Weekly Money Checkup | Oct. 3, 2011

1. The most I’ve spent this last week was on:  Bills!  Luckily though, they are paid, and now the rest of my paycheck can go to savings... What a nice feeling!

2. Today I am thankful:  for General Conference yesterday.  There were so many inspiring words spoken!  I had such a wonderful time just hanging out with my family, and feeling uplifted!

3. Money can’t buy happiness. One free thing I did last week that made me happy was: I made cupcakes for an activity tonight.  Sometimes I really enjoy cooking/baking, it can be so relaxing.

4. I will consider this week a success if I:  Pass all of my exams.  I didn't study at all this weekend, and now I'm kicking myself for it!

5. I like Fall   because  of the beautiful colors, the crisp air, boots, and the reminder that holidays are just around the corner!

Weekly Money Checkup 9.6.11

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1. The most I’ve spent this last week was on:  Gas!  I went on my first solo road trip and ended up spending about $200, $150 of which was on gas!

2. Today I am thankful:  For sleep.  It's going to be a long semester, and I'm so thankful for the days when I'll get a full 8 hours!

3. Money can’t buy happiness. One free thing I did last week that made me happy was:  Play tourist around Salt Lake City, I just fell in love with Temple Square.

4. I will consider this week a success if I:  Manage to get to work on time.  I recently changed my work hours to accommodate school, and now I'm working nearly 2 hours earlier... ugh.

5. I am willing to splurge on: an experience.

Weekly Money Check-up 8.29.11

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1. The most I’ve spent this last week was on:  The most I spent was on textbooks!  I spent about $120.  It's a lot, but I rented them instead of buying, so I saved myself close to $600!

2. Today I am thankful: For the chance to sleep in!  I took the day off of work so that I could go to my first day of classes.  Waking up at 8:30 was so wonderful!

3. Money can’t buy happiness. One free thing I did last week that made me happy was:  Played a lot with my new puppy, Chael!

4. I will consider this week a success if I:  Get everything on my to-do list done!

5. The thing I will miss most when summer is over: Freedom!  I'm back to school full time today.  I'm a little nervous since this will be the first time I am a full time student and working full time.  I know I can do it though.

Weekly Money Checkup 8.22.11

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1. The most I’ve spent this last week was on:  $119.00 on my textbooks.  I actually saved close to $400 because I chose to rent them over purchasing!

2. Today I am thankful:  that I was finally able to get a hold of someone with half a brain at my University's Financial Aid office.  For the past month I've only been able to speak with student.employees.who.don't.know.anything.about.anything!  Now my financial aid is all figured out!

3. Money can’t buy happiness. One free thing I did last week that made me happy was:  I was able to spend some time in my garden.  It's been so hot that mostly everything was fried by the sun, and because I felt like a farming failure, I haven't tended to it in over a month.  I pulled all of the old crops and planted my winter garden.

4. I will consider this week a success if I:  Get all of the work I need on my car done, as well as get my school supplies ready for Monday!

5. The best prank ever pulled on me was:  The time my roommate put Saran wrap all around my car.  It looked like a giant leftover, and it took forever to take off!

Weekly Money Check-up 8.15.11

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1. The most I’ve spent this last week was on:  I spent $57 and change on gas!  While riding the bus was a fun experience, I ditched it.  I was still using my car to get everywhere that didn't involve going to and from work.   Again, I live in a part of town where the bus is not a common means of transportation, and there are only a few bus stops in my community.  While the bus was saving me about 50% of my transportation cost budget, planning a four hour trip to the grocery store just wasn't worth it.  Also, now that I have to drive to school three days a week (across town), the trip would take too long on the bus.  Luckily, however, I heard on the news this week that gas prices should go down by $0.50 per gallon in the next few months!

2. Today I am thankful:  for sunshine and warm weather.  I'm sad that it's already starting to fade.

3. Money can’t buy happiness. One free thing I did last week that made me happy was:  I attended another Free Concert in the Park on Friday.  I went with a bunch of friends from church, and we had such a good time!  I love that my community is willing to spend money to give back to us and provide free, family-friendly entertainment.

4. I will consider this week a success if I:  Don't spend any money.  My bills are paid, my gas tank is full, and I have my groceries for the week; so there shouldn't be any reason to spend a single penny.  I also want to work out at least three times this week.

5. If I had today off:  I would be at the lake, or at least a pool playing in the water and working on my tan!

Weekly Money Check-up

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1. The most I’ve spent this last week was on:  Lunch on Saturday.  I went to an activity with some friends from church.  Lunch was involved so I went for a small $4.00 salad bar.  However the girl behind me, loaded up with a salad bar, a hot lunch, a drink and a few side items...  She actually assumed it would be free because when we both go to the register she was surprised she had to pay, and confessed she didn't have her wallet.  I got stuck paying the bill... $15.00 total.

2. Today I am thankful:  For opportunities to work overtime at work.  It's tough, and I've only been putting in an extra 4 hours a week (but could be doing 8).  It's to have the option to make a little extra money.

3. Money can’t buy happiness. One free thing I did last week that made me happy was:  Grabbed free frozen yogurt with a friend!  I had a gift card I received from work, and we put it to good use!

4. I will consider this week a success if I:  Once again, don't spend any money and figure out how to pay my tuition for Fall Semester.  I have a feeling this month's savings totals are going to be rather embarrassing.

5. This time last year:  I just started my current job.  I was also spending every cent of my paychecks because I was so excited to have money.  I was nervous and a little worried about how I would finish school while working full time... and to be honest I still am.  But I'm going to try to get it done this year!

Weekly Money Check-up

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1. The most I’ve spent this last week was on: $8.00 for lunch with co-workers at Rubio's.  Dining out is not on my Spending Fast budget, but after a crummy month, I figured I deserved to treat myself to time out of the office.

2. Today I am thankful:  For clear skin.  I've always struggled with my skin, and had to wear gobs of make up.  Because of that my makeup collecting turned into a rather expensive hobby.  I've been on a medication for almost two months now and my skin is GORGEOUS {I hate to brag, but after years of having bad skin, I'm going to!}!  I love that I don't have to wear makeup... Well, actually, I'm not trying to frighten anyone, so I do wear some... but concealer, mascara and lip gloss is it!

3. Money can’t buy happiness. One free thing I did last week that made me happy was:  Went to a movie with a bunch of friends! I have movie passes left from my stocking last Christmas.  I can't say much about Cowboys and Aliens, but it was a good time!

4. I will consider this week a success if I:  Don't spend any money.  Zero!  Bills are paid, groceries are bought and there's no reason to buy anything!

5. I dream about: Almost every morning, when I wake up, I wonder what kind of drugs I took the night before, because my dreams are crazy!  I bought a dream dictionary to help me decipher them, and it turns out, the stranger your dreams are, the more in balance your life is.  My most common dream is that my teeth are rotten and break/ fall out when I close my mouth or talk; this dream means I'll get money.. and usually it's right!

Weekly Money Check-up

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1. The most I’ve spent this last week was on:  My hair!  I went over my Projected Budget by about $80.  YIKES!  It looks awesome though!  The best part is I didn't even have to make sacrifices to "save" money.  I went into the salon and pretty much asked "what can I get for X amount?" and then explained to my stylist about the Spending Fast.  Luckily for me, she just moved to a new salon, and because she is paying less to rent her station, she is charging less!  She also felt inspired by my determination to do the Spending Fast, and flattered that my hair was my one luxury.  I was able to get a full head of highlights with 3 colors for $160+tip {Down from the $220+tip I normally spend!}!  It killed me to go over budget, so I'll just have to sacrifice somewhere else to make up for it.

2. Today I am thankful:  I am thankful that my brothers are my best friends.  Really, where would I be without them?  I love that we can hang out and do nothing, and have the best time doing it.  I also love that they look out for me when it comes to dating, and take a very active role in helping me decide what to wear {a guy's perspective is important}, and are genuinely interested in how the date(s) went. 

3. Money can’t buy happiness. One free thing I did last week that made me happy was:  I went out to Lake Las Vegas this weekend.  It's been there for years, but as a local, I don't really take advantage of the "touristy" things that are available to me.  We ate dinner on a cafe balcony (which I didn't pay for), and after listened to a free live concert for hours, from a dock on the lake.  The night was gorgeous, the lights were beautiful, and the music & company were fabulous!  It was one of the best evenings I've had in a long time.

4. I will consider this week a success if I:  Pay all of my bills by Friday and find a really good hiding place for my debit card!  I need to get rid of it so I stop going over my "necessities budget."

5. A good friend is: hard to find, so I'm so glad when I find a good one!

Weekly Financial Checkup

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I found this great segment over at My Pretty Pennies, and decided it is a good way to keep my finances in the forefront of my mind.  Hopefully I can try to update every week.

1. The most I’ve spent this last week was on: My Roth 401(k) account.  I opted to have a certain percentage of my paycheck deposited directly into the account, however I was not planning on the raise I got last week.  "Holy Ssshhhhh-ugar!" was my thought as I glanced at my paycheck stub and realized that twice the amount I had budgeted for was contributed to my account.  I'm still not sure if I'll leave it alone, or change it to reflect the original dollar amount I had planned on...  I guess since I'm not spending money this year, I don't really need the extra...

2. Today I am thankful:  for my job!  I know a lot of people out there hate their jobs, but I'm quite pleased with mine.  Especially because of things like retirement benefits, and annual raises as well as bi-annual bonuses. 

3. Money can’t buy happiness. One free thing I did last week that made me happy was:  Had a movie night with my brothers.  We made popcorn and watched Tangled.  It was so nice to just hang out with my best friends!  Plus that movie was HILARIOUS!

4. I will consider this week a success if I:  Prepare my projected budget for August.  I really need to tweak some numbers so that I stay comfortably within the budget.

5. My favorite cuisine to prepare is :  Cereal!  Between my mom, my grandma, and BF (an executive chef), I have zero reasons to cook.  I do enjoy a nice bowl of cereal every night before bed, and I have to say, I make the best bowl of cereal this side of the Mississippi!