My friends that don't budget have deeper connections to the emotions involving money: "I don't understand what all those numbers mean, I just want to know that I will get what I want." "I dont want to feel like a cheapass." "I know what I should do but I just don't feel like it." "That stuff doesn't matter, experiences matter." "If I can make [insert emotion here] happen with a few dollars, I'll throw the money at it."
On the flip side, I ignore common sense for the sake of numbers (ask my boyfriend about the 8 hour layover in the "perfect travel plan" I created. Luckily, he booked the flights.)
As a result, I end up with a very boring budget. And when I reach a goal I completely lose focus and try to buy everything. Because there's an emotional being I have ignored during my laser-focus dollars and dates plan. And she really really wants to throw a party and invite all the friends to celebrate, literally and figuratively.
For this reason, I changed some categories in my budget to capture or generate emotion. It was harder than I thought it would be, but here's some samples:
Nutritious homecooked meals (instead of groceries)
Social exercise (exercise is free: I could do pushups and run outside, but if I pay for yoga it's because I want to be around people)
Environmentally friendly transportation (aka mass transit, which happens to be cheaper)
Spontaneous transportation (because being spontaneous requires getting places instantly-like Uber)
Unhealthy food (instead of dining out).
Future beautiful house (instead of savings)
Sticking it to the man (instead of paying off debt)
If you are new to budgeting, hate numbers, or can't stay focused, try making your categories more fun. Maybe you'll have "save the whales" instead of "charity", or "party house" instead of rent, but whatever you do, make it yours. And tell me what you think!
This is the old - "if you give a mouse a cookie" - scenario. One thing seems "reasonable," then another, then another, until suddenly your savings have drifted away. Or the dial has stopped ticking up.
When I first graduated college, I was very careful to avoid this trap. I found the cheapest rent possible, kept up my old accord Betsy, kept haircuts to a minimum, only ate out on happy hour specials or the local deli's deal of the day, and the list goes on. As I watched my student debt go down, I wanted to give up on that diet and loosen the belt I had tightened around my financial waist.
Over time, I have found myself loosening that belt again and again. "What's the point of all this hard work if I can't enjoy it?" I find myself wondering. Each time I have reached a milestone, a different budget line item has gone up and sometimes multiple. Then suddenly, I'm not saving at all.
Each time I aim for a big goal - like paying off student debt or getting a promotion - I have a big beautiful picture of the future in front of me - something worth looking at and something to keep aiming for.
But when I reach that goal, I lose focus.
Not because I am bad at budgeting, am a wilder spender, or am a generous person giving it all away. Rather, when I plan for the one big goal, I don't properly plan for the next.
Here's my typical process: 1. What $ amount do I have now 2. What $ amount do I want to have/do 3. What day will I have it. 4. What other $ amounts do I want and what date do I want them.
Did you spot the theme? This process is numbers based. Dollars and dates. As a serial budgeter and numbers focused person, I don't consider my emotional state when I budget.
My friends that don't budget have deeper connections to the emotions involving money: "I don't understand what all those numbers mean, I just want to know that I will get what I want." "I dont want to feel like a cheapass." "I know what I should do but I just don't feel like it." "That stuff doesn't matter, experiences matter." "If I can make [insert emotion here] happen with a few dollars, I'll throw the money at it."
On the flip side, I ignore common sense for the sake of numbers (ask my boyfriend about the 8 hour layover in the "perfect travel plan" I created. Luckily, he booked the flights.)
As a result, I end up with a very boring budget. And when I reach a goal I completely lose focus and try to buy everything. Because there's an emotional being I have ignored during my laser-focus dollars and dates plan. And she really really wants to throw a party and invite all the friends to celebrate, literally and figuratively.
For this reason, I changed some categories in my budget to capture or generate emotion. It was harder than I thought it would be, but here's some samples:
Nutritious homecooked meals (instead of groceries)
Social exercise (exercise is free: I could do pushups and run outside, but if I pay for yoga it's because I want to be around people)
Environmentally friendly transportation (aka mass transit, which happens to be cheaper)
Spontaneous transportation (because being spontaneous requires getting places instantly-like Uber)
Unhealthy food (instead of dining out).
Future beautiful house (instead of savings)
Sticking it to the man (instead of paying off debt)
If you are new to budgeting, hate numbers, or can't stay focused, try making your categories more fun. Maybe you'll have "save the whales" instead of "charity", or "party house" instead of rent, but whatever you do, make it yours. And tell me what you think!
Saturday, January 4, 2014
Saying goodbye to 2013 and hello to 2014
This year, I have been blessed with long stretches of time off. Once in September - I spent two weeks in California; once in November - spent10 days with friends and family; and just now, for the Christmas / New year time frame.
This time off has given me much needed time to self-reflect. In September, I reflected most on how I view myself - who I think I am and who I actually am. In November, I reflected on my finances and came up with a comprehensive plan for 2014. Now, I have been reflecting on the year as a whole and been focusing on saying thank you for the wonderful things I have had in 2013.
-Promotion
-Paid off student loans
-Got rid of old Betsy and now have a sporty SUV (new Betsy)
-Gave more and raised more than ever for the Heartwalk (3rd year of participation)
Gratitude has been on my mind a lot lately - I have had a few instances of people noticing my struggle to be grateful. It is not that I do not say thank you and do not appreciate the things that I have, but I struggle with having a grateful spirit in the day-to-day. I have noticed that ingratitude tends to be the root of problems: I don't appreciate the clothes I have, I go buy more. I don't appreciate the food in my fridge, I go buy more. I don't appreciate the income I have, I resent the salaries people make when they leave for new jobs.
Although I already set my comprehensive plan for 2014, I am starting to consider how I can make gratitude for what I have at the center of my plan. First start? Giving more away. If I am grateful for what I already have, how much more would I be able to share?
Three questions to consider before making the next purchase:
Do I already have a version of this? (If yes, why don't I think its good enough?)
What am I hoping to gain by buying this? (Could I gain it another way?)
Am I buying this based on an emotion? (If yes, which one & what caused the emotional need?)
This time off has given me much needed time to self-reflect. In September, I reflected most on how I view myself - who I think I am and who I actually am. In November, I reflected on my finances and came up with a comprehensive plan for 2014. Now, I have been reflecting on the year as a whole and been focusing on saying thank you for the wonderful things I have had in 2013.
-Promotion
-Paid off student loans
-Got rid of old Betsy and now have a sporty SUV (new Betsy)
-Gave more and raised more than ever for the Heartwalk (3rd year of participation)
Gratitude has been on my mind a lot lately - I have had a few instances of people noticing my struggle to be grateful. It is not that I do not say thank you and do not appreciate the things that I have, but I struggle with having a grateful spirit in the day-to-day. I have noticed that ingratitude tends to be the root of problems: I don't appreciate the clothes I have, I go buy more. I don't appreciate the food in my fridge, I go buy more. I don't appreciate the income I have, I resent the salaries people make when they leave for new jobs.
Although I already set my comprehensive plan for 2014, I am starting to consider how I can make gratitude for what I have at the center of my plan. First start? Giving more away. If I am grateful for what I already have, how much more would I be able to share?
Three questions to consider before making the next purchase:
Do I already have a version of this? (If yes, why don't I think its good enough?)
What am I hoping to gain by buying this? (Could I gain it another way?)
Am I buying this based on an emotion? (If yes, which one & what caused the emotional need?)
Saturday, April 6, 2013
The countdown is on!
Barring any accidents, medical emergencies, or calls from my "lenders" (aka mom & dad), I will be debt free in 2.5 months!
So from the day of graduation and start of repayment, it will be 2 years and 1 month or 1 year and 7 months, respectively.
Let's do a recap for any high school graduates, new students, or new to the working world:
1. Freshmen year: Scholarship scholarship scholarships! Apply! I know applications and writing about yourself are annoying, but free money is ALWAYS worth it. Here's a motivator - take your potential scholarship amount, divide it by the current minimum wage (likely what you're being paid at this stage in life) and that will give you the number of hours you'd have to work for the same amount of money. Compare that to the amount of hours it will take you to write an essay (2-4?). Win.
Only take out as much money as you need - for me, this meant saving all summer before freshmen year for the "fixed expenses" (i.e. dorm, meal plan) and taking only enough to cover the rest of those expenses and books. During the year I worked, so thats where my "fun" money came in.
Get an internship that summer if you can - it will build your resume & start to pay for that study abroad you'll do next year.
Any money left over from your first year "budget"? Lock it into an online savings account that has a 3-5 day transaction time. This will give you time to think hard before you spend any extra.
2. Sophomore year: I was allowed to look at apartments! I never went lavish - it was college after all. By living on a little less then, it wasn't be so scary when I got to the big city in 4 years and rents have doubled. Shop around, compared the total of the full lease to the total of student living, and make your decision from there. At UGA, apartments were cheaper than dorms.
Go back to last year's internship or try for a new one! If all else fails, get a part time job.
Thanks to your summer job, scholarships, and a good budget - you get to go to Spain! Yes - you can take out loans for a summer semester, but remember you still have 2-3 more years to pay for and a 6 week study abroad will cost almost a full-semester's worth of expenses.
3. Junior year: I was now in my major and classes were harder. I needed to up the amount of student loans I took out, because I would be working less in order to study more.
The internship to end all internships - this is what you are looking for! Now that you have skills from your major classes, the pay will likely go up (and they'll be looking to bring you on full-time when you graduate next year!). Save save save, spend a little, and save some more. Trust me, your 1st car will last one more year - no need to blow every paycheck or get into a car loan just yet.
4. Senior year: This is (potentially) your last year - enjoy it! Your most recent internship will hopefully take you a long way through the year, but again focus on taking out the minimum you need to get to graduation and maybe build in a little cushion for 1st month's rent in "the big city" you plan to start at.
Your first paycheck at your first job won't come for at least 2 weeks, so you need to bake that into your plan for the year.
Now you have 2 routes - full-time job or graduate school. Full-time job will mean you have 6 months from the day you graduate before you have to start paying loans. This is time for you to get "settled in", or if that was easy, start paying early! Interest is always accruing, and the sooner you make a dent in the principal the lest you will waste on this cost of time.
5. Grad School: If grad school is for your - congratulations - you are about to be overwhelmed with expenses. Back to the freshmen year idea - apply, apply, apply to be a TA. You often get reduced tuition and monthly paycheck for the work you'll be doing. This will greatly reduce the amount of money graduate school will cost you.
But remember, graduate school is a lifetime investment and well worth it. When I looked, I wanted to be sure the amount I paid out of pocket or in loans is reasonable considering my expected salary.
Hopefully leaving grad school will land you a killer job. Even if it doesn't, start your "real world" budget early. I geared mine towards paying of student loans as aggressively as possible (~half my monthly take home pay goes into student loans), so that I could have an expected pay off date before a first promotion.
Be Aggressive! Be-be agressive!
Taking a route this aggressive is tough. I had to say no to certain things my friends jumped right into. People love to think "new job? new everything!"i.e. wardrobe, furniture, or car.
First of all, status is earned, not bought, so hold onto that hand-me down furniture or car and keep the clothes you have looking as nice as possible or shop consignment. Second of all, you are a newbie and not a big deal - people will notice if you don't show up on time because your car broke down, but they are not going to give a hoot what you drive to get there.
I hunt for bargains like I am a coupon queen. I plan to do nice dinners for birthdays or special occasions, but PLAN for it, and try to bring lunch and eat all my groceries rather than going out to eat all the time.
For me, this plan above made sense. I also grew up through student loans at a time when interest rates started out at a fixed, low rate of 6.8%. If you are reading that in 2013, you know how incredibly high that is compared to market. Now, 6 years from when I first signed onto these damn things, new students are getting a lovely 3.4% (and complaining about it), and I am stuck with a fixed rate.
This high rate also meant there were not as viable options on the market - savings accounts earn less than 1%, sometimes less than .5%. Bonds might pay 2-3%. Stocks - well, the stock market is ridiculously volatile and not a risk I am willing to take. With as many companies going under, I have passed for the time being.
For me, it made sense to pay of this debt stuck at a high rate as quickly as possible - because I COULD DO NO BETTER ON THE MARKET! If, instead, I felt comfortable that I could earn more interest with the money I would otherwise overpay to my student loans, I would have gone the standard plan or longer. But to me, this was a no brainer: I pay it off now, I save myself $7500 in interest, and I am quickly debt free.
Because I was stuck with the debt and the fixed rate, I feel like the interest I saved by paying early was an instant "return" on my money. And assuming the market will get better going forward - I will be that much more free to start investing in the future.
Disclaimer: I am not a financial advisor and everything stated above is purely opinion based on my own experiences and observations.
So from the day of graduation and start of repayment, it will be 2 years and 1 month or 1 year and 7 months, respectively.
Let's do a recap for any high school graduates, new students, or new to the working world:
1. Freshmen year: Scholarship scholarship scholarships! Apply! I know applications and writing about yourself are annoying, but free money is ALWAYS worth it. Here's a motivator - take your potential scholarship amount, divide it by the current minimum wage (likely what you're being paid at this stage in life) and that will give you the number of hours you'd have to work for the same amount of money. Compare that to the amount of hours it will take you to write an essay (2-4?). Win.
Only take out as much money as you need - for me, this meant saving all summer before freshmen year for the "fixed expenses" (i.e. dorm, meal plan) and taking only enough to cover the rest of those expenses and books. During the year I worked, so thats where my "fun" money came in.
Get an internship that summer if you can - it will build your resume & start to pay for that study abroad you'll do next year.
Any money left over from your first year "budget"? Lock it into an online savings account that has a 3-5 day transaction time. This will give you time to think hard before you spend any extra.
2. Sophomore year: I was allowed to look at apartments! I never went lavish - it was college after all. By living on a little less then, it wasn't be so scary when I got to the big city in 4 years and rents have doubled. Shop around, compared the total of the full lease to the total of student living, and make your decision from there. At UGA, apartments were cheaper than dorms.
Go back to last year's internship or try for a new one! If all else fails, get a part time job.
Thanks to your summer job, scholarships, and a good budget - you get to go to Spain! Yes - you can take out loans for a summer semester, but remember you still have 2-3 more years to pay for and a 6 week study abroad will cost almost a full-semester's worth of expenses.
3. Junior year: I was now in my major and classes were harder. I needed to up the amount of student loans I took out, because I would be working less in order to study more.
The internship to end all internships - this is what you are looking for! Now that you have skills from your major classes, the pay will likely go up (and they'll be looking to bring you on full-time when you graduate next year!). Save save save, spend a little, and save some more. Trust me, your 1st car will last one more year - no need to blow every paycheck or get into a car loan just yet.
4. Senior year: This is (potentially) your last year - enjoy it! Your most recent internship will hopefully take you a long way through the year, but again focus on taking out the minimum you need to get to graduation and maybe build in a little cushion for 1st month's rent in "the big city" you plan to start at.
Your first paycheck at your first job won't come for at least 2 weeks, so you need to bake that into your plan for the year.
Now you have 2 routes - full-time job or graduate school. Full-time job will mean you have 6 months from the day you graduate before you have to start paying loans. This is time for you to get "settled in", or if that was easy, start paying early! Interest is always accruing, and the sooner you make a dent in the principal the lest you will waste on this cost of time.
5. Grad School: If grad school is for your - congratulations - you are about to be overwhelmed with expenses. Back to the freshmen year idea - apply, apply, apply to be a TA. You often get reduced tuition and monthly paycheck for the work you'll be doing. This will greatly reduce the amount of money graduate school will cost you.
But remember, graduate school is a lifetime investment and well worth it. When I looked, I wanted to be sure the amount I paid out of pocket or in loans is reasonable considering my expected salary.
Hopefully leaving grad school will land you a killer job. Even if it doesn't, start your "real world" budget early. I geared mine towards paying of student loans as aggressively as possible (~half my monthly take home pay goes into student loans), so that I could have an expected pay off date before a first promotion.
Be Aggressive! Be-be agressive!
Taking a route this aggressive is tough. I had to say no to certain things my friends jumped right into. People love to think "new job? new everything!"i.e. wardrobe, furniture, or car.
First of all, status is earned, not bought, so hold onto that hand-me down furniture or car and keep the clothes you have looking as nice as possible or shop consignment. Second of all, you are a newbie and not a big deal - people will notice if you don't show up on time because your car broke down, but they are not going to give a hoot what you drive to get there.
I hunt for bargains like I am a coupon queen. I plan to do nice dinners for birthdays or special occasions, but PLAN for it, and try to bring lunch and eat all my groceries rather than going out to eat all the time.
For me, this plan above made sense. I also grew up through student loans at a time when interest rates started out at a fixed, low rate of 6.8%. If you are reading that in 2013, you know how incredibly high that is compared to market. Now, 6 years from when I first signed onto these damn things, new students are getting a lovely 3.4% (and complaining about it), and I am stuck with a fixed rate.
This high rate also meant there were not as viable options on the market - savings accounts earn less than 1%, sometimes less than .5%. Bonds might pay 2-3%. Stocks - well, the stock market is ridiculously volatile and not a risk I am willing to take. With as many companies going under, I have passed for the time being.
For me, it made sense to pay of this debt stuck at a high rate as quickly as possible - because I COULD DO NO BETTER ON THE MARKET! If, instead, I felt comfortable that I could earn more interest with the money I would otherwise overpay to my student loans, I would have gone the standard plan or longer. But to me, this was a no brainer: I pay it off now, I save myself $7500 in interest, and I am quickly debt free.
Because I was stuck with the debt and the fixed rate, I feel like the interest I saved by paying early was an instant "return" on my money. And assuming the market will get better going forward - I will be that much more free to start investing in the future.
Disclaimer: I am not a financial advisor and everything stated above is purely opinion based on my own experiences and observations.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Getting closer to a Peace of Mind
The other night, TurboTax and I were having our long overdue discussion about how much money I would owe the government this year.
Turns out, I have already given them PLENTY for 2012, and I will be receiving a hefty refund. Man do I love exclusions from income (exlusion = never shows up in your wages on your tax return; deduction = potentially taken out from the wages you report on your tax return).
So, the age old question popped up of: what am I going to do with all this money??
For those of you who've been reading my posts for awhile, you know exactly what I am going to do: pay down my student loans!
I love putting a big fat amount towards student loans - I instantly see a reduction in the amount of interest charged every month, and I instantly see that big balance go from a certain number past the first comma go down.
Once I saw the impact of that student loan, I started schemeing. How can I get these paid down even faster? Let me tell you..
A few months ago I got nervous about my emergency fund being too small. Since I only have one income, if for some reason I had to stop working all cash flows in would stop. So I made a plan to aggressively build it up to about 4 months of expenses. Phew - so glad that was over!
At the same time, I got nervous about not putting enough into my 401(k) now while I am still working - what if some day down the future I have a family, comprised of myself, hungry mouths, and a husband with a small 401(k)? What would we do once we get to retirement - share what little he has? Certainly not. So I started adding to my 401(k) again.
Well, now between the refund check, the "additional" emergency fund (over $1,000 per Dave Ramsey), and a reduction to my 401(k), I have a plan to pay off these student loans by MAY!!!!!
Total payoff time: November 2011 to May 2013, or 1.5 years.
Last year I took a few liberties with my budget, so honestly I could have been paid off by now if not for those; however, I made memories with those liberties and I am still on track, so I will not regret them.
For the next 5 months, I am going to be very nervous - with just a little E-fund as back up, I have to pray that Ole Betsy doesn't break down, the economy doesn't kick me out of my job, and my health stays sharp.
However, I know the reward of sacrifcing a little now will pay off with a HUGE peace of mind come May. I am being this aggressive with my debt not just for me, but for my future family, whom I hope to teach these same values of maintaining a debt-free financial peace of mind.
Turns out, I have already given them PLENTY for 2012, and I will be receiving a hefty refund. Man do I love exclusions from income (exlusion = never shows up in your wages on your tax return; deduction = potentially taken out from the wages you report on your tax return).
So, the age old question popped up of: what am I going to do with all this money??
For those of you who've been reading my posts for awhile, you know exactly what I am going to do: pay down my student loans!
I love putting a big fat amount towards student loans - I instantly see a reduction in the amount of interest charged every month, and I instantly see that big balance go from a certain number past the first comma go down.
Once I saw the impact of that student loan, I started schemeing. How can I get these paid down even faster? Let me tell you..
A few months ago I got nervous about my emergency fund being too small. Since I only have one income, if for some reason I had to stop working all cash flows in would stop. So I made a plan to aggressively build it up to about 4 months of expenses. Phew - so glad that was over!
At the same time, I got nervous about not putting enough into my 401(k) now while I am still working - what if some day down the future I have a family, comprised of myself, hungry mouths, and a husband with a small 401(k)? What would we do once we get to retirement - share what little he has? Certainly not. So I started adding to my 401(k) again.
Well, now between the refund check, the "additional" emergency fund (over $1,000 per Dave Ramsey), and a reduction to my 401(k), I have a plan to pay off these student loans by MAY!!!!!
Total payoff time: November 2011 to May 2013, or 1.5 years.
Last year I took a few liberties with my budget, so honestly I could have been paid off by now if not for those; however, I made memories with those liberties and I am still on track, so I will not regret them.
For the next 5 months, I am going to be very nervous - with just a little E-fund as back up, I have to pray that Ole Betsy doesn't break down, the economy doesn't kick me out of my job, and my health stays sharp.
However, I know the reward of sacrifcing a little now will pay off with a HUGE peace of mind come May. I am being this aggressive with my debt not just for me, but for my future family, whom I hope to teach these same values of maintaining a debt-free financial peace of mind.
Friday, July 27, 2012
Just when I think I have got it figured out...
Prior to the last two weeks I was keeping one credit card on me "just in case of an emergency." Between June and early July, I put $1,000 onto that sucker. That does not include a $200 plane ticket for a planned vacation.
Needless to say after overspending that much, I had to make the bleeding stop. I have hung the card up to dry in some drawer at my parents house, where it can stay safe and sound and far far away from my budget.
During the last two weeks, I have not adjusted well to not spending at my leisure like I had been doing on the Amex. I blew my dining out / grocery budget by $50 already, and I still have 4 days to payday. Part of this is to blame on the longer days to spread the check over - we were paid the 13th, the next one still won't come until the 31st - so 17 days rather than 15, which happens to include an extra weekend.
But excuses are for addicts - I must get past the denial and accept the fact that I blew it. So I have started looking for a solution. One point of major bleeding I found is lunch & drinks. Almost all of my "dining out" was spent on one of these two. Overall, I spent an average of $15 a day on dining out, and $20 on food in general.
For this next week, I have a few challenges for myself to achieve an overall goal of $5/day average for dining out and $7/day for eating in: 1. Eat breakfast in, every day. 2. Only eat out for lunch 1 weekday and 1 weekend day. 3. Dinner - same rules as lunch.
Let the games begin!
Needless to say after overspending that much, I had to make the bleeding stop. I have hung the card up to dry in some drawer at my parents house, where it can stay safe and sound and far far away from my budget.
During the last two weeks, I have not adjusted well to not spending at my leisure like I had been doing on the Amex. I blew my dining out / grocery budget by $50 already, and I still have 4 days to payday. Part of this is to blame on the longer days to spread the check over - we were paid the 13th, the next one still won't come until the 31st - so 17 days rather than 15, which happens to include an extra weekend.
But excuses are for addicts - I must get past the denial and accept the fact that I blew it. So I have started looking for a solution. One point of major bleeding I found is lunch & drinks. Almost all of my "dining out" was spent on one of these two. Overall, I spent an average of $15 a day on dining out, and $20 on food in general.
For this next week, I have a few challenges for myself to achieve an overall goal of $5/day average for dining out and $7/day for eating in: 1. Eat breakfast in, every day. 2. Only eat out for lunch 1 weekday and 1 weekend day. 3. Dinner - same rules as lunch.
Let the games begin!
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