I’m getting Lasered!

I mentioned in my last goals post that I had to schedule a laser follow up appointment….which made me realize I haven’t told you about it yet!!

So, let’s back up…I’ll make this quick, and try not to share TMI.

Basically, I hate shaving. I’ve come to terms with shaving my legs (I find that if I alternate shaving with using my “Silk-Epil” machine it’s a lot less irritating), however over the years shaving my underarms has become more and more painful. Not just that, but even if I’ve just shaved I still look like I have a shadow under my arms. It’s annoying.

My sister has been raving about laser hair removal for years now, and I even went in for a consultation a few years back.  I had them quote a bunch of different areas, and basically I could get my underarms for about $700, bikini for around $1300, and face for another $1200. Each 6 treatments or so, with a “lifetime warranty”. I was considering it pretty seriously, but in the end my mom told me to shop around some more.

Anyway, to get to the point….a few months ago my sister alerted me to the fact that laser companies were starting to offer up treatments on groupon. Usually 3-6 treatments for $50-100. So I started to keep an eye out. When I finally saw 6 treatments go for $100 I jumped on it!! I was going to get my underarms lasered!

A few weeks after that, Living Social posted another one…..this time, bikini line was an option….so I jumped on it too!

So that’s the story. I had my first underarm treatment a couple of weeks ago, and I’m due for the next one in 4-5 weeks (which is what I need to schedule). The first bikini treatment is this weekend! I know it’s a completely unnecessary expense, but it’s something I’ve really wanted to do, and I was willing to pull from my savings to finance it. Let’s hope it works!

(Moral of the story: listen to your mom. If I’d paid all that money for laser treatments back then I’d be so mad now!)

 

May Week 1 and 2 Recap

Look at me, I’m back on track!

Tracking your spending is so important….it’s the only way you can keep yourself out of trouble. For example, I didn’t realize I’d been to Whole Foods and Publix so many times in the course of one week! I also didn’t realize I’d nearly spent my whole entertainment budget in just two weeks. [sigh] So much for treating the BF to dinner later this month….

Groceries – $160.11 / 200.00
5/1 Whole Foods $7.88
5/2 Whole Foods $23.76
5/4 Publix $15.78
5/6 Whole Foods $11.76 (wine)
5/8 Publix $4.19
5/12 Winn-Dixie $15.99
5/13 Costco $80.75

Gas – $31.02 / 150.00
5/8 – $31.02

Household – $3.00 / $45.00
5/12 Bank Fees $3.00

Clothing – $31.99 / 40.00
5/2 Nordstrom Rack $31.99 (blue ballet flats)

Entertainment – $87.49 / 100.00
5/2 Netflix $14.97
5/2 Taco Bell $4.27
5/2 Mexican $6.47
5/3 Groupon $45.00 (jewelry making class!)
5/8 McDonalds $2.12
5/8 Mexican $14.66

Costco trips always come out so expensive that I often wonder if it’s really worth it. I’d say it is for some things….like the Airwick oil thingies I bought….usually when I get them at Walmart they’re 2 for $5, and at $10 for 6 of them I saved $5 right there. (And they’ll last me for months….) The string cheese I get there also saves me money compared to the 8 packs from the store (plus I can never find the right brand at the store, so they always taste kind of weird to me.) I also like to drink Muscle Milk, since it’s the best tasting protein shake by far that doesn’t not contain any lactose. Luckily they carry them at Costco, and it’s cheaper than Walmart. The only problem with Costco is I have to buy lots of everything at once, lol. I’m glad storage isn’t an issue for me.

Even though my days aren’t filled with many obligations, the weekends still haven’t lost their luster. Mostly, because I get to spend time with the BF and my family….which I don’t get to see that much of during the week. So every Friday I get giddy with anticipation.

No plans yet for this weekend, except that the BF is insisting we go to the beach again. (Did I mention I went last week for the first time in 5 years?!! The crazy part is I don’t even live all that far from the beach! I can’t believe it’d been that long!)

Have a good weekend everyone!

 

February thru April: The Numbers

For a PF blog, I sure haven’t been talking much about my finances! A little embarrassing, but it’s no secret that I tend to veer more towards the “personal” than the “finance” part of PF. Anyway, the last time I recapped my spending was at the end of February, so I thought I was due for another.

I might as well confess that the reason I hadn’t recapped any spending was because….I hadn’t been tracking it. At all. Thank goodness for online banking. Even so, I’m not sure if there were cash purchases I lost track of (which is why I prefer to track withdrawals, as opposed to cash spending.) However a 90% inclusive recap is better than none. To keep things moving, I’m going to break down each category per month, followed by how far over or under budget I came in.

Category – February / March / April = total over or under budget

Utilities – $77.29* / 40.74 / 50.64 = $131.33 under budget (*water included as well as electric)

Groceries  – $216.69 / 274.72 / 159.11 = $50.52 over budget

Gas & Parking – $31.91 / 68.17 / $57.58 = $292.34 under budget

Household – $52.29 / 236.15 / 134.05 = $287.49 over budget (includes sewing machine in March, and new table/chair in April)

Clothing- $10.69 / 96.19 / 57.13 = $44.01 over budget (includes all sewing-related purchases, minus the machine)

Entertainment – $96.42 / 25.76 / 87.30 = $90.52 under budget

Dance – $206 (not technically budgeted for, includes a workshop, choreography course, plus 2 classes)

Not counting dance, I came in $132.17 under budget for those 3 months, which means once you add in dance classes I’ve spent just under $7,000 in the past 3 months. (Wow.) That includes rent, car payments, student loan payments, as well as internet and anything else normally included in my regular bills.

A few things surprised me once I looked at this summary:

1 -I’m totally over-budgeting for gas, but that’s ok. That’s more in line with what I’d be spending if I was working, and I’d rather have that number there to remind me for the future.

2- I’ve been out of control with my groceries. I mean, it’s good that I’m buying groceries instead of eating out, but thinking back, a bit of it has been “luxury” items that aren’t necessary (like an $8 block of cheese, and wine in general). I could benefit from smarter shopping and some control.

3 – I’m pleasantly surprised that I didn’t go over budget with “entertainment” (which includes eating out)! I’ve been eating way too much Taco Bell for my own good, and it also helped that the BF covered most of my eating out when we were together….but it’s progress from past months. In the future I need to make sure that I’m only eating out in the company of others, not for a quick meal fix for myself.

4 – The last thing I noticed was that I never really know how to allocate the spending for my hobbies. Sometimes I put receipts in under entertainment (like one dance class), another time I put them under household (sewing supplies), and then the rest of the time I put my sewing expenses under clothing. I think for now I’d rather keep to my inconsistent labeling, but it still bothers me. (I don’t want to make yet another category that will encourage me to spend more on hobbies.)

Also, seeing all my numbers laid out makes me realize a few things:

-While I’d love to reward my weight-loss, it feels almost like I already have with all the overspending I’m doing. Those new sneakers I wanted to buy? They’ll have to wait. That jewelry I bought to celebrate 5-lbs lost? So glad I returned it. (And not just because I gained 2 pounds the week after I got sick….)

-I didn’t come up with any exciting plans for my tax refund. At first I thought about doing something special with it, but in the end it’s obvious I just need some money in the bank until my situation has stabilized a bit. I AM going to splurge and perform with the dance studio this summer….which entails purchasing the costume. Its less than 20% of my refund, so that’s basically the “fun” part of my tax refund. (More on that later.)

From here on out I’m going to make the effort to continue to track my spending. (Actually, isn’t it a goal of mine this month? Yes, yes it is…) You’d think it would be second nature by now, but not quite…

 

February Week 3 and 4 Recap

I kinda forgot to do my recap last week, but the good news is there wasn’t much on there. I’ve included those items this week, for good measure… 😉

Household – $45.88 / $45.00
2/13 Teavana $10.69 (decorative napkins)
2/15 Bank Fee $3.00 (for rent transfer)
2/21 Costco $26.41 (personal hygiene stuff)

Misc.
2/21 Costco $69.54 (area rug)*

Entertainment – $58.42 / $100
2/8 Dance Class $15.00 (forgot to include it in Week 2)
2/18 Taco Bell $4.59
2/24 Taco Bell $3.41

Gas – $31.91 / $150
2/24 $27.91

I almost made it the whole month without a new tank of gas! That is awesome!

*I wasn’t sure which category to include this in, so I just invented a category for it altogether. Either way, I should be under budget this month in general, so I’m not worried about being able to cover this.

Once again, not leaving the house on my own during the day is working in my favor to limit my spending. (Unfortunately it’s not doing much on the income side of things.) I made a trip to the mall during last weekend though, and as evidenced by my purchase of the napkins, my shopping urges are coming back strong. I liken it to my binge urges…..those are back as well. I am most definitely an emotional spender, hoping to escape reality by bringing home pretty things. (The worst part was when we entered Crate and Barrel….I was so overcome by my wants I wanted to cry….it was awesome. Until I left empty handed. Ok, so maybe it wasn’t that bad…)

One thing I have gotten into my head that I absolutely want to buy is a sewing machine. I’ve been after my mom to teach me to sew for ages. In waiting for her to “calibrate” (or whatever it is she has to do to her old machine) it’s been over a year since I started to nag. Considering there’s no guarantee her old machine is even going to work, I’m pretty serious about wanting my own….once I have it I’m just going to give it a shot teaching myself. I have $50 in Amex rewards cards, so I’m planning on using them towards a new sewing machine. Anyone have suggestions for a good machine under $100? (I checked on Craigslist and found nothing promising.) I’m super excited about this!

So, as for the weekend? Not much planned. Tonight I might sneak into a fitness conference (the BF’s job would allow me to not-so-sneakily sneak in) and take a workout/class that is being held for workout instructors. It’s supposed to be a pretty big deal, this class, and when I met a few of his co-workers yesterday they encouraged me to join them. This very much goes against my nature, (the whole dancing and possibly making a fool of myself in the BF’s vicinity and in front of his co-workers) but I’m ready to try new things….what have I got to lose, apart from a little bit of dignity? lol.

[FYI, my BF and his co-workers are not workout instructors….they’re “sneaking in” just like me.]

Oh, and by the way, the answers (i.e. the lies)  to my “Two Truths and a Lie” were C and B! (Only Ninja got the first one right!)

 

February Week 2 Recap

I obviously haven’t been getting out of the house much….which is good since it’s keeping me from spending money on random stuff and gas.

Groceries: $103.53 / $200
2/11 Publix $52.86

Gas & Parking: $4 / $150
2/8 Parking $2.00

Household: $5.78 / $45.00
2/8 Home Depot $5.78 (fluorescent bulbs for the kitchen)

Entertainment: $35.42 / $100
2/7 Denny’s $12.76 (treated the BF)
2/8 Wendy’s $3.18

Unfortunately the novelty of being at home 24/7 is starting to wear off. That’s not to say I’m miserable or anything, but I’m starting to run out of motivation to be productive, and as you have probably noticed I’ve been in a bit of a funk when it comes to blogging. To make matters better, ever since I told my parents, one of them has been calling me each day to “check up on me”. Yeah, nice. (Except I feel like a 10 year old again.)

I don’t think it’d be that bad at all if only I had more human contact during the day. It’s easy to get “bored” even though there’s plenty to do when you spend hours without saying a word outside your head. (Which is why I’ve taken to playing music and singing loudly while doing things around the apartment. It makes me feel better. lol)

So next week, I’m going to make the effort to get out of the house, even if it’s just to go for a walk outside, or to stop by the library to work on my resume (yeah, still need to finish that up). I also need to get more serious about either finding work, or figuring out what other options I have if there isn’t anything in my field. While I’m by no means panicking yet, or desperate to be working, I’m afraid the honeymoon is over! lol.

I don’t have much planned out for the weekend. Tonight I’m going out to the galleries with my mom (I hope, something always gets in the way), and the BF sounded like he might want to go to the movies….so we’ll see what happens.

Have a good one!

 

What’s in your shoe closet?

I’d seen several bloggers do this already (I know there were more, so let me know if I missed your link!), and I figured….what better way to get me out of my blogging funk?! Who cares if I’m a copycat?

So I walked over to my shoe closet (and unfortunately, I DO have a shoe closet….meaning a closet solely for shoes. No pun intended.) and realized….oh crap, I’m going to be berated on my blog if I admit how many shoes I have. Geez, I’m supposed to be frugal!

After that I realized 1) I never claimed to be frugal on this blog (at least I didn’t mean to…and I was wrong if I did, lol), 2) I’ve accumulated these shoes over years so it’s not like I bought them all at once, 3) I’m emotionally attached to shoes, and 4) I think I have a shoe problem. =[

Ok, so I’m going to try to provide a description and pricing, where I remember, going from left to right. Feel free to zone out here and head over to the comments directly to yell at me for having so many shoes, or just yell at me in general (although I’d rather you didn’t do that).  I also realize I certainly don’t hold any records for shoe ownership…which is a little scary (and, I’ll admit, relieving).

Anyway, starting at the top, from left to right. (Click on the pictures to zoom in)

1. Black Leather loafers, (I think, the label wore off), about $40 Nine West (these are old, I’m thinking 2003)

2. Burgundy leather loafers,  ~$40 Nine West

3. Cognac and Grey Mary Janes, $12 Ross (SUPER comfy.)

4. Black and White Leather heels, $30 Macy’s

5. Black Chunky Sling-backs, $30 DSW

6. Black flat loafers $45 DSW

7. Blue Patent sling backs $24 DSW

8. Red Flat Sandals, $15 Payless

9. Black Suede Mary Janes, $24 DSW

10. Black sandals (2″ heel) $24 DSW

11. Black and silver sandals (2″ heel?) $35 Parade of Shoes (closed long ago….I wore these on my first “date” with the BF…Homecoming Dance ’02!)

12. Red and White Sandals, $8 Payless

13. White Leather vintage sandals $16 after repairs

14. Plaid Flats $5 Payless (these are embarrassingly worn out and I’ve been meaning to get rid of them, but they work well when I need to slip something on in a hurry!)

15. White Gladiator Sandals $15 Payless

16. White and pink Flats $7 Payless

17. Blue Floral Flats $12 DSW

18. Brown Strappy Sandals (flat) $15 Payless

19. Blue Satin Ballet Flats $40 DSW (my first ballet flats)

20. Adidas (aka my “old” running shoes) $40 online (I use them if I think I’m going to run in the rain, or anything dirty like that)

21. Airwalks (aka “Ponverse”….since they are clearly Converse knock-offs) $14

22. Flip Flops…first pair was a freebie, 2nd pair $1.50 at Old Navy, Green pair $4 at Gap YEARS ago (another black pair is missing….also from gap, for $5)

These are my shoes on the left that are kind of hidden from view in that first picture (starting from left corner, down):

23. Bowling Shoes, $10  Ebay after shipping (yes, I have bowling shoes…we used to have free bowling for ladies every Monday at school, so I bought them to save on shoe rentals)

24. Asics (current running shoes), $70? Sports Authority

25. Black Boots, Payless $25 (one of the VERY few boots that fit around my calves)

26. Tan Boots, Payless $25 (…never worn….VERY tight around the calves. I must’ve been thinner when I bought them)

The last section (yes, there’s more!) consists of my heels….here it goes…starting from the top left, to right:

27. Burgundy Suede Heels, $24 Nine West

28. Multi-colored chunky heels, $60 Nine West (my most expensive pair of shoes, other than running shoes)

29. Purple Suede Peeptoe pumps, $14 DSW (LOVE these, but not so comfy)

30. Electric Blue Suede Heels, $40 Macy’s (bought with a birthday gift card)

31. Houndstooth (or is that some other kind of “check”?) Heels, $20 DSW

32. Black and gold suede/faux-croc wedges, under $20? Payless

33. Black Suede/Wood Wedge heels, $20 Payless

34. Olive Green/Brown Patent heels, $8 DSW

35. Brown Leather/Suede/Faux-croc Heels (almost 4″!), $40 Nine West

36. Tan “suede” sandals, $17 Payless

37. Nude Sandals, $24 Nine West

38. Pink Canvas Pumps, $16 Payless

39. Brown and Gold Sandals, $45 Nine West

40. Black Satin Braided sandals, $22 Payless

41. Red Satin Peeptoes, $11 DSW

42. Black Leather Mary Janes, $40 DSW (I’ve been meaning to throw these out because they are so beat up, but I LOVE them! I’m going to try and recondition them first)

43. Brown Suede Peeptoes, $14 DSW

44. Black Leather ankle strap heels, $45? Parade of Shoes (my mom bought them for me in preparation for NYE….2000!)

45. Patent Leather Bow heels, $28 Ross

Only two more pairs of shoes are missing: a pair of really beat up gold thong sandals from Payless (about $10?) and my workboots…which I got for free at a Caterpillar raffle (career fair), valued at ~$100. I keep them in my car.

I’m not even going to attempt to add up what these shoes have cost me….I’d really just cry.

 

February Week 1 Recap

So this was my first week of unemployment. Honestly? It was awesome! Now I know why they were calling it “funemployment”. The best part is I restarted my P90X routine and I don’t have to wake up at 4am to work out! I am feeling GREAT with these workouts. Well, with the exception of the first day where I was a bit dizzy. I’ve been eating more since then and everything has gone fine.

As for spending, I’ve stayed in the apartment for the most part, so I haven’t spent a great deal. On the other hand after my one experience at the mall I realize I need to stay away from stores….

Clothing – $10.69 / $40.00
2/1 Ann Taylor $50.80
2/3 Ann Taylor -$40.11

Entertainment: $19.88 / $100
2/2 Netflix $14.97
2/2 Taco Bell $4.91

Gas/Parking: $2.00 / $150
2/3 Parking $2.00 (Fitness 101)

Utilities: $45.80 / $100
2/4 Water $45.80

Groceries: $50.30 / $200
2/3 Publix $45.30
2/4 Publix ~$5.00 (supplies for an appetizer I made for my grandmother’s 80th birthday. Except I lost the receipt.)

*Ok, so you must be thinking “what the hell, QL?! $50 on clothes?! You’re unemployed for goodness sake!” Yes, yes….I know….however, after my aunts birthday on Friday I noticed my mom had gifted her this really cute top from Ann Taylor, then she happened to mention they had a huge sale. Big mistake. I wanted to go immediately. Instead I said I’d call her so we could go together on Sunday. I later had a chance to think about it and decided I should NOT be shopping now, and canceled. I was so impressed with myself.

Well, on Monday I went to my running class, and guess what? It was canceled. That would’ve been fine and I would’ve gone home, except I’d already paid for almost two hours worth of parking. I might as well make use of it, and it just so happens that Ann Taylor Loft is across the street. So I went in and they had TONS of cute stuff. One of which was the dress I wore for New Years!!!! On Sale!!! I had bought it for $40, but here it was for $25. I was pissed. So I decided to buy another, and then return it tomorrow with the old receipt! I’m brilliant! I figured the $12.50 tank top I had been planning on taking would essentially come out for free, and the $10 cardigan was…..well, $10! Not a bad deal if you ask me. Besides, my cardigans have all been disappearing! I replaced the black one with this purchase, but I’d still like a white one.

On the employment front, I actually “spoke” to (we chatted on facebook) a former co-worker, the one who was laid off a month before me, and she said the news of my lay-off shocked a couple of people. So much that they’d apparently been speaking to other companies about finding me a job. I guess that’s pretty cool, but I still don’t know what I really want to do next. Either way, I plan on speaking to them soon and see what the possibilities are. While I hate having so many options, I kind of like the idea of calling the shots if an opportunity doesn’t appeal to me. I’m not desperate to take the first thing I run across. That being said, I can’t be picky for too long….I don’t want that to come back to haunt me later.

What else did I do all week? I slept (oh god yes!), I worked out (mmm-hmm!), I read blogs (need to cut back on the internet time), I tried to catch up with Season 5 of “How I met your mother” (online), and I tried a few new recipes. In conclusion: the BF is going to get fat again if this goes on for too long. I have a to-bake list that goes on for pages, and best of all, I have time for it now!

What I haven’t done: read a few books I need to review, clean the apartment, put away my laundry, watched “Inglorius Basterds”, or update my resume (just the thought of that right now gets me nervous).

Hmm, I guess I know what I need to take care of next week!

 

January 2010 Spending

January was a pretty good month for my money, if you ask me. Ever since I started budgeting with PearBudget, I believe this is the first time my expenses came in under budget for EVERY category! Amazing!

To keep this from getting boring, I’m only going to review the areas in which I was under budget:

Utilities: $34.23 / $100  – Even though I had to turn on the heater, the final price was so low because they gave us a credit on everyone’s accounts! Otherwise it would’ve been $60. Which still isn’t terrible considering the cold snap we had.

Groceries: $191.64 / $200  – I was SO CLOSE to going over, but I made do with what I had at home. So proud of myself! It was higher than usual due to the Costco trip I made to stock up on stuff.

Gas: $107.07 / $200 – Awesome, once again. Now that I don’t have to commute I’ll definitely be needing less gas. I’m not sure how much less, so I’m budgeting $150 a month for now to be on the safe side. I’ll revisit that again at the end of next month.

Household: $25.82 / $45 – Used this money for a coaxial cable to hook up the internet, and some cleaning stuff at Walmart.

Clothing: $10.68 / $40* – SO proud of myself! That was only for fashion tape (double sided tape) for my dance show and bobby pins.

Entertainment: $79.62 / $100 – This included my overspending from December, as well as a few cheap meals out (fast food), and a contribution to the baby shower. Again, I’m so proud of myself! Really, it’s the eating out that always gets me, and I’ve been having amazingly few cravings. It’s great.

Internet: $29.02 / $50.00 – I managed to score $20/month with Comcast, and this first “month” actually included an extra half month I hadn’t been billed for yet. From here on out I’m reducing the budget to $25, until my deal runs out in 6 months.

So, to summarize I was able to save $300 from my “Short Term Savings” line item, $47.02 from my “Set Savings” (which is a remnant from when I contributed my ST savings to my parents), and $141.15 from being under budget!!!

Grand total: $488.17

I’m SO thrilled with that number. Particularly because of the fact that that brings my emergency fund to a total of $10,000!! (Any additional money still went to the Efund, but is actually earmarked towards Lasik, and isn’t included in the $10k figure.) Kind of bittersweet….since it won’t stay in the E-fund very long now that I actually have to use it.

*I decided to set apart this money to fund my Weight Loss Rewards. That’ll serve as further encouragement for me to NOT spend money on random crap so I can have more to put towards some really awesome rewards….I can’t wait to use it!

 

January Week 4 Recap

A little late, but here’s my spending recap from last week…

Groceries – $191.64/$200
1/23 Publix $30.59

Entertainment – $58.12/$100
1/23 McDonalds $3.00 (not sure if that was the right date, I paid in cash and got no receipt! That is the danger of paying cash…)
1/24 Taco Bell $4.59 (A post dress-rehearsal lunch)

Gas – $107.07/$200
1/27 Parking $2.00 (Fitness 101)
1/28 $28.44 Gas

As you can see it was another awesome week with minimal spending!

After getting laid off on Friday, I decided it was best for me not to mention anything to my family just yet. I know myself, and I know that the minute I’d start talking about it I’d burst into tears again. We celebrated an aunt’s birthday on Friday, and everything went smoothly….no one asked “how’s work?”, which was my biggest fear. On Saturday we went to a baby shower, and Saturday night we went to a house party to celebrate my friend’s birthday. At that point, I still hadn’t told anyone, and just had to get the weight off…so I told the BF. Apart from a tear or two slipping out at that point, I didn’t become a messl!! (Although then again there was plenty of alcohol flowing at the time…so that probably helped.) All in all, the BF was pretty awesome about the whole thing.

I have a feeling this is going to be a tough week. While I have my mornings planned out (wake up at 7am, have breakfast, workout 8-9:30, shower, and read for an hour before lunch) I’m worried about having so much free time….it’s up to me not to waste it. First on my list is squaring away all of my bank accounts, figuring out how I’m going to handle my transfers from the emergency fund, and making sure I haven’t missed anything (like cancelling my automatic Roth IRA contributions). That should be done tomorrow. After that I figure I should find out what I did with my resume….I can’t seem to find the last version on my computer!

By the way, you guys are all awesome….thanks so much for the encouraging words. It really means a lot. =]

 

Vanity Update

I mentioned a few days ago that I was looking into buying a vanity that I spotted on Craigslist for $100. I know I didn’t need one, but I’ve always wanted one, and $100 was not a bad price (at least I don’t think so). So, I emailed the seller the next morning asking if it was still available and for measurements. She responded said her husband would measure it that evening and get back to me.

She didn’t respond, but I emailed her again anyway, and asked if I could come see it Friday night or Saturday and see it in person so I can decide. Then I waited.

Well, she emailed me Friday night and said she had someone that confirmed they wanted it. If they didn’t show up she’d let me know so I can have a look at it.

I didn’t get any emails back, so I’m assuming she sold it. =[

I’m a little disappointed, but also glad that I didn’t have to go through the pain of making a decision.