Spring Shopping.

I just got back from my spring shopping trip. I did not buy much. I got two new dresses from American Eagle that will be very cute to wear out, and I could also wear them to work if I throw on a shrug or sweater with them. Total cost? $70.

I also got three new pairs of underwear from Victoria's Secret. They usually have 3 for $30 or 5 for $25 deals going on. I got a $10 off coupon in the mail from them, so I got three very cute new undies for $20.

Not all that much stuff, but I rarely have shopped since last August. So, I felt like splurging a little and and it was all budgeted and paid for in cash.

Finally, while at the mall I saw that New York & Company is hiring part time sales associates. I have three years of experience at a high end department store, so I applied for a position and noted that I can only work weekends until soccer season ends, at which point I can do evenings and weekends. I also wrote down that from June 12-August 14 I am available any hours since it'll be summer vacation from school. Hopefully they will call. I'd rather work in retail than at a restaurant.

Tomorrow is payday!

Budget Travel!

I apologize for being MIA lately. I haven't had much to update about in the personal finance arena. I only get paid once a month, so payday is Tuesday. I did pretty well with sticking to my cash envelopes in the month of March. I only went over a little bit, and now I know where I can trim back in April so that I don't go over. =)

This weekend, me and C decided to go on a small trip down to Myrtle Beach, SC. It came about at the last minute, because I knew I'd have tomorrow (Monday) off work. We got lucky, and Chris was told that he didn't have to report in again til Tuesday. I asked a friend of mine who lives in Myrtle about good places to stay and she recommended Hotel Breakers. So we looked into it and they had an Ultimate Romance package where we got a rooftop ocean view room, chocolate covered strawberries, a small bottle of champagne, and free breakfast. The total cost for two nights? $230.

It took us 5 hours to make the 2 1/2 hour drive, however, because Friday evening there were tornadoes in the area we were coming from. One of the tornadoes crossed over I-95, which we were driving on, and stopped traffic for two hours! It was annoying, but today when we came back the drive was very easy. We are looking forward to going back in the near future.

Here are some pics:


This is the view from the balcony/patio attached to our room. It was huge, since it was a penthouse room.



This was also taken from the rooftop. Here you can see the water, the sand, the beautiful landscaping, and one of the hotel's swimming pools with two hot tubs. =)

C is a great boyfriend for spoiling me and taking me on trips. Also, I'm thinking we got a great deal because of the economy--the hotels are trying to generate business by offering cheaper packages. I highly recommend Hotel Breakers because it was clean, had great amenities, and the staff was wonderful and accomodating!

I'm Around.

I have been really busy lately, so I apologize for the lack of updates!

I do have one quick thing to write about, though. I got my first cavity filled yesterday and also got my bite wing x-rays done at the dentist. The total cost was $190, which I paid in cash. For that, I am very proud. I am getting what I need done, but not going into debt. Yay!

I am getting my next cavity done next month, and this time it will be $140 because I don't need x-rays again.

It's strange how panicked I was at first over this, but all it took was some budget tweaking. If I didn't live on a budget, it wouldn't be possible.

Why do I keep the car?

Most of the people on the Total Money Makeover forums think I should sell my car and get a beater until I'm debt free. This is why I will not.

When I bought my car, I traded in a paid for car for it. The old car was having problems every month. For several months straight, very expensive repairs needed to be made. One month, the starter died, and that cost $500. Another month, the belt came off and I lost my power steering. That was $300...and etc. It was becoming a huge hassle, and when I got hired at my first job, I needed to have reliable transportation.

My dad helped me look at cars, and I bought a brand new 2007 Chevy Cobalt. It is very fuel efficient (at the time, gas was still very high). It gets around 30 MPG. Also, it's under warranty so if anything goes wrong it will be fixed for free.

I hate the monthly payment, but the peace of mind that comes with it is worth it. I know I will be paying it off early, so I can deal with it for now. I do know that all future cars I buy will be paid for in cash right away. But as someone who was just starting out in the real world, it was *impossible* for me to pay cash for the car. I had nothing in savings and only had the trade-in as my down payment.

So the car will be staying...and when I pay it off, it will stay until I have enough in cash to buy a hybrid vehicle. I'm leaning toward a Ford Escape Hybrid when the time comes. But I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, many years from now. :)

How exactly did I rack up my CC debt?

This is the tale of how Ninja racked up her credit card debt.

After graduating college, I lived at home for a few months and during that time I had paid down my credit card debt to just $800. Then, I moved out of my parents house. There were some boundary issues present and I was sick of fighting with my mom, mostly about money. She wanted me to be debt free, but I was sick of hearing her moan and groan every time I spent *any* money because she knew I still needed to pay off the credit card.

When I moved, I wiped out my emergency fund to pay the deposit on my new apartment. I didn't use my credit card for anything, though. A couple months later, though, it was my birthday, so I bought myself a shiny new laptop. On credit, of course!!! Then, a few months later, I used my credit card to partially pay to go on a cruise with my two best friends from college. That added on even more debt.

Finally, when I got my job where I currently live, I used my credit card to buy furniture for my new apartment and for all my travel expenses. When I got here in August 2008, I owed a little over $5,000.

Luckily, I had a signing bonus, which I used to pay off about $2,000 of what I owed. I've been throwing as much extra as possible at the balance since then, and I have learned my lesson for real this time. I do not use plastic unless it's my debit card, and I never will ever again.

Meals - Week of 3/8

Sunday: Spaghetti with marinara sauce

Monday: Black beans and rice with green beans

Tuesday: Soccer parents feed me at the game. C is on his own.

Wednesday: M cooks? But if not--mac and cheese.

Thursday: Hamburger helper.

Friday: Vegetable soup and toast.

Saturday: Date night with C, so out to eat!

All I need to buy at Wal-Mart today is milk, bread, fresh fruit, and a bottle of aloe lotion because we got horribly sunburned watching softball outside. The gorgeous weather was awesome, but sadly we forgot to put on sunscreen before being outside from 10 AM until 4 PM! Oops!

Below $13,000

As of Friday, my total debt amount is below $13,000. I updated my numbers in the sidebar. I am very excited about this!

I can't wait for it to be below $10,000! That's my next major goal. Hopefully by the end of August 2009.

Using Cash for Big Purchases

It pays to pay cash. I wanted to share this story from a few months back.

When my signing bonus was disbursed to me, I had allocated a portion of it to purchasing a washer and dryer for my apartment. I had hookups, but the machines weren't included. To rent them it was $25/month with a three month minimum. Heck no! There were plenty of used ones on Craigslist, but it was going to be a hassle to find help to move them into my second floor apartment and then install them. Not to mention, they could wind up not working and then I'd be back at step one and be out the money for them. I was sick of hauling my laundry over to the apartment's laundry room, so I was looking forward to this.

Anyways, back to my story: I decided that my budget for both the washer and dryer together would be $650. Me and C went to Best Buy one Saturday afternoon, and when the appliance specialist came up to me, I flashed the cash and said "I have $650 and I want to leave today having purchased a washer and dryer with delivery, installation, and sales tax included in that price." She went and got her manager, and they conferred together for about 10 minutes. At that point, they came back to get us.

The manager brought me over to the register, where on the screen, he was changing prices on things line by line. He changed the washer and dryer prices, comped us the hoses for them (so they cost nothing) and also included the plugs. He also scheduled my delivery date--the following Saturday. When all was said and done, the price for everything was $648.

Dave Ramsey is absolutely right: for big ticket items, paying cash is absolutely the way to go. I got a huge discount (they were on clearance for $700 anyway, plus normally you have to pay for the plugs, hoses, installation, etc). All said and done, I saved about $100. I said what I wanted and stated the price, and they matched it. There was no haggling needed and no high pressure tactics to "buy now and finance on a Best Buy account!"

When I'm debt free, I look forward to doing this to buy an HDTV. That will be a wonderful day. :D

Ways to Save as a Single 20-Something

I consider myself "single" even though I have a boyfriend, because I'm not married nor have I ever been. These are some ways that I cut expenses so that I have more to save and put toward debt. Amazingly, none of them are huge changes to make, but the savings really add up!

Clothing: I invest in high-quality, classic looks that don't go out of style. One might argue that when you're living on a budget, clothes from Wal-Mart are the way to go. This is absolutely not true. I used to work at a luxury retailer with high merchandise price points, and I can promise you that the cost is well worth the quality. I have three pairs of jeans from higher end vendors--Silver, Big Star, and Seven for All Mankind--and all were worth the price. None have visible signs of wear after daily wear and tear, and I've owned these jeans for months (or years, in the case of the Sevens). A cheaper pair from Wal-Mart or Target would almost certainly disentegrate in that time frame (and have, in my experience), causing me to spend on a new pair. The pricier ones last. They can even be found more reasonably on a clearance rack. I paid cash for all of my pairs, too. So--to sum up, Ninja says it's OK to treat yourself if you pay cash and if it's an item that can be worn fashionably for many years with much wear. ;)

Nights Out: If you're female, frequent the night spots in your town that have Ladies Night. Many of these places offer no cover before a certain time, or a reasonable cover with free well drinks all night. Only bring a fixed amount of cash with you--enough for a few cocktails, and a cab ride home (Ninja does not condone drinking and driving!). Of course, if you're good at flirting, you shouldn't need to spend your own money on drinks. In my case, I spend $0 each month on entertainment because C pays for us when we go out on dates, but when I was single I was good at never spending a dime at the bars.

Friends: Many times, friends will want to meet for dinner after work. Instead of doing that, me and my neighbor trade off making dinner for each other. I cook for us on Sundays, and she cooks on Wednesdays. We can catch up with each other and hang out, but neither of us spends money other than the ingredients for whatever we've made. No gas money to get there either! See if you have a friend or two who would be interested in this idea--it's a lot of fun for me because I have a guinea pig to test recipes on.

Living: I turn down the heat in my apartment while I'm at work, and also when I go to bed at night. It's really only on for a few hours in the afternoon. I leave the lights off in rooms I'm not in, and I keep all appliances unplugged most of the time unless I'm using them. In the summer, I'm going to get a drying rack so that I can let my clothes air dry on my balcony instead of using the dryer. That should cut even more off the electric bill. I get a 20% discount on my cell phone bill through my employer too. I do not have a roommate--my apartment is one bedroom--but I prefer not to live with other people. If your personality can handle it though, it could cut your rent in half. Where can you cut back?

Food: I do not eat fast food or get coffee from Starbucks. I don't even like coffee, but I know many people do. It's a waste to spend $4/day on it, when you could brew your own for almost free! Fast food is also pricey--3 meals a day at $6 means $18/day or $126/week. Ouch! I eat oatmeal for breakfast, brown bag a lunch, and plan ahead for dinner to keep my grocery bill in check. I only spent $33 this week and that was only because I had to buy toilet paper and some soap. It would have been $25 without those items. Avoiding processed, pre-packaged food also cuts costs, and it's better for you anyway. =)

These are just a few tricks I have for keeping costs down. I have plenty more, which I'll dish out in future posts!

Balance Transfer

My balance transfer has gone through, so Discover Card is done with. Now I will be paying the balance over the next 6 months with 0% interest through my bank. It's a much sweeter deal! =)

I just wanted to update about this small step forward. I'm really relieved.

Meals - Week of 3/1

Every Sunday from now on, I will be posting what's for dinner each weeknight. Today at Wal-Mart, I only spent $23 on food because I'm working around what I have in my pantry and freezer already. I'm hoping I'll be able to continue this trend. C always eats dinner with me, unless otherwise noted. =)

Today (Sunday): Hamburger Helper with steamed broccoli and carrots. My neighbor, M, and her boyfrend, A, are eating dinner with me and C tonight.

Monday: Eggs and pancakes with fruit cocktail (I like making breakfast for dinner sometimes).

Tuesday: I'm coaching a soccer game, so the parents will be providing dinner for the team. C will have to fend for himself if he wants to eat. :P

Wednesday: M cooks for A, C, and me.

Thursday: Soccer fundraiser at CiCi's pizza, so me and C are eating out (C will pay for both of us).

Friday: Mac and cheese with green beans.

Saturday: Probably eating out and watching the UFC fight, because a friend is visiting from out of town. C will pay, however.

For lunch during the week, I'll be packing PB&J with an apple and some carrot sticks. I always eat oatmeal for breakfast.