bus status

I’ve taken the bus to work EVERY day this week – i must say, I’m pretty proud of myself.  I’ve always thought that Los Angelenos need to find a solution to the myriad of problems that come along with our excessive car use (the smog! Los Angeles was the #1 most polluted city in the US for a looong time, though this year we’re actually #2 – the traffic! – the awful drivers!), and, while I’m just one person, I’m proud that I’m contributing a little by taking one car off the road every day. Plus, I mentioned that it’s free for me to ride the bus, right? Awesome!

And BF asked me if he could drive my car to work, since I’m not using it (and it’s nicer than his) and I told him no. Not unless he wants to start splitting my car payment and insurance with me.  And I think that’s fair.  The reason that I’M not driving it is not only to save on gas, but also to save on the general wear and tear on my car.  If he drives it, I’m not saving anything, and I’m still paying for the car, and its insurance AND eventually for the wear that he wants to put on my car.  So, I felt kind of bad, but no was the obvious answer.

rethinking my budget

i’ve now been seriously on a budget for about two months, and I’ve been thinking a lot about the ways to make it best work for me.  Since I started this blog (and my budget), I feel like i’ve taken a lot of positive steps towards financial health, but i also feel as if I’ve gotten – dare I say it? – a little too obsessed.  I think about every single dollar, and I’m starting to get stressed in situations like eating out with my friends, or having coffee after work.  The point of my budget is supposed to be to eventually lead me to less stressful existence, not more. And, I just want to be happy. Bottom line.  Stressing all the time does not make me happy.

So I think I’ve figured out a (pretty basic) way to still keep an eye on my budget without thinking about it all the time.  It’s such a simple solution, that I feel kind of stupid for even writing a whole post about it.  Basically, I’m going to stop budgeting for all the miscellany in my life – food, entertainment, gas, beauty products, etc… I’m still going to keep track, I’m just not going to budget by category anymore.  I’m still going to budget very rigidly for all my fixed and necessary expenses – rent, utilities, car, debt, etc…  but everything left over is going to a general pot (aka my ing electric orange account) where I can use it for whatever I want, whether that be groceries, a hair cut, a new book, whatever. What I have left over is not a lot, by any means, so I still need to watch my spending, it’s just that I’m getting too stressed out by alotting an exact amount of dollars per category.  As I mentioned a couple days ago, I’ve also started a short-term savings account, and now, instead of putting just “found” or extra money in that account, I will begin putting a certain amount every month towards it, and then, if I need to (i.e. if I don’t have enough money in my checking account) I will be able to use that money for my miscellaneous irregular expenses throughout the year (e.g. my AAA membership, expected car maintenance, etc). And once my short-term savings account reaches a certain amount, say $500, then I will transfer anything over that into my e-fund.

But I’m not allowed to use my short-term savings for regular monthly expenses, like groceries, eating out, etc… I have to make do with what’s in my checking account (which is a specifically budgeted amount).

I think this way is going to get better for me. Since I keep my necessary expenses in a separate checking account from my unecessary expenses, I don’t really ever have to worry that I won’t have enough to pay my rent or student loans or whatever.  i’m still budgeting, but just a little more flexibly. It will be good.

AND… in other news….

I found out that I’m going to be received a 7% merit increase at work, so that’s money right into my savings.  And since next month is a three paycheck month for me, I have plans to take that third paycheck AND my increase and put it all in my misc savings accounts.  So next month I will be able to save $1375, which I’m pretty excited about. For me, that is a LOT of money.

july goals

Honestly, I don’t think I have very many this month.  But I think goals are an important part of life, so I’ll throw a few out there, to give me something to work towards

1. Stick to my budget! And really pay attention to my spending. Although, I really really want to assess sometime soon how I feel about my budget and my money, because, right now, the way that I’m budgeting might not be working for me.  Yes, I know that a budget isn’t meant to be FUN, but I’ve found that I do quite enjoy some aspects of it (such as always having the money for bills ahead of time, instead of stressing at the last minute), but some other aspects are just stressing me out/bringing me down way too much.  (such as worrying that I can’t order dessert at dinner, or have a snack at the movies, or something dumb like that).  This is actually enough info for a whole separate post, so moving on…

2. Turn in my Federal Financial Aid Application to my school.  For obvious reasons, this is important.

3. Save $75 miscellaneous dollars (don’t care where they come from) to my short term savings (which I recently opened), and stick to my savings goals (this month $200 for school savings and $100 for my e-fund)

4. Update my side bars.

5.  Take the bus EVERY DAY to work. It’s completely FREE. And I recieve a $25 gift card for every 23 times that I do it (weird, I know. But that’s how it goes).

things i want to buy for my apartment

1. an espresso machine

2. new linens (sheets, towels, a new duvet cover, the whole deal) and pillows

3. wall shelves

4. an entertainment center

5. a standing lamp for our living room

And something that I might HAVE to buy…. a fridge. Our apartment actually came with an old one (one of the past tenants left it), but it’s REALLY old and possibly not keeping our food cold enough. The problem is that I don’t really have the money for a fridge and BF definitely doesn’t… what to do, what to do.  Honestly, I might have to ask my parents if I can borrow a couple hundred dollars, which I HATE doing, but at this point, I don’t really see a way around it.

I thought that I had gotten over my cravings for STUFF, but it turns out that I’ve just started wanting a different (albeit less purely selfish) kind of stuff.  I really liked my old apartment, but this place is really going to be a HOME for BF and I, and so I want to outfit it as such. Trying to suppress the wants for now, and focus on the things that we really NEED (which isn’t a lot, fortunately and unfortunately).

taking the bus

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but one of the good things about my job is that my company offers a really great transportation program, with good incentives.  Every day that I don’t drive by myself to work I receive a point, and every 25 points I receive a $25 on a refillable gift card that can be used in a variety of places.  Plus, after 100 points I would receive a free personal day. I’ve been carpooling with BF, but, in honestly, it doesn’t really save us time or money, since I work pretty much in the opposite direction of where he needs to go. I just do it because it’s easier for me in the morning, and I get points.  However, in the interest of saving on gas (not to mention the wear and tear on my car), i have decided to start taking the bus to work.  I wasn’t able to find a line that goes directly to my company, but I can get pretty close, and then walk a teeny bit and take a shuttle the rest of the way (which I have to do anyways when I drive by myself).  And the best part is that my company gives me the bus tokens! So it won’t cost me anything. at. all. to get to work. Everyone wins.  Except that I’ll now need to get my ass out of the house about 30 minutes earlier than I do now, but hey, not that bad, right? I can use that time on the bus to read, or listen to music, or whatever.

June review

How did I do on my June goals?

1. Stick to my budget.  And assess how I feel afterward. - Well, I didn’t do as well here as I might have liked.  I went over (by a fair amount of money, between $10 – $20 in each category) in Groceries, Other Food, Gas.  However, I was under in my Fun category, plus a whole bunch of miscellaneous categories (which was to be expected).  In total, I spent $154 more than I actually made last month – however, I also paid for my wisdom teeth removal in full, instead of in monthly installments as I had originally budgeted for.  If I hadn’t done that, I would have been only $19 over budget.  I’m a little disappointed that I wasn’t able to stay under budget, but it was my first try, and I think it went pretty well.  What I learned is that I need to be a lot more careful with my money at the beginning of the month, when I have it all, because towards the end I start to feel really discouraged (which makes me want to spend more!) when I’m not able to meet my goals.

2. Successfully complete Krystal’s Dining Out Challenge - Unfortunately, I did not do this (at all).  My “Other Food” (which includes eating out, snacks, and coffee) totaled at $204, which is $24 more than the goal I set for myself in her challenge.  Darn.  Again, I need to be more careful at the start of the month.

3. Confirm with my supervisor at work when I might be receiving my raise (which is depressingly unsubstantial, due to the crazy bureaucratic jungle of working for a very wealthy non-profit, but that’s a post for another time).  - this has not happened.  However, at this point, I’m seriously tired of asking, and, as I will be leaving in September, I’m not really inclined to fight for it anymore.  I really dislike my job, and am just trying to make it through these next couple of months without walking out.

4. Find a new place to live.  This is a big one – BF and I are moving out of our current apartment (and away from our current roommates); we want to get a place for just the two of us.  Which is going to really mess with my budget, since rent can only go up.  I’m going to have to do some serious budgetary reconsideration soon.  - Yay! Something I can actually check off.  BF and I start our new lease TODAY, and we’re moving on Saturday.  I’m trying not to think of how much packing still awaits me, and how my apartment still looks exactly the same despite the fact that we have packed near twenty boxes worth of stuff (and given away four more boxes of things we no longer need).

5. Try out 3 new recipes.  I’m really making an effort to eat at home more, but my menu is pretty limited. - Hmmm…. something else I did not do. I’m going to keep this goal for July, in the hopes that having my very own (clean) kitchen will inspire BF and I to cook more.  And I think it will.

6. Not pay full price for any movie that I see this month. This will probably be really hard for me, because there are a lot of movies coming out that I really want to see. But I’m determined to keep doing the things that I like for less - I did ok on this one…. actually, it went about half and half.  I saw two movies at full price (the incredible hulk, and wanted) and two others not at full price (sex and the city i had a free pass, and get smart, again i had a free pass). I already know that in July I’ll have to see the dark knight IMMEDIATELY, but hopefully I’ll be able to keep using passes/discounted tickets for the rest of my movie-going needs.

So, all in all, not too bad.  Yes, I realize that I didn’t fully complete any of my goals except one (and that was the one that didn’t have a monetary value accompanying on it).  Still, it’s a new month, and I’m excited. I’m learning a lot, and I’m sticking to my savings and debt pay-off plans.  As long as I get those two things, I’m trying not to worry SO much about the miscellaneous dollars floating around other places. Though I am worrying about them, they’re just not my main main focus yet.

slacking

quite obviously (well, quite obviously to my two or three readers ), i have been slacking off on the blogging as of late.  and, to be quite honest, i’m not really going to repair that situation right now.  what with jury duty (over, thank god), visiting my parents (we celebrated a late father’s day, all three kids were finally able to be in one place at once, albeit for less than three hours), and my prospective move (lease starts tomorrow, and we move on saturday), i just have not had the brain power to write about anything. oh, and did i mention that in the last two weeks i have been at work for TWO days only, due to the aforementioned situations – so i’m constantly in a state of catch up there as well.

so that’s what i’ve been doing, in 100 words or less (just kidding, i didn’t even count, though my wordpress word counter tells me i’m pretty close). Amidst all the fun, I have still been trying to pay attention to my budget (and haven’t done TOO badly).  A June update will come soon (soon being a completely subjective term – I’m moving, remember?), as well as my July goals.

For now, one quick PF confession – I used money today from my school savings account to purchase tickets for BF and I to see the show/fireworks at the Hollywood bowl on the fourth. Over-priced tickets, might I add.  But that’s what we get for deciding what we want to do at the last minute, and, you know, I really don’t regret it.  I haven’t seen fireworks in something like 5 years, and I love them… plus the Hollywood Bowl just has such a great atmosphere – BF and I will bring a picnic and a bottle of wine, and it will all add up to a wonderful evening.  I’m really excited, and not sorry at all.  For about one second I was tempted to pay with my recently paid off credit card, but I managed to resist THAT.  I think I chose the lesser of the two evils. 

still on jury duty (and it still sucks)

Well, the court STILL has not finished the process of jury selection, so I am still on jury duty.  Although I have a sneaking suspicion (fear, really) that I’m going to be selected for the jury, since I was questioned today and not excused.  Apparently my opinions and background were not far enough out there for either side to want to get rid of me.  Damn my middle class background and lack of life experience.

I feel bad saying this, because I know I have a “duty” as a citizen to participate on a jury, but I honestly just see the whole thing as a rather large waste of time.  I think it’s a prime example of the sprawling excess that our country’s legal system has come to embody, and I am resentful that it is affecting my life.  Without disclosing too much information, the case that I’m serving on seems pretty cut and dried.  I’m in a traffic court, for goodness sake. Yes, I know that the defendant has a “right” to trial by jury – but honestly, should (s)he? In this country, everyone has the “right” for pretty much everything, and I personally think it’s a problem. At some point, rights do need to be defined and limited, otherwise they turn into this out-of-control entity of their own that you can no longer get a grip on.  Kind of like the credit mess we’re in now. Our country just seems to say “Take, take, take,” but its citizen oftentimes seem to have no idea what the true consequences of their actions might be. 

Anyways, I don’t know where I’m going with this.  Perhaps after this case is over I’ll feel differently.  But I don’t think so.  Sometimes the law is really the law, and people need to stop exercising their “rights” in an effort to get around it. 

jury duty got me down

yep, i’ve been summoned for jury duty for this week. i don’t know why every fiber of my body seems so opposed to the idea of serving on a jury (maybe I’m unpatriotic?) but I’m really upset about this. I think I just hate changing my routine.  Not to mention the fact that the court is in downtown los angeles, which is 10 miles away – or in los angeles traffic terms, light years. Of course, the court does reimburse me for mileage – .34 per mile that I travel, one way – is that a joke? $3.40 reimbursement? That’s not even enough to pay for the one gallon of gas that it takes me to get there! (And lest you think that my car is an inefficient gas guzzling monster – let me remind you again of los angeles traffic. During rush hour, both ways, no less).  Plus, I had plans to go to my hometown at the beginning of next week to celebrate a late father’s day, which I know both of my parents were REALLY looking forward to. Who knows when I’m going to be able to schedule three days off of work again? I can only hope now that I won’t be placed on the jury that i’ve been selected for.  Everyone cross your fingers for me, please.  Oh yeah, and did I mention that I’m PMS-ing? I almost burst into tears when they called my name (at 3:40 pm, after I had already been sitting there comatose for 7 hours).

And of course, my budget is taking a hit as well. You didn’t think I was smart enough to plan ahead and bring snacks and lunch for my day at the court did you? Because of course I wasn’t.  As a result, I spent 5.40 at Subway (for a very disgusting sandwich – since when do we put SHREDDED cheese on sandwiches?), and 4.50 on miscellaneous vending machine crap. Oh and 1.50 on courtroom coffee, which I do NOT recommend.  All in all, barely over ten dollars, but I was just eating to fill the time, and didn’t enjoy any of that food.  Which makes me angry at myself for being so wasteful, and angry at the court just for calling me in. I know. It’s my duty. Does not make me want to do it anymore. It’s just so darn inconvenient. 

Oh yeah, and don’t think i’m getting any great learning experience out of this either. It’s not going to be an interesting case. I’m sitting on the jury of some sort of traffic violation.  So I’m faced with the prospect of listening to someone argue why they shouldn’t have to pay some sort of traffic violation (through an interpreter, since they don’t speak English!) for the next FIVE to SEVEN DAYS. Court days. Ugh. 

Ok, enough complaining. I hope I’ve got it out of my system for now, and can somewhat enjoy my next few hours of freedom from this court-mandated hell. 

My budget is not looking good.  But I’m so upset about everything else that I’m trying to berate myself for being dollars over in some places. I’m still paying cash for everything, and saving my target amounts, and paying off my allotted amount of debt every month, so I have to let myself feel ok about a few stray dollars sloshing around. 

Losing the stuff

Last night I managed to be semi-productive, which is a change from my usual post-work self – I managed to go through all of my clothes and pull out a LOT of stuff to be donated, as well as pulling some random home items that I no longer want, and am going to donate as well.  I ALSO managed to pack everything up AND, while I was doing that, create a list of everything that I am donating, to be signed and attached to a receipt; hopefully I’m donating enough that I can actually have some sort of tax deduction, but I’m not really sure what the amount it that you have to donate. I also pulled a few things that I’m going to try and sell on ebay, but for the most part I’m going to donate it all. Now I just have to decide whither it will go. I really want to find a place that will just give it directly to people who are in need, instead of putting into a store to be sold for cheap (like goodwill, or the SA). But I’m not sure where that is – maybe a women’s shelter? I know my Mom used to donate to AmVet when I was younger, but I’m not sure what they do with it from there.  I guess some internet research is in order.

Next step is going to be to start seriously packing for my upcoming move, and then to seel the furniture that we’re not taking with us on craigslist.  I’m trying to use this move as a means to simplify my life, and get rid of all the crap that I’ve accumulated in the last few years.  There’s stuff that I haven’t worn in YEARS, but I keep it “just in case.” You know how it goes.  Well, it’s time for me to realize that just in case isn’t coming (seriously, what could I possibly need my high school graduation dress for anymore? Besides its sentimental value. I haven’t worn it in something like 6 years!).

Ah, small steps forward….