Our Country has a Spending Problem...

So. This blog started out as a PF blog, and I was planning to return to it's roots with today's entry. I was going to ask a bunch of questions and hope against hope that someone out there would hear my pitiful plea and answer some of them. But, I talked to my friend over at American Judgment and we ended up having a 30-minute conversation about everything I wanted to rant/ask about.

So instead, I'm going to quote from American Judgment's most recent post - he asked the question that has been in the forefront of my mind ...

Explain how it is mathematically impossible to bailout the banks, spend $800 billion (plus interest) to stimulate the economy, Nationalized Health care, increase education, refinance mortgages, lower taxes for 55% of Americans (95-40% in #8), give welfare checks to 40% of Americans, and cut the deficit in half using only the savings from reduced Iraq operations and eliminating the Bush Tax Cuts for the wealthiest 2% of taxpayers. Seriously, how can anyone think that is possible? Just writing that list pissed me off....

I Agree. HOW are we supposed to do all of that at once? On borrowed money? Do these other countries know we aren't going to pay them back this century? Now, as I have said before, I'm just an English major...so if someone can explain this to me, PLEASE do! (And please, a little more in-depth than M's explanation - "we print the IOUs, so we can do it.")

Mmmk. I am going to try to be zen and happy, because really, what can we do about all this? To combat the lack of hope being reported in the media, QuarterLife Finances has followed Well-Heeled's lead and listed five things to be thankful for. I think I'll end on a similar note. =)

1. Our cat seems to be much better! No more throwing up in the middle of the night. Whew.
2. Book Club was super fun last night, and we picked an interesting book for next month - I'm excited to start.
3. I started going to the gym again, and I'm really really enjoying it (for once)!!
4. My husband is awesome.
5. Even though my current job situation kinda sucks (just an FYI, waiting tables is MUCH HARDER than my old cushy desk job), we are still OK. We can pay our rent, and eat and even do a fun thing or two. We are very very blessed.

What are you thankful for at the moment?? Leave some love and let me know!

The Overwhelming Pull of TJ Maxx...

This past weekend I was luck enough to hang out with one of my fabulous bridesmaids/bestie/fashion inspiration. Unfortunately she is nearly six feet tall...which means we can't share shoes OR clothes. =(

HOWEVER, she likes to GET ME INTO TROUBLE. I look through her closet and I want new clothes. When I visit her, I immediately immerse myself in her closet. I love her closet. It's like my own personal Mecca. This doesn't surprise or bother her, since I've been acting this way around her clothes since Sophomore year in college. Anyway, while I was going through her things, I mentioned to her that she really had a billion dresses. She denied, so I decided to count. I was wrong - she doesn't have a billion - she has 65. SIXTY-FIVE! Anyway, this is beside the point.

The POINT is that three of the 65 had actually just been purchased at the TJ Maxx...and were BCBG...and were $200 less than the tag price. Sigh. That is just TOO much temptation to handle! Especially since M was in Vegas all week caddying for a friend, and had already spent his $200 slush money. (Hmm - SIDE NOTE: lately M has spent SO much more on clothing than me. When we were in San Francisco I spent $125 on clothes, he spent $275. Sheesh.)

Anyways, I vowed to return to TJ Maxx the next day with my mother - who keeps me in line and makes sure that I'm not blinded by the 85%-off price. I ended up trying on about even or eight sweater dresses...the smalls were almost all too tight (in my book anyway) and the mediums were hanging on me. Finally I found a pretty black turtleneck sweater dress...and bought it. I felt kinda bad since I really don't need any clothes and I'm TRYING to save for nursing school...but oh well. It's really classic and I'll wear it forever - or at least until I stop being a size 4.

At least I stopped myself and didn't buy the Steve Madden peep-toe leather "shooties" they had...

Dear J. Crew,

Please stop sending me e-mails with "Private Sale. 20% off. Ends today." in the subject line. You get me all excited about colored chinos and ribbon belts and statement necklaces, and then dash everything to pieces with your small print.

I don't want to spend $175 or more to receive my 20% off...Actually, I don't want to spend any money at all. Can you just send ME stuff? I'll wear it proudly and tell everyone I got it at J. Crew. Pinkie promise.

Sigh. I know I should tell you to hit the road and STOP sending me these misleading e-mails...but I can't help it. Preppie clothes are my crack.

Sincerely,
D

So Close.

As of today...we only have $270 left on the credit-card-of-doom. FANTASTIC.

Ummm my credit card bill was kinda out of control this month. I didn't realize why until I did a little breakdown: $200 for school tuition, $100 for M's bday, $150 for groceries, $250 for shopping and haircut, $100 for going out (to eat and out on weekends...)...and then a bit extra thrown in that I can't remember. However...does this stop me from buying a $14 dress at Old Navy last night? No. Does this stop me from going to a movie last night with friends? No. BUT FOR MY DEFENSE, the movie was only $5 thanks to a lovely AMC special, and my popcorn and drink was only $5 thanks to same said special. Hey, $10 for popcorn, diet coke AND The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (Oh yes, you bettah believe it - it was awesome!!!)? I'm so down.

There's always next month to be frugal...right?? Sometimes you need a tiny splurge...Anyways, I told M that all my shopping last month and this one still didn't equal ONE of his car payments. So there!

Have a great weekend everyone!!!!

Annual Review

Last Friday I had my annual review – my SECOND annual review. I can’t believe that its been two years since I walked through that door and made myself at home in my widdle office (with a window!)… Two years is a long time, BTW. I’ve only had one other job longer than I’ve had this one, and that was waiting tables/bartending. AND, I had breaks from that (like small summer vacations and my semester abroad).

Anyway. I had my review. And it was positive for the most part! And I got a (small) raise!! Which is AMAZING, especially in this crazy economy. We’ve had three contacts get fired in the last month or so, and it makes me very nervous to not have a lot to do at work. I guess the only solution is just to keep plugging along…but I get really bored…and want to do something else.

That was something noted on my review – keep away from outside distractions. HA easier said than done…especially when there is NO way I have eight hours of work a day. NO WAY. My timesheets are lookin’ pretty slim lately. But…I can promise that I’ll do all my work…and then goof off.

So yeah. My review. I don’t have to stare THAT down for a while…and hopefully at that point I can say, “This has been fun, but I’m going back to school. Want to give me some part-time work?” Seriously…if we are still this slow (well, if we are still this slow a year from now, I probably wont have a job) I could do my job in only four hours. Whatever.

But yay! I can look forward to about an extra $100 every month! P-A-R-T-Y! No, in all seriousness…the raise is awesome. It means that I am worth something to my company and they believe in my work…even when I don’t. And, that made me feel really awful. I hate lying to my coworkers and my employer about my long-term prospects at my company…but in this economy, what else can you do?

I made myself feel better with a little shopping trip to Forever 21. I know their stuff ifs crap, but its tres cute, and in my budget of under $20. =) I bought a cute little dress (it seems that everyone is wearing dresses out…does anyone else notice that??) and a pair of earrings for about $21. Supersweet.

On another note, I finished Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress...and Kabul Beauty School. Now I'm readingThe Glass Castle...and it's kinda depressing...alas. I have to work fast though - book club is next week and I haven't read the book yet!!

Grumpy Tuesday

D is a very grumpy girl. I just did my type-A subtract-all-the-bills-from-the-current-amount-residing-in-the-checking-account thing…and came up with a NEGATIVE number!!! HOW did this happen? (I should say, how will this happen…since I am looking into the future.) Sigh. I know how it happened…both M and I were over our allotted amount on credit cards this month (and I didn’t bring my lunch today – BOO!).

On top of that, we have our new monthly car insurance bill, plus I threw $200 at our outstanding credit card bill, plus the quarterly bill we get from our Alma Mater came. This doesn’t include the tuition for the class I just registered for (Yay! At least I got my online Anatomy class!!)

GRUMPY.

Yes, I know – we have an emergency fund for these items. Actually, the car insurance would have come out of that fund anyway…if we were on the 6-month plan. So. I transferred some cash over from the emergency account, and I’ll try to bunker down and chill out for another 2 weeks. But it’s just so hard. I try and keep myself from wishing away the days, but I’m really so bored at work that I can’t help it. I have a test tonight and a test Thursday…I really just want it to be next Friday so M will get his second paycheck!

I like putting money in our happy accounts – not throwing it down the drain to various credit/loan institutions. We have about $1,000 per month going to loans and credit stuff every month – and when you break it down like that I get kinda nauseous. That number doesn’t include our monthly credit card bills either! That is just car loan + school loans + paying off big credit card. Booooo. I can’t WAIT until we have paid off that credit card – it’ll free up some cash!! Then we can start chipping away at one of M’s school loans that has ridiculously high interest.

Anyway. I better go find something to do – I do have that annual review coming up…Anyone else having a downtrodden Tuesday?

Books, Books, Everywhere...

I’m going to keep this short because I’m absolutely exhausted – thanks to my latest reading adventure. I started My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult on Tuesday after class…and I’m almost done today. I’m a pretty fast reader, but this story has just sucked me in and isn’t letting go. Therefore, I stayed up reading until 1:30 a.m. last night, long after M went to sleep (the kitty too!). The sad/great thing is, I want to just drop everything and finish the dang book!

I’m kinda a bibliophile. I love love LOVE books – not just reading, but also owning them. Now, I am not opposed to libraries – like my best friend S – I even thought about becoming a librarian after college – but there is something about those titles lined up on a bookshelf. I had a really tall, five-self bookshelf growing up, and I think it slightly fueled my obsession. I would leave books lying around the house all the time…usually two at a time. When I got older and had even more books, it saddened me to have to move my American Girl, The Boxcar Children, Nancy Drew and Sweet Valley books to an attic box. In college, as an English Literature major, there were even more books lying around.

Borders and Barnes and Noble continue to be soothing spots for me (I love used books stores too; I’m really not being picky. There are just so many more BIG bookstores) I always knew books were pricey, but after I graduated from college it really hit home. $20 for a paperback? $35 for a hardback? That is NOT cool. Still, from time to time I’ll give in and go on a tiny spree, and occasionally I’ll get a gift certificate and go nuts. M and I have two Target bookshelves in our place, filled with colorful titles that range from classic to trashy – and I love every one of them.

Anyway, this is kinda random – but comes back to personal finance, I promise! If you count up all the books that I own, it would be a LOT of money. Now, it’s not quite as bad as Carrie Bradshaw owning $40,000 in shoes…but my books aren’t $400 a pop! Anyway, it’s a vice that I am trying to get over – I’ve been frequenting the library much more often (when I’m not reading for class or for the book club I started – I know, I’m a huge dork)…and I think I’ve only bought one hardback book since I completed my Harry Potter collection. So, I’m doing better. But I still have to hold myself in check when I aimlessly browse a Borders…

Well, this wasn’t that short…but I could talk about books forever! Happy Thursday!!

March Madness

Happy Monday everyone!!! That was for K. I personally do not approve of Mondays…but since they keep coming, I guess I should be somewhat nice to them.

I live in ACC country (and attended an ACC school), so am fully vested in the NCAA tournament. I was planning on only filling out a free bracket online with my old roommate’s family, but then I got roped into the office pool. Now, I know $5 is not a lot of money – but it’s a day’s lunch, or a skein of yarn (or two) or a pair of shoes from Rack Room Outlet! I mean…I’m just being practical here. Although I was unwilling to put my $5 in the pot, I must admit it makes work much more interesting when your boss shouts down the hall that she’s in the lead! Soooo I guess it’s ok.

March Madness doesn’t only refer to the crazy and unpredictable action of the NCAA tournament (DAVIDSON?? Seriously peeps, I’m proud of you and everything, but you seriously messed up my bracket.) – it also refers to the fact that M and I are trying really hard to get on track with our budget. We are sooooo close – and as I shared in an earlier post, I obsessively checked online and I think we’ll be OK this month.

However, there are some interesting things that came to light this weekend. M and I were at my parent’s house for the holiday weekend, and somehow I got on the subject of planning a trip to Europe. Don’t roll your eyes! I know we are in debt and have very lofty financial goals…but I thought that if we just put a bit of money aside every month, in a few years we would be able to go abroad. Well, that turned into Mike telling me that he would like to own a house by then (as in, within four years). The whole idea sounds very normal – I mean, he would be over 30 at that point – but it just seems very scary…and very unattainable. I’ve read some other PF blogs about people taking that leap, and it scares me for them!! It’s just a really adult thing to do.

Also, talking about this “Four-Year Plan” brought up another thing. Babies. M and I have talked about kids in the general…as in “oh, that baby is cute! Oh, that baby has giant ears! Ooooooh, that baby is scary!!” We’ve also talked “timetable” – such as…not now. With me leaning towards nursing school…it will definitely be a few more years (we hope) until we hear the little pitter-patter of feet. But, we don’t talk about it so much…and that’s ok. However, I realized with all this time talk that I was thinking about a five-year plan when it came to kids. Holy crap! It seems like we have a LOT of financial planning to do!

So yeah – that was my nutty weekend! I also re-learned how to knit, and started a quilt! I have a ton on my plate right now, but that’s how I like it. AND, my boss just came around with our paychecks! Yippie!!!

How was everyone else’s weekend??

Cutting Cable = Joy!

When the boy and I lived at our old apartment, we got drastically reduced cable and internet - thanks to the fact that he worked for the company that was renting us the place. Well, when he changed jobs and we moved to our new and bigger apt., we couldn't get the deal anymore...which was tragic since the bill came to $130 a month. For just cable and internet!! Now to be honest, we had gotten digital cable and DVR at our old apartment, which is not only fantastic (PAUSING shows, SKIPPING commercials, RECORDING shows with the push of a button - OMG), but addicting as well. So, we had to overcome that addiction and say goodbye.

Also, as a side note, may I say that Time Warner Cable sucks??

So M went to the cable place and returned the digital receiver...and told them we wanted basic cable (like, the $11 per month kind with 14 channels) and a slower (and cheaper) internet. Lovely! At first, we didn't even notice the change in internet speed (it's slightly slower), and the cable company still has not gotten rid of all our channels (we still get HBO, Discovery, MTV, CNN, etc.). However, the new rate didn't kick in the first month (stupid TWC), but now we have a $60 credit! Woot!

Not paying the outrageous cable bill is really helping our budget. AND, not paying the bill at all this month (or next) really helps us out too! Not to mention that TV is a complete brain-drain. Seriously. There were multiple evenings when M and I would sit in front of the TV for a few hours and then comment how "I can't remember one thing that we watched tonight" on our way to bed. Yeah - awful.

So, cutting cable is an amazing thing. You don't need digital cable and DVR (although it is great to rewind LOST to catch those "easter eggs"), use your VCR! And, ummmm, as an English major I have to tote the complete awesomeness of BOOKS. And hey, you can read those at the library (or at your local bookstore - once I read the entire Third Summer of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants at Borders/Barnes and Noble - don't judge, it's a great book!) - for FREE.

Anyway, what it comes down to is simplifying and enriching your life, and cutting cable did both of those things! Less TV = Joy!