When I first lived in the DFW area I had both my auto and renter's policies with Geico. Then in 2005, Traveler's (which was affiliated with Geico) pulled out of Texas.

I ended up having to get a renter's policy with a company a friend of mine worked for (always with the understanding that I go for whatever is least expensive.)

Well, the other day I heard a commercial on the radio saying that Geico was offering homeowner's policies again in TX for as little as $13/mo! Woo Hoo!

Tonight I decided to give them a call and find out if that was true. It was! Unfortunately I also found out that it wasn't back in 2002 that my car was broken into on Valentine's Day - it was in 2004. So, I wasn't able to get the $13 rate.

However, I was able to get a $16.50 rate, which is $6.50/mo less than what I was paying.

Guess where that extra $6.50/mo will be going? To my financial goals of course!

Also, while taking a look at Geico's site tonight, I realized that they are finally accepting other credit cards than their own for payment! So, that will be something else to add to my Mypoints card and another 38 or 39 points a month for something I have to pay anyway. Yahoo!

I made a decision this weekend. I'm not going to take the SAT tutoring job. The training session I went to Wednesday night felt very rushed. I left there feeling like I hadn't really had a chance to retain much of anything. Also, the pay is a lot less than what I had thought it was going to be - especially if I don't manage to make the 700 mark before starting.

So, I've written the person who was working with me and let her know this.

I am going to look into other ways of making an extra couple hundered dollars a month. My mom suggested another tutoring type place that I could check out.

In other news . . I have decided to add a bit of running to my workout schedule - on a treadmill for now. I am going to be using a program called "Couch to 5k" which can be found on the coolrunning.com website. Before really getting into it though, I needed to get some real running shoes.

So, I did that this afternoon. $100. Ouch! But my back and knees will thank me for it later.

I haven't really decided if I'm going to go for doing a 5k or not. If I do, it wouldn't be until the fall when it's not too hot or too cold.

I got a call from A around 7 p.m. tonight telling me that they would like to have me join their team! Since I didn't quite make the 700 mark on the SAT tests, I will start training, then half-way through take another diagnostic test. Then at the end of training will take another one. If I make the 700 mark, then I'm good to go. If not, then I'll be on a probationary status, but still able to start tutoring.

Wednesday night after my regular job I'll have my first training session. I'm not too excited about the late night that promises to be, but I AM excited to get started!

The two areas I really need to work on are recognizing the grammar errors (and being able to see the most correct fix) and making a list of easy to remember studies which can support the various possible essay topics. My essay was not given full points because I hadn't used any "studies" to support my answer.

---------------
After the scare I had on Wednesday regarding maybe losing my home due to developers buying the land, I've been giving some serious thought to what I'd need to do in order to be able to purchase a home in the next two - three years.

Right now I have about 5 months salary saved in my EF/Car fund. I have no money earmarked towards a down payment. Before being comfortable starting a downpayment fund, I feel I need at least 6 months income + $4,000 Car repair/replacement in place.

I think I *might* be able to find an older home in the 85K to 90k range. So, 20% downpayment would be $17 - 18K.

Let me put it this way. There is NO way I can save that much money in 3 years - not on what I make now.

So, in a more optimistic view, I have two choices available to me. One, cut down on optional expenses to increase savings. Or two, find ways to increase income.

I am going to do both.

Money Cuts:
First, I have decided to stop taking my Callanetic's class. I love it. It's very relaxing and rejuvenating, but really, it is something that I could do just as well at home for a WHOLE lot less money.

Second, I am going to renew my personal training ONE time. That will put me through May with about 6 extra sessions. I spoke to my trainer today, and he said I could space those last six sessions at one a month - as kind of a check in session. However I would have to pay the gym fee of $20/month. He also is going to help me figure out a good routine rotation which I'll start practicing on Wednesday mornings.

Third, I am going to drop Netflix (not a lot of money saving here - but really, I CAN get movies from the library, and just HOW long have I had this last movie out??)

Fourth, I am going to look into whether or not I can sell my Tivo w/the remainder of my prepaid service contract. If I'm able to do that, then I'm going to drop Cable. (If my Tivo worked without Cable, I'd keep Tivo in a heartbeat and just drop Cable.)

Fifth, I am finished with fast food, soda and frozen dinners. If I go out to eat somewhere, it will b only because I'm going with someone else (i.e. part of a group) and will order as cheaply as possible. i.e. At a Mexican resturaunt only order one single enchilada, no sides. I also am going to continue to try and cut my food budget as much as possible, however, I will be keeping good nutrition in mind.

Increasing Income:

First, I am going to go through my apartment and find everything I can find that may have any cash value (that is not necessary) and try to sell it. (Books, extra t.v. ??)

Second, I am going to redouble my efforts to lose as much weight as possible by March 20 to increase my odds of winning the cash prize.

Third, I will be starting the tutoring job. Training is paid. I will do everything in my power to increase my scores in order to make and surpass the 700 mark.

Fourth, I will seek out other opportunities to earn extra income. I need to see if maybe there's people who need a babysitter, etc.

-----
So ... My top four financial goals --

All money left in grocery, other, gas and phone at the end of each month, as well as any other money earned by any other means will be sent to --

1. Vacation Fund - $500 (Will be essentially a free vacation, but I want to be sure to have money available to pay my own way for anything I do while in CA. After the vacation, any leftover money will be sent to #2.)

Then to:
2. Emergency Fund - 6 months income

Then to:
3. Car Repair/Replacement Fund - $4,000

Then to:
4. Downpayment - $18,000.00 -- GULP

This afternoon I went to one of the Health Seminars that I get 50 pts for - a part of the 20 week fitness challenge. (Ends March 20). I hadn't realized that they were going to have the scales there so that you could weigh in today, rather than coming back tomorrow - otherwise I would've waited to eat my late lunch. Oh well - I still showed a 4lb loss on their scale. 10 weeks to go!

I'm trying to elliminate soy from my diet. This is somewhat difficult for me, because I am a vegetarian and while I do get protein from veggies and beans, I get a whole lot more from soy protein sources. I drink a fruit smoothie each morning which uses soy milk, soy protein, banana, various frozen fruit, and spinach.

I've been doing some research, and found that Hemp protein is about as close as I can get to the soy protein. So, tonight after the seminar I found the Whole Foods store which was listed as having Hemp products. I found the Hemp Protein powder, but did not find the Hemp milk. For right now, I still have two containers of soy milk I need to use up, so that'll wait. Little steps.

While I was there I realized that I was out of spinach. So I went to WF's HUGE veggie section and looked for bagged baby spinach (the easy way, I know, not the cheapest.) There was none to be found!

So after I was done at WF's, I headed home, stopping at Tom Thumb. I went to the bagged salad section where there usually is a ton of bagged spinach. Again, there was none! I found the produce worker and asked where the Spinach was. He told me something about it being a "hot seller" and that all the bags were off the shelf. Huh??

He led me to where the unbagged spinach was and I picked up a bunch. Not my favorite way to do spinach, but I guess it will work.

I've got to say, it was really strange to look at two different stores bagged salad areas and see no spinach. The last time I saw that was when there was a recall.

So ... Whole Foods - 1 16oz cannister of Hemp Protein Powder - $14.99

Tom Thumb -- 1 bunch of Spinach, 1 candy -- $2.77

Brings my grocery spending so far to $90.33 and leaves me with $17.91 left for the month. Hmmm . . . somehow I think I'm going to have to use some of my "other" money for groceries. There are two "grocery days" left in January - maybe I can stretch it.

Ok, not really.

This morning I was getting ready to go to church when I got a phone call from a friend of mine. She asked me if I had any plans for dinner, and I told her that I didn't. So she then tells me that her youngest son (5 y.o.) had informed her that she needed to invite me for dinner! So Cute!

So tonight, my friend, her oldest son, her youngest son, another friend of hers named Nora (who youngest son had also told his mom needed to be invited) and I all ate at the Blue Mesa. I hadn't met Nora before, so it was nice to meet one of my friend's coworkers.

Do you get why youngest son was so adamant about the two of us coming to dinner? Laura ... Nora He thinks it's so funny that his mom has two friends whose names sound so alike.

I really was NOT planning on doing any eating out this month - but how can a person resist a request from a 5 year old cutie patootie?

So, anyway, the kid made my day.

I got a spinach and cheese enchilada plate - was $9.69, plus $2 tip = $11.69

I only ate half of it, then took the rest home in to go box -- so lunch tomorrow!

When I got home I put my lb of pinto beans in my new crockpot to soak overnight.

Why am I up so late tonight? I've been working on updating my resume. Tomorrow afternoon I have my interview for the part time tutoring job. A little nervous - but it really wouldn't be a big deal if I didn't get the job. It would just be so nice to have a couple extra hundred each month - give me some breathing room.

Today I made two grocery stops - one at Walmart, and one at Walgreen's.

At Walmart I bought enough frozen fruit to use in my breakfast smoothies for the remainder of January. I also bought a 24 pk of string cheese which is my afternoon office snack - so, again, a month's supply. I bought a bag of split green peas -- my dad loves split green pea soup, and I want to see if I can find a recipe and make him some. I bought a bag of black beans - which I'll probably mix with my pinto beans to make soup or burritos or maybe patties -- again, for my lunches. I also bought a 4pk of toilet paper - more than a month's supply.

I bought four items which will be for this week only - a container of 8th Continent Chocolate Soymilk, a bag of green onions, a bag of Veggie Lover salad, and a butternut squash. I am going to have to google to find out how to cook the squash - I really want to learn how to use more veggies in my diet.

At Walgreens I bought 4 6pks of raisins and a small bag of unsalted almonds - both intended for morning work snacks.

At Walmart, my total came to $27.62, and at Walgreen's my total came to $5.74.

Next week I should only have to purchase soymilk, bananas, salad, and various veggies. Hopefully, my bill will be $10 or less.

This weekend I will be making my work lunches for the month. In December I had burritos (have 3 left actually) but haven't decided for sure what I'm going to do for the remainder of January.

#1 - Keep track of my money on a daily basis
using You Need a Budget.

#2 - Save an additional $4500 in Emergency Fund/Car Fund

#3 - Fully Fund Exercise Fund $1700 (Callanetic's and Personal Training expenses)

#4 - Fund Vacation/Fun Money $500
--- California Memorial Wknd trip, etc.

#5 - Find second source of additional income

---After #5 is accomplished ...
#6 - Increase Roth Contributions by $50/month.

#7 - Increase 401K Contributions by 1%.

-------
I have a possibility of a Sunday tutoring job - 6hrs/wk possible pay of $14+/hr (more than my regular job!). I have an interview this Sunday afternoon.

If this doesn't work out, I'm going to keep trying to find something else.

-----
One other thing I'm going to do this year (ok, going to attempt again) is to totally cut out soda and fast food consumption. That will save tons of money and be helpful in my health goals. I've really been sabotaging my health and financial goals by my soda and fast food/junk food habits.

My goal is to keep food spending to $20 - 25 per week -- with a total monthly budget of $115 - 130. That'll give me room to stock up if I find a good deal, but also money to put towards my other goals when I make my goal amounts.

My Christmas Eve Day was spent in two very different worlds.

Christmas Eve morning I woke up in time to eat a bite of food and get dressed. I had spent the night at a hotel with my dad and Grandma. I was over warm in the night - and had thrown most of the covers off. I had clean water to shower with, brush my teeth with, clean clothes to put on.

I headed to the below lobby level of the hotel to check in with the Soup Mobile organization. There were at least 150 or more people milling around in the lounge area, either waiting to check in, or reading through their instructions.

I got up to the table and found out that I was supposed to have a partner - since I didn't, I got sent to the 'corner' till someone came along without a partner. About 5 minutes later this nice lady named Veronica came over, and we partnered up. We were given a clipboard with a baggie. The baggie contained 6 slips of paper, a few sheets of post it's, a tape measure, two pens, safety pins, and two instruction sheets.

We sat with the others and read through our instruction sheet. It was the first time for both of us to volunteer for this duty, and I think we both were apprehensive about what was about to happen. At first, the instructions looked quite daunting, and I wondered how we were going to actually get through all of them -- especially since one of the pieces of info needed for each person was their inseam.

Essentially Veronica and I's job was to get in line with the other 50 pairs of volunteers, greet the two homeless people who were assigned to us, get their names, waist size, inseam size and shirt size. Then take them to the lounge and give them one of the sack lunches. While they ate, we dropped off their information forms, then got their room number, and then went back to pick up their clothing bags. Once we had their bags, we went back to pick up our pair of homeless people and take them to their rooms. In each of the hallways there was a pair of hall monitors (keeper of the keys) who would let us and the homeless people in their rooms. Then, after dropping them off, we would go back downstairs for our next pair.

A total of 300 homeless people were fed and housed at a *very* nice hotel for Christmas Eve.

The first two pairs we were assigned were men. Two of the four men were either on crutches, or used a cane heavily. I talked sports with one of them - he loves his Cowboys! These first four were all relatively clean and able to carry a conversation well.

The first two times we took our pair to their rooms, the path was lined by other volunteers helping to lead the way. All of them were saying "Merry Christmas" etc to our group as we passed. Just before getting on the escalator to go upstairs, each homeless person received a backpack with toiletries, etc.

Veronica and I were talking later, and both of us agreed that it felt a little weird walking all that way with them and having so many people saying greetings. We both wondered if the homeless people, while appreciative of what was being done for them, weren't also somewhat humiliated by the overabundance of greetings.

The last set of people we were assigned were two women. One was very quiet, and the other was *very* talkative! She was just completely overjoyed and overwhelmed at being in the hotel - getting new clothes -- and the backpack! She just about fell over in excitement about getting a backpack. As we dropped the ladies off in their room, she kept repeating over and over "This is just Heaven!"

So, for about 4 hours of my Christmas Eve, I had the chance to find out just how lucky and blessed I am. I felt sad that the idea of getting a brand new backpack doesn't excite me at all - in fact, my first thought if I was given a new backpack probably would be "What am I going to do with this? Ack - clutter!"

Here I am with my cellphone, a good apartment (even with the neighbors who don't understand what an appropriate volume level is for a complex, or the neighbors who think that just because they have an enclosed back porch - its a great place to leave their dog for umpteen hours) -- I have food galore -- not only that, but I have the CHOICE of eating the good for me stuff or the not so good for me stuff. I have plenty of clothes - and as much as I loathe the laundromat, I have enough clothes to last me three weeks between laundry runs - without running out of clean things!

Okay, so now it's Christmas Eve afternoon. I'm back with my Dad and Grandma. We decide to go out to eat at IHOP and end up eating way too much. Then we go over to Walmart where we spend a lot of time picking out Christmas cards to send to different family members, then continue on to the men's clothing area to pick out a new shirt for my dad (from Grandma). After we finish, we head over to the theater to watch "National Treasure 2". Then we head back to the hotel where we exchange gifts. I gave my grandma a shawl, and I gave my dad Season 2 of Home Improvement. I got cash from both of them (what I asked for.) Then we watched a National Geographic documentary on Killer Whales and the summer of 2004 where they were attacking the California Gray Whales.

My morning showed me just how little some people have, and how such little things, that many of us may take for granted, are greatly appreciated by them.

My afternoon/evening showed me how easy it is to take the ability to choose where you want to eat and what you want to eat, the ability to see a first run movie, the ability to be able to exchange gifts with your loved ones, etc., for granted.

From now on, whenever I get the case of "I wish I could afford that' or "My life stinks" I'm going to think back to Christmas Eve morning and remember that no matter how bad it may get, I still have it really good.

Well I went to the endontologist (sp?) on Tuesday for my root canal. It ended up though that she didn't think I actually needed one! She did say that my tooth has a crack in it and so it will need a crown. If it is still causing me pain after getting a crown, then we'll look into getting the root canal.

So, I'll be getting the temporary crown put on this coming Thursday (December 6.)

Our company's receptionist had her last day with us on Friday. If you may recall back in August how I was taken off the phones completely by our head honcho -- well she was experiencing the same treatment from our head honcho and got totally fed up with it. Can't say that I blame her at all, but I will really miss her. I put together a good-bye lunch for her because supposedly she hadn't worked here "long enough" to get a company sponsored farewell party (she'd been here since August 06). Someone else in our company took up a money collection for her - I'd thought about doing that, but wasn't sure how far to push the envelope with having put together the farewell lunch. So she left knowing that she was loved and cared for and would be missed greatly - even if the head honcho was still a pitb to her on her last day!

Our Christmas party is going to be this coming Saturday night. My bf will be going with me - it will be his first time meeting many of my co-workers. He'll know some of the brokers (other side of our company) from the old office building.

I stopped at Ross last night on the whim of maybe finding something appropriate for the semi-formal dress code in my size -- Wow! I found seven different dresses that actually fit me! The one I liked the most was purple, but I didn't get that one since it probably wouldn't have been the most appropriate for a Christmas party.

I also decided I wanted to get some clip on earrings and a necklace to go with my dress. I've never been one to really buy jewelery, nor really wear it much -- but I didn't think it would be so difficult to find a non-ugly pair of clip ons! I did actually find one pair that were nice - but they were nearly $30, which is more than I paid for my dress! So, that was a no go.

I'm going to go to Sam Moon's after work on Tuesday, and maybe Claire's as well to see if I can find something.

My mom is leaving today to go to NJ for two weeks for a training class for her new job. She won't be getting back until Dec 16, the day after my birthday. She's going to get to go see the Rockette's though - when we lived in NJ, we got to see them at the Radio City Music Hall a couple times, so it will bring back good memories.

Her new job is being the Director of one of those tutoring learning centers. She's told me that the lady in charge of working with SAT prep tutors needs people to tutor the Reading/Writing portion very badly - especially on Sundays. Hmmm . . . All you have to have is a teacher's certificate (check) and to have scored at least a 700 on the Reading portion of the SAT's. I took the SAT back in 92 I think, and do not remember what my reading score was - except I know it was a LOT higher than my math score (snicker.) The place I graduated from has closed its doors (two years ago) so I am working on figuring out how to get a copy of my score. I'm really hoping I don't have to take it again, because well, it's been at least 12 years since I've been in any kind of an English/writing class. I love writing, but mostly its for my own pleasure, so I don't worry too much about "correctness" or being too polished. I'm afraid I may have lost much of my "refined" writing skills from way back when. But maybe my score was high enough so I needn't worry.

It sure would help me out a lot to have a second job like that -- one which I could possibly turn into a full time job later on once I have my "Goodbye Head Honcho" Fund fully funded.

--
Oh - the 20 week fitness challenge -- We are now three weeks in, and I have lost 4.5 lbs! Which translates into 1.85% loss. Next Sunday they are having the first seminar - a Holiday Cooking class. I'm going to see if my bf would like to go to it with me. Might be kind of fun to do together.

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I have my Christmas shopping all finished. Most of it was accomplished using my Mypoints credits for various gift cards. Other than gift cards, I bought my dad S2 of Home Improvement from Overstock, I bought my mom a handheld football game from Walgreen's (yes, this was something she said she actually wanted) and I'm getting my bf a gift cert for a massage. So, all in all Christmas is going to come in well under $100.

Some of you may recall near the beginning of this year my bout with some terrible jaw pain, which was diagnosed finally as nueraliga. I was told that I may only have the one episode, and never have one again. But if it did come back, then I'd probably have problems with it the rest of my life.

Well, the last few weeks I've been getting pain in my upper left jaw/teeth area which I've summarily written off and ignored. Till this past weekend - it let me know that there was something wrong and it wasn't going to let me sleep till I got it figured out.

So when I got to work today I called and made an appt with a new dentist who was able to get me in on my lunch break. Long story short - she took an xray of my teeth , then did what she called a "cold test" on one of my teeth, and determined that it was dead (due to no reaction.)

So ... Root Canal $$$$$$$ here I come. It may sound crazy, but I was actually relieved that there was an actual reason for the pain - no worries of the nueralgia coming back.

---
My church has kicked off a 20 week Fitness Challenge. It started on Sunday with an Initial Weigh In and will end in March. The participants are divided into teams of 5.

The team at the end of the 20 weeks with the most points gets $250, and the individual with the most points gets $200.

You earn points by:
Eating 5 servings of fruits/veggies per day.
Drinking 6 glasses of plain water per day.
Exercising 30 minutes per day (or more).
Attending the free seminars.
Bonus points for attending all 5 seminars.
3x your percentage of weight loss up to 20%.

Let's put it this way - I'll have no problem earning max points in all but the last area. I want that $200 so I'm going to work extra hard to lose weight in the next 20 weeks. If I actually lost 20% of my body weight, I'd be within 10 pounds of my ultimate goal.

My bf is being very supportive of me. We played basketball at his gym on Friday for 90 minutes. Later I told him how many calories that had burned. He told me we should play again this coming Thursday night so I could lose more calories for the challenge. (At first I thought he was going to say - so you can lose to me again - oops!)

I haven't been doing too well in the spending arena. Some of it has been going to the grocery store way too often to pick up "just one thing" and ending up spending upwards of $15+. Some of it has been bigger ticket items - like I guess what you could call a mini-vacation, next weekend I'm going on a Women's Ministry Retreat with one of my best friends and her mom - cost $190 (room, board, activities). I also bit the bullet and took $450 out of short term savings and paid for 4 months of 2x a week personal training sessions. I had my third session today.

The big ticket items I honestly feel are worthwhile items. I had been looking into personal training as an option since late last year, but never could find any inexpensive options until I checked into the gym at my new office building. Still . . . that is a lot of money out all at once (It was actually $600 for 3 months of training 3x a week - But I only wanted 2x a week - so he extended it a month -- then he gave me $150 discount for paying upfront in cash.)

The Retreat - Well if not anything else, it will be good to have a whole weekend to spend with my friend sans kids and hubby. It may have some spiritual benefit for me as well, which would be appreciated, and I may reconnect with some people I haven't seen in a long time.

In a short while I will be spending $160 on 10 weeks of 1x a week Calentic's classes. This coming week will be my 10th class and I have found it very helpful - although I haven't lost any weight nor inches. But I don't fault the class for that -- I fault all my ahem . . "extra" purchases at the grocery store.

One thing I've been realizing the past few months is that I've been getting a LOT more slack on my credit card spending. Don't get me wrong - the balance is still being paid off in full each month -- I'm just having to dip into next month's "salary" to do so. So, technically I'm NOT living one month ahead anymore.

I'm really not liking where I see myself headed.

So, here's my plan.

1. I'm going to go ahead and take the $160 out of short term savings -- but at the same time, I am going to start putting $64/mo into a sinking fund slated for that particular class. That way when the next renewal time comes up, I will not have to take money from anywhere except the account specific to it.

2. My credit card , starting Nov 1. will be used ONLY to pay rent, gas, toll tag, and car repair - or for the occasional reimbursable work expense. (It is a points credit card - my rent is an easy way of earning a lot of points each month.)

3. I am going to pay off all charges on my credit card as of Oct. 31 - so that it'll start with a fresh slate on Nov. 1. (I think I'll try and see if they'll change my end of billing cycle to the 30th of each month - it would make for a much cleaner budget.)

4. Groceries, entertainment, clothing, etc., will be paid for via cash or debit card. My budgeted amount for groceries, entertainment, clothing, etc is $50/week.
I am hoping that this will help cut down my buying the "extra" foods as well as help encourage me to use up the "good for me" foods instead of them sitting in the fridge for two weeks and growing mold. Ugh!

5. November is a 5 Friday/5 paycheck month for me. I am going to put the first paycheck into my Emergency Fund/Car Fund. The next paycheck will partially have to be used to fund November's spending, but by December I should be back on a one-month surplus in checking.

6. I am going to allocate the remainder of my short term savings towards Christmas gifts. I acutally have already taken care of a few people already, but I know that it'll cost me a minimum of $50 at work (my contribution to the head honcho's presents, plus we're doing a "grab bag" gift exchange - one gift up to a value of $25).

Then of course I have my bf and his family to consider -- Of course, I still haven't met his mom or his brother/family, so I'm not really sure if I need to worry about getting any of them something.

So, anyway, I'm going back and trying again - both financial fitness and health/fitness wise. I am also seriously considering going back to school and getting my Master's online - either in Library Sciences W/a School Librarian certification or something else related to Reading. If I do it, it will take probably three years because I plan on paying for it with cash all the way through - which means probably only one class per semester (about $1,100 for 3 credits at one place I checked out.) It also means that I'm going to have to take the GRE. Ugh. It also means that I will have to get really, really tight with my finances. So, I guess you could say I'm going to give it a practice run starting in November.

So, that's my book for October.

August 11



I met with a number of my friends from Pathways at Barnes & Noble -- one of them lives in Houston and was in town for the day with her new baby boy. It was so great seeing her (and the others too). They all bought drinks and treats at Starbucks - but I'd eaten before I went, so wasn't even tempted (well, maybe the chocolate brownie the one gals son was eating tempted me a little).

After I met with my friends, I went to the library to pick up a bunch of books on hold. Then I stopped at Target because I needed to find something for the head honcho's daughter who had a baby shower this weekend - I didn't go because of the meeting with my Pathway's friends.

So, I did end up spending:
$13.49 - 3 onesies (3mo,6mo,9mo) and gift bag
~$5 - 3 bean burritos, string cheese, coke, candy bar.

August 12

Spent $2 -- Treated my dad to seeing "Oceans 13" at the dollar theater.

We also stopped at Sam's Club and I got a box of Fiber One Oats & Chocolate bars -- they were at least $.13/bar cheaper than a box of 5 at Walmart - and Walmart is way cheaper than Target or Kroger. Dad bought them for me though, so it wasn't me spending any money.

I made a pot of beans tonight which I'll be eating for supper this week. I also made a pot of quinoa which will be part of my lunch.

I'm excited about Thursday after work. I'm going to be taking an introductory class for calanetics. If I like it, I will probably sign up for 10 more classes. It will cost a good bit of money ($160 for 10 classes) but if it actually helps me on my fitness quest, then I feel its worth it. I'll be taking measurements on Thursday morning so I'll have a baseline to compare to. The only problem is that I'll have to leave work at least 30 minutes early in order to make it in time -- so between the cost and the time factor, I'll have to *really* like the class!

After work today I managed to find one of the toll tag stores and got myself one. It will be nice on Monday to not dig for enough change for the the tolls.

I got a bit lost coming back from the toll tag place, but finally managed to make it to Preston - where I thought I found my usual Tom Thumb. After going inside though I realized quickly that it wasn't the same one - much older/much narrower aisles.

I've calmed down quite a bit on my upset from Wednesday - although I am still seriously considering my options.

I hadn't even mentioned to my mom about what happened, but I did tell her about head honcho guy saying that if he knew who had been the one smoking in the bathroom (which started the trash smoldering) that he would fire him. (men's bathroom). Luckily it wasn't the woman's bathroom, because there are only two women smokers between the two companies (there are maybe 5 male smokers - none on our side though.)
Mom called him an egomaniac. (He wasn't going to fire the person for the act of nearly starting a fire - but more because he'd made a HUGE deal about not wanting to walk through smoke to get to his car at the new building -- then one of HIS employees is smoking in the bathroom!)

I got a call from a friend of mine today telling me that a mutual friend of ours will be in town tomorrow with her new baby! So, we're all going to get together in the morning. Normally, I would be in church - but I feel this is a worthy reason to not go - I don't get to see this mutual friend very often, and haven't gotten to meet her new little family member yet.

My dad is coming up Sunday. He's going to change my license plates for me and also bring me some things my grandma and aunt sent for me. I'm really curious to see what they sent.

I haven't been keeping up with my spending log very well --- but here's what I spent today:

Sent $670 to HSBC (5th paycheck + regular savings amount)

Toll Tag: $40 prepaid

Groceries: ~$22

--- Oh, I also want to mention that I think it won't take much more than half a tank of gas each week for my commute - so maybe 2 1/2 tanks a month or about ~$65 - 70 in gas money. Not so bad - especially when split in half with my carpooler.

Definitely NOT worth moving.

Today was our last day at our office building. Both my coworker and I were finished with everything we needed to pack early this morning, so we both were going around trying to find others who needed to help. Finally at 12:30 we shut off all our computers and wrapped up our phones -- and were told to go on home! Yahoo!

After work I stopped by the library to pick up a bunch of stuff on reserve for me, then headed out to the grocery store. After I was finished shopping, I had quite the scary experience.

I needed to turn right out of the parking lot. There was a car in front of me turning right, and an SUV type vehicle on the other side of the car in front of me. When the road was clear, both vehicles in front of me started moving out - only the one on the other side of the person in front of me turned *in front of that vehicle!* I must have been paying more attention than I thought I was, because all of a sudden my foot is slamming on the brake as hard as it can, and my car shakes like I'd hit something.

The car in front of me pulled on out and went into a turning lane. I pulled out after it and went to the lane beside it, because I wasn't 100% sure I had hit them, and wanted to make sure I did the right thing if I had. In the car was an older lady. We rolled our windows down and I asked her if she was alright, and if I had hit her. She said she was fine, and that yes I had hit her. I told her to go into the parking lot of the apartment complex across the street so we could check for any damage. We did that, and neither one of us could see any damage. She had an 89 Lincoln Towncar -- so I guess our bumpers absorbed the majority of the impact.

God was really looking out for the both of us - especially me - because I *know* I wasn't paying enough attention to be able to have as quickly as I did, slam on the brakes unless my guardian angel moved my foot for me. Wouldn't be the first time thats happened to me.

Spending:
~$40 - groceries (lots of frozen veggies, jam, fresh veggies, snacks for work, flaxseed, fresh fruit, etc.)

7/31
$9.63 - milk, water, etc.

8/1
$4.67 - a treat, frozen pizza


Today was a very busy day at work, which I absolutely loved! Something else that happened which just made me so happy was that the man from the delivery place (remember, he's the one who flashed me a Happy Valentine's Day ...etc) was back! He'd been on medical leave since early June. When I walked by and saw him I stopped out of surprise, and then he jumped up and came out the door. We gave each other a quick hug and a quick chat - but I forgot to tell him we're moving on Friday! It was good to see him again.

Oh! Something that happened yesterday. Some of you may remember my tripping myself up with that guy in the elevator who off handedly asked me if I'd like to go to lunch sometime and I replied about only having thirty minutes? (Quite a few months back.) Well, yesterday (Tuesday) we were again going down the elevator together and he actually followed me to ask me again - seeing as how both my company and his company are moving this month. This time I told him that sure, I thought that sounded fun. He asked me for my number, and I gave it to him. I haven't heard back from him yet, but I'm going to let patience rule the day on this one.

Also, I found out today that I had my picture taken at our recent fire drill for the Office building -- and it was on the front page of the monthly newsletter! Even better ... it was actually a pretty good picture.

Ok, its way late and I need to take Millie (my mom and stepdads dog) out for one last walk. She'll be picked up sometime tomorrow - she was nice to have around, but a dog sure is a lot of responsibility!

Through Sparkpeople.com I found this really neat website where you send in a full body picture of yourself, tell them what you would like done to it, and they send you back the revised picture. All for $17. (seeyournewbody.com).

I did this several weeks ago and was starting to wonder when I was going to get my picture. Today it finally came!

So ... if losing 40 more pounds will really make me look anything close to this? Ummm no more junkfood for me and for sure no more skipping out on workouts!

So ... I wonder how much money this picture will save me in the long run due to not eating or buying the junkfood? Of course if I really get to that size, all the saved money will be spent on clothes! Ah well ... the sacrifices one must make for good health.

Accountability 7/29/07:

No spending

7/27/07

Outflow:
Rent: $650

Gas: $20 (Didn't fill up all the way) $2.84/gallon

Groceries: $26.49
(Bagged salad, veggies,bread, pb, 2 frozen meals, a couple treats, bananas, string cheese)

7/28/07

No spending -- Did use gas though to go to my mom and stepdads. While there I fed their beta fish named Fred, and did a load of laundry. Love putting off a trip to the laundromat another 3 weeks!

Outflow:

Car Registration: $55.80
Car Insurance: $37.44

I registered my car online, so I did have to pay an extra $2 convenience fee. But to me it was worth not having to drive over to the DMV and possibly have to stand in line. In fact, it probably would've cost me that much in gas to drive over there and back!

I will be getting new license plates too. This is the first time I've ever lived in one state long enough to have to have my plates replaced! I wonder what you are supposed to do with the old ones?

Spending 7/25:

$20 - Copay doctor's visit (deducted from FSA account)

$4.16 - Walgreens - rasins (snacks for work), 2 candybars, a bag of almonds

-------------
Goal Plan --
I'm really wanting the Fluidity bar. The two main things that make me reluctant to get it are (1) Cost of $250 and (2) Whether or not I'll really keep up with my exercsie enough to justify it.

So, I've decided that I'm going to "earn" it by proving to myself that I will keep up my exercise consistentally.

Each 30 minute cardio session will be worth $5. Every time I complete at least 5 30 minute cardio sessions in one week (7 days) I will earn a $5 bonus.

Each 20 minute Strength Training session will earn $5. Every time I complete 3 sessions in an 8 day period, I will earn a $5 bonus.

If I earn about $50 per week, I will reach my goal in about 5 weeks.

In addition to my money goal, I need to also lose 12 pounds and keep them off for at least 2 weeks.

So, I figure that within 7 - 8 weeks I will be ready to order the bar and will feel like it has been well earned.

*There is a 30 day return policy on this, so if for some reason it turns out that its not what I think it is, or I'm not really using it, I *will* return it.

*This plan also gives me a lot of time to figure out if this is something I *really* want to spend my money on or not. I have a coworker who has one all ready, and I plan on asking her if I can try hers out sometime soon.

Credit Card:

There were some charges that hadn't come through yet when I made my previous accounting.

Several Target, Walmart and Tom Thumb charges +
Netflix - $8.65
Singles Website: $9.15

= $121.92

Then today I called about my phone bill to dispute the new charges (for the telephone line) and find out where my previous month's dispute was at. I had to wait for the CS rep to get the latest info from the repair dept - then was told that I didn't need to worry about the past due amount shown on my bill - that it would be going off in the next 2 billing cycles.

I sure hope so, because it really irks me to see "Past Due Amount" on my bill!

I paid the amount I was told to pay -- $61.41

So, my new CC balance will be $183.33

Otherwise, today was a non-spending day.

No spending today.

Ok. Today is easy. I didn't spend anything or do anything to do with money.

I did however eat up a lot of gas. After taking my mom and stepdad to the airport this morning (in their car, which I drove back to their house) I picked up their dog Millie and was almost back home. Then I remembered that I had left all of her food and medicine back at their house! So, I had to turn around and go get it. Ugh!