Money has never been anything I had to worry about growing up. And it’s not that I came from a wealthy family, I was just fortunate enough to have two parents who were really smart with their income and expenses. My college tuition was always paid in full. My car payment was taken care of every month. Everything was always handled for me. At least until I graduated from college, got a job, and moved out on on my own. Even then, I continued living as if I were still living at home. I never really paid attention to my expenses just as long as I had a roof over my head and clothes on my back.
Of course you could imagine how long that lasted. Eventually after paying off all my bills I was left with, well, just enough to make it to the next paycheck. Any unplanned expenses threw me for a loop. There have been some times when I’ve really had to squeeze pennies in order to even buy groceries.
Well, I’ve grown really tired of that.
Long term goal: I’d like to be able to pay off my credit cards, and live comfortably on what I’m making while building up a savings account.
It’s a lofty goal, and one that’s not going to happen overnight. But you have to be able to take baby steps first before you can run a marathon, right?
July’s Goal: To track all income and expenses.
I figure this goal is easy enough. It’s actually something I’ve tried getting into the habit of but never succeeded because I could never really find a method that worked for me. I tried saving all my receipts and setting aside a day or two during the week where I would do nothing but take a look at my finances. That didn’t work because I often lose receipts. Not even something like Quicken could help me because I couldn’t log my purchase immediately after I make it.
Right now I’m evaluating the spreadsheet in Google Docs as well as Pear Budget. The only thing with Google Docs is you have to build your spreadsheet so if you’re not spreadsheet savvy, more than likely this will be a frustrating option for you (btw, there’s a fantastic post here about setting up a form to enter transaction data). Pear Budget seems to be pretty easy to setup, but it does come with a price tag ($3 per month). Right now Google Docs is the more attractive option because, well, it’s free of course. Who will win?
The dryer in my old apartment had been acting up so I turned in a work order on Friday when I got the keys to the new place.
Evidently there was a mixup in the office and somehow the maintenance guy thought I moved out of this apartment. Granted, my old apartment number was 923 and the new one is 1923, so the numbers could’ve easily become mixed up, but still. I think it was probably the leasing agent that took the work order. So anyway of course he just walks in thinking I had moved out and surprise!, here I am sitting on my couch watching TV in just a tshirt. Izzie, who was faithfully sitting next to me, totally freaked out and started barking at the intruder while I explained I moved OUT of #923. She charged at him, but luckily I grabbed her before she could attack.
At least I know she’s a good guard dog 
I’m glad I took tomorrow off though because I still have some things to do at the old place. There’s a lot of trash I have to throw out and I still have some stuff left there like cleaning supplies and whatnot.
Tomorrow is going to be an early day for me because I plan on getting everything done before noon. Wish me luck!
The doctor was great. This was our first visit to this place and I really really liked it. I was nervous (like I normally am with any doctor’s visit) but everyone was so sweet and friendly.
We walked away with a lot of goodies: medicated shampoo for her bumpy skin, ear cleaner for her ears, heartworm medication, a dental treat for Izzie, and a large vet bill. But like the front desk assistant said, it could’ve been worse.
But yes, she’s napping peacefully at my feet right now, happy and healthy. Couldn’t ask for more.
My kitchen was surprisingly the worst. I have tons of dishes. TONS. You would think I was feeding an army with the amount of plates and side plates and glasses I had in my cupboards. And plastic containers. AN ENDLESS SUPPLY. I packed an entire medium sized box with plastic containers and I still have a batch sitting in the dishwasher waiting to be packed.
SERIOUSLY, WHERE DID ALL THIS CRAP COME FROM?
MUST…RESIST…POPPING…THE…BUBBLEWRAP…
An interesting observation: taking things apart is always faster than putting them together. So I guess the tough part in this move is going to be getting from point A to point B, it’s going to be making point B look like a home as opposed to a storage warehouse.
Another observation: I have a very rare talent for being able to grow plasticware experiments in my fridge. I spent the past two hours removing containers holding unidentifiable substances. The most impressive one was a container of wild rice that had been in there for so long that it almost started to look like white rice because of the white mold growing on it.
Yes, I am THAT gifted.
My social calendar has been hopping this week. I haven’t been home much for 3 out of the 5 evenings thus far so you can imagine how far behind I am in my packing. Today I was actually excited to be able to go home and start packing again. Is that strange?
My apartment complex is letting me pick up my new keys whenever I want which is awesome. I’m going to see if I can pick them up tomorrow. I haven’t been able to transfer my electricity yet, but I’ll see if I can do that in the morning.
Very excited
14 boxes packed thus far.
The movers have been booked. I’ve already submitted my change of address to the post office. I’m gradually transferring my utilities over to the new place. Slowly but surely, everything is coming down from shelves and walls and being placed into boxes.
I think this will actually be a really cleansing experience for me. Because of the accelerated time frame I have to pack, I’m really scrutinizing what I’m keeping, and what I’m deciding to donate or throw away. Of course, this is coming from a person who’s already packed 3 boxes of stamping and crafting supplies with more left to be boxed up.
Above are some of the remnants of my college days. Is it strange I still had these bottles sitting up in a cupboard over my fridge? None of them have even enough to fuel a party. I am really considering consuming these before I move out…
I think Izzie senses something is amiss though. She kept following me around from room to room, watching me as I put stuff into boxes and taped them up. A couple times she looked at me as if to say, “Excuse me? That doesn’t go in there, that goes HERE. Hey-! And just WHERE do you think you’re taking that?” Yes, she’s that bossy.
