Bills
$310.00 - loan repayment
$197.57 - cable/internet
$128.88 - cell phone
$15.00 - bank service fee
$34.96 - prescription --> I was overcharged. Gotta call my insurance company about that. Rawr!!
$50.00 groceries
Total: $736.41
Extras
$36.00 - remaining flight to Florida payment
$2.00 - PATH fare
$26.00 - dinner w/ a friend
$20.00? - foods/drinks at the pub for St. Patty's Day
$28.00 - dinner with C
$10.00 - train pass to Long Island
$20.00 - gift for family member baby
Total: $142.00
Savings: $100.00 [finally!]
Grand Total: $978.41
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Weekly Money Check-Up is a fill-in-the blank post once a week. The first four questions are always the same each week and the fifth is always different. Care to participate? Fill in the blanks in the comments section or post it on your blog and link back to here! Thanks for participating! :)
1. The most I’ve spent this last week was on bills.
2. Today I feel crappy towards money.
3. Money can’t buy happiness. One free/inexpensive thing I did last week that made me happy was putting money away for savings, and setting up an appointment with my accountant to do my taxes!
4. I will consider this week a success if I don't spend any more money.
5. I am thankful for my job. It may not be grand, but it allows me to pay the bills.
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I am feeling like a budgeting failure. How the heck did I spend $878?!? I feel like I get paid, only to have it all go within minutes. Yes, I did have some fun, and see some friends I haven't seen in a while, but I always feel broke! And I still have to purchase a birthday present for my mom (I'm creating a beauty gift basket,...but her birthday was in mid-February!), a birthday present for my godson (his birthday was March 10- I feel like an awful Godmother!), shoes for a wedding, and...who knows what else! Le sigh.
Luckily I was able to make an appointment to see my "accountant" (he's a family friend- taxes for free? Yes, please!) next weekend. Also, this week I am going to the bank. I was recently researching high-yield savings accounts, and my bank actually has a program that is perfect for what I'm trying to do- save for a specific event. This way I can make some interest on the money I'm saving, as opposed to just sticking it under the mattress and letting it accumulate! Plus, I need to put it somewhere where I can't access it. Seriously, it's so bad, and I have little to no self control- if I'm low on cash and am heading out, I just grab from the savings jar. I have every intention of putting it back, but then never do, and then I'm broke again. I am also strongly considering putting 10% of each paycheck directly into savings- if I don't see it, I can't spend it!
I was trying to create an account through UPromise, but that didn't exactly work. I also heard that ING Direct was a good one to use.
Anyone have any tips on good high-yield savings accounts?
Eep. I hate money. My student loans every month (for undergrad and grad school) total around $700. Kicks me in the butt EVERY DARN MONTH.
ReplyDeletePlus rent... Ugh, just made myself sick to my stomach.
I had a CD through ING for a while. It was pretty easy to manage (well...all CDs are, really, since it just sits there!), but since they can direct withdraw from your existing accounts, it was convenient to set up.
ReplyDeleteWhen you do spend money, like on your prescriptions, and certain bills - do you just pay cash, or do you use a rewards credit card? I pay as many bills and expenses as possible with my Discover card, which has a great cashback program - 1% back all the time, on everything, with 5% back each quarter on a different category, and even an extra percent back for your birthday month! Then you take your $20 in rewards and get a gift card for MORE than $20...effectively increasing your rewards by a sizeable percentage! Definitely something to check out - if only to "allow" yourself a reward once in a while (I get Old Navy gift cards with mine!)
Steph-- I pay cash. I actualy don't own any credit cards anymore. I am considering getting a Capital One card though- they keep sending me mail!
ReplyDeleteCashback programs are pretty much the best thing ever. I do almost all my online shopping using EBates (on the sidebar) and they send me a check with the monies I earned on cashback! I might look into getting a rewards program card...
P.S. I love Old Navy!!
Erica-- I couldn't afford to give them $700 if I wanted to! That's terrible! I'm sorry!