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Friday, September 28, 2007

October Goals

This months goals are pretty basic, nothing fancy, but will still require some good hard savings.

1. Continue 401k and Roth contributions

2. Limit groceries to $30/wk and restaurants to $75

3. Contribute $400 to student loan payback account

4. Contribute $1000 to HYSA

5. Finish writing post about student loans I volunteered to do for for Get Rich Slowly.

September Goals Results:

September Goal Results
  • Continue 13% 401k and 100 to Roth IRA
I actually upped it to 15%. Why? Because it is money I can't touch, and I really want it to grow.
  • Replenish travel fund with $100 (and likely, drain it again to buy a ticket to LA for october)
I did contribute 50 to it, then bought my plane ticket.

  • Contribute 450 to student loan payback account
I was able to contribute 500.

  • Contribute 875 to HYSA (275 more than autodeposits... slighlty cheating since i expect some of that to come out of todays paycheck)
Well. I am certain this didn't happen. There has been a change in the way I use my HYSA, but the balance has only increased by about $200. Ouch. It was a big spending month, unfortunately.
  • Spend less than 100 on restaurants and less than 30/week on grocery.
YAY, this one I managed. Restaurant was about 90, and grocery was right on track. I'm going to move restaurants down even more next month.
  • Finish and send in grad school application, stay up to date in class
Grad school application has been submitted, I'm a little behind in class, but will but up to date by Monday.

I really wasn't that sucessful this month. I had some unplanned spending (new camera, car repairs) and some expensive planned spending (plane ticket) and bought some clothes at Gap Outlet. On the plus side, I sold about $100 worth of book (mainly, a $70 textbook) on Amazon, so that balanced things a teeny bit. But still, let's hope for a much better October!

Monday, September 24, 2007

Extra money

I sold a few things that were only cluttering my life on Amazon and earned almost $40 (after fees). Not too impressive, but then again, $40 I didn't have before! I also sold some clothes to a consignment shop, but they only took 4 things and paid me $20. Again, it is money I didn't have before, even though the amount isn't all that impressive.

It is fun earning extra money, even though it is on things I once paid much more for.

In downfalls, I spent about $100 at Gap outlet this past weekend, not to mention a few birthday gifts I had to purchase. Still, my net worth is growing each month, so I'm doing something right.

I increased my 401k contributions from 13% to 15%, with the understanding I probably won't meet my savings goals for my regular accounts. Depending on the year end bonus, which I hope to be around 3k after taxes. It might be wishful thinking, but that would really be a good boost to close out the year.

My current task is figuring out auto insurance... I'm being kicked off my parents plan!

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Hobbies

As briefly mentioned in my last post, I signed up for a photography class, once a week for 2 hours for the next 8 weeks. My $200 point and shoot camera is most likely the least expensive in the class. If I ever get seriously into photography, I will need an SLR, but I specifically chose a nice pocket sized camera because once I'm done with the class, it'll fit best into my life. The class only cost $60, quite a bargain.

The guy standing next to me told me I will be able to buy myself a nice new camera with my Christmas bonus. My savings goals have been derailed by some unexpected expenses, so it is unlikely I will splurge on a $500-$700 camera, especially since I'm really just an amateur.

There is nothing wrong with spending that much on a beloved hobby, but I was shocked at the number of people with really NICE cameras and no idea how to use them. The instructor asked if we knew how to control the fstops, and a lady with one of the nicest cameras claimed she had no idea. Wow.

Between work and graduate classes, I don't have that much time for hobbies. My most expensive "hobby" is traveling, but I don't spend time doing it regularly, so it may not qualify as a hobby. Perhaps it is simply a passion. I also enjoy writing and personal finance, two very frugal hobbies! I enjoy reading, which can be frugal when I don't insist on owning the books.

I also claim that cooking is a hobby, but I can be quite a wreck at it! I tried to make instant oatlmeal (with flaxseed, perhaps that was the issue?) in the microwave, walked away, and came back to find this:
What a way to start a day. (But, I did eat what was left in the bowl, and it was just fine.)

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

The price of carelessness (and vacation)

I went on a long weekend to visit a friend this past weekend. We didn't do any major vacations this year, so I am enjoying several little vacations. Spending money on travel is something that usually doesn't pain me, as friends and new places are something I value highly. The trip was pretty inexpensive, considering plane tickets out of my city are rarely less than $300. After that, the costs were minimal.

Cost of vacation:
$309 - plane ticket
$5 "breakfast" at airport (is potato chips and iced tea really breakfast?)
$11 lunch for me and friend
$15 a rather disappointing sushi dinner.
$9 brunch at a really cute organic restaurant
$10 magazines at the airport (Hmmm, sort of regret this one!)
$5 for Pride and Prejudice (A good deal for a book, and one I want to read anyway)
$5 lunch at airport
$20 parking (could have asked a friend, but the convience was worth it to me)

That is a total of $384, which is not bad at all. Our activities were mostly outdoorsy free things, so that was inexpensive, plus that is also more enjoyable to me.

The cost of carelessness
The previous summary neglects to mention the fact that I left my digital camera on the airplane. I tried to chase it down, but I am now certain it is lost into the abyss. It was a nice camera--a Kodak Easy Share Z740, with 10x optical zoom --but at the same time, I sort of hated it. It was too bulky to easily fit into my purse and sort of embarassing to bring out in social settings. It was a gift from my parents, and while it took amazing pictures while I was abroad last year, I did want a smaller one. Still, I would have waited. And kept this one for more professional shots. Looking online, it sells new for $279, which is painful to know. I'm not even counting the 1G memory card that was inside of it.

I also recently started a photography class, so waiting to buy a camera was sort of out of the question. It was Monday, I needed one by Tuesday at 7:00. I did some research and quickly determined I wanted a canon SD850, a subcompact which sells for about $350 in local stores and just over $300 online. I also looked at the SD750, SD1000, and some in their A series (not as small). I ended up settling for the SD1000, at $250 in local stores. I didn't think I could wait for shipping, but at 5:27 pm, I noticed that amazon.com said if I bought it in the next 3 minutes, I could have it the next day. Even with shipping, the total was only $225, and I didn't have to pay the sales tax I would have at Target or Best Buy. I had about 20 seconds to think about it, so I did it. I then found a 2G SD card for $18, which is on the way (slowly, due to free shipping)

In summary:
Cost of vacation - $389
Cost of carelessness - $243

And the vacation money was much much much more fun to spend. Ug.

My next major expense is yet another plane ticket... It looks like it will be $315 for me to fly to Los Angeles to visit the boyfriend for a long birthday weekend in October, so I estimate about 400 total, but I might be low-balling it. I'm going to do better with the airport purchases by planning ahead, and maybe have a friend to drive me to the airport (though $5/day really is a bargain).

After that, I would like to say, no more vacations for months (they eat into my savings goals), but then it is Christmas season (present time), and we are considering new years in Las Vegas. After THAT, no vacations for quite some time!

Sunday, September 2, 2007

Car problems

Last week, it was the battery. It was about as old as the car (seven years) and cost 100 for them to diagnose the problem and replace it. I wasn't too upset about this, as it was a minor repair and I hadn't spent any money on the car in awhile.

Today, it was something more serious and expensive. Forgive me if I get this wrong, but I believe they said the brake shoe broke and needed to be replaced, and also the rotor got ground due to the bad brake. I had assumed it would just need brake pads, and was dismayed to find it would total $350 to fix.

I hate dealing with cars. I don't know a lot about them, and I don't have a mechanic I completely trust. It isn't as though I think that my brake shoe didn't break (who knew brakes wore shoes?), but I just don't know if the price was $100-200 extra, or a fair deal.

Anyway, it hurts my savings goals a bit, but what is the point of having money in the bank if I'm still going to get bent out of shape about every unplanned expense?

Another new development that will detract from savings is. . . a possible trip to London in the next six months or so. I have a friend working there until March, and I'm toying with the idea of making it happen....

Strictly speaking, I "shouldn't" go until I have done all the great financial things that people do: Have a giant e-fund, max out 401k and Roth, have a fund for a house downpayment. But I'm on the right track and travel is one of my top values, and I'm comfortable with spending my money on a trip. Anyway, this is still in the initial planning stages, but hopefully, more to come.

Monthly goal update

1. Finish reallocating my 401k (as much as possible without incurring short term trading fees)
-I have it planned and have gotten rid of everything undesireable, but am reallocating my target date retirement fund more slowly (since I'm comfortable with that investment)

2. Contribute 700 to my HYSA fund This is sort of an e-fund, but more just a general savings fun (100 more than auto deposits)
-Check.

3. Keep 401k contributions at 13% and contribute the pre-planned 100 to Roth (basically a "stay on track" goal
-Check

4. Contribute $550 to the student loan payback fund.
-Check!

5. Keep restaurant spending below 100 (seems easy, but it's my weakness!)
-Failed on this. Try again next month! Should be much easier as the boy will be leaving town.

6. Study for GRE more, take it, and rock it! =) Not financial, but personal development at least.
-Check! 780 Q/630 V, writing, no clue. The only thing that matters for me is the quantitative part

7. Apply for 3 or more jobs and continue to update resume.
-Check. No response to the jobs, but I'm not in hard core job search mode just yet.

8. Work over time 2 weeks (at least 6 hours)
-Hmm, not so much. This was partially due to program changes and a reorg that has made work a little slower. It would be silly to stay extra when I don't have 6 hours of extra work.

So, it seems I did ok overall, but still could improve. I think if I miss goals, that either means I'm being ambitious or I'm not striving hard enough to meet them. This month may have been a bit of both.

Moving on to. . .

September Goals
1. Continue 13% 401k and 100 to Roth IRA
2. Replenish travel fund with $100 (and likely, drain it again to buy a ticket to LA for october)
3. Contribute 450 to student loan payback account
4. Contribute 875 to HYSA (275 more than autodeposits... slighlty cheating since i expect some of that to come out of todays paycheck)
5. Spend less than 100 on restaurants and less than 30/week on grocery.
6. Finish and send in grad school application, stay up to date in class

Goals 3 and 4 are a quite ambitions, especially when taken together, but I did some calculations of what I will need to do to acheive my year end goals, and I need to do some drastic savings, so those goals encompass an overal goal of being frugal this month. Really, I almost expect to fail on those, but I would LOVE to meet them, so I won't adjust down.

Friday, September 28, 2007

October Goals

This months goals are pretty basic, nothing fancy, but will still require some good hard savings.

1. Continue 401k and Roth contributions

2. Limit groceries to $30/wk and restaurants to $75

3. Contribute $400 to student loan payback account

4. Contribute $1000 to HYSA

5. Finish writing post about student loans I volunteered to do for for Get Rich Slowly.

September Goals Results:

September Goal Results
  • Continue 13% 401k and 100 to Roth IRA
I actually upped it to 15%. Why? Because it is money I can't touch, and I really want it to grow.
  • Replenish travel fund with $100 (and likely, drain it again to buy a ticket to LA for october)
I did contribute 50 to it, then bought my plane ticket.

  • Contribute 450 to student loan payback account
I was able to contribute 500.

  • Contribute 875 to HYSA (275 more than autodeposits... slighlty cheating since i expect some of that to come out of todays paycheck)
Well. I am certain this didn't happen. There has been a change in the way I use my HYSA, but the balance has only increased by about $200. Ouch. It was a big spending month, unfortunately.
  • Spend less than 100 on restaurants and less than 30/week on grocery.
YAY, this one I managed. Restaurant was about 90, and grocery was right on track. I'm going to move restaurants down even more next month.
  • Finish and send in grad school application, stay up to date in class
Grad school application has been submitted, I'm a little behind in class, but will but up to date by Monday.

I really wasn't that sucessful this month. I had some unplanned spending (new camera, car repairs) and some expensive planned spending (plane ticket) and bought some clothes at Gap Outlet. On the plus side, I sold about $100 worth of book (mainly, a $70 textbook) on Amazon, so that balanced things a teeny bit. But still, let's hope for a much better October!

Monday, September 24, 2007

Extra money

I sold a few things that were only cluttering my life on Amazon and earned almost $40 (after fees). Not too impressive, but then again, $40 I didn't have before! I also sold some clothes to a consignment shop, but they only took 4 things and paid me $20. Again, it is money I didn't have before, even though the amount isn't all that impressive.

It is fun earning extra money, even though it is on things I once paid much more for.

In downfalls, I spent about $100 at Gap outlet this past weekend, not to mention a few birthday gifts I had to purchase. Still, my net worth is growing each month, so I'm doing something right.

I increased my 401k contributions from 13% to 15%, with the understanding I probably won't meet my savings goals for my regular accounts. Depending on the year end bonus, which I hope to be around 3k after taxes. It might be wishful thinking, but that would really be a good boost to close out the year.

My current task is figuring out auto insurance... I'm being kicked off my parents plan!

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Hobbies

As briefly mentioned in my last post, I signed up for a photography class, once a week for 2 hours for the next 8 weeks. My $200 point and shoot camera is most likely the least expensive in the class. If I ever get seriously into photography, I will need an SLR, but I specifically chose a nice pocket sized camera because once I'm done with the class, it'll fit best into my life. The class only cost $60, quite a bargain.

The guy standing next to me told me I will be able to buy myself a nice new camera with my Christmas bonus. My savings goals have been derailed by some unexpected expenses, so it is unlikely I will splurge on a $500-$700 camera, especially since I'm really just an amateur.

There is nothing wrong with spending that much on a beloved hobby, but I was shocked at the number of people with really NICE cameras and no idea how to use them. The instructor asked if we knew how to control the fstops, and a lady with one of the nicest cameras claimed she had no idea. Wow.

Between work and graduate classes, I don't have that much time for hobbies. My most expensive "hobby" is traveling, but I don't spend time doing it regularly, so it may not qualify as a hobby. Perhaps it is simply a passion. I also enjoy writing and personal finance, two very frugal hobbies! I enjoy reading, which can be frugal when I don't insist on owning the books.

I also claim that cooking is a hobby, but I can be quite a wreck at it! I tried to make instant oatlmeal (with flaxseed, perhaps that was the issue?) in the microwave, walked away, and came back to find this:
What a way to start a day. (But, I did eat what was left in the bowl, and it was just fine.)

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

The price of carelessness (and vacation)

I went on a long weekend to visit a friend this past weekend. We didn't do any major vacations this year, so I am enjoying several little vacations. Spending money on travel is something that usually doesn't pain me, as friends and new places are something I value highly. The trip was pretty inexpensive, considering plane tickets out of my city are rarely less than $300. After that, the costs were minimal.

Cost of vacation:
$309 - plane ticket
$5 "breakfast" at airport (is potato chips and iced tea really breakfast?)
$11 lunch for me and friend
$15 a rather disappointing sushi dinner.
$9 brunch at a really cute organic restaurant
$10 magazines at the airport (Hmmm, sort of regret this one!)
$5 for Pride and Prejudice (A good deal for a book, and one I want to read anyway)
$5 lunch at airport
$20 parking (could have asked a friend, but the convience was worth it to me)

That is a total of $384, which is not bad at all. Our activities were mostly outdoorsy free things, so that was inexpensive, plus that is also more enjoyable to me.

The cost of carelessness
The previous summary neglects to mention the fact that I left my digital camera on the airplane. I tried to chase it down, but I am now certain it is lost into the abyss. It was a nice camera--a Kodak Easy Share Z740, with 10x optical zoom --but at the same time, I sort of hated it. It was too bulky to easily fit into my purse and sort of embarassing to bring out in social settings. It was a gift from my parents, and while it took amazing pictures while I was abroad last year, I did want a smaller one. Still, I would have waited. And kept this one for more professional shots. Looking online, it sells new for $279, which is painful to know. I'm not even counting the 1G memory card that was inside of it.

I also recently started a photography class, so waiting to buy a camera was sort of out of the question. It was Monday, I needed one by Tuesday at 7:00. I did some research and quickly determined I wanted a canon SD850, a subcompact which sells for about $350 in local stores and just over $300 online. I also looked at the SD750, SD1000, and some in their A series (not as small). I ended up settling for the SD1000, at $250 in local stores. I didn't think I could wait for shipping, but at 5:27 pm, I noticed that amazon.com said if I bought it in the next 3 minutes, I could have it the next day. Even with shipping, the total was only $225, and I didn't have to pay the sales tax I would have at Target or Best Buy. I had about 20 seconds to think about it, so I did it. I then found a 2G SD card for $18, which is on the way (slowly, due to free shipping)

In summary:
Cost of vacation - $389
Cost of carelessness - $243

And the vacation money was much much much more fun to spend. Ug.

My next major expense is yet another plane ticket... It looks like it will be $315 for me to fly to Los Angeles to visit the boyfriend for a long birthday weekend in October, so I estimate about 400 total, but I might be low-balling it. I'm going to do better with the airport purchases by planning ahead, and maybe have a friend to drive me to the airport (though $5/day really is a bargain).

After that, I would like to say, no more vacations for months (they eat into my savings goals), but then it is Christmas season (present time), and we are considering new years in Las Vegas. After THAT, no vacations for quite some time!

Sunday, September 2, 2007

Car problems

Last week, it was the battery. It was about as old as the car (seven years) and cost 100 for them to diagnose the problem and replace it. I wasn't too upset about this, as it was a minor repair and I hadn't spent any money on the car in awhile.

Today, it was something more serious and expensive. Forgive me if I get this wrong, but I believe they said the brake shoe broke and needed to be replaced, and also the rotor got ground due to the bad brake. I had assumed it would just need brake pads, and was dismayed to find it would total $350 to fix.

I hate dealing with cars. I don't know a lot about them, and I don't have a mechanic I completely trust. It isn't as though I think that my brake shoe didn't break (who knew brakes wore shoes?), but I just don't know if the price was $100-200 extra, or a fair deal.

Anyway, it hurts my savings goals a bit, but what is the point of having money in the bank if I'm still going to get bent out of shape about every unplanned expense?

Another new development that will detract from savings is. . . a possible trip to London in the next six months or so. I have a friend working there until March, and I'm toying with the idea of making it happen....

Strictly speaking, I "shouldn't" go until I have done all the great financial things that people do: Have a giant e-fund, max out 401k and Roth, have a fund for a house downpayment. But I'm on the right track and travel is one of my top values, and I'm comfortable with spending my money on a trip. Anyway, this is still in the initial planning stages, but hopefully, more to come.

Monthly goal update

1. Finish reallocating my 401k (as much as possible without incurring short term trading fees)
-I have it planned and have gotten rid of everything undesireable, but am reallocating my target date retirement fund more slowly (since I'm comfortable with that investment)

2. Contribute 700 to my HYSA fund This is sort of an e-fund, but more just a general savings fun (100 more than auto deposits)
-Check.

3. Keep 401k contributions at 13% and contribute the pre-planned 100 to Roth (basically a "stay on track" goal
-Check

4. Contribute $550 to the student loan payback fund.
-Check!

5. Keep restaurant spending below 100 (seems easy, but it's my weakness!)
-Failed on this. Try again next month! Should be much easier as the boy will be leaving town.

6. Study for GRE more, take it, and rock it! =) Not financial, but personal development at least.
-Check! 780 Q/630 V, writing, no clue. The only thing that matters for me is the quantitative part

7. Apply for 3 or more jobs and continue to update resume.
-Check. No response to the jobs, but I'm not in hard core job search mode just yet.

8. Work over time 2 weeks (at least 6 hours)
-Hmm, not so much. This was partially due to program changes and a reorg that has made work a little slower. It would be silly to stay extra when I don't have 6 hours of extra work.

So, it seems I did ok overall, but still could improve. I think if I miss goals, that either means I'm being ambitious or I'm not striving hard enough to meet them. This month may have been a bit of both.

Moving on to. . .

September Goals
1. Continue 13% 401k and 100 to Roth IRA
2. Replenish travel fund with $100 (and likely, drain it again to buy a ticket to LA for october)
3. Contribute 450 to student loan payback account
4. Contribute 875 to HYSA (275 more than autodeposits... slighlty cheating since i expect some of that to come out of todays paycheck)
5. Spend less than 100 on restaurants and less than 30/week on grocery.
6. Finish and send in grad school application, stay up to date in class

Goals 3 and 4 are a quite ambitions, especially when taken together, but I did some calculations of what I will need to do to acheive my year end goals, and I need to do some drastic savings, so those goals encompass an overal goal of being frugal this month. Really, I almost expect to fail on those, but I would LOVE to meet them, so I won't adjust down.

Friday, September 28, 2007

October Goals

This months goals are pretty basic, nothing fancy, but will still require some good hard savings.

1. Continue 401k and Roth contributions

2. Limit groceries to $30/wk and restaurants to $75

3. Contribute $400 to student loan payback account

4. Contribute $1000 to HYSA

5. Finish writing post about student loans I volunteered to do for for Get Rich Slowly.

September Goals Results:

September Goal Results
  • Continue 13% 401k and 100 to Roth IRA
I actually upped it to 15%. Why? Because it is money I can't touch, and I really want it to grow.
  • Replenish travel fund with $100 (and likely, drain it again to buy a ticket to LA for october)
I did contribute 50 to it, then bought my plane ticket.

  • Contribute 450 to student loan payback account
I was able to contribute 500.

  • Contribute 875 to HYSA (275 more than autodeposits... slighlty cheating since i expect some of that to come out of todays paycheck)
Well. I am certain this didn't happen. There has been a change in the way I use my HYSA, but the balance has only increased by about $200. Ouch. It was a big spending month, unfortunately.
  • Spend less than 100 on restaurants and less than 30/week on grocery.
YAY, this one I managed. Restaurant was about 90, and grocery was right on track. I'm going to move restaurants down even more next month.
  • Finish and send in grad school application, stay up to date in class
Grad school application has been submitted, I'm a little behind in class, but will but up to date by Monday.

I really wasn't that sucessful this month. I had some unplanned spending (new camera, car repairs) and some expensive planned spending (plane ticket) and bought some clothes at Gap Outlet. On the plus side, I sold about $100 worth of book (mainly, a $70 textbook) on Amazon, so that balanced things a teeny bit. But still, let's hope for a much better October!

Monday, September 24, 2007

Extra money

I sold a few things that were only cluttering my life on Amazon and earned almost $40 (after fees). Not too impressive, but then again, $40 I didn't have before! I also sold some clothes to a consignment shop, but they only took 4 things and paid me $20. Again, it is money I didn't have before, even though the amount isn't all that impressive.

It is fun earning extra money, even though it is on things I once paid much more for.

In downfalls, I spent about $100 at Gap outlet this past weekend, not to mention a few birthday gifts I had to purchase. Still, my net worth is growing each month, so I'm doing something right.

I increased my 401k contributions from 13% to 15%, with the understanding I probably won't meet my savings goals for my regular accounts. Depending on the year end bonus, which I hope to be around 3k after taxes. It might be wishful thinking, but that would really be a good boost to close out the year.

My current task is figuring out auto insurance... I'm being kicked off my parents plan!

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Hobbies

As briefly mentioned in my last post, I signed up for a photography class, once a week for 2 hours for the next 8 weeks. My $200 point and shoot camera is most likely the least expensive in the class. If I ever get seriously into photography, I will need an SLR, but I specifically chose a nice pocket sized camera because once I'm done with the class, it'll fit best into my life. The class only cost $60, quite a bargain.

The guy standing next to me told me I will be able to buy myself a nice new camera with my Christmas bonus. My savings goals have been derailed by some unexpected expenses, so it is unlikely I will splurge on a $500-$700 camera, especially since I'm really just an amateur.

There is nothing wrong with spending that much on a beloved hobby, but I was shocked at the number of people with really NICE cameras and no idea how to use them. The instructor asked if we knew how to control the fstops, and a lady with one of the nicest cameras claimed she had no idea. Wow.

Between work and graduate classes, I don't have that much time for hobbies. My most expensive "hobby" is traveling, but I don't spend time doing it regularly, so it may not qualify as a hobby. Perhaps it is simply a passion. I also enjoy writing and personal finance, two very frugal hobbies! I enjoy reading, which can be frugal when I don't insist on owning the books.

I also claim that cooking is a hobby, but I can be quite a wreck at it! I tried to make instant oatlmeal (with flaxseed, perhaps that was the issue?) in the microwave, walked away, and came back to find this:
What a way to start a day. (But, I did eat what was left in the bowl, and it was just fine.)

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

The price of carelessness (and vacation)

I went on a long weekend to visit a friend this past weekend. We didn't do any major vacations this year, so I am enjoying several little vacations. Spending money on travel is something that usually doesn't pain me, as friends and new places are something I value highly. The trip was pretty inexpensive, considering plane tickets out of my city are rarely less than $300. After that, the costs were minimal.

Cost of vacation:
$309 - plane ticket
$5 "breakfast" at airport (is potato chips and iced tea really breakfast?)
$11 lunch for me and friend
$15 a rather disappointing sushi dinner.
$9 brunch at a really cute organic restaurant
$10 magazines at the airport (Hmmm, sort of regret this one!)
$5 for Pride and Prejudice (A good deal for a book, and one I want to read anyway)
$5 lunch at airport
$20 parking (could have asked a friend, but the convience was worth it to me)

That is a total of $384, which is not bad at all. Our activities were mostly outdoorsy free things, so that was inexpensive, plus that is also more enjoyable to me.

The cost of carelessness
The previous summary neglects to mention the fact that I left my digital camera on the airplane. I tried to chase it down, but I am now certain it is lost into the abyss. It was a nice camera--a Kodak Easy Share Z740, with 10x optical zoom --but at the same time, I sort of hated it. It was too bulky to easily fit into my purse and sort of embarassing to bring out in social settings. It was a gift from my parents, and while it took amazing pictures while I was abroad last year, I did want a smaller one. Still, I would have waited. And kept this one for more professional shots. Looking online, it sells new for $279, which is painful to know. I'm not even counting the 1G memory card that was inside of it.

I also recently started a photography class, so waiting to buy a camera was sort of out of the question. It was Monday, I needed one by Tuesday at 7:00. I did some research and quickly determined I wanted a canon SD850, a subcompact which sells for about $350 in local stores and just over $300 online. I also looked at the SD750, SD1000, and some in their A series (not as small). I ended up settling for the SD1000, at $250 in local stores. I didn't think I could wait for shipping, but at 5:27 pm, I noticed that amazon.com said if I bought it in the next 3 minutes, I could have it the next day. Even with shipping, the total was only $225, and I didn't have to pay the sales tax I would have at Target or Best Buy. I had about 20 seconds to think about it, so I did it. I then found a 2G SD card for $18, which is on the way (slowly, due to free shipping)

In summary:
Cost of vacation - $389
Cost of carelessness - $243

And the vacation money was much much much more fun to spend. Ug.

My next major expense is yet another plane ticket... It looks like it will be $315 for me to fly to Los Angeles to visit the boyfriend for a long birthday weekend in October, so I estimate about 400 total, but I might be low-balling it. I'm going to do better with the airport purchases by planning ahead, and maybe have a friend to drive me to the airport (though $5/day really is a bargain).

After that, I would like to say, no more vacations for months (they eat into my savings goals), but then it is Christmas season (present time), and we are considering new years in Las Vegas. After THAT, no vacations for quite some time!

Sunday, September 2, 2007

Car problems

Last week, it was the battery. It was about as old as the car (seven years) and cost 100 for them to diagnose the problem and replace it. I wasn't too upset about this, as it was a minor repair and I hadn't spent any money on the car in awhile.

Today, it was something more serious and expensive. Forgive me if I get this wrong, but I believe they said the brake shoe broke and needed to be replaced, and also the rotor got ground due to the bad brake. I had assumed it would just need brake pads, and was dismayed to find it would total $350 to fix.

I hate dealing with cars. I don't know a lot about them, and I don't have a mechanic I completely trust. It isn't as though I think that my brake shoe didn't break (who knew brakes wore shoes?), but I just don't know if the price was $100-200 extra, or a fair deal.

Anyway, it hurts my savings goals a bit, but what is the point of having money in the bank if I'm still going to get bent out of shape about every unplanned expense?

Another new development that will detract from savings is. . . a possible trip to London in the next six months or so. I have a friend working there until March, and I'm toying with the idea of making it happen....

Strictly speaking, I "shouldn't" go until I have done all the great financial things that people do: Have a giant e-fund, max out 401k and Roth, have a fund for a house downpayment. But I'm on the right track and travel is one of my top values, and I'm comfortable with spending my money on a trip. Anyway, this is still in the initial planning stages, but hopefully, more to come.

Monthly goal update

1. Finish reallocating my 401k (as much as possible without incurring short term trading fees)
-I have it planned and have gotten rid of everything undesireable, but am reallocating my target date retirement fund more slowly (since I'm comfortable with that investment)

2. Contribute 700 to my HYSA fund This is sort of an e-fund, but more just a general savings fun (100 more than auto deposits)
-Check.

3. Keep 401k contributions at 13% and contribute the pre-planned 100 to Roth (basically a "stay on track" goal
-Check

4. Contribute $550 to the student loan payback fund.
-Check!

5. Keep restaurant spending below 100 (seems easy, but it's my weakness!)
-Failed on this. Try again next month! Should be much easier as the boy will be leaving town.

6. Study for GRE more, take it, and rock it! =) Not financial, but personal development at least.
-Check! 780 Q/630 V, writing, no clue. The only thing that matters for me is the quantitative part

7. Apply for 3 or more jobs and continue to update resume.
-Check. No response to the jobs, but I'm not in hard core job search mode just yet.

8. Work over time 2 weeks (at least 6 hours)
-Hmm, not so much. This was partially due to program changes and a reorg that has made work a little slower. It would be silly to stay extra when I don't have 6 hours of extra work.

So, it seems I did ok overall, but still could improve. I think if I miss goals, that either means I'm being ambitious or I'm not striving hard enough to meet them. This month may have been a bit of both.

Moving on to. . .

September Goals
1. Continue 13% 401k and 100 to Roth IRA
2. Replenish travel fund with $100 (and likely, drain it again to buy a ticket to LA for october)
3. Contribute 450 to student loan payback account
4. Contribute 875 to HYSA (275 more than autodeposits... slighlty cheating since i expect some of that to come out of todays paycheck)
5. Spend less than 100 on restaurants and less than 30/week on grocery.
6. Finish and send in grad school application, stay up to date in class

Goals 3 and 4 are a quite ambitions, especially when taken together, but I did some calculations of what I will need to do to acheive my year end goals, and I need to do some drastic savings, so those goals encompass an overal goal of being frugal this month. Really, I almost expect to fail on those, but I would LOVE to meet them, so I won't adjust down.

Friday, September 28, 2007

October Goals

This months goals are pretty basic, nothing fancy, but will still require some good hard savings.

1. Continue 401k and Roth contributions

2. Limit groceries to $30/wk and restaurants to $75

3. Contribute $400 to student loan payback account

4. Contribute $1000 to HYSA

5. Finish writing post about student loans I volunteered to do for for Get Rich Slowly.

September Goals Results:

September Goal Results

  • Continue 13% 401k and 100 to Roth IRA
I actually upped it to 15%. Why? Because it is money I can't touch, and I really want it to grow.
  • Replenish travel fund with $100 (and likely, drain it again to buy a ticket to LA for october)
I did contribute 50 to it, then bought my plane ticket.

  • Contribute 450 to student loan payback account
I was able to contribute 500.

  • Contribute 875 to HYSA (275 more than autodeposits... slighlty cheating since i expect some of that to come out of todays paycheck)
Well. I am certain this didn't happen. There has been a change in the way I use my HYSA, but the balance has only increased by about $200. Ouch. It was a big spending month, unfortunately.
  • Spend less than 100 on restaurants and less than 30/week on grocery.
YAY, this one I managed. Restaurant was about 90, and grocery was right on track. I'm going to move restaurants down even more next month.
  • Finish and send in grad school application, stay up to date in class
Grad school application has been submitted, I'm a little behind in class, but will but up to date by Monday.

I really wasn't that sucessful this month. I had some unplanned spending (new camera, car repairs) and some expensive planned spending (plane ticket) and bought some clothes at Gap Outlet. On the plus side, I sold about $100 worth of book (mainly, a $70 textbook) on Amazon, so that balanced things a teeny bit. But still, let's hope for a much better October!

Monday, September 24, 2007

Extra money

I sold a few things that were only cluttering my life on Amazon and earned almost $40 (after fees). Not too impressive, but then again, $40 I didn't have before! I also sold some clothes to a consignment shop, but they only took 4 things and paid me $20. Again, it is money I didn't have before, even though the amount isn't all that impressive.

It is fun earning extra money, even though it is on things I once paid much more for.

In downfalls, I spent about $100 at Gap outlet this past weekend, not to mention a few birthday gifts I had to purchase. Still, my net worth is growing each month, so I'm doing something right.

I increased my 401k contributions from 13% to 15%, with the understanding I probably won't meet my savings goals for my regular accounts. Depending on the year end bonus, which I hope to be around 3k after taxes. It might be wishful thinking, but that would really be a good boost to close out the year.

My current task is figuring out auto insurance... I'm being kicked off my parents plan!

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Hobbies

As briefly mentioned in my last post, I signed up for a photography class, once a week for 2 hours for the next 8 weeks. My $200 point and shoot camera is most likely the least expensive in the class. If I ever get seriously into photography, I will need an SLR, but I specifically chose a nice pocket sized camera because once I'm done with the class, it'll fit best into my life. The class only cost $60, quite a bargain.

The guy standing next to me told me I will be able to buy myself a nice new camera with my Christmas bonus. My savings goals have been derailed by some unexpected expenses, so it is unlikely I will splurge on a $500-$700 camera, especially since I'm really just an amateur.

There is nothing wrong with spending that much on a beloved hobby, but I was shocked at the number of people with really NICE cameras and no idea how to use them. The instructor asked if we knew how to control the fstops, and a lady with one of the nicest cameras claimed she had no idea. Wow.

Between work and graduate classes, I don't have that much time for hobbies. My most expensive "hobby" is traveling, but I don't spend time doing it regularly, so it may not qualify as a hobby. Perhaps it is simply a passion. I also enjoy writing and personal finance, two very frugal hobbies! I enjoy reading, which can be frugal when I don't insist on owning the books.

I also claim that cooking is a hobby, but I can be quite a wreck at it! I tried to make instant oatlmeal (with flaxseed, perhaps that was the issue?) in the microwave, walked away, and came back to find this:
What a way to start a day. (But, I did eat what was left in the bowl, and it was just fine.)

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

The price of carelessness (and vacation)

I went on a long weekend to visit a friend this past weekend. We didn't do any major vacations this year, so I am enjoying several little vacations. Spending money on travel is something that usually doesn't pain me, as friends and new places are something I value highly. The trip was pretty inexpensive, considering plane tickets out of my city are rarely less than $300. After that, the costs were minimal.

Cost of vacation:
$309 - plane ticket
$5 "breakfast" at airport (is potato chips and iced tea really breakfast?)
$11 lunch for me and friend
$15 a rather disappointing sushi dinner.
$9 brunch at a really cute organic restaurant
$10 magazines at the airport (Hmmm, sort of regret this one!)
$5 for Pride and Prejudice (A good deal for a book, and one I want to read anyway)
$5 lunch at airport
$20 parking (could have asked a friend, but the convience was worth it to me)

That is a total of $384, which is not bad at all. Our activities were mostly outdoorsy free things, so that was inexpensive, plus that is also more enjoyable to me.

The cost of carelessness
The previous summary neglects to mention the fact that I left my digital camera on the airplane. I tried to chase it down, but I am now certain it is lost into the abyss. It was a nice camera--a Kodak Easy Share Z740, with 10x optical zoom --but at the same time, I sort of hated it. It was too bulky to easily fit into my purse and sort of embarassing to bring out in social settings. It was a gift from my parents, and while it took amazing pictures while I was abroad last year, I did want a smaller one. Still, I would have waited. And kept this one for more professional shots. Looking online, it sells new for $279, which is painful to know. I'm not even counting the 1G memory card that was inside of it.

I also recently started a photography class, so waiting to buy a camera was sort of out of the question. It was Monday, I needed one by Tuesday at 7:00. I did some research and quickly determined I wanted a canon SD850, a subcompact which sells for about $350 in local stores and just over $300 online. I also looked at the SD750, SD1000, and some in their A series (not as small). I ended up settling for the SD1000, at $250 in local stores. I didn't think I could wait for shipping, but at 5:27 pm, I noticed that amazon.com said if I bought it in the next 3 minutes, I could have it the next day. Even with shipping, the total was only $225, and I didn't have to pay the sales tax I would have at Target or Best Buy. I had about 20 seconds to think about it, so I did it. I then found a 2G SD card for $18, which is on the way (slowly, due to free shipping)

In summary:
Cost of vacation - $389
Cost of carelessness - $243

And the vacation money was much much much more fun to spend. Ug.

My next major expense is yet another plane ticket... It looks like it will be $315 for me to fly to Los Angeles to visit the boyfriend for a long birthday weekend in October, so I estimate about 400 total, but I might be low-balling it. I'm going to do better with the airport purchases by planning ahead, and maybe have a friend to drive me to the airport (though $5/day really is a bargain).

After that, I would like to say, no more vacations for months (they eat into my savings goals), but then it is Christmas season (present time), and we are considering new years in Las Vegas. After THAT, no vacations for quite some time!

Sunday, September 2, 2007

Car problems

Last week, it was the battery. It was about as old as the car (seven years) and cost 100 for them to diagnose the problem and replace it. I wasn't too upset about this, as it was a minor repair and I hadn't spent any money on the car in awhile.

Today, it was something more serious and expensive. Forgive me if I get this wrong, but I believe they said the brake shoe broke and needed to be replaced, and also the rotor got ground due to the bad brake. I had assumed it would just need brake pads, and was dismayed to find it would total $350 to fix.

I hate dealing with cars. I don't know a lot about them, and I don't have a mechanic I completely trust. It isn't as though I think that my brake shoe didn't break (who knew brakes wore shoes?), but I just don't know if the price was $100-200 extra, or a fair deal.

Anyway, it hurts my savings goals a bit, but what is the point of having money in the bank if I'm still going to get bent out of shape about every unplanned expense?

Another new development that will detract from savings is. . . a possible trip to London in the next six months or so. I have a friend working there until March, and I'm toying with the idea of making it happen....

Strictly speaking, I "shouldn't" go until I have done all the great financial things that people do: Have a giant e-fund, max out 401k and Roth, have a fund for a house downpayment. But I'm on the right track and travel is one of my top values, and I'm comfortable with spending my money on a trip. Anyway, this is still in the initial planning stages, but hopefully, more to come.

Monthly goal update

1. Finish reallocating my 401k (as much as possible without incurring short term trading fees)
-I have it planned and have gotten rid of everything undesireable, but am reallocating my target date retirement fund more slowly (since I'm comfortable with that investment)

2. Contribute 700 to my HYSA fund This is sort of an e-fund, but more just a general savings fun (100 more than auto deposits)
-Check.

3. Keep 401k contributions at 13% and contribute the pre-planned 100 to Roth (basically a "stay on track" goal
-Check

4. Contribute $550 to the student loan payback fund.
-Check!

5. Keep restaurant spending below 100 (seems easy, but it's my weakness!)
-Failed on this. Try again next month! Should be much easier as the boy will be leaving town.

6. Study for GRE more, take it, and rock it! =) Not financial, but personal development at least.
-Check! 780 Q/630 V, writing, no clue. The only thing that matters for me is the quantitative part

7. Apply for 3 or more jobs and continue to update resume.
-Check. No response to the jobs, but I'm not in hard core job search mode just yet.

8. Work over time 2 weeks (at least 6 hours)
-Hmm, not so much. This was partially due to program changes and a reorg that has made work a little slower. It would be silly to stay extra when I don't have 6 hours of extra work.

So, it seems I did ok overall, but still could improve. I think if I miss goals, that either means I'm being ambitious or I'm not striving hard enough to meet them. This month may have been a bit of both.

Moving on to. . .

September Goals
1. Continue 13% 401k and 100 to Roth IRA
2. Replenish travel fund with $100 (and likely, drain it again to buy a ticket to LA for october)
3. Contribute 450 to student loan payback account
4. Contribute 875 to HYSA (275 more than autodeposits... slighlty cheating since i expect some of that to come out of todays paycheck)
5. Spend less than 100 on restaurants and less than 30/week on grocery.
6. Finish and send in grad school application, stay up to date in class

Goals 3 and 4 are a quite ambitions, especially when taken together, but I did some calculations of what I will need to do to acheive my year end goals, and I need to do some drastic savings, so those goals encompass an overal goal of being frugal this month. Really, I almost expect to fail on those, but I would LOVE to meet them, so I won't adjust down.