I know it's the fifth but it's never too late to draw up a budget for the month, right?


Apt rent = $462.50
Phone bill = $20
Electric = $49.45
Cable/Internet = $41.33
Holiday Trip = $50
-------------------------
623.28
- 45 for what BF owed me
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578.28 --PAID 5 Jan 08

College Loans = $235 --Due 7 Jan 08
Car = $261 --Due 19 Jan 08
AT CC = $20 --Due 19 Jan 08
--------------------------
$516

It's easier with these bills a little spread out in January, but this coming pay day (11 Jan 08) is going to hurt because of all those days off from the holiday.

Also for line AT CC, I had planned to pay off this credit sooner than later but since this coming pay check is half of what I usually get I'm going to hold off and use what ever is left over in January to pay it off and only pay the minimum + 60% = $20 when it's due. Leaving the total left to pay off $220.

After bills I will have a little over $120 in my account from my Jan 11th pay check, and then after the neek week of bills I'll have roughly $340 left in checking until my next full pay check on the 25th. I think that's a good cushion.

Things I promise myself not to do during January: spending money at the bar or out on food... ok well I will atleast try to do this. I do promise not to go out for lunch. I will have to go food shopping but I wont buy things I dont need.

Once the 25th comes I plan to put $400 in my Roth and $200 in my iGO savings.

My goals are to put $4000 in my IRA before April 15th and have $10,000 in my emeregency fund by the end of 2009. Since savings acct rates are lower than what I want I'm going to put more money towards paying down my high interest loan debt.

I plan to complete my 2007 tax return as early as possible. One reason is because I dont want to be doing it at the last minute AGAIN, and another is because it's my money and it's not generating interest for me. Depending on how large my return is, I want to use more than half of it for my high interest loan, the rest for my Roth.

I hope my cushion holds out.

So New Year's was a blast!! I had saved quite a bit in case I went overload with spending and I sorta did...

$65.12 - CVS
$15 - breakfast for Ben and I
$60 - Gifts from Dogfish Head Brewery
$27.07 - Food Lion (dramamine, snacks)
$8 - Starbucks (needed coffee badly)
$35 - Target (food for rest of week)


I have no idea why I spent 65 dollars at CVS in DC, it was 3 in the morning and after a night of drinking I realized I forgot my hair straightener and my contact solution stuff. It's good though because my straightener was 4-5 years old and barely worked right.

Total = $210.19

Left in Checking = $958.60

I went back to Target to return a shower curtain and spent 47.14, of course part of it was buying another shower curtain (which will be returned AGAIN because it just doesn't go with the bathroom) and then of course we went to Subway and that was 10.66.... While what I got at Target was nescessary, going to Subway wasn't. When I was spending the money I kept telling myself it was okay because tomorrow is pay day... Now I know it wasn't just okay. I've been working overtime, about 21 hours, just so I could catch up with the time I have off from xmas and new year's (I only get paid for the time I am at work) So today's check is cushioned but the next pay will only be about $800 which will suck. So I need to reign in my extracurricular spending, whic will be hard since I'm going to DC tomorrow, so I will stay a float for the first two weeks of January. I've been saving by not eating out but that money saved shouldnt just be spent pointlessly, I could have made a sandwich at home at a tenth of the cost.

I also immediately transferred $200 into my savings account this morning, I'm trying to pay myself first. This is my second attempt at paying myself first, this time I did 18% of my pay check. I also opened a Roth IRA with $200.

So that little shopping trip I had planned went way over budget! Let's see:

At Target for various things around the apt, (shower curtain, mattress pad, some food, etc) Total= $95.11.

Next I went to the mall and visited Aveda and Bath and Body Works. For gifts, at Aveda I spent $9.61 and at B+B Works I spent $12.81. Total= $22.42.

Then I went to Whole Foods for more food items, like a little chicken, specialty beer, and cheese. Total= $34.39

Of course no spending day is complete without a trip to the bar. I decided I would treat the boyfriend to some beers since he's been so great and maybe it was my turn to pay, so we went to a bar at Brightleaf in Durham. Total= $25.19, including tip.

That was all on Monday!

On Christmas, since we were bored, we went to the movies and saw National Treasure. Total= $13.50 for two tickets.

Top that off with a monthly donation to WUNC, my NPR station, Total= $10.

95.11
9.61
12.81
34.39
25.19
13.50
10.00
200.61

Left in Checking = $430.85

Next Pay Day 28 Dec 07

Things I need to do
1. Make a weekly budget and keep to it
2. Add whatever is left over in checking to iGO savings on the 28th.

I had a bunch of no spend days this week! Let's see, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday were all no spend days. Saturday could have been a no spend day but I had to pay Wachovia my car loan installment, $300.

It's been pretty hard not to spend more, since it's the holidays and I live across the street from one of the biggest shopping malls in the area, I really want to just jump in the fray and starting shopping.

Money things coming up:

I have to go grocery shopping for some food for our little christmas day dinner. Since Hanukkah is all over and we have off on Tuesday anyways I thought we might as well cook ourselves our own little feast, maybe roast a little chicken, make some mashed potatoes, it's either that or go out.

We also have our trip for New Years next week. We're heading up to DC for the weekend and then up to Delaware-- we're going to Dogfish Head Brewery, to ring in the new year so it should be fun. The hotel in DC is covered by Mariott points and I think the boyfriend is paying for our half of the hotel in Delaware, we're going with another couple so it helps offsets costs. But I'm sure I'll pay my share of food and drinks.

I think those are the only big spending things coming up.

In checking: $631.46

It's half way through the week and so far I've spent only 17.54. (Monday and Tuesday were no spend days)

At work for the holidays we participated in a

This weekend had some non-avoidable spending. Starting with Friday, $35 dollars in gas. 12 gallons in my car will last 14 days, which isn't too bad. I usually only drive to and from work. I also spent $45 on medicine Saturday, totally unavoidable. And today I spent $48.05 on food and baking supplies.

For eating this week, I have lunch planned for every day this week, yay for brown bagging. And dinner for each night is planned and waiting to be cooked. Definitely won't need to go out.

Which leaves $949 in my checking until next pay day.

Gas = $35
Meds= $45
Food= $48.05
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$128.05 in Expenses