Budget – Dec. 09

Yeah, I know this is a late for December. I’ve been trying to re-work my budget for a while now…since it hasn’t been exactly working out. Before, I had a general idea of where my money was going, but didn’t have the Dave Ramsey “every dollar” tracking going on. Starting this paycheck, after I pay all of my bills (via online bill pay) I will pull out all of my money, minus the bank “padding”, and use the envelope system. Hope that will keep my spending on lock-down. Any extra money is going to put towards building back up my emergency fund.

You can see my super-messy/misspelled budget below. The darker color means that its been paid, the Gold color means I have to pull it out of the bank and use the cash.

Next month I will be using a new layout for my budget that is more organized and properly labeled.  I was having difficulty breaking up my paychecks for the month, and hopefully starting next month that will be solved.

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5 things – to start

So to start this magical journey I will start listing what I have already done to push myself in the right direction. Other than the drinking, going out and paying an exorbitant amount in rent, I was already a rather “frugal” person so pushing it farther is an accomplishment for me.

1. Got the h*ll out of the $195 per month parking in my building:
   Now I pay $75 a month to park 1 mile away. Yeah, even typing that depresses me. I have to literally BIKE to my car when I leave the city to go grocery shopping or visit friends/family. I grew up where parking is free (everywhere), so paying for it is like torture to the soul.
2. Writing lists for food shopping and cutting back on processed foods:
   Being vegetarian, this isn’t easy. Also, I’m as lazy as they come, so learning to cook is like pulling teeth. I started by buying dry milk, cooking my own bread and making crock-pot creations for the week. I really want to stick to $25 a week food budget.
3. Planing on moving out of my apartment the day my lease is up:
   I am kicking myself so hard for this one. I had the chance to sign an 8 month lease instead of a 12 month one and I was a dingbat and picked the 12 month one. Because of my stupidity, have to wait till April 1st. When that happens, I have to move far away from work again, sit on the train for an hour each way and get a roommate. But at least I wont live at the top of someone’s stairs. I am shooting for my rent to go from $1,112 to $500-600. Cutting that in half will really help so I wont have to depend on my credit cards every month.
4. Pack Lunch and not eat if I don’t bring anything:
   On the bright side, if I don’t eat its a good way to lose weight.
5. Applied for part-time, night jobs:
   I don’t want anyone knowing about this one. I already have a great job M-F 8-5, but I really need the extra $100 a week I could earn making coffee or stocking shelves. It would also keep me busy so I wouldn’t feel the need to spend $40 to drive and visit my friends. I just feel really weird about this one. When I was filling out applications I though to myself “I make more than the manager that’s reading this makes, will they just throw me aside?”. I just hope they wont hold that against me, because I am very reliable and will work hard at any job I’m given.

My life is Broke

Starting now I refuse to be “normal”.

Sadly, in my past I was normal. I went to college for a Graphic Design AA, and spent a good $45,000 on student loans.  I was able to land a great job in my field and make $47,000 a year, but I still only make minimum payments.

About a year ago, I was super-gun-ho about getting rid of my credit cards. I had about $10,000 in credit cards and lines of credit and got rid of $9,000 in one year. I lived in a corner of my friend’s house for $200 a month, commuted to my job by train every day and cut almost every extra I could. I didn’t even have a room, I had a curtain and lived at the top of the stairs. That’s dedication. I was always the “harry potter” joke, and was teased about living under the stairs for cheaper rent.

When I got to the last $1,000, I got sick of my lifestyle, moved into a small studio apartment for $1,300 a month (right next to my job) and transferred the last $1,000 into an interest free credit card (for one year). I though I could easily pay it off in one year. I payed off $9,000, so $1,000 would be no problem. I even had a $1,000 emergency fund just in case.

I was wrong.

My apartment is too expensive for my budget, and every month I depended on my credit cards to pick up the difference. Parking alone at my building cost me $195 a month, and even sales tax was more than where I was living before. I spent my $1,000 emergency fund in two months of over-consumption, and cleaned out the little extra in my checking account that I used for padding.

Now, that credit card that had 0% Interest and a $1,000 balance is now two weeks away from being 2509349575643% interest with a $2,800 balance. I’m scared to see the charges on January 1st.  Happy New Year Mother-tucker.

So my life Broke, now I have to fix it.

Here are my numbers, even though I really don’t want to see them.

School Loans: $43,358
Credit Cards: $7,862
Medical: $940

Total: $52,160