Weekend Roundup

This weekend was more or less a bust. I barely saw Josh at all, and other than making some really delicious donuts I got very little done.

Feeling very bummed about how busy we are lately. Mostly because it's the kind of busy that leaves you feeling like you've actually gotten absolutely nothing done. I am getting into a heavier workload at school, dislike having to show up at work each day, feel like I've got a million projects around the house needing to be done, and a decent night's sleep is a foreign concept to me.

We've got that $500 to do something with, but haven't decided what. Our anniversary is next week, we've got what appears to be a free weekend in October and a couple more in November, and then my 30th birthday is in February. Times ripe with opportunity for an escape, but if we can only afford one, which one do we choose? Or should it be spent on those nagging projects? What about fall clothes? Or should we not spend our windfall at all? Jeez. Doesn't seem like getting extra money should be stressful, but trying to decide what to do with it sure makes it feel that way.

Gimme Money, That's What I Want

As I mentioned before we recently picked up a new car. We still kept our little troublemaker, the VW Bug, and after some repairs it is back at the casa. It's sitting in the driveway however because we had a bunch of junk in the garage in it's place. Our garage is actually pretty tidy, but it is lacking in cohesive organization. I got my mom to take back her shop vac, we bought a wall bike rack (don't ask about it though, turning out to be a pain in the behind), and I've been chucking stuff on Craigslist to try and get some more space. A side benefit is that from the stuff I sell, I get to put that cash back into the house decor. This week we got rid of the biggest piece we had sitting around, our old entertainment center. It was a nice piece, but we had no space and no need for it, since our new living room came with a whole wall of built-in storage. I almost got enough from the sale of it to get the two benches I want from IKEA. I didn't mention in that earlier post that I want two benches, but I do. Still patiently waiting for someone to take me up on a cheap metal bed frame that I myself picked up off Craigslist, but which turned out to be too small, along with a lamp, some curtains and other miscellaneous items that don't work in the new house. Anyway, looks like I'll get to make that trip to IKEA this weekend, because I also need to pick up a frame for one of the prints I'm preparing for an exhibition in August. Two chores killed with one hop, skip, and jump to IKEA! And then my dining room will be much closer to done and maybe I'll even share a picture or two.

Sink or Swim

I'm feeling very overwhelmed lately. We had a nice weekend, in which I got a few things done. But it just seems that there's never going to be a way for me to get all the the things done that need doing. Money is really tight right now, and I need all the work hours I can get. I'm doing good on getting to work early so far. But at the same time I really need to go take the placement test for school. Time is dwindling and the longer I wait the harder it's going to be to put together a decent class schedule. Taking the test means missing work though.

On top of the school/work/money thing is the driving thing. We got the new car, in part so we'd have something I could more easily learn on, and drive on days I have school. But I haven't had a chance to drive it yet. And beyond that is the stress of actually getting my license. And then the increase in our insurance and gas costs come up, which swings us back around to the money side of things. Add to that the everyday stuff like I don't like my job, housework, cooking, and insomnia.

And let's not forget the icing on the cake- I've gained at least 6 pounds since my foot injury. Half of my pants don't fit. The expensive pairs, naturally. So I'm on a heavy rotation of stairs, jumping jacks, pilates, walking, and hand weights. Also counting calories and measuring food portions. I can't afford to buy a bunch of new clothes, not to mention that I don't want to. It's all my favorite pants that aren't fitting!

I know people have problems way worse than mine, but it doesn't stop these things from stressing me out. Guess it's a good thing I'm doing all this exercising for stress release, huh?

School Daze

After lots of thinking and discussion I have decided that I want to go to college. I have never seriously considered this before, because there was never anything in particular that I wanted to do. I've spent a good chunk of the past few years trying to figure out a purpose for myself. It's generally been an exercise in futility until I recently had a very minor epiphany. After some conversations with Josh, and talking to a few friends, I've settled on the idea of getting a bachelor's degree in Radio, Film and Television. I haven't decided what area within that category I would really like to focus on yet. I'm leaning towards production, but also like the idea of cinematography or screenwriting.

Trying to figure out how to go to school for the first time at the age of 29 is very overwhelming for me. I'll be starting off at the community college, and then hopefully moving on to a public university. There are so many obstacles to work my way around to be able to start going; the first one is transportation. We are a one car household since I currently don't drive. I'm working on learning, but even once I have my license we can't just go out and buy a car. The city bus doesn't seem to have any routes that really work well for getting me to the school either. There are some options, but nothing that seems to be anything less than inconvenient. Some combination of bus, bike, and something else that has yet to occur to me may be in order. Then by the time I'm ready to go to university we should have enough in the car fund for a new car.

In addition to the transportation problem is the job/money problem. We probably make too much for me to get financial aid for my community college tuition. I'm still going to apply, it just isn't likely I'll get any. And even with any possible financial aid for university tuition we will still need to take out some student loans, so my community college years need to be paid for without resorting to debt. Which means I can't reduce my work hours by much. I have yet to figure out how this is going to work. Our community college offers weekend courses at several campuses and the option of some online courses, so this should help. More thinking to be done.

Then there's the actual classes and learning. I'll have to take the THEA test before I can register and I know that I'm not going to pass the math part. (Really, I know. I took a practice version and missed almost half the math questions.) Which means despite there being only one math requirement in the degree plan, I'll have to take some remedial classes before I can get it out of the way. More time, more money, and for the love of God, more math. I hate math.

Sorry for the grumpy rambling, but this is all the junk that I'm busy thinking about these days. Needed to vent it somewhere, and that's what blogs are for, right? On the plus side my old doctor's are now on my insurance plan, so I'm going to both the ob/gyn and my internist this month for full physical. And I'm going for an eye exam on Saturday. If I'm going to be driving and in a classroom I definitely need to update my woefully old eyeglasses. That's a big check mark on the resolutions list.

Momma wants a Brand New Bag

I am trying to think up some ways to get some spending money. Between taxes, car repairs, being out sick, and a firm desire to take a vacation or two this year I am very low on spending money. Josh makes extra money by playing gigs with Back In Black and his other bands. If only I had such a skill that I could easily monetize! I replied to an ad on Craigslist today from an event coordinator looking for an assistant for the occasional weekend wedding/party/corporate function. We'll see if anything comes of that. Looking for someone to clean your house? Maybe you'd be interested in discussing the stocking of your freezer with some meals? I enjoy pulling weeds. Perhaps I should put up my own Craigslist ad: "Girl desperate to shop willing to trade domestic skills for cash." Because I wants:

Going By the Numbers

Pray for me y'all. I'm going to begin working on our taxes tonight, and I'll need it. Every year I do our taxes, and every year I gain a couple pounds and wrinkles at the same time. I might do some sort of cleanse once I'm finished just to try and undo some of this damage, ha. It would be nice if our tax situation stayed the same every year, but somehow it never does. Last year was actually pretty easy, the year before made me consider a straight jacket. Who knows what this year has in store for me. I don't think we have any long term capital gains (praise Jeebus), but who knows what being homeowners will mean to the math when we don't have that fancy tax credit to cash in on this time around. We set aside money every month for the taxes we have to pay on Josh's Rock School income, but it's sort of an arbitrary number based on what we've had to pay in the past. Anyway, send me some good math vibes. I'm desperate. :)

Feeling Better

Okay, after much ruminating over our budget I came to the conclusion that I should just quit my worrying and get on with things. I still want to keep an eye on our spending, but I've decided to just keep up with the savings plan we've been on. Then, depending on how trimming excess spending goes we can move extra money into savings every so often. There, the end.

I'm still feeling a little off kilter though. I've been pretty out of focus lately as far as working on goals. I haven't had my typical strong start to the year on my resolutions. Trying to keep on keeping on, but just feel like there is a lack of strong motivation right now. Deciding to keep my head down and power through, and hope the motivation catches up with me later.

The push and the pull

I am struggling right now with conflicting drives. On one hand I feel the need to be saving ever more money. And the other hand- well that hand is saying "gimme gimme" to every little thing that tickles my fancy. I want to stave off impending doom (of any variety), but I also want to finish decorating the house, start my garden, fix up the shed, get my tattoo, a new flash and lens for my camera, etc. (Don't think I'm a crazy greedo, or ignorant of the world around me. We made our donation to the Red Cross for Haiti relief. Have you?) Beside the everyday stuff and projects that make me want to spend is the current idea we've been tossing around for our 5 year wedding anniversary in 2011 of possibly going to Europe, most likely Paris. Looking at the cost of flights makes me queasy. So, how bad do we want this? Bad enough to forgo any trips until then? Work an extra day each month to put extra savings towards it? I realize this is a mega-crazy ramble, sorry. Just trying to clear my brain a little bit. We have 5 targeted savings funds, then our retirement funds. But how do I know we're saving enough? How do you go about planning your savings goals? Please share any advice or tips you got. Ramble over.

Mind On My Money

Lately I've been on a bit of a spending binge and I'd really like to clear my palate of it. Not going to be terrifically easy since I'm hosting a party in a few weeks, then two weeks later going on vacation, followed quickly by hosting a baby shower for my bestie. But it's better I start thinking about this before all those things come and go and I'm left with nothing but receipts. Looking over our budget and our spending over the past few months I noticed several different things. One- we've been spending far too much money on eating out, particularly fast food. An average of $250 a month! Although that also includes when we were out of town and when we were moving, both times when grabbing a quick bite often feels like the best choice. But generally that just turns my stomach. We could use that money for things so much more valuable than the fleeting french fries and milkshakes. So that is definitely the first spending area we're targeting. Everytime I think about a quick run through the drive thru I need to remember that it's costing us $250, not $2.50. Two- my husband is a text message machine. Sometimes he manages to keep it under control, but we pay a few bucks a month for a specific number of texts and on occasion he goes over that amount. Most recently by more than 100! I've looked over our used minutes and we can scale down one more plan tier, which will save us a little. And I'm trying to figure out the differences between all the message/media/data options to see what would cover his usage without increasing out bill too much.

In addition to needing to rejigger our spending I keep thinking of things I want to spend money on! I recently decided that I want another tattoo. It might sound strange, but it's something I feel pretty strongly, and excited, about. So I need to save up some money for that. And then I also want to sign up for an online photo class through TCU. I could theoretically take on a second job, but I tend to get accustomed to how much money we make and then my fear of never having enough takes hold again and I feel like I can't live without what we're bringing in. So I'd trap myself in a second job whose income we don't truly need. We make decent money, have a house, no debt (aside from the mortgage), and save 30+ percent of our income. We're not talking about dire straits, I just want fun money without negatively affecting our current cash flow.

I posted our old TVs on Craigslist and someone is hopefully coming today to take them away. Then we'll hopefully sell the old entertainment center and I'm considering posting a couple pairs of worn-once shoes on eBay. Combined with cutting back on our eating out and slowing down my husbands texting fingers maybe these things will get us back to a better money place.

P.S. Look for posts soon about the last two purchases I made prior to the belt-tightening as well as probably some tattoo indecisiveness.

Guilty As Charged

As you might have noticed from my Weekend Roundup below, I did a big closet purge yesterday. It really was big. I tried on lots of clothes that had been hanging around in my closet for a long time. I cleaned out my sock, underwear, and lingerie drawers. I packed away some of my more summery clothes and pulled out all my sweaters. I changed out some hangers and rearranged the order in which some of my clothes hang. One of the most important things I did was collect all the items that I haven't worn yet. Items that still had tags on, a few that didn't but that I knew I hadn't worn yet, and I totaled up their cost. I had a $150 dollar pile sitting on my bed. That's a lot of money. Especially for a girl who is squeamish about spending more than $35 dollars on an article of clothing. Actually, that was how much the most expensive item of clothing was, which just goes to show me that my attempts at frugality often backfire. Items bought with the idea that I would have them altered, hemmed, taken in. Things I bought while under the pressure of external influence- time, budget, friends.

So, from here on out unless I have 100% knowledge of my size needs with a particular brand, I will not buy pants online. I will not buy pants without trying them on. I will not assume that I'll get around to going to a tailor soon. I will not tell myself that I'll just wear them with taller heels. I will not settle for things that are only going to end up a total waste of my money and space.

Q & A

These are the questions. They need answers. Suggestions welcome.

-Should I apply for the part-time job at the FW Museum of Science & History? My availability would be all hours Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

-If I do apply for said job, how would I schedule all my dental work around it? Friday was my go-to dental day, but probably not if I get a second job.

-Will a 5 month/$1200 per month dental plan work out between me and the dentist?

-How would that plan, if implemented, affect our goal to be in a house before Christmas?

-Should I amend our original goals to add an additional 2K to emergency savings and 4K to down payment savings before doing the whole house thing, since the dental damage to the wallet was an unknown at the time?

-Should I bite the bullet, use the $1200 IRS stimulus I tucked away and take advantage of Josh having to be in NYC Sept. 25 & 26 to get to New York myself and see Woody Allen perform at the Carlyle? Checking a big one of the 'ol bucket list, especially since he'll (hopefully) kick the bucket before me.

-What are my talent, passion and purpose in life? Forget that, I don't have time to worry about that stuff right now!

-Should I hold my breath till I pass out, then repeat until I don't have to make any of these decisions? (Psst, leaning towards yes on this one)

Worries

Josh and I had to renew our lease this morning. We decided to go the month-to-month route, in hopes that we will be moving soon. I'm regretting it a little bit, as it increased our rent considerably. One more chunk of money not being saved each month. Blarg. We'll be attempting to tighten our belts even more now. This weekend we'll be working on the following things:

-Return shoes I didn't need to Dillard's
-Sort LPs and books to take to Half-Price Books for resale
-Call AT&T: cancel phone & long distance service and switch to DSL Direct
-Go over all our appliances and power strips to cut back on standby power use
-Drop off Goodwill donation
-See how much money I can cut off the satellite bill, possibly cancel altogether
-Put extra video games and perfume on eBay
-Return extra bikini bottom to Target
-Work on more budget friendly menus and recipes

And on top of all the bad money thoughts floating around in my head, I'm going to the dentist tomorrow morning for a diagnostic visit. Think good thoughts for me, as I seem to be incapable of that.

Changes

Warning- ramblings of a crazy lady to follow....

Josh and I were talking last night about our plans for the future. We had been thinking that it was time to start the house-buying process. Now we're not so sure. I think we're putting things on hold for a little bit longer. I guess the better way to look at it is we're going to get a few things taken care of before we saddle ourselves with a mortgage. Josh will be gone for 2 weeks in August, which makes us both uneasy about taking on a big house payment right at the same time. We can only estimate at this point how much that's going to affect our financial situation for that month.

I need some dental work. Some being a whole lot. Like I still have my wisdom teeth, and need at least 2 root canals. And that's just the start of it. Doesn't help that I am completely and totally terrified of the dentist. We're talking panic-inducing fear. I mean, Josh is going to have to call for my appointments, because I just can't make myself do it. Even when I had an abscess a couple of years ago I didn't call the dentist. They just so happened to call to confirm an appointment for my brother and I took advantage of having them on the phone. Anyway, we don't have insurance, so as you can imagine this dental work is going to cost a whole heck of a lot.

Our car is in need of some repairs too. And new tires. Again, usually not cheap, especially when you have a foreign car. Although one of Josh's coworkers apparently wants to buy our car for his daughter next year. That could be a good thing, although not having our little Beetle is sort of hard to imagine.

I can't tell how I feel about anything. On one hand, I'm getting nervous about the whole home-buying process and want to spend all our savings on a trip to Paris. On the other hand, I can't stand being in an apartment one more day. The outcome will be somewhere in the middle- more waiting while we spend money on unexciting things that must be done.

This will sound ridiculous, but sometimes being crazy is just more than I can handle. I know, that sounds like an obvious understatement. Most the time I can manage my neuroses fine, but when these stressful things start weighing on me I just want to turn everything over to someone, anyone, else. I hate making decisions. Anyone in the business of running other people's lives? Cause I could use that right about now. In the meantime I just try to make sure I get time to vegetate and ask Josh for help right before I crack.

Money Matters

Lately I've been spending a lot of time thinking (a.k.a. worrying) about money. Not that there is a whole lot to worry about, but I worry about everything. Things have recently come up which will result in big changes to the plans we currently had in mind. The house goals will be put off a little bit, hopefully not too much, but probably an extra few months. Josh will now be touring some in June, July, and August, which means as the majority bread-winner of our household, the budget will take a big hit for his missed work. He will make some money touring, but that is an unknown factor that we can't rely on at this point. I'll be working overtime to help lessen the blow, but there is only so much that I can take on realistically. While this thought at first was panic-attack inducing, after a couple of days I acclimate to the new circumstances. Now I'm thinking about what I can do to help us save a bit extra. And I'm reading some great financial blogs. Check out Ms MoneyPenny and The Simple Dollar, the two blogs that I have found most helpful as of late. Right now I'm starting with a couple of small changes this week, and hopefully more will come each week to help us get closer to our goals.

Actions:
-Unsubscribe to all those e-mailers that make me want to spend (I'm looking at you Kate Spade and J. Crew)
-Hit the farmer's market this Saturday in search of cheaper, and hopefully healthier, produce
-Work on list of actions and ideas to help achieve our long-term goals
-Create list of easy/fast/cheap food to keep in the pantry to eliminate half of fast food spending

Piggy Bank

Things that I need to be saving my money for:

1. Anniversary trip to San Francisco

















2. New iPod












3. New digital camera












4. New dining room furniture