Sometimes a girl has to do what a girl has to do

I broke down and bought a pair of Converse today. I passed on the purple and got a pair of charcoal ones that are a little sparkly. I could not pass up a $25 pair of shoes which will last me forever.... I just couldn't do that. I almost bought a pair before the shopping fast for $36 so I feel like this was an 'okay buy'. I promise no more shoes for the rest of the year.................

 Unless of course they are necessary or too cheap to pass up......

Well, hello there Thursday.

After a pretty hopeless day, I had a fantastic night. I did not buy anything besides a 75 cent snack before class. L (boyfriend) picked me up after class and took me out to dinner. He surprised me with new headphones. I was really appreciative of this!! I've been using these cheap ear buds for the past couple weeks after my headphones quit working... the new headphones are a vast improvement. Our dinner was great and it was nice to talk to L about some of the struggles with the spending fast that I have been having. A big part of me feel awful about him paying for me and buying me stuff. So, I decided that with this next check I would put a little aside for a date night, just as a thank you to him for all that he does. 

Enough sappiness, here is the budget for tomorrow's check:

Start Amount: $1078

Groceries-$100- I gave myself a little extra just because I need to supply dessert this weekend for my dad's holiday celebrations and I do not bake.

Haircut-$40-This is needed. The weather has made my hair huge.

Phone-$16

Susan G. Komen- $64- I care about boobs....

U of M Application Fee-$55- I am trying to keep this a secret since I am a little paranoid that I won't in, cross your fingers for me.

Birth Control- $50- Babies are expensive.....

Green Peace-$20-I care about Earth, I guess...

Netflix- $22- I have to watch something!!!

Apartment Insurance-$14- This is just logical, I don't trust my luck.

Late fees at the Library-$10- I suck and seem to not know how to return anything on time...

Leaves me with $687-

Unknown costs:

Target-I just need a few things. I have a list and I'm sticking to it!

Date night- I'm sure we can find something cheap...

Vacation costs- L's sister bought us a hotel stay in March for Christmas. There are a few costs that we have to cover (flight and we want one more day there), so I will be getting those out of the way now.

Night out with boyfriend’s sister B- L's sister is coming next weekend from London. I feel like we owe her a night out, especially after she bought us a hotel stay and we haven't seen her in months.

I will update you on how the budget looks after these costs. This morning, I transferred the $40 I had left from the last check into my "Moving Fund Savings"! Although I really wanted the shoes, it felt nice to transfer a little into savings. I hope that after the additional costs for the next check that I will be able to transfer even more.

Patiently awaiting Friday

I've noticed that as the time comes closer to the next payday my whole body is getting excited. This is not a new feeling. My mind races thinking of all the things that I can spend my precious money on, even though I am fasting. Do you get this excited feeling as payday comes your way?

Here are some of my wants for the week:
This tie dye shirt

http://www.etsy.com/listing/88818547/adult-large-tie-dye-tee-shirt-with-black
I'm not sure where this obsession came from. It is not like I am really a big tie dye person- but it is only $21!! I really love how bright it is.... I feel like it would be a good after work shirt which kind of says 'I totally don't work in a corporate job.'

Shoes, shoes, and more shoes...

I have been obsessing over shoes, but it has been this pair that has stole my heart! I fricking love chucks to begin with but this purple color is soooo cute! I would totally wear these all the time!
 I almost bought a pair before the spending fast, but now they are down to $30 with shipping, which is so much cheaper!!! I feel like a deal that good has to be a sign that I should buy them.

Eating out

This has been the hardest thing for me to do. I have been trying not to crave eating out but it has been sooooo difficult. Although boyfriend took me out for two meals this weekend, a part of me still thinks that I deserve good (as in I didn't make it good) food. I work hard, damn it!!
In other news, I have yet to go to Target, so my account is still at $40... I hope that I can make it until Friday so I can at least put that into savings.

This is soooo hard.

Monday monday...

Hello there!

I wanted to update yesterday, but the rest of my weekend went much better. I used a lot of the time to really take in what happened of Friday and feel a little more positive. I canceled a prespending order and have $41, but I do have a small list of things that I have to grab this week from Target. I am going to stick the list and not get anything more than what I need.

I have a good feeling about this week. Part of me is a little nervous, but not too bad!

Ehhhhhh screw today!

I feel like today is the hardest day of this week. I am feeling aggravated with everything. I feel like I deserve to buy something for myself. I'm mad, I'm bored, I have been working hard, I have been enjoying so little. A part of me feels insecure and questionable about myself and everything around me.....Just one shirt, just one lunch out, just one neon scarf...
it would make me feel so much better. I would have these new things. Whatever I decided on would make me only a little less mad, it wouldn't cure my boredom that long since shopping only takes so long, it would be something that I would enjoy until I realized how low my bank account is. It would only temporarily make me feel less insecure, but then it would make me even more questionable about myself because I couldn't last more than 5 days without caving.
This sucks.......
I am going to try my best to improve my mood from this point on.  I only have a couple hours left of work and then I am going running, which I've skipped out on the past couple days. That usually helps me feel better about myself. When I get home, I'm going to have a nice relaxing night that includes a bath and a chick flick. None of which I am going to feel bad about.... maybe I'll even up the girly and do my nails. I hope that tomorrow is a better day............................ For now, I will directly go look at some cute kitten pictures and hope that the rest of the work day goes a little quicker.

So far, so good

Two days down of 2012 and I am doing okay on the spending fast. I did spend a bit more than I thought I would in my prespending splurge, which I knew would happen. I am not kicking myself for it... I've been surviving off of the food that I stored before the fast. Boyfriend (L) made us a great 'poor' meal using just things that we each had in cupboards and in fridge last night, which made me soooooo glad that I have his amazing cooking skills to help me survive this task...

 I have noticed that anxiety has been getting the best of me. It's so hard for me to think of all the things that 2012 will bring and not get anxious. Yesterday, I got a case of the sads just thinking of all the things that I may miss out on by taking part in this spending fast. Winter already makes me a homebody, I started thinking about how sad life will be with me just laying on the couch all year watching movies.... so I made a deal that I can spend money on certain events because being social is important to my happiness. I realized that events may come up that I will be spending money on, in instances where it is necessary I will spend. Yet, as long as I keep normal everyday spending down and not make this idea that everything is a 'special social event', everything will be gravy and saving will be much easier. I think this will be much better.

I'll let you know how much the dentist bill is for today--crossing fingers that insurance covers most of it!!!

Freaking out

This morning as I sipped my last coffee from a coffee shop and bought my school books, I realized that I had overtime money. Thank goodness for overtime!!!!!!! So I revised my budget, giving myself $100 for prespending and $40 for a haircut.
The closer the fast comes, the more that I am freaking out!!

Here is the list of cravings that I definitely need to get before the fast....

-Shorts (Screw the fact that it is January, what am I going to wear come summer!)

-Shoes (I want to hoard them, need shoes bad)

-Sequin Jacket (This has been an odd obsession of mine- I know I would never wear it, but I want one)

-All of my favorite foods (Knowing that I will not be eating out at all next year, except when other people buy me food, is making me want to purge more on food than I had imagined)

Most of these things, I don't actually need.... so I am going to try to use the money that I have set away for prespending to spend on things I actually need- wish me luck!

What is this about?

"Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you." This quote has been sitting in my cubical for the past year. I put it up to inspire me to make a change in my life, but the more it just sits there, the more it taunts me. I live a life of excess- not to the point where I am chilling on fancy yachts, with sexy men feeding me grapes, while I throw hundred dollar bills everywhere... but still.... I’ve let shopping, eating out, drinking, etc. become a big part of me. This is not the lifestyle that I want for myself. I have made it my resolve to make dramatic changes in 2012 in order to have the life that I want. I’ve decided to be content with what I have by creating a life without excess. I am taking the Spending Fast Challenge from "And then she saved" (here is a link to http://andthenshesaved.squarespace.com/spendingfastguidelines/)

What does this mean? No more lavish spending, except that which is absolutely necessary.

What I will have to spend money on:
Rent (I don't want to live on the street)


Bills (obvs)


Household items (cleaning, tp, etc.)


Cell phone (Pre-paid $30 per month)


Food (off brands, in season fruits and veggies, no fancy stuff- that includes fancy cheeses)
Gym membership (through work only $10- plus gym= healthy)

Bus pass (I walk most of the time, but like most humans I do get lazy)

Haircuts (I know these may not seem necessary, but my hair is really thick/unruly and impossible to deal with if I don't get regular haircuts)


 What I'm NOT spending money on:

Internet

Clothing (of all kinds)

Makeup
Eating out

Drinks at bars

Shoes

Gifts

Coffee at coffee shops

Etsy stuff
New music from itunes, amazon, or any other pay for music site



Will my journey be hard? Of course... already I feel like my mind is racing as I prepare myself for this challenge. Knowing that on January 1st, my life is going to change dramatically is scary. Part of me wants to take this time to hoard and binge while I still have the chance. Being able to see these feelings is making me understand more clearly that this is something that I need to do. For now, I am going try my hardest to keep my emotions in check and use this time to ease into this lifestyle. I know these emotions are only popping up from fear.