My very own Forsythia

I don't really have a problem buying stuff. I should re-iterate; I don't really have a problem buying stuff ANYMORE. I spent ALL of last year tackling that one. I haven't bought a pair of shoes in almost 2 years. Apart from new pants for work I think it's been almost a year since I purchased an article of clothing. I don't buy things for the house. I'm a firm believer in using something until it's completely unusable. We don't need new rugs, or curtains, or towels, or sheets, or things like that. I'm not in anyway concerned with aesthetics. Our stuff is mostly all hand me downs type stuff like used couches, used appliances. I'm thankful for everything we have despite it's velveteen rabbit like qualities and I just don't struggle with buying stuff (anymore). My struggle really is with food. A person can get away quite easily with spending very little money on nourishment if they can sacrifice all the little luxuries; soda, desserts, coffees, snacks, there are so many unnecessary little luxuries that we've made a staple of our daily lives.

All that being said I've oddly been craving yard stuffs for a few months this year. I noticed the tiny blueberry bushes for sale at the store a few weeks ago and I haven't been able to get them out of my mind since. I want a blueberry bush!!! (they're fairly cheep but it's the principle of the thing... I don't need a blueberry bush). Everytime I pass by the flowers in the garden center I think of how wonderful it would be to plant some annuals in the front bed this year. I haven't put annuals in the front bed for a few years but for some reason this year I want to SOOO badly. And that brings me to the Forsythia. When I was a kid we had a long row of forsythia bushes lining the side of our house that my bedroom window was on. Every spring there'd be a row of brilliantly yellow bushes running the entire length of the house. I used to stand at my widow and just marvel at the beauty of all those tiny yellow flowers. I've wanted a forsythia bush of my very own for our yard ever since we purchased this house. For some reason this year I'm just craving yard stuffs, all of which I in no way need.

This morning I noticed something in my neighbors yard right outside my bedroom window directly next to our fence (technically it's in our yard because we put our fence in a few feet off of our property line (technicalities)). I'd never noticed it before because 1.) it was previously buried in a huge row of boxwoods that we cut down a year or two ago and 2.) it was pretty mutilated when we cut down the boxwoods (I even thought we should have pulled it out too 3.) it's just big enough this year to be really pretty. I've decided against purchasing any annuals this year. I do not need them. I think I'm going to buy a blueberry bush for "only" $3 as sort of a reward after I pay off that darn Chase card. And amazingly, awesomely I just noticed this morning that I do have a beautiful bright yellow forsythia in my yard (or in the neighbors yard, whatever).

I just have to throw it out there:

Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart's desires. Ps. 37:4

It's Always a Big IF

IF I can stick to the budget I just drew up for next month I'll have paid over 10 percent of our credit card debt by the end of May. 10 percent is not alot but it sounds SOOOO good to me. One tenth of the way to freedom. $2430 of credit card debt GONE in 5 months. In 2010 we paid off a total of $2836 in credit card debt. If I can keep up the good work and keep on running this race I will surpass 2010's pay off in the first 6 months of this year.

Next months budget is tight. It only allows for a reasonable amount of spending for my husband so we'll really have to work together to accomplish that part of the plan. I'm hoping to make up for some of the overage in the $12 a day budget during next month. I CAN NOT have a $200 overage in my spending plan just hanging around out there. I turned down those clearance cadbury eggs. I feel like I'm ready to take on May. IF I can stick to the plan May is going to be a beautiful month of victory.

Today I spent $13.61. I have $8.58 left for tomorrow in order to balance this month's budget. We're out of mustard, garlic powder, basil, hand soap, shampoo, conditioner and pretty much food in general but I'm totally sticking to this month's $12 a day budget!!!

Rolling that Snowball

I checked the bank account first thing this morning to see how much my husband's check was this week. I knew he'd worked a little overtime but with union dues and health insurance costs I'm never able to figure out how much one of his checks will be with overtime. His check was almost $100 more than usual. I LOVE LOVE LOVE when that happens. I could have easily put that money towards groceries or home repairs or birthday presents... oh the list goes on and on. My husband could spend that $100 in a heartbeat. Instantly as soon as I saw the surplus I put it towards the Chase card. $95 extra dollars has been paid to that stupid thing. Hooray!!!

I was hoping and planning to pay that card off by the end of May. I'm cheating a little bit because I did a zero percent $1000 balance transfer from that card. There's only $410 left on it now so I should have it paid off and closed before the end of May just like I was hoping. (technically however I'm about $900 off on that payoff) I can't wait. That'll be two cards paid off so far this year  : )

Today I spent $14.31. I've $22.19 left in the budget for this week in order to balance April. Oh I'm so close...

Wednesday

I spent $6.43 today. That leaves $12.50 to spend tomorrow and $12 a day Friday and Saturday and the budget for April will be balanced!!! It's not like I want April to be over. The month has flown by but I did really well with the budget in January and February. March was awful and I went $144.13 over budget which of course meant that I couldn't put that $144.13 towards the credit card debt. I'm really excited about getting back on track, hence the count down to balancing April's budget and my extreme determination.

In other exciting news (even though there're still three days left in the week) my husband has spent less this week so far than any other week this year. Yes I am doing a little victory dance right now. Oh, and I'm only 10 days away from a "1 month without having gone into overdraft" mark. I guess that means I've only gone two thirds of a month without using the darn thing, but I'm happy with that  : )

A Moment

Dave Ramsey says in one of the FPU lessons that he and his wife had gone out to dinner one nite and they'd forgotten the food money envelope. They made the decision to turn around, go back home and get the food envelope because they were determined to stick to the system. Dave said that it was in that moment that something clicked inside of them, they drew a line in the sand and said we're not going to misbehave anymore.

Well yesterday I don't know if it was THEE moment but as I passed by the 50 percent off cadbury eggs and very adamantly decided that it's not "only" $3 it's three WHOLE dollars and death by a thousand cuts I certainly had A moment. I'm actually still in shock about not picking those little buggers up and adding them to the groceries in the cart. It's going to be an entire year before they return AND they were on clearance but I resisted. I drew that line in the sand and made the declaration "Cadbury eggs are not a necessity and I want to balance this months budget!!!" I feel as if that one decision has made me a little stronger. I think in that moment I broke through the runners wall. I feel fueled up to go on for a whole lot longer now.

Today I spent $10.94. I've $6.93 to spend tomorrow and $12 a day from there on out in order to balance this months budget. So far so good!

I'd like to give a shout out to all of you who've been reading and commenting. I really appreciate your interest and your support. THANK-YOU, thankyou, muchas gracias and thanks again! You're appreciated  : )

Mondays Spending

I spent $17.74 on groceries for today and tomorrow. Today's spending leaves $5.87 for tomorrow and $12 a day from there on out. I did not buy any coffee today. I avoided the 2 liters of soda, the instant chocolate pudding that almost ended up in my cart, little snacks and clearance Easter stuff. I really wanted to buy the 99 cent bag of little oreos that I noticed were on sale but I didn't. Two days down five to go and April's budget will be officially balanced. 

BONUS: As I was talking with my husband about dinner choices for tonite he reminded me that he was given several gift cards to restaurants for his birthday. You can not even believe how excited I am about eating out, not having to make dinner, being able to save the money that would have been spent on that meal, AND getting free food. I'm going to balance this months budget for sure!

I'm Gonna Balance April's Budget bygolly

$7.92 spent today. $71.61 left for the rest of the week to balance this months budget. That's $11.61 for tomorrow and $12 a day from there on out. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can  : )

I haven't bought any coffee away from home for over a week. Now let's see if I can make it two!!!

This weeks challenges are as follows:
Not buy any costly beverages.
Don't go into overdraft (the money is tight this week).
Balance the $12 a day budget for the month.

ONLY 3 DOLLARS

I am ending week sixteen of twelve dollars a day $4.39 over budget. I can safely blame that $4.39 on the $4.59 box of protein bars I bought about an hour before I got out of work yesterday. If I could have lasted just one more hour the budget for this week would have been balanced. Seriously folks it's the little things! Every tiny little bit counts. Every single swipe, every single dollar spent, every penny adds to the equation. That is the main thing I've been learning from this process. You can't just say oh it's only $3. Three dollars seems so insignificant but $3 every day for a month is almost a hundred bucks. That's one hundred dollars of debt that COULD HAVE been paid off but it was ONLY $3. Or what if it was only $1 but then next time it was only $5... every single little insignificant tiny bit counts. The more I realize this FACT, the more I don't let THREE WHOLE DOLLARS be "only" $3, the more I take responsibility for my spending the faster I can get rid of the debt burden I carry on my back.

In order to balance my $12 a day budget for this month I've $79.53 to spend this week. My plan for this week is to take every single penny into account and to stop the "gotta have it spending." For example the first 2 months of the $12 a day budget I didn't bring home 2 liters of soda or little extras for dinner like cheese or pudding. The first 2 months we lived comfortably on the basics. The past two months I've been "gotta have it-ing" 2 liters and coffee creamer and take out pizza a few nights a week even though it's been blowing our budget. This week is back to business. I know I can do this thing. I AM going to balance the budget this month!!! It's cash spending from here on out and for goodness sakes if we don't have the cash we can't get the pizza.

So, I'll take $79.53 out of the bank and I'm not going to allow myself to spend more than the allotted $12 every day this week. We all know what happens when I've got $79.53 in my pocket. That's right folks I spend $79.53. I've got $7.53 to spend tomorrow and $12 a day from there on out. I can do it!

(Oh my goodness this is so difficult)

My Marathon

I thought I was doing horribly with the $12 a day budget this week. I spent about half of this weeks budget on Sunday. I haven't paid attention to things since then. I know my husband has gone out to eat a few times this week. Yesterday despite leaving my wallet at home, listening to a grumbly tummy all day, and not spending any money I was having one of those rebellious, "I'm just not going to face the music (I think that's the term)" moments. So I just didn't balance check book last night.

I went over the finances this morning and It's really not that bad. I have an average of $7 a day left in the budget for this week. It's a matter of will power and determination but I can handle that... I've done it before, I know I can.

Apparently long distance runners have this point in the run where they feel like they just can't go any further but if they push through and make it past that stopping point then they can actually go a lot further without that intense desire to stop NOW! I feel like I'm at that point right now. I've been training for this race for a long time. We stopped using the credit cards a few years ago (I think it's been that long). Last year I stopped purchasing STUFF (especially clearance items that just had to come home with me). The first three months of this year I tackled 1 credit card balance, learned how to pay bills without going into overdraft, and started sticking to a tight ($12 a day) budget for spending.

I need to do this thing. I need to run the entire race. Getting a good start, making it a little way down the path and then quiting when it seems to difficult to go on is not an option. Going on is not an easy thing but quiting is not an option. I can't pay these interest payments for the rest of my life. I'm throwing money into the wind. I can't just keep carrying this debt on my back. It's too heavy to handle. I can't just keep having it, "your way right away." That's not a responsible way to live life.

I'm running a race folks. It's not a slow jog. This debt has to go sooner than later. I've $7 a day left for the rest of this week. I CAN DO IT!!!

(Wow, these pep talks are becoming a pretty frequent thing)

An Easy way to not Spend Money

...Forget to bring your wallet to work.

Today seemed like it would never end but I didn't spend any money at work. As for this weeks budget, well that's another story.

AHHHHH

I spent almost half of this weeks budget today on a few groceries. Did I mention I HATE toilet paper. It's useful and all but SO expensive and such a waste of money. I think I'm losing it. I did really well the first two months and then I think the reality of it hit and I started to lose momentum. It's hard work being responsible. Not to mention I'm not good at frugality. It takes all of my energy just to stay on top of not spending money, watching where all the pennies are going and budgeting around my husband's spending and it's really not fun. I think I need a good swift kick in the pants to get me going again. I feel as though I've been acting like a baby recently, whining about not spending, and then spending with rebellion. At this point I just want to see that credit card elimination bar go up. I think I'll start snowflaking it like Louise. Every tiny bit helps. Every tiny bit I don't spend can go towards the debt. I can do this. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can!

Blah

I think I might be quiting quiting coffee. I haven't bought any new beans and I was drinking tea everyday until my husband finished off my creamer (whole milk... he drinks skim but we ran out). Then I started doing the $4 coffee thing because I was like "ok, one last treat and then I'll be done with coffee officially so I don't need to buy any grounds anyway." And then I had one more last treat and then I had one more last treat. Apparently I have NO will power. GRRR!

I'm ending this week $1.59 over budget. I'm not too upset with that seeings how I went into coffee spree spending mode as of late AND I bought fertilizer for the lawn this week. My husband spent less this week then he's been spending. So thats good news. Yes I'm still embarking upon that battle.

The fridge is still running. The forecasted snow showers for today ended up being rain showers. Hooray for April showers and May flowers! I've been doing a bit of spring cleaning... That's all the good news I've got for now.

Oh, yeah I bought cat litter this week too. I'd say I did pretty good!

This Blog is Getting Depressing

BUT I can only begin to imagine how much money I'd be spending if I weren't writing it. I've 3 days left in the week and $3 left in the budget. It took my husband and I a few good years to get our selves into this mess. A few years of buying pretty much whatever we wanted. A few years of going pretty much anywhere we felt like. A few years of training our brains to "have it your way right away!" I'm afraid it's going to take awhile to unlearn the horrible thinking patterns.

I saw an old lady ordering at a Starbucks today at one of my stores. She looked so confused, slightly overwhelmed, and honestly she looked like she was treating herself to something extra special. I'm generally overwhelmed by the constant sight of the Starbucks cup in hand that I see passing by all day long pretty much anywhere I go. In today's culture if you don't have a cup of Starbucks in one hand and a Cell phone in the other then you are OUT! Just seeing it ALL THE TIME (especially if you go to a bigger city) makes me feel like purchasing a $4 beverage is something normal. "Every bodies doing it." Even though I know that $4 is a ridiculous amount of money to spend on a beverage it just seems normal. Seeing that old woman today looking at the menu board like a kid in a candy store helped me(at least a little bit) realize that it's NOT normal. I think a $4 beverage is ok once in a blue moon but on a daily or weekly basis it's just not ok. I think it should be a treat.

Yes... I am trying to brain wash myself into not wasting money on Starbucks.

I remember when I was just out of high school my friend and I drove across country to Seattle. We ordered beverages from Starbucks there as if we were meeting a celebrity. It was a treat. I think it still should be. A $4 beverage shouldn't be a habit. It shouldn't be routine. It shouldn't be something that I feel as though I deserve (on a regular basis). Maybe every bodies doing it but I think it's pretty safe to say that almost everybody is in debt. I just don't want to be like everybody anymore.

My Refrigerator is Talking

I bought fertilizer for the lawn today and a few groceries. This weeks spending is up to $40.27 already. I am $16.27 over the $12 a day budget so far this week. I'm glad to have finally bought the fertilizer though. I've been feeling bad since my husband keeps asking me to pick it up and I just keep on avoiding it. It was on sale so that's good.

In other news there are really strange high pitch noises coming from our really old refrigerator. They've been increasing in frequency for over two weeks now. I'm not to keen on the idea of replacing it but I'm afraid it might be out of commission VERY soon. I've $555 slated for the Chase card that I will not be paying off by May because I spent too much money last month and now I'm afraid I'm going to have to drastically cut into that $555 for a new fridge. We shall see...

As much as it irks me that I might need to buy a new fridge I've this tiny little feeling of accomplishment and pride knowing that the potential fridge incident won't be a crisis because I've been taking care of our money, spending frugaly and budgeting every penny pretty responsibly. I want to pay off the debt now and I hate the idea of spending that much money on anything but it's a really great feeling to actually have real money to put towards a difficult situation. Normally there'd be panic and dread and we'd have to ask someone to lend us money or we'd have to do the unthinkable and break out one of the dusty credit cards and further increase the debt. We don't have any sort of emergency fund yet but by following a really tight budget and setting aside big chucks of money to throw at the debt monster we're in a pretty good place right now.

I do hope we're not going to have to buy a new fridge though.

Week 15 Begins

I'm shooting for coming in $10.40 under budget this week. I'm not starting off the greatest. I've already spent $18.09 this week on a birthday gift. Which means today's $12 budget is $6.09 over but I'm shooting for $10.40 under by Saturday. It's a goal. I can strive for it.

Additionally this week I'm "planning" to not drink any coffee, do some yard work, go for at least three nice walks/ jogs, and get some more spring cleaning done. Yesterday I went dust bunny hunting. Proudly I was quite successful in the venture. I also found a $1.44 in loose change during the process. It was pretty exciting.

I'm ready for a new week!

Saturday

I paid the mortgage late last month because we didn't have enough money in time. Turns out using the overdraft would have cost considerably less money then paying a late payment fee for the mortgage. Thus this month when the mortgage came due and the money was a week out I used the overdraft account instead of paying the mortgage late. I hate to admit it. I hate that I did it but as I see it it was the smartest thing to do. On an up side I made it TWO months without touching the overdraft account. I'm not even kidding I used to use it almost every week. I guess now I'll see if I can make it three months without touching it again. This money thing is really much more difficult than what it seems it should be. Granted I've thrown some extra work into the mix by charging myself into a hole that I now have to climb out of but in general it's quite a lot of work being financially responsible.

Wrapping up week one of April the tally comes out to $1.51 under budget. It's not the $11.91 under that I was shooting for but I'll take it!

Friday, Thinking About Coffee

If you've read very many posts here you've noticed that I genuinely love coffee (and sugar). Those are two unhealthy addictions that I suffer. Last year I gave up coffee quite successfully for I think it amounted to 6 months. I was doing somewhat of an experiment to see if I could be me without coffee or if coffee was in fact a part of who I am. It wasn't an attempt to save money but I know that I saved a considerable amount during those 6 months.

While writing this blog I've done a decent job not purchasing coffee (comparatively) at shops and drive thrus. I have saved a ton of money due to my restraint but the beans are still expensive, and the creamer costs money, and quite frankly I'm sick of grabbing a few packs of splenda every time I walk past the cafe because I cannot justify spending $10 on a box of it.

All of that being said I think I'm going to cut it out again. I do enjoy it alot, but I also spend way too much money on it. I have some serious debt that I want to get rid of and the coffee habit isn't helping resolve the issue. I'm not going to be as adamantly strict as I was last year with my coffee hiatus. For example I won't return a hot cocoa if Starbucks mistakingly put a shot of espresso in it (which happened TWO times last year). But at the same time (and the reason I can safely call it an addiction) I know that if I drink a cup of coffee it's like starting a snow ball rolling down a hill and I'll want another and another and another. Maybe I can shoot for a cup a week or something like that... wishful thinking.

Additional justification: Summer or shall I say spring is coming and I don't need warm comfy beverages anymore. I still have tea which is WAY way way cheaper than coffee. I really don't need the caffeine. It's just not good for me (and decaf isn't as tasty). And thus I present yet another plan to save money, pay off the debt, and maybe get a bit more food in this house (as I won't be wasting money on dark brown caffeinated beans).

I spent $14.05 today. I've stopped hoping to come in under budget this week and now I'm shooting for being on  budget. Currently I'm 42 cents over budget for the week.  

Federal Government Crisis and Manicures

I should probably be getting ready for work but I can't stop thinking about "The Budget." The government should have written a budget back in October. Apparently that wasn't important. The federal government has spent more money in the past two years than all the spending combined between the presidencies of George Washington and Ronald Regan. Of course there's inflation to consider but seriously the money hasn't inflated that much. The simple truth is that us "little folks" at least a lot of us have bitten the bullet and realized that ridiculous overspending isn't sustainable. As individuals we're growing up and doing the responsible thing. Now we're asking that our country do the same. There comes a point when too many dollars going out and not enough coming in crashes the system. My mom lost her house. My brother is currently losing his house. I've a friend who had all of her utilities shut off for at least a week with no food in the house and a husband and two kids to feed. MONEY IS REAL!!! If you don't have it you can't spend it!

I'm sick of the sides. I'm sick of the arguing and bullying and name calling. The projected figures say that if we keep spending the way we're spending the government of this country will not only "shut down" but it will implode, cease to exist, get foreclosed on just like so many of us have harshly experienced in our own lives by the year 2037. Something has to be done and all we're asking is that you write a balanced budget and reign in some of the reckless spending.

The current proposed budget makes alot of cuts and there are a ton of people who aren't happy about them. Crazy things are being said like, "old people are going to die and have to eat cat food." The truth is that's not the case at all. The truth is that some people in the government just don't want to cut spending anywhere on anything for any reason. Some people would like to keep ignoring the budget and keep enjoying their spending spree and I'm pretty sure those same people are planning on dieing before 2037 comes around.

I heard someone on the left make an analogy that when money gets tight you look for reasonable things to cut. "You don't just stop paying the mortgage you cut out things like manicures" and new hand bags. I'm SOOOO angry at that statement because the reason the financial crisis in this country is so bad is the simple fact that alot of the people running the country think manicures and hand bags are essential parts of the weekly budget. I'm sorry but when there's a financial crisis and I speak from experience here you can't just cut out those little dumb things you also turn off the cable and buy cheaper food (not as appealing food), stop buying clothes and shoes, you don't drive as much and you stop going out; you have to pinch every penny. You have to change your lifestyle. You might want Starbucks but you have to stop buying it. You have to bite the bullet and grow up and realize where you went wrong. Cutting manicures and handbags out of the budget is not going to get the job done and if that's all you cut then in no time at all you're not going to be able to pay the mortgage.

I propose we bring Dave Ramsey into the white house. He can oversee a "budget meeting." The Republicans can write the budget (because the democrats neglected to do so for far too long). The Democrats can change "some" of the things in the budget that they don't like. Then we can call it good, keep everything running, and have emergency budget meetings when people feel like they're going to die if they don't get a manicure right now. Stop arguing and name calling and playing games people. Grow up and do the job we're paying you (A TON OF MONEY) to do! Please!

Ok, I'm off to work now.

Thursday

I'm so glad this week is almost over but only because I love the weekends and am looking forward to rest. Today I spent a considerable amount of money $16.77. I am now $1.63 under budget for the week not good enough but not bad either.

I found out that the liquid bandage that I bought yesterday works great on the peely skin next to ones fingernails that sporadically bleed and hurt all day long. So that was nice. (Sorry, kind of a yuck sentence) At least it wasn't a total waste of money.

Wednesday and the Painful little Pinky Incident

I would have done amazingly well with spending today if I hadn't sliced the top crease (whatever you call that bendy part) of my pinky finger this morning with a box cutter. In an attempt to not go to the hospital for stitches (I've never had stitches before but it was a pretty scary looking slice) I bought some liquid bandage. The bandaides just weren't doing the job. I'd never used liquid bandage before. It was a desperate $4.23 attempt. It didn't work. I think it's just for paper cuts. I ended up just wrapping a bandaid oddly around my finger with my finger curled up tight all day long. So far so good... no stitches, the blood flow has stopped, my finger no longer hurts and it's not purple or anything. That's my lovely story for today.

I spent $5.73 today. I did turn in an empty coffee bag to Starbucks and got a free tall brew. That was nice. I am $6.40 under budget so far this week. I'm pretty happy with that... still shooting for the $11.91 under budget mark for the week so I can make up some of that CRAZY reckless March spending. Boo to March!!! I haven't picked up fertilizer for the yard yet but my husband hasn't asked for three or so days so I think I'm off the hook for a little bit yet.

Oh I did put $15 in the emergency fund. It's not much but $15 looks better on my side bar for that goal than the $0 did.

Tuesday

I wanted quite badly to buy coffee today but instead I filled a cup with hot water and added a bag of tea. It was good.

I would very much have liked to buy a cadbury egg today as the season is coming to a close and they'll all be gone soon. I can't actually remember the last time I had one. I'm sure I wrote about it on here. Side note: I find it quite amusing that my blog entitled "cadbury eggs" which is in fact quite boring is the most viewed blog I've written and is not falling from it's top spot. Apparently I'm not the only one with a ridiculous love of those little balls of chocolate goodness. Instead of the chocolaty delicious egg filled with pure sugar I got a few chocolate covered pretzels from bulk foods. I love bulk foods because you can get some pretty good stuff for only a few cents.

I also would like to have bought lunch today... I haven't eaten much as of yet. Instead I grabbed half of a really hard bagel when I stopped at the office. It was good and free but I can't help but wonder how old it was.

Today I spent $19.01 on groceries/ dinner. I am currently 13 cents under budget for the week. I'm happy to be under budget still and I'm happy to have resisted so many obstacles today but if I want to end the week $11 and some under budget I'm going to have to do better. I know it's doable I just need to focus and keep putting off buying the fertilizer for the yard that my husband has been asking me to pick up everyday.

Monday Monday

I am $7.14 under budget so far this week. There also isn't any food in the house except some bread and fish and condiments. We might have a few eggs too. Tomorrow I'll buy milk and probably ground chicken. I'd like to make it through this week $11.91 under budget. That'd make this years overage just under $200. I'd feel better if it were under $200. This week looks like a good week to not spend money! I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.

March

March was pretty awful financially. Looking back it almost seems as though I forgot I was trying to pinch those pennies and pay off our debt. January and February went pretty well but I just ended March $144.13 over budget. That's ALOT of money. I wasn't able to put as much towards the credit cards as I'd planned and I will not be able to pay the Chase card off by May unless I come into a load of money somehow. On a $12 a day budget which is clearly very difficult for me to stick to I'm not sure I'll be able to make up the $144.13 overage.

On the up side our debt is decreasing. Our interest payments are considerably lower. I am (slowly) learning restraint when it comes to buying food. I haven't used the overdraft account in two months. (I had been using it almost every week as my own personal cash advance system prior to this blog) Thing are slowly improving but I'm not happy with how March turned out and at present I can only wish I'd been more disciplined and done better sticking to the budget. I suppose I'll try and use March's disappointment as an encouragement to try harder and do better.

I want this debt GONE!

Chicago Round Two

With the exception of parking while in Chicago the husband and I spent very little while we were there for the show. I'm quite proud of our restraint and we had a good time. After driving all night and arriving home at 5am we'd only gone a few dollars over the $12 a day budget.

Friday I headed back to Chicago with my sister and a friend for two days. Two trips to Chicago in one week was a crazy odd scheduling error. I probably won't go back for another 6 months at least. My sister actually paid for most of the trip. We took the train in and out of Indiana which saved on gas, parking, and tolls. We stayed in a nice hotel that I got over 50% off on Priceline.com. We ate at Giordanos (best pizza on the planet) and the Cheesecake factory (Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake!!!). I did buy one Caramel Macchiotto at Starbucks. The hotel coffee was pretty blah. We spent about $7 each on the subway. We went to the Lincoln park zoo which was free. The meerkats were super cute! I almost bought a shirt that I loved. I do partially regret not getting it but we all know I can't afford it. I did pick up at least two different stuffed animals and carry them with me for a tiny bit absolutely intent on buying them until I came to my senses and said goodbye to them each. One was a monkey that my nephew would have adored. And the other was an awesome little piglet that I need (yeah, no I don't really "need" it) to complete my winnie the pooh stuffed animals family. I didn't end up buying anything in any of the shops in Chicago... not even chocolate. I always buy chocolate in Chicago.

The final consensus is that I spent much too much money this week, $52.11 too much but I think I did an excellent job saving money and not spending money while in Chicago for my sisters birthday. It was her first official Chicago trip and other than the rain I think it was a success. Happy Birthday little Sis!!!